Julian of Norwich and Other Tibetan Lamas

And after this I langorid forth two days and two nightes, and on the third night I wened oftentimes to have passed, and so wened they that were with me. And yet in this I felt a great louthsomnes to die, but for nothing that was in earth me liked to live for, ne for no paine that I was afraid of, for I trusted in God of his mercy. But it was for I would have lived to have loved God better and longer time, that I might, by the grace of that living, have more knowing and loving of God in the blisse of heaven. ₁

Commenting on this passage from Julian’s third chapter, editors Nicholas Watson and Jacqueline Jenkins observe: “The logic here … is that long life gives more opportunities for good works, which lead to greater heavenly reward.” ₂ They go on to identify this “logic” with a “cumulative idea of reward.” ₃

This logic of reward might, in some ways, invite a conversation with the Buddhist understanding of “merit.” The Tibetan word for “merit” is bsod-nams and the Sanskrit, punya, and it has been identified as referring to “the wholesome tendencies imprinted in the mind as a result of positive and skillful thoughts, words, and actions that ripen in the experience of happiness and well-being.” ₄ Tibetan lamas affirm that “merit” can be misunderstood:

People normally think of merit as some kind of accounting system or bank balance, where we either deposit or withdraw merit to create a situation of surplus or deficit. This accumulation of merit is not like that, for it doesn’t represent something we own or lose so much as something that can really transform energy. In Buddhism, the notion of merit refers to pycho-spiritual dispositional properties. We need to understand the importance of developing these properties if we want to enrich our lives and stop feeling so empty and vacuous. ₅

For her part, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo makes this observation regarding merit: “Usually translated as merit or even as goodness, punya represents the positive karmic results of good intentions and actions.” ₆ In referencing the notion of “karma” here, Tenzin Palmo invites reflection on a word that can be overladen in non-Buddhist contexts with meanings that can obscure its understanding in Buddhist religious thought, philosophy, and spiritual practice. And while the concept will be explored more over the course of future reflections, the following definition can serve as an introduction:

The technical term ‘karma’ refers to the dynamic relationship between actions and their consequences. It includes in its causal aspect both the actual actions (physical, verbal, mental) and the psychological imprints and tendencies created within the mind by such actions. ₇

The karmic imprints and tendencies generated by our actions, and particularly through our habituated actions, are borne by us after the death of our bodies, and they can have a powerful impact on how and what we see, perceive, and experience after our deaths. ₈ This should not be understood as involving the judgement of an external judge, but rather the cumulative effects of how actions inform and transform our perception and experience of reality. Such an understanding invites additional reflection on Julian’s statement: “But it was for I would have lived to have loved God better and longer time, that I might, by the grace of that living, have more knowing and loving of God in the blisse of heaven.” Could she be saying that she wishes a longer life which might allow more time for grace-filled spiritual practice that would, in turn, enhance her ability to encounter the bliss that she believes awaits her beyond the veil of this world? In Chapter One, Julian confirms, seemingly with a fair degree of comfort, that she believes herself “to be saved the marcy of God.” ₉ Now she seems to long for the time to prepare herself more fully to experience that salvific reward.

Endnotes

1. Julian of Norwich, The Writings of Julian of Norwich, Eds, Nicholas Watson and Jacqueline Jenkins. University Park, The Pennsylvania State University Press, Chapter 2, lines 3 – 10, and pages 129 and 131.
2. Julian of Norwich, The Writings of Julian of Norwich, Eds, Nicholas Watson and Jacqueline Jenkins. University Park, The Pennsylvania State University Press, page 130.
3. Julian of Norwich, The Writings of Julian of Norwich, Eds, Nicholas Watson and Jacqueline Jenkins. University Park, The Pennsylvania State University Press, page 130.
4. “Glossary of Key Terms.” The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation. Translated by Gyurme Dorje. Edited by Graham Coleman with Thupten Jinpa. New York: Viking Penguin, 2006, page 490.
5. Traleg Kyabgon, The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind. Boulder: Shambhala, 2007, pages 108-109.
6. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Nikki Mirghafori, and Gyokei Yokoyama, “What does ‘dedicating merit” really do?” Lion’s Roar. February 25, 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.lionsroar.com/what-does-dedicating-merit-really-do/
7. “Glossary of Key Terms.” The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation. Translated by Gyurme Dorje. Edited by Graham Coleman with Thupten Jinpa. New York: Viking Penguin, 2006, page 497.
8. “What we experience after death will depend solely on our mind, on the habitual mental tendencies and thoughts that we created and fostered while we were alive.” (Tulku Thondup, Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook. Edited by Harold Talbott. Boston: Shambhala, 2006, pages 2 and 3). While hosting Thomas Merton in Dharamsala in November of 1968, Harold Talbott was counseled by the Trappist to study Dzogchen: “That’s what I would be doing kid: what the Tibetan tradition has to offer us is Dzogchen and that’s where it’s at … If you want to spend the rest of your life reading sutras and tantras for the next forty years before you even get to start really practicing shamata (calming-the-mind meditation) go right ahead … But if you want to know where it’s at, find a Dzogchen yogi.” (Helen Tworkov, “Thomas Merton in the Himalayas, An Interview with Harold Talbott.” Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Summer, 1992.) Harold dutifully followed TM’s advice and found a Dzogchen teacher named Lama Gyurda-la with whom he studied for years – and for whom he cared when the Tibetan lama became sick and was dying. Harold also found a Dzogchen teacher in the person of Tulku Thondup Rinpoche for whom he edited many books, including the one cited here.
9. Julian of Norwich, The Writings of Julian of Norwich, Eds, Nicholas Watson and Jacqueline Jenkins. University Park, The Pennsylvania State University Press, Chapter 2, lines 14-15, and pages 127.