Thanh Tri – the 2ndMind Dharma: SAMYAGDRSTI – PRABHA SAMADHI – Part 4: GAIN FROM RIGHT VIEW, LOSE OF WRONG VIEW (Đệ nhị tâm pháp Thanh Trí: Chánh kiến quang minh tam muội – Bài 4: Ích lợi từ chánh kiến, tác hại từ tà kiến)

• Thanh Tri – the 2^ndMind Dharma: SAMYAGDRSTI – PRABHA SAMADHI – Part 4: GAIN FROM RIGHT VIEW, LOSE OF WRONG VIEW

The Buddha asserts wonderful benefits from right view in Kaccayanagotta Sutra: “One who is not bounded or affected by attachments and clingings will no longer be in bondage to “my-self”. He has no uncertainty or doubt that just suffering or stress, when arising, is arising; when passing away, is passing away. His knowledge is independent of others. That knowledge is called right view”.

The definition by the Buddha shows us the most practical value of right view that is to help the practitioner break out the bondage to “my-self”, the selfishness: “for me/my sake” and the arrogance: “because of me”. When suffered, the practitioner knows that he “purifies” or turns heavy karma into light karma or from light karma into nothing (Teachings of Padmasambhava in “Ten obvious truths”). Then he will feel no more doubts, doubts and perplexity, doubts and regrets about the ultimate truth – that is “Four Noble Truths” the Buddha has stated, so that he keeps contemplating thedoctrine, diligently practicing Dharma by Reading-Contemplating-Practicing (Listening-Contemplating-Practicing). There is no doubt that this right view is obtained independently, not borrowed from or influenced by others’. This means it is free from clingings or dogmatism like non-Buddhist sects are falling into.

Come back to the Samyutta Nikaya, Kaccāyanagotta has attained Arahatship after listening to the Buddha’s expounding on the true meaning of right view. Together with King Pasenadi, King Ajatasatru was startled awake after comprehending right view, then become a wholehearted guardian of Buddhist Dharma. A special paradigm is a layman named Anathapindika who voluntarily covered a large garden with gold pieces at the challenge of Prince Jeta, son of King Pasenadi of Kosala, then bought it to build the Jetavana Monastery as an offering to the Buddha and Sangha.

In Buddha’s time, practitioners of over 95 heretical sects spent most of their life meditating on cushion but could not be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Late until the Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment, there appeared right view which set the ground for opening the enlightened knowledge and vision (prajna). The benefits of right view are really indescribable, given Buddhist practitioners can easily gain right view without any effort and strength. Nagarjuna Bodhisattva had also developed Madhyamaka (the middle way) based on right view. Wonderfully, it is right view that Padmasambhava, the lotus-born saint from the land of Oddiyana (India) had conquered all opponents in a debate in Tibet with a “Lion Roar”.

By right view of viewpoint, worship and respect, Song Nguyen Tantra House has defeated evil forces in and outside Buddhism. By right view of liberation, all followers and disciples of Song Nguyen Tantra House can cultivate merits and wisdom at the same time, thus gaining results faster. Their successes in secular life and achievements on the path of cultivation have been illustrated through many stories of members like Mat Tu, Mat Hong Tuyen, Mat Thuy, Mat Khai Nguyen, who have amazingly surmounted obstacles in pursuing their goal of studying abroad. So where does their success come from? Because of right view, founded on right view, contemplation on right view and application of right view which are based on four aspects of right thought as well as four aspects of application for “the benefit of sentient beings”. Not all Buddhist practitioners are equipped with right view. If have, not all gain full knowledge of it which consequently mistake one, two or three of those four aspects such as worship, respect and viewpoint. Their mistakes are exposed through their arguments or reasonings which go against the logical thinking in Buddhism (Hetuvidya). If gaining full knowledge of right view, not all are able to apply in right time, right person, right context, right situation or right environment. That’s when they lack essential selection of Dharma practices, i.e mix up different activities into one practice such as chanting many sutras, reciting the Buddha’s name, reciting mantra and meditating at the same time. That’s when they live a monastic life but “return to the household life” by adopting children or doing charity for personal purposes, or setting records for fame. That’s when they cling to meditation practice and belittle Pure Land school; perform Pure Land Buddhist practices while disparage the tradition of Zen or Tantrayana; follow Mahayana while criticize non-vegetarian tradition of Theravada or vice versa, follow Theravada while denigrate the authenticity of Mahayana’s and Tantrayana’s canons. Those behaviors and activities are not in the sense of dialectics thus hard to gain achievements, if not to say failures, as Nagarjuna Bodhisattva asserted: “All meritorious deeds without right view will leave serious consequences”. The Buddha also warned in Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Adornment Sutra): “All good practices that are not founded on Bodhicitta are considered wrong practices”. That’s why those without wrong view or lack of right view often fall into one of five following cases:

(1) Do not smile at things that are worth smiling

(2) Do not feel happy for what are worth being happy

(3) Do not have compassion for what are worth being benevolent

(4) Do not listen to righteous advices

(5) Do not feel ashamed at doing bad deeds.

Specific consequences left on Buddhist practitioners without right view are:

(1) Cultivate diligently but gain little result

(2) Neither secular life nor spiritual practice is successful

(3) Increasingly clinging to self (self-attachment) and clinging to Dharma (Dharma attachment)

(4) Gloomy or joyless face caused by negative feelings and emotions accumulated inside body and mind

(5) Facing unexpected risks

(6) Have rare opportunity to be reborn in the Buddha’s realm

Contrarily, Buddhist practitioners with full right view will have following advantages:

(1) Cultivate less but gain much result

(2) Either secular life or spiritual practice is successful

(3) Self attachment and Dharma attachment will gradually reduce and finally vanish

(4) Bright face originated from the combination of three waves of light or illumination (Prabhāsvara)

(5) Have unexpected accordant causes

(6) Will be reborn into the Buddha’s realm

Long or short path of cultivation depends on the guidance of the spiritual Guru

I would end this part by a quote from Kalama sutra to help you understand that you can obtain achievements only when right view is gained by your endeavor, not by influences of others. Long or short path of cultivation then depends on the guidance of your spiritual Guru

-It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain. In this case, you should neither go upon nor despise the doctrine of other religions if you have not learnt about it thoroughly. Come Kalamas, Tathagata will expound ten foundations of right faith for you.

–Do not go upon what has been acquired by mere hearsay.

–Do not go upon traditions merely because they are old and have been handed down for many generations and in many places

–Do not go upon rumors or because people talk a great deal about it.

–Do not go upon what is in scripture.

–Do not go upon anything just because thinking that it belongs to metaphysics

–Do not go upon anxiom because it goes in line with your standpoint

–Do not go upon anything just because it is founded on specious reasoning 

–Do not go upon a bias towards a notion just because it is in line with your prejudice

–Do not go upon anything just because it is supported by strength and power

–Do not go upon anything just because it is taught by masters or ancient sages.

–But Kalamas, whatever, after thorough investigation and reflection, you find to agree with reason and experience and you yourself know: “These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed; these things lead to happiness and benefit of one and all and of the world at large, then enter on and abide in them.”

I don’t request or oblige you to follow but rather, as the follower and disciple of Song Nguyen Tantra House, you should look back on how you get progressed and developed since you’ve read and commented on chanhtuduy.com. This will be the most empirical proof to know that you have obtained right view. Nonetheless, how to fully equip oneself with right view at the fastest and most effective way possible, I will explain in Part 5.

May all sentient beings attain happiness of the Buddha’s nature.

Om Mani Padme Hum!

A rainy afternoon on the peak of Phu Van Mountain, January 12, 2019

Thinley- Nguyen Thanh

Tranlsated by Mat Hue Phap

Vietnamese version: Đệ nhị Tâm pháp Thanh Trí: Chánh Kiến quang minh tam muội – Bài 4: Ích lợi từ chánh kiến, tác hại từ tà kiến

Thanh Tri – the 2^nd Mind Dharma: SAMYAGDRSTI – PRABHA SAMADHI

Part 1: INTRODUCTION

Part 2: WHAT IS RIGHT VIEW?

Part 3: RIGHT VIEW IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS” (Bài 3: Những góc tư duy về chánh kiến)

Part 4: GAIN FROM RIGHT VIEW, LOSE OF WRONG VIEW (Đệ nhị tâm pháp Thanh Trí: Chánh kiến quang minh tam muội – Bài 4: Ích lợi từ chánh kiến, tác hại từ tà kiến)

Part 5: How to be equipped with the full right view (Bài 5: Làm sao để được trang bị chánh kiến toàn diện?)