Kopan Course No. 33 (2000): Audio and Unedited Transcripts, Continued

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Kopan Monastery, Nepal. (Archive #1257)

The following are excerpts of the teachings given by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche at the Thirty-third Kopan Meditation Course, held at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 2000. Included is an oral transmission of the Medicine Buddha mantra and portions of the Diamond Cutter Sutra.

Lectures 6-10 are below; the first five lectures can be found here. You can also read the entire lightly edited transcript here.

Day 8: The Ten Non-Virtues: Slander, Gossip, Harsh Speech, Covetousness, Ill Will, Heresy

... suffering result you experience in human realm, later after some time when you get born human being, due to good karma, get born human being, during that time experience suffering which is the result of another bad karma.

Then possessed result, if your work, if you are a farmer you can't develop your work, can't improve the work. If you are a farmer, can't improve the work; or you are doing business, sailing ships, transportation of cars. However, doing business, transportation, carrying things, carrying people, unable to have success, unable to develop. Might be same thing, you open shop and not receiving buyer, clients, customers, you not receiving customers, same thing. Also if you opened hospitals not receiving clients, some of the hospitals receive a lot, but your hospital doesn't receive. Or you open a restaurant, you are not receiving any guests, all the chairs empty. So anyway unable to progress.

Then the place, what's happening, is not according to your wishes, not according to how you want. People are cheating you, so many people are cheating you, whichever country you go so many people are cheating you, like this, and then place. So many causes of fear, the places where you live the places are filled, where you live, so many danger, so many fear, cause of fear, danger for life things like that. This is possessed result of negative karma of telling lies.

Then three other suffering results you experience in human realm later, for some time, when you get born human being. Experiencing the result similar to the cause, so many people you have so many people who criticise you, who put down you, who cheat you, deceiving you, then creating result similar to cause, you do again cheating others, telling lies others.

Then negative karma of slandering, possessed result that is when we are born human being, after some time where you live, the place which has so many hills or mountains, so makes life very difficult you go up and down, up and down, not planned not beautiful, very difficult to go, makes life very difficult. Which is also the place where you live so many external dangers, so many fears and so many causes of fear that.

Then experiencing result similar to the cause. That is, there is no unity in the family, other people are not harmonious to you, doesn't become harmonious to you doesn't unite to you so surrounding people not they don't really like you, disharmony. Then, they are mean, they have bad thoughts towards you, they are mean to you, instead of wonderful, you hear… because in the past you did slandering to others, uninteresting words expressed to others, so in this life you hear from others words that disturb your mind, other people talking bad about you, or bad about other person then creates disunity with that person, that companion, that friend. Even the words, even your talk, it becomes cause of fighting you try to talk but your talk become cause of fighting, your talks, your words become cause of quarrel other people to get angry. So those are experiencing results similar to the cause.

Then next one creating results similar to cause - that one is again one commits negative karma of slandering.

As I mentioned before that completed negative karma has four suffering results. Slandering negative karma produces four suffering results, so one of them is again slandering, so goes on as long as we don't change our mind and actions, abstain from that negative karma, don't purify past negative karma, then suffering result goes on and on, without end. Same with the stealing and telling lies.

Next one completed negative karma of gossiping. The ripened aspect result is rebirth in lower realm, one of them. Then possessed result to do with the place, that place where you live, the trees they don't take fruit, you don't get at right time, it doesn't happen at the right time, when you need. Then the fruits appearing to you are not ripened but appear to you ripened. Not having stable root, doesn't last long time. And the place where you live very ugly, unpleasant, forest, or the pond very ugly, unpleasant pond, like that, so many unpleasant things, the place filled with so many causes of fear for your life. Then experiencing the result similar to the cause is that your speech, after some time, when you are born as human being your speech doesn't have power. Therefore when you give a talk or when you request something important to achieve, when you request to somebody, your words doesn't have power so other person doesn't aspire to help you. Others do not pay attention to your words. Then, so that is experiencing result similar to the cause. Creating results similar to the cause is doing again, creating the negative karma of gossiping. Having conversations or talking without meaning, without purpose, to develop delusions.

Then harshly speaking. However the words might be nice sounding but it is hurting to other people's mind, sometimes the way the person says, kind of sounding nice, but it hurt the other person. So that completed negative karma has four suffering results: ripened aspect result of birth in lower realms; possessed result where you are born or where you live there is a lot of thorn bush, lot of thorns very unpleasant, lot of rocky place, lot of unpleasant, this kind of rough, I don't know how to say, there are many details, I don't know the name in English, very rough like a thorn, very rough bushes, that grow on the logs, like that kind of bush. However, the main thing is very rough place there is not very pleasant it doesn't have many glorious magnificent kind of very green, nice, very glorious, magnificent, not like that, opposite, very unpleasant place, unhappy place. So, however the sutra texts, there are quite a number of details, many things mentioned, unpleasant things. However, place which has many fears in your life, many cause of fears, places where there is a lot of negative karmas, killing, lots of negative karmas done.

Then experiencing results similar to cause of harshly speaking with words hurting other people's mind - I have got mixed up, some part that I mentioned was the slandering so that is the result of this one. So experiencing the result similar to the cause of slandering, surrounded by people that are not harmonious to you, they don't unite to you and they are bad to you, mean to you, and then also separation, the friend or companion or husband or wife separating from you, leaving you, because you caused in the past, slandered by, slandering you, caused disunity to split the people those who are harmonious. So same thing happens to you.

So the harshly speaking, experiencing the result similar to the cause, you hear unpleasant words from other people, so exactly same how you said unpleasant words to other people in the past now you hear the same unpleasant words. So even your own talks becomes cause of quarrels you try to speak and it become cause of quarrel like that then, now that creating result similar to cause, harsh speaking, doing that again, so then that has four suffering results. So goes on and on like that until one purifies the past negative karma and changes attitude and action.

Then covetousness - the three negativities of the mind are covetousness, ill will and heresy. Doing this negative karma will have ripening aspect of birth in lower realms. Then experiencing the result similar to the cause is the crops, any worldly perfection, for example where there is a lot of oil production, gold, any perfection like that including crops so every year those things are decreasing, less and less, it decreases year by year, month by month, day by day they are becoming less instead of increasing. Then experiencing result similar to the cause of covetousness then that is your wishes don't succeed, what your hoping they don't succeed they experiencing result similar to the cause. Dissatisfied mind so much desire, unable to satisfy, so strong, so much desire, unable to be satisfied, unable to be content. So this is the experience of the result similar to the cause.

Then creating result similar to the cause, again I am doing the same thing. Therefore Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo mentioned in Liberation in the Palm, when you go for shopping, when one goes for shopping, so go to market one goes back with so much negative karma of covetousness, you go back with so many negative karmas of covetousness. Therefore, the attachment wanting to have objects, then action one decides to get it, then completed. So first there is attachment wanting to have it. So therefore often I say you need lam rim in the daily life, no choice, one’s mind has to abide in lam rim. When you go for shopping if you do the shopping with the renunciation of samsara, renunciation of this life, renunciation of samsara, you do renunciation, with detachment to this life and detachment to samsara. So in that way you don't create negative karma of covertness. If you do shopping with bodhicitta motivation to benefit for other sentient beings, you buy this to benefit other sentient beings, whether it is food or clothing or whatever, the aim is to benefit the sentient beings, not for your happiness so that way it does not become covetousness, negative karma of mind.

Then same also right view, when you do shopping if you do the shopping with right view, with meditation on emptiness… I was going to mention that today but I did not get to finish, anyway so how to meditate on emptiness in the busy life while you are busy. So if you do that with right view, with meditation on emptiness if you do the shopping then one doesn't create negative karma of covetousness, in Tibetan, nak.sem.

Next one is ill will, negative karma of ill will. Completed negative karma of that is ripened aspect rebirth in one of the lower realms. Then later when you get born as human being in human realm then you experience the possessed result to do with the place. There is a lot of disease, contagious disease many harms to life. So many diseases so many harms to your life, you get so many diseases from other people, contagious diseases. I think wars, fighting, attacked by others, make war by others, then also like you are bitten by snakes, poisonous snakes or mosquitoes bitten by mosquitoes, scorpions, . So anyway and all those insects are harming you; some people get bitten by a lot of ants.

His Holiness Zong Rinpoche one of the gurus from whom I have received many initiations, teachings, the Tibetan, great Pandit, great scholar and highly attained being, deity Heruka in reality, His Holiness Zong Rinpoche. Wherever he is in hot countries in India where there are a lot of mosquitoes the mosquito never bite him because karma gone.

So anyway, even the ants they bite, all those insects they bite, fleas whatever all those you should remember at that time you are experiencing the possessed result of the negative karma past karma, evil. So this, when you remember this, you don't get angry, there is nothing to blame to those animals insects because its your karma who caused them to bite you. So also the place where there is a lot of robbery, thieves and robbery, place where there is a lot of fear that is possessed result and the experiencing the result similar to the cause then say you receive harm from others from other people, you receive from others and you don't, what you looking for, you are not looking that which is beneficial you are looking for that which is harmful to you things like that.

Then creating results similar to the cause, again you are committing negative karma, ill will for next life when you are born human being. Then again if you don't change your mind purify negative karma then goes on, on like that.

Then next, last one, miraculously got to the last one miracle of, anyway so doesn't matter. So now the last one, the last of the last, heresy, negative karma of heresy.

Just before that… there are many new diseases happening, in recent years happened in Japan or… many new diseases started including AIDS and not quite recently many other disease started that spreads very harmful in India or somewhere, even people die just so fast, one disease started, in India it happened. Also Mongolia, there was one place in Mongolia happened this disease but already it was gone. There was one place where there were many, many stupas, its quite far, today you go, you spend one night there, come back tomorrow, that's a good way to do. I was going to visit that place, anyway there was news it was blocked because there is still doubt this disease is there in that area but I think after some days then it was opened the road was opened. Anyway I don't know name, dying much faster than AIDS. Anyway all those disease coming.

One time in Dharamsala there is some new disease, very life threatening disease coming, there is danger to spread so His Holiness advised, Dharmasala many people after they finished the work, the lay people, after four o'clock they go to Mcleod Ganj Stupa and prayer wheels and people come there and they sit and chant the Lochama, there is one deity, healing deity, Lochama, there are a few different aspects. So this is healing deity and His Holiness asked people, advised people to chant this mantra everybody go there after finished work in the factory, whatever, carpet factory, they go there in front of that place and then chant this mantra and so they did that for some time. They did not get those new diseases, life threatening. So all this, the place where you are having these diseases is the result of the past negative karma, ill will.

So now the heresy, so ripened aspect result completed negative karma of this, ripened aspect result, rebirth in lower realm. Then possessed result, where you born, where you live… also the gold or something production, oil, there is production in that place main once now not happening any more or place become very dirty unhygienic, very dirty, something very dirty, appearing clean, or you believe clean. It is suffering but it appears to you as pleasure, like that, things. Then you are in a place where you have no guide, you have no refuge, you cannot find guide, person to help you, you have no guide or refuge no person to help you, to guide you.

Then experiencing the result similar to the cause; what you experience, after some time when you are born as a human being, you have wrong views, you like evil friends, friends who give you wrong conceptions or who engage you in evil deeds. However, you don't like spiritual friends, you like the evil friend’s mind, becoming like that, friends who give you good advice, dharma friends who give you dharma advice, who guide you, one doesn't like, one hates, one likes the opposite evil friends who give you wrong advice and oblige you to engage in evil deeds. One likes, instead of liking virtue one likes non-virtuous activities. One likes, takes interest in wrong philosophies. You lose your wisdom, degenerate your wisdom, unclear, not precise, unclear mind, might be like that; in Tibetan sherab chowa(?).

So then creating the result similar to the cause, again you engage in the heresy when you are born a human being and you do again, so like that.

So now here… there are four outlines of karma, so I am going to use that on this. After going through these examples; karma is definite; once the karma is created, as long as you don't purify, now matter how many eons it takes it doesn't gets lost, you definitely experience the result. This you have created these non-virtuous actions then one definitely experiences the suffering results, so karma is definite. Therefore one must, no matter how many eons it takes, once the karma is created, the negative karma created, it never gets lost and one definitely experiences the result when negative karma causes and conditions come together so therefore one must, because definite, so must abandon negative karma. And you definitely experience, if you have created good karma, definitely experience the result so therefore must create good karma...

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