Affiliated with the FPMT

• Day One Part One : Introduction and Continuity of Consciousness
• Day One Part Two : Continuity of Consciousness and Compassion
• Day One Part Three : Oral Transmission Begins
• Day Two Part One : The Merely Labeled 'I'
• Day Two Part Two: The Object to be Refuted
• Day Two Part Three : Golden Light Sutra Transmission
• Day Three Part One : Karma and Meditation on Emptiness
• Day Three Part Two : Meditation on Emptiness and Refuge

Day Two Part Three : Golden Light Sutra Transmission

So in these first two verses, taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha ….. until the enlightenment is achieved, I go for refuge.

So here you are practicing two refuges – cause refuge and the result refuge. So until the enlightenment is achieved, that shows result refuge. I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, that shows cause refuge.

You rely upon Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, whose mental continuum is separate from yours, the Buddha whose holy mind free from all the gross and subtle defilements, whose holy mind is perfect in all the qualities, the realisations, perfectly in qualities, all the qualities of cessation and all the qualities of the realisations. Then Dharma, the true path, the main Dharma – true path and true cessation of suffering and the actual Sangha, the ultimate Sangha, who is the attainer of the true path. By relying upon them, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, whose mental continuum is separate from one’s own mental continuum, who has all those qualities, you see, entrust, rely upon them, then from that what you achieve is you actualise true path and true cessation of the suffering, you actualise the Dharma in your mental continuum and then you become the Sangha. You achieve the result Dharma, you achieve the result Sangha, then you achieve the result Buddha.

So what for? Need to actualise the Dharma in one’s own mental continuum, the path, and one becomes the Sangha, the ultimate Sangha, and the Buddha, one becomes Buddha. So with … oneself, one’s own mental continuum is perfected in all the qualities of the cessation, qualities of realisation. So one is able to do perfect work towards sentient beings, to free them … there are numberless beings, numberless beings in hell realm, numberless beings in hungry, in the realm of hungry ghost; numberless beings in the animal realms, as well as humans, sura, asura. So therefore you are able to do perfect work to free the numberless sentient beings in the hell realm from oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them in full enlightenment. Also numberless human beings, free them the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them in full enlightenment. Free the numberless sura beings from oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to enlightenment. Similar with asuras and then the hungry ghost, animals and numberless intermediate stage beings, so like that. Able to do perfect work without slightest mistake towards sentient beings, cause all the happiness.

This is the main objective of our life, purpose of our living, why we are born, why we have taken human body at this time. Why we spend so much money for survival, why we spend so much money to have long life, why we spend so money to be healthy. Why we spend so much money for shelter, protection for this body and for clothing, food. All these, so much, unbelievable, so much and even debts, even debts to be healthy and have long life and to have comfort, all these. So why? Why we do this?

If we, if we live the life to benefit for other sentient beings, then all these things make sense. You know, all these expenses that we make have meaning, has benefit. We went, parents sent in the kindergarten when we were small children, they pay money for that. However that is another subject. Benefit, we received so much benefit, kindness of them, benefit we receive them is another subject.

However, in short that… one reason why we should live the life for others, why we should benefit, we should use our life to benefit other sentient beings, that should be something special than from the animals. Life, just living for oneself, whether they do is just for oneself. Like Nagarjuna said Tib_____, I think it’s Nagarjuna, I am not sure, the Lob.ding, means even the animals they find a bunch of grass, they eat it themselves. Say, that … there are more verses, it is not that but anyway, that’s different, other aspect but just that one, so like that, whatever they do is just for themselves, to achieve happiness for themselves, you know.

So this life we got, we were not born, we are not born as animal, you see, we are not born as animal, we are born human beings that has all the opportunity to develop good heart. Develop wisdom, develop compassion, we have all the opportunity, so easy to do, you know, with this human body. That as I mention that, because having the, having received this human body, endowed with this human body, it gives opportunity, capacity to, say, to understand the teachings of Buddha, able to understand the Dharma, which shows the path to cease, finish, to purify or to cease cause of the sufferings, obscuring, disturbing, negative emotional thought and its action karma, all the, all the cause of, cause of suffering, including the death, so including what causes death, what causes the rebirth. Because of rebirth, there are sicknesses. Because of rebirth there is old age. Because of rebirth, because of samsara rebirth, under control of karma and delusion, then the relationship problems, unable to find desirable objects, even if one finds, another suffering. You begin another suffering, unable to get satisfaction, all those things.

All these sufferings, all these things that you suffer so much in the life, by practicing Dharma you can remove, cease, all the delusion and karma. And can be totally liberated from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and develop compassion for all living beings, good heart, wisdom. Then able to cause all the happiness to sentient beings. Happiness this life, happiness all the coming future lives to others and liberation from samsara, one is able to cause others. And the great liberation, full enlightenment, one can cause all the numberless sentient beings. So much you can do with this precious human body because this human body has the capacity to understand the words and meanings of the Dharma. With this human body, as I normally mention, so easy to understand what is cause of happiness, the action which results in happiness, motivated by non- anger, non attachment, non ignorance. So the minute somebody explains this, you understood what’s the cause of happiness, what brings happiness; you have wisdom, Dharma wisdom. Since you have Dharma wisdom… you see, you understood this, you understood within that few seconds, so since that time you have the wisdom. In one day how many times you want to practice dharma, you change, you transform your attitude, your motivation, your attitude, make it Dharma, without following those three poisonous minds. Make it Dharma, then your actions become Dharma.

Then definitely, then you are able to achieve result happiness. So you can do this, 24 hours day and night, any time you want. How much you want. How many you want to create cause of happiness, you can do that. From that, from that day, from that minute you learned within a few seconds what is the cause of happiness and how to achieve happiness. So you see, in your whole life, you have incredible opportunity to practice dharma and to achieve happiness without mistakes. Unbelievable opportunity. So like that.

Like that, like that similar, like that similar, to achieve the ultimate happiness, to achieve ultimate happiness, full enlightenment through changing your attitude. Your actions cause to achieve liberation from samsara, and attain great liberation, full enlightenment. Whatever happiness you want to achieve, you can create that. So unbelievable opportunity, 24 hours, whichever happiness one wish to achieve one can create the cause, how much one wish to achieve that happiness, one create cause of that.

So now, now the [pause] for example, if you explain to the cat and dog who lives with you, you see, horse, horse and cows and the goats, pigs, like that, chickens, if you explain them, you know, even for eons, even for eons you explain continuously day and night, continuously explain for eons the cause of happiness, the cause of happiness is virtue. Explain the virtue, action which result is happiness, motivated by non ignorance, non anger, non attachment. You explain even for eons continuously, non stop, everyday, hour, minute, continuously you repeat for eons, no way they can understand the, no way they can understand the words, meanings, you know, even those animals living with us, no way they can understand. So no way them to practice dharma with that wisdom, and to achieve all those happiness as we have opportunity. Not just this life happiness, all the coming future lives, liberate from samsara, full enlightenment, all this.

So you see, so there is huge differences yourself, you who has human body this time, these sentient beings – animals, even those who are living with human beings, living with you, they don’t have this capacity because they don’t have human body.

Therefore you can see now this human body you have, how it is so precious, how unbelievable precious, you see, inexpressible how the … like that...

... even one owns gold, mountains of gold, even you possess mountains of diamond, even this size of earth diamond, gold, even you own, just by having that, you see, you don’t get, you cannot stop rebirth in the lower realm, just by your owning even this size of the earth, that size of diamond or gold, cannot stop rebirth of lower realm, with that alone. Then no question you can’t achieve liberation all this, full enlightenment, all this just by having that, you see. For example the sentient beings, the nagas, they have wish granting jewels all the time on the crown, wish granting jewel, not just gold and diamond, wish granting jewel on the crown but they are still in animal realm, you see. They possess so many those jewels, so much, but however that alone, nothing makes to liberate from animal realm, those sufferings. So like that.

Whereas Milarepa the great Tibetan yogi who had nothing, who has nothing, lived in a cave, who had nothing but practiced dharma and achieved, liberated from samsara, oceans of sufferings of samsara and the cause, delusion and karma, in that life. Not only that he achieved full enlightenment in a few number of years in that life, in that brief lifetime of degenerated time, not by living thousand years, not like that. In a brief lifetime of degenerate time achieved full enlightenment. That is because by having the human body and used to practice dharma. So like that many other, not only Milarepa but there happened many others, who complete same - nothing but practice, nothing but having human body to practice dharma, achieved full enlightenment. there are so many happened. So like that. Liberated from all the fears, all the fears of samsara, of the sufferings, you know, in that life, in a brief lifetime of degenerate time. So many did that. Same human body have but learned dharma, same human body but learned dharma, practiced, this is what happened. Even though, they had great accomplishment that life, already enlightened long time ago. Even though the way they are before, before they began practice, they were same of us, they had all the emotional negative thoughts, all the problems, like that but used their body to practice dharma. By learning Dharma they changed their attitude. So everything, all the accomplishment came from that, especially good heart, cherishing others, letting go I.

So now here, now you can see human body that we have is unbelievable precious. You know, thinking of them compared to these animals who are around us, living around us - they have no opportunity at all to learn, to understand meaning, to practice. Even you explain them for eons. Therefore just, just from the … sorry … so preliminary to that … so that means, that means, you see, with this human body we receive this so easy to learn dharma. Makes so easy to practice, and so easy to achieve realisation; so easy to achieve liberation from samsara and full enlightenment.

If one, from one’s side, if one does learn dharma, practice dharma, so easy, if you compare others, with this human body, for us, so easy to be liberated from oceans of samsaric suffering and to achieve enlightenment. So like that.

So therefore now, so therefore now you can see if you don’t do that how wasteful, how this is unbelievable waste, loss. In each second with this precious human body, in each second, each second is more precious than the whole sky filled with wish granting jewels, not only gold, not only gold, diamond or billions of dollars, not only that but filled with wish granting jewels. As I mentioned before, with that alone cannot stop even the rebirth in the lower realm. You can only get, from wish granting jewel only you can get material enjoyment, material possession. But you can’t rebirth in lower realm, achieve the higher rebirth or liberation from samsara, enlightenment, from that.

So not only skies of billion of dollars but filled with the gold, diamond, wish granting jewel, that much and your life, our life, this precious human body, in each second, having this precious human body is more precious than the sky filled with wish granting jewel, okay? So like that.

Because, because in each second with this precious human body you can achieve happiness future life. You can achieve liberation from samsara, ultimate happiness. Total cessation of all the suffering and causes and you can achieve full enlightenment, create the cause, in each second you can create those causes, any happiness you wish you can cause. So when you, in each second when you practice, when you generate thought benefiting other sentient beings, when you generate the thought benefiting other sentient beings, when you practice compassion to others, loving kindness to others, in each second… having the motivation bodhicitta, compassion, loving kindness each second you create cause of enlightenment, obtaining enlightenment. That means by the way obtaining also liberation them from samsara. That means by the way achieving happiness future life. So that’s the main one.

Of course, the happiness this life is not the objective. The clinging to that is not, that’s not Dharma, that’s not Dharma. That is not the objective. Especially with bodhicitta motivation, every second of this life you create cause of enlightenment, and by the way liberation from samsara. By the way happiness in future lives. Even you, even you renounce, detach the happiness this life but happiness this life comes by the way, you receive by the way even if you have renounced, are detached. So every second of your life, every second of this perfect human body one has, more precious than whole sky filled with wish granting jewels. It’s unbelievable what you can do in every second, every minute. So no question in a minute, hours, you know, one day, then no question. So this, unbelievable what you can do with this human body, to achieve all this happiness for yourself, to cause, to cause happiness this life, happiness future life, liberation from samara, enlightenment, all these benefits to other sentient beings. So much you can do with this precious human body that we have received this time.

Life is full of, life is full of joy. Life is full of hope, full of hope, full of joy, opportunity. So if you waste our life even each second… another term, not practicing dharma or another term is not keeping healthy mind, healthy mind, pure mind, happy mind, peaceful mind – it is all the same. Even one doesn’t use dharma but the peaceful mind, positive thought, healthy mind. When the mind is angry it’s not healthy mind. When the mind is in patience, not possessed by anger but patience, that is a healthy mind, happy mind, healthy mind, peaceful mind. When the mind is disturbing, negative, obscuring desire which function is obscuring your mind, disturbing your mental continuum, negative, this desire which is in the nature of pain, pain of mind, sickness of mind - that’s not healthy mind. So even just talking from the question of healthy body and healthy mind, that’s not healthy mind. Without using the term ‘Dharma’ you see, that’s not happy mind. That’s suffering mind, nature of sickness, nature of pain, desire; pain, to separate away from that object of desire, worry and fear of separating from that.

So not that, not that but in place of that compassion to other beings, loving kindness to other beings, that is, you see, you are not giving up benefiting to that being, renouncing compassion, it’s not that. So instead of that, other painful mind of desire, the loving kindness, compassion. So that’s positive healthy mind, you see, peaceful mind. So brings happiness to you, happiness right this moment, today, this life, in future life and it brings so much peace and happiness to others.

If one, if one doesn’t change one’s attitude into positive, healthy, peaceful mind, that which brings only peace and happiness to oneself and to others, like the satisfied mind, letting go grasping, dissatisfied mind; compassion, loving kindness, cherishing others, good heart. The previous one which brings happiness future lives, brings happiness at the, brings happiness at the death time, at the last part, at the end of life brings happiness. No fear, worry because of letting go the painful mind, desire and then having satisfaction and happiness of future lives. Then, with loving kindness, compassion, cherishing others, then enlightenment, able to benefit other sentient beings. So those happiness. So like that.

The healthy mind, happy mind, opposite to ignorance, unstained by ignorance, the concept of true existence. Meditating, looking at the phenonema in their nature, dependent arising, existing in mere name, merely imputed by mind or the… empty. Mindfulness in everyday life, I, action, object, which appear, which appear real one existing from their side, then looking at them, looking at them as hallucination, as they are hallucination, which means in reality, looking at them empty. So practice mindfulness in that, while one is driving car or while one is shopping in the department stores, supermarket - I, action, object. Even though you are doing activities, keeping busy but your mind, at the same time mind meditating the I, action, object … I buying, action, object – material. So while you are busy doing activities but at the same time mind meditating, looking at them, how they appear to you. So everything appears not merely labelled by mind, existing from their own side, then you see, looking at them hallucination, looking at them hallucination as they are hallucination. Or these three merely imputed by mind, dependent arising.

However, everything which leads, everything which leads to the point deep down in your heart, whichever way you use meditation, it gives you understanding all these are empty. While you are talking to a person, or having a meeting, while you are talking to a person, at the same time, while you are discussing, mind meditates how you appear, action, object, person, and looking at them as empty. However, as I have mentioned, I am not going to repeat again. So whichever way, dependent arising or looking at hallucination as hallucination, all three as circle.

So, this is an example. So while you are walking on the road, same. I, action walking, object road. Mind meditates. Looks how does the I, action walking, object road, how that’s appearing. Appearing not merely labelled by mind, something real exist. So this is gak cha, looking at hallucination as hallucination or merely imputed by mind, these three things. Whichever way, everything leads to … they are empty, that conclusion, you see.

Same, same, when one is working in the kitchen making food, cutting vegetables, whatever, same, same meditation. I guess you can do the same while you are playing golf or football.

Anyway, just now, just before I gave the example of the flower, how does flower appear to you right after your mind merely imputed, remember? How does the flower appear to you? Something totally, something else. So like that, it’s not there. Like this, like this - so I again came back to subject - like this, like this, like this everyday whatever you are doing - teaching in the school, working in the hospitals, working in the office, at home taking care of baby, whatever - the I, action, object, whatever it is, everything appears that way, everything merely imputed by mind the second before; the second before your mind merely imputed, then the next second everything appeared, something else, total hallucination. Therefore, the meditation on emptiness is just a question of being aware, just question of being aware. As I mentioned, recognising dream as dream. Meditation on emptiness, while your life is busy, how to meditate on emptiness. It’s a question, it’s a question of being aware. That’s it.

If you pay mindfulness on that, like that example, you see everything like that. Like the, like while you are dreaming, constantly you are thinking this is dream. Similar here, day time, through the, similar, recognise this hallucination. Instead of holding that as true, , look at it as hallucination. So that’s it. Then you understanding is, empty.

This is how you can meditate while your life is busy. How you can use, from lam rim the heart, the heart of Buddhadharma, 84 thousand teachings, the Perfection of Wisdom. So that … the heart of that, sherab nyingbo, that means you are practicing in daily life. Often people … emptiness, how to … many people think there is no really connection between meditation on emptiness and the daily life, people think like that. That’s totally not understanding, not having recognised hallucination as hallucination, you see. So like that.

So here you have total world, you have another world, in this way you have a totally different world, you know. Because here you don’t, you are looking at hallucination as hallucination, you see. Yeah. Not believing it’s true. The old way of living our life from beginningless rebirth, what made us to be, to suffer up to now, die and be reborn is by believing, by holding onto them as true.

Now, if you want to be liberated from oceans of samsaric suffering, now we should look at diff… now we should look at them as false, hallucination, that which is false, hallucination, you see. If you, if you let your mind to hold onto it as true, that is cause of samsara, okay.

Now if you don’t, if you look at the hallucination as hallucination, we don’t let our mind to hold onto that as true, we don’t let, we don’t allow, then that is liberation, you are creating liberation, cause of liberation. Result what you achieved is total cessation of suffering and causes … sorry, again I got caught in that … so I am going to read few pages … sorry...

So I am going to read few pages. So now this is the real Golden Light Sutra. (Rinpoche laughs)

As I mentioned, purpose of life is to benefit others, I mentioned before how precious this is. So now benefiting others, benefiting others, happiness this life, benefiting others, more important than that, happiness all the coming future life to others. More important than that service is bringing sentient beings to liberation, that which is free from the, forever the suffering of samsara, then bringing them to ultimate … great liberation, full enlightenment, and that is the most, that is the most beneficial, that is the greatest service or the most beneficial, greatest benefit to sentient beings. As I mentioned yesterday, explained the reasons. So the first one is to achieve full enlightenment or need to fully qualify to that, to reveal them path, you see, to guide them.

So for success of this, now, now for success of attaining the whole path to enlightenment, then listening this Golden Light teaching, that helps direct your life towards enlightenment, and helps to not get reborn in the lower realm. The first thing, the very first thing, the very first … the immediate danger what we should make stop immediately without delay even a second is the rebirth in the lower realm and to have higher rebirth so that we can continue to practice dharma. Immediate danger, you see, without delaying even a second is that. So by listening this, as I mentioned story, by hearing this all the negative karma gets purified. So like that. Then I mentioned other benefits yesterday, that’s it.

So think, benefit of all sentient beings, you see. To cause them all this happiness, therefore I am going to listen the Golden Light Sutra. Okay.

Oral transmission
3.03

It is said when you, even to give the teaching, the Golden Light Sutra, from the place where you bring the, lama, the teacher who give this teaching, from that place, from that place then up to the place where the teaching is given, even the people who bring from there, place, bring the lama, the guru who reveals this teaching, from that place to the place where he is giving, collect unbelievable, unbelievable merit, unimaginable, so much merit, purification. Then where the teaching is given, the throne, where Golden Light Sutra given, then all these nöjin all the devas, they’re around the throne where this teaching is given then … I think somewhere it says at even seven days. This is how it is explained.

Oral transmission
5.04

So this is the real Golden Light Sutra (Rinpoche laughs)

Oral transmission
5.21

So your paying attention to each word leaves positive imprint in the mind and that definitely brings to enlightenment, each word listening leaves positive imprint on the mind and that definitely brings to enlightenment, ends the ocean of samsaric suffering and brings to full enlightenment. So it is good to have recognition that each word is like wish fulfilling jewel. When we listen, normally when we listen to teachings it is good to think that. And how precious so I must not miss, therefore I must pay attention to every single word. So like that.

Oral transmission
27.50

So stop here.

The fourth chapter is done. So fortunately, at the very last. So I stop here.

Continue to Day Three Part One