The ten-week intermediate dharma discussion class has come to its fruition. Nine students attended all class and received a special perfect-attendance gift from the Master. It is worth noting that eleven students had missed only one class. This impressive record speaks not only to the dedication of the students but also how well received the class has been.
This semester, Master Jian Dan went through first half of Chapter four of “The way to Buddhahood” (by Venerable Yin-Shun) in great details. We spent several weeks studying and contemplating the concepts of Four Noble Truth and Twelve Casual Chains. Master even added additional materials to help us understand each concept as well as how they are related to each other.
Chapter four centers on the concept of the “three vehicles.” Three vehicles are three ways of practice that are considered for different capacities of sentient beings. These are the vehicles of Saravaka, Paratyekabuddha and Bodhisattva. Saravakas are Buddhist practitioners who understand the Four Noble Truth in entering Nirvana while Paratyekabuddhas reach enlightenment by contemplation on dependent arising or Twelve Casual Chains. Even though these concepts sound theoretical, Master was able to position them in everyday life, which allowed us to be able to readily relate to these concepts in a more concrete way.
Our last assignment of the semester was to write reflections of what we have learned. Below are excerpts from students’ writings
Many people think they have Buddha in their mind, so they don’t need to listen to dharma talk. Others think they are not at the level to understand dharma talk. What I want is to start from the beginning, change my old habits. Many people have very strong self ego..I hope to learn how to control my mind, eradicate myself from afflictions, cultivate awareness and better myself.
Recently I had a dream that seemed very real… In the dream there was beautiful scenery, sounds, colors, etc… then I realized I was in a dream so I woke up. Upon waking up, this poem appeared:
While sleeping, six directions of reincarnation from hells to heavenly beings seemed vivid
Now I am awake, a billion desire worlds that are vast and interwoven result in only emptiness
I deeply realized that our awareness is always present. However, we have to cultivate it diligently.
I learned the concept of “change our mind” and how to apply it in my life. One time I sent an email to an employee asking for some information. I waited for a while but did not receive the data. I typed up a reminder email with some harsh words. But then I changed my mind. I deleted that email and walked over to him. I said, “I am sorry. I think my email did not explain clearly. I really need this information in a hurry. Is it possible that you can get it to me soon?” I saw that his face turned red. Five minutes later I received that I needed. He never delays anything I wanted from that point on.
After this class, I realized all afflictions arise from not understanding the truth, from the wrong views. Listening to Master explaining some of the concepts in great details helped me recognize that affliction has been my good friend all along, twenty four hours a day..
The more I learn about Buddhism, the more I appreciate its extensiveness and depth
Before this class, I thought a Buddhist’ practice meant to perform all goods, avoid all evils. After this class, I grasp the importance of supporting the Three Jewels. At work, if I encounter unfairness, I now can treat it with calmness. The emotions of sadness, anger or even rage are all due to our greed… Buddhism guides me in applying what I learn into my daily life, in order to continuously improve myself.
I learned how to look up Buddhism teams using online dictionary. Now if I encounter any terminology, I simply look it up. By looking up terms through a dictionary, it increases my study efficiency and brings more fun into the study.
My biggest take away from this class is that I learned not to keep things inside me. Sometimes I have disagreement with coworkers and I got angry. Gradually I learned to let anger go because I now know being angry will not help resolve the situation.
I did not believe in cause and effect before…Now I understand we should put our efforts on the “cause”. If we believe in cause and effect, we will have a better life and can face reality easier… I try to plant good “causes” in this life so that I could enjoy good results in the future. “Live the moment” is another concept I came to appreciate. We cannot change what had happened and we cannot control what will happen. We should appreciate what we have at this moment. Life is fuller and happier this way. Even if we run into problems, we know how to face it, accept it, then let go of it.
I thought Buddhism is about going to the temple, burning incents and chanting sutra. Now I know impermanence is a universal law and we need to constantly improve ourselves.
After the graduation ceremony, we watched the movie Fluke. And had a short discussion about reincarnation, preconceived views, and the meaning of live the moment.
All students eagerly anticipate the start of next semester where we can continue to learn more about the way to Buddhahood.
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