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Address to the Naropa Conference

October 2000
by Sangye Khandro First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to Judith Simmer-Brown for inviting and encouraging me to attend this conference to discuss Buddhism in general, and especially to examine the different ways that Buddhism is being propagated in the west. It is actually an honor and pleasure to have this opportunity to address all of you who are here to learn more about how we, as a Sangha, spiritual community, can help to further establish Buddhism in our country. Establishing Buddhism in the west is definitely the cause that many of us have dedicated our lives to - over the last several decades. I feel that I for one have been extremely fortunate to be involved in inviting, hosting, and translating for many great Bodhisattvas who have come to bless this soil. I have dedicated the last thirty years of my life to the establishment of several small Buddhist temples, and since I am a translator, I have had the honor of acting as the interpreter for many great teachers; and have helped to translate many sadhanas, commentaries, pointing-out instructions, life stories, and even part of the epic of Gesar of Ling. I usually don't attend conferences or public gatherings to discuss Buddhism, but this time I feel it is a timely opportunity to express not only my own view but the view of many Buddhist leaders, teachers, and practitioners whom I am hoping to represent here. We are in a time when there are many good teachers and practitioners in this land. Many of them feel that a new era must and is dawning in the propagation of the doctrine in the west. That now, rather than just participating in weekend workshops and seminars, the time has come to really establish the heart of the doctrine in the west - which is that of scriptural understanding and practical realization. I am grateful for this opportunity to speak out concerning some of the important issues involved in this process and some of the problems that we are facing. I also wish to thank you for expressing your interest by coming to share your time with me. What comes to my mind as the first point of consideration is the need to acknowledge the founder of this great religion and way of life, Lord Buddha Shakyamuni. It seems that if it weren't for the Buddha, we would not be here discussing Dharma and the different aspects of our own spiritual development as well as the impact that this is having on others. Sometimes we Buddhists tend to overlook the Buddha and just take him for granted. Actually it is completely amazing that 2,500 years ago a human being became fully enlightened, taught Dharma and that Dharma is as relevant today as it was then. Most of us speaking at this conference would have to say that without the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha - and the embodiment of the Three Jewels, our own spiritual teachers - our lives would be so different that most probably we would not have the merit or knowledge to teach about the spiritual path. That means we wouldn't be here at this conference, and for sure this conference would not even be held. So that we can maintain the honor and dignity of this great tradition, before teaching or discussing Dharma, it is traditional for the teacher and listeners to acknowledge and supplicate the Buddha, the lineage, and our root teachers. I would like us to begin by taking a moment to silently remember their kindness and receive their blessings. As the Buddha himself said, "For whoever thinks of Buddha, Buddha is sitting in front of him or her, always bestowing blessings and removing all obscurations." As it states in the King of Samadhi Sutra, "With a stainless golden-colored body, and majestic flawless beauty, as the Protector of this world, whoever

brings his form to their mind and abides there, is in the samadhi of the bodhisattvas." Bringing the Buddha to mind for some may mean entering into the awareness of the nature of Buddha as the four kayas and five wisdoms. For others. according to their faculties. this may mean or include a basic appreciation for Gautama Buddha. Whatever the case may be, in order to focus the mind you may visualize or hold the regard that the Buddha is in the space in front of yourself, seated peacefully upon a jewelled throne, and that he is golden colored with auspicious signs and marks. He wears the three robes of Dharma and is seated in the indestructible posture. His right hand is extended down in the gesture of the earth conqueror, and his left hand holds a bowl filled with nectar in the gesture of equanimity. His wisdom body radiates boundless light rays in all directions, which illuminate the darkness of ignorance in our minds and the minds of all living beings - awakening our indwelling precious Buddha nature. Consider his presence as we share this time together, and consider that our mind streams are blessed with the timeless wisdom blessings of the lineage. (Moment of Silence) Sometimes in the west, we are more concerned with what we are receiving than with where it came from, or what the lifestyle of the individual who taught it was. It is important for us to identify and humanize the process of spiritual development but not to lose sight of the source and the continuity of lineage. Before the Buddha himself passed into Nirvana, some of his main disciples - including Ananda - asked the Buddha four questions. One of them was how should they compile the precious three Baskets of teachings? The Buddha replied, "Fortunate children, as for compiling my teachings... At the beginning of all Dharma texts you must write," Thus I have heard, and at the end you must write, "I praise and rejoice in this the speech of the Conqueror." This is the reason why at the beginning of all the sutras it reads exactly as the Buddha requested, "thus I have heard...," indicating that the disciples compiling the teaching were acknowledging Buddha as the source. When these sutras were brought into Tibet and taught, it was necessary to translate them into the Tibetan language. The great translators always kept the original Sanskrit title whether the text belonged to sutra or tantra, and then followed that by the Tibetan translation. The reason for this is not because they didn't know how to translate the Sanskrit titles. It is because this honors and demonstrates the purity and source of the lineage. After the title, if the text is a Sutra, then homage is rendered to the Omniscient One. If the text is a shastra, then homage is rendered to Manjushri. If the text is tantra, homage is rendered to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In this way, when teachings and commentaries are given, one knows which category of Buddhas teachings they belong to. The shastras are enlightened commentaries composed by great teachers who possess knowledge and realization, and since they are representing the same source as Buddha's speech, they must be capable of guiding students to realization. I mention this because it shows us how the source and authenticity of lineage has always been a significant part of the Buddhist tradition. The word for lineage is gyud in Tibetan, which means continuity. In the case of Buddhism, particularly Vajrayana Buddhism, this means the continuity of wisdom blessings which are unbroken and uninterrupted by contributing circumstances. From the time of our guide Buddha Shakyamuni up to our present spiritual teacher, this lineage or continuity has continued - which is our connection with primordial wisdom. This is not a blood lineage based on a monarchy because Buddha Shakyamuni abandoned the kingdom to become a homeless renunciate. This is not a patriarchal lineage because Buddha Shakyamuni abandoned his family lineage in order to serve the needs of all living beings. This is a lineage of wisdom and methods which use the mind to purify the mind by cleansing the mind with the nectar of the wisdom point of view - in order to go beyond or transcend ordinary karmic habits so that ordinary phenomena becomes the pure appearance of wisdom. This is a wisdom lineage of fully enlightened teachers who have continuously brought countless beings to perfect liberation through the unbroken transmission of this Dharma. Therefore it is extremely rare and precious to have made this connection with the Buddha, which is referred to as a finding a precious human rebirth which we can fully appreciate

and cherish as our vessel on this path. As long as we are dying and being reborn, it is important to pray to take a precious human rebirth through which we can continue to connect to the wisdom of Dharma lineage. During this fortunate age of time when one thousand Buddhas will manifest in the world to bring countless beings to liberation, the kindest Buddha of all for us is the fourth Buddha Shakyamuni. The reason for this is that he came into this world and taught Dharma which is still present and flourishing during our lifetime.

"Hierarchy occurs naturally on the spiritual path since it has to do with the principles of heaven, earth, man and merit."
Even though the Buddha lived some 2500 years ago we can have confidence that we still have access to his authentic teachings at the present time. I know for certain that I have been extremely fortunate to have continual access to the pure teachings and blessings of Dharma since the time that I was first introduced to them. This connection has changed and improved my life in many countless ways, giving me temporary happiness and satisfaction - but more importantly, it has given ultimate meaning to my life because it has allowed me to understand that there truly is such a thing as unconditional love; and that the purpose of this life is something much greater than our immediate lifetime. Now I am able to prepare for the moment of death and what follows by knowing that there is a path that leads to liberation from the suffering of samsara, and that this path can bring permanent benefit to all living beings. Finding this direction is due to the kindness of the lineage, and especially of my root teachers in this lifetime. It should be the case that the more we learn and practice Dharma, the greater our appreciation for the Buddha, the lineage, and our teachers becomes. We appreciate the profound authority of the teacher as our guide on this path: his or her patience, impartial kindness, skill and great wisdom qualities. The more we can appreciate the teacher, the more we can grow on the path and basically become ready to enter the path of Vajrayana. If there is no discovery of or appreciation for our root teachers then as Trungpa Rinpoche said, 'Entering Vajrayana is like a blind man trying to see the sun, it is impossible.' Since we were not born into this religion or way of life, the notion of faith was an experience that most of us were lacking before we entered the door of Dharma. Having faith means seeing qualities in others that are much more wonderful than and superior to our own. Love and faith are of the same essence, which means deep caring. The difference is that love is directed towards others on many levels, and faith is directed towards sublime beings including the Buddhas and enlightened guides because of seeing their exalted noble qualities. The nature of faith is to then trust in these sublime beings in order to receive the blessings of wisdom energy that benefits you and others. True faith gives rise to the vast, unconditional love of compassion that benefits countless beings. To feel and know this love is to discover the most blissful feeling that a human being can ever know because this is the door that opens us to the qualities of our own Buddha nature. This occurs through the kindness of the spiritual teacher. We cannot just pick up a book, become inspired by what we read, and expect to discover these qualities. It is as the great Mahasiddha Sarahapa said, "Absolute, inherently born wisdom mind only comes from the handprint of the purification of obscurations and great accumulation, or from being blessed by a highly realized guru. You must know that to try to depend on another method than that is foolish." The truth is that we need to become inspired by the living examples of this wisdom nature. In order to recognize our own wisdom qualities, we must depend upon outer positive circumstances - which in the case of Buddhism means meeting those who can show us the correct way to do this.

Without faith or guidance, how can we know how to do this in the right way? We must have faith in order to open the quality of our own Buddha nature, so by having faith in our teachers, who show us the correct way until we have full confidence - then the outer object of faith joins with our own inner nature. Once we discover our own inner nature, our respect and gratitude for our teachers increases inconceivably, and we honor them continuously as we help others to make this same discovery. This is how the lineage blessings are passed along as a stream of wisdom nectar. It would be inconceivable to consider that once you have had a glimpse of or realized your own wisdom nature by the kindness of the teacher that you would then disregard your teachers or teach others that they don't need to rely on a spiritual teacher to gain this level of realization. To do so reminds us of the example about how not to regard the spiritual teacher found in Patrul Rinpoche's Words of My Perfect Teacher and elsewhere. This refers to seeing the teacher to be like a musk deer, the teaching the musk, yourself as the hunter, and your practice as the activity of killing the deer. This means relying on the teacher only to acquire his or her knowledge, and then discarding the teacher and source of the lineage thereafter. On the other hand, the way to rely on the teacher is also mentioned by Patrul Rinpoche as the four recognitions which are: seeing the teacher to be like the most skilful doctor, Dharma as the medicine, yourself as the sick patient, and the practice as the prescription for the cure. This way of seeing the teacher is logical because the teacher is not seen as a king or father figure. This is similar to the way that we trust a doctor when we are physically ill because we know that a good doctor has the potential to help us become cured from our illness or disease if we trust in him or her. And so it is with the spiritual teacher. We are the patients who are suffering from the five passions, and our own negative karmic accumulations. This suffering can only be cured by the wisdom of Dharma. The one who knows this wisdom is a qualified spiritual teacher who will understand how to deal with our disease and give us the correct remedy. In many ways, the notion of lineage seems like a story to westerners - or just a history that may no longer be relevant at this time, and therefore it is difficult to believe in. This reaction is due to the strong habit of only believing in that which is visible and material in the present moment. This is one of the biggest problems that face all of us in terms of true spiritual development. If we are only relying upon that which is tangible, then we are placing all of our trust in temporary circumstances that cannot be depended upon any more than a beggar can depend upon his next meal. Through this distortion of singular focus on substance, intangible wisdom phenomena cannot be clearly seen, and the continuous wisdom mind will not be recognized. If we use our mind only to respond to circumstances that appear before us, then our existence becomes a reaction to what happens from moment to moment. Gathering information in the present, during this Age of Information, as some refer to it, is something different from connecting to the continuity of vast, profound wisdom that has been passed on for 2,500 years. When someone does not believe that the mind's nature is the wisdom nature, then they will focus externally on the material world. This may be why there seems to be such a tendency among some to want to adapt the wisdom of Dharma to match the needs of a more modern, egalitarian, democratic society. Due to the strength of negative habits over many lifetimes, and also due to the present temporary circumstances of this degenerate time, many people want to impose these confusionbased habits onto the traditional path of Buddhism. This may well be why many people have a hard time accepting the idea of having faith in others. Because of the strength of ego, they feel threatened that others are better than them and become afraid of the superiority of others. It is futile really, because no matter how strong their fears may be, the unequal condition between all beings is still unavoidable. This unequal condition is due to karma. It is for this same reason that many westerners oppose hierarchy - due to their own fear of feeling unequal. But actually, hierarchy occurs naturally, in that those who possess merit and karma will naturally prevail. It is as Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche skillfully points out in his teaching on Shambhala the Sacred Path of the Warrior, "Living in accordance with natural hierarchy is not a matter of following a series of rigid rules or structuring your days with lifeless commandments or codes of conduct.

The world has order and power and richness that can teach you how to conduct your life artfully with kindness to others and care for yourself." Hierarchy occurs naturally on the spiritual path since it has to do with the principles of heaven, earth, man and merit. Those with merit will always be more fortunate because this is natural hierarchy. Actually, I am not trying to defend hierarchy - because it is truly the natural arrangement of samsara. If someone really wants everything to be perfectly equal, then they should strive to realize the meaning of the nature of equality - which is the most profound teaching of the Buddha. Until that is realized, there will always be natural hierarchy. It is not at all necessary to feel that this is threatening our freedom or way of life. If we are accumulating merit and purifying obscurations through the path of Buddha Dharma, this will never threaten any aspect of our ordinary life or society. It will only improve it. Actually, these days the concept of hierarchy seems to be important to some of the people who claim to have such disdain for it. They are always eager to promote their own spiritual credentials by making claims that they are in elevated positions. The main emphasis of Dharma is to tame the mind, purify confusion based on dualistic fixation, and to achieve the state of permanent freedom and happiness for the welfare of all living beings. This is exactly why the Buddha taught 84,000 categories of teachings synthesized into nine, three, or two vehicles. The Buddha manifesting in various forms to reach the needs of countless beings according to their perceptions transmitted these teachings. Within each vehicle, there are teachings corresponding to keen, middling, and inferior faculties. This means teachings that can be understood according to the minds of the beings to which they are being presented. All of these teachings are basically methods that exist on the relative plane of existence, which skilfully lead beings to the understanding of the absolute. We cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that the objective of this path is to bring about the state of liberation from ignorance and confusion. Rather than acknowledging the source of the lineages of the Buddha Dharma, some western Buddhist teachers regardless of their race, imply that the teachings need to be adjusted to meet the needs of this culture, according to this particular period of time. This implies that the Buddha's teachings as they are are not effective at this time in this culture. I know this is a sensitive topic, especially in these kinds of conferences, however one of the reasons that I have come here to speak is to express my strong disagreement with this theory. Perhaps these westerners believe that they are completely different from Asians. However, whether eastern or western, we are all suffering from the effects of the five poisons. Dharma exists in this world to serve as the antidote to the five poisons. Do we really think our passions are so unique that Buddha forgot to mention them in the 84,000 categories of teachings? This brings us back to the issue of needing to know who the Buddha is. Allow me to quote from the root text of the Mahayana Uttaratantra which states, "Buddha is without beginning, middle or end. He is peace itself, fully awakened in the state of Buddhahood. Having reached this state he shows the indestructible, permanent path so that those who have no realization may realize. Wielding the supreme sword and vajra of knowledge and compassionate love, he cuts the seedling of suffering and destroys the wall of doubts along with its surrounding thicket of various views, I bow down to this Buddha." Of course we will never have the opportunity to hear all of Buddhas teachings in this lifetime - or even a series of lifetimes for that matter - but once we connect with authentic spiritual teachers, then we will have the opportunity to hear the teachings that correspond to our needs and faculties at this time. Teachings such as these do not need to be adjusted to the temporary circumstances of time and place. What needs to happen is that the skill and knowledge of the teachings needs to be applied to the temporary circumstances. The only reason that Buddha - as a fully enlightened being - taught such a variety of teachings is because of the different needs of others, which change according to karma and circumstances. The root cause of the suffering of all beings who

are in cyclic existence is not different now than when Buddha lived and taught. The levels and degrees of ignorance in the minds of beings differ according to karmic circumstances. This is exactly why the Buddha taught the nine vehicles. Do we really think the nature of the passions is intrinsically different now than it was then? If anything, it may be worse because beings are so much more distracted and materialistic. Or are they? Certainly there have always been countless beings who are distracted and materialistic, just as they are in the present time. The external signs of how the passions manifest may take on different forms, but the internal root cause will never change. The vast wisdom of Buddha's sky-like mind need not be reduced to try to fit it into a single pot. Rather than misjudging the inconceivable wisdom transmission of the Buddha's mind, if we wish to accomplish the Buddhist doctrine of scriptural understanding and inner realization, it is best to study with qualified teachers, cultivate faith, contemplate, and meditate. Then faith of the three levels will blossom in the mind stream. Through faith alone the state of liberation from confusion can be achieved. These days some teachers in the west are emphasizing that "Buddha was not a god," he was an ordinary individual like you and I. I mention this here because this message undermines the cultivation of the first, most important, quality to blossom on the spiritual path - which is faith. To emphasize that Buddha was an ordinary individual to new students of Buddhism is misleading and illogical, since the strength of the path of Dharma depends upon faith and respect: refuge in the Three Jewels. Even on the most basic level of Hinayana practice, the view of the selflessness of the individual is necessary to realize - in order to approach the understanding of great emptiness, or Dharmakaya. The term 'ordinary individual' in the Tibetan language is 'gang zag.' The reason this term is used in the Tibetan language is that gang means to be full; here specifically, this is reference to the mind that is full of the five passions. Zag means to fall, which is reference to falling into the round of cyclic existence. Thus the term refers to an individual who is habituated with the passions through which karma is accumulated - causing the individual to continuously fall back into the round of existence. So according to definition, we can see that this is not an accurate way of referring to the Buddha. Actually the term Buddha in Tibetan is Sangye, which like most Tibetan terms is composed of two syllables. The first syllable, sang, means to cleanse or completely clear all habitual passions and karmas of the ordinary mind. The term gye means to fully increase or expand all noble qualities, which are the mind's nature. Thus the term Sangye or Buddha means the opposite of an ordinary individual. Rather than teaching or claiming that Buddha was ordinary, it would be better to teach as the great Nagarjuna did when he said, "When it is springtime, people say water is warm. In the wintertime they say it is cold. Likewise, when the nest of the passions covers the Buddha nature, it is called sentient beings (ordinary individuals). When Buddha nature is separate from the passions, it is called Buddha." Without understanding the difference between Buddhas and sentient beings, just think about what it would be like to try to practice the path? Buddha Shakyamuni said in the Glorious Rosary Sound of the Lion Sutra, "When the bud of the complete wisdom body of the Buddha has not opened because of temporary stains, this is called Buddha nature." Buddha taught that all beings possess this Buddha nature, yet sentient beings are ordinary because they are unaware of their Buddha nature, and instead are continuously accumulating karma based on passions and habitual patterns. Once the Buddha realized the essence of the mind's nature (coined the Buddha nature), he taught Dharma because he knew that he had realized the absolute nature of all beings without exception. Since Buddha was the source of this truth, then rather than emphasizing that the Buddha was an ordinary individual, doesn't it make more sense to emphasize that Buddha awakened? Buddha ultimately means to become awake. But this awake is not just being mindful of the ordinary mind. This state of awakening is the state of fully enlightened Buddhahood - the mind of non-conceptual wisdom and the source of all noble qualities. How can this state of awakening be a mere awareness of the ordinary mind? It is hard to know exactly why some

teachers of Buddhism in America are so anxious to simplify Buddha and the Buddha nature to that which is ordinary. If the reason is because they want ordinary people to think that it is easier for them to become like Buddha if they are told that Buddha was ordinary - that is illogical. That would mean they couldn't possibly have faith in Buddha - if Buddha doesn't actually represent a state of accomplishment, or possess qualities that are not more exalted than their own. That would imply that Buddha is still confused in samsara like everyone else. Without faith in the Buddha or Dharma, then it is impossible to purify obstructions and accumulate merit on the path of Dharma. That means it would be impossible to derive any positive permanent results from Dharma practice. Why then do they teach using Buddha's name and his teachings? It is commonly known that in the Hinayana School it is believed that at birth the Buddha was an ordinary man who renounced the world and went on to attain the level of Arhatship in a single lifetime. It is hard to say that even then he was really looked upon as just an ordinary man. At the time of his birth, as was the custom in India, a clairvoyant sage was called to examine the marks on the child's body in order to predict his future. After viewing the young prince, the sage burst into tears - which alarmed the King and Queen Mahadevi, who questioned the sage as to why he had become so emotional. The sage replied that his reaction was based on the magnitude of the merit that the child possessed, and he went on to predict that if this child were to renounce the world and take ordination, he would become fully enlightened. If the child remained as the prince, and later became a king, then he had the great merit to become a Chakravartin ruler of this world system. Since he was Prince Siddhartha, his noble qualities from birth were already superior to the common man. Prince Siddhartha was not looked upon as a god - so in that regard it could be said that he was an ordinary man, but once he awakened, and his physical appearance manifested the thirty two major and eighty minor signs of a nirmanakaya Buddha, it was obvious that he was not ordinary - since he now had a crown protrusion, elongated ear lobes, Dharma wheels on his palms, and so forth. He possessed the sixty branches of melodious speech and the mind of twofold omniscient wisdom. Although there are many devoted Hinayana Buddhists who hold the view that Buddha was a human being who attained the state of Arhatship in his lifetime, when speaking of or acknowledging the Buddha, they would probably rather emphasize his extraordinary qualities than try to reduce him to the status of an ordinary person.

"Since the only way to enter the path of Vajrayana is through receiving empowerment, then of course it is necessary to meet and develop faith in a fully-qualified Vajra Master."
According to both schools of Mahayana and Vajrayana, the view of Buddha is not at all that he was an ordinary individual. Mahayanists also believe that Buddha was enlightened many ages before he entered the world as the fourth Buddha. This is documented in the White Lotus Sutra where Buddha states, "Fortunate children. Millions of kalpas prior to this I was Buddha." So both Mahayanists and Vajrayanists believe that Buddha was fully enlightened prior to manifesting in this world system, and that his rebirth was one of the twelve miraculous deeds which were the display of the compassionate nirmanakaya manifesting to meet the needs of beings. Since the Buddha and his teachings have delivered millions of followers to the state of permanent peace, I think we owe the Buddha a bit more honor and appreciation than trying to reduce this sublime source of undeceiving refuge to an ordinary state that mirrors the status of the confused modern man. For those who believe in and have taken refuge in the Buddha, it is never acceptable to consider that Buddha was the same as you or I. If that were the case, this path would as futile as two people being carried away in the strong current of a river - unable to save themselves or each other. These are some of the important reasons why we request all teachers and practitioners of Buddhism to always remember and respect the Buddha and the diversity of his great lineages.

As these teachings have spread across this earth, the people of various cultures that encounter and embrace them still continue to hold the habits of their birthrights. The external form of cultural habit is not necessarily expected to change as Dharma takes root among the people. The objective of Dharma is to tame the mind by uprooting self-grasping and by fertilizing the ground for the Buddha nature to fully blossom. Since the nectar of Dharma is received in order to purify each individual's habits based on ignorance, this has nothing to do with reinforcing any culture. According to skilful means, there are many ways to improve society and culture by being a good Buddhist. This is much the way to practice on the path - and is part of the process of accumulating merit and purifying obscurations. Likewise it is not necessary to adapt Dharma to ordinary views. Until the mind is purified in great emptiness from accumulating merit and meditating, there will always be all kinds of phenomena which are interdependent with good and bad karma and circumstances. The habits of western society, specifically, materialism, existentialism, nihilism, eternalism, and so forth, are in fact the habits which are purified and transformed through the path of Buddhist practice. Since Buddha taught many paths and methods to meet the needs of the minds of all beings, we are confident that it is not at all necessary to try to create a new form of modern Buddhism which actually encourages and reinforces the ordinary habits which Buddha taught were to be either eliminated, transformed or purified. My own kind root teachers have always taught me that the only difference between samsara and nirvana is attachment. For instance, through attachment we can turn whatever experiences come through our spiritual practice into worldly phenomena. Similarly, even though we may appear to be involved in the world, if we have recognized the nature of appearances to be free from attachment, then everything can be liberated rather than solidified. The antidote for attachment is knowing and recognizing that all phenomena are non-substantial and impermanent. The reason that many teachers of Buddhism in the west are actually convinced that Buddha's teachings need adjusting may be because they are attached to the temporary phenomena of the circumstances of their present life. As long as the mind is deluded about the true nature of phenomena, then anything can seem true or correct. The problem is that by only relying on the ordinary dualistic mind, it is not possible to have deep enduring faith. The reason is that whenever circumstances change, faith can easily change too - so we then give up out beliefs or begin to disregard our spiritual teachers and their speech. If we experience a feeling of faith, it means that we want to believe in something - but what is really happening is that we can only believe in that which appears before us for that moment in time. It is as the Buddha said, "Even though the moon shines in the sky with clear light, unclear water cannot reflect it. Even though wisdom mind has inconceivable qualities in which we can have faith, we cannot recognize them if we only believe in the obstructed perceptions of the ordinary, attached mind." Because of our strong desire to discover something other than the temporary phenomena of this life, in the late sixties and early seventies, many westerners dropped what they were doing and journeyed to the east in search of the truth. Since I was one of them, I can say that I had became so disillusioned with the materialistic lifestyle of the west that I travelled to Asia in search of the true meaning of life. I was nineteen when I decided to hitchhike across the globe with my destination being Dharamsala India. After four months of travel and hardship, my partner and I reached Dharamsala just after the Dalai Lama had opened the Tibetan Library of Works and Archives with a superb Geshe teaching, two trained translators bringing the discourses into English, and several courses on Buddhism being offered over a six month period of time. When I and other westerners like me met the spiritual teachers in Asia, we were impressed and touched by their warmth, compassion, inner peace, intelligence, gentle strength, and confidence. We sat at their feet to learn how these qualities could be developed in ourselves. We felt intuitively that these teachers were living examples of the truth, and it was a great source of joy and relief because we had yearned to meet such embodiments of truth. I think many of us knew that truth existed in our own religions of birth, but it wasn't until we met these living examples

that we were inspired to devote our lives to a spiritual path. To put it simply, we were overjoyed to meet and sit in the presence of such authentic teachers, whose devotion and confidence in their spiritual views was truly inspirational. It was obvious that for them there was little distinction between the spiritual and the material world. This inspiration came from the blessing of the living tradition of lineage. I know for certain that the teachers that I met were not concerned about my being western, female, how I dressed, ate, my private life, and so forth. If anything, they enjoyed having new western students and respected us for having come half way across the globe in order to pursue our aims. They liked our straightforwardness and sincerity. They were genuinely concerned with whether we were vessels that could contain the pure nectar of Dharma. In my own case, although my mind was filled with questions, as I continued to listen to the teachings, month after month, I noticed that most of my questions were answered before I had a chance to even ask them. I was also able to determine which aspects of the path of Buddhism were the most appealing to me. While living with the Tibetan people in India I also noticed that there were three ways of life which at first I thought were cultural but later realized had to do with the categories of discipline as taught in Buddhism. There were the two categories of the ordained sangha: those who become renunciates as monks and nuns; and those who wear the white clothing of the Ngakpas or tantric practitioners. The remaining category was that of the lay people who practice with strong faith and devotion in the Three Jewels, abstaining from the ten non-virtues, and keeping the vows of Refuge. From the beginning, I myself was interested to find out more about the Ngakpas that I met there in Dharamsala - because their lifestyle seemed so much more practical in terms of basic human nature than that of the renunciates. However since the teachers that I was studying with were all renunciates, it seemed natural that their sincere disciples would be inclined to choose the same course for their lives. I have to mention here that at no time was I ever influenced by my teacher to follow his choice of lifestyle and become a renunciate nun. I was so amazed when my kind first teacher allowed me to begin my tantric studies without having to go through all the scholastic training in philosophy and logic. Knowing that my main interest lay in the view and practices of Vajrayana, once he felt that my preliminary training was sufficient, he was extremely open and generous in the way that he introduced me to the profound path of mantra. At no time was I ever treated differently because I was a westerner or a woman, and in fact it seemed that if anything, I was actually being spoiled. During the years that I lived in Dharamsala studying Dharma and learning the Tibetan language, I came to know that we must learn and experience as much as we can about Dharma without feeling that it is necessary to try to emulate and incorporate the culture of the people that we learn Dharma from into our lifestyle. Since many of the excellent spiritual teachers who are Tibetan have no bias about westerners it seems that we westerners shouldn't have any bias about their being Tibetan. This has never been an issue in my own spiritual development. Since Dharma itself is one truth, the way it manifests externally through practitioners is variegated according to the needs and choices they make for their paths. All the more reason to keep the mind focused on the truth of Dharma and not on what practitioners of different backgrounds and cultures have chosen as their mould for maintaining the path. Now at a time that many of the great teachers of Tibet have either taken up residence in the west or make regular visits, it is apparent that the doctrine of Vajrayana is readily available to whoever qualifies to receive it regardless of their culture. The direction that the students decide to follow thereafter will depend upon the relationship that is cultivated between teacher, disciple, faith, aspiration, karma, and samaya. According to my own experience over the years, there has never been a time that I was denied a teaching or an opportunity to practice as long as I had met the prerequisites and had the fervent regard and diligence to carry out the practice. The prerequisites have nothing to do with gender or culture, and if it seems that they do then the person with that opinion should know that this is only reflecting their own misunderstanding - because this is not the case when it comes to the pure

teaching of Dharma. I could recount many more personal stories, which are testaments to the truth and non-partial purity of this path. In terms of the need for a teacher, the importance of this must be obvious by now. Still some westerners are not interested in following in the footsteps of sublime beings because of thinking that their lives are not relevant to our own. Even though we may wish to increase wisdom qualities, it is so difficult to make a connection between the object which is the nectar of Dharma teachings and our mind as the subject. The main reason is due to having aversion towards tradition, which is caused by the habit of freedom. This is like wanting to cross to the other shore of the river but not wanting to rely upon the boat that takes you across. The other reason it is difficult to make a true connection with a teacher and tradition is if we try to make our own tradition important because we want to be more special than others are. Then we are just building ego and ordinary power. For some, their respect for tradition becomes exaggerated - which turns tradition into something worldly and ordinary. In both these ways, we are creating ordinary, unreliable energy instead of sublime, uplifting, continuous wisdom energy. In the west there are many spiritual paths and religions that are available for people to choose from. It is important for westerners to realize that if they are choosing the path of Buddhism, they are choosing to connect with a living tradition of teachings upheld by authentic lineage holders who represent the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. These teachers are like a chain of golden links, and must be untarnished by external circumstances such as broken commitments and incorrect view. Knowing that the path is illuminated through the connection you make with a pure wisdom teacher is the first step to take when entering the path of Vajrayana Buddhism. The next step involves knowing how to find the best teacher. In particular here I am speaking about the teacher-disciple relationship in Vajrayana. Since the only way to enter the path of Vajrayana is through receiving empowerment, then of course it is necessary to meet and develop faith in a fully-qualified Vajra Master. From the time that the formal relationship begins it is of utmost importance that it be carefully maintained through faith, respect and devotion until enlightenment is realized. That is why we must take time and care in choosing our Vajrayana teacher or teachers so that we are certain that our teacher is the embodiment of all objects of refuge and can lead us to enlightenment. Then by expressing faith and devotion towards the teacher that represents the state of enlightenment, all of our faults will begin to be purified, and all inherent wisdom qualities will naturally begin to blossom. This is the reason for the relationship. Once such a relationship has developed, it is important to constantly work on sustaining the view of purity and equality - rather than continuing to substantialize ordinary appearances. This prevents us from resting in the view. The requirement of seeing the teacher as the Buddha is to remind us of the pure nature of phenomena and all living beings. A fullyqualified spiritual guide must be a true representative of the Buddha so that the disciple can begin to cultivate faith towards the qualities that the teacher embodies and represents. This is a big responsibility. Therefore, on the Buddhist path, becoming a fully-qualified authentic spiritual teacher is not something to be taken lightly - nor should a teacher ever consider accepting disciples on a casual basis. It states in the Sutra of the Wisdom Mind, "More than the one thousand Buddha's of this kalpa know that the spiritual teacher is sacred. Therefore all the Buddhas of this kalpa themselves relied upon spiritual teachers. Before, at the time when there were no spiritual teachers, there wasn't even the name of the Buddha." The initial stage of examining the teacher is a step that is easily ignored. Many westerners wonder what is appropriate and what is not. Initially, before the formal relationship begins, almost anything is appropriate. A simple way to begin the examination is to check and see in the case of an Asian teacher if he or she has disciples in his or her own country - and what type of spiritual deeds they have accomplished there. Just reading about the person's credentials, like reviewing a resume, is not necessarily a reliable or accurate source. If the teacher is a westerner

the process is the same. Don't simply consider that they are qualified due to the numbers of years spent in retreat, years spent as Buddhists, or amount of teaching received. I think we all know now that these numbers are irrelevant to whether the real inner work has taken place or not. In the teachings, there are innumerable guidelines given to help determine the true qualities of a spiritual guide. It is extremely helpful to follow the advice given in such teachings - in order to recognize which qualities allow a spiritual teacher to stand out as sublime among others. Maitreya Buddha taught, "A bodhisattva with vast learning, who has seen the truth of the path of seeing, who is skilled in the art of teaching, who has great loving kindness, and who is never tired or discouraged concerning the needs of others should be recognized as the indication of a bodhisattva." A good teacher should be loyal to his or her teachers and always hold them in a position of respect. I remember when I first received teachings on this subject, and my teacher reminded us that even the teacher who first taught us the alphabet should be honored and respected. This really made an impression on my mind, which remains to the present day. The practice of respecting our teachers is a sign of basic decency - as well as a way of accumulating great merit. This continues the cycle of bringing benefit to others and upholding the basic goodness of humanity. Doesn't it also seem logical that a teacher would show unflagging respect for his or her teachers and tradition without compromise? Please keep in mind that the path of Buddhism is based on tradition, faith, wisdom, and compassion. Now that the importance of the student-teacher relationship has been established, it is important to look at some of the most common misconceptions and fears that exist concerning this relationship. Many western disciples are afraid that if they give up their attachment to tangible phenomena, they will be cheated or mislead by a spiritual teacher. This attitude defeats the purpose of relying upon a spiritual teacher. If we always believe only in the truth of our own deluded perceptions and fail to believe in that which we cannot see, then we will never believe in vast wisdom qualities - because we will remain trapped in our own disbelief. This defeats the reason for entering the path of Buddhism in general, and in particular the path of Vajrayana Buddhism. Due to this fear, students will try to impose guidelines upon their teachers in order to protect themselves and others. Several points need to be taken into consideration here. Wanting to impose guidelines upon spiritual teachers is an attitude that comes from the habit of our western culture. Over countless generations, the tradition of Buddhism has always been that of lineages of teachers guiding students, not students guiding teachers. For countless generations, the non-spiritual tradition has also been that of teachers guiding students because students lack the capacity to guide their teachers. Sure this is hard for westerners to understand because this is a level of commitment in practice to which we are unaccustomed. Don't forget that we are discussing the teacher who has been regarded as a Vajra Master. Isn't the reason that we enter the path of Vajrayana that we are asking for help - so as to be lead to the state of liberation from suffering? If we decide to choose this path, it isn't because we don't want to experience something new or make any changes. In the Vajrayana tradition, until the nature of great equality - the state of fully enlightened Buddhahood - is realized in dependence upon a teacher, there are negativities to be cleansed and spiritual accomplishments to be realized. It is as Tilopa said to Naropa, "Child, since all phenomena are based on interdependency, until the meaning of unborn truth is realized, never be separate from the wheels of the two accumulations Naropa." The truth of the matter is that if we only expect to encounter that which is comfortable, familiar, and what we are accustomed to, reinforcing our own ordinary habits, then what is the point of requesting to be shown this path? In addition, this displays the arrogance of thinking that you know something about that which you do not. The worst of this is that some westerne teachers who do not really believe in Buddhism's traditional way are trying to make Buddhism adapt to their own ideals and habits, while continuing to use the name of Buddhism in order to teach and earn a living. Why is it even necessary to use Buddha's name if his teachings are being negated? How can we expect to

become Buddha without listening to, studying, and practicing the Buddhas teachings? Many of us who are concerned about this want to request those teachers to use their own terms to express their ideas, rather than misusing terms from Dharma. We would like to suggest that they use some indigenous way of stating their point like "awaken to your own innermost potential," rather than continuing to refer to the Buddha nature. Saying that we do not need to relate to Buddhism as a tradition, or to the lineage of teachers, but that we just need to awaken to our own Buddha nature is illogical.

"All students try to do this anyhow, but it is the vajra teacher and the vajra teacher alone, who prevents us from getting away with it."
Rather than thinking of temporary success and short-term gain we request teachers of Buddhism in the west to think about the future of the doctrine and the generations of follows to come. If they wish to quench the thirst of beings that are suffering and have water to offer them, then let it be known that water is being offered and make that a pure offering. But please don't offer water to temporarily quench the thirst of others while saying it is milk. If the milk-like nectar of pure Dharma is to be offered for their ultimate nourishment, then make sure that the pure milk is being offered. My point is that without recognizing the noble enlightened qualities of Lord Buddha and developing faith, devotion, and respect in him, how can someone claim to be a teacher of Buddhism at all? Someone who is holding the vows of refuge would never try to cancel the Buddha or the teachings of Buddha in order to teach about Dharma - or to introduce aspects of the Vajrayana vehicle. It is best not to follow the example of Buddha Shakyamuni's disciple, Excellent Star, who stayed in the Buddha's presence for twelve years, after which he felt that his own knowledge was superior to that of the Buddha. Jealous of the Buddha he eventually told the Buddha that except for the aura of light surrounding the Buddha there was not a hair's worth of difference concerning their qualities. If our conceptualized object of faith is perceived from a confused or deluded point of view, and if from materializing wisdom spiritual qualities we decide that the validity of the object has decreased, then faith will decrease right along with it. This is why one must know how to always combine awareness of the relative view of the spiritual teacher with the absolute view. All spiritual teachers only exist in order to introduce disciples to the ultimate spiritual teacher, which is the mind of non-dual wisdom awareness. Through Vajrayana practice and the pure teacher-student relationship, all habits of the past, present, and any and all cultures of lifetimes as westerners or easterners, are naturally purified into non-dual empty awareness. Without really practicing in this way, many students will then become so discouraged that they will find faults in their supremely kind spiritual teachers as well as the sacred Dharma. Finally, they will abandon their teacher and Dharma in order to follow their own ordinary habits. In the Vajrayana, especially Dzogchen, it has been said repeatedly by all the great masters that there is no path and no realization without devotion; and that the guru disciple relationship is the essence of this method. Devotion to the guru is the way in which we can recognize the inseparability of the ultimate and relative truths, by seeing it and living it with our teacher. We cannot discover this by reading, thinking, hoping and sitting around pretending its true. In theory, it is possible that we may not need any kind of teacher, instruction, or to be a student to intellectualize the implications of the buddha nature being the natural state of every sentient being. However, as a matter of ordinary fact, it does not seem to have worked out that way. In this human realm, teachers, teaching, and students seem to be what has to come together in order to realize complete awakening. While some may wish to be free of gurus and teachers, and base this view on such Buddhist insights as the all-pervasive nature of the awakened state, the result is a kind of individualistic hybrid which is rooted principally in the desire for individual and personal

experience, while using Buddhist concepts for that purpose. Based on that, the teachings such as inescapable suffering, impermanence, two fold selflessness, the reality of karma, and universal compassion must then be presented in some way that individuals can use them for their own advantage. All students try to do this anyhow, but it is the vajra teacher and the vajra teacher alone, who prevents us from getting away with it. It is as Ju Mipham Rinpoche states, "Even though the sublime ones may become the objects of aggression, their noble qualities can never be stopped. Such disparagement will only exhaust your own qualities in the same way that pointing a burning torch downward will burn your own arm." I would like to conclude by saying that it seems odd that now some twenty five to thirty years later that some of the original western Buddhists are busy trying to simplify and adapt this most profound path to meet the needs of the cultural habits for which they themselves at one time had such a disdain. Perhaps we should all go back and read Cutting through Spiritual Materialism again. If people go away from one of these seminars on Buddhism in the west thinking that Buddha is who you are right now, that Buddhism is not necessary in our culture, that Buddhism is just another form of patriarchal hierarchy, that Buddhism emphasizes happiness in this life alone, that there is a gender gap in Buddhism, and so forth, then they have temporarily lost their chance to connect with the actual Buddhist path that leads to liberation. Those of us who have devoted our lives to studying, practicing, translating, and supporting the teaching of Buddhism which we now find ourselves having to call "traditional Buddhism" can no longer pretend to ignore this with the hope that things will change one day and that the truth will eventually prevail. We know that the truth will prevail, but in the meantime it has become too painful to have to witness the way that this inconceivably profound path is being depreciated and corrupted. In order for the truth to be known, we have to speak out from the standpoint of kindness and concern. We feel that the movement to Americanize Buddhism has become misdirected. It seems that the American Guru-free "Buddhism" is just another American selfimprovement scam, which is incapable of overcoming root ego-fixation in its cobbled together contradictory philosophy. Thus it is incapable of seeing the reality which exists far beyond such limits. Examples of this include images of Buddha being printed on the cover of Tricycle magazine and elsewhere depicted with several arms holding ordinary objects such as a telephone, can opener, scissors, hammer, and so forth. Is this how we want Buddhism to be adjusted? As I said before, the main concern here is the use of Buddha's name and his teaching to reduce the precious teachings and mislead others. With Asia becoming more and more materially oriented, many Asian Buddhists are also compromising their paths. When I mention Buddhist teachers teaching in the west it is not just reference to westerners. Asians are also involved, for they too are Buddhist teachers teaching in the west. One day the time may come when Buddhism in the west will be the source through which the pure traditions are brought back to the east. It may be that easterners will come to the west to receive lineage transmissions to take back to Asia. In fact this has already begun. Many Tibetans are already reading English translations of texts in order to learn certain subjects of Dharma. Over the years, many Tibetan Lamas and Rinpoches have commented to me that they understood certain teachings for the first time when they were taught and translated into English. All the more reason why we must be responsible here in the west for sustaining and upholding pure Buddhism. The distinction of east and west is only based on the concept of time and direction, which in reality has no true existence. To say we must find the Buddha within without respecting the Buddha without is not appropriate. If Buddha and teachers are not acknowledged then the Buddha nature within cannot be realized in a proper way. That is like someone telling a poor man that he doesn't need to work because he will be able to find a precious treasure underground. That won't really benefit the poor man unless he receives the instructions on how to acquire the treasure. In terms of fully manifesting the Buddha nature, this can only occur through the skill and wisdom of the Buddha's teaching. Believing in an external object of Refuge can only be

positive. For example, some Christians may think that God is watching them, so that stops them from doing bad things. This is a good thing. Likewise many Buddhists may think that the Buddha's or their root teachers are aware of them always so this helps them to maintain awareness and mindfulness on the path. This can only be positive. Thinking that you already have the Buddha nature within so that you don't need an external teacher is dangerous. If you think that you only have Buddha within, then there is no incentive to practice. The precious ancient nectar of Dharma can be contained in new bottles as long as the new bottles are not overturned - free from holes and free from internal stains and impurities. However, it may be that bottles alone may not be capable of holding the ancient nectar of Dharma. It states in the scriptures of the Great Perfection that the milk of the snow lion (teachings of Vajrayana - great perfection) can only be contained in a precious golden vessel. If poured into any other vessel, the bottle will break, and the milk will spill out. For these many reasons, it is important for Buddhist teachers in the west not to cancel the pure tradition from which they themselves acquired their knowledge and credentials. They should clearly state what the source of their teaching is and not misrepresent the Buddha's teachings or pretend that the knowledge originated with them. They shouldn't be like some capitalizing merchants who manufacture inexpensive goods and use the labels of the biggest companies in order to sell their own cheaper goods. Students too must be careful to avoid failing to analyzing the difference between right and wrong and just letting things remain as they are. That may mean resting in an indifferent stupor which brings no benefit to anyone. We hope that more Americans can clearly see that this way of mixing teachings to make them more appealing will never harm the Buddha or Dharma - but that it will confuse many people and potentially prevent many from achieving liberation for lifetimes to come. The adaptation of Dharma to circumstances exists historically in Buddhism, but is in order to meet the needs of the field to be tamed. Bodhisattvas manifest in this and all worlds in order to accomplish those needs, and that is exactly why all one thousand Buddhas of this age have, will, and did manifest. As it is said, "Until the miserable wailing of the suffering of all beings ceases, the illness of the Bodhisattva is never cured." The bodhisattva's skillful means lies in not misusing or misjudging based on ignorance or impure motivations. The bodhisattva intention is based upon the Four Immeasureables of love, compassion, joy and equanimity. Therefore the skilful means of a Bodhisattva does not try to adapt Dharma to ordinary passions, political ideals, self-gratification, and other forms of selfidentification. The teachings of the Buddha are always based on the inseparability of the two truths. The nature of absolute truth is unchanging while the nature of relative truth changes according to circumstances. Perhaps those teachers think that due to the different temporary circumstances in the west, the Buddha would choose to change his teaching about the nature of relative truth. I think I even heard one of the so-called authorities on Buddhism in the west mention that if Buddha were alive today he would teach differently. This assumption rapidly loses ground if you just consider for a moment the content of the Buddha's teachings based on relative truth. The time has come for people who are interested in Buddhism to really begin to learn the true path of Buddha's teaching. How could these sky-like teachings have possibly endured to the present time, bringing countless beings to liberation if they were meant to be limited to one place and one short moment in time? Some who advocate americanized buddhism want to reduce the Buddha, Dharma, and sangha to a level of awareness that doesn't even reach the first path of accumulation. It is quite sad that they themselves have not reached the first path in their own practice and are attempting to disguise that failure by redefining the Buddha's teaching. Because they seem to have no awareness of this shortcoming, this must be another reason why they can, with what seems to be a clear conscience continue to propagate these misrepresentations. Sometimes it seems as though we are in an age when ants, not content to be well fed are instead commenting on the defects of the great and noble elephants - upon whose corpses they then

busily feed. We are not afraid that this is harming the Buddha, Dharma, and sangha. That is impossible. We are concerned that this is harming the minds of sentient beings, wasting a lot of time, and temporarily preventing many innocent seekers from knowing one of the true great paths leading to liberation. Still, if beings posses karma and have pure aspirations, then one day, regardless of these temporary obstacles, they will meet with Dharma and enter the path. I know these words are strong, but my intentions are perfectly pure. Still, if I have offended anyone then please forgive me. This reminds me of the Tibetan proverb; "Medicine that treats jaundice is not necessarily sweet. Likewise caring words are not always pleasant." May the Buddha always come to this world. May the Doctrine be radiant like the sun. May the upholders of the Doctrine and their disciples flourish. May there be the auspiciousness of the Doctrine remaining in this world forever. Sangye Khandro

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