Lecture 11

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPASSION

Do not commit any nonvirtuous actions,
Perform only virtuous actions,
Subdue your own mind,
This is the teaching of the Buddha.

With many other religions, there are a lot of traditional things with much emphasis on the outside act—it has to be this, it has to be that—and outside changes. Just analyzing, just comparing, here there is such a strong emphasis on the mind, on subduing the mind. That has a lot of its own traditional things, but the real essence is the emphasis on the mind, keeping the mind free from every single, harmful, thought, from wrong concepts, from ignorance, anger, attachment and so forth.

As I mentioned yesterday and at other times, there are so many different mistakes of the mind that have to be removed by actualizing the graduated path. This also includes mistakes of the mind that can’t be removed by the sutra path, the Paramitayana path, but can only be removed by tantra, the path of Secret Mantra. In that way, we can achieve our ultimate aim, which is to free everyone from all the obscurations and sufferings and lead them to peerless happiness, full enlightenment. We can achieve this aim, this ultimate aim of life, this very ultimate aim of life—to benefit everyone, to bring them to peerless happiness, full enlightenment. This means not just to bring others to some temporary happiness, not just that, and not just to bring them to ultimate liberation which is just the cessation of the suffering and causes. It’s not just that; it’s to bring them to great liberation, which is the cessation of even the subtle mistakes of the mind, even the subtle obscurations, even from the imprints left by the concept of true existence, these disturbing thoughts.

Among those other religions, some relate to the mind and some hardly at all. Some do have some relationship with the mind, to subdue the mind, to pacify the mind, to diminish the delusions, and some don’t. So, it depends, I guess, on the founder of the religion, what purpose the practices are made for, why the philosophy is made, with what kind of motivation. I think it’s related to the motivation, whether the practice is given, the philosophy is made for self-interest, for personal happiness, or whether it is done to purely benefit other sentient beings. The emphasis comes differently, mainly to save them from suffering. So, even among the other religions, if you compare them, you can find that some relate to a certain extent to the mind and some hardly at all.

I think there is the problem when there’s no emphasis on compassion for all sentient beings, if what is mentioned is not concerned with other sentient beings but only worshiping. When compassion, concern for other sentient beings, is left out, I think that’s the biggest problem. That’s why it’s difficult to bring harmony, to bring peace, to our own personal life, in the family, in society, in the country, in the world. When the emphasis on having a good heart is not there, then it’s a big problem, I think.

Subduing the mind, practicing a good heart, is needed very much, even for somebody who wants to be a very materialistic person, who believes in nothing other than what you can see with your eyes, the material, substantial things that you see with your eyes, the external phenomena. Even for somebody who never wants to accept any faith or any religion, that person still needs happiness. If he doesn’t subdue his mind, doesn’t practice a good heart, then many people can give him problems. He does many things wrong toward others because of the motivation, because of not subduing the mind, his life is motivated by the self-cherishing thought. He doesn’t care about others’ happiness, only about his own happiness, doing whatever he wants unless he has no choice—because of the police or because there are guns or bombs giving him no choice, so he can’t do it. That’s different because there’s some outside force. But he won’t voluntarily not harm others, without the need of those kinds of forces that stop people from doing negative, harmful actions toward others. He won’t voluntarily from his own side benefit others, not harm others, without the need of those kinds of forces stopping those harmful actions toward others for the happiness for the self, for power and so forth.

When the self-cherishing thought is very strong, it doesn’t matter how many forces there are, how many police, how many bombs, how many weapons are around, our self-cherishing thought makes us go through that, even if it puts our own life in danger; it doesn’t even care about those things. This is meant to be for the happiness for the self, so somehow it becomes a little bit strange. For the happiness of this life, our self-cherishing forces us to give up our own life, and so in this life we have no opportunity to experience happiness, because our life is gone.

Even if we wish to have success, happiness, a peaceful mind, we need to cherish other sentient beings, we need to have compassion, loving kindness for other sentient beings. We need to benefit others with a sincere heart. Fundamentally there’s no harm to others, so there’s no reason why others will give harm to us. We don’t create the reason, the purpose, we don’t create the karma. We don’t create the karma. In other words, the reason why others have to treat us badly, why others harm us, is because we have created the reason for others to give us harm. Basically it’s like this.

When we don’t create the reason, when we don’t harm others, there’s happiness, peace, in this life and in future lives. As I mentioned yesterday, in this way there’s success up to enlightenment. There’s success in everyday life in practicing, in subduing our own mind, watching our own mind, looking after our own mind, which means looking after ourselves. Whenever there’s danger of harmful thoughts arising, then we can apply the meditations we have learned, especially the meditations of the graduated path to enlightenment, which have incredible, practical power to immediately solve the problems. Immediately, there’s no space in the mind for those harmful thoughts or the disturbing thoughts to arise. Suddenly, even though they might start to arise, they are stopped.

This means living our day-to-day life with compassion, with the thought of universal responsibility, feeling we are responsible for obtaining the happiness for all sentient beings and we are responsible for freeing everyone from all the problems and causes. This includes not only our friends, but also strangers and especially enemies.

As I also mentioned yesterday in the part on how we can gradually fix up our own mind by the means of subduing the mind, the essence is the determination to be free from samsara. This means cutting off attachment, applying the meditations on bodhicitta, which cut off the self-cherishing thought, egoism, then applying the meditations on emptiness, the awareness of emptiness, cutting off the concept of the hallucinated mind, the concept of true existence. Then, on that basis there’s the path of Secret Mantra, the various methods, looking at everything as pure. We stop the impure appearances of ourselves and others, we stop this impure concept and impure appearances, and look at everything as pure. This is more the transcendent method. That is the fundamental method of tantra. On the basis of this there are many other more specific methods relating to tantra which are deeper and more profound, more secret, more profound. There are all these paths. There are so many means to gradually subdue our own mind.

In Buddhism, the main emphasis is not on worshiping. Even if we don’t worship at all, the main emphasis is to practice compassion for other sentient beings, to cherish other sentient beings, to be of service for other sentient beings. If that is the main emphasis, the main aim of our life, the main practice, that is the best worshiping. That is the best worshiping, that is the best offering. That’s what pleases all the buddhas, that’s what pleases all the bodhisattvas, because all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, all the omniscient ones, are only thinking of benefiting sentient beings. For so many innumerable numbers of eons, they accumulated merit, they practiced charity, giving up their bodies, their limbs and their lives numberless times for other sentient beings.

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPASSION: STORIES FROM THE BUDDHA’S PAST LIVES

The Buddha gave his holy body to a whole family of starving tigers, and to spirits and to so many sentient beings; he gave his limbs, his eyes, his whole body, for so many lifetimes.

During one of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s previous lifetimes, when he was a bodhisattva, following the bodhisattvas deeds before becoming enlightened, while he was still following the path, during this past life, he gave all his limbs as a charity to other sentient beings. These parts of the body he left there and, seeing his body with no limbs, the people in the city thought, “What is the use of this?” So they threw this part [the torso] onto the dump, where they throw garbage. According to the West, that’s where they also throw all the household furniture, TVs and so forth. Anyway, I’m joking. The people of the city threw the main body there. What’s the use? Then, even what was left over, this limbless body, even that made charity for the ants, so it helped many hundreds of thousands of ants.

Even under one tree, he made charity of his own limbs, of his own body, his own life, for other sentient beings, innumerable numbers of times. Like this he accumulated merit, he practiced charity. This is besides being born as a king, and then being born as a Dharma king, he was able to make so much charity, to bring wealth to poor people—to rich or poor, whoever needed it. He gave up his whole family; he made charity of his whole family to others. His son and daughters, the whole family, he made charity to other sentient beings. It’s not that he couldn’t afford to take care of his family! He couldn’t afford to take care of his baby so he had to give it to others, it’s not that. It’s not because of that reason but because of other sentient beings’ need. Not because of personal comfort or personal gain.

The Jataka Tales are full of life stories of the time before the Buddha became enlightened, when he was living the bodhisattva life, practicing the path to enlightenment. So many lifetimes he practiced, he accumulated merit by practicing morality and then practicing patience.

I don’t remember the whole story clearly—some of you might know it—but the whole essence is this. There’s a story about the bodhisattva expressing his patience. I think there was a king’s wife, I don’t know, who for some reason went in the jungle. I think the reason was something related with that, then the king came to look for her. Maybe they had a fight or something, I don’t remember. Anyway, I think it was something related to that. I’ve forgotten the story. However, this king was looking for her in the jungle and met this bodhisattva meditating in a hermitage. I think it’s basically related to that, to the wife.

He asked the bodhisattva, “What are you doing?” and the bodhisattva replied “I’m practicing patience.” Then, the king cut one limb off and asked, “What are you doing?” and again the bodhisattva replied “I’m practicing patience.” Then he cut another limb off. It’s not the bodhisattva cutting off the king’s limbs, it’s the king cutting off the bodhisattva’s limbs. It’s not that the bodhisattva cut the king’s limbs off and then replied he was practicing patience. Not like that! Each time like this, all the four limbs were cut off by the king, and after each time the king asked him what he was doing and the bodhisattva replied he was practicing patience, just sitting there, still, without an emotional reaction toward the king, toward the one who had given him harm.

Like this, he practiced patience. For many lifetimes he accumulated so much merit through the practice of patience, as well as concentration, wisdom and so forth. For so many lifetimes, for so many eons he accumulated so much merit, the merit of method and merit of wisdom like this, in order to develop compassion, in order to complete the mind training in compassion for all sentient beings. He did this in order to complete the realization of wisdom, the omniscient mind and in order to develop perfect power, without the slightest mistake, to be able to do work for other sentient beings perfectly. For that reason, for an innumerable numbers of eons, such as the innumerable numbers of three great eons, he practiced, he accumulated merit, following the path with much hardship.

Now you can understand the idea, how in Buddhism practicing compassion for other sentient beings in everyday life—the mind doing service for other sentient beings, cherishing other sentient beings—is the best offering. It’s the best practice, the best offering, the best worship. That is the main goal; that is the main thing. Now you can understand by knowing the life stories of the Buddha, by knowing what the term “bodhisattva” means, how before he became the Buddha, he actualized the Paramitayana path, the Mahayana path.

WHAT A BODHISATTVA IS

As I mentioned, there are five paths and ten bhumis. The door of the Mahayana path to full enlightenment is bodhicitta, altruism, renouncing ourselves and cherishing other sentient beings. It’s the wish to do perfect work for all sentient beings, to achieve enlightenment to guide all sentient beings. The realization of bodhicitta is when that feeling arises spontaneously, the mind feels this way spontaneously, day and night, all the time. When our mind is in this experience, when it’s transformed into this, when it’s in this continual experience, then we become what is called a bodhisattva. Only then do we become a Mahayanist, an actual Mahayanist. 

Just because a person recites the Mahayana prayers, just because he recites mantras or does a sadhana, visualizing deities, enlightened beings, those secret aspect buddhas, just because he does sadhanas that contain the tantric path, that alone doesn’t mean the person is a Mahayanist. He is not if his mind is not in that experience, renouncing himself and cherishing only other sentient beings, having this altruism, this wish to achieve enlightenment to be able to do perfect work for all sentient beings. If the person’s mind is not in that experience, even if the words he recites are very high tantric teachings, even if his meditation is a very high tantric practice, since the person is not a bodhisattva, he is not Mahayanist.

The meditator who enters this path, the Mahayana path, the path of the Great Vehicle, then proceeds through the five paths and the ten bhumis according to sutra. If he is practicing tantra, Highest Yoga Tantra, there are the five paths, but he doesn’t have to proceed through the ten bhumis, accumulating merit for three countess great eons, as explained in the Paramitayana path.

You can understand from this what the term “bodhisattva” means. Even the bodhisattva who first enters into the path of the Great Vehicle, the Mahayana path, even that practitioner’s attitude is to completely renounce himself and only cherish other sentient beings. This is true for even the new bodhisattva who has just entered the path, who has just actualized bodhicitta.

Therefore, even if we don’t have time to do those practices or offerings to the Triple Gem, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha—and of course it’s best if we are able to practice everything—but even if we are unable to do it, as we live our everyday life the practice we must do is this one. The best one is to cherish others, to treat others as more precious than ourselves. Even if we can’t respect others, treat others, serve others, with the attitude that they are more precious than we ourselves are, at least we should see others as being as important as ourselves. They should be equal. Others are also as precious as we ourselves are. At least we should have the thought of equanimity, and with the thought of equanimity then we serve others. We respect, serve, help, benefit others.

Now you can see. By knowing what “bodhisattva” means, what “buddha” means, by knowing their life stories, their practices, you can see what pleases the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Even just one story of Shakyamuni Buddha, this one particular being, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, his life story, even if it’s just by that, you can see that what makes the buddhas most happy, what makes them most pleased is caring for sentient beings, even if it’s one pitiful person, one human being, that needs to be taken care of.

Even if it’s one animal, even if it’s one insect that is guideless, due to ignorance not knowing the Dharma, not knowing what is the right path and the wrong path; due to ignorance not knowing the ultimate nature of the I, of phenomena; due to not knowing the Dharma, due to ignorance they have created the karma, nonvirtuous actions. Their actions become nonvirtue without choice, and without choice they receive this suffering body, this pitiful, suffering body.

Falling down in the oceans of samsaric sufferings, sunk in the oceans of samsaric sufferings, they are completely guideless, with no refuge. There’s nobody they can ask for help. They cannot speak. If they could speak, they would express their sufferings, all their problems, then they could make human beings understand. Then they could fight for animal rights! Just as there are human rights, then the animals could fight for their animal rights.

However, whether it’s a human being or an insect, a buddha will cherish him. Whether it’s one pitiful human being. A pitiful human being doesn’t have to be poor, a beggar. He doesn’t have to be only a beggar; he can be a millionaire. It doesn’t depend on having external wealth; it’s not only defined by not having wealth, it depends on how much suffering there is in the life.

Whether it’s one human being or one insect, to cherish, to take care, to use our own life for the happiness of that one sentient being and to cause them happiness is said in the teachings by Maitreya Buddha to be much more meaningful than making offerings to all the three-times’ ten-directions’ buddhas, which means numberless buddhas. Offering service and obtaining happiness for this one sentient being, whether it’s one human being or whether it’s one insect, is much more meaningful than offering to all the ten-direction buddhas.

As I mentioned before, you can understand that by knowing what a bodhisattva is, that this is the thing that they like. That is the thing that they think of day and night, all the time. That is what these bodhisattvas, these saints, these holy beings, are concerned about day and night, all the time. This is the thing that they live for; this is the purpose of their life. It’s only other sentient beings. It’s to pacify suffering, to obtain happiness for each sentient being. This is why the Buddha accumulated merit for three countless great eons in the past, and why all the buddhas, including Shakyamuni Buddha, became enlightened—only for the sake of each sentient being, for each of these human beings, each of these hell beings, each of these preta beings, each of these animal beings, each of these devas.

THE NEED TO STUDY THE MIND

So now you can understand why Maitreya Buddha said in the teachings called Do de gyan⁶ that serving even one sentient being is more meaningful than making offerings to all the ten-directions’ buddhas. You can get the idea.

If our mind is very cruel, very harmful toward other sentient beings, while on the other hand we make offerings and worship the saints, the bodhisattvas and buddhas, that doesn’t please them. That doesn’t become the cause of pleasing them. I think this is why, in the commentary of the six preparatory practices, when we make offerings to the Three Jewels, the second one, purifying and cleaning the place and the third one, setting up the altar, it says we should perform these offerings beautifully, without conceit.

“Without conceit” is explained as what we offer needs to be pure, unstained by the five wrong livelihoods. Basically that means offerings received by harming others; what we are offering has been received by harming other sentient beings. The basic reason this explanation is given, probably, is not because the Three Jewels will receive harm from them. It’s not because of that, not because the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha will get sick from the offerings. I think it might explain what pure offerings are to show us what pleases the buddhas and bodhisattvas and what doesn’t please the buddhas and bodhisattvas. This way it helps to stop harming others, or even if we are giving harm to another sentient being, to give less harm. Probably it might be a method that, even if we harm others, we give less harm. The main focus is not that the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha will get sick or something, but the main focus is the sentient beings, because they want happiness and they don’t want suffering. The main focus is sentient beings; the main concentration is that. That’s what I think.

Now you can see how important the teachings of the Buddha are. They’re not just rules; they are what we need for our own happiness and especially for the happiness of all sentient beings. There’s no way to have success and happiness without being able to benefit others. Depending on how much we do for others, our own life has that much happiness and peace. [We must benefit others] whether it’s one person, a family, a group, society or a country. “Subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha.” That is extremely profound. That is the heart advice.

First, remember again how we have universal responsibility. We ourselves are responsible for freeing everyone from all the sufferings and for obtaining happiness for all sentient beings. Think, “For this reason I need to achieve full enlightenment in order to do perfect work for all sentient beings and to bring them peerless happiness, full enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to listen to the teaching as a means of doing service for all sentient beings.”

Even for this, I asked the nurses who work in hospitals, those student nurses who are looking after dying people, and they say that, because of their faith, people who have religion have something to rely upon, so when death comes they are generally more relaxed and happier than people who don’t have any religion, who don’t follow any faith. There’s the common experience like this, that there are benefits even at the time of death. Even for those who don’t accept any spiritual path it’s possible to see that without practicing a good heart toward others, you won’t have a good life; you won’t have a peaceful, happy, successful life. That’s very logical. This is a day-to-day example. We can give this day-to-day example. It is very logical.

The other thing is about the mind. The blockage is because of not having studied well, not having developed the education of the mind, because of that. I think that is the main blockage. First of all, not knowing what the mind is. That is the main blockage. Not knowing what the mind is blocks our understanding of reincarnation. We don’t know what the mind is, so we can’t understand reincarnation, we don’t believe in reincarnation. We don’t understand action and result, karma—that we can do some nonvirtuous action in this life but if the result is not experienced in this life then we have to experience it in some future life. We can’t understand these things and because we are unable to understand these things, we don’t see the purpose of religion, why there needs to be religion.

Also if somebody gives us harm, we feel we should harm him back. Since there’s a blockage in the understanding of karma, we can’t understand that when somebody gives us harm we should not harm him back, and instead of returning harm, we should help that person. In return, we should help, we should benefit that person, or at least not harm him in return. We can’t understand this. This is basically because of our blockage in understanding reincarnation and karma, because of not knowing what the mind is.

So, in our day-to-day life practice, this is a very practical thing to do. This is so practical because we are creating the cause of our own peace and happiness, now and in the future lives, up to enlightenment, and we’re not creating obstacles for our success this way. If we give harm in return, we’re creating obstacles to our own happiness, peace and success, in this life and future lives. Besides that, others receive harm from us, which they don’t like, which they do not want, which is the opposite of that, which is undesirable for them, which is suffering for them. Since it’s undesirable, it’s suffering for them.

As I often mention, because there’s a blockage in our understanding, because we don’t know the nature of the mind and other things, such as reincarnation, karma and so forth, we can’t understand that this person or this country, is giving us harm because in a past life we have given others harm. There’s no way we can understand these things, the actual evolution, the reasons why others give harm to us.

So, the same thing, giving harm back with a negative mind doesn’t become the solution for success; it becomes only an obstacle because it makes us receive harm from others again, to receive harm so many times. This is because karma is not only definite, bringing its own result—to receive harm—but also it’s expandable, so that for one harm that we give others, we receive harm many thousands of times. We receive harm from others many thousands of times from one karmic act, from one action, from one time of giving harm to others. It’s like planting one grain of rice, then we get many grains of rice. By planting one corn seed, we get many hundreds of corn plants. By planting one tiny seed in the ground we get a huge tree, with billions of branches and so many billions of seeds. All this comes from that one tiny seed that we planted.

Similarly, but much more so, inner karma is much more expandable. [The corn seed] is an external phenomenon, an external thing, but now with inner karma, from one harmful action the resultant harm is much more expandable than with outside phenomena. And the same thing, when we do one small good action, one beneficial action, one virtuous action toward others, the result is happiness, so much more happiness, because the resultant happiness increases so much more than outside phenomena.

Without knowing the mind, there’s no way to have this understanding. It’s completely blocked, so there’s no way to protect ourselves, to really look after ourselves. There’s no way to really protect ourselves, now and in the future. There’s no way that this life can become useful for all our future lives. There’s no way that today’s life becomes beneficial for tomorrow’s happiness, to be able to prepare us for tomorrow’s happiness; that in this year’s life we prepare for next year’s happiness and success.

Like that, this year, this life prepares for the happiness of our future lives, becoming useful rather than becoming a disturbance, harming our thousands and thousands of future lives. When we harm others we harm ourselves for many thousands of lives. It’s said in Nagarjuna’s teachings, Friendly Letter, that by cheating one sentient being, we ourselves are cheated for a thousand lifetimes by other sentient beings. In this way, this life becomes harmful to our many other, thousands and billions of lifetimes, becoming harmful rather than becoming beneficial and supporting, creating the cause of all those future lives’ happiness.

So, when somebody gives us harm, to harm him back with a negative mind is completely the wrong solution, the wrong idea. To benefit him in return is the best but even if that’s not possible, at least to not harm him.

One way to open the mind of the person who is a materialist, a “material fanatic,” is to discuss the mind. Especially discuss about the mind. That seems the most important point in order to break the limited concept, the limited view of life, which only harms them, which stops their happiness and stops them creating the cause of happiness, which doesn’t give them the freedom to achieve liberation, to be forever free from the whole, entire suffering and its causes and to achieve full enlightenment.

RINPOCHE’S AMDO TRIP

When we were traveling in Tibet the second time with a small group, I went to look for a text, the commentary of the practice on the most secret Compassion Buddha, Gyalwa Gyatso. I looked in Amdo, in the lower place of Tibet.

A little bit after Mao passed away, during the time of the second Prime Minister, people were given some freedom. This was their second philosophy. Their second Prime Minister said the first philosophy that Mao had, destroying all the religion, the monasteries and all these things, was wrong. There was some freedom, some freedom was given. The people of Amdo are extremely devoted, extremely devoted and very dedicated, very brave. They practice Dharma in a very determined, very strong, very clear way. They live their life in Dharma practice, very dedicated. I heard, within three years in this country, in Amdo, they built thirty-one monasteries, thirty-three or thirty-one monasteries. There is one monastery which, I think maybe they said had five hundred monks, I’m not sure. I read the life-story of the lama who founded this monastery. He’s unbelievable. Even from the time of his birth his story’s unbelievable, with all the signs that happened. It seems he’s an incarnation of the Compassion Buddha, Avalokiteshvara. There were unbelievable, amazing, wonderful signs. Incredible things happened, even from the time of his birth.

But I forgot. I don’t remember anything. I read the story and it was very amazing, but I’ve forgotten it. This lama’s practice and his life story is incredibly inspiring, even from birth, from conception or coming out of his mother’s womb.

However, that part is not the main point. We were in a small minibus. I think we got the car from the Tourist Office in Lhasa. Where the tourists go, they send a driver and car with them. So we rented this, I think, minibus, and the driver was a young Chinese boy, a communist Chinese. I was very curious to discuss the mind with a communist. I had the idea it would be useful for learned lamas or geshes and scientists from communist China to discuss the mind by using logic. I thought maybe such a meeting might be quite interesting. There were a few of us in the car and I asked an American monk, John, to ask the driver. No, I think the first driver was asking. There was somebody sitting in the car, next to the driver. Who was that? Huh? [Rinpoche has an inaudible discussion with a couple of people.] Now I remember. I’m forgetting.

There was a Chinese man who spoke very good English. We asked later how he learned such clear English and he said he learned from Voice of America, from the radio. I think he translates for the tourists. So, he was the translator, not the driver? So he was asking the person sitting next to him—I don’t know who was there, maybe a lay person—whether he was married or not. Oh, I see, probably, it was Bill. Somebody, anyway. He asked this man whether he was married or not. Then, it started like that.

Then the talk came around to being a monk and I think the same question was put back to him, whether he was married or not. I don’t remember a hundred percent but I think he said he didn’t like it. Then I asked John to ask a question, whether he liked monks or not and he said he didn’t. I don’t think he meant himself becoming a monk, I think, generally he didn’t like religion. That’s what I think he was expressing.

Then I asked John to ask him, “What is the cause of human rebirth?” I don’t remember what he said but then the talk went to the mind. What is the mind? Something like that. So like this, John and the student talked to each other.

Then finally, in the end, what came out was that he differentiated, he thought there was a soul that goes somewhere, I think, that there’s a soul and a mind. It seems this is the very inside of his heart. This is something kind of very inside, maybe not what they normally say, but it’s very inside. It seems he felt there’s something, there’s soul and mind. He said soul, and I think the other one is the mind. I think probably this is a question about what the very inside of him is and he naturally expressed that. This, of course, is not what they teach as a communist, but this is more related to religion.

After some time, some questions, he finally said he didn’t know about the mind. He came to that conclusion. He couldn’t explain. The discussion was continued up to that point.

So, it’s very interesting. When people don’t analyze the mind, when they don’t really think about it, there seem to be all these very concrete ideas, these philosophies. But if we really analyze the mind well, that really opens the heart, it really opens us for spiritual development, for all these other phenomena that we are not aware of. It opens the door for all those other phenomena, which is a very important education. It’s very important for our own happiness, especially ultimate happiness.

THE NATURE OF THE BODY AND MIND

The base on which the I is merely imputed is the association of the body and mind. There is the body, which has color and shape, which is the substantial, and then there is the mind.

As far as the body is concerned, there is the gross body, the subtle body and the extremely subtle body. There are three like this. The subtle body is the essence of the body, the liquid, the very fine liquid of the body that makes the body develop. That is the subtle body. Then there’s the extremely subtle body, which goes from one life to another life, because that is the vehicle of the mind. The extremely subtle body has the extremely subtle wind, and that goes from one life to another life and that is the vehicle of the extremely subtle consciousness.

For the mind, there’s the gross mind, the subtle mind and the extremely subtle mind. There are three things like this. I think maybe I’ll stop here.

Now, maybe I’ll mention what the first one is.

With the mind, there is the gross mind and the subtle mind that arises when we die. Normally, when a person dies, there are twenty-five absorptions, the absorptions of form, sound, smell, taste, tangible, and then the five objects of the senses, the five senses, then the five skandhas⁷—the skandha of form, feeling, cognition, compounding aggregates, and consciousness—and then the four elements—the earth element, the water element, the wind element and the fire element. There are four elements within us. These are the things that absorb, then the base-time five wisdoms absorb.

After these things happen there are the three appearances: the appearance of the white path, the appearance of the increasing red path and the near attainment dark path. So the thoughts that arise during the time of these three appearances are the subtle mind and then the extremely subtle mind is what is left when all those other things have stopped. What is left is only the extremely subtle consciousness, and this is what is called the extremely subtle mind of death.

This is the very last moment of a person’s life. In reality the person is not dead in the sense of the consciousness having separated from the body. Even during this time, even if the whole thing is not functioning, the subtle consciousness is there. The consciousness hasn’t left the body. After this, the consciousness leaves the body. So there is this whole evolution.

With the subtle mind of death, the clear light, at the time of death, after everything has stopped then this very subtle mind becomes actualized. This is only what is left after everything has stopped. This happens to everyone at the time of death. It doesn’t depend on a meditation practice; this happens by karma, as a part of nature. Such nature is created in a similar way.

Even just the head, without thinking of the rest of the body, just thinking about how it looks in the head. How does it look inside the head? There is the brain, like there’s a huge tree growing there, I mean a huge tree. All these details are inside, such an evolution, such a phenomenon. Such an evolution, such a phenomenon that we have here inside us now, covered by the skin and skull. The skull is put on the top, then it is tied with skin. So all these details, this nature of the body is by karma, by action, is produced by our own mind. All these have a creator, which is our own mind.

The nature of the mind is formless, colorless and shapeless. It’s different from the body, completely the opposite of the body. Colorless, formless, shapeless. The general definition of the phenomenon of the mind, what is called she pa, knowing or cognition. So, there is the body and there is the mind or cognition, knowing, whose basic definition is, on the basis of being colorless, formless and shapeless, that which is clear and able to perceive an object. The example is a mirror, how objects are able to appear clearly to a mirror. There is a clear reflection in the mirror. Similarly, the mind is this phenomenon that is colorless, shapeless and formless, and which has the function of knowing an object. Because its function is knowing objects, it is named according to the function it does, then the name is given to the subject.

A restaurant that makes pizza is called a pizza restaurant. Anyway, not exact, probably! It’s named according to the function it does. What this phenomena does is to know an object, so the name is given to the subject, that phenomena.

To this mind, the subject, which is formless, colorless and shapeless, objects such as the five sense objects and so forth appear clearly to that phenomena, which is knowing and so in that way is able to see the object. So, the mind, whose nature is clear, perceives the object, like this.

That is a general definition of what it is, first of all. Then there are many other details within that.

REINCARNATION CAN’T BE DISPROVED

Because we don’t remember, because our mind doesn’t see future lives and doesn’t remember past lives, that’s why [we believe] past and future lives don’t exist. This is one reason. We think, “Because my mind cannot see it, therefore it doesn’t exist.” This reason can only be applied when the mind becomes an omniscient mind. When our mind becomes an omniscient mind, completely pure from all the two obscurations, then, only then, can we use this reasoning to prove whether things exist or not. Otherwise, that reason does not cover. Otherwise, it becomes a mistake to use the evidence of our own mind to prove whether things exist or not. If we don’t have the capacity of mind, then we can’t use it as a reason that things don’t exist. Until our own mind becomes an omniscient mind, it’s very hard to use our own mind, our own capacity as a reason, generally, that things exist or not, because we don’t even see things that other people, other sentient beings, can see. Other sentient beings who have a higher capacity, who have that education, who have that understanding, can see things we can’t.

There are many things we don’t remember that we did. Before mentioning that, just because of the reason that it exists only if my mind can see it, only then should we believe it—if we use this reasoning then whatever we can’t see we must disprove, such as people or material things, whatever, mountains, houses, ants, flies, lice, things that are behind us that we can’t see. While we’re facing this way, we can’t see what’s at the back side at the same time. We can’t even see our own back side, even the back side of our head. All these things that we can’t see—using this reasoning—therefore don’t exist. It’s the same thing here. We also don’t see it, so why we should believe it? Why should we believe what somebody tells us is behind us, saying it’s, this, this, this, this, this, describing to us, why should we believe it? Why should we rely upon somebody explaining to us?

Then, because we can’t see it, all that education that we don’t have now would also become nonexistent. As far as our reasoning goes, we use that as a reason whether things exist or not—we think because our mind cannot see it, therefore it can’t exist. Mistakes such as this arise.

In regards to not seeing or not understanding, there are many things that we did in this life, from our childhood, that we have forgotten. Sometimes we don’t remember whether we talked to a person or even what we did this morning. Sometimes we don’t remember. From our childhood, because it is more distant, there are many things that we don’t remember. This happens. Using this criterion, that we must see something for it to exist, we have to accept that these things we’ve forgotten never existed. Our mind cannot see it, so it didn’t happen. We have to accept like this.

It’s the same thing in regards to not remembering or not seeing something. There are many things that we have seen that we have now forgotten, so this is the same. Most of us don’t remember how we came out of our mother’s womb. We don’t remember. We can’t remember what it was like when we were in our mother’s womb for nine months. We don’t see that now. Similarly, we don’t remember past lives. The more distant it is, the less likely we are to remember.

Most of us ordinary people don’t remember such things because of the big change of death and rebirth, mainly by ignorance, and also partially due to the pollutions in the womb. Because of that we also can’t remember. The main thing is ignorance and there are other conditions that block us from remembering.

So, I think I’ll think stop here.

In order to judge every single existence, whether it exists or not, we can do that only by having an omniscient mind. It’s not just a simple thing, like whether there’s tea or not in the mug. I’m not saying that in order to judge [everything] we have to have an omniscient mind.

That’s all.

 

Lecture 12

THE SUFFERING OF CHANGE

As the Omniscient One, the kind, compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, advised, the very essence of life is to not harm others. We ourselves wish for happiness and don’t want suffering, problems, no matter whether we are a religious person or a nonreligious one, whoever we are—even as a human being or a nonhuman being, a creature or whatever. Whoever we are, there is that wish. It’s there concerning ourselves and concerning others; all others also want happiness and do not want problems. Nobody wants to experience undesirable things, to experience lack of success, failure. Therefore, the very essence of life is to not commit an unwholesome action, which means doing harmful actions toward other sentient beings, which also become harmful actions toward ourselves.

The Buddha is not rejecting enjoyment; he is not saying that we should not enjoy life, that we shouldn’t have any enjoyment at all. The Omniscient One is not refusing or rejecting our enjoyment or happiness in life, our comfort in the life.

What the Buddha is saying is this. Clinging to hallucinated pleasure is a suffering feeling, a problem, a discomfort that is so small it becomes unnoticeable and so we label it “pleasure” or “comfort.” After it appears as that and we put the label on it that this is pleasure, then it appears as pleasure, but it’s not real pleasure. There is no real happiness there. The feeling on which we label “pleasure” is not the cessation of the whole, entire suffering, true suffering, karma and disturbing thoughts, with the seed of the disturbing thoughts. It’s not a feeling that is a complete cessation of these things. In that case there would be no basis for the feeling that is still suffering; there would be no such thing there. That would be ultimate happiness, pure happiness.

We samsaric beings are caught up in suffering and we are not yet free from these aggregates, the association of body and mind that is defiled and forever circling, joining from one life to another in samsara. We are not free from the aggregates that are a container of the whole, entire problems. We have been caught up in this from beginningless rebirths until now, in this samsara, with these aggregates, so our pleasure depends on external objects. Dependent on true suffering, these feelings are simply temporary comfort or pleasure, labeled or merely imputed on a feeling where the suffering of suffering is temporarily unnoticeable. For the duration that the suffering feeling is unnoticeable, we label it “pleasure.” When that small discomfort increases, when it becomes noticeable, then more and more noticeable, it becomes the suffering of suffering. As we continue the action, which compounds the discomfort more and more, what appears to our mind as pleasure decreases more and more.

Since I mentioned this, since I brought up this point, maybe I’ll say a little bit to clarify it more.

Whatever sense pleasure, whatever external sense object we meet, even what ordinary beings think of as the highest pleasure, even what is called pleasure and believed to be the greatest pleasure, if we examine it in our own heart, there’s something not completely, not fully satisfied there inside the heart. There’s something missing, if we really examine the very inside of the heart. Even though externally there’s some excitement, if we really examine well the very inside of the heart, there’s something missing there, there’s a hole. There’s something missing there. We are not fully satisfied, even with those pleasures that are regarded as the highest by the ordinary beings.

For example, after we meet a friend and do the action of being together, the more that action continues—sometimes even by the second day—we have lost interest. Even by the second day, there’s no excitement. Or even after one hour. Actually, even after we actually met. According to the expectation, before meeting for many years, for a long time, according to the expectation, the action of meeting and being together should compound more and more, compounding more and more comfort, compounding more and more happiness. One week being together brings more happiness, then one month being together brings much more happiness, and then one year being together brings much greater happiness. There should be no comparison with the happiness at the beginning; it should be incredible after a year of being together. It should continue like that. The greater the number of years together, the more the happiness, the comfort, should increase. After a few years there should be the most unbelievable happiness. The action of meeting and being together should compound in that way.

However, the more we continue the action of meeting and being together, the less happiness there is. The interest becomes less, less, less, and it becomes more and more boring. More and more boring. More and more boring, then sooner or later the mind comes to look for a new one. Sooner or later. Sooner or later, dissatisfied with this one, the thought comes to look for a new one.

With a state of mind like this, the action of meeting and being together compounds more and more problems, more and more unhappiness. This state of mind becomes more pain or more suffering. That’s what it produces.

Then it’s the same thing with meeting another one. We look for another one and then again the same thing happens. At the beginning there’s great excitement, great excitement that we have never experienced before, in this life or in other lives. Either in this life or other lives. For us, it seems the very first time, because we don’t think or don’t know about reincarnation and karma—that everyone has been our mother, father, wife or husband; that everyone has been our child; everyone has been our enemy, friend, everything, numberless times, not just one time but numberless times. Each person has been like this. Since we don’t know and don’t think about it, but just by following the hallucinated mind, ignorance, which is not seeing or remembering past relationships, past experience, this seems the very first time.

Again it’s the same thing. At the beginning, there’s incredible expectation and we can’t stand it; we can’t wait. For years we work very hard to meet this person, with all the material expenses and everything. However, when we actually succeed in meeting and then being together more, we learn more and more about that person’s mind, how it is and so forth. At the beginning we don’t know what the person’s mind is; at the beginning we don’t know who the person is, so there is a whole world that our own mind has created of that person.

After some time of actually being together, however, of continuing meeting, we find out that person’s mind is actually like a garbage can. Like a garbage can, inside there’s all kinds of junk, with leftover ice creams and leftover pizzas. Anyway I’m joking. It’s full of junk, a garbage can filled with many interesting things, many precious things.

When we find this out, since in our own heart there’s no compassion, the only reason is because we want personal happiness, this life’s happiness, that makes life so painful. We are only interested in this life’s happiness and that means only attachment, only self-interest or self-happiness. Since the motivation is only that, attachment, since there is no other motivation, there’s no compassion, that’s what makes life so painful.

THE NEED FOR COMPASSION

Basically, anyway, since I brought up this matter, in this relationship, again what makes life so painful is because there’s no compassion in our heart toward the other person and the motivation is only attachment. By following desire, we can never find satisfaction; by following that mind, that motivation, the attachment seeking only happiness for ourselves, seeking only the happiness of this life.

There are three types of eight worldly dharmas: black eight worldly dharmas, mixed eight worldly dharmas and white eight worldly dharmas. This attachment, clinging only to our own happiness of this life, is the black eight worldly dharmas. There are four objects that we like: comfort and receiving material things, hearing interesting sounds, liking reputation and then praise. Receiving material things includes receiving the desirable objects such as meeting, receiving friends. Being attached to these four desirable objects and then being unhappy when we don’t have them:, not receiving material objects, desirable objects, not receiving comfort, interesting sounds, reputation and praise. So, the eight worldly dharmas are being happy because we receive these four desirable things and unhappy because we don’t receive them. These are the eight worldly dharma or eight worldly concerns.

What makes life so painful is because there’s a mistake in the motivation. There’s a mistake in the purpose of life; there’s a mistake in the motivation. Because there are more wrong concepts, more mistakes in the motivation, life is more painful. The less mistakes there are in the motivation, in the purpose of life, the less pain there is in life—less problems, less fighting, less disharmony and so forth.

From the very beginning, our motivation has been the black eight worldly dharmas, attachment seeking happiness for the self, for this life’s happiness. The purpose of living, the motivation, is following the self-cherishing thought, and because of that, we follow the black worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to our own happiness and comfort of this life. Following the black eight worldly dharmas, this attachment, is what makes life dissatisfied, what makes life so painful. That’s what makes life so dissatisfied, so dissatisfied, meaning we are unable to keep relationships. Even with one person, no matter how long we are together, we are still unable to find satisfaction. Instead of becoming happier and happier, more and more harmonious, more and more peaceful, having a more and more meaningful life, it turns the other way, with more and more unhappiness. How much we try to change the object, how much we try to change our friends, one after another, no matter how many times we change, still we can’t find satisfaction. Still we are so unhappy.

In other words, in some ways we become like this, we can’t find the answer to life. Somehow, life becomes something that we can’t find an answer to. We can’t find an answer, a solution to that suffering, to that great mental dissatisfaction, that big hole in the heart, in the mind, the big dissatisfaction that we have lived with, day and night, while we are doing business or whatever.

Therefore, here again compassion becomes so important, so extremely important. This is the answer to life. The one thing is compassion; the one most important, fundamental answer is compassion. First, there is practicing compassion from our own side. Without compassion life has no meaning; it’s only suffering. There’s no happiness, no matter where we go: this way, this way, this way. But with compassion in our own mind, without needing to go anywhere, our own mind gives us happiness; our own mind makes both our life and other people’s lives beneficial.

When there’s loving kindness and compassion, when we live our life with universal responsibility, the purpose of our own life is to free everyone, every being, from all problems and their causes, and to obtain happiness, especially ultimate happiness, that which never degenerates, that which never decreases.

As I mentioned already a few times at the beginning of the course, we should live our life with the idea, with the attitude, with the recognition that we are a servant to others. We are a servant to all sentient beings. We are a servant to obtain happiness for them; we are an enjoyment to be used by them. We are here to be used by other sentient beings. Since the purpose of our life is not for ourselves, our life belongs to others. Our life is for others.

With this attitude, whether we work at a meditation center, whether we work for the family, whether we work for the government, wherever we work, whatever work we do, there’s great happiness, great satisfaction. Whether we do social work or work in a hospital, as a doctor or a nurse, wherever we are working, if we are able to live life with this attitude every day, then there’s incredible peace. No ego problems come.

So many of life’s unnecessary problems are caused by the ego, because we follow the ego, we follow the self-cherishing thought. By following the ego, we don’t fit in with others. Our attitude doesn’t fit in with other sentient beings. So many of our day-to-day problems are created immediately, right in that hour, right in that minute—disharmony, quarreling, killing each other. Because of our ego, so many people come to dislike us, so many people complain about us. Instead of so many people praising us, loving us and being happy to see us when we come around, everybody turns their back when we come around. They show their back instead of showing their front, instead of showing their face. I’m not sure what I’m saying. Anyway, the point is they don’t want to look at us, they don’t want to see us, so they turn their back. They pretend they don’t see us.

THE SHORTCOMINGS OF FOLLOWING SELF-CHERISHING

Even though there might be no problems at all, no difficulties, no quarrels, no disharmony, even though our relationship with others is so peaceful, immediately when we follow the ego we create problems right now. We create problems immediately—disharmony, quarreling, all these things. With body, speech and mind, we hurt others and create so many heavy negative karmas or negative actions, which brings the result of rebirth in the lower realms. Then, we have to experience the sufferings of the lower realms and in the future, after some time, when that karma has finished, even when we are born as a human being, there are many other problems in life that we have to experience.

As I mentioned yesterday, karma is expandable. The inner evolution, action and result, karma, is expandable. So, it’s not just one human life of experiencing problems but we have to experience the result of that one karma for many human lifetimes. This is true for any of the ten nonvirtuous actions that are done, the harm that is given to others.

Some years ago, when I was at Manjushri Institute, at Cumbria in England,⁸ I met a person, somebody who was attending the teachings, who just came from the outside. He was quite an old person. I don’t think he had any children and his wife had some disease in the ovaries. She had an operation, but it was unsuccessful so she had pain. He told me he couldn’t have sex with her anymore because of the pain in her ovaries so he no longer had any purpose to live with her. I think they had lived together for many years. It was not just that they met a few months before; it was not like that. They had lived for many years together. But she had this disease, she had an operation and it didn’t succeed, so she had pain. I thought that was kind of sad. Now she was no use for him. There was no purpose to live together, he said. I thought that was kind of sad. What he was saying was she was now no use for him; that’s what he meant.

That life problem is an example. Simply because of that difficulty, he could no longer see the purpose of living together and then they had a big problem. On one hand there’s no problem, it’s just the mind, because of the way he thought, just for his own comfort. The problem was because of the way he thought, how the purpose of life, of being together with her, was just for that, just for his own comfort. Just to have sex. But if he had changed his attitude a little bit, there would have been no problem in the life. If he had thought in a slightly different way, within his mind, there would have been no problem, thinking that she needs happiness and she also doesn’t want suffering, that she needs help. He could have thought that he was there to help her, taking universal responsibility, not even for all sentient beings but just for that one sentient being. Even if he couldn’t do it for all sentient beings, but just for that one sentient being.

THE BENEFITS OF REMEMBERING IMPERMANENCE AND DEATH

Taking universal responsibility is the meaning of our own life. With loving kindness, thinking how kind and how precious our partner is, we think to repay the kindness. We’re here to repay the kindness. If we generate compassion and loving kindness, then there’s a purpose to be together, to free her from difficulties and to cause her happiness. This way, by being concerned for her, there’s a purpose. Then we can see a purpose. But when the object of life, the aim of life, is only for our own purpose, for our own happiness of this life, where there’s our own self-interest; when we think that way it becomes a big problem. When we think that way, we find a problem; but when we think the other way, thinking about others, when we generate those other thoughts, we don’t see a problem in life.

Problems in life come from what kinds of concepts we have. With one concept we have problems in life; with another concept there are no problems in life. In that same day, that same hour, that same minute, this all depends on which kind of concept we follow. So you can see that whatever problem we have, even death and rebirth, even those things—everything—definitely comes from our own mind. There can never be a problem that is not dependent on our own mind, that came only from outside. There’s no such thing.

Basically, the problem is not knowing what the meaning of life is. Basically, this is the problem, not having Dharma wisdom, not knowing the meaning of life, the purpose of life. Not knowing is one mistake and knowing but not having thought about it is another, a second mistake, not remembering, not having thought about it.

Even concerning having harmonious relationships, it’s also beneficial to remember impermanence and death. What brings life so much pain for ourselves and for others’ lives, so much disaster or so much pain, is following the dissatisfied mind, desire, attachment. This is the immediate cause of the pain of life, the nearest one. When we look at everything, when we reflect on the other person, on our own life, how it is in the nature of impermanence, problems are cut off immediately. We need to see that these things are changing every second. Even within one second they don’t last, they decay; they can be stopped any time. Thinking this way immediately makes the mind not follow the dissatisfied mind, desire. It immediately cuts off desire, the dissatisfied mind, attachment. Also, thinking of the impermanence of the other person cuts attachment. By reflecting on impermanence it cuts off the dissatisfied mind, attachment, which is like the sky filled with fog—not frogs, the animal! Not the sky filled with frogs. Fog, the sky filled with fog.

When the mind is completely occupied, completely overtaken by the dissatisfied mind, by strong attachment, it doesn’t leave space for compassion. There’s no space. The self-cherishing thought has completely taken over the mind, and then this second great dissatisfied mind, attachment, takes over, so there’s no space to feel concern for the other person, to feel the other person’s need, to have concern for the other person’s happiness, to cherish the other person. There’s no space for these positive thoughts, no space for compassion to arise for that other person. The mind is completely overtaken by the self-cherishing thought, by this great dissatisfied mind, attachment. We are only thinking of my happiness, my happiness, my happiness, like reciting a mantra, except we don’t use a mala to count. We don’t use a mala to count how many times we think “my happiness, my happiness, my happiness,” but it’s like reciting a mantra, or like a computer or something, like a calculator.

Reflecting on impermanence and death is the solution. It’s extremely powerful. It’s easy to understand, but it’s extremely powerful. It immediately stops the problem. [Rinpoche snaps his fingers.] It cuts off the dissatisfied mind, attachment. It gives our mind a rest; it’s a holiday for our mind from those great dissatisfactory minds, attachment and so forth, from all those other disturbing thoughts, all those other emotional, painful minds. It gives our mind a rest, a holiday, which is the most important thing. When that happens, as I mentioned at other times, then physical rest also comes, a healthy body comes.

It gives a lot of space for those other positive minds to arise. This way, it also makes us understand the other person more. By making our own mind clear, we understand the other person’s needs better, and how kind and precious the other person is. We understand how all our comfort and things came from this person, from this person’s effort and support. Even just talking about the kindness of this life, let alone thinking about all the past lives’ kindness of this person, there are many ways our life has been made easier because of this person.

It especially helps us practice Dharma, practice patience and so forth; it helps us develop our own mind. To develop our own mind, there are many ways we can think of the kindness of the other person, even it’s not the father or mother of this life. It means seeing how our parents are kind. In the West and in Tibet there are examples of respecting the parents, thinking of the kindness of the parents. This itself becomes part of the education that is taught. Especially in Dharma, normally this is a common thing that we hear or talk about. It’s common in the culture, and especially in the Dharma there’s no question to reflect on how all sentient beings—our current parents and then all sentient beings—have been our mother, and how all sentient beings are so precious, so kind. That becomes the foundation to develop bodhicitta. We reflect on how all sentient beings have been so kind to us and therefore how they are so precious, how our own three-times’ happiness comes from them.

THE PROBLEMS OF NOT UNDERSTANDING THE MIND

In the West, especially whenever there’s something physically or mentally wrong, it’s common for the daughter or son to blame the parents. This is part of the culture, the education. I have often met people who had problems, so they went to a psychiatrist or a psychologist who explained their problems came from not being well cared for by their parents when they were young. When they were children, babies, the parents didn’t take care of them well, which caused some mental or physical problem. Like this, everything is put on the parents. Even though the daughter or son might have had a very harmonious, a very peaceful relationship with their parents before, after seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist when they go back home they get angry with their parents. They become upset with their parents and the parents get upset with them, so there’s no solution. So one conclusion is that there an extra problem created but no solution. After seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist, this extra emotional problem happens, creating dislike, hatred toward the parents, toward other sentient beings.

I think one main thing, this disrespect, not thinking of the kindness of the parents, seems to come from the education received in childhood. Basically, all that is because of not having developed the education of mind. Instead of thinking of each other and of the kindness of others, instead of developing a good heart toward each other, serving the parents, helping the parents, the basic problem is the lack of development of the education of mind, not knowing about reincarnation, about karma, action and result, and these things. Not having developed the education of mind, these parts of the education don’t come.

Yesterday, I brought up the story of the communist Chinese translator who came in the car. The conclusion that came from that was that he said finally he didn’t know whether there was a soul or a mind. I think he meant soul. He pointed to the soul here and then mind here, which I think he meant brain, or something like that. What finally came out, from his heart, from the very inside, what he thought when we talked about the mind, he said he didn’t know. The point is this. Remembering past and future lives, those who can remember their own past and future lives, is there anybody who cannot accept this? Is there anybody who finds difficulty with that?

Student: To remember one’s own past lives?

Rinpoche: No, no. No, what I’m saying is, those people who remember their past and future lives, those people who can remember, so do you agree? That’s my question.

Student: [Inaudible comment] ... remembering future lives?

Rinpoche: It means seeing the future lives as past.

Student: [Inaudible comment]

Rinpoche: Yeah. Those who can see. Those who can remember their past lives and those who can remember future lives. Those who can see future lives. Do you agree that their experience is true?

Student: It’s a possible position to have.

Rinpoche: It’s possible position, possible also to have?

Student: Do you agree there are future lives?

Rinpoche: Do I agree? Do I agree with future lives? That’s a different question. That’s a different question. I’ll check about it. Whether I want to be friend with my future life or not. Do you mean the existence of past and future lives, or what do you mean?

Student: Do you agree with future lives? Because I don’t see how you can see your future lives.

Rinpoche: But I didn’t see, no, I can’t say. The existence of future lives, the existence of future lives.

Student: Do you think there’s anybody who can see my future life? I mean, my future life is already ripened out or something.

Rinpoche: So you mean, if everybody says there are future lives then there are future lives?

Student: [Inaudible comments]

Rinpoche: But there is. For example, leaving out future lives. If you eat food, if you have lunch, you won’t be hungry later. If you eat food now, if you eat lunch, you won’t be hungry, but if you don’t eat, you might be hungry later. So you can see that. It’s up to you whether you eat lunch and stop being hungry later. Whether you want to be hungry or not is in your hands. Whether you want to be hungry or not hungry, you decide whether to eat lunch or not. Isn’t that in your hands or not?

Student: [Inaudible comment]

Rinpoche: So then?

Student: But then you must know about what actions will bring which result. You must have already seen the result.

Rinpoche: Yeah, even for that I’m using some examples. Well, if you have lunch now, if I allow you to have lunch now. Anyway, the example I gave, it’s the same. If you don’t eat lunch now, you might get hungry later in the afternoon; but if you eat now, you won’t be hungry. It’s in your hands; you have a choice. Similarly, if you become enlightened in this life, then in a future life you don’t need to die and be reborn. You don’t need to go through this if you become enlightened in this life. If that doesn’t happen then you have to go through a future life. What kind of future life you will have, where your consciousness migrates to, that’s in your hands. 

For example, to receive a perfect human rebirth again, to have a better practice, to make more progress, to have a more beneficial life for other sentient beings, if you create the cause of that in this life then that will happen. But if you don’t create the cause in this life, then the result won’t happen. Whether you create the cause or not is in your hands. It’s like that. It’s similar to lunch.

Student: In this life, the omniscient mind of the Buddha can see past and future lives?

Rinpoche: Yeah, that’s right. Right.

Student: What is my choice? The omniscient mind of the Buddha in every moment knows my future and my past and my present, and if in one hour my future can be different than now, is that right?

Rinpoche: Your future can be different?

Student: [Inaudible]

Rinpoche: Your future life is a causative phenomenon. Since it’s a causative phenomenon, it’s in that nature, changing in every second.

Student: So does that mean that the omniscient mind can’t see the future?

Rinpoche: Yeah?

Student: Does that mean then that the omniscient mind cannot see the future, because if the choices that determine the future are changing at the present moment, doesn’t that mean that omniscient mind, therefore, cannot see the future?

Rinpoche: The future is changing now?

Student: Right now I have a choice. I can sit here or I can leave, that’s my choice. So the fact that the omniscient mind can see that choice I’m going to make, based upon my past causes, doesn’t that mean that I don’t have a choice?

Rinpoche: Because based on the past, you mean?

Student: That’s what I mean.

THE GOAL OF LIFE

Now, I’ll put one question. Even if it’s dependent on the past, if you succeed, it’s okay, isn’t it? Isn’t that the main goal? Whether it’s dependent on the past or not, if you succeed, as long as you succeed, then it’s okay, whether it’s dependent on the past or not. So, that’s all. It doesn’t matter whether it’s dependent on the past.

The main concentration should be to succeed. That’s the main aim, if you think about it. If you relate to the concept that if that happens depends on virtuous action in the past, that gives you freedom, that is bad. If you look at this, if you make up this concept, it’s just torturing yourself, because that doesn’t help, that doesn’t help at all. The main thing is that even though happiness depends on virtue and suffering depends on nonvirtue, our main aim is to succeed, to make the life most beneficial for ourselves and others, and from those two, to be most beneficial for other sentient beings. In this way, everything becomes most beneficial for us. This is the most important thing. Basically, this should be the main concentration; this should be where we put the most effort. This is the main aim to be achieved.

We really have to think about what we want to achieve. That’s the main thing. With anything we do, we should try to make it beneficial, so that it becomes the cause for that, the cause for a good result for all sentient beings who are numberless, equaling the infinite sky, equaling the infinite space; to be the cause of happiness for everyone and to especially bring them ultimate happiness, full enlightenment. That is the main goal of the life.

As I mentioned yesterday, if we’re able to live our life working for one sentient being, serving one sentient being’s happiness, working for one sentient being’s happiness, this is much more meaningful than [offering to all the buddhas] equaling the number of the atoms of this earth. Serving one sentient being, working for one sentient being, to eliminate problems, to obtain happiness for that sentient being, is much more meaningful than offering to all the buddhas equaling the number of atoms of this earth.

As long as we live our life with this motivation, as long as we live our life in that way, for others, there is no greater enjoyment in the life than this. There is no more happiness than this. There’s no greater enjoyment than this in life. Living our life for others, working for others, even if it’s only one sentient being, there’s no other happier life than this.

Our aim should be keeping other sentient beings in our heart, by seeing how precious they are and keeping that in the heart. To eliminate their suffering, to obtain happiness for them—keeping that as a main aim in the heart. With that aim, with that motivation, then we live our life. That itself gives great satisfaction in life. That itself is the opposite of egotism, the self-cherishing thought. This one is not following the dissatisfied mind, attachment. Living our life like this, with such a motivation or aim in our heart, this gives great satisfaction in our heart, great peace in our heart.

The conclusion that I was going to say before is we should try our best. Since everyone does not have the same level of merit, the same capacity, the same intelligence, not everyone can live the ascetic life, not everyone in that lifestyle can achieve realizations. Since everyone can’t live the ordained life, whichever life that you take, within that lifestyle you have to try your best to practice. Within whatever different lifestyle you now have, try to practice the best you can.

Q&A: REINCARNATION

The conclusion is that there’s nobody who disagrees with those experiences. There are people who remember their past and future lives. Is there anybody who disagrees? Yeah, go on.

Student: I don’t believe in reincarnation.

Rinpoche: Yeah. Welcome. Then, all those people who say they remember past and future lives? All those who explain about their past lives or who talk about their future lives, whatever, you don’t think there’s any truth in all those things?

Student: Right.

Rinpoche: What’s the reason?

Student: I think the mind is a powerful thing. From their own experiences, people are able to create other experiences that they believe happened, but that didn’t really happen.

Rinpoche: Did you say horrible thing or powerful thing?

Group: Powerful thing.

Rinpoche: Oh, I thought horrible thing. I even heard it two or three times, the mind is horrible. It’s powerful so then they make their own faith?

Student: Right.

Rinpoche: What about your mind?

Student: Ah! It’s different.

Rinpoche: What about your concept that there is no past or future life? What about that?

Student: There’s no past or future lives. [Inaudible] … the structure that creates a mind within which, right now, I’m just atoms. My mind is working and when I die the energy goes out of my mind and I’m gone.

Rinpoche: The mind is a lot of atoms that are integrated, put together, so that’s the mind? Then?

Student: Aside from that there is no mind. There is no mind, there’s only actually body, the mind ... [Inaudible].

Rinpoche: I see. So you don’t have mind? Anybody else who doesn’t have mind? Is there any friend who doesn’t have mind? You have no mind?

Another student: I do, but I don’t know what I have.

Rinpoche: So for you, instead of body, speech and mind, there is only body and speech?

Student: Speech is a function of the body, the mind is a function of the body, there’s only two. If there is a mind, the mind is a part of the body. I think it’s a mistake to think of the mind as separate from the body.

Rinpoche: So now you’re saying the body is your mind?

Student: No, the mind is a part of the body, just like the eye.

Rinpoche: The mind is a part of the body? So the body is not mind?

Student: The body is not the mind.

Rinpoche: You say mind is a part of the body?

Student: Right.

Rinpoche: Okay. So which part of the body?

Student: The part of the body that controls the body. It makes the body’s parts work together. It creates thoughts; it’s the thinking part of the body.

Rinpoche: Thinking? So does your whole body think or just some part of the body think?

Student: Yes, just in the brain, there are electrical synapses, called thoughts. You have a system, the heart pumps blood into the brain, that helps the brain, the brain does a function with blood, it has electrical synapses, that creates thought. It’s all just something like a machine.

Rinpoche: So, there’s like electricity inside the body? You mean the mind is like electricity in the body? Huh? What? Impulses? In the brain. So that is it, that’s what the mind does? What’s the impulse of the brain? The sensation.

Student: The sensation?

Rinpoche: The sensation. Is that what you’re talking about? Is that what, what’s impulse, sensation?

Ven. Roger: Impulse means some kind of chemical reaction.

Rinpoche: Vibration?

Student: Yeah, it’s like, I don’t know. I’m not exactly sure how it works. Supposedly there’s electricity in the brain, that’s what creates thought and memory. It’s like little electrical, it’s called synapse.

Rinpoche: Okay, now. Now first, we’re going to continue this. First of all, past and future lives don’t exist. Is that your experience?

Student: I can’t remember any past lives.

Rinpoche: No, no. Past and future lives don’t exist. Is that what you have realized?

Student: I wouldn’t say that I’ve realized it.

Rinpoche: Is that your experience? That there’s no past and future lives?

Student: Yeah, that’s my experience.

Rinpoche: How did you experience it?

Student: All my experiences are within this life.

Rinpoche: So, you have experienced this non-existing of past and future lives? You have experienced it, right? You have experienced it, but you haven’t realized it.

Student: Right. Are you saying realized?

Rinpoche: Not now. Since you haven’t realized it, what’s the logic that you have experienced it? You have experienced that there are no past or future lives, so what’s the logic for that? What’s the reason for that?

Student: I have only experiences from this life. I have no evidence to suggest different lives. Therefore, I’m suggesting…

Rinpoche: Suggest. You’re not suggesting. No, go on. What?

Student: I don’t have any memories of other lives. Also, there’s no evidence that when you die the synapses go anywhere. Nobody’s ever been able to measure a transfer of mind power ... [Inaudible]

Rinpoche: Now, because you don’t remember past or future lives, what you remember is only this life, therefore, it’s your experience that there’s no past or future lives, right?

Student: Right.

Rinpoche: So, now it’s exactly the same thing with all those people who are able to remember past and future lives, all those other meditators, all those lamas, all those other reincarnate lamas, as well as the many other people in the West—in cities or villages, young children or old people, many people have remembered, describing their past life’s village and parents, everything, so clearly. This is also their experience. What about that? This is also their experience. Their minds see this.

Student: Well, all I can say, I think the mind is powerful—not horrible—and, for example, people have different perceptions of what they’ve done even in this life. I’m able to convince myself that a certain event happened, and other people who were there at the same time, say “No, no, no, you didn’t do that.” I mean how people are able to write books. They can create characters and they can create lives that are convincing. You can create lives within your own head, of your experiences and believe that these things happened. Also I’ve noticed that when people talk about past lives, it’s usually something glamorous, like “I was a king, I was a warrior.” They don’t say, “I was a clerk in 1950,” or something like that.

Rinpoche: So you said that because what you remember is only this life, there are no past or future lives? Similarly, I’m saying that there are many who can remember past and future lives—meditators, incarnate lamas or many other people, young or old—who could remember, who could explain very clearly, and even able to show the place and the parents, everything, able to tell the stories. This is the same thing; this is their experience. Their mind is able to see. So, what about that?

Student: Well, as you said yesterday, until we’re omniscient we can’t know, and I don’t think that those people are omniscient, so how can they know that they are right? Then I say that experience is fallible. How do we know that their experiences aren’t fallible? That those aren’t creations of mind that didn’t really happen? And then I say, so who am I going to trust? Their experiences or my experiences? For one thing I trust my experiences and you’ll notice there are logical reasons why their experiences can be explained, whereas I don’t think there is a logical explanation, an acceptable, logical explanation for transfer of the mind from body to body, or of six realms or things like that.

Rinpoche: Then, another question. What you said was that mind is an impulse of the brain. Electrical impulses are what? The brain? So these electrical impulses that are created by the brain, these are thoughts? Right? Is that correct? So anyway, whatever you’re saying, is this your own realization or somebody else’s explanation you believe? Is this something that you realized without anybody explaining to you?

Student: It was explained to me just as reincarnation was explained. Both things are explained to me, and I picked which one I thought was more realistic.

Rinpoche: So, your belief in this is because somebody taught you, because somebody introduced you to what is the mind, right?

Student: Yes, but also I found science to be generally trustable. What science says usually works so far, so I’m going to trust them on this one, too.

Rinpoche: Can scientists make mistakes?

Student: They always make mistakes but…

Rinpoche: There were many mistakes, then what? There were many mistakes, but what?

Student: Certain things like Newton’s laws. Newton had a set of laws and for centuries they were always accepted as correct, then Einstein disagreed with Newton’s laws, but Newton’s laws still worked for things on this earth, they’re just not ultimately correct. Though Newton’s laws were fallible in a way, they still form a basis that works, they can explain things. Science makes small mistakes and builds upon those mistakes, always increasing our knowledge.

Rinpoche: They make a mistake but they develop it, right? That’s what you’re saying?

Student: Right. That’s why I don’t want to say I’ve realized that reincarnation could be a mistake.

Rinpoche: What you said, the conclusion is what you explained, your description of the mind is simply what you believed, what somebody taught you, right? That’s all, isn’t it? So that’s all that it is? So what is the logic that it’s true?

Student: What is the logic that it’s true? The logic of what?

Rinpoche: This first explanation of what the mind is, what you heard. You say you believe in this, right? So what is the logic that it’s true?

Student: A lot of things like, we have the airplane and all these things that work on scientific principles.

Rinpoche: But you said scientists can make mistakes. Then how do you trust in this?

Student: Well, I make mistakes and I trust myself. I think you learn from your mistakes.

Rinpoche: That’s a very cute answer. I think we all do that, right? That is one question to think about. So this first explanation about what makes the mind, why do you believe that is true? Then the other question is, anything that is not your experience, all that is wrong? But there are many experiences you don’t have that other people have, right?

Student: Right.

Rinpoche: Okay, that’s good; that’s auspicious. That there are other people who have experiences that you don’t have. So you agree to that?

Student: Yes, yes.

Rinpoche: So, do you agree that other people know more about their own minds than you?

Student: Yes.

Rinpoche: Do you accept that other people can have experiences through meditation practice, that they can develop clairvoyance?

Student: No.

Rinpoche: So you don’t accept other people can have clairvoyance?

Student: No.

Rinpoche: Aren’t there things you did in your past, in this life, that you don’t remember?

Student: Yes.

Rinpoche: There are? So did those things happen or not, the things that you don’t remember?

Student: I don’t know. I don’t know for sure whether they happened or not.

Rinpoche: Do you remember every single thing? Do you remember when your life began?

Student: No.

Rinpoche: You don’t remember? Okay, now. Did the beginning of your life exist or not?

Student: Yes.

Rinpoche: But you don’t remember? So, because you don’t remember, the beginning of this life is not your experience?

Student: Correct.

Rinpoche: Since it’s not your experience, it didn’t exist.

Student: No, it did exist.

Rinpoche: Even though it’s not your experience.

Student: Correct.

Rinpoche: So, you don’t accept clairvoyance, right? You don’t accept other people having clairvoyance, right?

Student: Right.

Rinpoche: So, you don’t accept that other people can see the beginning of your life? The beginning of this life of yours? You don’t accept that other people have the capacity to see the beginning of this life. Do you accept or not?

Student: I don’t accept that people can see the beginning of this life, of my life.

Rinpoche: So, nobody can see the beginning of your this life?

Student: Right. I think that my life began at conception, and nobody is able to see what’s going on inside the womb. My life began at conception, no one could see exactly the sperm meet the egg. Nobody’s able to see the beginning of this life.

Rinpoche: No one saw what? The sperm and egg getting together? No one saw? But I thought you have complete faith in scientists’ explanations.

Student: I have conditional faith in science.

Rinpoche: You have faith in some things but not in others. And this one you don’t believe in?

Student: No, I believe that when the sperm and the egg came together, it gave me my life. But I was born on February 13, 1971, like my parents said, and other people who were present said, “You were a little kid, when you were one, you did this.” A lot of people are able to say that and know that I don’t remember.

Rinpoche: Do you believe what parents say?

Student: Most of it.

Rinpoche: Do you believe your birth date?

Student: Yes. 

Rinpoche: Why?

Student: Most of the things my parents have said have been trustful. They don’t have a tendency to lie, so they have no reason to lie about my birth date, so I accept it.

Rinpoche: There’s no reason why they should tell lies about your birth date? Ah lay. So now, those many meditators, those many other lamas who can remember their past and future lives, and also can see others’, they all tell lies?

Student: No, I just think they have a great imagination.

Rinpoche: So they’re just telling what’s in their imagination? They’re just telling their visualization, right? It’s imagination. So it’s not true?

Student: I don’t think so.

Rinpoche: So, they’re all [imagining it.] They don’t have compassion.

Student: No, I’m sure many of them do have compassion and some don’t. I don’t see what compassion has to do with it. I think a lot of them probably do have compassion and a lot of them don’t.

Rinpoche: So all of these, do they have compassion or not?

Student: It depends on the individual.

Rinpoche: So those individuals who have compassion, who tell us about past and future lives, and others, do you think that’s possible or not? Somebody who has compassion but is able to tell about their past and future lives?

Student: I think that’s possible.

Rinpoche: So you think your parents didn’t lie to you about your birth date and so forth—that there’s no reason why they should tell a lie, right? But all these meditators who have developed their minds as well as those common people and the other lamas, those who can remember, who can see things, they have a purpose to tell lies?

Student: They’re not telling lies. In my definition of lying, there has to be a motivation to tell a falsehood. I think that they really do believe that they saw present and future lives, they’re not lying, they’re simply mistaken. They do believe that they saw their present and future lives, so they’re not lying, they really think that happened. I just think they’re mistaken.

Rinpoche: So they’re not lying? So it’s true?

Student: No. Like if I say tomorrow there’s a holiday in Kathmandu, and I really believe it because someone told me, and it turned out to be wrong, I wasn’t lying, I was just mistaken. Same thing.

Rinpoche: But aren’t they telling lies with ignorance?

Student: Yes. Well, no, they’re not telling a lie with ignorance. I don’t think they’re omniscient so I don’t think it’s possible to tell a lie with ignorance. You can be ignorant but you can’t tell a lie with ignorance.

Rinpoche: So anyway, what they’re telling is not lying. But not true also.

Student: Right.

Rinpoche: So there’s a third thing for you. For you a third thing exists that is not a lie and not true.

Student: That’s right.

Rinpoche: Generally, anything that exists is either a flower or not. What’s your name?

Student: Andrew.

Rinpoche: Generally, anything that exists has to be Andrew or not. Do you agree?

Andrew: Right, right, yes, I agree. I agree.

Rinpoche: So you agree, you accept that if anything exists it has to be Andrew or not.

Andrew: Yes, I agree.

Rinpoche: So there’s no third thing, right? It’s the same thing. If it’s not telling a lie then it has to be true. If it’s not telling a lie, then it has to be true. If it’s telling a lie then it’s not true. There’s no third thing. It’s the same.

Andrew: No, see, the truth, the opposite of truth is not lie, the opposite of truth is ... [Gap in recording] That’s what I call a lie.

Rinpoche: So if someone tells something with a good motivation, there’s no lie?

Andrew: Right.

Rinpoche: If someone kills with a good motivation, there’s no killing?

Andrew: No, that’s still killing.

Rinpoche: Anyway, we’ll stop there. Thank you very much.

---

Notes

⁶ Adornment of the Mahayana Sutras (Mahayanasutralamkara; Do de gyan). [Return to text]

⁷ Skandha (Skt.) means “aggregate” or “heap,” the five psycho-physical constituents that make up a sentient being, as Rinpoche has listed. [Return to text]

⁸ Manjushri Institute was one of the first FPMT centers. It operated between 1976–83. [Return to text]