Not only did Yongyal Rinpoche receive teachings from the previous Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang, he was also recognised by him. And he is now one of the teachers of Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche. From teacher to student to teacher... connections seen and unseen...
These are the highlights from an old interview with Kyabje Yongyal Rinpoche back in 2006.
(original can be viewed here:
http://www.bloomingtonalternative.com/articles/2006/08/13/8036)
Q1: There is so much fear and anger in the world today. What does Buddhism offer that can help us deal with these things?A: With science and modernization, it would seem like there should be more world peace and happiness, but despite the progress, people right now are more intensely aggravated and unhappy. With all our material progress, we are still not able to achieve happiness.
In Buddhist teachings, self-cherishing and disparaging others are the cause of all our problems. Everybody thinks I need the best things, the best conditions for myself, and for others we don't have such consideration. This is the problem. Self-cherishing is the primary cause of all the wars and suffering we're experiencing.
In the mundane world we think if we kill one enemy, the enemy will be less, but that does not really help. If you kill one person, four or five new enemies will appear.
In Buddhist teachings, the enemy is not outside. The true enemy is within ourselves — anger, attachment and hatred. How you can overcome these enemies is through spiritual practice.
The real problem in war is that people have anger and fear in their hearts. Therefore, give up self-cherishing and the thought of defeating others and generate the mind of equanimity and the mind of compassion toward other beings.
Q2: All religions speak of love and compassion toward others. Yet they seem to be so much a part of the problems we are experiencing right now. So what has gone wrong?A: All of the things that are happening in world are not really the fault of the shortcomings of religions themselves, but rather of particular people who don't follow their religions in the right direction.
Q3: So what should people of faith be doing that they are not now doing?A: One needs to really follow the true teachings of the religion one follows.
Q4: But many religious followers think it is followers of the "other" religion who are not being loving and compassionate. We believe in love and compassion and they don't.A: Everybody has a right to follow their own practice and religion, but it is important not to say negative things about other religions, and even if the opportunity to say negative things comes, to practice compassion and put the teachings into practice.
No matter how much negativity comes from the other side, if your response is more positive, more patient, certainly time will pass and anger will pass from the other side. This we can see in our lives. Sometimes if a person is aggravating to us and we don't respond in the same aggravated way, the other person will give up their anger or aggravation.
In the world we need to think about our interdependence. Everything we have in our lives comes through the collective actions of countless people. To survive as a world, to sustain the human race and protect all beings, we need to realize this.
A lot of disagreement comes in world because a particular group wants all the advantages for itself and doesn't care about the benefits for others. This needs to be revisited and thought about carefully at a deeper level.
Q5: Is protest a good way to get this particular message out?A: Protest in general is not necessarily positive, but peaceful protests are preferable. Basically any form of violence is not good, whether physical protest or harsh speech. If we want peace, everyone needs to generate positive thoughts in their mind and pray from their heart for world peace, and pray especially for all the hatred, attachment and ignorance of all the people who fight in wars to subside, and once those delusions subside, naturally war will subside.
But people also need to spread the message about love, compassion and self-cherishing in their families, neighborhood, communities and so forth. And our speech needs to follow our actions ... We always talk about world peace, but our actions may be contradictory to those things. We definitely need to pay attention that our actions follow our speech. Following that is the foundation for better cooperation between all beings. If one does what one says, one develops trust from others.
Q6: Can people going about their ordinary lives in their families and communities affect the world situation?A: Yes. In epidemics, one person gets sick and it spreads. In the same way, peace needs to start from one person and spread through the family, community and region. One person can definitely have an impact on world peace. In Tibet there is a saying: A drop of water can create an ocean. Please convey my request that everyone do whatever they can to create peace in their hearts.
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I find Q4 particularly relevant to the Shugden controversy.
Everybody has a right to follow their own practice and religion, but it is important not to say negative things about other religions, and even if the opportunity to say negative things comes, to practice compassion and put the teachings into practice.
No matter how much negativity comes from the other side, if your response is more positive, more patient, certainly time will pass and anger will pass from the other side. This we can see in our lives. Sometimes if a person is aggravating to us and we don't respond in the same aggravated way, the other person will give up their anger or aggravation.
I wonder if Yongyal Rinpoche was openly practising Dorje Shugden back then? Regardless, it is relevant to us who are affected by the ban in one way or another. He advocates peace, positivity, patience and non-agression - advice that matches perfect with his point in Q3 about following the true teachings of Buddhism. Matches also with Trijang Chocktrul Rinpoche's stance about the ban and Shugden's practice. (check out the radio interview on the homepage of dorjeshugden.com - scroll to the bottom)
In the world we need to think about our interdependence. Everything we have in our lives comes through the collective actions of countless people. To survive as a world, to sustain the human race and protect all beings, we need to realize this.
This got me thinking and I agree. The fall of Tibet was the collective karma of the Tibetans, nothing could prevent it, not Nechung, not Dalai Lama, not Dorje Shugden and certainly not you or me. If that is the case then the ban is also a result of our collective karma. Dalai Lama created the ban but we Shugden supporters obviously have the karma to experience the sufferings caused by it also.
It helps me when I think of it in this way. Just like if I had a road accident and banged up my new Chevy, I would be upset but when I think that I had it coming due to my karma, I get over it quick and just deal with it.
If we are to accept the pain, anger, frustration of this ban, and dedicate the merits to the speedy ending of the ban, isn't that one way of making the ban easier to live with. Just like Ribur Rinpoche happily suffered torture in prison to dedicate to others, we can adopt his example.
