Twelve

Our Collective Journey

 

 

 

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Albert Einstein

 

 

 

Often, we grade ourselves by comparing with others around us, but for those on the spiritual path, our perspective should stretch across a much vaster continuum, as the Bhumis do. As souls, as spirits, we are progressing through stages—each representing deeper realizations, greater compassion, and higher states of consciousness.

The Bhumis provide a framework for understanding both our individual and collective spiritual journeys. They serve as a model for growth, commitment, and practice, in our pursuit of ending suffering and embracing our future Buddha nature. Ultimately, our journey is a collective one.

While metaphorical in nature, thinking of our evolution along a scale which includes all souls- a scale of evolving souls- we understand that we are a speck of sand on an infinite beach. Our minds are opened to the concept of a billion-world system, with our earth plane of samsaric suffering set catastrophically low on the evolutionary bar.

 

Unless we are content with our future generations struggling to survive amid the mass extinction of our species—reduced to eating berries, building fires in caves, and fighting with sticks and stones in some distant Neanderthal future—we have no choice but to turn inward. Rather than trying to change the outer world or impose our views on others, we must seek transformation and growth within. We can do this.

It begins with understanding how we think and questioning whether our thoughts are clear or delusional. We are not ‘bad’; we are simply confused. To resolve this confusion, we must seek new information, contemplate it, and align ourselves with higher, more advanced collectives that have already faced the challenges now staring us in the face. These collectives, including bodhisattvas of the higher Bhumis, are here with us so that we not only survive but also find happiness, peace, and spiritually thrive as a collective, just as they have.

 

Transforming Ourselves, Transforming Humanity

When we introduce new information into our lives, it acts as a catalyst, urging us to contemplate and reflect, and to reevaluate or even replace what we once felt so sure about. Contemplation is a means for growth, revitalizing our curiosity about life, ourselves, and the future. It’s also like diving into the deep end of the pool- it requires trust and naked honesty to recognize our previous delusions.

It takes the courage of a warrior to abandon a lifetime of conditioned belief systems. Especially when those we are in relationship with- partners, children, parents and friends-  are still clinging to them. But for transformation to happen, replacing inaccurate beliefs with truth needs to happen if we are to eradicate our confusion, negativity and self-doubt.

We have the power to challenge culturally ingrained belief systems- to question opinions handed down to us. Would it be so surprising to find our Western ways are built on delusion? Wouldn’t we want to uncover the truth, when it comes to inaccurate concepts that create as much drama as say- death, for example? Would we not be seeking a new understanding of it?

And what would we do with this new understanding? We might reflect on it, contemplate it, and inquire deeper, leading us to realizations that could be confirmed by direct experience—connections to what lies beyond.

As in the example of death, many of us are taught death is a tragic and permanent ending. Yet on the path a different reality is revealed- we discover that we are not abandoned, that we never were, and that we simply lacked the vision to see who or what has always been reaching out to us.

Of course, when we die our bodies are left behind. We can come to the logical conclusion that after we die, we will be without the form of the body we knew in our Earthly state. We know this because we have all seen loved ones pass on, and the empty shell they leave behind.

At some point within the next 80 years, we will experience ourselves without our form, without our body. This may be the greatest gift imaginable. We have the cognitive ability to recognize and inquire about our death, to gain some understanding of it, and to use that understanding to help us evolve and touch what comes next. This could reveal a connection to someone or a group of someones that have been waiting for us to meet them.

There are other gifts for us in examining the impermanence of our lives. We can begin to explore what does not fall away like the body does. We can explore spaciousness to find that we don’t need to die to experience ourselves without form. And we would want this experience because it is in the direction of evolution. 

There are practices we can effort to get there. Practices that have been recorded, handed down as treasures, practices that were meant to be revealed now, in our lifetimes during this samsaric age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirteen

 

The Myth of Mortality

 

 

 

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."

 

Monologue by the replicant, Roy Batty, at the end of his four-year life span, in the film Blade Runner, 1982

 

 

In the relationship we are habituated to accept with ourselves, there is one belief system handed down to us, especially in western cultures, which has probably created as much mental anguish and woundedness as the dissolution of our younger years’ dreams and ideals causing the dimming down of our own light. Death.

This often misunderstood seemingly unknown event in our life is dealt with by most people around us with a mix of fear, uncertainty, and as a final end- to be pushed to the edges of our awareness at all costs.  This is how death is presented to us—or not presented at all—as we come of age, impacting how we view everything.

Denial and avoidance of anything that scares us, or that we feel confused about, becomes a trigger reminding us of our existential fear of death.  As a result, we learn to love, or fear, ourselves, the world, and the future through a distorted lens.

Evidence of this is all around us. Even when life feels bleak, most of us aren't eager to leave this world. We don’t often hear of people looking forward to death and what might follow.

Perhaps we do not think things will improve in our afterlife. Perhaps we are not wanting to think much about death at all.  The tragedy of death is far, far away, and we have important things on our minds- mortgage or rent payments, caring for children or parents, climate change, the rising costs of food. It seems we are all mesmerized at the prospect of accumulating more paper money and planning for a future that is impermanence itself.

 

 

About the Future

Interestingly, when we talk about the future with each other, we speak as if it all ends with our retirement, assisted living or funeral. We rarely express any plans or hopes for what comes next. Perhaps we don’t know what comes next and it may seem a bizarre type of fantasy to indulge in visioning our day-to-day existence in heaven or a buddha-land. Or perhaps we avoid thinking about it because deep down, we judge ourselves as being selfish or miserly, so we hope that by ignoring it, everything will somehow turn out fine. We pretend there is nothing to do about it, and just hope for the best.

Many of us, when discussing retirement, focus on our investment portfolio, the equity in our home, at what age we’ll stop working, or what retreat cabin we’ll spend our final years in. Some of us might even plan for assisted living or cremation if we’ve managed to awaken even slightly from the coma of samsara. But that’s where the planning stops—at how we’ll spend the remainder of our human years.

Perhaps we think when we are finally faced with navigating our mortality, we’ll receive numerous signs over a long period of time, giving us ample opportunity to relax and prepare. We may even believe the end comes with magical and convincing reasons for us to leave- a beautiful symphony, visions of our loved ones waiting to welcome us. We will then be ready.

But to witness our behavior as a people, it appears we don’t think death will come at all, ever. And even if we do acknowledge its eventual arrival, there is more we want for ourselves here on Earth before any of that happens.

We are deceived.  Remember turning 30, or for some of us 40, 50, or more?  Wasn’t there a moment of confusion, mixed with a “How did that happen so fast” realization? If the turning of a decade felt sudden, imagine how the arrival of death might feel.

If we stopped fleeing from death and faced it directly, we’d begin to understand it more clearly. Fear and denial won’t make it disappear, but exploring our beliefs about death can uncover our misunderstandings about it – and ourselves.

This exploration can lead us to question other belief systems we’ve inherited. Eventually we may find ourselves questioning nearly everything we’ve been taught. We might be surprised to discover how little we have questioned over the course of our life, and how much we have passively absorbed from our parents, friends, and culture, taken at face value. 

With questioning, the relinquishment of some, most or even all our opinions become an option for us. Dropping opinions can clear away more confusion than clinging to them ever could, because letting go of our mental maps of the world opens us to see the world without a map at all, without a plan, without fixation.

This helps us escape the monotony and despair that quietly sets in for many of us after adulthood has lost its charm. Could we be transformed from ‘quiet desperation’ to unparalleled joy- a renewed interest in creating a better outer and inner world- by directly experiencing what death is, and what it isn’t?  By understanding death, perhaps we can understand life, and our place in the mess of it all, such that it is not a mess any longer.

 

Maybe we will discover that we don’t die. The landscape may change, but we will be ready, more than ready. Our dread has been transformed into auspiciousness. What we may feel could be celebration, knowing where we are going next is a place we have already encountered in meditation. We now have a say in our transition process, and perhaps we even know the advanced spiritual beings who will greet us and help carry our formless selves to the next shore.

 

 

 

Contemplation and Practice

Let us take our awareness of death, and what we may have been taught about our own mortality, into examination. Psychological studies have shown that very young children, between the ages of 3 and 6, believe death to be temporary. This is, in fact, much closer to Buddhist views on death than the understanding we’re typically educated to adopt as we grow into adulthood.

Misinformation about who we are and how the world works, has detrimental effects on our mind, body and soul, potentially thwarting or even regressing our personal and spiritual growth.

 

< >What are our own beliefs about mortality? Were these beliefs handed down to us? By who? < >When we look inside what do we feel about afterlife, or a continuum in which we evolve as spiritual beings?

Symbolic Immortality

In the West, many of us cope with death anxiety through achieving a sense of permanence and continuity beyond death with lasting contributions that endure over time. This includes leaving a mark on the world through creative works, innovations, or achievements that continue to influence or be remembered by future generations,  making a lasting difference in the world through acts of charity, social change, or other forms of contribution that outlive the individual.

Known as symbolic immortality, this provides a way for people to feel that their lives have enduring significance, offering comfort in the face of mortality by connecting us to something larger and more lasting than our individual existence.

Buddhist tradition does not focus on symbolic immortality; rather, it emphasizes the continuity of consciousness after the transition we call death. The goal is to break free from ignorance and habitual patterns rooted in fear, thereby ending the cycles of rebirth and grasping that create suffering. Ultimately, liberation (nirvana) is achieved by integrating compassion and wisdom, which guide our intentions and actions.

Those of us on the spiritual path seek transformation. We are not interested in managing our fear of death; we aim to transcend it. We seek enlightenment and liberation to free us from suffering caused by erroneous beliefs and karmic consequences inherent in our current worldview, including our misunderstandings of death.

 

 

 

 

Mara and the Myth of Death in Buddhist Tradition

Just as Mara represents the forces within our personal minds that lead to delusion, attachment and suffering, Mara is also deeply linked to our concepts and beliefs about death.

 

Traditionally known as the “Lord of Death,” Mara was feared as the ruler over the cycle of samsara—the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth—whose aim was to keep beings bound to this wheel of suffering. Yet Mara’s influence on our human beliefs around death can be understood in ways that benefit us on the spiritual path.

Mara represents the delusion that death is to be feared and avoided, trapping us in samsaric existence. In this way, Mara is a metaphor for death, reinforcing the fear of death that grips us. Our beliefs, anxieties, and attachments concerning the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death act as obstacles to our spiritual progress. This fear causes us to cling to life, keeping us attached to worldly pleasures and ego-driven desires.

Mara also symbolizes the fear of the death of the ego—the illusory self. Our ego clings to its identity, perpetuating attachment, craving, and aversion. Mara represents this internal struggle against releasing our self-identification. The more we hold on to our sense of self, the more we fall under Mara's influence. Thus, Mara symbolizes the force within that resists the dissolution of the ego and keeps the illusion of a separate, enduring self alive.

One of Mara’s most potent tactics is reminding us of our mortality, attempting to instill fear by emphasizing life’s transient nature. However, when we can remain unmoved by Mara’s deceptions, we start to recognize them as mere illusions. In this confrontation with the reality of death, Mara becomes a tool in our practice, allowing us to transcend the fear of death.

Enlightenment is not found in fleeing from death but in accepting its inevitability and realizing that our notion of self is ultimately illusory. Through this understanding, we come to see that Mara—and death itself—are mental constructs we can dissolve.

 

The cycle of rebirth and suffering is precisely what the Buddha sought to escape through enlightenment. Like the Buddha, we can come to understand that both Mara and death are illusory and exist only in our minds.

 

 

 

 

Contemplation and Practice:

I would encourage all of us to view existential anxiety and our conditioned concepts of death, as a result of ignorance about the true nature of reality.

 

Through spiritual practice, we can dissolve our ignorance and the resulting anxiety, and gain entrance into peace and liberation rather than merely using antidotal coping skills to manage our fear of mortality.  Overcoming the fundamental ignorance that has led us into suffering and fear is natural and necessary for us to awaken out of the dream, or hell, we are negotiating through in our cyclical Earthly existence.

For transformation to occur such that we awaken to our true nature, we should feel encouraged to use discipline in practice to transcend attachment to any fixed worldview.

The importance of non-attachment and the understanding of the impermanent and interdependent nature of all phenomena, including the self, is at the core of practice which manifests as transformation.

 

< >Reflect on the concept of mortality. What fears or beliefs do you hold about death and dying? Where is the origin of these beliefs? < >Write about your understanding of mortality. How has this understanding changed over time? How does it influence your current spiritual practices? < >How has your spiritual practice and insights or realizations changed these views?

 

 

 

 

 

Fourteen

 

 

Our Once

and Future Selves

 

 

 

“A human being is part of the whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He expresses himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest-a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

 

This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of concern to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature for its beauty.”

 Albert Einstein

 

 

In the days of the Buddha and his bodhisattvas, who once largely populated our Earth world linked to higher realms of formless advanced spiritual beings, it was seen that our present modern times would be just as they are right now. In the wisdom minds of great masters, enlightened buddhas and bodhisattvas, before our fall into the dark ages, there was, and is now, (though a much smaller segment of the populace), the natural and normal gift of clairvoyance, prophesizing, and looking into the future to see what will or may happen.

The time it takes for civilizations to awaken depends on our individual and collective capacities and motivation. Wisdom beings understand this- that there is room for fluidity and uncertainty in the future. Yet, for those that are stewards of our Earth plane, planning and preparations extend thousands of years into the future. This is especially true in eras of great suffering—like ours now.

So, 2,000 years ago plus, in the times of the Buddha and the Christ, there was preparation, a plan for how to keep us from destroying ourselves in our continued pursuit of happiness. Foretelling of future events was recorded, terma treasures, or, secret teachings were hidden, to be found and applied hundreds or thousands of years in the future.  Discourses were compiled to be handed down master to disciple to secure traditions in keeping unbroken lineages.  And then there were, and are, the selfless volunteers- bodhisattvas who would choose to incarnate here as ordinary humans.

For these advanced beings, planning the future necessitates mastery of skills like patience and perseverance. Multi-lifetime goals of bringing whole countries or cultures to enlightenment is what wisdom minds of great bodhisattvas are thinking about.  Such long-term projects require indefatigable perseverance and tolerance. These are the teachings handed down to us- how bodhisattvas become bodhisattvas- through “the Paramitas – perfections” and like teachings. Mastery of these is to become shepherds of ourselves first, then our spheres of influence, countries, even planets and galaxies someday.

This ‘are we up to the task?’ vision of where we are going may help shed light on humanity’s handicaps:  our limited ability to control our thoughts and emotions, as well as our lack of vision, creativity and denial of cause and effect.

If we have no idea how to plan the spiritual evolution that is our future, we can look to what bodhisattvas are doing for us- being patient, tolerant, generous. We can then agree that to be more like them, we should do the same for others.

 

 

Closing the Gap

We are here to start closing the gap between the higher realm consciousness that existed right here on Earth thousands of years ago, and our own perceived realm now, full of unfulfilled aspirations, endless toil and mysterious confusion.  We are here to find and receive the treasures, termas, and secret teachings planted during and immediately following the buddhas “transcendence of sorrow”, in wait for our current situation.

These teachings are “secret” not because they are withheld from humanity but because they are found only when we are ready. Then, as we commit to them, understand them or memorize them so they are part of our mind’s vocabulary, we are transformed by them.

For the few that have the correct intention and motivation, a brave new world awaits. Through truly understanding and receiving the teachings that would make us into bodhisattvas, we will remember a world and existence extremely different then our now and be able to conceive of a plan to get there, through participation right here, right now.

Our mind will no longer be terrified by death, because we will have overcome it. Our last day on Earth will be the greatest, because we have spent our time not just receiving the generosity that has afforded us all that we have, but because we have learned generosity towards ourselves and others. This is the way of the Buddha, the Christ- the way of ourselves. This is our becoming.

May we return to our future selves.

 

 

Contemplation and Practice

< >We can meditate on the idea of past and future selves. Imagine your past self giving advice to your present self, and your future self guiding you now. < >Writing a letter to our future self is an illuminating practice. What wisdom do you hope to share with your future self? How can your future self inspire you today?

 

 

 

 

 

Fifteen

 

 

The Power of Perfection:

The Paramitas

 

 

 

“When the mind is free of doubt, whatever you wish can be achieved.”

Quote by the Lord of Oddyana, from the book, Words of My Perfect Teacher

 

“Tantra uses on the path, right from the present time, the forms of the result (awakening) such as the celestial palaces, deities, and their sense enjoyments.”

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye

Systems of Tantra, Treasury of Knowledge

 

 

The rising above our ingrained limitations to meet what is truly possible for us as humans, and then go beyond that, is to become advanced spiritual beings. What we may be familiar with (for example, through an upbringing in the Christian West) as angels and saints, called bodhisattvas in Tibetan Buddhism, are the very beings of our future selves.

What all unbroken lineages in essence are guiding through practice and method, is not solely veneration or worship of these superior Compassionate Ones of skillful means and supernatural powers, but to become them ourselves.

In the translations and editing of teachings as part of the vast many spiritual paths and traditions on our globe, the goal of what we are being pointed to, to become, is surprisingly overlooked or neglected as a vision to hold for ourselves.

Alternatively, we modern day humans may see ourselves as too savvy or intellectual to fall into believing in gods much less committing to practices that supplicate them or having the faith to see ourselves as one.

As witnesses to the evolution of our planetary culture we can ask the question: are we as a species moving closer towards dismissal of any faith supported worship as part of religious traditions? And if so, what are we left with as methods to move us forward in our search for enlightenment?

Can we achieve enlightened states without devotion towards those that have gone before us? And again, how can we cultivate a devotion we don’t already feel? To who do we direct our faith? Who can we trust with our devotion?

 

 

Can Meditation Alone Get Us There?

Meditation to realize “emptiness” or the “ground of being” is spoken about in the West as if it was the entirety of the spiritual path itself. It is not this. To realize emptiness is not to have completed the spiritual journey or achieved enlightenment. It is a pivotal and essential moment that redefines our perception of reality, however, putting it in context within the immensity of universal evolution, emptiness is an early stage of the path. 

The spiritual journey itself can be described as a becoming, our own mind-streams literally merging with extremely advanced bodhisattvas and buddhas. These beings have the ability to travel to billion realm Buddha worlds and hear teachings from the manifest dimensions of awakening. For these, the awful suffering experienced in our samsaric world is a dream from a distant past, which, were it not for the intensity of their bodhicitta, would be long forgotten.

Instead, they understand that we humans are veiled from the expanse of joy that exists for higher beings in our universe. They witness how lost we are through our belief in separateness, how we will be destined to cyclical rebirth if we don’t cut through our ignorance and confusion. Through empathy and immense compassion, they are committed to coming to our aid until we are liberated from suffering.

The cultivation of compassion is the foundation of their own awakening and evolution. And this is their message to us- cultivate compassion. How? Through the blossoming of faith and devotion as practiced in the great perfections. The fruition of this faith and devotion becomes bodhicitta, and the fruition of the practice and embodiment of bodhicitta is awakening.

 

This brings us to what is called “The Great  Perfections”, or Paramitas, in Buddhism. To master the qualities required for our evolution is to master these Great Perfections.

 

The Six Paramitas

The Six Perfections—generosity, discipline, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom—are methods designed to cultivate compassion, which opens us to receive blessings. When these perfections become fully integrated into who we are, we are no longer deceived by illusions. We can then access advanced intelligence, form relationships with high-level bodhisattvas, and receive further teachings and guidance.

Our collective culture often does not value these perfections. Instead, it encourages the accumulation of power, wealth, and fame. If we are being honest, we would need to admit the traits our society often epitomizes and rewards are forms of aggression: standing out from the crowd, miserliness, competitiveness, and even laziness. In a culture that thrives on instant gratification, we become easily angered by the slightest delay that challenges our patience.

These are the behaviors we have been conditioned to refine and perfect. To grow, what’s needed is to realign our values with our actions. What kind of behavior do we truly want to perfect? Understanding the nature of our minds and replacing confused beliefs with those that promote evolutionary growth is necessary. This is the transformative power of alignment with the great perfections.

Exploring the great perfections, we can clearly see what suffering we may still be victims of, and how to replace poisons in our minds with the views of the great bodhisattvas standing near to us.

Long before we can reach enlightenment, we must unlock the prisons created by our afflictive emotions, thoughts, and environments. It is our mental prisons that prevent us from experiencing joy.

Practicing the Paramitas creates the cornerstones of our path and invokes the support of teachers who have attained rainbow bodies. Awakening, and the seeds that lead to it, are nurtured by their guidance.

 

 

 

Encouragement on the Journey

Advanced lamas often speak of our development in terms of lifetimes rather than just years or even decades. In Buddhist view, as spoken about in Chapter 10: Journeying through the Bhumis, each of us evolves along a vast continuum over eons of rebirths.

Many of us are starting to awaken to the possibility and even glimpses of past lives, yet we might not yet remember the full extent of this. The role models we are familiar with—Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Buddha Shakyamuni, Jesus of Nazareth—we may assume have always been the luminous beings we know them as now. Measuring myself against their boundless love and compassion for humanity has felt almost absurd, especially in light of what they were willing to do to protect and nurture others, which I am yet not.

We’ve all heard the stories of these great beings performing miraculous acts: healing the sick, feeding thousands with a single loaf of bread, or transforming the hearts of murderers in one encounter. With such supernatural feats, it can be surprising to find at some point, in some past life, these figures were not always "superhuman." There was a time when they were more like us— caught in the grips of samsara, trapped in a hellish existence, struggling and trying to figure it all out, as we are doing.

Hearing stories of my heroes transcending their own challenges is inspiring as I move through the ups and downs of my own path. One such story tells of a bodhisattva asking Shakyamuni Buddha how he developed the aspiration to awaken, to which buddha replies:

 

 “In the past, I took birth in the Fire Chariot Hell as a strong man, who pulled a chariot of fire upon which stood Avang, a custodian of hell. At that time, a companion of mine was weak and could not pull the chariot. Avang prodded him with an iron trident and struck him with an iron hammer, causing a torrent of blood.

 

Upon seeing this, unbearable compassion arose within me, which inspired me to develop the mind of awakening. I begged Avang, ‘Be a little kind!’ That infuriated him; he pierced the nape of my neck with the iron trident, killing me. I was purified of eight ages of negative acts and freed from the hell realm.” 

Jamgon Kongtrul’s Treasury of Knowledge, Buddhism’s Journey to Tibet

 

 

 

 

 

Contemplation and Practice

We can stop compromising- to stop accepting so little in the face of the great beauty that is continually reaching out to us, speaking to us, encouraging us to not settle for a mediocre existence.

 

Could it be that we have been mistaken, deceived even, to believe what we see in our human world is all there is?

 

Our human realm is so small in the face of what we will become as universal beings. Let us be weary of the doubts and discouragements that would convince us of our smallness. Let us be uncompromising. May we have faith in those that know more and have gone beyond.

 

• Have you felt intuitive beliefs that our culture or peer groups encouraged you to dismiss?

 

• Spend some time journaling remembrances of wisdoms that have arisen in yourself you may have dismissed, which you would now like to reclaim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sixteen

 

 

Awakening Awaits Us

 

 

 

Jamgon Kongtrul’s “Treasury of Knowledge: Myriad Worlds” tells us –

 

“For as long as infinite space and sentient beings exist, the compassion of the victorious ones and the actions of sentient beings continue without end. Those to be guided and enlightened guides manifest through inconceivable connections.

 

When the characters and dispositions of those to be guided are activated, the compassion of the guides arises, and the configurations of the realms and the dimensions of awakening appear; the miraculous methods of guiding others manifest beyond all bounds.”

 

 

It is emphasized that “those to be guided”, when ready, (that is, have sufficiently cultivated bodhicitta), will invoke the compassion of the victorious ones, and those that are enlightened will configure gateways extending from their heavenly abodes through which seekers can embrace dimensions of awakening.

I am inspired to investigate how we humans can invoke the compassion of the Enlightened Ones, who have found freedom, to reach back for us. But do we even believe these beings exist? And how can we cultivate true devotion that leads to this belief and their encounter?

The title and theme of some retreats I hold these days is taken after the level of spiritual attainment described by the first Bhumi – “Very Joyous”, the first of ten stages towards achieving enlightenment in Buddhism, which we discussed in more detail in Chapters 9 and 10.  The motivation necessary to attain this state of Joy is primarily Love and Devotion.

It is through meditation, and the cultivation of bodhicitta (compassion), and devotion, that realization of emptiness is attained in the first bhumi, which provides the entrance to the “path of seeing”.  Bodhisattvas who have advanced into the state of the first bhumi directly understand beings do not exist by way of their own nature but are interdependent- connected to a larger system of multi-dimensional worlds.

These joyous bodhisattvas live with the ongoing recognition of the inner radiance arising from the ground of being, from which all phenomena appear around us. To see this illuminating light all around us, is to have purified our hearts. We then move to a truer, more joyous world.

Enlightened beings can manifest miraculous methods to help us connect with the inner radiance of the ground of being. Through this connection, we are given the opportunity to enter a state of Joy, Truth, and Samadhi—an evolved and primordial dwelling place that reflects our true origin.

Throughout these writings, I have felt honored to speak about this transcendence into the realm of Joy, offering an explanation of the steps on the path leading to the gateway of emptiness (the stage of seeing), and awakening.

As we continue our practices of contemplation, meditation and particularly the cultivation of bodhicitta, we begin to see that positive, heavenly qualities are what is real and true, while negative qualities—and our attachment to them—are gradually exhausted, leaving us free from deception.

Awakening awaits us all.

 

 

The Power of Devotion

While all spiritual paths lead to the same destination—enlightenment—they differ in the level of effort required, the speed of progress, and the ease or difficulty experienced along the way. In my experience, the path of devotion is particularly effective and graceful because it involves surrender and trust, allowing the divine to guide us towards the goal with less personal struggle. This path feels natural because it invites us to release control and rely on the guidance and support of a higher force.

Each path has its own nuances and is suited to different practitioners, depending on their inclinations, strengths, and spiritual maturity. The choice of path reflects an individual's nature and what resonates most deeply with them. Ultimately, however, all paths converge at the same destination: self-realization and union with the divine.

In my brief thirty years of spiritual exploration, I have observed that many of my fellow Westerners feel they are not progressing as they had expected, even after years of dedication and commitment. Despite deep sincerity and effort, there is often a sense of stagnation or lack of growth.

Why do some of us feel stuck on the path, even after decades of practice? Are there specific misunderstandings we, as Westerners, bring to the spiritual journey? What key points might we be missing or overlooking?

 

 

About Time

Time is a reality in our world. The longer we remain on the path, the less time we have to attain the realizations we are seeking, and the more we feel the importance of not wasting our time here. Recognizing this can motivate us to engage more deeply with the process.

Through conversations with many awakened spiritual teachers, I’ve learned that even those who have attained significant states of awakening often report a similar phenomenon: many of their students, despite years of practice, feel unsatisfied with their level of growth from year to year, or even decade to decade.

Is it unrealistic to believe we can attain the first levels of awakening in a single lifetime—where our perspective on reality shifts, where we experience true self-love and compassion for others, and where we find lasting happiness? Not at all. This state of awakening is our birthright as humans; it should be our natural state.

These realizations will unfold if we allow them, by cutting through patterns of attachment and cravings, and breaking free from the conditioning of delusional beliefs. Teachings such as the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising and practices from Descending with the View from Above (both offered in Part IV of this book- Essential Practices) offer us the tools to dismantle our habitual patterns and obscurations.

 

 

Western Mindsets

However, one significant challenge for Westerners on the spiritual path is our tendencies toward pride, arrogance, and an overemphasis on independence. These qualities, while often seen as strengths in Western culture, aren’t helpful for spiritual growth. The belief in the necessity of “making it on our own” can block the clarity that faith and devotion bring.

There came a point when I realized how misguided my beliefs about separation and self-reliance were. My convictions were tied to fear-based ideas about the need for constant planning. Images of being homeless and starving haunted me as a possible future if I didn’t secure myself with a generous 401(k) and investment portfolio.

I am not suggesting ignoring our financial needs for the future, but rather having faith that if we are being guided by divine beings so humanity can be assisted, these same beings will not abandon us when we have completed the work our compassion has led us to.

Once I let go of these deeply held convictions— a "lone wolf" mentality rooted in fear—a sense of calm emerged. In that calm, my devotion matured, and love and joy naturally arose within me. This newfound devotion carried me further along the path, leading to encounters with deities in various forms and formlessness. These experiences transformed my mind, and, in turn, transformed my reality.

 

 

The Mexican Fisherman and the Businessman

Below is a well-known parable called 'The Mexican Fisherman and the Businessman,' which for me illustrates an awakened point of view about the contentment we find on the path, versus the worldly ambition encouraged through societal norms.

 

A businessman was on vacation in a small coastal Mexican village when he saw a local fisherman docking his small boat. The businessman noticed several large fish inside the boat and complimented the fisherman on his catch.

The businessman asked, "How long did it take you to catch them?"

"Only a little while," the fisherman replied.

"Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the businessman asked.

"I have enough to support my family’s needs."

"But, what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends. I have a full and busy life."

The businessman scoffed, "I’m a Harvard MBA, and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the bigger boat, you could catch more fish, and then you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats."

The businessman continued, "Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You could control the product, processing, and distribution. Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles, and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

"Fifteen to twenty years."

"Then what?"

"That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO, sell your company stock to the public, and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions? Then what?"

"Then you could retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings to sip wine and play guitar with your friends."

The fisherman smiled and looked up, "Isn’t that what I’m doing now?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contemplation and Practice:

As Westerners, how can we overcome the obstacles that prevent us from cultivating compassion? The answer lies in recognizing and gently dismantling the cultural conditioning that has reinforced our sense of separateness and independence.

By allowing ourselves to embrace interconnectedness and surrendering our conviction we should do whatever we can to get what we want, the suffering at our core is released. By realizing there is nothing we really want, we are free from judgment.

 

• We are nearing the end of our chapters in this book and are perhaps noticing a similar theme through all teachings – dismantling our cultural conditioning to awaken to a new perception of reality- described in various ways throughout the chapters. How would we describe the insights gained from the teachings we have received so far?

• How do we define devotion at this point in our reading of these chapters? How do we experience devotion towards ourselves?

 

• Journaling: Write about your experiences with cultivating love and devotion. How does this practice change your interactions with others?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contemplation and Practice:

The 100 syllable Vajrasattva Mantra

 

The Deity known as Vajrasattva is considered the pure, untainted essence of all the Buddhas. He embodies the purity of the enlightened mind, free from all imperfections. In the Vajrayana tradition, Vajrasattva is seen as a compassionate protector, who helps us overcome our afflictions and progress on the path to enlightenment.

The Vajrasattva mantra is often repeated as a prayer invoking support for the purification of our obscurations or confusion. It captures the essence of devotion and the deep longing for connection with Vajrasattva and all Buddha beings. 

We can recite the Vajrasattva 100-syllable mantra as a practice to cultivate love and devotion towards all sentient beings, as well as establishing a connection to higher realm Buddha-lands and advanced spiritual beings.  

This translation emphasizes the devotional aspects of the practice, focusing on the intimate relationship between ourselves as the practitioner and the compassionate protector of Vajrasattva.

If this practice calls to you, you can begin by reading this English translation and contemplating its devotional significance. Buddhist practitioners traditionally memorize this mantra (in English or Tibetan) and repeat it, using the beads of their mala to keep count of the recitations, which can be 3, 7, 21, or 108.

Advanced practitioners are guided to recite the Vajrasattva mantra tens or hundreds of thousands of time, over the course of months or years, as part of establishing an inner foundation of bodhicitta and ethical conduct.

 

O Vajrasattva:

Guard and protect my commitments.

Help me be strong.

Be my constant support.

May I ever be pleasing to you.

May you ever be happy with me.

Hold me in your affectionate regard.

Help me attain all sublime accomplishments.

Help me to act virtuously always, and to purify

my mind.

O Blessed One, Vajra of All Tathagathas, never abandon me.

Eternal Vajra, great Embodiment of commitment, grant me the realization of the Vajra Nature.

Make me one with you.

 

 

 

 

 

Seventeen

 

 

          Liberation through Love

 

 

 

"If the perfect mind of bodhicitta arises in those fettered and weak in the jail of cyclic existence, they will be called a ‘child of the Sugatas,’ and will be revered by both men and gods of the world."

Bodhicaryāvatāra, Chapter 1, Verse 9

 

 

 

It’s so clear to me now—the countless guides and bodhisattvas who have carried me along this journey, not just in this life but as part of the continuous flow of my consciousness across past and future lives. I long for any of these beings—Jesus, Padmasambhava, Guan Yin, Tara, Mahakala—all manifestations of Buddha and Christ, to reach back and take my hand for the next step, and the next, and beyond.

Every day, I ask them to continue leading me, to stay with me, to make me one with them, (this sentiment, in fact, is echoed in the exact translation of some lines in the 100-syllable Vajrasattva mantra on the previous page).

 

This longing and desire to see their faces and be with them wherever they are doesn’t leave me anymore. An infatuation with the divine beings that lead us, is with me always. Devotion has become the compass and rudder I sail through this ocean of samsara with.

So, I watch for these beloved ones, who are uniquely mine, and yours also. At any moment they may want to reveal themselves. We must be ready.

I am also a human here, in a dark age of a suffering world, and often feel challenged in my service. I recognize acutely that my decisions affect others. I want all those I try to help to progress as painlessly and quickly as possible. I know that what I, we, believe, and the actions that come forth, matter. And this becomes ever more obvious as we traverse the path as spiritual practitioners; because the more we evolve, the more responsible we become, and the more responsible we become, the more unyielding are our vows to become the warriors and Jinns we look up to.

In my experience, the cultivation of Love and Devotion is at the core of transformation from ordinary humans to becoming bodhisattvas. It is a path that stretches us as it asks us to engage with humanity in the most selfless way, through the undying love we feel for those that have guided and even sacrificed for us.

It asks us to have courage to fall in love, to defy our conditioning and beliefs, to be so vulnerable we are willing to make even a seeming ‘wrong’ decision from an intention to truly live as a conscious loving being. It asks us to reach for the utmost attainment- to merge with the very bodhisattvas we have fallen for- to realize we are the ones we most cherish.

I believe this exemplifies the lives of my root guru, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, saints, masters, selfless teachers, and the great Shakyamuni Buddha and Beloved Jesus of Nazareth.

 

 

The Perfect Mind of Bodhicitta

"The perfect mind of bodhicitta" is the state achieved when we have fully cultivated the ultimate attainments of compassion and wisdom in Buddhism.

 

Bodhicitta, or the mind of enlightenment, is a union of two aspects: relative bodhicitta and ultimate bodhicitta. Relative bodhicitta is the profound integration of divine love, compassion, and devotion, coupled with the sincere aspiration to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Ultimate bodhicitta is the direct realization of the true nature of reality, often referred to as emptiness (shunyata).

This "perfect" mind of bodhicitta represents the highest and most refined state we can achieve as humans. In this state, our compassion for all beings is boundless, and the wisdom realizing the emptiness of all phenomena is fully developed within us.

 

 

Two Great Bodhisattvas

Every December, I hold a retreat in celebration of the lives of Buddha Shakyamuni and Jesus of Nazareth, two of my cherished heroes. Both exhibited profound self-respect, dignity, and self-confidence, living in the wilderness and choosing poverty. Although they each had the ability to manifest unlimited wealth, they chose to renounce worldly concerns.

Each of them undertook incredible hardships and demonstrated unimaginable devotion—devotion to the extent that others were more important than themselves. Both could have spent their human lives in the highest states of samadhi bliss. Yet, they chose to defer their bliss so that I, and we all, could experience relief from the burden of delusion and confusion.

I believe that if we truly understand the depths of this love and compassion, we can cultivate it—become it—within ourselves. We can cherish ourselves and see that others are equally deserving of cherishing. We can know ourselves, love ourselves, believe in ourselves, and extend this love to all others. We can embody the love of Jesus and Buddha, an everlasting love.

 

 

Self-Love through Devotion

Just as with Jesus and Buddha, there is a deep, undying love within each of us for our own being. Somewhere inside, we recognize how valuable we are—how unique, how much we desire happiness, and how much we care for our families, friends, and even those we perceive as adversaries. This is our birthright, our Buddha nature.

Yet, a layer of thought often obscures our innate bliss and joy in being alive, as discussed in previous chapters, referred to as the personal mind. It also seeks happiness but often through self-defeating methods such as internal reproach, regret, guilt, or shame.

How do we move beyond this personal self to connect with our authentic selves—those wondrous beings capable of dreaming and manifesting almost anything? I have dedicated much of my life to finding these answers- my spiritual journey. These writings are an offering, so others may avoid my missteps and find their path quickened.

Some teachers say that self-love arises in the final steps of the spiritual path, as we prepare to transform into a higher realm of perception, as outlined in the stage of seeing, the third stage of the five-fold path. It is here that we find the confidence to feel deserving of our own self-respect and compassion.

As a support to this step, I would suggest including devotional practices with the path we follow. By embracing our longing to connect with and embody the enlightened ones who have inspired us, we find our way.

Masters such as Buddha, Jesus, Kuan Yin, Mother Mary, and Saint Francis lived as ordinary humans, navigating the path and overcoming obstacles like discouragement, attack, loneliness, and self-doubt—just as we do. Perhaps their message is simply this: you are just like me.

When we contemplate that the same life force, the same living light of Jesus, Buddha, the saints, and masters is within us, we may feel a deep yearning to see the faces of these evolved beings, to speak with them, to join them, and ultimately, to become them.

Jesus said, “Knock and I will answer.” To be sincerely committed on the spiritual journey is to dissolve the self-doubt that tells us meeting Jesus and other divine teachers is impossible. With focused supplication, we may find ourselves meeting those who have gone before us and recognizing ourselves within them.

But this is not a union of the mind with another; it is not a mental exercise. It is a full-hearted experience, a “carrying into” that cleanses the mind through an open-hearted flow of feeling.

In those moments of union, all we may know is a tremendous, familiar love that overwhelms us. We realize we have always been loved, always been cared for—we have always been this. We understand this is where we are headed and it is our true nature. We are simply returning to who we are.

 

 

In our next section—Part IV: Essential Practice, Essential Path—we focus on powerful teachings passed down to us from Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and other lineage holders, as well as bodhisattvas and Buddhas who preside over our vast world system. I believe these teachings to be indispensable- precious, wish-fulfilling jewels, guiding our practice as we long  for freedom from the sorrow of impermanence.

 

 

 

Contemplation and Practice:

< >Contemplation: Reflect on the role of love and devotion in your spiritual journey. How have these qualities liberated you from suffering or ignorance?Journaling: Write about a moment when you felt profound love or devotion. How did this experience transform you?Contemplation:  Reflecting on the lives of Jesus and Buddha, do their qualities inspire your own path? How?Journaling: Write about God-like qualities you most admire. How can you, or have you, incorporated these qualities into your life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part IV:

 

 

Essential Practice,

Essential Path

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                       

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eighteen

 

 

the Four Noble Truths

 

 

 

“The truth of Suffering is to be compared with a disease, the truth of the Origin of suffering with the cause of the disease, the truth of Cessation with the cure of the disease, the truth of the Path with the medicine.”

 

Gautama Buddha

 

 

the Four Noble Truths, perhaps more than any other teaching in Buddhism, has been popularized, misinterpreted and misunderstood. I have even heard the path of Buddhism itself summarized through it as ‘life is suffering’.  How could this be the entirety of the magnificent Buddhist path? Of course it is not. I would contend that many of the common and modern interpretations of the Four Noble Truths does it no justice, meaning it does not benefit us either.

Two thousand five hundred years ago, when Buddha Shakyamuni rose as an enlightened being after sitting under the bodhi tree for six days, the first teaching he gave was called ‘the Four Noble Truths’, the now fundamental nature of mind teaching and training in all Buddhist traditions.

In the traditional version of the story the Buddha delivers his first sermon at Deer Park in Sarnath, India, to five ascetics, one of which was called Kondanna. After hearing the teaching on the Four Noble Truths, Kondanna attained the first stage of enlightenment marking the beginning of the Sangha (Buddhist practitioners).

The powerful transformative effect hearing the Four Noble Truths has over time been watered down by its misinterpretations. The idea of someone ‘awakening’ upon hearing this truth indicates how we, as practitioners like Kondanna, can receive a "shock" which catapults us out of our ignorance and ego. Let’s look at why this teaching could have this effect. What is this inner power it has, to throw us out of ego and into true nature of mind?

 

The transformative principle in the Four Noble Truths

The cultivation of ethical and moral conduct is deeply intertwined with the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism, as ethical behavior forms the foundation for alleviating suffering and progressing on the path to liberation.

the Four Noble Truths point out the poisons or negative aspects of our human selves, such as craving (greed), aversion (anger) and ignorance. It is through our effort in refining our conduct that we can become more aware of these negative traits that cause suffering and we can then remove these poisons from our minds. But before we can remove suffering from our life, we need to understand what suffering is.

 

The First Noble Truth:

The full understanding of suffering

It is easy to recognize our obvious suffering- personally, through sickness or injuries to our body, disharmony in our relationships, losing our job; and culturally as well- the effects of the shutdowns that happened during the COVID pandemic, food or supply chain shortages, cost of living increases. We don’t like it when we are confronted with these life situations and would rather not have them happen. They cause us pain and we are wired as humans to avoid pain.

But the first noble truth opens our mind to the truth that not only do circumstances in our life that cause us pain make us suffer, but our enjoyments and pleasures in life are also a form of suffering. This is because every aspect of our worldly existence is impermanent. Everything comes and goes. Everything that enters our life will certainly leave it someday, including our own body. This leads us to the second noble truth.

 

The Second Noble Truth: the Cravings that Drive Us

All suffering originates from craving or aversion. Craving and attachment are intertwined. We crave what we have attachments to, and we are attached to what we believe will create pleasure for us or help us avoid pain or suffering.  Craving and attachment leads to the pursuit of actions that perpetuate suffering.

More specifically, Craving and attachment arise when we become fixated on desires, whether for material possessions, experiences, or even people. These attachments create a sense of longing and dissatisfaction, leading us to pursue actions aimed at fulfilling these desires. However, instead of bringing lasting happiness, these actions often perpetuate suffering by keeping us trapped in a cycle of seeking, clinging, and experiencing disappointment when things inevitably change or fall short of our expectations. This cycle reinforces the patterns that bind us to samsara, the endless loop of birth, death, and rebirth.

To alleviate suffering, we need to cease our craving, which is accomplished by monitoring and adjusting our behavior.

By practicing ethical conduct—refraining from harmful actions motivated by greed, anger, or ignorance—we reduce the fuel that feeds craving and attachment. When we engage in unethical behavior, such as acting out of selfishness or desire, we reinforce patterns of craving, leading to further attachment and suffering. In contrast, ethical conduct encourages mindfulness and self-awareness, allowing us to pause and choose actions that align with our higher values.

By cultivating behaviors rooted in generosity, patience, and wisdom, we begin to weaken the habitual patterns that drive craving. Practicing generosity helps us let go of clinging to material possessions, patience allows us to endure difficulties without reacting with anger, and wisdom guides us to see the impermanent and interconnected nature of things.

Over time, these ethical behaviors reduce the intensity of our attachments and cravings, creating a foundation for a more peaceful and liberated state of mind.

Though this sounds simple and logical, there is also a grace-filled aspect to ethical behavior. In practicing right action, we receive blessings that transform our perception of the external world. We begin to find pleasure in right action and compassion, while worldly pursuits lose their allure as they no longer are bringing us the pleasure they once did. This leads us to the Third Noble Truth—understanding cessation.

 

The Third Noble Truth: Cessation of Attachments

The cessation of suffering is called Nirvana. Nirvana as experienced in enlightened mind, is the freedom from mental afflictions. It is the perpetual tension, stress and worry thoughts which come from craving and aversion, that ultimately creates the suffering we experience keeping us from Nirvana.

The stopping of our minds’ thoughts that drive our cravings and aversions, creates a spectacular feeling of relief.  This relief is the absence of suffering- the absence of our personal relentless mind letting us know what we want and don’t want, should and shouldn’t do, what’s wrong and how to fix it, etc.

Now, if we have the capacity to recognize the processing of our own mind, we will be able to see it is our belief systems that are dictating what we like and don’t like. These belief systems stem from our conditioning. When we can see where our thoughts are coming from, that is, our family upbringing, environments, and culture, we have in a sense taken a step away from them. We have created space between ourselves and our thoughts and processing of them. This gives us a refined and clearer perspective.

In Buddhism, this is referred to as cutting through, thereby eliminating thoughts and cravings from the hold they have on our emotions and behaviors. This is the power of the Four Noble Truths- in recognizing what has previously been subconscious or unconscious, we can change or retrain our minds, thus, taming our minds.

 

 

Self-Compassion

If we adopt a rescue dog that has been neglected or abused, we naturally understand the importance of investing time and energy into taming and transforming the fear-based behaviors that have developed in our new companion. We wouldn’t label our new pet as “bad” simply because it is despondent or feels threatened by us.

Instead, we would recognize that its behavior has been shaped by environmental conditioning, driven by its instinctual need to survive. Just as a dog is conditioned to be guarded and fearful of its surroundings, we too, as humans, exhibit fight-or-flight responses when we feel threatened.

Similarly, we must invest time and energy into taming our own inner feral tendencies. Just as we treat our pets with love and care to help them relax, feel safe, and build trust in us, we must extend the same compassion and care to ourselves.

By introducing wisdom and self-compassion into our lives, we can create a sense of safety within, enabling us to trust in the guidance of spiritual teachers, bodhisattvas and Buddhas, who, as we gradually discover through awakening, have been watching over us all along.

 

The Fourth Noble Truth: Walking the Path

As we traverse the path, we are guided through ethical living, mental discipline, and wisdom via spiritual practice. With the Fourth Noble Truth, we learn the way out of Samsara, the cycle of suffering.

Some of us, like the Buddha’s disciple Kondanna, have the capacity to recognize the mind’s impropriety upon hearing the Four Noble Truths, and the mind, almost naturally, begins to purify, clearing away the obscurations that block our ability to find peace and acceptance—a state of happiness. Others can see the mind’s improper use but work with it more gradually, refining our conduct over time. Modifying our behavior gradually in positive ways is another path through which we purify the mind.

Whether we cut through our disingenuous thoughts and inauthentic beliefs using awareness and insight, or modify our conduct through effort, the same result is achieved: clearing away the poisons of the mind. This makes room for us to reconnect with our inborn moral compass, guiding us toward right action and happiness.

Both paths create the foundation for the cessation of suffering. By freeing ourselves from the negative consequences of a harmful mind, we pave the way for the development of wisdom, which is essential for liberation.

Kondanna’s deep understanding of the Four Noble Truths allowed him to transcend cravings and conditioned beliefs. His behavior transformed as previous desires lost their power over him.

While any of us can experience this transformative realization, the Buddha recognized that most would need more time. He introduced additional paths and practices that offer gradual transformation, allowing us to transcend personal mindsets and enter new realms. After all, realms are sustained by our views, and as our perspectives shift, so too does our reality.

 

 

Understanding Ethics on the Path

When we cultivate ethical behavior, we reduce unwholesome actions, which begins to purify our perspectives and confused minds, therefore creating the conditions necessary for insights that lead to liberation.

The cultivation of ethical and moral conduct is essential in awakening because it directly addresses the causes of suffering and prepares us for deeper insights into the nature of reality. These deeper insights involve understanding the interconnectedness and impermanence of all phenomena, as well as recognizing the illusion of a permanent, independent self. Through ethical conduct, we create the mental clarity and stability necessary to perceive reality beyond the surface level, allowing us to see how everything is conditioned and interdependent.

When we begin to see the world through this lens, we realize that our attachments, cravings, and aversions are based on misunderstandings and projections of a fixed reality that doesn’t exist. Ethical conduct, therefore, not only reduces immediate suffering but also lays the groundwork for wisdom to arise. It helps calm the mind and creates the inner space needed to engage in meditation and contemplation practices, which further refine our understanding.

Ultimately, by cultivating ethical behavior, we prepare ourselves to perceive and embody the truths of emptiness (the absence of inherent existence in all things) and interdependence. This understanding is central to the deeper insights that lead to ultimate liberation, as outlined in the Four Noble Truths. Without ethical conduct, it would be difficult to calm the mind, overcome craving, or develop the wisdom necessary to fully realize the cessation of suffering.

 

The emphasis on moral and ethical conduct, central to the teachings of the Four Noble Truths is a primary focus of the Tibetan Buddhist path, especially in the early years. As seekers, in this way we build a foundation of knowledge that aligns with higher thinking.

 

Transformation of our Beliefs

For some people practicing discipline is not enticing. Often those of us on a path, especially early in our journey, want to have a rush, a high- a direct experience of encountering higher states, samadhi, and even other realms where Buddha-beings reside. Disciplining our conduct feels like a drudgery, another added stress in our lives.

To explain further, when we first meet a teacher or join a Buddhist center, we are elated to experience an initial honeymoon period of joy or bliss. But after a few weeks or months, the novelty wears away and old patterns arise again. It is then up to us to do the work on ourselves that fosters transformation. It is often at this time students will move on to find a new teacher, path or sangha, in an effort to regain this high, and avoid the commitment and effort needed to create transformation.

In a sense, we just want awakened mind with its inherent bliss, handed to us. But this is similar to how our mind works with regards to other pleasures we chase in our world of enticements. This desire for an over-the-counter prescription to enlightenment is a childish attitude propagated very much in our modern world through the instant gratification promises of our technology, social media and merchandise marketing.

Without transforming our own beliefs, conduct, and behavior—through active awareness and a commitment to change—we will struggle to connect with the courage, discipline, patience, and generosity that characterize the wisdom minds of bodhisattvas.

Residing in buddha-realms or encountering saints in heavenly realms is a result of personal transformation. It is compassion, not the pursuit of pleasure or bliss, that leads us there. This transformation comes through right action, rooted in self-love and confidence, which emerge only after we have purified ourselves and let go of misguided cravings, attachments, and opinions.

When we come into the transformational aspect of the path, known as the stage of seeing - the pivotal transformation where reality is seen from a different perspective, we want to benefit others. We love others and ourselves. We’re no longer interested in material accumulation. We have had a change of heart and mind deep inside, a rebirth born into a higher view. (The stage of seeing is discussed in depth in Chapter 6: Overview of the Path.)

 

Collapse of Ego in the Four Noble Truths

In his great kindness and wisdom, the Buddha has offered us a skillful practice to eliminate the root of our mental defilements—through examining the belief in the existence of self or ego.

We cannot easily understand this belief in a self because it is very deep-rooted. Belief in a self is a mistaken perception- an illusion.  Through the elimination of the idea of "I," we overcome attachments and desires, which are always personal. Once these defilements are gone, unvirtuous karma rooted in the defilements will also be eliminated, and suffering will no longer take place. This is why Buddha said that the root of suffering needs to be abandoned.

Eradicating these poisons, or Mara (the forces within the personal mind that lead to delusion, attachment, and suffering), leads to the realization of no-self. Through understanding the absence of a self, we no longer are led about by cravings which result in negative actions, and this brings an end to that whole process. This outcome is certain. 

The very essence and nature of cessation is peace. In fact, the peace one obtains from the cessation of everything unhealthy is the deepest happiness, bliss, and well-being. Its very nature is lasting, in contrast to worldly happiness, which is exciting for a time, but then leaves us. The ultimate liberation and omniscience of cessation is a deeply moving and quiet unassuming joy.

 

 

The Forces of Mara

In Buddhist tradition, Mara represents the obstacles and distractions that hinder us on the path. Mara is relatable for all of us in both a literal and symbolic way, creating an opportunity for deeper understanding of who we are, and who we are not. None of us are inherently evil, none of us desire to be the demon, Mara.

 

Traditionally, Mara was understood as a demon who tried to prevent the Buddha from attaining enlightenment by tempting him with various illusions, desires, and fears. In a more psychological or metaphorical sense, Mara represents the forces within our personal mind that lead to our delusion, attachment, and the realms of suffering we cycle through continuously in our lives.

 

Mara symbolizes our internal challenges: negative emotions, doubts, ego-driven thoughts, and habitual patterns.  Our afflictive emotions- greed, hatred, ignorance, pride, and jealousy- are personified as the inner demons that thrive on our confusion and suffering, falsely identified as part of us.

 

Mara is our self-doubt, the voice that creates insecurity and unworthiness. Mara is the temptation of distractions—worldly pleasures, sensory experiences, and cravings. Fear and aversion—our avoidance of challenges—are also manifestations of Mara. Finally, Mara reinforces the illusion of a separate self, contrary to the awakened experience of interconnectedness and emptiness.

 

 

Realization of No-Self

When we attain insight into the way things really are and move beyond delusion and mistaken views, we realize there is no self. Once there is no longer a belief in self, there are no longer any root defilements of attachment, aggression, or mental darkness associated with the idea of self. Once we are no longer afflicted by poisons, we no longer commit unvirtuous acts, and we no longer suffer.

Now, it is true that once we have that insight, all suffering is immediately removed, but in another way, that is not true. This is because the delusion of self is a habit which has been built up for such a long time and is very hard to remove.

For example, when we believe in the self and we hit our finger with a hammer, it hurts. Even when we have realized that an unchanging personal self is just a delusion fabricated by our minds, still, when we hit our finger with a hammer it hurts. We still have the feeling, "I am suffering," because there is an enduring built-up association of "I" with the flesh of our body. Removal of that long-established conditioning of self is carried out through a long process of accustoming oneself to the truth of no-self.

Through becoming more familiar with the truth of things, we can remove the very fine traces of inaccurate thinking and subconscious conditioning that still exist. Through the cultivation of insight, we remove even the most subtle causes of suffering and eventually reach the goal that is called "the path of no more learning."  Once this is completed, we have reached the highest state.

Thus, the power of the Four Noble Truths is in recognizing what has previously been subconscious or unconscious, empowering us to retrain our minds. As mentioned before, in Buddhist view, we call this taming the mind.

As we tame our minds, we begin to enter the  pure nature of mind. Enlightenment is achieved when the pure sphere of reality within our minds becomes inseparable from pristine wisdom, free of our minds’ obscurations.

 

 

Buddha’s Promise of Reunion

In an ancient text called The Reunion of Father and Son Discourse, the Buddha made the following statement:

 

"In the past, countless ages ago, in a world system that encompassed as many realms as grains of sand in the Ganges, I attained enlightenment as the transcendent Buddha, Crown of the Powerful One, aiding beings and transcending sorrow. From that point until this present age, I have repeatedly demonstrated the inconceivable process of enlightenment, and I will continue to do so until cyclic existence is empty."

 

The Buddha assures us that we will never be abandoned. From now until all sentient beings are freed from suffering by attaining enlightenment, he and countless Bodhisattvas in the myriad worlds making up our cosmos, will aid us, offering practices through which we can understand and tame our minds, as the Four Noble Truths demonstrate.

The Buddha's teachings are imbued with his blessings; if we take these teachings into our hearts, we will experience transformation and spiritual growth.

 

 

 

Contemplations and Practice

If we have the awareness to recognize the processing of our own mind, we will be able to see it is our belief systems that are dictating what we like and don’t like.

These belief systems stem from our conditioning. When we see where our thoughts are coming from, that is- our family upbringing, environments, and culture- we have in a sense taken a step away from them. We have created space between ourselves, our thoughts and the processing of them.

This gives us a refined and clearer perspective. This is considered in Buddhism to be cutting through, thereby eliminating thoughts and belief systems from the hold they have on our emotions and behaviors, contrasted to unawareness which fuels craving and grasping, distorting reality according to our desires and aversions.

 

< >Reflect on the first Noble Truth- the reality of suffering. Write about a personal experience that highlights this truth. How does this realization affect your spiritual journey?What personal insights can we take from the Buddha’s assurance that we will continue to be aided by visiting Buddhas as long as we remain in human suffering?How do we feel when we consider the possibility that we are not alone, and will be continually supported on our spiritual path, no matter how long it takes to achieve our goal of enlightenment?How does the explanation of our human condition, and specifically how our mind works, as explained in the Four Noble Truths, help us understand our own believes, likes and dislikes?  How do we see cause and effect having impacted our own lives, particularly any milestones that stand out from our past as effecting the course of our lives?