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The
Six Paramitas #3
From
a series of seminar at Dhagpo Kagyu Ling, 2002
Jigme
Rinpoche
 karma
and the idea of self
What is our idea of “self”? There is the
physical body, and a given name.
“
Who am I?” you may ask.
The answer is, “My name is… and this is my
body.”
But actually, your name and body are both only your temporary
attributes. When you try to look at where the self is,
you will never find it in the physical body. We feel
that there is a self. It is what we call “consciousness”.
But can you then say that your consciousness is “you” in
your physical form? Can you say that your name stands
for your consciousness? You will answer “no” to
both these questions. Your name is the identification
connecting it to your body when you were born. But when
you try to reflect, of course, you will feel that,
“
I am my physical body. I have physical strength and capabilities,
and I can do many things.” But everybody knows
that the body is impermanent. The body is sure to die
one day. Then, does the consciousness die, too? If you
say that the consciousness is not physical, but that
it is like air, then could this “air” be
just anybody? When I teach, is it “air” that
is giving the teaching? When you die, does the “air” leave
the body? Of course, the answer is no. The Buddha discovered
that we have mind. As a result, we always feel, and we
can choose. But in order to choose, there must be some
kind of capacity or potential there. Otherwise, what
or who is choosing? We could continue to probe like this.
When we don’t know, and we don’t reflect,
then everything seems very simple. But when we delve
a little deeper, then everything becomes quite complex.
We
know we are not able to do everything. Many conditions
prevent
and limit our capabilities. For instance, our
negative emotions often get in our way, and we find ourselves
saying things that we don’t mean or acting contrary
to what we think is right. Karma enters into the equation
of what is possible for us to do. It can be thought of
as a measured capacity or limitation of an individual.
A person may have a strong digestive system. He can eat
as much as he wants. Others see him as very strong. Another
person may have a weak digestion; he is careful with
his diet. Overeating will make him fat and compromise
his health. Just as we live with different physical capacities,
we also live with different karma. It is karma that gives
us certain potentials in our nature that influence us.
Our actions in turn determine our future. Therefore it
is karma that connects us to our future the same way
our past actions have brought us to the here and now.
independent means we create our own karma
Our upbringing and education mold our view of life.
We may believe that humans have been created.
We may feel
that we are on a mission. We may feel that our fate
is pre-determined. But actually, if you really
look, you
will find that these are wrong concepts. The Buddha
said that when your really look, you will see
that we are
all independent individuals. We create our own karma.
For example, if you work on your garden, it will grow
well. If you don’t, your garden will not grow.
Likewise, if you clean your house, it will be nice and
clean. If you procrastinate instead, your house will
never be clean. So “independent” means that
if you do something, a result is possible. If you don’t
do anything, nothing will happen. If you do right, everything
will go right. If you do wrong, everything will go wrong.
This is cause, action, and result - generally refer to
as “karma”. Everything
depends on oneself. Try to observe your own actions
in one day. See what kinds of seeds are planted
through your thoughts and actions. You can guess at what
kind of results they might bring. You cannot judge exactly
of course, but you can make an educated guess. The teachings
tell us that we have certain notions or tendencies. One
example is our “constant wanting”.
“ I need this, I want this.”
It is “grasping”, and we generally accept
it as normal. In one way it is, yet the grasping comes
with many strings attached making it a source of many
more concepts, ideas, and conditions that disturb us.
Without this constant wanting, our mind will be balanced,
and problem free. I could claim that my mind is just
like that. The desire appears on its own. I have nothing
to do with it, yet at the same time, it is I who acts
under its influence. This we can all observe about ourselves.
If we look without the Dharma as our reference, we will
be at a loss as to what to make of our observations.
Our “not knowing” will remain as it is, and
will continue its hold on us. We are constantly bombarded
by our own ideas, perceptions, and definitions. But the
Dharma presents us with the truth. We should try to connect
with this truth. Step by step, our understanding, about
how we feel will become clearer.
recognize the need to change
Ignorance is a state of illusion. It refers to a state
of mind that follows without knowing. An “illusion” is
a very subtle state that is temporary yet it holds us.
As a result, we believe in whatever is happening to us
and we simply live the illusion. We follow along without
seeing clearly. We are entrapped by concepts and ideas
from our confused mind causing the emotions to arise
in us. We then feel disturbed, we suffer, and are further
confused. Acting under such conditions we create more
negativity. Inevitably more suffering awaits us. Thus
the chain that produces the suffering actually originates
in ignorance, or not seeing properly. All humans are
subject to it so the confusion of mind and suffering
are universal. Because we are creating the causes continuously,
the cycle of samsara is endless. To cut this endless
process, we really have to reflect carefully to see differently
so we can have a chance to change our course.
To make a fire, we gather dry wood for burning, and
as we all know, the more the wood, the bigger the fire.
In our context here, samsara is the fire, and the causes
we create is the dry wood. Veiled by ignorance, we keep
throwing in more dry wood. The fire gets ever bigger.
But we can stop the fire by not feeding it anymore. We
can put a stop to the confused way we have lived thus
far. We have to see this need to change, to avoid repeating
the same old ways, and to learn a better way. This is
not just an idea but a real possibility. It is up to
us to recognize the need to change.
Not only do we need to first recognize a problem, we
also must learn how to correct it. Then we put in the
necessary efforts in applying the remedies. These three
components must converge to solve a problem. Look at
the effort people are putting in to contain, reduce,
and cure AIDS. Countries with the know-how and the financial
means are implementing measures to contain the disease.
They are successful whereas countries lacking in these
means are failing.
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