When Every Individual Sangha Is Attached To Material Things And Worldly Affairs Then Dharma Will Be Finished
20.12.2020
On December 20, 2020 Rinpoche sent a letter to His disciples about the problems of the degeneration age, as many people sent letters and questions to him expressing their worries about these problems.
“Nothing is prefect in samsara or in this world because everything is controlled by cause and karma. Therefore, except, as in so far as we try to fix everything so it can move in the correct direction, it is not fair for us to hurt ourselves by worrying about everything.
For example, most things and most people here are improved. They have improved very much now over how they were before, because I have been trying enough to educate the sangha and people. This education has been gained through teaching the Dharma, worldly principles, and principles of social affairs.
The Sangha here is larger now then ever before and although the educational policy weighs heaviest on young people who are becoming monks or nuns, Dharma study in general is much more advanced now then before, with more people being in two or three year retreats practicing more diligently and faithfully now then before.
Of course, this is a time of extraordinary degeneration that the Dharma is facing with so much in the way of obstacles and losing its power and sangha everyday, everywhere. Dharma and pure Sangha are disappearing and have disappeared in many places on this planet including in its birth place, India. Luckily they still exist in China, Vietnam and especially in Tibet.
More then two thousand years ago, the Buddha said clearly that the Dharma will be destroyed by it’s own people, no external implements really destroy Dharma. When every individual sangha is involved or attached to material things or worldly affairs, then Dharma will be finished because then no one who has real interest or motivation to do the activities of learning, contemplating, and meditating will be able to do them.
Good leadership or good education make a big difference for the understanding and conduct of people. For that reason, it’s our responsibility to educate and to teach people to have greater understanding, better conduct and more honesty. (Honesty is real gold, real diamonds, real jewels.) Therefore, usually people are poor in these qualities but they pretended to possess them.
They pretend to be honest dharma followers by saying “Oh you are the greatest, my guru,” but they never really follow the instructions. Not only that, but being sneaky with the teacher they are two-faced because they never really have the faith to see what is genuine and what is not, and they are never satisfied by genuine Dharma or with a practice that is really effective.
Maybe, I should say this, that attachment, anger and ignorance are the main problem in the Dharma world. But the world of samsara doesn’t accept that, so a samsaric person doesn’t accept that attachment, anger and ignorance are problematic ether.”
________________________
* The title is created by the translator for the reader’s convenience.
