#VirtueisLove: Would You Like to Be My Monastic Brother
- August 10, 2018
In our daily lives, it is difficult to accumulate virtue. Nonetheless, we need virtue in order to have a good functioning lives, so we can contribute better for the people we love, as well as for the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, in our day-to-day basis, it is difficult to do virtuous deeds. Instead of adding up our virtue, we are considered to be fortunate not to add up our collection of non-virtue. With our mind filled with disturbing mental factors, the klesha, at every moment our mind is at the risk of creating non-virtue.
Therefore, it is an utmost importance to ensure that we always add up our virtue accumulation, and at all times be mindful not to add up the non-virtue collection. Why? Because we need to think of our own destiny, along with the destiny of others, even the destiny of all sentient beings. With an overwhelming collection of non-virtue, plus with our hands empty of virtue, it is difficult for us to achieve our own happiness, much less the happiness of others.
It is the motivation which is the key to determine the accumulation of virtue we need. A great Lama, Dagpo Rinpoche, in his every lesson, always emphasizes on motivation. He is indeed the guru of motivation, not even once would he neglect to remind his students to generate the proper and correct motivation. If there is any so-called a ‘motivator’, then He is indeed the real motivator in the truest sense of the meaning, because He is absolutely tireless in teaching and reminding the importance of motivation.
Quoted from a transcript of teaching titled “The Heart Jewel for the Fortunate Ones”, Dagpo Rinpoche taught: “All sentient beings are very close to us. Even though they wish to attain happiness and do not have the wish to suffer, the same with what we want for ourselves, however they are completely failing in attaining the happiness they wish for. It is a very good thing if we have the hope for the happiness of others and generate the wish to help.”
In order to be truly effective in helping ourselves, along with the rest of all sentient beings, we have to achieve a state which is called Buddhahood. This is the highest motivation that could be generated by a being with capacity. To be a Buddha, we need two kinds of accumulation, (1) wisdom, and (2) virtue. Of the two, a practitioner can start from the accumulation of virtue first.
Virtue is a very important element, in fact, it holds the utmost importance. To be able to help ourselves and others, we need a lot of virtue. Without virtue, we do not have the power to help. Without mentioning helping others, we ourselves are having difficulty to live our own lives. People with little virtue will feel that their lives are difficult and will have to face a lot of problems. People who have to face a lot of problems will feel that lives are difficult and it would be difficult for them to find an opportunity to create virtue. So on and so forth until it becomes a vicious cycle without any exact solution.
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The INDONESIA Gaded Syeydrub Nampar Gyelwei Ling located at Donomulyo, Malang, Eastern Java province, is offering a new breakthrough. On Wednesday (11/07/2018), an Intensive Virtue Accumulation Program by the name Punya Sancita has been launched. Adapted from the Sanskrit language, Punya [पुण्य] means virtue, and Sancitakarman [सञ्चितकर्मन्] means collection, accumulation from the activity of collecting. Therefore, Punya Sancita is the activity of collecting virtue, which will be conducted intensively at the site of the monastery.
Join us in the Punya Sancita program, started on July 28th, 2018. Participants can choose one of the two available lanes, i.e. (1) Pabbajita (semi-ordained), and (2) Lay-people. For the pabbajita, participants will be ordained according to the Mulasarvastivada and have to keep a number of pratimoksha vows during the period of Punya Sancita. This will be the period for participants to enjoy their lives by doing the activity resembling those of the real monastic ordained. As for the lay-people practitioners, participants will not be ordained but they can still follow the activity to collect virtue intensively, which will be conducted inside a conducive environment based on the spirit of a virtuous community.
For the first option, which is the pabbajita—this is the main option recommended. This lane is closely related with the factors affecting the power of a ripening action (karma). One of the main factors that bring out the ripening of heavy karma is the supporting condition, in this case, it is the practice of Ethical Discipline (Sila). While taking and observing Sila, every actions conducted, either virtuous or non-virtuous, will carry a power which is much heavier. So, therefore, the virtue accumulated during the observance of Sila will ripen with much more powerful effects. Apart from that, the number factor also affects the ripening of karma. Whenever we do an action within a large group, this will carry a heavier karma, compared to when we do it alone by ourselves. That is also the reason why the Tibetan practitioners like to do puja in big groups.
For the second option, the lay-people practitioner, this is an alternative that can be taken by those who are yet to have the capacity to take the semi-ordination of a pabbajita. This option suits perfectly for a practitioner with house holder or other kinds of responsibility, but still aspire greatly to do the intensive and serious virtue accumulation. These virtue will in turn have the ripening effect according to the aspired goals, one of them be of course the virtue and opportunity to conduct the monastic practice in the future time. The same virtue will also be beneficial for them to run their daily house holder lives currently undergone in this life time.
Of the two, be it the pabbajita or the house holder, we all have our parents in this life time, our fathers and mothers. As a child, of course we need to think about the destiny of our parents, for the rest of their remaining lives now, and also for the future life times. The real situation faced by many practitioners is that they have parents who are old in age and with little amount of virtue. These parents do not have the sufficient capital to live their old age, much less for the next lives. For these parents of ours, our kind fathers and mothers, we love them truly by offering virtue to them.
Within the tradition of dharma practice, there is a term called dharma brothers and sisters. Moreover, for those already taken the ordination, they will form a monastic community. For them, the spiritual bond is much stronger. This kind of bond is known as the monastic brotherhood.
With the entire virtue accumulated during the period of this program, participants can dedicate them all for their loved ones, mainly their parents, their fathers and mothers. Because if we truly love them, then the love can be manifested with the practice of virtue. Because to love is to practice virtue. Show your love by practicing virtue. Come! Be my monastic brother.
