Kopan Course No. 27 (1994)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Kopan Monastery, Nepal, 1994 (Archive #996)

These teachings were given by Kyabje Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at the 27th Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in Nov-Dec 1994. The transcripts are lightly edited by Gordon McDougall.

You may also download the entire contents of these teachings in a pdf file.

Lecture Four: December 3, 1994

THE MERIT OF LIVING IN VOWS
As it’s mentioned in Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, we can become a soldier, which is in effect making a vow to kill and to harm others, or we can make a vow to do the opposite, to not commit the ten nonvirtuous actions. Similarly, we can decide to lead our life as a wine-seller, or we can make the decision to make a vow to abstain from committing the ten nonvirtues. If we make the decision to lead our life as in these examples, we constantly collect negative karma, constantly. It doesn’t mean as a soldier we are constantly killing day and night, but until we change from that vow, from that commitment to do negative activity, to live our life in that way, our negative karma is constantly increasing. So the negative side is like this.

Now the positive side. As I mentioned those past nights, when we make vow to abandon nonvirtues, even if it’s not all ten nonvirtues, we take those vows until death. Whether it’s just one precept, like abstaining from killing, or two precepts or more, from the second the vow is taken until death, we are constantly accumulating merit, day and night, even during our sleep, as I mentioned before, even if we were to fall into a coma that lasted for years. Until death, every second, by living in one vow, we collect one merit continuously, even during sleep. For how many hours we sleep we continuously accumulate that one merit. Even if we fall into a coma, we become a vegetable, unable to function at all for many years, we continuously collect that one merit. If we have taken two precepts, every second we continuously collect two merits. So like this. Somebody who has taken the full monk’s vows, the 253 precepts, from that second until death, even during sleep, even if that person becomes unconscious or in a coma, constantly while he is walking, sleeping and so forth, he constantly collects the 253 merits, until death time.

As I mentioned yesterday, even if that person doesn’t perform particular practices—doing the preliminary practices, studying the Dharma or doing meditation—even if he doesn’t perform any practices like this, even if all the person does is sleep, eat and make kaka, since the vow is taken and he lives in the vow, in reality that person constantly, every second, day and night, collects the 253 merits. And it’s the same thing we a person taking the full bhikshuni vows. With her 360 or more merits, she constantly collects that number of merits every second until death , even if she doesn’t do any other practice than that.

Knowing this, that we constantly collect so much merit just by taking the vow even if we are unable to do any extra practices, that’s something that we can enjoy. We can relax and enjoy our life by knowing this benefit. By knowing this benefit, we can lead our life with such satisfaction.

As I mentioned, a person who doesn’t live in any vow but who makes millions of dollars, he makes charity of one rupee to a beggar, and another person who lives in a vow—even just one precept—also makes charity of one rupee to that beggar. The material charity, the quantity, is the same but for the first one who doesn’t live in the vow, the merit is so small, like a handful of dirt. For the person who is living in even one vow, the merit he is able to collect from that act is like the rest of the earth, like the rest of the whole earth, like that many number of atoms. The first one’s benefit is like the number of atoms in a handful of dirt, very little merit, very little compared to the person who is living in even one vow. How much merit that person gained, having given one rupee—the amount is the same—but by living in the vow, there is a huge difference regarding the amount of merit collected by these two different people, one living in the vow and one not living in the vow.

As I mentioned from the sutra, The Heap of the Jewels, a person living in ordination, with renunciation, living in the vow, makes a tiny offering to a stupa of a light of wax the size of a tiny hair and butter the size of a mustard seed. That person’s merit is far greater than three galaxies’ of sentient beings, each of them by creating unimaginable merit having reincarnated as wheel-turning kings, making offerings of oceans of butter and Mt. Merus of wax, the great mountains of the wax, to stupas. This second one is many sentient beings, three galaxies full of sentient beings turned into universe wheel-turning kinds, and for each the quantity of offerings they are making is so huge, unbelievably huge, to holy objects to stupas, but even though they collect vast amounts of merit, that merit is small compared to that one person living in the vow with renunciation who makes one tiny offering to one stupa.

What the sutra is saying is that by living in the vow, even when we make a tiny offering, because of the power of our own body living in the vow, the merit increases so much becoming inconceivable. The amount of merit becomes inconceivable. This is the unbelievable advantage in our everyday life, whenever we make charity to other sentient beings, whenever we accumulate good karma with relation to sentient beings, whenever we make any offering—flowers, incense, light, water, food offerings, doing circumambulations, prostrations and so forth—whatever offering and so forth we make towards holy objects, we accumulate unbelievable merit.

Then is no question for those who are living in the higher vows, even if they seldom do this practice of making offering or making charity towards the sentient beings, even if it’s not done every day, even if it’s rarely done, each time they do it, they collect unbelievable merit, like the sky. Even if the person does it very rarely, because he is living in the higher vows, the merit he accumulates is like the sky, [so much more than] somebody not living in the vows but working so hard day and night, making offerings, trying to create good karma, with sentient beings or with holy objects.

The third thing is, just doing the practice of purification is not enough. Put it this way. I often say it this way. Dharma is the only solution; Dharma is the only ultimate solution. For peace and happiness, Dharma is the only ultimate solution. It’s the only answer for the success, for the happiness this life, for the happiness of future lives, and no question for the long-term happiness of future lives and then ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara and the peerless happiness, full enlightenment, there’s no question. All temporary and ultimate happiness comes from the inner cause, good karma. All this comes from the inner cause, the very first cause, our own and each living being’s positive attitude, positive intention.

KARMA: WITHOUT THE CAUSE THE RESULT CANNOT BE EXPERIENCED
In Tibetan, positive intention is called sem-pa. From the fifty-one mental factors, it’s one of them. There are five omnipresent mental factors that always accompany the six principal consciousness. There are different schools, and some have a different way of counting, like the Mind Only school, which says there are seven or eight consciousnesses, but generally speaking, there are said to be six principal consciousnesses. For each of the six principal consciousness, there are five omnipresent mental factors, in Tibetan called kon-dun nga, “always accompanying.” They function to [enhance to experience of the object] and focused on the same object as the principal consciousness, they are similar in five ways: similar object, similar aspect, similar time, similar substances and similar nature. I think it might be like that.

From these five mental factors that always accompany the principle consciousness, one of them is sem-pa, intention. So positive intention is virtuous karma. Our own positive attitude or positive intention is the karma, the positive karma, the virtuous karma. So, all happiness, all temporal and ultimate happiness, each individual sentient being’s temporal and ultimate happiness, all comes from each individual’s sentient being’s positive attitude or intention, that which is called “karma,” the positive actions of the body and mind.

As I mentioned the other night, without the inner cause we can’t achieve the outer cause, we can’t have the outer cause; we can’t have the condition. Generally it can be said, without inner cause, which is our own mind, that cause of happiness that is our own mind, we can’t experience even the external conditions for happiness. Because we don’t have the inner cause, that means we haven’t created the reason to have the outer cause or the condition. We haven’t created the reason for this to happen, to actualize the outer cause, the condition.

As I often mention, for somebody who has a sickness he might not be cured, even if he went to the best hospital where there was the most qualified doctor, and that doctor knows his sickness and is able to diagnosis it without mistake, and even if the doctor has the correct medicine and knows what treatment is to be given. Even though generally speaking the treatment should work perfectly each time, in the general view, in the common people’s view or judgment, as long as these conditions are gathered, the treatment should always work perfectly. But even though that is the common understanding in reality many times, many times, it doesn’t happen that way. The disease gets worse or the patient even dies. So many times the opposite to common understanding happens.

And the same thing, even in business, somebody has studied economy or how to do business well at university or college, and has a degree. After studying all these subjects, no matter how smart that person is, knowing the world situation, the business situation or this country and that country, no matter how intelligence or smart, no matter how clever and having all this education, when he actually goes into business with the most amazing business plans, the result is completely contradictory to what everybody expects. Everybody is sure he is going to be successful but many times the result is exactly the opposite.

Maybe I’ll give this example. Quite a number of years ago, I think in France, there was a woman whose husband was so bad to her that she couldn’t handle it anymore and she became so sad she wanted to die. What happened was she jumped out of [an upper-story] window to commit suicide. But at that moment the husband came home. He was entering through the door and she fell on her husband’s body. I don’t remember whether the husband died or not. [Rinpoche laughs]

The point is, even though she wished to die, even though she wished to stop her life, the karma to die was not experienced at that time because she hadn’t created the karma to die at that time. Even though she wished to do this, when she tried it turned out something else. She fell down but instead of falling to the ground she fell on her husband’s body and she didn’t die. She didn’t succeed. She hadn’t created the karma to die at that time. It’s all to do with karma. Even though what she wished was to die, by jumping it only made her to survive.

It’s the same thing with business or health, with the sickness of the person I mentioned. It shows that if we haven’t created the karma to have success at that time, that karma can’t ripen at that time. Instead, the karma we have created is to be unsuccessful, whether it’s the treatment to be beneficial to cure the disease or the success in business. The karma we created was for the opposite and so the result is the problem, the unpleasant suffering and the cause of that is negative karma. This happens because the karma we created was negative karma which can only result in continuously getting sick or experiencing death, in the treatment not being benefiting. It doesn’t benefit and then nothing works in business, everything gets stuck, then on top of that failure. This negative karma was created and that is experienced in that time.

One person might have wealth by stealing or another person might become wealthy by doing business with a restaurant or hotel that involves killing so many animals every day, like sea animals, those large animals, fish and so forth, many hundreds a day. They have become wealthy by stealing or by killing and selling so many other sentient beings. The cause of being wealthy is not just from that. It appears to be just from killing all those thousands of sea animals each day. It appears the wealth came from there; the wealth came from the business. For ordinary common people’s view it appears like that, but in reality the wealth came from past good karma. The main cause of the wealth—the person’s comfort and enjoyment—came from the inner cause, the positive intention, the good karma, either earlier in this life or in a past life. So many animals, many thousands killed each day, selling them, making food. This becomes a condition but not the cause. Stealing can be said to be a condition, but it’s not the cause, it’s not the cause of the person having enjoyment and comfort, the person having wealth. He is experiencing comfort and enjoyment now but the main cause is not the stealing. Even though it appears like that, in common people’s view, who do not understand karma, even though it looks like there is no other cause, but in the reality that person having comfort and enjoyment all comes from the past, from the inner cause, the positive intention, the good karma.

While such people are experiencing the result of past good karma, living on past good karma, at the same time they are creating so much negative karma every day, thousands and thousands of negative actions, by killing the large and small sea animals. Always creating negative karma every day while using the past good karma, living on the past good karma—they don’t create any additional good karma. People like this, engaging in so much killing and so forth, might be able to live for a long time, seventy or eighty years, but that is the result of another different karma; that is the result of past good karma. Their long life didn’t come from the negative karma, the killing of hundreds and thousands of other sentient beings every day, it didn’t come from that. It came from another karma, a past good karma.

If that person’s mind doesn’t change, if his actions don’t change, in some ways living a long life is a bad sign. The longer he lives, the more he uses this precious human body to create more and more negative karma, which means even if he is able to live for so many years, all those negative karmas are being collected, meaning he will have to experience the results in the lower realm, one after another, one rebirth after another in the lower realms, for eons and eons. This is what awaits him, even though he may be physically very healthy for many years, not having much sickness.

TWO SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS: PURIFICATION AND CREATING POSITIVE KARMA
On the other hand, we might hear of a very strong Dharma practitioner, somebody who has completely renounced this life, a pure Dharma practitioner doing so much practice of very powerful purification, but who experiences many sicknesses in this life. She experiencing many problems in the life, many sicknesses, one after another, many catastrophes—externally it looks kind of bad. But actually the mind is in great peace because she has renounced this life. Her mind is free from attachment, clinging to this life, so even with these problems happening, there is great peace in the mind. Externally it looks like she is having many problems, but what’s happening in reality is due to strong Dharma practice, with strong compassion doing service to the guru or the Sangha or to other sentient beings, with a renounced mind, so much heavy negative karma created in the past is being purified.

From beginningless rebirths we have accumulated so much heavy negative karma, but with of such strong practice, it becomes very powerful purification, destroying that heavy negative karma which would otherwise cause us to reincarnate in the lower realm and experience those sufferings, one after another, for so many eons. They are purified by manifesting into some problems in this life, some sicknesses—headaches or toothaches—but these problems in this life finish all those heavy karmas, so they don’t have to be experienced as heavy suffering in the life after this. Instead, the future life has incredible freedom. Even if we don’t become enlightened in this life, we finish all those heavy karmas which are the cause to be reborn in the lower realms for many eons and to experience those unimaginable sufferings. That is all finished by experiencing some problems in this life.

Even if we don’t become enlightened in this life, by reincarnating in the pure land of a buddha where we can practice tantra, we can then become enlightened. In the next life, we can take a much better rebirth and with much more success in actualizing the realization to the path to enlightenment; we have much more success and it is much easier. Life to life, it gets easier and easier; we are more and more able to develop the mind on path to enlightenment. Like this, we are able to achieve enlightenment quickly. There is this aspect of experiencing karma, where the Dharma practitioner experiences all these problems, but it is only a good sign. It’s only success, incredible success.

On other hand, the person who creates unbelievable negative karma every day, hundreds and thousands of negative acts, might have nothing happen at once; he might have a healthy, strong body and live a long time, for many years, but all that negative karma is being collected and stored up in the mental continuum to be experienced for so many eons in the lower realms.

This might sound like a little bit off the track to what I was talking before, a little bit off the track. [Rinpoche laughs] This is also similar to a good Dharma practitioner who experiences some very heavy pain just before death, or even near the time of death, experiencing some heavy sicknesses or some heavy problems. This is a good sign that, as I explained before. Some heavy negative karma was collected in the past, and before something very good happening, like reincarnating in a pure land and so forth, that little bit of karma is left to be experienced, to finish experiencing. So that is experienced just before death, manifesting in this something like some heavy pain or something. With that, the heavy suffering of the hell realm is finished. After that there is incredible freedom or reincarnate in a pure land of a buddha or so forth.

If a good Dharma practitioner experiences some heavy problem just before dying, that doesn’t mean it’s negative. For many good practitioners, when things like this happen, it’s a positive sign that some very heavy suffering, some heavy negative karma, the cause to experience the heavy sufferings of the hot and cold hells, won’t happen. It has been finished, so the person doesn’t have to experience it. If, just before death, he experiences this, manifesting into this some heavy pain or feeling so cold or feeling so hot, like burning, this is a good sign, the result of the powerful Dharma practice.

Dharma is the ultimate solution to happiness, the only way. To stop experiencing past negative karma, the negative karma already accumulated stored up from the past on our own mental continuum, what we need to do is to purify. The solution is to purify, so that is one Dharma practice. That is what to do with the past negative karma already collected in our own mindstream.

However, just purification, just purifying past negative karma is not sufficient. Just this is not sufficient. We should attempt to not commit negative karma again. This is the second solution, to not commit negative karma again.

In order to have success in our life, there are two solutions. This is the way, even concerning not having AIDS, not having cancer—all these diseases, all these sicknesses—in order to have long life, whatever success or happiness, including this life and then in all the future lives, all the temporary and ultimate happiness. The solution is these two: purifying the past negative karma—that is one Dharma practice—then on top of that, to not commit negative karma again—that is another Dharma practice. These two practices take care of life. Our whole success comes from these two: purifying past negative karma and not committing the cause of the problem again, committing negative karma such as the ten nonvirtues and so forth. Negativities such as the ten nonvirtues are the basic cause of our life’s problems, now and the future, in this life and in future lives. Therefore, the solution is to not commit them again.

Taking the precepts, taking vows, means the second Dharma practice, the second, very important Dharma practice. The solution to achieve the happiness of life is to stop creating the cause of the problem again, doing nonvirtuous actions. When we take the five precepts, that means we don’t commit the five negative karmas again, the cause of the problems of life, now and in the future.

Without talking about the success, the happiness of future lives, even concerning the happiness, the success of this life—long life, health, being successful, everything like that—has to come from Dharma. Without dharma nothing happens, nothing works. Everything gets stuck. Nothing happens. Then what happens is only suffering, only problems. So Dharma practice involves purifying the past negative karma and stopping the creation of negative karma from then on by living in morality. In this way we can understand that Dharma practice is the only ultimate solution. It’s the only solution for success.

Just one more. [Rinpoche laughs]

A GOOD INTENTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
For example, say we are able to find a job and then able to do the job and from that we are able to have comfort and enjoyment and so forth. To be able to make a living is a result of past good karma. But even if we have learned everything well in school, college or university—how to do the job in a professional way like it’s taught in school—that training is only external. How to do the job or how to sleep, how to walk, how to eat food, how to bathe, how to dress, how to do everything, however, there is another way how to do it and that is the inner one. That is the attitude, that which is not taught, that which education does not give us. That other aspect of how to do everything, how to live our life, is missing among the subjects taught in school, college or university. The external aspect how to do things is there, but even if we have learnt this external one well, knowing how to do everything in a very professional way, there is more than this. This is not the only answer; there is more. There is also the inner one, the attitude. There is the attitude to life, the attitude to doing our job, the attitude to sitting, walking, sleeping, talking, washing, all these things—the attitude to doing all our activities in our everyday life. This is the real one, what we do with the mind, what kind of attitude or intention we have. This is the main one that decides whether the action will become the cause of suffering or the cause of happiness. The motivation, the attitude, decides what our everyday life’s action will be, transforming each action into the cause for suffering or happiness.

Our attitude determines how we live our life, how we do everything. It we do it with ignorance, anger or attachment clinging to this life then all these activities—doing our job and so forth—do not become the cause of happiness. Working, sitting, sleeping, washing and so forth—all these activities become the cause of suffering. How to do business, how to do service to others, how to do everything with the mind, we need to know this, this secrecy of the mind, how our whole activity becomes the cause of happiness or suffering depending to our own everyday life’s attitude, whether it is done with a virtuous attitude or a nonvirtuous attitude. If we are not aware of our attitude, the main solution to how to how to live our life is missing. We have no understanding of the real way, the main way how to live our life, how depending on what attitude we have, we can stop all our problems. From the attitude we can achieve all the happiness and success up to enlightenment.

Whether or not we understand Dharma, what Dharma is, even if we don’t believe the teachings, in reality without Dharma there is no happiness. So therefore, as I’ve mentioned before, taking precepts involves the Dharma practice that stops creating the cause of the problems again. By living in the vows, by living in the precepts, that itself also purifies. By bearing hardships, living in the precepts, in the vows, practice of morality, that itself purifies the path and it also becomes a powerful means of purifying past negative karma.

LIBERATION NEEDS REFUGE IN ALL THREE JEWELS
To not be reborn in the lower realms, we don’t need to take refuge to all three Jewels: the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. By taking refuge in just the Dharma, like at time of death, even by just remembering the OM MANI PADME HUM MANTRA or The Heart Sutra prayer, even by remembering a text, if we die with the thought remembering just a text—even just The Essence of Wisdom, The Heart Sutra text—that has the power to stop being reborn in the lower realms. Even that has the power to protect us, to save us from the lower realm sufferings. When we are dying, if we die with the thought remembering even one ordained person, somebody we have faith in, somebody we have devotion and faith in, if we die with that thought remembering one ordained person, one member of the Sangha we have respect for, we don’t get born in the lower realms.

There is the story of a snake who was caught in a fire, being burned in a fire. At that time, a fully ordained monk saved the snake by pouring water over it. The snake was very happy with the monk, and when it died, it died with thinking about the monk with gratitude and because of that was reincarnated as a human being. It was reincarnated as a human being and maybe even became a monk. So, you see, at the time of death, the power, the thought of remembering from the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha even one object of refuge saves us from the unimaginable sufferings of the lower realms.

Now we can compare this with all the scientific knowledge there is. Even with all the knowledge of science, science in the sense of the common thing, Western science, no matter how much knowledge Western science has, when the day of it cannot help us. If we compare all the knowledge of science has, on the day we are dying, it cannot protect us from the unimaginable sufferings of lower realms. But just remembering even a mantra or a Dharma text we are saved. There have been many stories of somebody born in lower realms, in the hot hell, by remembering a prayer, a Dharma text, a Dharma sutra and so forth that he used to read during his previous human lifetime, while he is experiencing hell he suddenly remembers a text he used to read it the past, and he is immediately liberated from the hell realms and reincarnates in the human realm. There are many stories like this.

If we compare the power of science to the power of the refuge of even just remembering one ordained person we respect as we die, a thought that saves us from being born in the lower realm, there is no comparison.

The purpose is not just to not to be reborn in the lower realms. The purpose here is to be completely free from the whole entire suffering of samsara and all the causes, karma and delusions. The purpose is to be free from the whole of samsara that is the path of the continuity of the contaminated, defiled aggregates that become the cause of future samsara, that create future samsara, which are only in the nature of suffering.

To be completely liberated from this, to completely cease the continuation of this samsara, these aggregates—for this, just taking refuge to the Buddha alone is not enough, just taking refuge in the Dharma alone is not enough, just taking refuge in the Sangha alone is not enough. We should rely on all three, on the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Just like a severely sick person, in order to get well, has to rely upon the medicine and the treatment and for that has to rely on the doctor who gives the diagnosis, and then, after the doctor has prescribed the medicine and the treatment the sick person has to rely on the nurses who take care of him, following the doctor’s advice, like this, to be free from the whole of samsara, we need to rely upon all three Jewels: the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

PRECEPTS CEREMONY MOTIVATION
Think, “I must be liberated from this samsara, these defiled aggregates that create the future samsara, that cause me to circle in the future samsara. I have continuously circled from one life to the next, on and on like this, experiencing the sufferings of the six realms. From one end of the six realms to the other, I have experienced the sufferings again and again, endlessly. As it does not have a beginning then it becomes endless. However, at this time I have received a perfect human body, I have met a virtuous friend who has revealed the unmistaken path to peace, to liberation and enlightenment and I have met with the Buddhadharma, so it is time. I must achieve the cessation of samsara, the great liberation, the full enlightenment for sentient beings. Therefore I’m going to take these precepts.”

If you are only taking refuge without taking precepts, think, “I’m going to only take the refuge upasika vow.” If, out of all the five precepts, you are going to take one or more, then think. “I’m going to take the upasika one vow, two vows, three vows, four vows, five vows,…” like that. “…by relying upon the Buddha as a founder of refuge, the Dharma as the actual refuge and the Sangha as the helpers to actualize the refuge within my mind.” You should motivate like this.

Those who have taken higher ordination, the thirty-six vows or, higher than that, full ordination, if you then take the lower eight Mahayana precepts that is exceptional, but if you take the lower ordination of the pratimoksha, it is said by the lamas that it makes you lose the higher vows. Therefore, those who have taken higher ordination—the thirty-six vows or the full ordination—shouldn’t repeat the prayer, shouldn’t think you are taking the five precepts and so forth. You shouldn’t think this way.

This time I didn’t get to bring the Buddha’s tooth, however there is a Guru Shakyamuni Buddha statue, so first make three prostrations to the founder of the present Buddhadharma, Shakyamuni Buddha. Those who are taking refuge and precepts make three prostrations.

Then, make three prostrations to the lama who gives the refuge precepts, three prostrations. Then, if you can, kneel down, like when you take the eight Mahayana precepts. Those who can kneel down, put your palms together at your heart, doing the mudra of prostration. Then repeat the ceremony prayer.

PRECEPTS CEREMONY
[Prayer]

[Rinpoche offers refuge. Students repeat.]

After “da” please mention your name.

[Students follow the preceptor.]

Now here we are taking refuge to Buddha.

Remember one who has a state of mind having ceased all the mistakes of the mind, all the obscurations, the two types of obscuration, having all the qualities of the realizations. You should remember the meaning of the Buddha. There is absolute Buddha and the conventional Buddha. The absolute Buddha is the holy mind, the dharmakaya. The dharmakaya is the general name, within that there is the transcendental wisdom dharmakaya, the omniscient mind, and the ultimate nature of that, the holy body, which is pure in nature, sambhogakaya in Sanskrit. The dharmakaya is the absolute Buddha and then the forms which the dharmakaya take—the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya—are the conventional Buddha. We take refuge in both. Relying upon Buddha with the whole heart is millions of times more effective than a doctor, a physician, who can cure all diseases but only temporarily. With such devotion relying upon the Buddha, we recite this refuge prayer.

[Rinpoche recites the prayer]

Next, we take refuge in the Dharma. There is also the absolute Dharma and the conventional Dharma. The absolute Dharma refers to the true path and true cessation of suffering and the conventional Dharma refers to the scriptural understanding, the Tripitaka teaching, the lam-rim teachings—they are the conventional Dharma. Relying upon them is millions of times more effective than patients relying upon external medicine, which might be able to cure diseases, but only temporarily.

[Rinpoche recites the prayer]

Next, we take refuge in the Sangha. Relying upon the Sangha is millions of times more effective than patients relying upon the nurse because the Sangha helps us to be liberated from the entire suffering, all the causes, karma and delusions. The guidance we receive from the Sangha completely eliminates the causes of suffering by showing us how to practice the three higher trainings and advising us on the true path, the cessation of the sufferings. There is the absolute Sangha, those who have the realizations of the absolute Dharma, the true path, the true cessation of sufferings, and there is the conventional Sangha, those who do not have realizations but who are living in the pure vows. We take refuge in both conventional and absolute Sangha. Here it means anyone who is a Buddhist ordained being; they are conventional Sangha.

[Rinpoche recites the prayer]

So, please do the second repetition.

After “da” mention your name.

[Rinpoche recites the prayer]

So, please do the third repetition. At the end of the third repetition when I say gyi nyen tau loudly and I snap my fingers, at that time without a wandering mind, you must generate the thought that you have receive the vows. If you are only taking refuge, then think you have only received the refuge vow; if you are taking precepts then think you have received the upasika one precept, upasika two precepts, three precepts, four precepts or five precepts, like that. You must generate the thought.

Lopan means a leader living with the disciples so from this time onwards, I become your lopan. Lopan means leader, leading the disciples on the path to liberation. How? By granting the vows, the pratimoksha vows which, by practicing, allows you to live in morality, which in turn leads you to liberation, to the complete cessation of entire suffering and its causes. So, that’s the meaning of the lopan, the virtuous friend, the preceptor.

[Rinpoche recites the prayer]

Then, when I say “ta pa yi no ”—“This is the method,” you respond, “lek-so,” which means “yes.”

[Rinpoche recites the prayer]

Then after this, think, “As the past arhats transformed their minds, and with their body and speech abstained from those negative karmas, today I myself will also by transform my mind, and with my body and speech abstain from those negative karmas.” So, with this intention, please repeat the prayer of the precepts. Those who are not taking any precepts, only refuge, don’t need to repeat it, otherwise those who are taking precepts please repeat.

Due to the all the past, present and future merits accumulated by myself, my family, by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and sentient beings, may His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s holy wishes succeed immediately. All these opportunities of granting and taking refuge and precepts, all these opportunities to practice Dharma have happened by the kindness of His Holiness Dalai Lama.

Then after that, in particular, also Lama’s incarnation, Ösel Rinpoche. Also this came from Lama Yeshe’s kindness, so due to these merits may his incarnation have a stable life and be of extensive benefit to all sentient beings, like Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and like Lama Tsongkhapa.

Due to the all the past, present and future merits accumulated by me, by my family, by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all sentient beings, may all the father, mother sentient beings have happiness, may the three lower realms be empty forever, may all the bodhisattvas’ prayers succeed immediately. May I be able cause all these by myself alone.

Then think, “I dedicate all the merits in the best way to quickly enlighten all sentient beings, in the same way as the three times’ buddhas and bodhisattvas have dedicated their merit and also bodhisattva Samantabhadra and Manjughosha realized.

[Chanting]

Then dedicate the merits like this. Due to all three times’ merits accumulated by me, by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and sentient beings, may I myself and all my family, all the students and all sentient beings in all the lifetimes always be able to live in pure morality.

THE HALLUCINATING MIND
[Short break in the recording] …the way it apprehends the object. The wisdom we are talking about is the wisdom that perceives the object in a way completely opposed to this ignorance, not just any wisdom. It is the ultimate nature of phenomena, that which is emptiness, the absence of inherent existence, that things are devoid of, or empty of, existing from their own side.

According to our perception, according to our mind, the nature of phenomena that actually exists looks like it doesn’t exist. The nature of the phenomena that exists, which is emptiness, according to our perception, according to our mind, looks like it doesn’t exist. What exists looks like it doesn’t exist. And according to our perception and according to our mind, what we have been believing, what we have been believing to exist actually doesn’t exist. So it’s completely the opposite to how it really is. So far, for me and for many of us, this is how it has been.

Then, we have to go back from here to the guru devotion, the subject! If we are arguing, debating, the thought of mistakes—I could see this; I have actually seen this and that mistake—there are so many examples. The hallucinatory mind actually sees so many things, but they are all mistaken. All these things—I, action and object, everything, which are all empty of exiting from their own side—ignorance, the hallucinatory mind, actually sees everything as inherently existent, as real, as appearing from there.

Using as the logic that I actually see the object doesn’t become the logic to prove that object exists. It doesn’t prove that object exists, that as it appears is true in reality. Just saying “I actually see it,” that doesn’t become the logical reason to prove that object exists, that it is true as we see it, it is true as it appears. “Because I see it, because it appears to me, even the word I actually see,” all this doesn’t actually prove that what appears as true accords with reality. It doesn’t prove that it exists, that it accords with reality. That reason doesn’t cover this.

All these mistakes arise [from believing this.] Like the example I gave, If we use the logic that this is reality because this is how it appears to us or this is how we see it, then when a sick person hallucinates due to have been given an powerful drug, then that will also apply. While under the influence of the drug all sorts of things appear, but even though that sick person sees them, that does not prove they exist.

While the power of the drugs has not gone away, has not degenerated, some people see very frightening appearances and some people see very peaceful, very desirable appearances, such as seeing a mandala, depending on the person’s karma, their state of mind. Somebody else can have very terrifying appearances like, by taking datura, by eating datura, seeing the whole earth, all the ground like worms, everything moving, all the ground.

I myself haven’t taken datura yet. [Rinpoche laughs] But one student who went to Lawudo, who went to the mountain where I go sometimes to have a good sleep, one American, a very tall guy, spent maybe six months at Lawudo. He had a tent and he used to move around different spots around Lawudo, the mountain. One time he asked me whether he could put his tent on the roof of the rock, above the cave, so I said okay. There are dogs next to the cave and a dog a little bit below. At night time, when he was sleeping and he moved his head on the pillow, which was the same material as his sleeping bag, it made a noise. The dog was a little bit far down, I think it thought it was taking responsibility for the house and it was very sensitive to noise, so it heard the sound the pillow made. Each time the American moved his head, he made a noise and each time the dog barked. Because of that he couldn’t get to sleep, but the dog’s barking came from the noise he was making.[Rinpoche laughs] I don’t think he realized he was disturbing the dog. I think he didn’t realize than side of the thing.

Anyway, he told me he got so angry he even had the thought to kill the dog. [Rinpoche laughs]

I think he wanted to move the dog’s place far away, something like that, I am not sure. Anyway, my sister wanted to move it back. I don’t remember exactly but he rubbed the dog’s house, which was just piece of wood just like this, the dog’s house. I think in order to not move the house, he rubbed the piece of wood on the dog’s kaka. No, he’s a very nice guy! [Rinpoche laughs]

Nobody had electricity up there. Now there is electricity in Namche Bazaar. I think in some parts there is electricity but at that time—quite a number of years ago when I was spending the whole summer building the monastery—at that time maybe the Australian government were trying to build a power station down below Lawudo. I think they started to build it but a flood came from the mountain. A lake burst and flowed down the mountain, washing away many houses and people. Many of those near the river were washed away. One time, a big mountain lake overflowed and washed away what they had built down there for the electricity. Anyway, nobody had electricity, but he had electricity in his tent. He used a solar panel. When there was good sunshine he put it outside the tent so at night he had electricity in the tent. Inside tent there was electricity; inside the tent was very pleasant. [Rinpoche laughs]

Anyway, not when he was on the roof of the cave but when he was living somewhere else, far from the cave, he found some datura growing there. So he cooked a pot of the datura. I didn’t know this. After a few days he came down to tell me, only after he had gone through all the experiences. [Rinpoche laughs] He said that he had even died. I mean it was quite a number of days before, otherwise we wouldn’t recognize him, we wouldn’t know. Anyway, he took some datura and cooked it in a pot and after eating the datura he heard so many noises, like people talking. And the whole ground, all the dirt, started moving, you know, everything was alive, filled with creatures, all the dirt was moving. I think he had a very hard time. [Rinpoche laughs] I think he had a very hard time. His lips got cracked and his mouth became very dry. I think he had a very hard time. A very hard time, a very difficult time. Then maybe I think he met an Italian student who was retreating there—not at Lawudo but in next village, called Gandopa, where we used to get water from the stream. At that time there was an Italian student there in retreat and somehow he went to see him. I think that might have helped.

So anyway, the main thing is the datura, the main topic is that he had eaten the datura and he had this experience. That’s the main point. With his hallucinating mind, he actually heard all these people talking—so many noises—and with his hallucinating mind, he actually saw all the dirt moving, become living beings. He saw it, but it was not true.

It’s the same thing when we have a dream and we see things: having a wedding party, getting married, having many children, received millions of dollars and so forth—all these things. In the dream the hallucinatory mind actually sees these things but because we see these things doesn’t prove that they exist. It doesn’t mean they are true.

If they were true then all these things we see in the dream, the things our own hallucinating mind actually sees, after we wake up from the sleep, then there should be all these children, there should be millions of dollars. Whatever we saw in the dream should exist, we should see all those things even after we wake up from the sleep. If it can happen like this then it costs nothing. We just go to bed, we just go to sleep, and it nothing costs to have weddings or parties. We just go to bed and that’s it. We don’t have to pay anything to buy a lottery ticket or anything to get millions of dollars. We just go to sleep then that’s it. Then we have all these things even after we woke up from the sleep.

Now the conclusion is that now it becomes clear that this line of reasoning doesn’t cover, doesn’t prove that things exits. What we actually see, what actually appears to us, all this doesn’t prove, this reason doesn’t cover, doesn’t prove that it exists, that it is like that in the reality.

Then also, by adding on top of this, there are many things we don’t remember. We don’t even remember how our own consciousness was conceived in our mother’s womb. We don’t remember that. All the experience in our mother’s womb, being in mother’s womb for nine months, we don’t remember that. Even how we came most people don’t remember. Most of us don’t remember how we came out, even our time of birth. There are so many things in our life that that we did but we don’t remember, that we experienced but we don’t remember.

Then there is no question about the future. We can’t see a hundred percent what’s going to happen to us in the next hour. We can’t tell. We can’t see what’s going to happen to us in the next hour. So there’s no question about the future. The things that exist that we can’t see is infinite.

THE BUDDHAS RETURN AS GURUS IN DEGENERATE TIMES
Buddha Vajradhara said, “In the future, in degenerate times I will manifest in a child’s form, and various forms, and using various methods.” Then also. “In the five degenerate times, I, who am called Vajrasattva, will take the form of a spiritual master. I will abide in an ordinary form, in the manner of an ordinary person, in the aspect of an ordinary person, in order to benefit sentient beings.” Vajradhara explained this in the second chapter of the tantra teaching called Gyutakpa. In those teachings the Buddha showed us how he was going to guide us.

Now is the degenerate time, not only the five degenerate times but the over-degenerate time—the degenerate of degenerate time.

When Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was a bodhisattva, a wheel-turning king called Rim of the Spoke, he made five hundred prayers in the presence of his guru, the tathagata, Essence of the Jewel, Dechin Nyingpo. He made five hundred prayers to subdue the beings of the quarrelling time left out of the prayers of the rest of the one thousand buddhas. All the previous different times, each buddha made a vow, promising to guide sentient beings but the sentient beings of the quarrelling time are so difficult to subdue, so hard, so thick-skulled in mind, with such an extremely gross mind, so the quarrelling-time sentient beings were left out [of other buddhas’ vows]. So Rim of the Spoke, the bodhisattva who was Guru Shakyamuni Buddha in a past life, made five hundred prayers in the presence of Buddha, the tathagata, Dechin Nyingpo, to guide those quarrelling-time sentient beings who are left out, who are so difficult to subdue, who were unable to be subdued by other buddhas.

So now, this is the quarrelling time. This present age is the quarrelling time. Therefore the Buddha has already promised, has already made a vow to guide us sentient beings in this difficult time.

The point is how many virtuous friends are here, we have visualized, they who guide us to enlightenment, by granting the three levels of vows—the pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric vows—then giving initiations, commentaries and instruction. They give us teachings, then give oral transmissions, commentaries, and explain tantra. These virtuous friends do these Dharma activities for us, which definitely bring us to enlightenment. Through these activities, we are definitely brought to full enlightenment.

If these are not Buddha Vajradhara, if these are not the Buddha, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha who made a vow to guide us sentient beings of the quarrelling time, then there is nobody we point to who is. There is no one else to point to. If these virtuous friends are not Vajradhara who said those things, who promised to guide us sentient beings, in the degenerate time and the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha who made vow, who made so many prayers out of compassion, who made hundreds of prayers to guide sentient beings in the quarrelling time, then who else is?

INTEGRATING THE LAM-RIM IN DAILY LIFE
I’ll continue with the talk I have been doing in regards how to meditate on the lam-rim. The evening before yesterday, I mentioned how to practice lam-rim, that whatever lam-rim meditation session we do in the morning, we should live the life, live the break-time life with that feeling or experience that is generated during the morning meditation session. By doing the meditation on the lam-rim, that experience or the transformation of the mind that was done in the morning, by doing the meditation on the lam-rim.

As we get up from the meditation seat, at the same time we stop that experience, we stop that mind which was transformed by doing analysis and by using the quotations and reasoning, the analytical meditations. As we get up from the meditation seat that experience also stops. As we stop sitting on the meditation cushion that transformation of mind or experience also stops. Then for the rest of the day and night our working life, or whatever we do, has no connection with the morning meditation session. It shouldn’t be like that.

The one most important thing is for the rest of our life to integrate with that experience what we have generated, what the mind has transformed by doing the lam-rim meditation, mainly the analytical meditation. Except for the calm abiding, all the rest of the meditation, the main technique is analytical meditation. For example, by using the quotation and the reasoning, for our own mind we do not see our own… By saying this it is not saying that because I am teaching Dharma I am a buddha! It’s not saying that.

GURU DEVOTION: THE HALLUCINATED MIND SEES THE GURU AS ORDINARY
So far, I didn’t even get talk on the guru devotion but you have already heard the extensive explanations from Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, with the quotations and all these very effective reasonings on how to devote yourself to the virtuous friend with thoughts and actions. Whatever quotation there is, whatever explanation there is, whatever the reasoning, the very bottom reason is, whether the teacher from his side is a buddha or not, from your side, the disciple’s, question yourself whether you want profit or loss, starting from success and happiness in future lives, starting from there, all the way to liberation from samsara and peerless happiness, full enlightenment, and bringing every suffering sentient being into the peerless happiness, full enlightenment by liberating each of them from all the sufferings, from all the obscuration. So this is the profit.

If that is what you want, then you need to develop on the path to enlightenment. Even the happiness this life comes from a positive attitude; it comes from a virtuous thought. Even the happiness in this life depends on the transformation of the mind into a positive attitude. The happiness beyond this life, liberation from samsara, full enlightenment, the whole realization of the path, the bhumis, if you wish to have all this profit and don’t want to be failure, don’t want to have a loss, then this is the way to practice correctly.

The Buddha explained how to practice Dharma in the sutra and tantra teachings such as Don bo go pi dor and so forth, as did Lama Tsongkhapa and those valid, highly attained great scholars, those pandits, yogis, with their experience having completed the path, having actualized the whole path. According to their experience, as it proved to their mind, according to that they explained how to practice Dharma, is by devoting ourselves to the virtuous friend we have established Dharma contact from. With the recognition of guru and disciple, we then practice, we correctly devote ourselves with thought and action. This is explained in the lam-rim, these valid teachings, the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa and so forth as I mentioned before.

This is the very bottom reason. However many quotations there are or reasonings there are, in the lam-rim it states this is why we need to practice, why we need to look at the virtuous friend as a buddha, because as a disciple we don’t want loss and we do want profit. That is the very bottom reason. If you miss out this point, many of the subjects become doubtful. If you miss out this point it becomes doubtful. For example, the thought can come that I am also teaching Dharma but I am not a buddha.

There is a short meditation on the essence of guru devotion. I don’t remember it word by word but, according to one lama’s technique, the essence is that the guru is a buddha because there is quotation which states that Buddha Vajradhara accepted that “I will manifest in the degenerate time in the future, as a young child and in a form of virtuous friend,” and so forth. There are quotations like this.

The first one starts with this outline. With [faulty] reasoning, the negative thought, the thought of a mistake towards the virtuous friend, arises saying—it might be saying—“Among gurus there is somebody who is embodiment of the Buddha, but it’s not saying that everybody is a buddha.” The negative thought says that and then says, “Because, with this one I see this and this mistake, and with that one I see that and that mistake.” By listening to this mistaken reasoning—“with this one I see this and this mistake, with that one I see that and that mistake”—with that delusion and having this and that mistake and actions and so forth, if we listen to this mistaken reasoning, if we follow that, then we find that everyone makes some mistakes. According to that thought, we find mistakes with everybody. It’s question of big or small mistakes.

According to point of view of this negative thought, everyone has mistakes but it’s question of big or small. So then it comes. According to this mistaken thought, that means nobody is the embodiment of a buddha or bodhisattva. Nobody is a buddha who is working for us. According to that mistaken thought, nobody is a buddha working for us, guiding us to enlightenment, liberating us from the lower realms, from the oceans of samsaric suffering, from all the obscurations, leading us to enlightenment. If we see the mistake according to this point of view of the mistaken thought, we see that nobody is a buddha guiding us from happiness to happiness, to enlightenment.

This mistaken thought says, “I actually see it, I actually see the mistakes,” as we would in a normal conversation when we tell somebody we saw a person stealing something from a shop with our own eyes. We perceive the guru as having mistakes and then our mistaken thought says we actually see it. This is like a person with wind disease who sees a white-colored snow mountain and blue because of the disease, or who sees a snow mountain or conch shell as yellow because of bile disease. That person actually sees the blue of yellow but that does not mean it’s true.

The hallucinatory mind sees things in the dream as real, like having a wedding and a big party, getting married, having children—four, five, ten children! We become extremely wealthy, with a jeweled palace, an extremely wealthy apartment or by doing the lottery or something we get millions of dollars. In the dream the hallucinatory mind actually sees this, actually sees all these things.

We can’t accept things at face value. Even though phenomena are impermanent [we see them as permanent]. When we look at the I, even though the I is impermanent, like all causative phenomena, it appears permanent. It doesn’t appear as impermanent to us; it appears permanent. When we do not practice, when we do not think about reality, we don’t see that this is a causative phenomenon, and how all causative phenomena are in the nature of impermanence, both gross impermanence and subtle impermanence, and how they are changing not only second by second but even within a split-second, being under the control of causes and conditions.

When we do not meditate, when we do not practice mindfulness, looking at their nature in this way, even though they are impermanent phenomena they appear to us as permanent. All these objects we are seeing right here and now appear to us as permanent; they don’t appear as impermanent. They don’t appear to us as changing, especially that they are changing, decaying, even hour by hour. Even that is very gross but it doesn’t appear to us in that way. Even that they are decaying minute by minute doesn’t appear to us in that way. For many objects, even that they are decaying day by day doesn’t appear to us. Even this very gross level of impermanence doesn’t appear to us in that way. Things appear to us as permanent, so there’s no question how we don’t see that causative phenomena are decaying within every second, within each split-second. That is very subtle.

So, just right here, there are all these hallucinations that we have already have, see causative phenomena which are impermanent as permanent. For example, just the I, the I actually appears to us as permanent; it actually appears to us as permanent. All these things are actually appearing permanent.

On top of this, we see things as inherently existent where they are not. Everything that exists—the I, the action, the object, all those phenomena—exists by being is merely labeled by the mind. Because they are merely labeled by the mind, therefore everything is empty of existing from its own side. The I is empty of existing from its own side. The action is empty of existing from its own side. All objects, all phenomena are empty of existing from their own side. Everything is empty like space. They are not space but they are like space and this is reality; this is what they are. But, you see … without saying “but,” I cancelled “but”! [Rinpoche laughs] I’ll change it into “so.” So, not one single phenomenon has inherent existence. Not one single phenomenon has inherent existence. Normally, according to the point of view of ignorance, from beginningless rebirth until now, what we have been believing is that if anything exists it should be this way. This is the reality or nature, according to the point of view of the concept of inherent existence, the ignorance, according to that point of view, things appear as inherently existent and that is the nature, that is the reality. If something exists, it has to be this way. This is the nature of reality according to the point of view of ignorance, not according to wisdom.

That’s why in the texts, things do not have nature. That’s why in the philosophical texts it comes up so many times that things do not have nature. It means an inherently-existent nature, the nature according to the point of view of ignorance. So “things do not have nature,” means the nature that is the projection of the ignorant mind, the nature that is according to the point of view of ignorance, which doesn’t exist at all, which doesn’t exist at all, anywhere, neither on that base nor anywhere.

From the point of view of wisdom, the nature of phenomena is the absence of the inherent existence. According to the point of view of wisdom, the nature of phenomena is the absence of the inherent existence. The absence of the inherent existence is the emptiness, that everything is empty, that everything is empty, that nothing exists from its own side. That no phenomenon has inherent existence. This emptiness is the ultimate nature of the phenomena; this is what wisdom realizes, the wisdom that is the remedy to that ignorance, the concept of inherent existence, the wisdom that is the remedy to the root of samsara, ignorance. This is the nature of phenomena, according to the point of view of wisdom and this is what exists.

This emptiness, being empty by nature, means being empty of having an inherently-existent nature. This is according to the point of view of wisdom. The way of perceiving the object is completely opposite, completely contradictory to ignorance. The way ignorance apprehends the object is completely opposite to the way wisdom does. Here, we are not talking about just any kind of wisdom, but about a particular wisdom. The way it perceives the object, the way it apprehends the object, is completely the opposite to ignorance, to the hallucinatory mind. The way ignorance apprehends the object is, even it is labeled by the mind, there should be something from its own side, otherwise how it can exist? There should be something from its own side, appearing that there is something existing from its own side, that is not merely labeled by the mind. There is something from its own side. The object appears like this, then the hallucinated mind believes this then mistakes arise. Believing what the hallucinated mind tells us, we think that what Buddha Vajradhara said and what Guru Shakyamuni Buddha promised, all this, becomes telling lies.

The other mistake that arises is that, according to this ordinary mind thought, according to this ordinary mistaken thought towards the virtuous friend, all these virtuous friends are ordinary beings, guiding us to enlightenment. They guide us to enlightenment but the buddhas, Buddha Vajradhara, all those who made vows, who promised, who said they would guide us sentient beings in these degenerate time are unable to guide us. The mistake that arises, what it becomes, is that these ordinary beings are bringing us to enlightenment whereas all those buddhas, Buddha Vajradhara, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and so forth, are unable to guide us, unable to bring us to enlightenment. The mistake arises that either they don’t have the omniscient mind or that they don’t have perfect power to reveal the method or they don’t have compassion towards us sentient beings. This mistake arises, that they don’t have all these qualities: omniscient mind, perfect power and the mind having completed the training in compassion towards us, towards all sentient beings. This mistake arises. It comes down to point that, according to our own ordinary mind, the point of view of us ordinary sentient beings, that the ordinary sentient beings are guiding us to enlightenment but the buddhas and bodhisattvas are not guiding us to enlightenment. According to the point of view of our own ordinary mind, the thought of this mistake towards the virtuous friend comes, this mistake arises.

This mistake also arises, which I think I’ve already mentioned. There definitely should be a buddha who gives me an initiation, who guides me to enlightenment by giving initiations, by giving the commentaries of tantra path, who guides me to enlightenment by giving instructions, who guides me to enlightenment by giving oral transmissions, who guides me to enlightenment by giving commentaries, who guides me to enlightenment by giving pratimoksha, bodhisattva and tantric vows. There definitely should be a buddha who does these actions. There has to be a buddha who does these activities for me and guides me to enlightenment in this way, there has to be. That the buddhas even guide animals; they even work for animals, those who do not have the capacity to understand the Dharma, those who do not have a human body. The buddhas benefit, they work for, they guide even those other lower realms’ sentient beings. Therefore they definitely have to guide us; there have to be buddhas who definitely guide us, especially because we have received a perfect human body and have the wisdom to understand the Dharma, doing listening, reflecting and meditation practice on the steps of path to enlightenment.

Therefore, on top of that we add this quotation from Sakya Pandita or Gyalwa Ensapa, I don’t remember which one, “Until I get liberated, until I become free from the evil karmic obscurations, even if all the buddhas were to descend in front of me, even if all the buddhas without exception were actually to descend in front of me, I don’t have the fortune, the opportunity to see them in their supreme holy body, adorned with the holy signs and exemplifications except the present view, the perception.”

What this is saying is that until our very thick karmic obscurations are purified, until our mind becomes pure, there is no opportunity at all to see all these buddhas in the aspect of a buddha, the supreme holy body adorned with the thirty-two holy signs and the eighty holy exemplifications. “Except the present view” means the ordinary view. The present view is the ordinary view that we have. Why ordinary? Because this is the view of the ordinary mind, the mind that sees mistakes. Why? Because this is the view of our own present mind, which is ordinary and impure, which is an ordinary, impure, mistaken mind.

So what this says is that even if all these buddhas without exception were to come in front of our view how we would see them is as ordinary beings, as having mistakes. Because of our mistaken view, we can only see them as ordinary beings, which meaning having mistakes, having delusions, ignorance and attachment, having suffering, having the samsaric sufferings of birth, old age, sicknesses, death and mistakes in action.

The next thing is, as long as we follow the ordinary concepts, the thought of mistakes towards the virtuous friends, as long as we follow the ordinary mind, our own ordinary mind, we will never see in the guru in the aspect of a buddha, in the pure view, in aspect of a buddha, in the pure appearance. We will never see him in the aspect of a buddha, not having any mistakes, only qualities, we will never see in this way. We will always see only the ordinary mistaken aspect, only the ordinary being forever, as long as we follow the ordinary mind, the thought of mistakes.

THE GURU IS ONE WITH THE BUDDHAS
Then, to come back here and make the conclusion, we need to generate strong faith and determination that these are all Buddha Vajradhara or the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha who promised to guide sentient beings in the quarrelling time which includes ourselves. We need to relate all these quotations to each virtuous friend. We need to see that it’s our own mind that apprehends as separate, that thinks of as separate, the virtuous friend and the buddhas, which thinks of them as separate, seeing the gap between the virtuous friend and the buddhas.

Then, to this mind which sees, which discriminates like this, this transforms into Guru Yoga, by looking at it this way, by seeing the oneness, that each of them, how many we have, each one of them are the numberless buddhas. When we see them in this way as the same, when we realize it this way, then any buddha we visualize, we think about, any buddha’s name we hear, any painting, and statue of a buddha we see, what we understand, what comes, what we see, is that everything is the embodiment of the guru.

Even the heaviest negative karma that we have created, we can purify; it can get purified by doing prostrations, by making offerings to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, even to the holy objects: the statues, stupa and scriptures. All those negative karmas can be purified by depending on them, by making prostrations, by making offerings and so forth. With that, we accumulate infinite merit, extensive merit, inconceivable merit each time when we do a prostration or a circumambulation or we make an offering, even to the holy objects. Even the symbolic images, even the holy objects, the statues, stupas or scriptures, with all these we purify all the obscurations and accumulate extensive merit, planting so many seeds of liberation and enlightenment. We create so much cause of happiness, temporary and ultimate, including enlightenment. All this comes from the guru. The origin they came from is by the kindness of the guru. Every single merit that we accumulate comes from the guru; every single happiness and comfort that we experience have all been received from the guru. Why? Because all this happiness, enjoyment, every single comfort including enlightenment, all comes from good karma, from merit. And also, every single virtuous thought that arises within our mind, every single virtuous thought, every single virtuous action that we do are all a buddha’s action.

There are two types of buddha’s actions. One buddha’s action is working in the mind of us sentient beings, the other is an action of a buddha possessed by a buddha’s omniscient mind. The two types are like this. So every single virtuous thought that arises in our mind, all these are a buddha’s action. Therefore, it becomes clearer that every single merit, every cause of happiness that we create, comes from a buddha.

As I mentioned before, when we look, we realize the oneness, that the guru is one with all the buddhas, and all the buddhas are one with the guru. By this reason then, all these came from the guru. All the merits are received by the kindness of the guru. Now, an even deeper reason than this, we can see how all happiness, every single merit—day to day life enjoyment and comfort, all happiness including enlightenment, everything—came from, was received by the kindness of the virtuous friend, of the guru. Even a deeper reason as a highly attained yogi, Tenzin Palden Yeshe, or Sangye Yeshe, maybe Sangye Yeshe, said, “Before the guru there was not even the name of what is called 'Buddha.' This is a way to understand how all the buddhas came from the guru.” What this says is all these have come from the guru, all these are the manifestation of the guru, that’s what is contained here.

For the same reason, in the Guru Puja, when we do refuge practice, taking refuge in the Guru comes first, before taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. That’s why it comes first. Some teachers explained that the reason taking refuge in the guru comes first is in regards to the kindness, as it is explained in the lam-rim. Even though by quality it’s equal, but by the kindness the guru is kinder than all the three times’ buddhas in guiding us to enlightenment.

We can’t see the Buddha but we can see the guru. We don’t have the pure mind that can see the Buddha and can receive guidance from the Buddha directly. But even though our mind is impure we can see the guru, the guru as he has manifested in an ordinary form, having delusions, having mistakes in the actions, which are exactly according the level of the qualities our own mind which at present is impure, obscured, mistaken. In that aspect we can see the guru and receive teachings from him. When we see the guru, that is the aspect we can see. If the guru did not show having an ordinary aspect—which means having an ordinary, mistaken aspect, having delusions and making mistakes in the actions—we would not be able to see him. With this obscured, impure mind, this present mind, we could not see him, we don’t have the karma to see and to receive guidance from him, and so there’s no other way he can guide us, other than to show the ordinary aspect he does. Better than this and we can’t see him and lower than this, like in the aspect of an animal, and we can’t recognize him.

Therefore, therefore, except in this ordinary, mistaken aspect there is no other way to give us guidance, guiding us from all the oceans of samsaric suffering, all the causes, karma and delusion and guiding us to full enlightenment. Therefore showing us this ordinary, mistaken aspect and showing us the aspect making mistakes is so precious; it’s valid, it’s so precious for us. Doing this is extremely kind to us. Showing this aspect of making mistakes is so precious for us, like a wish-fulfilling gem. Through this, we can receive all the guidance. Only with this aspect, can we directly receive all the guidance.

This way of meditating on and thinking about seeing the apparent mistakes the virtuous friend makes becomes supportive to the path. Instead of seeing them as real mistakes and so being in danger of anger and heresy arising, it shows us the great kindness of the virtuous friend. Instead of causing us to create heaviest obstacles to developing our own mind on the path to enlightenment and heaviest negative karma, causing us to experience the suffering of the hells for an unimaginable length of time, for unimaginable eons, instead of this we use the seeing mistakes in the virtuous friend as a support to develop devotion, to develop the root of the path to enlightenment, guru devotion, to arise stronger. Of the two techniques for using the thought of seeing mistakes in the guru to develop devotion, this is Lama Tsongkhapa’s technique.

Anyway, since I mentioned this, since we came to this subject, we’ll just do little bit of meditation.

Now, visualize all the virtuous friends there in front of you, and the Guru Puja merit field, as an example. Around Lama Losang Dorje Chang, visualize all the gurus there.

THE ABSOLUTE GURU IS THE DHARMAKAYA
Khedrup Sangye Yeshe mentions that the reason Namo Gurubye, taking refuge in the Guru, comes before taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and all those great yogis, is that there is not even the name “Buddha” before the Guru. Only through the Guru can we understand the absolute guru. The Guru has absolute Guru and conventional Guru, and we only do this by understanding the absolute Guru.

What is the absolute guru? We can say that it is the omniscient mind, the ultimate wisdom that is non-dual with emptiness, that which is the dharmakaya. This is something we cannot introduce exactly. We cannot introduce what is the dharmakaya. According to Highest Yoga Tantra, we cannot introduce then it becomes revealing a secrecy; that is the ultimate secrecy. What is exactly the dharmakaya according to tantra? We can explain it according to the Sutrayana but not according to Highest Yoga Tantra, then that becomes revealing the ultimate, that is the ultimate secrecy for those who don’t have faith, devotion, who haven’t received a Highest Yoga Tantra initiation.

The ultimate wisdom is the omniscient mind that is oneness with non-dual emptiness, that is pervasive, that is eternal, that has no beginning and no end, that covers all the existence. This is the dharmakaya; this is absolute Guru.

It looks a little bit similar to the Christian term “God,” except that it doesn’t have a clear explanation how it’s eternal or a clear explanation how to achieve it. It doesn’t have a clear explanation how we can become God because it’s not clear what God is.

Anyway, this is the absolute Guru. According to our karma, without delaying even a second when our karma is ripened, when our mind is ripened, we receive guidance from the dharmakaya, from this absolute Guru. This happens without delaying even a second when our mind is ripened. This manifests in various forms according to our karma, to the level of our karma, according to quality of our mind, then like this it guides us and all sentient beings to enlightenment. This absolute guru manifests in an ordinary form, in the form of the conventional Guru, and it is through that ordinary form that we can see it and communicate with it. Then, it can reveal the Dharma and guide us to enlightenment. That’s the conventional Guru.

All these gurus we think of as the absolute Guru, this dharmakaya. So, we need first meditate like this, after we have decided that all these are embodiments of the absolute Guru, the dharmakaya.

We have to understand that the present guru and all the past-life gurus who have guided us, who have cause to accumulate merit and practice the path, all these are just one; they are all in reality just being. We think how all these are manifestations of the dharmakaya, the absolute Guru. It’s the same thing with all the future gurus. Until we become enlightened, it’s always just one being. Think that they are all manifestations of the absolute Guru.

As I mentioned before, all happiness comes from good karma. All our own past, present and future happiness comes from good karma. And good karma is virtuous thought, which is the Buddha’s action. I’ve already mentioned this before. This dharmakaya, this absolute Guru, this one is the creator, the performer; this one takes the various aspects of the Buddha or deities of the Maha-anuttara Tantra Yoga, the Anuttara Yoga Tantra, the Kriya Tantra and the Charya Tantra Yoga, all the one thousand buddhas of the fortunate eons, the Medicine Buddha, the Thirty-five Buddhas, all these. This one manifests into all these buddhas; it manifests into all the bodhisattva, the arhats, the dakas, the dakinis, the protectors—all the various aspects, this absolute Guru, this dharmakaya manifests into. All these male and female aspects of the Buddha, everything comes from the dharmakaya, the absolute Guru. Everything is the creation of the absolute Guru, the dharmakaya.

That’s the reason Namo Gurubye, taking refuge in the Guru comes first, before taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Now, we can understand from this evolution where all the buddhas came from. All the buddhas are manifestations or creations of this original dharmakaya, this absolute Guru, that which is eternal, with no beginning and no end, which is pervasive.

Now we can understand the meaning of Khedrup Sangye’s words, that before the Guru there is no Buddha. Now we can understand this. Before the absolute Guru, the dharmakaya, it’s impossible to have the Buddha; it’s impossible to see the Buddha.

All the past happiness, the happiness from beginningless rebirths, up to now, and from now on, up to enlightenment, all our happiness, we have received by the kindness of each guru. We can understand this only if we think the absolute Guru, the essence, the absolute Guru—then we can understand how all our happiness comes from each guru, only then can we understand, can we have that idea.

On the basis of this understanding, we can see that we have received all our past, present and future happiness, up to enlightenment, by kindness of each guru. Think this over and over. Think this over and over. “My three times’ happiness has been received by kindness of the guru.” You can count up to twenty-one times.

“I have received all my three times’ happiness by the kindness of each of the gurus. How kind the virtuous friends are.” So repeat this over and over, “how kind” on the basis of the breathing—all the three times’ happiness, our own three times’ happiness have been receive from the guru.

THINK ON THE KINDNESS OF THE GURU
Now next one. Think like this. Even if my doctor cures my cancer or AIDS, even if it’s cured it could come back after some time, even in this life. But anyway, even if it’s temporarily cured, I still think that that person is unbelievably precious, so kind, the most important, the most precious one, in my life because that person gave me all the rest of my life, all the remaining years of my life.

Each of the virtuous friends, by revealing the Dharma to me, ends all the problems of samsara. He ends each problem, each of the diseases and so forth. Each of the virtuous friends causes this to cease completely, to completely end each of the four hundred and twenty-four diseases. By revealing the Dharma to me, each of the virtuous friends causes this to completely finish, to completely end. Like this, death, rebirth, old age, sicknesses, each of the samsaric problems, if the virtuous friend causes these to completely cease, then even just one problem of samsara, like cancer or old age, that the virtuous friend causes to completely cease from now so I never have to experience it again, this is unbelievably kind. By revealing the Dharma that causes me to never experience at all even just one problem of samsara, like cancer or death or old age, that’s unbelievably kind.

So again, repeat over and over how kind each virtuous friend is, how kind he is. Repeat it over and over. How precious he is, how kind he is. Repeat it over and over. How precious, how kind to me, like this.

By revealing the Dharma to me, each of the virtuous friends causes all these oceans of samsaric sufferings to cease, each one, causes all the problems to completely cease, to never have to be experienced again. So again, meditate on the kindness, how precious each of the virtuous friends is, how precious, how kind to me. Repeat it over and over, twenty-one times or however many you like.

Now, the next one. Think like this. By revealing Dharma to me, by revealing the various means, by leading me to practice, each of the virtuous friends causes me to practice and actualizing the path within my mind. Even by giving me a few syllables of a mantra or a few Dharma words, even just giving an oral transmission by planting the imprint on my mental continuum which causes me, sooner or later, to actualize that path contained in that mantra or in that stanza of Dharma. And then that leads me to enlightenment. By actualizing the path, that ceases all the gross and subtle obscurations and completes all the qualities of realizations. This is what each of the virtuous friends does for me, even the one who only just gave me an oral transmission of a mantra or one stanza of teaching. By planting the imprint on my mental continuum that causes me sooner or later to actualize the path contained in that mantra or stanza then to achieve the path that leads me to enlightenment.

Think: Each of the virtuous friends guides me, by causing me to actualize path that ceases all the obscurations and completes all the qualities of realization within my mental continuum. Think how each of the virtuous friends is so precious and so unbelievably kind to me. Again repeat this over and over, twenty-one times or however. This ceases all the mistakes of my mind and causes me to complete all the qualities.

As I mentioned, this is one lama’s particular meditations on guru devotion, but this middle part is not from there. I started from there. “I actually see mistakes,” up to there, that is the lama’s, that is according to that lama’s meditation technique but after that I just slipped out. After that, the rest of the part of the meditation explanation is what is in that short meditation of that lama, that lama’s technique. It is in the teaching, Calling the Guru from Afar, those meditations on the kindness of the Guru are in the Guru Puja and in Calling the Guru from Afar. It is there but I just put it like this to meditate on guru yoga in an effective way, not guru yoga but to transform our mind into guru yoga, into guru devotion.

SEEING THE GURU AS BUDDHA IS THE CORE OF GURU DEVOTION
Now the last thing according to that lama’s meditation technique: If a lama doesn’t explain to his disciples because of the reason that he himself is not Buddha, “I teach Dharma but I am not Buddha,” then he doesn’t explain guru devotion, to look at the Guru as Buddha, if he doesn’t explain that to his disciples then they don’t have protection, they don’t have protection in the mind when negative thoughts arise, when heresy and anger arise. They don’t have guidance, they don’t have protection, like not having been given medicine for their sickness. That means they have no method to protect themselves from the negative thoughts of heresy, anger and so forth arising, the thought of mistakes towards the virtuous friend. That means the lama is throwing his disciples in the hell realm because he don’t give protection to their minds. That is not exactly but it’s the essence of what the lama mentioned.

I never thought of this question, I never thought this. I don’t know why, it’s somehow strange, but the thought never came to me, “Because I’m teaching Dharma I am not Buddha.” It’s not saying that I am Buddha because I never thought this; it’s not saying that. Being a very ordinary sentient being, this thought never occurred to me. Then, so many years ago, maybe during a Kopan course in those early times, when I was coming a lot of time to give courses and to guide meditation, in those early times, one day, Dr Nick invited me upstairs to discuss something. I think maybe we were working on The Wish-fulfilling Golden Sun, I’m not sure, this original meditation course book that’s still did not finished. He brought up this question, “Oh, I am also teaching Dharma but I am not Buddha.” Only that, only he told me, otherwise that thought, never occurred.

This is the same thing as in the meditation on bodhicitta, the seven techniques of Mahayana cause-and-effect. There are two techniques to develop bodhicitta: exchanging oneself for others, and the seven techniques of Mahayana cause-and-effect. The foundation is that all sentient beings have been our own mother and incredibly kind to us. While we meditate on this, how other sentient beings have been our own mother and kind, we can also think, “I have also been a mother to all other sentient beings, and so I have been also been kind to other sentient beings.” This thought that I have been a mother to all other sentient beings and so been kind to them, this thought doesn’t help to actualize bodhicitta. The mind thinking like this doesn’t help to actualize the realization of bodhicitta, to develop compassion and loving kindness to other sentient beings, it doesn’t help. This doesn’t help us to treat all the mistakes of the mind and complete all the qualities of realizations; it doesn’t help us to free all sentient beings from all the sufferings and to lead them to enlightenment.

Even though we have been a mother to other sentient beings, the main point here is we are trying to think what is useful, what is beneficial for other sentient beings—useful and beneficial for us ourselves but especially for all sentient beings. If we don’t know the point of the meditation, that we trying to think something meaningful, useful, not only for ourselves but for all sentient beings, the meditation is lost. This is the main thing that we are trying to do everyday life. This is the main thing, the whole path to enlightenment.

It’s the same thing here. “I am also teaching Dharma [but I am not a buddha]” bringing up that one is the same thing. We are losing the point, trying to think of something beneficial for our own mind, trying to think of something that develops our loving kindness and compassion, that is beneficial to our own mind, beneficial to free all sentient beings from all the sufferings and to bring all sentient beings into happiness. We are trying to think of something meaningful, beneficial, for the success of that. Therefore, those things are useless. They don’t offer these benefits.

I don’t know how I started the talk tonight, from the beginning. I think it went somewhere else. Just one or two things. One thing left to emphasize is how to make the lam-rim successful during our life, but then to do quite a number of oral transmissions of the preliminary practices. But anyway … [Rinpoche laughs] It didn’t happen yesterday, didn’t happen for the last three nights, giving the oral transmission of the different preliminary practices: the Thirty-five Buddhas, Samayavajra, Dorje Khadro, Medicine Buddha, a few different practices that those of you who already have or who are new that you have to do, and also those of you who aren’t thinking about it now but who might need it later. So anyway, this guru devotion meditation I have just mentioned, that has just happened, contains how to correctly devout to the virtuous friend with the thought that involves two things: firstly, looking at the [Guru as] Buddha and the result of that is seeing in that way and the second thing is remembering their kindness. This is how to correctly devout to the virtuous friend with thought. The action comes with three outlines.

Obtaining advice… [Break in recording] … It seems like whenever he saw anything beautiful, like a garden, he immediately made a mandala offering, offered it to the merit field, to the Guru-Triple Gem, who are incredible loving and compassionate to every single being. By going to see this lama everyone thinks, “I am very close,” everyone thinks, “The lama is very close to me.” Everyone has kind of the same feeling like this, very compassionate, very loving.

This lama, Je Drubkhang Gelek Gyatso had a teacher, a virtuous friend call Atsara, who was maybe from India, I’m not sure. He lived in the forest, in the jungle. One day this guru was alone reading a Dharma text in the forest when Je Drubkhang saw him from afar, talking to himself. There was nobody but he was talking. He was alone but he was doing like this. [Rinpoche makes a thumbs-up sign.] Je Drubkhang didn’t ask the guru immediately why he was doing this but later, after some time, when he found some convenient time, he asked to his guru why he was doing like this when he was alone.

The lama explained he had been reading Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s past-life stories, probably the Jataka tales. I think there were five stories probably, how in the past lives the bodhisattva practiced charity, morality, patience and perseverance and so forth, not just in one lifetime’s story, but in different stories.

There was one story where Guru Shakyamuni Buddha made charity of his holy body. He had already made charity to other sentient beings of his limbs, his two legs and two arms, so just the main part of the body was [left]. The people in the Himalayan city or town—whatever—thinking the main part of his body was useless without arms or legs so they threw it in the garbage dump. They threw this main part in the garbage dump because they thought it was useless. But even after he had made charity of his limbs he was able to make charity of the main holy for many thousands and thousands of ants that completely covered it. He made charity like this to the ants. So even this left-over body was useful.

So the lama was saying that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha in his past life was born as a son to a mother and he had made his life so worthwhile; he had dedicated his life completely. Even the piece that was left, he sacrificed for sentient beings, he made charity to sentient beings. So, he made his life so worthwhile. This [thumbs-up sign] is common in the West, but I don’t know what it means in the East. In Chinese, it is good or bad? Good. In the East it means very good. [Rinpoche laughs] So this lama was saying it was a very worthwhile life, that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha made his path very worthwhile, he made being born a son very worthwhile. So as he was reading he was doing like this. So the lama told the story to Je Drubkhang. This lama always prayed to actualize bodhicitta, all the time concentrating on bodhicitta.

Another incredible, unbelievable lama was one who seemed to give everybody some sort of bliss just to hear or to be around. Whenever he ate, the story is, the main story is, he just went like that. [Rinpoche laughs] The main story is whenever he had a meal this lama didn’t talk to other people at all because, [he was doing] especially personal tantra. There is a very secret, a very profound yoga of eating, you are meant to practice. With it, every bit of eating and drinking becomes the means of incredible purification, each time accumulating skies of merit, infinite merit, with the very profound meditation of Highest Yoga Tantra, Annutara Yoga Tantra. So to not waste his life, he doesn’t talk; he eats with meditation. This is the main story that I wanted to bring out about this lama, Je Drubkhang. I read a little of the teachings by this lama, so when I was in Tibet I wanted to go to see his hermitage but it was quite far, and it also looked like quite steep. Anyway, I didn’t make it so far. [Rinpoche laughs]

Even if we haven’t received an initiation into Highest Yoga Tantra and don’t do those profound meditations, like the yoga of eating, at least one can, at least we can do such meditations. As I explained, while we are eating and drinking, we can visualize the Buddha in our heart, and then, even while eating, during that hour or two, each time we eat or drink something, we can make it most beneficial, meaningful, with bodhicitta towards all sentient beings.

DOING PRACTICES BASED ON GURU DEVOTION
The one I left out was this. I didn’t remember it at that time. Controlling the mind was left out. I think probably the most difficult one was left out. [Rinpoche laughs] Because of that maybe I didn’t remember.

This says, “Closing the door of the senses.”

That means that in our daily life, whenever there is a situation where there is great danger of creating very heavy negative karma, by becoming angry and so forth, at those times, we should apply the meditation, trying to not let anger arise, trying to free ourselves from anger, trying to keep our own mind in a state of peace and happiness by applying meditation. It’s just another word of saying controlling the mind. In daily life when we are in a situation of creating very negative karma, which will make us fall into the lower realms, by becoming angry and so forth, through strong delusion, then we need to immediately applying meditation, like taking medicine, by applying meditation, keeping the mind in the Dharma. That was what I left out.

Then the other thing I didn’t get to mention. The other thing is the question Lama Tsongkhapa asked Manjushri on how to meditate on the lam-rim in everyday life, generally in the life. Manjushri advised, answered, the quick way to achieve enlightenment is to attempt the necessary conditions to accumulate merit, then purifying the obstacles. Then we make a one-pointed requesting to the guru, and that connects us with the guru yoga. Then, with the guru yoga in mind we make a one-pointed request and that is in order to receive blessings. In other words, we do these preliminary practices in our everyday life, not just one time, not just a certain number of times and then completely. We don’t practice and then nothing, and then stop. Not like that. With this practice, we meditate on the actual body of the meditation on the path, that which is the steps of the path, the lam-rim. This is what Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri, who is the embodiment of all the buddhas’ wisdom, answered to Lama Tsongkhapa’s question on how to achieve enlightenment.

It’s very important in everyday life to begin to practice the lam-rim, to meditate on the lam-rim on the basis of one of the guru yoga practices. So if you can do what was done during the course, this is an elaborate practice of guru yoga by adding many different practices: offering bath, an elaboration of the refuge practice, describing the visualizations, and motivation and offering bath, taken from jor-chö, the preparatory practice. Then there is the requesting prayer to all the lineage lamas, integrate that with the guru puja. Then also, at the end, after the guru descends onto your own crown, again make requests by looking at four kayas, and the integration.

Many meditators of lam-rim practice this way, those who have actualized the path, those who experimented in the path. Either the Jorchö, the preparatory practice or the Guru Puja combined like this. This is the extensive way to do it. And also adding the Samayavajra practice or Vajrasattva at the point of the confession. One day Vajrasattva and next day Samayavajra— some lamas do it like this.

When the seven-limb prayer is finished, when the dedication is done, before the requesting prayer, then do another mandala offering, then after the mandala make the very important request called “Requesting with Three Great Purposes.” That is extremely good. Everything we need is contained there, specifying all the wrong concepts, from the first one, the wrong concept towards the virtuous friend, the thought of the mistake towards the virtuous friend, from there up to the subtle dualistic view: the appearance of the white path, the burning or increasing, of the red path, and then of the near-attainment, the dark path.

Then, the second part of this prayer is making request to generate all the right realizations, from guru devotion up to the unification of no-more-learning, the holy body and holy mind.

Then the third part is requesting the pacification of all the outer and inner obstacles. This has different commentaries. One way of explaining this is that “outer” means other people not giving you the opportunity to practice Dharma, being under the control of the kings or external powers, that your life is under the control of other people or things like that. That one is being unable to practice and this prayer is to pacify both these outer obstacles and inner obstacles, such as sicknesses and delusions. This is one way of explaining outer and inner obstacles, when you request to pacify them immediately.

So, everything you need is contained here. I find this request very effective for the mind and very important. I regard this as very important. Then after that, do the visualization meditation purifying the particular negative karma that you have accumulated, having broken samaya with the guru, the particular negative karma accumulated in relationship with the virtuous friend. Then do the visualization that those are purified and you receive the blessing. Then meditate that you and all sentient beings are under the guidance of the guru, having been purified and received the blessing and being under the guidance, under the protection of the guru. So this is the same.

REFUGE PRACTICE WITH THE GURU AND OFFERING BATH PRACTICE
This is also the same in the practice of refuge, whenever you do refuge, do the outline of these three: purification, receiving the blessings, which means you and all sentient beings being under the guidance and protection of the Triple Gem. These three are the outline how to do the meditation, how to meditate on refuge when you do the refuge practice, Namo Gurubye etc. In whichever language you recites it, this is how to meditate on refuge. Before that it involves perfecting the mind, perfecting in the three causes, then relying upon the Triple Gem. That comes in the motivation, after the visualization, then the motivation: renunciation, compassion, trust, having faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. With these three causes then rely upon the refuge: the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The three causes come in the motivation.

While you are reciting the refuge prayer, use these three outlines—purification, receiving the blessings which means the qualities, and you and all sentient beings being under the protection, under the guidance of the Guru Triple Gem. When you stop reciting refuge, at the conclusion, then feel that you and all sentient beings are now under the protection of the Guru Triple Gem.

The purpose of doing this in the morning is to become familiar, to get the knowledge of how to practice, how to meditate on the lam-rim, which contains Manjushri’s advice, which contains all these. How to meditate on the lam-rim contains the explanation of what you should do, the preparation before meditation on the actual path, and how to meditate on the actual path, then the conclusion. The whole thing comes here, the answer to the question on how to meditate on the lam-rim. This mainly comes through familiarity. There is a practice like this to do. But of course, according to your own capacity or time, you can make this guru yoga practice any length. You can do it like this, complete with all the prayers, or you can make it shorter. So, there are many different versions you can do, many lengths you can do, according to you own capacity.

You can leave the bath offering. The bath offering is a substitute for the guru yoga practice, offering service to the guru: offering water, cleaning the holy body, putting on ointment, cleaning, offering the dress, doing all these services and then offering, which in Tibetan is called ku-ti rim-to. Ku-ti means “respect” and rim-to means “service.” If there is a guru, then you actually do that. That is the main one. In your own daily life, if there is a guru then you have the opportunity to do this service. That’s the main one but this is a substitute of that. This one is visualizing washing, offering bath and putting on ointment, offering dress and ornaments and so forth, depending on which merit field there is.

This is also another powerful purification. Like when we start to meditate or when we start to read Dharma texts, we very easily get tired. Whenever we begin to do something worthwhile, we very easy to get tired or get pain, especially we very easily very quickly fall asleep. Sooner or later sleep comes; the mind becomes very drowsy like the weather is not clear space but kind of foggy. The mind is kind of drowsy and unclear like that. This bath offering is a particular method to purify this unclear, foggy mind, which is due to pollution. This is not so much talking about pollution from a factory. [Rinpoche laughs] When I say pollution you might think pollution from a factory or something, but it’s not talking about that. It’s the pollution coming especially from your own mind. The bath offering is a special method to purify this obstacle, this pollution, this obscuration.

Anyway, when you are unable to do the whole practice, you can leave this out.

Then the very last one, the very last one, when the guru descend on one’s own crown then making request, by looking at each kaya, then integration of all the Triple Gem, like this, so that can be left. So it becomes shorter. Anyway, so like this. So depending one … even one is doing this guru yoga practice but still one … if one cannot do all, then one can sort of … one can that when one can do, one can do. Then when one doesn’t do all, then can make shorter, like this different ways.

Even if you can’t do this Guru Puja integrated with Jorchö or just Guru Puja, one of the most important ones is the mandala offering, done after purifying the particular negative karma accumulated with the guru. That’s very important. Then the requesting prayer to the lineage lamas, that one is extremely important, if it can be done.

If you can’t do the guru yoga practice this way, then the short one is Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.

For those who have taken Highest Yoga Tantra initiation there is the six-session guru yoga. If you can’t do other prayers then you can integrate them into the six sessions. You can meditate on the lam-rim by integrating it with the six-session guru yoga that you have to recite three times in the day and three times at night, the six-session yoga prayer. That’s another guru yoga practice.

If you can’t do other guru yoga prayers, then before the guru absorbs into you, you can read the lam-rim prayer The Foundation of All Good Qualities, either that one written by Lama Tsongkhapa or the lam-rim prayer from end of the Guru Puja, the section on the graduated path to enlightenment that contains all the tantra at the end. Either that, or there are many other different lam-rim prayers you can recite different, you don’t have always only do one. The main point is for at least one lam-rim prayer to get done, the direct meditation on the whole path to enlightenment. That’s the main purpose, to at least recite one lam-rim prayer once a day.

So you can do the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga. If you can’t do the long one then do the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga. For those who have a Highest Yoga Tantra initiation, you have the six-session guru yoga. Therefore if you can’t do other prayers then you can integrate a lam-rim meditation on the basis of the preliminary the six-session yoga. How to do that is before the guru absorbs into, you then one make the request, then do the mandala offering, then you can do the requesting prayer to the lineage lamas. If you can’t do that, then do some more abbreviated requesting prayer. After that, do the direct meditation on the whole path to enlightenment by reading a lam-rim prayer mindfully. Then it becomes direct meditation on the whole path to enlightenment. Then you can do a more extensive analytical meditation, and then afterwards a fixed meditation.

You do a fixed meditation means that after, with an analytical meditation. This is what I wanted to say the other night. Your mind that discriminates, that sees the guru and the buddhas as separate, or in other words the guru and the deity that you practice everyday life. By doing an analytical meditation, by proving this mind, you are then able to transform this, you are able to see that they are one. You are able to see that they are one. That is the transformation. That time your mind becomes guru yoga. Then keeping the mind in that experience, holding that experience, holding that experience for some time, that is fixed meditation. Holding the mind in that experience, that’s not possible. After the mind is transformed into the guru yoga, seeing there is no separate [guru and deity] after that immediately stop that experience, it’s not like that. Keeping the mind in that experience, holding that experience for some time, without reasoning, that is fixed meditation.

It’s the same with the perfect human body, with its usefulness, with the difficulties, with impermanence and death, with the lower realms’ suffering, with refuge and karma, all those subjects including emptiness. When your mind is transformed into that experience with analytical meditation, then you keep it for a while, you keep that experience one pointedly.

By using the two techniques, analytical and fixed, as I mentioned the other night, you continue that experience in the break times. You also continue that experience in the break times and for the rest of the day. This way helps you have very quick realizations. Keeping the mind in that experience, in the lam-rim, in the Dharma not only causes everyday life’s activities to become Dharma, the cause of happiness, but it helps you to actualize realizations quickly.

Today the emphasis is how to meditate on the lam-rim on the basis of guru yoga. What I’m saying is there are different ways, according to your own capacity. There are different ways you can do it.

Even if you can’t do the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga there is a very short practice. When I was in Taiwan, one or two years ago, I put together a practice where you just visualize Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, with the four immeasurables then the purpose of life which transforms the mind into Dharma, bodhicitta. Then the seven-limb practice, a short mandala then the requesting prayer, then you meditate by doing the lam-rim prayer. It becomes direct meditation on the whole path to enlightenment. So at least do something like this.

There can be guru yoga with other aspects of the Buddha; there can be guru yoga with the different deities. You can do the lam-rim meditation with guru yoga using deities like Tara and so forth, the different aspect of the Buddha.

THE ORAL TRANSMISSION OF THE LAM-RIM PRAYER: MOTIVATION
Maybe I’ll do some oral transmissions, just before going to sleep.

The first one is the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga, the oral transmission of the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga combined with the lam-rim prayer, The Foundation of All Good Qualities, composed by Lama Tsongkhapa.

The purpose of my life is to free all sentient beings from all the sufferings and to lead to the peerless happiness, full enlightenment, therefore I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore I must actualize the steps of path to enlightenment, therefore I am going to take the oral transmission of the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.

There are particular special benefits of practicing the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga, to eliminate obstacles, spirit harms, things caused by spirits and so forth. A particular benefit is to develop wisdom. There are a few particular benefits of specifically practicing this Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga, the guru yoga related to Lama Tsongkhapa.

Even hearing, even receiving the oral transmission of the mantra, receiving the oral transmission of Buddha’s teachings, even a mantra, even one stanza of Buddhadharma, it has incredible benefit.

For example, in the past Buddha gave teachings to five hundred swans in the field, and in next life all the five hundred swans were born as human beings and they all become ordained and then they all achieved the arya path. In that life, they all became free from the suffering of samsara, from rebirth, death, old age and sicknesses, by achieving the arya path. What happens in the next life is because all those incredible things that happened before, such as receiving a human body and so forth, and that is because of having heard the Buddhadharma, the words from the Buddha. Just by hearing the Dharma words.

There was a great pandit called Vasubandhu, in Tibetan, Loben Yiknyen, who composed the Abidharmakosha, one of the main philosophical texts, which has a detailed description of the skandhas—the elements—as well as the Buddha’s explanation of the evolution of the world and human beings and all these things. Vasubandhu recited this text each day. There was a pigeon on the roof of the hermitage that used to hear the Dharma words. One day, after the pigeon had died, Vasubandhu checked where this pigeon had reincarnated and through his psychic power he saw that the pigeon was born as human being, in the same area, somewhere down in the valley. He had reincarnated to a family down there. So Vasubandhu, this great pandit, went down to see the family and asked the family if he could have the child. And the family offered the child to him. Then this child became a great pandit called is Lobpön Loden, a great scholar in the teaching he had heard when he was a pigeon in his past life. He wrote four commentaries on the teaching he heard when he was pigeon.

There are many stories like that, where even by hearing the Dharma words or an oral transmission, even if that person doesn’t understand the meaning, he receives incredible benefit, that is what he receives from that, and sooner or later he is able to actualize the path, not only able to understand the meaning of the the words but able to actualize the path that ceases the delusions, and through that to achieve enlightenment.

Therefore even hearing Dharma words, even an oral transmission has incredible benefit, the effect it has on our mind. It brings sentient beings to full enlightenment. Therefore it’s a great blessing. It’s very important, it’s very good to recite mantras even to the animals. Of course if there is an opportunity for people, for human beings as well, who can definitely hear, but even for the animals, when there is an animal nearby, to get the opportunity to recite the mantra. If they can hear it then they receive incredible benefit from that.

Maybe tomorrow we’ll do the Thirty-five Buddhas, then Samayavajra then Dorje Khadro, the burning offering that is a very powerful practice, a very powerful purification that Manjushri taught Lama Tsongkhapa. We’ll do the oral transmission of some of the preliminary practices. We’ll do it tomorrow. Then again some more emphasis on the lam-rim practice.

Did the mindfulness practice get done in break time? Huh? The hallucination, the object to be refuted. I didn’t get to mention much on that yet. Maybe tomorrow, on the basis of this, practice mindfulness very intensively, the hallucination, even though things are merely labeled by the mind, even though things exist being merely labeled by the mind, when things appear to us they do so not appearing that way, not merely labeled by the mind. This is the object to be refuted and this is hallucination which means that this doesn’t exist. On the basis of this then, maybe tomorrow, particularly meditate on the object of attachment. On the basis of this, this is the recognition, the awareness, then maybe, relating to the hallucination or object to be refuted, particularly remember the object of the attachment.

Maybe I’ll stop here. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, maybe tomorrow at the change time, [Rinpoche laughs] maybe a little bit of talk on this point. Then you can use that to practice mindfulness.

[Rinpoche chants in Tibetan]

DEDICATION
Due to all the past, present and future merits accumulated by myself, by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, by the sentient beings, may the bodhicitta, the source of all the happiness and success, be generated within my own mind and in the mind of all sentient beings without the delay of even a second. In those who haven’t developed it, may it be developed.

[Chanting]

Due to all the past, present and future merits accumulated by myself, by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, by sentient beings, due to all these merits, may me myself, my family, all the students and all the sentient beings, in all the lifetimes, may we always meet the perfectly-qualified Mahayana virtuous friend and be able to see only enlightened beings. From each of the sentient being side, from my own side may we be able to do only actions most pleasing to the holy mind of the virtuous friend and be able to fulfill the holy wishes immediately, by each sentient being and by myself.

Due to all the past, present and future merits accumulated by myself, by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, by the sentient beings, may the father, mother sentient beings have happiness, may the three lower realms be empty forever, may the bodhisattvas’ prayers succeed immediately. May I be able to cause all these by myself alone.

I will dedicate all the merits in the best way to quickly enlighten all sentient beings, as the three times’ buddhas and bodhisattvas have dedicated their merits and as the bodhisattvas Manjughosha and Samantabhadra have realized.

[Chanting]

Due to all the past, present and future merits accumulated by myself, by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, by the sentient beings, all these merits while they exist they are empty, all these merits while they are exist they are empty. And may the I who, while it exists it is empty, achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which, while it exists it is empty, and lead all sentient beings, who, while they exist, they are empty, to that enlightenment as quick as possible by myself alone.

I dedicate the merit to actualize, to complete the pure path of Lama Tsongkhapa, the unified sutra and tantra within my own mind, in the minds of all my family, then in the minds of all the students. May it be spread in the minds of all sentient beings, and be able to lead to them to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

[Chanting]