Buddhist Vajrayana Malaysia Centre

‘Bliss’ in Daily Life and ‘Achievement’ in Buddhist Cultivation

Rinpoche first discoursed on 19^th December, 1993
Senior Lai in France repeated it on behalf of Rinpoche on 23^rd February, 2003 (after about ten years)
Uploaded to the Website on 8^th September, 2014 (and then after about eleven years again)

Introduction (1)
	•	The process of life is like a road, but not ‘a destination’.
	•	Bliss is found along the road instead of at the very end of it; the opportune moment of having bliss is right now at this moment but not tomorrow morning.
	•	If one wants to wait for the arrival of bliss, one will certainly be disappointed for one’s whole life as bliss must be grasped and experienced during one’s life journey.

Content (1)
	•	The process of cultivation practice is also like ‘a road’, but not ‘a destination’.
	•	Achievements are found along the road of cultivation, but not at the end of it; the juncture of attaining achievements is at this particular moment, but not tomorrow morning.
	•	If one wants to wait for the arrival of achievements, one will eventually be disappointed for one’s whole life as achievements must be understood and experienced personally during one’s journey of cultivation practice.

Introduction (2)
Most of us have ever missed the chance of having bliss or feeling the presence of it because we have unwittingly fallen into two wrong notions:
1.	A target time of obtaining bliss is set
	-	We always hear people say, “When I finish my studies, I will …; having found a job, I will …; after getting married, I will… etc. Or perhaps when I get promoted, I will make such an arrangement; when I am divorced, I will…; after being promoted to be the manager, I will…. When my shares have a revaluation, then I will…etc. all sorts of ‘future’ planned targets so on and so forth.
	-	However, when the particular ‘occasion’ does come, one may not necessarily feel the bliss that one has ever imagined.

2.	‘Bliss is not easy to obtain’ is presumed
	-	Most people do not grasp the moment of having bliss. Actually, bliss is always around one, it peers one whenever and wherever one is, no matter one feels its presence or not. It is one’s conduct and deeds as well as one’s extent of devotion that affect whether one is going to obtain any bliss (disaster and happiness).
	-	Bliss is something that one is able to get, enjoy and experience at any time during one’s life journey.

The above two wrong notions make us think that bliss is something very far away or difficult to obtain. Hence, we tend to overlook the bits and pieces of happiness that is surrounding us right now, ‘for the time being’, ‘at the moment’ and ‘at this particular place’ (that is, Shrine/Mandala) which is namely the fountain of bliss. Moreover, we are mistaken that bliss can only be achieved at a specific ‘time’, ‘occasion’ as well as ‘form’. In fact, it is not so. As long as we can treasure and have gratitude that every little bit is happiness, bliss can thus be felt at every moment.

Content (2)
Having discussed so much about bliss, what am I going to bring out? It is that most of us have missed the opportunity of having achievements in Tantric cultivation because we have involuntarily sunk into two wrong concepts or two obstacles of what is known.
1.	A target time of obtaining achievements is set
	-	We often hear a lot of practitioners (or disciples studying under the same Master) say, “When I finish learning The Four Initiation Practice, I will …; Let’s wait until I have learnt Homa (a burnt offering in which wisdom is symbolized as fire that burnt up the faggots of passion and illusion so as to be prepared for Nirvana) that I can …; after becoming a Guru, I will rescue sentient beings in many different ways … etc. Or perhaps when I finish reading all these Sutras, I will be wise and intelligent (whereas the understanding and comprehension of the lection are neglected); having read all these books, I will be cleverer and smarter than the others.”
	-	However, when the particular ‘occasion’ does come, you may not necessarily attain ‘the achievements that you have ever imagined (It is because you have shown that you are stingy, rude, greedy, envious, strategic, hypocritical … etc.)

2.	‘Achievement is not easy to attain’ is presumed
	-	Most practitioners consider attaining achievements in cultivation as a dream that is visionary as well as unattainable. Actually, ‘achievement’ is always by your sides waiting for your Guru to open it up for you at the optimum fateful coincidence. In other words, you only need to wait for the opportune moment when your Guru unites you and achievement together. Whatever one has done as well as one’s extent of devotion (heart-giving and Bodhi-citta) are sufficient to affect one’s achievements. What goes around comes around, one reaps what one has sowed (meaning: you get what you have put in)!
The above two wrong notions make us think that ‘achievement’ is something so far away that we are demotivated and lack the motive power to practise cultivation. Or we may think that ‘achievement’ is too difficult to attain and thus we muddle along, become indolent and sluggish in attitude at our cultivation practice. Hence, we tend to overlook the droplets of achievements that are around at our elbows ‘for the time being’, ‘at the moment’ and ‘at this particular place’. These droplets of achievements come from our Guru who sets us good examples and gives us verbal directions every day, every moment as well as in every circumstance. Employing different methods to enlighten, guide and arouse us, our Guru has gradually piled us up with perfect hearts and souls as well as faultless words and deeds. Moreover, he has also helped us purify our inner world and enhance our spirituality so that we can thereby incline to the supreme good Buddha nature and march towards the superior Buddhahood. In fact, as long as we can see through, understand, awaken, treasure and have gratitude, we will know that our Guru has dripped achievements bit by bit into both our hearts and the deep consciousness of our brains (minds).
Conclusion:
	•	Going back to our daily routine, in the end what should be regarded as ‘having bliss’? There is no objective indicator for this. Individual’s pursuit of bliss is actually something that is clearly understandable (as it can be felt). The problem is that human’s desires are unlimited and insatiable. When sentient beings are given an inch, they will demand for a yard. Similarly, when one owns a hundred thousand (dollars), one will think of having a million. In fact, ordinary people possess the elements of having bliss. For instance, health, safe and sound, freedom, adequate clothing and food, peaceful and contented life … etc. In whichever societies (except in some totalitarian states), a great majority of people can enjoy such kinds of bliss. Can you see that even fools or beggars who live under bridges sometimes show their sincere smiles? (Sometimes, being a person with some spirit of Ah Q (remarks: Ah Q is a novella character who is from the rural peasant class with little education and no definite occupation. He is a bully to the less fortunate but fearful of those who are above him in rank, strength, or power. He persuades himself mentally that he is spiritually ‘superior’ to his oppressors even as he succumbs to their tyranny and suppression and this is known as Ah Q’s ‘spiritual victories’) can help to reduce a lot of unnecessary mental stress). Nevertheless, how many people can ‘really understand’ what bliss is and enjoy having it?
		-	Healthy people pay no attention to their health, some even indulge in sensual pleasures to torture themselves (thinking that sensual pleasures can bring about bliss).
		-	Free living people do not treasure freedom. On the contrary, they incur unnecessary troubles everywhere (mistaking that doing whatever one likes is bliss).
		One has to wait until problems arise in one’s health or when one’s freedom is taken away (e.g. imprisonment in jail) that one is able to realize what ‘bliss’ is!

	•	In contrast, after all, what should be regarded as ‘attaining achievement’ in cultivation practice? It is also difficult to have an objective indicator for this. You are good at dhyana (in deep meditation), but you have a technical problem when chanting mantra in which there is a deviation in your intonation. You have attained some achievements in chanting mantras, however, deficiencies in your precepts have been much. You manage to maintain your precepts so accurately and rigorously that the Guardian of Percepts is always around you, yet, you are ‘persistent’ (stubborn) in thoughts. Maybe you are awakened and very wise (you feel flattered that you are achieved!), nevertheless, you are so proud and insolent of your talent that make you indolent (not diligent in cultivation practice). Or perhaps you are well-known for translating Buddhist sutras, but you can spare no time to rescue sentient beings. If you are saving sentient beings and have already rescued lots of them. However, to be able to rescue sentient beings, it requires manifold talents in which manifold means ‘much convenient’. Much convenient further implies ‘skillful means’ and when employing skillful means, you will inevitably say something that is against your conscience. Or despite having achievements in many aspects including translating sutras, maintaining precepts, doing dhyana and rescuing beings, you are not able to save a sentient being from a dangerous situation, a difficult position or a disaster immediately. Hence, it is difficult to give ‘attaining achievements’ a standard to measure. There should not be any ‘greediness’ in attaining achievements, greediness is caused by the fact that one hopes to have achievements in all aspects. If you really want to be able to do so, you have to depend and rest upon a wise Guru to whom you think you can attach yourself. For example, you start to have achievement in specializing in the study of chanting mantra and next, you attain achievement in practising dhyana. After that, you possess the achievement of precepts in your daily routine. These bits and pieces of achievements come from the Guru whom you have attached to. He helps and supports you selflessly regardless of his own body so as to make your charity deeds in both blessed virtue and wisdom accumulate gradually.

Making a general observation on practitioners in contemporary, it is a pity to find that only very few of them respect and view their Gurus as jewels as well as treasure the inherited Tantric Dharma. How can practitioners who are unable to do so talk about ‘attaining achievements’? That is nonsense!
	•	Those practising The Four Initiation Practice show indifference to it. They think that it is only a part of the course or a stepping-stone. The most important Dharma should either be The Guru Yoga or The Yidam Sadhana.
	•	Those practising The Yidam Sadhana do not value the importance of it either. Since practitioners have too high an opinion of themselves that they have not followed the vows of their Yidams in their behaviour.
	•	Those practising The Guru Yoga do not realize the importance of their Gurus. They even feel contempt for their Gurus and thus they lack the ability to pass the biggest test before they can attain achievements through cultivating Tantric Buddhism --- one who always stays around one’s Guru physically may become the farthest from him mentally. This is because the Guru appears the same as me: needs to eat and sleep, goes to washroom, walks on roads and in streets, practises the same Dharma …

Having cultivated for many years, say ten years, twenty years or thirty years until confronting the moment before death, one is shocked to find that one has doubt in the cultivation of The Guru Yoga. There are also problems in the practices of both The Yidam Sadhana and The Four Initiation Practice. It seems that none of the Dharmas one has ever practised get a relevant response. Or perhaps recalling the so-called corresponding response one achieved decades ago, it could only be considered as the kind of merely hand-in-hand dating between kids (i.e. it is no big deal). It is only worth a laugh after thinking about it. Now, one is facing the serious matter of life and death, ‘one becomes so scared that makes one suffer from insomnia’ as one starts to realize how ‘achievements’ should actually be. It is only by then that one can truly understand what ‘Achievements are gained by following your Guru’s method (that is, obeying your Guru’s instructions and following his advice)’ means. It is one of ‘the gems of wisdom’ from 50 Stanzas on Devotion to the Guru. Wouldn’t that be too deplorable and regrettable in that case!