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of
Gam popa
by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
First Dharma:
May My Mind Follow the Dharma
Second Dharma:
May the Dharma Follow the Path
help others in material ways, but also wanting to liberate them from
the cycle of samsara.
In order to develop this strong loving-kindness, it helps in the
beginning to focus on the person you love the most, such as your
mother, brother, or sister, and imagine them suffering in great pain.
If you did not come to help them, and merely tried to maintain your
own happiness, you would not be very comfortable. The only thing
to do, of course, would be to find out how to help them. Suppose
that the one you love the most was in the hell realm, burning with
fire, boiled in water, and forced to drink scalding liquids, and was
constantly crying out, “Someone please help me!” At that point you
could not just sit there and work for your own happiness. At the
sound of the word “help!” immediately your tears would flow.
Likewise, if they were in the hungry ghost realm suffering from
thirst, hunger and want of shelter, with their body burning at night,
you would have difficulty ignoring their cries for help. Suppose this
person you love has taken birth as a fish with no home, no protec-
tion in the water, and constantly searching for food simply to stay
alive and stop the pangs of hunger. When they came up from the
water and pleaded for help, you could not turn a deaf ear.
In such ways, we use the example of the one we love most and
imagine what we would do if that person cried for help from the
depths of suffering. When we can freely express loving-kindness for
those we love, then this loving-kindness can be expanded by know-
ing that not only the person we love is suffering and wants happi-
ness, but that every living being equally wants such happiness. This
realization brings forth greater generosity and loving-kindness,
which eventually includes limitless numbers of living beings.
Developing loving-kindness by itself, however, is not enough for
effective practice; in addition, we need to develop aspiration bodhi-
chitta. In this context aspiration bodhichitta means a deep commit-
ment from your heart with the feeling, “From now on, I will never
harm any living being, but try to help as much as I can, and not just
for a short time, but until all are liberated from samsara.” Once we
make this commitment we think, “If I ever break this vow, may my
body be scattered into a thousand pieces.”
With this commitment, we practice according to our intention.
Since all practices will not go easily and smoothly, we will have to
work through and overcome many difficulties, troubles and hard-
ships, both mental and physical. When such problems arise, we
166 Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
should again reflect on the suffering of the hell realm, the hungry
ghost realm and the animal realm. Compared to these, our hardships
and pain are minimal. We should also see that in the past, we have
worked with great energy to obtain temporary happiness—posses-
sions, wealth, fame, and so forth. Now that we are truly working for
our real benefit and that of all sentient beings, are we not willing to
make at least the same effort to persevere through difficult times?
When you are practicing with such a focus, no matter what happens,
nothing can interfere with you. This kind of practice is called “per-
severance bodhichitta,” for you are following your intentions and
actually practicing them.
Another way of dealing with problems that arise during practice
is to concentrate on the goal of obtaining a better rebirth in order to
give happiness to ourselves and others. That happiness is not tem-
porary, but eternal wealth, and could be considered your pay or salary
for working through difficulties in the same way that a job in the
mundane world would reward you for your labors.
Generating this perseverance bodhichitta, the great yogi
Milarepa was able to meditate for years through tremendous adversi-
ty, even though he was a human being like us, who experienced
pain, hunger, and thirst. Since he had confidence in his guru’s teach-
ing about the eternal benefit that arises through practice, he was
able to put himself into meditation and for long years overcome
numerous difficulties with his practice.
To summarize this discussion of the Second Dharma of
Gampopa, we can see that, just as we obtain material rewards in the
ordinary world for working hard, for taking risks and responsibility,
in that same way we take the responsibility of liberating ourselves
and all sentient beings. Here, too, it is clear that we have to face
numerous hardships and resolve many problems. Just as we know
that in the world we will not find well-paid jobs without having to
put forth effort and take responsibility, we have to understand that
on the spiritual path as well we have to undergo difficulties in order
to help ourselves. When we follow this path, bodhichitta will devel-
op and the bodhisattva’s conduct will grow.
Densal Book 167
Third Dharma:
May the Path Eliminate Confusion
Fourth Dharma:
May Confusion be
Transformed into Wisdom