Perfect Buddhas

You're on. No, I mean, that's your cue, you're on. Yes, you, you're the Perfect Buddha, go on! Get out there....

Thogme wrote the following words as an introduction to his 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Thogme lived long after Shakyamuni did, so what does he mean by pluralizing the word Buddha? Well, in case you haven't guessed, repeat after me: Without me, there is no Buddha.

"The perfect Buddhas, source of benefit and happiness, arise from accomplishing the genuine dharma...."

If you are a human being, you are as much a Buddha as Lord Shakyamuni is. Simply put. Not because of anything you have or have not done, but by what is actually inside you. The idea of Buddhism isn't to mold or shape what's inside you into something new. The idea is to uncover what is already there. All of the mental fabrications of ego, and what reality is need to be stripped away. You are already a Perfect Buddha. Everyone is. The other notion to dispel is becoming Shayamuni. You are a unique blend of the 5 wisdoms, the elements, and karmic reflection. You are unlike anyone else. So you become in this perfecting process the Buddha that you are. That's what Buddhist individuality is, as differing from individuality, which is the structure of the ego, and, as it turns out, is what stands in the way of your individuality. So, how to get from where we are to being Perfect Buddha.

Ha! You know me too well! That's right, practice, practice, practice. Buddhas arise from accomplishing genuine dharma. Which points to several things. One, dharma isn't something you believe. If you aren't doing it, you aren't getting it. Genuine dharma is a set of practices, and a whole lot of mistakes along the way.There will be moral downfalls, there will be corrections, and just in the beginning, as you learn to focus and after what seems like less than a second, your mind is off and running. Well, that happens for a long time. Don't be discouraged. Hammering on yourself is an expression of the ego. When you sit down to practice, body like mountain (stretch first!), breath like a breeze (soft and unforced), and mind like sky. Ah, that last part. Sometimes it feels like 30 MPOH winds and clouds, and other times like a storm. But you know what? The presence of the clouds and turbulence does not alter the nature of the sky, and if you fly high enough, you'll break through the storms into open sky. Clouds can exist in the upper atmosphere, but not storms very often. The sky is always the sky. So let the clouds pass through. Be aware of them, and that's all.

"Arise" and "accomplishing" are not past tense verbs. Thogme was at least writing about his own time, and without knowing a lick of Tibetan, I am willing to bet these are future tense as well. Which is of course the point of Buddhism. The basic idea that we are all the same, born with the same innate Buddha nature, is at the core of equanimity, one of the four aspects of bodhichitta. So even today, perfect Buddhas are arising, because they are accomplishing the dharma.

And whsat is it we accomplish? Genuine Dharma. There are a couple of points here that need to be made. First, there are plenty of phony baloneys peddling fake dharma. The sexual tantra of the west is a good example of a split off that has gained traction in a small community. They focus on something out of context, and then of course what you end up with isn't enlightenment, but rather a strengthened ego and delusion. Which is why lineage is presented the way it is in Buddhism. So if I were to start teaching, I would present myself as just another link in the chain of Kilung Rinpoche, who had Dilgo Khyntse as a teacher, and Dilgo had Khenpo Thugba, and the historical linkage affirms the teachings back to their origination with Padmasambhava. Fake teachers can't, sometimes won't, present a verifiable lineage. 

You might say to me though that a real teacher is hard to find.  Ah yes, I agree. It took me several years before I found a living teacher to investigate. I started the basics with Pema Chodron's books, and moved a tad slowly from there. A meditation center in town provided some teachers, as the center was non-sectarian and sought various lineage and branch teachers. It did however start pointing me in a direction. And you don't need one at your finger tips. My first teacher I have only seen a handful of times. However, it is worth the effort to perhaps travel out of your way a bit to see one. 

So what else do I want to say about genuine dharma? That your path is your path. You don't need to practice what I practice. Nor how I practice. When I took refuge with Kilung Rinpoche of the Longchen Nyingtik, I brought him my practice manual, and page by page showed him what my daily practice was composed of, which was entirely self manufactured I assure you. He assured me it was good, and as I progressed as a student, he simply added things he thought I was ready for relative to our lineage's practices. I am free to practice all sorts of things as long as I am empowered to do so. And some things require a living empowerment, some don't. So you'll gain much benefit from reciting the Refuge Prayer. And the Bodhichitta Vow. The Four Immeasurables. The Four Thoughts That Turn The Mind To Dharma. The 37 Practices Of A Bodhisattva. Kathleen Turner's book, How To Meditate, has a wealth of material to draw on. Honestly though, I was surprised she had material on Inner Heat in it. That is usually an advanced practice, because not doing it right, or at the right time, can be more harmful than beneficial. Be that as it may, there is a lot of great material in the book from which one can gain much wisdom.


All that to say that Thogme's next sentence says: "that in turn depends on knowing how to practice." If you don't have a living teacher, start requesting one. And be patient you Buddha you. Yes, yes, I'm talking to you.


Repeat after me: Without me, no Buddha.