..續本文上一頁r modern people.
We all know that modern people are very busy, and so it would be very difficult for them to study voluminous Buddhist scriptures and texts in this short life. When His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok went to a center in Boston, in the USA, His Holiness said that: “Dzogchen is most suitable for modern people, especially busy urban people like you.” At that time, someone asked why this was so. His Holiness replied: “For you all to learn and study tremendous amounts of scriptures and texts in this relatively short life is quite difficult, but if you study and practice Dzogchen, by relying on your unique confidence together with the direct introduction of the view of Dzogchen from the guru, those with a strong intuitive connection can attain enlightenment within that moment of introduction. Even if enlightenment is not attained, by this simple and profound method the nature of your mind will be understood. After that, it is just like standing at the peak of a mountain: other forms of practice are like the small hills around.” Therefore, this practice is indeed very suitable, and the best for modern people. A famous Tibetan master, (Pin Yin: KeTuDuTa), said that at the Dharma Ending Age, when the darkness of the five degenerations are widespread, the blessed radiation of Dzogchen will become even more powerful and brighter. Therefore, at the moment, sentient beings need a teaching of comparably extreme power and clarity to dispel their confusions, and Vajrayana practice is one that can provide it, particularly the pithy instructions of Dzogchen.
(8) Question: I am a PhD student from the Philosophy Department of Peking University. Currently, I am doing a post-doctoral degree. I would like to ask you a question. Whatever we do is similar in some respects. Whether doing business or building a temple, we need to gather resources, make decisions, and eliminate obstacles. How can we ensure that everything can be done properly during these processes, while avoiding getting further caught up in our dualistic perceptions, as well as not further accelerating our desires
Answer: No matter what we do, whether it is worldly matters, building temples, or setting up Buddhist venues, it can be fulfilled only by the aggregation of multiple causes and conditions. We should try not to have too many dualistic perceptions, desires, and dislikes. This is the basic principle. Whether we can successfully do this or not depends on inpidual circumstances and personalities.
For example, in Tibet, many monasteries are built. Some use very legitimate ways to raise funds and, coupled with help from big benefactors who have very good karma, they are able to complete the building of the monastery smoothly. Conversely, some others may go around seeking monetary support and eventually end up with some unpleasant results, which then taints the name of Tibetan Buddhism. This gives the negative impression that “Tibetan Buddhism is begging for money.” In fact, as I said before, Buddhism is not a superficial religion. It is not about magnificent buildings, and it is also not just about repairing monasteries or building stupas. If this were the case, it would mean that just having Buddhist buildings would keep Buddhism alive, without the need for Buddhist doctrines. This is not the case. Without Buddhist doctrines, Buddhism is extinguished. We must be aware that the purpose of buildings is to provide external conditions; the most important thing is our inner thoughts. To give an analogy: we gather together here today not because we like this building, or because you want to look at me, but because you all hope to gain some benefit by discussing ideas with me, because I have been studying and practicing for a long time. Similarly, I came to Peking University to…
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