Chenrezig: The Practice of Compassion

Notes: This e-book is intended for educational purpose only & for those who can't afford to buy it. If you like this book, you should buy it (if you can) and support the Buddha-Dharma. Table of contents is clickable & text in the book is searchable.

A Commentary by

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

� � � ·T Rtgul Trus PU Ill. I C.\ I I O'S

•

RlguiTrusT

13, St. Franci; A\'enue, Southampton, S018 5QL, England

PlJRLICAT!O:>iS

\\"\\"\\. rigultru>t.org

[email protected]

Published by Rigul Trust Publications Text ©2011 Ringu Tulku Ringu Tulku as>em the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. Please do not reproduce an� pan of thi; booklet" ithout permission from the publisher.

This Chenret.ig commemary originated a' an oral teaching gi\e ' n by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche in Halscheid, Germany. in Nm·ember 1998.

Transcribed and edited b� Corinnc Segns with further editing by Caitlin Collins. Chcnrvig painting and dra\1 ing b) R. D. Salga. Type;ening and de;ign b) Paul O'Connor atjudo Design, Ireland . Photographs of Rigul, Kham. Tibet b) Francois Henr·ard.

T he root text used here \la> originally translated by Tyler Dewar of the Nitartha Translation Network, under the guidance

of

D10gchen Ponlop Rinpochc, with reference to a pre\·iou; translation by the Nalanda

Translation Commillcc. Originally publi,llCd in 'Training; in Compassion: Manuals on the Meditation of A\·alokite,h\ara' (ltham: Snow Lion Publication.!, 200-1) It ha; been re-printed here \\ith the generous perrni,ion of Sno\1 Lion Publicatiom.

Fir>t Edition. Februar) 2011 Primed and bound in the

lJK

ISBN 97 8-0-9568133-0-:i

b) the MPG Books Group, Bodmin and King's Lynn.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION THE COMMENTARY Refuge

,.;

7

8

Bodhichitta

14

Visualisation of Chenrezig

17

Praise

26

The Seven Branch Prayer

27

Prayer for Liberating Beings from the Si� Realms

33

Self-Visualisation as Chenrezig

39

Mantra Recitation

43

Pure appearances

54

The Dissolution

61

Contents

Re-emergence and Dedication

62

Additional Prayers and Phowa

64

Conclusion: The Devotional Approach

67

DI SCUSSION

73

Dedication

101

AL L-PERVADING BENEFIT OF BEINGS

103

The Meditation and Recitation of the Great Compassionate One

GLOSSARY

139

ACKNOWLEDGEM ENT S

144

COM MEMORATING RINGU TULKU RINPOCHE'S HOMELAND IN TIBET

147

Conlenls

n1

I 1\' 'L. ]{ ( ) 0 c c 'l' I ( ) �

T

he Chenrezig sadhana that I will explain to you is a very simple practice. It's the shortest and most popular text of the sadhana that was composed

by Thangtong Gyalpo. Thangcong Gyalpo ( 1385-1464) was a well known and very great master in Tibet. It's difficult to categorise him into any particular lineage or tradition but, although he stood alone, he is a totally uncontrover­ sial figure. Absolutely everybody from all the different schools acknowledges his greatness. Some people say that he lived at least 150 years, others that he lived more than 500 years. He was active in various fields, like social work for instance. He built many iron bridges, I think thirteen or fourteen, in Tibet and Bhutan, some of which are still used. They were big iron bridges, made with thick iron chains, twisted together into bigger chains, twisted again into bigger chains and then assembled into bridges. He is also the founder ofthe Tibetan Opera. He wouldn't stay in one place but travelled all over Tibet. Many monasteries are also supposed to have been founded by him, among them the great Dergay Monastery, with its famous press, the biggest Tibetan xylograph press (he started the monastery, not lnlnufuction

the p ress) . He was a very great being and this particular sadhana, altho ugh quite short and simple, i s therefo re regarded as particularly powe rful and charged wi th great blessings. Chenrezig - o r Avaloki te shvara in S anskrit - i s the n am e o f the b o d h i s at tva who i s rega rded as the L o rd o f Compassion or the e m b o d i m e n t of compassi o n . T h e b o d h i s attva o f compassion c a n be considered i n t w o ways. F r o m a h i s t o r i c al o r mundane p o i n t of view we can say that Avalokiteshvara was a p e r s o n l i ke u s , living a v e r y long t i m e ago , w h o felt i n fi n i te compass i o n towards a l l s e n t i e n t bei ngs and who was so tremendo usly co urageous t h a t h e c o m m i tted h i m self to postpone h i s own enlightenment until he had bro ught all o t h e r bei ngs to that state o f perfe c t l i b e ratio n . H e i s the greate s t example o f complete co urage and unselfish co mpa s s i o n . Another app roach i s to s e e him not as a h u m an b e i n g , but as c o mpass i o n e m b o d i e d in the fo rm of a d e i ty. Avaloki teshvara i s a sym boli c fi g u r e rep resenting the compassion o f a l l sentient beings, o f a l l the Buddhas and b o d h i sattvas. Not only does t h i s fo rm rep resent compas s io n , i t co mpletely e m b o d i e s i t . Chenrezig practice i s done in order t o develop o u r own compassion. Fro m the B uddh ist point of view, we can try to generate compassion through changing o r re-thinking our attitude and wo rking on our way of perceiving things. Then there's another way, wh i ch is the one I will m ainly expl ain here, and that is through feeling ; i t 's an experiential, emotional approach. I think i t 's impo rtant to understand, that , in o rder to be able to feel compassion and have kin d , positive feelings towards others, we first need to know what such feelings are - this requires that we should have experienced receiving them ourselves.

2

Introduction

That's precisely one of the main things we wo rk on through the 'deity yoga' which is the core of a sadhan a. Fo r i n stan ce, in this p ractice, we i magine the p resence of Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compass i o n , on top o f our head o r i n front of us. Whatever we think or say, we have a certain experi ence linked to the concepts involved ; we naturally p roj ect someth i ng. For example, if you read the name o f a place and a description o f it, an image of i t fo rms i n yo ur m i n d . In the same way, when we th ink of the bodhisat tva Chen re z i g , when we s ay 'the Lord o f Compass i o n ', o u r concept n aturally creates the image of a compassionate being and n o t of someone who i s angry, arrogant o r unhappy. When we th ink about a 'Buddha', an e n l ightened being, i t evokes an i m age of complete perfection, of somebody without any fault o r confusion, who has done away with ignorance, who is to tally wise and co mpletely compassionate, who only wants to help and work fo r the we lfare of other bei ngs with no other intention, no selfish motivati o n . This i s what w e visualise o r th ink of in th is p ractice. We feel the p resence of Chenrezig, the most courageous bodhisattva who took the comm i tment not to become enl ightened himself until all sentient beings are comple tely liberated and enl ightened. His compass ion is of the strongest kind, the kind that inspires one to exchange one's own well being and happiness fo r the well-being and happiness of others, to always consider others' interests before o n e 's own . So we th ink of Chenrezig, who embodies that kind of compassion, who has the will , the wisdom and the capacity to help. It m ay help fo r example to th ink of a person in yo ur life, a true friend, somebody who loves you unconditionally, who always tries to help you without expecting anything in return, and who has

lntmrluction

3

the wisdom and the skill to do this in the best possible way. We try to imagine somebody of that nature, who is the very embodiment of compass ion. We see Chenrezig as the very essence of the compassion of all the enl ightened beings, radiating loving kindness and wisdom . ' Visual ising' doesn't mean trying t o look a t something o r t o s e e it a s if you were looking at a picture. Of course, i f you can visualise as clearly as if you were looking at a pic ture, that's very good, however visual ising i s not as if yo u were sitting there j ust passively watching a movie. It's m o re important to get involved in the process, to feel that Chenrezig is actually there, is really p resent in whatever fo rm you wan t t o visualise h i m . I t doesn't really matter whether y o u visualise his fo rm in one way or ano ther, altho ugh it happens sometimes that a person has a certain connection with a specific fo rm of a particular bodh isattva o r Buddha. The fo rm o f Chenrezig doesn't really matter because, in a way, it's o ur own true loving kindness, the root of our basic capacity to love and be compassionate that we p roject and that is radiating towards us. We try to feel that we - and all the other beings in the whole un iverse - receive this loving kindness. We're all basking in the l ight and warmth of the loving kindness radiating from th is being who is the embodiment of all the enl ightened beings. Without conceptualising th is too much , we try to physically feel the radiance o f loving kindness and the well-being of receiving it. We feel that our inner heart is being penetrated by this radiance and that we are really opening up to it. We feel that we, and all the other beings, are always in the p resence and under the protection of this enlightened being who is continuously rad iating his help and uncondi tional loving kindness towards us.

4

Introduction

Al tho ugh we don't need to concep tualise this too much, there are two aspects in the meditation I 've j ust described. One aspect is that we are gen erating and developing loving kindness in ourselves by receiving it, by feeling it, while the other is that we are letting our m in d relax, because we naturally relax when we feel loving kindness. S o i t 's simultaneously a meditation that makes our m ind calm and peaceful, and a p rocess o f generating loving kindness.

lntmductwn

.)

THE c ( ) Yl Yl

A

E � 'l'/\ RY

ny Buddhist practice starts with taking refuge and, if it is a Mahayana practice, refuge is accompanied by the development of bodhichitta. This is

what we find in the beginning of the sadhana: Sang gye chO dang tshok kyi chok nam la Chang chub bar du dak ni kyap su chi Dak gijin sok gyi pe so nam kyi Dro la phen chir sang gye drup par shok

It means, through all the positive deeds, like giving, etc, and all the positive results coming from that, may I attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. The first two lines are the refuge and the next two the development of bodhichitta. I don't think it is necessary for me to explain in detail the meaning of refuge and bodhichitta this time but, as it's a very important subject, I'll say a few words about it.

11tt! Commmlary

Refuge Refuge is not only the fo rmal ceremony that m arks somebody's entrance i n to Buddh ism ; nor is it just a p relim inary to Buddhist practice. Taki ng refuge enco mpasses the entire Buddhist practice : it sets our goal or purpose and defines the path to follow as well as the way to travel on it. It is therefore essential : we could say in a way that there's ac tually noth ing else in Buddhism but taking refuge. All the Buddhist teachings and practices are contained within it because everyth ing is included in the B uddha, the Dharma and the S angha. We can consider it from different angles, talk about i t at different levels, place the emphasis on d i fferent aspects, but the main point remains the fundamental desire of every being - not only human beings but actually every sentient being to be happy, to have what is pleasurable, and to be free from suffering, problems and pain. All bei ngs wish for everlasting happiness and that is where everyth ing starts. All of us are busy running around, worried and anxious, because of th is basic desire fo r happiness. But however much we pursue happiness still we are not happy, because we don't really understand how to find the happ iness we seek. And when we look a little deeper into our predicament, we m ay wo nder whe ther it is possible to realise th is fundamen tal aspiration. How can we achieve i t ? Our usual way is to look fo r certain th ings, certain situations that we bel ieve will make us happy. We try different ways and means to get such th ings and situations only to find out afterwards that they are not real sources of happiness. Indeed, they are impermanent, and c an even themselves become the cause of further problems. They are not lasting solutions to our problems ; they are not real sources of happiness. 8

The Commentary

If we then reconsider the situation and try to find out what is really m aking us happy or unhappy, we are led b ack to our own mind. Happiness and unhappiness do not come fro m the th ings and si tuations we create but from the way our mind reac ts , the way our mind functions. When I use the word 'mind' here, I do not only mean the thinking mind, but also perceptions, emotions, feelings, sensations - the whole o f our experience. Ifwe could find a way to work o n the mind and change our usual way of reacting, m ight it be poss ible to find a state of mind that doesn't bring us pain, suffering and problems ? This would mean working less on the things and situations that we experience, and more on the 'experiencer', of these th ings. From the Buddh ist point of view, to be able to change one 's way of experiencing in a particular con text and situation is the main obj e c tive. Therefo re the main Buddh ist practice comes down to working on our m i n d - that is on our own experience. How things appear for me depends on the way I experience them . Two people placed in the same s ituation may experience it and therefore react to it in two very different ways. The way we experience something is the most important factor because that is where all our happiness and unhappiness come from. In a given situation , I may react in such a way that everyth ing is fine and no problem for me, or I m ay also react differently and feel very unhappy. It all depends on the way I react. This is why, in the Buddhist app roach, we are essentially working on the way we react. In order to do th is, we have to talk about our emotions and perceptions. If we can transform all our negative emotions and impure perceptions, nothing else is needed because we will then be comple tely happy and peaceful. That is Buddhahood. Buddha, o r Buddhahood, is nothing but a state in wh ich the mind

Till' Commentary

9

constan tly remains positive and never reac ts with negative emotions, never gets overpowered by them. That state of mind is completely free from problems, which is why i t is called enlightenment or Buddhahood. This can only come abo ut when one has a real and deep un derstanding, a deep real i sation, of how to wo rk with the mind. It means that one can see oneself very clearly, without illusions, delusions, obstacles, hindrances or confusion of any kind. Wi th that understanding and experience, one can tran sform emotions. That i s sometimes regarded a s t h e highest form of Dharma. It is also sometimes called the Buddha, because th is absolute, perfect Dharma is nothing but the absolute, perfect state of Buddhahood. The real isation of Dharma is the Buddh a ; so it doesn't really make much difference whether you call it Buddha o r Dharma. The Dharma comprises all the various ways, paths, means, methods and techniques used in order to realise the state o f B uddha. The people who tread these paths, who practise the Dharma in a genuine way, are th e Sangha. However, the ultimate or highest form ofSangha is also the Buddha. It is therefo re sometimes said that the true absolute refuge is only the Buddha and that the two other aspects of Dharma and Sangha are included in the Buddha. Although in the beginning the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are presented as three separate refuges, they really refer to this true realisation, this complete transformation of our usual way of reacting, which, as long as it is confused, unclear and based on a misunderstanding, is the source of our sufferings, problems and unhappiness. Our usual , mistaken way of reac ting is called samsara. As long as we reac t in th is way, we can never be completely happy because, at the most basic level, o ur reactions are wrong: they are not in accord with real ity.

I0

The Commentary

We could identify the pattern as follows. We want something ; then we make great e fforts to try to get it. That very struggle to get happ iness brings worries and anxiety. You see, this way of go ing about it is wrong right from the beginning. le's as if we come to sit near a fi re in o rder to get cool. The cooler we want to be, the closer to the fi re we sit ! It isn't going to work, and this is more o r less what we're doing all the time. It rem inds me of the story of a Tibetan man who went on p ilgrimage to Bo dhgaya and came b ack complain ing that India was so terribly hoc chat even when he heaped nine blankets around his body, the heat still wouldn't go away. In Tibet, heat is not a p roblem : the o nly p roblem i s cold. If the cold is very intense, you cover yourself with more blankets and, usually, under nine blankets, you no longer feel the cold. S o he th ought he could fend off the heat in the same way as he'd p rotected h imself from the cold. We need to change our habitual way of reacting through the p ractice. However, we should be careful not to p ractise the Dharma in the way we usually do everything else , otherwise there will be no difference ! If we practise Dharma in order to get things, we'll j ust become more sam s aric, because we're practising even the Dharma in a samsaric way. What matters is not so much what we do, but how we do it. That's why medi tation is so impo rtant. Through medi tation, we cry to make our mind calmer, more relaxed, more spacious, more peaceful, to release the anxiety, the worries, the struggle. If our medi tation is tight and nervous, full of anxieties, and if we 'struggle ' t o medi tate, w e w i l l never achieve anything. We n e e d to learn h o w to work on our mind : that's the Dharma p rac tice.

T h£ Commmtary

I I

It's all very well to say that we have to p ractise Dharma - but the question is­ How ? We try to visualise and to medi tate, but what does meditation really mean ? If we don't clarify this question, we'll fall into the trap of a mis taken, samsaric practice. We may call it Dharma but it's ac tually no different from samsara - wh ich is why Gampopa repeated this warn ing again and again : "If you don't p rac tise Dharma as Dharma, the Dharma will lead you to the lower realms ! " So to practise Dharma means to wo rk on our mind, on the way we react. ' Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha is the first th ing we do in our practice. By taking refuge we set our goal, our intention. Without an obj ective , we 're lost, confused, we don't know what to do o r what is importan t a n d what is not. A lack of purpose in life is a big p roblem that places us in a very difficult position. First we get bored and then , after some time, we feel confused and useless, we are incapable of doing anyth ing useful. Then, because we don't have a purpose, we feel worthless and fall into depressio n . I t h i n k i t 's very impo rtant to fi n d a p u r p o s e . I s i n c e rely bel ieve t h a t o n e c a n n e v e r b e c o m e depressed if o n e has a really go o d o bj e c tive i n l i fe .

When

p e ople h ave a sense of purpose, they m ay go through i n c re d i b le suffering and hardship without psychological probl e m s , wh ile those who lead an aim less l i fe are m o re likely to have such proble m s . Taking refuge m e an s asserting a great and benefi c i al p u rpose. First, we take refuge in the Buddha. Of course, to understand the Buddha is not easy ; it encompasses the whole practice and experience of Buddh i s m . Howeve r, w e should a t least have t h i s concept that Buddha is t h e complete re al isation, the complete eradication of all confusion and ignorance, a state of

I2

ThR

Commentmy

being that corresponds to the transfo rmation of all the n egative emotions. We should know that this i s the true state of our m ind. And that is what we want to realise, to actualise, what we ourselves wo uld like to be. We would like to de-condition o urselves fro m our confused state o f m ind and return to the true primordial state of our mind, wh ich i s the Buddha nature. That is our purpose. That is our obj ective. And we don't want it j ust fo r ourselves but fo r all other sentient beings as well. They all suffer and they all want to attai n everlasting peace and happiness, and i t is fo r them also that we wan t to become enl ightened. We wish to bring them all to that state o f enl ightenment. That comm itment i s go ing for refuge to the B uddha. It generally cons ists o f two aspects : the wish to do it and th e conviction that it is possible. It is n o t easy even to s imply understand i t , but that is the main thing. In o rder to achieve our goal, we take refuge in the Dharma. The Dharma enco mpasses all the different means, p rac tices and trainings that would lead us to that realisation o r actualisation . Taking refuge in the Dharma is the expression of our wish to train in tho se p ractices. F i n ally, taking refuge i n the S angha is our read i n ess to open ourselves to th o s e wh o have the understan d i n g and exp e r i e n c e o f the teach ings and m e t h o d s , i n order to learn these ways and m e a n s . We open o urselves to re ceive the p o s i tive influe n c e , the instructions and teach ings o f the Dharma so that we can wo rk o n o urselves . The whole of Buddh ism is incl uded in these three facets of the refuge. Having taken refuge, we know what we wan t and what we need to do, so we wo rk on that and create the right c i rcumstances that will enable us to do it. The refuge is

Tiz
n..� �·q_s� ·'M�'

I) Concealed treasures, of many different kinds including texts, ritual objects, relics and natural objects. 2) Transmission through concealed treasures, (Tib. gter ma Treasure')

which were hidden mainly by Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, to be discovered at the proper time by a tenon, a 'treasure discoverer', for the benefit offuture disciples.

'fl1rcc time' Past, present and future. 'J(mglen (Tib. gtong /en) Lit. 'taking and giving: A bodhichitta practice of taking others' sufferings and misdeeds upon oneself and giving them one's virtue and happiness.

·bog (Tib. tshogs) Feast offering, see below in the text for further explanations.

V.tjra (Tib. rdo rje I dorje) Weapon oflndira. Something which can destroy anything but can not be destroyed by anything. A symbol of indestructible, invincible, firm and ungraspable. The ultimate vajra is emptiness.

Vipashy.m.t

(Skt.) [Tib. Lhagthong] Insight meditation, which develops insight into the

nature of reality.

G ltmmy

H3

i\ C K :\ ( ) \V L E D C

E M E :'\ '.l · S

We wish ro thank all the people who have so kindly and patiently given their advice and help in bringing this book to fruition. celebrating the flourishing of the Dharma in Rigul, Kham, Tibet. The Venerable Ringu Tulku Rinpoche for his precious commentary on this sadhana of Chenrezig. For Rnpoche s blessing and tireless help with ove rseeing the stages ofrhis book. i

'

All the people ofHalscheid who organised the orignal oral reaching on the sadhana in i

1998.

Corinne Segers for transcribing and editing rhe original teaching and Cait Coliins who helped and who so kindly re-edited some of the text again in 2010. Tyler Dewar and Snow Lion Publications for giving permi ssion ro publish this Chenrezig sadhana. . Jude Tarranr for her unriring support and guidance on helping me ro see rhis book through ro completion. Annie Dibble for her valuable help and advice. Lama Tenam for fixing our Tibetan fonts!

14-1

Acknow/et�I!, M E L A N D I N TIBET

This is a commemo rative book to celeb rate the flourishing of the Dharma, th e monastery, the health clinic and the school in Rigul, Kham , Tibet, th e birthplace of Ringu Tulku Rinpoch e. Through many bleak years , the con tin uation of the p ractice of Buddhadharma in Rigul has been made especially possible by th e devotional and dedicated efforts of all the khenpos, the tulkus and th e lamas o f Rigul monastery. Ringu Tulku Rinpoche is the abbot of the monastery, having to ope rate from a position of exile and l ives in S ikkim , India. All the people of Rigul and the surrounding area have spent years experiencing extreme poverty and hard labour. From the depths of their being they have summoned up th e strength and th e co urage , the resolve and the determination , to maintain the sp irit and welfare of their commun i ty by helping each other in very trying times fo r the last fifty years. So m uch has been, and is being, achieved in very d ifficult and challenging circumstances. The monastery has been reconstructed and in August

2009

thousan ds of people came to Rigul monastery fo r teach ings and blessings to mark th e great occasion of the open ing of the shed ra. This big in auguration was presided ove r by Dulmo Choj e Rinpoche, as th e chief guest, with ove r eight hundred monks and nuns attending the opening ceremony including h igh Rinpoch es, khenpos and lamas.

1·18

Comml'momllllg Rmgu 1ulku Rmfmdu· :, l/omeland i n Tibet

In recent years a purpose built health clinic and school have been built, which serve the wider community. The monastery, the health clinic and the school have been supported, financially, in prayer, in kind and in deed, by students, friends and family ofRlingu Tulku from every walk oflife, from all over the world. All of this is fulfilling one ofRingu Tulku's dreams. A celebration of the wisdom and compassion that shines through Ringu Tulku Rinpoche's inspiration and initiative in developing the monastery, ofwhich he is the abbot, the health clinic and the school from afar in geographical terms but steadfastly held within his heart.

Margaret Richardson

Rigul Ti-ust

Commtmomtin,l/ Rin,s:u Tulku Rinfwchr's Homr:lnnd in Tibd

1-!9

Rigul Trust is a UK Charity whose main aim is to provide funds for the provision of basic health care, education and poverty relief amongst Tibetan refugee communities in India, and in particular for the people of some of the most remote areas of Tibet, such as Rigul. In Rigul, we currently fund Dr. Chuga, Ani Choden the nurse, Karma Tsisha the doctor's assistant, the running costs of the health clinic, the education of sixty children with two free, hot meals a day at school, five teachers and three cooks. To HND

OUT MORE, OR TO MAKE A DONATION, PLEASE VISIT:

www. r i g u l t r u s t . o rg

Rigul Trust, 13 St. Francis Avenue, Southampton, 5 0 1 8 SQL U.K. Tcl: +44 (0)23 8046 2926 Patron: Ringu ·lulku Rinpoche

·

UK Charity Rcgiscration No: 1 124076