Buddhism is a science of mind
His Eminence Sogyal Rinpoche, the author of the famous book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, is one of the most influential Buddhist teachers in the West. Rinpoche gave two inspiring sessions of teachings to Bhutanese devotees at the RIM complex, Thimphu, and also talked to BT about his life and his teachings, during his visit to Bhutan last week.
Q. Can you tell us something about your background, lineage and teachings?
A. I was born in Kham in Eastern Tibet. I was recognized as an incarnation of Lerab Lingpa Tertön Sogyal, a teacher to the 13th Dalai Lama, by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, one of the most outstanding masters of the 20th century. He raised me like a son, and supervised my early education. After he passed away in Sikkim in 1959, I continued to study with Kyabjé Dudjom Rinpoche, Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and with other masters of all schools.
In fact, I was fortunate to receive teachings from teachers of all lineages, and especially Mahamudra and Dzogchen. Lerab Lingpa was a mystic, a revealer of the hidden treasures of Guru Padmasambhava, who brought the teachings of Buddhism to Tibet and the Himalayan regions, and is regarded as the second Buddha, or the Buddha for this age. For me personally, Guru Rinpoche has been the heart and inspiration of my whole life. He is the embodiment of all my masters, and his blessing and his power have never failed me.
Q. You studied at Cambridge in 1971. How did that experience shape your own spiritual journey?
A. It was a time when I came in contact with western disciplines – the arts and sciences – but also encountered practitioners of other spiritual traditions. Meeting thinkers, philosophers and researchers broadened my outlook, and gave me a lasting appreciation of western culture and achievements. At the same time, it put the Buddhadharma into perspective for me. I began to perceive the wider implications of the Buddhist view and practice, and what it could offer the western world. But then what I discovered was that I needed to return to the teachings and look at them in the light of a new reality, if I was to find ways of translating them for modern people, drawing out their universal message while losing none of their authenticity, purity and power.
In some curious way, my encounter with the west impelled me to search for the deeper meaning of the teachings that often lies hidden behind the form. What was intriguing as well was that although I had attended a Catholic school in India to study English when I was young, and I also studied Christian theology at Cambridge, it was when I began to deepen my own Buddhist practice that I found a deeper understanding, and genuine respect, for the teachings of Christ, and other religions too.
Q. Can we live happily without religion?
A. That’s an interesting question. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, “Whether a person is a religious believer does not matter that much. Far more important is that they be a good human being.”
I think what counts are the vital human values such as, tolerance, love, compassion, forgiveness, responsibility, contentment and so on. These are values that bring happiness to ourselves and others.
It depends too what you mean by happiness. There are two kinds of happiness: one based more on physical comfort, and the other founded on a deeper, mental contentment. With this deeper inner peace, when we go through physical suffering, our minds can still be happy.
What is contentment? Simply put, contentment is to be satisfied and grateful for whatever you have. Without it, however rich or powerful you may be, you will never be satisfied. You will always feel poor. Without contentment, there is no end to desire. It becomes insatiable, so much so that there will never come a time when you can say: “I have enough.” But if you have contentment and inner peace as your basis, your mind will be relaxed and at ease. If the mind is relaxed and at ease, no matter what difficulties or crises you encounter, you won’t be disturbed. Your basic sense of well-being won’t be undermined. As a result, you’ll be able to carry on your everyday life, your work and your responsibilities more efficiently, and your mind will have the wisdom to discern between what to do and what to avoid. As a result, your life will become happier. And when difficulties arise, you will even be able to turn them to your advantage.
Let’s face it: in our lives, we will always face hardships, illness and tragedy. It is then that we’ll find the benefit of having the inner refuge of a religion or a spiritual path.
As you know, Buddhism is not simply a religion, but an entire way of life; it’s been called ‘a science of mind’. Albert Einstein regarded Buddhism as particularly suited to this time. He said: “The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion, a religion which is based on experience and which refuses to be dogmatic. If there’s any religion that would cope with scientific needs, it would be Buddhism.”
The West has developed material and scientific technology, but material progress on its own cannot bring lasting or ultimate happiness. The more progress we make the more frustrated, restless, aggressive and speedy we seem to become. Our emphasis on science and technology and the benefits they bring has caused us to concentrate on the external and the material, at the expense of mind and consciousness. It has produced a fundamental flaw in our entire attitude and way of life, and a basic neglect of our inner dimension. It seems that our problems, both external and internal cannot be solved until we address this underlying neglect.
Now, at the start of the 21st century, there is a widespread thirst in the western world for all things spiritual. Because what everyone is searching for is lasting peace and happiness. This is where the Dharma, the teachings of Buddha, can make a contribution. With their wealth of methods, the Buddhist teachings tell us it is possible to train the mind in compassion and wisdom. This has been highlighted recently by the fascinating scientific studies of a range of Tibetan Buddhist meditation methods and their effect on brain structure and function, for example those carried out at the University of Madison in Wisconsin.
What is extraordinary is that individuals can actually experience the truth of the Buddhist teachings. It is not something which is just based on belief or faith; instead, it is something you can taste and realize for yourself tangibly, here and now. These teachings are the direct words, the know-how, of the Buddha, the living knowledge, born of real experience, which is the key to unfolding true understanding. And this knowledge has been passed down in an unbroken lineage, until today.
Q. What then does Buddhism have to offer?
A. The teachings embody an extraordinary understanding of the mind, and a complete methodology for working with and mastering our mind and its emotions. They hold the key to taming and transforming the mind, so that we can act in order to be truly of service to others. They offer a skilful means, a path, to remove ignorance, and realize the truth of our nature. In brief, they open our eyes to the understanding of who we are. And in the spirit of Buddhism, all this is offered with no notion of evangelizing or conversion or of an exclusive monopoly on the truth.
Whatever our faith, the Buddhist teachings can enrich and deepen our understanding. Since coming to the West, in fact, they have contributed to the awakening of a spiritual renaissance. Just look at the impact that Buddhism has already had on the mainstream of western life, in the world of psychology and therapy, the life sciences, mind/body medicine and healing, the arts and education, interfaith dialogue and ecumenical exchange, movements for peace and non-violence, the world of business, management and leadership, ecology and green issues, the field of serving the dying and hospice care, an area very close to my own heart.
At the same time as Buddhism is having an increasing influence in the world, the modern scientific environment is revitalizing Buddhism, allowing it to become both more true to itself, and relevant to people’s lives. Because the meeting of Buddhism with modern thinking and reality has presented a challenge, one that has brought many of the profound insights of Buddha’s teaching into the light of day.
Q. Is it possible to live in the world without renouncing it and yet still be free?
A. Renunciation does not mean running away from the world. In the modern world we have to work and earn our living, but we should not get entangled in a nine to five existence where we live without any view of the deeper meaning of life. Our task is to strike a balance, a middle way, to learn not to overstretch ourselves with extraneous activities, but to simplify our lives more and more. So the key to finding a happy balance in modern lives is simplicity.
True renunciation is the courage to have and the courage to let go, without attachment. For example, if in one moment, someone gave you the entire city of Paris, you could accept it completely, there and then. If, the next day, they took it back, you could also let it go immediately, without even the flicker of an eye.
Renunciation is born from contentment. Don’t ever think that being content with what you have condemns you to be a failure in worldly life. On the contrary, contentment is the key to success. If you are content, then you will have less hope and fear. You will be free of expectation, and therefore, no matter what happens, you will not be disappointed. As the great Guru Padmasambhava said: “Absence of doubts brings complete success.”
There’s nothing wrong with material success, but it will not guarantee real happiness. But if you have the contentment that comes from discovering and knowing yourself, you will be more relaxed and have less hope and fear, and so be less perturbed whatever life throws at you.
It depends on your attitude. In your mind you can always be free. As Buddha himself said:
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakeable.
Mind is like a crystal ball. Just as a crystal adopts the color of whatever surface you place it on, the mind will become just whatever we allow to occupy it. And so we make this world of ours, a world that we enjoy or in which we suffer, a world of karmic phenomena fashioned by our thoughts and actions. It follows that if we are able to change the one who makes it, naturally our world will change. Therefore, when you conquer your own mind and heart through spiritual practice, you become master of your perceptions. And when you transform your perceptions, even appearances will begin to change.
Source: Bhutan Times