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 Three Part One : Karma and Meditation on Emptiness

Good evening. I owe you more than half an hour karmic debt (Rinpoche laughs) for many next lives. Got late one and half hour, so karmic debt. I have a karmic debt to you in many next lives. (Rinpoche laughs) So next time I have to wait for many hours, in many lifetimes. That’s how karma works, the effect, the action you do to others, then it has its own consequences, that affects back to you. That you get treated by others in a similar way.

So however others treat, others treat us this life, it’s basically … if it is harm, it’s a consequence of your act, which was harm to others, harm to that being in the past. If it is help you are receiving, then it’s consequences, another way of talking, instead of labelling ‘karma’ you can say, consequences of the help that action, beneficial action, help you did to that being in the past. Either in this life, early time or past life. So like that.

I think the consequences of the act, has two, has two – one is long term, one is immediate. Depending on how we conduct or how we behave or act towards other sentient beings. Action which is to be kind, action that you, action of kindness, to others with sincere heart, with sincere heart, no expectation to get something from person but sincerely to help that being, concern with that being’s happiness, their problems, the immediate consequence of that, effect the action brings, makes the other person happy and makes … when we see other person is happy, when you see the other person is happy that makes you feel happy. When you see other person is happy with you, makes you happy. So that is the immediate affect of your positive action, makes both, makes other person, other person happy and by the way also makes you happy. Because also, also able to see that you could, that you are able to help somebody, that you are able to do something for somebody, whether it’s big or it’s small. Something you are able to, some benefit you are able to offer, able to do something. Not only wishing but you are able to offer something. So it has, makes you happy and that other person happy. Like that.

So then this positive action has long term result happiness you can enjoy many lifetimes. You see, this is good karma, positive cause, so that’s the result, that you offer benefit somebody, gave happiness to somebody, whatever it is, if you made charity of food, money whatever to somebody, shelter, medicine whatever it is, we make charity then karmic result of that, the consequences of that, there is more, there is more consequences. Not only that person is happy now, you know and you feel, you feel you get satisfaction from that, you did something good, you know, from that you feel, oh, I did something today meaningful in my life, something positive, so you feel, you get inner happiness. This happiness is inner happiness, is peace. Satisfaction or more, fulfilment, I’ll put this way, not just satisfaction but fulfilment you achieve, something really worthwhile, you feel that in your life. Whether it is small or big, able to do something, to help somebody.

So now the long term consequences, effect of that, I think it’s mentioned in Arya Sanghatasutra by omniscient one, kind compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, that the result of charity you will experience the benefit of that, even for, you enjoy for 80 thousand eons, something like that, 80 thousand eons, result you have made charity, the result happiness, the enjoyment, receiving enjoyment, that is the wealth, receiving enjoyments, comfort. How long? Not just few lifetimes but, it is there in the sutra, it is mentioned by Buddha, 80 thousand eons, but you check there in the Arya Sanghatasutra. It is like that.

Why? Why from one action, made charity, one action made charity, why the result you can enjoy so many, not just lifetimes but so many eons, that is because, that’s because karma, the action is expandable. It is nature of the, it is power or nature of the karma, the action. Action of the… attitude, and the intended action. The action, there is different explanation according to different schools, the four schools of Buddhist philosophers. However the karma, the action is mental factor, it’s not principle consciousness. From the 51 mental factors, the five mental factors that always accompany the principle consciousness, like king with all the ministers, altogether, the bodyguards, all the secretary or many staff go together with the king or president or director of the centre or the company, then there is many staff around working together for the same goal, the company, or the Dharma centre. On the one object, the same company, but even though each person has different function but whole thing is just to do the work for that company, to develop that, continue existing.

So the five mental factors, I don’t know about omnipresent but anyway, always accompany, it accompany, it’s always accompanying with the principle, the principle consciousness. So one of them is intention, sempa. That’s what karma is, mental factor, from the five mental factors it is intention.

So however leaves imprint on the mental continuum. Again the Prasangika school, talks about leaving imprint on the mere I, however, however without relating to the aggregates there is no way to find, there is no way to say leaving imprint on the mere I, how do you put imprint on the mere I? So it has to relate to the consciousness.

If you plant one, if you plant one corn, from that many corns, from that then many corns you receive. That if you plant one small, one small the seed like the bodhi tree or there is another name, I don’t remember, it has seed, I don’t know inside also there are many seeds, I am not sure, anyway, seed one small like this, you plant and from that grows huge tree trunk. Then many thousands, thousand branches, branches so spread out that even five hundred horse carriages, you know, like India, so hot so many horse carriages they stay under the shade, the covered shade of the branches of the tree that spread out. So like that, so huge tree. Then from that again many several thousand branches then so many seeds come. So by planting very small seed like that, so huge tree, like that. So that happens, you see.

Buddha … this story might be helpful for some people to cut doubt. In the subject of reincarnation, karma this can help. It was helpful for me.

Buddha, Buddha had one attendant called Gelong Legpai Karma, bhikshu, Legpa Karma, he served Buddha twenty two years but he had also Hindu guru, that’s one whom he from the heart that one whom he follows, not the Buddha. Even though he was attendant to Buddha for 22 years (Rinpoche laughs). The story looks like that. I think he listens, he trusts, he listens to his other guru, the Hindu, not Buddha. So anyway, so one day, Buddha was going for alms, then you see, one girl offered one handful of grain to Buddha, put in Buddha’s begging bowl. Then Buddha predicted the karmic result of that offering, one handful of grain offered to Buddha. Buddha predicted, what, that she will become enlightened, she will become Buddha called such-and-such a name, it’s called Tsemepa (?) something like that, the name. But have to check in the lam rim text. Buddha told the girl that due to this karma you will become Buddha.

So the attendant gelong Legpa Karma thought, he thought, , he thought this is ridiculous. He thought this is ridiculous. It didn’t fit to his mind, you see, the Buddha giving prediction to her, explaining the result of that karma, she will become Buddha called Tsemepa Sangye. So he thought that Buddha is flattering her, just because of one handful of grain given to Buddha, then Buddha is complimenting, flattering her, praising her, you see. This is what he thought. He thought it is impossible, just by offering one handful of grain you become Buddha, you can become Buddha in the future, you know. He thought, no way, he thought.

Then Buddha asked him, “do you know that one …” juniper, the seed, there is another name, that tree, anyway, it looks like bodhi tree but maybe it’s different, I am not sure. So anyway, so Buddha said, one small seed you plant then it grows to huge plant, many thousand of branches of tree, like that. Buddha asked him is that possible? He said, yes. Buddha said, “no, its not possible.” Then he said, “oh yes, it’s possible because it’s my experience.” Then Buddha said, “Yes, this is also my experience,” you know. (Rinpoche laughs) Buddha said, no. I will repeat again, Buddha said no and then he said, “oh yes, it’s my experience, I have seen that, that’s my experience, you know, one small seed can grow into big …” so of course, such small seed and then huge tree. Of course that’s …I mean it’s quite unimaginable thing what comes from that, you know, huge tree. So Buddha said, no. Then he said, “Yes, it’s my experience.” Then Buddha said, “Yes. Also then from this offering that she will become Buddha is my experience, I have seen this, this is my experience.” Then he has nothing to say. So this is helpful in the subject of karma, and reincarnation. That even if it’s not your experience, it is the experience of others. So you can’t say no.

That’s side talk but I think it can be helpful… it is very helpful to awake, you know, to awaken our mind, to wake up our mind, you see, from the closed, very narrow, closed mind, to open up or waken up from that kind of sleepy mind, sleepy mind or ignorant, you see. So that one can appreciate.

My English teacher, you know, I was in London, I was in London for two months trying to make the language better, from … my teacher, my English teacher is Irish, Irish, I am suppose to speak Irish language. (GL) (RL) It’s not just the language but she explained many things about the world, different life. I think she, I think maybe joined the group of, the Gurjieff, I think maybe, he’s Russian and many years ago he went in Tibet, some part of Tibet, met lamas or something like that, you know. So that time, the west, that time the west … I thing there is drugs, LSD and Buddha Grass, LSD, so these things didn’t happen, it wasn’t that time, it wasn’t time of those explosions not that time but much before, so much before when everything is, people’s mind can’t really, not opened, very closed, not open for new things, new ideas, you know, to hear new subjects about life. It is very difficult time, before time before LSD and Buddha Grass happened. That so many people went through this, so many young people, you see. Then went to India, Nepal to look for new life or spiritual or go for guru, things like that.

So however many years before that, so then … so she used the word, when she was teaching dharma, what … I mentioned but now forgot … Gurdjieff. For ignorance, he used, he used … he doesn’t use ‘ignorance’ I think maybe difficult for people to understand so he used to say, ‘sleep.’ For ignorance he used the word ‘sleep’. When you are asleep you are not aware of what’s happening around you, you are not aware.

As I mentioned yesterday … because I already talked yesterday it’s easy to explain. That yesterday I mentioned the false flower, I mentioned yesterday, introduced the false flower and the flower that exists, the truth of the flower mentioned, you know, mentioned that, and what the flower is and how it exists, mentioned that. And the false flower, flower which doesn’t exist, that I mentioned, described, introduced. So one doesn’t, one does not see the flower which exists, that which is merely imputed by the mind, merely imputed by mind. One doesn’t see the flower merely imputed by mind, that’s what exists but you don’t see it that way… it doesn’t appear that way and you don’t see it that way. What appears to you is not merely labelled, never came from your mind, flower what you see never came from your mind and never, never labelled, nothing to do with your mind, never labelled by your mind. I mean, more subtle one is not merely labelled by mind, but it can, but very gross is never labelled by your mind, you see. So like that it appears. So however, and that’s what we believe. Flower which we believe is the false flower, and that’s the real flower. So like that.

So like that I, aggregates, body and mind, form, sound, taste, tangible objects, all your senses, hell, enlightenment, samsara, nirvana, happiness, problems, the true suffering, true cause of suffering, cessation of the suffering, true path, the whole, all the whole entire samsara and nirvana, the whole thing, like that flower that I mentioned, false flower, like that, something which is not there, which doesn’t exist at all, you can’t find if you look for, it looks like there when you are not, when you are not making research, when you are not analysing, looks like there but if you analyse, you can’t find there. Nowhere. Not only not there on the base but, you see, not only that can’t find it anywhere. If you analyse, cannot find it anywhere. So that proves it doesn’t exist, that it’s false. So … you believe that’s true, which doesn’t … if you search, you know, analyse, you can’t find anywhere. And when you don’t analyse, it looks like it’s there and you … one believes it’s true. So therefore here you can see ignorant, ignorant, this is sleeping. Mind is asleep, can’t see the reality of the flower.

So like that, hell, enlightenment, samsara, nirvana, the whole phenomena, whole phenomena, samsara and nirvana, the whole thing is like that. Like that, appears the wrong way, something real, something real one in the sense of existing from its own side. If you analyse, can’t find it anywhere. But if you don’t analyse, to hallucinatory mind, it’s like it’s there, you know. In the wisdom, can’t see that. Can’t see anywhere. Realise, discover, it’s totally non existant. But in the view of hallucinated mind, looks like it’s there. It is there and believe it’s true.

So you can see now how Gurjieff, how Gurjieff used the word ‘sleep’ for ignorance. When you sleep, nothing aware what’s going on. So here it’s exactly the same. Total sleep, you know. Don’t see the reality at all, the reality of the … can’t see, can’t see the I which exists, the merely imputed one, you don’t see it in that nature, even though that is what exists but you don’t see it. So like that.

So the whole entire, the four, the Four Noble Truths, all the whole entire phenomena, samsara, nirvana, everything, is like that.

So I thought the word he chose so many years ago in the west… still the group is going on. I think … I don’t know other countries but in England there is group following Gurjieff teachings, class, still that group is existing. So my teacher told me.

So I think … I thought it’s very, very … very wise that he used this word, ‘sleep’ that’s a deep meaning, you know. Yeah. It fits very well.

So anyway...

So since I brought this subject, I thought to mention, one thing I did not, I was going to clarify yesterday but didn’t happen. I was talking and got distracted. I think, I think this is very important to know, very important introduction if, especially those who are going to have those experiences, who had or especially who will have those experiences. And it’s very important to have this introduction before.

As I mentioned yesterday, one day, due to all these conditions come together, receiving the blessing of guru, the necessary conditions, collected extensive merit and purify by doing powerful purification, purifying obstacles, negative karma, the defilements. Then suddenly your meditation works. Suddenly your meditation, meditation on emptiness, it fits, it fits right on the, right on the top of the object, apprehended by the concept of true existence, ignorance, the concept of true existence, object that, that which is … for example the I, the real I in the sense of existing from its own side, or outside phenomena, whatever it is. Suddenly, your meditation in this … [pause] it hits on that point, you recognise that and it hits on that object of ignorance. That means, so that means … with wisdom seeing the object of ignorance, true existent, completely believe, apprehended by the ignorance, so you see the wisdom, see that totally non existent. Which is the only, which is the only means that directly can cut this root of, this root of all the, root of all the obscuring, disturbing negative, emotional thought delusion, and karma and all the result, oceans of sufferings of hell, hungry ghost, animal, human beings, sura, asuras, intermediate beings. The root cause of death, from where death, which we don’t like to even to hear, which we don’t want to think about it, from where that came, that comes, from where old age comes, from where sickness comes, from where the rebirth comes. This very root, only one that which can directly eliminate, cut this concept of true existence. So when you see that is empty, losing the I, the experience of losing I… it looks like that, looks like losing I. That’s how you experience it. Looks like I, the I, the self is becoming non existent, appears like that. This is what, say …

So now here, what I meant to clarify yesterday but didn’t happen again. So here, when that happens, for most people, lower intelligence then very deep fear rises. Very deep fear rises. That time, you must not, that time you mustn’t let, that time you mustn’t stop. Definitely you must not run away. I don’t mean physically run away to, physically run away on the mountain or somewhere, I don’t mean that. But, you know, meditation … run away means so scared and you want to stop, stop thinking of that, not continue that. So that’s huge mistake. That’s huge mistake.

Now here, now here you have the opportunity, now here you have the opportunity to realise emptiness. If you realise emptiness, the object of ignorance, the root of samsara, you realise that totally empty. Of course, then you realise how ignorance is wrong concept because there is no such object what you believe. Then you have, then you find, then you find, then you find complete faith, then you have complete faith that you will, you can achieve liberation. Once you have that experience, you see the, seeing the object of ignorance, you see, the truly existent I, you know, real I in the sense of exist, which is not there, can’t find anywhere. But as it appeared, appeared… which is projection by the past, projection from the negative imprint left by past ignorance. So then we let our mind to hold onto it then that time that concept becomes ignorance, that wrong concept, ignorance, root of samsara. That’s how we create root of samsara. Not somebody else create root of samsara, you create root of samsara, by not meditating on emptiness, by not practicing mindfulness in daily life, not thinking dependent arising … not Tibetan rice … dependent arising. Then always you let your mind to hold onto this I, all this things that they appearing true existent, all that, you let your mind hold onto that, you let your mind to believe that’s true. So we constantly create the root of samsara, constantly we create root of samsara, if we do not meditation… if we do not learn teachings on emptiness, Buddha’s teachings, Buddha’s most precious teachings, teachings of Perfection of Wisdom and meditate in daily life, practice mindfulness.

So as I mentioned yesterday. So doing that, we constantly we let our mind to hold onto the false I as real I. So like that.

So here, then you realise that this is, then you realise this is a wrong concept and you have total faith that you can eliminate, that you can eliminate this ignorance, root of samsara. And that means you have total faith you can achieve … you can have total faith you can eliminate the root of samsara and that means you can have total faith you can achieve liberation. With confidence, full faith that you can achieve liberation. So like that, from this experience. Starting from this experience, you see, emptiness.

So anyway, as I mentioned yesterday, there is no such thing as, there is no such thing, as there is the continuity of consciousness, the aggregates consciousness, continuity of consciousness is always there, even you become enlightened, continuity of consciousness always there. So therefore the label I, therefore the label I always exist. So therefore no need worry, no need worry at all that this I is going, that this I going to become non existent, you know, that fall in nihilism, that this I is going to be lost, become non existent, you don’t need to worry. This experience comes, happens but one does not need to be scared at all, at all.

Ketsang Jamyang Lama, one who, one great lama from Sera Je, who wrote commentaries on Mahamudra, explained why this experience is happening, losing, I. Why this is happening, that proves, that proves, on the I that which, the I which is merely imputed by the mind, the I which is merely imputed by the mind, on that, you see, the I which is merely imputed by mind, on that there is no truly existence at all, independence or true existent on the I, self, merely imputed by your mind, that thought, you see, on that there is no true existence at all. It proves that, that experience of losing I - there is no I - it proves that, I didn’t find that. So that’s what Ketsang Jamyang Lama explained in his Mahamudra commentary.

So the fear is very positive. The fear rising, what I think is it’s very positive. It’s a start, it is a preliminary, good sign, preliminary that you are going to realise that this I that doesn’t exist, that which one has been believing from beginningless rebirth up till now it exist. So you, now you realise, you are discovering it is non existent, it exists nowhere; you are starting to see that is totally non existent. So it is a start for liberation, for nirvana, ultimate… the total cessation of the suffering and suffering causes, that never, ever experience suffering again, removing the cause, the seeds of delusion, imprints. So you are incredibly fortunate.

I think if you are, if you didn’t receive introduction, if you didn’t know how to handle, if you do not know how to do, you don’t know what with that, what to do during that time, if you didn’t have, didn’t receive introduction before that then you see, you think you are falling in nihilism, because you feel experience of losing I. Then you stop, you stop because so strong, unbelievable strong fear rises and because of that then you want to stop immediately, you are afraid. So also one thing is… because you didn’t, didn’t receive, didn’t receive instruction or guidance how to go about through this feeling, through this experiences, then you see, you have some understanding of emptiness but not complete.

Like Kunnu Lama Rinpoche Tenzin Gyaltsen from whom His Holiness received extensive commentary on Bodhicharyavatara, the great bodhisattva, pundit, great scholar, said that such experiences are like a child put on a horse, child who has no training how to ride a horse and you put the child on the horse, so then they fear. They don’t know how to ride horse then they fear. Having some understanding of emptiness but not complete, that’s how Rinpoche made comment on this experience.

Of course the very … as I mentioned, not like ordinary fear, this is very, very deep fear and from very bottom of heart, deep fear that, like… then you stop, you don’t want to meditate on emptiness for months, even years, so scared to, you are so scared to come to that point, so scared to come to … because you didn’t have, you don’t know, you are not knowing, not knowing, not knowing that experience, what’s happening. So anyway, the fear is because the I, that’s losing, seeing empty is something that which we have been believing it exists, that it’s true, without question, from beginningless rebirth, from time without beginning we have been believing, we have been believing that there is such thing, living life with that, even the hell realm, even the deva realm, human … wherever we are reincarnate, with that belief we reincarnate and we die with that, reborn with that, with that concept, that there is such I. So from time without beginning seems you have been believing, so of course, only now you start to see that is empty, discover, so of course, there will be incredible, of course, fear, very deep fear.

So anyway, so one must go through that. So knowing that there is always continuation of aggregates, the consciousness and the label I, it always exist, since there is base, valid base always exist, the label I always exist, never cease, never get lost, never cease. So knowing that, must go through this experience. Must go through this, go through this, like going through the tunnel, when we drive car, going through the tunnel and get out, then you get to the other side. But if you don’t go through the tunnel, you wouldn’t get to the other side, you see. So anyway, like crossing river, you know, then you reach the other side.

Then like other meditators, those who realised emptiness, then, total realisation emptiness. Then as a result, you have realisation of the, realisation of absolute truth then as a result then you have realisation of conventional truth, that I… unshakeable faith understanding that, discovery that I exist but exist in mere name, merely imputed by mind, merely imputed by mind. Not non existent, it exist then but something, something extremely subtle, fine, something extremely fine, subtle. The borderline of existing and not existing, the I, borderline of existing and not existing, so fine. Unbelievablly subtle, the point, the borderline, existing, not existing. So subtle. So therefore, so subtle… mainly because there is the base, valid base, the aggregates.

Not everything, of course not everything that mind labelled, doesn’t mean it exists, as I mentioned. Dream, in the dream everything… of course mind impute, everything is imputed by mind, whatever we dream, whatever things we dream but you see … so there are many things mind labelled which doesn’t exist because it doesn’t have valid base, things we see in the dream or that magician person’s illusion, , all the things we see, doesn’t have valid base. It’s false. Doesn’t exist, the base doesn’t exist. So therefore even your mind merely labelled, same thing but because there is no valid base, it doesn’t exist, you know. It’s hallucination. So even though your mind merely imputed it doesn’t exist. So that’s why when you wake up you don’t, you see, you discover it’s not true, it’s a dream and many things we do that.

So anyway, so but here, but here because there is valid human base, aggregates, sometimes there is no body but there is consciousness, so the label I exist but it is something merely imputed by mind, something extremely subtle. What it is. So it is unbelievably subtle, so subtle.

So therefore many, therefore many meditators, therefore many meditators they make mistakes in this. So they get slipped out, they get slipped out, you see, in nihilism. You see, so subtle they slip out in nihilism, thinking it doesn’t exist. So like that. Or either externalism, can’t see the I middle way, devoid of externalism, existing from its own side and devoid of nihilism, doesn’t exist. So devoid of those two extremes, seeing middle way. While it’s empty, it exists. While existing, it’s empty.

So great enlightened Pabongkha, as it is mentioned, I don’t remember the whole quotation but there is very effective one – [pause]

“Even it doesn’t exist it appears; even it appears it doesn’t exist. Even it doesn’t exist it does activities. How wonderful is that. Even though it does activities it doesn’t exist. So how wonderful is that.”

I don’t remember the complete quotation but here praises Lama Tsong Khapa’s view, the middle way, what Guru Shakyamuni Buddha realised and showed to us sentient beings, to liberate us from samsara, same as Lama Tsong Khapa did.

Me kyang ngawa emaho / nang kang ngawa emaho/chawa chekyang me wa tsa / mekyang chawa chepa tsa(?).
“It doesn’t have true existent, while it is empty of that, does activities, how wonderful is that. While it is doing activities it doesn’t have true existent.”

Praising to the Lama Tsong Khapa’s realisation of emptiness.

So the meditators, they said that, those who had great success, who had great success, one old meditator in Dharamsala, one old meditator in Dharamsala who had great success realising bodhicitta, renouncing samsara, then calm abiding, bodhicitta, right view and also six yogas of Naropa, one older meditator in Dharamsala, who had great success in attaining the path, called Gen Jampa Wangdu, said that, “After realising emptiness, you don’t see I as an illusion, things as illusion, you don’t see immediately but after fifteen days … you meditate on emptiness everyday, you train mind, then after fifteen days, like that, gradually you see things as illusion.” That’s what this great meditator, Gen Jampa Wangdu, who had great success in achieving realisation in Dharamsala and Dalhousie, this is how he expressed, from his own experience.

So one needs to train, one needs to spend, to do sessions, everyday continue. So try to, try to go back to the same experience, try to see emptiness by reasoning, however, whatever the effective way to get into the point. Otherwise, just, it is explained Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche that even if you realise emptiness, that doesn’t mean from that you see things empty. I think if you didn’t get to continue, if you didn’t continue the experience, develop, probably maybe that’s what Rinpoche meant, I think.

I thought to emphasise this. People who had those experiences and people who will have those experiences by meditating on emptiness, it’s very important to have some guide… introduction before that. So that you don’t stop, when you have incredible fortune then you don’t stop, interfere yourself to realise emptiness. Which is the start, which is the start for your liberation; from that then you are able to, by development of that wisdom, then you able to finish, you are able to end your samsara.

Continue to Day Three Part Two