Search Tricycle...

LOGIN|REGISTER HOME SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVES ONLINE RETREATS GALLERY COMMUNITY STORE DONATE

It Takes a Saint
What will it take to establish a truly Western dharma?
By Tai Situpa Rinpoche as told to Helen Tworkov

What can establish dharma in the West forever? Forever is a long time, but thats how I understand this question. Its a big question, and a big answer will just confuse everyone. So Ill make it simple: One Western person must attain full enlightenment in the same way as Marpa, Milarepa, or Guru Rinpoche [Padmasambhava, Indian founder of Tibetan Buddhism]. If one Westernerman or woman, doesnt matterattains that level of realization, then pure dharma will be established in Western culture, Western language, and environment, and so forth. Until that time, dharma can be taught in the West, which is already happening; it can be practiced in the West, which is already happening; and it can be recited in Western languages. But its not yet one hundred percent complete. Only with the presence of great mahasiddhas like Guru Rinpoche, Marpa, and Milarepa did dharma become established in Tibet. After that, dharma flourished within its own culture and language and has lasted to this day. This unbroken living lineage and blessing explains how even an unenlightened person like myself can teach and practice the enlightened dharma. In India, Buddhism took root with the appearance of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Indian mahasiddhas. In both Tibet and India, dharma was established through the appearance of enlightened beings, and it will take root in the West the same way. Until that happens, Tibetan dharma for Westerners remains inseparable from Tibetan culture and language, Tibetan ways and mentality. All that will change when a Westerner attains full enlightenment. The cultural context will become your own, and this will greatly increase inspiration and confidence. Of course, some people may not have the karma to appreciate a Western Milarepa. In Tibet, some Buddhist kings who encouraged the spread of dharma were assassinated. Shakyamuni Buddhas own cousin, Devadatta, didnt appreciate the Buddhas qualities. But milk is milk and water is waterin the end, the majority of people will discern the difference. If you get enlightened and appear in the sky above the entire city of New York, and you manifest all the Buddha qualities while singing the most perfect dharma song, which is the most appropriate song for New Yorkers, all of them will have some realization. No one can help make a Western Milarepa. Nobody supported the historical Milarepa. His own mother urged him to continue black magic. When he was practicing in the cave, people were very critical; they called him a ghost because he was so thin. For years, he ate no human food and his clothes were shredded by the wind and rain. The West needs such a person, but you cannot make such a person. But Im sure there are plenty of people out there. Perhaps one Westerner has already made the decision to attain full enlightenment. I dont know about now, but in our past, hundreds of people attained the same level as Milarepa. Our faith, confidence, and trust are based on experience that has been confirmed over and over and repeated by hundreds of individuals through many generations. In the West, people are sincere and intelligent, but faith, trust, and a genuine understanding remain difficult because you dont have your own lineage. Once you can see Buddha qualities within your own environment and culture, and hear pure dharma in your own

language, you will no longer be dependent on some foreigner. At that point, the language will change and become part of the transmission. The translations will shift. You wont need ten dictionaries and five translators arguing over one small text. Translators, too, will become like Marpalosa. I am not saying in any way that the current translators are inadequate. But the full blessing of transmission cant happen until the person translating is enlightened. My English is not goodits not too bad either, but my teachings in English cant have the full blessing as when I teach in Tibetan. Not because Tibetan language is superior and English inferiorboth are just languagesbut because the words of enlightened masters have continued through my guru, and blessings inhabit the words themselves. So even though I am not enlightened, I can benefit from the spoken transmissions. In English, I have to use twenty words to communicate one idea. When I say religion,compassion,or devotion,I am using the same words as many others use in English, but Im not one hundred percent certain of the meaning. In the end, I have to justify my efforts by saying that I tried. It all boils down to genuine living blessing or lineage. Blessingis more accurate because lineagecan suggest authority. Blessingcommunicates a greater sense of genuine living transmission of the Buddha. Nowadays, the West is developing so much awareness of psychology and the environment, and Western science itself has changed. Its no longer a fixed, rigid discipline but has become flexible, transparent, ready to investigate anything. Scientists now accept that they dont know everything, which is a big step. And the interdisciplinary research that is taking place offers very positive possibilities. Of course, if an unenlightened Buddhist like myself and an unenlightened scientist who doesnt even believe in enlightenment team up to investigate aspects of meditation, for example, theres a very good chance of getting things wrong. Thats the downside. But we can definitely learn from each other. I dont mean to be arrogant, but Buddhas teaching has nothing to learn from anything. Yet Buddhist persons have a lot to learn from others. For example, I watched a documentary film about a tribe that lives in the forest. Every day they kill monkeys for food. Of course, killing is bad karma, but without eating these monkeys they would starve to death. Now, this tribe has a rule: they will not kill the mothers of baby monkeys. However, if an accident occurs and a mother dies, the baby is adopted into the tribe and raised as a family member. After that, even if they are starving, they will never eat that particular monkey. When this same tribe heard about people who raised animals among themselves, such as sheep or cows, who drank the milk and ate the cheese from these animals, or fed chickens from table scraps, and then slaughtered these same animals for food, they were just appalled. They considered this completely uncivilized behavior. Tribal people are often thought of as barbaric and ignorant and not quite fully developed as human beings, but I learned how civilized this tribe is. I dont mean to suggest that anyone should live by hunting, but after watching this documentary, I can appreciate the wisdom of their view. Buddha does not have to learn that. But Buddhists can learn that. I pray that this coming together of science and psychology with Buddhism will have some positive benefits, but I hope it wont be used to abandon the tradition. I dont want to learn tomorrow that we must change our prayers because some unenlightened Buddhists and some unenlightened scientists got together and decided on better ways and words and sounds to help enlighten beings. I dont accept that. Scientists can change anything about science, but I cant change anything about Buddhas teaching because I am not a buddha. Generally I think dharma is doing very well in the West. Many professors are teaching Buddhism, university programs are increasing, dharma centers are growingyou have very good teachers, meditators, and translators. One Milarepa will make this complete. Then dharma in the West can flourish and be established forever. Tai Situpa is the main guru of H.H. the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, in Mahamudra. He is also a scholar, poet, calligrapher, artist, author, architect, and geomancer. Helen Tworkov is the founding editor of Tricycle. Image: Photograph by Felicia Megginson

Become a Tricycle Community Sustaining Member Login or register to post comments

maybe the Western dharma is already planted

Submitted by galaward on Tue, 05/18/2010 - 08:22. When I read Eckhart Tolle I think, wow, this is great Western teaching; it speaks to tradition - many traditions in fact -clarifiesthem,andbysodoingitalso speaksbeyondtradition.Ihavegreathopeforthoseteachings.

Go deeper ... Past thoughts into silence. Past silence into stillness. Past stillness into the heart. Let love consume all that is left of you. --Khabir Login or register to post comments

Ahhh, having just finished

Submitted by galaward on Tue, 05/25/2010 - 08:24. Ahhh, having just finished reading Cave in the Snow, I think Tenzin Palmo is your lady!! Go deeper ... Past thoughts into silence. Past silence into stillness. Past stillness into the heart. Let love consume all that is left of you. --Khabir Login or register to post comments

An Eastern View of the Dharma for the West

Submitted by Richard Fidler on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 22:01. Tai Situpa Rimpoche's view that, in order for the dharma to take on a Western perspective, the West must produce a fully enlightened being originating from Western culture is, of course, a put-downtotheWest.ThattheEast,notthe West (or any other world culture) produced the only fully enlightened beings smacksofracismtome.ItdenigratesthegreatthinkersofGreece,Rome,the Enlightenment of Europe and the wonderful minds of the twentieth century in America and Europe--nottomentionthegreatshamansoftheNewWorld.I cannot accept that this one area of the world--India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia--gave birth to Buddhas while Africa, Europe, the Western Hemisphere remained barren of great religious minds. Rimpoche's thesis comes from his own Buddhist background, not from a broad worldviewthatgoesbeyondculturalvalues.ManyintheWestmaynotsee Enlightenment (a term that may not be acceptable to all Westerners) as the sole goal of practice, that the saving and nurturing of this planet might come first, that religious understanding may not come from unquestioning acceptance of a Holy Man's teachings, but from individuals working in communities delving into the meaningoflifemuchasGautamadid2500yearsago.Theviewthatagreat teacher must arise to lead others to Enlightenment sounds like an Eastern way ofthinkingtome.Thereisnothingwrongwiththat--but the dharma from a Westernpointofviewmightlookverydifferent.Willitstillbethedharma?Idon't know. Login or register to post comments

Back Issues

Tricycle Pilgrimages

Archives

Classifieds

About Us

Submissions

Advertise

Contact Us

P r

Reproduction of material from any Tricycle pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. 2010 Tricycle.com Tricycle: The Buddhist Review 92 Vandam Street, New York, NY 10013 Subscription Inquiries 800.873.9871 | Advertising Inquiries 510.548.1680 | Editorial Inquiries 212.645.1143 | Fax 212.645.1493

i v a c y P o l i c y

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com