The lama’s teachings

Word is out; the lama has received the scholar’s letter and is deciding to come to visit our village. This time is very busy as everyone is preparing the monastery, food and goods. As a ritualist I have been practicing mantras and read up on the scriptures and cleaning the monastery. I am helping out in any way that is needed. I have donated all of my fortunes and gold, as I know that the lama’s visit will be all worth it. I am very much looking forward to learning the lama’s teachings and understanding the dharma.

The lama has arrived and everyone is touched by his love and compassion. He begins his teachings by touching upon the death of some of the villagers from the hailstorm and Naga illness. He says that there are three categories that divide humans, small, intermediate and great capacity. A person who is of small capacity is one who seeks happiness within the cycle of birth and death. While a person with intermediate capacity is one who seeks to be liberated from mundane existence completely and understands the transitory nature of pleasures. Moreover, one who is of great capacity is a bodhisattva who seeks to be liberated from birth and death. One with great capacity is one who strives to eliminate suffering of all beings but recognizes that he/she needs to eliminate the suffering of his or her self first. Such that compassion is a very important component of the bodhisattva such that he or she recognizes that another beings suffering is no different than his or her own suffering. It is said that one with great capacity is to perform virtuous deeds and must overcome attachments of possible pleasures of the future. The lama continues and says that being reborn as a human can be classified as “leisure and opportunity” such that a human life is precious and meaningful. What he categorizes as non-leisure are beings born as an animal, hungry ghost, hell being or birth as a god of long life, born as a barbarian in an uncivilized area or not having all one’s faculties or having wrong view or being born where the word of the Buddha is unheard of. Moreover, opportunities are in the appearance of a Buddha, which will converse the conditions of non-leisure. The lama then said that the rebirth of a human is so rare that we shouldn’t waste it on chasing after pleasures that are only temporary. In this lifetime we have access to the Buddhist teachings and we should take full advantage of the dharma. He continues and says that we must be mindful of our death. Such that one who is not mindful of death usually have the thinking that “ I will not die yet”. One who has this thought will not take advantage of leisure and opportunity and cause sorrowful rebirths. He later talks about the fear in the mindfulness of death. Usually this fear happens when death occurs, this fear can be the dying person’s attachment to possessions or people. Because this person was not mindful of death he or she will have regrets in their life and realized that he or she has not made use of this life. The Lama states that if we wish to not regret anything when our death comes then we must give up attachment to one’s body, relatives and possessions.

The lama continues, what determines our future is how we respond to the events of our lives that create future karma. He said we should perform virtuous deeds and avoid non-virtue. He lists the 10 non-virtuous deeds: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and senseless speech covetousness, harmful intent and wrong view. The lama says that the prime importance is intention such that each deed has different weight depending on the deed and the strength of its motivation for doing an act.

The lama’s teachings resonated within me and things became clearer. All this talking about the importance of being mindful of death really made sense. The mindfulness of death is also a reminder to be mindful in our daily lives and not to waste it on chasing after happiness that did not last. This is wrong view, which is viewing the impermanent as permanent. When we understand our purpose in this world then we become bodhisattva or one with great capacity. We can work towards reducing suffering of all beings but it is important that we understanding that we must first work on our own suffering. I am very grateful for the lama’s teachings.