So first I finish what I was… there was a commercial break. There was commercial break advertising coca cola, advertising tea. So as I was saying before, so now, with the torch you see it’s not a snake. It’s a rope, but real rope, real; before real snake, now that’s gone. Now you discovered, now that you cannot find. It doesn’t exist. Now you see the real rope. Before, real snake, now real rope with the torch.

Real rope. Nothing to do with your mind – never came from your mind, nothing to do with your mind. Rope, completely, existing from its own side. Rope, real rope, existing, having inherent existence, existing form it’s own side, not merely labeled by mind. So appearing like that: real rope in the sense appearing not merely labeled by mind. So that is the subtlest, extremely subtle hallucination of the object to be refuted.

The four schools of Buddhist philosophy, the fourth one, Madhyamika School, the second, telngyuwa, Prasangika School – that school’s object to be refuted - that extremely subtle one. So you see the rope. Rope appears to you and you see the rope that way: real rope, not merely labeled by mind. There’s object to be refuted, false object, according to each school of Buddhist philosophy [Tibetan] Mind Only School, Sautantrika school, Madhyamika Sautantrika, then the Prasangika School. Hallucination, which the wrong view, by believing in that, the ignorance according to each of the points of view of these schools, everything is there in your view. While you’re looking at the rope all those hallucinations that are explained by each school is there in your view.

However, the extremely subtle one is the rope appearing to you not merely labeled by mind. So that one, the Prasangika School view, the object to be refuted is there. This very subtle one is also there in your view. All these hallucinations piled up, the way the rope is appearing to you and how you believe what the rope is.

So with torch, real rope, not merely labeled by mind. Rope which is existing not merely labeled by mind, slightly more than what is merely imputed by mind – this is there. Not appearing merely labeled by mind. This appearance is not there – which is true - is not there. You don’t see it. Even though that’s the way it exists, we don’t see it that way.

So, now, this real rope appearing not merely labeled by mind, even slightly more than what is merely labeled by mind, now we look for it. Where is it? Now you look where, you analyse whether it exists there or not. So where is it? Every single hair is not [pause] – let me put it this way. Every single hair is not even the mere labeled rope, then whole bunch of rope together, even that, whole bunch, all those bunch of hairs put together, weaved or whatever, even all together, even that is not merely labeled ‘rope’. What exists, rope what exists, is the mere labeled ‘rope’. But every single hair is not the rope; merely labeled ‘rope’. And altogether, even that, is not merely labeled rope.

Even the merely labeled rope you cannot find – no way it exists on this. On this, nowhere you can find ‘rope’, merely labeled rope. Wherever you point, cannot find. Merely labeled rope does exist but we cannot find on that. You cannot find from tip down to, from the other tip to the other lower tip. You cannot find. The merely labeled rope you cannot find anywhere. Even that which exists you cannot find there. Not only cannot find on every single hair but even the whole together, on that, you cannot find merely labeled rope. Nowhere. If you look for, where is it?

So, therefore, [pause] like that. All that is just the base. All that is just the base, which can receive the label ‘rope’. The base, which can receive the label ‘rope’ - so mind which, your mind, which sees the base, the collection of hairs put together which has the function to tie things, mind which sees that base then makes up the label ‘rope’, merely imputes the label ‘rope’ and believe in that. So that’s the label. What you see first is the base. Second, then after, anyway – so mind seeing that base, then merely impute ‘rope,’ which is the label but is not there. This label is not on there, not on that base, nowhere it exists on that base.

So, therefore, now, how – now when you analyse this, that real rope is gone. The real rope, not merely labeled by mind, when you put torch after real snake is gone, you see it’s empty, non-existent. Now this real rope, not merely labeled by mind, existing from it’s own side, that’s gone. That’s totally non-existent – that which you believe so strongly at the beginning. When you put torch, after you realise, this is not snake. The real rope, not merely labeled by mind, appearing strongly, 100% without doubt you believe - now this is totally non-existent there.

So how you going to find this on this base? Collection of hairs put together, how are you going to find this? Even what exists, merely labeled rope, you cannot find there. How can you find rope not merely labeled by mind? How can you find this? This doesn’t exist anyway – neither on the base nor anywhere it exists, totally non-existent; total hallucination.

So, absence of that, non-objectifying that, realising that that is totally non-existent right there. That which appears from it’s own side is totally empty. Which appears existing from it’s side – that’s totally empty from it’s own side. It appears existing from it’s own side. It’s totally empty from it’s own side, totally empty there – completely non-existent there.

So, seeing, realising that, is seeing emptiness of the rope. [pause]

So, now, when you put the torch on the real rope, not merely labeled by mind, appearing and what you then believe. This is [pause] so like this, exactly like this, now you can get some idea of this hallucination. The second phenomena, the second object with the torch – what you believed that I have discovered real rope. ‘Real’ in the sense of not merely labeled by mind. You believe this is what exists. Previously, the snake, doesn’t exist. The previous snake, that you really believed, and appeared as a real snake there, that’s totally non-existent, but this one exists. The mind thinks like that at the beginning. Later, after analysis, it’s totally non-existent. Exists nowhere – neither on the base nor anywhere.

So like this, hallucination. In everyday life, I, action, object, enlightenment, hell, samsara, nirvana, happiness, problems, virtue, non-virtue, friend, enemy, bad and good – we should recognise all the rest of the hallucinations that we have from this idea of the real rope; real snake and second one, real rope. By recognising this as hallucination, we should recognise all the rest of the hallucinations that we have on all the merely labeled phenomena.

How many existents there, hallucinations cover everything. All these are empty: I, action, object, everything – all the phenomena. So, therefore, they all are totally empty of that which appears real from there. This rope is empty of that real rope appearing from its side, or as this rope, which is merely imputed one, doesn’t have inherently existing rope or real rope. It doesn’t have inherent existence – existing by it’s nature. It doesn’t have that. So all the rest of phenomena, including ‘I’, do not have inherent existence or existing by nature.

So this is extremely important meditation to practice mindfulness in daily life. Looking at hallucination – mindfulness on the hallucination. Mindfulness looking at all these objects, hallucinations, as they hallucinations; that one is extremely essential. [pause]

Anyway, I mentioned here, may not happen other time, not sure. Integrating your daily life with meditation – two very important meditations of Lam Rim: bodhicitta and emptiness. Two very essential practices, like two legs to go to enlightenment like that – bodhicitta and emptiness - to make your daily life most meaningful. Not just the sitting meditation but here I’m talking about the busy life or the break-time. Break, not from Dharma – break from Dharma that’s wrong. Break from Dharma practice that is, then your actions will be non-virtuous. If you allow break from Dharma practice then will be non-virtue, engaging in non-virtue. That is the break from Dharma practice. Here I’m talking about break from sitting meditation, not break from Dharma. Especially the times busy or however, working, when you’re not doing sitting meditation. How to make the life, how to make those daily lives most meaningful. By meditating on emptiness you are liberating yourself from samsara. All day long, whatever you do, you’re liberating. With mindfulness of emptiness you’re liberating, all day long, yourself from samsara. You’re liberating from the prison of samsara that the ignorance put you. Your ignorance put yourself in the prison of samsara. Now, with wisdom, you generate, you allow to generate wisdom within yourself. Then you liberate yourself from the prison of samsara, your prison of samsara.

I’m not sure, those who heard Lam Rim teachings before – the bodhicitta meditation techniques. One is developing altruism to achieve enlightenment through the, Tibetan call, [Tibetan] seven techniques of Mahayana cause and effect. Based on the realisation of equanimity, how all sentient beings are equal to you – on the basis of that, how all sentient beings have been one’s mother, and kind; and then, repaying the kindness; and then the loving-kindness, the affectionate loving kindness. [pause] how the mother, the love that she feel to her beloved child. Like that. The child that she’s cherished so much in her heart – how the mother feel for that child, that beloved child – like that kind. You generate towards every single sentient being without discrimination, exactly like that. That’s what it means – affectionate loving-kindness. Tibetan term is {yi-ong jampa} – the feeling in your heart. It’s similar to say ‘dear’, ‘most dear’. So we generate that, exactly like that towards every single sentient being, even the person who abuse you, including whom you call ‘enemy’ – same. You have to generate that even to that person. Without discrimination – to everyone: the six realm sentient beings, everyone, not only human beings, affectionate loving-kindness, loving-kindness, feeling most dear – that loving-kindness.

You see that object, that sentient being, beautiful one, in beauty. But this beauty is not physical beauty. The physical can be totally ugly, most horrible, but how you see that person in beauty is because you meditated on kindness of that person before, that sentient being’s kindness. Kindness from beginning-less rebirths of being mother and kind, or in this life, person who has been most kind to you is the father, then the father. If that’s easier for you to meditate on kindness then you think all sentient beings have been your father. You see kind like this, exactly did like this, numberless times from beginning-less rebirths by every sentient being.

It’s hard to feel the, how you feel your father – if the father is who is most kind then you try to get the same feeling back towards all sentient beings. And then that helps you to repay kindness and to generate this. How you see your father’s beauty, like that, you see all sentient beings. Or if you use the mother, or somebody else that you feel so kind, most kind, than the parent then that person – somebody who is the most kind. Then everybody did the same. That kindness. So like that, can do like that.

It’s not that you’re making it up. It’s according to reality – have been like that from countless rebirth for every sentient being. So then every sentient being you see beauty. As I mentioned, person who is physically ugly, terrible ugly, but when you think of the kindness of the person then you feel affectionate love and in view of that affection you see that person’s beauty. It’s nothing to do with the physical beauty.

So this is why the mother is used in the texts. The mother because giving birth, when your consciousness took place on the fertilised egg, taking care for nine months in the womb. It’s where your consciousness took place. And came born from mother, from mother’s body came out. So that itself is unbelievable kindness. Just that itself. Even if that’s only what she did. Nothing she did after that but just that, itself, is unbelievable kindness. So if she did abortion or something, if she didn’t take care of me, feel uncomfortable or uneasy, make uneasy in her life. She doesn’t have freedom. It doesn’t give her freedom and uneasy in her life and so forth.

If you think those things and if she didn’t take care of me then, by now, I wouldn’t have this precious human body. Not only that, I don’t have these pleasures, human being’s pleasures. Not only that but most precious thing is to meet Dharma and practice, to learn Dharma so I can be free of samsara. Dharma, which is only Buddha’s teaching, only thing which has means, has complete path that liberate me from samsara and, not only that, to achieve enlightenment so I can liberate numberless sentient beings form all the sufferings, cause, and bring them to enlightenment – infinite benefit that I can offer to sentient beings.

Now here you can think this came from the mother’s kindness. This came from the mother. This is the mother’s kindness where you have all these opportunities. Where you have all these opportunities now came from the mother. Even mother if what she did is only birth and somebody else took care of you, somebody else raised you, and you think oh, my mother’s abandoned me. My mother is terrible. Somebody else took care of me and that’s totally bad. Mother is totally bad. You completely, you see this person’s kindness but you don’t see the kindness of mother: that all these opportunities that you have now, not only temporal pleasure, human pleasure, comforts, but all these unbelievable chance to practice Dharma as I mentioned before, comes from the mother, if she didn’t take care of me in the womb. That’s it.

So by now, I could be in the hell realm. I could be fish in the water, caught in the fisherman’s net, whatever. By now could be worm eaten by bird, cut in pieces. Could be in the mouth, in the beak of the birds – those big birds in the beach, the ocean. They have this huge

[students] –

what?

[students]

Pelican. This huge it goes, this long beak and kind of like that, very terrifying. Swallows, some how they keep, somebody goes down. So, anyway, could be that by now, could be in their mouth.

Anyway, you never know. Could be mosquito, [Rinpoche makes mosquito sound] disturbing people. annoying people so you never know. Could be crocodiles – this long mouth, like this, very long mouth. with teeth hanging here, such unbelievable body. So could be like that in the mud. Or could be this big animal that live in the mud – rhinoceros. Huh?

[students]

Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus or ‘hiponomas’, or ‘happyinomas’.

So could be anything. Wouldn’t have this chance.

When you think like that, even if what she did is just kept for nine months or whatever, took care and gave birth, is unbelievable – just that. Then from that all these things happen. It’s unbelievable, incredible opportunity we have now. It’s come from her unbelievable kindness - especially to practice Dharma, have the opportunity to practice Dharma, because she took care in the womb and gave birth. Now having opportunity to practice Dharma it’s come from her, her kindness. It’s dependent on her. Like the fruit came from this, like the fruit that you enjoy depend on the, came from the seed, depend on the seed, seed that was planted. So like that, same. All these incredible comfort, pleasures, that we have and the most fascinating thing that is a miracle: having opportunity to practice Dharma to achieve all the happiness of future life and liberation from samsara and enlightenment, depend on her taking care, giving birth to me, gave human body and took care.

So if you’re repaying kindness to her, just to repay kindness, just only this life, without questioning, without thinking all the past lives have been mother, gave not only temporary happiness but opportunity to practice Dharma also in the past lives, numberless. Without thinking that, just this life, her kindness – even you sacrifice your life to her give up your life, sacrifice your life to her equalling the number of atoms on this earth, that many lives you sacrifice for her, still is nothing. It’s nothing. Cannot repay her kindness of her who gave this incredible opportunity. That much one sacrifice one’s own life to her is nothing, cannot repay kindness. So, then, no question other things. There’s four ways of meditating on kindness. First kindness is the numberless kindness that gave body and, especially, human body – especially which gave opportunity to practice Dharma. That cat is saying yes, yes.

[tape change]

...Anyway, so kindness gave body, then second, numberless times. And then second kindness: sacrifice life, no… protected – the mother protected your life from hundreds of dangers each day when you’re born, when one was born to her - so kindness of that. That one you can count from the time of the birth, since one is conceived from there after even one is born, then for many years. So numberless times did she do that. Gave body, kindness that gave body numberless times from beginning-less past lives – main kindness is that. Then kindness when one is born to her - protected one’s own life from hundreds of dangers each day. So like that did numberless times from beginning-less rebirth up to now.

Then she gave, she led me in the ‘path to the world’ means she gave education - either household teach or she helped to get education, then special Dharma. She did like that numberless times from beginning-less rebirth.

Then the fourth one is great hardships, great kindness bearing hardships for me. Not only this life. At that time when you meditate on this it’s good to watch, it’s good to remember whenever if yourself do not have experience of taking care of children. If yourself didn’t have that experience, especially if you found, especially, anyway, especially if one found very difficult life to take care of children. But that is a very useful experience for you because then you can use that as an example how your parents suffered so much for yourself for so many years.

If you have your own experiences hard life, difficult life, day and night, then that is very good for realisation of bodhicitta – to realise kindness of your parents, how they suffered so much, how they sacrificed their lives so much from birth, in the womb, after birth. That’s very effective because it’s something that you have seen, have experienced. However, even if you don’t have experience you should look at the other people who have children, who have many children, who have a child or however many children; parents having so much difficulties, have to bear so much hardships, how much life they have to sacrifice, day and night, give everything for the child. For example, even this one: in the west until they’ve got their degree from university or college then parents have to work so hard.

What I see among the students, what I hear, they’re waiting until the children get their degree or finish university or college. They really work so hard. No time for retreat. They want to do many things. They want to do retreat. Their own wish is they want to retreat. They know how the Dharma is so precious and how the life is so short. They’re aware of that and this is the most precious life and very short, so short – which is all the opportunities is very short but they have no choice because taking care of children. Try to find many jobs to earn living, not only for themselves but for the children, all the expenses, education. Those ----- are very helpful. Work so hard and when they come back so tired, many hours job and so exhausted then work at home look after children.

So, anyway, you watch other parents if you don’t have yourself experience. That, even for five minutes, if the mother did not watch, or the mother didn’t or parents hired somebody to watch by paying money, if the child’s not watched even for five minutes the child is in risk to fall down from the steps or some cliffs or to put sharp things - things that harms the life, put in mouth. The baby, there is no idea or knowledge what is harmful and what is benefit – no idea. Here, even one minute is not watched, the baby’s life’s in danger. You have been in a similar situation like this and all that time looked after by parents or hire somebody by paying money, paying money to the place where they take care while the parents are working, and pay money to the child care place, somebody look after.

However, so [pause] crying daytime, crying even night time and doesn’t give any peace to have a good sleep. [pause] That [pause] so all the pee-pee ca-ca, all the time making dirty and have to clean.

In Solo Khumbhu Himalayan Mountain, those places where I was born, the mother clean even nose by mouth - clean the nose, you suck by the mouth. And especially feed by mouth to mouth. I don’t remember, particularly, myself fed by my mother mouth to mouth but I enjoyed very much the baby food. Fed by mouth of mother I don’t remember but I know the food they give to babies is so delicious. I think it’s mainly because of the butter. In tsampa, I think milk in tsampa put a lot of butter so it’s so delicious, maybe a little salt probably. It may not be my own food but maybe other child – maybe my brother’s food, one of my brothers when he was baby or something. Maybe I ate his food. So, anyway, she take, mother takes then feed from mouth – how the bird does exactly. Maybe the same, maybe, in Tibet. So feed like that. Of course, feeding with her own milk, breast, that’s very common.

So should remember all the hardships. If you yourself didn’t have experience then look at others and use that for meditation – how your parents in this life suffered. They suffer so much, exhaust so much, bearing hardships so much, worrying, fear, and all of that; trying to earn living for the shelter, food and clothing, all these. Protected life from hundreds of dangers everyday. That includes giving medicines when you’re sick, giving food when hungry, when thirsty giving drink, food, clothing, shelter – that includes all those things, protecting life from hundreds of dangers each day like the mother.

Then you think this is not only this life. This life is so much – how much they’ve done is so much. That’s not the first time. She’s done this, numberless times, from beginning-less rebirths. Like that. Then you try to see the kindness deathless, beginning-less; each kindness beginning-less. Then you, what one causes the parents, all this exhaustion, worry, fear [pause] they create so many negative karma for us to earn a living, for shelter, food, and all of this. However, for one’s own wellbeing they create so much negative karma by cheating others, telling lies to others, harming others, killing others – so many negative karma they collected. So, of course, should remember those created for your wellbeing. Then the result of all those negative karmas they did for your wellbeing, for your happiness, who will experience the suffering result of those negative karmas? Only themselves. So like that they did numberless times. It’s not the first time they did. They created so many negative karma when I was born to them for my wellbeing from beginning-less rebirths. And as a result of that they suffered so much, time without beginning, for me. Negative karma created for me, for my wellbeing, they have to suffer all the result. From beginning-less rebirth they did that. This is not the first time. Then so many negative karma collected this life they will have to experience suffering in their future lives. They have to experience all that. So remember all those things.

And then, on top of that, one causes them – one’s own side, cause them to get angry, cause them to create so much negative karma on top of that. Then, again, they have to experience all the result sufferings. All these kindness bearing hardship, on top pf this, one cause them to create negative karma. Then they have to suffer, experience all the suffering results, like that. From beginning-less rebirth, like this happened. They did kindness by bearing hardship for me. Like that.

Then, Buddhas – to think this way is also very good. Buddhas [pause] they don’t see the beginning of the kindness of the mother; kindness gave body. The kindness that she gave body, that this life mother gave body, Buddhas cannot see the beginning. She did like this numberless times, from beginning-less rebirths. Buddhas do not see the beginning of the kindness of her giving, giving body.

To repay this kindness even I sacrifice my life to her, even the number of the atoms of this earth, it’s nothing. Before I mentioned even for just this life, she give, because she give birth even that mother who only just gave the birth, because she gave birth I have all these opportunities now especially to practice Dharma - not only all the pleasures, comforts, all the education that I have. So I mentioned that even just with this one sacrifices one’s life equalling the number of atoms of earth to her it’s nothing – especially gave opportunity to practice Dharma.

Second kindness, protected me from hundreds of life dangers each day. This is not first time – numberless times she did, from beginning-less rebirths. Buddhas’ omniscient mind they cannot see the beginning of this, even Buddhas’ omniscient mind cannot see the beginning of this kindness. So, if I sacrifice my life equalling the number of atoms of all this earth to repay that kindness, cannot. There’s nothing. Cannot finish repaying her kindness.

Her kindness gave education, led in the path of the world. That she did this numberless times; this is not the first time. She did numberless times from beginning-less rebirths. And Buddhas’ omniscient mind they cannot see even beginning of this kindness. Even if I sacrifice my life equalling the number of atoms of this earth to her, cannot finish repaying her kindness.

Then the fourth one kindness gave so much hardships. Not the first time, she did this kindness from numberless times from beginning-less rebirths. Buddha’s omniscient mind cannot see the beginning of this kindness bearing hardships for me. So even if I sacrifice my life number of atoms of this earth to repay the kindness, it’s nothing. Cannot repay that kindness.