Everything is illusion

By Jaime Licauco
Inquirer
11/20/2006

LAST week, the highest spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, visited Manila for the first time.

The Karmapa heads one of four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the Karma Kagyu. The other schools are the Ningma, Sakya and Gelupa, each having its own spiritual head.

The Dalai Lama, political and spiritual leader of Tibet, belongs to the Gelupa school.

The Karma Kagyu is considered “one of the most precious lineages in Tibet.” The Karmapa was first incarnated in the 12th century and is now in his 17th incarnation. He is a treasury of teachings.
One of Tibet’s greatest spiritual teachers and saints, Milarepa, comes from Karma Kagyu.

The 17th Karmapa was born in Tibet in 1983, the third son of a great lama. He is descended from doctors and learned medical scholars.
His name, Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, means “Limitless and Unchanging Buddha Activity.”

When Thaye Dorje was only 3 years old, he reportedly told everyone, “I am the Karmapa.”

Once, as a young boy, he read an ancient Buddhist textbook, “Logic of Emptiness,” and immediately knew the first section by heart, reciting the whole text.
At age 11, he was officially recognized as the 17th incarnation of the Karmapa by the 14th Kunzig Shamarpa, second highest lama in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

I had an exclusive interview with the 23-year-old 17th Karmapa, arranged by Dr. Carlos Aureus, president of the Universal Wisdom Foundation, one of the organizers of the Manila visit.

Here are excerpts from that interview:

What’s the difference between Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhism in general?

There is no essential difference... there were three yamas or vehicles that developed for the transmission of the teachings. (What) was established and developed in Tibet was the Raja Yama, the third one. But, of course, all the others carry the same essence—the development of one’s enlightened nature. Each of these vehicles is there to develop qualities that are in us.
Tibetan Buddhism developed due to the particular needs and conditions of the people at the time. Now it has spread worldwide.

At the welcome dinner, you mentioned that your purpose is to spread the authentic teachings of Buddhism. This implies there are inauthentic teachings.

Not inauthentic. But the teachings should be clear (and) true and should be explained properly, or else we risk being misunderstood or misinterpreted. This can also affect man’s development.

A hallmark of Buddhism is belief in reincarnation... But very few remember their past incarnations. Why is it that you remember yours?

It is difficult for the average person to understand the nature of reincarnation. Even for Buddhists, it is hard to follow that fact. This is mainly due to negative things we have done in the past.
It is difficult for us to pinpoint the cause of our present difficulties because in this life we don’t remember doing these negative things. Even if we live a good normal life, a karma-less life, still we face difficulties.
But once we accept that these things are due to what we (did) in the past, then we can do something about them.

Do you remember all your past lives or only the most recent?

We don’t usually talk about our past lives publicly even if we remember them because it is hard for others to accept them. They will be regarded merely as stories, not actual facts...

But anyone who follows the correct procedures, for example by practicing a certain type of meditation and developing his inner nature, in time he will remember his past incarnations.

Why is there a strong resurgence of interest in Buddhism in western countries and why at this time?

Perhaps one reason is the freedom and flexibility in Buddhist philosophy. Other religions also offer freedom and salvation, but perhaps not in the same degree of flexibility that Buddhism offers.

Buddhism is consistent with scientific truths and logic. And this may also account for its appeal to western people.

Some western philosophers and writers consider Buddhism a negative religion because of its emphasis on self-denial, self-abnegation, mortification of the flesh and suppression of desire. Is this a correct view of Buddhism?

I think this stems from a lack of proper knowledge of Buddhism. But who can blame them?

The letting go of desire (a main teaching of Buddhism) does not mean we are devoid of everything. It only means we let go of our strong grasp of what is not there.

The negative things we experience are (because we cling strongly) to things that we think are there but actually are not.

Through Buddhism, we let go of things, let go of our desires. Only then can we be truly free, because we are not bound by anything.

That was brilliant, I think. Now even quantum physicists believe there is really nothing out there. Everything is maya or illusion. When we desire something of this world, we are desiring or pursuing what is not there.

Quantum physicists discovered that when they started probing the ultimate component of matter, there was only empty space. This has led to a rethinking of what really constitutes the material universe. It is consistent with Buddhist philosophy that everything is maya or illusion.