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Listening to and Teaching Dharma

explanation of how to listen to and teach dharma

Traditionally, disciples learn Dharma by first listening to oral instructions from their Spiritual Guide. Since listening is the basis for contemplating and meditating on Dharma it is especially important to listen well – with an open and attentive mind and in such a way as to be able to remember the instructions and reflect upon them once the discourse has ended. Whenever we have the opportunity to receive oral discourses on Dharma we should apply these instructions on how to listen. They can easily be adapted to our situation as a reader. The great meditator, Ngawang Dragpa, said:

This instruction on how to listen to and teach Dharma is a method for transforming listening and teaching into the spiritual path. It is also a supreme instruction to give as a preliminary to teachings. Therefore, keep it in your heart.

The instructions are in three parts:

1 How to listen to Dharma

2 How to teach Dharma

3 The concluding stage common to the Teacher and the student

how to listen to dharma

This has three parts:

1 Considering the benefits of listening to Dharma

2 Developing respect for Dharma and its Teacher

3 The actual way of listening to Dharma

considering the benefits of listening to dharma

If we contemplate some of the countless benefits of listening to Dharma we will naturally enjoy listening to and reading the instructions, and we will do so with an especially keen interest. The result of listening and reading in such a positive frame of mind is that we will actually experience all the benefits we have contemplated. In Collection of Many Special Verses by Buddha Shakyamuni, called Tshom in Tibetan, it says:

By listening you will know all Dharmas.

By listening you will cease all non-virtuous actions.

By listening you will abandon all that is meaningless.

By listening you will attain liberation.

Here the term ‘Dharmas’ refers specifically to the meaning of Dharma instructions. The meaning of Dharma reveals what objects are to be abandoned, what objects are to be practised, and so forth. By listening to Dharma instructions we will understand the meaning of Dharma clearly and we will gradually gain Dharma realizations. Every pure Dharma realization arises in dependence upon meditation, and successful meditation depends upon receiving correct instructions. As explained, all the instructions of Sutra and Tantra are included within the three sets of Buddha’s teachings. By receiving and practising the instructions on the set of moral discipline we will cease non-virtuous actions. By receiving and practising the instructions on the set of discourses, where Buddha explains how to attain concentration, we will abandon all meaningless activities and distractions, the obstacles to concentration. By receiving and practising the instructions on the set of wisdom we will attain liberation.

In Stories of Rebirth Aryasura mentions the following benefits of listening:

Listening is a lamp that dispels the darkness of ignorance.

Listening is the best wealth that cannot be stolen by thieves.

Listening is a weapon that destroys our enemy of confusion.

Listening is our best friend from whom we receive our best advice.

Listening is a relative and friend who remains loyal even when we are impoverished.

Listening is a harmless medicine that cures the disease of delusion.

Listening is the supreme opponent that destroys great faults.

Listening is the best treasure because it is the foundation of all fame and resources.

Listening is the best gift that we can offer to our friends.

Listening is the best means of pleasing many people.

Listening is a lamp that dispels the darkness of ignorance Nothing is more important than to remove ignorance, which is the main cause of all our suffering and the root from which all other delusions arise. Ignorance is an inner darkness that is removed by the illuminating lamp of listening to Dharma.

Listening is the best wealth that cannot be stolen by thieves Whenever we accumulate ordinary wealth and material resources our life becomes full of practical problems and anxieties. We live in fear of losing our wealth, and to maintain it we have to work hard, even sometimes having to deceive others. We have to pay taxes and spend time and energy working out how to use our wealth and where to invest it. However the wealth of listening to Dharma never causes problems. It can never be lost even when we offer it freely to others. The more we give away, the richer we become. After death it is the only wealth that we can carry with us. Unlike worldly wealth it benefits all future lives as well as this one.

The Tibetan Teachers are living examples of the great value of listening to Dharma. When they were forced to flee Tibet they left everything behind, including even their begging bowls; but nothing could force them to part with their wealth of listening to Dharma. This will always remain with them. It is the very wealth that they are now giving to their western students, the only wealth that can survive death and external destruction.

Listening is a relative and friend who remains loyal even when we are impoverished When we experience severe misfortune and great suffering there is very little that our friends and relatives can do. At such times only the spiritual advice that we have received will come to our aid. Remember the example of Yeshe Ö, who was able to confront death with equanimity by relying upon the good advice and encouragement he had received from his Spiritual Guides. If we listen to or read many Dharma instructions we too can transform the difficulties we experience into the spiritual path and use them to increase our wisdom. Our problems are opportunities to observe and contemplate the law of actions and their effects, the law of karma. They are opportunities to contemplate suffering and its causes, and to practise patience and joyful perseverance. At such times, if we apply the Dharma that we have heard and read we will find that it is a true friend enabling us to maintain our practice uninterruptedly and with joy.

Our ordinary friends and relatives are of no help when we experience great suffering. Sometimes they even abandon us in our greatest need. While Lama Kachen Yeshe Gyaltsen was practising meditation in his cave, he was as poor as Milarepa. One day he was travelling to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and on his way he saw one of his uncles. His uncle, noticing how impoverished his nephew seemed to be, pretended not to know him. Later, Lama Kachen Yeshe Gyaltsen was promoted to the position of tutor to the eighth Dalai Lama. Thinking that his nephew must now be very wealthy this uncle went to visit him and declared ‘Hello, nephew, I am your uncle.’

Once, a man who was at first very poor and without friends or relatives became rich by engaging in business. People began to visit him, pretending to be his friends or claiming to be his relatives. One day this man invited all his new friends and relatives to dinner. In the middle of the table he placed a huge sack containing all the money he had accumulated. When his guests arrived he made solemn prostrations to the sack and recited these words of praise: ‘O Lord Money, through your great kindness I now have many friends and relatives when previously I had none. Therefore, I make prostrations to you.’

Ordinary friends and relatives can change their feelings and attitudes towards us largely depending upon whether or not we possess wealth and good fortune, but our friend of listening to Dharma will not let us down. It comes to our aid when we are prosperous and it comes to our aid when we are poor. It is the only friend that will endure death with us and support us in all our future lives until we attain enlightenment.

In one Sutra, Buddha says:

By listening you will develop strong faith in Dharma.

By listening your mind will be attracted to Dharma and you will experience powerful results.

By listening your wisdom will increase and your confusion will be eliminated.

To hear just these three lines Prince Chandra offered a thousand gold coins. In the past, those who were intent upon spiritual paths considered receiving instructions so precious that even a gift of their own flesh was not too dear a price to pay.

In a dream, the first Panchen Lama once heard Je Tsongkhapa say:

If you wish to benefit yourself and others you should not be satisfied with what you have learnt. You should take as your example those Bodhisattvas on the third spiritual ground who are still not satisfied that they have heard enough.

We need to listen to and read Dharma instructions many times. Our listening and reading are not complete until we have gained all the realizations of the stages of the path to enlightenment.

developing respect for dharma and its teacher

In Sutra on the Essence of Grounds Buddha says:

You should listen to Dharma with exceptional faith and respect, not seeing the Teacher as faulty or being displeased with him. When you listen to Dharma you should view the Teacher as Buddha.

In Five Sets on the Spiritual Grounds Arya Asanga advises us to practise five inattentivenesses whenever we listen to Dharma:

(1) If our Teacher has broken his or her moral discipline we should not pay attention to the fault or judge that his moral discipline is weak. There is no benefit to be derived from paying attention to such a fault. On the contrary, it would be to our own disadvantage, for if we become preoccupied with our Teacher’s apparent failure we will not be able to appreciate his or her instructions and advice. Instead of taking them to heart we will spend our whole time accumulating negative karma.

(2) If our Teacher is from a lower social class we should not pay attention to this or consider it an inferiority. Otherwise we will spend all our time cultivating pride and we will not be able to listen properly.

(3) If our Teacher is ugly or physically unattractive we should not consider his or her physical appearance. There is no value in contemplating our Teacher’s ugliness. If we do so we will only make it harder for ourself to develop faith. Our Teacher’s physical appearance is unimportant; what matters is the Dharma he or she teaches.

(4) If our Teacher’s manner of speech is displeasing, the language unrefined or the way of presenting the instructions rough and clumsy, we should not pay attention to the style. What matters are the meanings our Teacher conveys.

(5) If our Teacher says things that are unpleasant to hear, such as words of blame or criticism, we should not think that he or she is at fault. If we do so we will develop many misunderstandings and non-virtuous states of mind.

In addition to these five we should practise inattentiveness to any other fault we think we see in our Teacher. For example, if our Teacher is not famous and seems to be very ordinary we should disregard fame and ordinary appearance. It is enough for us that we receive correct instructions. What benefit would there be in our receiving Dharma from someone famous throughout the world if his or her instructions were incorrect? By paying attention to faults we think we see in our Teacher we lose all the benefits of listening to Dharma and we bring only disadvantages upon ourself.

Just as we need to increase respect for our Teacher, so we need to increase respect for the Dharma he or she teaches. If we regard our Teacher’s instructions as the actual Dharma Jewel, the supreme method for gaining temporary and ultimate happiness, we will naturally feel respect.

the actual way of listening to dharma

This has two parts:

1 Abandoning three faults

2 Cultivating six recognitions

abandoning three faults

Whenever we listen to or read Dharma we need to abandon three faults that prevent us from receiving the benefits of listening or reading:

1 The fault of being like a pot turned upside-down

2 The fault of being like a bad-smelling pot

3 The fault of being like a leaky pot

The first fault is to be like a pot turned upside-down. We are physically present at a discourse, or we have adopted the posture of reading a book, but we are so inattentive and distracted that no matter how many instructions are poured in through our ears or how many pages we manage to turn, no Dharma actually enters the vessel of our mind.

The second fault is to be like a bad-smelling pot. We listen or read attentively, without letting our mind wander, but our motivation is incorrect. Just as good food becomes contaminated when we put it into a bad-smelling pot, so Dharma is wasted on us when we listen with an incorrect motivation.

The third fault is to be like a leaky pot. We listen or read attentively and with a good motivation, but we quickly forget what we have been taught. If we cannot remember Dharma, how can we put it into practice?

There are two methods we can use to improve our ability to remember Dharma. The first is to make an effort to recall what we have heard or read soon after a discourse has finished or after we have finished reading a chapter of a Dharma book. We can do this several times at intervals. If we gain greater understanding or a new feeling from remembering and contemplating what we have learnt, we should deepen this experience by doing meditation. In this way our practice will become very powerful.

The second method is to discuss Dharma with our Dharma friends, asking them questions and explaining what we have understood. This is an excellent way to increase our understanding, remove doubts and place Dharma firmly within our minds.

cultivating six recognitions

Whenever we listen to or read Dharma we should cultivate six recognitions:

1 Regarding ourself as a sick person because we suffer from desirous attachment, hatred, ignorance and other diseases of the mind

2 Regarding Dharma as supreme medicine for our mental sickness

3 Regarding our Dharma Teacher as a supreme doctor

4 Regarding putting Dharma into practice as the way to become cured of our mental disease

5 Developing conviction in Buddha Shakyamuni as a holy being who is completely reliable

6 Developing a strong wish that Dharma will flourish and remain for a long time

If we have these six recognitions we will not waste a moment while we are listening to or reading the instructions, and our subsequent contemplations and meditations will become much more powerful. Our actions of listening and reading will accumulate great merit and become strong causes of our enlightenment.

how to teach dharma

This has four parts:

1 Considering the benefits of teaching Dharma

2 Increasing faith and respect for Dharma and its Teacher

3 The attitudes to cultivate and the way to conduct oneself while teaching Dharma

4 Recognizing who should be taught and who should not be taught

considering the benefits of teaching dharma

In Treasury of Abhidharma Vasubandhu says that when we give Dharma instructions our mind should not be polluted with delusions and we should teach Dharma in accordance with the instructions given by Buddha.

If we teach Dharma in order to receive gifts or veneration from our students, or to become well known for our grasp of Buddha’s teachings, we will be misusing the precious Dharma, treating it as a mere commodity. On the other hand, if we practise the generosity of giving Dharma with a good motivation the benefits are limitless. Twenty of these benefits are mentioned in Exhortation to Superior Intentions Sutra. We will attain:

(1) A special mindfulness that never forgets Dharma

(2) A special wisdom that comes from listening to Dharma

(3) A special wisdom that comes from contemplating Dharma

(4) A special wisdom that comes from meditating on Dharma

(5) A special wisdom on the paths of accumulation and preparation

(6) A special wisdom on the paths of seeing and meditation

(7) Freedom from attachment

(8) Freedom from hatred

(9) Freedom from ignorance

(10) Freedom from demonic interference

(11) The Buddhas will be delighted with us

(12) The Deities will cause our physical strength and power to increase

(13) The Deities will give us protection

(14) External enemies will not be able to harm us

(15) Our relationships with friends and relatives will improve

(16) Our speech will become very influential

(17) We will become confident in explaining Dharma to others

(18) We will be praised and respected by those who are wise

(19) People will trust what we say

(20) We will always be happy

The first six benefits are effects similar to the cause. They are future experiences similar to the experiences gained by others as a result of our giving Dharma to them. For example, when we teach Dharma the mindfulness and wisdom of those who listen increase, and as a result our own mindfulness and wisdom increase. The next four benefits are effects of separation, or freedom, from four faults; the next nine benefits are environmental effects; and the remaining benefit is a ripened effect.

The various effects of actions will be explained in more detail below. At this point it is sufficient to know that there are two types of effect similar to the cause: experiences that are effects similar to the cause, and tendencies that are effects similar to the cause. The six effects similar to the cause which are mentioned above are all the first type. Tendencies that are effects similar to the cause are not mentioned explicitly but they are implied. For example, as a result of our giving Dharma, in the future we will be happy to give Dharma teachings, happy to listen to Dharma and happy to study and practise Dharma.

Before we can teach Dharma we need to have studied many instructions and gained personal experience by putting them into practice. When the time comes for us to teach we should contemplate all the benefits of teaching Dharma. Then we will develop enthusiasm and consider ourself extremely fortunate to be able to create so much good karma by giving the instructions to others. Provided that those who receive the instructions actually want to put them into practice, giving Dharma is much more beneficial than giving material wealth. Material wealth can help for only one short lifetime, whereas the gift of Dharma will help in this life and in all future lives.

increasing faith and respect for dharma and its teacher

Whenever we give Dharma to others we remember the kindness of Buddha Shakyamuni, and the pre-eminent qualities of Dharma, thinking:

If I now have any ability to teach Dharma it is entirely through the kindness of Buddha. The Dharma I am giving is the supreme gift of temporary and ultimate benefit to others.

the attitudes to cultivate and the way to conduct ourself while teaching dharma

When we teach Dharma we do so out of love and compassion, thinking:

These people have not gained experience of Dharma, therefore they have problems without freedom or control. How wonderful it would be if they could overcome these and enjoy the supreme bliss of enlightenment! I will now explain Dharma to help them eliminate their problems and attain ultimate happiness.

With a motivation like this we teach, recognizing:

(1) All living beings experience mental pain because they are afflicted with the disease of delusions.

(2) Dharma is medicine for those who receive it.

(3) I myself am a spiritual doctor.

(4) The kindness of Buddha Shakyamuni is the source of my own ability to teach and others’ ability to receive Dharma.

(5) How wonderful it will be if with the help of my own teaching and practice Dharma flourishes in this world for a very long time.

When we teach Dharma we should be clean and appropriately dressed because this will be appreciated by those who listen and it helps them to develop respect. Out of respect for Dharma the Teacher should have a raised seat. At the first meeting of Buddha Shakyamuni’s disciples after his passing away, five hundred Foe Destroyers took off their saffron robes and placed them one upon the other to make a throne for Ananda. By laying down their robes in this way, the disciples were honouring Dharma. The Teacher may be very humble in his or her own mind but should sit on a raised seat to acknowledge the pre-eminence of Dharma. This holds even if the Teacher has taken the eight Mahayana precepts, which include the precept of avoiding sitting on raised or luxurious seats.

Before sitting the Teacher makes three prostrations, imagining that his or her own principal Spiritual Guide is on the seat surrounded by all the lineage Gurus of the instructions he is about to give. He imagines that the lineage Gurus absorb into his principal Spiritual Guide, who then comes to the crown of his head and descends to his heart. The Teacher then sits and prepares to teach. Traditionally, before the discourse the Teacher and disciples eliminate obstacles by reciting mantras or reciting the Heart Sutra and applying the method for overcoming hindrances. They then perform the six preparations to accumulate merit and purify negativity, both of which are necessary if the disciples are to gain the realizations of the Dharma that is to be taught. The Teacher and disciples then offer the mandala and request the lineage Gurus to bestow blessings and inspiration to gain the realizations. To develop the best motivation the Teacher leads the recitation of the prayer of going for refuge and generating bodhichitta. If we are unable to make all of these preparations we must at least offer the mandala and recite a prayer of going for refuge and generating bodhichitta. Generating bodhichitta has the same effect as reciting the Heart Sutra. The Teacher recites:

I and all sentient beings, until we achieve enlightenment,

Go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Through the virtues I collect by teaching Dharma,

May I become a Buddha for the benefit of all.

The students recite:

I and all sentient beings, until we achieve enlightenment,

Go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Through the virtues I collect by listening to Dharma,

May I become a Buddha for the benefit of all.

As the Teacher explains Dharma he or she should have a pleasant, smiling expression. To bring out the meaning more clearly he or she should elaborate by skilfully applying logical reasoning, quoting readily from the scriptures, and using vivid examples that are relevant to the experience of those who listen.

recognizing who should be taught and who should not be taught

In the Vinaya Sutras Buddha says that in general Dharma should be taught only when it is requested. Nevertheless, if a request is made by someone who has no faith in Dharma and no real wish to practise, the instructions should not be given. On the other hand, if no request has been made but someone has a sincere wish to practise, Dharma can be taught.

the concluding stage common to the teacher and the student

When a teaching has finished, the Teacher and the students dedicate the merit they have gained to their attainment of enlightenment for the sake of all other living beings. If there is time a mandala can be offered in thanks to the Teacher, but there is no fault if this is omitted.