Shatril
January 4th, 2005, 08:21 AM
The preliminaries are the “Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind to the Dharma
The first thought is: thinking about appreciating the precious human life. Think how precious an existence as a human is, as it is in an environment where you can hear the teachings of Buddhadharma. Being born as a human is the ultimate existence to obtain enlightenment. All other existences, such as animal, or hungry spirit have huge limitations on the ability to study and practice the Dharma and accumulate good karma for good placement in future lives.
Now you have got what's so hard to get
The precious freedoms and advantages
This one life alone means so little
So why be so obsessed with it?
If to do some good for yourself and others too
You listen to Dharma, and then reflect
Then you are so fortunate–
This is what it means to be lucky
~~Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
The Second Thought is: thinking about death and impermanence, that the opportunities that we have now with this precious opportunity are not going to last. The reality of death, that it can come suddenly and without warning. Thinking we have plenty of time is false security. We have plenty of time for entertainment, movies, vacations, sports, and partying. We have plenty of time for work. But we have precious little time for dharma thinking, "Perhaps, when the kids are older, when I retire, when the work eases off a bit, or when winter comes, or summer. . . ." We always assume that there will be time later, but in the process we are aging and our vitality is waning. Impermanence means we are changing, and approaching death.
This life is quite impermanent
It will definitely disappear
You think everything will stay just as it is–
How to come out from this confusion into the clear?
Cut the root of samsara's confused appearances
By meditating on the meaning of what you've heard
If you do this, you are so fortunate--
This is what it means to be lucky.
~~ Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
The Third Thought is: thinking about the laws of karma and cause and effect, in other words how our behavior affects what we experience. Having reached the certainty that each of our actions and its results is profoundly significant, not only within this lifetime but beyond, it is important to use this wonderful discovery. Let the understanding of karma transform our priorities, our values, our world view, and thus transform our way of life.
If you do good, you'll be happy
If you do bad, you'll suffer pain.
Think well about how karma works
And you'll gain certainty that it's an unfailing law.
If then you act in a rightful way
Doing what you should do and giving up the rest
Then you are so fortunate–
This is what it means to be lucky
~~Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
The fourth Though is: thinking about the disadvantages of samsara, of uncontrollably recurring rebirth. Or put another way the unsatisfactory nature of the cycle of existence. There is something unsatisfying about the way we live, and this need not continue. Otherwise, the Buddha would never have troubled us by pointing out the unsatisfying nature of life - even a successful life, a delightful family situation, a good job, a sunny day. Why is there an element of dissatisfaction and anxiety in all human relations, lying so often just beneath the surface, even in times of pleasure? Something is awry, but the fault is not outside us in the environment. Samsara is not out there, but rather in the way that we experience our environment. To target it precisely, samsara is in the quality of our minds. Our minds are not functioning in accord with reality, and therein lies the problem.
The nature of samsara is the three sufferings
When you know this in your heart, and it's not just something you say
And so you can free yourself and others from samsara's ocean
You cut off suffering right at the root
If you can do that, then you are so fortunate–
This is what it means to be lucky.
~~Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
I hope this help. The first of the 59 Lojong Slogans is “First train in the preliminaries” The basis for many of Buddhist training is founded on the four thoughts that lead to the dharma, and a good understanding of this will help with many of the other concepts that are presented.
Each of these four thoughts is a good subject for meditation. This will lead us to the practice of tonglen later. However we do need to first train in the preliminaries as the first slogan indicates. I want you to know that there are probably as many approaches to the Lojong/Tonglen/Seven Points of Mind Training as there are teachers to teach it. Each person will develop techniques that are relevent for them. What I am giving you is a brief description of how I learned this, and many links to other relevent teachings.
Some links:
http://www.nalandabodhi.org/fourthoughts.html
http://www.berzinarchives.com/sutra/sutra_level_2/4_thoughts_turn_mind_dharma.html
The first thought is: thinking about appreciating the precious human life. Think how precious an existence as a human is, as it is in an environment where you can hear the teachings of Buddhadharma. Being born as a human is the ultimate existence to obtain enlightenment. All other existences, such as animal, or hungry spirit have huge limitations on the ability to study and practice the Dharma and accumulate good karma for good placement in future lives.
Now you have got what's so hard to get
The precious freedoms and advantages
This one life alone means so little
So why be so obsessed with it?
If to do some good for yourself and others too
You listen to Dharma, and then reflect
Then you are so fortunate–
This is what it means to be lucky
~~Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
The Second Thought is: thinking about death and impermanence, that the opportunities that we have now with this precious opportunity are not going to last. The reality of death, that it can come suddenly and without warning. Thinking we have plenty of time is false security. We have plenty of time for entertainment, movies, vacations, sports, and partying. We have plenty of time for work. But we have precious little time for dharma thinking, "Perhaps, when the kids are older, when I retire, when the work eases off a bit, or when winter comes, or summer. . . ." We always assume that there will be time later, but in the process we are aging and our vitality is waning. Impermanence means we are changing, and approaching death.
This life is quite impermanent
It will definitely disappear
You think everything will stay just as it is–
How to come out from this confusion into the clear?
Cut the root of samsara's confused appearances
By meditating on the meaning of what you've heard
If you do this, you are so fortunate--
This is what it means to be lucky.
~~ Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
The Third Thought is: thinking about the laws of karma and cause and effect, in other words how our behavior affects what we experience. Having reached the certainty that each of our actions and its results is profoundly significant, not only within this lifetime but beyond, it is important to use this wonderful discovery. Let the understanding of karma transform our priorities, our values, our world view, and thus transform our way of life.
If you do good, you'll be happy
If you do bad, you'll suffer pain.
Think well about how karma works
And you'll gain certainty that it's an unfailing law.
If then you act in a rightful way
Doing what you should do and giving up the rest
Then you are so fortunate–
This is what it means to be lucky
~~Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
The fourth Though is: thinking about the disadvantages of samsara, of uncontrollably recurring rebirth. Or put another way the unsatisfactory nature of the cycle of existence. There is something unsatisfying about the way we live, and this need not continue. Otherwise, the Buddha would never have troubled us by pointing out the unsatisfying nature of life - even a successful life, a delightful family situation, a good job, a sunny day. Why is there an element of dissatisfaction and anxiety in all human relations, lying so often just beneath the surface, even in times of pleasure? Something is awry, but the fault is not outside us in the environment. Samsara is not out there, but rather in the way that we experience our environment. To target it precisely, samsara is in the quality of our minds. Our minds are not functioning in accord with reality, and therein lies the problem.
The nature of samsara is the three sufferings
When you know this in your heart, and it's not just something you say
And so you can free yourself and others from samsara's ocean
You cut off suffering right at the root
If you can do that, then you are so fortunate–
This is what it means to be lucky.
~~Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield
I hope this help. The first of the 59 Lojong Slogans is “First train in the preliminaries” The basis for many of Buddhist training is founded on the four thoughts that lead to the dharma, and a good understanding of this will help with many of the other concepts that are presented.
Each of these four thoughts is a good subject for meditation. This will lead us to the practice of tonglen later. However we do need to first train in the preliminaries as the first slogan indicates. I want you to know that there are probably as many approaches to the Lojong/Tonglen/Seven Points of Mind Training as there are teachers to teach it. Each person will develop techniques that are relevent for them. What I am giving you is a brief description of how I learned this, and many links to other relevent teachings.
Some links:
http://www.nalandabodhi.org/fourthoughts.html
http://www.berzinarchives.com/sutra/sutra_level_2/4_thoughts_turn_mind_dharma.html