Your countenance is the perfect example of youthfulness,
Your speech the elixir of Dharma that ripens us.
O infallible guide, the lord Drubwang lama!
I place your lotus feet on my crown as an adornment.
Offering thus the flower of the words of praises to my guru Drubwang Rinpoche, I would like to share one of my experiences.
As the Buddha asserted, “I and those like me can judge other beings; other beings cannot judge another being and if they do, they will be ruined.” Judging others is obviously a wrong thing, but with me I was totally blind even to myself in the past. Nevertheless, I feel I know myself better now than I did before. Because I was once an immoral and intoxicated vulgarian: dust in the eye of the community. Moreover, I troubled my parents a lot.
According to Buddhism, all sentient beings have been our own mother at least once, because we took uncountable rebirths. Therefore, we have to treat every being with kindness, but I hardly did. I could not be nice even to my parents of this life, let alone to all the beings. So I often sobbed, regretting that I could not make them feel the presence of their son’s love for them.
My father was a teacher, a counsellor and a best friend to me, to whom I was always open. But I did not prove to be his good student, friend and son. He passed away before I could realize that he was a gift. I wailed at his death, which I never did in my life, because I realized it was too late. By then I had lost him. It was his death that gave me the turning point in my life. It led me into the life of monkhood. And for that, I am grateful to him beyond what any words could express.
“Why do we have to die?” This thought appeared to me many times after my father died. Now I realize that it is nature of our existence to die once we are born and finally we must depart from those we have met. Nothing is permanent. It is a sad thing to know. Yet, it is this very realisation that leads us towards the Dharma. The Buddha taught, “All compounded phenomena are impermanent” and “Realisation of impermanence is the root of wisdom.”
Once we have achieved this precious human life, we should utilise it productively by practising Dharma. It is only in this human form in which we can have those qualities to practise Dharma: freedoms and endowments. To realize this, contemplate on impermanence and familiarize yourself with it. Unless we realise its meaning with a deeper sense of understanding, we will not know the value of human life.
When we continually set our mind on the fact that the body we were born into will rot and wither one day, our pride, greed, hatred, and so on will diminish, and wisdom will arise. This does not mean that I acquired this thought but it means that I have known and am contemplating on it. My friends, therefore, wherever you are, meditate on impermanence at least once a day if not all the time.
We are fine right now but cannot be sure that nothing will happen to us an hour later. It is uncertain when and how death will occur but certainly it will befall us one day. And when it does we will be powerless. Nothing can stop it from taking us, not even a buddha, let alone our family and friends around our bedside. Instead they will be helpless, and our death will deeply sadden them. The only thing that will follow us is our virtuous and non-virtuous deeds.
So, when we have all those opportunities, take advantage to study, practise and accomplish the path of ultimate happiness. We should always keep in mind that realising the ultimate truth of our existence is the only thing that can liberate us from the suffering of samsara.
It is indeed only our own selves who can save us from suffering. As a saying goes, “Buddha does not wash away non-virtues with water, and neither wipes the suffering of beings away with his hand, nor transfers his wisdom to others, but it is through the teaching of the peaceful, the ultimate nature, that one is liberated.”
To sum up, think about the impermanence of phenomena at least once a day. Then try to purify your intention and engage in virtuous activities for the sake of all sentient beings. Gradually, take your practices to a level that will free you from obscuration and become the fruit of enlightenment.
By Pema Chojay
3rd year, NNI
