The Greatest Deception
While preparing for my class on the topic of emptiness, I came across this story. Whether it is true or fictional, it illustrates our dilemma in misapprehending reality. The story goes like this:
There was a farmer who had three sons. The two elder sons had moved out with their families, while the 3rd son remained in the family home. However, they were all equally involved in looking after their father. When the father reached old age, he divided his assets equally among his 3 sons. As soon as the sons got their share, their treatment toward their father changed and began to ignore him. The father’s old friend could not bear to see this and came up with a plan.
One day, this old friend appeared with a bulky chest that was secured with a huge lock and told the father in the presence of the youngest son, “Remember you asked me to keep this box and to return only when you have financial difficulty? Here, I am returning what you have entrusted me.” Saying this, he put the string with the key around the father’s neck. The very next day, the youngest son’s treatment of his father changed and was once again a faithful son. Upon seeing this change in their youngest brother, the other two sons got curious and heard about the chest. They too decided to stop their indifference toward their father for fear of losing out on whatever was in the chest. Eventually the father died. When the sons greedily opened the box, to their utter shock, it was filled merely with rocks. No gold nor silver. They felt betrayed and deceived. They invested their time and energy on account of this box but only found useless stones.
The above story is analogous to our investment in the “I” that we perceive as autonomous and independent. To us, “I” appears as existing solidly from its own side, not one that is dependent on our aggregates and mental designation. We hold the way it appears to us as true and absolute. As a result, we inevitably develop strong attachment to this “I” or “Self”. This leads to developing attachment to those who are nice to this “I” and aversion to those who threaten it. This then invokes mental afflictions and corresponding behavior, causing us to create all kinds of negative karma. In reality, such an (inherent existing) “I” is non-existent. The “I” exists dependently, as a mental projection onto the base of the aggregates. It is merely a label imputed onto the aggregates. Like the sons deceived by the stone filled box, we too fall prey to this misconstrued “self”. Life after life, we invest so much in this “self” that has no independent existence and we now see what it has gotten us to. Since beginningless time, we have been trapped in this suffering-laden existence. Due to this mistaken view of a truly existent “I”, it is like the story’s chest of rocks that keeps us weighed down in samsara. The only way out of this is through acquiring the wisdom that sees that the reality of “self” is devoid of inherent existence; we need to see the emptiness of “I”. Only when we possess the weapon of the wisdom realizing emptiness, can we then destroy ignorance and the militia of afflictions like desire, anger, jealousy and the like. Don’t you think it is worthwhile investing time and effort to study and understand emptiness?
WE ARE ALL INTERCONNECTED!
I have recently moved to a quiet neighborhood in the city of Maple Grove. It’s a good neighborhood with friendly neighbors. Since I don’t drive, easy access to public transport is crucial. At my old apartment, the bus stop and metro station were only five minutes away. It’s not the case in this new neighborhood. The nearest grocery store (Walmart) is a 25 minutes walk each way. Walking back with a backpack full of groceries is not difficult as I am used to doing that even at my old place. However, the challenge is finding everything I need at Walmart alone. Other stores like Costco and Wholefoods are not within walking distance and Uber rides can get costly.
Imagine how overjoyed I was when I discovered that Maple Grove provides a service called My Ride – a shuttle service that, with prior booking, drives you to and from any location within Maple Grove boundaries. I was eager to test the service and booked my ride for a weekday. The service was impeccable! A minibus cruised into my lane on schedule and its friendly driver drove through the neighborhood picking up two other passengers on the way. A return journey to both Wholefoods and Costco cost only $4. I found that incredible!!!
What does a bus service have to do with Dharma? While on the bus, a deep appreciation and gratitude overcame me. The interdependent nature of things was abundantly clear – how interconnected we are. For this service to be possible, it requires participation of different people. Without a driver agreeing to take up this job, there would not be such service. Likewise, if there were no other passengers taking up this service, the city would not even consider such a service. As I sat on the bus, I felt a strong appreciation for both the driver and my co-riders. We often fail to recognize others’ role in our comfort and happiness. We take everything for granted. From the food we eat, the clothes we wear, our cars, to having homes to live in, they are all due to others’ effort and hard work. Sure, we may have paid for these things but even if we had sacks of cash, if there were no one to work to produce those things, where would we be? Even the money that we use to pay for things comes from others. We do not print our own money. It comes from another person. We may say, “I’m a self-made person. I worked hard for the money” but remember, work is also created by others and needs to be accepted by others in order to generate income. Hence, the adage, “No man is an island”. Similarly, the tagline in the Covid vaccine drive, “No one is protected until everyone is protected”. We are interconnected. Others’ actions and kindness are indispensable for our survival in this world. Think about it.
Conviction in Karma is a Vaccine
COVID 19 pandemic hit the world and brought it to almost a standstill. The effect has been devastating. Worldwide, almost 3 million lost their lives, leaving behind countless grieving loved ones. This viral terror has dominated the world and a vaccine has become the only refuge. As such, there has been a rush to be inoculated. We hear about people attempting to jump the line. The most hilarious was about two young ladies who disguised as old women and got their first jab but their deception was foiled when they went for their second dose. Like many others, I too tried to get an early vaccination. I browsed the internet, asked friends and even messaged fellow faith leaders to find a speedy way to get the vaccination. I recently got my first jab and I admit it was a relief.
I was surprised at my own determination and effort in seeking the vaccine and hence, that warranted contemplation. I realized that two things drove this pursuit of inoculation. Firstly, it was the fear of contracting Covid-19 that could be fatal. The second was the conviction that the vaccine was the only way to protect me. Driven by these two forces, I was resolute in getting vaccinated. How wonderful if I were to develop a similar fear of the consequences of negative karma and the firm conviction that the only way to prevent adverse consequences is to stop committing negativities.
We all have some understanding on how Karma works but for many of us, we don’t relate it to our lives and our activities. We lack the conviction. Our understanding remains only at the intellectual level. If we were to develop an unshakeable faith in karma and how it works, that would be the vaccine against unwholesome actions. We would be less reckless with our actions of body, speech and mind. We would seriously cultivate. We are lazy about cultivating virtue. It is no surprise we end up in misery instead of happiness.
I hope the anxiety posed by Covid and the relief accorded by the vaccine serves as a wake-up call for us, from this very moment, to cultivate more mindfulness and robustly apply our understanding of karma in our lives and choices.
SAYING IT SIMPLY
Recently someone asked me, “If you had a megaphone, what would you say to the members of Khacholing center?”. This is what I would say:
First, you should know that my Lama friends say I am a plain-talker. I’m not skilled in flattery. Neither am I fond of cliché. My plain words are these – I am very inspired by your interest in Dharma and the effort you put in. Week after week, you attend Dharma classes, whether it’s gloomy, rainy, cold, snowy or sunny. Since most of you are working people or have family obligations, I know how precious weekends are, with a gazillion things to do. However, you put them aside for those few hours and participate in Dharma classes. You have long had my admiration. You have put your mark on the term “precious dharma”. I salute you and thank you.
Attending Dharma classes without practical application is nothing to shout about. The whole purpose is to integrate dharma into one’s life. From our interactions, I believe you are trying your best. You have gained a taste of the dharma and are committed to utilizing it. Although we say family life and the workplace provide the best opportunities to practice dharma, it is easier said than done! Situations can shake your Dharma understanding and faith to the core. It can be very challenging but I know you are trying your best. Because of your effort, I too feel inspired to do more in my own practice.
When practicing dharma, progress can be merely incremental and painfully slow. Since we live in an instant culture, we may get discouraged and ask, “What is the point?”. Such doubt happens even to long term retreaters. There is a story of a retreater who lived in the forest outside Dharamasala. Despite years of meditating, he felt that he had achieved no substantial progress. So, he approached His Holiness the Dalai Lama and expressed his frustration. His Holiness gave him two pieces of advices:
- On your way back, enjoy the street of Mcleod Ganj (the tiny yet busiest street in Dharamsala with shops and stalls on both sides of the road) and examine what people are doing;
- Once home, read the Perseverance chapter from Shantideva’s text “Bodhicaryavatara”.
The retreater was puzzled but he followed the advice. When he walked down that street and observed closely, he realized that people were mostly occupied with this life’s endeavors. Thinking about how he had been meditating for years in the forest (with the good motivation of subduing the mind and thereby be of benefit to others), he felt a sense of accomplishment and relief that he had not wasted his time. As you already know, from the Dharma point of view, if one is concerned primarily in the interest of this life, it is a waste because this life will surely end and one has done little to prepare for the future life.
That left His Holiness’ second advice – to read the Perseverance chapter. He thought, “I might have lacked in many things but not in perseverance. Why did His Holiness advised me to read that chapter?” Upon doing so, he realized that perseverance is not merely about putting in effort. It is about joyous effort – finding delight in carrying out virtuous activity. Such joyous effort is dependent on seeing the benefits or meaning in what one is doing. He thought about how his efforts at doing meditation retreat was to tame his mind and benefit others, and not just about this short life’s comforts. That realization changed his perspective.
Meeting challenges whilst one is on the dharma path is inevitable. When faced with difficulty, we can contemplate on the benefits of dharma practice. This way, joyous effort will arise. This is the best form of resilience. We have undergone so much hardship simply to achieve some temporary, this-life benefits. Striving in dharma practices provides both short and long-term benefits in this life and future ones. Isn’t that massively more worthwhile? I wish you all the best in your spiritual journey. Buddha blessings to all.