Impure Perceptions (2) - so far yet so near

In these nearly four years involving in the Dharma works of my Buddhist Master, Kunde Rinpoche la, my observations on what had been happening to people, may also reflects my own insecurity in similar ways (if...).
We think we 'should' or expected to live such and such years of age before our physical body 'declared death' by a conventional medical practitioner, including 'coma' state of existence. The teachings of the Buddha on "All conditioned things are impermanent",  rarely struck us unless some kind of 'trauma' or 'unexpected things' had happened, may be. Some people even viewed it as 'negative' in worldly sense, even though it is an unchanging truth. In a few chats with Kunde Rinpoche la about 'life and death' especially when i found the description of Part III of his published book in 2011* inconceivable to our rational mind - the chats had flashes some light to my insecurity: the 'Intermediate State' (according to Tibetan Buddhism, the gap of the consciousness of the deceased body and the next rebirth into any of the Six Realms of existence ever happened) is the 'timing' for Liberation! - if we could recognize the radiance and the imagery energies?!

But the whole of our life has been programmed from birth, aging, sickness and death (even though, sometime and many times, it may not happened in that linear cycle!). From child, teenage, adult, senior to old age. Upon growing up, get schooling, work etc: we spend time feeding our physical needs, psychological needs, trying to maintain our health etc. Even spiritual practice could be 'once a year' event..., or when our normal life  cycle 'rocked' by the unexpected? - are we prepared to die? that was my doubt in my mind when i heard of untimely deaths of people in many ways. Last two years, when i walked with my interview participants of  their experiences handling physical disease called ' diagnosed cancer', i could felt their pain deeply though as a researcher at that time, i was supposed to be 'neutral' and 'alienated', at least not emotionally involved - they had taught me the most precious lessons on life, though only a handful had courageously consented to my study. In this technology and medically advanced age, i see the stages had reversed: birth, sickness; and death may arrive without aging (old age)!

Before i penned off this taboo topic in my mind, i would like to share this beautiful prose** from Kunde Rinpoche for personal reflection:
"Not knowing the time of death, your life force continues to exhaust,
When you wander alone in the intermediate state,
You will see self-manifested and multifarious reflections of emptiness.

Not knowing that they are the peaceful and wrathful deities,
You will be terrified and awed, and thereby get stuck in the swamp of samsara.
Hence, if you do not immediately put effort into the sublime Dharma,
When these appearances arise in the intermediate state,
Whom are you going to count on?
......"**
May All Beings be Happy, May All Beings Realized the Truth and be Peaceful.

*A  Garland of Flowers: Questions and Answers on the Highly Secret Clear Light Great Perfection / Kunde Rinpoche; translated by Geshe Lhakdor and Dr. Chok Tenzin Monlam. (ISBN: 978-967-10552-0-5).pp.72-106.
**ibid - pp.107, par.1-2

Impure Perceptions - so near yet so far?

One of my obstacles learning via serving my Vajrayana master, Kunde Rinpoche when he was visiting here was my impure perceptions towards his many encounters...In many occasions, i would view his 'compassionate acts' as lack of 'wisdom', may be worldly intelligence arising from my impure perceptions. Among others:

- In 2011, after persevering in getting the Dzogchen (Great Perfection) practice which Kunde Rinpoche la had spent about a decade composing the oral transmissions he received primarily from his Root Lama,Tokden Lama Lodoe Gyatso, the 40th in the lineage of transmission of Lama Yangtig of the Highly Secret Clear Light Great Perfection*, the translation process from Tibetan to English had taken about three years from the esteemed LTWA.  Finally, we got it published, cutting through all weeds of conditional obstructions!
I read this published book "A Garland of Flowers: Questions and Answers on the highly Secret Clear Light Great Perfection" * in first round, having little understanding except partially of Part I of this profound book, personally i consider, after many live chats with the author.  May be secretly, i perceive this is a 'blessing' book! (also with some personal experiences of being blessed from the 'blown of karmic winds' in many unexpected accidents?).
It was a reader from Canada who had ordered to get this book via email to us last year (which had taken us months to respond to her request), upon receipt of the book, he/she sent a brief message to us 'the wondrous book arrived' that first struck me! - but unfortunately no light from the simple but thundering words. Further to our communications happened last month, in a short message, one of the sentences was written "the book itself is truely gem" (translation to Chinese:真 宝)  – this Dharma ‘Friend’ we met via virtual space, the precise sentence made me contemplated: are we ready (accumulated enough merits) to receive or understand such ‘Transcendental Teachings’of this Great Perfection practice book let alone to appreciate it?  - i felt like my head being knocked by a vajra from space!
Thus, i started re-reading this book*, and found this compendium of Dzogchen tradition presented via the method of Q&A are indeed pitch instructions.  while reading this Q2:
Q:2. What should you be thinking when you engage in the Dharma practices:
A: In the beginning when you engage in the Dharma practices, you should think that in the case of all sentient beings there is not even one who had not been your parents in your past lives in time without beginning.....(p.12).
This is really hard! i/we are such conditioned (programmed) while growing up - many things if not all the things, we performed, the 'self' come first! As i was contemplating on this verse for nearly a week, together with daily preliminaries practices, and dedication of merits after each session brought me much tears and deep feeling - this mother earth belongs to all beings...
May All Beings be Well and Happy, May the mother earth be Peaceful!
Note:
*p.67-68, A Garland of Flowers: Questions and Answers on the highly Secret Clear Light Great Perfection / H.E. Kunde Rinpoche; translated by Geshe Lhakdor and Dr. Chok Tenzin Monlam, 2011. (ISBN: 978-967-10552-0-5)

[转载]白玛格桑法王---时间真相

Personally I find this teaching story very creative and real in the stage of life and death - it is like a dream yet we may experienced, and/or witness this happening in many live stories by self and/or around us...
A story from "Illusion of Life and Death", author: Pema Kalsang Rinpoche. Translation text.

故事摘录自书籍：《生死的幻觉》白马格桑仁波切著

“从前，有位幻术师非常精通幻术，他有一位朋友是出家师父，俩人非常要好。有一天俩人像平时一样坐在幻术师家里边喝茶边聊天。闲聊中，出家师父对幻术师说：“我想看看你的幻术，能给我表演一下吗？”幻术师笑了一下，走到门口，叫朋友过来看。出家师父走过去，看见门边有一匹高头骏马，那骏马威武健壮，比画的还要好看。幻术师说：“你想要这匹马吗？我可以卖给你。”出家师父问：“这么好的马你是从哪里得到的？要卖多少钱？”幻术师说：“马的价值应该由它的力量和速度来决定，你先骑一下看看马的好坏，然后再谈价格，我们朋友之间没什么不好谈的。”出家师父未加思索就骑上了马，幻术师把缰绳递给他，然后在马的屁股上使劲地拍了一下。骏马像箭一样冲了出去，带着出家师父跃过高山谷地、草原河堤，走了几天几夜，穿越了千山万水。最后，骏马把他摔在了一个陌生的旷野上，头也不回地消失在前方。出家师父跋山涉水，终于艰难地走出了旷野，来到了一个牧区。那里的牧民以放牛放羊来维持生活。他在那儿乞讨，可是得到的食物非常少，只够勉强吃几天。因为人生地不熟，而且语言不通，他像狗一样流浪了许多日子。后来和牧民慢慢接触多了，他开始听懂了他们的方言。幸运的是，那地方的牧民都是信佛的，他们问他是否会念经，他说，念得很熟练。于是有一些牧民请他念经做法事，起初他就以这样的方式生活着。后来，他因为很多年离开了善知识，又结交了坏朋友，跟随他们一起做了不好的事情，因此，破了出家戒。再后来，他和当地的一位姑娘相爱并还俗成家了。为了照顾家庭，他整天忙着放牧和打猎，全然不顾痛苦和罪过。他们生了三个儿女，在把儿女一个个养大的过程中，他怕他们着凉、生病、饥饿，怕他们夭折。儿女生病了他宁愿用自己的死来代替，在饱尝诸如此类的无数担心和折磨的过程中，儿女们被渐渐养育长大。未曾想，儿女们稍大之后，却不听父母的话，互相吵闹打架，摔坏贵重的东西，看到好的东西就要，父母看不到时就偷。在感受如此种种痛苦的同时，夫妻两个之间还经常吵架，互相责骂，甚至有几次还打得头破血流，成了离也离不了、分也分不开的冤家夫妻。他们缺衣少食，日子过得十分艰苦。好不容易熬过了艰难岁月，孩子们长大，变得比较懂事，知道孝敬父母了，可他已经老了。想当年，他也曾经是父母的宝贝，后来成为出家师父，之后变成还俗成家的年轻丈夫，可现在变成了像累鸟一样的老头。因为年纪大了，又因为养活家人吃了很多苦，而且家人总是吵吵闹闹，加上他的身体里面还有各种疾病逼迫，外面又是恶劣的环境逼迫，他变得像个饿鬼一样，谁都不想见。可是为了生活，他仍然不得不出去打猎。年轻时为了能猎获岩石山上的岩羊、草坡山上的羚羊、森林里的鹿、草原上的野骡，他手拿猎枪，腰挂火药，上午爬上岩石山，下午奔走野牛道，晚上在山脚等候鹿吃夜草……喝水的狐狸，寻窝的獾，吃草的雪猪，甚至兔子和鸟，他看到什么就杀什么，杀死什么就吃什么，他以这样的生活方式度过了人生的一半时光。那时，在响亮的枪声和白色的硝烟中他可以把肉堆得像岩石山。可现在他身体衰老，手脚关节疏松，腰酸背痛，坐下站不起来，站起来又坐不下去。好不容易坐下时就像马背上的货捆猛然掉落在地；走路时没有气力就像抓鸟人般轻手轻脚。曾经俊美锐利的眼睛现在看不清远方，上眼皮耷拉下来几乎要盖到下眼皮，嘴瘪瘪的像皱巴巴的羊皮口袋。想说话但是口齿不清，想交谈却听不清对方说话。就这样他还得去上山打猎，尽管空手回来的次数越来越多，但他还是拼命去做。踏着晨霜，披着夜星，度过晚年的一天又一天。有一次他照例上山去打猎，走了很久之后，在一个山坳里发现了一头刚刚产下幼崽的母羚羊，母羚羊身体十分虚弱、动弹不得。他非常无情地杀害了它们，然后以枪作为拐杖，一瘸一拐地背着羚羊的尸体往家走。 走到家的河对岸时，小儿子看见爸爸带着猎物回来，非常高兴，一边喊着爸爸，一边兴冲冲地跑过来，不慎一个失足从桥上掉了下去，立刻就被汹涌的河水冲走了；哥哥姐姐看见弟弟掉到河里，赶紧跳下去救，结果也被河水冲走；妻子目睹这一切，大哭大叫，不顾一切地跳进了河里。眼看一家人转眼间都被河水冲走，他伤心欲绝、昏倒在地，不知过了多久才清醒过来。他倚着枪想站起来，却又倒了下去。就在这时，突然间他感觉像天亮般清醒过来，一看自己正在朋友家里，拿着一根棍子，倒伏在地。幻术师笑着对他说：“起来喝茶吧。”他爬起来，发现刚才倒的那杯茶还是热的。他感到十分惊讶，在短短几分钟的时间里，他竟然经历了一生的坎坷和痛苦！他无法相信这一切，愣了好一会儿才回过神来。回想这些幻觉带来的痛苦，他深深感到轮回世间的作业毫无意义，升起了强烈的出离心，毅然抛开眼前的一切，专心一意隐入山中精进修行，最后获得自利利他的大成就，并以转世化生来利益一切众生，直至轮回空尽。”

source of this story was extracted, retrieved from:
文献：http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_935678810100z5fd.html (July 9, 2013)