Читать книгу The Four Seals of the Dharma - Lama Khenpo Karma Ngedön - Страница 11

The four seals of the Dharma represent the essence of all of the Buddha’s teachings. The explanations given here are short. Nevertheless, the meaning they express is as vast as it is profound. Furthermore, it is invaluable.¹²

Shakyamuni Buddha committed to the path by generating bodhicitta—the wish to attain enlightenment in order to accomplish the benefit of all beings. He followed the path by accumulating merit and, in the end, he realized enlightenment—the state of Buddhahood.

Once he had attained enlightenment based on his immense compassion for beings, he turned the wheel of Dharma three times. He transmitted three cycles of instruction, which make up a total of 84,000 teachings. The four seals sum up the essence of these teachings.

We consider ourselves Buddhist, but what does this expression mean?

Atisha said that a person who takes refuge vows toward the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha is a Buddhist. Thus, a Buddhist is someone who affirms the Three Jewels.

There are two differences between a Buddhist and a non-Buddhist.

- One difference relates to conduct or behavior (taking refuge falls into this category).

- One difference relates to the point of view regarding phenomena.

Manifesting love for all beings and practicing generosity is not ethical conduct exclusive to Buddhism. Many people of different convictions adopt this ethic—from a religious and non-religious point of view. We can, therefore, speak of a general or common conduct in this regard.

The specificity of Buddhism lies in the practice of generosity and of beneficial acts for others based on refuge in the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

Regarding the point of view, we can distinguish two types of individuals:

- Those who accept the four seals (which we will explain in detail in the current text) can be called Buddhist.

- Those who do not accept or do not act in accordance with the four seals are not authentic Buddhists, even if they refer to themselves this way or wear monastic clothing or other identifying articles.

Study and understanding of these four seals are therefore essential.

In the world, we can distinguish those people who choose to follow a spiritual path from those do not follow any form of spirituality.

Furthermore, among those individuals who adopt a spiritual path, we can distinguish two types:

- Those who believe in the existence of a creator god.

- Those who do not accept the principle of a creator.

Today, those who believe in a creator god generally belong to one of the following four religious groups:

Christianity

Hinduism

Islam

Judaism

The religious traditions that do not accept a creator god include, notably:

The Samkhya school of India. This is a very ancient tradition including a school of thought that still exists today.

Jainism.

Buddhism.

With the exception of Buddhism, all religions affirm the existence of an inherent and independent self. Buddhism is the sole religion or philosophy that does not accept the reality of a self independent of any other factor.

Buddhism adopts the perspective of both the dependent origination and the emptiness of all phenomena. As such, no phenomenon exists solely based on itself in an independent fashion. This is also referred to as the absence of inherent existence. The teaching on the four seals of Dharma explains this point of view.

Today, there are various ways of defining a Buddhist and numerous criteria that contribute to those definitions. Nevertheless, we can sum them all up with the following sentence: whoever accepts and applies the four seals of the Dharma is Buddhist.

This teaching shows the Buddha’s path and the Buddhist perspective. Therefore, it is essential that anyone who embraces the Buddhist path study it and try to, first, understand it and, second, apply it.

Authentic Buddhist practice also requires an understanding of what liberation from samsara means. It is important to know the qualities of the state of nirvana and to generate a sincere aspiration to attain nirvana on the basis of this knowledge. Developing this aspiration occurs thanks to previously acquired knowledge of the characteristics and nature of samsara. This understanding allows us to generate authentic renunciation of samsara, which naturally leads to an aspiration to liberate ourselves from it.

These points are essential if we harbor a sincere wish to apply the Dharma. Without the aspiration to attain liberation and without renunciation of samsara, our practice of meditation is not fruitful. We can recite mantras, accomplish yidam practices, etc., but, in the absence of renunciation of samsara and aspiration to ward liberation, our practice is not effective, and we do not obtain results. The Kagyü masters—as well as the Kadampas and those of Dzogchen—explain this point in particular.

The teachings on the four seals are thus essential in order to:

- Know the characteristics of samsara.

- Give rise to renunciation of samsara.

- Know the qualities of nirvana, or liberation.

- Develop the wish to attain liberation.

In general, everyone wishes to free themselves from samsara, and we often repeat, “I aspire to this ultimate felicity! I wish to actualize this state of supreme well-being. I want to attain liberation!”

However, we remain attached to samsara. We continue in an intermediate state; we wish for liberation, but we are still subject to our habitual functioning. We stagnate in a form of bardo,¹³ incapable of moving forward in a given direction because we have not given rise to a sincere renunciation of samsara.

The aspiration for liberation in question here is not a casual wish such as, “Oh! How nice it would be if I could attain liberation!” It is a sincere wish that develops over the course of study and progressive understanding of the characteristics of this state. The process consists of: means actualizing all of these qualities ourselves; - Knowing the nature of this state.

- Studying the qualities of enlightenment;

- Acquiring absolute confidence in these qualities;

- Developing a conviction that obtaining this state means actualizing all of these qualities ourselves;

- Knowing the nature of this state.

Carrying out these steps gives rise to an unavoidable awareness within our minds: attaining liberation constitutes the sole option that allows us to put an end to suffering. There is no other solution.

Renunciation is essential for becoming aware of this necessity. Without it, liberation is not possible, as liberation specifically means giving up samsara definitively. Renunciation arises based on knowledge of the characteristics of samsara. We study them until we are convinced of them—in other words, until we have confirmed through our own experience that the nature of samsara is solely a source of suffering—an ocean of unhappiness.

When not a shadow of doubt remains in this regard, complete and authentic disillusionment takes place. It is no longer a vague remark such as, “It’s true that things are kind of uncomfortable here,” but an intimate realization that our present condition does not offer and will never offer us stable happiness and that samsara yields only unhappiness. Without disillusionment in regard to samsara and without aspiration for liberation, it is difficult to fully commit to Dharma practice and thus to gain the results of practice.

Knowledge of the characteristics and the nature of samsara gives rise to spontaneous and authentic renunciation. Based on this, we must then settle into regular meditation practice and persevere with this practice. In general—even if we sometimes meditate with great enthusiasm—we quickly tire of practice, while the success of meditation practice lies in its continuity and vigor.

A story rooted in one of the sutras that the master Shantideva retells in a stanza of the Bodhicharyavatara¹⁴ illustrates this. This passage describes the conduct of the arhat Katyayana who lived during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha.

One day, a famous ruler invited this arhat to the palace. The king had carefully prepared a magnificent welcome ceremony to receive the arhat. He had stationed performers all along the boulevard leading up to the palace so that Katyayana was welcomed with song, dance, and a rain of flowers thrown across his path by a magnificent procession.

When he arrived at the palace, the king asked him, “Did you appreciate the welcome ceremony?”

Having attended to the most minute detail of the spectacle and décor, the king hoped for a positive response. The arhat replied, “I did not see anything on my way in. What ceremony are you speaking of?”

Very surprised, the king exclaimed, “How can it be that you did not see anything with all that we had organized?”

Facing the king’s surprise and great disbelief, Katyayana insisted, “Truly, I did not see anything! I neither saw dancing nor heard music. The ceremony surely took place; I do not contest that, but—as for myself—I did not see it.”

As the king continued to think it quite impossible that he had not seen anything, Katyayana asked him to bring a man who had been sentenced to death—the most dangerous criminal in the prison—to the palace and to restage the ceremony for him. However, he added one condition. The criminal had to walk while holding a bowl filled to the brim with sesame seeds, and he could not drop a single seed. If the criminal failed to fulfill this condition, he would be executed on the spot by one of the four guards walking with him.

Thus, the criminal set out on his walk. Knowing that his life depended on it, he concentrated all of his attention on not dropping a single seed.

The ceremony was exactly the same as that performed for the arhat.

When the criminal arrived at the palace, Katyayana said to the king, “Ask him what he thought of the welcome ceremony.”

The king obliged, and the criminal replied, “What ceremony? I did not see anything! What music and dance do you speak of?”

Now the king believed Katyayana and understood the teaching that the arhat was transmitting to him. When we focus on one thing, free from distraction, the sense faculties do not take in any other information. When we attain this level of concentration, the sense faculties no longer orient themselves on outer objects.

The goal is to develop the same level of concentration as Katyayana. Having meditated on suffering and on the unsatisfying aspects of samsara and having thus given rise to profound renunciation, his mind was completely and solely focused on liberation. Therefore, training consists in keeping the mind focused on a single point, like the criminal whose life depended on it. Having seen the danger and being aware of it—in his case not that of samsara but of the four executioners ready to take his life upon the most minute error—he was fully focused on the task he had to accomplish in order to escape death.

When we are aware of the suffering of samsara, we train ourselves to maintain the same concentration as Katyayana or the criminal with no thought other than that of freeing ourselves. If we truly take the measure of samsara’s suffering, and if we develop the aspiration toward liberation, we no longer experience attachment to outer objects. This is why the teaching emphasizes studying and understanding the characteristics and disadvantages of samsara. Strengthened by this understanding, authentic renunciation arises within us. Without this, meditation practice allows us to accumulate beneficial karma and merit, as it is a virtuous activity, but it is neither fruitful nor authentic—meaning that it does not lead to liberation.

There are various types of virtue, or beneficial karma, that we can accomplish and accumulate. Among them, there are three worth mentioning:

- The virtue that allows one to accumulate merit.

- The virtue that allows one to obtain liberation.

- The virtue that allows one to arrive at the path of seeing.

Let us look at these first two.

The virtue that allows one to accumulate merit refers to all beneficial actions that we carry out—free from any religious credo—such as acts of generosity or kindness that inspire us to help others.

These virtuous actions allow us to accumulate merit. As such, they constitute the causes for us meeting positive circumstances and experiencing well-being. However, it is not certain that they constitute sufficient provisions for obtaining liberation. Thanks to all the virtuous actions we have accomplished in the past (which fall into this category of merit accumulation), we have obtained a precious human existence today. Furthermore, we likewise benefit from positive life conditions. We are in the West; we do not suffer from hunger or thirst. Even though we are currently experiencing an economic downturn, our basic living conditions remain acceptable. This is due to beneficial actions that we have accomplished in the past.

As we can observe, these acts were, nonetheless, not a sufficient cause for us to attain liberation. They simply allowed us to meet with positive conditions today.

Actions that fall into the category of Buddhist practice constitute the virtue that allows one to obtain liberation. Buddhist practitioners accomplish beneficial actions that lead them to liberation. When we practice with the goal of attaining liberation, we can say that our conduct is Buddhist.

Several questions may arise. What is the difference between Buddhist practice and non-Buddhist? Between virtuous actions that everyone carries out and those that are specifically Buddhist? Which practices lead to liberation?

Actions that are causes for merit accumulation cover all beneficial actions carried out with the goal of obtaining a certain happiness and good circumstances for oneself. This refers to everything we do while thinking of our own benefit in this life and future lives. A somewhat egocentric thought accompanies our action. “May these positive actions help me to obtain a good rebirth and positive circumstances in this life!”

Virtuous actions that are causes for obtaining liberation are based on knowledge of samsara’s true nature, authentic renunciation, and the wish for liberation.

Understanding the difference between these two types of virtuous acts proves as vital as knowing what renunciation of samsara and the aspiration to become free from it mean. Without renunciation or the will to obtain liberation, the result of practice—be it mantra recitation, mandala offering, or meditation on a yidam or other deities—will be the same. If we carry out these virtuous activities appropriately, they constitute an accumulation of merit. If we do not carry them out appropriately, they can even contribute to accumulating negative karma!

A Buddhist must reflect on the following questions:

- What are the characteristics of samsara?

- What is samsara’s true nature?

- How does renunciation come about?

- What are the characteristics of liberation?

- What are its qualities?

- How does one realize liberation?

Reflecting on these questions contributes to developing the necessary renunciation to progress along the path to liberation.

The four seals of the Dharma lead us to an understanding of the characteristics of samsara as well as the qualities and characteristics of liberation. This allows us to both renounce samsara and to aspire to liberation.

This teaching has two names: The Four Essences and The Four Seals. It is titled The Four Essences insofar as the four points sum up the essence of the Buddha’s eighty-four thousand teachings of the Sutrayana and Tantrayana.

It is titled The Four Seals because the four points govern all phenomena of samsara and nirvana, just as a royal seal—once stamped on a document—commands the respect of all in the realm.

The four seals have their origin in the sutras and are as follows:

All conditioned phenomena are impermanent by nature.

All contaminated phenomena are suffering by nature.

All phenomena are empty and devoid of inherent existence.

Nirvana is a state of absolute peace.

The first two seals describe the characteristics of samsara:

- Samsaric phenomena are conditioned, and they are impermanent. This is their nature.

- They are nothing other than suffering because they are contaminated.

The last two seals designate the characteristics of nirvana or liberation.

- All phenomena are empty and devoid of inherent existence.

- Nirvana is a state of absolute peace.

12 Khenpo Ngedön gave this teaching during the month known as saga-dawa, which roughly corresponds with the month of June in the solar calendar. Khenpo Ngedön gave the following explanations, “This is the most important period of the Buddhist calendar. During this month, we celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. It is said that if we accomplish virtuous actions during the day of the full moon—the fifteenth day of each month according to the lunar calendar—the benefit that these actions bring about will be multiplied by one hundred. Furthermore, if we carry out such actions during the month of saga-dawa, the benefit is one-hundred-thousand-fold and will have even greater reach. Therefore, we can recognize this opportunity, rejoice in it, and—conscious of this good fortune—exert ourselves to follow the teaching with joy and enthusiasm.”

13 Intermediate state. In general, this term refers to the intermediate state between one life and the next.

14 Shantideva, Batchelor, Stephen. A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life [Bodhisattvacharyavatara]. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA), 1992-1993.