Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Vajra Yogini or Anger?
Joy has been a student of His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche for over 15 years. Through the years, Joy has witnessed Rinpoche’s compassion and the unconventional methods he uses to benefit others. Some of the short stories she shares will tell interesting miraculous events that Rinpoche will not mention due to his humility. She hopes these stories will serve as an inspiration in your own spiritual journey.
Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Vajra Yogini or Anger?
People often have misconceptions, thinking that once you work in a Dharma centre and serve the Guru, you must be ‘perfect’ and you don’t have any kind of negative feelings such as anger, jealousy, pride and so on. They often forget Dharma practitioners are still practising, and we are still just as human as anyone else. So, these negative afflictive emotions do creep up once in a while, just like with anyone else. The difference is just that we are fortunate enough to be taught how to keep it under wraps, or controlled, instead of allowing emotions to explode like wild fire.
Of course, we have not completely eliminated this fire. If we have, we would be Bodhisattvas already. Hence, Rinpoche always used to joke with us calling us “Bidhisattvas” which means fake Boddhisattvas, a “wannabe”. So, we are simply Bidhisattvas. It was a word made up by Rinpoche to remind us of our level and tease us to actually work harder to become Bodhisattvas. What is important is that we are actually ‘trying’ harder than others who are not in the Dharma, working 24/7, and each time we slip and fall, we get up and keep at it instead of giving up. That is what Rinpoche taught us.
I am without a doubt someone with such afflictive emotions that flare up and down, but what Rinpoche told me and many of us closer students, is a simple yet profound statement. Rinpoche told us or rather questioned us, “so you would rather give up Vajra Yogini because of that one person?”
A thangka of Vajra Yogini.
Click on image to enlarge.
Hence, when these emotions rise up, and we feel like calling it quits, we need to reflect, first upon all the kindness the Guru has shown us. And think, is it worth it? Is it worth throwing away Rinpoche’s love just because we are unhappy with something or someone? Rinpoche said to us, “so that one person is more worth it than receiving Vajra Yogini? Would we throw away the chance to receive Vajra Yogini because we are unhappy, for this one silly person or situation we don’t like? Of course, when we ask these questions to ourselves, we know very well the answer is simply, NO! Hence, we stop our ridiculous train of disastrous thoughts that does not serve us and we stay on the path of Dharma practice.
We stay on, we swallow our ego and pride and we continue to tame our own minds. We tame our own minds because that is within our own control. We cannot control what others do or say, but we can control what we do and how we react. At our level, we can say that we ‘tolerate’ because ‘accepting’ may be easier said than done. So, we tolerate at the beginning. Then later, as we purify our negative mindset, and collect more merits, this will eventually transform to ‘accepting’ and learning how to let go. The letting go is from clinging on to the afflictive emotions, the anger, jealousy, feelings of unjust treatment, which all stems from our self-cherishing mind.
Rinpoche explained, when we get angry at something or someone, and we want to quit, putting the blame on someone or something else, is like not wanting to take any responsibility for our own actions. People who usually do this, do not really believe in the laws of karma, of cause and effect. Rinpoche often put it bluntly, “it is like slapping your Guru, your yidam (meditational deity) and Dharma Protector in the face!” Why is this so? Because, it is saying whatever our Guru taught, whatever the Buddhas’ teach – which is forgiveness, to let go of anger, to tame our minds and our afflictive emotions – all of it is wrong and our anger is right. We protect and justify our anger, so in the end our anger wins over our Guru. This means we have no gratitude for the all the kindness the Guru has shown us. So, this is what Rinpoche meant by asking us, “you pick, Vajra Yogini or your anger?”
When we think about it, we can apply this ‘pick game’ to just about anything we want to do when we are in a dilemma and stuck with negative thoughts. We will realise what is actually the best, especially if we know the precious value of receiving Vajra Yogini’s practice. So, the next time we need answers when weighing our options between Dharma or our afflictive emotions, we should ask ourselves, “Vajra Yogini (the state of enlightenment) or our anger?”
For more interesting information:
- Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Creating the Causes
- Rinpoche Through My Eyes – The Assignment
- Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Change Karma
- Rinpoche Thorough My Eyes – Spreading Dharma in Jonker Street
- Rinpoche Through My Eyes – What’s the New News?
- Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Mission Impossible
- Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Invoking the Buddhas to Come Forth
- Rinpoche Through My Eyes – Food and Dharma
- Tales With My Lama: A True Visionaire
- Stories from a Chela – Unconditional Love
- Growing up with Rinpoche: The traditional modern lama
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Of course I would choose Vajrayogini over anger if we can try to control and let go more often when people tries to provoke or irritate us. But unfortunately we are not numb and we do have feelings too😎. Thank you Rinpoche and Joy for this interesting teaching and article 👍😍
All suffering is in fact the result or fruit of negative emotions such as attachment, greed, jealously, pride, anger, and hatred. The five afflictive emotions are the source of suffering. Pride leads to unhappiness in long run. Letting go of these instead of clinging on to it will lead us to nowhere. A profound teachings …….as quoted The letting go is from clinging on to the afflictive emotions, the anger, jealousy, feelings of unjust treatment, which all stems from our self-cherishing mind. Remembered the kindness the Guru has shown us and what we will never give up nor matter what happened. I am still plenty to learn.
Thank you Rinpoche and Joy Kam for this sharing.