The ten deviations from Dharma: 1. If one has little faith and sharp intelligence, he remains as a speaker forever, which is a deviation. 2. If one has deep faith and little intelligence, his effort goes meaningless, which is a deviation. 3. In the lack of instructions, a courageous person takes to evil and faulty ways, which is a deviation. 4. In the lack of hearing and reflection,(29) meditation is obscured with the darkness of ignorance and false faith for which the meditator does not achieve the goal. This is a deviation. 5. After understanding the Dharma and the nature of wakening, if it is not practiced, one becomes a lazy religious practitioner. It is a deviation. 6. If one’s mind is untrained after the methods of great compassion,(30) there is very possibility in following the path of Hīnayāna. It is a deviation. 7. If one’s mind is untrained after wisdom and emptiness, the person concerned travels about the mire of Samsāra . It is a deviation. 8. If the eight worldly Dharmas are not overcome, the last deed follows the path of worldly Dharma. It is a deviation of whatever you do becoming a worldly decoration. 9. If one has too much attachment and interest to one’s house, household articles and one’s town, he always works to please that people and follow his way. It is a deviation. 10. When one has knowledge and spiritual power, but an unstable in mind and always follows the path shown by ordinary priests for their rituals. So, is a deviation. 29). Without first eliminating doubts through study, we will never be able to practice meditation. It is said: To meditate without having studied Is like climbing a rock when we have no equipment. Eliminating doubts through study doesn’t mean that we have to know all the vast and innumerable subjects that there are to be known. In this short life time and degenerated era, it would never be possible to know all the subjects. Whatever the teachings we are going to put into practice, we should know exactly how to do so from beginning to end without a single mistake. Any hesitation we might have, we should clear away by reflecting on those teachings. Milarepa says: You can tell whether some one has eaten by how red his face is. Similarly, you can tell whether people know and practice the Dharma and whether it works as a remedy for their negative emotions and ego-changing. Geshe Tonpa says: If it counteracts with negative emotions it is Dharma. If it doesn’t, it is non- Dharma. If it doesn’t fit with worldly ways, it is Dharma. If it fits, it is non- Dharma. If it fits with the scriptures and your instructions it is Dharma. If it doesn’t it is non-Dharma. If it leaves a positive imprint, it is Dharma. If it leaves a negative imprint, it is non- Dharma. Therefore, we should study first before practicing Dharma to be the properly practiced of the Dharma. 30). The compassion is that which is the desire to liberate beings from misery and its causes.The method of its practice is our capacity for feeling deep compassion for our mother. If she feels otherwise about or is boiled alive, or if in very cold weather blisters appear on her body, break and begin to ooze. So also, since all sentient beings who are now in hell have in fact been our mother, how should we not feel compassion for them when they are struck to the core by such misery? Compassion should be practiced in the desire to free them both from it and its cause. Our mother is pained by thirst or hunger, suffers from disease and fever and is disheartened by fear and anxiety. The compassion should be practiced in desire to liberate them from it. When someone in whom benevolence and compassion are born, praises as greater than himself, he becomes filled with excellence. If the practitioners do not practice the great method of compassion he may make mistake to fall down into the lower path of practice. So it is important to practice and generate the great compassion in mind before going to practice the Dharma.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 23:12:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015