So, maybe before the initiation. I didn’t have the text, see. Usually there’s, before you begin the retreat, there’s instruction, text, advising how to do retreat. Then there’s one text, preliminary for the nearing retreat, that means the evening time, late in the evening time, how to begin the retreat. So, there’s a basic thing, but then there’s, depending on which deity, have instruction like that, what things to do at the beginning of, the first day, the late evening when you begin the retreat.

So there’s called ?le rung ngön-dro, the preliminary for the le rung, sorry, enabling action retreat, le rung is enabling action retreat. So preliminary for the enabling action retreat. So that’s only when you begin the retreat, how to do. So usually there’s like this. So I do have the text, but not here, do have the text, the instruction how to do retreat, along with the commentary, things like that, I mean, along with the Chenrezig sadhana, things like that. But not here, at Aptos house or Kopan.

So anyway, there’s some basic, some similarity, there’s some basic things so can do that, some basic things that which is also in the lower tantra. So I didn’t get the text, I sent to Kopan library, but, probably my writing’s very bad, so then he sent initiation text, but not the preliminary for the enabling action retreat. Maybe possible doesn’t have, I’m not sure here.

So, some basic things, but copied from, there’s a text of Vajrayogini retreat, so there’s some basic ones copied from there. Not everything, of course, not everything, it doesn’t fit. That’s according to highest tantra, that’s a Vajrayogini particularly related to that. So like that, okay. So maybe we do that first, and then do the initiation.

Supposed to be one sadhana should be done, you see, you, when you begin retreat, that’s not counted. That’s not counted. Next day you count. What you do in the evening, that’s not counted, the retreat mantras. So, that’s at beginning.

Why you begin the retreat in the evening time, that’s because, in the ngön-dro, preliminary for the enabling action retreat, that’s you begin before sunset, of course, because I was trying to finish the preparation. Then, after sunset, then you can take some rest, say, not going to the beach, take some rest, I’m joking. I’m joking, anyway. Take some rest, then, after sunset you begin the, say, sadhana. But that recitation of mantra is not counted, only the next day you count. So that’s how normally it’s done.

Then if it’s highest tantra, if it’s highest tantra, the mother tantra, then you do tsog offering also that night. So like that. [pause]

So here, we do the motivation later, not now. So I think we just quickly get done this.

Then the, we just do the sang gyä chhö dang tshog kyi chhog nam la….okay, so just that, okay. But meditating that. Not just words, but meditating in that.

[Rinpoche slowly chants sang gyä chhö dang tshog kyi chhog nam la…three times, with pauses for meditation between recitations.]

“How wonderful it is if all the sentient beings abide in equanimity, not discriminating some sentient beings very far, say, equanimity, devoid of heresy, anger, discriminating some sentient beings as far, and some are closer.” [pause]

So, even though I mention one time, but you can think in your heart, I mean, two, three times, you can think over and over again, and generate that feeling. [pause]

“May they abide in the equanimity. I will cause them to abide in equanimity.”

So here taking responsibility, on yourself. Not only leaving up to prayer, but yourself doing something for that. So, taking responsibility. Not only, leaving up to not only wishing, not only prayer, but you’re doing. The third one is yourself doing something for that, taking responsibility.

“I will cause them to abide in the equanimity.”

So numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless sura beings, numberless asura beings, intermediate state beings, every single sentient beings to abide in equanimity. That I will cause, that I will do it.

So this is not only beginning, when you do sadhana or practice on the cushion, sitting on the cushion, not that. But what it means is in the daily life. Not only when you begin the sadhana thinking this, but what it means is, this is what you’re going to live your life, or this is how you’re going to help others, sentient beings. So taking responsibility on yourself. So, to remember this, to remember this in the daily life, it becomes extremely important. So if it doesn’t relate to our daily life, so then, you see, then it has no meaning. Oh, I’m going to do this, it just becomes words, it has no meaning. That means, it has to relate to our daily life, like that, you see.

So, this is what one is going to do, as we are living, as you are living, as yourself living in this world, with all the human beings and animals, the six different types of sentient beings, living together in this world, on this earth, living together on this earth. So this is what I’m going to do.

We have to understand, this is not just only you think this way when you begin the sadhana or some retreat, when you begin sadhana, not that. When you begin sadhana, what you’re saying, what you’re promising, what you’re saying is daily life, daily life, how you’re going to live the life, and, how you’re going to live the life, how you’re going to live the life with the others, I mean with the, so, the companion, or husband, wife, or friend, one with whom you’re living, and to the family that you’re living, the children, and the parents, whatever, the family members that you’re living with together, how you’re going to deal with them. How you’re going to deal with the neighbors. How you’re going to deal with the country, people in the country. How you’re going to deal with, how you’re going to live life with the country, your country people, so many, there’s so many millions of people there, and in the city, in the country, and in the world, in all the country, different country people, different nationality, different, so, you know, different nationality, different language, different culture, so how you’re going to live life. How you’re going to live the life with old, with young people, you know, so all kinds. So, how you’re going to live the life in this world. Not only human beings, but also with the animals, means the six types of sentient beings on this earth.

I mean, so it is said in the Abhidharmakosha, those, the ordinary hell beings, are also in the human realm, in the human world, then the certain measurement, from above the earth, so, like that mentioned. So, you see according, when the karma’s ripened you see, so like that. When the karma’s ripened, then you get reborn there, you see that. The main ?majors of the hell realm, then also the hungry ghosts.

I mean, I thought I heard something like this, Bodhgaya, so on the top of Bodhgaya, the stupa, where Buddha, where the one thousand buddhas show enlightenment, so down, major, main place of the hells, sort of something. So I guess, I don’t know, so maybe to, ?for purification, I’m not sure, but, I thought I heard something. Either I saw or I heard something that, anyway, that’s just chat. But all this is according to karma.

When you have karma to see impure, to see suffering, to see impure, and to experience, then that happens. When you have pure karma, when your impure karma, negative karma is purified, then when you have pure karma, then you have pure view. So everything comes from your mind, comes from your mind. When your mind is pure, you see pure. You see a pure land just wherever you are, wherever you are.

Like Kadampa Geshe Chekawa, he’s been praying all his life to born in hell, Kadampa Geshe Chekawa. He’s been praying, this Tibetan, great meditator, Kadampa Geshe Chekawa, follower of Lama Atisha, the Kadampa geshes, yeah, Dromtonpa, Potowa, so forth. So Kadampa Geshe Chekawa, he’s been praying all his life to be born in hell for sentient beings. But the day when he was going to die, then the pure realm happened just there in the hermitage, the vision, the pure vision happened, pure realm. Because of his bodhicitta, due to his bodhicitta, strong bodhicitta, so unbelievable, his compassion to others, strong bodhicitta, wanted to be born in hell for sentient beings. So then, actually when he was dying then pure vision happened, pure land, vision of pure land happened, seeing, just wherever he is. So like that.

So, of course, that’s the most powerful purification, such great compassion, sacrificing yourself for, to be born in the hell for others, for sentient beings. Of course, that’s the most powerful means of purification, of collecting the most extensive merits, so, it’s a very quick means to achieve, it’s a quick way to achieve full enlightenment. So like that, yeah, like this.

So when your mind becomes pure, then you see, wherever you are, it’s there, pure land. So like that, you see. So that.

Then, when your mind is impure, then the impure vision happens. So, like when the karma to suffer hell realm, then when the karma is ripened, then you see hell just there, then experience ?of that.

So the, so even here, right now, here, even right here now, you see, this is view, how we see here trees and gardens, all this, this is a view of, our, this is us human beings’ karmic view. But, devas, who have collected much more merit, and they see much more beautiful than what we see, right here. Right here. What they see is much more beautiful, many more enjoyments, much more beautiful, much more cleaner, much, how to say, hundred thousands, millions of greater enjoyment, much more beautiful than what we see here. In their view of this, those who have so much merit collected, like that.

Then, of course, in the view of the buddha, buddhas see our view, our us ?sentient ?beings’ view, and also, and their own view. So, this place, this place here appear to the buddha, most pure. Most pure, appear to the buddha, the nature of, even this, nature of great bliss and voidness, say, nature of the nondual bliss-voidness, so to the buddhas, most pure. So, in Tibetan it’s [Tibetan] so, whatever appears to buddha, whatever appears to buddha’s senses, everything pure, ?dak pa rin jung, limitless pure, purity. So that most, highest quality, purest. The same place, here.

And then the pretas, pretas they see the place where we are, what we see here, trees, I mean, ground, road, like that, what we see here, they don’t see that. They don’t have that clean, kind of that pleasant, even what we see, what view, view what we have, they don’t have. The hungry ghosts, animals, hungry ghosts, they don’t see this way. They see, the hungry ghosts, then, the place where they are is like copper, the copper land, land is like copper, and burnt by sun, like that, so hot. When the copper, copper material burnt by sun, how you feel that, so hot, to walk on that, can imagine, how hot it is? So like that. For them, even the moon become hot, as mentioned in the text. For us cool, but hot for them. So it’s their karma.

And then the place, we see beautiful trees, but they don’t see that. They see kind of piece, log, piece, log of tree burnt by fire. I don’t know in the West, but in Nepal, I remember, Nepal, the Solu Khumbu, where I lived seven years, not where we are, but, you go down, you go down then more where corn grows, banana grows, more hot, our place is cold. So you go down, two or three days down, then when you go down, there’s many trees burnt by fire. Many trees, kind of, there are many trees, log of trees burnt by fire, so there’s many like that, kind of unpleasant view, so a lot like that. So very unpleasant, very, very very, unbelievably hot and then very unpleasant, like that. So then, no beauty. And then could not find even a drop of water, even a mark of water, even a drop of water, even a mark of water on the ground, cannot find, for hundreds, thousands of years, could not find. Even a mark of water on the ground. And then, yet, you constantly suffer hunger, heaviest suffering of hunger and thirst, could not find, even one spoon of food could not find.

So therefore, those sentient beings, our mother sentient beings, those numberless our mother sentient beings, who’ve been our mothers numberless times, and been kind numberless times, say, gave the body, gave body, and then during that time protected one’s own life from danger, each day, each day from hundreds, hundreds of danger, she protected, being mother and protected your life.

And then, also, say, I’m not talking only during the preta, born, when you’re a preta, that you’re born, I’m not talking only that. But even when you’re not preta, you see, one born human being you’re born, you see, born as animal, you’re born to them, you see, I mean, I’m talking like that, all kinds, you see, I mean, all kinds of rebirth, you see. I’m not talking only, born to them only when they’re preta, not like that.

So, numberless, they took many different rebirths, and then you’re born to them, being mother, and then, numberless times. With each rebirth, like that, depend on, which depends on taking birth from womb, they’ve been mother, giving you different birth, numberless, even that’s not just one time, but numberless, from beginningless rebirth, okay? Numberless, from beginningless rebirth, like that, each of those preta beings, okay. Each of those preta beings, so then, even they have been one’s own mother. Even being preta, you’re born from that, numberless, each one did numberless. And then being born a human being from them, numberless. Like that, then those different animals, all that.

Anyway, so, and then, gave education, then protected one’s life from, kindness, third, gave education, led in the path of the world, then numberless.

The next one, bearing so much hardships for you, when they have been one’s own mother, then beared so much hardships for you, say, they suffered so much for you, for your happiness, and they created so much negative karma for your happiness, for your well being. Beared so much hardships, that’s one thing. Suffered so much for you, exhaustion, all that, mental, worry, ?fear, physical exhaustion, suffered so much, mental, physical so much, they suffered. And then the, then created negative karma, so much, so, like that, created negative karma, so unbelievable, so much.

Then, of course, then that means they were born in the lower realms because they’re trying to take care of you, for your well being, they created so much negative karma, and they were born in lower realms numberless times, suffered: hell, hungry ghosts, animals, born numberless times, numberless times, and suffered, those unimaginable sufferings, they have experienced numberless times. This is what they, no choice, because of karma, they created negative karma, with ignorance, anger, attachment, they created karma for you, for your well being. So, because they have delusions, they have delusion, so, do not know Dharma, do not practice it, do not have realizations, so like that. So then, you see, so because of that, then unimaginable ignorance, so then, to take care of you, for your well being, then create so much negative karma with the body, speech, and mind, and then experience, they experience in the lower realms, they’re born in the lower realms, experience suffering, numberless times. These eight hot suffering, eight cold suffering, all that, animal, preta, they suffered for you, I mean, they suffered, say, numberless times. Even Buddha’s omniscient mind cannot see, cannot see the beginning, how much they suffered for us, how much they suffered for you. It’s most, most, most, most unimaginable, from beginningless rebirths they suffered.

Then, you see, if you don’t get liberated from samsara, if you don’t get liberated from, so this time, so if you don’t get liberated from samsara, if you don’t try something, to get liberated from samsara, then, especially in this life, now, so this is a one time opportunity, just about one time opportunity we have received, not only a precious human body, which is extremely rare, but most rare, a perfect human body received, have met the virtuous friend revealing the whole path to enlightenment, without missing, and then, not just only one, but many. Then, including Chenrezig, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So, then many other great, then like that, you see, the great geshes, the great, very highly qualified, well known, very qualified.

So then, so have met Buddhadharma, not only that, Mahayana teachings, so, and then even that, not just Mahayana teaching Paramitayana, but even Mahayana Secret Mantra Vajrayana, the quick path to enlightenment. Then even the Highest Tantra, the quickest path to enlightenment, so can imagine, wow, this is something, it’s something which usually it’s so unbelievable, most, most, most, most, most rare, unbelievable, that doesn’t happen for so many eons, I mean, in the outline it doesn’t happen. Wow! It’s just the lower realms, can imagine, how much. So, anyway, but this time, something which is extremely rare, unbelievable rare, something unimaginable, it happened this time.

So like it’s, as it explained by Buddha in the sutra that, [pause] the, for this, have met Buddhadharma, and have met the virtuous friend revealing the path to enlightenment, and then, having received the human rebirth, not only precious human rebirth, but perfect human rebirth, so the blind turtle comes up, turtle coming up after each hundred eons, coming up from bottom of the ocean, coming up. And then, but eyes blind, you see. So that story is there, as you remember, beginning of the lam-rim teachings it’s mentioned that, so the golden ring, it’s on, over the ocean. If it’s wood, can stay. But if it’s golden ring, so extremely difficult to stay above the water. If it’s wooden or paper it would stay on the top, the wooden ring. So anyway, so, then extremely difficult to stay on top of the water.

And then, this blind turtle, tortoise comes up after each hundred eons, say, hundred eons or years, I’m not sure. Anyway, then, it’s blind. But if it’s not blind, it can see, there’s a possibility to see the, to get the neck, head, to go through the ring. But, it’s blind, so it cannot see. No opportunity.

So then the ring doesn’t stay in one place, it’s taken by wind, and the waves, and it goes, always moves. So, then that blind turtle only comes very rarely, after each hundred eons, or something, then neck go through the ring, it’s just, while it’s moving, by waves, and the neck to go through the ring, it’s something, kind of like impossible thing to happen, can’t figure it out. Like this, so something extremely difficult, almost like something not possible, okay, like that. That example is given, related to this, what happened this time for us. Not only the extremely rare, precious human body, but a perfect human rebirth qualified eight freedoms, ten richness. And then have met Buddhadharma, and like the golden ring, have met Buddhadharma, then met the virtuous friend, revealing the path to enlightenment. So this, so like something that is kind of impossible thing, happened this time. Just happened. [snaps fingers] So like that. Something which is impossible thing happened, to us.

So, okay, so therefore, you see, need, therefore, if one doesn’t practice Dharma this time, if one doesn’t practice Dharma, that one has unbelievable opportunity, all the opportunity, if one doesn’t practice Dharma in this life, this is the most foolish, there is no more foolish than that. There’s no more foolish than that exist in the world. No more foolish. There’s no greater foolish than this exist in the world. This is the most foolish, most ignorant. The greatest loss, the greatest loss. Business people who have lost million, million dollar, they commit suicide, when they lose a few hundred thousand dollar, or the million dollar, you see, something, they want to jump off the roof. They want to go upstairs, in their own house, roof. When they lose the, some million dollars. Or even the idea, not actual loss, but even the idea, you plan out, you plan out, in business you plan out, somehow, and then didn’t happen. Oh, then so upset. So upset. So anyway, either actual loss, or however. Then suicidal comes, so you go up to the roof, to jump. Or to go to those high bridge, and to go jump. Each country has, each country or each city or country has one spot, one place, where you can do that. Or mountain, to jump, mountain.

I think Spain, no, no, Brazil, in Brazil there’s Rio Degenerated! [Rinpoche makes several attempts to say this name—He makes fun of it]. Rio Di Janeiro. So anyway, so there’s a large statue of Jesus, on the mountain, in Rio Di Janeiro, large statue, huge, I don’t know how many feet. Sorry, I could not tell. So, then when you go there, when you drive up, then there’s a kind of a dark, you go in the mountain, huh? [Student: Tunnel.] Huh? Yeah, what do you call? [Student: Tunnel.] Tunnel. You go through tunnel, and then, little bit dark tunnel, where I was told that many people come there, maybe accident, I’m not sure what, suicide, something like that. Or from the mountain.

So, anyway, so this is nothing, this is nothing, that loss is nothing. Million dollar, billion dollars, zillion dollar is nothing. So, not taking, while you have all the opportunities to practice Dharma, to achieve all the happiness, not only the peace and happiness in day-to-day life, not that. Even though it’s regarded so important, but however, happiness, more important, more important, more important, happiness of all the future lives; future lives, not just one, happiness all the future lives. If you think this life is most important, this life’s happiness is most important, if you think, today’s happiness most important, however, then, no question, future lives, not one, numberless, I mean, until you’re free from samsara, until you’re free from samsara, future lives, not just one. I mean, so unimaginable. Of course, those happiness, happiness in all those lives, of course even much more important, so much more important. This life is just only a few years, few months, few weeks, not sure. How many hours, not sure. Just very short. Just very short.

All the future lives, until you actualize the path, you know, Four Noble Truths; true path, the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness. The five paths to achieve liberation, then you achieve the path of merit, preparatory path, the right-seeing path, the path of meditation, the right-seeing path, then directly cease the delusions.

So, to enter in the path you need total renunciation, renunciation seeing the whole entire samsara is only nature of suffering. Desire realm, form realm, formless realm, all in nature of suffering. No attraction even, you can’t find attraction even for one second. Can’t find any attraction even for one second, so that. Like [pause], like can’t find attraction to be inside the septic tank, to live inside the septic tank, can’t find attraction for one second. You can’t find attraction to be inside the fire, to live inside the fire, one second. Or naked body to sit down, to lay down on thorn bush, naked body, you see, without protection. So, there’s no attraction even for one second. So like that. Seeing only in nature of suffering. Desire realm, form realm, formless realm, only in nature of suffering. Can’t find attraction even for one second. So, like that.

Not only total renunciation to desire realm, but you need total renunciation to the form realm. Total renunciation to desire realm, with full realization that it’s only in nature of suffering, not only that, then even the form realm, you see only in nature of suffering. Not only that, even the formless realm, the higher realm of samsara, even formless realm, where there’s no suffering of pain, suffering of change. Of course there’s pervasive, the aggregates, pervasive compounding suffering, you know, caused by karma and delusion and contaminated seed of delusion, so nature of suffering. When that karma finishes, again they reborn in the lower realms, go again, same.

So, we have gone through this numberless times. We have gone through this, through meditation we are born, shamatha, shine, calm abiding, start with that. Then we are born in form realm numberless times, by having renunciation, by having total renunciation to the desire realm, seeing that only in nature of suffering. And then, we have been born numberless times formless realm by having achieved shine, by having realized the form realm is only in nature of suffering. Then, you see, attraction to the formless realm, so through meditation, we’ve gone through this numberless times, so like that.

So what I’m saying is, so need total renunciation to even the formless realm, including the very last one, tip of samsara, only seeing that, only in nature of suffering. Such a renunciation of samsara, only then you can enter in the path, the path to liberation.