FromwhatIread (2)

The book’s name: The Many Ways to Nirvana

Writer / Editor: His Holiness Dalai Lama / Renuka Singh

Publisher: First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Hodder and Stroughton Ltd; a division of Hodder Headline PLC

Content:

1.     The Four Seals in Buddhism

2.     Overcoming Negative Emotions

3.     Self-development through the Six Perfections

4.     Cultivating Equanimity

5.     The Four Noble Truths and the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation

(The followings are my short notes I took while I read the book; it might be useful for anyone who has no time to read the whole book or it might tempt you to read the book; anyway, the points I got here might not be the same if your read it by yourself…)

The Second Chapter: Overcoming Negative Emotions

2. Overcoming Negative Emotions. Three levels on which to counteract negative emotions: 1^st level – follow the secular ethics and does not touch any religious belief; 2^nd level  - in this connection is taught by all major religions – they all carry the message of love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and discipline; 3^rd level – the Buddhist way. Finding for the 4 misconceptions and maintaining the four mindfulnesses. The more profound your understanding of the selflessness of the person and selflessness of the thought, the more you will be able to understand the other side of the coin – the inter-connectedness of everything. The first three understandings are antidotes that would repudiate their misconceptions. By understanding the fourth misconception, we would uproot the seed of the misconception of the self. The complete elimination of negative emotion is Nirvana. Training the mind is very essential.

The Buddhist way of practice begins with study by hearing, reading, just absorbing information; don’t just rely on Buddha’s quotations. Rely instead on your investigations and experiments. In order to overcome our negative emotions, we need to use our intelligence to analyze, develop positive emotion like strong faith and compassion; in this way, wisdom and positive emotions can grow side by side.

The Third Chapter: Self-development through the Six Perfections

3. Self-development through the Six Perfections. Buddhist way to transform our emotions works not through faith or prayer but through the maximum use of intelligence and reasoning. Questions are very important. Without questions, we cannot get a proper answer. Without skepticism, without doubt, without investigation, we have no satisfactory answers. Therefore in the Buddhist tradition, intelligence is used to its maximum extent and study is essential.

Perfections = going beyond; beyond = the place or path of enlightenment; the place where we normally exist, in our ordinary form. The first two of the Four Noble Truth, that is true suffering and true origin of suffering, are on this ordinary side, and the other two truths, true path and true cessation, are the paths beyond. Therefore, the word “beyond” refers to true types of enlightenment, having gone beyond the cycle of existence, the cycle of samsaric existence and, therefore, beyond here could refer to the total extinction of afflictive emotions and suffering and, thereby, the achievement of liberation.

In order to make your practice one of perfection, you should have the clear goal of enlightenment, along with the wish that your enlightenment goes beyond liberation just for yourself; you should be free from all types of elaborations and achieving the development of wisdom-realizing emptiness; 2 types of wisdom-realizing emptiness: 1.being unable to see emptiness directly but realizing through a kind of generic image; 2. perceived or discerned directly and does not depend on a medium or generic image; and develop infinite altruism through wisdom and intelligence.

When we talk about the practice of perfections, particularly the practice of the six perfections, we discover the practice of the four ways of gathering disciplines for maturing one’s mind. Practices like concentration and the development of wisdom-realizing emptiness = meditations and techniques to improve or enhance one’s wisdom and one’s realization. There are two kinds of wisdom: 1. wisdom realizing the conventional phenomena; 2. wisdom realizing the ultimate reality, ultimate truth.

Giving = a mental state in which you are always ready to give your body, wealth and pleasures when others need them. The practice of giving and generosity is meant to enhance one’s wish to give to others.

Practice of morality = there are 3 types of morality: 1. the morality refraining from engaging in negative deeds; 2. the morality collecting virtuous qualities; 3. the morality of fulfilling the purposes of sentient beings. These 3 kinds of morality are linked.

Practice of patience = 3 types: 1. patience of being able to bear hardships and sufferings; 2. patience of voluntarily welcoming sufferings and hardships; 3. patience of developing ascertainment toward Dharma practice, which refers to meditating on emptiness.

We categorize the six perfections into the practice of method and wisdom by putting the practices of concentration and wisdom under the collection of wisdom; and the practice of giving, the observance of morality and a part of the practice of patience under the collection of merit. With regard to the practice of effort one part of it is included in the accumulation of merit and the other in the accumulation of wisdom.

One should realize that in order to practice Bodhisattvayana, also called Mahayana, the foundation of the practice is based on the teaching of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. On that foundation, the Bodhisattava’s practice is built. In the absence of these fundamental practices, the higher level spiritual practices are impossible.