Gratitude, Truth and Humility toward Human~kind

Photograph by Terry Hagan

With deep gratitude for our remarkable teachers present and past, for all they have offered, I am forever indebted to them for their encouragement, support and vast teachings. These beings who are so tuned to the awakening process, tuned to the integrative experience of living the truth and manifesting the profound uninhibited sharing of that reality in every moment. My commitment and joy at sharing what little I can with others is all due to their awakened example of Dharma in action. 

Each recollection of their actions brings into focus the incredible vastness of Dharma which is deeply humbling. From this I celebrate the precious opportunity to look into the face of truth and rejoice. How very fortunate we are. 

Namgyal Rinpoche had an ability to communicate equally to all beings, making no distinction between the local shopkeeper, a deckhand on a Polish freighter crossing the Indian Ocean, or a long-term student bugging him for an interview while in solo retreat.  

Just like Guru Rinpoche said, ‘Though the view should be as vast as the sky, your conduct should be as fine as barley flour.’

It is too easy to forget what has brought us here. How often can we believe, in our arrogance, that we have travelled so far and that we know it all. The more I share Dharma with others or retreat alone, the more it is apparent, there is no measurement to the awakening process or to learning, especially from each other. For this I am deeply thankful. Deeply thankful for the people that show up week after week to classes without whom we would not have a chance to share the intimacy of the resounding echoes of our foremother's and forefather's teachings. In appreciation for all those who allow us to humbly break the bread of Dharma together and taste its elixir. To meditate together or alone, to discuss and debate the intricacies of no-self or self-cherishing, to share with each other the joy of struggle. To see the proof of how no~thing makes sense, and to find comfort in the paradox, our true refuge, welcoming the unknown, is indeed a great blessing.

I remember how the late Namgyal Rinpoche – with his continual reminders not to forget the Vast View of Totality – taught never to malign other schools be they Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayana. Our present teacher Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche is emphatic that all schools of Buddhism are totally indebted to the 'Way of the Elders', without which there would be no Vajrayana. His Foundation supports many Theravada schools and monasteries to keep them from becoming a dying breed, ensuring that all the other schools will remain vital and alive. DJKR and NR both advise students to be very wary of any being that denigrates the Theravadins. 

Why am I talking about schools of Buddhism here after gratitude to our teachers? How we refer to each other is no different than how we respect each other, schools of teachings and all religions. Yes, they all have their own flavour and nuances and we will be drawn to some more than others, yet it does not mean one school of thought or way of life is lesser or better or equal.

We as students of Buddha Dharma (including our teachers, who would be the first to let us know) all remain accountable to uphold the Dharma of truth, or at least uphold our fierce aspiration to face the truth at all times.

As I write this article on Canada Day 2021, I am reminded of worldwide atrocities that keep coming to the surface in the news. How out of  ignorance and fear of the unknown, there are constant attempts to obliterate any growth of those not understood, even if they are part of mature and sophisticated societies that have existed for eons.  Such atrocities are a reminder of how we often  attempt to censor whatever makes us feel uncomfortable or does not fit into our personal world view. Yet today how wonderful it is that we can be included in a growing acknowledgement of  First People’s unique cultures and traditions and join in celebrations of their ancient indigenous wisdoms.

We appreciate how we learn so deeply from each other even when it is not comfortable. In fact this ode on gratitude invites me to thank all those not so easy to commune with, all those I want to run away from, as it is those beings that I need to develop capacity to truly receive. We are all people of this earth, all deserving of respect, just for being human, including the earth itself for supporting us.

I come from an immigrant Punjabi family. In 1947 my mother, then 15, was taken from her home in Karachi and placed in the crowded bowels of a ship heading to Mumbai. She is so grateful for narrowly escaping the horrors of rape and murder inflicted on thousands of women fleeing undivided India by train. My father, then 18, walked over 200K from Jhang to India, hiding on the way in the boughs of trees, ducking flying bullets, one so close it grazed his hair. During this entire journey he carried his infant sister-in-law to be, in the crook of his arms. Pakistan was formed; many of their friends didn't survive.

I am thankful to my parents, even though the intergenerational trauma was inevitably part of our childhood. The cruel awakenings were my saving grace, granting the thirst for freedom that is so needed for a young person to truly want Dharma in every corner of her life.  I am thankful to have experienced this from generations before, as such traumas once met with kindness become resilience that allows one to truly meet the suffering of another on the path. To lend a helping hand so they can walk through the next gate.

Reflecting on the events which came together to move me in the direction of dharma, the waking up to unconscious separation with my upbringing, it serves to mention that the refuge Meditation practice gives is not to escape from life or to shut it out, but to connect to the universe and to everything that can heal and transform, which can only be truth itself.

This is a time to really see and understand our habits and to acknowledge intergenerational trauma both received and inflicted. We can remember not to use our spiritual path to bypass the truth, but rather in whatever capacity we have, to aspire to face the truth for ourselves and all beings. May we also not be afraid to speak the truth.

Mala Sikka

Co-Resident teacher of the Dharma Centre