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21 November, am

[Rinpoche reads the Heart Sutra.]

Those who know how to meditate on Manjushri can do the meditation and concentration on the meaning of the admiring prayer. If you cannot visualize the aspect, think of the essence, the wisdom of all the buddhas. The wisdom of all the buddhas is the Dharma wisdom, the practice and the avoidance manifested in yellow light. On the lotus and the sun-disc is the yellow light in the form of a being with one face, two arms, with crossed legs. His right hand is holding the wisdom sword, and his left hand is holding the stem of a lotus. The lotus holds up a Prajnaparamita text.

...Obeisance to my guru and protector Manjushri ....

...And the text that explains them.

[Rinpoche reads the Requesting Prayer to the Lineage Lamas.]

This is not only a request to pacify the obstacles and generate realizations for oneself. Visualize all sentient beings, including those who are around you now, and also remember all other sentient beings. Then request—as you are requesting for yourself, also request on behalf of them.

When I say, “From you three buddhas and bodhisattvas I request inspiration,” the first time, nectar beams are emitted from the buddhas and bodhisattvas and enter your body and mind as well as the body and mind of all other sentient beings, the Dharma friends who are around you here and then the rest of the sentient beings, purifying their obstacles to long life and increasing life and fortune. Then we purify the obstacles to receiving all the excellence and understanding of all the teachings and words, from the beginning to the end, from guru devotion up to the omniscient mind.

Then we request the ability to generate all the realizations of the path, the whole graduated path to enlightenment, particularly the two bodhicittas, the main subject of the Bodhicaryavatara. From the fundamental teachings, the graduated path to enlightenment, we request the two bodhicittas— equalizing, exchanging oneself for others—and then the absolute bodhicitta on which the teachings have been handed down through this lineage.

Then also think, from tantra, “I request the method and wisdom.” On the tantric path of illusory [body] and clear light, the path of wisdom is generated, and its obstacles are purified—those in one’s own mind and in the minds of all sentient beings.

Then the second time I recite this, replicas of the lineage lamas to whom you are making the request absorb into you. You can think that they absorb into your own mind or heart and also into the minds of all other sentient beings. Then all the fortunes are generated and life increased. All the excellences, the understanding of the whole teaching, the realizations of the graduated path from the beginning to the omniscient mind and particularly, the two bodhicittas, are generated. And then, from tantra, with the method and wisdom, the clear light is generated. In short, as these lineage lamas are absorbed, think, “Whatever realizations they have, I also now have.” That is the essence on which to meditate.

...Buddha is unequaled as a teacher and a guide ....

...I request inspiration.

From yesterday morning’s discourse on how to listen to the teachings that one hears so that what one listens to may be effective for the mind, one thing was left out. Even though the pot is not stained, if it has a hole, no matter how much you put inside, it cannot stay, it runs through, it cannot stay inside. If one forgets the teachings that one has been listening to and that one has understood, if it doesn’t stay in the mind, it is like the pot with a hole in the bottom. The method is to remember, word by word. This is the essence, the most important thing. The main topic.

Usually, the Tibetan lineage lamas from whom we receive the graduated path teachings will repeat three times. First one time, then they give the middle explanation a second time before the session is over, then the third time, the shortest one. Among the disciples, there are different levels of intelligent beings—highly intelligent beings can comprehend the whole thing at the first explanation. For those who cannot comprehend that much, the second explanation is helpful. Then for those with even lower intelligence than that, the very short, essential subject is helpful. So this is a skillful way of not wasting time for the disciple—not only to plant the seed of Dharma, not only planting the seed of the path to the omniscient mind, but for even those of lower intelligence, by coming to that session, by being there for a few hours, to have some understanding.

One should be discussing the subject to which one has been listening, trying to remember like this. Then, that which one can remember, one can train the mind in. Especially when a problem comes, when there is the need to apply that meditation to the problem, then one is able to remember immediately.

There are six recognitions, the practice of the six recognitions. As I explained before, one sees oneself as a patient, the Dharma as the medicine, the teacher as a skillful doctor, and then by practicing, one recovers from the disease. The main proof after having taken the medicine is your own experience. Your own experience proves to you that the medicine cures, that it helps you to recover from the disease. Similarly, there is no need to talk about the benefits of just listening. But when it is put into action, into practice, at that time especially, one can understand from one’s own experience that it pacifies the mental diseases.

Then wishing that the tathagathas or Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of the teachings, will exist longer. Wishing that the holy being who reveals the teaching, the virtuous friend who reveals the teaching, will exist longer. Praying that the founder, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, who reveals the infallible path, liberating oneself from samsara, will exist longer. Wishing that the holy teachings of the Buddha that end true suffering and the true cause of suffering of all sentient beings and lead to enlightenment will exist longer. There are about six recognitions like this that make the teachings that one is listening to effective for one’s own mind. One thing—when the lamas, the lineage of the teachings of the graduated path to enlightenment, give teachings, sometimes the mind is extremely happy, sometimes scared. Sometimes there is much laughter or sometimes, we wake up from sleep. There are various things like this when the teachings are given. These things happen because of our minds. The reason we are sometimes happy, the reason we are sometimes kind of very scared—this happens because we have such a nature of mind. Because of that, by hearing such teachings, the mind is in different states, sometimes so happy, sometimes scared.

When we hear about the great opportunities that we have to accomplish happiness in this life and beyond this life, both temporal and ultimate happiness, and when we think about the incredible freedom that we have to practice the holy Dharma, we are happy. When the teachings talk about the mistakes, disturbing thoughts, their actions, and the resulting troubles, the problems that they bring, or when we talk about the nature of our minds, then, you see, we get scared. If we didn’t have that type of mind, there would be no reason to get scared. If our lives were not like that, if our minds had not been that way, there would be no reason to be depressed. It is like this.

Before you wash clothes, sometimes the clothes do not look so dirty. But actually, when you wash them, so much dirt that you couldn’t see when you were wearing them comes out. “Oh, it’s okay, not so dirty, it is okay.” .But actually, when you washed them, when you put them in a bucket of water with soap for one hour, after one hour an incredible amount of dirt came out, and then you were surprised. Then, after that, again you clean them.

Letting the dirt leave is not disturbing for the clothes. It is not disturbing for the clothes to become clean, it benefits them. It is their nature because of the nature of the clothes, it is their way to become clean. Similarly, because of our nature, because we have this type of mind overwhelmed by disturbing thoughts, by the selfish attitude, and all these things, the mind has always been overwhelmed, we have always been giving victory not to ourselves, but to the selfish attitude, to the disturbing thoughts. Because of being under the control of that, because of following them, we offer them service, we create the unwholesome actions or non-virtuous actions, the cause for unhappiness. That is why our life has had so many problems, on and on and on and on, unceasingly. And as the actions, as the cause has been created by following the disturbing unsubdued mind in the past, there are so many problems left to be experienced in the future. It is simply like this.

So far, we haven’t meditated much. We have not recognized the problems, we have not recognized the shortcomings—how all these problems, all the unhappiness and the discomfort of body and mind, how all these the sufferings of the three times came from the disturbing thoughts, these selfish attitudes. Even when one is alone, not living in society, without companions, not being in a group of people, again we have problems, such as being lonely, and many other problems. Especially when we associate with people, there are many problems. We have not clearly discovered how all this came from our mind. The creator is the mind, our own mind. So the teachings, as I mentioned before, are like the mirror that reflects one’s own body. For instance, to make the face clean, beautifully clean, by looking in the mirror you see the mistakes. Then you wipe it or you hide it, you cover it with something else. You clean away the mistakes or the black marks of dirt. Whatever you see, whatever you find on the face, you clean. That which you can’t clean, you cover with something else, you fill it up. The gaps or the space in between, the wrinkles or the holes, you fill up with cream or something like that. I don’t know.

By depending on the mirror, you see the mistakes; then when you see them, you are able to make them better. This is similar to the mind. By depending on the Buddha’s teachings like a mirror, we see our own mistakes. We see from them how we live the life. By using the teachings as a mirror, we recognize whether our own lives, whether this precious human body, which can be made highly meaningful, which has great freedom, whether it is used to obtain great meaning or not, whether our life has been meaningful or whether it has been wasted. We see how all the mistakes of the mind come by following the disturbing thoughts, by being overwhelmed by disturbing thoughts; we see the nature of each disturbing thought and are able to recognize each of them, and how, being under the control of these, we create the action or the karma that brings unhappiness and discomfort to the mind, discomfort to the body—right that minute, right that second—and which also brings problems in the coming weeks, months, years, and also problems in the next life.

Since the mind is under the control of the unsubdued mind and the disturbing thoughts, and it has accumulated non-virtuous actions, from beginningless rebirths until now we have experienced suffering and the various problems of samsara.

Because our mind has such a nature, has such characteristics, and is not free from the disturbing thoughts, by depending on the teachings as a mirror, we can recognize the problems. We recognize that these disturbing thoughts create not only the problems of this life but also of rebirth, problems such as taking the suffering bodies of animals, preta beings (those suffering spirits who have great sufferings of hunger and thirst), and narak beings who have the greatest suffering, the suffering of hot and cold (this suffering is the greatest, the heaviest, heavier than that of the devas and the human beings, and even heavier than any other suffering of the lower transmigrating beings). The reason that we normally have all these worries and fears, all these things, the reason we can’t lead a life without fear and worry, depression, up and down—all these problems are because the disturbing thoughts, the selfish attitude that exists within our minds. If we didn’t have this dwelling in our minds, it would be impossible to experience all this unhappiness. And not only does it exist, but we let our minds be under the control of the selfish attitude, those disturbing thoughts, instead of these things being under the control of ourselves. The whole problem came from this root, from this mistake.

You can understand from this that the cause of the fear is not created by somebody else. The cause of fear, the reason you have fear and worry of all this—the cause was created by you. You created the cause of that. Because there is a cause, the result happens.

By depending on the teaching as a mirror, we recognize the whole process. We recognize the nature of the disturbing thoughts, how we are under their control, how we create karma and then, how we experience the various problems, including the greatest problem—the suffering of the lower realms. Because of the worry and fear, we practice. Then we seek the method, “What can I do for that? How can I stop it?”

The method is generating the path, the graduated path to enlightenment, which ceases the disturbing thoughts, which eliminates the two obscurations of the disturbing thoughts, the obscurations to knowing, obscurations that hinder the achievement of the omniscient mind. In order to do that, one should meditate on, reflect on, and listen to the teachings.

Understanding the fear makes us complete the listening, reflecting, and meditation practices. That is how one can put an end to one’s suffering in samsara, which has no beginning. That is how one is able to make it end and to accomplish the state of omniscient mind for the sake of all other sentient beings.

As in the West, when they think there will be an earthquake, in order to escape from that earthquake, or bomb, or something, they make holes under the house or under the ground, like ants (ants make holes, you know). Under the house or under the ground, they make huge spaces to hide if the earthquake or bomb or something happens. Perhaps it may benefit, perhaps it may help, perhaps it may not help—however, something has to be done before it comes. Similarly, if there is the danger of a dam or a lake breaking, there is the danger that it might destroy the whole village, the whole city. There was a movie in San Francisco (I’m not sure if this actually happened, maybe not, I am not sure)—the big dam broke, the wall broke, and the water ran down. I think this was part of the movie, but also, there was another movie that was taken from something that actually happened in the past. It is a movie that they made—I think they had some kind of scientist or astrologer, I am not sure, who had some kind of doubt or fear that there might be a huge earthquake in San Francisco. I think they made some kind of film of that.

So, you see, it is very useful to check if there is any danger. It is useful to check. If there is a danger, then of course, the worry or fear rises, because if it actually happens, there is mortal danger for oneself and for all others in that city. One cannot go on living at that same place without experiencing the danger. If the danger cannot disturb one, then there is no reason to have fear; but because it can disturb, it can endanger one, the worry and fear rise. The worry and fear persuade the person to do something, to immediately do something to stop the water from coming out. It can run out and wash away the whole city at any moment, so the method to stop it should be done as quickly as possible. The worry and fear caused by realizing that there is a crack and that there is danger makes the person put effort into the method to stop the water from coming out. In this way, the person does not experience the mortal danger. He is free from that.

Similarly, just now you have the fear, you recognize the mistake and the danger and you have fear; but if you don’t do anything about it, then again, there is no use. You recognize that you have a disease. You recognize that you have cancer or that you have a heart-attack or this and that, but if you don’t do anything about it, if you just live with the fear, then what is the use? That is completely useless. You know that you are going to die, that death is definitely going to happen. You know. No one will say, “I will live forever.” If one person says that, we say, “Oh, he’s crazy.”

Death can happen at any moment. After death, even though the body disintegrates completely and becomes ashes, even if this whole earth were to become completely empty, non-existent, completely finished, where there used to be earth, completely space, no earth, not even an atom—even at that time, one’s consciousness is continuing, still existing. It doesn’t stop like the lamp when the gas or the kerosene is finished, when the flame stops. The consciousness does not stop like this, it continues. It continues, the consciousness migrates, taking either the body of the happy transmigrating being or the suffering body of the lower being.

The arhats and the higher bodhisattvas who have completely ceased even the seed of the ignorance that holds the “I” as truly existent, and have ceased the disturbing thoughts, don’t have to reincarnate under the control of the disturbing thoughts and karma. But with us, sentient beings who are under the control of the disturbing thoughts and karma, the consciousness takes either the happy body or the suffering body of the lower being. There is no third option. It is definitely one of those two.

According to the type of karma—non-virtuous karma or virtuous karma—whichever has been accumulated more in this life in the past and which is more powerful, which is heavier, which is closer at death, the rebirth that will be taken is determined. The karma that is closer (“closer” meaning closer at death), the karma that is nearest at the time of death decides which rebirth will be taken. So, whichever is heavier, nearer, among virtuous and non-virtuous karma, whichever is the nearest, whichever is more habitual, whichever is accumulated first, depending on this, the rebirth of the happy body or the suffering body of the lower beings is taken.

So, you see, we are just living life with fear. You know that death is definitely going to happen. When one’s life is in danger, the fear of death arises. Even in youth when our life is in danger, when we have disease or we are living in a dangerous place or something, we have the fear of death. Particularly in old age when things are decreasing, when the senses or the powers and all things of the body are decreasing, there is more fear of death. But since you don’t have any method, the only solution is to ignore it. Something is definitely going to happen, but since you can’t stop it, since you don’t know what to do, since you don’t know at all, since there is completely dark ignorance as to rebirth, the beginning of life and the end of life, since you don’t know the evolution, the process at all, of what came before this life and what comes after the mind has separated from this body, and since you don’t have the slightest method to use during the process of death when it starts to happen, the only solution is to ignore it. There is no other solution at all. The only solution that you find is to ignore it, to ignore death.

Something that is reality, something that is definitely going to happen to you, you try not to believe in it. Even when some other person has died, you call it “went to sleep.” You call it “being asleep.” You try not to think about it, you try not to believe in it, which does not help, which doesn’t solve the problem at all. Especially if one has cancer, even though one is not old but has some kind of dangerous condition, then when one is near death, even though one tries to stop thinking about it, one can’t. Then fear somehow, uncontrollably, without choice, without freedom, arises. Then one doesn’t have a single method, no solution in the mind of how to deal with it. Even though one tries to ignore it, it just quiets the mind for maybe one minute. But inside, one is sick, inside and underneath, one is sick, not healthy.

If one is just living with the fear of death, it is completely useless. If one lives without doing anything, without doing something that benefits at that time, something that stops that fear, then it is completely useless. Not seeking anything that benefits at that time (even though you do experience death), something that makes the mind happy, something that gives freedom at that time, not doing anything, not seeking anything, not doing anything like this, just living the life with fear of death is completely useless, completely. It is just exhausting oneself. The result is that not only are you making yourself more sick, more unhappy, but you are making others unhappy as well, by their seeing the worry it is creating in you. It makes the environment sad. You are upset about not having any solution ...sadness.

It is the same thing with the human beings who have incredible freedom. We are able to hear, able to understand. We have intelligence and we have a body that gives us the incredible freedom to make preparation for death. Even though we cannot stop experiencing death, at least during those processes, the mind can be in a happy state. We have the ability to create so many unimaginable, various causes for happiness and the perfection of the life coming after this. Finally, the highest, the omniscient mind.

While one has such an incredibly meaningful precious human body, if one does not utilize it for that, to make preparation for eliminating suffering and for obtaining happiness, but instead, one is just always living with the fear, depression, and aggression, then there is no difference between oneself and mute, dumb animals. They also have fear of death but do not do anything about it.

If we tell those sentient beings, “Don’t get angry, practice patience,” they cannot understand. When dogs are fighting and you tell them the shortcomings of anger, how it constantly makes them get angry again and again in future lives and produce an unhappy mind, how they are injuring themselves, no matter how many months and years you explain in their ears, they cannot understand. It does not matter how much you try to explain any practice of patience, any practical meditation techniques, there is no way that they can understand. Any secret, profound teaching, whatever you try, they cannot understand. It is like this—when you put gold in the ear of the donkey, he shakes his head, and when you put dust in his ear, he also shakes. Similarly, even when you say something completely wrong—nothing. And when you say something unmistakable, some secret, profound holy teaching, it doesn’t make any difference to their understanding. They have no freedom. Because they have taken such a body by being under the control of the unsubdued mind and their karma, what can they do? Nothing. Only when they change their bodies, when they leave that body and take a human body is there a possibility. Then there is much freedom to attain happiness, whatever the person wishes. These animals are so pitiful, they cannot do anything.
There is no other solution, no other method, nothing else, except the holy Dharma—practicing the holy Dharma, renouncing or separating away from the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas from which all of our problems of life arise, from which all the confusion arises.

For instance, with anger, one practices patience in daily life to stop the anger from arising. So when one is in a special situation, either alone or with other people, when any of those disturbing thoughts arise, we practice the remedy and pacify them. In that way one doesn’t accumulate the karma of being under the control of that. So as there is no cause, one won’t experience the result, the suffering.

Then every day, as much as possible, we practice the remedy to the self-cherishing thought to make it weaker—we lessen the selfish attitude by practicing bodhicitta on the basis of the thought of loving kindness, wishing others to be happy and giving that help oneself.

Also compassion—wishing others to be free from suffering and to do that by oneself. However, what can benefit at the time of death, which means not to take the suffering body of those lower beings and to take the happy body of the transmigrating beings, what can benefit at the time of death is nothing else except holy Dharma.

Lama Tsongkhapa advised like this. Even the animals think, “I am going to die.” That is not enough. Just that is not sufficient. (I don’t remember word for word but the essence is this.) When death happens, the consciousness continues and reincarnates in one of those realms. By thinking of death, we should make preparation for the happiness of future lives. Lama Tsongkhapa said, “We cannot stop death for awhile, we cannot completely stop experiencing the cycle of birth and death for awhile.” “For awhile” means until you reach the bodhisattva bhumi, the arya path. Like the arhat.

For a while we cannot stop experiencing the cycle of death and rebirth, so what to do is to remember, to be aware of the death, which is definitely going to happen, in everyday life. Then, with that thought, fear rises, and with that thought, one should make preparation for the coming, future lives’ happiness and perfection, the temporal and the ultimate.

In this way, thinking of death, rising fear and practicing Dharma eliminates the disturbing unsubdued mind, it eliminates the fear. The fear that comes from understanding helps to completely put an end to the fear and worry, all those things.

I think I stop here.

21 November, pm

The subject is from where I stopped last night—the evolution of samsara. From ignorance comes karma, then craving, then grasping. The karma that was actualized at the time of death, the one that is nearest at the time of death, makes the consciousness join these present aggregates. It takes these present aggregates that are called “human being,” which have the most freedom to complete any happiness that one wishes. In that way, it sounds like ignorance is being kind, so we must repay the kindness of the ignorance. However, that is not so, that was just last night.

Being under the control of disturbing thoughts, with those past aggregates, we accumulated karma. Because of that, consciousness is joined without choice to samsara, to these present aggregates, accumulated karma. That is how it is. Being under the control of disturbing thoughts and the karma of the past life, the aggregates joined this present life’s samsara.

Samsara is like a circle, similar to a bicycle. The reason we cycle from the past life’s aggregates to these aggregates is because we are under the control of disturbing thoughts and karma. In a similar way, these present aggregates do not break the continuity of the three realms—the realms of desire, form, and formlessness—we continue journeying from one realm to another unceasingly, continuously. So the past life’s aggregates, these samsaric aggregates, circle to the next life—these aggregates, samsara. It circles like this on and on continuously in one of the three samsaric realms, one continuously joining with another. Because of this function, of being under the control of disturbing unsubdued thoughts and karma, we are circling from one realm to another.

These aggregates are called the samsaric circle. The same circle continues until we break it, continuing day and night, again and again. In terms of compounding action (du.che.ki.le in Tibetan)— “compounds” could mean because of the first ignorance. The action came from ignorance and because of that, craving and grasping arose, causing the ripening of the seed that is karma. So that most definitely happened because of the action that comes from ignorance. Then also, these present samsaric aggregates are compounded into form by that action—accumulated with ignorance. That is why the action is called “compounded action.”

The first day that the consciousness took place on the fertilized egg, the name and form came. “Form” is the physical body that has the formation of atoms. Then the other aggregates of recognition and so forth, the compounded aggregates, arose. Then on this base, contact, feeling, and rebirth—all those things happened and now we are in the process of old age. The last thing left to be experienced among the twelve links of this present, particular human body is death.

Besides the four types of suffering, the suffering of rebirth starts from the first moment the consciousness takes place on the fertilized egg. Then we have all the problems of everyday life—in short, the suffering of having fear and worries about meeting with undesirable objects, the enemy, or even with the elements, non-living harmful things. Then fear and worry about meeting with even the smallest bug. The flea that is biting is not letting you have comfort and sleep, it is disturbing, not letting you continue your beautiful dream. Fears and worries over not finding desirable objects, not finding desirable surroundings, friends or possessions, place, many things. And then, when one has found these things after working for that, looking for that with much effort, even though one has obtained them, again one is not satisfied. Again there is much depression, worry, and fear about having more and better, or about losing it. Like this.

All these problems are the suffering of suffering. These sufferings—such as the enemy attacking, various dangers and pains—even animals have the thought of renouncing these things. If even the animals have it, then it is not surprising that humans have it too. Most samsaric pleasures are changing sufferings. Most of the deluded, contaminated samsaric pleasures are changing sufferings. The tranquil abiding meditations, insight, may not be, otherwise all the rest of temporal samsaric pleasures are changing suffering.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama said it like this, “In the West, they first try to buy an apartment, then T.V., then cars, then after some time, even that is not sufficient and they want to buy better and more. When you first got the apartment, the T.V., and the car, it seemed that you got some satisfaction from them. But later, after some time, one gets bored and tired of that material.” (I don’t know if His Holiness said it exactly like this, but it is the same thing.) After some time, when one has exhausted the pleasure, one gets bored, so then one buys new and better things.

Actually, the first possession that one bought brings the result of more dissatisfaction. It has no end. There is no end to it in this life. Because of impermanence, because of death, there is an end, otherwise the work has no end in this life. There is an end simply because death comes, without choice, but otherwise, the work to always get better and more has no end in this life. The dissatisfactory mind has no end. Without choice, death happens. Then it stops that type of life, stops it for a while, for some time. It does not mean it is the end.

At first, one gets some kind of satisfaction or pleasure, then afterwards, it becomes boring. That pleasure changes into greater pain and dissatisfaction. Like this, it is changing. That is how the changing suffering works, these changing, samsaric, temporal pleasures.

It is not called “changing suffering” just because it does not last or because after some time it becomes a real pleasure and a pleasure that is not labeled. One suffering stops, a new suffering starts. It does not depend on that. It is not ultimate happiness, it is not truly existent happiness because after some time, it changes, it stops and changes into suffering—the suffering of suffering. The reason temporal pleasures are called changing suffering is because the base on which we label “pleasure” is itself suffering.

From this example, we can understand. After sitting more than one hour, even after only twenty minutes of sitting, gradually, the legs and knees become painful. Discomfort starts gradually, pain starts all around and the more you sit, as the talk gets longer, the pain becomes stronger, it increases. The more one sits, the more pain there is. So much pain exhausts you, so you think it is better to stand up. Then when we stand up, at first it is relaxing and pleasurable and comfortable. As we stand up, we think, “Now I am comfortable and happy.” But as one stands longer and longer thinking, “Now I feel comfortable. Now I feel really good,” gradually, the previous comfort decreases and then another type of discomfort and pain becomes more and more clear and increases. Then, after becoming exhausted from standing, again you think, “Oh, better to sit down.” Again, as soon as you sit down, as soon as you stop putting effort into standing, you feel relaxed and comfortable. Then one minute passes, five minutes, ten minutes go by and that realization of comfort decreases. Then another kind of trouble gradually increases. So, now we have the troubles that were finished by standing up, the troubles that are there when we sit down.

That which we cannot bear did not happen suddenly, like that. The pain that we cannot bear so that we have to sit down did not start immediately. The pain that after some time might cause the body to fall down, so exhausted, that pain that we cannot bear did not start immediately, all of a sudden.

After getting tired of sitting, as soon as we stand up, the tiredness of standing starts. From that very second when you first stood up, the exhaustion of standing started. In that very second of standing up, immediately after that, the condition of the body, the standing up, causes the exhaustion of standing to start. It starts very small but as the action of standing is continued, the pain and tiredness increase gradually. In a similar way, the tiredness of sitting occurs. Right after you change the position of your body, right after you sit down, from that second, immediately, the tiredness of sitting starts subtly, from being tiny. Then as you sit longer and longer, gradually it increases.

This is the basis on which we label “pleasure” or “comfort.” On the basis of the cessation of the heavy tiredness of sitting and the beginning of the small tiredness of standing, on that feeling, we label pleasure. Similarly, after some time of standing, when we sit down, that pleasure is labeled on the base of the small tiredness of sitting that starts and the heavy tiredness of standing that ceases. The small tiredness of sitting starts; so on that we label “pleasure.” The base is only the suffering and on that base, the name of “happiness,” the name of “pleasure” is given.

This is similar to when we feel cold at night. When we feel cold we put many blankets on top of us. At the beginning when we wear something extra or when we put something extra on the bed, we feel kind of warm and comfortable. But then, gradually, we get exhausted from having too many clothes on top of us—too much warmth. This is similar to the comfort and pleasure of being warm, being in the sunshine after feeling cold. Then again we get too hot from sitting a long time, so we go inside the room. Again we are there for a long time, again we feel very cold. It is similar with all the comforts and the pleasures. After being hungry, then eating food, we have comfort. Then, you see, the discomfort of stomachache starts from very small. When we take the first spoon, the second spoon, the third spoon, it is kind of comfortable, pleasurable. Then gradually, as we continue the pleasure and comfort we felt at the beginning, we don’t feel it anymore—it decreases and another kind of trouble increases, when even if you don’t feel hungry, you eat more and more.

The name “happiness” is like this. The name “pleasure” is labeled on a base of suffering.

In South India, there’s one food that is so hot—I don’t know the name—I’ve eaten it many times but I don’t remember the name. They serve it in the tea shop. If you eat this, it makes you drink a cup of tea. They serve it in the tea shop; as you eat more of this, it makes you drink another cup of tea. After having a bite of that, when you drink tea, there’s comfort. After that, when eating again, the other comfort is lost, so again you have another tea.

It is the same with material possessions, food, and fortune. As it is said in the teachings, as it’s said by Buddha, “In samsara, whatever one enjoys, whatever enjoyment of the sense objects one takes, one is taking the enjoyment of suffering.” If someone likes pizza so much, then okay, in the morning, for breakfast he eats pizza and then at lunch and dinner as well. One day, one week like this, one month like this, he lives one year like this (he cannot live that long just eating pizza all the time). I’m sure he gets bored—even if he didn’t get bored with the lunchtime pizza, after the breakfast pizza, maybe. The second day, I’m sure he might scream at the cook.

That first pleasure makes you think, “It is so delicious, so fantastic,” but even before you finish one plate, it’s already disgusting, you feel disgust that the dislike has started. The more, the longer you are eating, the more that first pleasure gets completely lost. Like this, we are enjoying taking the enjoyment of suffering.

Then, whatever friend one accompanies is a friend of suffering. After years and years, months and months of having put so much time and effort into it, one is able to meet the friend or able to live with the friend, after much material expense. When one finally meets or at the beginning, when one starts to live together, if you are separated for even one minute, if the object is not in front of you, one cannot stand it for even one minute. One cannot stand not being together. Like this, like milk and water mixed together, kind of inseparable. In the beginning it is kind of truly existent—a real, truly existent beautiful body, truly existent beautiful speech. In the beginning it is so exciting, so beautiful, such a beautiful life, so highly exciting, but hour by hour as one accompanies and lives with this friend, one doesn’t like that one anymore. The first hour you are so friendly, inseparable, but the next hour, due to finding some disharmony, due to some different way of thinking, one doesn’t like that one, one finds some different thoughts, different desires. Then the next hour, it got lost. Then the other person who was so beautiful becomes a very cruel person, a very cold person that you don’t even want to see again. You pray that he doesn’t show up at your house, especially at meal times, or when you have some party at the house and you’re talking with other friends. You even pray never to see him again.

Every day and month goes like this. Even though you may stay together, the mind is not interested, there is no thought of loving kindness. The great interest got lost. You lost your comfort, what you felt before, what you expected for many months, for many years, what you believed in at the beginning—there is nothing left of that any more. Although you are even physically living together in the same room, your lives are lived with fighting, your lives are lived like meditation sessions, fighting eight, nine, ten times each day. It is like this with whoever one accompanies—that friend is a friend of suffering.

Also the place. Every place you live in is a place of suffering. From this, we can understand how samsaric pleasures are changing suffering.

In Nepal, the young Eastern people seek more changing suffering from the West. They seek more. Many people in the West get bored of the changing suffering, the temporal pleasure, being wealthy, having so many material possessions, living with many friends surrounding you, with so much wealth and possessions, apartments, so many things. They have done everything, they could find in the world. They have done everything. However, they haven’t found any meaning in life. It didn’t give any answer. It didn’t give any satisfaction. So they got bored with the comfort of having the wealth and those things.

Then they want to seek something else, something spiritual. They want to seek happiness not by the external method but by the internal method, through a new method. Those who have fortunate karma, those who have luck, meet the holy Dharma. But Eastern people, especially young people, they seek the West—their liberation is the Western way of life. Especially to be in America. That is their liberation.

The thought of becoming liberated from the suffering of change is necessary in order to be liberated from samsara. But still, this is not enough, this is not sufficient. I think I stop here.

Tonight, I have one request. One student’s father (she came to Dharamsala, I think she attended one of the Dharma Celebrations), Rosario, died yesterday. She sent a telegram from Italy saying that he died of cancer, she asked to do pujas.

Relying upon and taking refuge in the Great Compassionate One, please recite the mantra and visualize the compassionate eye looking Buddha in front of you, with a thousand arms, a thousand eyes—in that aspect. The most important thing is to feel the essence, the great compassion of the buddha that covers all sentient beings.

You visualize the person who died, Rosario, in the form of a human, in front of the deity. Then you can visualize from the palm of the right hand, which is in the mudra of granting sublime realizations, purifying white nectar flows to the person who died and to oneself and all the rest of the sentient beings. And you can visualize your parents and any particular person you know who is sick. Or anyone else—maybe those relatives whom you want particularly to benefit.

Then all sentient beings are purified. Nectar rays enter into one’s body and mind and all sentient beings are purified. If you have a disease or if you want to do purification for some other particular person, you purify the cause of the sickness, the cancer, or whatever it is. You do not only purify the sickness itself but also its causes, from where the sickness came. If somebody has a confused mind and trouble, a very hard life, the cause from which it came, their karma, the unsubdued mind, the two obscurations, get completely purified. And also the person who died, all his negative karma, whatever I have explained, whatever suffering he is experiencing now, the true causes of that suffering gets completely purified, as well as that of yourself and of all sentient beings. All the obscurations get completely purified while you are visualizing this.

Then you recite the mantra. You can recite the mantra verbally, then do the request to Chenrezig.

Dedicate the merit for this particular person as well as for all other sentient beings. Dedicate for the person who died, wherever he is now—in the intermediate stage or in the lower realms—wherever he is, that he may find a perfect human body and meet a virtuous guru like Chenrezig, and be guided by him in all his coming lives. Dedicate for him to achieve the stage of the omniscient mind of Chenrezig, and the same thing for oneself and for all the rest of the sentient beings.

If you have certain other people, then with the prayer to Chenrezig dedicate the merit to them so that what is left of the precious human life does not get wasted, and for them to be able to meet the holy Dharma, for their lives to be highly meaningful, and for them to be guided by Chenrezig until the exaltation of Chenrezig, the enlightenment of Chenrezig is obtained.

I think I will stop.

22 November, am

[Rinpoche reads the Heart Sutra.]

Praise to Manjushri. (The request should be not only for oneself but for all other sentient beings.)

This quotation from Lama Tsongkhapa is from the section on impermanence. The main point that Lama Tsongkhapa emphasizes is not so much the fear of death itself, the mind separating from the body, not so much that. The fear is not having done any preparation for the happiness and perfection of the future life—not having done any work, any preparation for the future life.

With that kind of concern and fear we practice holy Dharma and make preparation for future happiness. Beyond this life up to omniscient mind, we make preparations for the highest peerless happiness, the state of the omniscient mind. The problem is not so much that this life stops. The mind separating from this body is not the main problem. The problem is that one has been using this life, this precious human body to create non-virtue, the cause of the sufferings of the unfortunate transmigrating beings. While we have this incredible opportunity to obtain virtue, the cause of temporal happiness and ultimate happiness, whatever one wishes, we are not using it for that. Actually, we are using this precious human body to create the cause of suffering, which one does not like, while not using it to create the cause of happiness, which one does like.

On the other hand, if one has not been wasting this precious human body and one has made preparation, there is no worry or fear when death happens. Then, you see, it is just a matter of changing from one body to another, changing from this body to another body, like moving from one apartment to another apartment. You move from this apartment to a better one, to one that has more facilities, more comfort. You move to that better apartment, so it is pointless to worry.

You leave this body for another perfect human body that has more freedom to complete the path to omniscient mind, that is better qualified than this body. You move to the body that is perfect, with eight qualities, the ripened aspects. Like the perfect holy bodies with eight qualities of Lama Tsongkhapa, Milarepa, Marpa, or Naropa, those great yogis.

There are some points to be made clear in regards the changing suffering. You see, if it were not labeled, if the name “pleasure” was not labeled on the base of suffering, then the comfort you feel at the beginning should increase the more you sit. The pleasure and the comfort should increase. And similarly, the more you eat, the comfort should increase. But in our experience, the evolution is the complete opposite.

Guru Shakyamuni Buddha explains the sufferings of rebirth and the other sufferings elaborately in the sutra teachings called Entering the Womb. So I think because of that it is called Entering the Womb. Guru Shakyamuni Buddha gave these teachings to his nephew or his younger brother or something like that. If one does only eating and doesn’t do the other actions of standing, sitting, and sleeping, then one experiences only suffering. Also, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha said that when the meditator checks up, when he analyzes each of these actions individually, he sees that when one does only one action, like the action of eating, and when one doesn’t do other actions, then from that comes a painful, very unpeaceful feeling. I don’t know how to put it exactly, but a very unpeaceful feeling arises, a very uncomfortable, unbearably unceasing pain, not beautiful. The recognition of happiness doesn’t arise. One doesn’t get any recognition of happiness from that action.

Similarly, when one does one of the other actions, with each of those actions, again the recognition of happiness does not arise. However, when one suffering stops and another suffering arises, when another suffering starts, upon that the recognition of happiness arises. When that happens, when one suffering arises, when it stops, it is also one suffering stopping.

When it arises, it arises in the compounding nature. When it stops, it stops in the compounding nature. You see, the action of standing compounds the suffering, the action of standing compounds the suffering. When the suffering of standing stops, again, when one sits down, the action of sitting on which we label “comfort,” the suffering compounds that suffering on which one labels “pleasure.” There is pleasure at the beginning. When it stops, it stops in the compounding nature and also when it arises, it arises in the compounding nature. This samsara, even if we sit, it is suffering, if we stand it is suffering—even if we live a millionaire’s life it is suffering, when we walk, it is suffering, even when we eat, it is suffering, and even when we sleep, it is suffering. Constantly, that is the nature of life.

We may think: “Maybe it is better, maybe I will be happier living as a beggar.” After being a beggar, a millionaire, then after getting bored with that, a beggar. However, this is all in the nature of suffering. Even if one leads the life of traveling all over the world, that is in the nature of suffering, and even if one lives at one place, without traveling, without moving, that is also in the nature of suffering. Even if one lives as a business person, leading a business life, that is in the nature of suffering, and even if one lives as a farmer, that is in the nature of suffering. (Maybe if one lives as a hippy, then maybe that is nirvana, the cessation of suffering.)

Whatever lifestyles we try, however different, until we become free from samsara, they are all in the nature of suffering. If one gets exhausted working in the office, then one thinks, “Maybe there is more pleasure in the life of the circus; if I get involved in the circus, maybe there is more pleasure.” However, afterwards, if one does give up working in the office, sitting at the desk, in front of the table, spending one’s time making bills and writing, even if one does give up doing office work, again there is suffering. One thinks, “Oh, maybe it is better to be involved in a circus, maybe there is more pleasure.” Then even if one does get involved in a circus, again there is suffering. You know, the fear of not being successful. I heard that on television, for the people who make jokes, the old mothers and fathers who make jokes on the channel that shows the old fathers and mothers joking, if the joking people don’t laugh, I heard that it becomes very painful. The nature of life, whatever we try, is like this. Some of us have had many different changes of lifestyle, so we can understand, looking back, how those different lifestyles were in the nature of suffering, even before we got involved in them. Looking at it, before we got involved in them, they looked very nice, very beautiful. Whoever you meet, any person from the top, king or president, down to beggar, at the beginning when you meet them, maybe you begin with some nice talk, maybe they are well dressed and nice looking, living in a nice apartment—if you start a conversation, at first it is nice, everything is okay, beautiful. But then, as you carry on the conversation, gradually the person talks about his suffering. After a few minutes, he talks about his suffering and if you continue the conversation for one hour, so much suffering.

Take somebody who is sick, for example. A person who got better today, yesterday didn’t have any comfort, just pain, and today, the pain has gone a little bit down. Then if you ask him, “How are you?” We would say, “Oh, I am a little bit better today.” “Better” means that because the pain has gone a little bit down, he would call it that much pleasure. This can help you to understand. This, “I am a little bit better today,” means a little more comfort than yesterday. When it is very small, when the pain went down a little bit, although there is still pain, he says, “Oh, today I am very comfortable.” He still feels a little bit of pain, but it became so small, much less than yesterday. There is still a little, little bit, but, “Compared to the day before yesterday, I am so good, so comfortable.” So, you see, you label.

But about that person who got a little bit better, whose pain became much smaller, what would you say about him? What would you say? Do you call that pleasure or not? About that person whose pain got much smaller, would you call that pleasure or not?

Tom: Sometimes, but I could just say, “Today I feel better but I still feel lousy.” If you are much better than yesterday, but ...
Rinpoche: Yes, yes, but “much better” means that there is a little bit more comfort, one has that much pleasure.
Tom: Maybe, that is not what we call pleasure, we would say ...
Rinpoche: It is not called, but it means.
Tom: We look at it directly as ...
Rinpoche: Comfort, more comfort than before.
Tom: Yeah.
Rinpoche: Isn’t there? Isn’t there more pleasure than before?
Tom: I would not say more pleasure, but less pain.
Rinpoche: Then ...
Tom: I would not say more pleasure, but less pain.
Rinpoche: Then what do you call “more pleasure”?
Tom: Well, when I feel the pain is gone, then I say, “Ah, ...
Rinpoche: Hum?
Tom: When the pain is gone?
Rinpoche: When the pain is gone, then there is what? Little pleasure or middle pleasure, happiness? Heh?
Tom: It depends on what I am doing.
Rinpoche: So there is some comfort even though you don’t accept the word “pleasure”, but there is some comfort?
Tom: Yeah.
Rinpoche: There is some comfort - but there is no comfort, there is suffering, there is only suffering of suffering.
Tom: Except we don’t call it that.
Rinpoche: No, it is suffering, but there is comfort; what there is only suffering, and there is comfort. This is contradictory.
Tom: Yeah.
Rinpoche: Yeah.
Tom: Yeah?
Rinpoche: So there is no suffering if there is comfort. So what is there? Heh?
Tom: We are suffering in that situation.
Rinpoche: We are suffering, so there is no comfort?
Tom: No.
Rinpoche: So there is no comfort. So he is not better than the day before yesterday, he is not better than yesterday.
Tom: Only by saying “less suffering”, just “less suffering”, not “no suffering”, just “less obvious suffering”, “less obvious suffering”.
Rinpoche: Then. Then? Isn’t that the definition of having more comfort? Because of having less pain? Then which one do you call “small comfort”? Which one ...
Tom: In English, when you say you have more comfort, it doesn’t mean you have comfort. It means ...

GENERAL LAUGHTER

Rinpoche: When you have a little bit of money, you don’t have money?
Tom: If I am a millionaire and I have less money than a billionaire, I don’t have a little bit of money, I still have a lot of money by comparison to other people. It is only in comparison ...
Rinpoche: No, no, I am not comparing to others, I am just talking on one object. When you have a few paise, don’t you have paise?
Tom: Hum.
Rinpoche: Hey? You have paise. So when you have a little bit of comfort, you do have comfort?
Tom: Yeah...
Rinpoche: Yeah, so you have comfort?
Tom: No, not necessarily.
Rinpoche: Which one is true? “You have comfort” is true, or “you have not comfort” is true?
Tom: Probably “you don’t have”. In English, we don’t say ...
Rinpoche: I think, maybe pee-pee break.

The pleasures of samsara, these various types of temporal pleasure are in the nature of suffering. Even if one does not experience the sufferings of suffering, or only experiences the indifferent feeling, that is also suffering. These aggregates are under the control of karma and the unsubdued mind or the contaminated seed of the disturbing thoughts. So even if these aggregates are not experiencing the suffering of suffering and changing sufferings but only indifferent feeling instead—that is also suffering.

The formless gods, the formless samsaric gods or devas got bored with the samsaric pleasures and seek only the indifferent feeling.

There are four categories like this: “infinite consciousness,” “infinite sky,” “nothingness,” then “the very tip of samsara.” There are four categories. You see, with an actual physical body, through the achievement of the stabilized, single-pointed thought, in other words, tranquil abiding or shamatha, one experiences rapturous ecstasy. Then after some time even this great pleasure which is derived from the achievement of single-pointed concentration becomes boring. First they have only the thought of renouncing samsaric pleasures, then they seek only the indifferent feeling. I think with the “infinite sky” everything (I don’t remember one hundred percent), everything is as though it were in the nature of sky, or consciousness.

Then, the third, “nothingness.” The devas, the samsaric gods in the world of form, don’t have the suffering of suffering. The formless ones abide in equanimity. However, they are not free from the suffering of samsara because they are not free from the pervasive, compounding suffering. You see, their aggregates are under the control of karma and the unsubdued mind with its contaminated seed of disturbing thoughts. So, even though they reached the very highest realm called the “tip,” the very top of samsara, at the time of death when they see that they have to reincarnate down in those lower realms while they believed that they had achieved nirvana, at the time of death when they see where they have to be reborn, heresy arises in their minds. Heresy arises that such a thing as nirvana, the achievement of nirvana, is non-existent.

Because again one has not achieved it, one has to be born in the lower realms. As they have not eliminated the seed of the disturbing thoughts by generating the remedy of the path in their mind, by reincarnating they experience the same problem. Even though the disturbing thoughts such as anger, pride, and attachment do not rise while they are in that realm, because the seed is there, by reincarnating they experience the same problem.

These worldly gods, even though they don’t have the suffering of suffering and the suffering of change, still they have the seed of the disturbing thought. Through the method of tranquil abiding, shamatha, the actual body is stabilized on the single-pointed thought. They have actualized and attained this, and as a result they are born in those four categories. The part of the wisdom path realizing the absolute nature and developing that wisdom is left out, missing. That is why the seed of the disturbing thought is not eliminated. They are unable to break the continuity of the aggregates, which are continually joining from one life to another life under the control of karma and disturbing thoughts. From this one can understand what is the actual fundamental suffering of samsara from which we should be liberated: the pervasive, compounding suffering.

These aggregates, which are formed, which are under the control of karma (as you remember, the other night I explained the evolution), the cause of which was created in the past life through karma, through ignorance and the contaminated seed of the disturbing thoughts, this is the fundamental suffering of samsara. This pervasive, compounding suffering—if I explain the meaning of the word you can understand the reason it is called “pervasive.” It is like a water bubble that comes from the water. From these aggregates (Tibetan pung.po), the deluded aggregates of attachment and desire come.

This suffering covers or pervades. It is the foundation for both the suffering of suffering and the changing suffering. Without the deluded aggregates of attachment and the pervasive compounding suffering, the two other sufferings cannot be experienced. You can understand how those two other sufferings arise by looking at pervasive, compounding suffering. These aggregates are under the control of karma and disturbing thoughts, and also there is a seed and the seed is not eliminated from birth. From the very first moment the consciousness took place on the fertilized egg, from that very first second of birth, the aggregates have the seed of the disturbing thoughts.

The reason that this life’s aggregates were born with the seed of disturbing thoughts is that the past life’s aggregates were contaminated with the seed of disturbing thoughts. That was not eliminated, so that is why we were born with it. This answers all those other questions for the reason that in this life one was reborn with anger, with attachment and pride, why one didn’t take a birth without any of these disturbing thoughts.

Because the seed and the disturbing thoughts are there, when we meet with a beautiful object, suddenly attachment arises. When we meet with an ugly object, possession, or person, anger arises. And the indifferent object produces ignorance. Jealousy, pride, and avarice: all these disturbing thoughts rise when we meet the object. When the senses come into contact with the object, depending on the different objects those different disturbing thoughts arise.

Even though there is no anger now, no arising, if suddenly the person who sits next to you disturbs you while you are having a good meditation, a peaceful time, having a good trip, then suddenly the anger arises—as if you had thrown a burning match into kerosene. And the same way with all the other disturbing thoughts. Suddenly, because of the seed, the suffering of suffering, because these aggregates are under the control of karma and disturbing thoughts, even though you are not experiencing suffering now, in one minute or one hour, you experience the suffering of suffering. The suffering of suffering of the mind or the suffering of suffering of the body, the physical suffering of suffering.

The first cause, ignorance and the action, karma planted the seed. The negative karmas planted the seed. After the karma is done, the seed is planted on the consciousness. If in the past life or even in this life a person has created the negative karma of harming others, such as criticizing others with anger, saying blindly all kinds of harsh words with anger, then it has left the seed or the potential for him to experience eye-blindness this year. The evolution of this is that by having had the seed of the disturbing thoughts planted there, the aggregates, which are under the control of the actions and the disturbing thoughts, compound those mental sufferings of suffering, and this compounds the physical sufferings of suffering.

From this you can understand that without this, the fundamental pervasive, compounding suffering—the aggregates—there is no way for you to experience the suffering of suffering and the changing suffering. Even without tracking back, thinking about the past, it is easy to see how the aggregates are under the control of karma and the unsubdued mind, because even while we are meditating, even when we are trying to practice Dharma, trying to use the aggregates for practicing Dharma, we forget the object of meditation. Even though we try to make time for practicing Dharma, to meditate, during the meditation instead of keeping the mind constantly placed on the virtuous thought or the virtuous object of meditation, we forget the object.

Instead, what thoughts come? Only thoughts of boyfriend, only thoughts of the object of anger or thoughts of the object of attachment come. That shows how these aggregates are under the control of disturbing thoughts. Even though we are trying very hard, even though we are trying to make a particular time for practicing Dharma, obtaining the method to accomplish ultimate happiness, we find that we are unable to meditate because we are overwhelmed by disturbing thoughts. Even though one does not normally like to get angry, one hates the strong dissatisfactory mind of attachment, even though one doesn’t like it, uncontrollably one gets completely overwhelmed by these disturbing thoughts. Sometimes you might get kind of surprised. How did it happen? By looking back you see how you got completely overwhelmed, overtaken by the disturbing thoughts. How did it happen? Where did they come from?

The pervasive, compounding suffering is the main suffering from which we should be liberated. This is what we should have the thought to renounce when we say renunciation of samsara—the thought of renouncing these aggregates that are under the control of karma and disturbing thoughts and the contaminated seed of disturbing thoughts.

If the thought of renouncing this samsara of pervasive compounding suffering is just words, if the renunciation is mere words, then when you think of the suffering of others the compassion is just words also. The compassion you feel for other beings, since you don’t feel strongly about your own, since you don’t feel your own suffering to be unbearable, when you think of others, again the compassion is just words. You don’t feel that it is all that unbearable that others are experiencing these samsaric sufferings. The compassion is just on the surface, there is no compassion living in the heart—just on the lips. The compassion is just on the lips, not in the heart. So in order to bring up the uncreated, intense strong compassion, one should have the uncreated thought of renunciation. In order to feel that it is unbearable that others are experiencing pervasive, compounding suffering, as unbearable as falling into the fire, that unbearable, in order to get such an uncreated strong compassion, one should have the uncreated thought of renouncing one’s own pervasive, compounding suffering. The wish to be free from that is so strong. The wish to be free from this samsara is so strong that one can’t stand even for a minute to be in this. It feels like being in the center of a fire. So there is the uncreated, intuitive, strong wish to be free from this.

By seeing the meaning of this third suffering, you can understand that in these six realms, whichever birth one takes is only in the nature of suffering. For not even a minute does one experience the ultimate happiness.

To cease these true sufferings, one should cease the cause. The cause of these true sufferings is not just the bare mind, the stream of consciousness. This bare stream of consciousness cannot be stopped, cannot be ceased. The cause of the true sufferings is the mind that is overwhelmed by the disturbing thoughts such as anger, the dissatisfactory mind of attachment and ignorance—overwhelmed by these disturbing thoughts and their actions. Whether we are going to be free from these true sufferings and the cause of the suffering is up to whether we can control these disturbing thoughts or not. It depends on whether we keep these thoughts under the control of the mind—under our control, or whether we let the mind, oneself, be under the control of disturbing thoughts.

What do we do in our everyday life? In our everyday life we let ourselves be under the control of the disturbing thoughts—or are the disturbing thoughts under our control? This is dependent on how much we let ourselves be under the control of the disturbing thoughts and how much we control the disturbing thoughts. How quickly we shall be free from samsara, the true sufferings, and the true cause of sufferings depends on how we live every day. It depends on our practice. As long as we give the victory to the disturbing thoughts, the ignorance holding things to be truly existent, as long as we give the victory to the dissatisfactory minds, then our sufferings have no end, they are endless.

How can we eliminate these disturbing thoughts? You see, even without practicing the remedy, meditation, something that was an object of anger one hour ago or yesterday today is an object of attachment. Even without depending on the remedy or applying the remedy, meditation, it changes. Even though it used to be an object of attachment, it has become an object of anger and now again, this hour, it is the object of a thought of loving kindness, of compassion. Even in normal life, without depending on the remedy of meditation it changes. It doesn’t last—the anger does not dwell on the same object forever. The same with the others. Not only anger can be stopped by practicing the remedy, the thought of loving kindness. Attachment can be stopped by remembering the shortcomings of the object, by seeing the ugliness of the object. The ignorance holding things as permanent is stopped by observing and thinking about their nature, which is impermanent.

Not only that. All these disturbing thoughts originated or came from the very root, the ignorance grasping at the “I,” holding the “I” as truly existent, while there is no truly existent “I” on these aggregates. So, you see, these other disturbing thoughts can be made completely non-existent so that they cannot arise again, because the very root, the ignorance grasping at the “I,” can be completely eliminated, so that it is impossible for it to ever arise again.

This ignorance can be completely eliminated because it is hallucinated—it is a hallucinated mind, a hallucinated conception. Like when you enter a room and coming through the door you see a snake on your bed. What is actually there on your bed is a piece of rope, but not having clear light (there is some light but it is not clear), you see a snake. When you come from the session, when you look at your bed through the door, you see that there is a snake on your bed. Instead of running away, completely trusting that appearance as true, you check if it is really a snake or not. Instead of having fear, screaming and disturbing all the other people who are around, you make sure whether it is really a snake or not.

It is usually impossible for a snake to come into that room. The snake cannot crawl up those many steps—those ten, thirty, forty, or fifty-storied houses. It cannot come from the ground and up by itself. It is an impossible thing for a snake to be there. So, instead of running away, you make sure to check with a light. If you check then you see that there is just a rope there—you cannot find even an atom of a snake’s body on your bed, on the rope, no way. When you see just a piece of rope, the hallucinated conception of that being a snake goes away. Then you see the thing that does not exist there and the thing that really exists there.

Similarly, this ignorance is a hallucinated mind, a wrong conception. Because like the example of the snake, the truly existent “I” does not exist except for what is merely labeled on these aggregates. The truly existent “I,” the “I” that is not labeled doesn’t exist, is completely empty on these aggregates. You recognize the hallucinated appearance, you recognize the appearance that is hallucinated. You recognize the existent “I” that is hallucinated, that does not exist. You recognize that hallucinated appearance, that hallucinated truly existent “I” by using the Dharma wisdom light.

The Dharma wisdom understands the advice and teachings given by Shakyamuni Buddha, the particular advice on absolute nature given by the experienced gurus or by the pandits. With this wisdom you analyze whether this truly existent “I” really exists or not. You see that this is completely empty, it doesn’t exist at all. The “I” that exists is only what is merely labeled on these aggregates. By developing this wisdom with the renunciation of samsara we enter the path. Then comes the wisdom realizing the absolute nature of the “I,” that the “I” is empty and a dependent arising. By developing this wisdom one completely eliminates even the seed of the ignorance grasping at true existence. With the cessation of this true cause of suffering, the true sufferings also cease.

This is the ultimate happiness or nirvana. A mind such as this, the absolute nature of the mind, which is separated from ignorance—this is what is called nirvana, the blissful state of peace.

I think I stop here.

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