RINPOCHE DENIES BEING A BODHISATTVA

[Rinpoche and students recite Prayers Before Teachings]

[Rinpoche holds up a stuffed animal]

First, this one wants to say hello to everybody!

[Rinpoche asks the person who gave him the stuffed animal] What’s the name? [Student: Thubten Kunkyen.] His name is Thubten Kunkyen. Thubten is “teachings of the Buddha” and Kunkyen is an “omniscient being,” one who is enlightened without needing to practice. It became enlightened without needing to practice, without needing to meditate, without needing to purify. It has been enlightened from beginningless time!

You enjoyed Khadro-la’s teachings? [Students: Yes.] Realized? Khadro-la says I’m a bodhisattva but there’s no hope. There’s hope in the future, after a hundred eons, maybe more. So, she’s preparing for the future hope to be a bodhisattva.

[Being a bodhisattva means] whatever we think, whatever we do with body, speech and mind is totally dedicated for sentient beings—for every sentient being, not just some that we love. We only help those but not strangers or those who criticize or abuse us, who kill us or cut us or do all the bad things to us. It’s not like that.

Starting from the president, the king, down to the beggars, even the animals, generally in the world that is how it is. Whatever we do, everything is only for sentient beings, and that includes everyone! Not just those who praise us but also those who criticize us; not only those we like but everyone. We have compassion and loving kindness for everyone.

Every single thing we do, even drinking a cup of tea, even taking one sip, everything is for numberless sentient beings. That is the bodhisattva. You have to understand. It is not easy to be a bodhisattva. Just believing we have a good heart, we are helping people, does not necessarily mean we are a bodhisattva. With a bodhisattva, every single thing is for every being, without even one ant being left out. As I said many times, the bodhisattva does everything for everybody’s happiness, to free every single being from suffering. If we were a bodhisattva, our life would be unbelievably rich. I’m not saying rich in material wealth but rich in mind, holy. That is the real holy. Do you understand?

There is no way [I’m a bodhisattva]. For me, it would take hundreds of eons and maybe even that is not enough. That is Khadro-la’s pure view. When we look at others, even if the object is not pure, from our side we look at it as pure, we look at everyone as a buddha, as a bodhisattva. That is her pure view, but, as I described to you, I don’t even have the smell of a bodhisattva. Kaka smells, but even if the kaka is not there, if you do a fart, the smell is there. I don’t even have the smell of a bodhisattva. You have to understand what “bodhisattva” means.

Then not only that. [To be a bodhisattva we must have the wish] to free the numberless hell beings, the numberless hungry ghosts, the numberless animals, the numberless human beings, the numberless sura beings, the numberless asura beings, to free everyone from the oceans of samsaric sufferings, to free them from the cause of suffering, karma and delusions, and not only that, to bring them to peerless happiness, the total cessation of obscurations and the completion of all realizations, to bring them to enlightenment. We must wish to do that by ourselves! That means although the numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas are working for sentient beings, we determine to do it ourselves.

You need lhag sam, special attitude, another English word I don’t know. There is another English word for the Tibetan lhag sam, special attitude. Is there another word for lhag sam? [Ven. Ailsa: Special intention.] Special incense? Special intention? More or less the same.

If we want the best life, the most meaningful life, the one most beneficial for every sentient being, we have to try to have the bodhisattva attitude. We must try to follow the bodhisattva’s actions. That is the sort of life to copy.

When we dance, we try to copy, what’s his name, the young guy? [Student: Michael Jackson.] Michael Jackson. Small children like Michael Jackson. That’s OK. Then the girl, Goa? [Ven. Ailsa: Lady Gaga.] Lady Gaga. In America once, His Holiness was invited to give a talk to American mayors. There were probably three hundred mayors there from the many different cities. Lady Gaga was there, His Holiness was in the middle, and there was another lady who introduced him and asked him questions. There was another lady, then Lady Gaga and another man. The question was how to run as the mayor of the city? Then His Holiness said he didn’t know how to do the mayor’s job. Often His Holiness says, “I don’t know,” but then later it comes out.

When there was a break, Lady Gaga goes like this, her fingers go like this. [Rinpoche points up] Then, she talked about compassion. I think that is very good that she brought up compassion. At least to bring up the word “compassion” is very good, very valid. Maybe she doesn’t know exactly what His Holiness normally does, but I think in the conversation His Holiness mentioned working for the Tibetan government-in-exile. He said that even if a person working for the government is negative in one way, there are other jobs the person could be expert at. You don’t have to look at it as totally black and white. His Holiness didn’t say that, but you have to look at the other things the person can do. Even though one action is bad, you have to look at what they do that is good. Usually, you want to get rid of them. Everyone, including me, would say to get rid of them because we don’t look at other good qualities.

Lady Gaga was wearing trousers with some holes in the knees, like they are worn out. I think maybe she didn’t understand it was disrespectful. His Holiness pointed to the holes [Rinpoche points to his knees] and she answered something, but I didn’t hear it on the TV or iPad.

She will also be coming tomorrow to speak. [Rinpoche sees people’s look of disbelief and confusion] Sorry! Not Lady Gaga—Khadro-la. Khadro-la. I requested. She has time, so I think she will come tomorrow.

RINPOCHE REMEMBERS THE NEPALESE EARTHQUAKE

The great bodhisattva Kyabje Khunu Lama Rinpoche said in Praise to Bodhicitta,

[89a] Remember bodhicitta when you feel down.

Write it down! Probably this has become my name, “Write It Down,” because I’ve said it many times. In Tibet, when somebody does something many times, it becomes their name. When we are unhappy, when we are feeling down, discouraged, we should remember bodhicitta. Then we become so happy because we see our life is so meaningful, so beneficial for sentient beings. When we remember bodhicitta, we feel great joy.

Then, Kyabje Khunu Lama Rinpoche said,

[89b] Remember bodhicitta when you are scared.

Sorry! This is just my story but it’s not good. When the earthquake happened in Nepal some years ago, I was here. I think I had just come from Lawudo, I’m not sure. I was here at that time in the big room in the house. It was nine o’clock in the morning or something when the earthquake struck. It was quite a big earthquake, a six-level earthquake. Of course, that is just one example but maybe at other times I won’t know what I would do. During death, when suddenly the breath stops, I don’t know what I will do.

There were statues and flowers on my round table and they all fell down. Sangpo, my attendant, ran up. He was holding the table like this, intensely saying HRIH VAJRA KRODHA HAYAGRIVA HULU HULU HUM PHAT, the mantra of Most Secret Hayagriva.

I had read some texts of lojong, thought transformation, on how to transform fear, suffering and unfavorable conditions into happiness. Because of some memory of that, at that time I did tonglen, taking the suffering of others and giving them happiness. I don’t know about other times, but I did tonglen, I think maybe from Lama Chöpa:

[LC 95] And thus, perfect, pure, compassionate Guru,
I seek your blessings that all negative karmas, obscurations, and sufferings of mother transmigratory beings
May without exception ripen upon me right now,
And that by giving my happiness and virtue to others
All transmigratory beings may experience happiness.

Also, 

Whatever suffering transmigratory beings experience,
May it all ripen on me.
Whatever happiness and virtue I accumulate,
May it all ripen on others.¹³ 

Sangpo was holding the table and reciting very intensely HRIH VAJRA KRODHA HAYAGRIVA HULU HULU HUM PHAT. At that time, fortunately, I remembered the words, I don’t know about other times. There was not much fear because I was reciting the words. I don’t know if it would happen but because of doing the prayer I was not really scared. Then I went upstairs but one of the monks said you must sit down, not stand up. Then Jinpa, who translated yesterday, carried me down the steps through to the back of the monastery near the stupa. We were there for maybe two weeks in a tent, then I think I had to leave for India or somewhere.

There were many earthquakes. On the next day, a four- or five-level earthquake happened. The top of trees in the garden went like that. [Rinpoche waves his hand back and forth] But I think it wasn’t as bad as the first one.

If we know the different words of taking other sentient beings’ suffering within us, into our heart, and destroying the ego, the self-cherishing thought—the cause of all our suffering from beginningless rebirths—and giving all our happiness, our body, possessions and merits to others, if we can recite them, even at the time of death [we can be happy]. Otherwise, death can be the most fearful time.

GENERATING COMPASSION AND TAKING ON THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS

Not for everybody, but for some people, the time of death is very happy. For some people, after death they go to the pure land of a buddha. I described Amitabha Buddha Pure Land, where there is no suffering of pain, no suffering of change, no pervasive compounding suffering, how even though we haven’t attained the five paths to liberation or enlightenment, by being born there we don’t have those sufferings. We get born there by prayers and merits not by generating the path. Amitabha Buddha Pure Land is for ordinary people like us, like me, filled up with so many delusions. Even though there are many other pure lands where it is very easy to achieve enlightenment, such as Vajrayogini Pure Land, Dagpa Kachö, Lama Tsongkhapa talked about the qualities of Amitabha Buddha Pure Land. If we can, it is very good to remember them at that time.

For example, Panchen Shakyashri, a great yogi, said,

When happy, I shall dedicate my virtues to all;
May benefit and happiness pervade all of space!
When suffering, I shall take on the pains of all beings;
May the ocean of suffering become dry!¹⁴

“When happy, I shall dedicate my virtues to all.” That means that sentient being receives skies of happiness, not just some small happiness, not like some ice cream or pizza or something. The happiness and benefits will fill the limitless sky. “May all sentient beings receive that. May sentient being receive happiness pervading space, like the sky.” Then, if we are suffering, if we have fear or are sick or whatever, we should take all sentient beings’ suffering on ourselves. Not only the suffering of that particular animal or person, but all sentient beings, we should take their suffering. “May the oceans of suffering become dry.” That means that a particular sentient being, who has suffered continuously in samsara because of being unable to meet Dharma, who cannot practice, [is freed from all suffering]. And here it means every sentient being. The oceans of suffering dry up for that particular sentient being and for all sentient beings. This is an incredibly powerful prayer.

[Video extract: Tonglen: Generating Compassion and Taking on the Suffering of Others]

Tonglen is so good. It is the best Dharma practice, the best meditation. Especially for us, it is the best meditation. Some people may say, “I meditate on chakras, winds, drops,” things like that. Some people only talk of dzogchen. They never mention lamrim, bodhicitta, emptiness. They only talk and think in that way, that dzogchen is the only worthwhile thing. We might think it is something very high, but actually this practice is the best Dharma practice, the best meditation. If you want to know what is the best meditation, this is the best meditation. If you have that question, it’s this. It’s so great.

Maybe, I’ll mention it today since Robina went over the seven techniques of Mahayana cause and effect, the bodhicitta meditation. [Ven. Robina: We went over the seven techniques a few times.] I’ve not finished the quotation, but maybe I’ll mention it here anyway. You must pay attention. It is very important. The best meditation is bodhicitta, to practice bodhicitta. You must write it down, to not forget.

You heard briefly about the suffering of the six-realm sentient beings. We begin by taking the sufferings of other sentient beings, generating compassion for them, as I told you already. We study what is described overall in each realm of suffering. Not only that, when sentient beings in other realms were human beings, they experienced the six types of suffering, the seven types, the eight types of suffering. In Lamrim Chenmo I think only six are explained, but in the outline there are seven or eight.

Each individual sentient being has experienced the suffering of each realm, not only once but numberless times from beginningless rebirths. Numberless times from beginningless rebirths, every sentient being has been experiencing the hell realm sufferings, the hungry ghost realm sufferings. Numberless times from beginningless rebirths, without beginning. When the suffering began, there is no beginning. There is no beginning for the continuation of mind. It is beginningless. Delusion, the cause of suffering, is beginningless. Karma and delusions are beginningless. That is unbelievable, unbelievable, most unbelievable.

Not only that, most sentient beings don’t have the karma to meet the Buddhadharma, the holy Dharma. For eons and eons and eons, they don’t have the karma to meet a buddha. Without practicing Dharma, without actualizing the path, there is no way to be free from suffering. So, then they will have to experience suffering in samsara again and again, endlessly! Can you imagine?

Thinking like that, we develop unbelievable compassion for every sentient being, for all the numberless sentient beings in samsara. I gave you an example of how to meditate on compassion when you go to the beach, for the naked people lying there and the animals in the water. Remember I told you how to develop compassion? You walk along the beach and meditate on compassion. Not only at the beach, I told you that where there are a lot of people, you can do that meditation to develop compassion.

Compassion has to arise. There’s no choice! Compassion has to arise! As His Holiness says, human beings are in the nature of loving kindness and compassion. That is our nature. His Holiness said to develop that.

There are different prayers, but tonglen is the same. I don’t know what is explained.

Panchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, who was maybe the third or fourth Panchen Lama, explained in the Guru Puja,

[LC 95] And thus, perfect, pure, compassionate guru,
I seek your blessings that all negative karmas, obscurations, and sufferings of mother transmigratory beings
May without exception ripen upon me right now,
And that by giving my happiness and virtue to others
All transmigratory beings may experience happiness.

“And thus” refers to the previous subject, how the root of all suffering is the self-cherishing thought and how all happiness, including enlightenment, comes from bodhicitta, from cherishing others. “And thus,” je tsün la ma, which I translate as “perfect.” I don’t know how others translate it. It has a great meaning, so I translate it as “perfect.” It refers to somebody who has achieved the dharmakaya. This is the way my guru Geshe Rabten Rinpoche explained it when he gave mahamudra teachings in Dharamsala. To keep it short, it’s talking about the qualities of the lama or guru.

“All the sufferings of mother transmigratory beings.” “Mother” means from beginningless time they have been our mother and so kind to us. It means every single sentient being, all the samsaric beings and those who are outside of samsara but who still have subtle obscurations, she drib. Even those who are free from samsara still have subtle obscurations.

Dag la min pa dang, “May it ripen on me right now.” Dag gi de ge zhän la tang wa yi. Dag gi means “mine” and dag gi de ge means “my happiness and virtue.” “I request the guru, the merit field, may all transmigratory beings have happiness.” That means all the happiness up to enlightenment, not just eating ice cream and pizza or, I don’t know, maybe turkey meat. [Thanksgiving] just finished one or two weeks ago, so not just that. We are asking that all sentient beings have every temporary and ultimate happiness, including liberation and enlightenment.

First, with compassion, we take their suffering. By developing compassion, we take all their suffering and the cause of suffering, karma and delusions. We can think of taking all the undesirable, suffering conditions, that have caused us to suffer from beginningless rebirths, now and in the future, into our heart, right on the self-cherishing thought. They have never allowed us to achieve enlightenment, never allowed us to be free from samsara; they have always caused us to suffer the six-realm sufferings from beginningless rebirths up to now.

All this is totally caused by all the obstacles, all the undesirable, unfavorable conditions, all the undesirable things, including black magic. When somebody is angry at us, when somebody abuses us, [this is the cause]. Nowadays it’s kind of a big topic in the West for some reason. Here, in the bodhicitta practice, [it mentions] even black magic. Scientists don’t believe in black magic. Anyway, it includes all that, and abuse, depression and all the sufferings we experience. All the sufferings, all the obscurations, all the karma and delusions, all the unfavorable conditions, we visualize in the form of darkness—not light but darkness—as smoke [pouring] onto our main enemy, the self-cherishing thought. Here, in the Mahayana tonglen practice, it’s the self-cherishing thought.

When America was fighting Iraq, there was a target. The missile came from very far away, exactly hitting on the army camp, totally blowing it to pieces! Like that, we totally eliminate the ego, the self-cherishing thought, which I described to you before. It becomes nonexistent even in name. It doesn’t exist even in name.

As I suggested at that time, the ego, the self-cherishing thought, thinks this real I is so precious. This is so precious! There are numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas, there are numberless sentient beings, but this real I is so precious! So precious! I’m acting! In the West I made a joke that I was the Solu Khumbu, the Himalayan comedian. The Solu Khumbu comedian. Now, there’s not much time.

[With this practice] the real I that we cherish so much all the time, day and night, all day, every second, is dissolved, shigpa in Tibetan. I’m not sure. When concrete things dissolve, small particles are left, but this is not like that. The Tibetan word, shigpa, means it becomes nonexistent. The real I that we cherish so much becomes nonexistent.

When that becomes nonexistent, we meditate on emptiness. That becomes the meditation on emptiness. This meditation harms the ignorance, the root of samsara, because the real I is the object that is apprehended by the ignorance holding the I as truly existent, which is the root of samsara. The real I is non-objectifying, so this meditation destroys the ignorance, not only the self-cherishing thought.

Meditate a little bit on that. Then, it not only becomes a powerful bodhicitta meditation, a tonglen meditation, but also emptiness is there. It is a very important meditation to eliminate the root of samsara, ignorance. We have been suffering not only from this morning, not only from birth, but from beginningless rebirths, and now, all that has caused us to suffer in samsara again and again is destroyed.

THE KINDNESS OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS

Then, by meditating on loving kindness for all sentient beings, we do the practice of giving. I’ll just elaborate on this a bit because I didn’t mention it. Robina mentioned it, but I didn’t. Did your holy speech mention it? [Ven. Robina: Which one?] It doesn’t matter.

As I mentioned, due to the kindness of sentient beings, every hour, every minute, every second we are alive and able to be a human being. [We can enjoy] all the pleasures of having a house because of the numberless sentient beings who were killed or harmed, or who bore so many hardships—including human beings—when we laid the foundations. Our survival comes from them. As I mentioned, with our food, so many sentient beings have been killed and harmed so that we can have the pleasure of eating and can survive every day, every hour, every minute as a human being. Then, so we can learn Dharma, and especially so we can practice Dharma, so we can be clothed, again so many sentient beings have died and suffered, especially with animal skins.

I can’t remember whether I told you or not, but in Ladakh, the Changpa are nomads who live with many sheep. I don’t know how many times they take the wool from the sheep. I don’t think they pay much attention to the sheep when they take the wool. I remember a man was [shearing] the sheep, which was looking at the man. The shears were very rough, unsharp, and it must have pulled. The sheep was constantly looking at the man’s face while he was working, roughly pulling off the wool. And, of course, without the wool, there was unbelievable suffering. The Changpa nomads live in a very cold place with lots of snow. At nighttime it is so cold. But wool is the people’s living; they make the cloth and sell it. The sheep get kind of looked after by the humans, but the humans use them for meat, skin and wool. They don’t seem to have much awareness or feeling for the sheep. You really need a good, sharp knife to shear the sheep. I just remembered that.

As I mentioned the other day, the mother’s kindness is often listed as the four ways of kindness, and every sentient being has been our mother and kind like this not just once but from beginningless rebirths. Like this present life’s mother, all sentient beings have been kind. They have given us a human body, so we are able to practice Dharma and meditate now. That is the most unbelievable kindness. When we were in the womb, our mother didn’t have an abortion. If she had had an abortion, rather than having this human body, by now we could be a bird, or a worm that the bird eats. We could be anything, you never know, by this time. With her kindness, our mother bore so many hardships every day, protecting our life from danger, from so many dangers every day. That’s the second kindness.

Then, she gave us an education. Not just this one time, but from beginningless rebirths. Not only this life’s mother, all sentient beings have been like that. They have been our mother and kind to us in these four ways from beginningless rebirths. That is one thing, their kindness.

Here, I am talking about their great kindness, how all our past, present and future happiness [comes from them]. All our past happiness from beginningless rebirths, and our future temporary and ultimate happiness, liberation from samsara, and peerless happiness, the total cessation of obscurations and the completion of all realizations, all that comes from every single sentient being. We have completely received every single happiness, even the happiness in a dream, by the kindness of every single hell being, hungry ghost, animal, human being—and there are numberless universes—every single sura being, asura being, every single ant—even in one nest there are tens of thousands and there are numberless universes with numberless ants. From the kindness of every sentient being we have received all our past, present and future happiness, including enlightenment.

For example, whatever we don’t like—this spider or snake or ant, or the person who abuses us, who doesn’t like us, who harms us, who is angry at us—compassion is generated depending on them, depending on their suffering. Their minds are obscured and suffering, so great compassion is generated by depending on them.

From great compassion, bodhicitta is generated. From bodhicitta, the bodhisattva happens. From the bodhisattva, the buddha happens. There are two holy actions of a buddha. One is the buddha’s own secret action and the other is the buddha’s action that is within us sentient beings; that is good karma, virtuous action. Our virtuous action is the buddhas’ holy actions. It is called sanggye kyi trinlä. Good karma is the buddhas’ holy actions. For example, our past happiness from beginningless rebirths, our happiness now and in the future, including enlightenment, all comes from our good karma, our virtuous action. And our good karma is the buddhas’ holy actions. All our three-time happiness comes from the buddhas.

A buddha comes from a bodhisattva. So, all our three-time happiness comes from the bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas come from great compassion that is generated by depending on those snakes, those spiders, those ants, those mosquitoes, or those people who abuse us, who are angry with us, who criticize us, whose minds are obscured and suffering. So, great compassion came from that, generated by depending on their kindness.

Therefore, all our past happiness, present and future happiness, including liberation and enlightenment, all completely come from this ant, from this mosquito, from this snake, from this person who abused us, who is angry with us, who always criticizes us. It comes from that. Therefore, those who abuse us, who are angry with us, those insects, those mosquitoes, they are most precious. They are most precious, most kind to us, most dear to us; they are wish-fulfilling. All the happiness we receive from them—from this mosquito, from this person who abuses us—means they are most kind; they are our wish-fulfilling [gem].

All sentient beings whose minds are obscured. What to say? Their minds are obscured and suffering, and we receive every happiness—past, present and future up to enlightenment—from every one of the numberless hell beings, the numberless hungry ghosts, the numberless animals, the numberless human beings, the numberless suras and asuras and the numberless intermediate state beings. Not only that, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha that we always take refuge in before we practice all come from sentient beings.

Sentient beings are the most precious, the most dear, wish-fulfilling for us. Even the Buddha who has no suffering, no mistakes, who has completed all the qualities, even the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha come from sentient beings. If we have money, we can buy many things that we like, therefore we think that money is precious. Similarly, if we have a field, we think it is precious because we can plant crops—not corpse, crops—and they can grow. Like this, all our qualities come from all sentient beings, from this ant, this insect, this mosquito. Because all the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha come from them and all our happiness comes from them, they are so precious.

Sorry my talk is getting so late. I’m saying people in the world who believe in God can believe in God but they should place sentient beings first, because they are so precious, so kind. Not God first, sentient beings should be first and then God second. Then, there will be so much happiness in the world; there will be no fighting, no war! Then, all the people will cherish sentient beings. People will love sentient beings; they will do their best for sentient beings. Like they make offerings to God, they will take care of sentient beings.

Even if we believe in God, because God created sentient beings, if we take care of them, it is like taking care of God. If we harm sentient beings, it is like we are harming God. If we are harming sentient beings, we are harming God because God created them. It is very strange—we harm all these people that God created. That is very strange when at the same time we think they are created by God.

So now I’ll finish. I think if we harm sentient beings, we harm God. So, the first thing should not be God but sentient beings. Then second, God. God will be unbelievably happy. Then, there will be so much peace in the family and in the world. People won’t harm animals. The billions, zillions and trillions of chickens that are killed every day in the world won’t happen.

[End of video extract]

Where did I reach?

All our three-time happiness is received by the kindness of every single sentient being, every single ant, every single mosquito. Because of that, with loving kindness, we give our body, possessions and three-time merits to all sentient beings.

I’ll stop here and continue in the afternoon. I’m going to south India, so that is why maybe there’s not much time. I want to introduce samsara before refuge and talk a little bit about the twelve links, some things like that. It’s very important before taking refuge. Then you can see the deeper purpose of refuge.

OK. I’ll stop here.

“Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me, all the three-time merits collected by numberless sentient beings and numberless buddhas, which do not exist from their own side, may I, who does not exist from its own side, achieve buddhahood, which does not exist from its own side, and lead all the sentient beings, who do not exist from their own side, to that buddhahood, which does not exist from its own side, by myself alone, who does not exist from its own side.”

OK. That’s all. Finished.

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Notes

¹³ See FPMT Essential Prayer Book, p. 216. [Return to text]

¹⁴ See Mind Training (Wisdom Publications), pp. 213–14. [Return to text]