In the introduction, ?three/retreat ?things didn’t talk. But, however, the most important thing is, to not distract the mind as much as possible. In the merit, put it this way, in virtue, the basic, the retreat, retreat means retreating from, the very basic thing is retreating the body, speech and mind away from nonvirtuous acts. So, that means to keep the mind always in virtue. So that’s what, way of understanding what it means, retreat. Of course, since we do not have realization of the perfect human, the first meditation from the lamrim, the graduated path of the lower capable being, the perfect human rebirth, usefulness, difficulty to find again, this one, and the impermanence and death, especially, the impermanence and death, we don’t have that realization, those who, I’m not saying that we all don’t have realization, but those who don’t have realization, then, of course, the concept of permanence, ignorance, anger, attachment all these other, jealous mind, all those other emotional thoughts rises, negative emotional thoughts, delusions, rises, one after another, because there’s no protection.

If there’s, those previous meditations, they don’t allow, the mind living in those feelings, then how the perfect human rebirth is so precious, and how this is so useful, even one second, that you can achieve three great meanings and the mind living in that feeling, continuously or this is difficult to find again, this is only about once, living in that. So then always you try, then that helps always to collect, persuades the mind to practice Dharma all the time, keep away from nonvirtue, And then especially impermanence and death. The impermanence and death, it cuts immediately the attachment clinging to this life, all the negative emotional thoughts, that doesn’t allow to rise. Then no question about, reflecting, suffering of samsara, those things, no question, as you go higher, bodhicitta and then emptiness.

So, generally, the retreat means like this. Retreating away from the eight worldly dharmas. By reflecting these meditations, based on impermanence and death, the graduated path of the lower capable being, this part of the meditation that I mentioned now, by living the mind in these meditations, or by having realization of these meditations then the eight worldly dharmas does not rise. Because, especially with the realization of impermanence, always thinking that I’m going to die soon, that death can happen even today, that I will die even today, even this hour I will die. So always there’s this thought. So therefore, when you think that, when you think of death, especially that’s going to happen, that’s going to happen today, even this hour, then you don’t see any purpose all the rest, you don’t see any purpose following the delusions, you don’t see point, you don’t see any point to get angry, it’s just nonsense to get angry to somebody, because you’re going to die today, this hour, no point to rise attachment. So, any of this, you don’t find any point, it’s all childish, it’s all nonsense, no interest.

So anyway, retreating away from the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment. So that means, retreating in Dharma, always keeping the mind in Dharma, the pure Dharma. Not just appearing Dharma outside but, not just appearing Dharma your actions but, just appearing Dharma but not Dharma, not like that. Your heart is in Dharma, retreating from the eight worldly dharmas. That is this, the eight worldly dharmas is the attachment, if there’s four desirable objects, comfort, happiness and then, like, attachment like that, then clings to that, then, attachment clinging in material receiving, attachment, if there’s material receiving, attachment clings. Then if there’s reputation, fame, attachment then clings . And then if there’s receiving praise, the attachment then rises. Then, because attachment likes this, because attachment likes these four things, four desirable objects, then the attachment dislikes the opposite, the opposite of comfort, if there’s no comfort then dislike. If there’s no receiving material, doesn’t like, then bad reputation, doesn’t like, then criticism doesn’t like. So these four desirable objects, four undesirable objects. So, the attachment, this attachment does like this, it’s called eight worldly dharmas. However, means this attachment clinging to this life. So therefore, if one live the life, for example, if we do retreat with these eight worldly dharmas, this attachment, then it appears to be spiritual, it appears to be practicing Dharma but it really doesn’t become Dharma. In reality it does not become Dharma. Reciting mantra, doing meditation, all this doesn’t really become Dharma./

/even we do for eons, even we do for three or four eons, it does not become Dharma. [pause]

The definition of Dharma that is, what is Dharma, what is not Dharma, the meaning is the same, but it’s slight, little different way of presenting. [pause] What we need to understand is this, specifically, clear, the very first thing that is, anger, of course actions done with anger of course negative, but anger is not all the time, what is all the time is the attachment. So, therefore what makes our actions to not become Dharma, what wastes, what makes to waste our whole life is by attachment, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, what we call normally “worldly concern,” that attachment clinging to this life. So actions done with the eight worldly dharmas, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment, then that’s not Dharma. If it’s unstained by the thought of eight worldly dharmas, then that’s pure, that’s Dharma, not just Dharma, pure Dharma. So like that, so that we have to understand. What is Dharma and what is not Dharma, so with that thought, ?attempting _______.

I think, one night there, I think, when we did Dzambhala puja, before that, also I talked about the motivation that what is Dharma, that night also I talked a little bit about the motivation. So this is very important to know: what is Dharma, what is not Dharma. If you don’t know that definition then even though we do a lot of, even though we spend many years, spend the whole life doing many things, but nothing becomes Dharma. It can happen if we don’t know the definition and we don’t try to practice that real Dharma.

So now here, the other definition is, they’re not contradictory, actions done for the happiness beyond from this life, that’s Dharma. Actions done for the happiness beyond from this life. Probably clearest one, actions which benefit, anyway, actions that which is done, done means talking about the motivation, done for the happiness beyond from this life. That’s one way to say. The other way is, if any action become antidote towards the delusions, that’s Dharma. So the meaning is the same, here, for example, what we should give, the very important meaning what we should ?give is actions unstained by the thought of eight worldly dharmas, that is Dharma. Stained by the eight worldly dharmas, so whether it’s prayer or meditation or whatever it is, stained by eight worldly dharmas then it’s not, thought of eight worldly dharmas, then it’s not Dharma, doesn’t become even virtue.

So first the retreat means, the very bottom, the very, the first definition that is retreat, retreating in Dharma away from the thought of eight worldly dharmas. So that’s whether you’re really doing a retreat or not. Retreat is not just keep the body inside the room, you keep the body, like prison, keep the body inside the room, locked up, and not talking, that’s not defined retreat, because then all the people in prison they are retreating. Then all the time, when they’re sleeping, when we, nobody, when we talk to nobody, when we see nobody, like during sleep, at nighttime, so doing retreat all night. All the time retreat.

So anyway, so retreat means to do with the mind. Then, retreat you have to relate to the three principles of the path, then more advanced retreat from attachment clinging samsaric perfections, like future, like future life samsaric pleasures, retreating away from that, then that one you have to, to cut that, to keep away from that attachment, retreat away from that, then you have to meditate, you have to see the whole samsara how it is nature of suffering, the whole samsaric pleasures are only suffering, by meditating.

Then, next retreat is, retreating away from, this is very important, retreating away from self-cherishing thought. You keep your mind in bodhicitta. So retreat away from self-cherishing, how? By keeping the mind in bodhicitta.

So, in other, in previous retreats we, here we just started, always the motivation, the session, bodhicitta. Anyway, beginning of the session, bodhicitta, anyway from your side, from one’s own individual side must put effort in bodhicitta to make strong bodhicitta and to begin the practice with bodhicitta. So based on at least, based on retreat, based on retreating away from attachment, seeking the future life, future samsaric pleasure, which is based on retreating from the attachment clinging to this life. So the bodhicitta is so important, at the beginning of each session. You should make sure to think, that I am doing this retreat for others. It’s so important. Make sure for others, all sentient beings. And then also again, as I mentioned before, before you do the mantra, because spending a lot of time reciting mantra, so therefore to not waste the life. Again, to make sure, again bring the mind into very strong, make sure this, what mantra all those number you’re going to chant is for others, for the benefit of all sentient beings.

So today I mentioned, beginning of, I think maybe this morning, before, mentioned before chanting mantra. So like that example, I mean that’s one way to do, but you can do different ways. You can make your mind pure different ways, to transform your mind in bodhicitta. So that the mantra you’re going to recite for others, you can do different way, that’s just, I led that meditation as just one example. To get an idea, strong, the mind in bodhicitta. Then, every single mantra done with bodhicitta motivation then collects merit like limitless sky. Every single mantra you recite you collect merit, good luck, like limitless sky. Of course, same, with the bodhicitta motivation, every single walk, every single step, every single step that you do with the bodhicitta motivation, you collect merit like limitless sky. So with the bodhicitta motivation, the thought to achieve enlightenment for sentient being, aim to benefit for the numberless sentient beings, so whatever action you do, eat, drink, each bite of food, each drink, each drink of tea, water, eating, each bite of food, you collect limitless skies of merit and all this, not just that, every single action, walking, reciting mantra, eating, drinking, talking, so every single thing becomes cause of enlightenment. So it transforms the life completely, it makes the life most meaningful.

So then other one is retreating from hallucination, retreating doing from ignorance, holding the I that which, I, action, object, everything, the way that it exists is in mere name, merely imputed by the mind, but appeared back to us not merely labeled by mind, which means inherently existent, the object to be refuted, all these wrong views, so it appeared in the wrong way. Everything appears to us in the wrong way, not merely labeled by mind. So then, we let our mind to believe all this. So that’s the ignorance. We let our mind believe this is true, all these are true. So that’s wrong concept, ignorance, we’re creating ignorance that time. So that one becomes the foundation for delusion, all the delusions, believing the I and the aggregates not merely labeled by mind, something real one appearing from there, real one, in the sense, meaning, the commentary of the real one, when we say real, real this and real that, for us ordinary beings, when we say real, it means hallucination, it means actually, we think we are talking something which exists, something which really exists, but actually we’re talking something which doesn’t exist. So what we, for ordinary beings, us, our connotation of real and those who have realized emptiness, arya beings, buddhas, arhats, buddhas, their connotation of real, that real one, truth is emptiness. That all this are empty of, not, empty of inherently existent or empty of, not merely labeled by the mind. So their view of truth really is that. But for us, real one, when we say real, means everything, when we say real we’re pointing to the inherently existent, everything existing from its own side. So we’re pointing real to that one. So actually, when we, actually our, actually when we point to something real, actually, that is a very good meditation, it’s excellent meditation, that means hallucination. We’re labeling real, pointing real, that which is hallucination. We are pointing real truth to that which is hallucination. So therefore, to realize that, to recognize that is very excellent meditation, way of recognizing the object to be refuted.

So anyway, so holding, aggregates, the I and the aggregates appearing real one, in other words, existing from its own side, then holding onto that, that concept when we let our mind to hold on those, such that I and such that aggregates, then that time then this wrong concept becomes ignorance, root of samsara. So that’s how we’re creating the root of samsara all the time, twenty-four hours we’re creating the root of samsara. Only in those times when we’re meditating on emptiness, only in those times when we look at the hallucination, that which is hallucination. By doing that, we don’t allow our mind to hold on to things that they are true. Except those times. Otherwise, twenty-four hours we generate, continuously, creating the root of samsara, ignorance.

So anyway, by practicing mindfulness like that, looking at things empty or looking at all these things hallucination as they are hallucination, all these things appearing as real, which meaning existing from its own side, not merely labeled by mind. So practicing mindfulness like that, looking at them as hallucination as they are hallucination. Or other one is dependent arising, practicing mindfulness in dependent arising, everything is dependent arising, and everything exists being merely labeled by mind, this special Prasangika’s view, the subtle dependent arising. Either practice mindfulness in that, then this way then your mind is doing retreat in emptiness, retreating away from ignorance, hallucinated mind, the king of the delusions, the mother of the delusions, or the father of the, anyway the king of the delusion.

So retreat means, so like that. So therefore, the minimum, the very first retreat is that, retreating away from the attachment clinging to this life, the thought of eight worldly dharmas. So therefore, you need the meditation on emptiness, awareness all the time, especially that, that I’m going to die today, this hour. Not just thinking, Oh, future some time I’m going to die, not just that. Then, of course, then on top of that, retreat of tantra, tantric retreat that is, of course, looking place in the mandala, yourself is Compassion Buddha, everything pure, other people is Compassion Buddha. Then doing the yoga of the deity, when you eat, when you sleep, all the things ?in the life, the yoga of the, Chenrezig yoga, those activities. So that’s the idea of tantra, the retreat of tantra, the very foundation.

Then also, if possible then, of course, all this has to be based on also retreating away from the thought of mistakes to the guru. It means keeping the mind in devotion, that keeps away from heresy, anger, thought of mistakes of the guru, which is the originator, which causes all the opposite of realizations, the opposite to happiness.

So this way then, then this way you receive the blessing of the deity, stronger the guru devotion, then you receive the blessing of the deity very easily. And the retreat is very effective, so then whatever meditation you do becomes very effective for the mind. So generally, so like that, just, like that.

So, when we recite the mantra, I mentioned at the beginning, reciting mantra for eons when the mind is distracted doesn’t have result. So therefore, there it talks about, in the sadhana it talks about, before we recite the mantra the visualization is there, what to do with the mantra while we’re reciting, so visualizing the mantra at your heart, then beams emitted and fill the whole body, purify all the defilements, negative karma, and beams emitted away, on the tip of the beams Compassion Buddha, multitudes of the Compassion deities, innumerable number emitted away, purify all sentient beings’ negative karma, enlighten all sentient beings, then those beams with Compassion Buddha absorb back.

So you can do that, so that’s the meditation to go with the mantra. But, I guess, so you do this hell realm, first you do the hell beings, then hungry ghosts, then animals, then human beings, then sura beings, asura beings, intermediate stage beings. So you can do one by one or all together, however you want. But then, if you get bored of this, if you doing a long time just this one, if you’re getting bored, then you change to different meditation. One very good thing is to do tong-len meditation, tong-len, taking other sentient beings, by generating compassion to all sentient beings, How wonderful it is if the sentient beings are free them from suffering and causes of suffering and I will make them to be free from all the suffering and causes, so generating compassion. Then you take all their defilements, negative karma, their sicknesses, all the sufferings, sicknesses, spirit harms, all the problems, if it’s a human being, whatever problems they have. Basically you know what, basically some idea of human beings’ problems, so all, including the causes, absorbed on your self-cherishing thought, on your ego. Take it in your heart, take in your heart. However, the main thing is, take it on oneself, especially take it, take, then you use all this as a weapon, like atomic bomb, to destroy your ego, the self-cherishing thought.

Self-cherishing thought become totally nonexistent, completely smashed, become totally nonexistent. When it becomes totally nonexistent, also the emotional I, in the Western psychological terms the emotional I, which means, in the Buddha’s teachings recognition of that object to be refuted, the I which doesn’t exist, the false I that which we have been believing from this morning, from birth time, from beginningless rebirth, that also becomes totally nonexistent. Then one concentrate in that.

So then, after that, one can generate, after that then I just mentioned the human being, but so like this you can do, we can do one by one, human being, sura, asura, by remembering the sufferings what is explained in lamrim. Then hell, hungry ghost, animals, intermediate stage beings. So one by one you can do or when you do short, when you do brief, short, take all together, all their suffering and causes. So even the hell beings’ place, oneness with the fire, ground, iron ground oneness with fire or ice, all, including that. Even those unpleasant things.

So anyway, then you can give, also when you do giving, you can do one by one or do all together. Then you begin by generating loving kindness, great loving kindness, so whatever sentient beings have happiness, cause of happiness, I will cause them to have this. Then you give your merit, all the merit, the result happiness, temporary, ultimate, up to enlightenment, all the realizations. Then your body, also your body, not just this, not this body, it is said in the teachings that, not this body, bones and blood. But you visualize the body, wish-fulfilling jewel that gives everything whatever they need, they can get everything from this wish-granting jewel body. By giving this, they get everything what they want, everything. Not just enjoyment alone, all the realizations, enlightenment, they get everything. All the realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment, everything. They received all the needs, all the enjoyments, and then that causes them to actualize the whole path to enlightenment. So like that. Everything, everything then becomes place, pure, their place, like hell being, their place become pure land, Amitabha Buddha, Compassion Buddha. Normally, which pure land you want to be born, if it’s Vajrayogini or, Vajrayogini pure land or Kalachakra, Shambhala, so depending which pure land you want to be born then you can visualize that, all their place become pure land, no suffering at all. Unbelievable, it has all the beauty, all the enjoyment there, pure, all this never cause to rise delusion, only to cause realization.

So maybe, I think, I don’t mention, I maybe stop there. Maybe ?read ?motivations can be done some other time.

So the other thing, so this is very good, there’s a lot of time to do this, giving and taking, while you chant OM MANI PADME HUM, you can meditate, you can elaborate so much and then during that time, each time when you take all their sufferings, causes of suffering, everything, you collect limitless skies of merit, each time when you take all their suffering. Each time when you give your body, just by giving the body to all the sentient beings you collect limitless merits. By giving your merit to all sentient beings you collect limitless merit, skies of merit. You give all your happiness, enlightenment, everything, you collect limitless skies of merit. Like that. So if you give all your belongings to all sentient beings, you collect limitless merit, so four times limitless merits, skies of merit you collect. So there’s so much what you can do, you can elaborate while you chant OM MANI PADME HUM, the mantra. But this is not only during this retreat, this advice, normally when you do retreat, this is how, general instruction. Then if that is, if you can’t do that, however, then at least, very important, especially during recitation of mantra, to keep the mind in virtue. That’s the minimum, otherwise you’re not doing retreat. So therefore, what you do, if the mind is too distracted, then you read the lamrim text, you read Dharma books, you read lamrim texts. So when you begin the mala, like this, anyway, you recite OM MANI PADME HUM, so here, like Vajrasattva meditation or something like that, you visualize on the crown, nectar coming and purified, then, you do that visualization beginning of the mala, then as it is happening continuously, then you read Dharma books, the lamrim, those, not just any Dharma book, what’s called Dharma, but the authentic books, correct teachings. Read, especially lamrim, any commentary of lamrim, you read, then that keeps the mind in virtue, that’s the method to keep the mind in virtue. So mouth you recite the mantra, like that.

Then, when it comes to the other end, then again, if it’s Vajrasattva, then again remember Vajrasattva and nectar coming, purified, again you remember that. Then again you read a book as it is continuously happening. So anyway, during, here, if the mind is too distracted, uncontrolled, then read Dharma book, rather wasting time, read Dharma book and then chant mantra. However, we have to try very hard to not waste time and to make sure the mind is in virtue.

The other one is, you visualize yourself as deity, the Compassion Buddha, and then you do one-pointed concentration yourself Compassion Buddha. Compassion Buddha, yourself as Compassion Buddha, then focus on the deity’s holy body. If possible understanding this holy body which appears as something real, in the sense existing from its own side, it’s not true, this is false. So same, while you’re focusing on the deity’s holy body at the same time aware this is not true, which means meditating on emptiness, which means emptiness, so that gives the idea of emptiness of the deity’s holy body. So like that. That’s one thing.

Then other thing is, normally in a retreat, you concentrate the third eye, you focus on the third eye. Then you really see so clear, the eye, so clear, every details, so clear. On the basis of this concentration, while you’re seeing this, then expand your meditation, whole face, on the basis of, without losing this, then you expand, after you got so clear.

Then after that, it it’s one, yeah, anyway, like that, so basically like that. So after this, then the general body, but on the basis of the face, so clear. Then add, the whole body, Then after that, when it’s so clear, extremely clear, can meditate this. Then, on the basis of this you add the mandala. So this is how, way of training in the generation stage, in the Highest Tantra generation stage, however, so this is in tantra. So this way then, because of the power of the mind, nature of mind, training this way, then you can see yourself as deity in the mandala, through training, everything so clear, at the ?end. So that’s normally what explained in the commentaries, those meditators who really practice, ?this ?way they explain, like my teachers.

So I think, and then, sorry. It’s very important to make less noise during retreat, in case somebody is meditating, other people might be concentrating, it will, the mind will be distracted. I mean you can’t really stop noise completely but could cut down the noise. For example, there’s a story, in the monastery, I don’t know which monastery, there’s one monk he had very good concentration, during the puja, anyway, I’m not sure whether it’s puja or not, but anyway one monk is very good doing meditation, ?visualizing deity, mandala, everything, Heruka, very clear meditating, then somebody disturbed him, so it’s like destroyed his mandala, destroyed everything. It’s like break down the house. So due to that negative karma, created much negative karma, so he had to do, he had to offer 100,000 tsog offerings or fire pujas, I’m not sure, 100,000 offerings. This monk is good, I think he has realization, very good concentration, mandala, deity, then the person disturbed. So then, I think, heavy karma, so then had to do 100,000 tsog offerings, like that.

Anyway, so therefore to make, to cut down, to make, try as much as possible to not make noise, that’s very important. Also, disturbing somebody collecting merit or concentrating, that, yeah, maybe also ?involve karma, anyway however, that’s important. Because if you’re not trained to sit a long time, then you try to, you can have pain and you, legs, you can relax, you can loose.

Yeah, I think that’s all.

Maybe we can leave the rest of the practice, do the translation and we can leave the rest of the practice, this front generation, you can leave it. Anyway, I was the one who said, yes to do, I was the one who said should do that. I was the one who planned, made plan to do that, front generation, okay. So now what I’m saying is, tonight we don’t do. We just do the last the prayers, the benefits, the prayers and, yeah, those things.