Lecture 23

Just a virtuous motivation is not enough. It should be the virtuous motivation of bodhicitta in order for the present action of listening to the Dharma to become the cause of receiving enlightenment. So therefore, it is necessary to feel in the heart, “I must achieve enlightenment right away in order to enlighten all the kind mother sentient beings, therefore I am going to listen to the teachings on the gradual path to enlightenment.”

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching which leads the fortunate one to enlightenment. It is well expounded by the great Mahayana philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga, it is a profound teaching of the great bodhisattva Atisha, and the Dharma king of the three worlds Lama Tsongkhapa, by whom the infinite knowledge and the understanding of the teachings was shown. These teachings contain the essence of the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. All these teachings are set up for the gradual practice of one’s person receiving enlightenment. This is the sole path through which all past, present, and future Buddha have received enlightenment.

In order to offer a very brief explanation on the gradual path to enlightenment. There are four basic outlines. The last one is how to lead the actual disciple in the teaching on the gradual path to enlightenment. That has two basic outlines i) how to do the guru practice, which is the root of the path, and ii) how to train the mind in the gradual path by following the guru. So, as the whole path is divided into three, in order to receive enlightenment one has to complete the whole path, the lower, middle and higher intelligent being. So part of this meditation is the birth of higher realizations. Just like the foundation of the house.

The meditation on life and death. If one is concerned about it then, to not experience the problems of this life, to have happiness all the time within one’s mind. If one is concerned with destroying the devil, this evil thought attachment, if one wants to then the best solution for the beginners, the most powerful weapon to destroy is the meditation on impermanence and death. Yesterday I forgot to mention this. In Germany there are many groups of people. One group of people think their solution to get rid of uncomfortable thing inside, all the time. Always something not right, something missing all the time, something making mind not completely comfortable all the time. However, this group of people think that by shouting for hours and hours depression will come out, aggression. They shout in a group. They think that’s meditation. Of course they get tired that is without question. So they think that is a release when they get tired. mind gets exhausted and body gets exhausted and they think it is a kind of release from aggressions. You don’t have to shout if you work very hard you feel tired and get release.

I am not sure if this is the same group or different group. But one group puts kaka on the body. To get rid of depression and aggression, everybody’s body becomes naked, then they put kaka all over the body. This is their method to get out of depression, aggression. Isn’t that interesting. People try so many ways. Try to think of what can solve the problem. Put kaka outside of body as well as inside... Always kaka inside, outside as well. It is amazing that the mind does things like that.

Sometimes, even, it can become also the service to the eight worldly dharmas, doing that, only for the happiness of this life, or just to think, I can do this. I don’t feel just to show that I can do it, that I am capable of putting kaka on the body. You see, just to show other person like that. I heard that to be a member of that group, you have to pay lots and lots of money. And people do try to join. Of course they want peace.

Anyway, the conclusion, what I did not explain yesterday, of course if one can completely face at all times the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas, of course, without question, that is a perfect method for the happiness of all the lives. Not only this but all the future lives. That does not happen right away like this (clapping noise). It takes time. Mind has to train in it. Then afterwards it gets easier, easier and easier. The way to stop, keep oneself from following the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas, to purely live in Dharma, try to remember as much as possible the shortcomings of the eight worldly dharmas, and try to meditate. The most powerful remedy, is meditation on the impermanence of life and death.

Then as Kadampa, this highly realized meditator the follower of Atisha, Geshe Benkungyal. At the beginning when he was in his care you see night time, from morning time to night time, every time the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas arises, he counts, one time, two times, he counts each action. In the night time he checks back how many actions he has done with the evil though of the eight worldly dharmas, how many non-virtuous actions he has done. Then he has white stones and black stones, that he has collected, on the table. Before, at the beginning when he counts there is black, no white stones can be put down. White stone if for a virtuous action without being possessed by the eight worldly dharmas. So he checks back from the morning. Each time on he gets to put a white stone. At the beginning he could not put a white stone down, then later on, gradually more and more white, the numbers of black stones less and less and white ones more and more, until only white stones. So it is a matter of training. Not a matter of one day or one month. It depends on the person’s continual energy and practice, the training.

However, even like those meditators, even if we cannot completely live in the Dharma but when we do, even though in our daily life, we mostly do meaningless actions, non-virtuous actions but when we want to do, create some virtuous action at the time it is extremely important to be careful, even though we can’t live the whole life in the Dharma like those meditators, completely renouncing the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas but is extremely important to be careful, even though we can’t live the whole life in the Dharma like those meditators, completely renouncing the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas but it is extremely important that during the day and night time we create more non-virtuous actions but when we want to do some positive action it is so important to be careful, by checking the mind. Make the mind virtue first, then the action becomes a virtue. Careful with your mind. Extremely important.

Also at the time, even though the mind has been working for the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas the rest of the day, but when our wisdom wants to do some right action, then at that time be careful. Check up the mind. If you discover the mind is following the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas then you stop it, you don’t let it, otherwise action does not become virtue, cause of happiness. You check your mind before one action. Even if you are going to light one stick of incense, small action. Even if you want to do fifteen minutes meditation, even if you want to offer stick of incense in the presence of altars or stupas. If you want to create virtuous action, then be careful, think for this to become virtue or non-virtue depends on mind so you check the mind. If it is following the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas then don’t let the mind listen to the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas.

How to not let the mind listen is to remember the indefinite time of death, also the other shortcomings of the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas, like that, makes me to be born in the lower realms, the realms of the suffering transmigrator and this makes me to suffer, this has been causing me to suffering samsara from beginningless previous lifetimes. Even in this life it makes me suffer, all the confusion I am experiencing is obliged by this and all the suffering I will experience this evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas will continually, this evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas will experience this evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas will continually oblige me to experience suffering also in the future lives, remember the condensed shortcomings of the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas.

Then when you think of that your mind does not think of the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas so mind is virtue. Then by motivating. With the motivation of bodhicitta if it is possible, the best thing is like this. Then you do the action whatever you are doing, by trying to help the person by talking, even if you are going to have Dharma conversation, small action offering a candle or stick of incense. Even if you are giving one handful of food to the dog or one grain of rice to the ant, even if you make charity, then if one can do with bodhicitta motivation; I am going to make charity in order to receive enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, what you are giving to the ant or dog is nothing but the benefits of the virtuous action done with bodhicitta on the basis of facing the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas is pure Dharma, the practice of Mahayana, the benefits are infinite, uncountable.

My emphasis is this, the reason why I emphasize this I think in the 6th course, people who were here, I think I spent twenty days, about ten days on this . You see, the thing is that because it clarifies what is Dharma and what isn’t Dharma, it gives choice, when we want to practice Dharma, once we have the wisdom. We have the choice, we can make actions become Dharma, whenever one wants. Otherwise you believe lots of this spiritual actions what people think are religious actions. A lot of people believe even those learned ones, those who study so many philosophical teachings, who make deep study, they know so many words, they can explain so much, like this, studying in the University…

…but when it comes to what is Dharma and what is not Dharma, their conception is a little bit—the action is Dharma, like that, Dharma has to be something like that, making offerings, saying prayers, reading Dharma texts, some actions like that, and worldly actions mean smoking, playing games, working in the fields etc. So, without understanding this, normally, we want to practice Dharma, want to create virtuous actions, we try to do something virtuous, but what we are trying does not become virtue, we believe it is virtue but it doesn’t become virtuous action, it is not Dharma even though we believe it is. There is a danger like this. Generally we have a very short life, the length of life is nothing, it is really very short. The small virtuous actions we try to do, if they didn’t become Dharma, virtue, how that is upsetting. We believe it is virtue but it’s not.

Like, nighttime, you make business in a shop. The money you get from other person is false money but you believe it is real money. Then afterwards you discover that it is false money, not the one you are allowed to use. Let’s say it is $100, if a person gets a false $100 then afterwards he recognizes this. After that it is very upsetting when he discovers it is false. Even though he believed it was real before. So you see, that is nothing, receiving false money, that does not cause to be born in the lower realms. That cannot disturb the happiness of the future lives, but non-virtuous actions done with the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas is the cause of that. Like this.

So it’s extremely important that the small virtuous action that we do rarely, only sometimes, when we do it we should be very careful, make it perfect as much as possible. Like this. Otherwise like this.

[BREAK]

Student: A more specific definition.
Rinpoche: That is like being attached to the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas arising to the sound of music.
Student: How would it differ from the first one, craving for the pleasure of the six senses?
Rinpoche: Yeah, that is pleasure, that is the object of one’s senses.
Student: There are two separate ones.
Rinpoche: Oh I see! Yeah, Yeah, evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas arising from the sound of music means having pleasure in the attachment of that. It doesn’t mean that you can’t hear the music, it means you are attached in the pleasure. Attachment arising pleasure. Usually his attachment to music, that means he is attached to the pleasure of music, it means that, because it means that.
Student: How would it differ, Rinpoche, from craving to hear ego pleasing words and sounds? How would it differ?
Rinpoche: That is the opposite to admiration?
Student: No that is opposite to not wanting to hear ugly displeasing words or sounds.
Rinpoche: That comes under same thing also. Words can be singing, similar to music for that. Either it can be singing or music.
Student: Can you give me an example of something that would fit under one category and one that does not fit under the second? Pleasure of the six senses and not craving to hear sweet, ego pleasing words and sounds. I still don’t understand what that means.
Rinpoche: Sense pleasures or what?
Student: One craving for pleasures of the six senses and one craving to hear ego—pleasing words and sounds. One example that would fit one and not the other.
Rinpoche: Sense pleasures that is being attached in the six senses of pleasure and that includes also being attached in the sound, like music and singling, that is included.
Student: Umm. Why is it written separately in the book?
Rinpoche: Afterwards it mentions six senses?
Student: The six senses. The first one is craving for pleasures of the six senses and the third one is craving to hear sweet ego pleasing words or sounds. I don’t understand why they are written separately.
Rinpoche: Oh I see! I understand. The four things of like and four things dislike, the very first thing is happiness. There can be other happiness which is not from admiration, pleasure, not from materialistic receiving, not from interesting sound, so there can be other happiness. Even if there is no admiration. Happiness is mentioned first then afterwards it is mentioned in those three other things, those other happinesses do not depend on those three things, so like this.

The name of the text which I mentioned yesterday, only by reading this I have understood, I have discovered how to practice Dharma after many years. The title of this text is Beginning Thought Training, Opening the Door of the Dharma. Even by the title it is very interesting. You want to understand what subject it contains. If one doesn’t know the shortcomings of not remembering the impermanence of life and death, if one does not also understand the benefits, then one does not see the importance of making meditation on the impermanence of life and death. One does not see the importance. So if one does not remember the impermanence of life and death, one does not remember the impermanence of life and death, one does not remember Dharma, even if one remembers Dharma, does not practice Dharma. If one does not remember, especially the indefinite time of death then one tries to practice Dharma, then it doesn’t become Dharma. Then if one does not remember the impermanence of life and death then one makes oneself evil. How? By, you see, what happens is one does not protect oneself away from the delusions.

So you see as one follows the delusions, then one creates so much negative karma so many evil actions. With delusions person who steals without permission of others, who takes away another’s possession is called a thief, by the action. Like that, by following the delusions, oneself makes oneself evil. One makes oneself enemy to oneself. Making oneself enemy, instead of guiding oneself. One creates the cause of the problems so oneself has to experience. Oneself becomes the creator of one’s own suffering. You see, that is how one becomes enemy to oneself.

If one protects oneself away from the delusion by remembering impermanence of life and death, in that way oneself becomes guide to oneself. Oneself helps. Why oneself becomes guide to oneself is because away from the following of the delusions. Experiencing the result of suffering of the delusions. Experiencing the result of suffering. Then especially at the death time, when one has to die, instead of dying with human body, with great upsetness one dies. While the person is experiencing great fear and upsetness in the mind he has to leave the body without choice. Then the benefits are if one remembers the impermanence of life and death not to be born in the lower realms and to receive rebirth of the happy transmigrator and to experience happiness in all the future lives. By practicing the gradual path of the lower being. Besides the meditation of impermanence and death, karma and refuge. Then also by meditating on impermanence of life and death there is great meaning to receive nirvana by following the path. Then also one can receive enlightenment by entering the Mahayana path. So it is extremely useful like this.

The meditation on impermanence of life and death is extremely powerful to destroy the delusions, anger and pride. If you want to destroy pride right away the most powerful thing is this meditation, also anger and attachment and many other negative minds. If one can remember the impermanence of life an death, if one wants to relax, to be happy, then remember this. If one is not happy with anger, how powerful it is to destroy the delusions, is like atomic bomb. Quickly it destroys the whole city, completely and utterly in one minute, everything is in pieces. Even the solid mountains are completely upside down, you know. How powerful the meditation on impermanence and death is in order to control the delusions like that.

Also at the beginning of the Dharma practice, meditation on impermanence of life and death is extremely important, because what makes the person’s Dharma practice pure is by remembering life and death, and also to complete the Dharma practice, to receive enlightenment. Not only to start the Dharma practice, not only to continue, but also to complete it. It is extremely important to remember impermanence of life and death, and also to complete the Dharma practice, to receive enlightenment. Not only to start the Dharma practice, not only to continue, but also to complete it. It is extremely important to remember. Then when the person dies by making meditation on impermanence of life and death, person dies with great happiness.

The highly realized lamas, when they pass away, it is like worldly people are so happy to go for a picnic in the beautiful park, they can’t stand waiting for it. Like worldly people when they have a long time away from home, when they come back they are so happy. Like that, by practicing Dharma, remembering impermanence and death, even if the person is not that much highly realized, at least when the highly realized lamas, you see at the death time, they see, even if they go to the pure realms, even if they want to take a perfect human rebirth. In certain country where there is tantra or the Vajrayana teachings, to certain families, certain parents, as they see the benefits, with choice they can be born. Like this.

…Such as the great yogi Milarepa who received enlightenment in the lifetime, when he passed away amazing things happened at the death time. His body which looked like an ordinary body, a corpse in the view of the ordinary people. At the death time he could manifest different bodies, and even before death time. He was in the benefactor’s house, with another Milarepa in another country, another village; another Milarepa going with his disciples to the cave; another Milarepa is in the cave. Like this. So everyone believes Milarepa is here, everyone, the benefactor believes Milarepa is at his house, those disciples who are going with Milarepa, they believe Milarepa is going with them, they think Milarepa is not in other places. Then also at the death time the holy body becoming dissolved in light, things like that. Then the people are so incredibly worried; the where he passed away I think is called Churwa. It’s close to the place where I was born in the mountains, where I lived during the child time. So when he passed away, many villagers, many people came because the holy body was becoming smaller, dissolving. Then were so worried as they put the body in the mandala, formed big mandala, so much hundreds, hundreds, hundreds of offering round, so much offering in mandala, before mandala of deity. Inside Milarepa, the holy body. Then these disciples were so worried that there wouldn’t be any holy object for them to make prostrations, present, to make offerings, to create good karma. The female daka-dakinis, the female goddesses who have achievement of high tantric realizations, they come to take Milarepa’s holy body into the pure realm. All the disciples, the benefactors were so worried.

People from a village where Milarepa had lived called Nyelam came to get the body also and they started a fight over the body. Then all of a sudden a sound came from space, in a voice exactly like Milarepa’s, although it was a god from a pure realm, saying, “You people will never receive Milarepa’s holy body by fighting. Only by praying can you receive it. There is no such body, actually, because the holy body is not matter or atoms, but absorbed into the Dharmakaya.”

The people stopped fighting then. They really believed that Milarepa was talking because it was same voice and they stopped, they were so happy to hear and stopped fighting. Then they prayed so much and then they received another holy body from out of that holy body which is there. Then they had their own share, then they went back to their own country.

Also when they were in the mandala with Milarepa’s holy body, incredible things happened, amazing things. The whole area was kind of full of vibrations of white light, then many dakinis come from the pure realm, they came to make prostration to Milarepa to invite him in the pure realm. They came with different offerings, carrying incense, flowers, scattering, throwing flowers in the space, the whole space full of scented smells. All the people who came to see the holy body of Milarepa, all the people could see also the dakinis, somehow by the karma, somehow in that time they could also communicate with dakinis from the pure realm. There were clouds of different kinds of offerings, banners, umbrellas all kinds of many different offerings, all whole way round like the Katmandu valley, mountains around. On top of the mountains, on top of the mountains, there’s a cloud in the form of offerings, around like this.

Then all the people who used to believe Milarepa was kind of foolish, or a magician, an evil person, he killed so many people in the lifetime with black magic and he did this and that, people who created heresy toward Milarepa, at the death time, by seeing all the special signs which prove that he is completely free from all the obscuration and that he received enlightenment, all the heresy that they had, all the wrong understanding that they had was completely destroyed, completely disappeared, completely gone away. Not a single one left—instead of that, incredible, unbelievable devotion in the minds of those people.

When the disciples started to offer fire to the holy body of the mandala, then while the flame was coming, first he did not accept for a long time because Milarepa was waiting for the one disciple to receive it. Afterwards, when the disciple arrived, the flame was accepted, but while the flame is going on, again Milarepa came out of the meditation, while he’s in meditation, in the Dharmakaya, he was in the concentration of shunyata, again.

For ordinary people this is impossible, after the breath has stopped, again to be living is impossible. It’s impossible to talk about people, to communicate even when there’s great sickness, even before breathing stops, he can’t speak, you can’t speak, not like that.

Again from the meditation, while Milarepa’s holy mind is in the meditation on the Dharmakaya, again, with the flames going on, again he came out of that and again he stopped the flames coming from the body and he communicated, he talked, he gave instruction to his disciples.

Also Milarepa’s holy body, what was recognized as the corpse in the view of ordinary people, at the same time those, in another place, Milarepa was in another place where his disciple Rechungpa came to see Milarepa’s holy body, a very far place which takes months and months to get to. Rechungpa came with his psychic powers in 3 days, or something like that, I don’t remember exactly. He had control over the chakras, energy, and nadis, so by using the motility as a vehicle he came with his power in such a short time.

While he was coming on the way to see Milarepa in that place, there’s the holy body, which is recognized as the corpse, but then Milarepa is communicating, Milarepa is blessing his disciples.

Then also there are many highly realized lamas for which similar things happened at death time, the fantastic signs happen at death time.

At death time they give teachings, they give instruction to the disciples, they make everything ready as they know the time when they want to die, when they want to pass away. Giving instruction to the monks how to do things, making arrangement—not only incarnate lamas but also many meditating monks. Those who made much purification by meditating on lam-rim, who have created much merit, at the death time they have such a good death, they pass away in meditation. Many, many monks in the monasteries, who are usually very poor looking, very torn, wearing only torn clothes and not so educated, who don’t know so much, not expert, not so learned in the philosophical teachings—often they have this kind of death.

They make everyone surprised, and cause everyone to have devotion to the person. Everyone is surprised that he is such a good Dharma practitioner, I didn’t realize. Everyone has to say like that, at the death time when the person is in meditation, when there are special signs happening at death time. Even if they don’t have much understanding of Dharma, deep and wide, they observe karma well, and they continuously make much purification, create merit, and they practice meditation also. So many times like this it happened, which surprised ordinary people.

Also many times this happened for laypeople. Tibetan laypeople, fathers, mothers, those who make much purification, create merit like that and so that’s how and they make, they practice meditation, like that much purification, recite much mantras, make many prostrations. They try to create much merit, who has much devotion to the lama from whom they receive teachings, try to observe karma as much as possible. Even though they don’t have much understanding of Dharma, they die in meditation. When they die in meditation special signs happen at the death time. They do not have any sickness, with normal body, with normal health, just dying, also they themselves transfer, they, many times happened.

In Tibet also, happened many times, monks, nuns, many laypeople who practiced Vajrayana teachings, they transfer their consciousness by themselves without any worry, without one single worry of death. Then by making preparation by themselves, by performing the altars, practicing their meditation they transfer their consciousness by themselves into the pure realm, even without need, even without any helper, any Dharma helper, Dharma friend round. There are many times happens like that. All these are basically, continuously trying to practice Dharma, trying to create virtuous action as much as possible by remembering impermanence of life and death.

I stop here.

Lecture 24

I think first little bit of explanation on the impermanence of life and death, I didn’t finish that this morning, then maybe introduce the subject from the gradual path of the middle intelligent being.

By not remembering, the ordinary person who doesn’t practice Dharma, at the death time, much worry, tears come out, having fearful face, then hands, the person doesn’t want to die, his hand holds the bed, he grabs the pillows, holds other people, the relative’s hands, hands kind of moving up, and he has terrible pains, disease, making lots of noise. Besides himself going through incredible suffering, also his parents, relatives, and the people who come around to try to help—it makes them worry, upset. Even the outside looking body at death time, very ugly, terrifying looking body, that person.

The meditator, the Dharma practitioner who has meditated on the gradual path to enlightenment, who meditates on impermanence of life and death, at the death time, the mind is happy, even if he is not like the great yogi Milarepa, the mind is with happiness. Also person also knows where he is going to be born, that definitely he is not going to be born in the realm of the lower transmigrator, he knows also definitely that he is going to be born in the pure realm, as he practices the method, the lam-rim.

Then the lowest Dharma practitioner, when he dies, there’s no doubt, there’s no kind of fear in the mind. He made much purification, collected much merit in the life, tried to observe karma as much as possible, tried to avoid harming by renouncing the eight worldly dharmas. There’s no fear, no worry, there’s no doubt. “Oh! maybe I’ll be born as preta, maybe I’ll be born as animal, having 1,000 legs, having 1,000 legs crawling in the world, in, under the ocean.” There’s no doubt, “I may not be born in the upper realm of happy transmigrator, maybe I will be born in the lower realm,” kind of doubt, not sure in the mind. At least there’s no doubt. In the mind there is confidence, there’s no worry, no doubt to be born in the realm of the lower transmigrator, for the lowest practitioner.

Then, death is definite. Why is death definite? That is easy, easy to understand death is definite. One reason is that since this earth has evolved, there hasn’t been one sentient being, one human being who has not died. There’s not one sentient being, one animal, one human being that we can point out. So therefore, death is definite to happen. And there’s no place where we can hide from the danger of death, even you go to what is called, that place in America—
Student: Disneyland
Rinpoche: Disneyland. He reads my mind. Maybe we have same mind. So it is possible even if you go to Disneyland alive when you come back, you are dead. No matter how much concrete and iron house you build. Even if you go to the moon, wherever the karma of death is ready, one has to go through death. There is no choice, without experiencing death, that you can exist forever. As we are not free from karma, that we have to go through the circle of death and rebirth, when the karma is ready, we have to go through death, no matter wherever we escape.

In previous times in India there was much fighting. Many of the Shakyas got killed. So Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciple, the Arhat Sharipu, who had incredible psychic powers, and others, took the Shakyas to the moon, the sun, on these planets. But without choice they died. Some of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s followers, arhats, they tried to hide in their begging bowl, but they didn’t survive, they died.

One time in Tibet, one Geshe was going back to the monastery or coming from the monastery, going back home. However on the way he stopped at one village, at one family’s house and there was one old mother and one son, one child. The old mother was taking lice out of the clothes. Tibet is very cold and they never wash. So it’s easy to get bugs.

So the old mother was taking lice out of the clothes, and the Geshe was nearby, and the old mother was telling the child, son, “Son, child, take this lice outside and put somewhere and leave it in a place where he won’t die.” Then Geshe heard this, the mother talking. So Geshe told the mother, “Oh! mother, if there’s a place where you cannot die, would you take me to that place?”

There is no place that you can escape, that you can hide from the danger of death. No medicine that can completely stop death. So it is definite to happen. No matter how the body is strong, no matter how much it is powerful, no matter how much the person has military power, no matter how many atomic bombs, no matter how much artillery, no matter how many powerful weapons he has, no matter how many armies, bodyguards to protect his life, no matter how powerful his body is, nothing can stop the danger of death.

At the death time, usually even if the person is very powerful, very strong, at death he is completely very suffering looking, very faint looking, kind of the animals, lions, they look kind of very powerful usually, when they are alive, very kind of pompous, but when they die, they look very upset and the hands…
Student: Contract? Shrink?
Rinpoche: Shrink, shrink kind of like this.

We see the ants, the flies. When they die they become frightening, small tiny creatures, when they die they become frightened, the whole body, the hands, shake like this. Anyway, there is power, death is definite to happen. Then without any additional life, life becomes shorter, continuously.

A person who lives for a million years—it seems long time. But there’s no such real concrete million years, it is just a formation of a certain number of years. By the month, by the hours. It has a certain number of hours, of seconds, a certain number of seconds which can be counted. So since the person is born in the mother’s womb there’s a certain number of seconds in this life until death, so at the same time he come into his mother’s womb, that number of seconds already starts to finish. Just like the second of the watch quickly finishes. Life gets shorter like this. That is still nothing compared to our life, our life is not for a million years, our life. If we live for sixty or seventy years around that age. So almost half is kind of already finished. What is left, say, thirty years to live, the thirty years is just like the million.

So right now while I am talking so many seconds are finished, they go fast like this. The life finishes so fast and closer, closer as each second of life finishes becoming closer, closer …

…how the life is short, how each second, hour we are getting closer to the death. We see so clearly and we can’t stand it in the depth of our mind, can’t stand it that one is getting closer to the death, to be killed. In the mind a person would think what can be done, what can be managed, how can I escape from this danger? What can be managed, what is better, what method is better, what should be done?

You see, without managing something… there’s incredible energy in the mind if you seek refuge or someone to guide oneself from that danger. You can stop a car, even if the police are driving you can still stop the car, it’s possible that it can stop for one hour, you can play some trick on the police so the police stop for one minute, one hour to delay getting closer to the danger.

You can stop at least for an hour or a minute. But as each second of life finishes one is getting closer to death. We do not have any choice to stop it. The car can stop, it’s possible to stop it. So we are spontaneously getting closer to death.

The Fifth His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, while a person is running toward the Lord of Death, even though one calls oneself alive one is in danger of death. Like the vision of the criminal, seeing someone being taken to the place to be killed is an upsetting vision.

It’s like this when we see the goats, when people lead the animal goats to the butcher’s place to be killed. Their necks are tied by rope and they’re led. The big animal and the small goats follow the mother or father, and they don’t know where they are going, they aren’t sure where the person is taking them. If the other goats follow the goat who leads, who is owned by the person, they don’t know where they are going, each step they make closer to the death, so when we look at the goats it is upsetting. We know they are going to the butcher’s, and each step they make is getting closer to the death. When we know that in a time after one hour or two their inside bodies are completely outside, by going through unbelievable, incredible pain. The person at this time is still living in this body, eating food, at this moment he doesn’t have to experience, unbelievable freedom he has. When we see the goats being taken like this it is very upsetting when we know after one hour, two hours it’s going to be finished. They have to go through incredible suffering which one doesn’t have to experience at the present time, then like this.

What the Fifth His Holiness Dalai Lama is saying, now I am giving examples, is that seeing the criminal person going to the place to be killed is the example, but actually our life is the same thing, when we watch it’s like that, upsetting. Then we understand how our life is getting closer to the death, same thing as each second of life finishes. We are getting closer to death like this.

Then also on the other hand it’s like this; if you throw a stone in space there is not one minute, one second without coming closer to the ground, one minute one second the stone cannot stop in space. So how quick the stone drops, so quickly it becomes closer to the ground, how it falls to the ground so it’s like our life getting closer to the death, how quickly getting closer to death.

Also useful to think like this: on the other hand if the enemy is coming to kill oneself, and it is definite the enemy is going to kill oneself, but we are not sure when this enemy will come and kill me. You see, as oneself is going to another country or place there is an enemy coming to kill oneself, it’s definite that the enemy will kill oneself but we are not sure when the enemy will see or kill me. However as I am going this way, the enemy is coming toward me, continuously running toward me, so each second of life is getting closer to death. The Lord of Death is continuously coming closer, and death is definite to happen but we are not sure when it will happen. Actual time not sure.

First remember the example, oneself going this way and the enemy continuously running to kill oneself, each time getting closer and closer to oneself, not sure when the enemy will see me and kill me. The death is getting closer and closer, and as each second of life finishes death is getting closer, closer, not sure when it will happen to oneself.

Death is definite for those three reasons: no one has lived without dying since the earth has evolved until now, no place can stop the danger of death, no power of body, Sangha power, no material power and things can stop the death. So death is definite. So after that, meditate. First visualize the person who lives for a million years, that is the formation of a number of years and months, hours, hours, seconds, how that quickly finishes. At the time that finishes, will be born in another realm.

Then, after you realize that it is finished so quickly, when you realize that, then think of oneself. Figure it out, sixty or seventy years according to your age. Then you think that much is finished, that much left to live. So this many years is a formation of years, months, hours and certain amount of seconds. Then think the seconds, you relate how the seconds of a small watch goes, relate like that, you relate your life to the sound of the small watch seconds finishing, by relating to the sound of each second finishing, you relate our life to that and you meditate, then concentrate for a little while on how “I’m getting closer to death.” Try to feel how as much as possible how each second of life finishes oneself is getting closer to the death.

Then after that visualize yourself in the car, the police you taking to the court to be killed. What reaction comes in the mind, what effects on the mind, as the police are driving the car so fast, each second closer to the place where one is going to be killed. Then think this going by car still can be stopped for a minute, hour but my life getting closer to the death by finishing each second of life, cannot be stopped the life getting closer to the death. Think, it is impossible.

Then also think of the example of the animal, goats who are taken to the butcher’s place, and remember as you are looking at it you are the subject, remember that how you feel with that. Then think, “I am also like that.” In fact, each second I am getting closer to death. Then also the example that you are going to another country, the enemy is coming to kill you from the country, the enemy is continuously running to kill oneself , “I’m not sure when the enemy will see me and kill me, not sure when this will happen.” First think this of example; try to get the feeling of this example, the second time you think death is coming closer, closer, continuously coming closer, not sure when this will happen. So we get a feeling also with this example.

On the other hand it is like this. If everyone knows from the newspapers etc., the atomic bomb is going to come, let’s say a war is happening, there is danger of war and the atom bomb is going to fall, explode. Everyone knows it is going to be dropped, but people don’t know when it will be dropped, not sure. If the world is in such a situation, how are the minds of the people, how do the people’s minds think? Not sure when they will drop the atomic bomb but it is definitely going to happen. The people will expect, “Oh maybe tonight it will happen, maybe now it will happen.” All the time they will think like this, every morning when they get up they will remember death. “Maybe today they will drop the atomic bomb, maybe today we will die.”

I think I will stop here.

Starting with the meditation on the graduated path of the middle being, as Lama Tsongkhapa has explained in the teachings, “If one does not try to understand the shortcomings of true suffering, the perfect thought of seeking the boundless state, nirvana, cannot be received. If one does not realize the evolution of how samsara is created by the all-rising true cause of suffering, one can not know how to cut the root of samsara. It is necessary to practice the mind renouncing samsara and understand what binds the samsara (means what binds oneself to samsara.) The venerable gurus have practiced like this. I prostrate (I request) you who seek the boundless state, nirvana, should also practice like this.”

Samsara: the country is not samsara, the city is not samsara, all the houses, bamboo and grass houses, are not samsara. This tent, this place, is not samsara. The hair is not samsara—some people think those who have long hair are samsara—that is not samsara. Some people think, “If I shave my hair I am free from samsara.” But shaving the hair is sometimes showing how I am capable, depending on the motivation of course. Some people think the clothes, the legs are samsara, when he puts robes on he thinks, “I have just given up samsara.” When he took off his pants, thinking he is just out of samsara.

In previous times it happened like this. One manager of a lama had a wrong conception about samsara like this. He thought samsara, his understanding of samsara is of lay clothes, pants, all those things. Afterwards this manager went to another lama, and this other lama asked him, thinking that because the other lama with whom the manager is living is a highly realized lama, this manager must have great understanding of Dharma. So he asked, “What practice have you done?” The manager said, “I have just given up samsara.” Like it was a great thing, he told the lama. So the lama asked, “How?” “Oh I have just taken off my pants.” Because he had been wearing pants and when he came to see the lama he had put on the robes.

In the teachings it explains, this mind and body, these aggregates, with what we suffer, self suffering, even though these aggregates, this body, is suffering—why the self has to suffer, why the self has to be released? Why there is no choice for the self to not experience suffering? Because when the aggregates experience suffering the self has to suffer. When the body suffers the self has to suffer. So there is no choice for the self to not experience suffering. So that shows self is not free from samsaric suffering. That shows self is bound to samsara by what? What makes self to suffer is because the delusion and karma bind the self to the aggregates. That is how when the aggregates, when the body has problems the self has to experience those problems. When the body is in danger of weapons to be wounded, the self without choice has to experience that suffering. What makes the self to not be free, to not suffer? That is by delusions and karma, which bind the self to samsara.

So as the highly realized root guru, Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, explained, “Without choice, by being completely under the control of delusion and karma, bearing the load of samsara, the aggregates, caused by delusions and karma, then circles from the top of samsara (the realm of gods) down to the narak realm, the unceasing suffering state.”

It goes round and round like this, circling. Taking the load or burden of samsara caused by delusions and karma and circling round and round, going up and down, from the point of samsara, to the lowest narak unceasing suffering state, then again from there born in another realm—circling all the time. This has big meaning, great understanding.

According to this explanation now we are carrying the burden of the human aggregates, this burden of samsara, caused by delusion and karma. At the moment we are circling on the human realm, this human body. Does not mean outside place. After, we take another burden. Right after this, we release this burden and take another burden of samsara. If it is animal such as cat or dog, again we carry the burden of samsara in the animal aggregates, which are caused by delusions and karma. We suffer with it. As we suffer with this now, not free from this, again we suffer by carrying that burden, the dog and cat suffering which are caused by delusions and karma.

What ties the burden to the self? What makes oneself to carry the burden is by delusions and karma. Sounds like delicious! Delicious and karma. Maybe delusion is delicious. I think I stop here.

The meditation is as I explained on impermanence and death. Just take time. Main thing is to feel it. Then in the last session can briefly remember Lama Tsongkhapa’s quotation, good to remember.

Lecture 25

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching which leads the fortunate one to enlightenment. It is well expounded by the great Mahayana philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is a profound teaching, the essence of the great bodhisattva Atisha and the Dharma king of the three worlds, the great Lama Tsongkhapa, in whose knowledge the understanding of the teaching was shown. This teaching contains all the essence of the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. All these teachings are set up for the gradual practice for the person’s achieving enlightenment and this is the sole path all past, present and true Buddhas have received enlightenment. In order to offer just a very brief explanation on the gradual path to enlightenment.

It has four basic outlines. The last one is the graduated path how to lead the disciple in the actual teaching in the path to enlightenment. There are 2 outlines: how to make the Guru practice which is the root of the path and how to train the mind in the gradual path by following the guru. So the whole of this path is set up in 3 ways: the gradual paths of the lower being, middle being and higher being. In order to receive enlightenment one has to complete the whole path, one has to actualize the whole path gradually starting to actualize from the gradual path of the lower intelligent being.

So the subject is on impermanence. Briefly finished the explanation on the perfect human rebirth and difficulty receiving perfect human rebirth, and then the impermanence of life and death.

The highly realized great Yogi Milarepa said in his teaching, “I was scared of death, and scared of the mountains. Now I have actualized the nature of the mind which is empty, now even death comes to me does not upset, there’s no worry.”

So the great Yogi Milarepa achieved enlightenment in one lifetime by having actualized the nature of the mind, which is empty, living in a solitary place. That is caused by what? All this incredible courage and determination in his mind.

In regards to the body, our bodies are much stronger and healthier than Milarepa’s holy body when he was living ascetic life in the caves. His holy body wasn’t like our bodies, very fat and strong and shiny, like polished, not like this. When other people see his holy body, his outer looking body is kind of blue, not wearing enough clothes, having just one piece of cloth and just one small meditation seat, to keep the body upright, supporting the body, it helps for meditation to be straight, the nadis, arteries in the body, the backside of the body to be a bit higher. So he has a little cushion containing grass inside. Outside he looked very thin and skinny, easy to be blown by the wind, when he was living ascetic life in the caves, on the way to actualizing the path.

Even though his holy body was like that he received enlightenment in a lifetime, completed the whole Vajrayana path. Such was his strong determination having realized the absolute nature of the mind, all these things. First, what has caused it is by the realization, meditating on impermanence of life and death. This what energy, how he got that much energy to complete the path, the gradual path in this life what gave energy, that is by completing the meditation on impermanence of life and death. So that’s why he is saying, “I was scared of death and I was scared of the mountains, now I have actualized the nature of the mind which is empty.”

“Now even the death comes there’s no worry,” means, you know, before he was under the control of death, now what happened by meditating on impermanence of life and death he has actualized the absolute true nature of the mind. Before, the death controls him now he controls death.

Before, he was like us, when we die is up to the Lord of the Dead. It’s not up to us, it’s up to the Lord of Death. After Milarepa received these realizations, the death is up to him, he has choice whenever he wants to pass away. His death is up to him. For us, death is not up to us as we are under the control of the death, it is up to the Lord of the Death. As it is said in the teachings, one who rides on the death is the wise person, one who becomes the vehicle of the death is not a wise one. Like this also as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and many other Buddhas who have enlightened numberless sentient beings, who are still benefiting us, who have received enlightenment and have shown the path to numberless sentient beings, who are still benefiting us, who have received enlightenment and have shown the path to numberless sentient beings and have led numberless sentient beings in the path from their suffering. All these are benefits of making meditation on the impermanence of life and death.

However so death is definite. There are three ways of looking, life is continuously becoming shorter without any addition of life. So without need any repetition of this.

Usually according to the traditional way of giving teachings, the meditation is always, the lineage of the lamas they have to repeat four times. Same day three times repeat and then last day when they start to give new chapter, when they are giving new meditation, then again another repetition of the meditation that is like this.

First amplified one first, second little bit short one, then third little bit shorter than that. So all kinds of people, all kinds of people who can comprehend all subjects, who can comprehend that much but shorter than that more essence. Then also the most the short essential one repeat three times in one day. Then I repeat tomorrow afternoon another repetition, think what was forgotten yesterday what was left, then mention that. Four repetition, in that way the subject stays for the listener, by repeating many times it stays, they can understand easy. Like this. Here we don’t need to repeat because you are all highly intelligent except the person who is explaining.

Also in regards to the commentary, there are three ways to give the commentary explanation. One is the commentary of practice. One is the commentary of experience and one is the commentary of explanation. The three ways of giving commentary. The commentary of experience is giving the teaching with the teacher’s experience and also like in Tibet they do like this when there is a lot of time, when they can spend one or two months and then they give the next meditation. Try to understand that and then actualize, letting the disciples experience. Letting the disciples experience, which takes a lot of time. That is one way.

One way is explaining, then the disciples go back to their own places, where they sleep, and on the same day try to remember what the guru has explained and try to meditate. That is called the commentary of practice. Again tomorrow morning, again remember.

The commentary of explanation is just explaining, making explanation and just try to understand, making quick explanation.

Sometimes it’s good like this, to think, to control the negative mind, it is very effective, very powerful to stop the negative mind. Actually I mentioned, coming closer to this example, one can think like this, I have created much negative karma to be born in the narak realm, first remember the karma, try to see it, try to feel it, try to visualize the narak realm, the whole ground hot red iron ground. Then think like oneself is falling down on the red hot iron ground of the naraks. Actually, as each second of life finishes, as that karma was created, each second of life is like a stone falling to the ground, coming closer, closer, closer, each second I am nearer and nearer. Closer and closer to the red hot iron ground of the naraks. By visualizing that. This technique is also very powerful to control the negative mind, to stop it from creating negative karma, the delusions. Since the karma is created for the narak and not purified, it is just like a stone getting closer to the ground.

Last outline of “death is definite,” while one is alive, without having chance to practice Dharma, then dying. Experiencing death, becoming closer and closer to death without having chance to practice Dharma. If a person is going to live sixty years, that is the length of his life, half of the life is spend in day and half in night, so half of the life is spent sleeping, only sleeping. Only thirty years left, spent in the day time. But can’t find time to practice Dharma in childhood, we are just like a worm coming out of the mother’s womb, mind is incapable to understand or practice Dharma. Even after some time, when the person is grown up, even the day time life, according to the life of a person who practices Dharma, just an example of one day, how much time he spends in meaningless activities such as unnecessary talk, and how much time is spent in Dharma. If the person examines one day of his life, the most time is spent in the works of this life. The actual time spent in Dharma practice is very short and very seldom. Even what we do, lets say today we practice Dharma for a short time, three or four times in the day, one or two hours, or a few minutes, even if we could carry on like this every day it would be good, little bit Dharma practice every day. But it is very difficult every day, even a short time like that. Just this one month, this opportunity to practice Dharma, then after this one month, we see our individual lives—it’s difficult. This you can understand. How much chance there is to practice Dharma in our lives.

Now at this time, while the body and mind are capable, if we don’t try hard while we are young, afterwards, every second of life we are becoming older and older, body becoming older and weaker. Becoming old all of a sudden doesn’t happen like this. Not suddenly becoming old in one morning, like becoming another person. If it happened all of a sudden, we couldn’t stand it.

We can remember old people in the west, grandparents, body not capable, even one wishes to prostrate or do purifying practices, even there are incredible purifying practices, having incredible benefits, such as making prostrations, even one knows the benefits and wishes to do it, the body is not capable, cannot even walk properly without relying on a stick. Person walks like a drunk person, cannot walk straight, goes this way and that way, can’t control the body. Also mind is not capable, ears become more and more deaf, can’t hear. Can’t comprehend even people’s names, forget everything after one minute or a few seconds. Even one lives long time, body and mind are not capable to study and comprehend the meaning of the teachings. To practice Dharma with body, speech or mind is difficult.

So this time, while body and mind can do anything, is the perfect time, to understand and practice Dharma, the teachings.

[BREAK]

…we have created the karma to be born in the narak realm. If we could see the red hit iron burning ground we could not stand it. Normally we create karma without seeing, without being aware, without understanding “I am creating negative karma,” and also we don’t understand what the result the action will bring, happiness or suffering, we are not sure. So that’s why we can’t stop creating negative karma, harming others. So then by remembering the suffering result of the karma, narak, etc., that gives energy to stop creating negative karma, harming oneself, harming others. Negative karma means that which harms oneself, harms others. If it harms others definitely it harms oneself, without question. Even though directly it doesn’t directly harm us, but harming others definitely harms us. If I know a flame is hot, I will keep my finger away from it. If I don’t know it’s hot, I might put my finger on it, keep my body near the flame. Why I don’t keep it is because I know so clearly it will burn me, I understand it is hot. So by understanding the result of karma, visualizing it, makes not to create negative karma that harms oneself and others. That gives energy. It helps this life to be happy and to have happiness in future lives.

In the west, Australia etc. they have the animals in the fields, they put electrified fences around, or barbed wire, so that when they cows etc come near they get a shock, so then they understand they shouldn’t go near it, and after they don’t touch it, don’t do a foolish action. By knowing it doesn’t give pleasure or happiness they keep their bodies away from it.

Karma is always our own experience: by creating such-and-such a cause, experiencing such-and-such a result. By creating good action, experiencing happy results, by creating negative action, experiencing suffering results—it’s our own experience but we are not aware, we don’t see that. We create karma, we create cause, we experience the result, but we are not aware of our own experience—why do I experience happiness this time, why is my life happy, why do I have everything? Why? There is no real answer in the mind, can’t see it. Why I am suffering, why do I have such confusion? Confused life, why, there is no real answer in the mind, can’t see it, even though it’s our own experience. It’s like eating poison without being aware it was poison. You get sick, but you don’t know what caused it. What caused the stomach to have diarrhea, that every minute one has to go the bathroom. The person tries to think but there is no answer, cannot see.

Like that, animals, human beings, person who never heard Dharma, even animals, creatures, karma is what they created, it is their own action. Good karma, good result, negative karma, suffering result—their own experience but they are not aware. People who don’t understand karma, who don’t understand Buddhadharma, even though it is their experience, they can’t see, just like unknowingly taking poison and not understanding why one is sick. While one is alive, not having chance to practice Dharma, but becoming closer to death.

Therefore, death is definite. It doesn’t matter, even if death is definite, what’s the point? Why should we be concerned or worried about it? Let it be definite. I’m joking. You see, after death, what happens is that… many people have wrong conception: “Oh I want to die!” Sometimes when there is some confusion in the family they think that. “I want to die right now and finish everything!” she thinks by experiencing human death everything finishes. All the confusion finishes. All the samsaric work and activities finish by finishing this life. Many people think like this. They expect that after death there is no continuity of mind – just a blank, space. If all this disappears there is nothing. They think like this so when they meet a little bit problem or confusion they want to die right then and finish everything. Finish samsaric suffering, finish samsaric work.

…As each second of life finishes becomes closer, closer to the death, just like that person running towards the cliff, he is closer to the cliff, the high cliff. As each second of life finishes oneself is getting closer, closer to death.

If one has broken the law of the country the police come to take oneself back to the court, in the car. The court where oneself is going to be killed, where the judge is going to punish, police takes oneself to court in a car, so fast, so fast. Then so fast the car, each second as the police drives the car each second one gets closer, closer to the place, the court to be killed. Oneself is closer to the death, oneself is second by second closer to be killed and closer to the death.

...like on the snow there are big cracks. On the way down there’s again the sea, and light snow covers the top and you believe it’s solid, with no danger. If the person does not see the crack, he will fall and cannot get up. So he must tie his body with ropes. People who go on expeditions on the snow mountains do this. They tie their bodies with rope, and if someone in the middle falls down, the other people can pull him up so he won’t drown.

So he makes preparation. But there is also the person who believes there is no crack, that it is only an idea that disturbs one’s happiness, illogical, non-experienced. This is like the person who does not believe in future lives, thinking that the idea only harms oneself.

So mind continues, even when you can’t see the body, the mind does not stop. The mind has a different body according to karma. If there’s negative karma, the being will be reborn in the realm of the lower transmigrator. Death is definite to happen, as the karma is definite to bring to result, so the karma brings the result after the death. So then, at the death time, what’s beneficial to stop? What is beneficial to stop the rebirth in the realm of the lower, the realm of the suffering transmigrator, what can benefit to stop that rebirth? What can benefit at the death time?

It’s only Dharma, so as death is definite, Dharma must be practiced. So I must practice Dharma as that is the only method which can benefit me at death time, to stop rebirth of the suffering transmigrator. And also Dharma is the only thing by which you can stop the cycle of death completely. So then I must practice Dharma.

Then, the actual time of death is indefinite. Human beings who are in other continents have a definite length of life, especially in the Northern continent. They live a thousand years, each human being definitely lives for a thousand years. They have a definite length of life. So on our continent, the life of the human being is not definite. Generally the life of the human being in this continent is not definite and especially in these degenerate times, life is more infinite than in previous times. Even if one is born in the mother’s womb, sometimes there is chance to become a complete body in mother’s womb. They die without this chance even to complete the whole body, to grow the whole body, mother makes abortion, things like that, and they die, not having a chance to even grow up. And some are born but never become, how do you say—

Student: Child?
Rinpoche: No, when you say about, fifteen, twenty-five ...
Student: Adolescent?
Rinpoche: I think that’s it. So also there’s not time to become an adolescent, to become elder, to become youth. As babies they die, due to the mother’s not being careful, taking care, disease, things like that, not having the chance to grow up; no chance to become old, about seventy or eighty, they die before that. This can happen to oneself, not sure. Some people, they’re sick before going to the hospital, they die without having the chance to get to the hospital, they die at home. That can happen to oneself, also to oneself, not, so not sure.

Some people take the car to hospital but before reaching the hospital they die on the way. So like that can happen, not sure, it can happen to me. And also some patients in the hospital expect to go back home and enjoy, and enjoy with the families, and they die in the hospital. Not sure, it can happen to me. Some go for vacation, holidays, expecting that they will reach home and enjoy, to enjoy with the family, things like this, and they die by air crash, on the way. Not sure, that can happen, to me. As it happened to so many people, all the time like this, it can happen to me. Some people go for holidays, and they expect to come home and work and collect money, again next year to go for vacation, they already planned where to go, but without having the chance to do all this, they die on the way. Many people go for expedition, to climb to the top of the mountain, get reputation, to have their names in all the newspapers and television, all these things. Without having the chance to do to all this, the person dies, before climbing to the top of the mountain.

They die, by disease, by mountain disease. So like that, also many people study in the university, they expect to get a degree, to work and make much money, thinking to enjoy. But without having the chance to get the degree their life finishes before that. Not sure, this can happen to me like this. Also many people come for meetings, and football games, and when they go back from the meeting, when the meeting is over, when the football game is over, the body has to be carried by people, things like that. Not sure, it can happen to me. Then also there are many people who make much preparation for the wedding, much preparation for the party, then without having the chance to do that, their life finished. This can happen to me, not sure. Also the person goes to the supermarket or for shopping, to buy food, to movies, movies, parties like that, by car accident, and the person expects to come back home and enjoy and sleep well, but does not have time to come back, they die by car accident. As it happens to other people it can happen to me. I think I stop here.

It’s extremely useful, this meditation on impermanence of life and death, meditation on these things we see usually in the West, what we hear all the time, because we also have to go through this. By remembering these things we make preparation for death, we practice Dharma.

Lecture 26

Cultivate the pure motivation, the bodhicitta thinking, I must enlighten all the kind mother sentient beings, therefore, I must achieve enlightenment, therefore I’m going to listen to the teachings on the gradual path to enlightenment.

So the subject that was left from the morning was the impermanence of life and death. The food that we bought from the market and collected in the kitchen, without having the chance to finish the food, we may die. Like that also can happen to me. Also there are many people who have clothing, winter clothing, summer clothing, summer clothes, new clothes they bought, and without having the chance to put it on, they die. This can happen to me.

There are many people while they are eating, while they have food on the plate, while they have tea in the cup, without finishing, they die. Many times people who eat meat get it stuck in the throat, especially fish. As this has happened to other people it can happen to me. Some start to have conversation or business, and without having time to complete the conversation, the person dies. This can happen to me.

Some people while they’re giving lectures, they are shot, without having time to complete the subject; it happened many times. Then also people work, expecting to get the salary, after seven months, without having time to get it, the person dies. That can happen to me also, not sure. Also some people expect the parents to die first, they expect the parents are old and they will die soon, “They’re old, they will die soon, I will live long,” and then expect that they will get the money from the bank, after the parents die, then they die first. It happens like this, so it can happen to me, not sure.

Also some people plan to come for this meditation course, and they die on the way also. This happened. Last year, was it last year? Last year, this, there’s one girl in California, in the California meditation course, she used to drive us to the course place three or four times in a day, so she was telling me that. I think I asked her, “Are you coming to Nepal?” She said she was going to come to Nepal and she’s going to make lots of retreat, because her husband ran away. She believed that she was coming to, she was coming to Nepal to do lots of retreat. So what happened, she planned to come to the eighth meditation course and on the way she, she was in Thailand and somehow as it is her karma, someone put injection, drug, and her body was thrown in the water by the person. So afterwards, several months checking, the police found out the whole story. It was in the newspaper. Her name was Teresa I think. She died just before the course.

Then there was another one, another one young boy, Australian boy, he was going to become a monk, so before becoming a monk, he went back to Australia to make arrangement to finish things. Before he went he had the whole set of robes made. Then he left for Australia planning to become a monk, after coming back. Then he left for Australia but without having chance to become monk, without having chance to go to even reach in, even to reach in Australia then he died in India, Mysore, isn’t it? Madras I think. In Madras he died on the way. He stopped there and he died, there. Things like that happen.

Also there’s our first student, the Western student, Zina, she’s a Russian. She was on the mountain, and before her death she wrote a letter. That time we were in Dharamsala where there is the Dalai Lama’s residence, so she sent a letter before the death…

She’s the kind of person who can send lots of letters, who can write in one hour lots of letters, so whenever she was away from us she often sends lots of letter. So the very last letter, often she used to put her name, the signature at the bottom, so the last, the very last letter that was written by pencil and the very last letter she forgot to put her signature on. Then after receiving that letter, we received telegraph saying that she died.

According to the letter she planned to come to India, Dharamsala and take much teachings from the highly realized gurus, and make retreat. She had that much planned. Then she died. But just before the death, she finished her retreat. According to, all the other people who lived there, she got sick two or three days before the death. At the time of death she was a little better, she got a little better at the time of death actually. So it was just right after the long retreat and like this she received many initiations from that lama who is at the monastery, things like that.

Somehow, according to the information received from other people, it is not so bad how she died, not so bad. She was kind of very much interested in the death process. She always read books on visions, about the death process about the visions or things happening. Like this. She had a little bit of control, you know, some time to guide herself a little bit at the death time. She tried to meditate at death time. And in many ways the good signs and things like that happened. However, she had planned to do this without having the chance to complete it. Things like that.

There was also one abbot down there in one of the monasteries. In that monastery there was some kind of hindrance in the life of the monks—each year one monk dies. So the abbot and those other lamas made observations, and they found certain tantra pujas to control the evil, to control the elements, to subdue, to control the evil spirits. So they found out from the observation.

Everything was arranged for this puja, for this burning puja. They have received everything necessary for the puja and so tomorrow they were going to do the puja definitely. The abbot was going to lead the puja. But all of a sudden tonight, in the evening time after sunset—there’s a spirit offence that makes the body become numb…

… paralyzed. A kind of spirit, kind of spirit, de, you know. Of course the spirit is not the main cause, not the principal cause. The principal cause is the person’s previous karma, what causes the spirit to offend the person is the individual karma.

So at seven or eight o’clock all of a sudden the abbot got paralyzed, can’t speak anything, can’t do anything, and after one hour he passed away. Unexpectedly like this. This is happening to other people, it can also happen one day to me.

Also a person may leave a will on what to do with material possessions they have, with the money in the bank, but they may die before finishing it.

Also at the death time it’s very difficult to speak. For the other person it is difficult to understand because as the person goes through the process of death the tongue is not as flexible as usual. The tongue becomes shorter and then words are not clear, and other people can’t hear properly. Even if the person trying to say something about what to do with this material possession.

This can happen to oneself, not sure. One day, it is definite that we breathe out but not having time to breathe in, then life finishes. One day it is definite to happen, not sure when this will happen. Not sure when this will happen. Like this checking, checking meditation on the impermanence of life and death the, actual time of death is indefinite. Like this to meditate is very healthy, very effective for the mind, very effective for the mind.

Now, now we here, now we here are the subject, and other people are dying by different conditions. One person was shot, then died. People in that village, in that country, “They died.” People in that place died, all the time we hear, round and round our countries all the time we hear like this. At the moment we are the subject who listens and they are the objects, you know. We listen, we hear the name of other people who died, so one day the turn changes. Other people become the object, other people become the subject. Other people. One day it become the other people’s turn to her one’s own name, our names we become the object. Everybody talks one’s own name.

If it’s me, the boy who is called Thubten Zopa, they say, “He died on the mountains,” everybody talk about it, everybody talks about his name, everybody talks about name now, it’s my turn now, I listen to other people that such and such a lama died, such and such a Western person died—people ask you to pray and this pray and the things like that. Then one day, one day soon, one day other people, other people hear my name. It is their turn to hear. Like this.

What’s left is only name, only name is left. Only names written in the books, names recorded in the books, names people talk about. People talk about the person they use name like this. The actual person cannot see, cannot see. Then after some time, those people also die gradually, and even the name is lost. Even just the name the people mentioned, which was written in the book, that gets lost after some time.

We people here in this tent, living in this tent, now talking listening like this. It does not depend on age who will die among us first, who will live. “He’s older, I’m younger.” It does not depend on age, does not depend on age. We are not aware who will leave the life first. So like this after several years, after sometime all of us here who are called individually, such and such, no-one will see it, you know.

Then also this place which we call Kopan, after a certain number of years it will not exist. Maybe just the house is left, just old building is left. All the people who live here now completely disappear finished completely. Similarly, the whole city like this, it will not always exist like that.

So, there are more conditions for the death, and less conditions for living. The first one is the actual time of death is indefinite. The second outline is that there are more conditions for death, less conditions for living. Peepee time, I think maybe.

While the person is dying, while the person is dying, also with the motivation of bodhicitta then you recite mantra, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, whatever mantra one knows. If one knows that then recite, recite. If he is capable to hear then you recite loudly in his ear, like that. It is okay also to say the prayer Lama Chomba Chon dan da; this is Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s holy name, that can be recited loudly in his ear even though. Even though he’s dead still you can recite mantra, still you can recite mantra, blow on the person’s body with the motivation of bodhicitta, like that. Also one can recite the Avalokiteshvara mantra, and many other mantras which, by reciting, it purifies and benefits the person. Even the human being, even the dead body of the animal. Also there are specific Buddha’s whose names can be recited at the death time, that protect the person from the rebirth of the lower transmigrator.

Student: Which names can be recited?
Rinpoche: That, after some time I will mention. After some time when it comes to that point I will mention, so everybody can write it down.

The graduated path of the middle intelligent being.

When Guru Shakyamuni Buddha turned the Dharma wheel for his followers in Sarnath, in this holy place called Sarnath, before showing the path to nirvana, before showing the true path, the true path which leads to nirvana, before showing the actual path, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha showed the true suffering first, and then after that he showed the true cause of suffering. Then after that he explained, he introduced the followers to the cessation of the true suffering.

After explaining this suffering, which makes us see what is the cause of the suffering, then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha explained the true cause of suffering, from where the suffering comes or rises, which is from the true cause of suffering, delusion and karma. As they recognize delusion and karma is the true cause of suffering, and as their mind is capable to recognize the cessation just temporally, not experiencing those other true sufferings, that is not peace, not real peace. Now what is the real peace? The cessation of the true cessation of the suffering, that means the cessation of the true cause of suffering, delusions and karma. So then the followers understood.

If you are not free from the true cause of suffering, if you don’t cease the true cause of suffering, as long as the true cause of suffering is within your mind, you are never free from suffering. The followers understand this. If one does not cease the cause of the suffering, as long as the cause of the suffering is within oneself, the delusions and karma, one is never free from suffering.

As their minds became capable of understanding these things Guru Shakyamuni introduced the true cessation, the cessation of the true cause of suffering, delusions and karma, which is nirvana.

So then, when they understood the cessation of the true cause of suffering, delusions and karma, that this is the real freedom, ultimate happiness, then they seek the path.

Now what’s the method? We know now that is the freedom, ultimate happiness. As long as the true cause of suffering is within one’s mind, then you know there’s no way that one can receive ultimate happiness. That is the cessation of the true cause of suffering, that is the real freedom, that is the ultimate happiness. So now, what is the path, what is the method to achieve this? Guru Shakyamuni Buddha shows the true path, the method that leads the follower to nirvana, to the cessation of the suffering. The cessation of suffering, the actual suffering is not just the disease or death or diarrhea or something like that.

It is not the suffering that can be recognized by human beings, by animals, not this suffering. The main suffering is not this one. It is the cessation of this type of suffering too, but this suffering actually means cessation of delusions. Actually the worst suffering is the delusions, you see; so the cessation of the suffering is the delusions. When that is ceased, that is called nirvana.

Actually, why it is called nirvana, it’s the absolute nature of the mind of the person, purified of delusions. So the actual path that causes us to cease the delusions is the wisdom, fully realizing wisdom, fully realizing the absolute nature.

The actual path that makes us cease the different levels of delusions is the wisdom fully seeing the absolute nature. By this we gradually cease the delusions, you see. The wisdom fully realizing the absolute nature is the actual path. So by that function this path is called true path.

Maitreya Buddha explained this in the teaching. The reason true suffering is explained first, then the true cause of suffering, then true cessation of suffering, then true path was explained in his teaching called Gyu Lama. The disease is the subject to know, the disease is the object of knowledge and the cause of the disease is the object that is to be avoided. The cause of the disease is the object that is to be avoided. The cure is the object to be received. The medicine is what one has to depend on, that one has to practice.

So what Maitreya Buddha is explaining is that first one has to recognize the disease, like the doctor first explains the disease. As the person recognizes the disease then, the person wants to know the cause to stop the disease, so then by explaining the cause the person knows that is what is to be avoided, “That is what is should be avoided,” in order to not get the disease. Then also the person knows that avoiding the cause of the disease, being free from the cause of the disease, is the complete cure. Otherwise the person will get sick again and again, easily, the disease will come out, easily. So the person knows what to avoid.

The method is to take the medicine. Just like one was instructed by the doctor, like this. Just like this, same thing with the Four Noble Truths—true suffering, true cause of suffering, true cessation of suffering, and the true path.

So you see, in order to receive nirvana, we should follow the path. For that, one should actualize the path that leads to nirvana. For that one should receive the door of the path, which is the mind renouncing all of samsara. That is the root of the whole path which leads to nirvana—the mind renouncing samsara.

In order to receive the mind renouncing samsara, the actual thing the mind should renounce is the true cause of suffering, the delusions and karma, from where all the true suffering arises.

In order to renounce the true cause of suffering, delusions and karma, one should feel aversion for the true cause of suffering, delusions and karma. One should feel aversion.

That depends upon having strong aversion for delusions and karma. So that depends on the deep understanding of the shortcomings of the samsara, or true suffering.

For instance—a poisonous plant, we know the shortcomings of the poison, how it’s harmful, how it makes one terribly sick and then causes one to die. So we know the shortcomings, if someone says “This is terrible poison, this plant is terribly poisonous, you should never touch it, if you touch it you get poison, you get a wound on your body, the wound spreads. If it goes in the mouth, then you will get sick and you will die.” If someone explains it like this right this minute, we dare not touch it, we want to throw it, very far away, you see. We can’t just keep it around, we want to throw it in a very far place. When we know the shortcomings of the poison, how much it can harm, then right that minute, we dare not touch it, we get so scared. All of a sudden we have to throw it out.

So like that, the mind renouncing the poison depends on how much aversion there is to the poison. To have strong aversion on the poison depends on the understanding of the shortcomings of the poison, how it’s harmful to oneself.

So exactly like this, same with the mosquitoes—people think it’s a poisonous animal, then you see how much they make nets. You have medicines to put on the body, to protect, to spray these mosquitoes. There’s so many things arranged. There’s so many things made up, there’s so many things made to stop the danger of the mosquitoes. The shortcomings which come from that we see so clearly, we see so clearly. So there is that much strong mind, because there is that much strong aversion, you see.

To receive the perfect strong mind renouncing samsara depends on strong aversion to samsara. Before I mentioned the mind renouncing the true cause of suffering and aversion to the true cause of suffering and now I mention the mind renouncing samsara, the aversion to the samsara. That comes to the same point. So the whole thing depends on how much deep understanding the person has about the true suffering, the shortcomings of samsara.

There are the six general samsara sufferings, meditations on the shortcomings of samsara. The first shortcoming is that nothing is definite in samsara. Nothing can be trusted. For instance, the friend will be our friend, we believe the enemy is always enemy. The friend is always like this and the enemy will be always enemy, we believe like this, kind of permanent. But there is nothing definite, nothing definite—the friend, the relationship of friend is not definite, not definite.

The friend changes even in one minute—in minute by one word he becomes friend. If he says something else he becomes enemy in one minute, in one hour he changed. The friend changes in one minute. It just depends on circumstances, it just depends on how you act or what you say. It changes in minute, in one hour, in one day, it changes, it changes in one week, month, year, even in this life it changes, and the same thing with the enemy, same. For instance one person becomes friend, sometimes he becomes enemy, again sometime he becomes friend, again sometimes he becomes enemy, always like this. It’s our experience you see. As we live in one house, in one apartment, it’s our experience—one day we don’t talk to each other, don’t see each other, it’s our experience like this, you know. What at present time we used to believe was the enemy also changes. It all changes. After some time he becomes friend. They have been friend, enemy like this from beginningless previous lifetimes. Also the stranger, not friend, not enemy. They have always kept on changing.

As long as oneself is in samsara, they will continuously change like this—friend, enemy, sometimes friend, sometimes enemy like this. So there’s nothing to trust in the relationship of friend or enemy, there’s nothing to trust—that is the real absolute enemy, that is the real absolute friend, there’s nothing to trust in the relationship with parents, nothing definite, nothing definite, nothing definite. The relationship with parents also always changes, the parents also sometimes have been our enemy they have been friend, they have been our father, sometimes they have been one’s own wife, one’s own children, one’s own husband, always changing like this, from beginningless lives. As long as oneself is in samsara, still it will change like this, sometimes wife, sometimes husband, again parents like this, father mother like this. So there’s nothing to trust, there’s nothing definite, definite. This is always father, this is always mother—nothing definite.

I think I stop here.

So what can be done is the meditation on the impermanence. What was explained maybe in the second session—try to remember the subject on the meditation from the gradual path of the middle intelligent being, and then try to meditate, remember the Four Truths, then spend more time in the meditation of shortcomings of samsara, nothing definite in samsara, nothing can be trusted in the relationships. Think of the changeable relationship that happen to other people, then also you meditate on yourself, try and remember your own experience of life, the change of relationships that have been happening with other people in this life. Then also remember changes that happened in the past life, as long as one is in samsara. Spend more time here.

Also you can do like this, at the end of the Guru Shakyamuni Yoga meditation on the impermanence of life and death then you can also think visualize all the people who have died today, all the human beings who died today by different conditions, an incredible number of human beings who died today, and do purification together. As you make purification, as you purify yourself also you purify other sentient beings.

Lecture 27

Again think, I’m going to listen to the teachings of the gradual path to enlightenment, in order to receive enlightenment for the benefit of all the mother sentient beings. The part of the subject is part of the path of the middle intelligent beings.

So in order to receive nirvana, one has to receive the mind renouncing, the perfect mind renouncing samsara, which is the door of the path to nirvana. Without having received the pure mind, renouncing all of samsara—another way of saying is to arise strong aversion to all of samsara, and that depends on seeing the whole samsara in the nature of suffering, just like fire. So therefore, first, one has to understand and meditate on the suffering of samsara, the true suffering. There are six general samsaric sufferings.

The first one is nothing is definite in samsara, nothing is definite in the samsaric body, nothing is definite in the samsaric relationships, surroundings, nothing is definite in the material possessions. Nothing is definite, nothing can be trusted.

So there is one story—the change of relationships such as the enemy, such as the parents, and these things. In previous times, one of the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciples, called Sharipu, this arhat who had much psychic power and much knowledge, was going in the village begging. At one house, he looked through the door, and he saw inside the house one couple. The husband had one child on his lap and was eating fish. There’s a wife, and there’s a dog who is chewing the bones of a fish. And the husband who is eating fish carries a stick in the hand and is beating the dog.

Sharipu saw that the dog was the reincarnation of the mother, who had died and been reborn as a dog because of her attachment to the home. The father used to catch fish from the backside of the house where there’s a water pond, so he was born as a fish in that pond.

The son was eating the father’s meat. The dog who was eating the bones was his mother. The child in his lap was his enemy, who was attached to his wife, and so was reborn as their child.

So Sharipu, this arhat said; “Eating father’s meat, beating mother, the dog, and keeping the enemy who was born to them in their lap—I laugh at samsaric existence.”

So everything is upside down, completely changed, the father become fish, the mother become dog, the enemy become child of whom you take the best care. The whole relationships completely changed, so the arhat says, “I laugh at the samsaric existence.” The change of samsara is something that makes you laugh.

So the changes that happened in that family, what the arhat saw, then like that, same thing. Usually at our home, any animals that we have, the children that we have they also are at the house. Goats, dogs, horses; oh then, like this. Actually it is the same thing as that story. The animals also they in previous lives have been our parents, numberless times the animals we have been our father, or mother, our wife, our husband, they have been our children, also they gave been ones own enemy, like this. In fact even the meat we are eating, just like the story of that family, in fact it is like that. In fact if you think back, the relationship, the previous relationships that we have with these animals, it is the same story as the family. It is just a matter of change of the life. And we don’t remember by ignorance we don’t remember. They have taken different body. Many times it is possible that families because being attached to the home…

…the relatives inside, son or daughter, by being attached, they were born somehow around the house, as a chicken, like this. We don’t remember because of the change of the life, the change of the body, like this we don’t remember, we can’t recognize, by ignorance, we can’t recognize.

Also on the mountain, when I go, at one of the village there, there’s one village in which the people used to be a benefactor in previous times. Then there’s one old mother in that family, and the husband of the old mother died. The son and his wife and the old mother, they are there at home; when I was passing the house there was one small cow. This cow, while we were talking outside, this cow all of a sudden stood up and put its two legs or what you call it its hands, when it stands up you have to call it hands, it put its two hands on the shoulder of the old mother. It was very funny. I think the animal what … So afterwards the animal, the cow, it put its two hands on the shoulder of the old mother, stands up like this put its two hands on the other shoulder of the old mother. It was very funny. I think the animal what she was thinking sort of like having sex with other animals, you know. I think that was what the animal. So afterwards the animal the cow, he put his two hands on the shoulder of the old mother and the son because I was there he was ashamed and he beat the cow with his feet on the stomach. So afterwards I thought the possible that the husband of the old mother maybe so attached to the home then like this may be born as a cow. Still has the impression somehow to have sex.

Even though it is explained in the teachings by Buddha how the relationship changes how all the sentient beings have been one’s own mother, ones’ own father, or husband or wife or anything like this numberless times. But still, but all of a sudden even though we are receiving the teaching like this, even though we are thinking like this, but when we are looking, when we really see, when we see ants, creature, crawling around, when we really see all of a sudden outside, when we see ants, creatures crawling around, when we really see all of a sudden outside when we see cows, or dogs, we don’t feel that. But if an ordinary person who that people talk about, oh he has psychic power or he can tell about future or something. Then if one ordinary person comes like this he tells this is your mother. It’s your mother when you were a dog before. He was your mother when you were a human being at such a place. If someone finds out like this, oh one’s mother died before, one’s mother had died and he finds out oh this is your mother. If ordinary person who says people talk about that he has some psychic powers and he can tell about future, he finds out this is your mother. Then you see, who died, who took care of you, who took much care of you, whom you were born this is the mother she is died and born as this dog. This is your mother.

Also when someone, just ordinary person from the street someone comes up and tells like this, you know, we easily believe in it. How incredibly upset feeling like this when we understand this. How incredibly upset feeling like this oh my mother she was like this before now she’s born like this as this dog. How that feeling is when you understand like this when someone comes who has a little bit kind of psychic power, who has clear perception about the future, when he comes and tells. Like this incredibly strong upset feeling. Then also way understand, just different, change of the body. Then also even if he had not taken care well before, then now kind of, now he have to respect, he have to specially pay attention, special attention. It’s just a matter of recognition. Usually our mind is so easily to believe just if an ordinary person comes off the street and someone comes to tell about your future, oh you’re going to get this, you’re told, you’re going to get a million dollars. If ordinary person tells something like this of easy to believe, you see, without one’s doubt.

Fact, just what Buddha has explained, all sentient beings have been mother, father, wife, husband or children like this numberless times, it’s much more than just ordinary person telling actually, just ordinary person who has ordinary clear perception, it’s much more Buddha’s explaining much more than this ordinary person explaining all this, Buddha’s explaining with full knowledge, the omniscient mind, the omniscient mind as it sees. The number of the different relationships what we had with each sentient being. The omniscient mind sees clearly everything, each relationship that we had with one sentient being. The omniscient mind sees clearly without one single mistake. So, the ordinary person has just ordinary clear perception who tells fortunes like this, who tells things like this, some times they make mistakes. They don’t have omniscient mind which is devoid of all the dualistic mind. Its just a matter of in which we have more faith, more trust; either the ordinary person or the one who has certain clear perception to tell like this. It’s good to check up.

Usually when ordinary person tells something like that about future and thinks like that so easy to believe but Buddha explained with his omniscient mind in all the teachings. So clearly explained with logic, with everything but in our mind we don’t feel it. Even there’s the intellectual understanding but we don’t feel like that with the sentient beings. When we see the actual sentient beings such as the animals we don’t get the ... such as feeling of the mother. Even the relationship of the mother numberless times.

So our friend in present time who we believe as a friend and the parents from beginningless previous lifetimes, they have sometimes been enemy, sometimes stranger or then sometimes friend, all those it has been suffering like this also these relationships, the enemy, friend, stranger, these relationships change many times even in this life friend becomes enemy or the stranger again becomes enemy or then friend. Like this you know, changes many times. Like this as long as one is in samsara the relationships will continuously change, who is our friend in this life, will become enemy in the future life or then who is our enemy in this life then they become friend in the future life, it will keep on changing like this as long as one is in samsara. Therefore, there’s nothing to trust in the relationships, the friend, enemy, the relatives, parents or things like that you know there’s nothing definite so one should no be attached.

The main point, the emphasis is that by being attached in the relationships believing they are definite: this is definite friend, this is definite enemy, the parents will be our parents. There’s nothing definite in the relationship therefore there’s no reason to be attached, in the relationship in the friends or the relatives. Also there’s nothing to get angry to the enemy he’s not ultimate, he’s not definite enemy, also there’s no point to get angry, and also we should not expect the friend will be always friend, we should not expect that he will be always good person and he will always help me.

When the friend, many times in our life, one confusion in our life is if there’s a person who smiles at you, who talks very good, only very good, who is very polite, who gives you a cup of tea, who gives little help or then we think he’s such a good person, he’s such a nice person if he’s very polite or kind of admiring you so much then we believe we make our projection, we believe that he’s such a nice person, such a wonderful person; we believe we completely believe that he will never change, our wrong conception believes he will never change. He’s definitely beautiful, he’s definitely a wonderful person. So you are, after some time, when you do something wrong which he doesn’t like, when he says something or when he don’t give help what you ask what you expect then mind becomes in big hassle you see, why your mind gets shocked, why you get upset—because you have expected, before you see, you have definite belief that he’s a wonderful person and you expect that he will always help, there’s expectation you see that he will help, that he’s definitely a wonderful person.

So you see because of the expectation, when the person doesn’t do what you expect so your mind becomes confused at that time, becomes upset but if you expect ahead of time they by remembering the shortcomings of samsara nothing is definite, nothing, at the very beginning, you know, then mind being conscious of the nature of the samsaric surroundings, there’s nothing definite. When the person gives you help, when the person says some wonderful words to oneself, that time if one remembers the shortcoming of samsara there’s nothing definite the samsaric surroundings the relationship, when there’s no expectation, you know, that this is not definite friend, you know, that it will change, It will change in the future lives and it will change also in this life. You will expect that it will change. By remembering the selfishness of samsara you don’t expect him always to be wonderful person. This expectation doesn’t come, that he’s always wonderful person he will always help one. This expectation he will be always husband, he will be always my wife, he will be always, like this, this expectation does not happen does not come, so you know, already ahead of time, you know, that it will change. It will change, it is the nature of samsara.

By remembering the shortcomings of samsara you expect the person will change, will become enemy, will change. So afterwards when the person does something wrong, when the person doesn’t do what you asked, when the person does some action which you don’t like, then you see you expected him to change. So as in the nature of samsara the relationship when he changes that time it doesn’t shock your mind. So your mind doesn’t bother one’s mind when the person changes, then it doesn’t bother one’s mind because you expected, you know, that it is natural that he wouldn’t always give help to you that he wouldn’t always as you want, it is natural so it doesn’t bother your mind.

However, the conclusion is, nothing of this samsaric relationship is definite therefore, there is no reason to be attached. By being attached it has been keeping oneself from the beginningless lifetime till now in the suffering realm of samsara. “If I still follow this attachment in these relationships then I will be continuously in the suffering realm of samsara.”

Then also in the samsaric possessions there’s nothing definite, many families, you know, before they were extremely rich, in early life they were extremely rich, then in their later life they become beggar and they had to beg in the street, there are many people like this. The whole family becomes beggar like this. There are many like this. It also happened like this in Tibet. In Tibet, before when Tibet was independent that time there were so many wealthy families, rich families, then after Tibet was taken by the Chinese, after they escaped to a foreign country then who were beggar in Tibet they become very wealthy, very rich. Who used to be very wealthy in Tibet they become completely poor; who didn’t have to work at all in Tibet, who just spend time eating, sleeping, who didn’t have to work after they escaped to a foreign country they became completely poor, and they had to work very hard, or then they had to beg. Then those who used to beg in Tibet they become very wealthy, completely upside down like this. Then the material possessions confiscated but, whole things completely destroyed, homelands, by water, flood, person becomes completely homeless, completely become poor, even they were very wealthy before. There are many changes like this.

Nothing is definite. And the material possessions, nothings definite. There are many conditions which the material possessions to separate from oneself. So there’s nothing to be attached in the material possessions, the samsaric possessions, there’s nothing to be attached in the material possessions are never lost, the material possessions are never separate always to be with oneself, when it gets lost, when something happens then there’s great upsetness, there’s great worry coming within one’s mind . Same thing the shortcomings of attachment that has been keeping oneself in samsara and it will keep oneself also in samsara in the future continuously, if one follows attachment that is same thing. Then second shortcomings of samsara that is the sufferings of the dissatisfaction.

Such as the butterflies and the flies, they see the light, they see the flames, the light, a kind of incredible, transparent kind of beautiful house—by going inside they can enjoy so much, even they feel hot when they go touch the flames to the light, to the light bulb even they hot but they still try to get inside, go round and round and round and try to go inside they feel hot and they come out again try to get inside like this. Then after some time they really try to get inside without care of the pain they try to get inside so then they’re killed, then dissatisfaction to the pleasure kills themselves in the fire.

Like this, some flies, the bulb doesn’t have any cover then especially in the summer times the flies they go on the bulb, they feel hot, even when we touch on the bulb it feels so hot, can’t touch it even for a minute. The try to go there, they try to get inside, what they want is to get inside to the bulb you know. So they try to go there then it’s hot, so again come out again and try to get inside again feel hot again, wants to get inside, wants to get right through the glass, wants to get inside, you see, then afterwards the leg is burned, touching again and again on the glass bulb, so afterwards feels so hot so can’t fly, so what they do is they just go round like this—they just come without choice, they just come down like this and they drop on the ground and then they can’t fly anymore, then they die. So that is the shortcomings of dissatisfaction.

Sometimes when I wrap the light, when I wrap the scarf and try to wrap it with scarves like this but some how incredible, they come, it’s incredible the desire, they try to get as much as possible inside even the corners, attachment by attachment, dissatisfaction of the pleasure. No matter how much you try to stop, out of flames, from the light no matter how much you try to stop just jumps to that, just runs to that, that is by the attachment, how the attachment and dissatisfaction how it’s harmful then it’s like this, the sufferings of the dissatisfaction.

Then similarly, the person who smokes one after another, one after another, one after another, again and again in one hour so many beedies, you know, I don’t hear we have anyone who smokes beedies,. I’m just talking of outside people, you know. The outside people do like this. Then you see, one after another, one after another, one after another, then what happens is the person always coughs; lungs are not right, like rotten fruit inside lungs. It causes much danger inside, also it makes the life shorter, same thing the person is easy to get disease because of the smoke, pollution of the smoke inside, in the body, very easy to get fever or very easy to get sick.

Generally the person who smokes much, health is never perfect, health is never well if he checked up inside, never well, who smokes so much. That is just without talking about how it is a great hindrance to the Dharma practice, that is without talking about how that blocks the chakra, how it pollutes the body and mind because it is the wrong element:.

There is much story how it happened at the very beginning, the ganja, such as ganja, all those things, you know, there are the elements, there are certain type of flower elements which makes wine, things like that. There’s a story of that, whole story of evolution how it started first, it is explained by Buddha in the teachings, how that’s wrong, how that is an impure element.

Specially to practice the Vajrayana it is great hindrance, to practice the Vajrayana, to open the chakras, to have control over the body, to have control over the motilities and the mind. Vajrayana practice is great hindrance. Same thing with alcohol.

There’s one benefactor at Darjeeling, it’s a place where the tourist comes for sightseeing or for vacations—there’s one benefactor who built a monastery for the present incarnation of the incarnate Lama of Tomo Geshe Rinpoche, who used to be great yogi in the previous life, who is guru of the ... since many people many have read, Lama Govinda’s guru whose Holy name is called Tomo Geshe Rinpoche? So this benefactor he used to smoke lots, by smoking so much his nails became yellow. Usually a person who smokes even when he speaks, when he starts talking you smell smoke from his mouth even if he’s not smoking, like the smoke is inside his body, still like his body is contained of smoke then when he starts talking he smells of smoke from his mouth. Whole of his body is kind of smell of smoke.

What this benefactor did that was the method to stop smoking instead of smoking then he buy cheese from market. There’s very dry cheese the Tibetans sell in the market. Very dry cheese, so instead of putting cigarette in the pocket he put cheese in the pocket and then he chews, he keeps dried cheese in his mouth. Like this he stopped smoking, and there is bit difference perhaps some person may think: Oh! there’s still action of attachment still same thing some person may think, it’s possible, you know, to easily think like this. There’s still some action of attachment, what’s the difference. There is a bit of difference especially when I traveled with a person who smoked.

In the trains, or in the airplanes; the pollution and smoke make it very easy to fall asleep, mind is very foggy, and it is easy to fall asleep. Also as soon as this smoke goes in, as I breathe in the smoke goes with the breath, so as it goes in the lungs it feels red and hot even if I’m not smoking just even someone is smoking, someone is there very far but the smoke the pollution of that as I breathe the smoke goes inside and it feels kind of pain in the heart. It is kind of they’re not strong, you see.

So anyway, I’m just talking about the body becomes not healthy like this, sick- that is the dissatisfaction, the shortcomings of dissatisfaction in the pleasure of smoke. Then also like this the drinking, shortcomings of dissatisfaction, the drinking. Then you see after having one drink, one glass, then the attachment, the dissatisfied mind attachment in the pleasure of the drink, then as the person follows that, the person drinks another glass, after another glass, after another glass. Then afterwards person’s action of body has no shape, action of speech has no shape, mind thinks all kind of things, no difference with the crazy person. If the person is going for some walk he can’t properly, when the person starts to walk he can’t walk properly. Then specially if the person’s going to drive car then there’s a person driving back like this. Instead of driving this way, back like this without looking at all, just driving back.

Whatever thought comes just the person does. Then there’s no rules, he doesn’t like at any letters doesn’t look at those words, he doesn’t follow. Then car accident ... the head gets broken, the legs get broken, the glass come out, all kinds of problems. Then all the secret things what the person don’t talk usually what the person usually keep in the heart secret things about his own life mistakes he did mistake his friend did, everything in public among other people he say everything there’s no shame. Also he breaks the material possessions in that time when he’s completely drunk he’s like dead mind not conscious, like dead, so anyone who wants to steal can steal. Even other people take off his clothes, take off everything nothing left, still he’s like dead. Afterwards so much suffering, mind is so much confused, so much suffering. Also killing other people. These are shortcomings of dissatisfaction, dissatisfied mind the attachment in the pleasure of drink.

Even by eating too much food. Oh this is not enough, after eating, eating, eating, eating, then having so much stomach pain afterwards, even can’t sit straight, even this small thing is the shortcoming so of the dissatisfaction in the pleasure of the food.

Then the person who plays games, then first he puts money, little bit of money he lost. Oh may be I will get, win this time, then put little bit of money, again he put the money. Then he lost. Again he thinks: Oh! I will get this time then he put another money. Like this then he loses all his money—the millions and millions and millions of dollars. Like this all his family becomes empty. Shunyata. He makes all his family shunyata. New shunyata makes life unhappy. By understanding that doesn’t matter. There are many people who try playing games make the whole family empty, much in debt, not enough money he receives by working so hard. So much debt then afterwards he has to sell his material possessions, he has to sell his properties, because he owes so much money. Besides himself is unhappy, worry, so much worries of not having enough money to live on, also family’s, even the wife, other family, people not happy or they’re angry with him, the father who goes to play games.

All these are the shortcomings of the dissatisfaction. Even if the person wins, then he’s not satisfied with it, first of all he’s winner maybe he receives one hundred, and then, maybe if I put money again, if I buy tickets again may be I will get one million dollars, I should get a thousand, I should get another thousand. Then he plays then he didn’t get. Another example is that even though he gets one hundred he’s not satisfied with that, he still wants thousand. By putting money many times, even if he gets a thousand, still not satisfied, wins a thousand, wins a million now that’s enough, the mind’s making determination. Enough, as he received more and more number- this is the shortcomings of dissatisfaction. Same as business. When we receive profit. One rupee, then we want ten rupees profit or one hundred, like this more and more. The action, the work or the dissatisfied mind obliges you to do the action again and again.

The pandit Nagarjuna said in his teaching, “One who has the satisfaction, no matter how much the person is rich of material possession, if he has dissatisfaction he’s not a rich person. One who has no material possessions but having the satisfaction, that is the rich person.” You see, there’s no difference, that the rich person who’s still not satisfied with their material possessions who still wants more and the beggar who is satisfied just one day, each day he’s receiving food by begging, who’s satisfied by just that. Actually, who is rich you see the beggar doesn’t have that much material possessions as the wealthy person but he has the satisfaction, his mind having dissatisfaction, his mind having discontent. The rich person is like having nothing because he doesn’t feel that he has enough. Not enough, wanting more. The fact is the rich person is the actual poor person, one who has no satisfaction is the poor person and the beggar who has the satisfaction, a really rich person.

At one time it happened in India one beggar e found a jewel. He said I want to give this to anyone who is the most poor. There’s a king in that country who heard the beggar has found a jewel so the king asked him for it. The beggar said you’re the king who has no satisfaction, you’re the most poor. He gave him the jewel and then he said this.

I think I stop here.

So you can do meditation on this. Checking meditation on these two shortcomings of samsara. Shortcoming, nothing’s definite, the relationships and the samsaric perfections, the material possessions, and the shortcomings of dissatisfaction. These are just a few example that I mentioned in the meditation you don’t have to think only of these examples what you can remember is the sufferings of the dissatisfaction suffering which rises from the dissatisfied mind, then as you see other people, as you have your own experience then you see other people, as you have your own experience then you can remember those other examples. Try to remember the shortcomings of dissatisfaction. Other examples besides these ...

Explaining the benefits of the Buddha’s quotations, it takes much times, actual subject is not finished, that’s why for sometime, without need to mention the quotations from the Teachings. Then it is this—to cultivate the pure motivation of bodhicitta -instead of thinking listening to the Teaching is for my own happiness, to release myself from suffering, to receive Enlightenment, instead of, I’ m going to listen to the Teachings to receive my own Enlightenment; change that into release other sentient beings from suffering, to enlighten other sentient beings, then there’s no choice, one has to receive Enlightenment to enlighten other sentient beings, to release other sentient beings from suffering. The most proficient way to be able to guide the sentient beings from suffering and enlighten them—then I must receive Enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to listen to the Teachings on the graduated path to Enlightenment.

You can’t hear? Then your body must be small, like Milarepa’s. When there were heavy storms Milarepa to show his realizations to his disciple Rechungpa so all of a sudden, without cloud he met cloud, and then without storms he met heavy storms. Then the small horn which he picked up before in the road which Rechungpa thought unnecessary. My teacher has renounced this life, then he’s picking up, he’s collecting unnecessary things, horns, the animal horns and threads, things like that he picks up in the road, or Rechungpa thinks on the one hand my teacher has renounced this life and on the other hand he picks up he collects these things. Why are you carrying these things? Milarepa said, “It is useful.” Then sometimes when the weather was very clear, he met heavy clouds and storms, and then entered the small horn. He made his holy body very small and entered the small horn, the animal horn, playing his flute and singing hymns in side. He said to Rechungpa, “If you are so realized, if you have higher power like this you come inside the horn.” And Rechungpa couldn’t. He came down to the size of a pigeon but he couldn’t get smaller than that.

The motivation has to be like this. Even if we try to motivate for enlightenment, for one’s own enlightenment, for “I” to be released from suffering, for “I” to receive enlightenment, that is the actual real motivation. Right now, we think of sentient beings somehow but the mind does not care so much, that’s how we should feel with ourselves.