...to develop compassion, it pollutes the mind obscures the mind, then difficult to have realisation path to enlightenment. Then it is very difficult for you to be free from samsara, it makes it very difficult, this is besides achieving enlightenment. So one must respect, if it's broken one, put in high clean place, or fix it.

Then what one should abandon by taking refuge to Buddha, is following the wrong founder. For example you met the wise doctor and then while you are taking treatment from the wise doctor, if you take treatment from the bad doctor you get wrong treatment and the wrong advice and then you see the wise doctor cannot help you. Like that it becomes obstacle for the wise Doctor to guide you, to heal your sickness. So same, the wrong founder who reveals the wrong path, wrong concept, then one follows that the Buddha cannot guide. Therefore must abandon following the wrong founder.

Then by practising Dharma what one should abandon, what one should practise, is that one must respect Dharma texts, even a torn page from Dharma text, even a few lines you see in the garbage or on the road; pick up and then put in the car thinking that this reveals the path, which liberates me from the whole entire oceans of samsaric suffering, brings me to liberation and enlightenment. Then put it in high clear place, even a torn page you see in the garbage, things like that. If there is so much you don't have place to keep all those torn pages etc. So in Tibet, in Solu Khumbu where I was born, they have a cave, they build a square stupa which is under the rock so protected from the rain, then all the missing pages they put in this stupa then nothing goes in the garbage. Other people step over they create so much negative karma and you create so much negative karma so those things don't happen So protects from heavy negative karma like that.

The text, even a torn page torn from Dharma text, you should respect like this, so no question the complete Dharma text. One shouldn't leave, put on the bare ground without any cover, without table, without a cloth cover, you can't just put Dharma texts on the bare ground or on the bed or cushion, without any cloth, without table cloth or something to respect, something clean to put on top, respect. So cannot put Dharma text, prayer books page which is Dharma cannot just put on meditation cushion or seat without something to support it, to respect it and you cannot put, this is important what I want to emphasis, you cannot put a mala, even a mala you cannot put on a Dharma text.

I mentioned the other day a mala, I saw mala was put over the text I said like this but didn't get the idea, during Geshe Sopa's teaching. What I am saying don't put the mala on Dharma texts, disrespectful, you can't put even statue on Dharma text you can put Dharma text on the statue but not statue on the Dharma text. So sometimes you have statue on top shelf you have put Dharma texts then there are statutes this is correct way to do or other way you put side.

So one time we visited, we went to see His Holiness Dalai Lama so one Italian student, one very old student, those, there are two, three Italian students the first time that we met, who are the source that we spread so much Dharma, Lama and myself, in Italy. There are two or three Italian students, they become the source Lama Tsongkhapa Institute, the largest centre in Italy, where now so many years it has been. His Holiness Dalai Lama came few times to give teachings and initiation and many thousand people gathered, many other high lamas came, HH Ling Rinpoche came I think maybe HH Zong Rinpoche, I don't remember many high lamas came, Zong Rinpoche gave teachings initiations.

Nowadays there is a seven year programme, studying extensive Buddhist philosophy sutra, then after tantra, then they get degree became qualified teacher to teach in the organisation or the centres, to educate other people also teach outside organisation. So the degree is given on the basis of not only intellectual understanding but also meditation experience, they have to meditate on lamrim, given basis not only intellectual but having meditated on lamrim, so one year they have to meditate on lamrim. Then also their behaviour, the degree is given also on the basis of behaviour during those times, how they lived their life, because we don't want any problems in the centres, problem with behaviour, teacher having problem with behaviour we don't want to happen because in the past there have been stories, we don't want to happen. So therefore the teacher degree is given not just intellectual but also the meditation experience and behaviour, so you see like that. So it is very special, there is no others like that, it's very special degree. Anyway now many centres, many branches happen from this.

So anyway his name is Pierro, so he offered, asked to bless stupa, or he offered stupa I am not sure, so he put the stupa over the Dharma text on the table, on His Holiness' table, then His Holiness took away the stupa, away from the text and I think he might have mentioned, cannot put, anyway he did that purposely, took the stupa from the text.

So you can't put malas, glasses, putting glasses on the Dharma text that is wrong, that is disrespect mala, so even you put statue, mala and glasses are disrespectful. But if there is a wind problem, wind blowing like that special case you can put things because there is the danger of blowing away. The Tibetans say ------------. Necessity is more important than the negation. So wind is blowing you can put things, mala or whatever, if danger of wind blowing. Otherwise you can't put like this. That I want to emphasis at this time in public.

So you can't carry Dharma text sitting on cushion together like this, or shoes and Dharma text like that, or use Dharma text to sit on top of. I think putting spit on this I don't think Western people don't do that, when you count pages putting spit, I didn't see Western people doing that. There are many Tibetan people they have habit of doing this, this one is also disrespectful. His Holiness Ling Rinpoche, His Holiness Dalai Lama's Guru, elder guru, told long time ago in Darjeeling at Tomo Geshe Rinpoche, one high lama, his monastery, where I lived nine months when I had TB. At that time His Holiness Ling Rinpoche mentioned when you turn pages you should not put spit or then you get born in vajra hell. HH Ling Rinpoche said that.

So what Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, the great scholar and great yogi whose qualities are like limitless sky but yet extremely humble, respectful to anybody wealthy, poor, educated, uneducated, like His Holiness Dalai Lama respect everybody. Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, how he does, he keeps water so when you turn the pages many, many times, he keep water there put finger there, so respectful, doesn't create any heavy karma, doesn't obscure the mind like that.

Then, so even you are marking, when you are marking Dharma texts, maybe not all the time but I try to think when you mark orange colour or something, not just like this, you think you are offering colour, like you offer colour on statue, the body, colour, think you are making offering colour then this isn't disrespectful.

I think one time Jeffrey Hopkins, this American professor, one of the well-known teacher professors who studied extensively Buddha's teachings philosophy, very respected teachers. So one time he came to Australia at Chenrezig Institute where we have now maybe about 15 nuns and very good programme happening there, excellent Geshe, teacher, who is very compassionate and very learned, very kind-hearted, who has been teaching there now many years. So now that one time he came there to give talk. I wasn't there at the talk but he gave teaching on hell, Jeffrey Hopkins the professor from America gave talk on hell.

He told because he has to mark the dissertations of the students he teaches, he has to correct, he has to put marks so he said because he, when the student they do thesis or whatever writings, translate or writings he has to correct, so if something is wrong he puts black line on top of a letter like this. He said he did many times, many times that line over the Dharma text. So he told them that he has created many negative karma to be reborn in the hot hell - the first one is being alive again and again, then the second one is the black line, like carpenter how they do on wood, so on the hot red burning iron ground the hell being who has karma to suffer that, later, the karmic guardians they put black line, extremely hot, then cut like how they do the wood exactly so they cut. So Jeffrey Hopkins said I did many times put black line when the student made mistakes, so created many, many negative karma to be born in second hot hell, black line.

Anyway, even when you mark on Dharma texts, mark nicely and think you are offering colour, orange, usually like His Holiness Ling Rinpoche like that put separately, you put on bottom, separately mark like that. However when you put from pen those colours, offering colour then can think like that and you collect merit, does not become disrespectful.

If there are many missing pages then put some place, respectful place, in cave or whatever, trees or something, can do like that. Otherwise, so here we have this stupa outside there, we put, when we make tsa-tsas we put there, also Dharma texts, missing pages whatever you see instead of throwing in garbage put in the stupa like that. This way you don't create negative karma and other people don't create negative karma. The minimum thing is on the roof or some clean place, then you visualise all those letters as empty or absorbed in syllable AH, absorbed into your heart, then there is just empty paper, and then you offer fire, like that. At least, very last thing, that can be done.

Then now the Sangha. By taking refuge to Dharma what one should abandon is giving harm to others. By taking refuge to Sangha what one should practise is that whenever you see Sangha, wearing red or yellow dress, however, wearing Buddhist robes, whenever you see wearing Buddhist robes, Sangha wearing robe, then “this is my guide,” thinking, “this is my guide who liberates me from samsara, this is my guide who liberates me from oceans of samsaric suffering,” then respect. Then by thinking the qualities one can respect, doesn't matter which Buddhist tradition, Hinayana or… just respect like that. Then what one should abandon by taking refuge to Sangha, what one should abandon is following the wrong kind of guide, who leads you in wrong path, who leads you wrong, gives you wrong practise, wrong view. If you follow that then the Sangha cannot help you, so like that.

Then, now, general advice, in the morning when you get up do three prostrations, as I mentioned before, by thinking Buddha, then three prostrations or think the Triple Gem. Then before you go to bed, three prostrations to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. You visualise Buddha there or if you have statue of Buddha or if not visualise Buddha, you can think that is all the Guru, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha all the ten directions statues, stupas and scriptures, that is everything. Then you do prostrations. By doing that then you have done prostration to every single holy object that exists in any universe, in Tibet, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, anywhere, you have prostrated from here, and all the Buddha Dharma and Sangha. So with this meditation, you prostrate, you collect unbelievable skies of merit.

Before you eat and drink first make offering to the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, then take it as a blessing. Even you don't know prayer from your heart you offer and recite OM AH HUM, you bless and offer, then you take it as a blessing. So these are general refuge precepts, general advice, the general precepts of the refuge.

Then to practise compassion towards other sentient beings. Then to live the life by relying on holy beings. By relying on Buddha then you become Buddha; like relying on His Holiness Dalai Lama then you become, then eventually it leads you to have the same quality as His Holiness Dalai Lama; so relying on holy beings.

Then listening to teachings, means the same, means the gurus when they give teachings, then, as you can, take opportunity to listen to teachings whether with whom one has already made a connection, Dharma connection, Dharma relationship guru-disciple, or somebody you make new connection, taking teachings, making new Dharma connection. However, so one thing is listening Dharma.

The other one is when you are in danger to create negative karma, rising anger, things like that, with other sentient beings, then try to control the mind by applying lamrim meditation, practising patience, meditation on patience, applying those, guru devotion, renunciation, bodhicitta, those techniques, then there is also tantra, however try to control the mind. Like this I don't remember whether I have remembered everything or not but general advice, it is written here, so you can study here, there are also benefits I explained.

On the back here there is St Francis, a great holy being from Italy, even though he chants Jesus and things’ name, but actually his mind is so pure, no attachment clinging to this life, no eight worldly dharma, no self cherishing thought, so he is actual bodhisattva. Even though externally he used Christian terms prayer like that but in reality his mind is in realisation. Anyway he has those realisations so he is an actual bodhisattva, same as great meditators, those Tibetan great meditators such as the Kadampa geshes, Lama Atisha disciples, like that, same.

So I thought it would be very interesting… I like how he advised here so I put it… Normally people, normally Lamas won't put, mix like this, but I like this, there is no contradiction with Buddhism this advice, only I made one or two little changes, rest is as it is. So I think that's all.

Yes, then, so feel great happiness that, as I mentioned, all those benefits before, how much merit you collect from now on until you die, continuously, then, every day whenever you collect merit it increases unbelievable number, unbelievable, as I gave the example before, three thousand galaxies that sentient beings in that many galaxies each one become World Turning King make oceans of butter, oceans of wax, light offering that much merit is so small when it is compared to one person living in ordination with vows making one mustard seed butter size of hair wax light offering to Buddha, this one far far greater. Then every day when you collect merit when you make charity to other sentient beings however whatever you do you collect virtue increased unbelievable. Therefore rejoice, now my life, from now on my life become most productive real meaningful towards all sentient beings most practical contribution for peace happiness to all sentient beings you are giving. So that is it.

(Tibetan chanting) [confer unclear].

I did the lung the other day but I think, the monks and nuns were there but I think many of us went out.

(Tibetan chanting)

This is one of the most powerful practises of purification, reciting Thirty-five Buddhas names, confession of downfalls.

(Tibetan chanting).

Seven Medicine Buddhas. It is very good to recite after the Thirty-five Buddhas. The seven Medicine Buddhas, when they were bodhisattvas, before they become Buddhas, they made so much prayer for us sentient beings to have this happen, that happen, anybody who recite my name mantra may they have this happiness, that happiness, all this, success, so when they become Buddha they achieved, offered infinite qualities, one of the qualities is ten powers. One of the powers is power of prayer so because of that, because they achieved this, as they made prayer before to all the success for sentient beings who recite the name mantra. So therefore Medicine Buddha's name mantra has so much power. So by reciting Medicine Buddha's name mantra we receive all the Medicine Buddha's prayers and whatever we pray in the daily life will succeed. Therefore Medicine Buddha is regarded so blessed, so precious, especially the time becoming more and more degenerated, everything become more difficult as the time gets more and more degenerated.

One deity that has power, so powerful, even how much the time gets degenerated, one of the Medicine Buddhas, so therefore very powerful for success. And also very powerful for purification, purifying negativity, broken vows, degenerated vows and precepts, Medicine Buddha is very powerful to purify. It is very powerful, not only for healing.

Even animals when they hear, after they hear Medicine Buddha's name mantra they never get reborn lower realms, no question for human beings, so this is guaranteed. If you recite Medicine Buddha's name mantra you never get reborn lower realms, this is guarantee, so this is very important.

We spend so many thousands of dollars, so much, to learn so many exercises, many hundreds of exercises to make the body healthy, you spend so much money for the body to be healthy. You put so much effort. Then in that case, reciting Medicine Buddha's name mantra, which protects you from reincarnating in hell or hungry realm, makes you never reborn lower realms, so you have to put all the effort to practise this like that. If you are putting so much effort those other things to be healthy spend so much money to be healthy, to have long life, no question this practise of Medicine Buddha is most crucial to practise.

(Tibetan chanting).

Vajrasattva mantra, and the short one.

To purify today’s negative karma to not multiple today’s negative karma, to not become double tomorrow, the long one, if you going to recite 21 times need to recite, if you are going to recite short one Vajrasatto Hum then you have to recite 28 times to stop negative karma becoming double next day. So how important, extremely important, to practise Vajrassatva, meditation recitation is like this.

It is said by Pabongka Nyingpo if you killed one tiny insect today or small non virtue today, then without confessing end of the day, like doing Vajrasattva and so forth, then after fifteen days… it increases every day, and after fifteen days then you created same heavy karma as killed one human being, even though you haven't killed human being actually, but the amount of negative karma is same as killed human being. Then after eighteen days, one small negative karma done today, after eighteen days by increasing how much it becomes it is said 131,072, that many negative karma get multiplied after eighteen days so like that. Then it increases, as month goes, year goes, it increases becomes like mountain, like size of this earth as year goes, like one atom by multiplying become like this earth, like mountain one small negative karma if you don't confess, multiply every day then become so heavy, such as like this earth materialise.

However, so therefore by doing Vajrasattva end of the day before going to bed you do Vajrasattva then even twenty one times or other shorter one, twenty eight times, then not only stops multiplying, become double, tomorrow it purifies this negative karma, it purifies this year's negative karma, this life's negative karma, it purifies past lives negative karmas, so it is unbelievable powerful, how important it is to practise so like that, so important to practise Vajrasattva.

Then it is normal… if you recite one hundred thousand mantras of Vajrasattva then even very heavy negative karma get purified. If you took the vow and broke the root vow, you killed human being and told big lie of having realisation while you don't have realization, big lie, stealing, sexual misconduct or sexual intercourse, broke those root vows, so completely purify those like that. Those heavy negative karma get completely purified by reciting one hundred thousand times.

That is why so many years ago, before, maybe before we start the courses, doing courses, I am not quite sure, but Lama started this Vajrasattva retreat student to do Vajrasattva retreat. Lama gave initiation to very first student, she is now a Doctor, I think PhD, or doctor, Jan Willis, she and her friend, couple, so Lama gave. They are the first students Lama gave Vajrasattva initiation and they did retreat in one of the nearby Nepalese houses. They did upstairs and downstairs the Nepalese lived. They made fire downstairs, all the smoke goes upstairs, upstairs the room is filled with smoke while they are doing retreat.

So that is how the Vajrasattva retreat tradition in the FPMT, lot of Vajrasattva retreat, which is extremely important and beneficial. So many negative karmas, which cause to be reborn in lower realms and then to be there for many eons, suffer, get purified, so makes so easy to achieve enlightenment. This is Lama's kindness, Lama Yeshe's kindness in the FPMT it is very common to do Vajrasattva retreat, practise so like that.

(Tibetan chanting)

Due to all the three times merit collected by me by others may myself [confer unclear] three time merits collected by me, Buddha, bodhisattva all the sentient beings, three time merits collected by me, three time merits collected by Buddha, bodhisattva and all other sentient beings, may myself, also family members and all the rest of all of us here, all the rest of the sentient beings may we be able to complete pure morality by keeping it pure without mistake and without pride. (Tibetan, chanting), May I and all sentient beings, all of us here effortlessly pure morality in all the future life times and complete be able to complete the path of morality.

...achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment which is empty from its own side and lead all the sentient beings who are empty from their own side to that enlightenment which is empty from it's side by myself alone who is also empty from my own side.

I dedicate all my merits in the way the three times Buddhas and Bodhisattvas admire the most, in the same way I dedicate.

May Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings the stainless teaching of unified sutra and tantra be completely actualized in one’s own mind, in ones own family members, all the students, benefactors of this organisation and especially those who sacrifice their life to this organisation and those who ------. May it be actualized completely in all of our mind within this very lifetime without delay for even a second and may these teachings Lama Tsongkhapas teachings spread in all directions may they flourish forever. May I be able to cause this by myself.

(Tibetan).

Buddha.

[R confer unclear].

Then who has taken refuge more information here. There is a Mickey Mouse photo. So anybody those who have taking refuge can come up.

[R confer tape unclear]. (R receiving thanks from students).