..續本文上一頁mics student, and I have become a Buddhist recently. I have a teacher, but we are rarely in one location, therefore I wish to ask: when I encounter questions and doubts in my practice, what should I do

　　Answer: It is best to be near your teacher during your practice. But if the conditions do not allow this, I suggest you first systematically study the Buddhadharma.

　　The advantages of systematic studies are, first, it eradicates our misunderstandings and wrong views of Buddhadharma. Many of our questions and doubts can also be resolved in the process. Second, when you are deeply immersed in it, the worldly contaminants that are previously in your mind will slowly be purified. As time passes, the Buddhadharma naturally integrates into your life and your practice can become more independent.

　　Question: When I used to be troubled, I just go out to have fun, do some shopping, and it passes. But now when I learn to observe my mind, the troubles actually become more numerous. Why is this happening

　　Answer: It is not that the practice has lead you to having more mental afflictions, but that when you are observing the mind, the afflictions have become more visible.

　　Mental afflictions are like a naughty child. When the child is being naughty by himself and you do not pay attention, no matter how naughty he is it does not bother you, as if you have not seen him. But when you start to pay attention to him, then you will become more sensitive to his behaviour. So, you now feel that there are more afflictions, and this is the reason.

　　But this is also a sign. It indicates that you now have the ability to recognize mental afflictions. From now onwards, so long as you continue to diligently practise, afflictions and suffering will lessen. This is a necessary path for most practitioners.

　　I am a fourth year medical student here. Could you please show us some ways of recognizing our own minds

　　Answer: In terms of recognizing our own minds, I am ashamed to say that although I am very interested in it, but apart from some understanding, I also have not attained much realization.

　　Your inpidual circumstances are different. If you are interested, you can follow the order of practice of the Tantrayana tradition, starting with the preliminary practices, then receive initiation and seek the method of practicing the Great Perfection. This way, step-by-step, eventually you can definitely attain indescribable states of realization. Alternatively, you can also be like Chan practitioners and first study the Diamond Sutra, then Platform Sutra, then other sutras and sastras like the Prajna Paramita Sutra. As long as you have the right guidance and you read it with reverence and joy, you will definitely attain gains.

　　For instance, through this you are able to attain a certain insight, as said in the Diamond Sutra: “The past mind cannot be grasped, neither can the present mind or the future mind.” This is the most sublime insight. But there are two types of “cannot be grasped”: one is that it does not exist so it cannot be grasped; the other exists but cannot be grasped. It is like when I lose something, although it exists somewhere, but I cannot find it. The “cannot be grasped” of the mind belongs to the former – it is not that it exists and cannot be found, but that it originally does not exist.

　　Then, a simple “cannot be grasped”, or let”s call it emptiness, is it the Dharma nature

　　 Not completely. If you only realize this, then according to the Tantrayana teachings, it is not true realization, because at the same time as “cannot be grasped”, there is also the part of luminosity. That is to say, in the ultimate truth, luminosity and emptiness are inpisibly one. This is the idea that luminosity and emptiness are inseparable, which has been taught in detail …

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