FromwhatIread(1)

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:

-The Four Seals in Buddhism

-Overcoming Negative Emotions

-Self-development through the Six Perfections

-Cultivating Equanimity

-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 First Chapter: The Four Seals in Buddhism

1. The Four Buddhist Seals or axioms: (1) all conditioned phenomena are impermanent; (2) all contaminated phenomena are suffering; (3) all phenomena are selfless and empty; (4) Nirvana is peace.

(1) All conditioned phenomena are impermanent: Within the universe of mind, whether it is a positive or a negative mind / emotion, there are two main causes: the substantial cause which is responsible for the production of the entity of that very nature of the mind; and the cooperative cause which is a kind of circumstantial factor which gives a particular mind the opportunity to arise. All producing causes are always the result of their own causes; therefore the cause/effect relationship or law of causality is a continuous circle. Impermanent means the momentary disintegration of a particular object or / the non-existence of the first moment of impermanent phenomena during the second moment and / the very first moment of that impermanent phenomenon which is produced in such a way that it is the cause of the phenomenon’s disintegration.

(2) All contaminated phenomena are suffering: “Contamination” – refers to the afflictive emotions or negative emotions and the imprints or predispositions of these afflictive emotions. When say all contaminated things are suffering, mean those objects which are either produced by afflictive emotions or are dependent on them. Three levels of suffering: 1st there is the suffering of suffering; 2nd there is suffering of change; 3rd there is conditioned suffering. When talking about all contaminated phenomena as suffering refer to the third level of suffering: conditioned suffering. This acts as the foundation for the other two levels of suffering. The mere fact of depending on causes and conditions produces afflictive emotions. Those are by definition, in the nature of suffering.

(3) All phenomena are selfless and empty: The meaning of selflessness that is commonly accepted by all Buddhist schools of thought is the absence of a person that is independent and substantially existent. One might have a subtle understanding of the meaning of selflessness so that a person has no independent or substantial existence; both the subject (the mind) and the object have no inherent, absolute or objective existence. Using this kind of analysis and investigation, we are able to conclude that the meaning of selflessness or emptiness is much more profound. And when talking about the non-existence of a person which is substantially existence and independence, they conclude that there is no object that can be enjoyed by such a person. On the basis of this reasoning, they assert that all phenomena are selfless.

(4) Nirvana is peace: Nirvana is peace or “transcendence of suffering is peace” (Tibetan usage)

-Nirvana refers to the state of cessation of afflictive emotions. When the mind is totally purified of afflictive emotions, that state of the mind is called nirvana. (Nagarjuna)

-4 kinds of misconceptions: 1. we tend to see what is impermanent as permanent; 2. we tend to comprehend what is unclean as clean and as something with essence or meaning; 3. we are inclined to see those selfless as having self-existence; 4. we are likely to view what is in the nature of suffering as a source of happiness and peace.

-One needs to meditate on impermanence and suffering Nature of samsara. The very existence of this body, the existence of our life, is actually under the influence or control of our afflictive emotions. Once we realize that suffering is the very nature of existence, it helps to reduce our unreasonable desire for things.

-practicing compassion can indirectly reduce an afflictive emotion, but we cannot directly fight them. Instead, we can use the wisdom which understands ultimate reality: emptiness. Only this kind of understanding and feeling has an effect on these negative emotions. Of course, we can learn this only through our direct experience.

-The mental state, where all afflictive emotions are completely annihilated, is called nirvana.