Archive Result

20030708GRAABWL

CD-7-8-03

I would like to review verse 50 briefly.

Verse 50

Powerless, their minds disturbed,

People in this world are unable to benefit themselves.

Therefore I shall do it (for them)

Since unlike me these beings are incapable.

When your mind is disturbed by negative emotions you become powerless. When you are very angry, you become helpless. You try your best but you are very badly disturbed. Likewise, if there is huge obsession you can see nothing else except what you are obsessed about. Remember the joke about the windshield wiper. Similarly, jealousy makes us powerless. And especially the ego is the one that makes us absolutely powerless. At that moment, in that condition people can’t do anything to benefit themselves. The Tibetan text says that such people can’t help themselves, unlike me. I am a Bodhisattva who is not overpowered by negative emotions. I can help myself, and because they can’t, I shall do it not only for myself, but for all beings.

Bodhisattvas are totally encouraged not to depend on somebody’s help. If somebody helps you, fine. Otherwise, do it by yourself. What bodhisattvas need is strength and power and then by themselves, they can clear all the darkness of the negativities of all beings. Nagarjuna says,

Liberation depends totally on yourself. There is no one who can do anything for you.

Verse 51

(Even) if others are doing inferior tasks

why should I sit there (doing nothing)?

I do not do those tasks because of self-importance;

It would be best for me to have so such pride.

In Indian culture, jobs like sweeping the floor, cleaning toilets and also the butchers and black smiths are part of the lower caste and all these jobs are considered to be inferior tasks. The Brahmins, who are the highest caste, don’t sweep floors, wash clothes or clean toilets. It is the job of the Harijans, the lowest class. In old Indian society the Harijans can’t walk in through the main door into a Brahmin house. They come in through a back door in the kitchen. The sweep the floors, clean the toilets and then walk out the same way. If they touch the cups, bowls or plates of the Brahmins, the Brahmins consider themselves to be contaminated and run off to the kusha grass fields for seven days in order to become pure again. The lower caste people have to wash the Brahmins’ utensils but then the Brahmins have to rinse them again before using them. Therefore, for a high caste person to do that kind of work is shameful and embarrassing. This is just Indian culture. In Tibet it wasn’t even like that. That is only in India. And that is why after the Second World War hundreds of thousands of low caste people became Buddhist. Dr. Ambekar, a lawyer, wrote the Indian constitution. He was not sure how to deal with the caste system and the best way he could think of was by suggesting to low caste people to become Buddhist, because Buddhism doesn’t recognize the caste system. Yet it is interrelated with the Hindu religion. Millions of low caste people thus became Buddhist in a single day. They call it ‘New Buddhism’. They were no longer subject to the caste system. It was very good for them. But at the same time they lost the lower caste benefits that were available in India at that time. Actually, there is really not that much difference between Buddhism and Hinduism. Maybe you don’t take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, but instead in Vishnu or Brahma. So he made a wise political decision. But now the ‘New Buddhists’ worship Dr. Ambekar almost like a second Buddha. They include ‘Ambekar Saranam Gachami’ in the refuge after Buddham Saranam Gachami. So they have 4 objects of refuge, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and Dr. Ambekar. If you meet these new Buddhists in the street they will greet you with Namo Buddhaya. That is how you know who they are.

Shantideva’s text was written 1400 years ago and that is why this question comes up. If you have to have self confidence and do everything by yourself, isn’t it embarrassing to sweep your own floors, wash your own toilets and so on? Now, of course, we do, either because we have to and can’t afford to hire anybody or perhaps we even like it. So Shantideva, even then, encourages spiritual practitioners to do all these jobs, saying you should rely on yourself and that it is not shameful. He says that the kind of pride of thinking yourself superior and refusing to do so-called inferior tasks is not the pride we want. It is not self-confidence. In Tibetan both of these are called ‘pride’. Even in English there is good pride and bad pride. The pride you shouldn’t have is the one that thinks it is superior over another person. Similarly, if in this country someone says, ‘I am superior because I am white’, that pride should be rejected. But self confidence is absolutely necessary, whether you are man or woman, black or white, yellow or red.

Verse 52

When crows encounter a dying snake,

They will act as though they were eagles.

(Likewise) if (my self-confidence) is weak

I shall be injured by the slightest downfall.

In the Tibetan text literally it says that if there is a dead snake even the crows will behave as if they are eagles. They will come down with dignity and land without fear of poison and will enjoy eating the snake. But if you are scared and weak and if you hesitate, then even a dying snake can still get you. Likewise, without self-confidence you can be destroyed by even the slightest downfall. Without self confidence you will hesitate to do anything and you will destroy yourself.

Verse 53

How can those who out of faint-heartedness have

Given up trying

Find liberation because of this deficiency?

But even the greatest (obstacle) will find it hard to

Overcome (one with a firm mind).

Without self-confidence you will not be able to apply any enthusiasm at all. You may think, ‘How can a weak person like me challenge these powerful negativities?’ That fear, however, is really laziness. It goes against enthusiasm. A strong enthusiasm will overcome the laziness that thinks ‘I am incapable, I am useless, I am not intelligent, I am so poor, I am so backward.’ The Chinese have labeled the Tibetans as backward, barbarian, dark, and dirty. That way they try to instill fear and low esteem in the Tibetans. But the Tibetans think, ‘Let them say whatever they want. We are what we are.’

Have you ever seen anybody who has been successful while thinking, ‘I cannot do it, I am incapable!?’ Is there anybody who has got rich by having these fears? Have you ever seen anybody who achieved liberation, while being under the control of that kind of fear? Have you ever seen anybody who became successful, while they were completely obsessed with fear and lack of self-confidence? This has never happened and will never happen.

If you work hard, with self confidence, mindfulness and alertness there will be no time and opportunity for the negative emotions to overtake you, no matter how big and powerful they might be. Without confidence you will not be able to anything. If you are overpowered by fear you can do nothing. If you are overpowered by anger you can do nothing. Anger, obsession and jealousy are easier to overcome. Fear is the worst. If you are afraid you will be paralyzed. You can do nothing different. So, in summary, without self confidence you can do nothing. But if you have self confidence, then even if you are a crow you can act like an eagle.

That kind of self confidence does not only apply on the spiritual path but also in your daily life.

End of talk