The Happy Path (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Bendigo, Australia 1991 (Archive #877)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche taught on the merely imputed I, the benefits of altruism and compassion, how to transform problems and the five powers, during two evening discourses in Bendigo, Australia, in August, 1991.

Click here to read edited transcripts of these teachings.

The Five Powers

[Transcript begins before recording:

So again today which I promised yesterday to speak on, about the evolution of death and how the death happens, what happens to the mind and body, and then how to, meanwhile until we become completely free from death, until we have complete control over death and rebirth, over the sufferings, then meanwhile, while we are generating the path in the mind, developing the mind what we can do...]

[Recording begins]

...how we should handle death, how to make it beneficial to develop one's own mind, to use the death as a path to develop one's own mind, how to use the death to benefit for all sentient beings, how to transform the death into happiness, rather making the death as terrifying thing, you make it pleasant, enjoyable.

So, that was my plan but somehow got distracted again today, because I promised yesterday did not happen that, so again from that talked about the stress. By completely removing, Buddha revealed three paths, just about where one stops death just to give an idea. So Buddha revealed three paths, the Lesser Vehicle path, Paramita path, then tantra path, three levels of path Buddha revealed. So this Lesser Vehicle path has two, the path of the Solitary Realizer and Hearer-Listener path, so each path has five, that which leads to ultimate liberation, cessation of the whole entire suffering and causes. So this ignorance which I mentioned before not being aware, not knowing the ultimate nature of the I, ultimate nature of the self, this is the root of the whole entire suffering and causes, so this is eliminated by realizing the ultimate nature of the I. Then by developing this wisdom all the other disturbing thoughts get eliminated and the actions produced by that get stopped and then even the seed that is left on the consciousness by this ignorance, even this get completely eliminated by this wisdom realizing the ultimate nature of the I.

So when even the seed is completely removed then that time one doesn't experience death, for the Lesser Vehicle path, one doesn't experience death, completely free from that, death and rebirth this cycle, and then that includes old age, sickness, all the problems.

Now, according to the third path, Paramitayana path, the Mahayana path, the Paramitayana path, the Mahayana path has two, Paramitayana path and tantric path, both goes in the section of Mahayana path. So Paramitayana path, this, there are five paths, path of merit, preparatory path, right seeing path, path of meditation, path of no more learning finished, completed, no more learning. So when you reach the third path, the right seeing path, that time, then, when you achieve that path then you become the transcendent being, Arya being, so that bodhisattva, that holy being is free from death, doesn't experience, there's no experience of suffering death, there's no disease, completely free from disease, as well as suffering rebirth. This meditator, this holy being, has a spiritual body, not like our bodies subtle, more subtle than this, a spiritual body. So according to the Paramitayana path like this, now, who doesn't practice tantra that level one doesn't experience death.

Then, now who practice tantra the Highest Tantra, tantra has four levels of tantra, the Highest Tantra, that involves in two things, generation state and completion state, Highest Tantra is the one that which makes possible to achieve the great liberation, the full enlightenment, the peerless happiness in this very lifetime, the brief lifetime, brief means some years, brief lifetime of degenerated time, which means very short life. So what makes possible, so in such a short time to achieve this highest realization, the full enlightenment, the peerless happiness, so this one is by the Highest Tantra, because the Highest Tantra it has the most skillful means.

So this involves two stages, generation state and the completion state. So the generation state makes the mind to develop the potential, like this, the generation state there is a meditation practice on the three kayas, so this leaves potential on the mind to purify the ordinary suffering death, intermediate stage - intermediate stage is what comes after death - then rebirth, it purifies, this leaves the potential to purify these three and makes the mind ready to be ripened, to generate the completion state, the clear light, what is called clear light and illusory body, path of unification, in other words the path time dharmakaya, path time sambhogakaya, path time nirmanakaya. Then, and also it leaves the potential to achieve the result three kayas, that is the full enlightenment, the highest realization.

So, when you actualize, when you enter in the second stage, completion state, which has five categories, five stages within that. So when you achieve the clear light, so there's isolation of body, isolation of speech, isolation of mind, that's the clear light, then there's illusory body, then there's the unification, then there's the enlightenment, unification of no more learning, that is the highest realization, the peerless happiness the full enlightenment. So when you achieve this clear light, the mind has gross mind, subtle mind and extremely subtle mind, body has gross body, subtle body, extremely subtle body. So when you achieve this clear light, this realization, then that time then you are not under the control of death, death is under your control you have control over the death that time. So in tantra when you achieve that level, then that is the time that you are free from death, the ordinary suffering death and all the rebirth as well. So by achieving this then you become free from death.

So a person who achieved this clear light in that life, that is the life, person who achieved this in that life then this person is the one who is able to achieve the highest realization of the peerless happiness, full enlightenment. Then as I mentioned last night, then this person by manifesting millions and millions of various forms, according to the level of mind of all sentient beings then as one has omniscient mind, knowing everything, infinite compassion, perfect power so able to benefit to every sentient being, to bring happiness to happiness to the highest, full enlightenment.

So the main aim, however, the ultimate goal of meditation practice, so now you can see the need of the meditation, why meditation is so important, why development of the mind is so important, not only for your own happiness but the happiness for all sentient beings as I mentioned how important to develop compassion. So the development of compassion comes through the meditation, so one need to learn, there's all the subjects, teachings, meditations, step by step to develop.

So the very ultimate goal that is, of practicing meditation, Dharma, that is oneself to free everyone from all the suffering and causes and bring to highest happiness, the full enlightenment. So that is the ultimate goal, goal is infinite, like infinite sky purpose of practicing meditation is not small, is not narrow.

So like this, so the meantime then, until one achieve this level of path, then one has to go through the death. So how to use the death as a path to develop one's own mind, to achieve enlightenment, or make beneficial for all sentient beings, how to make it happy, so that involves five, the power of accumulating, the power of the white merit, that involves accumulating merit, I just go over the outlines, I don't go into the details. So when you know that death is going to happen, then the wealth, whatever one belongs, trying to, making charity to other beings, poor people or those who need help, giving away, either holy objects or other living beings who need help, making charity so that you create merit. The main point, you accumulate merit for, to develop the bodhicitta, to develop the altruism, this ultimate good heart cherishing all sentient beings, to bring all sentient beings to highest happiness, enlightenment. Then for that reason oneself to achieve enlightenment. So to develop this ultimate good heart, doing that.

However the main thing is to not cling, what makes death so difficult, so terrifying, there are two things, what makes us to be scared of death one thing is the attachment clinging to one's own body and possessions, the surrounding people, clinging that makes death difficult, to not accept the death and to be afraid of. So therefore the solution, here the main thing, whether you give the material away, whether the material goes away or not, one's own belongings, whether it goes away or not, the main point is to give freedom to yourself, to not be afraid of death to have easy time, happy time.

So to not cling to these things at the time of death. So that is the main thing. Whether the material goes away from the house to others' hands, whether it goes away or not, the main thing is, if one dedicated from one's own heart all this, one makes charity to the family, one makes charity to sick people or the poor people or whatever, either holy objects or other living beings, so if one dedicated from mind then then it helps to not cling, so that is a great release to one's own mind.

Then the other thing what makes afraid of death is because that in the path, those who are afraid of death because they have done in the past many unwholesome actions actions harming others, harming oneself, harming others with the negative thoughts, the self-cherishing thought, anger, ignorance, attachment so forth so that makes, brings fear, even though one doesn't feel much but that time what brings fear is one thing is like this. So then therefore one need to purify these things, you can purify these negative imprints left on the mind by the negative actions in the past by negative thoughts, you can purify.

So that is one solution to have easy, to have pleasant death, without any difficulties, without any worry, fear of what's going to happen to me, reincarnating in the other suffering realms where there's much problem, suffering so doesn't have any of this worry, fears and very happy death, like going for picnic or holiday, happy mind, without any fear, any doubt, confident mind. Then, even knowing one is going higher realms where there is no suffering, higher realms of enlightened beings. However then even by knowing there's no, incredible happiness.

So then next one is power of the motivation, so that is I'm going to practice bodhicitta, the altruism even when I die, even intermediate stage, all the time, I'm not going to separate away from this good heart altruism, so that is power of the motivation. So if one made the intention like this then one is able to remember this altruism all the time, then that makes life no suffering and very pleasant journey and becomes very beneficial for other sentient beings, and then meaningful perfect rebirth one is able to take and then able to develop the mind, able to benefit so many sentient beings, so then goes to enlightenment.

Then next one is power of putting the blame, so that is, any problem comes in our life, immediately any difficulty, any problem comes in the life, immediately you blame to the ego, everything you blame to the ego, because everything came from the ego, the problems, so you blame to the ego, you give all the problems, even the cancer, AIDS, even the relationship problems, anything, you give to the ego, so rather taking upon yourself, I have this problem, rather than that you give the problem, whether it is relationship problem or failure in business or whatever, you give it to the ego and you destroy the ego, you give it to the ego and think the ego is destroyed, like we kill enemy outside, same thing, main enemy, without this inner enemy there's no outside enemy so you give the problems to the ego, your inner enemy which brings outside enemy then you destroy the, ego become non-existent, like that. Then, even the day-to-day life actions doing as a medicine, as a path, as a remedy to eliminate the ego.

Then the next one, then training, the next one is power of the attitude. So power of attitude is so every morning thinking that purpose of my life is to free everyone from all the suffering and causes bring, cause happiness to everyone, this is the purpose of my life, so therefore from now on, and especially until the death, this year, this week, even today, especially today I won't let myself under the control of, to be controlled by the ego, by the self-cherishing thought, and I will always practice the altruism cherishing other sentient beings. Then I will never separate from this even one second. So you motivate in the morning when you get up like this, then rest of the day trying to live on that with altruism, so that is the power of attitude.

Then, the last one, power of training. So, when the death is going to happen, then one lay down, so some die by sitting in the meditation position, they die and many they die by laying down in this special position. So you press, if possible then you press the right nostril like this, you put hand here, if that can be done, this side of body you put on the bed, the right side. Then you keep the two legs stretched then the left hand on the, stretched on the body, so like this.

So whatever, as much as one can, or other people can help to put it, either you ask other people to, if one can't do then, due to some reasons, then can put in that way. However so this is position that when Guru Shakyamuni Buddha when he was showing the aspect of passing away, so did in this position. So to, as a teaching that he left for the sentient beings, for living beings, the impermanence and death, the nature of the life, therefore we need to develop the mind, so practice meditation. So, in this special position so in this way it becomes protection, itself becomes protection for the mind, it helps to die with the positive thought, with the happy thought, positive thought, not with anger, not with attachment, not with the jealous mind, any of these disturbing thoughts, unhappy mind. And if you die with a positive thought then definite there is better rebirth then again one can practice, develop the mind, so like that or go to the higher, pure realms where there's no suffering.

So, then the mind, this is the physical, then the mind, depends on your capacity then you can generate compassion, think of everyone who are dying now, who have to die, so many others who are suffering much more than you. So by thinking of all their sufferings, then that you generate how wonderful if they all can be free from all the suffering and causes, and then I will do that, I am going to do that. So by generating compassion trying to die. So this is one way, using the death as a path to achieve the highest happiness, to be free from all the sufferings.

Then, other thing is meditating the ultimate nature of the I or ultimate nature of the mind, like as I explained before the I and the nature of the AIDS, ultimate nature of the AIDS. Then, so by meditating on the nature of the mind or the I, try to die by meditating on the ultimate nature.

Then, so one can generate, so those, some, so depending on one's own practice or mind, then some can generate devotion to the holy objects. Then that is again one way to protect oneself from the bad rebirth and to have happy death. Then, other thing is, so according to one's own capacity and according to one's own level of practice so there are many ways that one can do meditation at the time of death. So this way, death is transformed in the happiness or in the path to be free from all the sufferings to achieve the highest, the full enlightenment.

So the sign of death, the person has died, the sign of death, so normally, the person who dies slowly, the sign, death means, definition of death is consciousness split from the body, when the consciousness has left the body, then there's the death. As long as the consciousness is there, even the brain doesn't function or the heart doesn't beat, if the consciousness is there then it's not dead. So, the sign of death is that if we die slowly, not by car accident or suddenly burned, who dies slowly, the sign of death is, for the women, the white seed, sperm comes through the nose, then red blood comes from down below. Then men, the sperm comes out then the blood comes from the nose who dies slowly, so that time, that is the definition, that time the consciousness has left, completely left. So gross consciousness absorbed then there's only subtle consciousness, then even that left, so it's the sign.

So this doesn't, not necessarily that it happens to everybody, but some who has chronic disease then it blocks, then so these things not necessary to happen because of the blockage. So normally it is mentioned that, those who have experiences, so when you pull the skin, so with cloth you touch on the skin, you pull the skin, then when the skin goes back, then means alive, when the skin doesn't go back, then that is sign that the consciousness has left. Then, also when the consciousness has left there's some rotten smell comes from the mouth [snaps fingers] suddenly comes from the mouth some rotten smell, so that is also one sign that the consciousness has left from the body.

So these things that is the experience of other lamas, the meditators. So the meditators then who practice tantra, when all the gross consciousnesses absorbed, when there's only subtle consciousness, then those who practice tantra in their life, then they meditate with the subtle consciousness, extremely subtle consciousness, then they meditate, so according to the meditator's wishes one hour or three days, whatever the length of time, even many months, even years, they meditate. So there happened some meditators who does meditation, stays in that meditation for even many years, in the hermitage or in the cave. So like nowadays, even recently many of my teachers, many of my gurus, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's gurus passed away, then stayed in meditation nine days or so different, each one according to their wishes, so like that.

So the death these five powers, how to deal with death and to be able to do the practice at the death time, we need to train our mind even day-to-day life in that way. So then when we know we are about to die when we know through dreams, through signs and dreams, physical signs and dreams, there are many ways, outer, inner, secret, many signs to check. However when the death is going to happen, even by the breath from the nostrils, so, many ways to check when the death is going to happen, after how many years or how many months. So, if we train now then at the time of death so it's very easy.

So I stop here. So I hope these two nights my talking blah, blah, blah, blah, long time, such a long time, I hope you found some benefits in that or some sharing some understanding, some benefit for the life that we can see, some benefit to the mind, so that we can benefit to other sentient beings more.

So, please dedicate the merits, good actions that we did, please dedicate to develop the altruism within one's own mind and in the minds of all other sentient beings. Those who have, may it be developed.

Due to all the merits, good actions that one has done, and done by others, Buddhas, bodhisattvas, those holy beings, may any sentient being who hears me, who touches me, who remembers me, who talks about me, who thinks about me, since from that time, may they never be reborn in the suffering realms, in the lower realms and they be immediately free from all the sicknesses and the spirit harms and the negative actions and the obscurations, to be immediately free from, their seeing me, their touching me, their remembering me, their talking about me, to be able to cause them, everything become healing for them, meaningful to behold, everything to become meaningful to behold for all sentient beings, human beings, creatures, everybody, immediately frees them from all these problems and makes them to achieve highest happiness, full enlightenment.