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The
Path of Wisdom #4
by Lama Jigme Rinpoche
Lectures
given at Dhagpo Kagyu Ling in October 1997
 Some
Important Tibetan Terms to Understand :
There are some Tibetan terms that are very useful for
us to understand. Even though we may not fully understand
them now but it is good to keep them in mind and to make
a connection. For example, enlightenment is often described
as the realization of mind. To achieve this goal, the
main meditation that we do is called Mahamudra or Cha
Gya Chen Po in Tibetan. The term, Mahamudra, is difficult
to translate into English because there is no such term
for it. The word, Mahamudra, is still a term. The understanding
of what it really means will come to us through our own
action and efforts. The understanding will come through
experience. Experience does not mean only the practitioner's
experience, but also the experience of the masters who
have realized the results of the meditation. These masters
are the holders of the teachings and methods and they
are quite capable to transmit them to others.
"Dun
ngaak"
Then there is dun ngaak, which means, literally, clarity.
In the context of the relationship between the teacher
and the disciple, dun ngaak points to a clear connection,
a feeling in the disciple based upon genuine trust, free
of doubts and negativities with respect to the dharma
practice. The disciple relies on the teacher to give him
the explanation of the meaning of the teachings or practice.
There are many examples of dun ngaak in the historical
biographies of Marpa, Milarepa, and the Karmapas, who
are all masters within the Kagyu tradition. Conventional
biographies of famous figures like Napoleon give us some
ideas of past events with information such as the time,
the place and the descriptions of past events. But contained
within the life history of the great masters like Saraha,
Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, or the first Karmapa,
is a treasury of Dharma transmissions based on Dun ngaak.
Dun ngaak here means that in order for a certain result
to take place, certain conditions and requirements must
be present. For example, to cure an illness, the appropriate
medicine must be taken. Dun ngaak is similar to this.
When we lack understanding, when we need an explanation,
an instruction, or when we need to know what to do, dun
ngaak gives us the answer. It is important for a practitioner
to know this so that when he reads the biography of Milarepa,
for instance, he will recognize and will pick up the meanings
relevant to the practice. Otherwise, reading the biographies
as history would not help us at all. The clear transmission
from teacher to disciple, or Dun ngaak, may be better
illustrated by the following example of a story from the
Life of Naropa:
" Naropa was a great pandita of Buddhism at the Nalanda
University in India. A Pandita is a scholar of the highest
rank. But still Naropa was looking for more teachings.
This shows us that indeed there is no highest but that
learning is limitless. Naropa knew he needed a great instructor.
He had heard of Tilopa and felt that he must look for
him. This was Naropa's own understanding, and of course,
it is not applicable to everyone. But for Naropa, Tilopa
was not so easy to find. Tilopa would hide himself quite
well when he did not wish to be found. This was done for
a very good reason. Tilopa wanted to make Naropa really
examine himself to reach the right understanding. Now
the word, "hide" may not be the precise description
of what Tilopa did. To disguise himself, Tilopa emanated
in the form of a wounded dog. Many worms crawled in its
wound while lying on the side of the road. When Naropa
saw the dog, he did not pay it any attention. He was so
preoccupied with finding Tilopa that he had no time to
tend to the dog. Now Naropa knew the concept of compassion,
he knew the suffering, yet, he left the dog unattended.
He hurried along in his own self-interest. Subsequently,
Tilopa appeared to Naropa and said, "If you are not
completely committed due to the suffering of beings, if
you are not fully committed to compassion, then you will
not find the Lama." Not finding the lama means that
you are not connected to realization. From this incident,
Naropa understood that he had not yet truly engaged in
Bodhicitta (compassion). Without a genuine motivation
in Bodhicitta, he would not gain any realization. So we
say that he understood this point through "Dun ngaak".
"
It is very important to know Dun ngaak if you are a full-time
practitioner, a research dharma student, or if you are
engaged in the preliminary practices. Only then can you
recognize it when the time comes. Dun ngaak also plays
an important part in the transmission of the Mahamudra
teachings and other similar teachings. This type of transmission
is not exclusive to one tradition, or one system, or one
lineage. Rather, its purpose is to clarify whatever it
is that we do not understand. Like Naropa, we have to
be prepared or qualified to receive the transmission.
Otherwise, even if Buddha were here, we would still not
achieve the realization. Naropa immediately realized the
lesson through dun ngaak, not just once, but at twelve
different occasions. The details are very precise and
they are all recounted in his biography. This kind of
biography is very important. The dun ngaak teachings contained
therein are vast and unlimited. The means of approach
are also unlimited to understand the varying degrees of
depth. The dun ngaak transmissions are also considered
a part of the oral instructions. The oral instructions
are all about how to give meaning, point by point.
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