SAT CHIT ANAND - RETREAT 2 WITH GESHE PHENDE REVIEW - |
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NOVEMBER 2005 RETREAT AT SAT CHIT ANAND: UNDERSTANDING KARMA
Smiling Praying
KARMA = LAW OF CAUSE & EFFECT
Everything has a cause and effect relationship. Everything depends on previous causes. In order to have proper faith in karma, you need to accept past and future lives = eternal life. How we are today, depends on our past lives. How we will be tomorrow, depends on our own mind, our own karma. Even Buddha, with his great compassion, can’t take us out of the suffering realms and put us in heaven. Everything depends on our own minds. We create our own karma.
Everything depends on the mind. If the mind is peaceful and positive, then every day there will be happiness; wherever you go, there will be happiness. If the mind is negative, then even if you are in heaven, there will be suffering. We are under the control of our negative emotions. We don’t have freedom of choice. Our negative emotions force us to act in certain ways, and this is how we create negative karma. It is very difficult to stop negative emotions, because we are very familiar with them and they come easily to us. The purpose of meditation is to train the mind; to transform the mind; to reduce negative emotions and develop our positive mind. More positive mind = more peaceful mind. More negative mind = more anger, less peace of mind.
INTENTION > ACTION > RESULT
INTENTION: Karmic effects depend on the purity of our intention. Intention may be totally on our side, very selfish = negative results. Intention may be totally on side of others, to benefit others = positive results. Intention may be mixed = mixed results.
Strong, stable intention / motivation comes from strong faith in karma. Faith that if you do good, you will get good results – this enables you to trust the inner, and worry less about outer results. If you have strong faith, you will not be so easily discouraged by the temporary ups and downs of life. You have a bigger vision, and trust that good results will come, even if only in the next life.
Walking
RESULT: There are 2 types of results. The Repent Result effects the next rebirth and the Accord Result effects our behaviour. For example, the karma of stealing will have the Repent Result of being born in poor family, in poor country; and the Accord Result of a tendency to steal, which will create further negative karma.
FREEDOM FROM KARMA: Wisdom realising emptiness purifies future negative karma, because you won't create any more negative karma. [Want to learn more about emptiness … Geshe-la is doing a retreat EMPTINESS EXPLAINED in March 2006.] As the mind becomes pure, so karma becomes pure. Pure karma creates enlightened beings, who have Buddha body and Buddha mind. Wishing you good karma, future Buddha-to-be.
Dakini dance!
Those who had the good karma to be here
LAST RETREAT OF 2005
What a wonderful weekend! Geshe-la is inspiring, uplifting, full of wisdom and kindness, and filled to the brim with positive energy. Thank you to everyone who made the last retreat of this year so very successful.
May the glorious gurus' lives be long and stable. May all beings equaling the extent of space have happiness. May I and all others accumulate merit and purify negativities, and may we be blessed to quickly attain Buddhahood. [Lam Rim Dedication Prayer]
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