Quite some time ago, it might have been the last time Geshe Rabten Rinpoche was in Dharamsala, he was doing a sadhana and prayers, and he was trying to define what pollution means. Geshe-la thought that if somebody makes an offering with devotion to a monk who doesn’t study or practice well, there’s the risk of pollution by living off the things that have been offered, however, if the offerings are made without the mind of devotion and the monk doesn’t practice well, there may not be pollution. Therefore, if Sangha study and practice hard, and also do service for the monastery, that helps the mind not become polluted.
This pollution can become a very heavy obstacle to achieving realizations. There is a story about Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen or one of the Panchen Lamas, who stopped accepting offerings given by many people with devotion, in order to have realizations more easily. So, for the Sangha, if you don’t study and keep pure morality; if you don’t study hard and practice, then [accepting these offerings] can become an obstacle for realization. So, there may be pollution when things are offered by people out of devotion.
When things come from the Sangha, there is also the guru’s pollution. It’s not saying that you are receiving negativities from the guru; that it is caused by the guru’s mind. It’s not saying that. Some meditators, for example in Dharamsala, try not to accept a salary, because this is making money problems or something like that. However, the main thing is to purify—to practice hard and to keep your morality pure.
There is also pollution of the stupa, at the places where people make offerings. When money is used to buy light offerings at the temple or stupa, or to make any offering to the holy objects, then abusing that. That is pollution of the stupa. If that is the way of earning a living, then you have to live in pure morality and practice hard.
Within the practice of purification by Shakyamuni Buddha, there is the Thirty-five Buddhas practice, so you can purify pollution by reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas. By reciting the names seven times, you can probably purify mountains of pollution; big, huge piles of pollution. Recite the names, then think that the pollution received from beginningless rebirth until now is purified.
If you find your mind is not clear when you meditate; if it was OK before and then there is a change; or if your visualization is unclear or you can’t even visualize Buddha; or if you can’t grasp or remember the words when you listen to teachings, all of this is a sign of pollution and a way to recognize pollution.
If you are unable to remember the words; if it is difficult to understand the meaning and you feel distant when you listen to the teachings; if your mind is foggy and very drowsy when you meditate, recite mantras or read Dharma texts; if it is easy to fall asleep when you listen to teachings, meditate or read Dharma texts, this is also a sign of pollution.
One method you can use if this sleepy, drowsy mind comes when you practice and do meditation, is to offer a bath to the buddhas. The actual practice is the guru yoga practice of serving the guru, washing the holy body, cleaning the place and washing the guru’s clothes, but when it’s not possible to do the actual guru yoga practice, then visualize offering the bath to the merit field in the reflected mirror. The main thing is to practice purification and as much as possible to live in pure vows.
