Discourse on Nalanda Buddhism

Nalanda Diploma Course-5 

Session 3rd and 4th

(3) NDC5/11/10/2024

Freedom from fear is technically known as Nirvana and infinite happiness is Buddhahood. Buddha nature potential within us is obscured by two obscurations. Afflictive obscuration obscures fearlessness and cognitive obscuration obscures our potential for infinite happiness.

Afflictive obscuration is like a solid garlic and Cognitive obscuration is like a subtle stain. Afflictive obscuration is of three kinds: contaminated karma, afflictions, and the active seed of these two. These three are connected to ignorance. Cognitive obscuration is like a stain, a mental stain. Ignorance and offshoot of ignorance are afflictive obscurations. The counterforce of ignorance is wisdom.

Two teachers that Buddha met and studied were Acharya Alarakalama and Acharya Udraka. Meditative concentration (Samadhi) of the vacuity of the formless realm was the realization of the former and the realization of meditative concentration of the peak of the existence of the formless realm was the realization of the latter. Both said they had taught all that they knew.

But Buddha practiced and through his practice of austerity and the meditation he realized the wisdom of emptiness, wisdom of selflessness. He became Sugata of perfect bliss and with the request from Brahma and Indra, he went to share his teachings to protect the people with the three turning of the wheel of Dharma.

The place, the target audience, and the subject contents of the three wheels of Dharma are as follows:

1. Sarnath, Varanasi, the Vaibhashika and Suatantrika, the Four Noble Truths

2. Rajgirh, the Madhyamaka, Emptiness of self-characteristics

3. Vaishali, the Chitramatra, Differentiation of the teachings

In the first turning of the wheel of Dharma, Buddha said the Four Noble Truths exist truly. In the second wheel of Dharma, he said nothing exists truly and in the third turning of the wheel of Dharma he clarified the contradiction in the above two teachings.

During the 3rd turning of the wheel of Dharma, there were 10 Boddhisatvas who asked 10 different questions. Boddhisattva Pramod Samugatta, though aware, for the sake of others asked Buddha why the contradiction in the 1st and 2nd teachings.

(4) NDC5/13/10/2024

The subject matter of the 3rd Turning of the wheel of Dharma is the "thorough distinguishing of the teachings". In Tibetan, it is legs par rnam par 'byed pa'i mdo.

All phenomena that come to our mind are of two categories: Existence and Non-existence.

Existing phenomena can be permanent or impermanent. Permanent phenomena can be of two: Ultimate reality, emptiness, and Permanent phenomena other than ultimate reality.

Phenomena are of three natures:

1. Imputed nature; 2. Other powered nature (dependent nature); and 3. Thoroughly established nature

1. Non-existence phenomena are all of (1) imputed nature.

2. All impermanent phenomena are (2) other powered nature or dependent nature.

3. Ultimate reality or emptiness is (3) thoroughly established nature

4. Phenomena other than ultimate nature are (1) of imputed nature

Impermanent phenomena and other powered nature are synonymous. They exist by the power of other causes and conditions. Thoroughly established nature and ultimate nature, emptiness, are synonymous.

Imputed nature: This is important. Why we continue to be in samsara is because of our not understanding this Imputed Nature completely. Prasangika madhyamaka says all suffering will stop if we understand this Imputed Nature completely. Imputed phenomena are synonymous and the same as non-existent phenomena and phenomena other than ultimate reality.

Imputed nature is mostly of labeling and naming, i.e. room, class, level, etc. Vaibhashika does not discuss much on imputation. A formal understanding of imputation is started by Suatantrika school. Chitramatra would go deeper. Suatantrika madhyamaka goes further deep. Finally, at Prasangika madhyamaka, it comes to the highest level of understanding of the imputation phenomena. If you get this level of understanding all your tears and suffering will stop. We come to see that all around us is all imputation. It is like waking up from a dream. Just as you wake up from a fearful dream, your fears stop. Your fear of samsara stops when you realize that the world around you is all imputations.

Of the three natures of phenomena, other powered nature and thoroughly established nature exist truly, and imputed nature does not exist truly. This is how Buddha explained in the third turning of the wheel of Dharma. Buddha said in the 1st turning of the wheel of Dharma, 4 Nobel Truth, he meant other powered nature and thoroughly established nature existing truly. In the 2nd turning of the wheel of Dharma, imputed nature does not exist truly. This was explained in the 3rd turning of the wheel of Dharma and it became the Chitramatra's philosophy.

Note: This is a student’s personal note of the teachings given by Ven. Geshe Dorji Damdul of the Tibet House, New Delhi. Errors and omissions are bound to occur. Serious students are requested to refer to Geshe la’s teachings or join the Tibet House class and receive teaching directly from Ven. Geshe-la. 

Discourse on Nalanda Buddhism

Nalanda Diploma Course (NDC5)

Session one and two

(1) NDC5/4/10/2024

We all have the capacity for 100 % happiness. Negative emotions such as attachment, aversion, anger, greed, etc., are the causes of suffering. Complete control over these emotions is possible. We need to know what happiness and suffering are and how to get happiness and shun suffering.

Charles Darwin sees these emotions in a positive way to survive and protect oneself. He talked about survival of the fittest and rejected the idea of 100 % happiness or removal of negative emotions.  

In Buddhism, 100 % happiness and bringing suffering to zero is possible. For this complete control and elimination of these negative emotions is necessary and is possible. For survival, skillful compassion is needed. Live and let live. You survive and let others survive not just compassion but skillful compassion to expand our joy. Skillful compassion helps you get rid of fear. Zero suffering is known as fearlessness, Nirvana, and infinite happiness as Buddhahood.

Some say, you are compassionate to others and help others, but who will be compassionate to you and help you? This is not skillful compassion. Skillful compassion should have compassion and joy going together.

Liberation from fear and achievement of infinite happiness is possible. Zero misery and infinite happiness are two different things. Fearlessness and infinite happiness are two different things. Zero suffering is known as fearlessness, Nirvana, and infinite happiness as Buddhahood.

(2) NDC5/6/10/2024

This Nalanda Diploma Course (NDC) should help us to transcend our thinking from how ordinary people usually think and react. Meditation is to bring change in mind to remove the dirt and mental defilement in our mind to see the perfection within us. Mental defilement is due to ignorance and subtle stains.

Counterforce to ignorance is wisdom to eliminate the darkness of ignorance. The light of this wisdom should be very bright and steady. Bright light of wisdom is achieved through analytical meditation, vipassana (Tib: spyad sgom). Steady light of wisdom is achieved through single-pointed meditation, shamatha (Tib: 'jog sgom). We need to remember 4 things in meditation: 1) Body posture; 2) Focal point; 3) Identifying errors; and 4) Remedy for the error. Body posture is 7-limb Vairocana posture.

Buddha's biography: Acharya Digna in the 6th century wrote a two-line salutation to Buddha. In the 7th century, Acharya Dharmakriti read those two lines and found them full of meaning and composed 283 verses to explain those two lines.

Acharya Digna wrote on a slate and left it. But it was erased by someone. This happened for some time. A. Digna asked the person to come forward and debate. A person came and sent fire from his mouth burning Digna's clothes. Digna was so demoralized that despite his practice he could not help this person. He threw the slate into the sky. But it never came down. As he looked up he saw Manjushri holding the slate and advised him to continue his good work for this will benefit many in the years to come. The two-line salutation was:

The one who has transformed into the reliable guide, motivated by altruism to benefit sentient beings, the Teacher, Sugata, and Protector, to you, I make prostration.

Wisdom is a discerning mind whose understanding tallys with the reality, wisdom of ultimate reality, emptiness. Self-grasping ignorance diminishes with the practice of the wisdom of emptiness.

Sugata is the one who has gone to the bliss of perfection, no fear, no misery, and he went out to protect the people, therefore, the protector.

The Four Seals: All composite things are impermanent. All contaminated things are suffering. All phenomena are empty of self, transcending suffering is Nirvana.

Buddha nature within us is obscured by two demons: Self grasping ignorance and Self-centered attitude. To eradicate these two demons, we need to be compassionate to other. So, this compassion to other is important and necessary for oneself. We are dependent on others to eradicate the 2 demons within us. We should love our enemy for giving us opportunities to practice our compassion.

Note: This is a student’s personal note of the teachings given by Ven. Geshe Dorji Damdul of the Tibet House, New Delhi. Errors and omissions are bound to occur. Serious students are requested to refer to Geshe la’s teachings or join the Tibet House class and receive teaching directly from Geshe-la.