DHARMADHATU

 

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Thoughts from the Yung Drung Bon Tradition

Lama's thought of the month

Beloved Human beings, don't try to change your religion out of expectations, misinterpretations and ignorance as if there is something wrong with your faith. But it is essential to change your mind which is obscured. Your conceptual mind (driven by anger, jealousy, pride, attachment and ignorance) must be transformed/changed to non-conceptual wisdom mind. That Mind is Divine or God! You should know that, from no beginning, you are Divine/God, God within! And you must know that there is only one GOD, like the sun with countless rays & light illuminating Universe, God too emanates in to countless teachers to illuminate sentient beings including humans mind. Don't let dogmatic religions divide human beings thus turning humans against humans. Have an open approach to explore other faiths in better understanding & enhancing your own faith. How wonderful and sublime it is to discover that Divine in yourself under the guidance of an Authentic Master who has already discovered it. Each and every human being is a potential Awakened One. It is very important that each one of us tries to live up to the teachings taught in our respective faiths rather than parroting it. When you don't try to live up to even a single religious act, how could you call yourself a religious person? If you are a true religious person, are you practicing any of these acts, such as tolerance, patience, non-judgment, genuine compassion and forgiveness? Are you practicing acts such as abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, telling lies, causing friction, using harsh words, idle gossip, evil thoughts, negative intentions and repudiation of enlightened teachings etc? If you have not, you had better start from today. It is hard - but always possible. Don't live withouth doing it up until the last moment of your life - which will be not clever at all! "Human Life is incomplete without taking spiritual path, no matter how famous, rich, successful or powerful you may be known as and called". Do not waste this potential Buddha life on distractions by chasing rainbows every day of life and then die without any preparation for the never dying consciousness! What happens to the consciousness when ones' mortal body dies? Come and learn about Bardo (The state of mind between death and re-birth) teaching and Phowa (The great Yoga for transference of consciousness to the state of Enlightenment)!!! Lama Khemsar

PRAYER OF INDISCRIMINATE LOVE:
May all the sentient beings that are encompassed by the SKY
be enriched with happiness and the cause of happiness!
May all the sentient beings be parted from suffering and the causes of suffering!
May all sentient beings never be separated from the happiness
of the Eternal state of consciousness!
May the minds of all sentient beings abide in the state
of equipoise, in which there exists neither happiness nor unhappiness!

Lama Khemsar

Yungdrungbon

Watch the BOS  Buddhist Media documentary

The Charter for Compassion

Have look at

The Charter for Compassion

The Talks in this Theme look at compassion, the best idea humanity's ever had. Leaders from many faiths, science writers and scholars examine the common theme of most world religions and moral codes: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

CHARTER FOR COMPASSION TRAILER from TED Prize on Vimeo.

Metta Loving kindness

Metta means loving-kindness. THE METTA SUTTA The Buddha's Teaching on Loving-kindness This is what should be done By one who is skilled in goodness, And who knows the path of peace: Let them be able and upright, Straightforward and gentle in speech. Humble and not conceited, Contented and easily satisfied. Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways. Peaceful and calm, and wise and skilful, Not proud and demanding in nature. Let them not do the slightest thing That the wise would later reprove. Wishing: In gladness and in safety, May all beings be at ease. Whatever living beings there may be; Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none, The great or the mighty, medium, short or small, The seen and the unseen, Those living near and far away, Those born and to-be-born, May all beings be at ease! Let none deceive another, Or despise any being in any state. Let none through anger or ill-will Wish harm upon another. Even as a mother protects with her life Her child, her only child, So with a boundless heart Should one cherish all living beings: Radiating kindness over the entire world Spreading upwards to the skies, And downwards to the depths; Outwards and unbounded, Freed from hatred and ill-will. Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down Free from drowsiness, One should sustain this recollection. This is said to be the sublime abiding. By not holding to fixed views, The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision, Being freed from all sense desires, Is not born again into this world.

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Nicholas Roerich

Teaching alternatives to evolution

Teaching alternatives to evolution: How to distinguish the Buddhist "Infinite Causes" and Christian "Intelligent Design" theories

ID vs. IC: what is the distinction?Simply put, Intelligent Design posits that the universe needs a cause, but that the cause is a creature who designs and plans like a limited human being (but with supernatural powers), and this creature appeared from nowhere (by accident?) and needs no cause or creator of its own (the “first cause” idea). Infinite Causes, on the other hand, is so named because of the belief that there are an infinite number of causes and conditions that made the world the way it is. There is no ‘first cause’ or ‘one cause’ because all things are intertwined in an endless web of causality with no beginning and no end. Both natural and supernatural forces may be involved.



Physics: Cosmology and the nature of the universe

Intelligent Design: There is only one universe, and since it was designed by Jehovah, a great and powerful god, the universe we are in must be the BEST UNIVERSE POSSIBLE for physical human life. A divinely Designed universe by definition cannot fall apart or decay for any reason. (This means that entropy, not evolution, is the real threat to the Creationist ideology. )

Infinite Causes: There are many universes, of many possible types. We happen to be in one. There may be both natural and supernatural causes that set the physical conditions of our universe the way they are and allowed life of our type to come into being. However, there is no need to believe that this is the best possible universe, since the Buddha does not design or build worlds. (In Buddhism the Savior is not the Creator.)

Evaluation: Although there is no way to travel between universes or prove they exist, we can prove that the universe we are in now is not the BEST UNIVERSE POSSIBLE for our form of life. Even creationists admit this, and all say the universe WAS ‘perfect’ and then fell apart due to the imperfections of beings within it (who were also Perfectly Designed).

Verdict:
Intelligent Design fails when faced with reality
Infinite Causes is consistent with the facts


Notes: Some have claimed that a Buddhist ‘cycle of life’ worldview is linked to the outdated theory that the universe we are in will shrink and collapse into a “big crunch” before the next universe is created. This is not true. Buddhist writings assume many universes exist at any moment, and Buddhist accounts of creation clearly describe how a new universe _gradually_ gains beings reborn from other universes. There are some Buddhist accounts that have disasters destroy the world (as the Bible claims) but others in which universes fade away. Buddhists also consider our own human lives a ‘cycle of life and death’ but do not mean that old people shrink back into babies before their children are born.





Physics: The ever-changing universe and our interaction with it

Intelligent Design: There is a divine plan, set “in stone” by the all-seeing, all-knowing god Jehovah. All that happens is according to the plan. No mere human could ever affect the divine plan, or cause something to occur that was not already predestined. When stuff happens to you, good or bad, you just have to accept your fate and praise your supernatural master either way. (The bad stuff is supposed to be a ‘message‘, except when it kills you, in which case it was probably a message to someone else).

Infinite Causes: An infinite web of causes and conditions affects the development of every instant in our lives and the world we live in. This includes our own actions. Karmic theory is based on the unseen bonds between living sentient beings, whereby every action we take has consequences. These consequences have an impact not only on all around us but also, through stress on the interconnections between us and everything else, reflect back on ourselves as well (either in this lifetime or in the future). However, this is not fate, because you can change your own karma, or by acts of compassion and mercy, alleviate the negative karma of those you help. In a Buddhist worldview, we help create our own reality. The discoveries of quantum physics do not trouble Buddhists the way they do members of ‘divine plan’ based faiths, because the transitory nature of each moment was well understood by the Buddha, as was the interconnected condition of our existence.

Evaluation: Quantum physics theory reveals a universe of constant change, where events are only probabilities until there is an interaction with an observer. This effect of an observing mind on the future of the universe is consistent with Buddhist concepts that we are all interconnected and our actions and even presence can affect everyone and everything around us. Creationist religionists on the other hand have to constantly debate how a pre-planned universe and all-knowing god could be compatible with free will or independent actions (after all, such a god would have created all of us with every thought and action predestined to the last molecule). They cannot use quantum physics as an out without denying the power of their god.

Verdict:
Intelligent Design fails when faced with reality
Infinite Causes is consistent with the facts






Astronomy/Geology: the age of the universe and our solar system

Intelligent Design: The Christian basis for Creationism demands a universe less than 6000 years old, based upon Biblical timelines. Jehovah’s genocidal Flood occurs about 1650 years after the Creation, supposedly using extra water that had been held above the atmosphere by a magical barrier.

Infinite Causes: The Buddhist view of the world allows changes that occur over eons measured in millions of years or even billions of years.

Evaluation: The great age of the universe (and our own planet) has been verified by completely different techniques in the fields of astronomy and geology. Even the diehard “young-Earth” Creationists fudge their numbers and say that the Earth is up to 20,000 years old (as if tripling the age of the world is not already deviating from the Bible). Even they recognize a problem with having to believe a mass murder of almost all life on Earth could occur AFTER the invention of writing, the building of cities and pyramids, and within the lifespan of the oldest living trees, without leaving behind any (real) evidence. Other Intelligent Design advocates bend even further, allowing for various “interpretations” of the timing in the Seven Days Creation myth to allow for a more realistic age for the world. [The reason for this flexibility is political, as ID leaders try to pander to the largest possible pool of donors.]

Verdict:
Intelligent Design fails when faced with reality
Infinite Causes is consistent with the facts






Biology: Extinction of species

Intelligent Design: Creationists predicted that all life forms that were created in their god’s plan could not go extinct (after all, the ark of Noah was meant to preserve species while humans drowned). When fossils of unknown prehistoric species were discovered, Christian naturalists assumed that these species would eventually be found alive in some jungle-darkened corner of the Earth.

Infinite Causes: The Buddhist view of the world is that nothing that arises is permanent; all things are temporary and transitory. Because there is no design or plan, there is no objection to the idea that the world’s ecosystems have changed so dramatically that whole species have died out.

Evaluation: The extinction of species (and entire orders and classes of life forms) is, of course, an unarguable fact.

Verdict:
Intelligent Design fails when faced with reality
Infinite Causes is consistent with the facts


Notes: Why bring up a debate that was settled so long ago? Because we cannot forget that the contest between establishment Creationism and its new rival for explaining the nature of the world, materialist theory, resulted in a string of failed predictions and refutations of the Creationist ‘theory’. If materialism is shown to have flaws, the logical step is clearly not to revive the corpse of an already-failed Christian worldview, but to turn to an unconsidered alternative, namely, the theory of Infinite Causes.





Biology: Evolution in the fossil record

Intelligent Design: Since all species were formed according to a divine plan, there is no reason for any change in morphology to occur for any life form. All needs and requirements for each organism would have been set at the beginning by the mighty Jehovah. The fossil record would not show any organism that combines features of recognized taxonomic groups because there were no instances of one group diversifying and having species change in a way that would cause them to be classified in another group.

Infinite Causes: The Buddhist view of the world is that nothing that arises is permanent; all things are temporary and transitory. Because there is no design or plan, there is no objection to the idea that biological forms are mutable. Because the world is harsh, it is probable that life forms that were once well-adapted could find themselves in a changing environment causing increased death and favoring individuals that, through accidental or non-accidental (karmic or other metaforce related) causes, were born with physical forms better suited for survival.

Evaluation: The evolution of life is, of course, the aspect of science that is causing the most vicious debate in theological and philosophical circles (since it deals with our direct ancestry, not obscure math like quantum theory or the theory of relativity). However, the fossil record clearly shows organisms existed that mix characteristics of fish and amphibians, amphibians and reptiles, reptiles and mammals, reptiles and birds, and so on, none of which would exist in a Creationist universe.

Verdict:
Intelligent Design fails when faced with reality
Infinite Causes is consistent with the facts


Notes: The fossil record does not show other ‘intermediates’ such as extinct amphibian-birds, dragonfly-turtles, squid-rabbits, and so on--which some argued would exist in a world where a “creative god” made many more types of life at the beginning than were necessary and let some go extinct. The distribution of fossils found instead does indicate a pattern of ancestry of particular groups by others. Actually, even "young-Earth Creationist" books and websites resort to using evolutionary explanations by defining the Biblical "kinds" on the Ark as a set of vague generic types saved from the genocidal Flood and then saying the current species are derived from them through a process of speciation (that you should not call evolution for some inane reason).





Biology: Common ancestry in our DNA

Intelligent Design: Because of their belief that only humans were made in the image of their god Jehovah, Creationists do not believe that any other species can have a soul, or any common ancestry with the divinely-designed greatness that is the human race. When DNA was first discovered, Creationists predicted that the molecular evidence would show that each species was, at a molecular level, so distinct that there would be no question they were created separately, for their own roles, and could have no common genes or evidence of common ancestry.

Infinite Causes: The Buddhist view that many beings in many universes would be capable of sentient thought and potentially capable of being affected by karmic bonds means they do not consider life forms to be mere ‘designed robots’ the way Christians do. There is no objection to common ancestry with other species on Earth and no belief that such ancestry ‘lowers’ the value of human life at all.

Evaluation: The idea of the evolution of life has been tested with two completely independent sources of information. One is the fossil record. The other is the DNA sequence evidence that all life known on Earth has common roots. Again, there would be no similarity between molecules in a human body and an ape, let alone a mouse, if these organisms had been built uniquely for their specific niches and tasks in a divine plan. Instead, each is clearly a modification of a common set of parts, stretched by expanding gene families and altering gene regulation and development.

Verdict:
Intelligent Design fails when faced with reality (the 99% similarity between human and chimp DNA is harsh)
Infinite Causes is consistent with the facts


Notes: The Creationist view that humans were created in the image of God often went along with the belief that some humans were closer to the image God intended and others were degenerate forms or otherwise cursed with inferiority for Biblical reasons. There were pseudoscientific “theories” about how races formed and changed long before evolution was discovered--the change being ‘down from a perfect creation’ not ‘up from the apes’. Thus followed the Segregationist and Apartheid beliefs that have lasted into modern times and certainly would have been opposed by the Buddha--and likely by the Christ as well.

Lama Gangchen on sickness and health

                                                                       

Lama Gangchen Tulku Rinpoche

Question 1. According to Buddhist view, the cause of all sicknesses is not  always mental. Some times the cause is connected with previous life. How can we discover this ? Is the Tantric medicine the solution ?

Answer:  Generally, ignorance is the cause of sickness and all  problems in our lives. Even our very natural mind which is in a pure crystal-like state is covered by the cloud of ignorance. The cause of the experience we are presently having need not necessarily have been created in the present time or even in the near past. For example, the result of what we did in the earlier part of our lives will produce the effect in the part of this or even later lives. From this example, we can draw the conclusion that there is a connection between the cause which could have been created in any part of this life or even earlier. 

Question 2. You believe that happiness in life is the best medicine  against sicknessess. Why ?

Answer: Unhappiness itself is a manifestation of a sick mind,  therefore happiness or being happy means absence of sickness or is a manifestation of a healthy mind.

Question 3.  What you mean when you say that it is necessary to prepare  ourselves for dying in comfortable and creative way ?

Answer: It is very important for all of us to prepare to die a in  comfortable and creative way because, as everybody could understand, it would be a very painful and fearful experience if one is not prepared in advance. Mind in a state of fear is a negative mind and such a negative mind will produce a negative result. Besides, nobody would like to die in a state of fearfulness, pain, discomfort. At that juncture, it would be very difficult to encounter the uncertain situation. Hence one should learn the process of dying and making the process a very enjoyable and creative one.

 

Question 4. Why you think a dialogue between science and religion is a necessary condition for the human development ?

Answer: We human beings of the present age have a lot of  unanswered questions pertaining to various aspects of our lives which need urgent and satisfying answers. Religion and science separately could not address these pressing questions till now. Hence the necessity of joining both science and religion in finding satisfactory answers and solutions to the manifold problems being faced by us human beings. Both science and religion should not only join but also need to have a flexible perspective and also reorientation in their direction of application.

Question 5 Why do you think a dialogue between all religions and  spriritual groups is important for this world ? What this dialogue has to propose ?

Answer. The mental set up of the present generation is totally  different from earlier generations and the human society has been going through many centuries of evolution. Even within one society or culture, people have many different predispositions and preferences. Therefore, one set of cultural or religious solution does not satisfy the needs of the human beings. Therefore, if the all religions and spiritual traditions are to serve the human need, they should be able to come together to offer varieties of satisfying solutions for the specific need of all human beings of the multi-cultured society of this small planet. Through open dialogues between all religions and spiritual traditions and joint researches, the present human society could be offered a satisfying solution for transforming the present culture of stressful, competitiveness, violent lifestyles into a new culture of stressless, peaceful, all-sharing and non-violent living.

Inner peace and World Peace

Now and forever

By all human beings attention

By all holy beings blessings

By Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s blessings

Lama Gangchen Rinpoche was born in western Tibet in 1941.
He was recognised at an early age to be a reincarnate Lama healer and was enthroned at Gangchen Choepeling Monastery at the age of five.
When he reached the age of twelve he received the "Kachen" degree which is usually conferred after twenty years of study. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, he studied medicine, astrology, meditation and philosophy in two of the major monastic universities of Tibet: Sera and Tashi Lhumpo.

He also studied in Gangchen Gompa, Tropu Gompa and Neytsong Monastery. He was disciple of some of the most important Gelugpa Lamas like H.H. Trjichang Rinpoche. In 1963, he went into exile to India where he continued his studies for the next seven years at the Varanasi Sanskrit University in Benares. In 1970, he received the Geshe Rigram degree (similar to a Ph. D.) from Sera Monastic University situated in South India.

After his graduation, he worked as a Lama healer among the Tibetan communities in Nepal, India and Sikkim, during which time he saved the lives of many people and was named private physician to the Royal Family. In 1981, Lama Gangchen visited Europe for the first time and has since become a resident and Italian citizen. In the same year, he also established his first European center: Karuna Choetsok in Lesbos, Greece, where he planted a bodhi tree in the 'Buddha Garden', and where he consecrated what was to become the first in a long line of World Peace Buddha Statues, thankas and images.

Since 1982, he has travelled extensively, both healing and teaching worldwide, leading many pilgrimages to some of the most important holy places of different religious and spiritual denominations in the world. Since many years Lama Gangchen promotes a very important project: the integration between Tibetan Medicine (an incredible and unlikely still unknown treasure of humankind) with allopathic medicine.

Lama Gangchen Rinpoche is the holder of an ancient and unbroken lineage of Tantric Masters dating from the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. His Ngalso Tantric Selfhealing is based on Buddha's teaching but it's suitable for modern people.

At present he has more than 100 Inner Peace Education centres or Self-Healing Study Groups worldwide.

On peace

The Inner and the Outer Culture of Peace:
Transforming the world for the betterment of humanity

International Conference on a Culture of Peace
King Juan Carlos University, Madrid-Spain
11-13 December 2000

Lecture by Lama Gangchen Rinpoche

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Let us first invoke ‘peace’ with a minute of silence.
Let us use this moment of silence to link into the deepest statements of peace: our own inner peace.

(SILENCE)

My friends:

The Great Paradox

The greatest paradox facing humanity today - and this gathering in particular - is the fact that while we are here to promote “the culture of peace”, we are at the same time experiencing major wars and conflicts in today’s world. Just think about Africa and the Middle East.

I see myself around this table surrounded by souls who are “converted”, who are seekers of peace, or who understand the real importance of a peaceful world, rather than a world in a state of conflict.

It seems that the choice we have is a simple one: we all want to live at peace and in peace.

Yes, all of us belong to this club that groups together those who are already converted.
With your permission, I would like to take this opportunity and my intervention as a vehicle and as a conduit to reach:

the hearts and souls of those who, in practice, do not believe in peace; those that are not at peace with themselves;

the hearts and souls of those who are the major promoters of conflicts through partisan politics, selling and buying weapons, covering up major realities of human existence in the name of democracy, religion, and ethnicity; and

the hearts and souls of those who are denying that conflict is the major disease affecting humanity today. My friends:

I want to reach those millions of children who are in combat today and who have become heads of household because of the death of their parents.

I want to reach those innocent lives lost as casualties in so many conflicts in this world.

I want to speak to those who are at the negotiation table taking ‘grand stands’ in the name of winning the war rather than of establishing everlasting peace.

They are not here, although they should be here, and share their personal testimony. But, we all know that they are either the architects of conflict and war, or, clearly, they are the victims of major destruction. Simply said, right now, they are at war somewhere else in the world.

They are the ones who need our peace energy, our peace hearts, ad our peace souls.

The Culture of Peace

The culture of peace, if ever applied in practice, is the most revolutionary paradigm that humanity has ever put forth on the table of each and every household in the world.

A paradigm that touches the rich and the poor, the north and the south, the developed and developing countries, all different races and communities in the world, governments, private sector, NGOs, and so on. The key to this revolution is a fundamental change in the existing value system so dominated by economics, excessive consumption, exclusion and marginalisation. All of these are happening in a world that globalises so rapidly, and sees that poverty is increasing at an ever high rate.

The culture of peace is not a title, or another theoretical proposition, but a totally new way of life on this planet.
A planet that is getting smaller and smaller, as billions of people search for co-existence and betterment.

The culture of peace is, and should be, the foundation of everything we do.

From economics and finance to equality and an acceptable form of distribution of productive assets. From social imperatives in our societies to cultural and institutional sustainability. From the human dimensions of progress and change to the moral and ethical dimensions of life and our human existence.

It is the culture of peace that provides the substantive elements to close the existing gap of a notion of economic development that is practised today within a major ethical and moral vacuum.
But we seem to be far from having adopted this culture of peace. We seem to talk about it rather than to identify the true transformational instruments and actions that will actually provoke the changes we are all looking for.

Three fundamental steps

The way forward requires three fundamental steps.

The first fundamental step is the basic distinction between our outer peace and inner peace.

Most of what humanity and leadership is doing to attain some acceptable level of peace is to grab the elements of outer peace. What looks like a world without conflict. Physical conflict, I must say. But the absence of conflict is NOT tantamount of a state of peace. Lack of physical conflict is simply “the lack of physical conflict”.

And in doing so, we are using more sophisticated weapons of mass destruction, so some can neutralise others who are prepared to create more conflict. This happens within countries, between countries and all over the world. Thus, instead of addressing crime, we train more police officers, we expand the space under the prison system, so we can keep more and more people inside those facilities; we create an industry of alarm systems and anti-alarm systems that is now in the trillions of dollars,..., all in the name of outer peace. All in the name of maintaining a world without apparent conflicts.

We have seldom gone beyond the management of physical conflict, despite the fact that we know that there are so many other forms of conflict. These remain totally unattended. Of course, the results are clear: very high suicide rates in teenagers, increased trafficking and prostitution of young girls, of highly illegal drug, ad so on.

Peace, on the other hand, is a state of consciousness. An inner state in each of us, with individual and social connotations.
We simply cannot buy peace. There is no supermarkets for peace. There is no level of material wealth that will be capable of buying everlasting peace either for a person or for a nation.

Therefore, if any progress is to be made in the practice and materialisation of a culture of peace, we must focus on its inner values, its inner dimensions, and its inner realities rather than on its outer elements.
This approach will demand a different discourse, a different attitude, a different system of education, a different way of facing life in all its dimensions within this planet.

The second fundamental step is to recognise the importance of what I call the “presence factor”.

Many of our meetings and many of our institutions are filled with people who advocate and promote peace, but who are not at peace within themselves.
Many people have never experienced the state of inner peace. As long as you have not done so, everything tends to stay in a state of abstraction. We simply cannot promote that which we do not know what it is.

How can we allow those who are not at peace with themselves to sit at the table to negotiate a peace treaty? How can we trust architects who are in deep inner conflict to construct a world of peace?
This is an element we must understand and strive for in the next few years. This is particularly the case in children who have been taught how to kill through the media, films and toys. Our children have been trained to take the life of another human being.

Yes, the future leaders of the world, some, who should have been here today, may become the most effective machines of destruction.
This is simply not acceptable.
This presence factor also applies to our teachers, our political and spiritual leaders, and to everyone who is in an influential position.

We must take massive steps to assist and contribute to the peace of those who are making decisions that affect each and everyone of us. We must get closer to them now. We must approach them with huge respect and compassion, but with a firm and unequivocal message that peace is the objective and not just the elimination of conflict.

The third fundamental step is to bring in action.
Peace must be an intrinsic element of all we do. We must have peace in ourselves and among ourselves. We must have peace with all of the elements and constituents of nature. We must have peace within every institution and organisation, as a coherence factor as well as a performance factor. We must have peace with all religions, with all ethnic groups, with all possible communities of interest.

This is a step we all feel comfortable with, although it has proven to be the most difficult one to attain in practice.

Peace in action means peace in every step of the way of our existence. Peaceful thoughts. Peaceful actions. Peaceful goals and commitments. Peaceful instruments. Peaceful forms of exchange. Peaceful politics. Peaceful business. And so on.

Our public commitment

My friends:

This cannot be just another meeting. This cannot become just yet another self-congratulatory event. This cannot be the platform of speeches that have no transformational implications or that remain in one book of proceedings for historians to decide if we made it or not.

This meeting must be the new beginning of a massive concerted effort to transform the world into a world of peace, once and for all.
My personal commitment is to go out of this door with my heart and soul full of that peaceful light and that peaceful energy that will be able to transform everyone I see, everyone I touch, everyone I think of. My personal commitment is to go out of this room and create the level of awareness that this problem deserves before more people get killed on the streets of so many cities in the world. My personal commitment is to heal those who have been affected by war and conflict and those whose wounds go far beyond the physical body.

But what is our collective commitment?
What actions are we planning to take here and now so the impacts of our existence touches every corner of the world?
In this regard, I would like to propose only one simple idea: the opening of the international bilateral or multilateral dialogues - anywhere they happen - into a debate that takes due account of human, spiritual, cultural, ethical and moral values.

We have gone too far in promoting material welfare. It is time we promoted spiritual welfare.
In practical terms, I have called this idea the creation of a Spiritual Forum in every instance of public policy making. This is practical and do-able, if we are in the vein of transformational change, and if we would like to reach far beyond political or allegorical declarations.

Let us stand up for peace.
The choice is really ours.

The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry

Kalama Sutta

The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry

translated from the Pali by

Soma Thera

© 1994–2009

 

Preface   

The instruction of the Kalamas (Kalama Sutta) is justly famous for its encouragement of free inquiry; the spirit of the sutta signifies a teaching that is exempt from fanaticism, bigotry, dogmatism, and intolerance.

The reasonableness of the Dhamma, the Buddha's teaching, is chiefly evident in its welcoming careful examination at all stages of the path to enlightenment. Indeed the whole course of training for wisdom culminating in the purity of the consummate one (the arahant) is intimately bound up with examination and analysis of things internal: the eye and visible objects, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the body and tactile impressions, the mind and ideas.

Thus since all phenomena have to be correctly understood in the field of Dhamma, insight is operative throughout. In this sutta it is active in rejecting the bad and adopting the good way; in the extracts given below in clarifying the basis of knowledge of conditionality and arhatship. Here it may be mentioned that the methods of examination in the Kalama Sutta and in the extracts cited here, have sprung from the knowledge of things as they are and that the tenor of these methods are implied in all straight thinking. Further, as penetration and comprehension, the constituents of wisdom are the result of such thinking, the place of critical examination and analysis in the development of right vision is obvious. Where is the wisdom or vision that can descend, all of a sudden, untouched and uninfluenced by a critical thought?

The Kalama Sutta, which sets forth the principles that should be followed by a seeker of truth, and which contains a standard things are judged by, belongs to a framework of the Dhamma; the four solaces taught in the sutta point out the extent to which the Buddha permits suspense of judgment in matters beyond normal cognition. The solaces show that the reason for a virtuous life does not necessarily depend on belief in rebirth or retribution, but on mental well-being acquired through the overcoming of greed, hate, and delusion.

More than fifty years ago, Moncure D. Conway, the author of "My Pilgrimage to the Wise Men of the East," visited Colombo. He was a friend of Ponnambalam Ramanathan (then Solicitor General of Ceylon), and together with him Conway went to the Vidyodaya Pirivena to learn something of the Buddha's teaching from Hikkaduve Siri Sumangala Nayaka Thera, the founder of the institution. The Nayaka Thera explained to them the principles contained in the Kalama Sutta and at the end of the conversation Ramanathan whispered to Conway: "Is it not strange that you and I, who come from far different religions and regions, should together listen to a sermon from the Buddha in favor of that free thought, that independence of traditional and fashionable doctrines, which is still the vital principle of human development?" — Conway: "Yes, and we with the (Kalama) princes pronounce his doctrines good."

Supplementary Texts   

"Friend Savittha, apart from faith, apart from liking, apart from what has been acquired by repeated hearing, apart from specious reasoning, and from a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over, I know this, I see this: 'Decay and death are due to birth.'"

Samyuttanikaya, Nidanavagga, Mahavagga, Sutta No. 8

"Here a bhikkhu, having seen an object with the eye, knows when greed, hate, and delusion are within, 'Greed, hate, and delusion are in me'; he knows when greed, hate, and delusion are not within, 'Greed, hate, and delusion are not in me.' Bhikkhus, have these things to be experienced through faith, liking, what has been acquired by repeated hearing, specious reasoning, or a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over?" — "No, venerable sir." — "Bhikkhus, this even is the way by which a bhikkhu, apart from faith, liking, what has been acquired by repeated hearing, specious reasoning, or a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over, declares realization of knowledge thus: I know that birth has been exhausted, the celibate life has been lived, what must be done has been done and there is no more of this to come."

Samyuttanikaya, Salyatanavagga, Navapuranavagga, Sutta No. 8

The Instruction to the Kalamas   

Anguttara Nikaya, Tika Nipata, Mahavagga, Sutta No. 65

The Kalamas of Kesaputta go to see the Buddha

1. I heard thus. Once the Blessed One, while wandering in the Kosala country with a large community of bhikkhus, entered a town of the Kalama people called Kesaputta. The Kalamas who were inhabitants of Kesaputta: "Reverend Gotama, the monk, the son of the Sakyans, has, while wandering in the Kosala country, entered Kesaputta. The good repute of the Reverend Gotama has been spread in this way: Indeed, the Blessed One is thus consummate, fully enlightened, endowed with knowledge and practice, sublime, knower of the worlds, peerless, guide of tamable men, teacher of divine and human beings, which he by himself has through direct knowledge understood clearly. He set forth the Dhamma, good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, possessed of meaning and the letter, and complete in everything; and he proclaims the holy life that is perfectly pure. Seeing such consummate ones is good indeed."

2. Then the Kalamas who were inhabitants of Kesaputta went to where the Blessed One was. On arriving there some paid homage to him and sat down on one side; some exchanged greetings with him and after the ending of cordial memorable talk, sat down on one side; some saluted him raising their joined palms and sat down on one side; some announced their name and family and sat down on one side; some without speaking, sat down on one side.

The Kalamas of Kesaputta ask for guidance from the Buddha

3. The Kalamas who were inhabitants of Kesaputta sitting on one side said to the Blessed One: "There are some monks and brahmans, venerable sir, who visit Kesaputta. They expound and explain only their own doctrines; the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Some other monks and brahmans too, venerable sir, come to Kesaputta. They also expound and explain only their own doctrines; the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Venerable sir, there is doubt, there is uncertainty in us concerning them. Which of these reverend monks and brahmans spoke the truth and which falsehood?"

The criterion for rejection

4. "It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain; uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful. Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher.' Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,' abandon them.

Greed, hate, and delusion

5. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does greed appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" — "For his harm, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being given to greed, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

6. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" — "For his harm, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being given to hate, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

7. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does delusion appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" — "For his harm, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being given to delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by delusion, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

8. "What do you think, Kalamas? Are these things good or bad?" — "Bad, venerable sir" — "Blamable or not blamable?" — "Blamable, venerable sir." — "Censured or praised by the wise?" — "Censured, venerable sir." — "Undertaken and observed, do these things lead to harm and ill, or not? Or how does it strike you?" — "Undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill. Thus it strikes us here."

9. "Therefore, did we say, Kalamas, what was said thus, 'Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, "The monk is our teacher." Kalamas, when you yourselves know: "These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill," abandon them.'

The criterion for acceptance

10. "Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher.' Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them.

Absence of greed, hate, and delusion

11. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does absence of greed appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" — "For his benefit, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being not given to greed, and being not overwhelmed and not vanquished mentally by greed, this man does not take life, does not steal, does not commit adultery, and does not tell lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his benefit and happiness?" — "Yes, venerable sir."

12. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does absence of hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" — "For his benefit, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being not given to hate, and being not overwhelmed and not vanquished mentally by hate, this man does not take life, does not steal, does not commit adultery, and does not tell lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his benefit and happiness?" _ "Yes, venerable sir."

13. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does absence of delusion appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" — "For his benefit, venerable sir." — "Kalamas, being not given to delusion, and being not overwhelmed and not vanquished mentally by delusion, this man does not take life, does not steal, does not commit adultery, and does not tell lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his benefit and happiness?" _ "Yes, venerable sir."

14. "What do you think, Kalamas? Are these things good or bad?" — "Good, venerable sir." — "Blamable or not blamable?" — "Not blamable, venerable sir." — "Censured or praised by the wise?" — "Praised, venerable sir." — "Undertaken and observed, do these things lead to benefit and happiness, or not? Or how does it strike you?" — "Undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness. Thus it strikes us here."

15. "Therefore, did we say, Kalamas, what was said thus, 'Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, "The monk is our teacher." Kalamas, when you yourselves know: "These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness," enter on and abide in them.'

The Four Exalted Dwellings

16. "The disciple of the Noble Ones, Kalamas, who in this way is devoid of coveting, devoid of ill will, undeluded, clearly comprehending and mindful, dwells, having pervaded, with the thought of amity, one quarter; likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across; he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it of all living beings, everywhere, the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of amity that is free of hate or malice.

"He lives, having pervaded, with the thought of compassion, one quarter; likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across; he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it of all living beings, everywhere, the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of compassion that is free of hate or malice.

"He lives, having pervaded, with the thought of gladness, one quarter; likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across; he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it of all living beings, everywhere, the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of gladness that is free of hate or malice.

"He lives, having pervaded, with the thought of equanimity, one quarter; likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across; he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it of all living beings, everywhere, the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of equanimity that is free of hate or malice.

The Four Solaces

17. "The disciple of the Noble Ones, Kalamas, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind, is one by whom four solaces are found here and now.

"'Suppose there is a hereafter and there is a fruit, result, of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall arise in the heavenly world, which is possessed of the state of bliss.' This is the first solace found by him.

"'Suppose there is no hereafter and there is no fruit, no result, of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself.' This is the second solace found by him.

"'Suppose evil (results) befall an evil-doer. I, however, think of doing evil to no one. Then, how can ill (results) affect me who do no evil deed?' This is the third solace found by him.

"'Suppose evil (results) do not befall an evil-doer. Then I see myself purified in any case.' This is the fourth solace found by him.

"The disciple of the Noble Ones, Kalamas, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind, is one by whom, here and now, these four solaces are found."

"So it is, Blessed One. So it is, Sublime one. The disciple of the Noble Ones, venerable sir, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind, is one by whom, here and now, four solaces are found.

"'Suppose there is a hereafter and there is a fruit, result, of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall arise in the heavenly world, which is possessed of the state of bliss.' This is the first solace found by him.

"'Suppose there is no hereafter and there is no fruit, no result, of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself.' This is the second solace found by him.

"'Suppose evil (results) befall an evil-doer. I, however, think of doing evil to no one. Then, how can ill (results) affect me who do no evil deed?' This is the third solace found by him.

"'Suppose evil (results) do not befall an evil-doer. Then I see myself purified in any case.' This is the fourth solace found by him.

"The disciple of the Noble Ones, venerable sir, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind, is one by whom, here and now, these four solaces are found.

"Marvelous, venerable sir! Marvelous, venerable sir! As if, venerable sir, a person were to turn face upwards what is upside down, or to uncover the concealed, or to point the way to one who is lost or to carry a lamp in the darkness, thinking, 'Those who have eyes will see visible objects,' so has the Dhamma been set forth in many ways by the Blessed One. We, venerable sir, go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma for refuge, and to the Community of Bhikkhus for refuge. Venerable sir, may the Blessed One regard us as lay followers who have gone for refuge for life, from today."

High up inthe mountains

I was in the Swiss mountains this week and took this picture of the massive Weisshorn (4500 m). Mountains are a spiritual environment to me. Inspiration on a high level !              (c) jampa 2009

advice

Always check your intentions.
It helps to counter your ignorance.
Unenlightened beings can not see the results of their karma
so a good heart and good intentions protect you from harm.
Jampa

Trimsatika (Thirty Verses) of Vasubandhu

1

Everything that is taken as a self;
Everything that is taken as other:
These are simply changing forms of consciousness.

2

Pure consciousness transforms itself
Into three modes: Store consciousness,
Thought consciousness, and active consciousness. 

3

The store consciousness holds the seeds of all past experience.
Within it are the forms of grasping
And the dwelling places of the unknown.
It always arises with touch, awareness, recognition, concept, and desire.

4

The store consciousness is clear and undefinable.
Like a great river, it is always changing.
Neither pleasant nor unpleasant, when one becomes fully realized, it ceases to exist.

5

The second transformation of consciousness is called thinking consciousness.
It evolves by taking the store consciousness as object and support.
Its essential nature is to generate thoughts.

6

The thinking consciousness
Is always obscured by four defilements:
Self-regard, self-delusion, self-pride, and self-love.

7

The thinking consciousness also arises with the mental factors
Of touch, awareness, recognition, concept, and desire.
This consciousness ceases when one becomes realized.
It also falls away when consciousness is impaired,
And when one is fully present.
8

The third transformation of consciousness
Is the active perception of sense objects.
These can be good, bad, or indifferent in character.

9

This active consciousness arises with three kinds of mental functions: Those that are universal, those that are specific, and those that are beneficial.
It is also associated with primary and secondary defilements
And the three kinds of feeling.

10

The universal factors are touch, awareness, recognition, concept, and desire.
The specific factors are intention, resolve, memory, concentration, and knowledge.
The beneficial factors are faith, modesty, respect, distance, courage, composure, equanimity, alertness, and compassion.
11

The primary defilements are:
Passion, aggression, ignorance,
Pride, intolerance, and doubt.

12

The secondary defilements are:
Anger, hatred, jealousy,
Envy, spite, hypocrisy, deceit…

13

Dishonesty, arrogance, harmfulness,
Immodesty, lack of integrity, sluggishness,
Restlessness, lack of faith, laziness, idleness,
Forgetfulness, carelessness, and distraction.

14

Remorse, sleepiness, reasoning, and analysis
Are factors which can be either defiled or undefiled.

15

The five sense consciousnesses arise in the store consciousness
Together or separately, depending on causes and conditions,
Just like waves arise in water.

16

Thought consciousness manifests at all times,
Except for those born in the realms of beings without thought,
Those in the formless trances, and those who are unconscious.

17

These three transformations of consciousness
Are just the distinction of subject and object, self and other–
They do not really exist.
All things are nothing but forms of consciousness.

18

Since the storehouse consciousness contains all seeds,
These transformations of consciousness arise
And proceed based upon mutual influence.
On account of this, discrimination of self and other arises,

19

All actions leave traces,
And because of grasping at self and other,
Once one seed has been exhausted, another arises.

20

That which is differentiated
In terms of self and other,
Or by whatever sort of discrimination,
That is just mental projection:
It does not exist at all

21

Appearances themselves
Which arise dependently through causes and conditions
Exist, but only in a partial and dependent way.

22

Ultimately, perfect nature, the fully real, arises
When there is an absence of mental projection onto appearances.
For that reason, the fully real is neither the same nor different from appearances.
If the perfected nature is not seen, the dependent nature is not seen either.

23

Corresponding to the threefold nature,
There is a threefold absence of self-nature.
This absence of self-nature of all dharmas
Is the secret essence of the Buddha’s teachings.

24

Projections are without self-nature by definition.
Appearances too are without self-nature because they are not
self-existent.
Perfect nature is without any differentiation whatsoever. 

25

The true nature of consciousness only
Is the true nature of all dharmas.
Remaining as it is at all times, it is Suchness.

26

As long as consciousness does not see
That subject-object distinctions are simply forms of consciousness
Attachment to twofold grasping will never cease

27

By merely thinking
The objects one perceives are forms of consciousness
One does not realize consciousness only

28

One realizes consciousness only
When the mind no longer seizes on any object
When there is nothing to be grasped, there is no grasping
Then one knows - everything is consciousness only.

29

That is the supreme, world-transcending knowledge
Where one has no mind that knows
And no object that is known
Abandoning twofold grasping
The storehouse consciousness is emptied

30

That alone is the pure, primordial reality
Beyond thought, auspicious, unchanging
It is the blissful body of liberation
The dharmakaya nature of the enlightened ones

Adapted from English translations of the Sanskrit original