Sức Mạnh Lòng Từ

THE FIRST LEVEL OF SPIRITUALITY:

THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD AND THEIR VALUE FOR HUMANITY

The first level of spirituality, for human beings everywhere, is faith in one of the many religions of the world. I think there is an important role for each of the major world religions, but in order for them to make an effective contribution to the benefit of humanity from the religious side, there are two important factors to be considered.

The first of these factors is that individual practitioners of the various religions; that is we ourselves, must practice sincerely. Religious teachings must be an integral part of our lives; they should not be separated from out lives. Sometimes we go into church or temple and say a prayer, or generate some kind of spiritual feeling, and then, when we step outside the church or temple, none of that religious feeling remains. This is not the proper way to practice. The religious message must be with us wherever we are. The teachings of our religions must be present in our lives so that, when we really need or require blessings or inner strength, those teachings will be there even at such times; they will be there when we experience difficulties because they are constantly present. Only when religion has become an integral part of our lives can it be really effective.

We also need to experience more deeply the meanings and spiritual values of our own religious tradition- we need to know these teachings no only on an intellectual level but also through our own deeper experience. Sometimes we understand different religious ideas on an overly superficial or intellectual level. Without a deeper feeling, the effectiveness of religion becomes limited. Therefore, we must practice sincerely, and religion must become part of our lives.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AMONG RELIGIONS

The second factor is concerned more with interaction among the various world religions. Today, because of the increasing technological change and the nature of the world economy, we are much more dependent on one another than ever before. Different countries, different continents, have become more closely associated with one another. In reality the survival of one region of the world depends on that of others. Therefore, the world has become much closer, much more interdependent. As a result, there is more human interaction. Under such circumstances, the idea of pluralism among the world’s religions is very important. In previous times, when communities lived separately from one another and religions arose in relative isolation, the idea that there was only one religion was very useful. But now the situation has changed, and the circumstances are entirely different. Now, therefore, it is crucial to accept the fact that different religions exist, and in order to develop genuine mutual respect among them, close contact among the various religions is essential. This is the second factor that will enable the world’s religions to be effective in benefiting humanity. When I was in Tibet, I had no contact with people of different religious faiths, so my attitude toward other religions was not very positive. But once I had had the opportunity to meet with people of different faiths and to learn from personal contact and experience, my attitude toward other religions changed. I realized how useful to humanity other religions are, and what potential each has to contribute to a better world. In the last several centuries the various religions have made marvelous contributions toward the betterment of human beings, and even today there are large numbers of followers of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and so forth. Millions of people are benefiting from all these religions.

To give an example of the value of meeting people of different faiths, my meetings with the late Thomas Merton made me realize what a beautiful, wonderful person he was. On another occasion I met with a Catholic monk in Monserrat, one of Spain’s famous monasteries. I was told this monk had lived for several years as a hermit on a hill just behind the monastery. When I visited the monastery, he came down from his hermitage especially to meet me. As it happened, his English was even worse than mine, and this gave me more courage to speak with him! We remained face to face, and I inquired, “In those few years, what were you doing on that hill?” He looked at me and answered, “Meditation on compassion, on love.” As he said those few words, I understood the message through his eyes. I truly developed genuine admiration for this person and for others like him. Such experiences have helped confirm in my mind that all the world’s religions have the potential to produce good people, despite their difference of philosophy and doctrine. Each religious tradition has its own wonderful message to convey.

For example, from the Buddhist point of view the concept of a creator is illogical; because of the ways in which Buddhists analyze causality, it is a difficult concept for Buddhists to understand. However, this is not the place to discuss philosophical issues. The important point here is that for the people who so follow those teachings in which the basic faith is in a creator, that approach is very effective. According to those traditions, the individual human being is created by God. Moreover, as I recently learned from one of my Christian friends, they do not accept the theory of rebirth and, thus do not accept past or future lives. They accept only this life. However, they hold that this very life is created by God, the creator, and that idea develops in them a feeling of intimacy with God. Their most important teaching is that since it is by God’s will that we are here, our future depends upon the creator, and that because the creator is considered to be holy and supreme, we must love God, the creator.

What follows from this is the teaching that we should love our fellow human beings. This is the primary message here. The reasoning is that as we love God, we must love our fellow human beings because they, like us, were created by God. Their future, like ours, depends on the creator; therefore their situation is like our own. Consequently, the faith of people who say, “Love God,” but who themselves do not show genuine love toward their fellow human beings is questionable. The person who believes in God and in love for God must demonstrate the sincerity of his or her love of God through love directed toward fellow human beings. This approach is very powerful, isn’t it?

Thus, if we examine each religion from various angles in the same way- not simply from our own philosophical position but from several points of view- there can be no doubt that all major religions have the potential to improve human beings. This is obvious. Through close contact with those of other faiths it is possible to develop a broadminded attitude and mutual respect with regard to other religions. Close contact with different religions helps me to learn new ideas, new practices and new methods or techniques that I can incorporate into my own practice. Similarly, some of my Christian brothers and sisters have adopted certain Buddhist methods- for example, the practice of one-pointedness of mind as well as technique to help improve tolerance, compassion, and love. There is great benefit when practitioners of different religions come together for this kind of interchange. In addition to the development of harmony among them, there are other benefits to be gained as well. Politicians and national leaders frequently talk about “coexistence” and “coming together.” Why not we religious people too? I think the time has come. At Assisi in 1987, for example, leaders and representatives of various world religions met to pray together, although I am not certain whether “prayer” is the exact word to describe the practice of all these religions accurately. In any case, what is important is that representatives of the various religions come together in one place and, according to their own belief, pray. This is already happening and is, I think, a very positive developing harmony and closeness among the world’s religions. Since without such effort, we will continue to experience the many problems that divide humanity.

If religion were the only remedy for reducing human conflict, but that remedy itself became another source of conflict, it would be disastrous. Today, as in the past, conflicts take place in the name of religion, because of religious differences, and I think this is very, very sad. But as I mentioned earlier, is we think broadly, deeply, we will realize that the situation in the past is entirely different from the situation today. We are no longer isolated but are instead interdependent. Today, therefore, it is very important to realize that a close relationship among the various religions is essential, so that different religious groups may work closely together and make a common effort for the benefit of humankind.

Thus, sincerity and faith in religious practice on the one hand, and religious tolerance and cooperation on the other hand, comprise this first level of value of spiritual practice to humanity.

THE SECOND LEVEL OF SPIRITUALITY:

COMPASSION AS THE UNIVERSAL RELIGION The second level of spirituality is more importance than the first because, no matter how wonderful any religion may be, it is still accepted only by a very limited number of people. The majority of the five or six billion human beings on our planet probably do not practice any religion at all.

According to their family background they might identify themselves as belonging to one religious group or another- “I am Hindu”; “I am Buddhist”; “I am Christian”- but deep down, most of these individuals are not necessarily practitioners of any religious faith. That is all right; whether or not a person embraces a religion is that person’s right as an individual. All the great ancient masters, such as Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus Christ, and Mohammed, failed to make the entire human population spiritually minded. The fact is that nobody can do that. Whether those nonbelievers are called atheists does not matter. Indeed, according to some Western scholars, Buddhists are also atheists, since they do not accept a creator. Therefore, I sometimes add one more word to describe these nonbelievers, and that is “extreme”; I call them extreme nonbelievers. They are not only nonbelievers but are extreme in their view in that they hold that spirituality has no value. However, we must remember that these people are also a part of humanity, and that they also, like all human beings, have the desire to be happy- to have a happy and peaceful like. This is the important point. I believe that it is all right to remain a nonbeliever, but as long as you are a part of humanity, as long as you are a human being, you need human affection, human compassion. This is actually the essential teaching of all the religious traditions: the crucial point is compassion, or human affection. Without human affection, even religious beliefs can become destructive. Thus, the essence, even in religion, is a good heart. I consider human affection, or compassion, to be the universal religion. Whether a believer or a nonbeliever, everyone needs human affection and compassion, because compassion gives us inner strength, hope and mental peace. Thus, it is indispensable for everyone.

Let us, for example, examine the usefulness of the good heart in daily life. If we are in a good mood when we get up in the morning, if there is a warm-hearted feeling within, automatically our inner door is opened for that day. Even should an unfriendly person happen along, we would not experience much disturbance and may even manage to say something nice to that person. We could chat with the not-so-friendly person and perhaps even have a meaningful conversation. But on a day when our mood is less positive and we are feeling irritated, automatically our inner door closes. As a result, even if we encounter our best friend, we feel uncomfortable and strained. These instances show how our inner attitude makes a great difference in our daily experiences. Therefore, in order to create a pleasant atmosphere within ourselves, within in our families, within our communities, we have to realize that the ultimate source of that pleasant atmosphere is within the individual, within each of us- a good heart, human compassion, love. Once we create a friendly and positive atmosphere, it automatically helps to reduce fear and insecurity. In this way we can easily make more friends and create more smiles. After all, we are social animals. Without human friendship, without the human smile, our life becomes miserable. The lonely feeling becomes unbearable. It is a natural law- that is to say, according to natural law we depend on others to live. If, under certain circumstances, because something is wrong inside us, our attitude toward fellow human beings, on whom we depend, becomes hostile, how can we hope to attain peace of mind or a happy life? According to basic human nature, or natural law, affection- compassion- is the key to happiness.

According to contemporary medicine, a positive mental state, or peace of mind, is also beneficial for our physical health. If we are constantly agitated, we end up harming our own health. Therefore, even from the point of view of our health, mental calmness and peacefulness are very important. This shows that the physical body itself appreciates and responds to human affection, human peace of mind.

BASIC HUMAN NATURE If we look at basic human nature, we see that our nature is more gentle than aggressive. For example, if we examine various animals, we notice that animals of a more peaceful nature have a corresponding body structure, whereas predatory animals have a body structure that has developed according to their nature.

Compare the tiger and the deer: there are great differences in their physical structures. When we compare our own body structure to theirs, we see that we resemble deer and rabbits more than tigers. Even our teeth are more like theirs, are they not? They are not like a tiger’s. Our nails are another good example. I cannot even catch a rat with my human fingernails alone. Of course, because of human intelligence, we are able to devise and use various tools and methods to accomplish things that would be difficult to accomplish without them. Thus, as you can see, because of our physical fundamental human nature as shown by our basic physical structure.

COMPASSION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION Given our current global situation, cooperation is essential, especially in fields such as economics and education. The concept that differences are important is now more or less gone, as demonstrated by the movement toward a unified Western Europe. This movement is, I think, truly marvelous and very timely. Yet this close work between nations did not come about because of compassion or religious faith, but rather because of necessity. There is a growing tendency in the world toward global awareness. Under current circumstances a closer relationship with others has become an element of our very survival. Therefore, the concept of universal responsibility based on compassion and on a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood is now essential. The world is full of conflicts; conflicts because of ideology, because of religion, even conflicts within families. Conflicts based on one person wanting one thing and another wanting something else. So if we examine the sources of these many conflicts, we find that there are many different sources, many different causes, even within ourselves.

Yet, in the meantime, we have the potential and ability to come together in harmony. All these other things are relative. Although these are many sources of conflict, there are at the same time many sources that bring about unity and harmony. The time has come to put more emphasis on unity. Here again there must be human affection. For example, you may have a different ideological or religious opinion from someone else. If you respect the other’s rights and sincerely show a compassionate attitude toward that person, then it does not matter whether his or her idea is suitable for yourself; that is secondary. As long as the other person believes in it, as long as that person benefits from such a viewpoint, it is his or her absolute right. So we must respect that and accept the fact that different viewpoints exist. In the realm of economics as well, one’s competitors must also receive some profit, because they too have to survive. When we have a broader perspective based on compassion, I think things become much easier. Once again, compassion is the key factor.

DEMILITARIZATION Today, our world situation has eased considerably. Fortunately, we can now think and talk seriously about demilitarization, or at least the idea of demilitarization. Five years ago, or perhaps even as recently as two years ago, it was difficult even to think about it, but now the Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States is over. With regard to the United States, I always tell my American friends, “Your strength comes not from nuclear weapons but from your ancestors’ noble ideas of freedom, liberty and democracy.” When I was in the United States in 1991, I had the opportunity of meeting with former President George Bush. At the time we discussed the New World Order, and I said to him, “A New World Order” with compassion is very good. I’m not so sure about a New World Order with compassion.”

I now believe that the time is ripe to think and talk about demilitarization. There are already some signs of weapons reductions and for the first time, denuclearization. Step by step, we are seeing a reduction in weapons, and I think our goal should be to free the world, our small planet, from weapons.

This does not mean, however, that we should abolish all forms of weapons. We may need to keep some, since there are always some mischievous people and groups among us. In order to take precautions and be safeguarded from these sources, we should create a system of regionally monitored international police forces, not necessarily belonging to any one nation but controlled collectively and supervised ultimately by an organization like the United Nations or another similar international body. That way, with no weapons available, there would be no danger of military conflict between nations, and there would also be no civil wars.

War has remained, sadly, a part of human history up to the present, but I think the time has come to change the concepts that lead to war. Some people consider war to be something glorious; they think that through war they can become heroes. This usual attitude toward war is very wrong. Recently an interviewer remarked to me, “Westerners have a great fear of death, but Easterners seem to have very little fear death.” To that I half-jokingly responded, “It seems to me that, to the Western mind, war and the military establishment are extremely important. War means death, by killing, not by natural death, because you are so fond of war. We Easterners, particularly Tibetans, cannot even begin to consider war;

we cannot conceive of fighting, because the inevitable result of war is disaster: death, injuries, and misery. Therefore the concept of war in our minds is extremely negative. That means we actually have more fear of death than you. Don’t you think?” Unfortunately, because of certain factors, our ideas about war are incorrect. Therefore, the time has come to think seriously about demilitarization. I felt this very strongly during and after the Persian Gulf crisis. Of course, everybody blames Saddam Hussein, and there is no question that Saddam Hussein is negative; he made many mistakes and acted wrongly in many ways. After all, he is a dictator, and a dictator is of course, something negative. However, without his military establishment, without his weapons, Saddam Hussein could not function as that kind of dictator. Who supplied those weapons? The suppliers also bear the responsibility. Some Western nations supplied him with weapons without regard for the consequences.

To think only of money, of making a profit from selling weapons, is really terrible. I once met a French woman who had spent many years in Beirut, Lebanon. She told me with a great sadness that during the crisis in Beirut there were people at one end of the city making a profit selling weapons, and that every day, at the other end of the city, other innocent people were being killed with those very weapons. Similarly, on the one side of our planet there are people living a lavish life with the profits make from selling arms, while innocent people are getting killed with those fancy bullets on the other side or our planet. Therefore, the first step is to stop selling weapons. Sometimes I tease my Swedish friends: “Oh, you are really wonderful. During the last period of conflict you remained neutral. And you always consider the importance of human rights and world peace. Very good. But in the meantime you are selling weapons. This is a little bit of a contradiction, isn’t it?

Therefore, since the time of the Persian Gulf crisis I myself made an inner pledge, a commitment that for the rest of my life I will contribute to furthering the idea of demilitarization. As far as my own country is concerned, I have made up my mind that in the future, Tibet should be a completely demilitarized zone. Once again, in working to bring about demilitarization, the key factor is human compassion.

CONCLUSION: THE MEANING OF COMPASSION I have talked a great deal about compassion without explaining its precise meaning. I would like to conclude by explaining the meaning of compassion, which is often misunderstood. Genuine compassion is based not on our own projections and expectations, but rather on the rights of the other:

irrespective of whether another person is a close friend or an enemy, as long as that person wishes for peace and happiness and wishes to overcome suffering, then on that basis we develop genuine concern for his or her problem. This is genuine compassion.

Usually when we are concerned about a close friend, we call this compassion. This is not compassion; it is attachment. Even in marriage, those marriages that last a long time do so not because of attachment, although it is generally present, but because there is also compassion. Marriages that last only a short time do so because of a lack of compassion; there is only emotional attachment based on projection and expectation. When the only bond between close friends is attachment, then even a minor issue may cause one’s projections to change. As soon as our projections change, the attachment disappears; because that attachment was based solely on projection and expectation.

It is possible to have compassion without attachment and similarly to have anger without hatred.

Therefore, we need to clarify the distinctions between compassion and attachment, and between anger and hatred. Such clarity is useful in our daily life and in our efforts toward world peace. I consider these to be basic spiritual values for the happiness of all human beings, regardless of whether one is a believer or a nonbeliever.

Source: This teaching was givenby His Holiness Dalai Lama at the National Tennis Centre, Melbourne, Australia. May 4, 1992, t his teaching and others in booklet form by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, such as A Human Approach to World Peace (65,000 copies in print), Compassion and the Individual (61,000 copies), The Global Community and the Need for Universal Responsibility (15,000 copies), and Words of Truth: A Prayer for Peace in Tibet and Compassion in the World (7,000 copies). Tens of thousands more copies of most of these booklets are also in print in many different languages. (Wisdom Publication, 1995). 63

AWARENESS OF DEATH

By Dalai Lama

Just as when weaving One reaches the end With fine threads woven throughout, So is the life of humans.

-BUDDHA It is crucial to be mindful of death, to contemplate that you will not remain long in this life. If you are not aware of death, you will fail to take advantage of this special human life that you have already attained. It is meaningful since, based on it, important effects can be accomplished.

Analysis of death is not for the sake of becoming fearful but to appreciate this precious lifetime during which you can perform many important practices. Rather than being frightened, you need to reflect that when death comes, you will lose this good opportunity for practice. In this way contemplation of death will bring more energy to your practice.

You need to accept that death comes in the normal course of life. As Buddha said:

A place to stay untouched by death - Does not exist.

It does not exist in space, it does not exist in the ocean. Nor if you stay in the middle of a mountain. If you accept that death is part of life, then when it actually does come, you may face it more easily. When people know deep inside that death will come but deliberately avoid thinking about it, that does not fit the situation and is counterproductive. The same is true when old age is not accepted as part of life but taken to be unwanted and deliberately avoided in thought. This leads to being mentally unprepared; then when old age inevitably occurs, it is very difficult.

Many people are physically old but pretend they are young. Sometimes when I meet with longtime friends, such as certain senators in countries like the United States, I greet them with, “My old friend,” meaning that we have known one another for a long period, not necessarily physically old. But when I say this, some of them emphatically correct me. “We are not old! We are longtime friends.”

Actually, they are old- with hairy ears, a sign of old age, but they are uncomfortable with being old. That is foolish.

I usually think of the maximum duration of a human life as one hundred years, which, compared to the life of the planet, is very short. This brief existence should be used in such a way that it does not create pain for others. It should be committed not to destructive work but to more constructive activities, at least not to harm others, or create trouble for them. In this way our brief span as a tourist on this planet will be meaningful. If a tourist visits a certain place for a short period and creates more trouble, that is silly. But if, as a tourist, you make others happy during this short period, that is wise When you yourself move on to your next place, you feel happy. If you create problems, even though you yourself do not encounter any difficulty during your stay, you will wonder what the use of your visit was.

Of life’s one hundred years, the early portion is spent as a child and the final portion is spent in old age, often just like an animal feeding and sleeping. In between, there might be sixty or seventy years to be used meaningfully. As Buddha said: Half of the life is taken up with sleep. Ten years are spent in childhood. Twenty years are lost in old age. Out of the remaining twenty years, sorrow, complaining, pain, and agitation eliminate much time, and hundreds of physical illnesses destroy much more. To make life meaningful, acceptance of old age and death as parts of our life is crucial. Feeling that death is almost impossible just creates more greediness and more trouble, sometimes even deliberate harm to others. When we take a good look at how supposedly great personages, emperors, monarchs, and so forth, built huge dwelling places and walls, we see that deep inside their minds was an idea that they would stay in this life forever. This self-deception results in more pain and more trouble for many people. Even for those who do not believe in future lifetimes, contemplation of reality is productive, helpful, scientific. Because persons, minds, and all other caused phenomena change moment by moment, this opens up the possibility for positive development. If situations did not change, they would forever retain the nature of suffering. Once you know things are always changing, even if you are passing through a very difficult period, you can find comfort in knowing that the situation will not remain that way forever. So, there is no need for frustration.

Good fortune also is not permanent; consequently, there is no use for too much attachment when things are going well. An outlook of performance ruins us: Even is you accept that there are future lives, the present becomes your preoccupation, and the future takes on little import. This ruins a good opportunity when your life is endowed with the leisure and facilities to engage in productive practices.

An outlook of impermanence helps.

Being aware of impermanence calls for discipline, ‘taming the mind’, but this does not mean punishment, or control from the outside. Discipline does not mean prohibition; rather, it means that when there is a contradiction between long-term and short-term interests, you sacrifice the short-term for the sake of long-term benefit. This is self-discipline, which stems from ascertaining the cause and effect of karma. For example, for the sake of my stomach’s returning to normal after my recent illness, I am avoiding sour foods and cold drinks that otherwise appear to be tasty and attractive. This type of discipline means protection. In a similar way, reflection on death calls for self-discipline and self- protection, not punishment.

Human beings have all the potential to create good things, but its full utilization requires freedom, liberty. Totalitarianism stifles this growth. In a complementary way, individualism means that you do not expect something from the outside or that you are waiting for orders; rather, you yourself create the initiative. Therefore, Buddha frequently called for “individual liberation,” meaning self-liberation, not through an organization. Each individual must create her or his own positive future. Freedom and individualism require self-discipline. If these are exploited for the sake for afflictive emotions, there are negative consequences. Freedom and self-discipline must work together.

BROADENING YOUR PERSPECTIVE From a Buddhist perspective, the highest of all aims is to achieve Buddhahood in order to be capable of helping a vast number of sentient beings; however, a medium level of achievement can liberate you from the painful round of birth, aging, sickness and death; a lower, but still valuable level of achievement is the improvement of your future lives. From the gradual improvement of your lives liberation can be attained. First, your perspective extends to include future lives; then by thoroughly understanding your own plight, your perspective deepens to include all of the rounds of suffering from one life to another, called cyclic existence or samsara. Finally this understanding can be extended to others, through the compassionate wish that all sentient beings be freed from suffering and the causes of suffering. This compassion drives you to aspire to Buddhahood.

You have to be concerned with deeper aspects of life that affect future lives before understanding the full nature of suffering and cyclic existence. This understanding of suffering, in turn, is required for the full development of compassion. Similarly, we Tibetans are seeking to achieve a measure of self-rule in Tibet in order to be of service to the beings in our homeland, but we are also striving to establish ourselves in a refugee situation in India. The accomplishment of the former, greater purpose depends upon our accomplishing the latter, temporary aim.

DISADVANTAGES OF NOT BEING MINDFUL OF DEATH

It is beneficial to be aware that you will die. Why? If you are not aware of death, you will not be mindful of your practice, but will just spend your life meaninglessly, not examining what sorts of attitudes and actions perpetuate suffering and which ones bring about happiness. If you are not mindful that you might die soon, you will fall under the sway of a false sense of permanence “I’ll die later on, later on.” Then, when the time comes, even if you try to accomplish something worthwhile, you will not have the energy. Many Tibetans enter a monastery at a young age and study texts about spiritual practice, but when the time comes to really practice, the capacity to do so is somehow lacking. This is because they do not have a true understanding of impermanence.

If, having thought about how to practice, you make a decision that you absolutely have to do so in retreat for several months or even for many years, you have been motivated by your knowledge of impermanence. But if that urgency is not maintained by contemplating the ravages of impermanence again and again, your practice will peter out. This is why some people stay in retreat for years but experience no imprint on their lives afterward. Contemplating impermanence not only motivates your practice, but also fuels it.

If you have a strong sense of the certainty of death and of the uncertainty of its arrival, you will be motivated from within. It will be as if a friend is cautioning, “Be careful, be earnest, another day is passing.” You might even leave home for the monastic life. If you did, you would be given a new name and new clothing. You would also have fewer busy activities; you would have to change your attitude, directing your attention to deeper purposes. If, however, you continued busying yourself with the superficial affairs of the moment; delicious food, good clothing, better shelter, pleasant conversation, many friends and acquaintances, and even making an enemy, if someone does something you do not like and then quarreling and fighting, you would be no better off than you were before you entered the monastery, and perhaps even worse. Remember, it is not sufficient to withdraw from these superficial activities out of embarrassment or fear of what your friends who are also on the path might think; the change must come from within. This is true for monks and nuns as well as lay people who take up practice. Perhaps you are beset by a sense of permanence, by thinking that you will not die soon and that while you are still alive, you need especially good food, clothing, and conversation. Out of desire for the wondrous effects of the present, even is they are of little meaning in the long run, you are ready to employ all sorts of shameless exaggerations and devices to get what you want; making loans at high interest, looking down on your friends, starting court proceedings, all for the sake of more than adequate provisions.

Since you have given your life over to such activities, money becomes more attractive than study, and even if you attempt practice, you do not pay much attention to it. If a page falls out of a book, you might hesitate to retrieve it, but is some money falls to the ground, there is no question. If you encountered those who have really devoted their lives to deeper pursuits, you might think well of that devotion, but that would be all; whereas if you see someone dressed in finery, displaying his or her wealth, you would wish for it, lust after it, hope for it, with more and more attachment. Ultimately, you will do anything to get it. Once you are intent on the fineries of this life, your afflictive emotions increase, which in turn necessarily bring about more bad deeds. These counter-productive emotions only lead to trouble, making yourself and those around you uncomfortable. Even if you briefly learn how to practice the stages of the path to enlightenment, you acquire more and more material things and get involved with more and more people to the point where you are, so to speak, practicing the superficialities of this life, meditatively cultivating desire for friends and hatred for enemies and trying to figure out ways to fulfill these afflictive emotions. At that point, even if you hear about real, beneficial practice, you are apt to feel, “Yes, that is so, but…”. One ‘but’ after another. Indeed, you have become accustomed to afflictive emotions throughout your initial, less cyclic existence. But now you have added on the very practice of superficiality. This makes the situation even worse, turning you away from what will really help. Driven by such lust, you will find no comfort. You are not making others happy, and certainly not yourself. As you become more self-centered- “my this, my that, my body, my wealth”- anyone who interferes immediately becomes an object of anger. Although you make much out of “my friends” and “my relatives,” they cannot help you at birth or at death; you come here alone, and you have to leave alone. If on the day of your death a friend could accompany you, attachment would be worthwhile, but it cannot be so. When you are reborn in a totally unfamiliar situation, if your friend from the last lifetime could be of some help, that too would be something to consider, but it is not to be had. Yet, in between birth and death, for several decades it is “my friend,” “my sister,” “my brother.” This misplaced emphasis does not help at all, except to create more bewilderment, lust, and hatred.

When friends are overemphasized, enemies also come to be overemphasized. When you are born, you do not know anyone and no one knows you. Even though all of us equally want happiness and do not want suffering, you like the faces of some people and think, “These are my friends,” and dislike the faces of others and think, “These are my enemies.” You affix identities and nicknames to them and end up practicing the generation of desire for the former and the generation of hatred for the latter. What value is there in this? - None. The problem is that so much energy is being expended on concern for a level no deeper than the superficial affairs of this life. The profound loses out to the trivial.

If you have not practiced and on your dying day you are surrounded by sobbing friends and others involved in your affairs, instead of having someone who reminds you of virtuous practice, this will only bring trouble, and you will have brought it on yourself. Where does the fault lie? In not being mindful of impermanence.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING MINDFUL OF IMPERMANENCE However, if you do not wait until the end for the knowledge that you die to sink in, and you realistically assess your situation now, you will not be overwhelmed by superficial, temporary purposes.

You will not neglect what matters in the long run. It is better to decide from the very beginning that you will die and investigate what it worthwhile. If you keep in mind how quickly this life disappears, you will value your time and do what is valuable. With a strong sense of the imminence of death, you will feel the need to engage in spiritual practice, improving your mind, and will not waste your time in various distractions ranging from eating and drinking to endless talk about war, romance, and gossip.

All beings want happiness and do not want suffering. We use many level of techniques for removing unwanted suffering in its superficial and deep forms, but it is mostly humans who engage in techniques in the earlier part of their lives to avoid suffering later on. Both those who do and do not practice religion seek over the course of their lives to lessen some sufferings and to remove others, sometimes even taking on pain as a means to overcome greater suffering and gain a measure of happiness.

Everyone tries to remove superficial pain, but there is another class of techniques concerned with removing suffering on a deeper level; aiming at a minimum to diminish suffering in future lives and, beyond that, even to remove all forms of suffering for oneself as well as for all beings. Spiritual practice is of this deeper type.

These techniques involve an adjustment of attitude; thus, spiritual practice basically means to adjust your thought well. In Sanskrit it is called dharma, which means “that which holds.” This means that by adjusting counterproductive attitudes, you are freed from a level of suffering and thus held back from that particular suffering. Spiritual practice protects, or holds back, yourself and others from misery. From first understanding your own situation in cyclic existence and seeking to hold yourself back from suffering, you extend your realization to other beings and develop compassion, which means to dedicate yourself to holding others back from suffering. It makes practical sense for you, just one being, to opt for taking care of many, but also, by concentrating on the welfare of others, you yourself will be happier. Compassion diminishes fright about your own pain and increases inner strength. It gives you a sense of empowerment, of being able to accomplish your task. It lends encouragement.

Let me give you a small example. Recently, when I was in Bodh Gaya, I fell ill from a chronic intestinal infection. On the way to the hospital, the pain in my abdomen was severe, and I was sweating a great deal. The car was passing through the area of Vulture Peak (Buddha taught here) where the villagers are extremely poor. In general, Bihar State is poor, but that particular area is even more so. I did not even see children going to or coming from school, just poverty and sickness. I have a very clear memory of a small boy with polio, who had rusty metal braces on his legs and metal crutches up to his armpits. It was obvious that he had no one to look after him. I was very moved. A little later on, there was an old man at a tea stop, wearing only a dirty piece of cloth, fallen to the ground, left to lie there with no one to take care of him.

Later, at the hospital, my thought kept circling on what I had seen, reflecting on how sad it was that here I had people to take care of me but those poor people had no one. That is where my thoughts went, rather than to my own suffering. Though sweat was pouring out of my body, my concern was elsewhere.

In this way, though my body underwent a lot of pain (a hole had opened in my intestinal wall) that prevented sleep, my mind did not suffer any fear or discomfort. It would only have made the situation worse if I had concentrated on my own problems. This is an example from my small experience of how an attitude of compassion helps even oneself, suppressing some degree of physical pain and keeping away mental distress, despite the fact that others might not be directly helped.

Compassion strengthens your outlook, and with that courage you are more relaxed. When your perspective includes the suffering of limitless beings, your own suffering looks comparatively small.

Source: His Holiness Dalai Lama, Jeffrey Hopkins (2002) Advice on Dying and living a Better life, Atria

Book, New York, USA.

7

Visiting His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Dharamsala

By Steve Lowe - Nguyen Thien Bao As you may already know, in November 2006, Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang was honoured to lead a pilgrimage of 51 Vietnamese Buddhist followers, a group consisting of people from Melbourne, Sydney & Perth (Australia) and Texas & California (USA). Between November 7th to 19th, we visited many holy sites where the Lord Buddha had significant experiences in his life. Places such as Lumbini - where Buddha was born; Bodhgaya - the place Buddha attained enlightenment; Sanarth - where Buddha gave his first sermon; Kusinagar - where Buddha attended the Mahaparinirvana.

One highlight, of our pilgrimage in India, was hoped to be an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but nothing could guarantee we would be able to see Him. On November 17th we set out on a 2 day trip to Dharamsala, north of New Delhi. The first day was easier open roads, but most of the second day of our trip was spent driving up steep and winding mountain roads. It was a hard climb, the road often seeming quite dangerous, with barely enough room for vehicles to pass each other. But, some how, due to the merit and virtue of practicing Buddhism, our group arrived safely in Dharmasala at 8pm.

Once there, it became easier to understand some of the suffering which His Holiness and his people have been experiencing for so many decades, since 1959. The path leading here is difficult, so too the life here is hard.

At 9am, the next morning, November 18th, our group came to visit and pay our respects by prostrating ourselves before His Holiness. Although His Holiness had just returned from Japan and many television, radio and newspaper reporters had interviewed him, he was very happy to give us an opportunity to see him directly. He asked us to recite the Heart Sutra for him in Vietnamese. He also read of some of our Buddhist publications and saw photographs of our monastery in Melbourne. Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang was most honored to be able to present to him a publication of ours, authored by His Holiness, ‘Compassion and the Individual’ which I had translated into Vietnamese from his original publication’.

“It is a true ‘holy place’ of India, if we compare with other holy places in India”. They were a few of the words which Venerable Nguyen Tang said to His Holiness, when our group met him. Because Dharamsala is the location in which His Holiness, the living incarnation of the Buddha, is living, many hundreds of thousands of people around the world visit and practice Buddhism here every year. They also come here to share the sorrow and suffering of the Tibetan people.

Our group donated US$1,000 and AU$1,000 to this Living Buddha. His Holiness offered every one in our group a white Katag (scarf) and small golden Buddha statue. He was particularly careful to make sure all members had the opportunity take a group photo with him. It was a most wonderful experience, that day we met His Holiness. We, the Vietnamese Buddhist members from Quang Duc Monastery, Melbourne, Australia, wish that His Holiness enjoys good health, longevity, peace and happiness and that all of His Buddhist works reach completion. We also pray that his country will soon get back her freedom and independence and that His Holiness the Dalai Lama may safely return back to his homeland in the near future.

Nam Mo Sakya Muni Buddha 69

Quang Duc Monastery

History, lineage and organisation

Vietnamese Australians are the largest single ethnic Buddhist group in Australia. According to the 2001 census there are a total of 154 833 Vietnam-born people in Australia, 56 664 or 36.6% of whom live in Victoria. The majority (33 145) of the Vietnam-born in Victoria are Buddhists, and the 17 Vietnamese Buddhist temples in Melbourne out-number those of any other single Buddhist group. This study looked at two Vietnamese temples in Melbourne: Quang Duc Temple and Quang Minh Temple. These will be described in the next two case studies.

Quang Duc Temple is a major Vietnamese Buddhist Centre for the northern and western regions of Melbourne. The temple is named after Most Ven. Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese monk, who in 1963 self-immolated while sitting in the lotus position as a protest against the oppression of Buddhist priests and the Buddhist community by the Diem government in South Vietnam.

Quang Duc Monastery incorporates Quang Duc Monastery as well as Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association of Victoria. Ven. Thich Tam Phuong, who came to Australia in 1987, is the Abbot of the Quang Duc Monastery as well as a director of the non-profit Quang Duc Buddhist Welfare Association of Victoria, and Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang is the Vice-Abbot of Quang Duc Monastery; Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang arrived in Australia in 1998 and was the first Buddhist monk to be granted permanent residency in Australia based on a religious visa application. In addition to the abbot and the Vice-Abbot there are two nuns residing at the Monastery. The Monastery is managed by a committee of 10 who are elected by the abbot. Quang Duc Monastery has 1000 members who receive the Monastery's newsletter, which is published once every three months in English and Vietnamese.

The members of the Monastery are mainly Vietnamese except for a small minority of around 20 Anglo- Australians. The first Anglo-Australians to come to the Monastery were local retirees who would come in every day to help; later they began to attend the meditation classes at the centre and to study Buddhism. Other Anglo-Australians at the Monastery have heard about the Monastery through the Moreland City Council, which provides information about the Monastery in their information booklet as well as on their website. The Monastery belongs to the Lam Te lineage of Vietnamese Buddhism.

Quang Duc Monastery was established in 1990 as an initiative of the local Vietnamese community who wanted to have a Monastery in the area. The community members set up a small three bedroom house in the northern suburb of Broadmeadows, and asked Ven. Thich Tam Phuong to take residence as the abbot. The house was used for worship, religious education and many other Buddhist activities. Over time the Monastery community grew, and it became evident that to meet the needs of its members as well as the Vietnamese Buddhist community of the northern region a larger place was needed. In May 1997 the centre purchased a former primary school, in the suburb of Fawkner, from the Victorian Education Department, on an area of nearly two acres. This was one of the approximately 200 primary Schools in Victoria which were sold due to cut backs in education funding. The Monastery also received approval from the local Moreland City Council to set up a Buddhist Welfare Centre as part of the complex. By 2001 plans were made for the construction of a large two story building. The first level is a multi-purpose community hall, the second level is a large Buddha Hall which is solely dedicated to religious practices such as meditation and chanting. The structure of the building reflects the dual focus of the Quang Duc Monastery on the preservation of Vietnamese traditions and culture as well as strictly religious concerns. The foundation stone for the building was laid in 2001 and the construction was completed and the building opened at the end of 2003.

Activities

Since its inception in 1990 the main objective of the Monastery has been to serve the local Vietnamese communities living in the northern region through the provision of a range of activities and services. The religious activities at Quang Duc Monastery include weekly classes in Buddhist education, daily recitation of sutras, Buddhist Youth groups (which, as in Vietnam are modeled on the scouts) and Buddhist family groups. Regular prayer services are held, which include prayer for peace and happiness to promote quality of life for all sentient beings. Morning tea and discussion groups are held every weekend. The Monastery runs meditation classes for beginners and advance students; these are very popular and attended by the Vietnamese members and the Anglo-Australians. Three retreats are held at the centre annually in July, April (during Easter holidays) and in December; the latter is a very popular retreat and rotates between Vietnamese Monasteries around Australia. In 2005 it was held in Queensland, and was attended by 300 people. Other religious activities offered by the Monastery include marriage celebrations, special prayers for weddings, funerals and memorial services, and activities and entertainment for the aged members. The bulk of these activities take place on weekends, when over 200 people attend the centre.

The centre also offers a range of cultural activities which include Bo De Vietnamese Language School, children's cultural classes designed to help them retain their Vietnamese Buddhist tradition and culture, and Kong Fu classes, which are very popular and attended by around 50 on weekends. The Monastery also hosts a vegetarian lunch once every three months; this is both a social gathering and a fundraising event. Ven. Thich Nguyen Yang emphasized the importance of fostering the Vietnamese culture and language among the young Australian- Vietnamese members: The second generation of Vietnamese in Australia have lost their way, they have lost their culture, they lost their land. 20% of young Vietnamese people are put in jail; this is a very high level. So, as Buddhists we would like to do something for the Vietnamese young generation. We can give them their culture and their language and this is important, because within the families there is a lack of communication between the parents and the children. The parents are busy all the time and don't have time to talk to their children. The children speak English 24 hours a day and the parents speak Vietnamese so they can't communicate [...] the Monastery is bringing the families back together, parents and children attend the Monastery together, children to do activities and study and parents have other activities like working in the garden and the kitchen, or pray in the Buddha Hall for the deceased. These activities are followed by Dharma talks and a free vegetarian lunch, which gives everyone more opportunity to socialise.

The major events celebrated at the centre include the New Year Celebration (Tet), the Buddha's Birthday and the Parents' Day. The Monastery is active in the area of welfare and community service. It is involved in the prison chaplaincy program and visits Vietnamese and other Buddhist inmates once a month. The centre also makes monthly visits to Footscray Hospital, Sunshine Hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital and the Royal Children's Hospital to offer prayer. The Monastery offers monthly tours of the Monastery to primary schools in the area, which includes an introductory talk on Buddhism and Vietnamese culture. Quang Duc Monastery offers a one-to-one counseling service to help community members with family problems, social problems and, in particular, gambling related problems. It offers temporary accommodation and a referral service to those in the Vietnamese community affected by domestic violence, gambling and substance abuse. Some of these services are provided in partnership with agencies such as the Vietnamese Women's Association, the Community Health Centre in Footscray and Centrelink. The Monastery has sought the help of various government agencies to enhance welfare services to the Vietnamese community. For instance, employing gambling and financial counsellors, expanding the temporary accommodation available for homeless people (which is at present limited to three rooms), employing paid staff to coordinate the growing number of families and individuals who need emergency assistance at the Monastery, and the construction of facilities designated for welfare services and counselling. Quang Duc Monastery also runs Work for the Dole projects through CVGT Employment and Training Specialists. The projects which have helped the participants in gaining a variety of useful skills include the construction of a garden at the centre and work on a new building at the centre currently under construction. The Monastery runs an informal overseas aid program. Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang, together with other members of the Monastery, have travelled to Vietnam to deliver food to the poor and the needy. According to Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang the welfare activities of the Quang Duc Monastery are a new phenomenon, and involve a shift from the traditional responsibilities and concerns of Buddhist Monasteries in Vietnam, which are more narrowly defined and largely limited to meeting the religious demands and needs of the community.

The Monastery has close association with other Buddhist centres in Melbourne. The local Sri Lankan Buddhist community uses the facilities at Quang Duc Monastery to hold children's language and Dharma classes. The Monastery also takes part in the activities of the Tibetan Buddhist Society, where Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang has spoken about the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition. The Monastery works closely with Quang Minh Vietnamese Buddhist Monastery in planning and coordinating activities for the Vietnamese community.

By Shiva Vasi (source: Profile and Contribution of Buddhists in Victoria, Buddhist Council of Victoria, 2006) 72

Phöông danh Phật tử phaùt taâm aán toáng saùch veà Đức Đạt Lai Lạt Ma

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SỨC MẠNH của loøng từ

(The Power of Compassion)

Tỳ Kheo Thích Nguyên Tạng soạn dịch

Cung cấp tài liệu tiếng Anh: Nguyên Phúc Goodwin - Quảng Định Alexandra

Đánh máy vi tính: Kim Thư, Kim Chi

Sửa bản in: Nhị Tường, Thanh Phi, Nguyên Thiện Bảo

Trình bày sách: Trúc Giang, Trúc San

Bìa: Diệu An – Lê Hiếu

Như thường lệ những kinh sách do Tu Viện Quảng Đức ấn Saùch aán toáng khoâng được baùn hành là để phổ biến giáo lý Phật Đà đến cho mọi người, chứ không phát hành để lấy tiền. Nếu độc giả nghĩ đến công lao của những người đóng góp để có được tập sách này, xin hãy cố gắng dành thời gian để tu tập, tránh ác làm lành, đặc biệt áp dụng lời khuyên của Đức Đạt Lai Lạt Ma vào trong đời sống hằng ngày của mình, phát khởi bồ đề tâm, đại bi tâm, không làm khổ đau người, làm vơi bớt khổ đau của người, hướng dẫn người quy y Tam Bảo, để tu tập, để đạt được giác ngộ và giải thoát. Ngoài ra quý Phật tử cũng có thể đóng góp từ thiện để giúp đỡ cho dân tộc Tây Tạng. Xin quý vị liên lạc trực tiếp văn phòng của Đức Đạt Lai

Lạt Ma:

The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Thekchen Choeling P.O. McLeod Ganj Dharamsala H.P. 176219. India Tel: +91-(0) 1892 221343/221879 Fax: +91-(0) 1892 221813 Email: info@dalailama.com

Website: www.dalailama.com As usual, all books published by Quang Duc Monastery

This book is for free distribution, it is not for sale are not to be sold, are for free distribution only. We do this in our work to provide the light of Buddha to all sentient beings. We ask that readers keep in mind the dedication and labor of those who contributed to this publication, to assist us through practicing mindfulness, to take time in practicing Buddhist precepts to be aware of ones actions, to do good, not evil, not play a role in others suffering, to make an effort to reduce suffering wherever possible through kindness and assistance.

We all shoulder the responsibility to carry peace and happiness to all living things. We all need to apply compassionate wisdom in our daily lives, and guide others people into this spiritual path by our own examples. We do this in order to promote a more peaceful compassionate world. You may also feel inclined to donate whatever you can to support the work for world wide peace undertaken by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. You may contribute using the contact address as follows;

The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama Thekchen Choeling P.O. McLeod Ganj Dharamsala H.P. 176219. India

Tel: +91-(0) 1892 221343/221879 Fax: +91-(0) 1892 221813

Email: info@dalailama.com Website: www.dalailama.com/ Printed and donated for free distribution by Quang Duc Buddhist Monastery 105 Lynch Road, Fawkner, Vic 3060. Australia Email: quangduchomepage@gmail.com; website: www.quangduc.com 1000 copies; April 2007

Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) là tổng thống Irag từ năm1979 đến 2003, đã bị chính quyền Irag treo cổ ngày 30-12-2006. Khi phóng viên của AP hỏi, Đức Đạt Lai Lạt Ma đã phản đối quyết định này, ngài nói “ Tôi phản đối việc treo cổ, con người cần chung sống trong hòa bình nhưng bạo lực không phải là giải pháp để đạt được điều đó, Phật giáo tin rằng mọi hình thức bạo lực đều là sai lầm” (chú thích của người dịch).