While staying in McLeod, we had the opportunity to hear His Holiness The Dalai Lama give teachings at the Tibetan temple. It may be assumed that this would be a frequent occurrence since the temple stands directly in front of His Holiness’ home. However, he is a very busy man, frequently traveling to talk all over the world. In fact it seems somewhat ironic that in the time we’ve been here, he has given more teachings in the United States than in the next-door temple.
So this was a big deal. Before we could even go to the teachings, we first had to get a pass that would allow us to enter the temple grounds on the big day. And not just us foreigners; everyone had to have a pass. So the day before the teachings we found ourselves in a very long line of Tibetans and foreigners, waiting to get our passes. The wait was long, but we finally got them. We also had to buy a small AM/FM radio, as the teachings were to be given in Tibetan and translated over radio broadcast into English.
There were, I believe, three different sessions of teachings over two days. The first day had a morning and afternoon session. Because the morning session was very early and people were getting there even earlier to get a spot, we decided to wait until the morning session got out. Then when everybody was leaving to get lunch, we’d swoop in and grab a spot and wait until the afternoon session started.
We managed to get pretty good spots too: upstairs, just outside the temple and to the right. We weaved through the crowd and found a nice vacant area next to a pillar. There are no chairs, so we brought cushions to sit on, and the pillar provided back support. We were at an angle that we couldn’t see His Holiness directly, but there was a nice, flat screen monitor set up fairly close with live video of what was happening.
Thus far, everything resembled very much my own faith’s general conference meetings. So I expected it to continue as such. I was ready to get some good, inspired insight on life that would help me make myself a better person… and maybe I did. I’m still trying to make sense of it.
We tuned our radio to the English translation channel as His Holiness began to speak. After a while, he stopped, and the translation began. The teaching was on “emptiness”.
I listened to the teaching, doing my best to understand and even took notes. I’m not sure if I understood everything (in fact I’m sure I didn't), and my notes may not even be correct, but this is what I took from it:
Emptiness does not equal nothingness. It is a non-intrinsic existence. I think what this means is that nothing exists permanently. Everything is always changing as a result of everything else going on around it and on account of passage of time. And so nothing exists independently because everything depends on everything else affecting it to make it what it is. There are many examples and details, but I think the basic point is this idea of nothing existing permanently.
Now, I suppose that makes sense to me, but where I was having the most trouble was trying to understand how this concept was supposed to help me. I accept and agree that myself and the world around me is always changing, but how does that help me to point myself in the right direction, to be a better person, or to make the world a better place? At the time I felt more confused than directed by what was being taught.
However, towards the end of the teaching, something was said that helped me understand a little better the purpose of what was being taught. I had heard before in Buddhism that in order to obtain enlightenment, you first have to understand the meaning of emptiness. Up to this point I thought maybe it was just this really difficult philosophical idea that when you finally understood, it was like unlocking a door and suddenly you were enlightened. But at the end of the teachings, the translator clarified, the reason you need to understand the meaning of emptiness is that it will help you see the negatives in yourself. Then as you see those negative parts of yourself you are able to eliminate them, which process eventually leads to nirvana.
I can’t say I understand exactly how the meaning of emptiness is supposed to help you identify these negatives in yourself. Again, I’m not even sure if all my notes are correct. But learning this importance of understanding emptiness, if not for myself then for the Buddhists surrounding me, that this is a key step to the road to enlightenment, knowing this explained the reason it was being taught. It’s not just some complex philosophy; it’s meant to help people become better.
Writing about it has helped me to realize that.
I still am confused about the connection between the idea of emptiness and identifying the negatives in one’s life. I personally feel like I can identify my negative characteristics just by examining my life and recognizing which of my thoughts or deeds have brought me happiness and which have brought me sadness.
However, what my current understanding of emptiness means to me is that I can become a better person. If everything is always changing, then I am changing, and I can choose to change for better or for worse. It also means that I have to constantly be trying to change for better because just being good at one point in my life does not insure that I will be that way for the rest of it. I’m not just saying this. I truly believe it. I believed it before… through one angle or perspective, my own faith, but now I believe it again from a different angle, the Buddhist angle. So perhaps I believe it even more strongly now.
Now I feel like I could write another 5 – 10 paragraphs about “truth” and what it is and where it exists and if truth is intrinsic and if emptiness is truth, and therefore if emptiness, a belief in non-intrinsic-ness, is itself intrinsic………. But I think I’ll save that for another time.
I’m grateful for the experience and I’m grateful for writing because it has helped me to make sense of the experience and give it real meaning in my life.
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