Buddhism Notes Essay

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Guru-Disciple Relationships * The Life of Milarepa * Guru-Disciple Relationship * Must have a one on one relationship with a teacher * Relationship is based on devotion/trust. The Guru will help the disciple remove the darkness of ignorance by guiding their spiritual awakening. The duty of the disciple is to serve and obey only the guru and gain knowledge to become self-purified. * Initiation rituals (empowerments) * To receive teachings, students need initiation rituals (there are 4). * These rituals are kept secret * Mantra’s should only be taken from one’s guru, only then will it be effective * Disciple needs Guru’s blessings to apply teachings * Marpa-Milarepa Relationship * Marpa had a vision that showed Milarepa would become his main disciple. Marpa however, did not immediately begin teaching Milarepa. Instead, he subjected Milarepa to all sorts of verbal and physical abuse. One example of this abused was Marpa having Milarepa build and break down four towers. Milarepa contemplated running away and possibly committing suicide. Although Marpa seemed indifferent to Milarepa’s sufferings, he was secretly moved by what a loyal servant Milarepa was. Finally, Marpa explained that Milarepa he was the disciple that was prophesized by Marpa’s previous Indian master, Naropa. Marpa continued to explain that each of the trials Milarepa endured was to cleans all the sins he committed earlier in his life. * Master-Disciple Relationships (Zen) * - Uses Koans to get direct answers from disciples * - A relationship grounded in a karmic affinity. * - the disciple moves in the direction of the master through his compassion, wisdom, and character. * Gestures represent a new ideal of how to get liberated (skilled spontaneity) * Suspicion of words- why bother with words? Focus on power of gestures * - Zen meditation - seeing the world as is.

Vajrayāna * The Life of Milarepa by Heruka * The Diamond Vehicle * New vehicle that was brought over by Marpa * This vehicle depends on Guru-Disciple relationship and meditations. * There are different kinds of meditative practices * Dream yoga, subtle body yoga, and recognizing nature of one’s own mind. * Deity practice * Visualizations of enlightened deity Buddhas, imagine deity in front of you, imagine yourself as the deity * Mandala’s (Deities Palace)- beautiful artistic representations of where deities live * Chant mantras- vocal element, chant repeated phrase, also spells, they have power and are identified with deities. * Using all three of these meditative practices one incorporates body, speech and mind. This is the holistic practice of turning every part of a person into an enlightened being. * One needs to use all emotions to achieve enlightenment. The students need to meditate and disarm all the negative energy by using goof to dispel the evil. This is why there is an emphasis of training with a Guru to help with this process.

Four Boundless Qualities * Patrul Rinpoche, “Arousing Bodhicitta” * There are four boundless qualities: impartiality (emptiness), love and kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy. Their purpose to help everyone become liberated * Impartiality= Equanimity v. Justice * Loving kindness other beings to be happy v. danger of romantic love * Compassion feel this for enemies/others, all beings free from suffering * Sympathetic Joy appreciating other’s release from suffering * Patrul Rinpoche’s Arousing Bodhicitta * Impartiality means giving up our hatred for enemies and infatuation with friends and having an even-minded attitude towards all beings, free of attachment to those close to us and aversion of those who are distant * As things are now, we are very attached to those we think of as
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