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Merit, Role-model, Intelligence, Dignity – Phakchok Rinpoche message in April 2014 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช เมษายน 2557

Guru Rinpoche Day, 9th April 2014

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Four Points to Apply to Your Life

Dear Friends Near and Far,

I hope this finds you all well and happy. I recently finished two months of retreat and have been keeping you all in mind and heart.

At the moment at our monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche and Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche are presiding over the annual Ngakso (Ocean of Amrita) puja which runs twenty-four hours a day for nine days dedicated to the health and happiness of all beings and the fostering of world peace. Likewise, Gyari Rinpoche, my father-in-law, has been performing 100,000 recitations of Leu Dunma, The Supplication to Guru Rinpoche in Seven Chapters in Sikkim, India. They will complete the 100,000 recitations today.

What I’d like to mention in today’s message are a few points that apply both to the mundane world and the spiritual path.

  1. Whatever the circumstance may be there is such a difference between people who gather merit (or positivity) and those who do not. What’s meant by ‘accumulating merit’? Firstly, to be able to cultivate compassion. To have an altruistic motivation and to do things to benefit others. To help people in an appropriate way such as giving advice, and likewise to be generous, disciplined, to develop patience—to develop these kinds of qualities and do things with a pure, sincere wish to help.Moreover, someone who regards themselves as a Buddhist should ‘make offerings upwards and practice generosity downwards’ meaning that one should make offerings ‘upwardly’ to our objects of refuge, the buddhas, our spiritual teachers, and the sangha, the community of practitioners.  Similarly, you should give ‘downwardly’ to sentient beings. So make offerings and practice generosity like this on a regular basis.It is through these kinds of actions (done with a pure motivation) that one gathers merit, and the result of this is that you will encounter fewer obstacles and hindrances in this life (whether they be outer, inner, or secret), your aims will be fulfilled, and things will go smoothly for you.
  2. In addition to gathering merit, we also need good role models to follow. It has been more than 2500 years since Buddha Shakyamuni passed into parinirvana, yet the transmission of his teachings remains up till today embodied and upheld in the present genuine and qualified dharma teachers. These teachers are excellent role models for us. To follow their example and teachings is excellent. They really are one of the best examples we can find.In my case my role models are my meditation teachers, for example Kyabjé Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Kyabjé Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche. Both of these teachers were extraordinarily kind-hearted, generous, caring, and patient, and outstanding meditators. They were amazing people. So you likewise need to find this kind of role model, someone with truly excellent qualities, to look up to and try to emulate. As Buddhists, our shared role model is of course Buddha Shakyamuni himself.By relying on such role models, we will be able to mould and transform our character and behaviour into something much more positive, and as a result we will encounter fewer difficulties.This is particularly important for dharma practitioners since as practitioners we need to unravel the true intent and meaning of Buddha’s teaching: the innate, natural state. We need to understand this and know how to train in it. And to take a genuine dharma teacher as your example and follow their teachings will booster and enhance your understanding and practice of the natural state.
  3. Whatever activity it is you are involved in, whether mundane or spiritual, you need to approach it withintelligence. You need to ask yourself, “Okay, what qualities are needed to fulfil this role? How should this job be done? What information is needed?” You need to acquire the necessary skills and qualities, to listen to and learn from others, and to change yourself. As for learning, you all know how to do this. It can sometimes be difficult to listen to and learn from others but we need to do it. And thirdly, change—we need to mould and transform ourselves: if you are lacking certain needed qualities, then learn to develop them. If you see you have some faults, then slowly work on transforming these faults; don’t just leave them as they are. Otherwise you will never improve.In terms of the dharma, we need the intelligence of knowing the natural state and never parting from the motivation of bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment. These days many practitioners are losing bodhicitta. Sometimes I also find myself thinking, “Can I really reach enlightenment? Is it really possible? And in any case, will it really be of benefit to others and to myself?” The state of enlightenment, buddhahood, is the ultimate benefit, the ultimate bliss, the ultimate peace, and the ultimate, unsurpassable method to benefit oneself and others. This being so, we need to develop the wish and determination to attain enlightenment. This is bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment. So as a practitioner, with intelligence we should receive genuine dharma teachings from a genuine teacher, reflect upon them genuinely, and put them into practice genuinely.
  4. Dignity. Sometimes we encounter problems and challenges in our mundane lives, or we experience failure. In these cases, we shouldn’t let the setback rob us of our dignity and confidence. We should approach the situation in a constructive way: think, “Okay, I didn’t succeed here. Why not? What was I missing? What did I do wrong?” And take it all as experience. Then set out to remove the faults and flaws that caused the problem so you’ll be able to succeed in the future. You should feel confident that, yes, I can attain enlightenment, I can benefit beings. Here in samsara I can help my family, I can support the sangha and benefit sentient beings. I can do it. I can achieve things, and I can live a joyful, meaningful life. In this way, we need to nurture inner dignity and confidence, even in the face of challenges.This kind of dignity is such an important quality, and for practitioners it is simply indispensable. Kyabjé Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche would say that without dignity you cannot succeed in dharma practice, and in particular in meditation. This dignity is a kind of courage, a decisive, unwavering confidence. It is not a shaky or hesitant state of mind, like thinking, “Oh, I am not sure if meditation will really be beneficial or not… I wonder if my meditation is okay or not…” Nothing like that.Some people know the dharma, they understand, but still ask questions. This is a clear sign of lack of confidence and doubt. Of course if you don’t understand something or don’t know something then you need to ask and should ask, but when you find yourself asking questions and feeling doubt about things you already know that is a sign of lack of dignity. So what is the remedy for this? How can practitioners develop this dignity? Supplicate the buddhas and Supreme Ones (buddha, dharma, and sangha). This is the general approach common for all Buddhists. If you are a Vajrayana practitioner, also supplicate your gurus and supreme yidam deity and train in developing divine dignity. Whichever approach you follow, make supplications that they bless you with inner dignity.

Since some of you reading this email are probably not practitioners and some of you are, I am sending you these four points since they are relevant to both. I am well and I hope you are all healthy and happy too.

With aspirations, 
Sarva Mangalam (May all be auspicious)

Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche

For more information and teachings, please visit:

 

www.phakchokrinpoche.org / www.cglf.org

Compassion and Negative emotions- Phakchok Rinpoche message in March 2014 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช มีนาคม 2557

Guru Rinpoche Day, 11th March 2014

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Dear Friends Near and Far,

I have been thinking of all of you, my dharma brothers and sisters. In our lives, we need the spiritual path, meaning we need to practice. So please, be happy in whatever it is that you’re doing; don’t always look at others and get caught up in comparison. Mind is very skilled at searching out things to be unhappy about. This being so, I feel it’s extremely important to remind yourself everyday of how fortunate and happy you are.

Today I would like to send you two poems, one about compassion and the other about the negative emotions.

Compassion

Compassion is the essence of human beings.
Compassion can remove our faults.
Compassion is the jewel heart of courageous ones.
Compassion is the root of buddha.
Compassion can improve our worldly lives.
Compassion can benefit ourselves and others.
To practice compassion is very important.

Negative Emotions

Negative emotions are like a light for human beings.
For without negative emotions we do not see our faults.
Negative emotions are like camphor; medicine for some, poison for others.
Negative emotions are the root of benefitting beings.
When you know negative emotions, happiness begins.
When you do not see the negative emotions, suffering begins.
The essence of negative emotions is wisdom.

I wrote these two poems in my simple retreat in USA while looking out of the window one morning. There was a very beautiful purple orchid, seven flowers blooming in one pot, and looking at these flowers I wrote these poems for everybody.

Practitioners should be like sunshine that shines constantly without thinking.

Happiness should be like sunshine that shines without doubt day and night in different places throughout the world.

Practitioners should be diligent like sunshine, which comes at the right time without any delays.

Our wisdom should be like sunshine, unobstructed by any negative emotions, shining throughout the world.

Compassion should be like sunshine benefitting the entire world—different people in different times with their different needs—bringing about happiness.

In this way, sunshine has many different meanings for practitioners.

With aspirations, 
Sarva Mangalam (May all be auspicious)

Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche

For more information and teachings, please visit:

 

www.phakchokrinpoche.org / www.cglf.org

Balance – Phakchok Rinpoche message in February 2014 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช กุมภาพันธ์ 2557

Guru Rinpoche Day, 9th February 2014

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Dear Friends Near and Far,

What I would like to share with you on this auspicious Guru Rinpoche day is a short contemplation on the importance of balance.

In life, one of the most important things I think is balance, especially as a practitioner but of course in ordinary life as well. Balance what? Yourself, your work, your family and friends and so on. As a spiritual practitioner it is very important to balance all of these things. How to balance them? The most important way I think is to reflect. So firstly, what responsibilities do you have? How are you going to keep them all up to date and not neglect them? Have you informed everyone you need to inform? To balance our different responsibilities in life is very important.

I am sending this from transit in Istanbul airport. With many aspirations for you all.

Sarva Mangalam (May all be auspicious!)

Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche

For more information and teachings, please visit:

 

www.phakchokrinpoche.org / www.cglf.org

Routine, Compassion, Faults – Phakchok Rinpoche message in January 2014 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช มกราคม 2557

Guru Rinpoche Day Message – 10th January 2014

Dear Friends Near and Far,

On this Guru Rinpoche Day I would like to share three short points:

  1. Our routine is extremely important. In terms of practice, this means keeping a daily routine of practice. This is the first point.
  2. Secondly, generating compassion—correct, unmistaken compassion—and balancing it with meditation is very important.
  3. And thirdly, finding our own faults, but without judging ourselves. This is key, but it is also quite difficult. We have our own problems, difficulties, and in particular bad habits. We have a lot of selfishness and many bad habits. So it is very important to check and become aware of these.

Please try to keep these points in mind and apply them throughout your lives.

With many aspirations,

Sarva Mangalam!

Phakchok Rinpoche

For more teachings or information, please visit my website at www.phakchokrinpoche.org or find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phakchokrinpoche
Phakchok Rinpoche, P.O. Box 19704, Boudhanath, Kathmandu Boudha, Nepal

Giving – Phakchok Rinpoche message in December 2013 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช ธันวาคม 2556

Dear Friends from Near and Far,

This month is the tenth Tibetan month (Monkey month), which is also Guru Rinpoche’s month. On this Guru Rinpoche Day in this very auspicious month, I wish all my friends happiness and health and may all your wishes be fulfilled.

I am writing to all of you from Singapore, where today we are doing the Sampa Lhundrub (Spontaneous Fulfilment of Wishes) Feast Offering Puja for the whole day, generating vast accumulation of merit. The past two days, we completed the Lama Norlha (King of Wealth Deities) retreat, which also went very successfully.

During the retreat, I shared with my friends an important tip about success. In order to be truly successful in life, we must have kind and caring mind, and especially a generous mind. Giving is important and when we know how to give, we become successful. Only by giving unconditionally and without any taint of stinginess on our part, will we generate the conditions for success and good fortune. Please keep this in mind, and try to apply this in your daily life.

Take care yourselves and practice diligently. Don’t be lazy. Take care of your health, not only physically but also mentally.

Wishing you every happiness and joy, and with constant aspirations,

Phakchok Rinpoche
Sarva Mangalam!

Four practice points – Phakchok Rinpoche message in November 2013 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช พฤศจิกายน 2556

Guru Rinpoche Day Teaching – 12 November 2013
คำสอน เนื่องในวันรำลึกถึง คุรุปัทมสมภพ ประจำวันที่ 12 พฤษจิกายน 2556

Dear Friends Near and Far,
สวัสดีกัลยาณมิตรทั้งใกล้และไกล,

With warm greetings to you all this wonderful Guru Rinpoche Day of the ninth Tibetan month, today I would like to share four simple and practical points:

เนื่องในวันรำลึกถึงกูรูรินโปเชประจำเดือนที่ 9 ในปฏิทินทิเบตข้าพเจ้าอยากจะแบ่งปันหัวข้อข้างล่างทั้ง 4 ที่ง่ายและนำไปปฏิบัติได้จริงพร้อมทั้งมอบคำทักทายอันอบอุ่นให้กับพวกเธอใน วันพิเศษนี้

1. We all want happiness, and we all want to be free from suffering. This is our most basic wish. And to accomplish this, some of us are studying and practising the dharma, Buddha’s teaching. There are many others who are not interested in the dharma, but either way, we are all seeking the same thing. Regardless of whom we are, one of the most important factors in helping realize this basic wish is cultivating a calm, peaceful mind. This isn’t something that comes straight away though; we need to develop it bit by bit. For this reason, the practice of shamata (calm-abiding) meditation is so very important: practicing shamata meditation focusing on the cycle of the breath every morning for fifteen minutes or so. Through training in this, our mind will gradually calm down and we’ll gain some control over our state of mind. This control will prove to be extremely helpful in quelling our uneasiness when we encounter difficult circumstances and emotions, like stress and frustration.

1. เราทุกคนต้องการความสุขและเราทุกคนต้องการที่จะเป็นอิสระจากความทุกข์ นี่เป็นความปรารถนาระดับพื้นฐานขั้นแรกสุดของเรา และเพื่อให้บรรลุเป้าหมายนี้พวกเราบางคนศึกษาและนำธรรมะ (คำสอนของพระพุทธเจ้า) มาปฏิบัติ และยังมีคนอื่นๆอีกหลายคนที่ไม่ได้สนใจในธรรมะ, อย่างไรก็ตามพวกเราทุกคนล้วนแสวงหาสิ่งเดียวกันดังกล่าวมาข้างต้น ไม่ว่าเราจะเป็นใคร, การเพาะบ่มจิตที่สงบสุขสันติเป็นหนึ่งในปัจจัยที่สำคัญที่สุดในการช่วยให้ ความปรารถนาขั้นพื้นฐานสัมฤทธิ์ผล แต่จิตที่สงบไม่ได้มาจากการแบมือขอหากแต่มันมาจากการเพียรฝึกฝนทีละเล็กทีละ น้อย ด้วยเหตุนี้การปฏิบัติสมถะกรรมฐาน (การภาวนาเพื่อให้จิตเกิดความสงบ) เป็นสิ่งสำคัญมาก: เธออาจจะเริ่มต้นด้วยการปฏิบัติสมถะกรรมฐานแบบเพ่งดูลมหายใจที่เข้าและออก (อานาปานสติ) ทุกเช้าเป็นเวลาประมาณสิบห้านาที ด้วยวิธีนี้จิตของเราก็จะค่อยๆ สงบลงทีละน้อยและเราก็จะการควบคุมอาการของจิตของเราได้ในที่สุด การควบคุมจิตได้จะเป็นประโยชน์อย่างยิ่งในการขจัดปัดเป่าความไม่สบายใจของ เราเมื่อเราประสบกับสถานการณ์ที่ยากลำบากและอารมณ์อันเกี้ยวกราดและเลวร้าย เช่น ความเครียด และความขัดเคืองใจ

2. Secondly, in our quest for happiness we need love and compassion. These are indispensable qualities. We really cannot do without them. If we lack compassion and concern for people and are always getting angry with them, we won’t have a very pleasant time ourselves, and it goes without saying that this will make life difficult for those around us. So we need care and love for our family and friends and a basic empathy and concern for everyone around us, an empathy that allows us to feel connected to all other humans, a very open and caring state of mind. Otherwise, without these qualities it will be very difficult for us to live a truly unhappy and enjoyable life; we will in fact just be creating needless suffering for ourselves.

2. ประการที่สอง ในการแสวงหาความสุขเราจำเป็นที่จะต้องมีความรักและเมตตากรุณาต่อผู้อื่น สองสิ่งนี้เป็นคุณสมบัติที่ขาดไม่ได้จริงๆเราไม่สามารถที่พบความสุขอันแท้ จริงได้โดยปราศจากสองสิ่งนี้ หากเราไร้ซึ่งความเมตตากรุณาและความห่วงใยต่อผู้อื่นและมักจะผูกโกรธผู้อื่น อยู่เสมอเราก็จะไม่มีทางอยู่เป็นสุขได้และมันจะทำให้ผู้คนรอบข้างเป็นทุกข์ ไปด้วยอย่างไม่ต้องสงสัย ดังนั้นเราจึงจำเป็นต้องเอาใจใส่และมอบความรักให้กับครอบครัวและเพื่อนของ เราและรู้จักการเอาใจเขามาใส่ใจเราและมีความห่วงใยต่อผู้คนรอบข้าง, การเข้าใจความรู้สึกของผู้อื่นช่วยให้เรารู้สึกผูกพันกับคนเหล่านั้น, มันเป็นการสภาวะจิตที่เปิดกว้างและเต็มไปด้วยความเอาใจใส่ต่อผู้อื่น ในทางตรงกันข้ามหากปราศจากคุณสมบัติทั้งสองนี้มันจะเป็นไปได้ยากที่เราจะใช้ ชีวิตอย่างเป็นสุขและสนุกสนานอย่างแท้จริงได้; มันกลับจะสร้างความทุกข์ทรมานให้กับตัวเองโดยไม่รู้ตัว

3. Thirdly, we need a good balance. If you are a spiritual person then practice the dharma (or any other religion or spiritual path you follow) well and genuinely, and at the same time look after your family and friends. Take good care of your kind parents, grandparents, your siblings, your entire family and all your friends and acquaintances. Also do whatever you can to help those in need through charity and in different ways. This balance I feel is very important. To accomplish this balance, learning and practising the dharma can really help. Even if you are not inclined to follow a spiritual path, it can be very helpful to learn some simple meditation, and of course, whoever we are, to practice charity and care for our families.

3. ประการที่สามเราจำเป็นต้องรักษาสมดุลในชีวิตให้ดี หากเธอเป็นนักปฏิบัติก็จงนำธรรมะมาเจริญภาวนาอย่างจริงๆจังๆและบ่อยๆ (หรือทำตามคำสอนในศาสนาหรือนิกายอื่นๆที่เธอนับถือ) และก็ดูแลครอบครัวและเพื่อนของเธอไปพร้อมๆกัน ดูแลพ่อแม่, ปู่ย่าตายาย, พี่น้อง, สมาชิกในครอบครัวทั้งหมดที่ดีต่อเธอเสมอมา, รวมทั้งเพื่อนๆทุกคน, และคนรู้จักของคุณ นอกจากนี้ก็ทำบุญสุนทานกับผู้ตกทุกข์ได้ยากหรือบำเพ็ญตัวให้เป็นประโยชน์ใน รูปแบบต่างๆที่แตกต่างกันไป ข้าพรู้สึกเลยว่าการรักษาสมดุลนี้เป็นสิ่งสำคัญมาก เพื่อให้เข้าสู่สภาวะสมดุลการใฝ่ศึกษาและปฏิบัติธรรมสามารถช่วยเธอได้จริงๆ แม้ว่าเธอไม่ได้คิดที่จะเอาจริงเอาจังในทางธรรม, มันย่อมมีประโยชน์มากที่จะเรียนรู้การเจริญภาวนาแบบง่ายๆ, และแน่นอนไม่เธอจะเป็นใครก็ตามมันย่อมเป็นประโยชน์ไม่ยิ่งหย่อนไปกว่ากันหาก เรารู้จักทำบุญทำกุศลและเอาใจใส่ดูแลครอบครัวของเราเอง

4. Fourthly, and lastly, we need to be sincere and honest with ourselves. At the same time, we also need self-confidence. By ‚’sincere and honest’ I mean that we need to be able to see and acknowledge our own faults and flaws. But when we see them, we should not fall into self-judgement; rather we should move towards positive change. Just acknowledge your shortcomings, and then do whatever you can to improve. If we slip into self-judgement we can end up making ourselves really miserable and lonely with low self-esteem and many different kinds of problems. So we need to be wary of that and work on reducing our self-judgement, as well as our judgement of others.

4. สุดท้ายประการที่สี่ เราจะต้องมีความจริงใจและความซื่อสัตย์กับตัวเอง ในขณะเดียวกันเราก็ต้องมีความเชื่อมั่นในตนเอง โดย “ความจริงใจและความซื่อสัตย์กับตัวเอง” ในที่นี้หมายถึงเราต้องสามารถสังเกตุเห็นและยอมรับความผิดพลาดและข้อบกพร่อง ของเราเอง แต่เมื่อเราเห็นสิ่งไม่ดีเหล่านั้นของเราเอง เราไม่ควรที่จะเลยเถิดไปถึงขนาดจมอยู่กับการเพ่งโทษตัวเอง; หากแต่เราควรจะปรับปรุงแก้ไขสิ่งไม่ดีเหล่านั้นเพื่อพัฒนาตัวเองต่อไป เพียงแค่ยอมรับข้อบกพร่องของเธอเองและจากนั้นให้พยายามทำทุกสิ่งทุกอย่างที่ เธอจะทำได้เพื่อที่จะแก้ไขสิ่งไม่ดีเหล่านั้นของเธอ หากเราหลงจมอยู่กับการเพ่งโทษตัวเองเราก็จะทำให้ตัวเองรู้สึกสลดหดหู่, โดดเดี่ยวเดียวดาย, ขาดความมั่นใจในตนเองและมีปัญหาอื่นๆตามมาอีกมากมาย ดังนั้นเราจึงจำเป็นที่จะต้องระมัดระวังในสิ่งเหล่านี้และเพียรที่จะลดการ เพ่งโทษทั้งต่อตัวเองและต่อผู้อื่น

These four points I feel are very important factors, whether we be Buddhists or not, in cultivating true happiness and well-being so we can live our various lives with joy, ease, and dignity.

ไม่ว่าเราจะเป็นพุทธศาสนิกชนหรือไม่ข้าพเจ้ารู้สึกว่าหัวข้อทั้ง 4 ข้างต้นนั้นเป็นปัจจัยที่สำคัญมากในการเพาะบ่มความสุขที่แท้จริงและความเป็น อยู่ที่ดีเพื่อให้เราสามารถดำรงชีวิตในแบบต่างๆของเราด้วยความร่าเริง, ผ่อนคลาย, และอย่างสง่างาม

Wishing you every happiness and joy, and with constant aspirations,

ข้าพเจ้าปรารถนาให้เธอมีความสุขและร่าเริงและเปี่ยมไปด้วยแรงบันดาลใจที่ไม่มีวันเสื่อมคลาย,

Phakchok Rinpoche

วัชราจารย์ พักชก รินโปเช

Sarva Mangalam!

ขอมงคลทั้งปวงจงมีแด่ท่าน

@Credit Thai Translator Team

Motivation – Phakchok Rinpoche message in October 2013 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช ตุลาคม 2556

ภาษาไทยกดที่นี่

 

Dear Friends Near and Far,
I hope you are all well. I am writing to you today (one day late) from Hong Kong where I have been teaching and holding several pujas. All of the programmes have gone very well. In particular we completed 100,000 Sampa Lhundrub feast offerings which was really excellent, and throughout I have been keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers. It is really important that we practice the buddhadharma, and to do this we need a certain motivation: our motivation should be to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. But for many of us, the strength of this motivation is not enough. What we need to do then is remember the immediate benefits of the dharma, the effects we experience directly in our own lives. For example, how the dharma helps reduce our negative emotions; how through meditation we can increase our compassion and become more good-hearted so that even if others do us harm we don’t react with anger, but respond with patience and compassion.

A lot of people these days though don’t have enough time for the dharma. But even so, you can still make use of the little bit of time you do have here and there to apply the dharma.

Here and there, remember the Buddha’s teaching, apply it in your life, apply meditation in the short moments you have free throughout the day. This is so extremely important. If we fail to do this, and let our life slip by occupied solely with work, work, and more work life will have become quite meaningless and empty. Our lives will pass by and before we know it life will be over and we will have accomplished nothing truly meaningful. Time is ticking by, day by day, so we must practice the dharma now. But to do this we need discipline; discipline to make time and apply the dharma in our lives. This is something we need to do for ourselves; no one else can do it for us. The dharma is so important. Please keep this in mind.

In a few days, when I am back in Nepal I will send another short message via video. Until then, many prayers and aspirations that we can all foster the discipline to make our lives meaningful,

Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche

 

สวัสดี กัลยาณมิตร ทั้งอยู่ใกล้และไกล

ข้าพเจ้าหวังว่าทุกท่านจะมีสุขภาพที่แข็งแรง ข้าพเจ้าเขียนถึงทุกท่านในวันรำลึกถึงคุรุปัทมสัมภาวะเดือนนี้(ช้าไป 1 วัน)

จากประเทศฮ่องกงที่ซึ่งข้าพเจ้าได้ให้คำสอนและประกอบพิธีบูชาหลายอย่าง โปรแกรมทั้งหมดก็ผ่านไปได้ดี โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งพวกเราได้ประกอบพิธีถวายเครื่องบูชา (feast offerings) แด่องค์ ซัมปา ลุนดรุป (Sampa Lhundrub) จบครบ 100,000 ชุด ซึ่งผ่านไปได้อย่างงดงามจริงๆ และตลอดเวลาการประกอบพิธีข้าพเจ้าได้นึกถึงพวกคุณทุกคนอยู่ในใจของข้าพเจ้าและในคำอธิษฐาน มันเป็นสิ่งสำคัญยิ่งที่เราได้ปฏิบัติธรรม และจะทำเช่นนี้เราต้องมีแรงจูงใจบางอย่างซึ่งก็คือ แรงจูงใจที่จะบรรลุถึงสัมมาสัมโพธิญาณเพื่อยังประโยชน์ของสรรพชีวิตทั้งหมด แต่สำหรับพวกเราส่วนใหญ่ แรงจูงใจของพวกเรายังไม่แข็งแกร่งพอ สิ่งที่เราต้องทำก็คือการตระหนักถึงประโยชน์จากธรรมะที่เห็นผลได้ในทันทีและเป็นผลลัพธ์ที่ผ่านประสบการณ์ตรงในชีวิตประจำวันของเราเอง ตัวอย่างเช่น ธรรมะจะช่วยลดกิเลส ของเราได้อย่างไร, เราสามารถเพิ่มความเมตตาของเราและส่งเสริมจิตใจที่งดงามผ่านการเจริญสติภาวนา ได้อย่างไรจนถึงระดับที่ว่าแม้คนอื่นทำร้ายเราไม่ได้ เราก็ไม่ได้กระทำกลับไปความโกรธแต่กลับใช้ความอดทนและความเมตตาในการตอบโต้แทน พวกเราจำนวนมากในวันนี้แม้จะไม่ได้มีเวลาเพียงพอสำหรับการปฏิบัติธรรม พวกเราก็สามารถที่จะประยุกต์ใช้ธรรมะนิดๆหน่อยๆในเวลาอันน้อยนิดที่คุณพอจะมี คุณควรรำลึกถึงคำสอนของพระพุทธเจ้า ใช้มันในชีวิตประจำวันของคุณ เจริญสติภาวนาในช่วงเวลาพักสั้นๆที่คุณมีตลอดทั้งวัน นี่คือสิ่งที่สำคัญมาก ถ้าเราไม่ปฏิบัติตามคำแนะนำข้างต้น ปล่อยปละละเลยให้การงานที่เพิ่มขึ้นมาครอบครองเวลาของเราแต่เพียงผู้เดียว ชีวิตของเราก็จะค่อนข้างไร้ความหมายและว่างเปล่า ชีวิตของเราผ่านไปทุกวันแต่กว่าที่เราจะรู้ตัว

ชีวิตเราก็อาจจะถึงจุดจบเสียแล้วและเราก็จะไม่ประสบกับสิ่งที่มีคุณค่าแท้จริงอะไรเลยในชาตินี้ เวลาได้เดินผ่านไปทุกวินาที วันแล้ววันเล่า ดังนั้นพวกเราจะต้องเริ่มปฏิบัติธรรมในตอนนี้ แต่การที่จะทำเช่นนี้ได้เราจำเป็นต้องมีระเบียบวินัย วินัยที่จะหาในการปฏิบัติเวลาและใช้ธรรมะในชีวิตประจำของเรา นี่คือสิ่ง ที่เราต้องทำเพื่อตัวเราเอง ไม่มีใครสามารถทำแทนเราได้ ธรรมะเป็นสิ่งสำคัญดังนั้น โปรดตระหนักถึงเหล่านี้

ในอีกไม่กี่วัน เมื่อข้าพเจ้ากลับไปถึงประเทศเนปาล ข้าพเจ้าจะส่งข้อความสั้นๆอีกอันหนึ่งผ่านทางวิดีโอ ระหว่างนี้ขออธิษฐานและส่งแรงบันดาลใจให้เราทุกคนสามารถสร้างระเบียบวินัยที่เข้มแข็งขึ้นเพื่อที่จะทำให้ชีวิตของเรามีความหมา
ขอมงคลทั้งปวงจงมีแด่ท่าน,

วัชรจารย์พักชก รินโปเช

@ Credit Thai Translator team

Aspiration – Phakchok Rinpoche message in September 2013 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช กันยายน 2556

Dear Friends Near and Far,
I am writing to you on this Guru Rinpoche day from Nepal where I am overlooking the blessed Buddha’s stupa at Boudhanath. Due to some personal things, I have cancelled a few of my planned trips and am unexpectedly back here in Nepal. Thinking today of myself, having been wandering around from country to country for the last two months, and inspired by a teaching by Patrul Rinpoche that I am reading I would like to share with you one of the most important points for the path―the importance of aspiration.
We may be very lazy, busy, and lost in our lives, but nevertheless we should keep our motivation, aspiration, and interest in enlightenment and keep on reminding ourselves to aspire that everything we do may not go astray from enlightenment, but lead towards enlightenment. Many people act with a different motivation and with different reasons, not with enlightenment in mind, but in terms of the path the most important point is mind. This being so, if your aspiration, intention, and motivation go astray from enlightenment then you have really gone astray from the dharma. On the other hand, if you can maintain the aspiration for enlightenment day to day and do everything in your daily life with this as your motivation, then although you may be astray from the application of the dharma you are not completely astray from the path. One of the sutras tells how Buddha Shakyamuni counseled a king saying, “Oh King, whether you are walking, sitting, talking, whatever you may do, never forget the aspiration for enlightenment. When you have this mind, you will never go astray from the path.”
With constant aspirations for your all,
Sarva Mangalam,
Phakchok Rinpoche

www.phakchokrinpoche.org
www.cglf.org

Our Conduct – Phakchok Rinpoche message in August 2013 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช สิงหาคม 2556

Dear Friends Near and Far,
Hoping you have been well in all ways this past month, I would like to share a short piece of advice to highlight a crucial point for our practice.
As practicing Buddhists, so-called dharma practitioners, our conduct is extremely important. From among the trio of view, meditation, and conduct it is explained that our conduct should enhance our view and meditation, but not only that ― how we behave is also a sign of our own progress. And as the great master Padmasambhava himself said:
Though your view is as high as the sky,
Your conduct should be as fine as flour.
So our view, meditation, and conduct should go hand in hand. In particular, as members of society (and as practitioners, representatives of the sublime buddhadharma) our conduct in daily life ― how we speak, act, interact, and respond to other people and situations ― is really extremely important. As I explained in my message last month, there is the conduct of abandoning harmful actions and the conduct of performing positive actions and so forth.
Please take a moment to reflect on your own conduct and behaviour and throughout the coming month try to bring this to mind each day and keep your behaviour in check. And finally, as one of my own kind teachers once advised me, even if you are unable to benefit and serve sentient beings and the buddhadharma at the very least make sure you do them no harm.
With many prayers and aspirations,
Phakchok Rinpoche
Sarva Mangalam

Conduct – Phakchok Rinpoche message in July 2013 สารจากท่าน พักชก ริมโปเช กรกฎาคม 2556

Dear Friends Near and Far,

As always, I hope you have been well and happy this past month. Today on the Guru Rinpoche day of the sixth Tibetan month, which marks the anniversary of Chökhor Duchen (the first teaching of Buddha Shakyamuni), I would like to talk about conduct. The way we conduct ourselves in body, speech, and mind is extremely important, especially if we consider ourselves to be so-called ‘dharma practitioners’. Good conduct is not always as simple as we may think. Sometimes you might think that simply acting in a way that pleases others, for example in accord with the conventions of society, is correct conduct, or that staying alone and not interacting with anyone is correct conduct. But it is really not as simple as that. Conduct refers to all of our actions of body, speech, and mind – how we act, talk, and think.

It is now 9.30 am here in Kathmandu and having just finished breakfast I am sitting in my room in quite a bad mood sunk in deep thoughts, asking myself, “Am I really making good use of my time or not?” “Am I really conducting myself well or not?” In this kind of mood, it is not going to help at all if someone comes and tells me to stop being so angry, to lighten up or something. The only thing that can really help with these kinds of things is one’s own practice, and in particular one’s daily practice sessions, which means placing your butt down on the cushion for as long as you can and focusing one-pointedly on your practice, whatever it may be. During your practice sessions focus solely on your practice and nothing else, but outside of your sessions (before and after) it is very important to spend some time reflecting and thinking about your conduct, any mistakes you’ve made and so on.

In short, there are two types of conduct: conduct that harms others together with the basis for that harm, and conduct that benefits others together with the basis for that. Conduct that harms others refers to the ten non-virtues, which I am sure you all know. They are:

1. Killing
2. Stealing
3. Sexual misconduct
4. Lying
5. Divisive speech
6. Harsh speech
7. Gossip
8. Envy
9. Malice
10. Wrong view

The conduct that benefits others is the four means of magnetizing (generosity, speaking pleasantly, meaningful conduct, and consistent conduct) and the like.

We need to avoid harmful conduct and engage in beneficial conduct. When we talk about avoiding the ten non-virtues, it is important to think not just of the root ten non-virtues but also their associated actions. For example, just avoiding killing is not enough; beating, hitting, or physically hurting someone also pertains to the non-virtue of killing and we need to avoid all of these kinds of actions. Likewise, even if you don’t literally steal something, out of jealousy or resentment or another emotion you might do something to prevent someone from enjoying the things they have. This is an associated aspect of stealing, and something we need to avoid doing. It is the same with sexual misconduct. Making inappropriate remarks to someone, looking at them in an inappropriate way, or writing all sorts of things in emails or on Facebook―that is all part of sexual misconduct.

So it is not enough to just read through the list of the ten non-virtues and leave it at that; we need to consider them in a much broader and subtle sense and reflect on all of the different actions of body, speech, and mind associated with each one of them.

As for the non-virtues of speech, you may not directly lie to someone, but speaking in a circuitous way and not being completely upfront is also a kind of lying since you are not being completely honest. Similarly, though you might not say anything verbally to create problems between people, you might give someone a strange look or act in a slightly suspicious way that makes them then doubtful and think, for example, that maybe you were saying something behind their back or were just told something bad about them. This is an associated aspect of divisive speech. As for harsh speech, basically anything you say without a kind and positive motivation can become a kind of harsh speech and hurt other people’s feelings. As for gossip, any meaningless and empty talk can be considered a part of gossip.

Then we have the three non-virtues of mind, the first of which is envy. This applies to envy in terms of the dharma as well as in the mundane world. Basically it is attachment. This doesn’t mean though that you shouldn’t have hopes and wishes, like wishing for enlightenment and thinking, “How amazing it is that so many people have attained accomplishment, like the mahasiddhas of India! If only I could be like them!” It means you should not fall into the trap of envying and becoming attached to others’ things, whether they be material possessions or spiritual qualities.

Malice is actually any thought, and also the actions you then perform motivated by that thought, that lacks mindfulness, awareness, and carefulness. Because any thought you have that lacks these three qualities is naturally going to end up harming you, the reason being that it will naturally lead to the negative emotions and a lack of benevolence, and that will then also harm others. When we are unaware of our own thoughts and emotions (due to a lack of mindfulness, awareness, and carefulness) then any thought is potentially a kind of malice and will have negative consequences.

Then finally we come to wrong view. Often practitioners think that just having some knowledge of the dharma is an antidote to wrong view, but actually no. If you fail to check your own mind, whether you are really acting and thinking in accord with the dharma or not, you have already fallen into a part of wrong view. For that reason, knowledge alone is not enough; you need to apply that knowledge and check for yourself whether you are making progress, whether you are changing or not.

This was about conduct. As I said, there are different types of conduct, but in brief they can be condensed into harmful conduct which is what we need to avoid and beneficial conduct which is what we need to take up. Harmful conduct can be condensed into the ten non-virtues, but it is extremely important that we contemplate not just the root ten non-virtues but also their associated aspects, which are much more subtle, as I have just mentioned. Being in a bad mood myself this morning I saw several of these associated non-virtues in myself, and motivated by that I thought to share this highlight and reminder on conduct with you.

For all of you receiving this email―friends, acquaintances, students, or strangers―I aspire that you may be able to conduct yourself well, that you have an abundance of happiness and well-being, and that through your conduct you may be able to bring about benefit for yourselves and countless others.

May our minds turn to the dharma,
May our dharma become the path,
May the path clarify confusion,
And may confusion arise as wisdom!

May the strength of virtue increase!
May the power of aspiration grow!
May negativity be swiftly purified!

Sarva Mangalam (May all be auspicious!),

Phakchok Rinpoche

www.phakchokrinpoche.org
www.cglf.org