YouTube talks regarding this subject.
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo & Lama Tsultrim Allione: Shambhala's Sakyong Mipham
https://youtu.be/elzlih71RH0
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo on Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
https://youtu.be/IX2Kl34bzYg
On Thu, Feb 18, 2021, 8:05 PM Aileen T <littlebitlittlebit1955@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
and this ...
Karma: What It Is, What It Isn't, Why It Matters by Traleg Kyabgon
"The Buddha emphasized the idea of character as a crucial ingredient of
our karma. It is not just the action performed that is important but also
the character formation that goes with it. …in trying to develop certain
character traits, an individual does in fact, as a consequence of this
effort, become a different person . ..
One is what one is acting. However we act it out, however we project
ourselves—that is what we are. The performer of actions is not an agent
disassociated from his or her action. Agents are transformed by the actions
they perform. The actions engaged in, the karmic activities in other words,
produce effects on the agents themselves. There is mutual influence here,
and it is not the case that stable agents carry out different forms of
action while remaining unchanged themselves."
On Mon, Feb 8, 2021 at 5:03 PM joanlouis <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Thanks David. I very much appreciate your thoughtful and gentle words on
the topic of guru-student relations and the space you have created for
contemplating what is in our hearts and minds.
Joan
Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
-------- Original message --------
From: David Beers <dbeers@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: 2/7/21 4:27 PM (GMT-07:00)
To: pp_vajra_vidya@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [pp_vajra_vidya] Recording of 2/6 discussion on "karma" and
"transmission"
Hi all,
Here's the recording of the discussion part of our session Saturday
morning:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/tOTDEK4D1lCZnSQkZ8Nty3MLSQWhHXqVIjnPZ3fKApuhAXj_vrr0Mx_fEhmjMV1k.k5JUMhYS9NfkSUws
Passcode:
93^c44Au
We dug into some important material that we agreed will take longer for
us to process than the session allowed.
One was the topic of "merit", often likened with wisdom to the wings of a
bird for our progress on the path. The meaning we usually attribute to the
English term—a sense of "entitlement" or "justice"—has nothing to do with
the dharmic sense of the word. One way to deal with that problem is to drop
our normal connotation entirely and simply recall what the *practices*
connected with merit are and why they are recommended to us:
- patience
- generosity
- ethical discipline
- enthusiasm/diligence
- meditation
When we practice these and turn our minds toward the four immeasurables,
wishing all beings happiness and and end to suffering, joy and equanimity,
and we wear away the exaggerated importance we place on our illusory self,
that's all that is meant when we hear the term "accumulation of merit."
It's simply the skillful means of Buddhism and it's only deserving of the
term if by it we are cutting our self-concern and, ideally, dedicating our
effort to the welfare of all beings without exception. On the other "wing,"
it is by the development of our innate wisdom that we are really able to
cut decisively through our ignorance, clinging and aversion, and from the
standpoint of wisdom, merit is a dependent arising: empty of any real
essence. This is not a contradiction, it's just the paradox of how the
Buddhist path works.
The other topic that came up was the importance of the guru for
transmission of the dharma and how we are to square this teaching with the
string of sensational reports of students who have been abused by "crazy
wisdom" gurus and suffered terrible trauma. This is such an important topic
and I didn't feel that my reply during our time was remotely adequate. It's
true as I said that devotion to the guru (rightly understood) is
particularly emphasized in the Vajrayana teachings and plays a much less
central role in other vehicles. So one way to resolve the cognitive
dissonance is to simply ignore a part of the teachings and stick with what
we have confidence in. There is something to be said for this.
On the other hand, there are also a lot of mistaken concepts around gurus
that are probably worth dispelling together with some cultural attitudes
that are not skillful when uncritically adopted today. Some of these aren't
foreign attitudes but ones pervasive in our own society, coming up in many
areas of life, both religious and secular.
Finally, consider that many people have found that it was difficult to
see—still less transform—their kleshas without the help of a trusted, wise
and compassionate guide who could see those kleshas clearly and transmit to
the student how they can be transformed or cut. Since this particular kind
of relationship with a teacher is based on shared innate buddha nature, the
recognition of that nature can be greatly enhanced if the relationship is
met properly by both student and teacher. Or greatly impaired if not.
So given all that, perhaps we would do well to shine some sunlight on the
student-teacher relationship, so we can make a realistic assessment and
resolve whatever doubts can be resolved. If we can do this through the
three prajñas—listening, contemplating and meditating—it's sure to be
beneficial. If you think of some Buddhist teachings you've received that we
can bring to bear on this topic please bring them next time, and I will do
the same. I suggest we stick with Chapter 3 for another week and devote a
session to this.
All the best,
David
