Arrogance, inferiority, anticipation, fear... We live in a time of intense emotions, where everyone is on top of the needle. Perhaps that's why we especially crave tranquility.
In recent years, Buddhism has become increasingly popular. Everyone's circle of friends is probably some people who are accustomed to forwarding Amitabha Buddha, desirelessness, meditation and meditation. People who claim to be disciples of Buddhism are everywhere, and at the same time, there is a growing controversy about Buddhism.
From time to time, we read in newspapers and magazines that monks drive luxury cars and wear watches, or ridicule the "300,000 free-range Rinpoches" in Chaoyang District. The indifference of practice and the persistence of desire are constantly pulled, so that the words Buddhism, Rinpoche, and practice are all overshadowed by an ambiguous shadow.
In the midst of the fog, it was naturally a rare thing to ask a true Rinpoche for his views on these issues. Dzongsar Chiang Yang Khyentse Rinpoche is probably one of the most recognized living Buddhas in China and is widely regarded as one of the most creative Tibetan Buddhist teachers in the world today.
Recently, taking advantage of the release of his latest feature film, Heima Heyma, at the Shanghai Film Festival, Book Review Weekly conducted an exclusive interview with Dzongsar Rinpoche. Our interviews went from film to literature, from psychology to Buddhism, but always revolved around the confusion and anxiety of contemporary human existence. Rinpoche's answer is not necessarily a universal truth, but looking at the world through his lens is sure to bring us precious inspiration.
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Rgya mtsho Rinpoche, Khyentse Norbu, born on June 18, 1961, is recognized as the third Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, commonly known as Dzongsar Gyal Khyentse Rinpoche, hereinafter referred to as Dzongsar Rinpoche. Dzongsar Rinpoche, the eldest grandson of the late Nyingmapa King Tundrup Rinpoche, was certified by the 14th Dalai Lama, Sakya Dharma And 16th Karmapa at the age of seven as the reincarnation of Dzongsar Khyentse Jamyang Chökyi Lodro (1893-1959). Studied Buddhist philosophy at Sakya College. He has published books such as "Right View", "Eighty-Four Thousand Questions", "Not for Pleasure", "Buddhist Insights and Monasticism", and he is also a film director, shooting films such as "World Cup on the Mountain", "Traveler and Magician", "Prayer for Blessings", etc., and the latest feature film "Hey Ma Hey Ma" was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June.
Written | Beijing News reporter Zhang Ting
Hypocrisy is everywhere
Practice becomes a cover for desire
Some time ago, Wei Hui, a female writer who was once popular with "Shanghai Baby", returned to the public eye as a Hellinger family arranger, which caused a lot of controversy among netizens. There have also been columnists who have ridiculed Wei Hui with the title of "Why Literary and Artistic Young Women Are Enthusiastic about Spiritual Cultivation".
We are becoming more and more adept at questioning and mocking. The negative news surrounding Buddhism, devotionals, and false Rinpoche makes it easier to be suspicious. In fact, what many people question is not the titles themselves, but the conflict between the indifferent identity of the practitioner and the strong attachment to desire.
False Rinpoche ran rampant, "not only in China, but all over the world." When Dzongsar Rinpoche saw through their performances, he would often say with a slight sarcasm, "You're doing a great job." But I know you're fake. ”
These fake Rinpoches were shrewd, "They're good at editing, and when they get to others, they often just have one sentence left: 'You're doing a great job.'" You're a journalist and you should know the charm of editing," he said with a hearty smile.
In the movie poster for Hey Ma Hey Ma: Sing a Song While I Wait, "Hey Ma Hey Ma" means "a long, long time ago" in Bhutanese. Liang Chaowei and Zhou Xun gave a gratuitous cameo in it.
Obviously, these false Rinpoches did not constitute a factor that bothered him. He saw them as an interesting phenomenon, a sample of observation.
But at the same time, he has been vigilant enough against this hypocrisy between identity and behavior. He mentioned that within the Buddhist monastic system, under the cover of the identity of the practitioner, hypocrisy is easier to nourish and grow. He saw it as the materialization of practice, the spiritual materialism. It can be seen that although he laughed at the hypocrisy of others and the hypocrisy that he might be contaminated with, he maintained a high degree of vigilance from beginning to end.
Dzongsar Rinpoche in an interview.
In his latest feature film, Hey Ma Hey Ma, he explores this contradiction between identity and behavior. The film incorporates fascinating elements of religion, suspense, crime, and more: every twelve years, a group of people come to the forest at the foot of the Himalayas, put on masks, hide their gender and identity, and spend two weeks in isolation. However, people cannot let go of worldly desires after all, and the male protagonist tries to break the precepts with a woman from the beginning of wearing a mask. While trying to have sex with her, he rapes another married woman because the mask is wrongly worn and kills the woman's husband (Liang Chaowei) after discovering him. A few years later, he could not accept the condemnation of his heart and returned to the forest again to seek redemption...
This is a metaphorically rich story, the plot is not complicated, but it provides a variety of interpretations. Different people see different meanings in this, but there is no doubt that desire, and how to live with it, is a major theme of the film.
Once a person wants to disguise, problems ensue. Sin is also born out of hypocrisy. The difference between the Buddhist and Christian worldviews has been summed up: Christianity believes that evil is done because of badness (sin); while Buddhism believes that evil is done because of stupidity (ignorance).
Break the hypocrisy
Authenticity, its own power
If you must ask: How is the right path to practice?
Dzongsar Rinpoche's answer was "true." In all the controversy over practice, it is because these practitioners are not true enough, either to others or to themselves. "Fundamentally, the goal of Buddhism is to realize the truth." This statement of Dzongsar Rinpoche also provides a good answer to the Buddhist boom.
In the 1950s and 1970s, there was a wave of conversion to Buddhism in the West. To this day, Dzongsar Rinpoche's Western disciples are not in the minority.
Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsburg, Ezra Pound, Leonard Cohen... The representatives of the "Beat Generation", the famous poets, singers, artists, many of whom are Buddhist disciples. Why did they all end up choosing Buddhism?
From left: Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsburg and William Burroughs
According to Dzongsar Rinpoche, Buddhism is a very introspective religion that tends to think inward philosophically. This determines that it tends to appeal to those who are engaged in thinking and committed to introspective reflection. He described The Dharma this way: Rather than saying that the Dharma is a theory and a religion, it is more that the Dharma is a description of the real world. However, compared with other religions, Buddhism's interpretation of the real world is extremely logical and speculative. Therefore, the study of Buddhism requires some intellectual thresholds.
The "spiritual practices" we are common today are actually a hodgepodge of different doctrines that mix psychology, Buddhism, the occult, and metaphysics. It is all-encompassing and disease-free, but it is also confusing.
To overemphasize the relationship between spirituality and Buddhism is actually a narrowing of Buddhism. According to Dzongsar Rinpoche, Buddhism is much deeper and broader than spiritual practice: "So-called modern teachers and writers such as Osho and Krishnamurti are not teaching anything novel that the Buddha did not teach. In fact, sometimes these are just a small part, a small angle, from the Buddha's teachings, and then claim to be their own teachings. ”
The goal of the psychologist is to attain health and happiness in this world of samsara, but the Buddhists are not. Not for the sake of happy survival, it takes great strength. Dzongsar Rinpoche's power comes from his truth. In the conversation with him, it is not difficult for you to appreciate the power of the real world, when a person is extremely honest, he is already indestructible.
"Right View"
Author: Dzongsar Gyal yang Khyentse Rinpoche
Translator: Yao Renxi
Edition: China Friendship Publishing Company, January 2007
In the documentary "The Words of the True Teacher," Dzongsar Rinpoche was asked if he considered himself a person who had already been "enlightened," and he confessed that he did not. As a reincarnated living Buddha, a Rinpoche, he could always feel the many expectations that people placed on him, and he struggled to find a devout self that was still practicing.
In the book, he once wrote about a long-term girlfriend, and he also mentioned his extremely painful experience of being betrayed by his Dutch girlfriend. "I am not a saint who has conquered the need for security, companionship and pleasure. When people ask me why I have a girlfriend, I feel like they have high expectations of me – thinking I'm above the average person. This really worries me. I very much want people to think that I am a hundred percent human being with all the human traits, weaknesses, strengths and faults. ...... Many things should be given up, but I don't have the strength to give up, many things should be done, but I am too cowardly to do it. ”
From the Dharma point of view, one should renounce all things that breed arrogance, self-grasping, and greed. It may be a relationship, but it may also be a pretend to abandon a relationship; it may be desire, but it may also be a pretend to give up desire.
Perhaps the most powerful thing about Dzongsar Rinpoche is that he never pretended to give up. He has the power to maintain the greatest degree of authenticity, and in turn, truth gives him unlimited power. If there is any way to practice, reality must be one of them. Keep your true feelings about your desires and your emotions, and from this truth, you can gain the strength and courage to transcend.
Desire is not a problem, attachment to desire is the problem
Beijing News: You mentioned that the inspiration for filming "Hey Ma Hey Ma" came from an online chat room, where everyone used anonymity (screen name) to talk. How do you see the Internet changing the concept of "identity"?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: "Identity" is a very interesting concept. People want to be famous, but after they become famous, problems arise. A lot of what you wanted to do, you can do, you can't do anymore. Instead, the state of anonymity can be transformed into a force. If you're a thief, you'll have to keep yourself in the shadows before you can steal more. I wanted to explore what you would say and do if no one knew who you were.
I know people chat anonymously on the Internet. When I wrote this script, I went to an online chat room and felt it for a day or two. I found their chats to be horrible, especially in some European areas, full of violence, hatred and curiosity. It's easy to be attracted to something curious.
Beijing News: Do you usually use the Internet or mobile app more often than Facebook/Twitter/Wechat?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: I usually use WeChat a lot, and it is almost an organ of mine. Facebook is used less. I like to read, WeChat is a bother, a waste of time. But it won't bother too much, although it is used a lot, but it is still under my control.
Stills from the movie show the masked man and heroine dancing by a campfire
Beijing News: In the movie, the protagonist kills people because he can't restrain his desires. Do you think that strong "desires" are undesirable?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: I don't have any pre-setter in the film that people have to give up their desires. All I'm saying is that no matter what you do, you have to know that there will be a corresponding consequence waiting for you, and it will lead things in a certain direction. Our emotions and desires are like volcanoes, always needing to be exported, needing to erupt, and if you are not aware of it, it is likely to lead to serious consequences.
The story is about a man who wears a mask and lives in isolation somewhere, but at the same time, he feels increasingly tormented. Finally, he made a small mistake: he mistakenly confessed the woman under the mask who had come to meet him. This error leads to the later result (killing).
Beijing News: So, how does Buddhism view "desire"? We often hear the saying in Buddhism that "if you have no desire, you are just." Would you say that Buddhism is a religion that encourages people to give up their desires? Including the desire for money, status, and love?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: Well... In fact, at the end of the day, Buddhism is only interested in one thing, and that is to see the truth. Getting rid of desire is not the ultimate goal of Buddhism, the ultimate goal of Buddhism is to attain enlightenment to the truth. If desire is an obstacle to your insight into the truth, then yes you need to give up desire; if desire does not constitute an obstacle, then it does not matter. The process of dealing with desires and emotions is also the process that leads you to insight into the truth.
"Eighty-Four Thousand Questions"
Translator: Yan Wangjia / Qi Shuping
Edition: Shenzhen Newspaper Group Publishing House, July 2016
Some of my friends are celebrities in the secular sense, I never tell them to give up fame and money, I always encourage them to be ambitious and more famous. Buddhism is not in conflict with secular life, which is never a problem, but attachment to it. If you have 1,000 kilograms of gold, but you are not attached to it, there is no problem; if you have a cookie, but your attention is on how to hold it and not lose it, then even if it is just a cookie, it is a big problem. Because you're too persistent.
Beijing News: If Buddhism requires people to give up all attachments, then the pursuit of enlightenment and truth is itself an attachment. Should I also give up?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: This is a very good question. In Buddhism, there is an analogy that if you have a thorn in your finger, you need another thorn to get that thorn out. So, in order to get rid of all other attachments, you need to retain an attachment —attachment to enlightenment—as a temporary tool and a pathway.
Once you are truly enlightened, then even attachment to enlightenment disappears. As we know, there is a concept of "multiplication" in Buddhism, and "multiplication" is "vehicle", a tool and a means. When you reach your destination in a car, you don't need to stay in the car anymore, you will naturally get out of the car.
The "false Rinpoche" enriched the spiritual life
Beijing News: We have noticed that Buddhism is very popular among Western intellectuals and artists, and many people have converted to Buddhism. Do you think that the study of Buddhism requires a certain intellectual threshold?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: In Europe, in the United States, it is true. Buddhism is growing rapidly among intellectuals. When you start looking inward, toward your spiritual world, rather than just looking outward, it's easy to turn to Buddhism. I think Buddhism is probably the most complex and wise (religion) in terms of how to introspect. It has a tradition of thousands of years, and countless texts and predecessors have practiced this.
Westerners tend to be more "fresh" in their acceptance of the Dharma, and they have no preconceived notions. If you have a lot of preconceptions about Buddhism, studying the Dharma on that basis is like you're holding a plate of vegetables that's already cooked and trying to cook it again.
Beijing News: At the same time, we also see that many people use Buddhism as a tool instead of faith. We often see many people burning incense and worshipping the Buddha, in order to pray for the Buddha's blessing of a long life and a hundred years of age, promotion and wealth. How do you see this tendency to instrumentalize Buddhism?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: This phenomenon is not only in China. This is true in Thailand, Bhutan, Sri Lanka. I don't think there's a problem with that either.
Maybe they're just using Buddhism as a tool right now, but when they want to go further, when they want to introspect, they can go further down the path of Buddhism. Therefore, if the masses use Buddhism to count the eight characters, to ensure peace, and to seek wealth, I think it is also good. I accept this phenomenon.
"The World is a Theater"
Edition: Nova Press, April 2016
Beijing News: I don't know if you have observed that there are many fake Rinpoches in China. In the name of Rinpoche, cheating money and cheating, this has made Rinpoche and Buddhism a very subtle word in the minds of some people. How do you see this phenomenon?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: Yes, in my observation, there are more fakes than real ones. But I would say that these false Rinpoches also serve a purpose: they make the spiritual world more interesting. If the path to truth is prepared in advance, like a McDonald's hamburger, as you can go, it means nothing, it's boring. But if the road is tortuous, turning here and there, it's much more challenging.
I've met a lot of fake Rinpoche. They are usually very eloquent, but I can see that they are fake. I said to them "You're doing a good job, but I know you're fake". But they would edit my words themselves, cutting out the second half of the sentence, leaving the first half of the sentence "You did a good job." (Laughs) Some fake Rinpoches are more like Rinpoche than real Rinpoches, because real Rinpoches are usually very humble, don't express themselves loudly, and don't attract much attention.
Beijing News: In recent years, psychology has become more and more popular. Many spiritual books are also selling well in China, how do you see the relationship between psychology and Buddhism, and what are the similarities and differences between their practice methods?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: Many of the methods used by psychologists come from Buddhism. In fact, Jung, one of the founders of psychology, was greatly inspired and influenced by Buddhism.
Wei Hui, a writer who has not appeared for a long time, returned to the public eye as a family platoon teacher at the beginning of this year, saying that he had a confused question, but came into contact with the Hellinger family row system and began to embark on the path of spiritual cultivation, thus feeling that "the eight veins of the Qijing" were opened. Wei Hui's path of practice has caused great controversy about psychology and practice.
But if you compare psychology to Buddhism, psychology is like a drop in the ocean. Buddhism is not only psychology, Buddhism is art, it is music, it is family education, it is child care, it is tea art, it is flower arrangement, it is too many things... The scope of psychological treatment is significantly smaller.
Beijing News: We see two different types of Rinpoche: some Rinpoche rarely appears in public, rarely gives public texts and speeches; you are more like another, with a very active public life, publishing many books, making several films, and often giving speeches and giving interviews. Is this choice the result of your character, or do you see it as an obligation to promote the Dharma?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: I think it's more about my personality. I'm a Gemini who loves to be lively and likes to communicate.
I think both kinds of people, Buddhism needs. Buddhism needs people who speak, and it needs people who just sit there and practice spiritually.
"I'm far from being an enlightened person."
Beijing News: You mentioned in the book that you have a long-term girlfriend, and you write that you hope that you can give up your desire for love and intimacy, but you can't do it. It may seem as if you are treating intimacy as something that needs to be "overcome." Do you still have an intimate relationship, and do you think that intimacy is an obstacle to your practice?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: Yes, I still have a long-term girlfriend. But I have so much to do and we don't spend much time together. I needed intimacy, but I didn't want children, and I felt that the reason for my personality might not be a good father. I like other people's kids.
As for whether intimacy is an obstacle to practice, it depends on the specific situation. It depends on whether you can handle it properly? I write that because I can't control it (handle it properly), and that's the problem. But when I looked around, I saw that everyone didn't know how to deal with it. In contrast, I seem to have done a little better. I believe that intimacy must be based on the premise of being able to give each other freedom. But most people in intimate relationships give each other the opposite of "freedom," and they always try to "imprison" each other.
Barriers are a very subjective concept. A relationship can be an obstacle, and the monastic system can be an obstacle. When you are inside the monastic system, you may become infected with spiritual materialism. It's a much more serious problem, and you think you're doing spiritual practice, but you're not. This is more dangerous and more hypocritical.
"Not for Pleasure"
Edition: Shenzhen Newspaper Group Publishing House, January 2013
Beijing News: This question may not be very polite, if you feel offended, you can not answer. We often hear certain believers approach their beliefs in a state of half acceptance and half questioning. For example, Christians would say, "I accept the core Christian doctrine of love, but I am skeptical about homosexuality, abortion, and so on." With the development of society and science, some of the teachings of religion will conflict with the mainstream concept of science or the concept of "political correctness", so that it is necessary to make certain choices similar to "taking the essence of it and removing its dross". Have you experienced similar doubts about your beliefs in Buddhism?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: (without any hesitation) No. I believe in every word, every word in the Buddhist teachings. And I don't have any questions that can't be answered, lol, there are no questions that would offend me.
Beijing News: So you are also sure that people will be reincarnated after death and continue to exist? For many Chinese, the Buddhist concept of "reincarnation" is probably the most difficult to understand, and it is difficult for many atheists to accept that people reincarnate after death and become something else that continues to exist. How do you see this skepticism?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: Before we discuss this, we have to talk about what reincarnation is and what reincarnation is. When we refer to this concept, we are referring to time. Time is relative.
I want to ask you, yesterday's you and today's you, are you the same you? Half and half. Yesterday's you are neither the same nor different from today's you. It is continuous. "Reincarnation" is a concept, a vague concept that is difficult to understand precisely.
When we say you are "continuous", what does this persistence refer to? For example, if yesterday's you are different from today's you, and yesterday's you killed someone, then today you should not go to prison. Because that's what you did yesterday, and yesterday's one you've disappeared forever, unlike today. But you still have to go to jail.
It's a "relative truth," and if you want to figure out the "relative truth," you might have to sit there for months and study and discuss it with me. This is a difficult concept to understand.
"Colorless Tasaki Sakura and His Year of Tour"
Author: [Japanese] Haruki Murakami
Translator: Shi Xiaowei
Edition: South Seas Publishing Company, October 2013
Beijing News: Do you think you are already an enlightened person? If not, what aspects do you think are still where you need to focus on your practice?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: Me? No, no, far from it, I'm still expecting, practicing, practicing. I also have too many different emotions to deal with.
Beijing News: When was the last time you were angry?
Dzongsar Rinpoche: Not so long ago. June 18th is my birthday, and my friends made it into a big and lively celebration banquet. I was angry and got into an argument with the other person. Of course, I know that fundamentally speaking, we care about each other and are very good friends, but when there are emotions, I will still release and argue with others.
Beijing News: Who are your favorite film directors and writers, share with you a few good books that you have been reading recently.
Dzongsar Rinpoche: A lot, I mentioned before that I like Yang Dechang a lot, and my favorite has always been Ozu Yasujiro. The writer's words, recently in reading Haruki Murakami, I like it. In particular, I recommend "Colorless Tasaki Sakura and His Year of Tour".
This article is exclusive original content. Written by: Beijing News reporter Zhang Ting; The original text of the review part is quoted from the manuscript content of "Right View" and "84,000 Questions", and the title picture is from the stills of "Hey Ma Hey Ma". EDIT: Go for a walk. Welcome to forward and share the circle of friends, unauthorized reproduction.
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