Question asked by Evelyn
Dear Rinpoche, Is everything that I experience the result of my own mind (perhaps over many lifetimes)? For example, if I have the karma to hear Buddhist teachings, then I will hear them. If not, then not. In that case, the compassion of the teachers, Buddhas and bodhisattvas seems not to matter—the teachings are generated by my mind, and would appear (or not) regardless of what others decide. Can this be right? (At the risk of self-contradiction, I am grateful to you for answering our questions!)
Dear Evelyn,
1. Everything that you experience is the result of your mind and yes from hundreds of thousands of lifetimes. Being that it is over hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, all types of imprints both positive and negative lay dormant to be experienced. For example, if you are very angry, and that is what you are experiencing at the moment, the minute you see a Tsongkapa thangka, it might trigger a powerful imprint you have from another life, then open it and you calm down fast and the anger goes away. So whatever you are experiencing at the moment is not permanent and can be changed short and more so for the long term. The imprint of dharma was triggered by seeing Tsongkapa. So your angry mind switches to calm mind. Similarily your mind is not ready to hear dharma, but meeting a teacher may trigger a distant dormant karma to open you up to listen.
2. The compassion of the attained ones does matter. If they had no compassion, they would not skilfully bring the dharma to you in small amounts till you can digest more. Also even if your mind is not ready, because they have compassion they will wait till you are ready. If they don’t have compassion, when you are ready then they won’t wait. Their compassion is very important for you and others seeking the dharma.
3. Compassion of the attained beings will also be turned into skilfullness in which even if you are not able to percieve the dharma, they plant dharma imprints in your mind without you even knowing, so in the future these imprints can ripens so you can hear the dharma,practice and extricate yourself from negative predicaments. Their compassion will never be wasted..
I hope this helps you. Most important is generate the thought daily with prayers that you wish to hear the teachings and practice. Then you will trigger open the seeds of the causes planted from another time to hear the dharma and plant further causes daily… Coupled with the compassion of a teacher waiting to impart the dharma to you, you are on the right direction.
Tsem Rinpoche