The Balancing Act Between Intellectual Study and True Practice (理事双修之间的平衡点)

A Balancing Act Between Intellectual Study and True Practice

 

Frankly, it is not easy to read the books of Master Nan Huai Jin. For he is extremely knowledgeable, who is familiar with both the western and eastern cultures, ancient and modern histories, and even futuristic stuff concerning humanity, physics and astrology. When he expounds a sutra, he will draw from many sources in order to illustrate a point. He could be telling you about 9999 more trees in order to explain to you about one tree. In most cases, we will find ourselves lost in his lengthy explanations and forget about the original point of discussion. He will not tell you the exact answer but will leave it to you to find your own answer. Most people will just miss the original point of discussion during his lengthy explanation. But the scholarly type loves his style. It is a big challenge to read his books because they are highly intellectual.

I can finish reading Grand Master’s books in half an hour to one hour each, because Grand Master tends to repeat himself. His childhood stories are familiar to us, so we can read them very fast. The most difficult parts of his books are those touching on Zen Buddhism. The stories about his supernatural power and his past lives are the easiest. When Grand Master mentioned Zen Buddhism, he drew from the ancient parables of Zen Masters, in classical Chinese language which is very difficult to read and comprehend. He would then share something based on his present day experience and told you that that was the answer. He asked if you understand what he meant, but he would not tell you the answer directly either. Most of the readers cannot understand his teachings, for Zen Buddhism is something very abstract and difficult for one to grasp the essence of its teachings. One will not know the answer if he does not understand the essence of the teaching.

I have been encouraging you to read and to learn from the different exposures. I have told you in the past that you will not attain enlightenment through mere reading. Enlightenment does not come from a book. However, one must train on the path to enlightenment through reading. You will not attain enlightenment through reading a single book; that is impossible! If this was possible, those who read a sutra e.g. Diamond Sutra, Lotus Sutra or Shurangama Sutra etc, would have attained enlightenment. Why had they not attained enlightenment after reading the sutra? So, enlightenment cannot be found in the books or sutras. Nevertheless, you will still need to rely on them to attain enlightenment eventually.

If you only talk about enlightenment and nothing else during the exposition of a sutra, you could only persuade a few to walk the path to enlightenment. Some people are fond of history, some are fond of philosophy, and some are fond of science; if your knowledge is wide and you are able touch on many subjects during your discourse, you will be able to engage and help more people. Especially the Gelug students who are very scholarly in their study, who will expect you to know what Middle Way, Mind Only and Tathagarbha are, for you to convince them that you have the right qualifications.

Grand Master seldom talks about Middle Way, Mind Only and Tathagarbha, because he said they are too profound and few can comprehend. However, in Tibetan Buddhism, if you are not familiar with these teachings and claim yourself to be a tulku (a re-incarnated master), no one will believe you. To them, a tulku must understand the teachings of the Middle Way, Mind Only and Tathagathagarbha. However, they tend to spend too much time on the study and have actually fallen into another extreme situation. They usually spend 30 to 50 years on studying the teachings intellectually. How many 30 or 50 years can we afford in a single lifetime? They spend their whole life studying these teachings full-time! We simply can’t afford the time! When they finally understand the teachings, they would have already become too old and weak to start their true practice. So, they wasted too much time in their life trying to understand these teachings intellectually.

Recently, I read a book written by Tan Xi Yong. I realized that people like him are too academic, like a professor in a university. They seem to be talking about the studies at an academic level but not teaching you how to actually attain the true state of Buddhahood. These teachings are meant for the Master Degree or PhD holders. You will, at most, become a top PhD scholar but not a practitioner. They wrote so many books just to help one understand the teachings academically, which it is still far from the true practice. When they have finally understood the teachings academically, they would have become too old and weak to embark on the daily spiritual practice (sadhana).

So, we must know what to choose and what to abandon. We must marry both the intellectual study and the daily sadhana in one. It is wrong to not read at all or read too much. Reading too much will become a mere research activity and you will end up being confused by all the buzz words like “self-nature”, “absence of self-nature” etc. Some people become entrapped forever. So, spiritual practice is just not an easy task!

How do we do our reading while trying to understand the teachings intellectually, and at the same time applying them in our practice in order to attain enlightenment? It is not an easy task. It requires great skill. I hope you will think it through. It will be impossible for you to attain enlightenment if you choose not to read and not to think it through. Unless you choose the Pureland School and merely recite the name of Amitabha Buddha until you achieve a spiritual response with Him and you will be reborn in the Western Blissful Pureland after this life. However, when you are finally reborn before Amitabha Buddha in the Blissul Pureland, He will still open up a sutra right in front of you and say this to you, “Come, let’s study the Middle Way…” He will still talk to you about such thing. You will then need to learn the teaching before returning to this world to put it into practice. In the end, you still need to understand the teachings! So, it is good that we learn more about it during our present lifetime, never mind that you cannot understand the full teachings at this stage. You can study those parts that you do not understand now in the Pureland later.

Grand Master also said that we will not truly understand such teachings even though he teaches them now. He would rather suggest that we learn these teachings when we are reborn in the Blissful Pureland, by then He (Amitabha Buddha) would teach us those teachings. He said he does give the teachings elsewhere, in other realms albeit not on earth. Generally, the people in this world will not understand such teachings, especially during this era of degeneration age where people are too overwhelmed by monetary possessions.

The whole world is in a chaos now. A colleague of mine just came back from England. He stayed there for 2 years. He said England is in a bad shape now, with the people generally out of job and money. He heard news about a few million people who would be retrenched soon. So, some people resorted to robbery for survival! Greece is facing an impending default; EU is facing their own problems; USA is in huge debt; the global financial system is on the verge of collapsing but no one dares to let it collapse due to the huge repercussion. So, all parties are trying to support and sustain it. How long can this last? No one knows. Not to mention the big calamities hitting the world like floods, earthquakes, tornados etc. The world is thrown into a non-ending series of disasters - these are the signs of a degeneration age.

What can we do? We can only live by one belief: lit the world with our little brightness of enlightenment, no matter how small it is; help more people the best we can. We hope to write and publish more books to share the teachings of the Buddha, letting more people know of the precious teachings of the Buddha which can help us attain the ultimate state of liberation. That’s good enough. We only need to practice well personally before trying to help others. This is our mission of this lifetime.

A discourse by Acho Rinpoche.

The Differences Between Zen Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism (Part 2)

The amount of merits accumulated by a Bodhisattva on the First Level of Bodhisattvahood is simply inconceivable, let alone the level of attainment of a Buddha. A Bodhisattva on the First Level can manifest in three thousand big world systems, in the form of emanation bodies. A Bodhisattva on the Second Level can multiply that number by ten folds. A Buddha’s ability is simply boundless, beyond our imagination. Even Padampa Sange dared not attempt to explain the state of attainment of a Buddha.

According to Sutrayana Buddhism, a Bodhisattva must practise for three big eons before attaining the state of Buddhahood. However, there are special methods in Vajrayana Buddhism such as empowerment, mantra and the blessing of an enlightened root guru that can help to expedite the entire process of enlightenment of a student very swiftly. However, there is no such practice in Sutrayana Buddhism. Avalokitesvara immediately advanced to the Eighth Level from the First Level the moment He chanted the Great Compassion Mantra; Heinstantaneously accomplished all the merits belonging to the Bodhisattvas ranging from the First to the Eighth Levels. Vajrayana Buddhism has such special power of blessing indeed. Therefore, the Tantra can help one attain Buddhahood in a single lifetime. As long as one practices under the guidance of his root guru with vigour, it is possible to attain the state Buddhahood in a single lifetime. There were numerous cases of Tibetan masters successfully attaining Buddhahood in a very short period when they practiced under the guidance of their root gurus with vigour.

In theory, one must take it one step at a time. However, the Tantra can actually help us expedite the process and accomplish the practice sooner. Although it will still not be an easy process, it is indeed possible. In the past, one must go through the study of Sutrayana teachings for more than 10 to 20 years before learning the Tantra. So, we are considered in the express lane now because some of us either had only spent a very short period of time on the Sutrayana path or did not even go through it before jumping onto the bandwagon of Vajrayana. So, all the more we must cherish the precious Tantra.

Precepts are critical. Guru Padmasambhava said that the practice of Tantra is likened to one walking on the sharp edge of a knife, where one can easily slipped and hurt himself. So, the practice of Tantra is of high risk. Sutrayana is a safer but slower path, likened to riding a bicycle or taking a bus. The practice of Tantra is likened to taking a flight, fast but risky. If the airplane plunges midway in the sky, you will be finished in no time! The practice of Tantra is an express path of a higher risk. So, everyone must practice with great precaution – do not go astray.

You will face many obstacles during the course of practice and fall on the sharp edge of a knife, and hurt yourself. So, we must abide by the precepts strictly. Mind training is very crucial – do not let your mind run amok. Guard your mind every day, every hour, every second and every moment – do not let your mind run wild. Do not be controlled by your mind or negative emotions. If you are controlled by your negative emotions, you will fall. So, the Trantra can help you attain Buddhahood swiftly but it can also let you fall swiftly. I hope you will take it seriously and practise with great precaution – do not let your mind run wild.

A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 2011.07.15 & 16

The Differences Between Zen Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism (Part 1)

Actually, most of us have not even truly started on the path to enlightenment. There are too many Buddhists who have practised for more than 20 to 30 years who have not even reached the First Level of Bodhisattvahood. This includes students whom Grand Master said provided the “right” answers to his questions on Zen Buddhism; they have not even entered the true path yet, who are still far from the attainment of Buddhahood.

Many have mistaken intellectual understanding of enlightenment for the true attainment of Buddhahood. Actually, it is far from it! The past Zen patriarchs never claimed that they had attained Buddhahood, including the famous 6th Zen Patriarch, Hui Neng. “Attainment of Buddhahood in a single lifetime” does not exist in Zen Buddhism; it is exclusive to Vajrayana Buddhism. Neither does it exist in the Sutrayana Buddhism which advocates that Buddhahood can only be attained after practicing for three big eons.

Zen Buddhism only advocates that “One’s mind is essentially the Buddha”. Some people opined that Master Hui Neng had only reached the First Level of Buddhisattvahood. Zen Buddhism lacks a clear stage of the path; you can’t tell whether you have practiced correctly, unless you can be verified by a highly enlightened Zen Master. From the Zen parables, we know that there is no clear stage of the path in Zen Buddhism; this is a difficult method. Zen mainly talks about intellectual enlightenment, which does not equate to true enlightenment. That is the reason why the Vajrayanists do not advocate Zen and that Zen gradually became less popular today. There were indeed few accomplished Zen masters in the history of Zen Buddhism. Instead, many Zen students became “crazy Zen” in the end. That’s the danger of Zen.

There is a clear stage of the path in Vajrayana Buddhism – this is no trivial matter. According to this book entitled “The Blue Print of Buddhahood” by H.E Thrangu Rinpoche, we have not even entered the Path of the Boddhisattva. According to this book, we must abandon our families, our jobs, our money and practise deep in the mountains in order to do so. Tibetan practitioners did just that, but that is just the initial stage of the practice. Instead, we cling on tightly to our worldly possessions, our jobs, our spouse, our money, our parents, our kids; so we are still practicing outside of the path. There are few who practiced with vigour at the beginning but became slacken over time. It is indeed not easy to persevere. It is easy to understand the theories but difficult to apply them in practice. Does it mean that we should just give up then? No! It is fortunate that you have not given up on it still.

In my opinion, there are too many practitioners practicing outside the path. Some of them became very arrogant after practicing for a period, who are fond of debating with others on the Internet. They are even worst because they have become more egoistic, arrogant and self-centered after embarking on the practice. This is the degeneration age when the practice has become very difficult. However, you cannot give up the practice or you will forever remain an ordinary person. If you do the practice, you will still stand a chance of attaining enlightenment one day. No matter how slim the chance may be, you should just persevere.

Vajrayana Buddhism has a clear stage of the path, which will eventually lead you to the same level of enlightenment mentioned in Zen Buddhism. The first part of Dzogchen in Vajayana Buddhism – “Trekcho”, is similar to Zen, when a practitioner will naturally break free of the cyclic existence when he reaches this stage – that is the only difference between the two. This is a better method than Zen because a Zen practitioner who has not attained the true state of enlightenment might mistake his intellectual understanding of enlightenment as the true enlightenment. Vajrayana is a safer gradual path.

Although we are still at the preliminary stage of the practice, as long as we head for the right direction and practise compassion and emptiness, we will continue to walk the path to enlightenment, be it in this lifetime, next life, life after next, 10 lives later, 100 lives later, 1000 lives later, 10000 lives later… However long it takes, one day we will make it!

A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 2011.07.15 & 16

A Precious Human Life (朝闻道夕可死矣）

Today is Vesak Day, so I wish everyone a Happy Vesak Day. Today is also the Birthday of One Thousand Buddhas. We have come together because of our spiritual bond. Do not belittle this spiritual bond – you had, in fact, received a very special blessing during your past lives that you could be part of the prayer group today. I hope you would cherish this opportunity dearly.

All things in this world will come to pass very soon. No matter how rich you are, even if you possess the wealth of the entire world, you will lose all of them at the moment when you draw your last breadth. By then, you will not be able to take anything along with you including your loved ones, your dearest ones, your son, your wife or your parents. Only your karma accumulated in the present and past lives will follow you throughout your endless cycle of birth and death. Karma is the accumulation of all the thoughts that you harboured in this life. Your thoughts became your actions, your personality and your karma – following you closely in all your future reincarnations.

According to Sakyamuni Buddha, being reborn as a human is actually a very rare opportunity. It is extremely difficult for one to be reborn a human. On the contrary, it is very easy for one to be reborn as an animal, hell being, ghost, ant, insect, etc. Now that you have been reborn a human, you ought to do your spiritual practice and give it the top priority in your life.

All things in this human world are but illusionary liken to a flower reflected in a mirror and a moon reflected on the surface of water; only spiritual practice truly matters. I will always remember a teaching of Sakyamuni Buddha that touches my heart dearly, which set me to ponder on its meaning for a long time. He said, “A man, even if he could live for 100 years and possess all the wealth and best things in this world including having a good wife, good children, a good career, the largest fortune, who has everything in the world and no sickness at all, however, all his possessions are nothing compared with having the opportunity to hear my teaching on the Law of Dependent Origination (生灭法). When you hear my teaching on the Law of Dependent Origination in the morning, you can leave this world immediately in the afternoon on the same day. Hearing this teaching far surpasses a life of 100 years without hearing it. ” This is a very important teaching given by Sakyamuni Buddha.

Sakyamuni Buddha said that you have already reincarnated umpteen times through the millions of aeons meaninglessly, and you have never been able to break free of the cyclic existence. Since you have already gained a human existence, heard the teachings of the Buddha and actually practiced the teachings during this prayer session, I hope you would cherish this opportunity and continue to develop your spirituality through vigorous practices. When you succeed in your spiritual practice, you will develop a special ability to help the numerous sentient beings in this universe. An enlightened being will naturally possess inconceivable abilities to help others. You would be able to help eradicate the numerous calamities, like Grand Master who is able to help eradicate any natural calamities and earthquakes occurring anywhere on earth, and turn this place into a pure land.

Please cherish your superior spiritual bond in this life and continue to walk the path to enlightenment extended from your previous life. Do not forget your spiritual path during the endless cycles of reincarnations. All things in this world are like a flower reflected in a mirror and a moon reflected on the surface of water. So what if you manage to get them? You will still end up having to let them go sooner or later.

Our prayer session today has thus come to a perfect closure.

A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 28-05-2010

The Three Stages of Spiritual Cultivation (修行的三个层次）

Zen Buddhism often talks about the three stages of spiritual cultivation. At the first stage, an ordinary person sees a mountain as mountain and a lake a lake. An ordinary person will feel happy upon seeing a beautiful mountain but upset upon seeing an ugly one. The mind of an ordinary person will be affected by the external environment. An ordinary person will feel happy upon seeing a beautiful lake, but upset upon seeing an ugly one with murky and filthy water. Our old Singapore River was filthy and stinky. When one saw it in the past, he would feel very uncomfortable. That is the mentality of an ordinary person. No one is spared before he embarks on the path to enlightenment. All ordinary folks are in this stage, no matter how smart he is, be it a president or a bagger - it makes no difference. As long as you are still bound by the misconception of the notion of “I”, your mind will be affected by your surroundings.

At the second stage, you have started doing your spiritual cultivation. Initially, you must observe lots of precepts, refraining from the negative conducts and abiding by the Five Precepts. You must be bound by the precepts at the initial stage and do the Ten Virtous Acts. In order to transform from an ordinary person to a saint, you must uphold the Five Precepts and do the Ten Virtous Acts. Otherwise, you will forever remain an ordinary person in the first stage. As long as you do not discard your self-importance, you will forever be stranded in the Six Realms of Existence.

Precepts are very crucial. You must start from observing the precepts. There are many precepts in the Hinayana practice and a greater number in the Mahayana practice, and even greater number in the Vajrayana practice. If you want to attain the ultimate enlightenment, you must observe the precepts. You might ask, “Can I not abide by the precepts?” The answer is “No!” We were born with the three poisons of lust, hatred and ignorance deeply ingrained in us due to our karma. Our negative propensities are so strong that we can easily fall into the Three Lower Realms (animal, hell being and hungry ghost), if we are not protected by the precepts. Besides, at this stage, a rigorous practice is a necessity. Without rigorous practice, you will never stand a chance to break free of the cyclic existence. At this stage, you have already started doing your spiritual cultivation, and you will now see a mountain not as a mountain and a lake not as a lake. You have broken away from the old mindset and perception of an ordinary person and see the world in a different light. The second stage can last an awfully long period, up to many lifetimes or even eons; you might not realize that you have been practicing for a long time. In the Hinayana, this stage can last billions of years, even as long as three big eons. This is just the preliminary practice of the second stage.

Take a look at how Saykamuni Buddha attained His enlightenment. In his past life, he even offered himself to a hungry tiger because he already attained the state of “selflessness”. Take a look at Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who readily gave up His eyes to someone else! “A mountain is not a mountain, and a lake is not a lake!” To Him, eyes were not “eyes” - they were not “His”. He would give His eyes to you if you want them. Now you have come to the later part of the second stage which is extremely difficult only a few can reach. Most of you can only reach the earlier part of the second stage, which is to observe the precepts and do the virtuous acts. How will you be able to give up your wealth when others request it? Or give up your house, car, wife, children, etc.? Will you give up all your possessions, your life? Although the advance practice in the second stage is of extreme difficulty, it is not the ultimate attainment yet.

Finally, you must enter the third stage, where you will see a mountain as mountain and a lake as lake once more. If you continue to persevere on observing the precepts, you will forever remain in the second stage where you will see a mountain not a mountain and a lake not a lake. You will just be a special practitioner different from others; you will appear to be a sublime looking deity being worshipped in a shrine, at the most. You will not be able to walk into the crowd and mingle with them, with the ultimate aim of guiding them onto the path to enlightenment. If you want to help the sentient beings, you must return to the state of seeing a mountain as mountain and a lake as lake once more, like the rest. Of course, by now you have already become a different person in the third stage, different from what you were in the first stage. Regardless of whether the mountain or lake is good or bad, it makes no difference to you - you will not be discriminative now. You have become a happy person, immersed in great joy in a state where you will see a mountain as mountain and a lake as lake once more.

Basically, when you have reached this stage of cultivation, you can break free of the precepts – you can “transgress” the precepts. Like the story told in the Mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvatasaka-sūtra, you could even become a prostitute and offer yourself to any man who wants you, in order to help him enter the path to enlightenment. You can do anything you want and offer anything you wish, for you have already surpassed the conceptual mind of life-and-death, and the discriminative and antagonistic views. You will appear crazy but, in fact, you have truly attained the state of enlightenment. Many of the enlightened Tibetan masters were accomplished practitioners of the Great Perfection (Dzogchen), who lived like animals in filthy places such as a garbage-dumping ground or a latrine. They appeared to be lunatics but, in fact, they are the accomplished masters! The real lunatics are different because they are mentally disordered, unable to tell the difference between good and bad, clean or dirty; they are unable to spiritual practice nor help other sentient beings, let alone being accomplished in spiritual attainment. Those who have attained the third stage of cultivation are different - they are superior, accomplished and non–discriminative. They are fully aware of the differences between good and bad, clean and dirty, but they are just not affected by the differences. They are fine with what you give or not give. They are not bothered by your scolding or teasing. The third stage is a very superior level of attainment most difficult to achieve.

We must walk the path to enlightenment one step at a time. Zen Buddhism has its danger of being reduced to mere “pet phrases of enlightenment”. One might just end up having an empty claim of “I am a Buddha.” If you are not a truly accomplished practitioner and yet you choose to do something against the Dharma, you will fall! It is pointless for you to simply claim that “I am a Buddha!” You will fall because you have not truly attained the state of Buddhahood. So, you had better start from the second stage and abide by the precepts! Otherwise, you will get yourself into trouble.

You might say that “I can do anything. I can kill!” Alright, then I will give you a knife to kill and see if you will be spared from the universal law of cause-and-effect. Unless you have truly attained enlightenment, like Guru Padmasambhava who could deliver the souls of those He killed immediately to the Western Blissful Pure Land, you had better keep the knife away. We had better walk the path to enlightenment one step at a time, starting from the Hinayana, progressing gradually to the Mahayana, and finally the Vajrayana. A gradual approach is a safer approach

Do not be mistaken that you could truly understand the quintessential teachings of Zen Buddhism through the mere intellectual study of Zen books. In the past, there were many Zen practitioners who expounded Zen without truly understanding it’s true meaning. Grand Master has written nearly 10 books on Zen by now, in order to help us understand the ultimate teachings. However, so what if you have intellectually understood the ultimate teachings? It is pointless as long as you are unable to apply the ultimate teachings in your daily conduct! It is more important to be able to apply the ultimate teachings in our conduct than having a mere intellectual understanding. Both pet phrases and intellectual understanding are inadequate - you will still fall unless you are truly enlightened. So, we had better take it one step at a time - walk the path slowly to break free of the cyclic existence eventually.

When you truly break free of the cyclic existence, like that mentioned in the Diamond Sutra, you can discard all the teachings including the precepts, cultivation, meditation and mantras. They are like a boat ferrying us from one shore to another . When we reach the other shore, we should not carry the boat along on our back anymore - that will be meaningless and it will become a burden instead. A boat will become useless when we reach the shore. A boat must be discarded after crossing the river. Another word, when we have truly accomplished our practice, we should discard all the doctrines and precepts. However, you cannot do so before reaching the other shore. Without the boat, you cannot cross the river but you will get drown in the river instead. As long as we are still practicing in the Causal Stage, we will still need the doctrines, the precepts, the practice, the meditation, the mantra, praising the Buddha, the Six Perfections, etc. One day, when we reach the other shore, we can then discard the boat. Otherwise, we need to hold on to it tight!

Now, while we are holding tight to our boat, we might be seeing someone else discarding the boat. We must not criticize others for discarding the boat because we may not understand their true ability. There are many people who criticize Grand Master for drinking alcohol, dancing, eating meat but not vegetarian food, etc. Not only outsiders criticized Grand Master, even his own students followed likewise, “Why did he do that?” The outsiders said, “Your teacher does not look a bit like a monk! A monk must abide by the numerous precepts, but he does not!” Sometimes, Grand Master wears normal attire instead of a monk robe when he goes out of the temple. Others saw it and criticized him, “How can a monk like you wear normal attire? You don’t have the serious mannerism of a monk.” Actually, the person did not know that Grand Master is a truly accomplished practitioner. A truly accomplished practitioner can wear anything, be it a monk robe, normal attire or nothing – he is still an enlightened Buddha. When you are not a Buddha yet, no matter how serious you wear, you are just an ordinary person!

So, we must not criticize others before knowing who he really is. The greatest taboo of a practitioner is to criticize others based on what you think you know – you can be wrong! This is my greatest taboo too. I do not criticize others but merely sing praises of them. If I happen to see any actions of you against the Dharma, I will just think to myself that “Maybe you have already attained enlightenment. You may be breaking away from the precepts for the sake of helping the sentient beings. I may not understand it yet. How could I simply criticize you? If I do so, I might just be committing a great sin through my speech!” No matter what, we must not criticize others. We should not commit bad karma through our speech but to maintain a pure speech at all times. When we criticize others, we are actually criticizing ourselves for being non-accommodating. So, instead of committing bad karma through our speech, we would rather train our own mind and practise with vigour, which will be a more meaningful act.

A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 26-10-2010

Reading is Part of Practice (修行要读书)

The mere reading of sutras or books on the teachings will not free you of the cyclic existence nor make you enlightened immediately. Nevertheless, I still think that reading is very important because a spiritual practice could either start with an actual practice followed by the intellectual understanding, or start with an intellectual understanding followed by the actual practice. Even the Great Perfection (Dzogchen) teachings of the Nyingma start with intellectual understanding.

Mipham Rinpoche said, “If one does not understand the teachings, he will have great difficulty attaining enlightenment.” So, one must start with the intellectual understanding through studying the teachings. Some of the incomprehensible spiritual attainment could actually be explained intellectually through the teachings. So, reading is very important. Sometimes, you may come across some inspirational teachings, inconceivable personal attainment or experience of others that will humble us and spur us on the path of cultivation.

I hope that you can choose a wider range of subjects including the sutras, for reading and sharing. This will force you to think more deeply on the teachings expounded through the sutras instead of doing mere recitations, and you should strive to understand the various teachings in totality, without conflicts. You will make good progress through the preparation and thinking process before sharing with others, unless you have already achieved a very high level of enlightenment and could simply share any teachings in an impromptu manner.

A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 25-03-2010

The Cultivations of Wisdom & Merits (福慧要双修)

(Singapore River in the old days)

Acho Rinpoche: Yesterday was the birthday of Dharma Sister Yue. So, we bought a cake for her to celebrate her birthday tonight. Although we are late by one day, we still wish her a happy birthday today. We had a very special encounter yesterday at the Singapore River. So, I would like to invite Dharma Brother Shao to do his sharing first.

Shao: First, I would like to share with you a dream that I had this morning. In the dream, Acho Rinpoche instructed me to share the story at Singapore River. I did not know the reason initially, but I did know that it was related to Dharma Sister Bing. She told us that she worked at a place near the Singapore River. She also joked about asking me to do a soul deliverance ritual at her workplace. In the dream, I told Acho Rinpoche that there were seven of us sitting at a table. The word “seven” in Mandarin sounded like “begging”. So, it meant that there would be seven of us experiencing starvation at an eatery.

Last night, we had our dinner at an eatery selling clay-pot rice. On my way to the washroom, I had a vision: there were many laborers squatting on the stools, sharing a very small bowl of food on the tables. The employers were very stingy in the old days, paying meager salaries to their employees. So, the laborers lived a very thrifty lifestyle, eating very little food each day. Most of the time, they did not have a full meal. Some people did not even have a job and were unable to make their ends meet; they had to do without meals every day. How pathetic! But they got use to it. So, we ought to learn to appreciate our food and good fortune today.

In the dream, Acho Rinpoche told me that “seven” meant “death”. I could not figure it out and I woke up from my dream at that point. It was 4am in the morning. I went to the washroom and had a vision at that point – I “saw” Fort Canning Hill. I ignored the vision and returned to my bed. But I could not sleep again because I kept “seeing” Fort Canning Hill. I understood the meaning of the vision - the spiritual beings in Fort Canning Hill were requesting my help. So, I went into my shrine and did a prayer for them. After the prayer, I emptied my mind and saw numerous spiritual beings coming out from my stomach. How strange! In my vision, Fort Canning Hill is a place full of negative energy. For it was a place where many people were brutally killed (during Japanese occupation). It is being ruled by a Mountain God. There is a palace within the hill, resembling the nether world. What a strange place!

Acho Rinpoche: Due to a very strange reason, we made a trip to the Singapore River yesterday. I seldom go to such places because they are usually very crowded. And it is not within my scope of work too. However, there was still a small reason for us to be there because Lianhe Zaobao (a local Chinese newspaper) organized a Mid-autumn Festival celebration there. So, I thought, “Probably we could celebrate Dharma Sister Yue’s birthday there. There were Taiwanese food stalls selling stinky bean curd, oyster omelet etc. Since we just came back from our Taiwan trip recently and we still find their local delicacies memorable, why don’t we just celebrate her birthday there?”

When we reached Clark Quay at the Singapore River, Dharma Sister Chan informed me of those coming. But I somehow felt that an important person seemed to be left out. Soon after, I saw that person appearing among us. Clark Quay was full of people that we could not even squeeze ourselves into the crowd. So, I decided immediately that we should leave the place and go somewhere else for dinner. Since Dharma Sister Chan also works in the same location, she recommended us a place nearby. We came to an eatery selling clay-pot rice. This place was crowded and there was not seats available but we did not feel like going elsewhere and just waited for our turn. Soon after, there was a big table available which accommodate about twelve of us. But still, we had a few more members waiting outside for their turn.

We ordered our food but we believed that the kitchen could not deliver, because there were too many customers that they could not cope! The eateries around this area are usually very quiet on the weekends but the celebration of festival brought such a big crowd to this place. We waited for about 20 minutes before our first dish was served. The clay-pot rice was reminiscent of the familiar taste dated back 30 years ago. It was very delicious! The small group sitting outside already had their seats and ordered their food. When we were almost done with our dinner, the group sitting outside was still waiting for their first dish to be served. So, they checked with the owner of the eatery on their order. But another hour passed and they still did not have any food served. Dharma Brother Liang was kind and he brought over a small piece of bean curd from our table and gave it to them. Our little Dharma Brother Xin usually was not too interested in bean curd but he ate it all up as he was too hungry. Next, we sent a set of clay-pot rice over to them too. By this time, their food was still not delivered. We were done with our dinner, and the customers on other tables had left too, with new customers continued streaming in who had their food served too. It was only our group sitting outside had nothing served. After two hours, there was a small plate of stewed port knuckle served and that was it.

Finally, the group complained to the lady boss. The lady boss found it very strange, “This is the first time such funny thing happened in our shop! The orders are placed in order. There is no reason why only the first dish was served and the rest are left out!” She could not figure out how on earth it happened? I stood beside her and just smiled. Of course I knew what the reason was.

After that, everyone asked me the reason for such strange happening. I told them a little bit of the secret. It was just like what Dharma Brother Shao said, “One plus one.” First, the laborers in the old days lived in poverty. They hardly had food to eat. Often, they had to sleep with an empty stomach. The group was made to experience hunger felt by the laborers in the past, so that they would understand that our ancestors built our modern Singapore through hardship. Their contributions are great, yet they had so little to eat and they were starved most of the time!
In addition to that, Dharma Sister Bing tried to help the spiritual beings stranded in the nether world by pouring the holy water into the fountain at her workplace, and that brought some of the spiritual beings over to the eatery too where we had our dinner. These spiritual beings were beheaded during the Japanese occupation, and they could not eat because they were too used to the habitual actions of eating with their mouths. I had to give them blessings and “reproduced” their heads, before offering them the food. And we had to transfer our “merits” from our table to the table outside, giving them (spiritual beings) the food to feed them.

These sentient beings suffered in hardship due to the lack of merits. So, we must cultivate merits too. Without merits, it will be difficult for one to practice spiritual cultivation. Just take a look at those laborers, they were so pathetic because of the lack of merits – they could not even afford a meal! Take a look at those beings who died from being beheaded – they suffered great pains and are still stranded in the nether world today, unable to take a rebirth. They continued to suffer from starvations – they can’t eat without heads, even though there is food.
We cannot do without merits. So, we must practice the cultivation of both wisdom and merits. We did a Jembhala prayer just now at the request of a Dharma Brother who had the word “merit” as part of his name. I thought of doing this prayer at 3pm today but it slipped my mind soon after. It was this Dharma Brother who requested the prayer to be done that we managed to do it today. Just now, an inconceivable number of Jembhala descended from space to receive blessings from the Sun Moon Lamp Buddha. So, this red wine being offered to Jembhala during the prayer will bring merits to those who drink it. Such merits will follow you in your future lives, supporting you financially in your spiritual practice. With that, we have completed our prayer today. Amitabha!

A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 11-9-2010, the birthday of Jembhala.

(Singapore River today)

Going Through the Bardo State (超越生死）

Acho Rinpoche:
We chanted the Hundred Syllable Mantra 21 times just now; we did it 49 times last time; one day we will do it 108 times. You should practice the way I do - sitting completely still, listening to the sound of mantra, and completely resting in a state of emptiness. I felt extremely light, free of sensual feelings, completely disappeared - gone! You have to reach this state of stillness that your body is free of sensual feelings, you only heard the sound of mantra, and you dissolve into the sound of mantra. In that state, you can chant 108 times or 1,080 times of the mantra, and your mind will just sink, sink, sink… First, the enlightenment being will descend, and your body will feel a hardened sensation as though you are a piece of rock, and then you will find yourself vanished into emptiness. Finally, you will find “yourself” present outside of your body - in space. At this point, you will feel that your legs, body and mouth no longer belong to you. In this state of non-being, only the resonance of the mantra continues, within which you completely dissolved. Then, you can sit there in a meditative posture for a long period of time. If you feel restless, you will feel that your legs have turned numbed, and you will not be able to continue chanting the mantra and you will feel very uncomfortable.

The next thing I want to let you know is that I have been sick for the past 2 days, during which I could not sleep at all. First, it was my toothache caused by a badly swollen gum. The pain persisted from 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, to 5am. I exhausted all methods including taking medications, using salts etc. I almost felt like extracting my tooth using a plier! The pain was simply too great to bear! Finally, I thought to myself, “Alright! Just go ahead and torture me with the pain!” I just lied in my bed and continued chanting the mantra in my heart, till dawn.

On the following day, I called my dentist. Before that, I consulted a Chinse physician who said that I was too heaty and he gave me the strongest medication and assured me that the pain could be treated. However, it did not work! When the dentist saw my condition, he was surprised. He said, “The swell is really bad!” He asked me why I came to him so late? He asked me how long has it been? I told him, “2 days.” He wondered how I could bear the pain and he thought by now my blood pressure would have shot up very high! “110/70,” he said, “normal!” My body temperature was also normal, at 36 degree Celcius. He said, since the swollen gum did not affect my blood pressure or my body temperature, he would do an operation for me. The operation, although was done under anaesthetic, was very painful!

After the operation, he said he would not be available on the following day because of a meeting already scheduled. He gave me the contacts of two of his dentist friends, in case I need further assistance. “Tell them that you are sent by me, they will attend to you,” he said. “I think you must consult one of them tomorrow,” he said. I told him, “I may not need to seek their help tomorrow.” He gave me lots of medication. I told Dharma Sister Yue that we might need to cancel the prayer tonight. Actually, I had a meeting today and a prayer tonight. I had not been able to sleep for the past few years. After taking the medication, surprisingly, I could sleep again. Although I still feel the pain, my gum is no longer swollen. That’s why I could practice with you tonight.

Now I would like to invite Dharma Sister Xiu to say a few words. Let her share with us the details of some events that had happened recently.

Dharma Sister Xiu:
I took care of my husband for more than ten days by now. It was hard work and I almost fall sick now. He is someone who is very stubborn, probably because he served in the army in the past. Although he is a Buddhist, he has not been practicing the teachings. He consulted a fortune teller recently and was told that there was a spirit following him closely. However, the fortune teller could not help him solve the problem. Acho Rinpoche also said something similar about the problem faced by my husband but he could help solve the problem. I am very grateful to Acho Rinpoche.

Initially my husband had a headache. He kept vomiting too despite taking the medicine. I was panic and tried to help him by chanting the mantra and seeking help from Acho Rinpoche. I hope he could recover soon. He was so stubborn that he refused to consult the doctor despite the seriousness of his sickness. Finally, I managed to drag him to a family doctor. The doctor did not even dare to prescribe any medication for him but merely gave him a jab. He advised me to take my husband to the hospital instead but my husband just refused to do so. He vomited again at night.

On the 2nd day, I brought him to a doctor. He was given a jab and blood pressure assessment. He showed no sign of a stroke. On the 3rd day, he fell somewhat unconscious and hardly opened his eyes throughout the day. At night, when he woke up, he told me that he had a dream. In his dream, he saw a shadow, dressed in a floral shirt. When I heard that, I could feel the presence of a foreign being in his body. On the 4th day, I told Acho Rinpoche that I wished to bring my husband to see him for blessing. But I could not force my husband to go with my plan. On the 5th day, I told my husband, “If you are still not well today, I will bring you to Acho Rinpoche.” Surprisingly, he agreed. He put on the shirt he wore when he took refuge in Buddhism i the past, and a rosary. But he took them off soon after. I really felt that there was a foreign being in his body. I made an appointment with Acho Rinpoche and I finally brought him over to seek blessing.

At night, I asked Aco Rinpoche about my husband’s condition. Acho Rinpoche told me, “He is possessed by a spirit.” It matches what the fortune teller said. I asked, “Will he be alright?” Acho Rinpoche said, “ No problem!” After receiving the blessing from Acho Rinpoche, my husband had a dream on the same night. In his dream, he fought with others but won the fight. He took three human heads home, placed them in paper bags and placed them before the earth-god. After that, he fell sick. He consulted a doctor but was told that he did not suffer from a stroke. So, I felt relieved because it meant that it was not a very serious illness. Few days later, he became dehydrated after vomiting continuously. Finally, he was admitted to a hospital but again, the doctor said he did not suffer a stroke. He was put on drips and became conscious again. When I returned home for a sleep, I dreamt of taking a photograph with Grand Master. After that, I returned to the hospital and was told by the doctor that my husband was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit due to internal bleeding in his head. I became panic because I initially thought that it was not a stroke. Why did he suddenly bleed in his head? After the prayer at night, I learnt that Acho Rinpoche fell sick and I guessed he must have taken over the sufferings of my husband. I could not sleep after returning home on that night, feeling guilty.

On the following day, the doctor told me that my husband had suffered from a stroke at least 7 to 8 days ago. I told him that my husband just refused to consult the doctor. The doctor said, “I see. However, the blood clot has disappeared almost completely. If there is no further complication, he can be transferred to a normal ward soon.” At the time, there was another experienced doctor with us who said, “It must be the blessing from heaven! He is very lucky!” In the afternoon, he was transferred to a normal ward. Grand Master and Acho Rinpoche must have given their blessings. I felt very touched by what the doctor said and felt like crying. I hope that my husband will change some of his bad habits after surviving this crisis, and cherish the Dharma. The Dharma is truly inconceivable!

Acho Rinpoche:
The dentist told me not to speak in the next three days, in order to reduce the pain caused by my toothache. I experienced great pain when swallowing my saliva. When I left the dental clinic looking for my lunch, I could not find porridge after checking it out at 4 to 5 coffee shops (eateries). I could not speak at all and had great difficulty in swallowing my saliva, besides not being able to eat anything throughout the day. As I need to attend a meeting in the morning, I had not time for breakfast in the morning. I am not a choosy person but all I could find in the eateries are just hard foods that need chewing.

Since I have given him the blessing, he will turn out to be fine. There is no need to worry too much. All things in this world are impermanent, aren't they? It is coincidental that I just talked about the “Bardo Teachings – Going Beyond Birth and Death” recently. This story tells us about the sufferings before death. I must live through the great pain while I am still alive! However, such pain is very insignificant compared with the pain of going through the bardo state. It is a far more painful process of going through the bardo state. Her husband actually went through a state closely resembling that of a near-death. We must learn from this lesson and prepare ourselves well to go through the bardo state.


A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 10 Oct 2010

The Illusory Cyclic Existence （六道轮回的虚幻）

Dharma Brother Yi:

Acho Rinpoche gave a very wonderful teaching the other day. I felt that it was indeed a very rare teaching that I have ever come across in this lifetime. I have always found the core teaching of Buddhism somewhat elusive. However, on that very night Acho Rinpoche pointed out the core teaching in a very direct and reassuring way, giving me a very clear sense of direction that prevents me from digressing. My heart was indeed filled with the Joy of Dharma!

On the following day, I had a dream in early dawn. In the dream, we were practicing in a group. Acho Rinpoche taught us the recitation of the name of a highly realized Thai Buddhist Master who had a very stron spiritual connection with the former. Acho Rinpoche was holding a book in his hand. The book consists of two sections, with the first half section written in Thai and the second half in Chinese, translated by Acho Rinpoche.

After the group practice, Acho Rinpoche told us that he invented a special fertilizer lately. This fertilizer would enhance the booming of flowers for any plant. He gave the fertilizer to all of us. I was the first in the queue, and I took one big bag of it. The fertilizer appeared to be translucent and was milky white in color. I held the bag in my hand and thought to myself, “I don’t have any plants, what should I do with this fertilizer?” I knew not what to do with it. Then I noticed that the fertilizer given to others looked different from mine – they looked like the “black pills” instead. Acho Rinpoche instructed them to swallow the black pills and they did so accordingly. I thought, “Why is it that I can’t eat mine?” I felt very grateful in my mind, and I woke up from my dream at that point, still feeling very joyful at heart.

I had yet another dream this morning but I forgot it completely after waking up. Suddenly I recalled this dream during our practice and it became vivid again. In my dream, I was standing beside a lake, staring at the water in the lake. The water was murky. There were numerous illusory sentient beings in the lake which looked extremely sad and troubled. They were swimming all over in a very chaotic manner. I felt clearly that they were illusionary, not real – why would they suffer from so much mental afflictions? “An illusory existence should rightly be free of mental afflictions,” I thought. “I must tell them!” So, I jumped into the lake, trying to reach them. However, the moment I entered the lake, I felt tremendous pressure and my mind became very confused! I could not see my own body, instead I felt like one of them – an illusion too! However, my mind was telling me that I was not an illusion but real! I struggled in great discomfort. Again, I thought, “How can I pull them out of this place? How should I tell them that they are just illusory?” At that point, I no longer felt that it was just an illusion - my mind became clouded and confused. Suddenly, I saw Dharma Brother Shao leading a group of people moving towards a certain direction, looking for his master. He told the rest that his master would be able to free them from the cyclic existence and their mental afflictions!

I looked at the direction to which he was pointing and saw two vertical rays of light. When Dharma Brother Shao mentioned his “master”, a message flashed through my mind immediately – “Acho Rinpoche is there!” So, I helped to lead the rest moving towards the light in that direction too. The lake water was murky and we lost our sense of direction completely. When we came close to the two rays of light, we began to develop a clearer sense of direction – and we could feel that this was a lake. We moved towards the two rays of light which appeared to be two vertical pillars of light leading upward from the lake. I started feeling very uncomfortable and I said “I go up first!” I charged upward and half way through, I sensed that I would be seeing Acho Rinpoche. And I knew that the two pillars were, in fact, his legs! I felt that he was seated, with his two legs resting in the lake.

When I reached the surface of the water, I returned to the initial state where I could see the lake, the water, the mountain, birds and trees. I felt very comfortable in the nature. At that point, I knew that the lake was illusionary. I had awaken in the dream but had yet to wake up from my dream. I could not quite remember the dream after waking up until I did my practice, where I quietly analysed my dream once more. I thought this was a special dream that must have its significance. When I re-emerged from the bottom of the lake, I expected to see the face of Aho Rinpoche but I saw an empty space instead. I did not see the face of Acho Rinpoche appearing before my eyes but his two legs of light. Which one was his true identity? While I was searching for the answer, the vision of the entire lake appeared in my mind. Actually, the upper half of Acho Rinpoche’s body was formless! It was just nature – trees, flowers, grass etc; the manifestations of emptiness!

Both legs of Acho Rinpoche that appeared as light symbolised “luminosity”. The water in the lake symbolised “sentient beings in the six realms of cyclic existence”. It simply means – luminosity actually exists within the sentient beings of the six realms of cyclic existence”. When I saw the light from the bottom of the lake, I thought it was Acho Rinpoche and I saw his face appearing. Actually, the face of Acho Rinopche is just an illusion. His face appeared from luminosity in order to give us a sense of direction, guiding us upwards the pillars of light. What is above the lake is the true existence – it is not impermanence but "emptiness and awareness". It was a very clear sense of awareness! That was the whole picture! I was very touched when I understood the meaning of this dream!

Acho Rinpoche:

Dharma Brother Yi had a very meaningful dream. It is likened to a small opening, through which he saw a small facet of my attainment. Actually, the upper half is a luminous state of emptiness. You will finally reach a luminous state of emptiness. The whole universe and nature are just your manifestations. In order to help the sentient beings, you place both your legs in the Six Realms of Existence. The manifestation of rainbows, rains… are meant to bring them back to their place of origin. The Seal of Great Perfection can deliver the sentient beings to the Pure Land of the Buddhas. This is simply an inconceivable method – the Great Perfection!

As what Dharma Brother Yi said, the lake represents the Six Realms of Existence. When sentient beings entered the Six Realms of Existence, they lost their ways. The lake is simply too vast, and everyone is lost in his dream, lost in his delusions, stranded in the process of birth, aging, sickness and death, and trapped by his career, family, children, spouse etc. Although Yi wanted to help others, he too was lost when he entered the lake. He was trapped too and became helpless himself. This is to tell you that it is just not easy to break free of the Six Realms of Existence. If the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the enlightened masters do not re-enter this realm of existence to help the sentient beings by teaching, blessing and helping them, it will be impossible for anyone to break free of the Six Realms of Existence at all!

Sakyamuni Buddha said there is no one who can break free of the Six Realms of Existence, regardless of your status as a king, a president, a billionaire, a professor etc. You simply cannot break free of the Six Realms of Existence but repeatedly born and die within. Only with the blessing of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, one can break free of the cyclic existence. The wisdom of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is simply inconceivable - it is simply beyond the comprehension of ordinary beings. If you want to break free of the Six Realms of Existence, you must practice with vigour. When you break free, you will realize that the whole world, the universe are just parts of your body. Rainbows will appear wherever you are because they are part of your existence. Wind, rain, streams… are all parts of your existence - they are just your manifestations. You did not create them intentionally - they just appear very naturally. This is the state of being when you reached the ultimate state of enlightenment. So, the dream was very meaningful - it leaked slightly my state of attainment. I am pleasantly surprised that Yi had such a dream.

A discourse given by Acho Rinpoche on 31 Jul 2010 in Singapore.

Enlightenment is a Possibility (成佛是可能的）

H.H Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche was a great King of Dharma in the Nyingma, who was a highly realized and accomplished practitioner. He was also a prolific writer who wrote many books about “Bodhichitta”. “Bodhichitta” is no different from the mind-training that I often shared with you. We possess an innate Buddha Nature but most of us are unable to recognize it due to our karmic obscuration. It is liken to a piece of jade that is still covered by a layer of rock externally that you must keep polishing it until the hidden gem is revealed. However the process revelation is a very tough one. That explains why there had been many practitioners in the past but few had attained enlightenment. It is very difficult to remove that outer layer of rock. Nonetheless, you must continue to do so. If you do not move upward, you will only go downward and perpetually stranded in the cyclic existence (samsara). If you go forward with courage, you will succeed one day because we have the equal potential of attaining a full enlightenment of a Buddha.

In a nutshell, we must aspire to Bodhichitta - aiming only to benefit others and avoid being carried away by our inner sense of hatred. Guard our mind very carefully – it is important not to be carried away by our inner thoughts that appear one after another incessantly because you will not be able to turn back after going too far off. We must always be mindful that a practitioner must behave differently from one who is not. No matter what we do, we must always do so with the intent to “help others and bring happiness to others.”

Let me give you an example - a lady called me while I was away, in Taiwan. She wanted to come to my house to fix the water pipe problem. I told her to call again after I returned to Singapore - she called two days later. I told her what she needed to do with my water pipe, in just a few sentences. Before she hung up, she told me, “Gee, you are just different from others!” I asked her why? She said, “I only spoke to you briefly but I feel exhilarated! I wonder why? I just feel happy and enjoy the conversations with you. I feel happy and joyful!” Actually, she would have used the phrase “spiritual joy” had she known it.

This is the positive result of a good practice – one can bring happiness to others naturally. Of course, the premise is that you must be a happy person in the first place. If you are full of negative emotions, feeling unhappy all day, being argumentative and always want to be the one winning, you will not be able to bring happiness to others. On the contrary, you will tend to only force others into a corner. So, we must first tame our own mind, after which our inner sense of compassion will naturally manifest outward in many ways that your speech will make others feel happy, and others will feel happy by merely meeting you. At that point in time, you will be able to help the numerous sentient beings; no matter where you go, you will be able to help many sentient beings whom you meet; you will somehow look different from others and will be able to bring happiness to others. You could even reach the level of attainment where rainbows will appear in the sky wherever you go, and even animals and plants could interact with you - that is an inconceivable state of enlightenment.

It is not easy to reach that state of enlightenment. It is also not easy for us to tame our own mind. We have committed too much negative karma since time immemorial and we have inculcated very strong negative propensities in ourselves that they will take a long time to be purified. Only when our karmic obscuration has been fully eradicated, we can free ourselves from the cyclic existence. You should practice gradually and change yourselves gradually. One day, though it may not happen in the present lifetime, you will still make it in your next life, or maybe ten, one hundred, one thousand or ten thousands lifetimes later. When you finally attain enlightenment, it will be a very different situation altogether - you will then see a beautiful world around you!

We will not go the extreme ways. As the Buddha said, “Buddha Nature is an innate state of being in all sentient beings”. The Zen Patriarchs said, “I am a Buddha!” However, do not misunderstand these words and think that you are already a Buddha! It is useless to claim that you are a Buddha when you are not able to demonstrate the state of enlightenment and the true quality of a Buddha, yet. You will fail the tests in the face of adversities and end up losing your temper, transgressing the precepts, being over powered by your own lust, hatred and ignorance. So what if you know that you are essentially a Buddha when you have not truly attained the true state of enlightenment of a Buddha!

Neither should we over belittle ourselves, thinking that our karmic obscuration is too great that we will never attain the state of Buddhahood - that will just give you an excuse to continue falling. We should not go to the two extremes but should walk a middle path instead. We should have faith in in the attainment of Buddhahood eventually. Although we may not be able to make it in the present lifetime, one day we will make it! We should turn towards enlightenment, but not the opposite. We should say goodbye to our negative emotions, confrontational attitudes, dissatisfactions and the rest of the negativities. We should turn toward the positive aspect of life such as being more objective, compassionate and virtuous; one day, we will make it! We should have faith in the path to enlightenment.

A teaching given by Acho Rinpoche on 22-9-2010

In Search of a Reincarnated Master (The Recognition of Acho Rinpoche III)

On 23 Nov 2007, we paid our respect to H.H Dudjom Rinpoche at his residence in Nepal. My mobile phone suddenly beeped, indicating a message sent from Singapore. It was from H.E Konde Rinpoche III. He asked me if I could meet him, for he had a little question for me. I replied to him that I would meet him when I returned to Singapore.

On the very night when I returned to Singapore, I went to see him at his residence, with a few fellow practitioners. He gave me a surprise! He told me that I am a reincarnation of a late Nyingma Dzogchen master – Acho Rinpoche II. So, he gave me the official recognition of “Acho Rinpoche III”.

H.E Konde Rinpoche is a Nyingma Dzogchen practitioner, whose root guru was the late Achang Dodan Rinpoche, a renowned and accomplished Dzogchen master. Konde Rinpoche was ordained as a monk since young, and he is the current abbot of the Horthang Monastery in Qinghai, China. He left China some years ago and is now residing in India, following H.E Dzogchen Rinpoche.

Konde Rinpoche told us that he had a vivid dream. In the dream, Achang Dodan Rinpoche instructed him to present a Guru Rinpoche crown to someone. When he woke up from his dream, he knew that it had a very special significance. He prayed to the Nyingma protector – Single Knot, for an advice on who should the recipient of the crown be. He must be someone with a very special karmic connection. Later, in his meditation, he had a vision of me. He knew then that I must be the owner of this crown. He consulted a few other Rinpoches, including the 70-year old Kade Rinpoche of the Horthang Monastery and his grandfather who was also an accomplished practitioner. All of them confirmed his vision.

On 1 Dec 2007, H.E Konde Rinpoche held a simple and yet solemn enthronement ceremony at my home, in recognition of my status of a reincarnated Nyingma Dzogchen master, Acho Rinopche III. In Feb 2008, H.E Dzogchen Rinpoche, the current lineage holder of the Nyingma Dzogchen, also recognized my status as a reincarnated master in the Nyingma Dzogchen lineage.

I used to have frequent dreams of my returning to Tibet. I saw a temple in which my body of previous life was being enshrined and worshipped by the believers. I also knew that I had repeatedly taken rebirths in the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. My karmic connection with Tibetan Buddhism is indeed very profound. However, I have not been actively searching for my past identities all these years. Names and forms are never important to me; I find actual practice and attainment far more important. Although I did not pursue the name and form, they came to me somehow. I understand that the time has come for me to help more sentient beings, for a practitioner who has aspired to bodhicitta shall bear the responsibility of performing the Buddha activities. So, I accepted the faith presented to me.

Giam Eng Leng, Lotus Robe, Acho Rinpoche, Living Buddha, are just illusory names in a dream. “Rinpoche” or ‘Living Buddha” are but an expedient method that “I” will be using in this lifetime to help the sentient beings. I am just a tiny leaf which is carried by the wind to wherever it brings me. I recalled a song that I used to sing when I was young, the lyrics of which suddenly appeared in my mind – “Although I have never been to Qinghai, it came into my dream every night. Mt Kala decorated by white clouds rises tall into the sky. The Yellow River and Yantze River seem to be originating from the sky…”


Acho Rinpoche
Singapore

Japan Hit by 9.0 Magnitude Earth Quake on 11 Mar 2011

We dedicated the merit generated from our prayer tonight to the People of Japan who suffered from the major earthquake hitting Japan on 11 Mar 2011 - may Buddha bless them.

There is an increasing number of disasters occurring in the world today. Some people thought that we Singaporeans are very fortunate because Singapore is almost free of natural calamities. Although we live in a land free of major crisis, it will be meaningful if a crisis helps to engender a sense of impermanence in us.

The Japanese live in constant fear of earth quakes. In 1923, a 7.9 magnitude earth quake killed 140,000 people in Kanto, Japan. The People of Japan live in fear every day, worrying about Japan being completely flattened by earth quakes one day. In fact, the earth is rocked by tremors every second daily, but most of them went unnoticed. Major earth quakes are expected to occur once every hundred years. But in the two recent decades, major earth quakes occurred frequently, including the big tsunami hitting Indonesia (Aceh), the major earth quake hitting China (Wen Chuan), New Zealand (Christchurch), Taiwan (921) and Japan (Kobe), causing the loss of millions of lives. The People of Japan live in fear of earth quake daily; it will be great if they can turn their fear into a strong sense of impermanence which could propel them into a vigorous practice of the Dharma.

On the contrary, Singaporeans live in a land free of major disasters and tend to take things for granted. Most people do not seem to have a sense of crisis when major earth quakes hit other countries, for they seemed too remote. Some people seemed to worry more about having paid for the tours to Tokyo or Hokkaido and insisted on going on the tours. They did not seem to consider the possibility of losing their lives in an earth quake. When impermanence or a major disaster strikes, one could perish immediately regardless of whether he is a president, a prime minister or a billionaire.

I watched the news yesterday and I found the earth quake hitting Japan appeared similar to the scenes depicted in the movie "2012". The tsunami was 10 meter high and it swept away people, boats, cars, trains, houses standing in its way. Had you been there on the spot, you would have felt completely helpless and realized that mankind is just too insignificant in the face of mother-nature!

Sakyamuni Buddha said, if you simply enjoyed the materialistic wealth of your life but know nothing of the Dharma, you are simply wasting your time, your life and the resources on earth. We should turn our sense of impermanence into a motivation for practice. Practice with vigour till you reach the state of enlightenment, and you will be able to help the rest of the sentient beings. Do not just live your life as a routine, day after day, year after year, wasting your valuable time - your entire life will just pass you by in a blink of eye! Bodhisattva Shamanthabhadra gave a good analogy – we are just like a fish living in a fish tank, where the water level in the tank recedes gradually. One day, we will suddenly realize that the water in the fish tank has completely run dry and our life will soon come to an end. In fact, our death will come sooner than expected.

Two nights ago, while I was driving home from work, I suddenly felt that my neck became stiff and I could not turn my head. When I reached home, I could not alight from my car because my left leg became too stiff to move. I had to massage my leg for awhile before I could start dragging my feet home. At night, half of my body became too stiff to move. On the following day, Japan was hit by a major earth quake! Initially I thought I was having a surge in my blood pressure, but the doctor advised me that my blood pressure was actually normal. My body was very stiff and I felt very uncomfortable throughout the period. Fortunately the stiffness suddenly disappeared today; it came and went like a gust of wind! This is just impermanence!

While the news of Japan earth quake was reported widely, I got a SMS from Dharma Brother Liang. He informed me that his wife fell on her way to a hospital for a check up. Her elbow was dislocated and her bone was fractured. She is now being hospitalized. Like I said, anything can happen at any moment. Impermanence is staring at us right in our face! Please practice your mind-training and do not succumb to your hatred, lust and ignorance – do not be deceived by your own thoughts. The fall can be fatal! I had survived several falls, thanks to the blessing of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors. One day, I went to a hawker centre for my breakfast. Someone dropped his bowl of noodles on the floor. I stepped on the spillage and slipped. I was flung a few feet away from the spot and landed with my back on the floor. Fortunately I survived the accident unscathed. Some people could end up with broken limbs after a fall. We had a Dharma Sister who fell in Malaysia in the past and needed to rest at home for the next one year. Some even died from their falls.

You should not assume that you are still young and you still have plenty of time – you will not know when you will die. You could get into your bed tonight but you may not be able to wake up the following day to put on your pair of slippers again. Do not assume that you still have plenty of time. When tsunami or earth quake strikes, there is no more time left. Do not waste your time on frivolous matters or arguments. When a disaster land on you, your four elements (earth, water, fire, wind) will decompose and you will not even have time to repent. I hope all of you can turn a sense of crisis engendered by the Japan earth quake into a sense of impermanence, and practice with vigour!

The Japan earth quake is not totally unrelated to us. I was born in Japan in one of my past lives, as a Vajrayana practitioner. So, Japan is one of my homelands. My feelings for Japan and Tibet are equal. Tibet is one of my past homelands too. I was born in Tibet as a practitioner in one of my past lives. The trail of practice is non-erasable. The Japan earth quake saddens me. I felt as if my homeland is destroyed. However, this cannot be helped due to the collective karma of the sentient beings. I hope the People of Japan can rise from the devastation, and the mind of people will turn towards virtue, in order to avoid future crisis. If the mind of people continues to turn towards evil, crisis will just continue perpetually. There are still many people buried underneath the rubble. We pray to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the enlightened ones to help the People of Japan, help them return to their homes, help more people practice the Dharma and transform the collective bad karma into good karma.

Date: 12 Mar 2011

Inauguration of a New Nyingma Dzogchen Centre in Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia

First, I would like to express my appreciation to those who joined the mind-training tour to Ipoh (13-14 Nov 2010). Without you, I think the exceptional phenomenon (a special rainbow appeared above the clouds, unlike the usual rainbows seen after rain) would not have occurred. Next, I would like to thank Dharma Sister YM for helping to arrange the two-day trip, making it possible for everyone to participate in the event.

As a matter of fact, every mind-training tour was truly beyond my control. I have repeated this many times that regardless of the length of each trip or its location, it was arranged by the holy beings in advance where they would decide on the details; I am merely a seed on the chessboard being moved around.

The merits accumulated from every mind-training tour are simply inconceivable! I could only say this: in the Diamond Sutra, it is said that “When you were given all the jewels in the world and you offered them all to the Buddha, you would accumulate immeasurable merits.” However, the merits accumulated from a mind-training tour will far exceed the merits you gained from offering all your jewels to the Buddha. It is simply inconceivable! To me, it cannot be measured in monetary terms, and it far exceeds the value of time, possessions etc in this world. You will know it one day, even if you disagree now, that the merits generated from participating in a mind-training tour cannot be measured against your money, time or even your life! It is said in some of the sutras that when you just lift your head up to take a glance at an image of Avalokitesvara, you will have already planted a seed of immeasurable merits in you.

The Indian friends who came forward to receive my blessing during the inauguration ceremony including the rest had their problems. Guru Rinpoche gave everyone blessing and removed their problems, including alleviating their illnesses. That was the power of Guru Rinpoche! I was just an instrument through which He gave the blessing. Everyone who received the blessing had a seed of enlightenment planted in him, and had his karmic obscuration eradicated to some extent. I tried my best to help them eradicate their karmic obscuration, and grant them fortune, and hopefully they will understand the true meaning of practice in future.

I overheard Droma telling Alice over the phone that there were about 200 participants on the day. News travelled fast in the neighbourhood on free vegetarian meals being offered. In the end, lots of people came. Initially, I expected only a few coming forward to seek blessing but the queue gradually grew longer and longer. Konde Rinpoche said to me, “It must be tough for you.” Actually, it was Guru Rinpoche who gave the blessing, not me. It was simply inconceivable!

Even our visit to the Guan Di Temple was arranged beyond my control. Before the trip, one of my colleagues sent me an email informing me about a famous and historical Guan Di Temple in Ipoh. When the old temple was demolished, the statue of Guan Gong was lost until a medium came forward to convey the message that Guan Gong wanted to make a comeback. Finally, they found the statue in one of the committee members’ house. They converted a private house into a new temple and brought back all the statues of Guan Gong, including the historical one that is blackened by smoke over the years. Because it has been very responsive to those coming forward to seek help, it has attracted lots of believers coming forward to seek help, including the locals and foreigners from Singapore, after the temple opened for barely half a year. Its interesting story was also reported in the local newspapers. When I read the news in Singapore, I knew that I must come to the temple and give it blessing, in order to help Guan Gong help more people.


When we arrived at the Guan Di Temple, Guan Gong appeared before me to seek blessing. The abbot of the temple chatted with us for quite awhile, telling us many stories related to the temple. Initially, he thought we were just an ordinary group of devotees no different from the rest who came to just pay respect and seek help. A special rainbow appeared in the sky after the blessing was given to the temple. The rainbow kept changing in shapes and colours, and finally appeared like a Buddha Eye. The abbot was clearly moved by the unusual phenomenon.

There was a terrifying thunder storm at night, with continuous lightning strikes that were very deafening which lasted quite awhile. Actually, that was the manifestation of the Dharma protectors. It was just inconceivable! They welcomed our arrival and thanked us for helping the sentient beings there.

The new Nyingma Dzogchen centre is located quite far from Ipoh. The committee members told me that they could not imagine the speed at which the centre was built. Someone donated a piece of land at first, but the rest of the funds were still inadequate; they were short of everything. Later, Dharma Sister YM suggested to KH to invite me to grace the inauguration ceremony, and I casually accepted the suggestion. When they heard that I would be visiting the centre upon its completion, they worked fast and furious, and strangely, funds started flowing in including the helpers.

Due to my heavy work commitment in Oct – Nov, I could not squeeze out my time to go visit the centre. So, I told them that I could not fulfil my promise. When they heard that I could not make the trip, they felt despaired. Suddenly, the funds stopped flowing in too. They thought maybe the time was not ripe yet for the centre to be built. Later, I told them that I could now make the trip, they immediately felt the resumption of the power of blessing. They felt confident when they saw the image of Guru Rinpoche enshrined in the temple which seemed to be smiling all the time. I told them that the power of blessing from Guru Rinpoche was hardly found in most places, but the presence of Guru Rinpoche at their centre was clearly felt. They said they knew it and they had taken pictures of mythical orbs surrounding the whole centre, which were similar to those orbs pictures we took in India. How inconceivable! These orbs were actually the manifestation of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who came forward to protect them, for the people here cherish this centre. All the deity statues in the centre looked joyful - they are happy!

When the committee members heard that I would be coming to the centre, they felt encouraged and the funds automatically continued to flow in once again. Everything was completed within a very tight schedule. They said that they just could not imagine it - it must be the help from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas or it could not possibly have happened that way. They were full of joy! I told them, “You should practise well, for this is an exceptional centre planned by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Make good use of it for your practice.”

Conflicts and confrontations among members of a centre are inevitable because of the negative propensities in everyone. As long as everyone starts practicing mind-training, all problems can be resolved over time. Do not succumb to these conflicts and confrontations. Practice well and you will be able to succeed in your cultivation. I commended their great efforts and I felt touched by their faith in the practice. I hope to see everyone practice mind-training. No one could succeed in cultivation immediately. So, do it gradually, and one day you will succeed in the training. When that happens, you will change your current perceptions and develop a positive mind set that will make you a joyful person. Finally, you will feel joyful regadless of whether tehre is rainbow in the sky or not, whether there is an inauguration ceremony or not - it does not matter! You will feel joyful everyday, you will love to practice, and no matter what happens, it just does not matter!

Konde Rinpoche said that he could give dharma discourses in Tibetan but not Chinese. He said that I had given many teachings including the Seven Verses of Mind Training, Preliminary Teachings of Dzogchen, and many other sutras. He would like to see me teach at the Kuala Kangsar centre, teaching the students about mind-training. I do wish that when the time is right, after my retirement, I could spend more time there. I don’t wish to build temples because I feel that a true temple is in my heart. I think, one day, when I wish to build a temple, I am confident that money and land will not be an issue. Actually, someone offered a piece of land to Konde Rinpoche in India for temple building; I don’t think there will be any issue.

Danzen Daji Rinpoche told me, “You should go full time into the propagation of the Dharma. As long as you are willing to do so, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will render their support.” To me, temple building is a non-issue. There will be people willing to donate money and land for temple building – no problem. The only concern is "What is the correct way of practice?" "How can one succeed in his cultivation, eradicating his negative propensities, lust, hatred and ignorance?" With or without a temple is immaterial. One could succeed in his cultivation with or without a temple. How you train and eradicate your negative propensities and purify your mind, speech and action, eradicate your lust, hatred and ignorance are far more important. I am not particularly interested in temple building. When the time is right, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will certainly help and the Dharma protectors will help to push things forward; it could happen very quickly - no problem! Om Mani Padme Hom.

By Acho Rinpoche on 20 Nov 2010

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqjEzPtn3iE

More Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/BuddhaEyeAlbum/Ipoh2010Malaysia#

Address of Centre: Lot.1669, Plot N, Kawasan Perusahaan, Jalan Perak Textile, 33000 Kuala Kangsar, Perak. Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia.