There are some people here who want to take the five precepts. Ordination is beneficial for oneself and for sentient beings. The lamas’ experience is that before taking and giving these precepts we should have some understanding of what they are and why we take them. It is not just a samsaric custom.

We all want perfect peace, happiness, everlasting satisfaction and liberation. Since that’s our goal, we should head in that direction. Otherwise we’re just hypocrites—we say we want, we want, but act completely opposite to our desire. A simple example: in the West, people with severe psychological problems are put into mental hospitals, which is pretty radical treatment. What they need is soft, peaceful treatment. Putting someone in jail is wrathful treatment, neither soft nor peaceful. Lama’s rule is that mental hospitals are OK, but they should be peaceful and the patients should be treated with understanding. They should come to understand themselves slowly, slowly, not by force.

By constraining ourselves with ordination we can gradually develop our mind. We are not ready for immediate development by forced meditation and so forth. We need to create peaceful conditions for ourselves so that our mind will develop in a certain way and gradually become more stable, not up and down. From there it can be liberated without having to come down into the samsaric world.

So ordination is the method of achieving this. Lord Buddha never said we have to follow any rule without knowing its purpose. He said that if you keep this kind of precept it will give you this kind of mental feeling, safety from certain problems. The five precepts are not killing, not lying, not stealing, not becoming intoxicated and not engaging in sexual misconduct. Lord Buddha never said, “Don’t do these five things.” Rather he explained what kind of mind, what kind of confused mental attitude, engages in killing and so forth; what kind of selfish motivation causes us to engage in such actions.

Before taking the five precepts our mind is dissatisfied, kind of berserk. Lord Buddha said this confused mental attitude brings conflict. If we’re in control of our mind, actions such as killing, lying and so forth, never bring the reaction of conflict in our mind. He never said, “Stop doing that forever.” He just said that avoiding it is useful for your mind. When we reach enlightenment we don’t need ordination rules. For example, small children are told not to touch electricity—their mothers make a kind of rule against it—but older children don’t need such rules; they already know. It’s the same thing for the higher consciousness, the liberated, stable consciousness. It doesn’t need that rule as it is already free from that condition. “If you have an uncontrolled, deluded motivation, do not do such actions.” That’s all Lord Buddha said.

Ordination is helpful not just because a lama gives it to us but because we take it ourselves. If we have great determination, if we understand the nature of the samsaric mind and the way the wrong-concept mind reacts and take the ordination with great psychic mental determination—not just ignorantly saying, “I want this,” but having perfect determination through understanding—then that mental power can lead us in a positive direction for a long time. Samsara comes from the power of the mind, as does the result of liberation. The whole thing is mental attitude; the whole thing is really simple.

Lord Buddha also asked, “What do we need to be qualified to take ordination?” And gave the answer, “Renunciation of samsara.” It’s nothing external, such as robes and so forth. However, we all have a different idea of what renunciation is. My connotation is that renunciation is on a mental level. It means not to give something with mental attachment, not to give an object with the mind still in it, such as when we think, “I wish I hadn’t given that.” This way of thinking only gives trouble. We can renounce lunch but still eat it—renunciation is in the mental attitude.

It’s difficult but possible, it varies from person to person, but some people have very high consciousness; they have control over negativity and problems and at the same time act in unity with phenomena. But others, when they touch electricity they get burnt. Similarly, some experience suffering when they contact the negative mind—we can call it karma, mental reaction, karmic result of action, causation, mental attitude or movement of the mind. How can we develop our consciousness? If we always put our mind into unconscious situations, we cannot develop higher consciousness. We make it possible by putting our mind into a peaceful atmosphere through ordination. Then we can realize how our mind tricks us. “I thought I was like this but now I see I’m like that.”

Ordination is like a test. For example, perhaps we have no idea and always think, “I am perfect, pure; I don’t tell lies,” but when we put ourselves into a situation where we are always aware, we realize that our negative mind is very much involved in what we are doing. When we lie, we are trying to change another’s mental attitude. Although we don’t say the words, “I am always right,” our mental attitude says that we are. Until we can trust ourselves there is no truth at all. For example, we can have an experience, a flash, in meditation, but that doesn’t mean we have found the truth.

Also, keeping precepts is basic, fundamental to samadhi meditation, because when we live in ordination our body, speech and mind are already in a positive, relaxed atmosphere. Out of this basic atmosphere we can guide our mind into the peaceful path of liberation. If somebody is agitating us all the time, it’s an impossible situation for developing control. Therefore, cut the agitated situation and create the atmosphere you want.

I’m not pushing people to take ordination; pushing people is not the Buddhist way. We don’t care if people become Buddhists or not. But those who want to should understand why and how. If you don’t want to take precepts then it’s better that you don’t. 

Ordination is part of everlasting peaceful liberation. Look at some people—some have problems with others all the time. Check those suffering people—they cannot wake up to the fact that there is the possibility of a free life, the depression is too strong. It is the same thing with the confused mental attitude; it stops the mind from opening up. When the atmosphere is calm and relaxed we can open the mind. That doesn’t mean cutting it open; it means understanding wisdom so we can see things better. It’s the same thing taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

Buddha (Skt.) means complete understanding wisdom, not narrow like ours. It means he who can see all things with all-embracing, understanding wisdom, the being who knows all phenomena. “Being” means nothing on the physical level, this is only our concept from the realm in which we were born. Consciousness is being. Why take refuge in Buddha? He can liberate by giving us his knowledge. Why Dharma? We take refuge in his absolute knowledge and wisdom, and this can guide us to discovering it in our own consciousness, and becoming enlightened beings. Dharma is not just a book; the real Dharma is the understanding and the knowledge of the absolute nature of mind. That knowledge, which every living being has, can be used for liberation, it is insurance for reaching liberation. How? That knowledge, understanding the nature of one’s own mind, is insurance for liberation. Why Sangha? Those who have the understanding of their own mind never have an ignorant attitude, confused. They only give a peaceful atmosphere, good vibration, perfect. By seeing this we can develop our own mind. If a close friend is always smoking a chillum and for a month I don’t take it, after some time they may not take it either. In the mind we may have a Western attitude, such as the way we see war and so forth in the mind. So if we visualize it, we wish to change it to the opposite. But even then the West comes into the mind—this is not necessarily negative, but it is just a way of transforming our way of looking; then we see the West in a different way. So we take refuge in Sangha.

How does the enlightened being help all sentient beings compared to the ignorant person? If we are together and if I understand his mentality while I am in contact with him, I act with his wishes. If I don’t understand, it brings conflict. It is the same thing—if one who is enlightened has absolute wisdom understanding the psychic nature, there is no problem at all, that being can give the solution to any psychological problem—if one understands. If one doesn’t, then there is no solution. If I’m sick and one doctor completely understands the disease, he gives me the correct medicine. If another doctor doesn’t understand the elements of my disease he can’t give me the right medicine. One doctor may have much medicine but doesn’t understand, and then the medicine is useless. Compare this to the doctor who does understand. It is the same thing—the enlightened being, who has absolute wisdom and the understanding of all the psychic functions of all living beings, can give the solution according to individual psychic problems, and gives better help than one who knows only how to cure fevers. This person cannot cure all problems.

Bodhisattva Ordination

What we give is when we really actualize bodhicitta in the mind and realize that the selfish ego is the root of samsaric problems, and are willing to change attachment to the “I” by understanding that all sentient beings are the same—they do not desire suffering and they do want happiness. One who really has this understanding gets the bodhisattva ordination. It is not certain if one who is not really actualizing or understanding how bodhicitta is useful and powerful to the mind gets the bodhisattva ordination.

For example, the bodhisattva’s power is to press ourselves unbiased on education, nationality, personality, and so forth. First Lord Buddha says the power of bodhicitta stops that. For example, we say, “My friend comes to see me,” “What are you doing?” and “I am this—” I, I, I, I. Automatically I mentally put some people down—this is so good, this no good—even a flower is good, and even if we don’t say it this implies that another flower is bad. One who takes bodhicitta should not praise oneself or put down other living beings—is this easy to do or not? Honestly check your own life spent with friends and so on.

This also means that we cannot praise ourselves. Lord Buddha wants us free and happy, but if I think “I am best, I am good,” obsessed with my own goodness, that itself is a problem in the mind, makes it go down, unfree. Its nature is samsara, uncontrolled, conflicted mind. But not emotional sitting relaxed with no physical problem—but check mind, it has problems.

That’s why Lord Buddha says we are dangerous. You cannot put down any religion, can’t think, “I take the bodhisattva ordination, I have the highest mind, all sentient beings need me,” and so forth—”I do things perfectly but other religions are no good.” The bodhisattva mind cannot complain about any other doctrine, nor can one say, “My country is nothing, no good,” and put it down thinking only Lama’s teaching is right. Old people think okay, but young people want to go “bang.” Check Lord Buddha’s rule; he never says, “Only I am right, others are wrong.” If you think that way then you have dual mind, conflict. It’s difficult to think, “I do meditation and only that’s right,” and “Other religions use sacrifice therefore they’re no good,” and so forth. One who takes ordination cannot say (or think) that.

Also Lord Buddha says that the bodhisattva can’t show perfect samadhi, can’t stay in it, enjoying it, but must help all sentient beings. Samadhi meditation is bliss greater than all physical enjoyments, but Lord Buddha knows it’s dangerous. A bodhisattva can’t run around telling all about it. However, we can’t doubt it since we don’t have the experience. One who becomes a bodhisattva cannot enjoy bliss all the time, the power of samadhi, staying there.

Questions

Q: Bodhisattva ordination?

Lama: Having the understanding and knowledge of our own attachment, the selfish ego, as the root of all problems, and acting like this for countless lives. Now we are willing to change that object of that attachment from “I” to living beings—that this is the perfect solution to this mental disease. From now until enlightenment I’ll never act with such a selfish attitude—I give my body, speech, and mind for all sentient beings.

Q: How does my enlightenment help other sentient beings’ enlightenment if it depends on my own efforts?

Lama: If I have control of mind and experience, through this control and experience I can give this to others. When we understand other’s psychological problems we can reach beyond, so we have the method to stop them.

Western psychologists, when they treat patients, don’t try to get them to understand their own problems—they try to get them to forget them or sublimate. Lord Buddha says one’s own understanding is part of one’s own liberation. Scientific experiments are external, but Lord Buddha’s method is internal, having to do with how the mind gives information. Does the mind control me or do I control the mind? When Lama shows the way to meditate then can check our own wisdom.

Q: Learning charity?

Lama: Practice giving from one hand to the other.

Q: Sense perception?

Lama: Sense perception deceives us, our own mind gives an interpretation. It is not best to say that all the world is an illusion—it is better to check one’s own mental conception to see if the reality is the same as our concept of it’s reality. Some can see the absolute reality.

Q: “Inner voice”?

Lama: Listen to it with awareness.

Q: Pride is destroyed by prostrations, less ego?

Lama: When prostrating first check up the action of the uncontrolled mind—what actions are done in an impure way. When we realize the experiences of actions done in impure way, we think, if I don’t purify this mind, there will definitely come a reaction giving complicated mind, as well as another such action—such a circle, samsara. Now I have the chance to purify so I must. But not only me—all mother sentient beings are not purified, in the circle of samsara. This will raise great compassion. Visualize parents, enemies, all sentient beings all around you. Then prostrate with body, speech, and mind—go down, say the mantra, visualize. This puts much energy into the nervous system, so it becomes very powerful. Mind, speech, and body energy has the greatest power together, compared to saying “mind has power.” This is like learning a language by writing as well as reading. It is the same for learning Dharma—the greatest impression comes from the three doors. Always stay aware of vibrations. For example, before the sun comes we see light, the vibration of the sun, and similarly before negative mind comes there are signs coming, something unclear comes—we should be aware of this.

Q:  How to be sure that we have the correct method to purify the self-I conception?

Lama: By the experience of first purifying small wrong conception attitudes, we can increase purification. Through meditation we see things better—calm, relaxed, and better. Then think, “I can do better than that,” and so build up slowly.