Simplified Lam Rim 30/1/11

The following are the things I managed to jot down in my notebook as fast as I can. Some parts show my side of the notes. So, I will be sharing my opinions along the way. If there is any errors in what I have written. Please inform me. Thank you.

We all know how to listen to the Dharma but if we do not have the correct attitude towards the Dharma, we will not listen to the Dharma.

What is the correct attitude towards the Dharma? That is a question I would like to ask. My current answer would be that my current attitude towards the Dharma is that I use the Dharma to save myself and then save others.

When it comes to Dharma, it is not just about just remembering everything. When we learn, we should practice too.

Why can't we remember the Dharma? It is because we do not pay attention. Why don't we pay attention? Because we lack faith.

Faith is like a Christian thing. Their whole religion involves faith. Faith in God, Jesus and the holy spirit. No offense to any Christians if I might have offended any. In Christianity, the definition of lacking faith is by thinking nothing of God. In Buddhism, the definition of lacking faith is thinking that worldly pursuit is better than the Dharma.

How should be pay attention? We should pay attention like a deer.

We should be as aware of our surroundings such as a deer and we should pay attention to your surroundings by thinking that your life depends on it.

If we do not think that our life depends on the Dharma, we will not survive. We will be pushed to the lower realms. WE WILL STILL HAVE TO ENDURE SUFFERING!

When listening to the Dharma, we should not be like the 3 pots. I have written about the three pots before. Now, for more detail on the smelly pot.

The smelly pot is impossibly contaminated to a heavy extent. Whatever good advice that comes will become bad advice and thus there would be no result.

What is the remedy to this? Clean our mind. How do we clean our mind? We must first identify what problems we have. Lets begin with the three root poisons. Ignorance that will lead to attachment and desire. When you do not get what you desire, anger arises. After the anger slowly grows, it becomes hatred. When your hatred is horribly stored, revenge is something you will have on the object of hatred.

Even the three root poisons are still to general. For more detail, we have the eight worldly Dharmas. I have written about them before.

The next step to the remedy is that we need to tackle this situation by reflecting on yourself. Keep checking.

Something that H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche said to Datuk May Phng, "To practice the Dharma, do what you never do."

The ugly or sometimes beautiful truth is that everything you like to do is the cause of suffering.

Now for a bit on the leaky pot. We are very good at everything. We are good in Dharma but the only problem is that whatever that goes into our mind eventually disappears.

How do we stop forgetting? The answer is simple : Study.