Longchenpa's 30 Pieces of Sincere Advice (Stanzas 5-8): "...you think you're serving the welfare of beings"

You collect a lot of pledges from the poor
And use them to build big monuments, help the needy, and so on.
The good works you do cause others to live badly.
Goodness must be in your mind - that's my sincere advice.

You've taught the Dharma to others because you wanted to be famous.
You cleverly keep a large circle of admirers around you.
To take these to be real is the seed of pride.
Limit your projects - that's my sincere advice.

You earn money by trading, charging interest, cheating or other dishonest ways.
Although you make large offerings with your accumulated wealth,
Good actions based on greed lead to the eight conventional concerns.
Cultivate non-attachment - that's my sincere advice.

Although you think you're serving the welfare of beings
By acting as a guarantor, witness or advocate to help settle others' disputes,
Your own opinions will inevitably assert themselves.
Don't be concerned - that's my sincere advice.

// The 'eight conventional concerns' are: Pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and obscurity. //

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Permalink Reply by Bill Gardner on June 30, 2009 at 4:06pm: How do you understand stanza 5? Is the problem:
- Collecting pledges from the poor? (Because they need the funds more than they need your spiritual project?)
- The use of the funds to build big monuments? (Like a a 500ft high statue of the Buddha? But what's wrong with "helping the needy"?)
There are some charities that function more to benefit the fundraisers than those they purportedly help. Is that what L is concerned about? Or is this a message to us that our first priorities are refraining from harming others and taming our own minds?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David Baker on June 30, 2009 at 7:37pm: I wonder if Longchenpa is suggesting that we not make a big deal of all of these worldly activities (rather than suggesting we should attempt to avoid them altogher). I'm recalling a portion of one of Ken's podcasts (Mahamudra, I believe) where he is reading from a text that is talking about swordplay (as a metaphor for life). To paraphrase the point, I think it said that if you place the mind on the sword (or do not place the mind on the sword), either way, you get it from the sword. This seems like an analog to each of the worldly activities indicated by the Longchenpa text -- in my opinion, you can't beat them (i.e., retreat from them completely) and you can't join them (i.e., get sucked into them entirely), either.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bill Gardner on July 1, 2009 at 4:03pm: L is advising us to disengage from the professional, commercial, and clerical worlds. We can quibble about this -- you can read him as saying only that we should refrain from attachments in this world. But I think the advice is, "to be safe, opt out," because even good deeds undertaken with compromised motivations will hinder us spiritually.

This is troubling, because many spend most of our time in commercial, professional, or clerical worlds. And so I find myself wishing to argue with L on behalf of the worldly. It may be, however, that we should not understand L's advice as his attempt to delineate the one and only path. I think his advice is intended for those who have the aspiration to follow the way of the ancient masters (stanza 2) to the higher yanas. That way isn't (I would argue) the only dharmic path.

But I am worldly, and I nevertheless aspire to direct awareness, so what do I do? I think L's advice is still very good, even if I can't easily follow it. He's pointing out the dangers; and I will just have to be doubly wary.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loren Enders on July 2, 2009 at 5:32pm: Bill, I like the idea that L was telling us to refrain from harming others and to tame our own minds. Really the only way for any lasting change to be accomplished is when people tame their own minds. You can do good works for people but to bring about a lasting change [one that will be with them in their next life] we need to focus on the mind. Goodness originates in the mind so do the work there.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loren Enders on July 2, 2009 at 9:43pm: Aspiration,

Licchavi Vimalakirti
Ta Lama

Please direct me, point out the direction of the middle way.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bill Gardner on July 3, 2009 at 7:26am: I agree, Loren, thanks. There are many kinds of change needed. As someone pointed out in my sangha recently, it is much easier to avoid being angry when your life is not in danger. So everyone has a calling. But having a precious human life, as they say, what matters most is taming the mind; finding equanimity, lovingkindness, compassion, and joy; and coming eventually to be present.; ▶ Reply to This