MEDITATION
- What is meditation?
- Can meditation be dangerous? Some people say you can go crazy from it. Is that true?
- How do we learn meditation? What kinds of meditation are there?
- What are the benefits of meditation?
- Can one get clairvoyance powers through practicing Buddhism? Is this a worthwhile goal to pursue?

STEPS ALONG THE PATH
- Who is an arhat (arahat)? What is nirvana (nibbana)?
- What is bodhi or enlightenment?
- What is bodhisattva, a dedicated being?
- What is an arya, a superior or noble one?

SELFLESSNESS
- Do "selflessness" and "emptiness" mean the same thing?
- What is the advantage of realizing selflessness or emptiness?
- What does it mean to say, "All persons and phenomena are empty of true or inherent existence?"
- If all people and phenomena are selfless or empty, does that mean that nothing exists?
- What is the best way to realize emptiness of inherent existent?

VAJRAYANA
- What is Vajrayana?
- What is an initiation? Why are there some teachings that are "secret"?
- What does the imagery in tantric art mean?
- What is the purpose of reciting mantras like "om mani padme hung"? What does that mantra mean?

THE FIVE WONDEFUL PRECEPTS

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I Wonder Why

Preface

I had been in Singapore just a few days when a young man appeared at my door. "Can I ask you some questions about Buddhism?" he queried. We sat down and began to talk. Some of his questions were similar to the ones that westerners who were just meeting Buddhism would ask. Yet others were peculiar to Asians who had grown up in societies where Buddhism and the old folk religions were often mixed up, at least in the minds of the lay people. As I began teaching in Singapore, I noticed over and over again that the same questions were being asked. Especially the young people, who were intelligent and educated, were earnestly seeking to understand Buddhism and its relationship to modern life.

Soon thereafter, another man came to see me, and in the course of our discussion he said, "We need to hear about Buddha’s teaching in everyday English, a clear explanation without a lot of Pali and Sanskrit terms that we do not understand. Why not print a book with some of your talks? I would be happy to help you."

The idea to write this small book thus came from these two people – Lee Siew Cheung and Robert Gwee. My motivation has been to benefit others, although my knowledge is limited and my writing style poor. Any mistakes are due entirely to my own ignorance.

My deepest respect and gratitude is offered to the Buddhas and to my spiritual masters, especially His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche, and Zopa Rinpoche.

Thubten Chodron.

THE ESSENCE OF BUDDHISM & THE BUDDHIST TRADITIONS

What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?

Simply speaking, it is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, "Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha." By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.

The essence of Buddha’s teaching is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.

What are the three Jewels? What does it mean to take refuge in them?

The Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha is one who has purified all the defilements of the mind - the afflictive emotions, the imprints of the actions motivated by them, and the stains of these afflictive emotions - and who has developed all good qualities, such as impartial love and compassion, wisdom knowing all existence, and skilful means of guiding others.

The Dharma embodies the preventive measures which keep us from problems and suffering. This includes the teaching of the Buddha, as well as the realizations of those teachings - the cessations of problems and their causes, and the realizations or paths which lead to those cessations.

The Sangha are those beings who have direct non-conceptual perception of emptiness or ultimate truth. On a relative level, Sangha also refers to the ordained people who put the Buddha’s teachings into practice.

The Dharma is our real refuge, the medicine we take which cures our problems and their causes. The Buddha is like the doctor, who correctly diagnoses the cause of our problems and prescribes the appropriate medicine. By assisting us in the practice, the Sangha is similar to the nurse who helps us take the medicine.

Taking refuge means that we rely wholeheartedly on the Three Jewels to inspire and guide us towards a constructive and beneficial direction to take in our life. Taking refuge does not mean passively hiding under the protection of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Rather, it is an active process of taking the direction they show and improving the quality of our life.

Why are there many Buddhist traditions?

The Buddha gave a wide variety of teachings because sentient beings (any being with mind who is not a Buddha, including those in other realms of existence) have different dispositions, inclinations and interests. The Buddha never expected us all to fit into the same mold. Thus, he gave many teachings and described various ways of practicing so each of us could find something that suits our level of mind and our personality. With skill and compassion in guiding others, the Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma three times, each time setting forth a slightly different philosophical system in order to suit the various dispositions of sentient beings. The essence of all the teachings is the same: the wish definitely to emerge from the cycle of constantly recurring problems (samsara), compassion for others and the wisdom realizing selflessness.

Not everyone likes the same kind of food. When a huge buffet is spread before us, we choose the dishes that we like. There is no obligation to like everything. Although we may have a taste for sweets, that does not mean that the salty dishes are not good and should be thrown away! Similarly, we may prefer a certain approach to the teachings: Theravada, Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, and so on. We are free to choose the approach that suits us best and with which we feel the most comfortable. Yet we still maintain an open mind and respect for other traditions. As our mind develops, we may come to understand elements in other traditions that we failed to comprehend previously. In short, whatever is useful and helps us live a better life, we practice, and whatever we do not yet understand, we leave aside without rejecting it.

While we may find one particular tradition best suited for our personality, do not identify with it in a concrete way: "I am a Mahayanist, you are a Theravadin," or "I am a Buddhist, you are a Christian." It is important to remember that we are all human beings seeking happiness and wanting to realize the truth, and we each must find a method suitable for our disposition.

However, keeping an open mind to different approaches does not mean to mix everything together at random, making our practice like chop suey. Do not mix meditation techniques from different traditions together in one meditation session. In one session, it is better to do one technique. If we take a little of this technique and a little from that, and without understanding either one very well mix them together, we may end up confused. However, a teaching emphasized in one tradition may enrich our understanding and practice of another. Also, it is advisable to do the same meditation daily. If we do breathing meditation one day, chanting the Buddha’s name the next, and analytical meditation the third, we will not make progress in any of them for there is no continuity in the practice.

What are the various Buddhist traditions?

Generally, there are two divisions: Theravada and Mahayana. The Theravada lineage (Tradition of the Elders), which relies on sutras recorded in the Pali language, spread from India to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, etc. It emphasizes meditation on the breath to develop concentration and meditation on mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind and phenomena in order to develop wisdom. The Mahayana (Great Vehicle) tradition, based on the scriptures recorded in Sanskrit spread to China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc. Although in the Theravadin practice love and compassion are essential and important factors, in the Mahayana they are emphasized to an even greater extent. Within Mahayana, there are several branches: Pure Land emphasizes chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha in order to be reborn in his pure land; Zen emphasizes meditation to eliminate the noisy, conceptual mind; Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) employ meditation on a deity in order to transform our contaminated body and mind into the body and mind of Buddha.

Why do people in some Buddhist traditions eat meat, while those in others are vegetarian?

Initially, it may appear confusing that the Theravada eat meat, the Chinese Mahayanists do not and the Tibetans, who practice the Vajrayana, do. This difference in practice depends on the different emphasis of each tradition: the emphasis of the Theravadin teaching is to eliminate attachment toward sense objects and to cease the discriminating mind that says, "I like this and not that." Thus, when the monks go out on alms round, they are to accept silently and with gratitude whatever is offered to them, be it meat or not. It would not only offend the benefactors but would also harm a monk’s own practice of detachment, if he said, "I cannot eat meat, so give me more of those delicious vegetables." Thus, provided that the meat comes from an animal that the monk neither orders to be killed, nor sees, hears or suspects is killed to give him the meat, he is permitted to eat it. However, it is wise for those who make offerings to remember that the principal premise of Buddhism is not to harm others, and to choose what they offer accordingly.

Upon the foundation of detachment, compassion for other beings is emphasized, especially in the Mahayana tradition. Thus, for such a practitioner it is advisable not to eat meat to avoid inflicting pain on any being and to prevent potential butchers from committing negative actions. Also, because of the vibration of meat, it can impede an ordinary practitioner from developing great compassion. Therefore, vegetarianism is recommended.

The tantric path or Vajrayana has four classes. In the lower classes, external cleanliness and purity are emphasized as a technique for the practitioners to generate internal purity of mind. Therefore, these practitioners do not eat meat, which is regarded as impure. On the other hand, in the highest yoga tantra, on the basis of detachment and compassion, a qualified practitioner does meditation on the subtle nervous system, and for this, one’s bodily elements need to be very strong. Thus, meat is recommended for such a person. Also, this class of tantra stresses the transformation of ordinary objects through meditation on selflessness. Such a practitioner, by virtue of his/her profound meditation, is not greedily eating meat for his/her own pleasure.

In Tibet, there is an additional factor to consider: due to the high altitude and harsh climate, there is little to eat besides ground barley, dairy products and meat. To stay alive, the people have to eat meat. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has encouraged those Tibetans in exile, who now live in countries where vegetables and fruits are more plentiful, to refrain from eating meat whenever possible. Also, if a practitioner has severe problems with his/her health due to not eating meat, then the master may give permission to take it. Thus, each person must check his/her own level of practice and bodily requirements and eat accordingly.

The fact that there is such variety within the Buddhist doctrine attests to the Buddha’s skill in being able to guide people according to their dispositions and needs. It is extremely important not to be partial and sectarian, but to have respect for all the traditions and their practitioners.

Why do some monks and nuns wear saffron robes while others are dressed in maroon, gray or black?

As the Buddha’s teachings spread from one country to another, it was flexible and adapted to the culture and mentality of the people in that place, without changing its essence and meaning. Thus, the style of the Sangha’s robes vary. In Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, etc., the robes are saffron-colored and without sleeves, like the robes at the time of the Buddha. However, in Tibet dye of that color was not available, so a deeper color, maroon, was used. In China the people considered it rude to expose the skin, so the dress was adapted, the long-sleeved costume of the T’ang Dynasty being used. The culture considered saffron too bright for those on a religious path, so the color was changed to gray. However, the spirit of the original robes was kept in the form of the seven-and nine-pieced brown, yellow and red outer robes.

The way the chanting is done in the various countries is different as well, corresponding to the culture and language of the place. The musical instruments differ too, as does the way of bowing. The Chinese stand up while they chant, the Tibetans sit down. These variations are due to cultural adaptations. It is important to understand that these external forms and ways of doing things are not the Dharma. They are tools to help us practice the Dharma better according to the culture and place in which we live. However, the real Dharma cannot be seen with our eyes or heard with our ears. It is to be experienced by our mind. The real Dharma is what we must emphasize and give our attention to, not superficial appearances which may vary from place to place.

THE BUDDHA

Who is the Buddha? If he is a just a man, how can he help us?

There are many ways to describe who the Buddha is, according to different ways of understanding. These various interpretations have their sources in the Buddha’s teachings. One way is to see the historical Buddha who lived 2,500 years ago as a human being who cleansed his mind of all defilements and developed all his potential. Any being who does likewise is also considered a Buddha, for there are many Buddhas, not just one. Another way is to understand a particular Buddha or Buddhist deity as the omniscient minds manifesting in a certain physical aspect in order to communicate with us. Yet another way is to see the Buddha - or any of the enlightened Buddhist deities - as the appearance of the future Buddha that we will become once we properly and completely have engaged in the path to cleanse our mind of defilements and develop all of our potential. Let’s examine each of these ways in more depth …..

THE HISTORICAL BUDDHA

The historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, was born a prince and had all that life could offer in terms of material possessions and riches, a loving family, fame, reputation and power. He saw that although those things brought temporal worldly happiness, they were never able to bring lasting happiness. Thus, he left the princely environment to become an ascetic searching for truth. After doing severe physical austerities for six years, he saw that the extreme of self-denial also was not the path to ultimate happiness. At this point, he sat under the bodhi tree, and in deep meditation completely purified his mind of all wrong conceptions, contaminated actions and their imprints and brought to perfection all of his potential and good qualities. He then proceeded with great compassion, wisdom and skill, to give teachings, thus enabling others to gradually purify their mind, develop their potential, and attain the same realizations and state of happiness that he had.

How can such a person save us from our problems and pain? Certainly he cannot he cannot pull out the afflictive emotions from our mind in the same way as a thorn can be extracted from someone’s foot. Nor can he wash away our defilements with water, or pour his realizations into our minds. The Buddha has impartial compassion to all sentient beings and cherishes us more than himself, so if our sufferings could have been eliminated by only the action of the Buddha, he would have done it already.

However, our experience, our happiness or pain, depends on our mind. It depends on whether or not we assume the responsibility to subdue our afflictive emotions and actions. The Buddha showed the method to do this, the method that he himself used to go from the state of an ordinary confused being like we are now to the state of total purification and growth, or Buddhahood. It is up to us to practice this method and transform our own mind. Sakyamuni Buddha is someone who did what we want to do - to reach a state of lasting happiness. He taught that by means of both his life story and the various teachings he gave. But he cannot control out minds, only we can. Our enlightenment depends not only on the Buddha showing us the way, but on our own efforts to follow it.

It is like if we want to go to London. First we find out if such a place called London actually exists and then we look for someone who has been there and who has the knowledge and capability and willingness to give us all of the travel information. It would be foolish to follow someone who had never been there, because he/she could unwittingly make a mistake in the explanation. Likewise, the Buddha has attained the state of total purification and growth; he has the wisdom, compassion and skill to show us the path. It would be silly to entrust ourselves to the guidance of someone who had not reached the enlightened state him/herself.

Our travel guide can give us information about what to take with on our trip and what to leave behind. He/she can tell us how to change planes, how to recognize the various places we will pass through, what dangers we could encounter along the way and so forth. Similarly, the Buddha has described the various levels of the paths and stages, how to progress from one to the next, what qualities to take with us and develop, and which ones to leave behind. However, a travel guide cannot force us to make the journey – he/she can only indicate the way. We have to get ourselves to the airport and on the plane. Just so, the Buddha cannot force us to practice the path. He gives the teachings and shows by his example how to do it, but we have to do it ourselves.

THE BUDDHA AS MANIFESTATIONS

The second way to think of the Buddhas is as manifestations of omniscient minds in a physical form. Those beings who are Buddhas are omniscient in that they perceive all existent phenomena as clearly as we can see the palm of our hand. They achieved this ability by fully developing their wisdom and compassion, thus eliminating all defects. But we cannot communicate directly with the Buddhas’ omniscient minds as we have no clairvoyance. In order for the Buddhas to fulfil their most heartfelt wish to lead all sentient beings to enlightenment, they have to communicate with us, and in order to do so, they assume a physical form. In this way, we can think of Sakyamuni Buddha as a being who has already enlightened, and who appeared in the aspect of a prince in order to teach us.

But if he is already enlightened, how can he take rebirth? Sakyamuni did not take rebirth under the control of afflictive emotions and contaminated actions (karma) as ordinary beings do, as he had already eliminated these defilements from his mind. However, he was able to appear on this earth by the power of compassion.

When thinking of the Buddha as a manifestation, do not emphasize the Buddha as a personality. Rather, concentrate on the qualities of the omniscient mind appearing in the form of a person. This is a more abstract way of understanding the Buddha, so it takes more effort on our part to think in this way and to understand.

In the same way, the various enlightened Buddhist deities can be seen as manifestation of the omniscient minds. Why are there so many deities if all the beings who have attained enlightenment have the same realizations? This is because each physical appearance emphasizes and communicates with different aspects of our personality. This demonstrates the Buddhas’ skillful means. For example, Avalokiteshvara (Kuan Yin, Chenresig) is the manifestation of the compassion of all the Buddhas. Although possessing all the compassion and wisdom of any Buddha, Avalokiteshvara’s particular manifestation emphasizes compassion. By thinking of, praying to and meditating on Avalokiteshvara, we can develop all the qualities of the Buddhas, and especially our compassion will develop more quickly.

The white color of Avalokiteshvara emphasizes purity, in this case the purification of selfishness through compassion. The thousand arms, each with an eye in its palm, expresses how impartial compassion looks upon all beings and is willing to reach out to help them. By visualizing compassion in this physical aspect, we communicate with compassion in a non-verbal and symbolic way.

Manjushri is the manifestation of the wisdom of all the Buddhas, although Manjushri, too, has the same realizations as all the Buddhas. Manjushri, as found in the Tibetan tradition, is depicted as yellow in color, holding a flaming sword and a lotus flower with the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. This physical form is symbolic of inner realizations. Yellow color represents wisdom, which illuminates the mind just as golden rays of the sun light up the earth. The sword, too, represents wisdom in its function of cutting ignorance. Holding the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra indicate that the way we are to develop wisdom is by studying, contemplating and meditating on this sutra. By visualizing and meditating on Manjushri, we can attain the qualities of a Buddha, especially wisdom.

In this way we can understand why there are so many deities. Each emphasizes a particular aspect of enlightened qualities, in order to communicate that quality to us symbolically. That does not mean, however, that there is no such being as Avalokiteshvara, for on one level, we can understand the Buddha of Compassion to be a person residing in a certain Pure Land. On another level, we can see him (or her) as a manifestation of compassion in a physical form. Do not get confused because Avalokiteshvara is sometimes in a male form and sometimes in a female form. It is not because he/she could not make up his/her mind! The enlightened mind is actually beyond being male or female. These are just appearances in order to communicate with us ordinary beings who are so involved in forms. An enlightened being can appear in a wide variety of bodies.

The nature of all these various manifestations is the same: the omniscient mind of wisdom and compassion. All of the Buddhas and deities are not separate beings in the same way that an apple and an orange are separate fruits. Rather, they all have the same nature, only they appear in different external forms in order to communicate with us in different ways. From one lump of clay, a pot, a vase, a plate, or a figurine can be made. The nature of all of them is the same – clay – yet they perform different functions according to how the clay is shaped. In the same way, the nature of all the Buddhas and deities is the omniscient mind of wisdom and compassion. This appears in a variety of forms in order to perform various functions. Thus, when we want to develop compassion, we emphasize meditation on Avalokiteshvara; when our mind is dull and sluggish, we emphasize the practice of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. These Buddhas all have the same realizations, yet each one has his/her speciality.

THE BUDDHA THAT WE WILL BECOME

The third way to understand the Buddha that we take refuge in is as the appearance of our own Buddha nature in its fully developed form. All sentient beings have the potential to become Buddhas, for we all have the clear nature of the mind. At the present our mind is clouded by afflictive emotions (klesa) and actions (karma). Through constant practice, we can remove these defilements from our mind stream and nourish the seeds of all the beautiful potentials we have. Thus, each of us can become a Buddha when this process of purification and growth is completed. This is a feature unique to Buddhism, for in most other religions there is an irreparable gap between the divine being and the human being. However, the Buddha said that each sentient being has the potential for perfection. It is only a matter of engaging in the practice and creating the causes to reach perfection.

When we visualize the Buddha or a deity and think of him/her as the future Buddha that we will become, we are imagining our now latent Buddha nature in its completely developed form. We are thinking of the future time when we shall have completed the path of purification and growth. We are imagining the future in the present, and in this way reaffirming our own latent goodness. This also helps us to understand that what ultimately protects us from suffering is our own practice and achievement of enlightenment.

These different ways of understanding the Buddha are progressively more difficult to understand. We may not grasp them immediately. That is alright. Various interpretations are explained because people have different ways of understanding. We are not expected to all think in the same way or to understand everything at once.

IDOLS & OFFERINGS

Do Buddhists worship idols?

Not at all! A piece of clay or bronze or jade is not the object of our respect and worship. When we bow before Buddha images, we are recalling the qualities of the enlightened beings. It is their impartial love and compassion, generosity, morality, patience, joyous effort, concentration and wisdom that we are showing respect to. The statue or painting serves to remind us of the qualities of the Buddha, and it is the qualities, not the clay, that we are bowing to. We need not have a statue in front of us in order to bow to or respect the Buddhas and their qualities.

For example, if we go to a place far away from our family, we think about them and feel much love. But we also like to have a photo of them with us to remember them better. When we look at the photo and feel love for our family, we are not loving the paper and ink of the photo! The photo merely strengthens our memory. It is similar with a statue or painting of the Buddha.

By showing respect to the Buddha and their qualities, we are inspired to develop these extraordinary qualities on our own mind streams. We become like the people we respect. When we take the loving-kindness and wisdom of the Buddhas as our example, we strive to become like them.

What is the purpose of making offerings to the Buddha?

We do not make offerings because the Buddha needs our offerings. When someone has purified all defilements and enjoys the bliss that comes from wisdom, he/she certainly does not need an incense stick to be happy! Neither do we make offerings to win the Buddha’s favor. The Buddha developed impartial love and compassion long ago and will not be swayed by flattery and bribery like ordinary beings! Making offerings is a way to create positive potential and to develop our mind. At the moment, we have excessive attachment and miserliness. We keep the biggest and best for ourselves and give the second best or something we do not want at all to others. With such selfish traits, we always feel poor and dissatisfied, no matter how much we have. We constantly fear losing what little we do have. Such an attitude towards material objects makes our mind restless, and induces us to do dishonest actions to get more things or to be unkind to others in order to protect what we have.

It is to break these destructive habits of attachment and miserliness that we make offerings. When making an offering, we want to do so without any feeling of loss from our side. It is for this reason that in the Tibetan tradition, seven bowls of water are offered on the altar. Water is readily accessible so that we can easily offer it without attachment or miserliness. By offering in this way, we habituate ourselves with the thought and action of giving. Thus, we come to feel rich when we give and take pleasure in sharing good things with others.

Since the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and arhats are the highest of all beings, it is good to make offerings to them. We usually give offerings to our friends because we like them. Here, we offer to the holy beings because we are attracted to their qualities. We should not make offerings with a motivation to bribe the Buddhas, "I offered you incense, now you are obliged to grant my prayers"! We give with a respectful and kind attitude. If later, we make a request, we do so with humility. Do not think that they do not receive the offerings just because the flowers and fruit are still on the altar the next day. They can receive them without taking them away.

Is there symbolic meaning to each offering substance?

Yes. Flowers represent the qualities of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, incense the fragrance of pure morality. Light symbolizes wisdom, and perfume represents faith. Offering food is like offering the nourishment of meditative concentration and music symbolizes impermanence and the empty nature of all phenomena.

While we may physically offer one flower, mentally we can imagine the entire sky filled with beautiful flowers and offer these as well. It enriches our mind to imagine lovely things and then offer them to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Should we offer our food before eating it?

Yes. Normally we just dive into a plate of food with much attachment, little mindfulness, and even less real enjoyment. Now, we pause before eating and imagine the food as blissful nectar. This is offered to a small Buddha made of light in our heart center (chakra). The Buddha enjoys the nectar and he radiates even more light which fills our entire body and makes us very blissful. In this way, we remain mindful of the Buddha and of the process of eating. We create positive potential by offering to the Buddha, and we also enjoy the food more.

Before eating, some people like to recite the prayer: "May we and those around us never be separated from the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) in all future lives. May we continuously make offerings to the Three Jewels and may we receive the inspiration of the Three Jewels."

PRAYER & DEDICATING POSITIVE POTENTIAL

Why make prayers? Can they be fulfilled?

There are many kinds of prayers. Some are to direct and inspire our mind towards a certain quality or aim, thus creating the cause for us to attain this. An example is praying to be more tolerant and compassionate towards others. Other prayers are for specific people or situations, as in praying for a certain person’s illness to be cured. To have either type of prayer fulfilled depends on more than just praying: the appropriate cause must also be created. It is not just a matter of saying, "Please, Buddha, make this and that happen, but I’m going to relax and have tea while you do the work!"

For example, if we pray to be more loving and compassionate and yet make no effort to control our anger, we are not creating the cause for that prayer to be fulfilled. The transformation of our mind comes from our own effort, and we pray for the Buddhas’ inspiration to do so. "Receiving the blessings of the Buddhas" does not mean that something tangible comes from the Buddhas and goes into us. It means that our mind is transformed through the combined effort of the teachings and guidance of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and our own practice. Thus, we cannot pray to be born in a pure land and expect the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to do all the work! We must also make effort to actualize the teachings: we gradually develop detachment from worldly pleasures, we practice compassion as much as we can, and we generate wisdom. Then, praying has an exceptionally profound effect on our mind. However, if we do nothing to correct our bad habits of body, speech and mind, and if our mind is distracted while praying, then there is minimal effect.

As for our prayers for a sickness to be cured or the family finances to improve or for a deceased relative to have a good rebirth, these, too, depend on the person involved having created the necessary causes. If he/she has, our prayers provide the condition for the seed of a virtuous action he/she did in the past to ripen and bring its result. However, if that person has not created the causal seed through his/her own positive past actions, then it is difficult for our prayers to be fulfilled. We can put fertilizers and water on the ground, but if the farmer has not planted the seed, nothing will grow.

While describing how cause and effect works in our mental continuum, the Buddha said that killing causes shortage of life. Both abandoning killing and saving others’ lives cause us to have a long life, free from illness. If we neglect to follow this basic advice and yet pray to have a long and healthy life, we are missing the point! On the other hand, if in the past the person concerned has abandoned killing and has saved lives, then prayers for him/her could be fulfilled.

In the same way, the Buddha said generosity is the cause of wealth. If we have been generous in a past life and now pray for our wealth to increase, then our finances could improve. Yet, if we are very miserly now, we are creating the cause for poverty, nor wealth, in the future. Being generous, helping those in need and sharing what we have, will bring their desirable results sometime in the future. On the other hand, when we experience some difficulties in our life, it is good to ask ourselves, "What kind of action could I have done that created the cause for this result?" This we can learn from the Buddha’s teachings. Then we can change our behavior to avoid leaving more seeds to experience that undesirable result.

What role does chanting play in our spiritual development?

Chanting can be very beneficial if engaged in with the proper motivation – wishing to prepare for future lives, striving for liberation from the cycle of constantly recurring problems, or aiming for the full enlightenment of a Buddha with an altruistic motivation. Also, for chanting to be effective in helping us to generate positive states of mind, we need to concentrate and reflect upon the meaning of what we are chanting. There is not much benefit if we chant while our mind is thinking about food or work or parties. A tape recorder can also chant the names of the Buddhas and say prayers! Let’s make what our mind is thinking correspond to what our mouth is chanting. Then chanting is very powerful and beneficial.

However, a complete spiritual practice is more than just chanting. It is good to listen to teachings, contemplate their meaning and integrate them into our daily life, thus developing beneficial actions with our body, speech and mind. We cannot be liberated from samsara by chanting alone, for deep meditation is necessary in order to generate the wisdom realizing selflessness.

Can merits be transferred to deceased ones?

"Dedicate" rather than "transfer" merits (positive potential) conveys the meaning better. We cannot transfer merits in the same way as we can transfer the title to a piece of property or in the same way as I give my car to you because you do not have one. The Buddha stated that those who create the causes are the ones who experience the results. I cannot create the cause and you experience the results, because the imprint or seed of the action has been implanted on my mental continuum, not yours. So if the deceased ones did not create positive actions while they were alive, we cannot create the good karma and then give them our good karma to experience.

However, our prayers and offering on their behalf can create the circumstances necessary so that a positive action they created can bear its fruit. When a seed is planted in a field, it needs the cooperative conditions of sunshine, water and fertilizer to grow. Likewise, a seed or imprint of an action a person performed will ripen when all the cooperative conditions are present. If the deceased one has done beneficial actions while he/she was alive, then the additional positive potential we create by making offering or doing any kind of virtuous action – reciting and reading Dharma texts, making statues of the Buddha, contemplating love and compassion for all beings and so forth – can help them. We dedicate the positive potential from these actions for the benefit of the deceased person, and this could help his/her own virtuous seeds to ripen.

What is merit? Isn’t it selfish to do positive actions just to get merit, as if it were spiritual money?

"Merit" is an English word that does nor really give the correct connotation. It sounds like getting gold stars in school because you did well, and that is not the meaning intended here. First of all, no one is rewarding us. When we do a beneficial action, it leaves an imprint or seed on our mental continuum, and when the necessary cooperative conditions are present, it will bear fruit. It is not a physical seed or imprint, but an intangible one, a positive potential.

It is not very advantageous to grasp at positive potential as if it were spiritual money. If we do, we are likely to quarrel with other people over who can make offerings first or become jealous of others because they do more virtuous actions than we do. Such attitudes are certainly not very beneficial! While it is good to take advantage of opportunities to create positive potential, we should do so in order to improve ourselves, to create the cause for happiness and to help others, not out of attachment or jealousy.

Why must positive potential be dedicated? What should it be dedicated for?

It is important to dedicate our positive potential so it does not get destroyed by our anger or wrong views. Like the steering wheel guiding where the car goes, dedication will guide how our positive potential ripens. It is best to dedicate for the most extensive and noble goals. If we do so, all the smaller results will naturally come. If we set our destination as London, we will pass through Delhi and Kuwait along the way; we do not need a special ticket for those places. Likewise, if we dedicate our positive potential, however small, towards the ultimate happiness and enlightenment of all sentient beings, this automatically includes dedicating for a good rebirth and for the happiness of our relatives and friends.

Some people think, "I have so little positive potential. If I dedicate it for the happiness of everyone, then I won’t have any left over for myself." This is not correct. By dedicating our positive potential to others, it does not mean that we have less for ourselves. We will not become paupers by sharing the good results of our actions with others. While dedicating our positive potential for the benefit of all beings, we can still make special prayers, for the happiness of a particular person who is having difficulties at that time.

REBIRTH vs CREATION

What is rebirth?

Rebirth refers to a person’s mind taking one body after the other. Our body and our mind are separate entities: the body is matter and is made of atoms. The mind refers to all of our emotional and cognitive experiences, and is formless. When the body and mind are linked, we are alive, but at death, they separate. The body becomes a corpse, and the mind continues on to take another body.