LECTURE 29: 14 DECEMBER 1992 AM

THE PURPOSE OF CHANTING
…went off from the road [RL, GL], so, those who, so you can read also the English which has the meaning, expressing the qualities of each lineage lama, without chanting, you can read also English, especially those who are not familiar, then also can read the English, which describes the qualities.

So traditionally, the purpose of chanting is it gives time to meditate the subject. For example the Heart Sutra, Essence of Wisdom, that we just read, in Sera Monastery, in our college. I wasn’t in Tibet when Tibet was free, in the Sera Monastery except in India, I was going to go but I was advised, predicted to not go, and also predicted that to stay, this, Tomo Geshe Rinpoche, this very high lama, who is the embodiment of Lama Tsongkhapa, where I became monk, so was decided that to not go to Lhasa. So that year I think Tibet was overtaken by communist Chinese.

So however, they chant the Essence of Wisdom for many hours, very long chanting. I don’t know how long it takes, the form is emptiness, emptiness is form, I don’t know how long [RL, GL], I don’t know how long it takes time. They say that when they start this chanting, a person can go to Lhasa and can come back [GL, RL], can come back to the monastery, this is what I heard. Kind of goes very sloooow [R chants], so many hours, so on and on like that.

So, I think it meant, you’re supposed to be meant to be meditating, everybody kind of quiet and peaceful and then concentrate on the emptiness. So meditation is done by relying upon the words, with the guideline of the words. So that is chanted so gives time to meditate.

But the other purpose of chanting, in the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, chantings is usually composed by very highly attained yogis who achieved the path, graduated path to enlightenment, chanting that are composed purely with compassion, to transform sentient beings’ mind, to bless the sentient beings’ mind so that their mind can be, by receiving the blessing, only then their mind can be transformed, can be developed, can be transformed into positive, can be transformed into path to enlightenment. So, it carries the blessing.

And many also chantings done by great yogis, enlightened beings, the dakinis, those female beings, female aspect being, but enlightened being but female aspect, dakinis, so they chant then, those highly attained yogis they hear the chantings then they keep in their heart the tunes and then they pass the lineage or they teach, they taught the disciples. Some chanting is like that. And maybe, when they are doing practice or when they are at holy places when they are going for pilgrimage, then they heard from those enlightened beings, dakinis and so forth.

So this chanting is supposed to be, this Jorcho, the preparatory practice chanting is by Pabongka Rinpoche, the great enlightened being who completed the whole path to enlightenment, who is the embodiment of the Buddha called Chakrasamvara, Heruka, who is the author of the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, which exists in English, but there are many other unbelievable, experiential, there are many texts, not only sutra but especially tantra, incredible teachings and, describing with incredible clarification, the highest tantra path, maha-anuttara yoga tantra, there are many teachings. That whose words, the way he spoke, words like medicine, so much blessing and much moving the mind, and so much sweetness, that has all the qualities, like Buddha’s teaching. So however, so this is Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo’s chanting.

Traditionally, before the discourse, then the whole preliminary practice that you’re doing, that those who attended before lam-rim courses, there’s chanting from beginning to end, according to Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo’s tradition, with the chants that he composed. This which carries the blessings and also gives time to meditate, concentrate, and also, if the chanting is done correctly and well, then also it has power, it has effect, blessing, to transform the mind. So it has many purposes like that. [Everyone chants the lineage lamas’ prayer]

The part of the generating, the two verses that which is, to generate bodhicitta, usually it is said that due to the merits having accumulated, having practiced charity and so forth, so here during the teaching so usually, during the teaching it is advised that, to change, from the side of the lama so then it says due to the merits of teaching Dharma, , from the side of the disciple......the lama says “chö-she”, due to the merits of explaining Dharma. Then from the side of the disciple, the say “chö-nyen”, instead of chö-she then chö-nyen, which means due to the merits accumulated by my listening to Dharma. Then may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migratory beings. So chö-she means explaining Dharma, that’s from the lama’s side what has to be said. But from the side of the disciple then chö-nyen, means due to the merits accumulated by my listening Dharma. Then may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migratory beings.

[Refuge and bodhicitta prayer]

So if death is going to happen tonight, if death is going to happen, after, within this hour, after ten minutes, what you would think? What would you do? What would you do or what to do, eh? [Rinpoche asks for the grammatically correct form for the question] [GL]. What? [GL]

Student: I would try to live the remaining ten minutes in the most transcendental way. [GL, RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: How? [GL] No, that’s very good, but how? [GL]

Student: Doing good to myself and to the world.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Mm-m, that’s right. Yeah, the last good one. [GL, RL] No, that’s a very good answer, thank you very much. But how? [GL]

[Answer inaudible.]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Sorry, I didn’t follow, I didn’t follow the next one... Yeah, that’s right. You mean just to motivate good actions, just think of good actions, good thoughts, like that? Just think good thoughts and good actions, or how? Just concentrate on good thoughts and good actions, or how?

Student: I think as much as possible you could use whatever fear or suffering that realization generates to feel compassion for everyone else.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Mm-m. Good idea. [GL]

Student: Yeah?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah. Great! [GL, RL] I think you made a commentary of, what’s your name?

Student: Frank.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: So, what’s your name?

Student: Mike.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Mike made a commentary to your root words, [GL, RL], to your guideline. Is that important, is this important to everybody?

Student: Very much, yes.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: To do this is important to everybody?

Student: It should be.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What Frank and what Mike said is that important for everybody? Is there a need for everybody? Is this necessary for everybody?

Student: It might be necessary, but it might not be exactly what I would do.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah, tell me what would you do. [RL, GL]

Student: Well, I would like to do what Frank and Mike said but I know in reality I perhaps would grasp more onto this life than what they said.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: You mean...

Student: Call my parents and tell them good-bye [GL] and....

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What, what, what? What? And say good-bye. [GL] But that’s very good, to be able to tell them good-bye, that’s very good. Many people do that. To be able to say good-bye, even that has good result. That means you are letting go. If you’re not letting go, you don’t say good-bye, even the word is difficult to come out, to say good-bye, that time.

Student: If it was in the next ten minutes ...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Now it became twenty minutes. [RL, GL] It’s extended. [RL] No, I’m joking. Yeah but... There can be benefit, with the, haven’t got such condition, but in reality, that each of us, each sentient being, each of us is the guide to ourself. Each of us has to be the leader to ourself, guide to oneself. So without that things doesn’t work.

[Comment from the audience] [RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yes, can help, but having such condition, but basically, even that comes from one’s own [mind.]

WHAT HELPS AND HINDERS AT THE TIME OF DEATH
Generally speaking, that at the time of death, that having a good Dharma practitioner with you who reminds you to practice, who gives you good advice, that is fitting to, that giving advice according to the capacity of your mind, who can help to transform your mind, to protect the mind from, particularly the attachment clinging to this life, family, property, one’s own body. And then who advises how the samsara is in the nature of suffering, and who explains renunciation of samsara, that there’s no essence in samsara, samsaric perfections has no essence, how they are in the nature of suffering. So then that helps to cut the attachment, clinging, that which ties you to samsara, that which causes, that which ties you to the lower realm and experience the sufferings of the lower realm.

Even if one knows those special meditation practices, the transference of consciousness in the pure land, in the pure realm of Buddha, those special pure land of Buddha where you can achieve enlightenment, where you can complete the rest of the tantric path and then achieve enlightenment by receiving teachings directly from the Buddha. So however, even if one knows those, even if one has done those practices, transference of consciousness in the pure land of Buddha, even if one has done the practice in the lifetime, even if one has the signs, which means you have accomplished it, but at the time of death, if there’s no guru, no Dharma practitioner to advise the three principals of the path, who reminds the three principals of the path, bodhicitta, emptiness, particularly the renunciation of samsara and bodhicitta, those two things, so, and because of strong attachment, that wasn’t reduced, wasn’t cut off during the life, wasn’t reduced, and especially at the time of death it become very strong, because of that then one doesn’t let go, to wealth and friends, family, relatives, one’s own body, these things.

So it interferes, even if one knows the words, even if one knows the meditation, one can remember the meditation but the meditation does not work at that time. Then if even one can remember the meditation but it’s not functioning, at that time, when one is about to die, the consciousness doesn’t shoot to the pure realm, immediately, as one does the meditation, so get stuck, doesn’t leave the body, it doesn’t go through the crown to the pure land, so it gets stuck.

So you find those things very hard, not having remembered, not having applied the lam-rim meditations, the teachings of the graduated, the meditation, the lam-rim, graduated path to enlightenment. You do not remember those general sufferings of samsara and in particular the sufferings of each realm. Not remembering, you do not apply the meditation of renunciation of samsara, and bodhicitta, the three principal aspects of the path. As you don’t meditate on lam-rim, don’t remember lam-rim, the graduated path, so then there’s no protection. So then the mind is occupied by strong attachment.

So what makes death difficult? There’s no difficult death, there’s no difficult death. Death is just the consciousness leaving from this body, that is simply what is death, that’s all. So that doesn’t have to be difficult, that doesn’t have to appear as difficult. So what makes death to appear difficult? What makes the experience of death difficult? What makes it frightening? What makes death frightening to one’s own mind, the death becoming frightening to ones’ own mind? What makes the death difficult to one’s own mind?

In reality, there’s no frightening death. There’s no such thing, in reality there’s no real death as we think of it, one that is not merely labeled by the mind, a real death, an independent death. There’s no such death. There’s no such death and there’s no such death like that, that is frightening to you. There’s no such real death that is difficult to experience. The mind, the concept makes it difficult, the concept makes death difficult. The concept makes death frightening to one’s own mind. Attachment, clinging to one’s own body, possessions, family, friends, not letting go, that makes death difficult, unbearable, undesirable.

Then also, due to the evil thought, the disturbing thought, death which appears frightening is appearance of evil mind, the disturbing thought, the unsubdued mind. Is a creation of the ignorance, concept of true existence, creation of that. And then anger, ignorance, anger, attachment, it’s appearance of the unsubdued mind. So, in the reality there’s no such thing. As we believe, as we apprehend, as it appears to, when we think about death, real death, independent one, something difficult, frightening, so that is hallucination. That independent death, frightening one, difficult one, that is a hallucination.

THE OLD MONK AND HIS BUTTER TEA
There’s a story about an old Tibetan monk who did the special practice of tantra where, when you know that you’re going to die, you can transfer the consciousness to the pure land of the Buddha, you have the freedom at the death time to guide yourself to the pure land.

So, this monk was trying to practice, he was trying to practice the special method transferring consciousness to Tushita pure realm of Lama Tsongkhapa and Maitreya Buddha. But how many times he used the method, it was not working. He was unable to transfer, he was unable to leave the body, his consciousness was unable to leave the body, he got stuck.

So, his lama, his guru, somehow through his psychic power, knew that his disciple, this old monk, was having difficulties at the time of death. He sent immediately a young monk to pass the message to that old monk, to give the message that there’s better tea in Tushita [GL], in the pure realm, there’s more delicious butter tea, in the pure realm Tushita. So, because the lama knew, through his clairvoyance, that the older monk was having difficulties because his mind got stuck, because for Tibetans and particularly monks, ordained people, tea is very important [GL]. That, we should have tea soon. [GL, RL] That tea is very important because, since they don’t drink, there’s no other drink, alcohol and other. [GL]. Since there’s no other drink tea becomes very important. If you have money, if you have equipment, if you have material, butter and all these things, then, to make good tea. That’s very important [GL, RL]. Very important, for their lives to relax the mind, then, you do your study, or whatever.

I think after the monk drank the tea, there was butter was left in the wooden bowl. So usually this is regarded kind of precious, and something delicious or precious or whatever. So his mind is attached, it doesn’t let go. So then even though he knows very well the meditation, the meditation is not working.

So then, as soon as he heard the message from his guru, that there’s better butter tea [GL], in Tushita pure realm, then as soon as the young monk passed the message in his ear, then immediately he was able to leave his consciousness [GL]. So like that [RL].

If a person can understand or generate the faith, then I think it is useful that, to make for the person easy, for the person to let go, in order to let go the attachment, clinging, these things, then you tell, remind that there’s such a realm like this where you can reincarnate, and where you would have many friends, who love you or, just telling things like that, like similar to what the lama passed the message. By describing how beautiful this is, there’s such a pure realm like this and if you think this, where there’s no suffering, where you don’t experience sickness, old age, the suffering death and rebirth so forth, that, so, whatever the person is clinging, by telling the person in this realm there is much better, either is to do with wealth, either to do with friends or whatever particularly the person is clinging, then, so it becomes very good psychology for the person to let go, and then death doesn’t become difficult, becomes a very easy death, like this example old monk.

CRAVING AND GRASPING BLOCK A GOOD REBIRTH
However, if there’s craving and grasping at death time, from the twelve links there’s craving and grasping, so depending on which karma is more powerful, even among the good karmas, that which is more powerful, or negative karma, what’s going to be experienced is, if it’s negative karma then among the negative karmas many, numberless negative karmas, which is the most powerful then that’s what’s going to be experienced at the time of, the craving and grasping from that karma, happens. There’s twelve links, so the craving and grasping which is experienced just before the death, that which makes, the imprint that is planted on the consciousness by the karma before, maybe in that life or maybe many, many lifetimes ago, left on the consciousness by the karma, karma motivated by ignorance, concept of truly existent I.

So therefore, the craving and grasping from these twelve links that makes that imprint ready to manifest or ready to throw, to bring the result, the future life samsara. So, if it’s a negative karma then either preta or hell or animal, depending how heavy the karma is.

If you are able to remember, if you know lam-rim, if you know meditation on the renunciation of samsara, bodhicitta, emptiness, then if you are able to apply that time, then you are able to stop, control the craving and grasping. This way you are able to stop the rebirth in the lower realms.

Otherwise, if you don’t apply lam-rim, suddenly at the time of death, you get appearance of, say, a cat, then you think how nice, how beautiful it is, then, you crave, one kind of attraction. Then that makes the imprint, which is left on the consciousness, long time ago by karma, and that in that life or other lifetimes then, ready, the craving. Then, however, when it becomes very, very strong, when the craving becomes very strong, then that is what is called grasping. Then that makes, those two makes however the seed, like the seed that is ready to sprout. So, then also, or you see a bird, you see a beautiful colored bird, then you get, you find attraction in that, then you die with that thought, then you die with attachment. So, things like.

So if one’s mind has been familiar, of course, if one has realized renunciation of samsara, bodhicitta, emptiness, no question. If one has realization, then there’s no question. Even impermanence and death, even realization of impermanence and death, no question. There’s no danger to arise the attachment. Even that is so powerful, to protect your mind.

However then, so if one’s mind has not been familiar during life, if the mind is not well trained, not have been familiar with meditation, then that time difficult to remember. If you didn’t practice during your lifetime, didn’t train the mind, like the soldier before actually going to war, having training, made ready to fight the enemy, to destroy or to win over the enemy. So similar, we have to train our minds during our life, while we have the opportunity, so that on the most critical time, death comes, that’s the border that, depending on how you do with your mind, go to lower realm or go to deva, human realm.

So, if you don’t protect the mind, unable to apply lam-rim meditations then, what happens is, then the what we have habituated normally, from beginningless rebirth, this life and beginningless rebirth, anger, attachment, so the disturbing thoughts, so then these arises. So then, that leads to, that causes to be reborn, to fall down in the lower realm and experience those sufferings. So, once one fell down in the lower realm, then very difficult to say when one can come back to deva, human realm, again to practice Dharma, extremely difficult and, like that. Extremely difficult.

LIFE WITHOUT DHARMA
And even one get born as human being, but if one get born as human being not having opportunity to practice Dharma, so what do you do? Not having opportunity to practice Dharma which means not having opportunity to abandon cause of the suffering, to create the cause of happiness, the unmistaken method. So if one doesn’t, if one is born a human being but never met Dharma, then there’s no opportunity to achieve happiness in future lives, no opportunity to achieve liberation, no opportunity to achieve full enlightenment.

So therefore, even if one is born as a human being for a few years, even if one is born as millionaire, or king, even if one is not born as a poor human being, even if one is born as a wealthy person, successful in business, a millionaire, a king, having power, reputation, even if one is born like this but this without Dharma, it is nothing. All that means nothing. All that is nothing. Without Dharma, then all the body, speech and mind, everything becomes negative karma, there’s no protection, there’s no positive attitude. So therefore everything becomes negative karma. So it’s just a short time, it’s just a short break from the lower realms. It’s just a short break, like a prisoner, one hour, two hours, just taken out of prison, then going back, the same. So, just short break from the lower realms.

The whole life is used to create the cause of the lower realms. It’s like you came back from the lower realms to the human realm in order to create more negative karma so that you can go back to the lower realm again. So therefore, it is a very suffering life.

That, I just mention this then we’ll have tea. That sometimes in the airplane, when I was traveling with Lama, when I was traveling in the West, sometimes in the airplane just thought coming that, it’s just my own mind, so all these human beings, no idea of karma, reincarnation, and even they’ve some wealth and whatever, but however, some education, some wealth, but however no idea of reincarnation, karma, they have no idea what’s going to happen after this life, no idea at all what’s going to happen after this life.

After this life, because without Dharma all the actions become negative karma in everyday life, so that brings them into lower realms, to reincarnate, to suffer. And themselves have no idea of their life, they don’t know their life, they don’t recognize their life, as far as what is right and wrong, they don’t know. So it’s kind of uncomfortable. When I think like this, it feels uncomfortable.

So it’s like the person who is trying to walk where there’s cliff stepping over the precipice. The person does not see it, he is not aware of it. You see him near the cliff but can’t do anything. That’s how it is, uncomfortable. So similar like, so it’s like that, if you look at other sentient beings.

So however, therefore death time these things can happen, if you don’t apply, if you don’t keep the mind in lam-rim, if you don’t try to remember, then attachment, then you see the lower realm being’s body, like that, then that become cause to be reborn in the lower realm.

So therefore, remember to train our mind like the soldier during our life, to prepare the mind, to get, to train the mind in the lam-rim as much as possible is extremely important. So, and however, not only death time, every day, every hour, every minute of our life, is in the border, we’re in the border to choose where to go, whether to go to lower realm, whether to go to deva, human realm. However, if want happiness, do not want suffering, then, abandoning cause of the lower realm, as much as possible negative karma, create the cause of happiness of future life, happiness beyond this life, which includes liberation, enlightenment, everything. So that however, every day, every hour, every minute, as much as possible that, to keep our mind, body, speech and mind in Dharma. And that depends on basically keeping the mind in the Dharma. Then that way body and speech also become Dharma.

[Tea break]

TRAINING THE MIND IN THE LAM-RIM
Therefore, helping other people, educating other people how to die is the best education. Actually, the whole subject of lam-rim, the whole subject of the teaching of the graduated path to enlightenment, one way of looking at it, it’s an education on how to prepare yourself for the death.

So, among renunciation, emptiness, bodhicitta, those three are the main, these three are the fundamental method, and especially bodhicitta is the best method, is the best preparation for death. The mind practicing bodhicitta, and dying with bodhicitta is the best death. This way, dying with bodhicitta, for the sake of all sentient beings, which means experiencing death in order to benefit for all the sentient beings, equaling the infinite space. So as I mentioned yesterday or other times, with that incredible motivation that to benefit everyone, every single sentient being.

For example, using the experience of AIDS to develop bodhicitta, that which is the main cause for achieving enlightenment for sentient beings, which is the main cause to bring all, to bring every sentient being to the highest happiness, full enlightenment. In other words, using this to benefit, the experience having sickness, making it beneficial for every sentient being, to bring them in the highest, full enlightenment. Not just to cause temporary happiness, not just that. Not just only them to be free from AIDS, not just that.

This way then cancer or AIDS, whatever one experiences, then one is making the best use, one is using the experience of the problem in the best way. That is most useful, most worthwhile, for all sentient beings, which means also most worthwhile for oneself, which means you are using the problem as a path to happiness. And that is not just temporary happiness, highest enlightenment. You are using the problem as a path, you are using the AIDS, experience of the disease AIDS, having the AIDS, you are using it as path to achieve enlightenment, the greatest success, which is the greatest success among all the success, among all the accomplishment.

There are many profound meditations to apply at the time of death, especially in Highest Yoga Tantra there’s very special, most secret, profound, special methods, during the intermediate stage, rebirth, all these things. This is the quickest path to enlightenment, the death. By applying meditation at those times, then it becomes quickest path to enlightenment. However, all those practices depend on, all those practices has to be done with renunciation of samsara, bodhicitta, emptiness. So this is the lam-rim. The lam-rim is the best, the fundamental, the best education for the, how to prepare oneself for death.

So that, so learning lam-rim, studying lam-rim, and especially studying the highest tantra, where it talks about, where you can, only then you can understand completely about the mind. Only then you have opportunity to completely understand about the mind, all the phenomena, the mind, to be able to understand all the details about the mind. So complete understanding of the mind is only by studying highest tantra. Even from sutra you cannot study everything about the mind, because it doesn’t, it only talks about the gross mind, it doesn’t talk about the subtle mind, especially it doesn’t talk about extremely subtle consciousness, all, everything about that. Then the body has also gross body, subtle body, extremely subtle body, and extremely subtle body doesn’t talk in the sutra.

ONLY TANTRA GIVES COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE MIND
So only by studying Highest Yoga Tantra, only by completely knowing the teaching, only then you have complete knowledge of the mind. Especially by actualizing the tantric path, not only understanding the words, especially by actualizing the highest tantric path, then only then one has complete knowledge of the mind, knowing everything about the mind.

So therefore there’s no way to understand the mind without understanding Dharma. Without studying Dharma there’s no really way to understand the mind without mistakes. Especially in tantra, which talks extensively to be able to understand the path time dharmakaya, path time sambhogakaya, path time nirmanakaya, to be able to understand this, in order to achieve the result time dharmakaya, result time sambhogakaya, result time nirmanakaya, the enlightenment, in order to achieve these things for the benefit of sentient beings. Then in order to understand this, in order to practice this, one has to understand the ordinary, the base time, what ordinary beings experience, death, intermediate stage, rebirth, ordinary beings experience of death, and rebirth, intermediate stage.

So one has to understand details how ordinary people’s experience of death, the evolution of death, what’s happening with the body, what’s happening with the mind, the evolution of death, the twenty-five absorptions. There are twenty-five absorptions which happen at death time. Those things, about intermediate stage or how ordinary beings experience, how one experiences in the intermediate stage after death. Then also detailed explanation about rebirth, about evolution of rebirth, so all these things.

So on the basis of understanding details of these things, which are only explained in the Highest Yoga Tantra, the details about evolution of death, talk about the subtle consciousness, however intermediate stage, rebirth and so forth. Then, by understanding these ordinary death, intermediate stage, rebirth, through meditation, one uses these as a path to achieve the result time dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, these three holy bodies.

First of all, during generation stage by visualizing them, by applying the Highest Yoga Tantra, the path or the meditation, one leaves potential on the mind, one purifies the ordinary death, ordinary rebirth, ordinary intermediate stage. Then, during the completion stage, by actualizing the path time dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, at that time one actually purifies ordinary death, rebirth, intermediate stage. That time one actually conquers, one ceases the ordinary death, intermediate stage, rebirth.

So, in tantra, the practitioner of the Highest Yoga Tantra, maha-anuttara yoga tantra, from which level the person controls the death, from which level the person becomes free from death, after having achieved clear light. There’s five stages to achieve enlightenment, so the clear light, the absolute nature of the mind, clear light. So after having achieved this level, after having achieved the clear light, this level, then one has control. Before, death is riding on you. Now you are on the death, now you can ride on the death. Death is under your control, that you don’t experience any more the death caused by karma and delusion, the uncontrolled death, the suffering death.

As I mentioned yesterday or the day before yesterday, when you become an arya being, for example, when you become higher bodhisattva, who has wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, who has achieved the Arya path, the right-seeing Mahayana path, this arya being is free from death, even if it’s not practitioner of tantra, even if it’s not a practitioner of the Highest Yoga Tantra but just only practicing sutra, so, this higher bodhisattva who achieved the Arya, the higher path, Arya path—Arya the means transcendent, higher path, the right-seeing Mahayana path—that bodhisattva doesn’t need to experience death but has completely abandoned death, old age, sickness, rebirth. Then, also same for the Hinayana, the Lesser Vehicle path, the arhats also same, that who has completely ceased all the suffering and cause, even the seed of delusions, that is same. So, doesn’t experience death, free from death.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING ABOUT DEATH
This is the best education in the sense that to know everything about this point of life, rebirth and death, intermediate stage, that is only by studying tantra, then only one can understand the details of these things and to cease completely the circle of death, intermediate stage, rebirth. Tantra has a special skill to cease these things, by purifying the mind and winds, so then to achieve three kayas.

Giving an education of death, teaching others how to die, doesn’t mean teaching how to commit suicide [GL], doesn’t mean how you can kill by yourself. I heard there’s one book written by one professor, telling how you can kill yourself, and all the various methods you can try. [GL, RL] Anyway, I think it’s very important, because for us ordinary beings, who haven’t reached that level where we are free from death, we can control death, we have to go through, it is definite that one has to experience death until we reach those levels.

Therefore it’s a very important education since it’s something definite that one has to go through, it’s very important, to know before and practice, to have the knowledge and to enter to the meditation practice. Through this training, through this psychology, through this transformation of mind, through this meditation practice, then you are able to guide when the most critical time of life comes, the death. People can guide by themselves, they know what to do. They can close the door on reincarnating in the lower realm, They can go to pure land of Buddha, which is the method of quick way to achieve enlightenment, or deva, human body.

The various ways one can practice and then also one teaches others, various advice, various meditations, to give to the people according to their capacity of mind and their different religion, according to their problems, whatever problem that person has, relating to that then, giving advice that, to die, to have happy death or peaceful death. In other words, all of the real meaning, what it means is that to help the person to die with, not with delusion, not with attachment, anger, ignorance, these things, ill will and so forth, not with these, but with positive thought. So, the positive thought itself, the happy mind, so when the person is able to generate positive mind, then the person, is able to generate happy mind, so then there’s happy death.

I think you haven’t yet done meditation on the lower realms in detail, all the specific sufferings, Even if we are born as human being it’s not easy life. There are so much difficulties, so many problems. However, so if you analyze it’s only in the nature of suffering, that, so, even as a human being, even one is born as a human being, how difficult it is, the life. No question how it is, if one is born as animal or hell, hungry ghost, no question.

The human being problem is nothing. No matter how heavy problem the human being has, that’s nothing. Comparing to the lower realm beings, their suffering, human being is like in the pure land of Buddha. No matter how much disaster or problem there is, heaviest suffering, but that’s nothing, that’s incredible pleasure, unbelievable pleasure compared to the heaviest suffering of the lower realms.

As I mentioned before, especially being born as human being but no understanding of Dharma, no practice of Dharma, so there’s much more suffering in that life. Doesn’t know how to deal with problems and there’s no method in the mind, there’s no solution in the mind, so there’s much more suffering in the human life.

THUBTEN SHERAB’S STORY
While I’m talking about this, a thought came in my mind that one Kopan boy, he used to be one of the most intelligent ones among the monks. His name is Thubten Sherab. Other than the nun Tsenla, who has been translating for so many years, he is one of the best, most intelligent translators. So he’s been translating many years in France at the monastery, Nalanda, and then he married this Spanish girl, so now he has been living there for I think maybe three years. He’s a person who never hides anything, whatever happens in his life, bad or good, whatever, he just tells people, well… maybe not his wife [GL, RL].

One day I said to him, “Do you feel regret, having changed life?” He says, “No,” he feels the same thing. When he was a monk he felt the same, now he feels the same. He doesn’t feel any different, there’s no regret. Then he said that how people are suffering so much there, where he is working. He was saying how people, how other people have so many problems, so much suffering. He said that because the only thing that he knows is Dharma, he doesn’t have difficulties, in everyday life he doesn’t have confusion, sufferings, as others have. He’s not a boy who tells lie, never, [GL] Says, everything, whatever he thinks, he tells to other people, that, whatever he has in the mind.

So he studied Dharma for many years. He’s one of best monks in the education of Dharma, one most intelligent ones. I met time to time, when I went to Spain. So he told already a few times this. He tells about his life, how he thinks, how he sees other people and his own experiences, like that.

I think, when he was a monk, he used to say he was not afraid of death. For him death is no big deal. I think the main thing is to live a sincere life. So therefore, in his daily life, so because of that, his mind doesn’t have much to regret or much confusion.

Why did I bring this up? So, yeah, as I was talking, there’s much more suffering not knowing Dharma, because no understanding of Dharma and no practice, so there’s much more suffering in the life. You have no higher goal, you have no higher happiness to look for than comfort of this life, power, reputation, you have no other goal than happiness of this life

HAPPINESS AND UNHAPPINESS
By analyzing, by checking, whether this life’s happiness pure happiness or not, you’ll see it’s only suffering. There is a suffering feeling which is discomfort, but which is unnoticeable to one’s own mind. So therefore one labels it pleasure and it appears as pleasure. And then, as one continue with the action compounding that discomfort, then, when it increases more and more, it becomes noticeable, then at that time it become the suffering of pain. From the three types of suffering, then it becomes suffering of pain. So before it’s the suffering of change.

The goal that you have, what you can achieve from life, is a different thing. The happiness one knows, what you can experience, it’s just the comfort of this life, by having reputation, power, food and clothing. So that’s all. Enjoyment, friend, then that’s it. There’s nothing more, nothing more special, just that.

So of course, no matter how much you work for that, you can never find satisfaction because the attitude is following desire, following attachment. Because that’s the motivation, attachment, so therefore, the nature of that method itself, that itself is the cause to not find satisfaction, cause to not find happiness. Itself, following the desire, the attachment clinging to this life, itself is the cause to not find satisfaction, happiness in this life.

Therefore, this is just the essence of life, describing the aim of that person’s life. What that person’s view is or how that person understands what happiness means. That’s all. Nothing else than that. So therefore, no question how much suffering, how much unhappiness in life there would be, living the life with such attitude and such wrong method, wrong means of achieving happiness. It’s completely the opposite, the method becomes only cause of suffering, only cause to not find satisfaction. The method becomes only cause to be dissatisfied, the method becomes only cause of dissatisfaction.

Even if you believe you have success, pleasure, it’s just a hallucination. So that’s why there’s big differences where there’s problem, the person who knows Dharma, and especially who practice Dharma, and who doesn’t know Dharma, who doesn’t practice Dharma, when the life experience when the life meets problems.

TIBETANS IN SWITZERLAND
For example, in Switzerland, I heard that one time there happened no jobs in the factories, I don’t know what happened. The work stopped. They had to close the factory for I think maybe some months, I’m not sure. Somehow they had to close down. So, many people didn’t have job. So the Tibetans who are working were the same with other Western people, working at the factory, but the Tibetans were very happy [GL]. They were very happy because they found time, they could use that time to do their practice at home, to do retreat [GL], to do their commitments and to do the tantra practices, those who took initiations and those who do preliminary practices.

So they are so happy they have time to do these practices. So, they were very happy. But those other people, other Western people who were working in the same place, they were so unhappy! [GL] So unhappy, no jobs for one month or something, so depressed, so unhappy. This is what I heard when I was in Switzerland, the Tibetans told me.

So, it’s to do with mind. Happiness and unhappiness is to do with the mind. It depends on understanding or practicing, whether one understand Dharma or not, whether one practice Dharma or not.

So however, now, to go back [RL], anyway, maybe not possible, [GL, RL] I think next Kopan course [GL, RL]. I think next year [RL, GL].

Student: We’ll stay another month.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Okay. Please enjoy and have a good time. [GL] You mean next year course to bring back to the ______ [RL]. I’m joking. [GL]

No, well, I think just to finish this talk. Generally, whenever we do meditation courses, Dharma courses, it involves teaching meditations on how to destroy delusion, the cause of the suffering. So that’s all what it means. So that includes, that is the best preparation for death. So then this way, by doing the meditation, by practicing Dharma, this way one eliminates the delusions, one protect the mind from delusion. One builds the potential to eliminate completely the delusion, including the imprint, the seed.

HELPING THE DYING
Talking about death is not necessarily Dharma; even meditating is not necessarily Dharma. Whatever is the remedy to our suffering, that is Dharma. Not friends, not the cause to develop delusion but the remedy to destroy, to cut the delusion. So delusion is cause of death and rebirth. Why do we suffer? When we press this body like this [Rinpoche shows], when we press like this, we feel pain. So, if this body, if these aggregates, this mind, this body and mind, if this is not created by delusion, there’s no reason to have pain. When we press like this, why we experience pain, there’s no reason to feel pain. If you are not skillful in drinking even water, suddenly there’s pain, discomfort.

Even when we walk, even when we sit, even when we lay down, if we’re not skillful, suddenly there’s pain. Even just pressing like this, there’s pain. These are caused by delusion. These aggregates, this body-mind came from impure causes, delusion, karma and delusion, so therefore, why this is nature of suffering, why this has to suffer, why this experience suffering. That is the reason why this is suffering.

Why don’t we have a body and mind which doesn’t suffer? Why we didn’t take the aggregates, body and mind, which experiences the everlasting happiness, pure happiness? Why we didn’t take it? That is also a very good question to do analysis. However, as I mentioned yesterday, the original world, why this world exist, why the original world came into existence, from very beginning.

So, conclusion is this, what is death and what means death, introducing, giving education of death, how to deal with death, how you can have a happy death, this is an extremely important service, because if you’re able to cause people who are dying to generate a positive attitude, either compassion for other sentient beings, as Mike said, either to have compassion or devotion. So depending on the other person’s capacity of mind or the background, what religion and, capacity of mind, anyway. And also depending on what problem the person is having.

A family should study about how to deal with death, if somebody’s dying how you should do, if somebody’s dying in the family, not only themselves, how to deal with their own death. The education about death, not only talking about what death is but what makes death difficult and, what makes one’s own mind afraid, all this.

The education of death can be condensed. For example, if somebody is dying, then how to take care of that person. If somebody in the family is dying, then how you take care of that person, psychologically, to protect the person’s mind, to generate a positive thought, to let the person die with a positive attitude, without causing to get angry, without causing to get attachment, all these things.

So I think it is very important also family members, the family to learn how to take care of that person, if somebody in the family is dying, then how to look after the best. So I think it contains all these things. So, it becomes very important service, and to help, so as I mentioned before, because once one get reborn in the lower realms, not sure when you can come back, after how many eons.

That, even as a human being, even we who have met Dharma, we are trying to, even we who understand Dharma, what Dharma is and, even we know how to practice it doesn’t mean that we are able to practice twenty-four hours. It doesn’t mean that. By knowing that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are able to practice. So even we who are trying, all the action twenty-four hours does not become Dharma. Most of it becomes negative karma. So therefore, then, if we think about chickens, pigs, the animals, the lower realm beings, it’s out of the question that actions becoming Dharma, cause of happiness.

Shantideva said in Bodhicaryavatara, “After I have received such this freedom, if I don’t train in the virtue”, means if I don’t practice Dharma, train the mind in the path, “then when I’m born, when I become ignorant, the lower realm beings what can I do that time?” Nothing you can do. Nothing one can do that time. Finished. So as I mentioned that one night, yesterday or the day before yesterday night or something, I mentioned those animals, like that.

Therefore if we are able to help at the death time, cause to generate Dharma mind, positive attitude, if the person dies with that, it’s an incredible help. It saved from many eons of suffering, of the lower realm, you have saved. So it’s incredibly important. In some ways it’s more important than giving a homeless person a home and person or a starving person food, or a sick person medicine. This service is even more important, to help others, helping for those who are dying.

So, this way you are giving human rebirth, you are giving deva, human rebirth to that person. You are giving a present, this is your gift, that person gets reborn a human being, how many years the person lives - all that is your gift to that person. The person gets reborn in human body, how many years the person lives, all that thing, the body, from that virtuous thought of the person who died, then person’s human body, all these temporary pleasures, all that is your present, your gift to the person. All this is your gift to that person. It’s an incredible gift. So there are many things to learn, how to take care of that person who is dying. So, the family learn how to help, then it’s extremely beneficial.

FPMT HOSPICES
The organization has started three hospices so far, mainly in Australia: Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. So there happened, so it’s very good that many people have taken an interest in this. That’s very important. Many people have taken interest about to learn, to know about death. That’s very wise, that is extremely wise, taking an interest to know about death. That’s very wise, very skillful. They can guide themselves when they are dying. So it gives opportunity. What to do when oneself is dying, when you come to know you’re dying, then how deal with it, and also to help others.

Pende Hawter who is in charge, the main person who looks after the hospices, tries to give the education, so I advised him, in order to learn more, he should interview all those high lamas in the different sects, those great meditators, the head lamas of each sect, by putting questions about how to help and about death. Sometimes you can get different answers, different points of view.

So this way is one way, one very interesting way to learn from those great meditators, those lamas who did a lot of public service, doing pujas for people who are dying or people who are dead. They have a lot of experiences, doing puja and guiding these people, people who are dying, dead.

It’s the same thing that the purpose of this project at Bodhgaya, this destitute home, that is also similar purpose of the hospice, that the purpose, my main reason to start a destitute home that is in Bodhgaya, the state is called Bihar, where there’s so much corruption. The start of the destitute home was one day Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche was giving teaching there, but, so one day we took a holiday. The holiday was to make pilgrimage to the mountain where Buddha gave teachings on emptiness, this great holy place near Bodhgaya called Rajgir. So I requested Rinpoche to give teachings on the oral transmission of one of the short texts, teachings from Buddha on emptiness, just before the Heart Sutra, there’s another short do dupa, condensed sutra, abbreviated sutra.

Before we got up there, we went to have lunch in a restaurant. Outside the restaurant there was a sick person and an old man. Rinpoche felt so much compassion to this sick person, kind of naked and full of flies and down part of his body. Rinpoche said, “Can’t we put this person in the hospital?” Then one of students, an American doctor, said that because he’s a poor person, in the Indian hospitals the poor people aren’t treated well, they’re not taken care of well.

I discussed with the director of Root Institute whether he could be taken back to the center and taken care of by us. Of course I myself was not there [RL], but the other students who were there, they had to take care of him [RL]. I just say it with the mouth, [RL, GL], I just used my lips but not my hands.

Anyway, he started to get better after five days, because he was taken care of very well by a doctor and by student, the Western doctor and also by the student who lived there. But then, after some months, everybody had to leave, there was nobody there to take care of him. As long as there was even one Western student, then he was healthy. So there was nobody. The few Indian workers there couldn’t take care I think of him well. Also the director was not there. So I think his health suddenly changed and then he passed away.

There was also an old man who was trying to go somewhere but was shaking, his hand was shaking terribly. So he fell down. He had sticks in both hands but he was shaking very much. He had a big bag but I think it was empty. So he fell down on the fire wood. There was no fire but just the wood piled up. Then again he tried to stand up and tried to walk but he could not manage, so he gave up.

I looked at this old man for a long time, and thought of the old man so much. So then I thought that even he wants a glass of water, even if the restaurant is near, it’s not too far. There were many thousands of people going on the road but nobody looked after this old man, there was nobody helping this old man and he could not manage by himself to even get a glass of water, no matter how thirsty he was.

As I was going back to Bodhgaya by bus, thoughts came of the old man so much, and then, especially after I sat down in Japanese guest house, after I sat on the bed. Then this very strong thought came, how people have so much suffering, and to be able to do something. So then the thought came to start a destitute home there.

So the idea is, whether it is Muslim or Hindu, whoever it is, young, old, anybody who can’t look after themselves, who has nobody to look after them. First we tell them that this is run by a Buddhist organization, then if they accept, we can take care of them. Not only taking care of the body. The main aim is not just to take care of the body. There are other many places where they take care of body. Cleaning body and all this, there are also, there are other similar places. But here the main thing is, on the basis of taking care of the body, but the main aim is to take care of the mind, which is the most important thing.

For the Dharma students who can devote time or who can do service, the main thing is the psychology, to talk to them every day, to help them generate a positive mind and to look at their life positively. And to create a positive environment, a blessed or positive environment, whatever leaves a positive imprint, then it is easy to generate a positive mind. So that is one idea.

So, especially when they are dying, to help them to die by causing to generate a positive attitude, compassion or loving kindness or devotion, depending on the person. Or causing satisfaction, causing the thought of renunciation. Either a good heart, devotion or renunciation, satisfaction, contentment. To help the person die with a positive mind like this. To benefit for the mind, that is the main aim of that project. Then also my idea is that the students working for them listen as much as they can to Dharma, the three principals of the path, the teachings on the paramitas, and they put these into practice. They practice with these people, they practice with these people.

Sincerely doing the service in this way itself becomes a great purification. Sincerely doing service for these sentient beings, putting the teaching of bodhicitta into practice, in this way, itself becomes great purification, purifying the negative karma of the students who are working there. Itself becomes great purification and accumulates extensive merit.

The Buddha sacrificed his life to other sentient beings numberless times, many hundreds of times in so many lifetimes. He gave his body to a whole family tiger who were starving. So many lifetimes he made charity his limbs, eyes and the limbs, for those who need, giving blood and so forth to the flesh-eaters. He practiced the six paramitas, bodhisattva’s deeds: charity, morality, perseverance, patience, then like this. So many hundreds of lifetimes, three countless great eons Buddha himself did this and achieved enlightenment, for the sentient beings.

It’s same, like this. It becomes the quick path to enlightenment, developing the mind. One purpose is that who do service is able to develop their mind in the path. So, so hopefully to be able to start soon and hopefully to have, able to establish.

VAJRASATTVA
Yeah, so I think, so I’ve talked a long time so maybe can just can recite mantra and then can go.

[Recitation of Vajrasattva mantra]

No, first take refuge.

[Break in tape]

I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha until I achieve enlightenment. And due to the merits having accumulated charity so forth may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migratory beings. [x 3]

I think can do prostrations, time is same, time takes the same [GL]. Time is same, so we are just losing a lot of merit [GL, RL].

[More Vajrasattva mantras]

So think, generate strong faith that all the negative karmas accumulated, negative karmas accumulated with the body, speech and mind, then particularly transgressed from the pratimoksha vow, bodhisattva vow, tantra vow, all those vices, all those negative karmas, everything that which has been accumulated from beginningless rebirth, this life and from beginningless rebirth were completely purified. So generate strong faith in this. Doesn’t exist at all in your mental continuum. Your mental continuum become completely pure, like a mirror, like a clear mirror, like a light, like a white light where there’s no black spot. Become completely pure.

Now, any negative karmas which I can abandon, from now on I will do, and those extremely difficult ones, the subtle ones, then one day or one hour or even a few minutes or even for a few seconds so I’ll try to abstain from this. So, in this way, then to make my life most beneficial for all sentient beings.

So then make this determination to practice Dharma, to not harm others and to benefit for all sentient beings, so this makes Guru Vajrasattva extremely pleased. And Vajrasattva tells you this.

In the prayer it is said, “You the race of the son”, the son doesn’t mean the physical son, son and daughter, which is the label for the physical shape. It’s not that. This is son that’s related to the mind. So this could be Mahayana type, race, Mahayana type, or maybe because there’s potential to become Vajrasattva, in our mental continuum there’s potential to become Vajrasattva, so that could be also reason why it’s called son of the race, or the type.

Then Guru Vajrasattva is telling you, “All your negative karma, obscurations, degenerate samayas, all these were completely purified.” Guru Vajrasattva is telling you everything were purified.

Then, melted in the light, absorbed within you through the center of the two eyebrows. Those who haven’t received a great initiation, Highest Yoga Tantra, you do this way, and then blessed your body, speech and mind, okay? Those who have received great, highest tantra initiation, then enter in your heart, then do the same practice of the guru entering the heart, end of the Lama Tsongkhapa, the guru yoga prayer, practice, or the Lama Chöpa, Guru Puja, like that.

After the absorption then first think, I the creator, action creating negative karma. What is created, negative karma. So how this is appearing to me? After I label these ones, after I label all these things, how do they appear to me? They appear to me real one. The real creator, the real action. The real, independent I, creator; the real, independent action, creating; and the real, independent negative karma. So all these are actually hallucinations. All these are hallucinations in reality. All these are empty. Not space but like space, empty, like space.

Now intensely meditate on emptiness. Now think, in emptiness, there’s no I. In emptiness there’s no action, creating. In emptiness there’s no negative karma. In emptiness, there is no merit. In emptiness there’s no I dedicating. In emptiness, there’s no action dedicating. In emptiness there’s no enlightenment. In emptiness there’s no sentient beings. In emptiness there’s nothing, even the space, even the space is empty. Even the emptiness, even the emptiness is empty.

Now, while keeping the mind in this state of emptiness, with this mindfulness, then dedicate, part of the mind, one part of the mind, dedicate the merits. While being mindful in emptiness, keeping the mind in this state, then a part of mind dedicate the merit.

DEDICATION
Due to all the three time merits accumulated by me, by others, may I achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s or Vajrasattva’s, same, enlightenment, and lead all sentient beings in that enlightenment as quick as possible.

Due to all these three time merits... So now think that by having meditated on emptiness, so unbelievable, so many eons of negative karma is purified. So many eons of negative karma is purified by meditating on emptiness. So, feel happy, feel joy.

Now dedicate the merits to generate bodhicitta.

Due to all the three time merits accumulated by me, by Buddhas and bodhisattvas, may the bodhicitta be generated within one’s mind, mind of all sentient beings, those who have, may it be developed.

[Jang chub sem chog rinpoche...]

Dedicate the merits for long life of His Holiness who is the source of all the happiness of all sentient beings, source of the peace of the world and all sentient beings, today, as you watched His Holiness giving teachings, advice. Then other holy beings. And then Lama’s incarnation Lama Osel, long life and holy wishes to be succeed immediately to benefit for other sentient beings, works to benefit other sentient beings.

[Rinpoche recites a prayer]

Now, as three time buddhas have dedicated their merits, and bodhisattvas, bodhisattva Kumantabhadra and Manjugosha, as they actually understand, I’ll dedicate all my merits to best way to quickly enlighten all sentient beings.

[Rinpoche recites a prayer]

Due to all the three time merits accumulated by me and by buddhas, bodhisattvas, due to all these merits, may the pure teaching of Lama Tsongkhapa, the unification of sutra and tantra, may it be actualized, may it be completely actualized in the minds of all the students in this very life time. And all the general organization activities, then individual meditation center’s activities, works to benefit others, to spread Dharma, all this to be succeeded immediately and to receive all the needs for them. And then also those hard workers who do service through the organization to spread Dharma for sentient beings, all those arranging the facilities, those who dedicate their life, time, body, speech and mind, and the material, all those, and then all the students, have long life and healthy and then all the wishes to be succeed immediately according to holy Dharma.

[Rinpoche recites a prayer]

Thank you.

[End of Discourse]

LECTURE 30: 15 DECEMBER 1992 PM

EVERYTHING COMES FROM THE MIND
As we started the course this time with this subject, how everything came from the mind, so did meditations, also on this, actually we need to do, actually the best thing to do meditation is just this, not just one session, not just one day, but we need to do just on this just for one week, five days, one week, at least two days just on this, no other meditation, just this, how everything came from the mind, the very first topic, that how all the appearances, because, how everything came from the mind because all the appearances came from one’s own mind, all the appearances that you have, all came from your own mind.

So, to be really clear, to really get into this, to really clearly identify this, to really experience this, we need to do analysis and mindfulness, during session times, and also especially in the break times. So, like this, very intensively, it should be that, that attention needs to be intensive, at break times, at meditation times, especially break times, practicing mindfulness like this, if possible for one week, if not then five days, even less, at least two days intensively on that, mindfulness. It’s the best psychology and it’s the best meditation and it’s the quickest way, without going round much it’s the quickest way, it’s the direct way of cutting the delusions and it’s the direct way of cutting the emotional mind, all the depression, all the unhappy minds, dissatisfaction, all these emotional, dissatisfied mind, attachment, all these things. Not only that, it affects even all the root of sufferings, the root of all the problems of life, root of the whole entire suffering of samsara, the ignorance, concept of true existence.

This meditation becomes direct remedy even to that ignorance, one’s own ignorance, the concept of truly existent I, the concept of inherently existent I, that which is a hallucinated mind, that which is the basis of all the other delusions, and all the other disturbing thoughts, ignorance, anger, attachment, and jealousy, pride and doubt, all those wrong views. Then all the branches of delusions which are based on these root delusions and all the karma, actions, motivated by these, which creates the sufferings of samsara, which created samsara, the aggregates, relating to our samsara present time, human samsara, these aggregates, the association of the body and the mind, caused by karma and delusion, and which creates again future samsara, so the continuation of these aggregates. This samsara, which joins to the next life samsara, the one that continues to circle to the next life samsara, circling all the time, the continuation of these aggregates. This samsara circles all the time from one life to another, then we experience all the problems and sufferings again and again and again and again, from the six realms, one of those, again and again, until we break the cause, until we completely abandon it, including the seed of the delusions. Until we completely abandon the cause, we have to continuously experience the problems of life, suffering of samsara.

LABELING THE SCARECROW AS A PERSON
This meditation involves two things, how everything comes from the mind, how all your appearances come from your own mind. We went over this many times, without your mind, if you don’t have the concept, if you don’t have the mind which labels, there’s no appearance of that, there’s no appearance of such and such to you.

Due to unclear eyesight or because of the distance, if there is something made up to look like a person standing with hands, with arms stretched out, in the field [RL], the scarecrow, due to unclear eyesight or distance, because of the reason—the human shape—by seeing like the shape of a human body, one labels it “a person.” Of course one doesn’t see it as something the looks “like the shape of a human body”, one doesn’t see that, but that’s what it is. What is there is like the shape of a human body, so person thinks that’s the shape of human body and the person’s mind, the perceiver, labels it “There is a person. In the field, there is a person standing there.” The label is placed on the shape like a human body and the person who is looking at that object, then labels it “a person.”

Then, after placing the label on the base, that person believes that label. There’s the appearance of a person, and so that person believes that there is a real person there.

LABELING KATHMANDU
This is similar to a person who is not aware what Kathmandu looks like. He cannot recognize Kathmandu city, Kathmandu valley. He hasn’t seen a picture of Kathmandu valley, how Kathmandu looks like, he has no idea. As he is looking down from airplane windows, at first, before the person is told, “This is Kathmandu,” the person does not label this as Kathmandu. Because he doesn’t label it as Kathmandu, for that person there is no appearance of Kathmandu, that this is Kathmandu, there’s no appearance of that. It’s just a city, that has mountains around and many old houses and many new houses, old houses, green mountains around and fields and many old houses together or scattered. So however, just as the person labels “city” there’s appearance of city, but there’s no appearance of Kathmandu, Kathmandu valley.

When that person is told by the pilot or by somebody that this is Kathmandu, then, following what the other person says, the person’s mind immediately labels this as “Kathmandu.” The reason is by seeing this city that which has this shape, all these particular shapes, mountains and city, that which has these holy places, these stupas, so by seeing this characteristic of the place, so reason by seeing this, then the person, by following the other person’s introduction, his own mind labels “Kathmandu,” and only after believing in one’s own label, then there’s appearance of Kathmandu. So therefore, this appearance of Kathmandu came from the mind. How the appearance of the Kathmandu came from one’s own mind, so the way to understand is this.

When you are talking about your appearance, so if you don’t have mind, you have no appearance, there’s no question of appearance. The table does not have appearance, the mug doesn’t have appearance. How does the mug see things? [RL, GL] How does the mug see the tea? There’s no question of that. How does this mug see you? How does he or she see you? There’s no question of that because the mug doesn’t have mind. [RL, GL] You know, I think this mug sees [RL, GL].

So, our appearance, view, our appearance is to do with the mind, appearance is to do with the mind. Appearance is what the mind sees. If there’s a mind then there’s appearance. If this mug has mind, then there’s appearance, then the mug can have appearance. The mug doesn’t have appearance, the mug doesn’t have view, the mug doesn’t have bad view or good view, the mug does not have appearance. The mug does not have view, which the mug sees, there’s no view. Because the mug doesn’t have mind.

So, however, appearance is something that comes from the mind, so there is no appearance of Kathmandu, that this is Kathmandu until the person’s mind labels that this is Kathmandu and believes in that. The label is not enough, has to believe in the label. If there’s no belief, you label, your mind labels, This is Kathmandu, but if there’s no belief, I wouldn’t think there would be appearance that this is Kathmandu.

THE I IS NOT THE AGGREGATES
You see now, you label the I, you can label the I on this, you can label the self, the I, but there’s no appearance of I. What happened? [RL] Why is there no appearance of I on this? You can label I, self, as we label depending these aggregates, association of body and mind, reason, depending on the reason that these aggregates, this association of body and mind. For example, the base, the aggregates, the body, is going to drink the tea, so because of that reason, you see what your body is doing—going to drink tea— so then your mind labels, “I am going to drink tea” or “I’m drinking tea.” One labels, your own mind labels, “I am going to drink tea” or “I’m drinking tea.” Our mind labels and there’s the appearance, “I am going to drink tea” or “I am drinking tea,” there’s the appearance. But if we label the I, the self, here on this thing, there’s no appearance of I. You can label the I on the pillar, but there’s no appearance of the I. What happened? Thubten Dadak, what happened? [GL] What’s missing? What happened? You cannot see the I, the self there. You can label, nobody stops you, nobody controls you to not label there, I. What? Habit? Invalid base, all. What about robot? What about robot, that makes car? They can do this, yeah. So you can label the I, you can label I and there’s appearance of I? Robot? Huh? On the robot you label I, there’s appearance of I drinking tea? Huh? But it can do, though. Same as the body, it can do. [Student: unintelligible]

As far as putting the label, it’s the same, as far as the labeling it’s the same, whether you label the I on this or whether you label on this pillow, pillar, putting the label is the same. [Student: unintelligible.] If you label the I on the pillar, then the I becomes pillar, right? Right? I becomes pillar. Then you label the I on this, on your aggregates, then the I becomes nose, huh? Because it’s the same, you label the I on the aggregates, you label I on the association of body and mind, the aggregates, you label I on that, so then the I becomes nose. Huh? What? [Student: unintelligible.] Probably the I is the nose? [GL, RL] What? [RL] It is retreating in the nose, part of the I is retreating in the nose. I’m joking! [RL] So you said if you label I on the pillar, I becomes pillar, right?

Okay, so now you should think similar way, you label I on your aggregates, on your association of the body and mind, so that means I becomes aggregates, right? The I is the aggregates, right? So the I is also nose, the I is also hand, your I, your self is the nose, is the hand, huh? Your self is nose? Huh? Your self is nose - I’m not saying only nose. Your self is nose? No, I’m not questioning only, that one I’m not questioning, only. Is your self nose? You see, if you label I on the pillar, if the I becomes pillar then, you see, same thing, you label on your aggregates, aggregates means the association of the body and mind, so that means I becomes the aggregates, right? So that means the I has to be the mind and body. Do you understand? That means the I has to be nose, the I has to be legs, the I has to be the teeth, the I has to be everything. Do you understand? The I has to be every part of the body. So if your I is your nose, are you your nose? [GL, RL] Huh? Are you your nose? Are you your nails? Are you your hairs? Then, many funny things happen also [RL, GL]. Do you understand?

So are you your nose or not? You are your nose? You are not your nose. Are you your hand? You are not your hand, you are not your nose. Are you the head? You are not the head. You are all together? [GL] Huh? So you are everything, you are all together, everything? So, the same thing. You are your nose again. You become your nose again [RL, GL]. Back to the nose! [RL] So if you are not the nose then you are not the hand, so the same reason. You are not the hand, you are not the head, you are not the legs, you are not the body, nor the mind, then you are not the aggregates, so it’s the same, the reason follows the same, you are not the aggregates. You are not the aggregates, the aggregates are not you.

Now listen to one thing [RL], these two things we have to pay attention, for this concept, that the I is the aggregates or the aggregates is the I, so there are two things to analyze or to meditate. First, who owns your body? Is there owner of your body and mind? Is your body and mind—I’m hungry—is that one the body or the mind? Who is telling that one? You said that’s the body, right? The body is saying to the mind, the body is telling the mind that I’m hungry? Huh? Right? Yeah, the body’s telling? So even after death, after the mind has left the body, still the body tells the mind that I am hungry? [GL, RL] Maybe making phone calls to the mind! [GL, RL] The body is making phone calls to the mind! [RL, GL] I’m hungry, I’m having so much trouble in the box [RL, GL]. So, anyway, so that you can meditate, okay? [RL, GL]

So, does your body and mind belong to others? Anyway, is your body and mind, anyway, is your body and mind yours or others? Huh? Do you have a body and mind? [GL, RL] What?

Student: Yes, I have body and mind.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: You have body and mind? You have? Sure? [GL, RL] Anyway, so you have body and mind, right? So you own, there is a body and mind that belong to you, right? Yeah. So, the body and mind, so you are the owner, you are the possessor and body and mind is the possession, right? Possession and possessor. Your body and mind is possession and you are the possessor. You see, you own the body and mind, right? You have body and mind, so you own the body and mind, okay. The body and mind is possession and you are the owner, like the house, if you have a house, okay, for example, your clothes, so you own your dress, right? Your dress is possession, you are possessor, right? So the same thing, you are the possessor, your body and mind is the possession, right? Huh? So, can you be one with your clothing or not? [RL] Can you, who is the possessor, can you be one with your possessions, the clothing? Can it be one? Huh? No? It cannot be? Not possible? Not possible, yeah. Not possible, what? Okay, now, it doesn’t matter. Not possible, okay. So now it is the same thing, you, who is the possessor, and your body and mind, the possession, can that be one? So, it is the same thing. That cannot be one, right? That cannot be one. As you, possessor, you who is the owner, possessor and your clothing which is possession, as they cannot be one, same thing, you the possessor and your body and mind, which is possession, cannot be one, right? Are they similar? Are they the same or not? Huh?

So, can the object, possession, and subject who possesses, do they become one? Who owns, you see, possessor, and possession, what you own. So do they become one?

Student: That is what is wrong, because the body, the mind and you are one, they cannot be in the relationship of possession and possessor.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What? [RL] What? [RL] I and you are one. I didn’t follow. Huh? [RL] Alle. So, alle, so you don’t, your mind is you, right?

Student: The mind, the body and you can become one.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
The mind and the body can become one? Mind and body and you can become one? [GL, RL] When? [GL, RL] That has a very special time when the body and mind and you become one, that is a very special time. The whole world people should come to make party [RL, GL]. All the Presidents! Anyway, is your car, you? Your car is not you? Not. Yes or no. What? And your body? So your body is you, right? Is your hair you? [GL] Your hair is you. So, when you are shaving your hair, you are cutting yourself, right? [GL] When you cut your hair, you are cutting yourself. [Student: I am trimming myself.] What? [GL, RL] Trimming, making short, I see. Alle - you are making yourself shorter! [GL, RL] What? So you do make yourself shorter, yeah. So your hair is you or not? Your hair is you, alle.

So just here, without talking about the rest part of the body, just here, just on your head, there is probably million, do you think? How many hairs? I think, a million hairs? Huh? So just, from here, without talking down to the toes, just here there are one hundred thousand of you there [GL], one hundred thousand of you here. There’s not one hundred thousand of you there? [GL, RL] Thank you very much. Alle.

So they are not you, so your hair is the reflection of yourself, right? So it’s not you. Huh? [RL] What? Is your reflection in the mirror, is that you? That’s you? [RL] I see. [RL] Your reflection in the mirror is you, right? Your reflection in the water is you, right? What’s your name? Frank. So there are two Franks. You have one Frank in the mirror, there’s one Frank in the mirror, right? Normally what? So that’s also Frank? I see. The Frank in the mirror, has he got a mind? Oh, that is a physical reflection, not the reflection of your mind? [RL] That’s not a reflection of you? It’s a reflection of your body? Right? That’s a reflection of your body, it’s not a reflection of you. Huh? It’s an aspect of you? So, your reflection in the mirror is you, that is you, that is Frank? What you see in the mirror is Frank? [GL, RL]

What? Some of the parts? Huh? Total differences? What - is that the reflection? No, it’s not talking body. You mean, what? [Student: You, the mind and the body, is the total the I different from the sum of its parts?] Yes, the I is different from the aggregates, the I doesn’t exist separately from the aggregates, but the I is different from the aggregates. I is different from the aggregates, it’s not one. If it’s one.

Student: ____________ find out the relationship or the dimensions of the I.] [RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What - the aggregates? The aggregates is what?

Student: A reflection of the dimensions of the I.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: The reflection of the I [RL], the aggregates is a reflection of the I? Or, what means dimensions?

Anyway, so that’s two different words. Now, so your aggregates, association of body and mind, that is the reflection of you? What is the reason? Why is it a reflection? Why is it your reflection?

Student: Because the I is the summation of the parts. I mean it is the total embodying the parts, and interdependent among themselves.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: The mind and body? The mind, body and you, all three are total, huh? Like soup? [GL, RL] Anyway, I’m joking! [RL] Yeah, interdependent, so they’re related to each other? Yeah, that I agree! Related to each other, yes, I agree. Related to each other, yes. That’s why I said I doesn’t exist separately from the aggregates, but the I is different from the aggregates.

Anyway, we have tea. [Blessing of tea]

DEPENDENT ARISING
Just as Lama Tsongkhapa explained, the root of all suffering of the samsaric beings, no matter how much there is, this is ignorance. By seeing emptiness, it cuts off that. For this reason then the Buddha taught dependent related arising [GL, RL]. [Tibetan] There is word by word. This I just talk more, not exactly the scriptural translation, because there is, without knowing it’s not clear, so just make a little bit lighter by bringing out the words that which is, from the literal translation itself especially can’t understand then, who haven’t studied that subject, the meaning of those stanzas you can’t understand. So, also, even it’s translated, anyway can’t say just exact word by word, difficult to understand.

So, [Tibetan] so ten means dependent, ching is a grammatical word, then delwa, related, so table related dewa, you see, table den then delwa, related, so you see, table, how the table exists is by relating, del, by relating to the base, relating to this particular base, this valid base or particular base which can do the function to lift up things, so table, so depending to this base which does the function to lift up things, to put things on top, then relating to this, dependent, relating, ten ching delwa, relating to this base, then rises, then that’s how it exists. How does the table exist? Depending, ten ching, then del, relating, then it rises, how it exists. So depending to this base, relating to this base, it exists.

A VALID BASE IS ALSO NEEDED
The I exists depending to the aggregates, relating to the aggregates, association of this our present body and mind, relating to this, depending to this, then the I exists. So it does have great meaning, it does have very clear, very profound meaning.

For example, how the table exists, not because the mind labeled, that alone cannot make the table exist. If you say the table exists because your mind labeled then, in this case, all the things what we see in the dream we label, then they should exist. Then there wouldn’t be any hallucinations. Then in this case, hallucination doesn’t exist. If you use the reason table exists because of being labeled by the mind—being labeled or being merely labeled by the mind—if you use that reason, that it exists, then when we have a hallucination, at that time we also label, this and that. When the magician transforms a piece of rope or wood or stone, into an elephant or into a handsome man or beautiful woman, then the people who see the handsome man, the beautiful man or the elephant or the palace, they also label, “Oh, there’s a house, there’s an elephant, there’s a beautiful person.” So, even when they see hallucination it is same, mind, those things also are merely labeled, the same, things what we see in the dream also merely labeled by the mind, is the same.

If you use the reason “because it is labeled by the mind” many mistakes arise. If just the mind is enough, merely labeled, if that is enough, then if one labels oneself, “I am the Nepalese king,” if you label yourself the Nepalese King [RL], then you should be the Nepalese king. If that is enough just by labeling, if that is enough reason to make it to exist, to be the truth, then, because, anybody who want to be Nepalese king, then you just label, I am Nepalese king, then everybody who labels Nepalese king becomes the Nepalese king. So if existence is only up to the mind labeling, mind putting the label, so it’s like that. So then there’s danger, then the whole population might become the Nepalese king [GL, RL]. Then there’s no population; everybody becomes the king, everybody is the king [RL]. Yeah, like that. Then even the queen also becomes the king [GL, RL]. If it’s up to the merely labeled then the queen also becomes king.

So, therefore there are so many mistakes arising. We can cut a lot of newspapers up and pile it up and then say each one is a million dollars. Because we’ve labeled it, so it should be a million dollars, each paper is a million dollars. I have labeled a million dollars so it should be a million dollars. In that case one should be able to use these papers as a million dollars. If that house costs a million dollars cost oneself should be able to buy it, using that pile of paper. Then one should be able to pay all the debts, just (clicks fingers) like this, (RL), one should be able to pay (RL), take all these newspapers that are cut in pieces, carry it to the bank, first the bank, and then pay all the debts.

Because they’re labeled, that reason doesn’t cover how things exist. The main reason the thing exists, —the table, the I exists—is because there is the valid base. There is the base, and even the base is not just any base, but a valid base, which can do the function to put things on the top. So because this thing exists, the base which can lift things and which does the function to put things on top, this valid base, it exists. So therefore, there’s no other reason why the table exists, there’s no other reason at all. Just only because there’s this valid base; the base which can do function of putting things on top, to lift up things.

So the reason why the table exists is, why the table exists, there is no other reason, only because of the base, only because there is the base. So, if there is no base—that which can do the function to put things on the top, which does lift things—if this base is not in this room, if this base is not in this hall, then there’s no table in this hall. If this base is in this hall, then there is a table; then there is a table in this hall.

So, as I mentioned before with ten-chen drel-war, ten-drel is dependent related. Ten is dependent; drel is related. So making longer, as it is mentioned in the scripture, ten-chen drel-war jing-wa. So dependent, chen is the grammar thing, that I don’t know how to translate into English. Ten, then drel-wa, related, and jung-wa, arising, existing—dependent related arising or jung-wa; arising or exists.

So however, so same thing, the I, the reason why the I exists self, I exists, is because there’s the valid base, these aggregates, the association of the body and the mind, not just only the body, especially the mind, the body and mind. This, not just the body, but specially the mind. If it is only related to, if the body is here, then say, if it’s only related to the body, then the definition of death; death means, when the mind has left the body, when there is no mind living in the body, that time, that person, at that time, that human being doesn’t exist; that human being is stopped, that human being, continuation of that human being doesn’t exist. When there’s no mind in that body, when the mind, when the consciousness has left the body. As long as there’s consciousness living in the body, it’s not dead. Even if the brain is not functioning, even if the heart is not moving, not functioning, even if the brain is not working, even if there’s no head, even if the body doesn’t have a head, but the body has a mind, it’s not dead. The body has sensations. The body has effect, receives effect, has sensation.

THE STORY OF THE MAN WITH NO HEAD
However I think I mentioned also last time, (RL) His Holiness Zong Rinpoche, saw, in the Pagri, this place where I lived for three years, this is near Tomo, where’s there is the monastery of Tomo Geshe Rinpoche, whose past life was Lama Govinda’s guru. His Holiness Zong Rinpoche is one of the great masters, a great yogi from whom I received many initiations and teachings; also we invited him to the West, especially America, to give teachings and initiations, He is one of the lamas that we have been close to. Also many years ago, around, at the end of the sixth or seventh course, around that time, Rinpoche was here and gave teachings in the gompa, where the boys are doing puja, the monks are doing puja. Rinpoche gave extremely profound teachings on the commentary of dependent arising, that Lama Tsongkhapa in Praise to Shakyamuni Buddha having found the unmistaken realization of the dependent arising, and taught as it is in the reality, as they exist, as things exist. How things exist, being merely labeled by the mind, that, exactly as it is in reality, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha has realized this and then taught; and taught to the sentient beings, and liberated the sentient beings in that way. Taught dependent arising, which shows emptiness and this way, that’s how numberless sentient beings realized emptiness and were liberated from the samsara. Numberless sentient beings were liberated by Buddha from the samsara, from the whole entire suffering.

Lama Tsongkhapa, in Praise to Shakyamuni Buddha, said having these realizations and taught sentient beings the meaning of dependent arising; how kind and how incredible it is. Lama Tsongkhapa himself and those who are able to have the opportunity to do listening, reflecting, meditation practice on the dependent arising, the meaning of the profound, having the opportunity, the chance to study, to realize the profound meaning of the emptiness. So then also the parts done of the commentary which he gave here, at that time. So during that time, at the same time the course was happening, the course or the lam-rim retreat.

Anyway this is just another idea, from another point of view, another point of experience, that even without a head a person can survive. This show that the brain is not the mind. The brain itself is not the mind. Without the brain, the mind can exist.

His Holiness Zong Rinpoche saw this in Pagri. One person, whether it is leprosy disease or whatever, the wound, the top of the wound, however I don’t know exactly how the evolution, how it happened, whether the person was born like that or maybe leprosy or some cancer, or leprosy, I’m not sure what. There was a hole, there was no head, no head, just you can see the hole, and there is just the (RL) throat where the things go. So then when the person expresses that they are hungry, the person rubs the stomach with the hand and then the people put the tea and put tsampa with the tea, and put (RL GL), sorry I mean to find out. So there’s the throat, so there’s the hole, so then (GL) they put a spoon like this, like that. Then the person, if the person wants to stay in the sun, the hand talks, (GL), he talks like that (GL), he beats the body like that, so means he needs to be in the sun, because Pagri is a very cold place.

I lived there for three years; it’s very cold. I cannot put together my hands in the morning it’s so cold. Also I was very small. It’s so cold I could not bring my fingers together, very cold. After eating tsampa, the pak, even after drinking tea—every day, when we went for puja to the people’s houses, there was hot tea—but still you could not bend the hands together. I think that maybe because I was small, probably. So (RL) after lunch, they are eating a lot of food, after lunch, then much heat is generated, then only after lunch, then you can bring the hands together (GL). Very, very cold. Very cold place. So almost every day like that. Unless you are in front of the fire, except if you are in front of the fire, then that is different, but usually like that.

So when [the headless man] wants to be under the sun then he beats or something like that.

Also there was one very Amdo high lama, Kunda Konchog Tenpai Dronme, who wrote many, many scriptures. One very high Amdo lama. There’s one very high lama called Jamyang Shepa, also Lama Tsongkhapa was born in Amdo. Also His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was also born in Amdo, one of the lower parts or places of Tibet. Probably Amdo is near to China, I’m not sure. However, the Kunda Konchog Tenpai Dronme, that passed away, that lama who wrote the scriptures, passed away and reincarnated. Now is in the Amdo. I met this Rinpoche first time here in Nepal when there was a Buddhist World Fellowship Conference or something. What’s it called? So that time, when it was held in Nepal, in Kathmandu. At that time, I think Rinpoche was sent as a representative, I think from China. So I met Rinpoche there.

Then also, when we went in Tibet, the second time when we spent two months pilgrimage in Tibet, we went to Amdo, this, the largest monastery, Tashi Kyil. So there we met again this Rinpoche, Kunda Konchog Tenpai Dronme, this high lama. So he, seems he’s the main abbot or the main lama of the monastery. But there’s the founder of that monastery, Tashi Kyil, Jamyang Shepa but he, but his incarnation is in lay aspect. Also, living outside the monastery, the actual founder of the monastery. Also, I think he’s the leader of that area.

However, also Rinpoche saw in Tibet, in Amdo, the lower place of Tibet, the past life Kunda Konchog Tenpai Dronme, saw in Tibet, that he wrote in the teachings that he saw in the Kham, in the lower place of Tibet, a person without a head, so this is similar. So that is not common but (GL) because certain sentient beings have that karma, have created that karma, to experience like that. So this is just to say that without having a brain or a head, doesn’t mean that there is no mind. Of course, generally that the brain can be an important place, important place of that, the brain can be very important, the physical, the body which very much affects the mind. That has a great effect to the mind.

MIND IS NOT THE BRAIN
Even by thinking of these reasons which I often say, when you get angry, you don’t get angry in the brain. You don’t get angry from the brain. The anger doesn’t go down, the anger doesn’t come down from the brain to the heart, anger doesn’t come from there. When you are very emotional, strong emotional attachment, it doesn’t come from the brain. It doesn’t drop (RL) from the brain and this didn’t drop from the brain in the heart. So when you feel so much pride, lift up yourself, pride, you don’t feel, it doesn’t come from the brain. You don’t feel it coming from the brain. So if you just look at your own experience, the daily life experience, it’s completely opposite to the reality. It’s completely opposite to that other philosophy, that the brain is mind or that things, waves which are in the vein of the brain, waves which run, which flow in the vein of the brain, that is the mind. However, which tells you if you don’t have a brain then you don’t have a mind. So however the daily life experience is the opposite to those philosophies.

It can a very important part of the body that has very much connection with the mind, that affects the mind very much. However, when we get angry, when we have strong attachment arising, pride, all these things, when we feel ill will, we don’t feel it in the head, we feel in the heart, we don’t feel in the head. So, if the brain is the mind, if the nerves of the brain are the mind, if the mind is only in that, then we should feel it in the head. I’m not meaning in the hat, the head [GL, RL]. Not in the cowboy hat—anyway, I’m joking. So, there are many things like that in the daily life, in our daily life there are many things contradictory to those philosophies.

And also I think there happened a story, there happened an experience of a doctor: the patient’s I think brain stopped functioning but then afterwards become alive. So one of the old Sangha, Doctor Adrian from Australia, he said that one patient’s brain stopped functioning but—after, how many hours?—after some hours, the brain completely stopped functioning, but the body kept alive. Maybe due to the karma of that person. The doctors didn’t believe it, somehow didn’t immediately get rid of the body, I don’t know why, but kept it some hours but then after some hours person became alive. This is what Doctor Adrian said. So, you can have more faith in what a Western person said [RL, GL].

This is in relation to reincarnation, karma. These stories, the unusual, uncommon experiences that people had, those lamas, those few doctors, helps us to be able to understand reincarnation, karma.

It disproves that without brain there’s no mind, it helps to proves that it’s wrong. Either they completely reject, even though it’s true, they reject. There are two ways, two things. Either they have to accept the fact, which changes, which affects the whole culture. This reality, these experiences of certain people, if they accept these, the doctors, the society, if they accept this, which means they have to change the whole culture, or, they have to ignore these facts. These factual stories they have to ignore, hide. So there’s only two ways of looking at this.

For example, that cancer and diseases like this can be cured by meditation, again it becomes unusual in the Western culture. This is reality but it is not common in Western society, culture. So again, so many doctors reject this because somehow, either they have to change their ideas, the whole idea what they have been believing in and studying their whole life, or other thing is they just don’t accept. Even though it’s reality but they just, you just don’t accept and continue the same philosophy. I heard those problems when I was traveling in Australia and other countries.

RADIO INTERVIEWS IN ADELAIDE
Also, in Adelaide when I was doing retreat, when I was doing retreat on the TV and radio, at that time, for a whole afternoon people talked about whatever various problems they had. So one day I think one very sincere man was talking about his own experiences—he sounded like a very sincere person. I think there was some medicine, I don’t remember what disease he had. Anyway, he had some disease and from his own experience he thought that the philosophy is completely wrong, that, what medicine does and the philosophy is completely wrong. He was expressing so much but I don’t remember it precisely. So he was talking very strongly about how it was wrong.

It seems he wanted to kind of announce to the city people to change their ways. The person who was interviewing him, at the beginning, was one student from Buddha House, one who does work for radio in Adelaide, whose name is Caroline. I think, maybe sixty thousand people listens her radio talk show. I listened, and found it more and more interesting, so I think listened, I think maybe a month or I’m not sure— I listened for many days.

Her interest was in the meditation, so during an interview—interviewing many people, with various problems—every time there was some chance to bring up the subject of meditation, because that was her interest, she did so. [RL]

I think in Adelaide, one cemetery was full; there was no place to take the bodies. There was some problem, so they were talking a lot about it. She was interviewing that man in charge of the cemetery, who looked after the land. Then, they talked about death, something, about, relating to that problem, talking about death. Then she said, “Isn’t it very important to think about death? Isn’t death a very important issue?” Suddenly the other person who is in charge of the cemetery didn’t know what to say. Suddenly the other person kept quiet, didn’t know what to say. Then they went to another subject.

Anyway, what I was talking was this. So this boy, this one guy who kind of expressed very strongly how the philosophy of [relying on] medicine is wrong, he was very against it and he talked from his own experiences. It seems he wanted to kind of change the culture, the beliefs. After this, there was another man Caroline interviewed, who said he was not rejecting the other person’s experience but thought that it can be done step by step, slowly, that’s what he answered. Anyway, he’s open minded; he didn’t reject the very sincere man experiences, but he said that it can be done step by step, slowly.

THE BASE, THE LABEL AND THE MIND
Lama Tsongkhapa says, “By seeing the meaning of the dependent arising, emptiness, it stops the root of all the samsaric beings’ sufferings, ignorance, concept of true existence.” Whatever exists—hell, enlightenment, samsara, nirvana, I, action, object, everything—whatever exists, all these are dependent arising. By depending on the base, the mind which labels and the label, depending on these things, then the I exists, the action exists, the object exists, hell exists, enlightenment exists, samsara exists, nirvana exists, impermanent phenomena, permanent phenomena, all these things exist. All these things exist.
So, depending on these three—base, mind, label—depending on these things then it exists. Depending on these things, all these things exist or arise.

So dependent arising. Everything is dependent arising. Not Tibetan rice [GL, RL] or, it is also dependent arising [with a broad accent] [GL, RL], anyway, the American dependent arising [GL, RL]. Anyway, English dependent arising and the American dependent arising [broader pronunciation] [RL]. Anyway, the Tibetan rice is also dependent arising [RL].

Therefore even though all these phenomena appear [as truly existent], they exist being merely imputed by the mind. All these phenomena—including subject, I, action, object, all these things—appear to our unenlightened mind existing as not merely labeled by the mind, which means they appear to us as a real thing, in the sense existing from their own side.

All these appearances are the refuting object. All these are hallucinations are the refuting object, because this is not the reality. This appearance is contradictory to the reality, that which is dependent arising. All these things exist being merely labeled by the mind. So therefore in the reality all these things do not have true existence or inherent existence. All these things do not have independence.

Because all these phenomena are dependent arisings, they exist being merely labeled by the mind, therefore all these phenomena do not exist from their own side. They don’t exist from their own side. So this is the reality. Therefore all these things that appear to our unenlightened mind, our ordinary mind, our impure mind, as if they exist from their own side—thus is a complete hallucination; this is empty. All phenomena appearing in this way is completely empty, appearing as real one existing from their own side, is completely empty.

In order to realize ultimate truth, emptiness, to cut the root of the whole entire suffering of samsara, to be able to realize ultimate truth of all existence, first we have to know this. We have to recognize this. “Everything is empty” doesn’t mean everything do not exist. It is not saying that. It is not talking nihilism, that nothing exists, it is not saying that.

The I, action, object, the hell, enlightenment, samsara, nirvana, all these things, there’s something about it which is not true. There’s something about it which we believe to be true but it’s not true. Something about it which appears to us and we believe it, but it is not true. By believing this hallucination to be true, by believing this appearance which is a hallucination to be real, true—that things exist in reality like this—by believing the way I, action, object, all these phenomena appear, this becomes basis of arising delusions and then creating karma, which creates all the sufferings of samsara, particularly the three lower realms. That is what makes suffering endless. This wrong concept is what creates the endless suffering of samsara, which produces or which creates the endless suffering of samsara.

We place this hallucination on the merely labeled I, on the merely labeled action, on the merely labeled object, on the merely labeled hell, on the merely labeled enlightenment, on the merely labeled samsara, on the merely labeled nirvana. All these hallucinations, the appearance of the true existence, all these hallucinations that which appear to us all of existence. The appearance of true existence, appearance of independence, that which covers all the existence, all the merely labeled existence, I, action, object, everything. This is the object of the wrong concept of true existence, this is what we have to realize is empty, all these things we have to realize are empty in reality.

THE PARTS OF THE TABLE ARE NOT THE TABLE
For example, we can see the table here, something that we can see here in this room, so by using this example, if one points it out, what is the table? Which is the table? Wherever one point out, one is pointing to the parts of the table. So if you point to the leg, it’s down there. That is the leg of the table. It’s a part of the table. Then, if you point here [to the top], it’s also a part of the table. So wherever, whichever side you point, wherever you touch, whichever side you point to, it is a part of the table.

The leg is not the table, this top thing is not the table. This is a part of the table. Just from these words “part of the table” itself, show it’s not the table. A part of the table means it’s not the table.

A part of a car is not the car. It’s the same thing. The parts of the car are not the car. If the parts of the car were the car, then you don’t need the whole thing [GL]. If you just have the wheel, if you just have the rubber wheel, then you are able to go to Kathmandu [GL] or India or Bodhgaya [RL]. Anyway, wherever there’s a road you should be able to perform the function, you should be able to carry your friends. The parts of the car itself means it’s not the car. So it’s clear even from the label, the parts of the car is not the car. Otherwise it becomes like the car of the car. Otherwise it become the same as the car of the car. So there’s no purpose to say the car of the car. So what meaning has it? It has no meaning, “the car of the car.”

Even the whole parts of the car, even the whole collection of the parts of the car, is not the car. Even the whole collection that is put together of the parts of the car, even that is not car. For example, without the gas, without the petrol, there’s everything, all the vehicles and all the machine is there, but there’s no petrol, that it cannot function.

Even the collection of the whole thing, even that is not car. Even the whole collection—all the parts—is not car. What is that? That is the base of the car. The collection of the parts of the car is the base of the car, the base to be labeled car. That is the base to be labeled car and “car” is the label. “Car” is the label, that is the collection of the parts of the car is a base and the car is a “label.”

See, they are different. They are not separate but they are different. The car is not separate; the car doesn’t exist separately from that base, from that collection of parts. But the collections of the parts of the car, that is not the car, that’s the base, object, the base to label car. The label “car” and the base—the base of the label and the label—the base which is the collection of the parts of the car and the label “car” cannot be one. That doesn’t become one. That does not become one.

In the same way, the collection of the parts of the table is not table. That is the base. That collection of the parts of the table is a base. Is not table, that is the base to be labeled “table.”

So, [GL] here’s another label happening [RL, GL]. [Tea being served]

Another way to understand, the base of the car, the collections of the parts of the car, the collections of the parts of the table, that which is the base, why is it not car? The collections of the parts of the table, why is it not the table? Why that base is not table, the label “table?”

So, one way to analyze, one way to understand is this. Before we label “car” there has to be a reason in our mind. That reason decides the label, that reason decides the label car. Seeing this post doesn’t make you to decide to label this thing a table or to label it a car. By seeing the post, by seeing the pillar, it doesn’t make you to decide to label it a table or a car. By seeing the chair, it doesn’t make you label it a car or table. Therefore, there has to be a specific reason before you label “table” or “car.” There should be specific reason in your mind. So before we label the car, before we decide on the label “car,” what reason we have in our mind? Huh?

Student: Driving.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Indian driver. [RL, GL] Indian driver! I’m joking. I thought I heard something like that, Indian driver. I’m joking. So, what do you say?

Student: _______

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: You can drive? By seeing that? You can drive. So that is the reason.

Student: Somebody told us in the beginning, we learned, this is a car.

Student: This kind of stuff with four wheels, this is a car. So after when you see another one like this you say, “Ah, this is a car.”

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah.

Student: But before someone invented it, I don’t know how. The first one who said, “This is a car,” I don’t know how. [GL] I really don’t know.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: No, I already mentioned, anyway so, anyway, doesn’t matter. So now you listen carefully, okay? And also Frank. Frank? Okay. So please have tea. Have nectar and then you can listen. [RL]. So, there has to, before we label car, there’s a reason in our mind what makes to decide the label “car.”

Student: A car functions _____ in a particular way.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Eh?

Student: It functions in that way. It doesn’t function as an airplane.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So okay, you said. So all right. So because it can function, because you can drive and because it can function not as a bicycle, not as a motorcycle, not as an airplane [RL], not an airplane. [RL]. Now think: the reason that makes you to decide this particular label car is because.... By seeing a motorcycle, that doesn’t make you to label “car;” by seeing the cycle, that doesn’t make you to put the label “car;” by seeing an airplane or by seeing a person or a tree, by seeing these things it doesn’t make you to label “car,” right?

So only by seeing this specific phenomenon, that which is a collection of the parts of the car, the collections of the parts of the car, all together that it functions. So by seeing this first, any other object other than, any other object, that doesn’t become reason for you to decide the label, to choose the label “car.” Only by seeing the collection of the parts of the car then only then, first by seeing that, so this is the reason. So now you have the reason. And this reason makes you to decide the particular label “car.”

So now, the point is this: which one comes first, the label “car” or the base? So, the label “car,” you see the label first or you see the car that which is the label, or you see the base, that which is the collection of the parts of the car? Which one you see first? So this is the point to analyze. Think.

Student: Both together at the same time.

Student: Label first.

Student: ______ you can see all the parts together but you don’t necessarily see the car. Even you don’t know the word you can still see it.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: That’s right. That’s correct. Now, this is good to think about, good to analyze what he...sorry?

Student: .

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What William’s saying, we have to think about. We have to analyze that what he, what William brought up. Now, if you are seeing the collection of the parts of the car, which is the base, and label “car,” if you are seeing together, now, what makes to decide the label “car?”

Here William is saying you’re seeing together, the car and the label, label “car” and the base, the collection of the parts. William is saying you see together, it happens all together. In your view it happens together, you see together. So in this case, so we have to analyze what, what makes you to decide the particular label “car.” Because, now, in William’s point, in his explanation it doesn’t depend on seeing the collection of a car, base, first, it doesn’t depend on that. Because he’s saying you see together, base and the label both together.

So that means, since you see together, that means what makes you to decide the particular label “car” is not by seeing the collection of car first. It’s not by that. Either there’s no reason, there’s no reason what makes you to decide particular label, or the reason is by seeing something else, by seeing some other phenomenon. You understand? So, [RL] so is there any reason, so what is the reason that makes you to decide the particular label car?
[unclear answers]

Student: Nothing else, there’s nothing else.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: There’s no reason?

Student: There’s no other reason.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: There’s no reason for you to decide the label car?

Student: Yes. ________ It appears as car. ______

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: But doesn’t appearance depend on putting the label?

Student: _______ at the same time.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah, so?

Student: I see those parts ...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: So you see the label and the base together, right? So, now what makes you to decide the label car?

Student: Habit.

Student: Learning.

Student: Looking. [GL] [unclear] If you look at the base, you see car, if you don’t look...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Okay. Keep that a little while, okay? [GL] Yeah, so what is the reason that makes you to decide the label car?

Student: It’s like imprints, imprints in the mind. [GL] [unclear] [RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: That’s another explanation.

Student: By agreement. We agree to label car. We all agree to label the base....

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yes, that’s correct but what makes to decide the label “car?”

Student: Communication.

Student: You have the concept of the car in your mind, of which the collection of the parts is very important. [GL, RL] We should be on the car. [GL][RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Auspicious-looking one, you said? Suspicious-looking one. What? Suspicious like the car.

Student: No, it’s not right. [GL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Suspicious, what is? It’s like the car, not car. Not actual car.

Student: _______ it’s very much like a car.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Oh I see. It’s like the car. [RL] I see, and you look, and you like the _______. And also yourself are like a human being. So that is because it looks like car, right? You label car because it looks like car. Is that true? That it looks like car? Eh? So it’s not car. So that is not car, looks like car, so it’s not car. [GL] Eh?

Student: ... to have the consciousness of the car also, to be entirely car. [RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Everything’s car. [RL] Anyway, so you were seeing that, you see that look like car or not? [GL] You see that, I mean, you mean the whole thing is oneness with the car, so entirely car. So it’s not look like car.

Student: The ordinary(?) [RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Anyway, doesn’t matter. Anyway so, okay. No, if it looks like, normally if it’s looks like car, but it’s not car. It is something else. It’s not car but look like car. It is not human being but looks like human being. Anyway, so what’s the reason that makes you decide the label “car?” Has it got a reason or not?

Student: Yeah, maybe ______

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Has it got a reason?

Student: Not good enough (?), it’s just convention.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Hm. Yes?

Student: We learn from our parents this is a car. And then we went out to the street and we said ten times this is a car and nobody corrected us [GL, RL].

Student: _______

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What?

Student: _______ [RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: So anyway, so like this now. Until you see the collection of the parts of the car, until you see that, nothing, whatever other things you see it doesn’t make you to label car. So only by seeing this particular phenomenon, the collection of the parts of a car, only by seeing this, by seeing this, then you label car. In the mind, inner mind or in the mind. [RL] [GL] The reason is seeing the base first, seeing the base first.

So, that what you said, what some of you said, that is correct. To make it more clear. You see that particular base, phenomenon, collection of the parts of the car, that which is able to function. This one you’ve seen first, this becomes the reason. In your mind this becomes reason. Then this reason makes you decide this particular label “car.” This makes you decide the particular label “car.”

LABELING THE “A”
So after you put the label, after you put the label, then there’s appearance car. After you put the label, then you see the car. Then you see the car. After you put the label, there’s appearance car. Only after you put the label, you believe in that, only then there’s appearance of the car. Only then you see the car. After label then you see the car.

As I told you before, a person who doesn’t know Kathmandu, from the airplane, who not introduced, “This is Kathmandu,” that person doesn’t see this is Kathmandu. He just sees a city. It’s a city, mountains around, it’s a city, but doesn’t see this is Kathmandu.

It’s the same thing for children. Now if you can try to think back to children, back to childhood. This drawing, like this. [Rinpoche shows] For example, when you were a child, before you were taught by teacher or parents, “This is A,” before you were taught by somebody this is an A, for you what you see is just a drawing. For you, you don’t see this is as an A. You don’t see this is an A. You see a drawing, you see a drawing like this. You don’t see this is A. Do you see this is A before you were taught? [Students answering: No]. So that’s clear. It’s just a drawing, you don’t see this is A.

Afterwards, when your parents or teacher taught you this is an A and you follow that, your own mind labels it, and you believe in that. You yourself, your own mind labels it A and believe in that. After you believe your own label, your own mind label A and then you believe in that, only after that then there’s appearance, on this drawing there’s appearance of an A. Only then, on this drawing, there’s the appearance A. So therefore, you don’t see this is A at first. It is just a drawing, which is the base. After your mind, because you are taught, introduced by somebody, using this, seeing this drawing, this as a reason, then you label “A.” Then you label “A” and believe in that. Only after that, then on this drawing there’s the appearance A. Only then you see the A. Only then you see this is an A.

There’s a gradual evolution but it’s very subtle, it’s very subtle. It’s a very subtle point. The evolution is very subtle. To know this by oneself, without being taught it, requires a very sharp mind, to be able to pick up all these things, to recognize them.

Here it is clear. The reason you have in your mind to label this as an “A” is by seeing this drawing. That is the reason, in your mind. Because of seeing this drawing, your mind chooses this particular label “A.” Then you see this as an A. Therefore, if you don’t see this drawing first, you have no reason to label “A,” to choose this particular label “A.”

Put it this way, the reason that makes you decide the particular label A is having seen the base, this drawing. Therefore, it is the same thing, before deciding the particular label “car,” the reason is the base, seeing the base, the collection of the parts of the car. Then comes the label “car.” First you see the base, then you see the car, the label “car.” You don’t see them together. It’s the same thing, the reason that makes you to choose the particular label “table” is by seeing the base, the collections of the parts of the table. All these five sense objects—form, sound, smell, taste, tangible objects, all these sense objects—and everything—subject, action, object—everything, there’s always a reason, there’s always a reason before we put the label. There’s always a reason before we choose the label, before we decide the particular label.

LABELING WOMAN, TABLE, CAR
The reason we choose a particular label is by depending on the reason before. All those reasons that we have in our mind before we choose this particular label, all those are the base. All those are the base.By seeing the base first, then you put the label. You see the label next, as second. First you see the base, the collections of the table, then you see the table as second, after you put the label that this is table. So everything is like this.

Even when we meet our mother among many women, just by seeing any woman we don’t label her “mother,” in the ordinary sense. By seeing any woman one doesn’t label her “mother.” It doesn’t become the reason to decide this particular label “mother” only by seeing that particular form, that particular shape, who gave birth to you. By seeing this particular form first, particular this body, these aggregates, that we associate with the mother, with mother, sorry, with the mind [RL], with the mind, with the mind. So by seeing this first, this becomes the reason in your mind. Then you put the label “my mother.” Then you see this is my mother. So, like that. So it’s all, there are these very scientific, all the reasons.

So now, now in William’s case, that mother’s the aggregates, this association of body and mind, this particular body, gave birth, so, William’s case, you see the base and the label “mother” together. So in that case there is no reason in your mind that makes you to decide the particular label mother. There’s no reason. There’s no reason which causes you, which makes means that has to come before—the reason has to come as preliminary; which makes you to decide this particular label “mother.” There is no reason. There is no reason before you put the label. There is no reason in your mind before you put the label, because it doesn’t depend on seeing the base first. So you have no reason. So that is not, then, that is not our experience. Then, if it does not depend on that reason, seeing that particular body which gave birth to us, those aggregates associated with the mind, that gave the body, if it does not depend on that, then there’s a danger, mistakes can arise. Anybody you see can be your mother. But that is not also possible because, first you have to see a person. In order to label “mother” you have to see the aggregates, that association of body and mind. You have to see that first in order to label mother. What William said, according to that there’s no reason before we put the label, there’s no reason what makes us to decide this particular label. So, that doesn’t work. That’s not our experience.

One thing is to understand, here the point to understand is that for anything that we label, there’s a reason beforehand. As a preliminary, there’s a reason which makes us to decide this particular label. And the reason that comes before we put the label all come from the base. That is the base.

So now the collections of the car, the base, if that is the car, what you are seeing first is the collections of the car—the collection of the car which is the base. If what William said is true, that you see base and label together, the same mistake comes. If the base is the car then, the very first time what we see is the car. You don’t see the base, you are seeing the car first. If the base is the car, the collection of the parts of the car is car, then what you are seeing first is the car.

So now then, what is the reason that makes you to decide this particular label, to choose this particular label car? What is the reason there? If you are seeing this, if what you see first is the car, the very first time car, what makes you to decide the particular label car? There’s no reason. There’s no reason because it doesn’t depend on seeing the base. And you don’t call it “car” by seeing other things, you don’t call car. You haven’t got a reason. So that is not according to experience.

So now, there are more mistakes. If the base is the car, what you see first, if that is car, then, why do you label “car” on the car? You understand? If it is already a car, if the base you see is the car, then why do you label “car” on the car? There’s no reason to label “car” on the car. Then again you have to label “car” on top of that car, then again you have to label “car” on that car. So it becomes endless. So this is a mistake.

This comes in the Madhyamaka teachings. If the aggregates is the I, then one mistake, one reason, this is used as one mistake that arises. If these aggregates are the I, then the mistakes become endless. Then you are labeling “I” on the I. Then again with that I you have to label “I” on that I, and it becomes endless. This is one mistake, one reason that shows it is a mistake.

So now, the conclusion is this. The table and the base of the table, the collections of the parts of the table, those two are different. Those two are different. You see the base first and then after that you see the table. By seeing the collection of the parts of the table becoming the reason, then you label “table.” Only then you see this is a table. So therefore, the base, collection of the parts of the table is not the table. It is the base, is the base to be labeled “table.” So the collections of the parts of the table is the base and “table” is the label. So they are different. They are different and also you see them at different times. So the same thing, the collection of the parts of the car is the base, “car” is the label. And you see they are not one, they are different. You first see the base, then secondly the car. The same thing for the mother. First you see aggregates, the base, then you see the label “mother.” So everything, the whole of existence, whatever we see is like this—all our sense objects, subject, action, object, everything like this.

So therefore, besides the parts of the table not being the table, the collection of the parts of the table is not the table. The table is nowhere, the table exists nowhere on this. Nowhere is there a table. You cannot find the table on this. Besides the parts of the table not being the table, the collection of the parts of the table is not the table. Therefore, the table is nowhere, it nowhere exists on this; there is nowhere you can find the table. You can’t find table here, there, anywhere you look, you cannot find the table on this. There’s no table on this.

First we have to understand clearly that the base is not table. That’s very important. Then that helps to think the aggregates, the association of body and mind, is not the I. That means mind is not the I. It’s like the table. Each of the five aggregates—form, feeling, recognition, compounded aggregates, consciousness—nothing of this is the I. So that means the mind is not the I. Even the whole thing is not the I. The I is also nowhere, from the tip of the head down to the toes, nowhere the I exists. On these aggregates, nowhere. There’s the I, at the moment, in this hall there is the I. When our aggregates are back to in our bedroom, at that time there is the I in your room, but there’s no I on your aggregates. There’s no I, from the tip of the head down to toes, nowhere can you find it.

I’m just using outside example but that is to be applied. The main thing is, before we had confusion about the mind being the I and this and that, it has to be applied to the I and the aggregates, the base. What I’m talking about here, this base is not the table so where is the table? On this, since the base is, since collection of the parts of the table, is not table, where is the table? Nowhere. You can’t find the table anywhere on this.

Now, when you look at this phenomenon, the collection of the parts of the table, when you look at this, in your appearance you cannot find the table, wherever you look you cannot find the table. Even the base is not the table and if you look for you cannot find it anywhere; but in your appearance, in your view, in your appearance, there is a table mixed in the base. Mixed, that can be one expression.

THE OBJECT OF REFUTATION
When you search it is like that, you cannot find table, but in your appearance, in your view, there is a real table. On this base there is a table appearing to you. On this base there is a real table appearing to you, in your view. Intellectually, when we search for the table we cannot find it. But if you look at, if you analyze there is a table stuck with the base [RL]. A real table stuck on the base. Does it appear like that? Stuck on this base. Still there is something, a real table there. Intellectually when you search you cannot find, but if you check the appearance, is there is a real table stuck here, or on this base is there a real table appearing to you? His Holiness says that in the base there is a table mixed in it.

That is the refuting object. In the appearance still there is something of a real table. There is a table appearing to you. There is a table. There means on this base. There means on this base, on this base, there is a table. I’m not talking about this hall. But “there is a table” means there is the base. There is a table; there is a table, or on this there is a real table appearing to you. So, all this appearance is hallucination. That is the refuting object and this is what we have to realize the object is completely empty of.

That’s the point what I’m trying get! [GL] I’m trying to come to the point, to show what the refuting object is, what the hallucination is. This is one way of describing the refuting object, when you do analysis, then still check your appearance. So this way it’s very clear, become more clear. So then you can see what is really the thing that we have to realize is empty.

The reality is that the table is not in the mind but almost we can say it’s in the mind. Now, it’s not correct, but it’s almost like that. You see this base first, this base, the collection of parts first. Then our mind makes up—we don’t use the word to “label,” we don’t use that word—our mind makes up the label, “table.” That’s all. [RL]. So that’s all that it is. Understand? [RL]

So seeing the collection of the parts of the table, then in our mind we make up the label “table.” That’s the reality. The table exists but the table is completely empty. The reality of the table is never this one that we see here; it is never what we see here. The reality of the table is not that what we see there. That is a hallucination. The table we see there is a complete hallucination. That independent table, that is refuting object.

The reality of the table is completely something else [RL]. The reality of the table is something which we never think about. We never even doubt, we never think about. It is an extremely subtle, extremely subtle phenomenon. What is table? It is an extremely subtle phenomenon. Because of the base, the collections of the parts, our mind just make up the label “table.” So if you meditate like this then it becomes very clear.

What you see there is the table. On this base there is a table appearing to you. That is also the meaning of the “refuting object.” Even just simply, there is a table, there means the base, there is the table. You see table there, the base. There, not this hall, not this house, but this base. So that appearance itself is the refuting object. That itself we have to recognize as the refuting object. That is a hallucination. And this is what we have to realize as being empty.

THE VALID BASE AND THE RED LIGHT
I often use this example relating to the light. So for example when we drive a car on the road, we see red light and green light. I don’t know if there is a black light but I think [GL], so the red light and green light. So again the same thing here. When we use different examples it becomes clearer. We see the hallucination more clearly if you use those bright objects. The same thing when we drive a car on the road. We call them red light and blue, green light. Not blue light, green light. What makes you decide the label “red light?” What is the reason you decided the particular label “red light?”

Student: Because we can generalize from particulars. I mean we learn that it’s a tree and that’s not exactly a tree, that’s another example. That way you build up an idea about red light.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Eh?

Student: Because we can generalize from particulars so we learn...

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yes. From particular means what?

Student: Specific reasons?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Anyway, so like this. So, there is a reason before we decide particular label “red light.” That is because you have to see something first. First you have to see something before you decide the label “red light.” Just by seeing the post you don’t label “red light” or by seeing the space or the buildings you don’t label “red light.” You have to see a light first. You have to see a light first. Otherwise, you don’t call it a red light on something, house or cement or some space. You don’t call red light on the space. In order to call it red light you have to see a light first. So, you see the light first. By seeing that light first, that particular phenomenon which has that nature, it makes you to decide. Put it this way: you see that particular phenomenon which functions to eliminate darkness or to signal, so by seeing that particular phenomenon first, then that makes you to decide the particular label “red light.”

Again here, you see that phenomenon first, that becomes the reason, then you label “red light,” and only then you see that this is a red light. Only after you label then you see the red light. Not before. Not the first time. First time what you see is that phenomenon, that particular phenomenon which dispels darkness, the signal. By seeing that, your mind chooses this particular label “red light,” and you label. Then—only then—you see the red light. Only then you see the red light. Why? Because after only you label “red light” then only then you have the appearance of red light. Only then you have the appearance of the red light, that this is red. Only then you have the appearance of the red light. So that’s how you see the red light, only after you label it. You see this is red light only after you label it. But in order to label the red light you have to see something first. So that is that phenomenon.

So, now again here, the first thing that you see is just the base. That’s just the base. That’s not a red light. That’s not a red light; you are seeing the base. So now what is the red light? What is the red light? Depending on that phenomenon, which is the base, then your mind makes up the label “red light.” By seeing that base, by reason of this, your mind make up the label “red light.” That’s it. That’s what red light is.

So again, in reality the red light is completely empty of existing from its own side. Therefore, we see on that phenomenon there is a red light. On that phenomenon there is a red light appearing from its own side. Or on that phenomenon, on that base there is red light. The red light is on there, the red light is on that base, the red light on that phenomenon. So again, that is what the refuting object is. That is the refuting object, that is a hallucination. In reality that’s completely empty.

For example, if I tell you this way then that can help. Intellectually, when you search for the table on this base you cannot find the table. Now the same thing, now exactly the same way, the merely-labeled table also you cannot find on this base. Even the table that you labeled, you cannot find on this base. So therefore how can you find the independent table, how can you find the real table? The merely-labeled table you cannot find on this. If you cannot find the table that you have labeled anywhere, how can you find the real table, table that appears from its own side, the independent table? How can you find it?

It appears there is a real table there existing from its own side but if you search for this real table that appears existing from its own side, if you search it cannot be found anywhere. And that real table which appears to you existing from its own side, even if you not only search on this base but you could search in the hall, anywhere you cannot find it, you cannot find anywhere, anywhere.

The merely-labeled table cannot be found anywhere in this room. The real table—that which we see mixed with this base or on this base, which is also refuting object, hallucination—this cannot be found anywhere. Not only on this but cannot be found anywhere, even in this hall cannot be found. Making it more elaborate, this real table which appears to us existing from its own side is therefore completely non-existent. This is completely empty right there. From where it’s appearing, it is completely empty right there. So, that’s the emptiness of the table.

It the same if we go back to the light. So, what appears to us, there is a light. There means on that phenomenon, that base. Or the real light, on that base there is a real light appearing to us, appearing to us existing from its own side. So however, that is a hallucination. That is the refuting object and that is a hallucination. That is empty right there. That’s empty right there because that one if searched it cannot be found there and cannot be found anywhere. So that’s completely empty.

So in reality, when we don’t analyze, it looks like it is on there. On that phenomenon there is a red light. When we analyze there is no red light there. There is a red light, it does exist. What is that? That is what is merely imputed by the mind. But on that base there is no red light there. So the important thing is, what makes us to decide the particular label “red light?” It is by seeing that phenomenon and that phenomenon is the base. That’s not the red light. So that’s the important point. That’s the important point to understand.

Then, then you can see, by understanding this, first you see the base, then you see the label; by understanding this, you put the label then you see the label, by understanding this, this helps, this makes it very clear what the refuting object is, the hallucination that we have to realize is empty, completely empty. So this helps us to clearly see the refuting object. So what is false, what is the truth, then you can see, the phenomenon.

So everything is like this. Whatever we see here, our five sense objects. According to the appearance, according to our perception everything looks independent. This is the pillar, pillow or pillar, I got mixed up pillow and pillar [RL]. So, there is the pillar. Everything we see like this. There is the pillar. There means on the base. On this base, there is a pillar. Again that is the refuting object, the hallucination. There is the window. So again there means on that base. There is a window. We don’t think the window is something that exists by seeing that base and mind simply making up the label. We don’t think like that; we are not aware of that. There is window. On that base, the glass and all the wood together, there is window, there is a real window, on that. So, that is a hallucination. That is the refuting object. That’s a hallucination.

And the same thing with the light. On that base, that phenomenon which dispels darkness, then there is light. So we don’t think by seeing that, our mind simply makes up the label ‘light’, we don’t think that way. We think, on that base there is light, light on that phenomenon. So again that is the refuting object.

That base is not white light and on that base there is no white light. By seeing that phenomenon which dispels the darkness then the mind made up the label white light. So that’s what light is. So white light is completely empty existing from its own side. So that’s how, the white light exists in mere name, is dependent arising, but at the same time the white light is empty of existing from its own side. So the white light unified the emptiness and dependent arising.

So if one is able to realize like this, then that is the completion of the analysis of the emptiness. Then that is result of, that shows understanding emptiness is unmistaken.

So, the point here, tonight’s topic is that by understanding the base is not the label, if you check the appearance then you see clearly, you get idea what the refuting object is, what you have to realize as being empty, what does not exist. So that’s the main essence of what is false and what is true, what exists and what doesn’t exist. So, that’s the essence of the subject.

Actually my plan was to talk on the hell, preta and animal realms![GL, RL] I brought the text to explain that, to go over the three lower realms but then, from the introduction then it switched on the emptiness, again! [GL, RL] But this way of analyzing, this way of meditating might give you some idea. [GL] I think just like she said, the body tells the mind it is hungry, so the body tells the truth. [GL, RL]

To really experience, to realize emptiness is very difficult, but just by the kindness of gurus, those experienced gurus, just the little analysis that was done, so this little idea might make something to open a little bit, some idea of what is hallucination, what is truth.

[Prayers]

[End of Discourse]

LECTURE 31: 16 DECEMBER 1992 AM

THE MIND AS THE CREATOR
All existence comes from the mind. It is similar to what is said in the sutra teaching that all the three realms are only mind. But that is not saying that, it sounds like that literally, according to the words, all the three realms are only mind; but what it’s saying is all the three realms come from the mind. Only, come from only the mind. All the three realms only come from the mind. Only, the word “only” cuts off that there is no creator. There is no other creator. So one’s own desire realm, form realm or formless realm is created by your own mind. It comes from your own mind. It was not created by Krishna or, it was not created by God, it was not created by somebody else. It was created by one’s own mind. So only, the three realms are only the mind. It means, three realms come from only the mind. “Only” cuts off that there is no creator except one’s own mind. So your life is created by your own mind. Your life comes from your own mind, it’s the same.

This includes birth, old age, sickness and death, and all these aggregates of form, feeling, recognition, consciousness, the compounding aggregates—all these come from one’s own mind. And all the sense objects, all these objects that appear to our senses, all this come from one’s own mind.

One can do the meditation of this how everything comes from the mind, how the whole of life comes from one’s own mind, one can do this meditation also with the evolution of the samsara, the meditation, the teaching, the graduate entering in the samsara, how one enters in samsara. The twelve dependent related links, that which is described through the painting outside, of the six realms, through the drawing. So, one can understand this how everything comes from the mind through this meditation of the twelve dependent related links. In Tibetan term, language is called ten drel lab chu nyi. So, one can also have a clear idea from this meditation.

I started this yesterday but didn’t happen [RL], it went off somewhere else. [RL] I think meant to be going to America but it landed in South Arabia [GL] or it landed [RL], meant to be going to America, New York or California somewhere, but it landed in Saddam Hussein’s place, Iraq [RL, GL]. So anyway, I think the pilot became drunk! [GL, RL]

It is not that there is no creator. There is a creator, because your mind is creator. You are creator. Your life or your own world is created by your mind, your concept, your imprint. So you got some idea from last night, those examples, that how things came from the mind, how the appearance came from the mind, came from the concept.

LABELING FRIEND, ENEMY, GOOD BAD
For example, a person doesn’t love you, a person doesn’t like you, a friend has changed her mind, this is also your own label. So if you don’t label “my friend doesn’t like me”, as long as you don’t label it, there is no appearance that the friend doesn’t like you. You don’t have appearance that friend doesn’t love you. If you don’t label you have no appearance of this.

And if you don’t label that this is “bad,” then you don’t have appearance that this is bad. If you don’t label that this is bad, the friend doesn’t like me, if you don’t label this is bad, you wouldn’t have appearance that this is bad, appearing bad, you wouldn’t have this appearance.

Similarly, this is dirty. Also, there’s no appearance of dirty, if you don’t label “dirty.” It’s same. For example, when you were a child, from the very beginning you don’t have appearance of dirty, because you didn’t label. Afterwards, when you are taught this is dirty, when you are introduced, you are taught “this is dirty”, then you yourself follow that and you, your own mind labels “this is dirty” and believes in that, and there’s the appearance of dirty.

So now, the point is this. What makes you to label “this person doesn’t love me”, and to have appearance? What makes you to label “this is bad” and then you have appearance of bad? What makes you to label “this is dirty” and then you have appearance of dirty?

Now the other point is to understand is what makes you to do this. What obliges to do this? To put all this undesirable, putting the undesirable label. You are putting the label which you don’t like. You are putting all these, the undesirable, the label, and then you yourself produce the undesirable appearances. So what makes you to do that? That is one important point to understand. So what makes to do that?

Student: Your own base for love and dirtiness.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Your own what?

Student: Your own base for love and dirtiness.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Base, for love and dirtiness, yeah.

Student: Self-survival.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Self-survival. So you label “dirty”. [RL, GL] What?

Student: If you keep clean, then people will talk to you. [GL, RL]. If you’re dirty it’s very hard to __________. [GL, RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Hm.

Student: It’s my mind how related to the base.

Student: It’s a general consensus that everybody has to believe, that is labeled that. If you’re in a certain culture then one can ______ as beautiful and to another culture it wouldn’t be beautiful.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yes.

Student: So it depends on the community and that label.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Mm-m. Yeah, but still it’s not ... Yes, that’s condition. That’s describing condition. That what, what’s your name please?

Student: Cynthia.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Cynthia, what Cynthia is describing is also a condition. That’s a condition, what somebody taught. It’s a condition, still not the cause.

Student: So that is your karma. [GL, RL] It’s the karma that makes us, how we see the same thing, same cup of water like pus whereas somebody in this realm will see it as water.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Mm.

Student: Feelings which give rise to attachment and aversion.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Mm. That’s the result. You’re talking about the result. After you label then what result happens in your mind. Effect. After you put the label, then appearance, then there’s result, effect to your mind. That is the result.

Student: The ego. That is all _______ to label. So it’s the ego. [RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Depending on which person? [GL] That depends who, not necessarily, because the person is labeling, not necessarily the person’s ego. Because the person is labeling doesn’t mean the person has ego. But it depends on the person.

THE VIEW OF THE SELF-CHERISHING THOUGHT
We have the self-cherishing thought and the concept of true existence. Then we who follow this wrong concept, so what you call ego to the self-cherishing thought or the ignorant concept of truly existent I, so we who follow this in everyday life, twenty-four hours following this wrong concept, then ego puts the label, who follows the self-cherishing thought and the concept of truly existent I. So, we can say that ego is labeling. And especially when we are following delusion, jealousy, pride, anger, during those times then hundred percent that ego is labeling those times. Ego is putting the label. The mind, the self-cherishing thought is labeling that the person who hurt one’s own self-cherishing thought then the self-cherishing thought labels what the person does is “harm” and then “bad,” the person is bad.

Then, somebody who helps, somebody who does something that the self-cherishing thought wants, somebody who does something that the self-cherishing thought is interesting or the self-cherishing thought wants, then the self-cherishing thought labels that’s “good.” What the person is doing is good, then that appears good. The action of that person is nice, one labels it “nice,” the self-cherishing thought labels it nice and then there is appearance of nice. One labels the person nice and then there’s appearance of nice.

Bodhicitta does not label, the thought of patience doesn’t label this person who criticizes you. Your other mind, the positive attitudes, such as thought of patience, doesn’t label the action of the person who criticizes you as “bad.” Thought of patience doesn’t label, bodhicitta does not label. And bodhicitta doesn’t label that person as bad or that action as bad. Your positive attitude, bodhicitta doesn’t label that. Only the self- cherishing, the negative attitude, the self-cherishing thought, because it hurts. What the person does hurts the self-cherishing thought, so self-cherishing thought interprets that as negative, that is bad, and the person is bad. Because what that person does harms you, your self-cherishing labels it as bad.

It is very important to recognize this is a view of one of your minds. It is not the only view. It is not the view of all your mind. That is the view of the self-cherishing thought and that’s the view of attachment, the clinging to this life. That’s the view of some of these negative thoughts. So, this is very important. I think, again, to understand this psychology is very important. How you see the person is not the only view that you have. This is one view. This is not the view of all your mind.

THE VIEW OF BODHICITTA
These are only the views of this self-cherishing thought and attachment clinging to this life. But in the view of your positive attitude—patience and bodhicitta, loving-kindness and compassion—in that view, this person is only a kind person. This is because what that person does—criticizing, disrespecting, doing things against you—is against your self-cherishing thought, doing things against your attachment clinging to this life. So in the view of the Dharma wisdom, in the view of your positive attitude, patience, what that person does is only kindness, is only benefiting.

In the view of your mind of patience, what the person is doing is only benefiting, because it’s destroying your enemies, such as the self-cherishing thought and anger, all these delusions. It is helping you to destroy these harmful enemies, the delusions, which destroy your chance of enlightenment, of liberation from samsara, of future life happiness, even of your day-to-day life’s peace and harmony. It destroys all these things which becomes root of so many, hundred thousands, so many problems, which becomes root of so many problems of life, problems for oneself and problems for so many other sentient beings.

In the view of your compassion, patience and so on, even if the person is continuously disliking, disrespecting and criticizing you, when your mind is transformed into the thought of patience, during that time you see that person as only kind, nothing else. Especially, that person is so kind. Their action only benefits. You see only benefit to yourself, not harm. And the greatest benefit, and most important help is that he is helping to destroy the delusions, the greatest obstacle to actualizing bodhicitta. The person is helping to destroy the greatest obstacle, the greatest demon, the self-cherishing thought.

From that, bodhicitta for every sentient being can grow. As I mentioned one night, I went over the animals, even one type of animal, ants and those conch shells, numberless conch shells in the water, in the ocean, the ants, those numberless ants, so if you have bodhicitta then numberless sentient beings, every single sentient being, they receive happiness from you. They receive happiness from your bodhicitta, temporary happiness, ultimate happiness, liberation, full enlightenment. So, they receive all the happiness, perfections, from your bodhicitta.

Therefore, by having bodhicitta, bodhicitta inspires you to develop your mind in the Mahayana path to enlightenment, to practice the six paramitas, for three countless great eons or no matter how long it takes time to accumulate extensive merit and to purify all the obscurations that, in order to achieve enlightenment so that you can free all sentient beings from all the sufferings and lead to peerless happiness, the full enlightenment.

The self-cherishing thought is the greatest obstacle to actualizing bodhicitta, which makes your life most beneficial to every sentient being; which makes your life to accomplish happiness for every sentient being. This is so unbelievable precious than, there is no other example, there’s no material example to compete how the benefits of bodhicitta, how precious it is. How much wealth there is, that can never compare to the value of bodhicitta, how precious it is. Therefore, in the view of that thought of patience you see that person as extremely kind. That person is giving you most important help, the most precious help, helping to destroy the ego, the self-cherishing thought.

How you see the person, in the view of your positive attitude of patience, like this then, how you see the person in the view of your compassion, positive mind of compassion, this person is only object of compassion, is not object of anger, is object only to help. In the view of the compassion, you see this person only as an object for you to help, to free this sentient being from the suffering and cause of suffering, the delusions. You only see it this way. You generate the wish that this person is free from suffering and from cause of sufferings, the delusions, the ignorance, anger, attachment.

Then, the same thing, in the view of your positive mind of loving-kindness you see this person only as beneficial, only to generate the wish that the person to have happiness and the cause of happiness. And yourself to help the person to have happiness. In the view of the loving-kindness and compassion, there is no thought to harm the other person. Besides that, only to cause happiness, only to free the sentient being from the suffering. And to do that by oneself. So, if the compassion, loving-kindness is stronger, when it’s stronger, then you want to do that. It’s object of only that. So it’s very different.

And the same thing, with your positive mind bodhicitta, that sentient being is only object to cherish, and that sentient being is only object you to work for, and to achieve enlightenment for. For the happiness of that sentient being you actualize the whole path no matter how many eons it takes time, numberless eons, eons equaling the number of the atoms of the water. To attempt to achieve the whole path to enlightenment, to do all the purification and to accumulate extensive merit, that no matter how many eons it takes time, even the eons equaling number of the drops of the ocean or the atoms of this Earth.

As it is mentioned in the Guru Puja, in the teachings of the paramitas,

Even if I must remain for an ocean of eons in the fiery hells of Avici
For the sake of even just one sentient being,
I seek you blessings to complete the perfection of joyous effort,
To strive with compassion for supreme enlightenment and not be discouraged.

That means for the benefit of even one sentient being you are willing to spend countless eons on the very lowest hell, the one with the greatest suffering. Even if you were to experience this, because of your great bodhicitta, you would never get discouraged. You will practice compassion towards other sentient beings, towards every sentient being and attempt to achieve enlightenment.

So in the view of bodhicitta you are willing to sacrifice yourself for even one sentient being. For that same person—who hates you and even physically harms or criticizes you—is viewed exactly the same with the mind of bodhicitta. You would sacrifice yourself completely for that sentient being. Leave aside harming, to revenge. So, he is only an object to cherish. In the view of bodhicitta this person is only an object to cherish, not an object to renounce, only to cherish. In the view of bodhicitta this person is who you live for. In the view of bodhicitta this person is who you are living for, in your everyday life, this person is one person, one sentient being for whom you are surviving. It is for this sentient being.

What is our purpose of living each day life, trying to survive, trying to have long life? For our own happiness? That is not the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to cause happiness for all sentient beings. So therefore even this sentient being who constantly gives harm with the body ,speech and mind, he is included. He is not abandoned, he is included.

So, for the sake of this person, to cause happiness for this person, that reason then we are attempting to survive every day and to try to have long life, then to try to practice Dharma, to develop the mind in the path, to develop more capacity, more wisdom, more compassion. This person is one sentient being, the aim of your life, to cause him happiness, to free him from suffering. In the view of bodhicitta, we attempt to achieve enlightenment for this person, for this sentient being.

VIEWS CREATE APPEARANCES
Therefore, what kind of view you have, what kind of appearance of this person depends on which mind you are following, whether you are following the self-cherishing thought, attachment, clinging to this life so forth, anger, whether you’re following this mind, or you are following the positive attitude, bodhicitta, compassion, loving-kindness, patience and satisfied mind, the renounced mind. So, which mind you are following. So how you see others, how you see that person depends on which kind of mind you are following. So, so depending on whether you are following negative mind or positive mind so you have a different view.

In our everyday life, how we see people depends on what mind—the positive mind or the negative mind—we follow. So, depending on that, we have a different view on how we see the person. So this is another great psychology that to be aware in our everyday life, especially when where there’s danger of the emotional mind or anger and so forth arising, with strong dissatisfaction, strong attachment and so forth, which creates a lot of problems. Especially at those times, this is something to be aware of.

For example, even yourself when you look at one person, at different times you see the person in different ways, as I just explained depending on which mind you follow. When one hundred people look at one person, some people see desirable, some people see indifferent, some people see beautiful, some people see ugly. So, there’s different views. So when all of us when we look at one person there are different views. So all this comes from one’s own mind.

As it is mentioned in the Madhyamaka, in the teachings Buddha explained that one bowl of containing liquid, when the human being look at this liquid inside it appears water. When the preta beings look at this liquid that is in the bowl, it appears pus and blood. That is because they don’t even have the merit, they don’t have the positive imprint. This is the answer to what was asked before. So, because of that, what imprint they have, what karma that they have to see this liquid is only negative karma, negative imprint, only pus and blood. So, that’s what they see. They cannot even see it as clean, even if it’s water. So now the worldly gods when they look at this liquid they see as nectar, because they have accumulated more merit, more positive imprints. Because of that then they see nectar.

When a buddha sees this, this liquid is the highest nectar, the most pure nectar, the greatest enjoyment. Therefore, it’s liquid in a bowl but this liquid appears of different quality, of a different level of purity, according to the different level of being, depending how much their mind is pure or impure.

Similarly, we human beings see this place for us as this quality but hungry ghosts, lower beings, beings who have much less merit than us see, they have different appearances. They have a much poorer quality place. Preta beings, the lower beings, see more suffering, poorer quality, a very undesirable place.

Beings who have much more merit than us human beings, for example a buddha, for a buddha this place is appeared as mandala, only pure. This place appears for a buddha’s senses, who has completed all the merit, only pure, a mandala. In the appearance of wisdom, it is only pure, the celestial mansion, the mandala, which is the appearance of the pure holy mind, wisdom. So even the place, like this, even the place, for different beings according to how much their mind is pure or impure, then they see even the same place in a different way. They have different appearances.

Even for us, when we practice Dharma, so as we develop our mind in the path, however, if we look at the place ordinary we see ordinary, if we look at the place pure, we see pure. However, with pure mind you see pure. With impure thought, if the mind is kept ordinary, impure, then you see also what you see is impure.

So, how sentient beings see everything is all dependent on the mind. So therefore for some sentient beings due to negative imprints, bad karma, they can see this place as hell. In the view of that hell being who experiences hell, who can see this place, they can see hell. How the lower realm suffering exists, how the hell exist is like that. So it’s a production of negative karma, negative imprint.

So what I was saying before, what makes you to label these things, to interpret bad and this is bad person, all these things, what makes to do that is by the negative imprint. So, he said karma, that’s correct, negative imprint left by past negative karma. So that makes you to give this undesirable label. So, so therefore this becomes the very essence of the explanation of karma. I’ll stop here.

[Dedications]

Due to all three time merits accumulated by me and by others, due to all three time merits, that which are empty, may the I, who is empty, achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, that which is empty, and lead all sentient beings to that enlightenment as quick as possible.

[End of Discourse]

LECTURE 32: 16 DECEMBER 1992 PM

DEPENDENT ARISING

Student: How is it that anger, attachment and this ______ ______ emptiness? I have problems to understand [inaudible], like anger and attachment and [inaudible]. Can you give some explanation?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Please accept. [GL, RL]

Student: Thank you. [GL, RL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: The first thing what I explained was the, the other night, I mentioned that the nature of phenomena, if you practice, anyway I talked briefly the phenomena then the nonvirtue, suffering and the virtue, happiness. So if you have that particular seed, the seed of this flower, then this flower comes, it is natural phenomena.

For example, I mentioned that, for the wind, the wind moves like this, if you have wind blowing, then how the wind is blowing, that is natural phenomenon. So however like this, so if you have that particular seed of this flower then from that, when all the conditions come together, this flower grows, it’s natural. [RL, GL] So that, it’s the nature of the phenomena.

So similarly, a virtuous action, a positive action, that which does not harm, which only benefits, from that then the result one experiences is happiness, then that is natural, the nature of phenomena just like this. An external example is like this. One plants the seed of a particular plant, a tree or whatever, and then from that the fruit comes. And that action, that negative action, the action that which harms, like this, from that, that action which is done out of negative mind, action which became negative because it is done with negative thought, so then from that result problems, suffering, rises. It is like if you plant a poisonous seed, depending on that, then from that, the trunk, flower, fruit or whatever comes, the nature of that, from this poisonous plant, flower, fruit all this comes from that seed, that is the nature of phenomena. The same thing, by planting this medicinal seed, then from that, medicinal plant and fruit comes. So how that works is that is the nature of phenomena.

All these things happen dependent on cause and conditions. That medicinal seed, all the plants, all these things are happening because that is dependent arising, by depending on cause and conditions. Therefore, all of them are empty. So, they all come into existence out of emptiness, because they are empty from their own side. They are empty of existing from their own side, so that’s how they exist, they exist depending on cause and conditions.

Similarly, virtue, happiness, and nonvirtue, suffering, how it exists is as a dependent arising. All these things that exist. Therefore now you can see because all these things are empty of existing from their own side, this is how they exist.

It’s the same thing the flowers, [GL], gardens, hills and so on. Because they’re dependent arising, by depending on cause and conditions, they are empty of existing from their own side, so they exist, changes are happening. Leaves falling onto the garden from the trees, by depending on many causes and conditions, there’s the seed; by depending on some other causes and conditions the leaves have to stay there. By depending on other cause and conditions, the leaves cannot stay there. They fall down. So it’s all dependent arising, because things exist by depending on cause and conditions, that things function by depending on cause and conditions.

SEARCHING FOR THE FORMALLY LABELED TABLE

So everything works by depending the various causes. Nothing has true existence. What appears to us, what appears to our mind, as having true existence, that is a hallucination. All is merely labeled—the merely labeled I, the merely labeled actions, the merely labeled object, the merely labeled phenomena. By depending on this base, on this material that which lift up things or that you use to put things on top, by searching the table like this you cannot find the table, but if you look at it, if you analyze it, if you look at your perception, your appearance, that there is table there on the base, mixed with the base or stuck to the base. There is a table, that means on this base, there’s a table on this base, there exists on this base a table appearing to you, in other words a real table in the sense of existing from its own side. When you look at your appearance, when intellectually you analyze you cannot find it, but when you look at it, from your appearance, there is a table, there is a table, there is a real table, a table existing from its own side.

You left something there. You checked the merely labeled, what you checked is what is merely labeled, just the table, which is merely labeled table, so that by searching this, you could not find it. By searching you could not find the table, could not find the truly-existent table, that which means merely-labeled table, there is a table on the floor, whether it is there, there, there, like this, so that, Where is the table? That is searching for the merely-labeled table, that way of searching is searching for the merely-labeled table, not searching the truly-existent table, so there are differences.

So you could not find the merely-labeled table. So because of the way you searched, the way you searched is not connected with hallucination, the table that you are searching for, whether it exists or not, it is not connected with the hallucination, it is not connected with the non-existent table, that which is a hallucination, the non-existent table, the truly-existent table. So it’s not connected with your appearance, it’s not connected with the false or the hallucinated appearance. The table that you are searching for is not connected with that. You are just searching, here you are not searching where the truly existent table is. If you are searching where the truly-existent table is, where this real table is that appears to you, if you are searching that way then in your meditation on emptiness, your analysis, there is relation with the hallucination, there’s relation to the truly-existent table, and that is what we have to search, and realize that doesn’t exist, that is completely empty, as it is empty in reality.

THE DANGER OF NIHILISM
In the Middle Lamrim, the Middle-length Graduated Path to Enlightenment, and also in the Lamrim Chenmo and the smaller lam-rim, Lama Tsongkhapa gives the example of the vase and the pot, the Tibetan vase. When you search for the vase, the base, you search for the vase on the base, the collections of the parts, where is the vase one searches for? Then, after searching, there’s nothing to point out, where is the vase? What is the vase? After searching the base, the collections of the parts of the vase, searching for the vase, then there’s nothing to point out what the vase is.

Actually, Lama Tsongkhapa said, there is nothing clear whether the vase exists or not. What is it is not clear after searching on the base, there is nothing to recognize, to point out whether the vase exists. The way it is said in the scriptures, the additional words, [Tibetan] destroys the teaching, because this is nihilism, this is nihilism. If after searching for the result, how the vase exists is not clear, if it doesn’t make clear how the vase exists, this way of searching leads to nihilism. This way of analysis leads to nihilism. If just searching in this way leads to that conclusion that the vase doesn’t exist, without relating to the non-existent vase, without relating to the hallucination, the “real” vase, in the sense of existing from its own side, the truly-existent vase, without relating to this non-existent vase. So without relating to this, the hallucination, the refuting object, then if you just search for the vase, which is the merely-labeled vase, after searching you cannot find then that easily leads to heresy, to the conclusion that the vase doesn’t exist. That leads to nihilism.

So, after searching the base, the collection of the parts and from the part of the base, on the base of the vase, the base that is the collection of the parts of the vase, and then also searching among the parts, then when you cannot find anything, when there is nothing to point out what it is, “This is the vase,” then this is nihilism, destroying the dependent arising. This is nihilism destroying the dependent arising. So because this way of searching it doesn’t help that the vase is dependent arising, to realize that the vase exists by depending on cause and conditions, the base and thought, label, depending on all this that the vase exists. This way of searching doesn’t help to realize how the vase exists and how it exists depending on these things. This way of searching it only harms to realize how the vase exists, that the vase is dependent arising. This way of searching or analyzing the base of the vase, the collection of the parts of the vase, there’s nothing to point out that, one falls in nihilism, destroying the dependent arising.

Lama Tsongkhapa says that the mistake that happens is, the mistake is unable to differentiate the appearance and the reality, so that is the mistake.

DEPENDENT ARISING
As I mentioned yesterday, last night, when you search for the table on the base of the table which means merely-labeled table, you cannot find it. So therefore, how can you find the truly-existent table? If you cannot find even just a table on the base, how can you find the independent table, the truly-existent table, how can you find on the base?

The table that appears to you as a real one, existing from its own side, which means independent, which is the meaning of the independent, truly existent, inherently existent, existing by nature, all these different terms, different expressions; if you describe our hallucination that the refuting object, the word that we often use in our everyday life is there is a “real” table, “I see a real table.” So the term that we use in our everyday life is “real,” which in the sense “existing from its own side.” But if you use the philosophy, but if you use the terms, the other expressions, that are in the teaching, those philosophical terms—truly existent or inherently existent or the existing by nature, independent, all these—one cannot find the table on the base. Then there’s no way one can find the table that which appears as a real one, existing from its own side. Especially that cannot be found, by searching. Even though we have this appearance from above the base of the table, from above the base of the table even though we have this real table in the sense existing from its own side but if we search where it is, cannot be found anywhere.

SEARCHING FOR THE TABLE
Aas Lama Tsongkhapa explained, on the base of the table, searching for the table, where is the table? Even though Lama Tsongkhapa said that is leading to nihilism, and when you, after searching for it, then there is nothing to point out that is the table, nothing to recognize, nothing to point out that the table exists. So that’s when it’s falling in nihilism, destroying the dependent-arising. But the reason why yesterday I did not use the term “truly-existent table”—at first I used is just said “table”—the reason why I explained it that way is, the main aim is that, after searching for where is it, then you could not find, but then, but after that, if you look at the appearance, the real table got stuck on the base, or, on this base there is a real table, there is a table existing from its own side. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, it’s mixed with the base. However, so when you look at the appearance after you could not find the table, searching on the base, then when you look at the appearance there’s a real table, there’s appearance of real table on the base. There’s appearance of a real table, still this is there. So, so this is the refuting object, what the refuting object is. This is the hallucination. This is what is empty, right there. This is empty right there.

So, this is the reality. It is similar, so now you can see. From this concentration, you can see it is similar to the table not existing. It’s not that table doesn’t exist but it is similar to the table not existing. You see, you understand? [GL, RL] Yeah? It is not that the table doesn’t exist. The table exists but when we concentrate, when we understand this, on this base there’s a real table appearing to oneself, so this is what the refuting object is, hallucination. So then, one meditates that this is a hallucination, this appearance is a hallucination. One just practices mindfully this is a hallucination. On this base, when the real table appears to you, this is the refuting object and this is a hallucination.

So while you are practicing mindfulness, while you are looking right on this real table, and practicing mindfulness, this is the hallucination, which means it is empty. It doesn’t exist, that real table appearing to you. On this base there is a table appearing to you, it’s the same. So, this is a hallucination. So that means it is empty right there. That means it is empty, in reality. It doesn’t exist in reality.

So now, when you concentrate in this, when your mind reached in this, comes to this to reflect on the real, the nature of the table, the emptiness, that this is completely empty. The table that appears a real one, or in other words, existing from its own side, on this base there is a table. However, by recognizing that this is a hallucination and meditating on this as it is a hallucination, looking at it as a hallucination what understanding comes in your heart is that this is completely empty, it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t exist at all.

So, this is the reality of what the table is. This is reality of the table. So what the table is becomes extremely subtle, extremely subtle phenomenon. It is not that it doesn’t exist, but it is like it doesn’t exist. Not exactly falling in nihilism that it doesn’t exist, but it’s extremely close to that, extremely close to that. [RL]

SEARCHING FOR THE BOOK
So now we meditate like this. So first, maybe this book is better than the table, maybe this book is better, the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand [GL]. Again we do the same as table. So the same, the parts of the book are not book and the collection of all the parts of the book, even that is not the book, okay? Because that is the base, collection of the parts of the book is the base, that is the base to be labeled “book.” So therefore, collection of the parts of the book is not the book. Even the base is not the book.

So therefore now, the first thing to make clear is, the base, that which is the collection of the parts of the book, that is not book. That, so even by searching the book on this base it cannot be found anywhere. On the base of the book, if one searches where the book is, it cannot be found anywhere. Okay? But when you are seeing for this book, when you are looking at this book, on this base there is a book there. On this base there is a book.

So, to clarify this: On this book there is a real book. On this base there is a real book in the sense existing from its own, making commentary of what means real to us, in the sense existing from its own side.

So, when we check our appearance, even after this analysis cannot find where the book is, but if we check our appearance, there is a true book or real book on this base, got stuck on this base. So however, this real book—in your appearance on this base there’s a real book appearing to you. Now this is what the refuting object is, and that means hallucination. So that means this is empty. So concentrate on the emptiness.

[pause for meditation]

So, now, while this book is empty existing from its own side, now meditate this way, while this book is empty of existing from its own side. This book which appears existing from its own side, there is a book appearing from its own side. This is a refuting object, this is what refuting object means, it means the hallucination, so that means it is empty, in reality.

[pause for meditation]

Empty like space. It did not become space but it’s like space. It didn’t become space, absence of book. The book is there, but it’s empty of existing from its own side, so it becomes like space. It becomes empty like space.

[pause for meditation]

So, while this is empty, while this book is empty, now one labels the atoms of this book. There’s appearance of atoms. There’s pages. One labels pages. There’s appearance of pages. Maybe we don’t talk about appearance at the moment, okay? Because again makes concrete, that makes again concrete. When we come to the appearance then it becomes again concrete, truly existent, because we have no other way, us, unenlightened beings we have no other way to see it. We have no other way to see or for things to appear other than truly existent. So therefore we don’t talk about appearance at the moment.

So this is the refuting object, this is hallucination. This is empty, which means this is empty. So go back to the emptiness. So, as much as possible by putting all the effort, concentrate on emptiness.

[pause for meditation]

So now, one label ‘atom’, one label ‘the pages’. So, you label all the parts. So, your mind merely imputes, atoms, your mind merely imputes particles of the atoms. Then you label ‘atom’. Then depending on the particles of the atoms, then your mind makes up the label ‘atom’, ‘atoms’. Depending on the particles of the atoms then your mind make up the label ‘atom’.

Then depending on that, depending on the atoms that your mind makes up the label, by depending on that now your mind make up the label ‘pages’. Now, depending on this then your mind make up the label ‘book’. So this is the reality.

So, starting from the particles of the atoms, starting from there up to the book, everything, simply, what the mind merely imputed or what the mind made up the label. From particles of the atoms up to the book is what mind made up the label. Made up the idea, made up the label. Therefore the reality is all these are empty. Starting from the particles of the atoms up to the book all are completely empty. All are completely empty of existing from their own side, because, starting from particles of the atoms up to the book is what is merely imputed by the mind.

So therefore, starting from particles of the atoms up to the book, while it is empty, while this is completely empty of existing from their own side, it is existing. While all these are completely empty, empty of existing from its own side, it exists. All this exists. Exists, which meaning is dependent arising. All this exist by depending on base and thought and label. By depending on these things, starting from the particles of the atoms up to the book, exists.

So, starting from the particles of the book and up to the book, while they are existing, which means dependent arising, depending on these things it exists. At the same time all these are empty. So, starting from the particles up to the book, the whole thing is unified of emptiness and dependent arising. So this is the reality, how it is the book, how the book is in the reality.

But now, so as we labeled from the particles of the atoms of the book and up to the book, even though they are merely labeled by the mind, from particles of the atoms up to the book they are merely labeled by the mind, and there is appearance, from particles of the atoms up to the book there’s appearance. So there’s appearance, after each label there’s the appearance. But we don’t have the appearance that it’s merely labeled. We don’t have that appearance. Starting from the particles of the atoms and up to the book, that which is merely labeled.

When we do the analysis on emptiness, by recognizing what the thing is that we’re going to search for, in order to realize empty that which is empty. By recognizing the appearance, the way the book is appearing to oneself, that which is truly existent, appearing as truly existent. So, so by recognizing this, this false view.

On this base there is a book. That is one way to explain it, that which makes clear, one way to say the refuting object. There’s a real book appearing to you, a real book appearing from its own side. So, by recognizing this, which is the first from the, analysis of the four points, which is the first one, the point of recognizing, the point that which is recognizing the refuting object.

So, by recognizing this, the way the book is appearing to you, as truly existent, as a real one, so, so if one search this one, whether this really exist or not then, if one search this one.

[pause for meditation]

For example, you disintegrate all the atoms of this book, you disintegrate this book, spread out the atoms of this book, you spread out and then check where is it, the book that is appearing real one from its own side, where is it? You look for it. You cannot find on each of the atoms. So by disintegrating this book like that, this real book appearing from its own side to you, so this you cannot find on any atom of this book. You cannot find anywhere.

And also, with all these atoms gathered, with all the parts gathered, even like this you cannot find that one. You cannot find that real book appearing to you from its own side, you cannot find that one, even with all the parts are gathered. So this one doesn’t exist. This, the real book, appearing to you from its own side totally doesn’t exist. And, totally doesn’t exist, because the book that which is appearing to you as a real one, existing from its own side, this you cannot, even after having gathered all the parts of the book, all the atoms of the book, it cannot be found, this one. Nowhere can you find it. This totally doesn’t exist, on the base—neither on this base nor separately from this base. It doesn’t exist, this real book appearing to you from its own side, doesn’t exist at all, neither on this base nor separately from this base.

[pause for meditation]

This real book appearing from its own side doesn’t exist, totally, neither on this base nor separately from this base. So therefore this totally doesn’t exist. And also the final conclusion, the reason is: because it is, “it” means the book, it is merely imputed by the mind. There is no book existing from its own side, because the book is merely imputed by the mind.

So again, when you intensively meditate, without much words, when you intensively meditate on the meaning that this book is merely imputed by the mind; when you intensively, when you precisely concentrate on the meaning of the subtle dependent arising, it helps in your heart, so what understanding comes is that this book that which appears real one, existing from its own side, is empty, doesn’t exist there, is not there. So, that understanding can come in your heart.

I’m not sure whether it’s become clear or not [RL], but to give an idea of appearance what Lama Tsongkhapa said that by searching the vase, on the base, the collection of the parts and on the parts and then you cannot find, there’s nothing to point out. Nothing become clear there’s nothing to point out. Then, then one fell in nihilism, destroying the dependent arising. So this is due to the mistake, unable to differentiate what the reality is and what the appearance is. In other words, in our view, when we look at things, that we are unable to differentiate the reality from the way things appear to us.

So, when we do the meditation of the emptiness of the vase, then that time not just searching the vase but first you relate to your appearance. The point of the four analyses, first one, point is recognizing the refuting object, so that means to do with the appearance. So therefore the first thing is how the vase is appearing to you, how the book is appearing to me, how the table is appearing to me, how the I is appearing to me.

So, the vase is appearing as not merely labeled by the mind. That is one way to say, that is one way of expressing the refuting object. Another way of expressing the refuting object, the hallucination, is “on that base there is a vase.” There means on that base, on the collection of the parts there is a vase. If you are seeing the collection of the parts of the vase, then you are seeing that the vase is merely imputed by the mind, that is a correct one, the label that you made it up in your mind, that is a correct one. But not seeing like that, not seeing this way but “there is a vase.” On that particular base, there is a vase. Not seeing that it’s merely labeled by your mind or made up the label by your mind. So, that itself is the refuting object, hallucination.

However, the appearing a vase, a real one in the sense existing from its own side, by recognizing this, then if one search whether this, then one do analysis whether this exists or not, where it is. Then, then this way when you do not find this real vase in the sense existing from its own side, when you do not find at all, on the base, separately from the base, then you see emptiness. You see emptiness of the vase.

Only this way, only by touching or, by recognizing or by relating to your hallucination of the vase, the non-existent vase, your hallucination, which is on the merely-labeled vase, only then can you realize emptiness. Only then can you reach the point, your aim, to realize emptiness of the vase. Only this way. So like that it is the same with the table or I, it is the same.

So, why I was introducing yesterday’s topic this way, the main aim is to show, to express the refuting object, to make that clear. That’s the main point what we have to realize empty.
[Tea offering]

[Break in recording, missing a question from a student]

So, that is the basis, the mind which nature is ill will, wanting to hurt others, the nature of the mind which wants to hurt others, that is the base. Depending on that reason then, one’s own mind, other people’s mind make up the label “anger.” So, when we do not analyze, when we are not aware, it looks like there’s anger existing from its own side but that’s not true. Anger is labeled by us. Anger is labeled by the mind. How the anger exists is in mere name, being merely labeled by the mind, like that.

So now you can see, the anger is empty. Anger is also empty. It doesn’t exist from its own side. What was the other one, besides the anger?

Student: It was the question.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Okay. So, what I mentioned yesterday those other, especially last night, and those examples you can apply to anger and get idea how the anger is empty. Hm-m. Okay, thank you so much [RL, GL].

Then, now the real course, now the real meditation course is going to start. [GL, RL]. All the other stuff, all other is introduction. [GL, RL] All other from beginning of the course, appearance, emptiness, all are introduction. [GL] So this is the very essence of the course. It’s the meditation of the three lower realms, okay? [RL, GL] All others are introduction. So I checked, so I’m not sure how the lower realms look like [GL, RL], I’m not sure. [RL]

THE NEED TO MEDITATE ON THE LOWER REALMS
If we are able to see the human realm, deva realm like a hell,if we are able to generate strong aversion to the human being samsara and deva, worldly gods, their samsara, if we are able to see it like hell, if we are able to generate strong determination to be free from these, then if one does not meditate on the suffering of the hell, preta, animal, then, if we are able to see like hell, able to generate strong aversion by realizing how they are nature of suffering and able to generate renunciation of samsara, then we don’t have to meditate on the lower realms’ suffering. That is one thing.

So as far renunciation it’s like that. As far as the meditation on renunciation it’s like that. If we can do that then doesn’t need to meditate on the lower realms’ sufferings. If we are able to realize that suffering of change is, how the suffering of change, samsara, temporary pleasures, how they are nature of suffering and pervasive compounding suffering, how that’s like being in hell, then that is complete, then you have renunciation of samsara. So even one didn’t meditate on the lower realm sufferings.

And the other thing is, if one doesn’t believe that there is a hell, then while it is existing, then the other problem is you don’t generate compassion towards the hell beings. There’s a limitation in your compassion.

Like for example, if you don’t know that this person is sick or that this person, that this person is starving to death, if you don’t know that, for example, you don’t know that this person exists, and you don’t know that this person is having problem, then you don’t generate compassion to that person and you don’t help that person.

So it is similar. If you don’t know that person exists who is starving to death, and if you don’t believe that the person is starving to death, has no food, no means of living, if you don’t believe in that, the person doesn’t get help. You don’t generate compassion to that person, the person doesn’t get help from you. There is this problem.

Many of those sentient beings, like the worldly gods, if we don’t know that these things exist, and we do not know how they are suffering, that they are also suffering, and then we don’t generate compassion to them and we don’t attempt to help them. So, there’s this problem. Then, your compassion becomes limited compassion. You don’t generate compassion towards every sentient being and that means you don’t attempt to benefit for all sentient beings. So that means all sentient beings they don’t receive help from you. Only the sentient beings that you know, that you believe.

So there’s a big problem like this. For example, if you have no money, nowhere to live, no home, no food, nothing, but other people don’t believe you, when you ask for help, who can help but they don’t believe it’s true. That is harmful, kind of cruel, how you find that, people who reject to help you while you are in such a great need and there is in the danger of death. So, like that. So, similar.

So, there’s no compassion. The foundation for bodhicitta, the root of bodhicitta is compassion towards every sentient being. Then, by having generated compassion towards every sentient being, knowing how yourself is suffering in samsara, so all those sentient beings are suffering, experiencing sufferings of samsara. So, that is obscured. So then, then on the basis of compassion, one generates loving-kindness towards all sentient beings. Then, the special attitude, taking responsibility to work for all, for every sentient being that I will do by myself alone.

Without compassion then these things won’t happen. So, without that, actualizing bodhicitta for all sentient beings doesn’t happen. To achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings doesn’t happen. Then, to actualize all the Mahayana path and achieve enlightenment for the sake of every sentient being, that doesn’t happen. Then, if that didn’t happen, then, to lead every single sentient being to enlightenment, that doesn’t happen. To cause happiness to every single sentient being that doesn’t happen.

Then, and the other thing is, by meditating on the lower realm suffering, that we don’t have enough courage, enough determination to practice, that our mind is very weak to practice is because not having meditated strongly on the karma, continuously and strongly on karma and the lower realms. The impermanence, death—that’s one thing, and then, related with karma, meditate on the lower realms related with karma. If it’s not related with karma then you don’t see the connection, yourself and the three lower realms, you don’t see the connection.

So, you are human being and that, those sentient beings who are in the lower realm; without relating to the karma then looks like the hell being is an independent hell being, the preta being is an independent preta being, the animal is an independent animal. They just happened there, somehow, sort of like permanent, they are just there all the time like this. That they are experiencing the result of past karma, that their consciousness also came from the deva or human realm. They were human beings and deva beings before, and now they are experiencing the results of negative karma. So, until they finish the karma in the lower realms, then they are stuck in the lower realms. They have to be in the lower realms until they finish the karma.

So if one doesn’t think of these things, and one doesn’t relate to then, one never thinks that oneself can reincarnate in the lower realms. One never thinks of the danger of reincarnating in the lower realms without relating to karma. There’s a mistake of not having done the meditations on impermanence and death and lower realms’ sufferings, relating them with karma, not having effectively done these meditations, and also continuously, not just one day, two days, not like that but continuously.

You can now see the benefit, how it helps to continuously practice Dharma, how it helps to continuously control the mind, how it helps to keep the mind always in Dharma, and how it helps to protect oneself from the delusions. How meditating on the lower realm sufferings, how it helps to have renunciation, even the samsara, the human beings’ samsara and deva realms’ samsara; how it helps to have renunciation even those realms of the happy migratory beings.

RENUNCIATION AND REFLECTING ON THE SUFFERINGS OF SAMSARA
Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend is very good. Besides talking about lower realm sufferings, which is nature of ill will, to relates it to the pleasures of the devas, who have incredible enjoyment, literally their attachment in all the essential pleasures, so it is related like this. That part of the teaching is a very effective meditation because, those hell sufferings described there is a result of that attachment, devas, their attachment to the sensual pleasures, all those desire pleasures, it’s a result of that.

Therefore, those who have studied or who remember, you might recognize those parts of the verses. With the attachment and the desire pleasures, then play, embracing and so forth, all the things the devas do with attachment then it describes all them, by mentioning each of those things then talks about the different hell sufferings, so actually I think it’s talking the result of that. So now that means, in this way, you see the deva realm is only suffering, you do not find any attraction in the deva’s realm of incredible enjoyment and sense pleasure, using all this with attachment, the sense enjoyments, friends so forth, all these things, so being aware of the result the lower realms’ sufferings, you don’t find any attraction in those deva realms and the way they live their lives, you don’t find any attraction to their lives, having incredible enjoyment and all these things, sense pleasures. So it is more like hell, you don’t find any attraction because being there is just simply creating cause of the hell. With the attachment, because the lives they lead with attachment, with delusion, attachment. So, no matter how much great enjoyment there is, you don’t find any attraction there. It is like a hell, there is no real happiness there.

They know only when they hear the karmic voice from space saying, “You are going to die,” only at that time due to karma they can remember, they can see that in the next life they will be born in the lower realms. Only at that time. During their lives, complete hallucination, their lives is fully distracted by all these sensual pleasures, these enjoyments, occupied, distracted, their life is living in hallucination and attachment.

So, even the deva realm is like this, there is no question about the human realm, the human realm has much less, it is much poorer, it has much more suffering. Even the richest person in the world who has everything, comparing to one deva’s wealth, it is nothing. It is extremely poor, it is nothing. For a human, even if you are able to generate renunciation, you are able to cut attachment clinging even to deva realm enjoyment, which is higher enjoyment, one hundred thousand much more greater enjoyment than in the human realm, then in this way it is easy to generate renunciation, easy to cut the attachment clinging to human samsaric pleasures or perfections. Actually, this way is the quick way to cut attachment. By meditating in the lower realms, by relating to karma you are able to generate renunciation to the human samsara and deva realms’ samsara. You are able to generate renunciation in this way, just meditating on the lower realms. Because you have to think of the cause, when you meditate on the lower realms, you have to meditate a lot relating to the karma, the cause is the action that is done with ignorance, not knowing karma, not understanding Dharma, those are subjects of karma. Then attachment, clinging to this life, and then anger. So the cause of the lower realms is actions done with that. This is the result, so you know the results are so unbearable.

Therefore, automatically you have renunciation of the cause, aversion to those delusions. You have encouragement to cut the delusions. Your mind becomes brave to cut the delusions to protect yourself from delusions and karma. And then all those actions motivated by these delusions. So the main thing, the very root, the main benefit is that your mind is so brave, you have strength and encouragement to protect yourself from the delusions. Meditations of the lower realms’ suffering builds up the strength in your mind, encouragement, determination to protect yourself from the delusions. So as you protect yourself from delusions, as you have aversion to the delusions then you don’t create the karma for the lower realms. Just from that one practice you are protecting yourself from ignorance, anger and attachment, guarding yourself from delusions. From that one practice you are also protected from the negative karma. By the way, naturally, then as you don’t follow the delusion one don’t create the negative karma so therefore one does not create the cause of the lower realms.

Exactly, like the deva realm, with attachment, by having all those incredible enjoyments, so this is the result so therefore you have no attraction to that life, there’s no attraction to that attachment. So same thing, one gets renunciation, one doesn’t get attached to the desire pleasures of human beings, also one don’t find any attraction to this, so that is how one is able to cut the attachment to samsaric pleasures. So as one cuts the attachment this is the way that one stops the cause of samsara, one cuts the cause of samsara. Without this attachment there is nothing that ties you to samsara, to the suffering realms. This way there is opportunity to achieve liberation.

Then, I read a little bit of this.

So, it is said by Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, it is said in the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, in the lam-rim teachings that the first renunciation, the very beginning of renunciation of samsara starts from the lower realms. By knowing the sufferings of the lower realms, you don’t want to be reborn there, you have aversion, you don’t want to be reborn there. That is the first renunciation. That is the very beginning of renunciation of samsara, the very beginning. So, the very first renunciation starts by meditating on the lower realm sufferings.

The Great Play Sutra says, the three realms are as impermanent as autumn clouds [GL, RL]. Beings die and are born; it is like watching a play. Beings’ lives are as brief as a lightning flash in the sky or the rush [of water] on high mountain waterfalls. (I’m not sure know what it is talking about.) [GL, RL] Anyway, you understand, as long as it is clear for you then the purpose is achieved.

In other words, the three realms, the earth, Mt. Meru and all are like autumn clouds. Beings are born and die, it is like watching a play for the characters can change from moment to moment. Our lives do not last long, they are mere flashes of lightning. They undergo cessation from moment to moment, are not stationary and rush by like high mountain waterfalls. You should therefore think, I will practice Dharma immediately. The lam-rim is the best gateway to the one path followed by all buddhas of the three times. You should therefore attend this discourse on the lam-rim so as to achieve buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings, then you must put it into practice.

The section developing yearning for a good rebirth as a second subdivision. Thinking about what sort of happiness or suffering you will have in your next rebirth in either of the two types of migrations. The contemplation on the sufferings of these upper realms will come later in the medium scope. I will now discuss the sufferings of the lower realms. Thank you very much [GL, RL]. Thank Pabongka Rinpoche.

You will surely die, but it is not certain when. After you die your consciousness does not end. It must definitely take a rebirth, there are only two places in which it can take rebirth, the upper or the lower realms. You can assess inferentially to which of these two you will be going. As I have already said we get definitions and horoscopes made to tell us where we will be reborn next. But these are unnecessary. Buddha has already predicted that we go to the upper realms if we have been virtuous and to the lower realms if nonvirtuous. From the Jataka Tales be quite certain, your next rebirth into the world will be happy or unhappy according to virtuous or nonvirtuous karma. Therefore, abandon sin and adopt virtue.

KARMA
We make many plans for this life, which we call “thinking about the future.” It is nothing of the sort. Be even more farsighted. Investigate where you will be reborn next. If you do so, you will see that you cannot escape going to either the upper or the lower realms and that you are not free to choose which of them to go to. If we had a choice you would still be in the lower realms now. Thus, where you are reborn next depends on the karma. If you have a mixture of karma, some virtuous, some nonvirtuous, the stronger will ripen first. If both types are equally strong, the type you are most familiar with will ripen first. If you are equally familiar with both types, then the type produced earlier will ripen first. There is a verse, Vasubandhu’s own commentary to his Treasury of Metaphysics says, “Karma turns—the bracket, the wheel of life—the heaviest ripens first, then the nearest, then the most familiar, then the karmic action done earliest.

At the time of death what decides which karma will ripen, I’ll remember that, so that here is the answer, so that time I mentioned, whichever is the heaviest that comes to experience.

There is like this, in the quotation there is heaviest, then nearest and most familiar. Then, the fourth one is whichever is done earliest, so there are four things, you see. So, at the time of death, which karma will ripen, first the heaviest, then there are many negative karma which are the same heavy, then, how is it decided? Nearest, I think this “nearest”, there are two meanings. I remember I asked His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, who is my root guru, so I asked Rinpoche in a letter from here, I asked a question to Rinpoche that, what is the definition, what is the meaning of nearest, because nearest, near to experience the result or near to death, karma that which is very near to the death. What does it mean? I think Rinpoche might have replied near to the death, because I thought maybe near to the result. Then, nearest, then near death.

Then, if there is many karmas with the same nearness, how is it decided? Whichever is among them is familiar that we will experience first. Then if there are many familiar karmas, what will decide? Then whichever, among those familiar ones, whichever is done first, that karma will be experienced. For example, you plant a seed in a field, then whichever you plant first, you plant many but whichever you planted first, earlier, that will grow.

“For us, nonvirtuous karma is the stronger of the two. Our thoughts are normally only of attachment and so forth. That being so, all the karma produced from these thoughts is nonvirtuous. Even our virtuous actions inadvertently come under the power of nonvirtuous thoughts and very few of these actions are dedicated towards our future lives. Take the example of your scolding a disciple. Your motive is extreme anger.” Pabongka Rinpoche, when he was giving teachings it was probably mostly monks in monastery. I think this one monastery called Samye Ling, one of these places, so there are many monks and learned geshes, extremely learned in all the sutra, root and commentary, all those sutra texts and also tantra. So there are many thousands of monks from Sera, Ganden, Drepung, then other monasteries. So you have to understand that who are there for listeners, many of the things that Rinpoche says are related to the listeners there. But we just change the object, we just have to relate to oneself. Even one is not one of those monks, one of those geshes, wearing the thick woolen robes, [RL] anyway, it doesn’t matter [GL]. But these things relate to oneself. This is the way to, how to, Dharma book that you read, useful for your mind. So if one doesn’t relate to yourself it doesn’t become useful for your mind.

“Take the example of your scolding a disciple, your motive is extreme anger, so as the actual deed you use words that will hurt the other person’s feelings. As the final step you rejoice over what you have done, so the motive, the actual deed and the final step are all very powerful. The majority of our sinful actions are similarly most powerful, but our virtuous actions are as follows. There was once a man who used to be distracted by other thoughts whenever he recited the Hundreds of Gods of Tushita (the Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga.) He would hold conversation with other people while reciting the text many times from start to finish. We also mouth the words of the texts, but meanwhile, our minds are engrossed in worldly matters. What little virtue we have is destroyed by anger or wrong views. Even our smallest nonvirtues double in size every day. Further, in past lives, when reborn as insect creatures, sea monsters, ferocious beasts of prey and so forth, we committed—what’s prey? Robina? [Robina: A victim.] What?

[General discussion]

And so forth. We’ve committed many enormous sins. These, in addition to the above mentioned sins, we have committed in this life constitute the vast number of very powerful sins we have accumulated. We are not capable of remedying all these before our death by expiating them and by refraining from repeating them. We know this is beyond our present capabilities. This proves by direct valid cognition that we are more familiar than nonvirtue than with virtue. The only possibility is that we shall go to the lower realms in our next rebirth. We cannot be confident of not going to the lower realms until we have achieved the patience level of the path of preparation. They say that even Mahatma bodhisattvas have been reborn there. Suppose you go to sleep tonight as a monk, in your nice room, on your soft bed. You then die because of some sudden, unfortunate occurrence.”

You don’t have to visualize a monk [GL, RL]. Anyway whatever the style is that.

“...in your nice room on your soft bed, you then die because of some sudden, unfortunate occurrence. By the time you would normally have awoken the next morning, you may already have arrived at the place where all the hills and valleys are filled with fire. What would you do then?” [GL, RL]

Probably somebody might think to take an airplane or helicopter [GL, RL]. Anyway, I’m joking. Every year there’s so many airplane crashes that the airplanes get burned by fire, every year there’s so many [RL, GL], so once the karma has ripened there’s no escape. Even the airplane. So anyway, [RL]....

“...you will not be sufficiently moved to develop renunciation if you simply meditate on how you may be born in the lower realms. In the same way that you stare at some object out of curiosity. As Nagarjuna said, Recollect the great heat or cold of the hells as if you had spent a day there. That is, you should meditate to produce inside into being born in this or that lower realm - what’s this? Is this the commentary, or what is that? This is what is not in the text or something? Commentary? Alle. What? The brackets? [Robina: Inaudible] It’s your commentary? Robina’s commentary [RL]. Anyway, [RL]....

THE HELLS
“...you should meditate to produce inside into being born in this or that lower realm. You must become afraid. We hold in high regard those meditations on having the divine body of a tutelary deity, but it would be much more beneficial in the beginning to meditate for a while on having a hell body. The sufferings of the hot hells will facilitate our first mental transformation and will produce our first development of renunciation. This is a wholesome result. We will also become sad. Sadness has great qualities. It gets rid of arrogant pride and so on as Shantideva said, The good quality of suffering is that it removes arrogance through sorrow. One develops compassion for the beings in samsara. Avoids sin and rejoices in virtue. It is easier for us to develop renunciation while in this optimum rebirth as a human being. For this reason we must meditate on suffering. The meditation on the suffering of the lower realms has three sections, thinking about sufferings, the first the hells, second the hungry ghosts, and three the animals.

“Thinking about the sufferings of the hells, this has four sub-headings: thinking about the sufferings of the great or hot hells. The hot hells are located as follows [Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, p. 366] ...between them.”

Again, this is a question of karma. It’s not the by going that much distance, then you see it, it’s not like that. As I brought up this morning during the introduction of the lower realms, the hell suffering, I talked about how liquid in a bowl appears for different sentient beings, it appears to have different qualities, pure, impure. So it’s the same. It talks about distance, but seeing or not seeing is due to karma, so like that. I mentioned before this morning relating to the place, here we see like this, but for lower beings, they don’t see it like this, they don’t see it like this, as clean, as we see it. It is much worse than this, that only in the nature of fire, much worse, either very dirty or in the nature of fire, like that. So then, for devas or for the buddhas, this place appears only the most pure. Buddhas have the appearance of a most pure place, a mandala, the appearance of the pure wisdom, so you have to think more on the side of the karma, like that. If one has karma to see the naraks then one sees them. If one doesn’t have karma to see, this is talking about the major hell, but ordinary naraks we normally see a lot, in the city, desert places or in the water, in the forest, anyway, ordinary naraks we see, but this is talking about the major naraks.

“All the ground is like red-hot iron [p. 366]........like falling asleep. You experience - this part is important, how one goes to the lower realms, this part is very important to understand, the circumstances, the conditions.

“...you develop a craving for heat.” So, for example, many times we see people who are dying, they feel so cold, and how many blankets are put on top, it never helps. Still that person feel so cold, no matter how many clothing added on, doesn’t help, so they are like this. And also, feeling so much hot, then one, because that makes to crave the cold, which causes to be born, the craving, the cold, then that becomes cause of the cold hell. That which directs rebirth the cold hell. So similar to the craving the hot, craving to that causes to be born in a hot hell.

“...so you develop a craving for heat...two types of fire.”

It is said that one, here is says like this, another text that, I don’t remember, maybe Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo that all the fires of the human realm, end of the time fire, many hundreds of times, so much more hotter than all the fire, by putting all the fire energy of the human realm then the one tiny fire spark of the hell is seven times much more hotter than end of the time fire, that which melts even the rocky mountains, all these things, so hot. So one tiny fire spark of hell is seven times much more hotter than end of the time fire.

“Let us compare...your body is like the...”

I think you may not have this, but what it’s talking about here are the people like Nepalese, those poor people, who walk without shoes or who work so hard, like porters carrying things, who walk on bare feet, so the skin of the feet becomes very thick and cracks, underneath, so I think Rinpoche is talking like that.

“This doesn’t happen: your body is like...eight such hot hells.”

So, there are a few that which makes the suffering of the hell so unbearable, the largest body, then the skin is so thin, like when we have infection that there’s a very, very thin skin there and whatever touches that we feel so much pain, even hairs or something touches, so much pain, very unbearable, anything that touches to that, like that, so, due to karma extremely thin skin. Then, the third thing that makes the suffering so great is even one spark of the fire unbelievable hot, as mentioned here, as I explained before. And then also there’s more, question of time, then, length of time is unbelievable, due to karma.

For example, there is a Sherpa man who went to Tibet, he was asked to come for porter, to carry things in Tibet by a Sherpa business man, one rich man from Namche Bazaar. So this young Sherpa boy got sick, when they were going over the snow, from Solu Khumbu. When you go to Tibet, you have to cross snow mountains. So this boy got sick but somehow the rich business person and all others left. Somehow the Sherpa boy was not taken care, he was left in the snow. He got sick so somehow it seems everybody left and he was left on the snow.

So snow fell on top of him, so his body is completely covered by snow, he was under the snow for seven days, with no food, nothing, completely under the snow. His feet were completely worn, completely finished. So but no food, nothing, under the snow for seven days. That’s due to karma, so somebody dies so easily, with a small condition, but somebody who has heavy karma lasts very long time, even without food, anything, and have to experience so much suffering, so it’s due to the power of karma, like that. I’ll say this part.

[p. 367] “The hell of the continual resurrection...bones to come together.”

So one thing and then, due to karma, the blood and flesh, even the drop of blood, due to weapons, the blood that sprinkles on the hot red burning iron ground, every drop of blood and flesh scattered, everything has consciousness. It’s different, because due to their heavy karma, even though for us when the limbs are cut, when the blood goes out, blood doesn’t have consciousness, but hell beings, due to their heavy karma, even the blood that goes out on the hot red burning ground, even they have consciousness, so, so much suffering.

[p. 367] Their bodies heal and become...anywhere near it.” Okay, maybe I’ll stop here. [RL, GL]

[Dedications, mandala]

Due to three times merits accumulated by me and by buddhas, bodhisattvas, due to all these merits, may the bodhicitta be generated within my mind and in the minds of other sentient beings. Those who have, may it be developed.

[End of Discourse]