Nalanda Tibetan Buddhism

Nalanda Diploma Course 5

Session 7th and 8th Tibet House New Delhi

 (7)  NDC5/25/10/2024

Our Motivation for the practice or for any activity should be to achieve Buddhahood to benefit all sentient beings. Prayers, recitations, and meditation are important to strengthen this motivation.  

There are two causes of suffering, i.e. gross and subtle in the forms of two obscurations blocking us from realizing our Buddha nature. These two obscurations are: self-grasping ignorance and self-centered attitude, also known as afflictive obscuration and cognitive obscuration. Afflictive obscuration and self-grasping ignorance are gross obscurations. Cognitive obscuration and self centered attitude are subtle obscurations.

Afflictive obscurations are contaminated karma, afflictions, and the active seeds of the two. Acharya Nagarjuna said: "Ceasing of karmas and afflictions leads to nirvana. Karmas and afflictions arise from conceptual thought. These arise from (mental) elaboration (grasping at true existence). Elaboration ceases by (or into) emptiness." [The Blaze of Non-dual Bodhicittas p-5]

ལས་དང་ཉོན་མོངས་ཟད་པས་ཐར། ལས་དང་ཉོན་མོངས་རྣམ་རྟོག་ལས། དེ་དག་སྤྲོས་ལས་སྤྲོས་པ་ནི། སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱིས་འགག་པར་འགྱུར།

Contaminated karmas arise from gross afflictions. Gross afflictions arise from inappropriate actions and inappropriate actions arise from self-grasping ignorance, the root of our misery. The root of our misery is ignorance. There are many kinds of ignorance, Buddha identified four:

1. Seeing impermanent as permanent

2. Seeing misery as happiness

3. Seeing impure as pure

4. Seeing selfness as selfhood

To counteract these four ignorance, Buddha taught the Four Seals. It is the four kinds of wisdom to eliminate the darkness of ignorance. Impermanent phenomena can be gross and subtle. Gross impermanent phenomena are those where its continuum ends or terminates i.e. year, youth, life, death, etc. Subtle impermanence coexists with gross impermanence. All phenomena should have momentary quality of time, movement, and change.

Meditation on gross impermanence and subtle impermanence is important. Current Bodhi tree is Bodhgaya is the 3rd generation. The 1st was destroyed, and the 2nd grew up in Sri Lanka. The seed terminated as a seed and became tree gradually as gross impermanence. Every year and every second it was changing, this is subtle impermanence at its neno second level that we don’t see.

If you are thrown out from a moving train, your fear will be more with the increased level of the speed of the train. Who is responsible for the speed of the train, it is the train driver. Our mind is like the train driver and this mind is under the control of self-grasping ignorance and self-centered attitude. All contaminated things are of suffering nature in the second line of the Four Seals means afflictions. Contaminated here means something either afflictions themselves or infested by afflictions. Afflictions are mental factors presence of which disturbs our minds.

 Causal state and resultant state, the former is contaminated karma and afflictions and the latter is misery and suffering. Sufferings are categorized under three kinds:

1. Suffering of suffering

2. Suffering of change

3. Pervasive and conditional suffering  

Suffering of suffering is what everybody dislikes and suffers like, headache, sickness, divorce, death, etc. Suffering of changes are all mundane happiness and satisfaction, joy of having cheese cake, fun, drinks, etc.

 (8) NDC5-8/27/10/2024

The second line of the Buddha's Four Seals has this "All contaminated things are of suffering nature". Contaminated things mean something affected or influenced by afflictions, or negative emotions. Therefore, if we want to shun suffering, we need to eliminate the negative emotions. Charles Darwin said these negative emotions are necessary for survival and cannot be eliminated. Darwin saw anger as a means to protect oneself and necessary. Buddha saw anger as a major source of suffering to be eliminated and controlled.

 If you want to achieve 100 % happiness and 0 % suffering, you need to practice the Four Seals. The first line "All composite phenomena are impermanent", says all composite, not non-composite, phenomena are impermanent. Impermanence can be gross impermanence and subtle impermanence. Gross impermanence is something we can see. All that gathers separates; all that is accumulated is exhausted; and all this is born dies. Subtle impermanence is the changes happening at a subtle level and very fast in the gross impermanence and our eye can see it.

When we say all contaminated things are of a suffering nature, we need to know what is meant by contamination. Contamination here refers to afflictions. Affliction is a mental factor presence of which disturbs our minds. Three major afflictions, also known as three poisons, are attachment, aversion, and ignorance. There are other categorizations like 6 root afflictions, 27 afflictions, etc. Anything influenced by afflictions is contaminated and anything contaminated is of a suffering nature. Therefore, all contaminated things are of a suffering nature.

Ignorance is the root and self-grasping ignorance is the worst ignorance. We need to study what this self-grasping ignorance is. We should not guess it at our level. It has a very technical meaning. We need to study Archarya Nagarjuna's verse:

ལས་དང་ཉོན་མོངས་ཟད་པས་ཐར། ལས་དང་ཉོན་མོངས་རྣམ་རྟོག་ལས། དེ་དག་སྤྲོས་ལས་སྤྲོས་པ་ནི། སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱིས་འགག་པར་འགྱུར།

The ceasing of karmas and afflictions leads to nirvana

Karmas and afflictions arise from conceptual thought

These arise from (mental) elaborations (grasping at the existence)

Elaboration ceases by (or into) emptiness

Nagarjuna's four verses and Buddha's four seals talk of contaminated karma and affliction, inappropriate attention (elaboration), and self-grasping ignorance. These four constitute the cause of our misery and suffering. Contaminated karmas are produced by afflictions and afflictions are produced by inappropriate attention. Inappropriate attention or elaborations are produced by self-grasping ignorance. Contamination mentioned in the Four Seals refers to contaminated karma, afflictions, inappropriate attention, and self-grasping ignorance. As inappropriate attention and self-grasping ignorance are parts of ignorance under afflictions, broadly speaking contamination refers to contaminated karma and afflictions. Ignorance mentioned in the afflictions is gross ignorance and ignorance mentioned in inappropriate attention and self-grasping ignorance is subtle ignorance.

Sufferings are of three kinds: 1) Suffering of suffering; 2) Suffering of change; and 3) Pervasive and conditioned suffering. The first is evident suffering identifiable by anyone like hunger, sickness, death, etc. The second is all mundane happiness or joy, fulfillment, ease, and satisfaction. How mundane happiness is suffering and why the word "change" is added, this we should know.

 Mundane happiness is like bait, something which attracts and traps us. (Self: SoC is not finding continued joy and happiness in what you saw as joy and happiness before). Bait should be attractive and beautiful, but the end result of taking the bait is not good. Bait has the quality of being pleasing and the ability to hook us. Mundane happiness is bait to trap us in suffering.

 Tears represent the suffering of change. Here is an anecdote of two prisoners A and B to be executed after one year. A was treated so well as the prisoner and was very happy in the prison and was executed at the end. B was not treated well and suffered in prison and he escaped from the prison. A ultimately realized that all good treatment was bait to have him stay in prison for final execution. All mundane suffering has the connotation of bait to trap us in samsara.

The third, Pervasive and conditioned suffering is due to the following factors:

1. Our being under the control of contaminated karma and afflictions

2. Involuntary birth in samsara

3. Contaminated neutral feeling

4. Self-grasping ignorance

When you are under the control of someone and there is a lack of freedom. This lack of freedom results in suffering and misery. Involuntary birth is our birth without our consent. Contaminated neutral feeling, we shall do this later.

To understand the pervasive conditioned suffering, we need to know how it is pervasive, how it is conditioned, and how it is suffering.

Here is an anecdote of a CEO, a boss, and a staff. CEO is outwardly kind and inwardly harsh and influences the boss to treat the staff harshly. The boss is under pressure from the CEO to treat the staff harshly. The staff thinks that the CEO is good and the boss is bad. To his shock, the staff later came to know that the mastermind behind his suffering was the CEO.

 The Mumbai terrorist attack and the execution of a young boy Kasab some years ago is one example. The young boy was a mere tool but people rejoiced when he was executed. But the mastermind is still living and producing more Kasab. Elimination of the mastermind is important to get rid of the problems.

Suffering of suffering is the immediate pain and suffering that we encounter. The suffering of change has trapped us in a place where we are bound to face the suffering of suffering. What trapped us in Suffering of change is the pervasive conditioned suffering, so the mastermind of our suffering is the pervasive conditioned suffering. Involuntary birth is no. 1; being under the control of contaminated karma and affliction is no.2; and contaminated neutral feeling is no.3. They are the masterminds influencing us to get into the trap of suffering of change.

So, the pervasive conditioned suffering is the mastermind that throws suffering of change as bait and we encounter suffering of suffering. Acharya Dharmakirti in his Parmanavartika text chapter two has beautifully explained how all these works. When Buddha taught suffering of suffering, he was referring to pervasive conditioned suffering.

Why they are pervasive, we need to know that there are three realms in samsara. They are: 1) the Desire realm; 2) Form realm: and 3) Formless realm. In Sanskrit, they are Kamalok, Rupalok, and Arupalok. In Tibetan, they are: 'dod khams, gzugs khams, and gzugs med khams.

Desire realm is a place where beings take birth driven by a desire for sensual objects and sensual joy through the five sensual organs of eyes, ears, nose, taste, and touch. Seeing the limit and demerit of the desire realm, some beings get into meditative contemplation and practices and are detached from sensual pleasure. They are in the form realm. Those who go deeper and have achieved a profound level of meditative stability, are in the formless realm.

The suffering of suffering and suffering of change are not pervasive. Pervasive means which pervades across the three realms. The suffering of suffering is in the desire realm only. The suffering of change exists only in the desire realm and the first three of the four stages of concentration form realm. It is not in the 4th concentration stage and the formless realm.

Involuntary birth happens in all three realms. Contaminated neutral felling and self-grasping ignorance exist is all three realms. The word "conditioned" here has the connotation of being a mastermind.

"All contaminated things are of suffering nature". The first suffering, suffering of suffering, is the resultant state of the non-virtuous mind containing contaminated karma and non-virtue. The suffering of change is the result of the contaminated virtues. Pervasive conditioned suffering has the connotation of a causal state because it is the mastermind.

The suffering of suffering is an unpleasant feeling and suffering of change is the pleasant feeling at first, and the pervasive conditioned suffering is neutral. The first is due to a non-virtuous mind. The second pleasant feeling is samsara, contaminated pleasant feeling is due to non-virtuous mind. The third, pervasive conditioned suffering is predominantly a causal state of how we are driven by contaminated karma and afflictions.

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.

Nalanda Buddhism Class

A Discourse on Nalanda Buddhism

Session 5th and 6th

 

(5) Nalanda Diploma Course NDC5-5/18/10/2024

Buddha's biographies are many. A full good biography is "The Play in Full" (Tib: rGya cher rol pa. Sans: Lalitavistara). A television series with 54 episodes on Buddha's life is also recommended.

You should be happy. For this it is important that your mind should be calm and at peace. Without peace within, you cannot share peace with other. Meditation and understanding the cause of sufferings help you calm your mind and become less negative.

It is said that Buddha taught 84,000 teachings and some say 80,000 teachings. Both are correct. Buddha attained his enlightenment at the age 35 and started teaching. Later, the Sangha suggested Buddha have one chief attendant to help him in his teachings and they proposed Ananda. The latter agreed on the condition that Buddha would give teaching only in his presence. Buddha agreed. Buddha has already given 4000 teachings before the appointment of Ananda. After the appointment of Ananda as the Chief attendant, Buddha gave 8000 teachings.

What are the subject matters of these teachings? These are properly categorized into three baskets of three higher trainings, known as Tripitaka in Sanskrit, and Tripitak in Pali. In Tibetan it is sDe snod gsum. What are these baskets and three higher trainings?

Compassion and wisdom are the two tools to achieve the two goals of fearlessness and infinite happiness. Sufferings are due to ignorance. This can be eliminated through the attainment of wisdom. Buddha's teachings are wisdom to eradicate the darkness of ignorance. This wisdom should be very bright and very steady. Our mind is pulled by distraction and pushed and suppressed by laxity. Untamed or the monkey needs to be tamed.

Our actions are physical, verbal, and mental. All these three are governed by our minds. Training of your mind which governs your physical, verbal, and mental actions is discipline, Shila. Training the gross mind is the first step to discipline your mind. Training of the mind in the practice of mindfulness and introspection of the mind which governs our physical, verbal, and mental actions is training in Shila, moral discipline. Metaphor is editing an article, first grosser mistakes and later subtle mistakes. Training of your mind which governs your mental actions is Samadhi. With this, your mind becomes very stable and steady.

Now, we need to concentrate on the brightness of the mind, wisdom or Prajna. We have 3 things: training in Shila, Samadhi, and Prajna. Shila is the moral discipline, Samadhi is the meditative concentration, and Prajna is understanding the wisdom of emptiness. These are known as the Tripitaka, the 3 higher trainings.

Buddha's teachings which focus on moral discipline, Shila, are categorized under Vinaya teaching. The teachings that focus on meditative concentration come under Sutra (Pali-Sutta), and the teachings that focus on wisdom come under Abhidharma. They are known as higher training because they are not meant for mundane purposes but for enlightenment, Nirvana, and Buddhahood.

(6) Nalanda Diploma Course NDC5-6/20/10/2024

The Four Seals of Buddha

H.H. the Dalai Lama categorizes Buddha's teaching into two: Pali-based Theravada and Sanskrit-based Mahayana and Vajrayana. The Four Seals of Buddha and the Four Noble Truths are the foundation of Buddha's teachings, but they are not the same or identical. Usually, people categorize Buddhism as Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. The Four Seals or the Four-line practice is something you cannot avoid as a Buddhist to reach Nirvana or Buddhahood.

Anyone who wants to get away from suffering and achieve happiness should practice these four lines. Wise people first learn without accepting it and without rejecting it. Only after understanding it, he will decide whether to accept it or reject it. We need to learn and practice the 4 seals and see if it is true or not, not believe in it just because Buddha said it. The Four Seals are:

1)       All composite things are impermanent                   འདུ་བྱེད་ཐམས་ཅད་མི་རྟག་པ།    

2)       All contaminated things are of suffering nature       ཟག་བཅས་ཐམས་ཅད་སྡུག་བསྔལ་བ།  

3)       Everything is nature of emptiness and selflessness ཆོས་རྣམས་སྟོང་ཞིང་བདག་མེད་པ།    

4)       Transcending sorrow is absolute peace                   མྱ་ངན་ལས་འདས་པ་ནི་ཞི་བའོ།    

 Buddha said another important verse:

1)       Commit no evils                                                      སྡིག་པ་སྤྱི་ཡང་མི་བྱ་ཞིང་།    

2)       Accumulate virtues as much as possible                  དགེ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པར་སྤྱད།    

3)       Tame your mind                                                      རང་གི་སེམས་ནི་ཡོངས་སུ་འདུལ།    

4)       This is the teaching of Buddha                                འདི་ནི་སངས་རྒྱས་བསྟན་པ་ཡིན།    

Don't commit evil or bad deeds if you don't want to suffer. Evil actions are the cause of your suffering. Happiness is the result of a virtuous deed, if you want happiness you need to do a virtuous deed.

Some say, I became vegetarian and my health suffered. The doctor advised me to continue with non-veg diets. But this is a short-term solution and not a good one. By harming other beings you cannot be happy and free of the consequences. Just as you will not eat a poisonous food, you should not eat non-veg. It is poisonous to your happiness and will bring suffering in the long run. You should go for supplements and food rich in minerals replacing non-veg food.

The first line "commit no evils" is renunciation of suffering, desire, and strong resolve to renounce suffering. The second line says, that if you want happiness, you need to accumulate a lot of causes for happiness to happen, i.e. accumulating virtue.

Virtue can be accumulated through the practice of six perfections (Tib: sbyin tshhul, zod, brtson, bsam, shes). If you want wealth, practice generosity; if you want a favorable state, practice morality; if you want to have a good appearance and attractive body, practice patience; if you want radiance and elegance, practice joyous effort; if you want total peace of mind, practice Samadhi; and if you want your mind to be free from samsara, practice wisdom.

If you want happiness, knowing that virtuous deeds are the causes of happiness, you should do virtuous deeds. This will result in happiness. The greatest of the virtues is the Bodhicitta mind, a mind striving for the benefit of all sentient beings. So, the second line recommends the teaching and practice of the Bodhicitta mind.

The third line, "Tame your mind" says that our mind has old tendencies and habitual imprints, they are very strong. We are not able to get our minds in the habit of practicing Renunciation and Bodhicitta so easily. Numerous habitual bad tendencies are there and these bad tendencies prevent us from practicing Renunciation and Bodhicitta properly. So, is there a master key to overcome and eliminate these bad tendencies? All these bad tendencies are due to ignorance.

This ignorance is Self-grasping ignorance (SGI). A master key to destroy this SGI is the wisdom of emptiness. Self-grasping ignorance is the foundation of our emotional and mental tendencies. We need to study the iceberg metaphor. So, the third line says that the practice of wisdom of emptiness is the key to eliminating ignorance.

These three lines teach us the practice of Renunciation, Bodhicitta, and Wisdom of Emptiness, the three principal aspects of the path (Tib: lam gtso rnam gsum).

We need to remove the iceberg like SGI which is the foundation of our misery. This iceberg is covered with so much ignorance, but Buddha identified four:

1)      Ignorance misconceiving impermanent phenomena as permanent

2)      Ignorance misconceiving misery as happiness    

3)      Ignorance misconceiving impurity as pure    

4)      Ignorance misconceiving selflessness as selfhood

Through the proper understanding of these four lines, we can get to know the self-grasping ignorance as the major cause of our suffering. We need to get rid of it. To counteract these four ignorance, Buddha taught the Four Seals. (Emptiness in the third line is a little different from the ultimate reality [sic]). Composite things and impermanence we need to know properly. Composite has a connotation that anything composed or made of directional parts and temporal parts (mental). Directional means a matter or an object having a defined direction and shape. Temporal means something mental that could be measured in terms of time only. 24-hour mind has 24 segments of mind.

All impermanent phenomena should necessarily have temporal parts but not necessarily directional parts. The mind does not have directional parts. It is not made of matters. Those made of matters have both directional and temporal parts. A person is made of matter and mind, so it is also a composite phenomenon and composite phenomena are to be seen as an impermanent nature.

Physicists say that the whole universe is governed by atoms, electrons, protons, neutrons, etc. with constant change. Our mind also moves and changes constantly. Impermanence is of two kinds: Gross impermanence and subtle impermanence. Gross impermanence is a phenomenon whose continuum terminates or comes to an end, the year, death, school days, youth, etc. Subtle impermanence is one that cannot be seen or obvious, like the hour hand of the wall clock.

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.

 

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

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

In Buddhism, 100 % happiness is possible by bringing sufferings to zero level. For this complete control and elimination of the negative emotions is necessary and this 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.