Vajrayana Teaching Part 11

Continue Tantric teachings: 3 Principals Aspects of the Path/3 Higher Trainings:

C) SELFLESSNESS/EMPTY OF A SELF (EMPTINESS)

What is the essence/meaning of Selflessness or Emptiness?

The essence of emptiness is interdependence. One projects the other.

Emptiness will come out and show you that because of 'causes and conditions' are right, everything functions, everything exist.  That is the essence of interdependence.  Lets investigate.

Selflessness is a very mistaken idea in our culture.  Placing others before ourselves can be admirable.  In Tibetan Buddhism, Selflessness is the essential point.  It is to understand that this 'SELF' is just a labelling, a matrix of ideas conditioned into us by family, culture, society, personal experience and education.  This conditioning is the source of all our confusion about who we are in relationship to others.

Hence, the Buddhist instruction 'NO SELF', NO SUFFERING.  It is the grasping onto this illusion of 'Self/I' as who we are?  In Tibetan Buddhism 'Selflessness' is the 3rd liberation of the 4 Noble Truths that leads to the end of suffering.

As ordinary human being, we invest our sense of Self in impermanent qualities of Life (this is the 1st Truth): our appearance, capabilities, family origins, health, wealth, relationships, affiliations, status etc.  Because of this investment of our basic well-being, as all impermanent aspects of life change and dissappear we suffer (2nd Truth).  Through not investing our sense of self in this impermanence (selflessness), there is a way to be free of this suffering (3rd Truth) which leads to peace (4th Truth).  

In reality, all phenomena existing around us is absent of inherent existence, because each and everything surrounding us arise through depending on other phenomena.  Lets investigate how things exist through depending on others. For example, when we say 'short', the concept of short exist through depending on the concept of 'long'.  If the concept of long does not exist, then there could not be the concept of short.  Similarly, if we say 'high', the concept of high must exist by depending on the concept of 'low'.  Without the concept of low, how could there be the concept of high.  As long as each and every phenomena exists by depending on others (interdependance).

Reflect on Life Impermanence

Our mind has an ability of its own to create & to stretch phantom images of death.  The reason is the mind is not trained to see life with all its impermanence and unsatisfactoriness, is likely to cling to illusions just as a drowning man will cling even to a straw.

Antidote

Do some selfless service for the welfare of others to gain hope & confidence in the next life.  Altruism purges all selfish attachments.  Purity of mind & detachment from worldly things or at least minimise it will ensure a happy parting from this world.  It is the constant contemplation of death to understand the impermanence of life and the wisdom to correct the wrong way of living that take the fear out of death. 

Summary - 3 Higher Trainings of Mind

a) Ethics (Morality)

b) Compassion

c) Wisdom

These are the 3-Keys we can use for our life and we conduct our lives on that basis.

Results: Particularly the ethics, is the karmic point.  The result is what we were talking about as vajra body, vajra speech and vajra mind - the totally enlightened levels of body, speech and mind.  

The ordinary produces the result of the perfect vajra body as a result of practice and meditation on compassion.

The perfect mind is the result of practice and meditation on wisdom.

The combination, joining them together, is the result of morality.  Basically keep these 3 as a guideline for your life.  Its brings joy!  Thats how we can lead our life.  The other is allowing negative emotions to control YOU.  

Antidote: Act according to the directions of positive emotions and positive Mind. In principle, keep compassion as morally clean and apply wisdom. That is actually how you live your life and become very nice and happy.  By the time you actually have to go, you can go with dignity and nicely. That is karma combined together with the Four Noble Truths.

1st Truth: To know, to acknowledge and to recognize

2nd Truth: To avoid what causes suffering, not to entertain it.

3rd Truth: It is cessation, the introduction of the goal and the purpose of our life. It tells you what you can achieve.

4th truth: It shows you how to practice.  Practice means conducting your mind and your body functioning properly.

Contemplate: When the good things come in, its nothing to be very excited about. When the bad things come in, its not so much to be sad about, because the reality is, we are living in samsara.That is the nature of samsara. We want to get into Nibbana and be pure. Whatever happens in your life, take it as it comes. You have a choice!