Hi, I promised this a while ago but I've struggled to remember exactly what he said. So take this with a grain of salt as there will be quite a bit missing, and possibly some inaccuracies, which I apologize for.
The talk was in Washington, D.C., 1990, to the collected Buddhist practioners from the area Dharma centers (those who could get the day off work, that is).
First he smiled and commented how happy he was to see so many Dharma practitioners. I think he made mention of the western monastics who were there, who had made a committment for their whole lives, and the lay people too had made a serious committment to Dharma practice. Dharma is not something that one does just for 10 minutes, or 20 minutes, or even an hour each day. Dharma is something one does for one's whole life, each hour, every day. He said, since there are so many experienced Dharma students here, he would build upon what we already had learned.
He said that (fuzzy here) Dharma is not how one is dressed (even if one is a monk or nun), and not only what one does when sitting on our meditation cushion, but it is in the mind. The Bodhicitta, generating compassion, and mindfulness, practicing throughout ones day. One should never abandon the practice of Dharma even for one minute.
But this takes discipline, to discipline one's mind to the practice of Bodhicitta. (A little fuzzy on this section; I think I'm getting the gist.) It does not happen overnight that one is practicing Dharma 100%. First one simply generates the aspiration to do so, when one takes the Bodhisattva vow, and then one must try to actualize Bodhicitta. To actually, really practice the Dharma path. If one takes the monastic vows or Bodhisattva vows, that is good, but then one must try to be mindful of whatever practice one is doing all of the time.
At first we are mindful only maybe 5% of the time. That is good. It's better than before. (I seem to recall a laugh here.) Then later maybe 10%. Slowly, slowly, we improve. That is how one practices the Dharma vehicle; slow improvement. (I think he mentioned that "even though Vajrayana, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is called the 'swift path,' for myself I have mostly noticed slow improvement. Baby steps." And I think I recall laughter at this point.)
(I'm missing a transitional bit here, I'm sorry. But I remember he grew a little less joke-y here.) One must make a firm committment each day to be mindful throughout one's day, to practice the Buddhadharma even 24 hours a day. Of course one must sleep, but whenever one is able. Otherwise, even though one has a precious opportunity, this... rare chance... it will slip away. One hour each day is something, but enlightenment takes... more effort. A bit more that 20 minutes meditation each day. (I think there was laughter at this point, too, because this is a serious understatement.)
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branchandroot
H. H. Dalai Lama's 1990 talk, as best as I can recall
Date: 2006-10-19 03:20 am (UTC)The talk was in Washington, D.C., 1990, to the collected Buddhist practioners from the area Dharma centers (those who could get the day off work, that is).
First he smiled and commented how happy he was to see so many Dharma practitioners. I think he made mention of the western monastics who were there, who had made a committment for their whole lives, and the lay people too had made a serious committment to Dharma practice. Dharma is not something that one does just for 10 minutes, or 20 minutes, or even an hour each day. Dharma is something one does for one's whole life, each hour, every day. He said, since there are so many experienced Dharma students here, he would build upon what we already had learned.
He said that (fuzzy here) Dharma is not how one is dressed (even if one is a monk or nun), and not only what one does when sitting on our meditation cushion, but it is in the mind. The Bodhicitta, generating compassion, and mindfulness, practicing throughout ones day. One should never abandon the practice of Dharma even for one minute.
But this takes discipline, to discipline one's mind to the practice of Bodhicitta. (A little fuzzy on this section; I think I'm getting the gist.) It does not happen overnight that one is practicing Dharma 100%. First one simply generates the aspiration to do so, when one takes the Bodhisattva vow, and then one must try to actualize Bodhicitta. To actually, really practice the Dharma path. If one takes the monastic vows or Bodhisattva vows, that is good, but then one must try to be mindful of whatever practice one is doing all of the time.
At first we are mindful only maybe 5% of the time. That is good. It's better than before. (I seem to recall a laugh here.) Then later maybe 10%. Slowly, slowly, we improve. That is how one practices the Dharma vehicle; slow improvement. (I think he mentioned that "even though Vajrayana, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is called the 'swift path,' for myself I have mostly noticed slow improvement. Baby steps." And I think I recall laughter at this point.)
(I'm missing a transitional bit here, I'm sorry. But I remember he grew a little less joke-y here.) One must make a firm committment each day to be mindful throughout one's day, to practice the Buddhadharma even 24 hours a day. Of course one must sleep, but whenever one is able. Otherwise, even though one has a precious opportunity, this... rare chance... it will slip away. One hour each day is something, but enlightenment takes... more effort. A bit more that 20 minutes meditation each day. (I think there was laughter at this point, too, because this is a serious understatement.)
(End part 1.)