Wheel of Life

Gather up and cast away Engage in the Buddha’s teaching. Like a great elephant in a house of mud, Conquer the Lord of Death’s battalions.

Whoever with great conscientiousness Practises this discipline of the , Abandoning the wheel of births, Will make an end to suffering.

Reference text: Steps on the Path to Enlightenment by Lhundub

Download the slides: http://www.fpmtabc.org/download/teaching/zmisc/ Wheel of Life

Causes of cyclic existence - Three animals symbolising the three afflictions - White and black

Environments that one can take in - Six types of transmigratory beings

Manner in which one cycles in cyclic existence - Twelve links of dependent originations Ignorance ~ blind old man

Comes from Latin word “ ignarus” which means Not Knowing

• Conception that is contradictory and incompatible with wisdom

• Not just ‘Not a friend’ but is your worst enemy

• Looking at the body and mind then imputing a real, independent and substantial person

• Arising the thoughts “mine” and “others”

• Projecting a real, independent and substantial other phenomena

• Causes affliction to arise: Attachment and Aversion

• Afflictions: an inner mental event whose nature is to disturb or unsettle the mental state Ignorance

Asanga’s Compendium of Knowledge : 2 types of Ignorance

• Not knowing about cause and effect of karma and its result - non virtuous actions, lower rebirths

• Not knowing reality, engage in virtuous actions motivated by an interest to gratify a self - higher rebirths

Antidote : Wisdom realising selflessness Formative activity ~ potter making earthenware

Actions that arises out of ignorance : Karma of body, speech and mind Karma is intention and intended action : mental

Non virtuous karma • Ten non virtues e.g.. killing, stealing, lying • Lower rebirths e.g. , or animal

Virtuous karma • Practicing giving, patience, ethical conduct • higher rebirths of desire realm e.g. , desire realm devas

• Immovable karma eg. cultivating meditative states such as single minded concentration • rebirths in form or formless realm e.g. devas of form and formless realm Formative activity

Heaviness of karma depends on the action, motivation, object to which it is done and frequency.

Formative activity refers to Projecting Karma which propels us to take rebirth in cyclic existence - seed

Completing Karma or Actualising Karma is the supporting condition which brings the seed to fruition. Consciousness - casual ~monkey swinging from tree to tree

Mental consciousness divided into two

Casual consciousness - receives the impression deposited by a seeding action (nonvirtuous) - seed leaves a potential to experience suffering in future

Resultant consciousness - first moment of casual consciousness when it ripens to produce a new unpleasant rebirth Name and form ~ people sitting in a boat

Name - non- physical parts of mind-body - feeling, discrimination,compositional factors, consciousness - basis for naming

Form - body, blood and semen

Except for formless realm, all have 5 aggregates

Name and form refers to the moment of conception when 5 aggregates come together and before the six sense organs developed - in tibetan there are 5 stages

- resultant consciousness joins fertilised ovum - small soft mass - grows longer into oval shape - grows longer and harder and more substantial - develop limps and have 5 bumps Six Sense bases ~empty house with six windows

Body organs fully developed - eye, ear, nose, tongue, tactile organs - empowering condition for the arising of the six consciousness

Develops capability to experience an object through coming together of sense organs, object and consciousness

Gradual development for beings born from womb, egg or warmth and moisture

Miraculous birth e.g. devas and beings in intermediate state - sense faculties fully manifested at birth Contact ~ couple embracing

Sense faculty, an object and a moment of consciousness meets - Object will be distinguished as attractive, unattractive or neutral

Six kind of contacts - tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, mental Feeling ~ person whose eye is pierced by an arrow

- pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feeling

- when feeling has arisen, entire experience is complete

- ripening of previous karmic seed

- Eg. human being as an experiencer has 2 parts - physical and mental

Form and formless realm beings - pleasant and peaceful feeling

Lower realms - suffering feeling

Humans and some other desire realm beings - mixed feeling Craving ~alcoholic

Feeling + ignorance about the object = craving for pleasant feeling, aversion for unpleasant feeling - object perceived in a distorted way

Not all craving or desire are bad e.g. desire of to liberate others - this desire is free of ignorance or other afflictions

Once ignorance is cut out from its root e.g. and buddha - blissful feeling but no craving Craving

How the links operates as a chain

Previous set of causes - ignorance, karma, etc culminates in feeling

Carving starts a whole new set of cause and result - motivates action which produces karma

Different type of craving : desire, form , formless realm Desire realm beings : attached to sense feeling Form realm beings : attached to the blissful feeling of Formless realm beings: attached to the deep, peaceful feeling of meditation

Cravings plays a key role in deciding our samsaric experiences Grasping ~monkey plucking fruit Intensified form of craving that has power to bring forth its result immediately

4 types of grasping

Grasping out of desire, attachment to sensory objects - form, sound, smell, taste, touch

Grasping for views - various types of wrong views e.g. no cause and effect

Grasping for mistaken morality and ascetics - mistaken system of ethics or behaviour will lead to freedom e.g. animal sacrifices

Grasping for a self - holding mental and physical aggregates as real I, view of transitory collections - all other afflictions arise from this e.g. attachment, pride, jealousy

Karmic seeds are moistened by craving and grasping Arhat have dry karmic seeds - not moistened by craving and grasping Existence ~pregnant woman

Seed planted in second link is moistened by craving and grasping ready to be fruit - just need warmth, Mental karma - refers to moment just before rebirth happens, the name Existence is given to the result

Craving and grasping must be of the same level that you are going to be born.

Example If you are going to be reborn in lower realm your last thought must be non virtuous.

If you are going to be born in the first concentration of the formless realm, your afflictions must be of the first concentration Existence - Samsaric Rebirth

Afflictions Karma

Seeding Ignorance Formative Activity

Mental thought Craving & Germination at time of Grasping Death Birth ~ newborn baby First moment when the consciousness enters its new body is “birth”

- from womb, egg, heat and moisture, miraculous

Hell beings, devas and intermediate stage beings - miraculous birth

Hungry ghosts - miraculous and womb

Humans and animals - all four types Aging and Death ~ person carrying a corpse on his back

Second moment of birth - ageing starts all way till death

Aging is the maturation of the aggregates, unstoppable change they undergo every moment

Death is the cessation of the continuum of that identical set of aggregates, severe pain and sorrow Question

For an object that has fluidity

It can be experienced as water by human - neutral blood and pus by hungry ghosts - unattractive and nectar by - attractive

Question: Are various modes of existence for the same object real for these beings in their respective realms?

Example of eating durian mousse Condense Presentation

Four types

1.Projecting factors - ignorance, formative activity, consciousness

2.Projected effects - name and form, six sense bases, contact, feeling

3.Actualising factors - craving, grasping, existence

4.Actualised effects - birth, aging and death

Every life requires all six causes and includes all six results

Minimum of how many lives to complete the 12 link? Condense Presentation

Projected effects means they remain in a state of potentiality until they meet the actualising factors

Projected effects become suffering factors at some point in future, maybe several life time later

Actualised effects ripens immediately in the next life

Every causal relationship requires a primary cause and a secondary actualising condition

Two types of causes are necessary for cyclic existence

Projected and actualised effects are “ mixed” together Condense Presentation

Example

Birth, Name and form starts at the same time

When six sense bases, contact, feeling are operating, aging is happening too.

Shows how different causes bring about different suffering effects

Endless Chain - In this life experience the results of previous ignorance and karma but at the same time creating the cause for another rebirth. Example ~ Plant

Example of farmer who plants a crop

Causes Farmer ~ ignorance Seeds ~ formative activities Field ~ consciousness

Does not mean the seed will grow e.g. seeds plant in winter will only grow in spring

Craving ~ fertiliser Grasping ~ water Existence ~ warmth

Effects Sprout ~ name and form Shoots ~ six sense bases Fully grown plant and flower ~ contact Fruit ~ birth Fruit starts to decay ~ aging and death

Note: Name and form should happen at the same time as birth From the fruits, seeds are produced which produce more rounds of effects Completion of 12 links in 2 lifetimes

Example of rebirth in lower realm

Ignorance + Strong negative karma = imprint of non virtue ~ projecting causes

In same life just before death Imprint nurtured by Craving + Grasping + Existence ~actualising causes

All six causes completed in same lifetime

Next life will experience the six results - four projected results - two actualised results

Minimum number of lifetime for one cycle to complete is 2 Completion of 12 links in 3 lifetimes

Example of rebirth in lower realm

First life Ignorance + Strong negative karma = imprint of non virtue ~ projecting causes

At the end of first life, imprint to go lower realm was not nurture but another positive imprint was nurtured so rebirth as human

At the end of Second life as human, Negative imprint from first life nurtured by Craving + Grasping + Existence ~ actualising causes All six causes completed so next life reborn in lower realm

Third life he will get the aggregates of lower realm beings and experience the six results - four projected results - two actualised results

Don’t need more than 3 lifetime to complete one cycle of 12 links Qualm

There can be a long interval of many eons between the first and second life. Many other cycles of 12 links can take place

Usual presentation of 12 links - not indicative of how the 12 links is completed - shows how we come from previous life into this life and how we are going to the next - it shows the 12 links of 2 different cycles, shows how we are chain in samsara

The factor of craving which is the actualising factor and feeling which gives rise to craving are not the same sequence of dependent arising. One Complete 12 link Projected effects

10. Feeling

Actualised effects 9. Contact

12. Aging 8. Six Sense bases & Death

11. Birth 7. Name & Form

6. Existence Actualising factors 5. Grasping 4. Craving 3. Consciousness Projecting factors 2. Formative activity 1. Ignorance One complete 12 link Projected effects

10. Feeling

9. Contact Actualised effects

12. Aging 8. Six Sense bases & Death

11. Birth 7. Name & Form

6. Existence Actualising factors 5. Grasping 4. Craving 3. Consciousness Projecting factors 2. Formative activity 1. Ignorance Wheel of Life

12. Aging 1. Ignorance & Death

2. Formative activity 11. Birth

3. Consciousness 6. Existence

7. Name & Form

5. Grasping 8. Six Sense bases

9. Contact 4. Craving 10. Feeling Heart of Dependent Arising

Three afflictions - ignorance, craving, grasping

Two karma - formative activity, existence

Seven effects - consciousness, name and form, six sense bases, contact, feeling, birth, aging and death

From the three arise the two,

From the two the seven arise,

And from the seven three arise,

That is the wheel of life, going round and round.

~ Arya Requested by Subaru

Path of dependent origination destroys ignorance

Destroys wrong view about the past - denying existence has a cause - imputing a wrong cause ~ eternal divine creator ~ permanent pervasive principle

Destroys wrong view about the future - there is no future life

Destroys wrong view about the present - the cause you create in this life will have no result - nihilism Benefits

Thought of renunciation - suffering and its causes, karma & afflictions - key to , , Tantrayana

3 scopes of Lam Rim (Lamp of Path to Enlightenment) Lower scope - apply 12 links to birth in 3 lower realms - best protection is taking in three Jewels, ethical conduct

Middle scope - Apply 12 links to higher rebirths, still suffering due to karma and afflictions - root of cyclic existence is ignorance - meditate on 4 Noble truths, direct realisation of emptiness of self

Higher scope - all sentient beings are like us suffering and had been our close relations - develop compassion and love for them - obtain in order to liberate them Emptiness

Self No absolute self who is a creator of the karma - projecting and actualising causes are impermanent

No absolute self who is experiencer of the karma - projected and actualised effects are impermanent

On the changing factors of body and mind we impute I No independent absolute creator of karma or experiencer of result

Phenomena Everything in this world is not independent as they appear - depends on parts - depends on causes and conditions

Emptiness of an absolute, independent mode of existence for all phenomena How to practise

First - need to develop confidence,faith in teaching through understanding

Second - need to be familiar through meditation

Third - need to gain experience on how it works Process is unfolding everywhere where you find joy, pain, sorrow, agitation, aging, sickness

Through listening and reading we gain some understanding - planted the seeds

Need to actualised seeds into wisdom directly seeing truth - meditation on dependent origination, best antidote to ignorance - apply it to real life situations - transform our behaviour