SIX BARDOs TEACHING (Part 3)

(A brief teaching by H.E. Tai Situ Rinpoche, Nov.1982 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

 3. Bardo of Meditation.

And this explained into 3 basic principles - the body meditation, the speech meditation, the mind meditation.

Here when we say the body samten. In Tibetan we say samten means "Ting". This is proper way of sitting, proper way of situating the body. Naturally develops the "tingism" the samten, the meditative state. Example, when we go to a temple, the surrounding of temple is peaceful. Inside of the temple is clean. The Buddha's image is beautiful.  Kind of simplicity, kind of natural calmness, naturally develops - and this is the body, the physical aspect of "tingism".

The other opposite of that when we go to a disco, full of crazy music and all this funny thing, light etc. etc. everybody is jumping like monkeys. They make you also shaky and that is the reason you shake your own and that is the way how the body "tingism" is necessary. The right way of sitting, like cross-legged, straight body etc, it isn't just an eastern culture, it isn't only a kind of - I think here you all know, but in the West, America and Europe when Buddha-dharma came there first about 15 years ago, people don't really understand that because they only sit on the chair. Their legs are quite stiff and when they sit cross-leg you know there must be one feet between their knee and ground – and it hurts them. Then they say that this is eastern kind of culture. It doesn't suit with western kind of habit. We say 'No, no, it isn't. It is based on the human coordination of body, speech and mind. For the mind to be in peace, in calmness, in the "tingism" in the samten, body has to be situated properly. Then we can make it simple, we have so many simple examples that, when you eat you must sit straight and eat.  If you lie on bed and eat it will throw you up. This is the way. When you sleep you must lie down. If you stand and sleep, you fall down, may break your leg you know. Anyway that is the body "tingism".

And speech is saying right word. All the prayers, all the chanting, all the mantras they have many levels. Some are just basic words. Some are more kind of key word but anyway all of them are words, the speech "ting ism". It situates the body in a most profound posture and speech in a most profound word. And that is the right way of saying. Naturally you know, if we say to somebody "I respect you", the person feels good, naturally. If you say "I hate you", the person feels bad, naturally. It is the word power. A person sings good song with good voice.  It makes you feel good and calm down, yes? A person sing with bad voice; usually these days it is the fashion, sing with bad voice - like vomiting - like coughing - like crying, you know, and that this makes people feel unbalanced and crazy and feel bad, naturally. That is the way the effect of the sound that saying the right word is the speech "tingism".

And now the third, the mind tingism. This is thinking right. Mind rest in the peace.  Mind rest in the nature, thinking compassion, loving kindness towards the others.  Thinking devotion, faith, trust towards the ultimate truth and which is related with that Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, the right thing, the right path, the right guidance. This is the way of body, speech, mind “tingism”, the meditation, the samten. To be able to do this properly, not only when you sit down and meditate, even when you walk, when you work, when you eat, when you cook, when you talk, when you sleep - all the time. Always there is better, way to do it and doing it in a better way, having mindfulness and awareness.  That is the Samten Bardo, the Bardo of Meditation.

Briefly about H.E. Tai Situpa and Karma Kagyu Lineage

H.E.12^th Tai Situ Rinpoche (born on 15^th Feburualy1954) founded the Palpung – Sherabling Monastery in Northern India in the Himalayan Regions. He is the Root Guru of the present 17^th Gyalwa Karmapa.

The 11^th Tai Situ Rinpoche was the Root Guru of 16^th Gyalwa  Karmapa and the 16^th Gyalwa Karmapa was the Root Guru of 12^th Tai Situpa. By tracing back to the past, the two of them took turn to be Guru in one life and became the disciple in the next life. This is the way how the lineage is kept unbroken from Guru to disciple in the Karma Kagyu 

This lineage was founded by Vajra Dhara (Dorje Chang), sambhogakaya form of Buddha Sakyamuni, who taught Tilopa , an Indian Mahasidha. And this lineage from India continued to Tibet unbroken until the present 12^th Tai Situ Rinpoche who is the only holder of the Special Oral Transmission Lineage of the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhism. When a person receives this Special Oral Transmission, he or she will get immediate good experience in his or her meditation practice. According to Rinpoche, to receive this Special Oral Transmission Blessings, the devotee’s Karma must be ripe at that time. This blessing is powerful because it comes from the whole Karma Kagyu Lineage.