Q: How do we let go of the attachment? We know it’s not good. But it’s very difficult to let go, any advice?
A: Understanding the meaning of renunciation is a gradual progress. I think it’s very important to keep that in mind and to have that kind of a perspective, because it is our own ego and our own pride that is telling us ‘Ah, you’re practicing dharma. You must show to other people a great result that you have accumulated. You must show to other people that you have a great knowledge to other people. You must show to other people that you have a great immense realization to other people.’ But that is all ego. That is your own ignorance. That is your own illusion of your mind. That is not coming from the Dharma. That is not coming from the Lord Buddha’s teaching. That is not coming from your masters’ teaching. That is not coming from the understanding the meaning of impermanence, either. So, therefore, don’t grasp for achievement right away. We have already abandoned that world, that our so-called ordinary world. Therefore, we became a Buddhist practitioner. Therefore, we became a spiritual believer. So, if you enter the spiritual believer by having and keeping the same habit, by changing clothes and changing name and changing location, is not going to make a difference. So, don’t be tricky on yourself. Because at the end you are the one who’s fooling yourself.
Therefore, just like the practice of the Dharma is a gradual improvement, just like that. The meaning of the renunciation is a gradual improvement. It’s not something that ‘Oh! Renunciation, I see once, I heard once. Leave it behind, more than enough. Oh, where’s the Mahamudra? Where’s the Vajrayana teaching? Where is Tantra practice? Where can I bring that? When can I be Master? When can I be teacher? When can I lead the student? When can I make my own lineage? When can I made my own tradition？’ So on and so forth. It is all the ego trip.
So therefore, don’t grasp after achievement. Just practice moment by moment, day by day, and I think that makes a great difference, and a great impact. Don’t try to practice Dharma to compete on your Dharma brothers and sister. And don’t make a prayer to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to have something in return. d don’t make a dedication prayer to have a great benefit for yourself, for health and longevity to yourself. Just keep a genuine compassion state of mind with the generosity with your prayers and visualization. Keep the genuine refuge and the meaning of the refuge to be with the Buddhas and under Buddhas’ guidance and the blessing until the day and the moment that you are enlightened. So, keeping it simple and keeping it genuine. You don’t have to do years and years and just keep it simple and genuine, starting from the reflecting the meaning of samsara to practicing the Dharma. So I think it’s very important to keep it that way.
If you don’t, you’re the only one who’s paying the price. You are the one that who will pay the price for your own wrongdoing. Like previous Kalu Rinpoche said ‘All the negativity and the positivity is in your hand. ’ If you want to justify and be a tricky with your own ignorance, it can never end. But if you start day by day, and understanding the perspective about samsara as a gradual improvement, instead of jumping from the peak of the mountain to another peak of the mountain, instead of having that kind of perception, have a little bit of understanding, it is a gradual improvement, so that’s that.
With love and respect
Kalu Rinpoche
Facebook live Q&A
12, Jul. 2020
To be continued…
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