Simhanada --- Motivation, Fixation and Meditation by His Eminence Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

You have all come here to listen to dharma teachings But first, it is important for us to check what kind of motivation we have when listening to the dharma.
I trust that no one here has come with a very evil motivation. However, motivation has many different degrees.

A farmer, like someone who grows rice for a living, has only one fear: that the rain might not come on time. If it does not rain, then the rice’s growth will suffer. When this farmer goes to the temple, he prays to the Buddha asking for the rain to come on time.

This is not an entirely bad motivation, it is a very sweet and innocent motivation. It is one type of motivation. The farmer is asking the Buddha, an enlightened being, for something that is very petty, very trivial like rain. This would be like approaching a university professor, and relaying how one is undergoing much hardship. To alleviate this so-called hardship, you request him to teach you the alphabet.

We all have this type of small motivation, I am sure of it. When we fear death, get sick and have obstacles, we pray to the Buddha. This is similar to the farmer with a very petty motivation.

Many of us Buddhist, especially in Asia, pray to the Buddha for our well-being, good health, prosperity, and all the rest. This is not an evil motivation, but it is a small motivation. One might chant mantras and go temples, but still there is something lacking in this motivation.

When someone goes to a temple (praying and making offerings) because he or she wants to be prosperous and healthy, then the individual believes that this Buddha is going to grant that. There is a certain expectation behind this, one feels that everything will now be all right. So for a few days everything goes fine.

But, sooner or later, one will fall sick. Then, at that time, you begin to doubt the Buddha because you started with this small motivation.

"Is Buddha powerless because I am beginning to become sick? I am trying so hard to chant mantras and pray, but my business isn’t successful." This is what one will question now.

So, one begins to doubt the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Although, this doubt is the fault of such petty motivation. It is not the fault of the Buddha.

The Buddha is not like a (sovereign) god. He is not here to merely save us from small problems like business failure or bad health. Of course, the Buddha can also bless us to have a good business and health. However, the Buddha’s ultimate gift is his teaching of the dharma, so we can get enlightenment. That is the whole purpose of the Buddha’s activity.

Before we receive dharma teachings, it is important to check our motivation and ask why we are here. Are we here to just happy, healthy and prosperous? Or are we here so that we can learn something ---the truth of the Buddha's teachings which has been taught for over 2500 years, and then apply these teachings into everyday life? One must examine whether or not there is both motivations, one of these motivations or neither.

Since we are human beings, we will have petty motivations. Nonetheless, the best motivation is for us to practice the dharma so enlightenment can be achieved. We must greatly develop this motivation for enlightenment.

The Buddha cannot make someone immortal, he cannot give one perfect health forever because, on the contrary, everything is impermanent. The Buddha’s parents died and he also passed into parinirvana. What the Buddha can give us is the dharma path to liberation.

So, what is this liberation or enlightenment? When Buddhist talk about enlightenment, we do not mean that if someone was a good boy or girl then he or she goes to a certain place. That is not the Buddhist concept of enlightenment.

In some of the sutras, places like Amitabha Buddha’s pure realm is emphasized. However, these are actually symbolic teachings. If one is able to follow the dharma correctly, right here where you are sitting, then it can be turned into Amitabha’s pureland.

The concept of heaven in other religions is totally different from the Buddhist concept of Amitabha’s pureland. In other religions, heaven is considered a solidly true and externally existing entity. In Buddhism, the purelands are a concept of individual perception.

Enlightenment should not be viewed as something complicated, as something for us to reach or go to. If it wasn’t for our habitual patterns and our difficultly to understand, or see, the true nature, enlightenment would be very simple and pure for us. Enlightenment is when you are free from all delusion.

What, then, is this delusion people have, preventing them from enlightenment? Obviously, there are gross forms of delusion, such as aggression, passion, jealousy and so forth. But, there are also subtle delusions; human beings have ideas related to politics, the economy, philosophy, religion and even opinions about other people.

You look at someone and right away an idea develops. Generally, three types of opinions arise: (1) One likes the person and might think "He’s good," or "He’s beautiful" (2) One does not like the person and feels "He is ugly, bad, terrible." (3) One views the person as a stranger and ignores the individual, feeling rather neutral in judgment.

We always have these ideas, which often become very strong. People get fixated on these ideas and then run after them. For example, we have this idea that a BMW (a classy automobile) is very special. On the television, we watch as the BMW moves. We hear it is made in Germany and get bombarded with all this information. So we develop an idea, this BMW car must be really important.

Then, one goes through hardship and sheds blood to try to get this famous BMW. For the sake of one BMW, families must be having quarrels right now. Children do not listen to their parents’ advice. Some people even go to the extent of selling his/her body and become prostitutes to get this car.

Now, if you actually obtain a BMW at the end of this ordeal, then maybe it was worthwhile to try all this. But, do not think this is end! After you have it, another model better than yours comes out. The BMW you have now might get scratched or damaged. All this started from nothing else but one idea: that a BMW is important.
If one does not have this strong idea, you won’t undergo all this hardship. And, even if the car crashes, one will not be upset.

Another example you can find by just going to a bookstore. Once there, purchase a fashion magazine. Inside there are all these models; the magazine tells you what to look like. It demonstrates how your eyes, legs, etc., should look.

These types of magazines have made our young boys and girls go crazy. They try to achieve the similar legs, eyes and nose according to what is in that magazine. Sadly it never happens. Even if it does happen, and someone managed to get the similar legs or nose, he or she is still not satisfied. While millions of people are dying because they have nothing to eat, like in Ethiopia, there are millions trying to diet because of some idea.

We have this "idea" problem on a larger scale too. The communist fights with the capitalist, and this is all because of one idea. In everyday life, a husband wants a certain table and a wife does not because of a certain idea. Likewise, a boyfriend wants to eat pizza but his girlfriend does not because she hates cheese, another idea.
So, we can all see, when we get fixated towards these ideas they cause suffering.

Working towards enlightenment when is we reduce this fixation. Slowly one does this, so one will not have anymore fixation. That is what enlightenment is. You do not need a third eye or wings to fly for enlightenment.

Now if someone gives a BMW to you, it does not bother you if someone scratches or steals it. If your wife wants to change the color of the bedroom, you don’t have fixated ideas and simply say, "Yeah, go ahead." You don’t argue over ideas. This is also the beginning of a good relationship; there is no ego and idea clashing.

A person not tormented by his or her fixations upon ideas is at peace, is happy. Otherwise, you usually don’t like it when someone contradicts your ideas. But, if you do not have such fixation, then you will not harbor anger towards others who think differently, anything goes.

How should we reduce our attachment to the ego and our fixation to ideas? Slowly through dharma practice. The Buddha has shown to us more than 84,000 ways to reduce this fixation.

Many of us often only use just one or two out of this. We think that simply chanting mantras and lighting some butterlamps will do it. This is not necessarily bad, it is auspicious.

Yet, we can do something much better than this. We should meditate, that is very important in dharma practice. A Nyingma master, Jigme Lingpa, stated that there is a lot of merit for a person who chants mantras for ten years, twenty years, etc. But, he said, if a practitioner does one minute of clear meditation it is much better.

This is because when people chant mantras it often does not penetrate their mind. It penetrates the lips and a tongue a little bit, but there are so many loopholes. Your mind is wandering everywhere, about what business you have to do and movies to watch. Then, you think you’re finished after saying one hundred mantras.

This is why meditation is important. It is wrong to believe meditation is not for us, it is for everyone and is easy to do. It is not complicated like mantras or rituals, and is very necessary to learn.

A practitioner should meditate regularly and become familiar with the practice. Meditation creates space and opens us up. It is simple, but is also the foundation of all other meditations one can learn. It aids in reducing fixation to ideas and opinions.

So, when you begin, do not be closed or afraid. One doesn’t need to investigate what to do or recall a complicated visualization. Just relax and don’t limit one’s meditation to a certain time a day. For example, we sometimes limit meditation to the morning or night.

One should maintain strict discipline and zeal when meditating, and practice at any given time. Concentrate on breathing, as the mind wanders just focus on the breath through the nose. Keep on reminding oneself, ‘I must watch my breathing,’ especially as the mind begins to wander.

You all might wonder now, "Wow, it is that simple! This easy method can reduce all that fixation and eventually lead to enlightenment! Really??"
It is easy to understand how this is possible. When water is full of mud, and one wishes to have clear water, what is the first step? You leave it alone. All the mud will go down and then the clear water will be visible.

The more you stir the water, the more dirty it becomes. So now, you aim at reducing fixation, you wish to reduce anger, passion, ignorance and so forth. But, there is no point in stirring those! Then your mind will become agitated again.

All you do here is relax, sit straight and watch your breathing. The practitioner leaves everything alone and lets him or herself calm down. But, one needs to meditate, otherwise you will never taste the experience of meditation.

When someone wants you to become an alcoholic, they tell you all day how good alcohol is. This inspires you to drink a little bit; at first it burns your throat and stomach and gives you a headache. After a few days, one slowly gets addicted.

This logic works the same way with dharma practice, something totally opposite from becoming an alcoholic. In the same way here, I am praising how beneficial meditation is. However, if you do not actually practice meditation, you will never understand anything beyond what I say.

Some people will have one major fear. Whether you are housewife or a businessman, you feel "I have no time!" This is a lame excuse. All you have to do is meditate for thirty seconds or a minimum of one minute. Just sit in your bedroom or living room, wherever, and watch your breath.

It is important for beginners to know that one should never do meditation for two hours or a long period of time, start out slowly. First meditate for thirty seconds, then take a walk. Meditate for another thirty seconds, then take a shower. If you meditate like this, it will gradually be easy and longer.

Again, reverting back to the example before, someone just beginning to be an alcoholic will get sick if they drink three bottles. One would never want to touch alcohol again. Instead, the beginner drinks a little bit, and slowly increases. Little by little, one becomes an expert.

This example again applies directly to meditation. Begin with half a minute and slowly become an expert. How will this change your life? Before one would become enraged if someone said you had a big nose, but not anymore. Likewise, if someone says you are beautiful, it does not puff you up with pride or make you particularly happy.

This is how the practitioner changes. Now it is your job to begin, my job of explaining is almost finished.

Now, it is important, if we really are Buddhist, to practice properly. When we go to a temple or visit a Rinpoche, we should not just have this lesser motivation to cure temporal problems such sickness.

The root of the problem has to be diminished otherwise the problem will remain. So go to the root, not to the branches!

This teaching is the best form of blessing, because I am giving you the key to make yourself happy. So, concentrate and meditate. As a beginner, don’t give up or have regret if your mind wanders too much. Just bring your concentration back.

When you meditate, certain signs can appear after many months. You might have good dreams and feelings, or bad dreams and feelings. However, do not worry or even talk about them. These experiences are veils, if you chase after them you will be like a fish springing out of an ocean.

Sometimes practitioners believe that watching the breath is a wrong type of meditation, too easy and simple. Or, one might have received other types of instruction. For example, if one was taught to meditate while standing up, then you will think that meditating while sitting down is wrong.

One should follow these meditation instructions and not be confused. My own master, HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, emphasized sitting meditation very much. For me, it means a lot because I am a very complicated person, so this makes practice much easier.

Sitting meditation may sound simple, but it will and should continue in one’s practice until enlightenment. It is the base or foundation of meditation. Visualizations and all other elements can be added later on to sitting meditation. Sitting meditation is just like rice, it serves as the base. Then the vegetables and curry can be added later on.