Teachings on Nagarjuna’s letter from Geshe Sonam Gyaltsen (March – September 2024)
Maitreya Institute, Loenen, Netherlands;
Personal experiences from Getsulma Tenzin Chödron.
‘OLD AGE, SO MUCH TO LEARN!
‘You are served with learning moments’
To gain deeper insight into your habit patterns,
the process of aging is extremely helpful!
We are attached to our body, our way of life, if all this becomes defective, it creates anger, not only about the functioning of our body itself, but also about all those coping mechanisms we have built up in our lives and now fail to work: from a nice (walking) holiday to purchasing all those things that made our life more pleasant, digesting food, moving smoothly through life, if this doesn’t work anymore, our patterns fall apart, what is left?
DHARMA!
Apart from the amount of money, time and attention we have spent on our body in this life, we obviously don’t want to lose those pleasures we have to give up now:
the manifest suffering, the suffering through change, we are in samsara and in the sphere of desire, the all-pervading suffering, the conclusion is ‘we are completely chained to the eight worldly interests’.
The power to find new ways and solutions is decreasing, not only is our body less flexible, but our mind is also groaning & moaning quite a bit, it is very confronting to observe within ourselves that all those wonderful dharma lessons have not yet brought about any realizations! However, the necessity for these is heavely increased and our forces gradually decrease very much, but there is still hope in this valuable human life through more knowledge & spiritual experiences, although in any case the actual knowledge has indeed become quite rusty!
The five obstacles loom life size, as also does the insight into the functioning of the eight worldly dharmas; the important thing is to firmly reduce both of these after these insights have emerged.
1. remorse, regret 2. malice 3. lethargy and sleep 4. sense desires 5. doubt
Resilience decreases due to fatigue & pain; We realize that resistance to change is futile by holding on to what no longer functions, it will only get worse!
We are become a ‘borderline’ case that needs help from others and no longer can function without this help!
Develop equanimity and compassion for your own functioning and that of others.
Apply Lo Djong in learning to deal with illness, obstacles, setbacks and unpleasant experiences
(so many beings who have the same illnnesses, are in the same situation, incredible)
Continue to purify & gather, avoid tumbling into the lower realms of existence by taking refuge, be content with what is and cheerfully endure discomfort.
IT’S QUITE SOMETHING, OLD AGE, WE HAVE TO LEARN SO MUCH!
‘Learned young is done old’ but growing older and what it entails, we only learn when we are really in the middle of it!
We can observe it around us when we’re young, but it doesn’t really sink in!
Extending a helping hand, yes, you can get that far, but the whole PHPT (pain here pain there) story quickly turns into whining, and of course you’re not ready to face that yet when you are young!
You endure more from some people, living beings, you can cope better with their suffering because of your own attachment, because you have ‘a soft spot’ for them, but the rest of the beings is alas too time-consuming, takes too much from your energy or is simply not interesting enough!
We have this valuable human life, access to a (several) spiritual teacher(s), the precious dharma and many pillars of support on our path, this awakens gratitude and satisfaction and gives hope.
Good luck with it! Tenzin Chödron