May 12, 2017
Posted by Admin in BUDDHISM IN OTHER LANGUAGES | 36 Comments
WORLDLY PLEASURES FROM PERSPECTIVE OF TANTRA (Đôi điều thọ lạc từ góc nhìn người tu Mật tông)
WORLDLY PLEASURES FROM PERSPECTIVE OF TANTRA
In Mahayana’s viewpoint (Paramitayana and Tantrayana), practitioners center their mind around three factors of enlightenment including RENUNCIATION, BODHICITTA and WISDOM. They are as steady and inseparable as a tripod. But in terms of renunciation alone, practitioners, depending on degrees of spiritual development, should know which need to be let go, particularly with regards to five desires (panca- visaya) or in other words, five cords of sensory pleasures (form, sound, fragrance, taste, touch…)
OUTWARD BUT NOT INWARD RENUNCIATION?
It seems that those with faith in Dharma but unknolwedgable of the root of suffering often perceive the meaning of renunciation in ways that deny or evade sensory pleasures like “food”, “clothes”, “noisy living environment”. They are inclined to believe that living in seclusion will give them “joy and peace”. We state that:” I definitely shake off the household life!” However, supposed we cannot bear the awful smell of a big pile of garbage, we move out just to finally find out we stay near another pile again, though smaller. These can be seen as OUTWARD but not INWARD renunciation!
Buddha’s Footprint Lake in Song Nguyen Tantra House
Particularly, such outward renunciation may affect the family harmony cause some practitioners do not know how to flexibly and skifully help the beings or flexibly practice Dharma in family life. They cannot release the grip of their “own view”. In fact, this exposes a unilateral perception of the overall tenet of Buddhism, especially in aspect of the feeling of five desires and more deeply, the feeling of enjoyment.
In “The Buddha’s Teachings on Prosperity: at Home, At Work in the World”, Basnagoda Rahula (a Therevada Bhikkhu) affirmed that: The feeling of joy (happiness) means the satisfaction in body, speech and mind; The Buddha never devalued the happiness existed in any realms or derived from any objects… He, in fact, taught Buddhist lay persons which way is good, better and best to gain happiness from sensory satisfaction.
The Eighth Patriarch of Chinese Pure Land School, Chou-Hung, also did not deny the happiness in the material and sensory worlds as saying:” Happiness derived from sensory satisfaction is not as great as that from gardening. Happiness from gardening cannot compared to that from traveling. Happiness from traveling is far less fanscinated than that from reading the sage’s teachings. Reading the sage’s teachings is incomparable to the cultivation of mind (see “Essences of Buddhism” by Ven. Thich Thien Tam).
The truth is that in his time, the Buddha never showed any slightest disrespect for happiness in secular life during his lectures for lay followers. He taught that there exist two kinds of happiness: one derived from sensory satisfaction and the other derived from giving up sensory satisfaction. Of these two, the happiness derived from giving up sensory satisfaction is better. He also defined the existence of two kinds of happiness: one in lay life and the other in renounced life. Of these two, the happiness in renounced life is better.But many tend to know about Buddhism through the Four Noble Truth (suffering, cause of suffering, end of suffering and path to end the suffering), which was the first Dharma teaching given by the Buddha to five highly spiritual brothers of Kondanna who had ever practiced together with Yogi Gautama (former name of the Buddha before his enlightenment). In this teaching, he mentioned about sufferings from samsara, advised bhikkhus to totally leave household life to focus on meditation as well as to contemplate the impermanence and intrinsic nature of phenomena, then unveil the ultimate truth of liberation. But he did not teach them for lay followers. Therefore, it would be unsuitable to impose the “Four Noble Truths” on the practice of lay followers who have absolutely different lifestyle and levels of spiritual development. The misuse of “Four Noble Truths” among both Buddhist laymen and bhikkhus has caused a misunderstanding of the Buddha’s teachings which consequently led to the emergence of such concepts as “Buddhist pessimism.”
Upon analyzing the feeling of enjoyment, we easily notice the presence of sensory pleasures for they have direct connection with “form, sound, scent, taste and physical touch”. This process takes places similarly even in animal world. Sensory pleasures themselves have no fault but our mental attachment to them that is problematic. It should be noticed that the Buddha gave different teachings on happiness or suffering to various groups of followers. We, regardless laymen or bhikkhus, should contemplate, practice and then apply into our daily life in accordance with Dharma orbit (i.e read-contemplate-practice).
The Buddha’s teachings for bhikkhus definitely cannot be applied to lay followers and vice versa. The third of five moral codes (Pratimoksha), for instance, refers to “Prohibition of sexual misconduct” which is imposed only on laymen who have family life. Meanwhile, a rule of conduct bhikkhus are supposed to observe is “Not to have sexual intercourse”. Obviously, it’s impossible and inappropriate to apply this monastic rule into the lay group.
Similarly, among five rules for laymen, the Buddha advised them “To abstain from alcohol intoxication (not to abuse addictive substances)”, but requested the bhikkhus “To abandon intoxicants”. From this point on, we can see the Buddha provided different teachings to various groups of audiences who come with various attitudes and perceptive emotions. A wrong judgement or application may lead to a misunderstanding of the Buddha’s words, especially in the aspect of sensory pleasures.
Legends tell that the god of a mountain asked Zen Master Nguyen Khue to bestow refuge and transmit precepts to him.
The master asked:” Could you avoid killing beings?”
The god shook his head:” No. I was born to kill evil forces.”
The master said:” Not as you thought. I told you not to abuse killing.”
The god agreed.
Then came to the rule of “not to have sexual misconduct”.
The god refused again:”No, I am polygynous”.
The master said:” I told you not to abuse your power to make forced marriage”.
The god agreed.
Then came to the vow “not to drink alcohol”.
The god jumped up:” No, I am a well-off mountain god. Drinking is my hobby. Why can’t I take it?”
The master taught:” I did not tell you stop drinking, just not to get intoxicated”
The god understood and agreed…
This story implies the fact that lay life and monastic life require separate precepts. This is an important point to remember and bring into daily use, notably for the lay community which specially requires a flexible application.
VIEWPOINT ON TRANSFORMATION
According to Therevada tradition, the five desires are seen to trigger unwholesome feelings like greedy, hatred, delusion, jealousy, arrogance and many other negative emotions. They therefore are considered impure and should be abandoned to avoid serious aftermaths! But like I said before, we can have different approaches to those factors by transforming these feelings into spiritual capacity, as a way of wisdom enhancement. Like a talented pharmacist who is able to turn poison into medicine.The Mahayana’s tradition has shown ways of turning SENSORY PLEASURES into PEACE AND JOY. To do so, we need to know the source of suffering! Once our desires are not satisfied (the Buddha called this suffering (dukkha)), we tend to blame for (1) Situation (2) Someone (3) Something. We will complain:” I should have been happy if I have something (someone or been in that situation).” We stick labels to things or phenomena we are attracted instead of looking into their true nature. Then we put all of our efforts to grasp them, to occupy them. If we fail, we feel so painful and malcontent. The degree of depression depends on the level of our desire. In case we are successful, after some times, what we have possessed turns out not to be as our dream, thus we again dissatisfy and continue to dream of another better ones. For example, when we are poor and stay in a rent house, we dream of a house of our own, though small. But after we own a private house and enjoy its presence for a certain period of time, we start looking at other bigger and more well-equipped ones, wishing to possess them.
Such dual thought will fill up our mind as we dissatisfy with what we have in hands and searching for another satisfaction. Such mental state keeps spiraling though how weary we become. It’s not by chance Siddha Thogme Zangpo warns:” Sensory pleasures are like saltwater: the more you drink, the more thirst increases. Abandon at once those breed clinging and attachment – This is the practice of Bodhisattvas.”
Nonetheless, it should be clear that “detachment” does not mean to give up everything but to select and let go such mental states that causes us attached. A Marxism-Leninism philosophy says about negation that: Do selective negation rather than overall negation. That is the true renunciation.
Lama Yeshe Rinpoche taught:”When we experience something pleasant, we enjoy it in easy way and claim no more. We have such easygoing attitude for perceiving that such enjoyment is impermanent and that we are heading to higher happiness – accessing the true nature. By this noble goal, we would neither be driven by sensory pleasures nor disappointed at bad things happened to us. In other words, instead of relying on objects of senses as a solution to our satisfaction, we lay belief on our own inner strength”. (“Introduction to Tantra – A Vision of Totality”, p.59).
Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984) – the founder of Fund for Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) However, the application of renunciation in lay life must be done in right ways or right orbit of Dharma. The heartwood of renunciation lies in one word “TRANSFORMATION”. Once being fully aware of it, we are able to face with sensory pleasures, turning them into the engine for peace and joy. Hence, the Mahayana, especially Tantric yogis, still peacefully enjoy happiness derived from five desires or five senses (form, sound, scent, taste and physical touch), instead of giving them up as non-Buddhist schools normally do. This means we are not afraid of confronting with sensory pleasures but look directly into their nature with concentration and mindfulness during spiritual life. HH. The 12th Gyalwang Drukpa taught:” Dharma should be attached to worldly life. Worldly life should be lessons of Dharma.” This is what lay followers are following in their path to liberation.
But the miracle lies in the practitioners’ ability to turn their worldly enjoyment into strongly effective method of practice. Legends tell that a king petitioned the Buddha to teach him ways of spiritual development for a high ranking figure like him. He said:” I am responsible for leading my people. I cannot be like you who gave up everything to live a secluded life in the forest. So I would like you to teach me how to practice Dharma in a high-class life.” The Buddha answered that he knew such way named the Tantric path.
“With this path”, he explained, “a king can practice cultivation in daily life without giving up any regal pleasures. You can have all funs and gain spiritual progress as well”. The Buddha taught him the Kalachakra Tantra or the Wheel of Time. This tradition and other esoteric teachings have been maintained uninterruptedly so far. Yeshe Rinpoche aserted: “A countless number of Indian and Tibetan have attained ultimate enlightenment by this method. There’s absolutely no reason we cannot benefit from it as them did.”
RIGHT THOUGHT OF WORLDLY ENJOYMENT
A king with supreme responsibility for the society is still able to practice Dharma, so what about us, ordinary people? Now it is just the matter of methodology! This reminds me of a famous quote by French mathematician Decars:” Without method, a genius can make mistake. With method, an ordinary person can become extraordinary”. Spiritually, such method is nothing else but the teachings of the Buddha who came to our world, showing us various paths to a sole destination: Liberation!
Lotus Flower Estrade in Song Nguyen Tantra House
A story tells that in Buddha’s time, King Pasenadi on returning from a hunt unexpectedly called his executive chef to serve his lunch at the soonest. However, the king could not find his favorite food during the meal. He angrily commanded to behead the chef. That poor man constantly claimed innocent, saying the king did not inform him in advance as usual. Chief Queen Mallika who happened to know the truth had asked the headsman to delay the execution until tomorrow. (Queen Mallika is a genuine Buddhist devotee who vowed to keep Eight Precepts for lay people). She hurriedly did attractive make-up, prepared a fervent party with many beautiful dancing girls, then invited the King to come and enjoy. The King was contented and drank till late at night. Next day when the sun rose high, the King woke up, feeling deeply regretful for having ordered to behead the chef. What would he have for midday lunch without that talented man? Queen Mallika kneed down and said:” Would you, your majesty, spare his life if he’s still alive?” “Of course,” nodded the King, “I had took one’s life for a momentary madness though it’s in fact my fault for not informing him in advance.” Mallika bursting with joy called that chef out from his refuge to show gratitude towards the King. Pasenadi gladly absolved and bestowed on him many valuable gifts. Mallika then fell on her knees saying:” That’s the reason why I and the maidens prepared party, danced and drank with you on the full moon that occurred yesterday!”
A look of surprise on the King’s face:” You did make-up, drank intoxicants, danced and had sensual pleasures on that day. Weren’t you afraid of breaking the precepts?” Mallika smiled and asked the King to come to the Buddha’s place for advice. After listening to the King’s story, the Buddha taught:” Such rule breaking is not only guiltless but also reap in many merits. Why so? Because it brings back many benefits like I said before: One is visible and the other is invisible. Queen Mallika earned visible benefit from breaking the precept. Anyone who reckons with words rather than the meaning will earn visible benefits from breaking the precept. Anyone who reckons on the meaning rather than words and has mind cultivation will earn invisible benefits.”
The Buddha took this special story as a Dharma sermon for Pasenadi and other lay followers, named it as “Adbhutadharma” which means unprecedented causes and conditions that lead to the Buddha’s teachings. It could be said that Mallika’s action of “rule breaking” was “unprecedented” at that time. Late until the development of Mahayana, particularly the Vajrayana, this has been seen as a method of practice and radically applied on the basis of Bodhicitta. The Buddha named it as “knowledge of means” or prajnopaya. Mahayana scriptures say any wholesome conducts that do not originate from Bodhicitta are unwholesome (Avatamsaka – Flower Ornament Sutra). This important point has been stressed in the Sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings that:
“Always satisfy with what we have; peaceful with poverty and uphold the Dharma; wisdom is the only concern”. Indian Master Tilopa also reasoned in Tantric viewpoint:” The problem is not enjoyment. The problem is attachment.”
Mahasiddha Tilopa
In the Avalokitesvara Sraddhotpada sastra, Hai Tin (author) said: ” You have full rights to enjoy comforts over your own money. You have full rights to enjoy any respects over your social position. The practice of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (i.e recite his name, chanting his mantra) does not create a pessimism or optimism. A practitioner should know where he is standing, live with what he is possessing and enjoy what he has full rights over.
He can feel the happiness arisen from the smoothness of a mattress.
He can feel the happiness arisen from a tasty food.
What counts is the moment he loses the mattress and got no delicious meal.
He also has a wife but voluptuousness cannot seduce him to commit bad deeds.
He also has a family but flesh-and-blood relations cannot deprive him of his own good intentions
He also has a job but the benefits cannot drive him to the way of harming others
Mind cultivation means to put all unwholesome thoughts back to the right track of mindfulness. Why so? Unwholesome thoughts will disturb your mind. They make you think you have possessive rights over things that do not legitimately belong to you. Conversly, you will be absolutely free to enjoy anything in favorable circumstances. What are favorable circumstances? Favorable circumstances mean environments and conditions in which you are entitled to enjoy what you like and with a tranquil mind.
This explains why the practitioner always finds happiness but not sadness, peace and joy but not misery. Why? The practice does not prevent him from enjoying worldly pleasures but saves him from what are called sufferings… From this point on, a successful transformation from worldly into spiritual pleasures can be done only when you change your attitude towards worldly pleasures, not renounce them.
Normally, people keep concentration and mindfulness on practicing in holy spaces like pagodas, monasteries, meditation halls, chanting halls, Buddha altars, etc. But they do it for merely 3 sessions a day at most with 1-1.30 hours per session. What will they do for the rest of the day? The answer may be easy for those who live a monastic life but not at all for the busy lay community such as workers, office staff, managers or CEOs. Lay followers therefore can easily be distracted from mindfulness in this modern life which gives rise to three poisons (greed, hatred and delusion).
Such method of approaching worldly pleasures is feasible to overcome those hindrances, sharpened by means of mindfulness, clear consciousness and concentration. All for one purpose: for the benefits of the beings. It should be perceived that the nuclear energy of life and the nuclear energy of actions is the motivation, not the action itself. The action is whatever we are doing, but behind the action there is the history of the motivation, which makes the action positive or not (“Life of Dharma” by Lama Thubten Yeshe).
Hence, the main focus here is to use, not abuse. When you abuse, you are attached. All sorts of clinging and attachment, even attachment to Buddhist scriptures, lead to dangerous aftermaths. You should have a weapon of mindfulness, clear consciousness and concentration, named as “knowledge of means” by the Buddha, to protect you from falling into abuse.
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva – Tibetan pictorial prototype
CONCLUSION
People in this modern time are stuck with their “stubborn custom and wrong sight” (“The Great Vows of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva”). The Buddha also warned in the Forty two Sections Sutra: ” It’s difficult to believe in Buddha and Dharma. It’s more difficult to practice Dharma.”
They may have unpleasant experiences from listening to fundamental basis of Three Jewels refuge, let alone telling them about “Four Noble Truths”, Self and Non-self. Therefore, telling them to use but not abuse is best that way; no need to mention renunciation, suffering and methods to end suffering, or death. It’s the matter of psychology that not many monks or nuns know about. They simply think laymen share the same spiritual levels, thus enthusiastically introduce them with modes of practice which are for monastic life only.
It can’t deny the fact that most of pagoda goers come from their own custom or creed and have little knowledge of Buddhism. It would be less efficient to teach them about the “Four Noble Truths”, about the suffering and ways to end it. Adversely, we should go from the simple to the complicated, just to show them that life enjoyment is not bad but the problem lies in their mental attachment to those pleasures! We do not deny worldly enjoyment but transform them in accordance with the Dharma orbit and that would be enough to live this happy life and be born into the Pure Land of Amitabha next life. This is easily understandable, thus sowing an enjoyment in the audiences to encourage their next attendance of Dharma discourse as well as their joyful voluntariness in following the path.
Lotus Flower Estrade in Song Nguyen Tantra House
To some extent, the audiences attending the Buddha’s discourses were in the period of “strong meditation”. But in this Dharma degenerating age, in the period of”strong dissension”, it would be wise to access the audiences through “joyful means of teaching”. Although lay followers are not the central object in the Dharma propagation but the Buddha with his boundless compassion had bestowed on them many Dharma talks in various assemblies. The point here is how we can find out “The Buddha’s Teachings for Lay Disciples – A Treasure Buried in Time.”
Phuoc Thanh Village in 2013
THINLEY NGUYEN THANH
Translated by Mat Hue Phap
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Vietnamese version: ĐÔI ĐIỀU THỌ LẠC TỪ GÓC NHÌN NGƯỜI TU MẬT TÔNG
Pháp đệ hoan hỷ tán thán thiện hạnh của Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp đã dịch bài pháp của vị Thầy sang tiếng Anh, giúp cho nhiều bạn đọc người nước ngoài có cơ hội tiếp cận với “đôi điều thọ lạc từ góc nhìn người tu Mật Tông”.
Cầu nguyện cho Đạo huynh luôn tinh tấn, thành tựu đời đạo song hành.
Cầu mong cho ánh sáng chánh pháp soi rọi khắp muôn nơi.
Om Mani Padme Hum.
Kính Bạch Thầy!
Con hoan hỷ thiện hạnh Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp đã chuyển ngữ bài viết : ĐÔI ĐIỀU THỌ LẠC TỪ GÓC NHÌN NGƯỜI TU MẬT TÔNG của vị Thầy sang tiếng Anh!
Con cầu nguyện cho những người hữu duyên được biết đến chánh pháp chanhtuduy.com qua bài này. Cầu nguyện Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp luôn được hanh thông trên đường đạo, thành tựu trên đường đời, viên thành mọi ước nguyện chính đáng.
Con cầu nguyện Thầy Cô sức khỏe, trường thọ vì đại nghiệp hoằng dương chánh pháp, làm lợi lạc tất cả chúng sanh.
Cầu nguyện tất cả chúng sanh thành tựu hạnh phúc Phật tánh.
Om Mani Padme Hum!
Mô Phật!
Mật thúy rất hoan hỉ với thiện hạnh dịch bài viết của vị Thầy sang tiếng anh của huynh Mật Huệ Pháp cầu nguyện cho huynh luôn tin tấn thực hành pháp để được tha lực hô tri con cầu nguyện sức khoẻ và sự trường thọ của thầy cô vì lợi lạc của chúng sanh Om ah hùm
Mô Phật,
Mật Tuyết Hoa hoan hỷ tán thán công đức chuyển ngữ bài viết ” Đôi điều thọ lạc từ góc nhìn người tu Mật tông” của vị Thầy sang tiếng Anh của Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp.
Nguyện cầu cho các bạn đọc hữu duyên sử dụng tiếng Anh được đọc bài này để nâng cao chánh kiến và được gieo duyên Mật giáo.
Nguyện cầu Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp luôn đời đạo hanh thông, tinh tấn vui tu.
Nguyện cầu Thầy Cô trụ thế lâu dài vì lợi lạc chúng sanh.
Nguyện cầu tất cả chúng sanh thành tựu hạnh phúc Phật tánh.
Om Mani Padme Hum.
Mô Phật
Mật Hảo hoan hỷ tán thán thiện hạnh của Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp đã chuyển ngữ bài viết của Thầy sang tiếng Anh.
Cầu nguyện cho chúng sanh uống được tinh túy cam lồ.
Om anh hum
Mật Phước hoan hỷ với thiện hạnh chuyển ngữ bài viết ” Đôi điều thọ lạc từ góc nhìn người tu Mật Tông ” sang ngôn ngữ tiếng Anh của Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp.
Con cầu nguyện sức khỏe và sự trường thọ của Thầy Cô.
Cầu mong tất cả chúng sanh thành tựu hạnh phúc của Phật tánh.
Om Mani Padme Hum.
Mô Phật.
Pháp đệ hoan hỷ tán thán thiện hạnh của Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp đã chuyển ngữ bài viết ” Đôi điều thọ lạc từ góc nhìn người tu Mật tông ” của vị Thầy sang tiếng Anh.
Con cầu nguyện sức khỏe sự trường thọ của Thầy cô vì lợi lạc của mọi chúng sanh.
Cầu nguyện cho tất cả chúng sanh uống được tinh tuý cam lồ.
Cầu nguyện Đạo huynh Mật Huệ Pháp sức khỏe đời đạo song hành thong dong trên đạo lộ giải thoát, thành tựu mọi ước nguyện thầm kín chính đáng.
Om Mani Padme Hum!
Namo Amitabha Buddha.
I am delighted with your English version, and I rejoice in your good deed of translating our Guru’s discourse into English.
Indian master Tilopa said: “the problem is not enjoyment the problem is attachment”. The attachment is the roof of all sufferings. For such a long time we have been servant to the two mental departments of attachment and ego, and trying to please them. But in fact, they are our greatest enemy, the root of all our problems, the destroyers of our peace and enjoyment. So that renunciation is one of three principal aspects of the path. But how to renunciation with the right way? It is not outwward but inward.
There are many Buddhists try to become a vegetarian, but they cling to worldly things causing the suffering. And some practitioners try to live far away from their family, but I have to fight with their own desires of money, sex, fame, food, sleep. How can they get the pure mind when they only focus on outward renunciation? Likewise, we clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Thus, five desires themselve are not harmful, the problem is our attachment on them. We should enjoy the life with balanced mind. Obviously, we can enjoy a good meal when we have money, we can live in a good house if we can manage to get it. Good meal or beautiful houses themselves are not harmful. Our attitude of attachment towards them make us suffer. We live a life of luxury. It is not the obstacle to the path. Our attachment makes us unable to practice on the path to enlightenmnet.
In Tantric Buddhism, it is important to understand is that it deals with pleasure, not pain, and specifically pleasure that already exists within an individual. If we do not have this pleasure within, and is miserable all the time, there is no source of pleasure to be utilized and practice will not work for us. Besides, we have divine pride within us in order that we can transform all worldly desires into wisdom through the Tantric practice
Thank you so much for your great job.
May our Guru and his consort live long for the benefit of all sentient beings.
May you get the legtimitate wishes and gain the joy which arises on the path to enlightenment.
May all sentient beings achieve the happiness of Buddha’s nature.
Om Mani Padme Hum.
Cling to mind, which creats sarrow or suffering s.
Man or any livings can not remain away from these sensual satisfaction . So , Buddha taught his philosophy for different statuses , exm. For Bhikku class, Shramans , and leyman .some strictness and pleasent is allowed.
Greediness, Hatred, Delusion, Jelousy, and anger etc are the Root of Sarrow or sufferings. So, for this Buddha advised to see all these passions and emotion through Samatabhav or positively. By which you loss the attack of Sarrow , thrust or sufferings.
Wholesomeness is spirit of Buddha’s teaching. The Buddha’s Teaching means Buddha’s codes of conduct, or the laws of behavior at individual and at Community, Co-Living Co-Meal Co-Existanc, i.e. Wholesomeness, Bahujan Hitay – Bahujan Sukhay,. Which is the inner soul of Democracy.This is the wisedom taught by Buddha with the event of King Prasenjeet court. thanks
Kính bạch Thầy!
Con xin phép được dịch comment của Giáo sư Tiến sỹ Laxman Y. Aucharmal sang tiếng Việt như sau ạ:
“Con đã đọc bài viết này của Thầy một cách chậm rãi, kỹ càng. Con rất thích bài viết này của Thầy. Trước đây, con đã đọc những bài viết có nhiều điểm tương đồng. Một trong những yếu tính cần thực hành trong Mật tông là Xả ly – với nghĩa là xả ly những ham muốn thế gian, như sắc dục hoặc các dục vọng khác, bao gồm (1) về mặt hình thức (2) về mặt tâm – giữ tâm không bám chấp vào vào ham muốn thế gian, và sống đúng với Pháp, sống theo giới luật. Đồng thời Phật tử ghi nhớ lời dạy của đức Phật và không tạo tác những hành vi sai trái do sự cám dỗ của sắc, thanh, hương, vị, xúc, pháp và các cám dỗ khác.
Chính sự dính mắc của tâm gây ra phiền não và đau khổ.
Con người không thể tránh khỏi sự thỏa mãn đối với những cảm thọ này. Do vậy, đức Phật dạy giáo lý khác nhau cho từng đối tượng khác nhau. Tăng sĩ và cư sĩ được dạy tuân theo giáo lý Phật đà phù hợp vào hoàn cảnh của họ. Tăng sĩ tuân thủ giới cấm nghiêm ngặt, còn cư sĩ có thể hân thưởng cuộc sống theo đúng chánh pháp.
Tham lam, sân hận, ghen tuông, ganh tỵ, vô minh là gốc của phiền não và đau khổ. Vì vậy, đức Phật dạy đồ chúng hãy xem những độc tố này hay trạng thái cảm xúc như nó đang là hoặc theo chiều hướng tích cực. Bằng cách đó, chúng con sẽ thoát khỏi khổ đau, phiền não.
Đức Phật giảng dạy đồ chúng bằng nhiều phương pháp khác nhau theo tinh thần lục hòa, quang minh chính đại. Đức Phật dạy các nguyên tắc ứng xử để từng cá nhân sống hòa hợp với tăng đoàn, với cộng đồng gồm: thân hòa đồng trú, khẩu hòa vô tranh, ý hòa đồng duyệt, giới hòa đồng tu, kiến hòa đồng giải, lợi hòa đồng quân. Đó chính là cốt lõi của dân chủ, công bằng. Đó chính là lời dạy trí tuệ của đức Thế Tôn dành cho trường hợp của vua Ba Tư Nặc.
Con cảm ơn Thầy!”
Hay!
I am concern to my Buddhist Friend Rose Tran,through whom I came in your contact , she ga e me your topic to read, thank you for that because of her your golden words came to my reading, I couldn’t meet you but I read your oiced words.Thank you very much.
Dear guru thanks for sharing this lesson and also thankful for valuable guidance by your disciple Mat Duie Hang. I was surrounded by many questions for future earnings which kept me in thinking of future and wasting my current time and things I have.
Reading this lesson I came to know one can enjoy sensual pleasures in this dharma ending stage but should not cling or get attached to them resulting in suffering. Their minds should always be filled with nuclear energy of boddhichita so their actions will be meaningful.
May the guru live long life for sake of other beings.
May all beings in all directions of world live in peace and happiness with each other.
Om Mani Padme Hum..( )..
many thanks for this teaching. I have worried that it would be difficult to become a Buddhist in an environment where ‘western’ civilisation surrounds me. This teaching has shown me that it is not the things that surround me that is the problem but my attachment to them.
I realise the Dharma can give me the wisdom to realise what is important in life and how I can assist sentient beings to recognise the causes of suffering.
The example the Buddha set us will help me to not rely on, or to miss, the sensory pleasures if they are lost to me and that to become a Buddhist within my family life is both achievable and a happy experience
Guru for your consideration and blessings to you
Kính bạch Thầy!
Con xin phép được dịch comment của bạn đọc Steve Rogers sang tiếng Việt như sau:
“Kính bạch Thầy!
Con chân thành cảm tạ ơn Thầy vì những lời dạy của Thầy trong bài viết này. Ngày trước con đã lo lắng với suy nghĩ rằng để trở thành một Phật tử trong môi trường “phương Tây” của con là rất khó. Bài viết này của Thầy giúp con hiểu rằng môi trường bên ngoài không phải là yếu tố quyết định mà vấn đề chính nằm ở tâm bám chấp vào ngoại cảnh của con.
Con hiểu rằng Phật pháp giúp con hiểu được điều gì quan trọng nhất trong cuộc đời và cách giúp hữu tình hiểu được nguyên nhân của sự khổ đau.
Tấm gương của đức Phật sẽ giúp con thoát khỏi sự bám chấp, lạm dụng những thú vui thế gian làm con đánh mất chính mình, và bài viết này giúp con hiểu rằng con việc trở thành Phật tử cư sĩ có đời sống gia đình là điều hoàn toàn làm được và con sẽ có được cuộc sống hạnh phúc, an lạc.
Con cảm tạ ơn Thầy đã để tâm đến con.
Con cầu nguyện Thầy thân tâm an tịnh.”
It’s an excellent explanation, specially the term injoy but not abuse;
But also when we cultivate impermanence, also we understand that enjoyment dousent last for long in samsara we may find happiness in ourselves but we suffer for athers that haven’t understand, or they don’t know the four Nobel truths, or impermanence, or lord Buddha theachengs.
Faithfully.
Yes, that’s all right!
Venerable Guru.
We can call ourselves looky because we understand, and we follow the Lord Buddha teachings and we take refuge in the triple gemes and we follow in the best way we can the Holly Dharma but because we follow the Dharma we don’t gasp for worldly please because we understand dipendent araeseng, we understand the transitory conseptiion, the innet conseptiion of the mind, and we deppely believe in dipendent origination, and the low of cause and effect.
Faithfully.
Dear holy guru. For the first time, I would like to thank you for having found a solution so soon that we can also participate in foreign Dharma friends in your articles. Thanks to the great administration team. The article illustrates and the foundations of the Mahayana Way which is the Enlightenment Spirit. From the beginning to the end, the heart jewel is the sacred practice of sight, meditation and behavior. This sublime thought is the one path that has been committed by all the Buddhas. We should never leave this path because it is characterized by compassion for all living creatures and the reciting of the six syllable mantra. The core point is the endeavor and application which not only aims at us but for all living things as long as Samsara exists. Every individual being, even the smallest insect, does not want to suffer, even if none of you knows the suffering is caused by negative behaviors, and happiness comes by salutary thoughts. Compassion is the starting point. Then we have to realize the desire and the effort in action. When our minds are always filled with the intention to the benefit of all living creatures, the Bodhicitta develops by itself no matter how our behavior works outwards. May all creatures be free from suffering. May we never leave the right path May our Guru have a long and blessed life with health and fulfillment for the sake of all. Om Mani Padme Hum
Respected Guruji,
I bow my head at the Lotus feet of Guruji.
All the sentient beings have inborn gift of five senses as a gift of Nature to feel Joy and happy in life.! Otherwise life would have been very miserable. Life enjoyment is not bad but the problem lies in their attachment to those pleasures! It is wise to transform these in accordance with the Dharma orbit.
Master Tulips also asserts ” The problem is not enjoyment and happiness. The problem is attachment.” In Avalokitheshwara Sraddhotpada it is said, “You have full rights to enjoy comforts over your money.You have full rights to enjoy any respects over your social position. The practice of Avalokitheshwara Bodhisattva ( reciting his name, chanting his mantra) does not create a pessimism or optimism.A practitioner should know where he is standing,live with what he is possessing and enjoy what he has full rights over.
Buddha taught two types of happiness :
1.Happiness derived from sensory satisfaction( sensory pleasures are like salt-water.The more you drink, the more thirst increase).
2.Happiness derived from giving up sensory satisfaction.Of these two the second one is better!.
Buddha also defined two types of happiness :
1.Happiness in lay life.
2.Happiness in renounced life. Of these two the second one is better!.
The most three significant factors for Enlightenment are Renunciation,Bodhicitta,and Wisdom. Marxism-Leninism philosophy says about negation that: ” Do selective negation rather than overall negation.” That is true-renunciation.
Buddha gave his teachings suitable to apply to different classes of people existing in the world,not deviating from main theme of Dharma practice. For example Buddha taught for Bhikkus prohibition of sexual intercourse whereas sexual misconducts to laymen. Further,he abandoned intoxicants to Bhikkus whereas he taught to abstain from alcohol intoxication.!
From this we can see , Buddha provided different teachings to various groups of audience who come with various attitudes and emotions.
Enjoy life by Transforming all your Worldly pleasures into Spiritual pleasures! The very fact that Buddha discovered 4-Noble truths is to make us joy and happy in life.! This can only be done when you change your attitude towards worldly pleasures.This can be done by proper methodology. I quote here French mathematician Decars,” With out method a genius can make mistakes, with method,an ordinary person can become extraordinary.!” Here, that method is you should do with the weapon of mindfulness, clear consciousness and concentration named as ” Knowledge of means by Buddha” to protect you from falling into abuse. Hence, the main focus is to Use, not abuse!. Buddha warned ” It is difficult to believe in Buddha and Dharma.It is more difficult to practice Dharma.”
In “Adbhutadharma” Buddha says ” Rules breaking” is allowed in “unprecedented” cases as in the case of story of the king Pasenadi and his Queen Mallika about saving the life of a being for no fault of him!.This is an example of”Knowledge of means” or ” prajnopaya”.
This is how to live in worldly pleasures from perceptive of Tantra.!
Om Mani Padme Hum.
Long Live our Guruji for upholding Dharma.
——-Dr.CH Lakshmi narayan.
Kính bạch Thầy!
Con xin phép dịch comment của đạo hữu CH Lakshmi Narayan sang tiếng Việt như sau ạ:
“Kính bạch Thầy tâm linh tôn quý!
Con xin cúi đầu đảnh lễ dưới chân sen của Thầy!
Tất cả chúng sanh có được 5 giác quan như một món quà để cảm nhận niềm vui và hạnh phúc trong cuộc sống. Nếu như họ không có 5 giác quan thì cuộc sống của họ thật bất hạnh. Hân thưởng cuộc sống không có gì là xấu, lỗi lầm là thái độ bám chấp vào ngũ dục. Phương pháp chuyển hóa ngũ dục theo đúng quỹ đạo chánh Pháp là một phương pháp đầy trí tuệ.
Thánh giả Tilopa đã khẳng định: “ngũ dục tự chúng không gây ra tác hại, lỗi lầm là ở chỗ thái độ của người thọ lạc đối với chúng”. Trong tác phẩm “Quán Thế Âm Bồ tát tín luận” Hải Tín Cư sĩ khẳng định: “Có tiền là có quyền hưởng sự sung sướng của vật chất. Có danh phận là có quyền hưởng sự kính trọng của người đời. Pháp Quán Thế Âm Bồ tát (tức là niệm tôn hiệu, trì niệm thần chú của Ngài) không phải tạo ra một tinh thần bi quan hay lạc quan. Người tu biết rõ vị trí của mình ở trong đời, nên sống với những gì mà mình có được và hưởng những gì mà mình có quyền hưởng.
Đức Phật cũng dạy rằng có hai loại hạnh phúc:
(1) hạnh phúc khi thoả mãn dục lạc
(2) hạnh phúc khi xả ly dục lạc; loại hạnh phúc thứ hai thì tốt hơn.
Đồng thời Ngài cũng chỉ rõ có hai loại hạnh phúc trong đời sống con người:
(1) hạnh phúc của đời sống tại gia;
(2) hạnh phúc xuất gia, trong đó hạnh phúc thứ hai là tốt hơn.
Hơn nữa, có ba tinh yếu giúp hành giả đạt được giác ngộ; đó là: xả ly, bồ đề tâm và trí tuệ tánh không. Tuy nhiên xả ly hay “buông bỏ” là buông bỏ những gì gây ra trạng thái tham ái cho tâm ta, chứ không phải cái gì cũng buông bỏ, tựa như học thuyết Mác Lê có viết về phủ định: Phủ định có chọn lọc chứ không phủ định sạch trơn. Đó là xả ly đúng nghĩa của đạo Phật.
Đức Phật ban những lời dạy khác nhau phù hợp với căn cơ và hoàn cảnh của chúng sanh ở mọi tầng lớp để giúp chúng sanh thực hành mà không bị lệch quỹ đạo chánh pháp. Ví dụ đức Phật chế giới dành cho tỳ kheo là “cấm dâm dục”, trong khi đó đối với cư sĩ, người có đời sống vợ chồng, đức Phật quy định là “cấm tà dâm”. Cũng vậy, đức Phật khuyên “không được say rượu” đối với hàng cư sĩ tại gia, riêng đối với tu sĩ, đức Phật day: “không được uống rượu”.
Từ đó, con hiểu rằng, với từng đối tượng khác nhau, đức Phật có những phương pháp dạy khác nhau. Vì vậy, hành giả hân thưởng cuộc sống bằng cách chuyển hóa ngũ dục thế gian thành thọ lạc trong niềm vui đạo pháp (thọ lạc tức là thọ pháp). Đức Phật đã tìm ra Tứ Diệu Đế nhằm giúp chúng sanh có được niềm vui, hạnh phúc và an lạc. Và chúng sanh có thể đạt được hạnh phúc khi họ thay đổi cách nhìn nhận về ngũ dục thế gian, chuyển hóa ngũ dục. Khi được thực hành đúng phương pháp, ngũ dục sẽ được chuyển hóa theo đúng quỹ đạo chánh pháp. Nhà toán học Decar người Pháp đã khẳng định: “không có phương pháp, thiên tài cũng mắc phải lỗi lầm. Có phương pháp, người thường cũng trở thành bậc phi thường.” Phương pháp đúng cho chúng con vũ khí tỉnh thức, chánh niệm và chú tâm, còn gọi là “trí huệ phương tiện”, giúp chúng con không rơi vào tình trạng lạm dụng ngũ dục. Do vậy, điều quan trọng là hân thưởng chứ không lạm dụng. Đức Phật đã từng cảnh báo: “Tin vào Phật pháp đã khó, thực hành Pháp còn khó hơn”. Nhưng có phương pháp thì sẽ thực hành dễ dàng.
Trong “vị tằng hữu thuyết nhân duyên”, đức Phật dạy sự kiện cho phép “phạm giới” chưa từng có là trường hợp trong câu chuyện vua Ba Tư Nặc và vương phi Mạt Lợi, khi vương phi Mạt Lợi “phạm giới” để cứu sống một mạng người vô tội. Đây là minh chứng cho “trí huệ phương tiện”. Đó là cách thọ lạc từ góc nhìn người tu Mật tông.
Om Mani Padme Hum.
Con thành tâm cầu nguyện Thầy trụ thế lâu dài vì sự nghiệp hoằng dương chánh pháp.
Kính thư!
Con – CH Lakshmi narayan.”
Nice articles dear guru thank you so much one of the best articles and also the best knowledge thank you so much
And I also loving to reading your articles
Dear guru
Thanks for your reading!
Om mani padme hum
I woke up very late in the morning. I was enjoying the cold breeze of the morning. Having the pleasent consciousness of the soothing warm feeling of the blanket I was not in mood to renounce the earthly pleasure of this enormous sleep. My mobile rang . I relureluctantly woke up knowing it well that it is my wife’s call who lives about 400 Km .away from me.
After having a brief talk with her When I was trying to keep the mobile Rose Train’s message caught my eyes. I couldn’t check my temptation of giving a glance over it. As usual after biding good morning she sent a lesson on behalf of Guru. Though I became very happy but I was not in mood to renounced the comfort and composure of a nice sleep. After completing the formality of reciprocating great I wrote ” I woke up very late in the morning. After one hour I will submitt the comments. But I could not do it till evening as my drowsiness and several up coming obstacles did not allow me even to read the entire lesson . I completed it by 5.49 P. M. It is a long lesson , thematic and abstruse as well.
But one thing I found if you indulge in sensual pleasure it may creation hindrance even in the ordinary business of life, what to talk of spiritual pursuit.
Continued
I am sorry my entire comment is deleted. It was very long . I am not in position to recreate it
I’m mani padme hum
Tantra Sutra Daka
Om mani padme hum
It was a restless night for me as my comments were deleted. It is a fact , I cannot recreate it but I can’t leave it in half of the way. Though I am not in position to reproduce it in minute detail but I may write it’s essence.
It is a fact that the Buddha asked to eschew the two extremes. Gross indulgence in sensual pleasure or extreme austere practice. He asked to adopt the middle path. This was based on his personal experience. When Siddhartha renounced the pleasure of life for achieving the summum bonum of life he started the most austere practice. He stopped eating. His body became very weak. He realised his forthcoming death if the fast s continued. So he took the soup of some beans. At this his five friend left him declaring him to be a hypocrite. But this gave him the this moderate meal provided strength for his holy pursuits. After eating the sweet dish prepared from rice and milk He achieved strength and insight. He attained Bodhi the supramundane wisdom.
This is the reason he always taught to be moderate in life. He never asked to renounce the entire worldly pleasure but recommended pleasure in proportion. It can be said one should renounce physical pleasure but live renounced in pleasure. That is why in Maha Parinibbana Sutra, he has instructed his disciples to make a few amendments in his moral precepts time to time if needed.
Finally it can be said that pleasure is also a part of life. Without which life cannot continue. Even moderate and disidisciplined secua activity is not bad as it is meant for continuing the life through reproduction. But indulgence in order for hedonistic or animal pleasure is forbidden.
I feel the Buddha has prescribed the life of modest pleasure for householders and monks both. There should not be renunciation of pleasure but renunciation in pleasure.
I’m mani padme hum
Reverently yours
Tantra Sutra Daka.
Om mani padme hum
Good morning
In reply to my Dhamma friend Nguyen Thanh I would like to say that the crux of the problem is not renouncement of pleasure but renunciation in pleasure. It means even enjoying the pleasure you do not get attached to it. As lotus blooms in the mud but it is unaffected and is free from its dirt even living amidst it. Padma Patra vivambhsi( Gita)
Vari pokkhrena Patteva aaraggriva saspo
Yo na limpate kaamedu Yamaha brumi bahmno (Dhammapad)
Reading your articals is inner transformation. Attachment to anything is a cause of suffering. Walking on the right path protects us from harmful consequences.
Buddha’s teachings are pure nuggets of wisdom. I express my gratitude to you for simplifying the pure dhamma for our understanding.
Gratitude
Om Mani Padme Hum
Kính bạch Thầy!
Con xin phép được dịch comment của đạo hữu Tantra Mahadeva (Sonia Kohli) sang tiếng Việt như sau:
“Kính bạch Thầy tâm linh tôn quý!
Khi được đọc những bài viết của Thầy về sự chuyển hóa tâm, con hiểu rằng bám chấp là nguyên nhân của mọi sự khổ đau. Khi được thực hành theo quỹ đạo chánh pháp thì chúng con sẽ được bảo vệ thoát khỏi những hậu quả nặng nề.
Những lời dạy của đức Phật đều lấy trí tuệ làm đầu. Con cảm tạ ơn Thầy đã đơn giản hóa trong việc luận giảng giáo lý Phật đà và trong phương pháp thực hành giúp chúng con dễ hiểu, dễ nắm bắt.
Con cảm tạ ơn Thầy!
Om Mani Padme Hum.”
I am impressed with your discourse namely: ” Worldly pleasures from perspective of tantra”.
Thanks to this teachings, I understand that renunciation in terms of mind is more important than that of body. The later case seems to be another kind of attachment. Therefore, the root of suffering is hard to be removed.
The true happiness is the inner peace. It happens when people realize the root of suffering and practice dharma to overcome their obstacles. Otherwise, it is waste of time.
Thank you so much for your article.
May you and your consort live long for the sake of all sentient beings.
May all beings be surrounded by the Three Jewels.
Om Mani Padme Hum.