Question asked by Kenny Loh
Tashi Delek and warm regards to all Pastors attached to Kechara, good morning.
If karma is the law of our existence, then is it possible to “chase Dharma in the now” or is there a “right lifetime when Dharma naturally become a way of life” without even thinking?
Is there any meaning if someone “chases to practice Dharma” and feels that there isn’t much time left due to reasons like old age, responsibilities due to karma and choices?
Is the practice of Dharma or the path to enlightenment a cultivated decision? Can it be cultivated? Is it wrong to force it onto ourselves?
I know that Guru Devotion is very important in Tsem Rinpoche’s teachings so I felt that it’s a cultivation, is there such a thing as we may not be ready for spiritual practice?
Dharma is akin to doing the right thing, it’s not spiritual (lest I misunderstood Tsem Rinpoche’s teaching). But the path towards the sangha, is it subject to karmic conditions? And is being a Dharma sponsor subject to karmic conditions also?
I felt a happiness and contentment ever since I bumped into Tsem Rinpoche’s website, it renewed my curiosity towards the meaning of life and afterlife. I hope Tsem Rinpoche and the Kecharians would not find my questions too silly to help me out.
Thank you.
Dear Kenny Loh,
Thank you for your questions. Before I begin with an explanation to your questions, it is important to have a rudimentary explanation of what karma is. Karma is basically the law of existence, it means that when you do something virtuous, you achieve good results, and when you engage in non-virtuous activities, you achieve bad results. For example, if you are a good, kind person, you will be reborn in one of the three higher realms in your next life, namely the god realm, demi-god realm or human realm. Conversely, if you engage in non-virtuous activities you will fall to one of the three lower realms, namely the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm or the hell realm. Karma therefore is an intrinsic part of samsara, which is cyclic existence. The goal of Buddhists is to actually escape or transcend this cyclic existence, and become a Buddha, who has no karma, whether good or bad.
As the goal of enlightenment, or Buddhahood, is reached through the practice of the Dharma, there is really no ‘right time’ to practice the Dharma. If you do not strive to practice now, then most probably, you won’t practice in the future. This is because you will still be stuck in the cycle of samsara without making the conscious effort to transcend it. That being said, if in previous lives you have created very strong imprints to practice the Dharma, then in this life, if the conditions are right and the imprints open, you will start practicing the Dharma automatically or find it easy to practice the Dharma.
For those who ‘chase’ after Dharma practice because they feel like they don’t have much time left, this is actually a very good thing to do. Due to whatever reason, be it karma or our own choices, most people do not place emphasis on practicing the Dharma throughout the majority of their lives. That is why you should start practicing the Dharma now. For those who feel like they do not have much time left, it is all the more reason why they should plant the seeds of Dharma in their mind-stream, and progress on their spiritual path further. This is to ensure that they can gain enlightenment, or create the causes for a good future rebirth, in which they are able to practice the Dharma strongly.
Since Dharma is the path that leads you out of samsara, which is our current state of existence, then yes, Dharma is a cultivated decision. In fact it is said that it took Buddha Shakyamuni three countless aeons to achieve enlightenment. Therefore just from the story of the Buddha alone, we can see that it is a cultivated path. Even in our own practice, Dharma is a cultivated decision because it counteracts our habitual nature, which is self-centred. Therefore we must train or cultivate ourselves in the practice of the Dharma. The issues of forcing Dharma onto ourselves is another question, and depends on the individual.
For example, some people just do not have the karmic propensity to practice the Dharma in this life, because they are too samsaric. Even though they may have the imprints to practice Dharma, due to karma, these imprints do not open up in this life. On the other hand, for those of us who know the practice of Dharma is beneficial, but we know we are still samsaric, we should strive to practice the Dharma, rather than ‘force’ it on ourselves.
If we force it on ourselves, real inner transformation is not likely, however we should strive to make Dharma a part of our lives because we know it its benefits. That is the reason why make texts, such as Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, start be explaining the sufferings of samsara. In fact Buddha Shakyamuni taught the suffering of samsaric existence in the Four Noble Truths. This is done in Buddhist teachings to generate the strong need for us to get out of samsara because we know of the downfalls of samsara. Therefore we strive to get out of this, through the practice of the Dharma, rather than ‘force’ ourselves to practice the Dharma.
As I mentioned earlier, there is no right or wrong time to practice the Dharma. It is more that we know the benefits of practicing the Dharma instead. If we have the good fortune to come across the Dharma and understand it, then it would be better for us to practice the Dharma, rather than continue endless in samsara.
Since we are in samsara, both the path of the Sangha and also of sponsorship would be dependent on karmic conditions. However, karma is not static, it can always change. Therefore, if we strive we can embark on the path of either one, through changing our karma through virtuous actions and various practices.
I am very glad that you found His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche’s teachings very beneficial in your life. Your questions are not silly at all, on the contrary, it shows that you think about the path of Dharma and want to know more. With more knowledge, we can make informed decisions and transform our lives for the better. The questions you have asked here are a pleasure to answer. I hope this helps.
Thank you.