The Path of Compassion: A Biography of Hor shul Khenpo Gelek Palsang Rinpoche — Teachings — Chapter Two: Teachings

Section One: A Teaching on Illness

Although the Khenpo had a healthy body in his youth, his health later grew progressively weaker and various illnesses became increasingly severe because of conditions such as an imbalance of the elements and poisoning, as well as the gradual decline in the shared merit of Tibetans. Even at such times, he did not posture or make excuses as most people do today, claiming that he was “taking on beings’ suffering and purifying karma on their behalf,” “displaying an emanation,” or using other nauseating, slick expressions characteristic of sanctimonious Buddhist old hands. Instead, he said: “I am experiencing the result of negative deeds committed in the past. Medicine cannot help, and rites and prayers are likewise of no benefit. Where is there any illness in which even death would be pleasant? If there were even one hour of ease and health, that would already be good. What can be done to alter past karma? There is nothing to do but bear the karmic result oneself.” He therefore took no measure other than sitting peacefully.

Section Two: A Teaching on Reliance

When some people reported to the Khenpo that “in such-and-such a place there is an exceptional scholar, great master, recluse, accomplished master, treasure revealer,” or the like, he replied: “As for what ‘exists,’ anything is possible in the world, so of course such people and circumstances exist. But do not act like the proverb, ‘Everyone tires of those known for long and constantly seeks someone new,’ abandoning your former Dharma and guru to search for someone later. Do not crave novelty, resent the familiar, or become jealous and denigrate others. Accomplished masters and treasure revealers are, of course, excellent. Yet today, whether people are wise or foolish, at first they marvel at accomplished masters, treasure revealers, and the like, filling heaven and earth with praise and following them to seek Dharma. After some time, however, it becomes as the Precious Kadam Instructions says: ‘In the spiritual teacher’s presence, our words and expressions are wholly respectful, but behind his back, we slander him.’ Their mouths and hearts contradict one another: they speak respectfully, but inwardly feel no respect. Behind the guru’s back, they casually say that he is narrow-minded, bullies others through his influence, has deeply rooted bad habits, speaks deceitfully, cannot be trusted, covets wealth, and is miserly. What is the point of such petty calculation, which is like quarreling with a beggar? Therefore, it is better to say nothing good or bad about anyone and simply sit like a deaf person.” I feel these words are extremely important.

Any honest person who reflects upon the sūtra and tantra teachings will surely agree with what has just been said. Even so, there is no certainty concerning negative deeds.

Section Three: How to Relate to One’s Own and Others’ Traditions

Some people become intensely angry over what should be accepted or rejected in the various traditions. In particular, they develop meaningless, one-sided attachment to terms such as “self-emptiness” and “other-emptiness,” dispute with one another, praise themselves, and denigrate others. When he explained the various traditions, however, the Khenpo’s Dharma words did not intermingle them; they were easy to understand directly and harmonious in meaning.

The Khenpo said: “Generally speaking, the essence determined through a tradition’s refutations and establishments is the dharmatā of all phenomena. The Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra says, ‘Dharmatā is not what is known; dharmatā is not the knower.’ Moreover, the crown jewel of all Tibetan reasoners, the great translator Ngok—Ngok Loden Sherab—maintained that the ultimate is not only beyond the object of conceptual words but is not even an object of fixation.”

“What, then, is ultimate reality? No matter how profound the ordinary mind that perceives this life may be, it cannot determine it. For the moment, examine matters partially. Every Dharma statement established by the great scholars and realized masters has many grounds and reasons by which it can be established. Therefore, followers need not show special favoritism toward their respective styles and traditions or the distinctive tenets established by the masters of the past.”

“But if Dharma terminology and traditions are mixed together; if one has not yet grasped the basic character of one’s own tradition but relies upon others’ conjectures; and if all the scriptural teachings concerning view, meditation, conduct, and fruition become confused and entangled like the rope called ‘Mo’ema,’ so that the meaning and reasoning of scripture cannot be understood, then one lacks confidence in one’s own tradition and cannot keep up even if one wishes to follow others. If scholars see this, one can only become an object of ridicule. It is therefore best to gain mastery for oneself. The Khenpo said that basic matters are very important, such as renunciation. To his knowledge, many people had studied Dzogchen, yet renunciation had not arisen in their minds; some did not even know what renunciation meant. At Zhana Monastery in Garzê there was a famous lama named Luobi, a disciple of Khenpo Mense, who was renowned throughout Garzê. He had a Han Chinese nun who had followed him for many years and received teachings including the channels and winds and Dzogchen. In a conversation with Hor shul Khenpo Gelek Palsang Rinpoche, she said that she understood Mahāyoga, Anuyoga, and Atiyoga, and also understood the channels and winds. The Khenpo then said, ‘I do not understand Dzogchen. I do not understand any of those things, and I cannot formulate a Dzogchen question to ask you. Let me ask something simple: What is renunciation? How should renunciation be cultivated? Renunciation has two aspects; what is the standard for accomplishing its first aspect?’ The nun could not answer at all and could not clearly explain what renunciation was. Hor shul Khenpo Gelek Palsang Rinpoche therefore felt that foundational matters were very important. Dzogchen is of course excellent, but without the foundation of renunciation, one cannot realize emptiness; without renunciation and bodhicitta, emptiness will not be realized. These foundations are therefore extremely important. One should also study, reflect, and practice as taught in Patrul Rinpoche’s Words of My Perfect Teacher, from the shared outer preliminaries of renunciation and bodhicitta through the unshared inner preliminaries, including some Dzogchen material. These subjects are important. In particular, one should properly practice the teachings on turning the mind and the four thoughts that produce disenchantment. This is why renunciation is so important. When many Tibetan practitioners die and their relatives seek divinations, they are told, for example, that the person has become a child in Lhasa, a male lay practitioner somewhere, or the like. Many have merely attained another human body. In fact, most of these people were Dzogchen practitioners, yet all they attained was a human body. Why? It is not that the Dharma is poor; the Dharma itself is excellent, but the person did not accord with the Dharma. This was Hor shul Khenpo Gelek Palsang Rinpoche’s advice.” Hor shul Khenpo Gelek Palsang Rinpoche often emphasized one instruction to his Tibetan and Han Chinese disciples:

Tulku Oba, the guru of both Qiaq Rinpoche and Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, saw in retreat on the mountain a phenomenon that would occur in the future degenerate age: some elderly lamas, their hair white and teeth fallen out, would still debate such questions as whether turtles have hair and rabbits have horns. Many retreatants and practitioners would practice blindly. Nyingmapa practitioners of Dzogchen would not even come close to it, and many people’s practice would go astray. Tulku Oba saw that in the degenerate age, the tendency of most people to fall into either extreme would be particularly severe. He was so grief-stricken that he wept continuously for three days. He often stressed to his disciples that study, reflection, and practice must all receive equal attention. Qiaq Rinpoche also frequently cited this instruction when educating his disciples.

Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche once composed a treatise for elderly lamas who had spent years in mountain retreat but had fallen into the extreme of isolated practice. On the surface it used the terminology of Dzogchen, while in fact presenting a non-Buddhist view as supposed pith instructions. After reading it, all the elderly lamas repeatedly praised it. Seeing this, Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche was deeply saddened and vowed to teach the Dharma throughout his life. This was also one of the conditions leading to the founding of Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Institute.

Among the disciples of the first Angzang Zhuba Rinpoche were three thousand practitioners of Dzogchen. After testing their understanding of the view before him, Rinpoche said that only three and a half truly understood Dzogchen. He especially stressed the importance of practicing the preliminaries and of receiving extensive teachings on Dzogchen and other tantras. Before the liberation of Tibet, the Sixth Gungthang Rinpoche often described a comparable situation. At that time, seven thousand monastic students at Labrang Monastery’s Buddhist college studied Madhyamaka, yet only three truly understood the Great Madhyamaka, and one of those was an emanation of Je Tsongkhapa.

Hor shul Khenpo Gelek Palsang Rinpoche said that the circumstances Tulku Oba foresaw for the degenerate age had now arrived. Study, reflection, and practice are all extremely important. You must never take them lightly or fall to one side. You must study, reflect, and practice properly, systematically, and over the long term. Their essential core is the Three Supreme Methods. Every day, one must bring to mind and continually train in the four causes of rebirth in Sukhavati—vividly visualizing the field of merit, gathering merit and purifying obscurations, arousing bodhicitta, and making pure aspirations—and thereby prepare for the moment of death. Only then can one ensure one’s destination after death. This is the simplest and most suitable pith instruction for both Tibetan and Han Chinese disciples.

Section Four: How to Relate to One’s Own and Others’ Gurus

Some people believe that, “According to such-and-such a terma prophecy, or because my guru or someone else said so, merely seeing a person of our own tradition or receiving only the touch of his hand upon one’s crown will free one from the lower realms.” They offer excessively extravagant praise to heirs of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, yet say of people in other traditions who demonstrably possess wisdom, integrity, kindness, and other qualities that “even forming a connection with them will immediately lead to the lower realms.”

Concerning this, the Khenpo said: “If praise for one’s guru arises not only from worldly attachment but also from inward devotion that sees the guru as the Buddha, then that is excellent. But if one cannot develop confidence in the excellent Dharma and people of other traditions and instead slanders them with wrong views, one creates the karma known as ‘abandoning the Dharma,’ whose fault is more severe than the five deeds of immediate retribution.”

As the Noble Sūtra of the Non-Arising of All Dharmas says: “Child of noble family, if you wish to be free of karmic obscurations, even the most subtle karmic obscuration, do not become angry at the conduct of others; instead, develop confidence in all their actions. You should form the intention and think, ‘I do not know the other person’s mind. The conduct of beings is difficult to know.’ Having seen the true power of this, the Tathāgata therefore taught: ‘A person cannot examine and measure another. If a person examines and measures another, faults will arise. Only I, or someone like me, can examine another. Child of noble family, if you wish to protect my teachings, do not scrutinize others’ conduct and do not reproach others, saying, “This one must act so! This one should be like this!” Instead, exert yourself in the Buddha’s Dharma day and night.’” And so forth.

The Noble Compendium of Verses likewise says: “Manjushri! The karmic obscuration of abandoning the true Dharma is extremely subtle. If one thinks, ‘Among the scriptural teachings spoken by the Tathāgata, these are good and some are bad,’ that thought itself is abandoning the Dharma. In abandoning the Dharma in this way, one thereby slanders the Tathāgata and speaks ill of the saṅgha. If one says, ‘This sūtra was taught exclusively for bodhisattvas,’ ‘This sūtra was taught exclusively for śrāvakas,’ or ‘This sūtra was taught exclusively for pratyekabuddhas,’ all such statements abandon the Dharma.”

What truly matters is acting without contradicting the authentic scriptural teachings.