Affiliated with the FPMT

Day Eleven
Saturday, 16th November
9 am

From the holy speech of the great yogi Guru Tsong Khapa, “This perfect human rebirth is more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel. Receiving this rebirth is almost only at this time, so please grant me the blessings to be able to take the meaningful essence without being distracted by the meaningless action of this life and to realize that this perfect human rebirth is difficult to find and quickly decays.”

As Guru Tsong Khapa said in his holy teaching, receiving such a perfect human rebirth is almost only at this time. The actual explanation of that will come afterwards. The reason it is difficult, the reason it is almost impossible to receive again is because to create such a perfect cause to achieve such a perfect human rebirth is extremely difficult. So this time, fortunately just like the beggar finding a jewel in the street, by opportunity somehow we have received this perfect human rebirth at this time. So this is the one time that we have received the perfect human rebirth and if this lasted forever it would be okay., something else. But this doesn’t last forever. If it could be found easily again, that’s something else. If it could be received again easily. But it is not like this. This perfect human rebirth that we have received now, if it was not that fragile, if it lasted for a long time, many eons, that would be something else. But it is not like this. It does not last for that long of a time period. It starts to become decayed even from birth. Every time, so quickly it becomes decayed.

So even though we have received the perfect human rebirth, we use it in a meaningless way. We use this perfect human rebirth for creating action that don’t bring results, don’t bring the essence. We often use it for creating meaningless actions, useless actions. Most of the time it is used for creating negative karma. So the perfect human rebirth is taken to create negative karma. As Guru Tsong Khapa said in his holy teaching, just like using the golden pot that is adorned by many precious jewels for vomited food. Just like this, once the perfect human rebirth which is released from those eight unfree states, using it to create negative karma that causes us to be born again in those unfree states is extremely foolish. Once we attain this perfect human rebirth which is released from the eight unfree states, again creating negative karma is extremely foolish. Just as the great, highly realized yogi Guru Tsong Khapa said in his teaching, just like this.

So if you check up, look at our life, in that case the human rebirth is sort of meaningless. When we check up our life, it is like we purposely took this human rebirth to create negative karma. In this case there is no actual meaning—if the human rebirth is used in that way, there is no meaning. Because in regards to creating negative karma, any other suffering sentient beings, even those tiniest creatures that we don’t see, they spend all their time continuously creating negative karma, so to create negative karma we don’t have to take especially a human rebirth. There is no point. Creating any negative karma, any action that is done, any work of this temporal life that is done with attachment is nothing special. It is not a special human action. Even the animals do this, the animals who are not human beings, the big animals such as elephants, the big sea animals like huge mountains down to the tiniest creatures that we only see through machines. However, only talking about the animals work, concern for their life, their one life, and they also have attachment to the happiness of that life. They also work, try to gain the means of living with attachment. They also try to make their life happy, same thing. Just this one life, they also try to make happy. They have their own methods. By finding many different and various methods, they try to make the temporal life happy. They kill other animals who are their enemy, who disturb their life’s happiness, by going round in different places. They also have many kinds of methods. They also try to make their life happy. They also cheat other animals. They have also their own politicians. They are also very clever in knowing how to cheat and kill other animals, very clever. How to control others, how to make oneself win. They are also very wise, even insects are very wise in how to make their life happy in regards to finding various methods. If you look at, if you watch, you know that always they fly around, always going around—their whole purpose is to make their life happy, to find happiness in their life. However they go up and down. Like the insects, the ant, wherever they go around, busy, up and down, going around, whatever this is, their main aim, what they have in their mind, they also know how to steal, they also know many of these actions that human beings do. Anyway, the work that is only done to gain the purpose of this life, to gain the happiness of the life, that is nothing special, not higher than the animals. Not more special than the action of the tiniest creature. That kind of mind we have is nothing higher, nothing special from that tiniest insect, nothing higher than from his mind.

So therefore now it comes to the point—even those non-human beings who haven’t received this body, who are not human beings, especially who have not received a perfect human rebirth, they also do similar work to gain the happiness of this life. Then what’s the meaning of the human life? What’s the meaning, what is the special meaning, the special purpose for which we are born as human beings, different from other sentient beings? So thinking like this—this has reason, this has meaning, receiving this human rebirth has meaning, has reason that the previous life created. So now what is the meaning? This is the most important thing to check up—the meaning, the special meaning of the human rebirth, the human life, what is that? The meaning of receiving the perfect human rebirth, the purpose for which the perfect human being exists and lives is to act in a higher way than an animal. Then, now check, it is necessary to check what are the actions that are higher than other sentient beings, which those animals cannot do but the human beings can do—what are those higher actions? Guru Tsongkhapa said this teaching in the form of a prayer, “Please grant me blessings to be able to take the meaningful essence by not being distracted by the meaningless works of this life.”

In order to make the present perfect human rebirth meaningful, to be able to take the essence, it is necessary to realize the perfect human rebirth, the great usefulness of the perfect human rebirth, the difficulty of receiving the perfect human rebirth, and how it is fragile, how it is perishable, and how it is impermanent. There are many other methods, many other ways, to make the perfect human rebirth meaningful, to be able to take the essence. But the best way to make the perfect human rebirth meaningful, the best way to be able to take the essence is training the mind in bodhicitta. So by training the mind in bodhicitta, one can definitely receive enlightenment, one can quickly receive enlightenment without experiencing many difficulties. However, training the mind in bodhicitta is the essential method—the best, essential method among all the methods. So therefore it is necessary to train the mind even in this moment as much and as purely as possible.

Therefore, think of this pure motivation in order that the action of listening to the Dharma become the cause of enlightenment, “I must make all sentient beings release from all suffering and lead them to the most sublime happiness of enlightenment. Therefore I must achieve enlightenment. For these reasons I am going to listen to these teachings on the graduated path to enlightenment.”

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching that leads the fortunate person to enlightenment. It is well expounded by the great philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga and it is a profound teaching, the essence of the great pandits Atisha and Guru Tsongkhapa’s understanding of the teaching. It includes the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, and all these teachings are set up for the practice of one person’s achievement of enlightenment.

This teaching on the graduated path has four outlines. In order to have pure reference, the knowledge of the authors. In order to have devotion for the teachings, the knowledge of the teachings. The way of listening and explaining the teachings, and the way of leading the disciple on the path to enlightenment. The last one has two—the of following the guru who is the root of the path and the way of training the mind in the graduated path. The way of training the mind in the graduated path to enlightenment has two—persuading the mind to take the essence of the perfect human rebirth and the way of taking the essence of the perfect human rebirth. Persuading the mind in order to take the essence involves the perfect human rebirth—that is the part of the subject that we have been talking about. Yesterday we were talking about the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas. Yesterday we were talking about the different techniques, a few very simple techniques that can be used right away as the problems arise in our mind. Generally it is like this. As you practice the graduated path, as you practice the meditations, as you practice the graduated meditations which are explained in the teachings of the graduated path, as you practice gradually having wider, deeper understanding of the whole meditation, also at the same time according to the individual mind and individual wisdom, according to his experience, the person would find different meditations and different techniques to stop this mind disease. He finds different methods. As he finds different methods, this becomes very effective, and he can work right away to stop the negative mind arising.

Yesterday we talked about how to stop the mind confusion in situations when another person admires you, saying some nice words, or blames you. Generally it is like this. For instance, blaming, criticizing—if you say the same words to yourself, you don’t get angry. But if someone else says them we get angry. But if you repeat what the other person says you don’t get angry with what you repeat. If someone said, “You look like a dumb animal,” then perhaps you get angry at what you hear from the other person, but if you repeat it to yourself you get angry at what you hear from your voice. We don’t get angry with what we repeat, but they are the same words, the same meaning. If the words are what bother us, then think, “I don’t get angry if I repeat this to myself and the same words with a similar meaning don’t disturb me, don’t make me get unhappy and angry, so why should I get angry because they are said by some other person?”

For instance, if the tape recorder complains, if it says that you are a terrible person, it doesn’t help to break it. That doesn’t end your anger. There is no point in getting angry with that tape recorder, the radio, that machine. It is useless, a childish thing. Perhaps we may get angry with the person who recorded it, not the tape recorder but the person—the tape recorder is nothing. But again check up with the person—the person is also like the tape recorder. There is nothing to get angry with in his body—it is just like a machine, a box, a tape recorder. So there is nothing to get angry with in terms of him. As the tape recorder has no choice to not say, to not complain, the same thing with the person. As the tape recorder is fixed like this by the person, the person too has no choice, the person’s mind is controlled by ignorance. Even though he is getting angry, complaining with anger, he is uncontrolled. His body and mind are uncontrolled. So there is nothing to get angry with in terms of him. Just like there is no point, no use in getting angry with the tape recorder. Harming him, killing him, beating him, killing him doesn’t stop his ignorance. Even thinking in that way, thinking that is the solution, the method, that doesn’t stop the ignorance that controls him. So anger and speaking rude words doesn’t stop his ignorance. So just like this check up; this is very useful to check in different situations, when there is a person blaming or causing you to get angry, bothering you. When there is danger of anger arising, think like this.

The actual thing is to stop his ignorance, to make his ignorance, his anger, his attachment non-existent. Even though you burn his body completely, even if there is no part of his body left, that doesn’t help, it doesn’t stop his negative mind, the negative mind that bothers you. None of this is method. It just makes his mind unhappy, and you unhappy, and creates more negative karma that makes you again experience the suffering results.

(BREAK)

Student: You mentioned that numberless of our previous lives were in the six realms of suffering. Have we had numberless perfect human rebirths, this isn’t our first one is it?
Rinpoche: It is possible that we received perfect human rebirths before.
Student: A number of times?
Rinpoche: Possible, depends on individual.
Student: If we live this life following practicing Dharma but do not obtain enlightenment, chances are we don’t go down to the suffering realms but get chance to practice Dharma again?
Rinpoche: Everything depends on the individual, what he does in this life, how he lives.
Student: It seems like part of the essence of the perfect human rebirth is virtue and charity. When I think of that I think of ants who sacrifice their bodies in order to build bridges for other ants. Sacrifice themselves for the good of the ants.
Rinpoche: That can be possible, many other stories, many other animals who do things like this, yes.
Student: But the essence of that action, is that different from the essence that the human being has?
Rinpoche: Yes, many of the human beings—it is similar but the total thing is that by taking human rebirth, this is the highest essence to achieve, which an animal cannot achieve. The highest essence. But there are some animals, very rare, extremely rare, who create virtuous actions. Extremely rare. If there is not one single animal who creates good karma, if you ask precisely this, there are certain animals who practice good karma. But it is extremely difficult, extremely rare—there are only a few fortunate ones. For human beings it is easier to create good karma.
Student: How can I stop the ignorance of the angry person?
Rinpoche: By giving ice-cream! I am joking. Whether you dispel your ignorance, whether you dispel other beings’ ignorance, the method is only through the practice of Dharma, only through actualizing Dharma. The essential method is by realizing the mind nature. The nature of oneself. This happens only through actualizing Dharma. Anyway this talk will come later on in the part of the Twelve Links, the second part of the meditation.

So you see, if you check up like this when anger rises in your mind, even if the other person beats you, bothers you, he is completely controlled by his delusion, ignorance. So anything that we the ordinary people do to harm, to react—none of this becomes the method, the solution to stop that problem. Beating his body, cutting off his body in pieces doesn’t cease, doesn’t stop his ignorance. The ignorance is the main thing that controls him and makes him bother you. So in this way, none of the violent actions you discover are the solution. So it is not enough, not sufficient, as we are one person ceasing from ignorance, releasing from ignorance, there are many other numberless beings who are controlled by ignorance and delusions. Even though he doesn’t bother you, some other people bother. Always like this circling around. So it is necessary to release all sentient beings from ignorance. In order to release all sentient beings from suffering, delusions by oneself, then it is first necessary to release oneself from suffering and delusions. Otherwise because the mind is deluded and ignorant, you cannot help all the sentient beings by showing the different methods. Without releasing them from the delusions and ignorance, there is no perfect power, no perfect skill to show the different methods and no perfect understanding to know the different methods and know different sentient beings’ level of mind, how to lead each sentient being into enlightenment, or how to release each sentient being from suffering. So it is difficult without having the perfect knowledge and power. Just like this.

For instance, we are doing meditation, we are doing purification, so actually as we are motivated at the beginning to enlighten other sentient beings, our work making this one hour purifying meditation, making meditation on the graduated path, actually this becomes service, work for other sentient beings. Just like the military, when he was in training, studying how to fight, how to use the guns, different weapons, he was not in the actual action of fighting, making war, killing others—the enemies of the country. He did not do the actual actions but he was training at the very beginning. His training at the beginning was recognized as service for the people in that country, even though it was not the right method. It didn’t mean he had to be in actual fighting, like this. So starting to do meditation, actualize the Dharma, starting to do purification of our own ignorance and suffering, this becomes work for other sentient beings, because as I said just before, without gaining self-support, which means without first of all receiving freedom oneself, everlasting happiness, the cessation of samsara and ignorance, freedom, without gaining this, we cannot make other sentient beings release from samsara.

This becomes a little bit long, but if you think there is anger, if you think because the body is different, of course I get angry at him, because it was said by a different person, another person, by another person who has a different body. Then also, in that case, besides thinking that his body has no freedom, is controlled by the delusions—also one can think like this. Also one’s own body that we have now that we believe is mine, my body, also this body originally did not continue from the previous body without depending on the parents—so this body originally came from our parents and it was their body. Only believing that it is mind, this is mind. However, thinking like this is very useful, very useful to help stop creating negative karma, to stop the negative mind from arising. In that way one takes care of one’s own life easily, not creating negative karma, or creating the cause of suffering. Also even if there is a terrible situation of suffering, sometimes it is also useful to think just like this. Think, “I am living in samsara so this is the nature of samsara, it is the nature.” If you think that this is the nature then you kind of expect it, and it doesn’t become a shock to you. You accept it, knowing that you are living in samsara, living in the boundaries of suffering. So why not, of course you will experience suffering. It is like you are expecting, sort of accepting it. So it doesn’t become a big confusion mentally. Even though you are experiencing or you are in a miserable situation, if you don’t think in such a way, if you don’t expect it, but only try to reject it without trying to realize the suffering nature or without thinking of the suffering nature, then the suffering becomes double. Whatever the suffering you are experiencing, it becomes double. It becomes heavier for the mind, because the mind creates it, the mind thinks it is so terrible, exaggerates it, and for you the suffering becomes very heavy, even bigger. This just depends on the way you think.

Just like as long as you put your finger in the fire, it is natural that the fire will burn, because burning is nature of the fire, hot is nature of the fire, so the method is trying to get the finger out of the fire. This is the method, trying to take your finger out of the fire. Not trying to put your finger in the fire and trying to make the fire cold, different from its nature, the heat that burns. So the whole method is trying to get oneself out of samsara. Just like this example of spontaneously trying to live in samsara. Then as there are different kinds of problems, meeting the life problems, not expecting, without trying to understand, trying to reject—that is like this example, exactly like this example of putting the finger in the fire then trying to stop it to not be burnt. However, anyway, to think like this is the nature because I am living in samsara. Thinking this is the nature of samsara—of course this will happen because I am living in samsara, and this is the nature of samsara. Just like thinking of course that it will burn because of the nature of the fire. In this way there is no worry.

Also it is useful to think that this is the result of my previous life’s karma. Each time you experience or meet different problems, if you think, if you accept, if you are conscious that this is the result of my previous karma, you are taking the fault on yourself, you are not pointing the fault onto the other person’s head. In this case he knows that this is his own fault. In this case he doesn’t find any reason to complain to others. Thinking like this, it only makes him conscious of not creating such negative actions again because of the shock, the experience of that suffering, that result. By thinking like this, the person becomes more conscious, instead of thinking that some other people gave me this time, caused me problems such as stealing my money, stealing my possessions—these things. By thinking, “In my previous lifetime I stole others’ possessions, I caused similar problems to other people, I bugged other people, therefore this is the result coming back. It is my own fault; no one else has fault.” The result of that karma that was created before is finishing. Instead of experiencing this suffering result after some time in the future lifetime, it is experienced now, in this time, so something is finished, result of certain karma is finished, is experienced. So in this way it is something that one can feel happiness for, rather than suffering after some time in the future lifetimes. In this way also it makes you more conscious, more careful in your actions.

So the Dharma that we are usually talking about, for instance, according to the story that happened in previous times—through this story we can understand clearly what is the actual Dharma. There was a conversation that happened by the great yogi Atisha’s disciple Drom.ton.pa, his closest disciple in Tibet. One there was a man who was trying to practice Dharma. He was going around the temple, and this yogi Drom.ton.pa, this ascetic yogi, met this man and told him, “You should practice Dharma.” The other person thought he was practicing Dharma by going around the temple. But afterwards he gave up going around the temple, and he thought practicing Dharma must mean reading texts. Then he sat down and read a text. Then again one day Drom.ton.pa met this man, and told him, “You should practice Dharma.” Then he gave up reading the texts. I think the last one was meditating, I am not sure! I think the man thought he might have meant sort of meditating, but then again Drom.ton.pa met him and told him to practice Dharma. So after two or three times like this, his mind was sort of confused, not knowing what to do, so he asked Drom.ton.pa, “What do you mean by practice Dharma?” So Drom.ton.pa told him, “Renounce this life.” Then he discovered, really discovered, the actual meaning of Dharma. Then he really discovered the way of practicing actual Dharma. So what he means is this.

The reason why I bring this story to make the eight worldly Dharmas clear. What Drom.ton.pa meant by “renounce this life” was actually “renounce the problems.” Another way to understand “renounce this life” is “renounce problems and the cause of problems.” The actual meaning is “renounce suffering, renounce this life.” Just even hearing the words becomes a big shock, especially to Westerners mind. But the way to understand is “renounce suffering.”

Also, Drom.ton.pa asked Atisha, “What result will the actions created with ignorance, greed, and anger bring?” Atisha answered that the result of actions done with ignorance, greed, and anger was that a person would be reborn in the suffering realms, the evil destinies, as a preta, animal, or narak being. So indirectly the actions done without greed, ignorance, or hatred are the cause of all happiness. Other actions are the cause of suffering. Indirectly we can understand the actions done without these three negative minds as good karma and the cause of all happiness. However, this goes together, renouncing suffering, the actual Dharma. This has the same meaning. That action done without those three poisonous minds is the cause of happiness. So same thing, renouncing suffering, the actual Dharma, this becomes a field of all happiness, besides becoming a cause of enlightenment. Besides becoming a cause of receiving the boundless state, nirvana, everlasting happiness, renouncing suffering—this Dharma, this is the cause that brings a happy rebirth, a happy life in the future. So besides bringing happiness in the future lifetime, renouncing the suffering of this lifetime, whatever it is called, this Dharma brings happiness even in this life.

For instance, the great yogis such as Milarepa, many yogis who lead ascetic lives, even though they had no possessions in that life and lived in solitary places in cave, like animals living on the mountains, their lives passed in happiness, their minds always peaceful, happy and having a situation that is well contained. Because of these things they didn’t have any mind confusion, life problems, even though they didn’t have many possessions. Milarepa didn’t even have a sack of tsampa. Tsampa means wheat flour. This is the most popular food in Tibet, typical Tibetan food. However Milarepa, when he was living an ascetic life, didn’t have even one sack of tsampa. He only lived on nettles. However his mind was always happy and well contained because of that situation—well contained, makes life happy, no problems of worldly life. Why? That is because of the Dharma. Why no problem of dissatisfaction, not being contained, why didn’t he have problems of means of living, food, clothing, and reputation? Not having all these problems, his life was always lived in happiness, and all of that was because of his Dharma practice, the power of his Dharma. His achieving enlightenment in that lifetime, achieving all the higher realization, all of that was due to the power of his pure Dharma, renouncing suffering, renouncing this life. His mind was happier than that of the king who had much power, who has many bodyguards, many armies, many weapons. There is nothing to compare.

So what I mean is that all this is due to his Dharma. Dharma doesn’t mean only bringing happiness in the future, and not in this life. This is completely wrong. Dharma brings happiness and peace in the mind right away at the same time that the person practices and lives in the Dharma. Right away there is peace in his mind; the effect of Dharma comes in his mind right away. As the person knows, the person discovers it is not something that the person has to wait for a long time, not something like this. Also by the mind living in the Dharma, the life problems become much less, just like the example I just talked about of Milarepa, his life story, just like this. The life problems with people like this—the biggest problems in the East and West, life problems with people, relatives, husband, wife, parents, children—anyway the life problems with oneself, everything gets stopped, becomes less. So the life becomes so free. The mind living in the Dharma life becomes so much more free, so peaceful. This is the way that even this present life becomes happy. You enjoy the happiness of the Dharma. Also Dharma is like the medicine to stop the diseases, such as hindrances caused by human beings and non-human beings. All this can be stopped, controlled by Dharma.

In previous time there was one yogi, who was a layperson in a family before he started to practice Dharma. So one day somehow he got some disease, I think leprosy. The wound spread around his body and to other people. He was sick from that disease for a long time. His family became scared of him, and they kept him aside. So his mind was terribly upset—he had no family, no people looking after him, he was out of the family. So he thought since I have to be out of the family I should make this action worthwhile and beneficial. So he made a complete decision in his mind—if I have to be out of the family I will just live in the road and recite mantras and beg for food from people. So he make the complete decision like this. He thought, “Whatever happens I don’t care, just reciting mantras and begging food.” He left his family and went near the road and there was a huge rock, a cave in the rock. He slept the first night in that cave. That night he had a dream that a white man or something put him on the rock, and that there was so much rain falling, everything became wet. And when he woke up, all the puss in his wounds had come out, and everything become very wet. From that time his leprosy was completely cured, without depending on any medicine. Then afterwards he become a great yogi. So this is just to explain that because of the power of his mind, his mind living in Dharma, having renounced suffering, that cured him and brought happiness in his life. Even his disease was cured by the power of the Dharma.

There are so many other histories about how the Dharma solves the life’s problem. There is so much to talk about, however the point is this—what I am talking about, renouncing this life means renouncing suffering and the cause of suffering. The hole thing is this, renouncing suffering is renouncing this evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas, which only bring problems, so these are the main subjects to be renounced.

Renouncing this life or renouncing suffering, the whole thing means renouncing the mind that is the cause of the problems, the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharma. Therefore even these temporal techniques that I mentioned help to stop attachment from rising, so this practice itself is the Dharma. While the person practices this, the person is renouncing attachment, the person’s mind is rejecting attachment, the cause of problems. Rejecting attachment also helps anger not to arise. So you see, this is the actual Dharma. Whenever the person practices this, it solves the mind confusion and the mind illness right away. So it is clear that Dharma brings happiness even in this life. It is the best way of bringing happiness that doesn’t make the mind confused. The happiness that arises in dependence upon the worldly actions makes the mind more ignorant, more confused because that happiness is not the actual real happiness. Anyway, afterwards by doing the following meditations and feeling, understanding them clearly—this happiness that is received through Dharma, this happiness that is not received through attachment, all these actions rejecting attachment, renouncing the negative mind—this is the actual Dharma, all this is good karma. All these thoughts are pure thoughts, thoughts rejecting the evil thought. All these thoughts are pure thoughts. So the great ascetics such as Atisha, Guru Tsongkhapa, Milarepa, many of those yogis such as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha—how these yogis should be, what type of mind they should have—if pleasure and suffering are not equal to his mind, if uninteresting sounds and interesting sound are not equal to his mind, if praising and belittling are not equal, if receiving and not receiving materials are not equal to his mind, there is no way to become a yogi. They have to be equal. The yogi has to have the foundation of the mind that equalizes these two—receiving materials and not receiving materials, interesting sounds and uninteresting sounds pleasure and suffering, praising and belittling or abusing. The yogi at least has to have this foundation first. Then that yogi or that pure Dharma practitioner doesn’t care. If he has equalized these two situations he has no life problems As long as they are not equalized there are always life problems. This is like the essential talk of the Dharma. This is like if you are going to explain about human beings’ bodies, the evolution of the human beings bodies, how they exist there, what is the most important thing, this part of the subject is like cutting the body and showing all the important things which are inside—the heart and those important things, the red heart, showing the essential things.

On the basis of this the yogis then practice many other higher meditations. To enter the path to enlightenment first of all what is necessary? First thing, it is necessary to have the renouncing mind of samsara, the realization of the renouncing mind of samsara. What is the most important thing before the meditation? The most important thing is to cultivate the pure motivation. Just like this, what is the most important thing to practice Dharma? What is the first thing you need? To renounce the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas. That is the first thing that is necessary to practice Dharma. It is very useful even just to have the understanding of this important point. Then our mind, our wisdom is open, and knows what is necessary in order to follow the path, what the first thing is that it is necessary to have. In this way the person also knows what they need in order to practice Dharma. Even though we can’t do right away, even just having this wisdom, knowing the meaning of the Dharma, what it actually means, how the Dharma benefits life, what the actual form of practicing Dharma is, what one should have in the mind in order to practice Dharma—renouncing this evil thought of the eight worldly Dharma. Even just this understanding is greatly beneficial. Somehow you have wisdom. Somehow the door of wisdom is opened. Whether you practice or not, somehow you have the correct understanding. If you practice and act, then you have the chance to do a correct action without mistake. Like this. However, especially ... my talk is this. Generally it is very good, we cannot become like those yogis within one month, within three or four days, but it is very beneficial to the mind just knowing how they practice Dharma. How they make their life free and peaceful by practicing Dharma. This is very useful, and by knowing this then we receive some wisdom about how to make our own life happy, how to handle our own life. This is very useful. However, even though we can’t do the same as those yogis who achieved enlightenment in their lifetime, these meditations, the specific actions in which we think we are doing some special thing, at those times we have to be careful. This is very important. Usually in daily life’s action even though the mind cannot spontaneously live in the Dharma, in such specific actions such as listening to Dharma, especially in these times it is very important that the mind not get mixed up with the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas. If it is mixed up then the mind, then the action, whether we meditate or listen to Dharma becomes a worldly action. It becomes the action of this life. So this understanding, my brief explanation on this point, and your understanding is supposed to help to make those actions perfect Dharma.

After the discussion first of all you check like this—in the West, you saw so many problems, societies, countries, families, friends—many times they have different problems. Think, check like this. First of all, starting from your friends who go through many different problems in life, how each of those problems—from what kind of mind it came from, what mind caused those problems. Then as you find that the whole source is attachment, the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas, then as you find out all these problems came from the evil thought, you check up how all the friend’s problems came from attachment, the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas. Then you check with your parents, society, with the different people you saw having problems. How the main thing is this, how this is caused by the eight worldly Dharmas, whether it is true or not. Also you check up whether it is based on this or not, then after you check outside with other people, and then you check with yourself. Think of the different problems you had in your life, as you remember the different problems you had since you were born—whether they were caused by the evil thought or not. Like this you check up. That’s very useful. Then also, at the same time as you remember the problems, the people who bothered you, caused attachment, anger to rise in you, as you remember it can be possible that the effect will come in the mind. When the mind starts to become violent, if you remember the techniques and meditations, use them at the same time. So you get trained if you practice like this during the meditations—your mind gets trained so afterwards when you are actually with the person, actually involved in that situation, then you know how to handle that problem, how to keep your mind away from that problem. You become skillful and wise.

Day Twelve
Sunday, 17th November
9 am

Before explaining the quotation, just a brief history of this great pandit Shantideva. He was born in India, I don’t remember the period. Even when he was small, in childhood, when he was over seven he attained the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri. He was born as a prince. His parents wanted him to take the place of the king. It was about time for him to take the position of the king, the position of his father. So as the parents’ land population asked him, he couldn’t say no. The night before he was going to sit on the throne and take his father’s position, he had a dream. In his dream, Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom sat on the king’s throne. Manjushri said, “You cannot sit on the same bed, this is my bed, you cannot sit here as I am your Guru. You cannot sit on the same bed. This is my throne.” When he woke up from the dream he understood that what the dream meant was that he was not supposed to take the position of the king, that life. It meant that he should it give up. So he left, I think he ran away. Then he went to Nalanda. Nalanda is a famous school where there were thousands of pandits. This is where Atisha was from. Shantideva went there and was ordained by the abbot. He lived there for a long time. Usually in the monastery he didn’t do as the other monks did—reading prayers, meditating, working for the monastery, these things. He did not do these things as the other monks did. He slept. This is what the others saw him doing. The other monks saw him sleeping, eating, and making kaka. He did only three things. The other monks didn’t see him doing special prayers, teachings, saying prayers, other things. Therefore, many of the monks thought he was useless to the monastery, that he doesn’t help, doesn’t do anything, only three things. The other monks really believed that he was a fool monk, knowing nothing. They wanted to kick him out, to expel him from the monastery. But they couldn’t expel him without any reasons. So they thought of an idea. Usually in the monasteries the monks have to learn many texts, philosophical texts of sutra teachings, explaining about the precepts and the instructions on the precepts given by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. The monks have to recite this by heart. They have many oral teachings that they have to learn by heart and recite in the prayer hall in groups of monks. The other monks believed that Shantideva had not learned anything by heart. So they thought that they would invite him to recite a sutra teaching. They thought that if they invited him like, when he arrived he wouldn’t have anything to say, and they could make him leave the monastery. This was the idea. They requested Shantideva to give teachings, and he accepted. The monks put up a very high throne.

But when Shantideva came, without any difficulty, with his psychic power he sat on the throne and asked the monks, “Should I give teaching that was shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, or should I give the teaching that wasn’t shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha?” The monks asked for the teaching that wasn’t shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. So he began to give the teaching called “Following the Bodhisattva’s Actions.” He began to give this teaching by heart. Then, I don’t remember, there are certain ... I think it was the sixth chapter—the chapter that explains about shunyata, the absolute nature—when he started to explain this, to give the teaching on the absolute nature, he flew above the throne. He went higher and higher while he was giving the teaching. Afterwards he became very small, like the size of a fly, and then they couldn’t see him anymore, even though the teaching was still going on. They could still hear the teaching without any change of sound, as if he was still giving the teaching and sitting on the throne. Afterwards, hearing the fantastic, amazing subject that the teaching contained, all the monks there got a big shock, a big surprise that they didn’t expect. The way he looked, the way the people saw him, was as a person not knowing anything—whenever they looked at him he was always lying down. When people looked at him he looked very lazy, but actually he was a great bodhisattva and a holy person with such great attainment of high realizations, and great infinite compassion and bodhicitta for all sentient beings all the time. He was always concerned for other sentient beings, always benefiting other sentient beings. Actually that is his mind action, the main work, which he did day and night in daily life.

So this is one quotation from this teaching that he gave those monks, those disciples. This quotation is from the chapter that explains about the benefits of bodhicitta. “Even just thinking to benefit the sentient beings, the benefits are greater than making offering to all the Buddhas; so why not the benefits of the thought following the bodhisattva’s actions?”

Briefly talking like this, for instance, even if the person is not actually following the bodhisattva’s path for sentient beings, even the benefits of just bringing up the thought, the wish to receive enlightenment for the benefit of other sentient beings with hand prostrating like this are as infinite as infinite space. This benefit is much greater than making offerings to buddha realms full of jewels, as many as the grains of sand of the Pacific. Still these benefits cannot compare with bringing up the thought wishing to receive enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings with hand prostrating like this; they cannot compare. The benefits of this great action of making offerings is still limited. So what this is emphasizing is that even bringing up this thought has incredible benefits—just wishing, just motivating, so why not actually doing the action, actually following the path for the benefit of sentient beings. Following the path, doing the action has much greater benefits than wishing to receive enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings. However as this great bodhisattva Shantideva said in these teachings with his experience, by having the realization within his mind with his experience, he is also great bodhisattva who passed through the whole gradual path and received enlightenment. So therefore, as this has that great benefit, that much profit, why not try, train the mind in the pure thought of bodhicitta. So therefore it is wise, while we have the chance, while we have the capability to train the mind in this pure thought as much as possible. Therefore it is necessary to start even in this moment, to try to experience, to gain it perfectly, even in this moment.

Therefore in order for the action of listening to the Dharma to become the cause of enlightenment, it is necessary to cultivate pure motivation. So therefore think, “I must release all sentient beings from all the suffering and have the achievement of the most sublime happiness of enlightenment. In order to do this I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore I must complete the realization of the whole graduated path. Therefore I am going to listen to the teaching on the graduated path.”

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching that leads the fortunate person to enlightenment and it is well expounded by the great philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is a profound teaching, the essence of the great yogis Atisha and Guru Tsongkhapa’s understanding. It includes the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. All these teachings are teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. All these teachings are set up for the practice of one person’s achievement of enlightenment.

The commentary on the graduated path has four outlines. In order to show the reference, the knowledge of the authors. In order to bring devotion, the knowledge of the teachings. The way of listening and explaining the teaching, and the way of leading the disciple on the path to enlightenment. The last one, the way of leading the disciple on the path to enlightenment, has two—the way of following the guru who is the root of the path and the way of training the mind in the graduated path to enlightenment. The last one has two—persuading the mind to take the essence with the perfect human rebirth and the way of taking the essence with the perfect human rebirth. So, the way of taking the essence with the perfect human rebirth, part of this meditation is persuading the mind to take essence with the perfect human rebirth.

Yesterday we talked about the evil thought of the eight worldly Dharmas, so actually it is like this. Any action that is the opposite of the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, any action that is the remedy, any method that becomes the remedy of the delusions is Dharma. Therefore any action or method that becomes Dharma has to be the opposite of the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas. It has to be the remedy of the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas. Any action that is done with the thought that is not mixed with the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, that is pure Dharma. That thought that is not mixed with the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, devoid of the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, that thought goes in the Dharma. That is the pure thought. So in this way we understand that any action of the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, any action that increases the delusions is not Dharma. In this way, by understanding this important point, we understand what is Dharma and what is not Dharma. In this way we can understand, we can check up—by understanding this important point we have a little wisdom to check up whether our actions of doing meditation become Dharma or not. One can easily check up and recognize.

You see, as the Dharma becomes the remedy to the delusions, how does the Dharma stop suffering, stop problems from arising? The Dharma stops delusions, diminishes the delusions, the cause of suffering. By understanding this we can discover that the only method to stop the suffering problem is through the Dharma, because the only method that stops delusion is Dharma; there is no other method. So the daily life actions, starting from the morning time, getting up, then cleaning, washing, eating, drinking, wearing clothes, cleaning the room, talking to people, going outside, coming in—any action until night time, every daily action that the person does until nighttime, going to bed, sleeping, each action, each movement of the person’s speech, body, and mind, if the person can make all these actions the remedy to the delusions, then each action is Dharma. Dharma is not something that one can only practice in Tibetan monasteries. It is not like this, something that can be only practiced where there are Tibetans or something. It only depends on your mind; it is something to practice anywhere, wherever you are, West, East, in space, under the earth, wherever. It just depends on the capability of the person’s mind, on the wisdom of that person. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean always sitting with crossed legs and eyes closed, saying prayers; it doesn’t necessarily mean giving things away, making charity; doesn’t necessarily have to be something like this, a specific form of action. Just generally where you live, if you can, by your wisdom and power of mind, make your daily life actions the remedy to the delusions. If your daily life actions can be done with the pure thought that is not mixed with the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, then each single action and movement becomes Dharma. The person’s mind is living purely in the Dharma. No matter whether he is making business, talking, or traveling around, the person—there is a possibility, even if the person doesn’t become a monk or nun, something specific with a specific appearance, if the person has wisdom and power, the person can always practice Dharma. But in order to do this, in order to put all the actions in the Dharma, to become Dharma, the person has to have the understanding of what Dharma means and has to recognize the delusions, the cause of suffering. Anyway, the person has to recognize the border of what is Dharma and what is not Dharma—the person should have this understanding. Then if the person understands the deeper nature of the delusions, the faults of the delusions, how the delusion cause him to suffer all the time, how delusions always cause problems to arise, as the person understands this more and more and wider, as the person’s wisdom grows, that much more the person can put his life in Dharma, that much more purely, due to that wisdom. In order to put all of daily life purely in the Dharma there is a need for wisdom and capability, for power. The method to build the power and wisdom is trying to recognize the delusions and recognize the deeper nature of the delusions and faults. Also, the faults of the delusions, how the delusions cause problems to arise and suffering. So trying to understand this deeper and wider is the first method, and then through this the person receives wisdom and also builds the power and energy in the mind. So as there is that much energy, the person can make his daily life actions that much more in the Dharma. Even if a person lives in a big family, with twenty children, lots of children, a big family, that person’s daily life actions always become the remedy to the delusions. If the person’s actions always become Dharma, the remedy to the delusions, actually that person’s mind is living in the renunciation of this life, even if he is surrounded by such a big family, with many possessions. So actually, who has renounced this life, who has not—you can’t really tell from the outside. You cannot judge, it is not something you can figure out from outside appearances, only the mind’s decision. Whether the person has renounced the attachment to this life or not doesn’t depend on the person having no possessions or having many possessions. If that were only a question of not having anything, then there are lot of animals and insects who don’t have any possessions, living in holes, without any collection of food to eat tomorrow, tonight, the day after tomorrow—then they should be highly renounced beings. Also there are animals living on very high mountains in the caves—many animals, such as yaks. Where we have the center on the mountain, nearby Everest, there are many caves. Before it was used by many meditators; there are many caves. One day I went round to see those different caves and all those caves have been used by yaks, animals—they are all full of kaka. They are very warm so I think at night time they sleep in those caves. I am joking. So it doesn’t have to depend on judging from the outside. Even though someone is living in the position of a king, with many surrounding people, many servants, jewel stores, many rich apartments, many possessions, that does not mean the person’s mind is not living in renunciation. We cannot tell if that person has not renounced the attachment to the happiness of this life. Renouncing this life or not is a mental action, not a physical action. Whether the person practices Dharma or not, it is a mental action. Many times the young people in the West read books, such as the great yogi Milarepa’s book and others. Somehow they understand renouncing this life, that it has certain knowledge, certain benefits, and they know somehow that it helps the life, to not have problem—that somehow it makes the mind happy and peaceful. In the life stories of the yogis there are so many benefits and realizations that they have experienced. But the readers really don’t know the important point—how to do it and the process, the way of doing it. They think renouncing this life just means physically separating, not having any possessions, being away from family and country, that renouncing this life means just that form of action. So by not having the actual understanding of renouncing this life, having the wrong understanding, with such a thought, all of a sudden they break things, give things away, and then they come to the East. Then the mind is continuously in problems. The problem is the mind is not renounced. The mind thing. So the problem gets bigger and bigger because the mind is not renounced, yet physically they tried to give up things. So the situation gets worse and worse. Afterwards they cannot stand not having possessions. They go through many difficulties, with wrong understanding, not really knowing what the main problem is. The main problem is not knowing the actual meaning of the Dharma. The main problem is that. Afterwards the person again seeks material things, he doesn’t find any other method to solve his life problems. So if the person doesn’t have the exact understanding, there can be problems like this, which that person purposely creates. Also among the students there are some who did this before, when they were coming from the West. I am telling what they experienced.

(BREAK)

Student: Do you think a close relationship between people like friendship, which is generally based on attachment, represents a hindrance to obtaining the renounced mind?
Rinpoche: It makes the mind unpeaceful.
Student: Would you suggest these people cut their communications and live like hermits?
Rinpoche: It depends on individual.
Student: Friends also being problems means you can’t dedicate your time to practicing Dharma.
Rinpoche: It depends on the individual. Different methods depend on individuals. Sometimes somehow the person can still have relationships without following attachment, following certain methods that stop attachment from rising, like this can be possible. Different methods depend on individuals.
Student: This makes it difficult in the West for people to practice Dharma; it is a close society with everyone depending on each other.
Rinpoche: Different people, depends ... people have different environments, yes.
Student: Could you explain what you mean by merit and the dedication of merit?
Rinpoche: Merit or virtue—any good karma is a virtue, and by doing that action you create merit. Whether it is a virtuous action or not depends on the result what result it brings. Since any action that brings a white result is recognized as a virtuous action, as merit, a white result means a beneficial result, a result which is not suffering, a result which is happiness. Any of those actions is a virtue. Any action that brings a suffering result, nonvirtuous, that is negative karma, like this. Dedicating merit means using the merit for something. First of all, you create the merit then you dedicate, renounce it for something. For instance, usually at night time as we say the prayer, the way we should think is that we dedicate in order to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings. So actually we dedicate the merits that we create in the day for sentient beings, like this. We think, “Due to these merits may I achieve enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings, using the merits as it is the cause.” Making the merit become the cause of enlightenment, like this.
Student: Does everyone have the capacity for development to receive enlightenment?
Rinpoche: Yes.

Knowing the actual meaning of Dharma, one can check up with one’s own daily life actions—what is Dharma, what is not Dharma. This is the most important thing, the essential thing that one has to understand. This is one of the essential things in the course subject. So any person who has this understanding of the actual meaning of Dharma, even just having this understanding, not having the understanding of the other meditations, even just having this understanding, even this wisdom, that makes it worthwhile to attend the course. This is one of the most important things that one should understand at the beginning. This is the first, most important thing to understand in order to not make mistakes. This understanding is the best protection to protect yourself from wrong actions, from the mistakes in the daily life, which means creating negative karma. So many people who think that they are a religious person and are practicing Dharma, but do not know the actual meaning of Dharma, spend their entire life in the wrong way, the entire life feeding the cause of samsara. All of his practice is done with the wrong understanding of the Dharma.

(Page 42)

I think maybe if you close eyes and listen, maybe better.

(Rinpoche read paragraphs 1, 2, 3, quotation)
This quotation is very effective for the mind, very useful to remember, especially in certain times when one’s mind is in danger of creating negative karma.

Paragraph 4
This part of the subject is also very, very useful to use for the meditations, to remember. Usually, when there is temporal physical sickness, we worry so much and we try the best method that we find to stop it right away, but we never seek the inner reasons, the inner cause of these sufferings. Most of the time we think that all these physical problems, temporal sicknesses, are mainly caused by climate, food, a certain diet, the place—many external things, but we don’t check up. One thing that we are missing in our checking is this, the question that is missing—even though these external things such as climate, place, and food are conditions, they become conditions, why I have to suffer, why I have to get this problem? What makes these external things, the climate, place, diet, these external things, become the condition of my suffering problems? This question is missing. We know those things are the condition that causes the problems such as sickness to arise, so what knowledge is missing? What we need in order to completely cease all of the temporal problems, the continual problems, to cease all suffering and the cause of all suffering, to cease the whole thing—this knowledge is missing. As this knowledge is missing, we don’t know, so the wisdom of knowing the actual cause of all suffering is blocked. In this way, every time we try to find the method, to do something, it becomes a mistake, a wrong method. So the deeper we understand, as much as we understand the cause that makes these external things the condition of our suffering, the deeper we understand that, the more skill we will have in our method.

For instance, the trees and stones, these non-living things, don’t have pain. The elements don’t have pain. The nature of fire itself is hot and the nature of ice is cold, but they don’t have pain because they don’t have mind. Nothing causes these things—the elements, trees, rocks—to have pain because they don’t have mind. So why does the physical body have problems, why do external things become problems for our physical body? If there were no mind with this body, there would be no pain. When the mind has left the body, the body is just like a stone, a piece of wood, a log, exactly like that—there is sensation, no feeling, however much it is cut into pieces. Mainly the reason that the physical body easily gets problems and sickness, this and that, is mainly because of the mind. It is mainly because of the mind that exists with this body. Also external things become a condition of these physical problems, and that is also because of mind. So actually what makes the experience this is produced by the mind. It came from the mind. Then the question—why can’t we have a mind that doesn’t produce suffering, that doesn’t make the body suffer; why can’t we have a mind that doesn’t make the mind sick, doesn’t make the body sick? In this way we can see that there is something in the mind that makes the mind sick, that makes it suffer, and that makes the body suffer. There is something in the mind, something rooted in the mind. Also instead of having a mind that always causes us to experience suffering, why don’t we have a mind that always produces happiness, which always keeps us in bliss?

For instance, it is the experience of other higher beings that even if the body is cut in pieces, there is no suffering, the mind is living in a blissful state. Higher bodhisattvas, when they make charity of the body, even when the body is cut into pieces, the mind is always spontaneously in a peaceful state, with no feeling of pain. Why? Bodhisattvas don’t have the mind that makes the body suffer, they don’t have the mind that makes the condition of physical suffering.

For instance, how physical suffering and happiness relates to the mind—just a simple way. Sometimes when a person is beaten by a person to whom he is attached, by his close friend, when he gets slapped, when he gets hit, when he gets slapped by a close friend, he doesn’t feel that much pain. Perhaps sometimes he feels pleasure—he doesn’t care, he doesn’t get angry. But if some other person whom he dislikes slaps him, then he feels more pain, and also he gets so angry and feels more pain. But hitting is the same thing, same thing. So this way we can easily discover that it is up to the mind. It is just only a creation of mind. Hitting is the same thing, being slapped by the hand is the same thing. So the experience is changed by this way of thinking, by your mind. This is just an ordinary example of how things are dependent upon the mind. Not mainly on the body, but mainly on the mind. Just like this, the experience of feeling pleasure and not feeling pain being slapped by the friend—so just like this, you can have an equal feeling, an equal mind that produces similar feeling of pleasure, no matter who cheats or hits you, an enemy or stranger. You can have a similar feeling if you have a mind that makes you feel pleasure by being slapped by the friend. You can have a similar mind with every other sentient being and you can feel the pleasure of being beaten by any other sentient being. You can have a similar thought, equal—you can always have this mind which produces pleasure, which makes the experience of hitting a pleasure. So because of this example, just due to a little bit different way of thinking, the person feels pleasure instead of suffering. Same thing, the person who thinks in the same way toward all sentient beings, in this way whatever, even if the body is cut in pieces, whatever is done, the person can always feel bliss or pleasure. Whatever the problem caused by other beings, not getting angry, always feeling kindness, seeing beauty, seeing other sentient beings in beauty. So just like this example, as this can be possible, so the bodhisattvas can make the body not experience suffering even if it is cut in pieces, with the mind always in a peaceful state.

So the whole thing is this, the essence of this talk—if you always worry about the result of temporal problems that are produced by the mind, by the sick mind, why not worry about the sick mind that produces all these temporal sufferings? The sick mind is the root of the whole problem, so why don’t we worry about that as much as we worry about physical sickness? Why don’t we worry about the root of the problem, nothing physical, mind. It is worthwhile to have greater worry and try to work in order to take the root of the problem out of the mind. This is more worthwhile than worrying about the temporal problems and only trying to cure the temporal problems without trying anything to take the root of the problems out of the mind.

(Page 42)

The whole side is very useful to use for the daily meditations.

(Page 43)
Quotation

Chandrakirti, the follower of Nagarjuna, the great philosopher, is also one very well known Indian pandit who wrote profound teachings explaining absolute nature, shunyata. This quotation is also from the Madhyamaka teaching.

Paragraph 7

For instance like this. Why do samsaric gods, suras, asuras, have such higher enjoyments and possessions of a higher quality than human beings? That is not because they created so much good karma in their lifetimes. In their previous lifetimes they created much good karma, so they are experiencing the result in that period. Whenever that finishes, the period of experiencing that enjoyment, the result of that good karma is finished, and so again those beings have to experience the suffering results that were caused by other previous karmas or karmas created in their lifetime.

Similarly, there are other suffering beings in the animal realm such as nagas. They also have many possessions, many stores of jewels, and much enjoyment, but that doesn’t mean they have created good karma in their lifetime. They are finishing experiencing the result caused by previous good karma of charity. Why do they have such enjoyments, possessions? This is the result of previously creating good karma, making charity. The person makes charity and does not observe morality. Morality mainly means discipline of speech, body, and mind—there are certain things like keeping one precept, two precepts, all kinds of numbers of precepts like this. So not keeping any precepts or if the precepts are broken, not confessed, not purified, sometimes it is possible that due to that negative karma the person is born as an animal such as a naga, but because of previous karma and charity they have many possessions. Also the way of explaining karma is like this.

(Page 44)
No. 3 Paragraph 1

This example is to explain how difficult and how rare it is to receive the perfect human rebirth, trying to show this through examples.

There are three ways to check up how the perfect human rebirth is difficult to receive. The first one is checking through the cause of the perfect human rebirth—what is the cause of the perfect human rebirth. Whether it is easy, like a question to yourself—whether you desire a perfect human rebirth or not, whether it is possible to receive it again or not. It is not received intuitively, it is received with reasons, with cause. It doesn’t happen without reason, without cause, so what is the cause that brings the perfect human rebirth? Morality. Mainly morality and charity. Then you check up whether it is easy to observe morality and create charity. First of all check up morality, whether it is easy or not. There are five precepts, or thirty-six precepts, or two hundred and fifty precepts—eight different levels of precepts like this. The two hundred and fifty-three, the bigger number of precepts is difficult, of course, extremely difficult. Generally check like this.

Generally among the worldly people, those who keep the greater number of precepts such as the two hundred and fifty, or three hundred or something, are very rare, so few. Those who keep the thirty-six precepts are very few compared to the number of people who keep eight. The people keeping eight precepts is still rare compared to the number of people who keep five precepts. The people who keep five precepts are still fewer than those who are keeping two or three precepts. However, even just to keep one precept such as not telling lies is difficult, difficult. Check like this. Even just to keep one precept is difficult. Check just outside generally like this. Then after you check generally like this, then you check up on yourself. Whether you find it easy or difficult. Then by checking like this, first of all generally, then secondly on yourself—how it is for me, whether I find it difficult or easy, or not. Check like this. Checking like this, you get the experience, you see clearly your feeling of the difficulty of receiving the perfect human rebirth, and the feeling becomes stronger, greater, and your understanding is better in that way. Then check through cause.

Then secondly, check through numbers, the numbers of higher beings, the numbers of the beings in the upper rebirth. The number of rebirths of gods and general human beings. The number of upper rebirths is much less, less than the number of the suffering rebirths, the rebirths of the evil destiny. The number of the rebirths of evil destiny is like the earth, while the number of upper rebirths is like the dust—if you scratch your finger on the ground in the dust you can pick it up in the nail—so little, so few, like this. In numbers you check up like this, and also this is what Guru Shakyamuni Buddha explained. The number of rebirths of evil destiny is like the earth and the number of upper rebirths is like the dust that gets in the nail.

Then check the third time, check through examples. First of all think of the example of the tortoise, how difficult. First of all think of the tortoise after each one hundred years, how fortunate it would be to puts its neck in the golden ring that floats around on the Pacific. First of all try to understand this example, although receiving the perfect human rebirth is more difficult than the example.

Day Thirteen
Monday, 18th November
9 am

From the holy speech of the great bodhisattva Tenzin Gyaltsen, “The thought desiring to dispel each sentient beings’ mistakes and bring about knowledge in each of them is bodhicitta. This is the most wonderful thing among wonderful things.”

So what he is saying is that among all the thoughts, what is the best thought, among all the wonderful thoughts, what is the best thought? The most wonderful among all other wonderful thoughts is bodhicitta. Why is it the most wonderful thought? Because it has incredible benefits for oneself and for the sake of others. It is a thought wanting to dispel each of the sentient beings’ mistakes. “Mistake” means their wrong actions, wrong understandings, and their wrong conceptions that produce all other delusions and prevent enlightenment and the cessation of samsara, even the temporal samsaric happiness. Besides wanting to dispel all the sentient beings’ physical problems, their physical sickness and mind disease, besides that, also wishing that each sentient being attain infinite knowledge.

Just as the great bodhisattva Shantideva said in his teaching, “There are infinite benefits that cannot be imagined by the mind—even just by thinking to cure the sentient beings who have brain disease, there is no question how great the benefit is, the thought wanting to dispel all the sentient beings’ unhappiness.”

These have the same meaning. What it is emphasizing is that even just wishing to cure only one problem such as brain disease has infinite benefits that cannot be imagined, guessed, or measured by the mind. Since this has that much benefit, there is no need to talk about the benefits of the thought wishing to release each sentient being from suffering. How can those benefits be imagined? Therefore, as this precious thought of bodhicitta has that much unimaginable benefit, it is foolish not to practice this while we have the chance to train the mind in such a pure thought, especially at this time, having met the Mahayana teaching that explains the practice of bodhicitta. Therefore, it is necessary to train the mind even in this moment as much as possible—this also makes the present, the momentarily existing perfect human life meaningful. So motivate like this, and also that the action of listening to the Dharma become the cause of enlightenment, “I must release all sentient beings from all suffering and the cause of suffering and lead them to the most sublime happiness of enlightenment and the cause of happiness. Therefore I must achieve enlightenment. In order to achieve enlightenment I must complete the whole realization of the whole graduated path. Therefore I am going to listen to the teaching on the graduated path.”

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching that leads the fortunate person to enlightenment. It is well expounded by the great philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is a profound teaching, the essence of Atisha and great Guru Tsongkhapa’s understanding. It includes the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. It is set up for the practice of one person’s achievement of enlightenment.

This graduated path has four outlines. In order to show the reference, the knowledge of the authors. In order to cause devotion to arise, the knowledge of the teachings. The way of listening and explaining the teachings, and the way of leading the disciple in the path to enlightenment. The last one, the way of leading the disciple in the path to enlightenment, has two—the way of following the guru who is the root of the path and the way of training the mind in the graduated path to enlightenment. The last one has two also—persuading the mind to take the essence with the perfect human rebirth and the way of taking the essence with the perfect human rebirth.

Part of this subject, the meditation on persuading the mind to take the essence with the perfect human rebirth, the great usefulness of the perfect human rebirth, and the difficulty of receiving the perfect human rebirth—we reached the subject of the difficulty of receiving the perfect human rebirth.

By training the mind in meditation on the great usefulness of the perfect human rebirth continuously, when the meditator, the person’s mind, feels great loss even spending a few seconds doing meaningless actions, when the person has an unbearable feeling, and cannot stand to spend even two or three seconds doing some meaningless action, and when the person has such incredible great energy, at that time the person has the achievement of this meditation. That is the definition of having the achievement of this second meditation on the great usefulness of the perfect human rebirth. So meditators, those who want the complete experience of this meditation, continue practicing this meditation until they achieve that experience. Why does the person get such great energy and fear spending even just two or three minutes or seconds wasting this perfect human rebirth? This is caused by understanding. The energy that person receives is through understanding the great usefulness of the perfect human rebirth to attain the ultimate and temporal goals, and especially that this perfect human rebirth is highly useful in each minute and second. This perfect human rebirth can do incredible things, can create such incredible causes of happiness, which other sentient beings in other realms cannot do even in eons. Even if they live in those realms for eons, they cannot do this. So briefly like this, the usefulness of the perfect human rebirth, the great difficulty of receiving the perfect human rebirth. In terms of talking about the cause of the perfect human rebirth, I explained yesterday how difficult it is in regards cause, how difficult it is to create. So it is easy if you check the cause well. Then with this experience, our own experience finding out how difficult it is, in this way we can figure out how difficult it is to receive the perfect human rebirth. In this way we can guess whether we will receive a perfect human rebirth in a future life or not. We can guess from this present life’s experience. By knowing how one lives life, by knowing this, we can easily guess whether one can receive a perfect human rebirth next time or not. This is not something that you cannot guess or understand by yourself. It is something that doesn’t have to depend on someone to check up, or depend on someone predicting. It is already predicted in the teaching explained by the enlightened being Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. It is already predicted and explained.

For instance, besides practicing and following the karma or cause that brings the perfect human rebirth, even just listening to the explanation we can’t stand listening to it. Talking about karma, talking about discipline, we can’t stand it. We feel in our minds that it is a very heavy thing—even if we ourselves are not doing the actual action, we don’t even want to hear about discipline, things to not allow attachment. Also many people think, “Without attachment how can the person have a life? How can the life exist without attachment? How can the person enjoy happiness without attachment?” Many people believe that. Those who don’t really understand about mind think that mind is oneness with attachment, mind is in the nature of attachment, something that cannot be separated from attachment. It is not true—those kinds of wrong conceptions, talk, coming without checking. These kind of people think that renouncing attachment or not allowing the attachment to arise means sort of completely stopping happiness, completely stopping all peace, which is the completely wrong idea. Also many people think that if there is no attachment to food, how can the person enjoy food? However, mainly these are due to not really knowing the cause of suffering, and the cause of actual happiness. Due to this ignorance, the wrong conceptions, then the person’s methods are all wrong. Just like this. When the person is feeling cold, they think the warmth, feeling warm is the real pleasure. That is received from the fire, so then the person try to get in the fire, closer and closer to the fire. Like this example. He burns himself because of this wrong conception. However, this is simple, as I have already discussed.

For instance, even though there is attachment to one person, attachment to that specific person doesn’t always exist—it changes after some time. There is anger rising for that person, or sometimes the indifferent thought arises for that person. As it changes like this to one object, in the same way we can make it change for all the objects, not having attachment for all objects. We can make the mind not have anger for all objects. All these things, these different types of negative mind can be purified by achieving realization, as it is a creation of mind, same thing, the negative mind is a creation of our mind.

In Australia, I think in Melbourne, in of the Universities, I don’t remember, Lama Yeshe gave a lecture on how problems are caused by attachment. So after that, I think there were many students from the University who asked all kinds of different questions like this—how can a person live without attachment, how can the person have pleasure without attachment, things like that. They were very brilliant. They understood whatever subject there was in the lecture, they were very clever. Of course the questions they were asking were coming from what they usually think, how their mind is, what they usually think.

So briefly like this on the cause of the perfect human rebirth. In relation to charity, charity doesn’t have to be always physical things. There are different ways to make charity. There are maybe different explanations on the different ways of making charity, on the part of the six paramitas, the bodhisattvas deeds (Page 138)—if you look there maybe you can find different ways of making charity.

For instance, in just the present time we are making charity to all sentient beings. For instance, in the last few days, as we have been doing meditation, each person has dedicated his merits for the benefit of all sentient beings. That is charity, that is increasable charity. That is the best way of making charity, the best charity. Why do I say the best way of doing it? Because merit is something that is not a physical thing, not a material thing, it is not something that you physically give or share with other people. Usually when ordinary people make physical charity of material things like this, it is difficult for it to become it real charity, a pure action. It is difficult because you are giving some physical thing to other people, so most of the time it is easy to get involved with self-cherishing thought. It is easy to get involved—the worst thing is this—what makes the charity impure is the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas. This makes the action not become a virtuous action, not pure, again it disturbs the action from becoming pure. The attachment that is attached to the reputation, that is attached to the happiness of this one life. Most of the time this attachment is attached to the reputation, thinking “If I do this, give this,” thinking, “If surrounding people see me making charity to these people they will think I am a very generous person. They will admire me and I will gain reputation.” With expectations like this in the depth of the mind, the person who makes charity is not really showing sincere compassion for that person, the beggar or whoever it is. That action is a cause of samsara because it is done with attachment. If I help someone expecting something back in the future, thinking, “If I give this to him afterwards when he comes rich I can take things from him,” expecting to receive something back from him, this is charity, however, it is not sincere charity, not pure action. It is more concerned with himself. The person’s thought that makes the charity is more concerned with himself than with the other person. So it is like for his purpose that he is making charity. That kind of charity, that thought is not the renounced thought. That action is not Dharma, because that action is the work of the delusions, the work of the attachment. People have different expectations like this that make the action of charity not sincere.

(BREAK)

Student: Could you explain in more detail the mental techniques for equalizing pleasure and pain?
Rinpoche: It is not so simple. This needs more explanation and understanding. The first thing one should understand is the nature of pleasure, and with this understanding, as there is a deeper understanding, the person has power to make them equal, to not care whatever happens, whatever suffering or pleasure comes. So the first important thing is knowing about suffering nature and knowing the nature of pleasure. This explanation will come afterwards.
Student: How is it possible for us to use the dream state?
Rinpoche: To use the dream state there are many different techniques, many ways, but however now perhaps it is good, this is just my idea, perhaps it is good just before going to bed to think, “Whatever dream I get at night, may all sentient beings see all phenomenal existence as a dream.” Like this you dedicate the dream for other sentient beings. I think this is what I can say now. But there are many other techniques to become conscious of what you do in the dream and, in the dream, practicing Dharma or whatever meditation you are doing in the day you can do at night in the dream. This is by having a little bit of control, and to be able to do this you have to have much more training during your daily life’s practice. There are specific techniques. By training the mind for a long time, whenever the person has a dream he has the choice or control to continuously do the practice.
Student: Does that mean we are creating karma while we sleep even though it may be indifferent karma?
Rinpoche: We can create karma in the dream.
Student: Do you say ultimately we can control thoughts while asleep?
Rinpoche: Possible yes, possible.
Student: If there are unlimited buddhas, what is the point of ourselves obtaining enlightenment? Buddha has all this knowledge, but how can we help by obtaining enlightenment ourselves, how can we help?
Rinpoche: Good question. Just simple way, for instance—now we are starting to recognize our own life, our own nature, our knowledge, just even knowing what the Dharma is, what good karma is, what negative karma is—just even this single small knowledge, this understanding, receiving this knowledge, even this small knowledge is the help of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. We receive this due to the kindness of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching, and this is the way we receive help from all the buddhas. So similarly, receiving knowledge depends on many things—by receiving explanations, reading the holy texts, sometimes even in reading if the person’s mind has been trained in the Dharma before in previous lifetimes and there are many impressions sometimes it is possible that when the person’s mind is ready, the person can just remember, he receives the certain knowledge of the Dharma. Like this. There are many different ways that enlightened beings help, not only by giving teachings. Explaining teachings is one of the main things, the essential way, the h