answering in public speaking to more selective group

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Fundamental to this relationship between master and disciple is the bond of samaya, or trust, in which the pupil not only vows total obedience to the guru, but the guru vows to act only for the benefit of the pupil. Breaking samaya is held to have the most grave consequences, including banishment to “vajra hell” and an infinity of unfortunate rebirths.

“Once you enter into the hermetic world of Tibetan Buddhism, you somehow burn your bridges to Western ration­ality,” says Stephen Batchelor, a British Buddhist teacher and academic who was himself a Tibetan Buddhist monk for eight years. “You enter a world that appears to be entirely con­sistent internally; everything makes sense; the structures of power seem to be in the service of these high ideals of enlighten­ment, and the relationship with the guru is the key element in your capacity to follow this path in the most effective way.”

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Ignoring the scandal altogether, in November 2016, Gaffney instead wrote to members of Rigpa, explaining that another lama, and close friend of Sogyal’s, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, believing that the next few years represented “a critical period in [Sogyal’s] life” had consulted “a unique clair­voyant master” in Tibet for advice on what should be done to avert “any obstacles to Rinpoche’s life, health and work”.

The “clairvoyant lama” had recommended a number of ritual practices to remove these obstacles. The most important was for Sogyal’s followers to “repair any impairments of the samaya” – their vow of trust between guru and student – by embarking on an intensive practice of reciting mantras. The goal, Gaffney wrote, was to accumulate 100 million 100 syllable mantras every year – a practice that would require 3,000 students chanting for 40 minutes a day.

“If the practices he recommends are done,” Gaffney went on, “then there is every chance that Rinpoche will live until at least the age of 85.”

Some saw it as a subtle way of dampening the growing scandal, and coercing doubting students back in line.

“It was shifting the responsibility for the consequences of Sogyal’s actions onto the students,” one former student says. “To turn your back on the guru is the worst thing you can do. No one wants to go to vajra hell.”

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he Highest Gift The Highest Gift The Highest Gift The Highest Gift

In generating the mind oI bodhicitta, we really have to train our minds. Eor this, the
relative bodhicitta is virtually the most crucial oI all. Now what is the bodhicitta mind?

Certainly, it is not simply a matter oI thinking, 'Those poor men need help.¨ Compared to
the bodhicitta, the humanitarian mind is oI a much lower class. Bodhicitta is literally the
wish to enlighten all sentient beings.
Dismantling the delusion oI sentient beings is the best giIt you could ever give.

What better giIt could you oIIer? Make sentient beings see their own true natures. Make
them see this endless net oI delusion. What could be better than seeing sentient beings
released Irom this endless cocoon that they themselves have Iormed? This is not a mere
mind oI wanting to sort oI help someone` with a temporal problem.

During big public gatherings, on many occasions I have been asked why Buddhists
are not doing things to contribute in the same way that Christians do. Why are there no
Buddhist Hospitals, or Buddhist hospices?


II answering in public, I would say, 'Because
Buddhists are lazy, and being lazy and selIish, Buddhists only talk about compassion.¨
Indeed, this is partially true. And then, in a more inner group, I would say: 'We should
really rejoice Ior those Christians, Muslims and Hindus. But even that we don`t do.¨

Then,
iI speaking to a smaller, more selective group, I might explain in the Iollowing way.
Suppose there is this religious group building thousands oI childcare Iacilities or
hospices. Again, this is a big generalisation, because perhaps among them there is a
bodhisattva as a Muslim, a Christian or Hindu. But let`s say that although these religious
workers are doing a lot oI caring work, there is no wish to enlighten sentient beings. Their
main aim is to provide Iood and education.

Now imagine there is one hermit living
somewhere in the mountains oI the Himalayas who is doing none oI this. In Iact, within
close range oI him, there are a lot oI babies dying, yet outwardly he is doing nothing about
this. Inwardly however, he is actually meditating, 'May all sentient beings be enlightened¨
and he continues to do this every day.

I would say, purely because oI the enlightenment
aspect, this person is worthier oI homage than the Iirst group. Why? Because it is so
diIIicult to truly and genuinely wish enlightenment Ior others. It is much easier to give
people Iood and educate them.

Most oI us don`t really appreciate this Iact. We have never beIore genuinely wished
Ior someone else to achieve enlightenment. Likewise, iI someone were to come over and
say to us: 'Here you go, you have a ticket Ior enlightenment. There is only one ticket.¨ I
don`t think we would even think about giving it to someone else! We`d grab it and go Ior
it. Enlightenment is such a valuable thing.

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It doesn`t matter how you take reIuge, the most
essential part oI the theory oI reIuge exists both within the mahäyäna and especially, in the
vajrayäna. When we say, I take reIuge to the Buddha, the ultimate meaning is 'I accept
that I can be enlightened and that I have the buddha nature.¨ This is very important to
understand.

Without knowing the essential theory, iI you just Iollow the pith instructions,
you may be just like one oI the many vajrayäna practitioners who think the Buddha is
there,` and then prays. It is very theistic. II taking reIuge in this way, there is not such a
big distinction to be made between Christianity and Buddhism.

AIter all, apart Irom the
name diIIerentiation oI Buddha and Jesus Christ, what is the diIIerence? It is like treating
the Buddha as a god. This is why you need to know the theory oI reIuge. When we say, 'I
take reIuge to the Buddha,¨ we mean, 'I accept that I can be the Buddha,¨ that 'I am
Buddha,¨ actually.

Well, there is a diIIerence. 'I can be Buddha` is the mahäyäna attitude.
'I am Buddha¨ is the vajrayäna attitude. This example is one I have given many times, Ior
it is important.

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Basically, if a social worker has this notion of destroying the ego, you are talking
about a social worker doing social work with bodhicitta. But let`s say a social worker is
doing a lot oI work to heal temporal pain, but has no bodhicitta. Then there is this man in a
cave, doing nothing, or at least, he is not helping in the physical sense. All he does is
aspiration bodhicitta. Strictly speaking, our man in the cave is more worthy oI homage.

Though of course, for the general audience this is not easy to accept because the general
audience does not understand the value of enlightenment. Shäntideva has actually taught
on this, in the first chapter where he says:

Could our fathers or our mothers
Ever have so generous a wish?
Do the very gods, the rishis, even Brahmã
Harbor such benevolence as this?

If there is someone healing your pain, which is temporal, while another is not doing
much temporal healing, but is genuinely planning on helping you permanently, it is that
person you need to appreciate more.

Student|: But many people are more ready to accept this temporal help, aren`t they?

Rinpoche|: Oh yes, oI course, this is what I am saying, the general audience wants all the
pain relieI and the painkillers; they cannot understand.
The view or the Action, Which is Higher?

Student|: But doing social work will destroy the ego kind of automatically, won`t it?


Rinpoche|: :: : Not necessarily. It can also create a lot of ego. In fact, for many social
workers, not only have they not destroyed their egos, but also they have ended up abusing
much of the funds being collected. It is a question of 'which has the greater value, the
view or the action?¨ I am saying the view has to be valued more.

Student|Isn`t the motivation more important than the action?


Rinpoche| Yes, but the motivation is usually triggered by the view. Depending on what
view you have, you then have the corresponding motivation.

Student Aren`t the motivation and the view almost completely the same?

|Rinpoche : Yes, but this depends on the view. Not many people have the right view.
Likewise, we think oI Muslim terrorists as terrorists and identify them as such, but they
consider themselves to be some kind oI social worker. They believe they have good reason
to think oI themselves as holy humanitarians. Actually, I cannot entirely reject their
reasons, simply due to their not being accepted by a massive legal system. This world is
often unfair. Each of us harbors a multitude of ideas, and yet these are our own views.

Who knows what is really happening? Bombarded with all this news of violence in the
Middle East, once while I was in retreat, these newspaper reports really stirred up my
emotion. But one can`t really respond in this way. It`s better to wish enlightenment for
both the victims and the oppressors.