Teachings from Guadalajara: Days 1 - 4 (Audio and Unedited Transcript)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Guadalajara, Mexico, 2008 (Archive #1700)

Days 1-4 of an eight-day series of lam-rim teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Guadalajara, Mexico, in April, 2008.  You can listen to days 5-8 here.

You can also read an edited version of this series here, and listen online to the public talk that Rinpoche gave prior to this series.

Day 4: Manifestations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

...So what did I say before that, before African American, what was that? Before African American? [Students: Geshe Rabten] That’s right, Geshe Rabten, yeah. You’re right. Thank you very much.

So, she was looking after Lama, the African American, so she was looking after Lama for those three months. She was doing business, helped the monastery at Kopan, whatever, doing business, very big business in the United States, but she didn’t have, no time to look after her business. She took Lama, for three months, completely, never have time to look after the business, so taking to the hospitals, helping all the things.

So then, like that. So I think after Lama passed away then she found out, I think she lost many hundred thousand, I don’t know, a few hundred thousand dollars or a million, I’m not sure what, lost, new person, employed a new person, then before was one student, one old student called, Anila Ann, she was a nun, so, she was an old friend of Mummy Max. So, anyway, that time the business went very high, I don’t know, some million, I’m not sure. Anyway, then one new, this nun left, then, she found a new person to run her business, then, while she was three months looking after Lama Yeshe completely, then later she found out, then, lost many goods and many hundreds of thousands of dollars lost, got stuck in Bombay or something.

So, anyway, during that time Lama Yeshe was taken to a village in Delhi, very far from, not in the city but out of the city, village, very quiet place, so she took care. So I went, myself and Lama Lhundrup who is the Abbot of Kopan Monastery now, so we went there to see. So when we went there to see Lama Yeshe, already the color, color of the holy body, in our view, already changed, the ?talks not like, still better, but the color has changed. So the machine, what do you call this one, oxygen. Anyway, so we tried to, so Geshe Rabten Rinpoche, who is also Lama Yeshe’s guru, received many, many teachings from, for many years of teachings in Tibet, so we tried to invite Geshe Rabten Rinpoche. He took the aspect of a little stroke, the, moved here, some stroke, so then he was coming to have treatment in Dharamsala from a Tibetan lady doctor who has very close relationship, same student of root guru, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, so, Ama Lobsang. That time, she’s there or not, don’t remember. So anyway, so we tried to bring Geshe Rabten Rinpoche to meet Lama, because he’s a very, it is very, it is very what do you call, time, what’s the word? Very urgent, very important time, so we tried to bring Geshe Rabten Rinpoche to meet Lama, but Lama didn’t show much, usually, he’s very eager to, because of course your guru, there’s excellent, good relationship with Lama Yeshe and Geshe Rabten, and, but that time, didn’t, Lama wasn’t in that state very longing for it, doesn’t show it.

So my understanding is, Geshe Rabten Rinpoche was a great yogi, not only a great scholar but was a great yogi who has same realization, those three principal paths, guru devotion, root, guru devotion, three principal paths, root guru devotion which makes all, attaining the whole path successful up to enlightenment, and successful to liberate numberless sentient beings, and bring all sentient beings to enlightenment. And then the, Geshe Rabten Rinpoche was also somebody who has very high tantric realizations, generation stage, and the illusory body and clear light, those realizations. I think His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, who is their root guru, mentioned, I think, the same realizations.

So, what I understood is that, why didn’t show much interest to see Geshe Rabten, why no strong longing is because they can meet, they don’t need to meet gross body, they can meet, with the illusory body, in that realm, they can meet each other, they can communicate, you don’t need to meet the gross, those who have those realizations you don’t need to meet, not necessarily gross body. You can meet in different, you can meet, with those realizations you can meet different way, you can communicate.

So, that’s what I thought, usually sort of Lama is extremely devoted and unbelievable devoted to his gurus, very, very, anyway, hard to say the word. So I think that time, what we disciples we thought might help or some, might, to the situation, to ?have Geshe Rabten. So Geshe-la did come and had lunch, momo, Tibetan food, momo, so they made, there was our cooks, Pemba from Hong Kong, and Monlam, so they made momos, offered momos.

So had lunch, then Geshe Rabten left to Dharamsala for treatment. So Lama didn’t talk much, so what I thought was they talked already in a different way, different, I mean, in that level of realization. So Geshe Rabten is one from whom Lama Yeshe studied so much in Tibet, and then besides Geshe Sopa Rinpoche.

So, why I’m talking, it become a little bit long story but, conclusion is that, we were talking about astral, I don’t know if it’s astral trip or the, astral tour. [pause]

So, for example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, there’s one lama in Nepal, called ?Tubtul Rinpoche, I think it’s maybe recognized as the, related with the Most Secret Hayagriva, special deity, as a practitioner, so, that lama, what he does in morning, all his practice, early morning after get up, everything. So, when he went see His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “Oh, you do this first, first thing you do this, second thing you do this, third thing you do this,” anyway, so everything His Holiness can explain to him. So, I think he does, every morning he does long-life meditation for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So first you do this, second thing you are doing this, third thing is this, fourth thing doing this, seems told him everything, so without his informing to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

So, I think for certain people, then His Holiness tells, so, which means His Holiness, so can do same, his holy body is there, the normal holy body, but so can travel, can see, of course, he’s embodiment of Compassion Buddha, so, of course, holy mind it covers all the existence. His omniscience covers all the existence. The omniscient mind is seeing existence is not far, not like where you put, what, telescope, microscope or telescope? Telescope! Binoculars, not seeing from far, like binoculars, omniscient mind seeing phenomena, but like when we see things through binoculars, not like that. Omniscient mind, the way it see things is, omniscient mind covers all the existence. There is no place where there’s no omniscient mind. Once you’re enlightened, there’s no resistance to the mind, there’s no blockage to your mind, you’re free from that, there’s no blockage, no resistance, so your, the vehicle of that mind doesn’t have resistance, it covers all the existence, it pervades. So because the vehicle of the mind, the, that subtle body pervades all the phenomena, so the omniscience, the mind which is inside of that, pervades all the phenomena. So the directly seeing all the past, present and future, all the phenomena, in that way. So, covers, the main thing is to, how the omniscient one sees the phenomena is by covering all the existence.

So because of that, then, whenever that particular sentient being’s karma is ripened, without delay even a second, the minute when the karma is ripened to receive guidance, without delay even a second, as soon as the karma is ripened, [snaps fingers] the guidance is right there, in that second, manifests whatever form. If it’s impure mind, then you manifest impure body; if it’s a pure mind, then manifest a pure form. So, otherwise impure mind, if you manifest pure, it doesn’t benefit, cannot see, cannot give direct guidance because that sentient being cannot see you. So, therefore, you manifest impure being, ordinary human being, or even animal or spirits or any anything that, according to karma of that sentient being.

For preta beings, buddhas, bodhisattvas manifest preta, hungry ghost to help them. So same thing, so also, so many times, among the animals, the buddhas, bodhisattvas manifest in form of animal to benefit, to protect those animals. For example, the conch animals in the water, conch shell animals, shell animals? Huh? The small ones? [Students: Snails?] No, it is same, it is, one is big style, one is small style, they’re the same. [Students suggest different names of sea creatures.]

So, anyway, these shell animals, there are many bodhisattvas in the form of shell animals, so there will be also buddhas in the form of, manifest as shell animals. So it is explained by Nagarjuna, that, great propagator of the, like second buddha, great propagator of the Buddha’s teachings, Nagarjuna, especially emptiness, that those shell animals that, the one that here, this one, not this one, not this one, but this one, huh, so shell. So, in Tibet, that one is extremely rare. There are shells in Tibet, but very thick one, very heavy one, but this one is extremely rare in Tibet, so regarded so auspicious that one, usually they offer to Buddha, here, on some statues, here, or the heart or the, so anyway, but such as United States, Florida, it seems you can get a lot of this, this one.

So this one said that it’s a bodhisattva, this shell, they are bodhisattva, like, bodhisattva born like this, maybe several times, seven times, something like this one. So this is regarded, Nagarjuna explained that if you keep at home, if you blow this, then bring harmony in the family, bring good relationship, harmonious in the family, and also for healing sicknesses, healing disease, you blow on this, so kind of auspicious to good luck or however the, to bring harmonious, healing sicknesses.

So, even among the animals so they manifest, they manifest in those same type of animals, then they look after other. So the shell animals, so they take that to protect other shell animals or something like that, to benefit those types of beings. So that, seems they are, yeah, so not necessarily buddha means, not necessarily always something with a light , radiating, so, they can manifest any form, ordinary children, ordinary old people, lady, man, even blind, lame, they can manifest any like that, they can manifest as a beggar, so that they beg from other sentient beings, so other sentient beings, they collect merit, they collect so much good karma, so bodhisattvas, buddhas, they can manifest as beggar, so other sentient beings to collect merit.

So, so even as spirits, there are buddhas, bodhisattvas manifest as spirits so, so those spirits to benefit, as preta, also nagas, or, as I mentioned before, manifest in same type of body, manifest those types of animals, so, things like that. So, in Beijing, the holy place, Manjushri holy place, Manjushri holy place in Beijing, what’s the name? [Student:: Wu Tai Shan.] The five mountains, Wu Tai Shan, Wu Tai Shan, the five mountains, the holy place of Manjushri in China. So, one time, I think there are many, basically there are many stories, but one story that, saw in the text, also heard from Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, the great lama, guru, so one person was going on pilgrimage, so met one man, one Chinese man, gave a letter to the person, and take this letter to this village, give this to this bodhisattva somebody. Then the person took the letter, went to the village, and asked, “Where is this bodhisattva?” Then the family, there were some pigs there, and the family said, the family, the man from the family said, “We don’t have a human being bodhisattva like this, but we have one pig whose name is this.”

So then he read the, the message was read to the pig, the message says, “Now your time to be in this world is finished; your time to benefit for other sentient beings in another world.” So that was the message sent by that Chinese man to that pig. So the message was read to the pig, and that pig made a huge noise, then passed away, right after the message.

So, actually that Chinese man is Manjushri. So all the people who go for pilgrimage the Wu Tai Shan, everybody who goes there sees Manjushri, you see Buddha Manjushri, but you not necessarily see like the painting, Manjushri with the sword, with the sword like this, not necessarily to see. So, of course, if you have pure mind, then you see pure, in aspect of buddha, but of course, most people, rare, pure mind, so therefore, you see ordinary person. So, everybody who go there, definitely see, but doesn’t mean you can recognize, buddha, so, Manjushri.

So, anyway, this man, just an ordinary man, gave the letter, told the person to go to this village, give this letter to this bodhisattva, so actually it was Manjushri, passed message to this bodhisattva who manifest in a pig, so that pig is actually a bodhisattva. So that pig, that pig protects all the pigs. The pigs, that pig always the last pig, he kind of look around and then all the pigs go first, then, always he was the last pig, to protect them, last pig, so that’s what he does.

So I’ve forgotten the name, this _____, also I saw in the teaching also, first I heard from Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, so I think there’s full of stories, so many like this, I think. So just to give you an idea, the buddhas, bodhisattvas manifest any form, so get an idea, so, manifest in animals to the animals, like that, to benefit them, so even a pig, so same.

So I think, there, if you are doing pilgrimage there then, if you see something that’s a little bit unusual or something, then, I guess something, maybe way to figure it out, so the, but anybody who goes there sees Manjushri, but it’s not sure you can recognize.

Then, it is said that, also Kyabje Chöden Rinpoche now, one lama that organization, I myself took teachings and lately, now giving much teaching in the organization in different countries, now has been teaching in Taiwan, for the last quite a few years has been one guru that I made connection, received teachings, then from the same monastery, Sera Je, a great lama, one who is, always in meditation on lam-rim, even if he is traveling, walking, whatever, always in the, mind is in the meditation, Dharma, bodhicitta, right view, all this, tantra, tantric path. So, anyway, with a mind inseparable from that.

So, anyway, Rinpoche also went in China. So, when you go to Peking, or when you go to Wu Tai Shan, when you arrive there, the very first when you arrive there, very first thing what you see, that has great meaning, that is a manifestation of Manjushri, it is said, when you arrive there, the very first thing you see. So the, yeah, so I myself hasn’t been there, I haven’t been there, but waiting, but I’ve been waiting more than fifteen years ago wanted to go there to do retreat but so far didn’t happen the time. Last year, or year before I went to China, Peking, and did long-life initiation and some teachings, teachings, long-life initiation, so the, in a private house, the famous singer, the Hong Kong, China, Fay Wong, then some Chinese business people, from there, I had to go there, why, because I had to go to Tibet for a short time to, because to build a statue there in Lhasa. So I didn’t make it to Wu Tai Shan, the Manjushri holy place.

So, one thing to know, so this gives you an idea, so you can’t tell who’s a buddha, who is not buddha; you can’t tell who is a bodhisattva, who is not a bodhisattva, even among the animals, you can’t tell. Not only you can’t tell among human beings, but also you can’t tell, so like that. So, regards harming others, then, get angry or harming others, so to be careful, need to be very careful, so, so going back, so where did I start? [Student: When we recite Tara praises.]

There’s one, also, young Tibetan lady in Dharamsala, came from Tibet, mainly to protect His Holiness the Dalai Lama, offer service to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, protect His Holiness the Dalai Lama from the obstacles, things, and mainly for that, she came to India. So this young Tibetan lady, she’s a dakini, she’s a khadroma, or dakini, a real dakini, who has very high attainment, maybe direct perception of emptiness, but there’s one geshe who was Lama Yeshe’s best friend, who’s very learned, Geshe Yeshe Tobden, very learned from Sera Me, they were same style, in Buxa, because I was not in Tibet so, at Sera Monastery, so, I think met, they became friends in Buxa, in India, so the same style, their style is the same, the robe, very high, the robe not long, my one’s long, but Lama Yeshe’s, but before, now later is Lama Yeshe, very long, but later, but before, in the monastery, at Buxa, the shamtab, this is called shamtab, so it’s very high up, so also his same style, same color, same style, they look similar, kind of, because similar style, so anyway without talking other stories, so not necessary.

So the Geshe Yeshe Tobden from Sera Me Monastery, not Sera Je. So anyway, but he regard the young Tibetan lady as actual buddha. So she came from Tibet, much later, but the way, how she came, all those things is beyond from our concept, how she came, anyway. So, so she came to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, and she saw Milarepa outside when she was circumambulating. Milarepa gave, Milarepa, I mean that was maybe more than a thousand years ago, Milarepa, a thousand years ago, I think, so anyway, she saw Milarepa there, great yogi, who achieved enlightenment, then gave a bundle of money to her to go to India to help His Holiness, so that’s how she came to India.

So she went to Mt. Kailash for pilgrimage, so there’s amazing, what she see there, not what we see, just amazing, totally another world, unbelievable, just beyond from our concept. So, anyway, she was alone and it seems the protector Palden Lhamo put her on the mule, it’s not donkey, a mule, so she was put on that. Then, anyway, taken on the mountains, something like that. However, came to Dharamsala, and all this is her, this is, it’s all mystical.

So anyway, so it took one year to get to see His Holiness because she looked very young girl and didn’t, nobody knows her, so took one year to come to see His Holiness.

So, anyway, there are other stories, other mystical stories. So then, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, she met Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche so sometimes she manifest as a, like oracle, or protector, like oracle, manifest also like that, but that’s one kind of form that she does, but actually she can tell things without becoming a medium, without that, without that form, she can check and can see things, I mean past or future or whatever, present.

Anyway, she met Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche and Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche said that, “I will make gold bridge between you and His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” so then she was able to see His Holiness. Then since from that time, then she was under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

So, anyway, so the main story what I will tell you is that, so His Holiness was traveling in the West, different places, traveling, so she was laying down in Dharamsala. So one time, there’s some people, so, there was some intensiveness, there was some kind of intensiveness. When she was laying down, but there was some kind of intense, like when you have a dream, like something very serious, serious dream, your body feel kind of some serious, I think, like that. So, anyway, so there were some people who are around asked her, later, what happened, then she said, “I was with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in an airplane traveling,” because she was asked by one deity called Kurukulla, she was asked by that deity to travel with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the same airplane, so that means to protect, to, things like that.

So, anyway, I’m just talking about, this is the, before I was talking about the intermediate state beings, but here I’m talking about the realized beings, with the freedom that you can do these things.

So, and then, when she was doing retreat, so sometimes, her body get, the door is locked, everything is locked, she has no way to get out, but her, sometimes happened, her body was out of the house, even though everything is locked, doing retreat, but her body, outside, happened, so the, I think it’s maybe, nighttime, whatever, without much, naked, not much dress, so outside, even everything is locked, no way to get outside, so for her, there’s no resistance, so sometimes the keys that, the attendant’s key who has keys, not there or after, came after, then she’s already inside. So she doesn’t, so doesn’t need key, so, she has a physical body but it’s not, it doesn’t, it doesn’t become obstacle to her.

So, anyway, this is normal stories, so that’s normal stories that happened, so like that. So the, those are realized beings.

Anyway, this geshe, he was Lama Yeshe’s best, he, anyway, so the, she could, she was in Tibet, she could see this geshe in Dharamsala, I think they have some past karmic connection, so, she could see from Tibet, many years ago, then when she came to Dharamsala, she went, not immediately but after some time she went to see the geshe, it’s on the mountain, back of Dharamsala, then, the mountain here, there are quite a number of meditators who are living in the hermitage. So the geshe is there, so she went to see the geshe, and the geshe didn’t speak one word, he sat in his room, he didn’t move, he didn’t speak, so he sat like this, didn’t move, didn’t say anything, and then she came inside, and she also acted a little bit unusual, I think, told him, “Now meditate, now meditate,” a little bit unusual, but he never reacted back, nothing. So then she left.

Then another year, after one year, then she went back again, but the geshe had a dream before she came, the geshe had a dream, tonight, before, next day she came. So whatever dream he had, the geshe had, so next day she came, and the geshe, then geshe cried, he cried so much, then geshe asked her to sit on the bed, geshe said, “You are buddha, I’m a sentient being,” he sat down, and the girl sat on his bed, high up, then he cried so much and whatever dream he had, he totally changed his mind, then from there, he’s been treating her as actual buddha, Tara.

So, then, always, he goes to Italy to give teachings, he was, that geshe was our first resident teacher in Italy, Lama Tsongkhapa, the largest, the main center in Italy, he lived there three years, he was resident teacher, so then he goes to teach in Italy, mostly our centers, then, also there’s one center, his own center, just start, happened, his students, some years ago, so six months he spent there, and then he comes back to Dharamsala to meditate six months, then again six months goes to Italy, so under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So then he take care of her expenses in Italy, when she traveled, when she goes to other countries, then that geshe give money to help with expenses or even by staying in Dharamsala, so take care, so that.

So, anyway, so basically, you can’t really tell who’s a buddha, who’s not buddha, who’s bodhisattva, who’s not bodhisattva, even among the animals, you can’t, among the animals, even among spirits, so, like Arya Sanghata Sutra, many of you have read and there it says that, to benefit for them, manifests as spirits, manifests as naga to benefit nagas, so buddha do that.

So, anyway...