LECTURE 13: 4 DECEMBER 1992

THE MIDDLE SCOPE BEING (CONT.)
As Lama Atisha explained in the Lamp for the Path, the graduated path to enlightenment, by dividing in three, through this Lama Atisha explained the three types of practitioners of this path, the three capable beings. The lower capable being, that who has trained the mind in the graduated path on the basis of guru devotion, then perfect human rebirth, usefulness and difficulty to find it again, and impermanence and death, then sufferings of the three lower realms, refuge and karma.

Then, the middle capable being who trained the mind, who generated renunciation of samsara by meditating on the true suffering and true cause of suffering, the evolution of the samsara, the twelve dependent related links and so forth. By meditating on these things, having realized how the samsara, the whole entire the happiness of samsara, how in reality it is only in the nature of suffering. It is not that something which is not suffering then looking at it as suffering, it is not like that, it’s something that which is suffering but we do not realize it, but we are hallucinated of it, looking at it as a pleasure. Like a person who is possessed by a spirit, then even where there is a cliff, being hallucinated sees as if there is a road. Due to disease or due to the mind being affected by drug, where there is a cliff, not seeing there is a cliff, seeing as a beautiful park or comfortable road to go. Seeing like that.

THE MIDDLE SCOPE BEING (NOT SEEING SAMSARA AS A PLEASURE PARK)
It is mentioned in the Guru Puja, Lama Chöpa, in this teaching of the Highest Tantra practice that which most profound means, Highest Tantra means, which causes to achieve full enlightenment unified state of Vajradhara in this very brief lifetime of degenerated time. Uncountable, so many former, those pandits, yogis, from India, Nepal, so forth, and Tibet, so many, that they achieved the full enlightenment within some years by practicing, integrating their life with this practice, the Guru Puja. However, in this teaching it is mentioned that, “Please grant me blessings to be able to hold the banner of the liberation by avoiding the thought, the mind seeing the samsara which is like unbearable prison, into seeing this as beautiful, joyful, pleasant park, happy park, and by keeping the treasure, the three higher trainings and the aryan beings wealth.”

So, first, if it is described a little, just brief. Avoiding the mind seeing samsara, which is like unbearable prison, as a pleasure park. The samsara, the city is not samsara, the mountains are not samsara, the farm, fields are not samsara, cars are not samsara. So, what is samsara? Samsara is this consciousness, this mind which experiences so much suffering, this is samsara. This body which experiences so much problems, this is samsara. So now, the association of this body and mind, this which is the container of all the problems, which feels hunger, thirst, hot and cold, which experiences all these problems, this is what is called samsara, which means in English “circling.”

So those materials, houses, clothing, food and so forth, all these things are samsaric, perfection of samsara. Probably that in English “perfection” means something else, I’m not sure. Perfection probably doesn’t mean what I want [RL]. In Tibetan, term ko-rwai pun-tsog, I don’t remember seeing, this translation is probably my own translation, I don’t remember seeing from somebody else’s translation, I don’t remember. Pun-tsog [RL] pun-tsog means perfect, complete, so this are the needs for this body, for the mind, needs. Probably Robina knows what to translate. [reply inaudible] Yeah, you don’t know? I wish she might be expert translator. How do the others translate? [reply inaudible] What? Marvelous? Marble? What’s that? Marvel? [Laughter]. Not the marble stone. [Laughter] I’m joking. No, usually pun-tsog is kind of perfection, perfect. So that you have got cars, swimming pools, house, friends and that TV, what else, Mercedes. [Rinpoche laughs] So you have all the enjoyments. So people say perfect. It’s like that, I think not quite marvel. Have job, everything, all the rest. What? Anyway, so what samsara, circling is this one, this is pointing to one’s own present samsara, the association of body and mind, which experiences suffering the samsara.

So, without this, without such this mind which experiences suffering, such this body which experiences suffering, then we are free from samsara. But as long as we have such this mind, which experiences suffering, then we are not free from samsara. Such this body experiencing suffering, we are not free from samsara. Just putting it in simple way, it is like this.

So we have to know that this is extremely important analysis, why our mind have to suffer? Why does it experience suffering? Why we don’t have mind that doesn’t suffer? Why we don’t have the body that doesn’t experience pain, doesn’t experience suffering? Why our body and mind, why they experience pain? That reason is extremely important to study. Understanding clearly, in depth, and to meditate, that is extremely important. So, only then we come to know that if you don’t have this, such this mind that experiences suffering, such this body experiencing suffering, if we are completely free from this it means that we are liberated. So then you get the idea of liberation. If you are free from this, such this nature of mind and body, then it means you are liberated from the whole suffering. So, by knowing, even by intellectually knowing, through listening, practice of listening, studying, reading Dharma books, even just by intellectually knowing what is the cause of this samsara, what created this samsara, by knowing this, even by intellectually by doing listening to teachings of the holy Dharma, by studying, one comes to know that one has the answer in the mind, that in order to be liberated from this samsara, from such these aggregates, which is in the nature of suffering, in order to be free from this, one must be free from the cause of this samsara, one must eliminate, cut, the continuation of the cause, that which is the cause of samsara, that which is the karma and disturbing thoughts. The answer is one must cease this.

THE FIVE PATHS
Even the followers of the Lesser Vehicle path, the path to achieve liberation for oneself, just only from the suffering of samsara, and the causes, just free only from this, achieve this for oneself, the followers of the Lesser Vehicle path, Hinayana path. There are five paths: the path of accumulation (merit), path of preparation, then right seeing path, the path of meditation and the path of no-more-learning. So, even by achieving the second path, the first path has within that there are three categories, the small path of merit, middle path of merit, great path of merit. So, within that, there are three levels.

Then path of preparation of conjunction, within that they have four levels, four stages. First is the heat, H-E-A-T, heat [RL], then point, maybe probably better tip, translated tip or the top, then patience, then sublime Dharma. So there are four categories within the second path, path of conjunction. So when one achieve the heat, top, patience, when one achieve the third level, patience, then that time, one has full confidence forever to not be reborn, never to be reborn in the hell, in the preta, animal realms, never to be reborn in the lower realm. Only then one achieves full confidence, the path of conjunction. There are five paths to achieve liberation, so the second path, path of preparation, within that there are four, so the third one, patience, so only then one achieve full confidence from now on never to be reborn in the lower realms.

So this is same. Even the Lesser Vehicle path, the Hinayana path, so the same, also the Mahayana path to achieve full enlightenment also has five paths. So it has path of conjunction similar four categories. So it’s same. Without actualizing the Hinayana path, even if somebody straight enter in the Mahayana path, so when one achieve path of preparation, the third level of patience, that is the same. One will achieve full confidence from now on never to be reborn in the lower realms. It’s the same.

When one has achieved the third path, the right-seeing path, then this right-seeing path, within this, the equipoise and what is other word? equipoise and what? subsequent? [reply inaudible] subsequent achievement. So the right seeing path, within that there are two like this, then within the equipoise there are uninterrupted, the… [break in taping]

HOW TO PRACTICE DHARMA
Even within one hour one creates so many causes of samsara, creates so many causes of future samsara, as we don’t apply meditation, as we don’t keep the mind in Dharma, because the seed is there, delusion rises, then motivate karma, leaves imprint on the mind, cause of future life samsara, the suffering realm.

So, as we talked at the beginning of the course, how everything is created by the mind, how everything comes from one’s own mind, now, you see, so, that we meditated, as we thought our lives and did meditation, did analysis that how all the appearances of the six senses how everything came from the mind. So now here how all the six realms, including human, everything, whole entire suffering, how all this comes from one’s own mind, how all this, which one is experiencing, which one will be experiencing, how all this comes from one’s own mind. So, you see, one understand even from the definition, what samsara means, even from that, the meaning of samsara that explains, that even from this meaning, the definition, one can understand, how all the six realms, all these sufferings which one experienced, which one is experiencing now, which one will be experiencing in the future, all this, how this is coming from one’s own mind, creation of one’s own mind.

So therefore, since you do not like suffering, do not like problems, want happiness, then there’ no other way, the only solution is to practice Dharma, no other way. The only solution is to watch the mind, after that then protect the mind, which means practicing Dharma, changing one’s own attitude becoming the cause of suffering, samsara, then you transform the attitude from that, from the cause of suffering into the path, into Dharma, the cause of liberation, full enlightenment, cause of happiness, one transform the mind, attitude of everyday life into cause of happiness, cause of liberation, full enlightenment. So that is what is called practicing Dharma. When one does this, when this is happening, then one is practicing Dharma.

PERVASIVE COMPOUNDING SUFFERING
So as I mentioned before that, from this, one gets the idea why this is called samsara, why these aggregates is called samsara, circling. Then, this one, this explanation that I have just done, that also explains the very important, the third suffering, the pervasive compounding suffering, it describes that. The explanation what I explained before that is also the explanation of the third suffering, the most important one that we have to meditate, that we have to realize, the suffering that we have to realize, the most important one and the main suffering from where we should be liberated, from where we should be free, so the pervasive compounding suffering - there’s suffering of pain, suffering of change, the temporary samsaric pleasures, the third one, pervasive compounding suffering, the Tibetan term, chak-pa du-che kyi-tung-wa, the pervasive compounding suffering.

These aggregates are caused by karma and delusion, the impure cause, and these aggregates are contaminated the seed of disturbing thoughts, that is also pervasive. Then comes the result, compounding, then comes the function or the result, compounding. Then because of the seed of disturbing thoughts which is there in the aggregate, the mental continuum, then, by meeting the object, condition, the cause is the seed, then the condition, by meeting the object, then the delusion rises. For example, right now, even there’s no strong anger right now, but sooner or later, if somebody looks at you in a strange way, somebody behaves towards you that you don’t like, how his eyes look at you or how the person behaves towards you, disrespectfully, arrogant or not being humble. You do something for that person, you do a favor for that person and the person stayed quiet, didn’t thank you, sooner or later, when we meet an object that which one doesn’t like, so you see, then suddenly as we don’t control our mind by applying the meditations, so during that time if we don’t practice Dharma, then the mind becomes uncontrolled, mind is controlled by anger. Suddenly anger rises. If there’s no anger now here, visible anger is not rising now, but sooner or later, if somebody says something that you don’t want to hear, that you don’t like, then stronger anger suddenly can come out, manifest out, completely control the mind, completely occupy the mind. Completely invaded, completely took over the mind like a waterfall, no, not waterfall, like a flood that covers the whole city. The anger completely invaded one’s own life or one’s own mind.

Because the seed is there, so delusion rises then that motivates karma, then leaves a seed on the mental continuum and that produces future life suffering realm samsara, so that’s compounding suffering. So these aggregates is compounding future life samsara, future life suffering. So compounding, so pervasive, it describes what this samsara, these aggregates, what it is, it describes that, the evolution of this, what made of this.

Pervasive compounding suffering is the function what these aggregates does, so these aggregates itself is nature of suffering, like this, the pervasive compounding. If we are liberated from this pervasive compounding suffering, this samsara, the aggregates, then we do not experience at all the suffering of change, the suffering of pain, all those other types of sufferings. Without the body, if you don’t have this body then you don’t have to, when you feel itching, like you don’t have to scratch, and then also you don’t have to make wound by scratching, for example, leprosy disease, like that, if you don’t have this body, in the first place if we didn’t create this body, then, didn’t take this body, didn’t create this body, and didn’t take this body, we don’t have to itch [RL], doesn’t experience this, you know, then also by scratching making this worse, making infection. So the body is the pervasive compounding suffering, then the itching, when you scratch feel pleasure, suffering of change, then the infection getting worse, then those pains, those things, then suffering of pain..

This gives some rough idea what samsara is, just little idea of what samsara is. So no, the verse from the Lama Chöpa, Guru Puja, says, “The mind seeing the samsara, which is like the unbearable prison, as a pleasant park.” These aggregates, samsara, which is in the nature of impermanence, but appears as permanent, mind is appearing as permanent, body is appearing to us as permanent, and the self, the I, is also appearing to us, even though it is in the nature of impermanence, existing by depending on cause and conditions, but it is appears to us as a permanent phenomenon. However, all these are hallucinations, all these are illusions, all these are hallucinations. While they are impermanent phenomena but they appear to us as permanent.

Why do these impermanent things are appearing as permanent, why? It is same, that is same as I described how the truly existent appearance, why we have this - it is the same. The concept of permanence, that which is wrong concept, the impermanent phenomena appeared as permanent, then believing that is true, so this past wrong concept, concept of permanence, left imprint on our mental continuum and then this imprint then projects permanent appearance on the impermanent phenomena. So it projects the hallucination, the appearance of permanence, which is not true, so, on these impermanent phenomena. So then our mind believes that is true, so that time we are creating wrong concept, concept of permanence. So, then, this is one, how we the samsaric beings looking at samsara as a pleasant park, all these things are permanent while they are not.

THE SUFFERING OF CHANGE
Then the other thing is, so feelings what these aggregates experience is three, undesirable feeling, feeling tiredness or hunger and so forth, the feeling of discomfort when it becomes very gross, when it becomes noticeable as discomfort, then that time it becomes undesirable and one labels “suffering”. When the discomfort feeling compounded by the action—whether sitting, standing, eating, walking, doing job, working, whatever the lifestyle what one does—the new action the discomfort, the feeling that which is discomfort compounded by the new action, when it is so small it is not noticeable as discomfort, then that feeling one labels “pleasure.” But when that feeling which is discomfort compounded by the new action then, another action that which compounded another problem, that action you stop, then the second action, which compounded that feeling which is discomfort, the second after having done the action, there’s a feeling generated, but that feeling is already from the very beginning, discomfort. Before when it is unnoticeable, one labels as pleasure, but when that feeling is increased by continuing the action, which compounds that feeling more and more, and when that feeling becomes gross and noticeable as discomfort, when it becomes unbearable then that time it becomes suffering of pain. So however, even the pleasure what these aggregates, samsara, these aggregates experience, depending on the external objects, by meeting the sense objects, even this what is called pleasure, it is only suffering feeling in the reality. So one’s own mind labeled as pleasure and appeared as pleasure, but not pure happiness in reality.

So however, so like this, looking at samsara as, such as feelings which are only in the nature of suffering but looking at them as pure happiness, as real pleasure. So that is another one, that looking at samsara as a pleasant park.

SAMSARA IS NOT A PLEASURE PARK
For example, when poor people who are working very hard, doing pottery?, or those who don’t have home or job, when a beggar or poor people look at rich people with cars, TV, swimming pools, all these things, having company, having factory, having business, however, when the poor people look at the rich people, when they look at from outside, it looks like there’s no suffering there. In their view there’s no suffering there, how pleasant, they find attraction in the life of the rich people, having all the materials, surrounding people, the friends and so forth, having power, having reputation, so they find much attraction there and it looks like there’s no suffering there. But actually that, the reality is not like that. What they see from outside, it seems there’s no problem, there’s no suffering there, such a happy life, such a successful life. It is not like that. Materially it may be successful, but not having success in regards happiness of life, that, you see, success in regards not having problems, in reality it’s not like that. The reality is completely different. There is so much suffering there.

Even in India, you see, one problem that many wealthy people, that at home there’s big problem, looking very nice when they come in the parties, looking very nice when they go out, when you don’t talk to them, when you just see, just say a few words, Hello and this and that, then you don’t see their problems. But if you talk a little bit more, then you can see more and more suffering. The more you talk, the more you become closer to them, the more you spend time with them, you can see more and more suffering in their life and many of them, outside like this, but inside the home there’s big problem, there’s huge problem. The wife externally looks rich and all these things, with expensive cars and all these things, but in reality mind is living in great sorrow, with a husband who is a complete alcoholic. In the mind of the husband there’s also much worry and fear, there’s so much problem, losing power, reputation, and so many things, so much concern, so much expectation, so much fear and worry of not gaining wealth but losing wealth, to become poor. No matter how much even the person has, worry, fears of becoming poorer than other rich people, that you go down, that you become weaker or poorer than other wealthy people, the competition, there is so much worry and fear. However, there’s so many problems in the mind, in the life.

To suppress this, to get rest from these problems, from all these worries and fears, they start taking drugs, drinking alcohol. When one drinks alcohol during those times one don’t feel those problems, suppress the problems—the problem is there but the power of alcohol affects the body then that affects the mind. I guess it’s possessed by the effect of the alcohol, however, the mind not to become sensitive to the problems. However, then they beat the wife, so her life is in great fear all the time that, so she’s always getting beaten, or no freedom at all, living the life under great fear. Great fear to be beaten, to be killed, by the husband. So, like that, there’s so much problems, in both of the persons’ lives there’s so much problem, there’s no happiness.

So outside looking like successful, as if there’s no problem, but if you really meet them, in the sense they express their own mind, their life, then you see totally only suffering. So like this, so looking at samsara as a pleasant park.

Also, I read in one magazine, there talked about one man who’s regarded most successful in the world, which described his success in material terms—his business, how many companies that person has and how much money he made and so forth, that is the description. But, however, it also described that person’s personal life. The personal life is completely disaster [GL, RL], filled with problems, that can’t manage anything or something like that, is that right? What’s the name of the person? [GL] I think you know that anyway [GL]. In charge of CNN, what? Who’s in charge of CNN?

So anyway, similar to the wealthy person, the rich people or those people who have power, leaders of the country, those who have power and so forth, so the wealthy person who has many businesses, who has many, many companies, and so forth, the person who has power, reputation, the leader of the country, so however, there’s so much suffering, so many problems. This is because basically because of not practicing Dharma, living the life with anger, jealous mind and the dissatisfied mind, attachment, living the life with these attitudes so then it creates many problems, with this mind, living the life with anger, dissatisfied mind attachment so forth, jealous mind and so forth, then living the life with these attitudes, it creates many, many problems, it creates many discrimination, it creates many problems, many unnecessary, does many unnecessary things and creates many problems. So disharmony with people, many other people don’t like that person, criticize that person, don’t like that person, so many things, besides experiencing the problems of past life, karma, the past karma, besides that then living the life attitude with these jealous mind, anger, attachment and so forth, the methods what come out of these attitudes, all these methods are wrong, always it creates problems. With the attitude, the method what comes, what you meant to be for happiness, for success, but because the attitude is all this, the attitude is ignorance, anger, attachment, jealousy, all these things, pride and so forth so then the means, method what comes out of this is always something that which harms other people, harms oneself, harms others. So it’s the nature of the work that is done out of this negative attitude.

Then there’s addition problems, besides experiencing the result of past negative karma then there’s these additional problems in the life. So it creates so many problems. Separating from the desirable object, meeting the undesirable object, not finding satisfaction, all these things, then when one can’t handle it, the thought to commit suicide comes, then even one finds attraction for a bird. “Oh the bird has no responsibility [RL]. This bird landing on the round house has no responsibility, flying around, so free, so seeing happiness in the bird.” That again looking at samsara as a pleasant park, you see, again doesn’t realize how those life has so much suffering, doesn’t see. So because of your problem, seeing others as pleasant, as happy life. Then they look at the beggars just begging food for themselves, so they don’t have all this responsibility, they don’t have worry all these family, all these reputation and power and all these things, all this competition, so again see that how happy life that they have, the beggars, how they are free, they don’t have problems. So again there’s hallucination, projecting that, looking at samsara as a pleasant park. So the beggar, that poor person has also their own sufferings, problems.

THE GENERAL SUFFERINGS OF SAMSARA
As long as we are in samsara, wherever we look at, whatever different lifestyle, even one live in the city, it is suffering; even one live in the countryside, it’s suffering; even one travels in the world, to see the whole world, suffering; even one doesn’t travel, it is suffering; even one becomes farmer, even one, Oh how lovely, how beautiful it is to become farmer, to have your own farm, your own vegetables growing [GL, RL], to have your own fruit, your own things growing from the field, from your own garden. However, again, it is only suffering. Even if one lives alone, it is suffering, even if one lives in a community. You know somebody says, “Oh community, something to live outside of the city, somewhere, mountain or community that you raise animals” and then you think, “Oh, how wonderful it is,” but then after one join in the community it’s full of problems [GL, RL]. So many things—then again one escapes from that [GL]. So however, so even if one become waiter in a restaurant, anyway, even if one become beggar, then suffering; even if one become the President, the leader of the country, the king, it’s suffering. So, that even if one becomes a singer, a very famous musician, again there is suffering. There’s again similar lot of problems, like the wealthy person, the famous singer, famous musicians, you see, so much worry, fear, to lose reputation, power, things, that not becoming successful, better than others. So, unable to be better, so many worries, fears, so many problems, and that, the person who makes jokes, many hours, comedian, I heard that the person who constantly brings the subject to make laugh, to joke, so there’s a lot of worry, fear, that not being successful, that the people not laughing, each time when he makes jokes, the people not laughing, that there’s much worry. [RL]

Anyway, so whatever style of life that, however, you see, as long as one is in samsara whatever style of life of these things in the world, so, only suffering. Before one joins in that one see as a beautiful park, the pleasant park, but once one involved in that then one experience so many problems. So, like that.

“Grant me blessings to hold the banner of the liberation, to achieve the liberation.” A banner is something that you put on the top of the temple or house, so here you see, liberation, this is the high achievement, that, to achieve the liberation, the ultimate happiness, the very high achievement, the experience, by avoiding the mind seeing whole samsara that which like the unbearable prison as a pleasant park, which means seeing in the wrong way, hallucination. Then, “By keeping the treasure the three higher trainings and the arya being’s jewel,” There are seven aryan being’s jewels, wealth: devotion, perseverance, so forth, there are about seven, I think also wisdom, aryan being’s wealth, the quality of mind. “By keeping the treasure of the three higher trainings and Aryan beings’ jewel, those transcendent beings’ wealth.” So this is the path.

So just a little more, what happened this morning is, just a little more explanation on samsara, the graduated path of the middle capable being. So it’s like that. So I stop here.

[Dedications]

THE EVOLUTION OF SAMSARA
So, one watches the mind in the daily life, one watches the mind and then when there’s danger to rise, in other words, watches the mind and keeps the mind in Dharma. If one doesn’t keep the mind in Dharma, in the path, then, by applying the meditations from the graduated path to enlightenment, then because the seed of disturbing thoughts is there, then the delusion rises and then the ignorance, anger, attachment, so forth rise, which then motivate karma, and the karma leaves imprint on the mental continuum, then that imprint get actualized, so then that time the future life samsara, that which is the result, it happened, so it happens.

The continuation of this samsara, the consciousness aggregate continues, it joins the next life, whether it is such as formless where there is no body, where there is no form, whether after the death one reincarnate as formless being, then there’s only the samsara, the aggregate, the consciousness, the mind, there’s only the mind, there’s no body. Otherwise, the consciousness aggregate, the samsara, this present one, the continuation of this goes, joins to the next life. It migrates, taking form, then with that samsara, whether it is desire realm, deva or human being or hell, the preta, animal, however, then this samsara, the association of body and mind, one experiences all that suffering. If it’s a human being then it experiences all those eight types of suffering, if it’s a hell being, experience all those sufferings, the hot and cold, then if it’s hungry ghost, hunger and thirst, major suffering; then animal, being extremely foolish and being eaten by another one and so forth—so experience those sufferings.

So like this, one continuously circles from one life to another life, the continuation of samsara. The consciousness joins the aggregates join, creating the next life’s samsara, then that continuation joins next life aggregates, then that continuation again joins to the next life, the samsara, the aggregates, so it circles, the continuation of samsara, the aggregates circles from one life to another life, so on and on like this and experiences suffering—the general suffering of samsara, the particular suffering of each realm, again and again, again and again, so it goes on and on without end until we cut off the continuation of the samsara, the aggregates, the joining from one life to another life, joining again and again the next life the aggregates.

Until we break this continuation that is circling, that is joining, that is circling again and again, until we break this then one continuously reincarnates and experiences the suffering of samsara. As the continuation of samsara did not have beginning, so then, until we break this continuation of circling, also there’s no end. So, there’s no, our suffering, experiencing suffering of samsara has no end, samsara has no end.

That’s why these aggregates are labeled “samsara” which means circling, it’s labeled according to the function it does, continuation of this joins from one life to another life, from one aggregates to the next, the samsara, the aggregates. Like the bicycle, what function it does is circles, so it’s called, by that function it’s called “bicycle”, “cycle.” So similar, these aggregates which does this function of circling, then from one aggregates to another aggregates, that, so this is labeled, so this is called “circling” or in Sanskrit “samsara”.

BEING YOURSELF
In our everyday life, if we watch the mind and apply the meditations, then, even there’s the seed of disturbing thoughts within our mental continuum, that delusion doesn’t rise and doesn’t motivate karma and doesn’t leave the seed of the future life samsara the suffering realm. So as we do not apply the meditation, do not watch the mind, do not apply the meditation, then every day, even within hour, by meeting these various objects—desirable, undesirable, indifferent—as we do not watch our mind and do not apply meditation, in other words as we do not look after our own mind. One leaves oneself as it is, lets it, one doesn’t take care of oneself, like the mother or father leaving the baby, you let the child, you don’t take care of the child, you let the child to do whatever the child wants. Rather than taking care, you let it to be whatever it’s going to be or whatever it does, the old habit or how yourself have been, it’s always being friend with the delusions, always friends with ignorance, always being friends with the dissatisfied minds of attachment and anger. This is how one has been so far, from beginningless rebirths, not only from this birth, but from beginningless rebirths this is how one has been. This is the old one, the old way, the old style.

This is the way you think to be yourself, “I want to be myself. I want to be free, I want to be myself.” There is no problem with that if what you are, is the correct path, the unmistaken one. If you are not following the cause of suffering, if your mind is not having anger, not having ignorance, attachment, not having the self-cherishing thought. If this is what you are, then that is right thing to be, you can be yourself. If what you are is, I don’t want to become anything, I want to be myself, just myself. I don’t want to become something, I want to be free, I want to be myself. If what your self or your mind, if “what you are” is not having ignorance, anger, attachment, not having self-cherishing thought, then this way, you have no problem and you can be yourself [GL, RL]. This way there’s no danger you to be yourself. You to be how you have been, there’s no problem.

But if you are not like that, but if your mind is not like that, then “Oh, I don’t want to become something, I want to be free, I want to be myself, leave me alone [GL, RL]. Leave me alone! [RL] I want to be myself.” I think that is a big mistake, a big mistake. If “what you are,” what your mind is, is the self-cherishing thought, ignorance, anger, attachment, if all these are what your mind is, all these causes of suffering, all the obstacles for not only ultimate happiness, even for temporary happiness, then this philosophy, this way of thinking, becomes a great obstacle to achieve all the ultimate, temporary happiness, to fulfill all the wishes. It becomes a great obstacle. One becomes an enemy to oneself, not allowing the mind to follow the unmistaken path to the liberation, you become enemy to yourself, you yourself, you made yourself to become the enemy or the interferer, not allowing yourself to achieve liberation, to achieve cessation of the whole entire suffering and causes.

So, “I don’t want to become something—I want to be myself,” that is a sign of ignorance, a sign of not knowing, not having Dharma understanding, not having understanding what is right thing, what is wrong thing, what is right thing to practice and wrong thing to be abandoned, not knowing these things, karma, not knowing karma, not knowing the path to happiness, not having the Dharma wisdom understanding the path to happiness.

LECTURE 14: 5 DECEMBER 1992 AM

THE EIGHT MAHAYANA PRECEPTS
In order to do a practical benefit towards other sentient beings, the one most practical benefit towards the world, towards other sentient beings, that is to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts. So before taking these Eight Mahayana Precepts one should generate, not just a virtuous motivation, not just a motivation, first of all, a motivation seeking the happiness of this life, that is nonvirtuous motivation, so that makes the action nonvirtue, that which has result suffering. So, it is not right even the virtuous motivation, the motivation seeking happiness of future lives, seeking happiness beyond from this life, that which is virtue, even that is not sufficient or even that is not right. Then even the motivation seeking liberation, cessation of the whole entire suffering and causes for oneself, even it is a virtuous motivation better than before, more pure than before, higher than before but still this is not right. So, now, what sort of motivation, the virtuous motivation should be generated within one’s own mind in order to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts, the Mahayana ordination the reviving and purifying, so in order to take this, then one must generate the motivation, the most pure motivation, bodhicitta.

So there are a few differences, these Eight Mahayana Precepts and in Theravada or Hinayana, according to Hinayana the eight precepts, that which is practiced, that which is explained by, which is practiced by the Hinayanist, the eight precepts, the one the eight precepts of the, which is called nyer-ne, the eight precepts, meaning abiding, which might mean abiding in the method which brings closer to the liberation. So the Hinayana, the eight precepts to achieve liberation for self, that doesn’t have the motivation of bodhicitta, taking the eight precepts in order to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all mother sentient beings, to free them from all the sufferings and to lead to enlightenment, so the eight precepts of individual liberation, which means the liberation for oneself, for each individual being.

Here these Eight Mahayana Precepts should be taken with the motivation of bodhicitta, then, also, the eight precepts, the Hinayana, to achieve liberation for self doesn’t need, it doesn’t have the lama who gives the vow, this ordination, to be visualized, to clarify in the aspect of Buddha, to look at it as Buddha that is, it doesn’t have, taking the eight precepts of the liberation for oneself and here it involves looking at it, Buddha, because these Eight Mahayana Precepts from where it came is from tantra, it’s not from sutra, the references, from which teaching came it’s not from sutra, it came from tantra, there are four tantras, it came from the lower tantra, Kriya Tantra, so therefore the fundamental practice of tantra is, you stop the impure appearances and impure concepts and keep the mind in the pure thought and pure appearances, that is the very fundamental practice of all four tantras, so that’s why here it involves visualizing the lama, the guru who gives the vow, to look at it Buddha, to visualize, in the essence and aspect, from the side of the disciple. So here this practice has to be done.

Then also visualizing all the buddhas and bodhisattvas around. So here one visualize the lama who gives vow, then one visualize Guru Shakyamuni Buddha essence, looking at the essence from the side of the disciple who is taking the vow, then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, then also aspect Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, one has to visualize like this and that is surrounded by numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas, like that.

And also the eight precepts of Hinayana, eight precepts of the liberation for self doesn’t involved avoiding black food, so but here, Eight Mahayana Precepts it involves, not only the eight precepts but in addition, avoiding the black food: meat, onion, garlic, these things. There are also secondary ones but these are the basic ones, to avoid black food, which means it pollutes the, this substance it is not pure nature, arises desirous thoughts. By eating these things it somehow it obstacle or pollutes the body, then it affects the mind. So in Kriya Tantra, the main emphasis is to keep the body clean, because the body is the vehicle of mind, so by keeping the body clean, pure then it helps the mind to be clear and pure, so then it helps for concentration, for successful meditation. So that is because emphasis of Kriya Tantra is both inner yoga and outer yoga. Outer yoga is to keep the body clean. Therefore this practice came from Kriya Tantra so that’s why it involves avoiding black food. So there are a few addition things which the eight precepts to achieve liberation for self doesn’t have and here these things have to be practiced.

[Offering tea]

So please enjoy the tea, so while you’re having tea I just go over the motivation.

By following the wrong concept—life, the I, the self, phenomena which are impermanent, one’s own body, possessions, friend, enemy, stranger, so forth, these things—these phenomena which are impermanent, by apprehending them as permanent, then, such as our body, which is nature of impurity, which nature is impure, unclean. As Nagarjuna, who made clear and extensive explanation of the Mahayana teaching, explained in the teaching The Jewel Garland, and also in Bodhicaryavatara, The Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, by great bodhisattva Shantideva, how this body is a sack, a container, containing thirty-six unclean things, thirty-six dirty things. While this body is unclean, impure, then apprehending this as clean, then being attached to this. Believing in this way, then one becomes attached, one clings.

THE SUFFERING OF SAMSARA
So with these wrong concept, samsaric pleasure—which is only in the nature of suffering— one apprehends as pure happiness and then phenomena such as the I, which are empty of existing from their own side, one apprehends them as truly existent—due to following these wrong concepts, then one has suffering, one experiences the general suffering of samsara, particularly the three lower realms’ sufferings numberless times from the beginningless rebirths of samsara. So, first one should meditate on this, feel this.

The general sufferings of samsara, the six types, the four types, three types and so forth, and particularly the sufferings of the hell, preta, animals, have been experienced numberless times, from beginningless life of samsara, oneself and other sentient beings.

Without a wandering mind, without mind being distracted by external objects, then by bringing back into one’s own heart, if one seriously thinks that these experiences, how one’s own life has been from the beginningless life of the samsara, it is something so inconceivable or unbearable, that which makes unable to eat food or sleep, that experience, having experienced all the sufferings of samsara numberless times from the beginningless rebirths. All the human sufferings, the eight types of the human sufferings, experienced numberless times, worldly gods their problems one has experienced numberless times, and hell sufferings one has experienced numberless times, hungry ghost and animal sufferings one has experienced numberless times. That all the problems we experience in this life is nothing new, any problem we experience, any problem of samsara is nothing new, nothing is the first time, relationship problems, with any person, with any sentient being is nothing new, this is not the first time, one has experienced them numberless times.

All the other sentient beings also have been suffering like this. If one still follows these wrong conceptions then one will have to experience the suffering of samsara without end, all these general and particular sufferings of each realm, one will have to experience numberless times, without end. So from the heart if you seriously think, if we seriously look at our wrong conceptions and the result, the suffering of samsara, what we will have to experience numberless times without end, also in the future, it is something that which cracks the heart. If one seriously looks at it, it is something which cracks the heart.

It’s the same thing also with all other sentient beings, by following the wrong conception also will have to experience suffering of samsara without end. At this time, we have received this perfect human rebirth which is extremely rare to find, we have received this time, which gives all the opportunity to practice Dharma and have met the virtuous friend who is extremely rare to meet, who shows the unmistaken path to the peace, and another extremely rare thing to meet is Buddhadharma, so we have met this time so therefore we have all the opportunities to practice Dharma, to achieve highest, the full enlightenment. So, therefore, just to achieve liberation for self is not sufficient, one must achieve full enlightenment, while we have all these opportunities, for the sake of all the kind mother sentient beings, who are the source of all one’s own enjoyment, all one’s own happiness, past, present, future, all the happiness, including liberation, enlightenment. Each sentient being is the source of all one’s own happiness, every singly enjoyment and comfort.

And all the sufferings, all the problems, all the failures, all the obstacles, all these things came from the self-cherishing thought. All the undesirable things came from the self-cherishing thought, so therefore, cherishing the I, so everything, all the undesirable things came from the I, came from the self, so therefore the I is to be renounced, the I is an object to be renounced forever and others, since all the happiness, all the enjoyment, temporary, ultimate, every, all the goodness, everything came from bodhicitta, cherishing other sentient beings, that means all one’s own good things, all the desirable things came from others, other sentient beings, from each sentient being, received by the kindness of each sentient being. All the desirable things, past, present and future, including enlightenment, all the realizations, everything, every single comfort, so therefore others are object forever oneself to cherish.

AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRECEPTS PRAYER
In one’s own life, there is nobody to cherish other than the sentient beings, there is nobody to work for other than the sentient beings. Other than the working for sentient beings everything else is meaningless, is empty. Doesn’t have meaning, empty. So, therefore, now, since this is the meaning of my life, purpose of my living, so therefore, so now what service I should do for other sentient beings? If you look at what sentient beings want, what they don’t want, what they want is happiness, what they do not want is suffering. So therefore the full enlightenment is the peerless happiness that they need to achieve, this is what is missing for them and this is what they need to achieve, even they do not understand that there is such experience, that it can be achieved, even they do not understand the path and such achievement, however, in reality, this is what they need to achieve. Therefore I must free all sentient beings from all the sufferings and lead to peerless happiness, the full enlightenment. Then, first without oneself achieving the omniscient mind and perfect power to guide them and completed the mind training in compassion towards all sentient beings, without completing these qualities, no way you can do perfect service, no way you can do perfect work towards all sentient beings, without the slightest mistake.

So therefore who can do perfect work for other sentient beings without the slightest mistake, perfect service for others, that is only by enlightened being. So therefore I must achieve full enlightenment. Then, in order to actualize this, depends on cause, depends on the path, actualizing the path, the graduated path to enlightenment, so in order to actualize the graduated path to enlightenment, then that depends the fundamental practice, protecting karma, which is the very first Dharma practice, beginning of the practice of Dharma, protecting karma, practicing morality, so, however, in order to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings I’m going to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts, the Mahayana ordination, the reviving and purifying.

Yeah, then, please do three prostrations with the visualization as I explained before of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, visualizing the lama in Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, surrounded by numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Those who can kneel, then you can kneel down. Then those who can’t, those who have pain, then just kind of relax [RL].

Then please repeat the prayer, thinking that you are repeating to, by visualizing that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is saying this prayer, the ceremony, the prayers and you’re repeating that. Can I have the text? [Rinpoche leads precepts prayer in English]

“...in order to benefit them” is temporary benefit, you see, then next one “liberate” means ultimate, in order to give them ultimate benefit as well.

“In order to eliminate famine.” So one should remember in the heart, not only the problems of sentient beings in this world, but there are numberless worlds so one should think all sentient beings’ problems of famine, those who are experiencing now, those who will be experiencing in the future, so should think of all.

“In order to eliminate sicknesses.” Then one should remember in the heart, all the sick people who are in hospitals, that who are not sure going to be survived today or not, through operations and so forth. There are people who are having heart attacks right now, even right now there are so many people who are having heart attack or difficult to breathe, that many people, whole families, many relatives, friends, so many people around, doctors, and couldn’t help anything, that they are surrounded by doctors, families, friends, and can’t do anything. So, things like that, that in the hospitals, so remember all those who have AIDS, cancer, the sick people, and those who are at home, however, think of all those sentient beings who are experiencing sicknesses now and who will be experiencing sicknesses in the future. So should think of all. So, in order to eliminate their sicknesses, then one is taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts. So, one should relate, I am taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts for them. So all those people in Africa and those places where there are so many dying of starvation, such unbelievable poor conditions, and no food, and eating insects, eating animals, so, eating worms, eating insects, remember all those, so taking Eight Mahayana Precepts to free them from all these sufferings.

“...until sunrise tomorrow.” It seems this is shortened, seems this is made short [RL], I think it should have these words, I think it’s again repeated, you know, “I will also, in order for this, this, this...”, but anyway, in essence nothing missing.

[Second repetition]

Oh, I see, it is repeated. I made a mistake! [RL] I thought it’s shortened, but it’s my own mistake, I didn’t watch carefully.

So please repeat third time also, then at the end of the third repetition, then please think that, so, without wandering mind, think that I have received, from all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, received the ordination of the Eight Mahayana Precepts.

[Third repetition]

“...the thirty-seven practices on the path to enlightenment.” It is also translated sometimes thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, probably that might be more correct.

Think, as the previous buddhas, as they kept, as they practiced the Eight Mahayana Precepts in order to benefit for sentient beings, then I’m also going to practice living in these eight precepts today.

“From now on I will not kill, or”—this “or” is not necessary, this “or” is a mistake, means you have choice, either to not steal [GL, RL], you have choice either to kill or steal [RL, GL], to do one of them. You don’t have both choice, but at least you have one choice.

“I will not use high, expensive beds or thrones” - [RL] I think this is a low throne [GL, RL]. So it is saying that, for example, singing a song or dancing, or wearing garlands, perfumes, the main thing, one can or one can’t, for example, like this, according to the Lesser Vehicle path, Hinayana.

AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRECEPTS PRAYER (NONVIRTUE DEPENDS ON MOTIVATION)
That killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, telling lies, slandering, gossiping, harshly speaking, these seven actions are not permitted according to the Lesser Vehicle path. There is no permission. But in the Mahayana there’s permission for these things because it is mainly, the main focus is the motivation, it’s not so much the outer action but the most important thing, the main focus, the most important is the mind, motivation. Because what makes the action negative, there is no inherently existent negative karma, there’s no negative karma existing from its own side, the action is made negative karma by the mind, the action is made negative by the negative mind.

So therefore these seven actions, three actions of body, four actions of speech, these actions can be made virtue by very powerful virtuous thought of bodhicitta, completely sacrificing oneself for other sentient beings and only cherishing other sentient beings, such that unbearable compassion and very strong bodhicitta then that attitude, such that purest attitude makes even those actions to become good karma, quick path to enlightenment and become means of accumulating extensive merit and purifies, as the motivation of bodhicitta is stronger, the action become more powerful, like purifying one hundred thousand eons of negative karma, even these actions, even one of these actions doing with such incredible powerful bodhicitta can become purification, can purify one hundred thousand eons of negative karma.

Same as the story of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha who was the bodhisattva captain and killed, with unbearable compassion, killed this one person who was going to kill five hundred people, business people in the ship as they were going on the ocean to get jewel. So like that story.

So therefore, in the Mahayana, whether the person can or can’t is dependent on the individual capacity, the capacity of the mind, if there’s more benefit for other sentient beings, can. If there’s danger, can’t. The whole point is if there’s great benefit for other sentient beings by doing it, then can. So that individual person can. There’s harm, there’s no great benefit, by doing it, if there’s more benefit not doing it, if there’s more benefit abstaining from it, not doing it, if it has more benefit for other sentient beings, then by doing it, less benefit or harm others, then can’t, then it’s not permitted for that person, can’t. Permitted, not permitted, mainly it’s coming from the person’s mind. The word is used—can’t or permitted, not permitted—but that is not something coming from God, not something like that. Mainly if the person’s mind, that mind which can make those actions great benefit for sentient beings and then not doing it, abstaining from it, not doing it, less benefit for other sentient beings, even, not doing it even become obstacle, abstaining from this, less benefit, even become obstacle for that individual being, because this person if he does those things then there’s greater benefit for other sentient beings, so if the person doesn’t do that, then also itself, that means the person who has greater benefit, who can also, become cause to achieve enlightenment quicker and greater benefit for other sentient beings, when it become greater benefit for other sentient beings, that means, by the way, naturally, it means quicker to achieve enlightenment, that action becomes. So not doing that kind of become obstacle, itself.

So actually permitted or not permitted it comes from individual person’s capacity of mind, permitted, not permitted, so if it becomes harm, not permitted, if it becomes great beneficial for sentient beings by doing it than not doing it, then if that individual person’s mind has capacity to do that, then there’s permission, so it’s like that.

So it is a very practical thing. So same thing that, for Dharma reasons, when it becomes Dharma, like chanting, for example, singing or chanting, so when we do prayers, we chant, prayer is chanting, so however, similar, the throne, the singing, wearing garlands, ornaments and so forth, these things that, if purpose for Dharma, then for example, chanting, what’s the difference between singing and chanting? [Marcel explaining] Singing is for fun? And chanting? [RL, GL] What happens if the chanting becomes for fun? [GL, RL]

So I think it mainly depends on motivation, you see [RL, GL]. So when it becomes Dharma, when the purpose become Dharma, it has no danger, doesn’t harm to oneself, it doesn’t become dangerous for oneself, when the purpose become Dharma. When the purpose did not become Dharma, then it becomes negative karma, you see. So it’s like that. So we have to understand the main focus.

AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRECEPTS PRAYER (SITTING ON HIGH THRONES)
So same thing, the purpose of not sitting on high thrones is mainly to respect the Dharma. So even when Buddha was giving teachings, it is mentioned in the teaching that the disciples piled up the robes, then Buddha sat on the lower, to respect the Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha. Then also, this is the basic reason, but then the other reason is, normally why that is done is also to accumulate merit, that, like part of the seven-limb practice offering the throne, you see, when you request for long life, so that’s same, it has same merit seven-limb practice when one request for long life, that one visualize a throne, offering the throne, so also, so from disciple’s side then one accumulates merit. But the main thing is to respect the teaching, like that, and then from the lama’s side, that is the reason to do three prostrations first before sitting on throne, by visualizing all the lineage lamas of the teachings, graduated path to enlightenment on the throne and especially the root guru and then do three prostrations, then one is supposed to, then one sit on the throne that all these lineage lamas, all the merit field, the root guru, then, all the lineage lamas, all the merit field absorbed to the root guru, the root guru absorbed to oneself, then also to not get pride, to not feel pride, then by, in other words, action of sitting on throne to not become negative karma, to not rise pride and so forth, attachment.

So, it is said in the teachings to remember impermanence and death, it is said in the teachings that when Lama Tsongkhapa sits on the throne then often remembers sitting on the throne is also suffering, in the nature of suffering, this is nature of suffering, so however, impermanence and death or emptiness, looking at it, remembering emptiness. Then those, however, whether one has realized emptiness or not, looking at things, the whole thing empty and the self, action, object, everything, place, people, so one look at their nature, look at the nature of everything empty of existing from their own side, what is appearing to oneself, the way that things are appearing to oneself, then what is appearing to oneself as illusion or the way things are appearing to oneself is illusion, which means truly existent, so that one you can say, illusion. But if you say what things are appearing, because what things are appearing there are two, anyway, so what things are appearing, what is appearing, probably that might be correct to say, as illusion, but the way that things are appearing, which means truly existent, then, “is an illusion,” “is a hallucination.” So whatever is more effective, one can think.

When it becomes Dharma, which means no danger, then it is permitted, when there’s no danger for the person, him- or herself, or no harm for other sentient beings, then it’s permitted. When it becomes harm, danger for the practitioner oneself and harm for other sentient beings then it’s not permitted, which means when it does not become Dharma.

AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRECEPTS PRAYER (NOT EATING AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES)
“I will not use high” - that’s finished [RL, GL], now here eating food, going to eat food all the time [RL, GL] - I’m joking! So here it doesn’t say one meal, here “at improper times” means after twelve o’clock, so here we should think, for the sake of all sentient beings, to bring all sentient beings to enlightenment, one meal. So the strict way is one meal. It is advised by His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, who is my root guru, that from whom I received the first teachings on the graduated path to enlightenment this life, Rinpoche advised that if one is taking eight Mahayana precepts quite often, either continuously or quite often then one can have breakfast. But if one is very rarely, so Rinpoche said, in public, which means not quite often, rarely that is done, then better to do more strict, because it is done rarely.

When we repeat this, we should also think one meal, and the purpose is for the sentient beings, to bring to enlightenment. “I will avoid eating food at the improper times, I will not wear perfumes, garlands and ornaments.” Here it says all ______, it’s not [RL], I’m sure it came from me, this one “all,” that many all should be there, there are many unnecessary words there [RL]. So please repeat this, “Sing, dance and so forth. Just as the Foe Destroyers abandoned killing and so forth, may I, by avoiding killing and so forth fully attain the highest enlightenment. May I be freed from the oceans of cyclic existence, this world disturbed by many sufferings.”

So when I say “thab ______” which means “This is the method”, then you say “Lekso” which means “yes.” That is done in Tibetan language [RL].

So please repeat the mantra, the purifying, which helps to keep the precept pure, the morality pure and which also purifies the degenerated one. So please repeat three times: OM AMOGASHI.... [repeats three times.] So now please repeat together [more recitations].

DEDICATION
So please dedicate, the past, present, future merits accumulated by oneself, by buddhas, bodhisattvas, so before dedicating, we should realize this, that as I often mention, now even we didn’t get to go through extensively on the karma, didn’t get to do the teaching of the karma in more elaborate, if it get done, then when we take precepts then we have more understanding how extremely important it is, how this is the most practical solution for other sentient beings, to help other sentient beings, cause temporary happiness, ultimate happiness, also including oneself, to help oneself, the temporary and especially ultimate happiness, to achieve for oneself.

So the karma is definite and the karma is expandable, that one small karma, one tiny karma, bad, negative or positive is expandable that you experience many lifetimes, five hundred lifetimes, one thousand lifetimes, that one karma, the result of one karma one experience many, like this, many, five hundred or one thousand lifetimes, like that, so many lifetimes that one experiences the result. So, and that the karma can never be lost, so however, so then by understanding karma more details then one come to know, then one feel even a very small virtue, even a very small good karma, one feel very important, one feel so important to do, to practice, one feel even the very small good karmas, the very small virtuous actions that one feel so important like the great good karma or the virtue, even the small ones one feel so important, so precious and so important to do because of the result, how many lifetimes you can experience. So that can never be lost and that is expandable. So for all these reasons.

So then one see how this living in the morality, taking, living in the vow, in the precepts, one see as unbelievable, the most important thing to do, the one greatest solution, so like that.

THE BENEFITS OF TAKING PRECEPTS
So, the extensive benefits are explained in the teachings, temporary and ultimate, the temporary is while one is in the samsara, all the happiness, enjoyment, while one is in the samsara, so many lifetimes that one can experience so much happiness, enjoyment, all those what one wishes, long life and so forth, healthy and so forth, so all those things normally that one is looking for, that we wish everyday life, what wish that we have in everyday life, to happen in this life. So all these needs we are creating the cause, from each of these precepts, we are, by living in each of these precepts we are creating the cause of all those needs what we are thinking in our everyday life to happen for this life, so we are creating the cause in so many lifetimes, hundreds, five hundred, thousand, so many lifetimes to this one day’s good karma, living in one precept, so many hundreds of lifetimes one experience the result, all the, because unhealthy comes from negative mind and negative action, so comes from that, comes from negative karma; so healthy comes from positive mind and positive action. So living in the precepts is the best cause, is the best solution, that is the main cause of healthy, not only this life but all those coming lives, so many hundreds of lifetimes. So, cancer, AIDS, all these things, all these disease came from unrighteous actions, came from, unrighteous actions came from unrighteous mind, negative mind, so like that.

So this is the answer, protecting our karma, living in morality, living in the precepts, this is the answer for all the problems, this is the best solution for all the problems, to not experience the problems in the future, to purify present negative karmas that are existing, cause of present problems, and not create negative karma. Today we are living in the eight precepts, so we stop eight negative karmas, we made the vow until tomorrow sunrise to not create the eight negative karmas, so this is the way we should understand, living in the vow to not create eight negative karma, in other words, to avoid the eight negative karmas, which means the eight causes of problems in this life and in future coming lives, as you have already gone through in meditation.

How each negative karma—killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, so forth—has four suffering results: the ripening aspect result, rebirth in the lower realms, hell, preta, animal, then creating the result similar to the cause, even when one was born in the human realm, doing the same negative karma again, because it’s habit from past, doing the same thing again, then even in the human realm, one experiences the result of other beings giving harm to oneself as you gave harm towards others in the past, so similar thing happening on oneself, so experiencing the result similar to the cause. And possessed result, to do with the place, being born in the place where there’s fear, danger for life and so according to each karma, you see, there is a problem in that place, in that city or wherever one is, so there’s danger, there’s unhealthy environment, there are many harmful people, animals, that things are so destructive, things are so harmful for one’s life. So, food, air, the environment, food, so forth, become unhealthy, instead of causing long life and healthy, become unhealthy, cause of the disease, unable to digest food, things like that, like that example. So each negative karma has four suffering results like this.

So now we should think each of these good karmas, today we are creating eight good karmas, so each good karma that we completed, with the motivation, action, the base, thought, action, aim, also has four results, happiness, completely opposite from that negative karma, four result happiness. That is easy to understand because once you understand the four suffering results of each negative karma then this is just opposite, it’s all happiness. So from each of these, we are creating eight good karmas today, living in the eight precepts, so each one has four result happiness, so this is what we get, temporary happiness from each of these precepts, in short, the benefits of the precepts, so all these temporary happiness that we are looking for, that we are wishing everyday life, for this life, so we are creating the unmistaken cause today to achieve these things, that so many hundreds of lifetimes to experience, to achieve these things, even in the times while we are in samsara.

So, not only that it has great benefits to this life, besides, that, then the most important benefit is the ultimate benefit, the qualities of Buddha, even each precept causes the qualities of Buddha, the result is infinite qualities of Buddha’s holy body, holy speech, holy mind so that you can perfectly guide sentient beings, free them from suffering, lead to enlightenment. This is the ultimate goal and these are the results of taking the precepts. These are the ultimate benefits what we gain, since there is so much, since the part of the culture, you do something and you get something, so what we gain from this, by dedicating our life in this practice what we gain, by bearing hardships, by sacrificing, by renouncing worldly pleasure, by bearing hardships living in this practice of percepts, what we get from this is especially this ultimate benefit, infinite qualities of Buddha’s holy body, holy speech and holy mind, so that one can perfectly guide all sentient beings.

The last thing is, today we abstained, we stopped eight harmful actions, which harms other sentient beings directly or indirectly, we stopped by living in the vow, so therefore, not only the human beings, animals, not only the sentient beings in this world, all the numberless sentient beings, they don’t receive these eight harms from oneself, so that is the peace what they receive. By living in the vow to not kill, you see, all the sentient beings they receive this great peace from you, not receiving harm of killing, their not receiving harm of killing from you, they receive this great peace from you. All sentient beings they receive this peace from you as you made vow to not kill on the object, all sentient beings. So like this, they receive, by living in the vows to abstain from these eight negative karmas, so all sentient beings receive so much peace, by not receiving these eight harms from oneself. Therefore this is most practical contribution of world peace, this is most practical contribution of not just this world, as we motivated, as we made the vow to not harm on the object all the sentient beings, so this is the most practical contribution peace for all sentient beings, for every sentient being. Normally political people in the world when they have meetings talk only the peace of this one small Earth, only the peace of sentient beings living on this one Earth, so here today what we are doing is causing peace, by living in these eight precepts causing peace towards all sentient beings, so this is what we should realize, or what we should recognize what we are doing, the result of what we are doing.

Therefore because of all these reasons that I explained just now, it is extremely worthwhile to feel happiness, to rejoice, to feel joy in one’s own heart, by recognizing, by realizing all these benefits what each individual, us, receive and what we are offering towards all sentient beings, yeah.

DEDICATION
Now please dedicate.

Due to all the three times’ merits accumulated by oneself, by all other sentient beings, may the paramita of morality be completed by keeping it without mistake, without pride, and keeping it purely.

So now, so dedicate that due to all the past, present, future merits accumulated by oneself, by buddhas and bodhisattvas, due to all these merits, may the bodhicitta be generated within one’s mind and in the minds of others. Those who have may it be developed.

Now please dedicate all the three times’ merits accumulated by oneself, by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, may my father, mother sentient beings to have happiness, may I be able to cause this by myself alone, may the three lower realm beings—hell, preta, animal—be empty forever and may I be able to cause this by myself alone. Wherever there are bodhisattvas may their prayers to be succeeded immediately and may I be able to cause this by myself alone.

And due to all the three times’ merits accumulated by oneself, by buddhas and bodhisattvas, due to all these 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, who are empty, to that enlightenment as quickly as possible.

Then the bodhisattva’s prayer that which contains all the bodhisattvas’ prayers, the ten numberless hundred thousand bodhisattvas’ prayers, which is contained the prayer of the good deeds, so all are condensed in this one stanza prayer, I will dedicate all the merits as the bodhisattva Manjugosha understand the and also Kumantabhadra, as they understand, I will dedicate all the merits in order to follow them, to be able to follow them, these bodhisattvas.

And as the three times’ buddhas have dedicated their merits, I will dedicate the merits to quickly enlighten all sentient beings.

Then, three prostrations with the same visualization.

LECTURE 15: 5 DECEMBER 1992 PM

THE THREE SCOPES
So, as I was trying to give just some brief idea of the essence of the path to enlightenment. As Lama Atisha explained in the Lamp for the Path, the three capable beings, the practitioner who has realization of the graduated path of the lower capable being, in general, and middle capable being, in general, and higher capable being.

So just to repeat again the verse without going through repeating again the meaning, just the verse.

A person who is capable, not just any person, a capable being, the literal translation, very condensed, just word by word, without adding some, it’s okay to recite in Tibetan but to recite word by word is, it doesn’t, one can’t understand much, so just make, just rather, little bit more than literal, exact word translation. If one doesn’t add anything, then someone who cannot understand then doesn’t become clear.

“A capable being with a method seeking just only the happiness of samsara for oneself is known as a lower capable being."

So I’m not going to repeat again what I described yesterday or day before yesterday, to repeat again it takes time. Then, but the way it’s written in the text if it’s done exactly then it is very tasty, it has a deep meaning.

“A capable being who has turned back towards happiness of samsara and changed the action from negative karma, having stopped the evil actions, seeking just only the peace for oneself—it means nothing higher than the cessation of the whole entire suffering and causes, nothing higher than the liberation from samsara—that is called middle capable being.”

AN OVERVIEW OF THE GURU PUJA
So yesterday what I was talking was just a brief explanation of what samsara is, just brief introduction. So yesterday I was talking, yesterday or day before yesterday, the verse from the Guru Puja, the puja that we did last night [RL]. The last part of the prayer that which contains from beginning of the path to enlightenment, requesting, the last part of the practice is requesting to the merit field, the principal, the root guru, requesting that to grant blessings to, in other words the realizations of the whole path to enlightenment, from guru devotion, from perfect human rebirth, the graduated path of the lower capable being, in general, middle capable being, in general, then higher capable being, then, not just only the common path, three principal paths, but also tantric path, Highest Tantra path, it has the essence at the end, essence of the Highest Tantric path, the most skillful means to, that which gives enlightenment, that makes possible one can achieve enlightenment, not just only within one life, but within a few years, in a brief lifetime of degenerated time. So the most skillful means contains the Highest Tantra, that which is quickest path to enlightenment, based on lam-rim, the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment. So I was describing the verse from the section of renunciation of samsara, there are two or three verses, very effective, the words are very condensed but very powerful, very effective for the mind to, they have very deep meaning, very moving the way it is presented, those stanzas.

So generally it depends on the translator’s quality, when it comes in the English, sometimes the deep feeling, the powerful taste, the powerful meaning or the taste that you feel in the Tibetan text is maybe weak in English, depends on the quality of the translator, sometimes maybe the taste is gone, not exactly the same.

THE EIGHT WORLDLY DHARMAS
So, yesterday where I stopped was, as long as one is in samsara, until one is free from samsara, whatever different style of life one tries to live, everything, the whole thing whichever different style of life one takes or one lives, there is no real peace, there is only suffering. There are so many problems in life. So generally, so no matter how much the person looks externally well organized, well dressed, kind of rich looking, beautiful looking, with all the ornaments, with all the decorations, if you start to have a conversation—one talk or two talks, three talks, then more and more you talk—you hear more and more problems, more you talk then gradually you hear more and more problems. So that is how it is in the samsara, wherever you look at, it is like this.

Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, the author of Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, who has completed the whole path from guru devotion, renunciation of samsara, bodhicitta, emptiness and the two stages of the Highest Tantra, who has completed the whole path, who is the embodiment of Chakrasamvara, the Buddha called Chakrasamvara—Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo explained that even the ordained person, even the ordained monks and nuns find it difficult to practice morality, so it is also suffering, like that.

However, those who are living in the pure Dharma practice don’t have these common problems that we see in the normal life, that we see in the normal worldly life: the different aspects of society, the farmer, the businessman, all the different styles of life. So the common problems that we see, as what I described yesterday, the pure Dharma practitioner doesn’t have, those problems with the attachment or problems with the anger, all these emotional minds. So why doesn’t the pure Dharma practitioner have these common problems? Because that person has cut off the attachment clinging to this life, that which is the basis of all these expectations, which creates all these expectations in the life, reputation, power, expectation or clinging the for comfort and, material receiving and to have reputation, then, praise, reputation, interesting sound, clinging the, so these four, expectation of, there is attachment clinging in these four desirable objects.

Then, expectation, attachment to not have the discomfort, the not experiencing, not receiving material things, interesting sounds, and conversely to not receiving criticism, to not hearing uninteresting sounds. Because of clinging, because there’s attachment clinging in comfort, reputation, praise, receiving material things and interesting sounds—because there’s attachment clinging in these four desirable objects—then in the life, when the opposite thing happens—discomfort, not receiving material things, criticism, uninteresting sounds—when these unfavorable situations happen then it makes the mind upset, it disturbs the mind, it makes the mind depressed, upset, angry. When these four unfavorable situations happen, that brings life down, it brings the person’s spirit down.

If one didn’t have attachment in those four desirable things, four favorable situations, these four things, these four “dharmas,” dharma in the sense of “existence,” because in Tibetan language, Dharma, chö, means one thing—practicing Dharma. The term chö is used in that way, for practice, in order to achieve happiness, the happiness of future lives, the happiness of liberation from samsara, and in order to achieve highest enlightenment for sentient beings, so the Dharma, so practicing Dharma, so that is the term, in Tibetan language the term that is used is chö. But then also, chö is used also for general existence.

So, for example, chö-nyid, only Dharma, or Dharma only, nyid is “only” and chö is “Dharma,” that means emptiness or shunyata. So here chö means emptiness. Then, chö-chen means having the chö, the phenomena which has chö, means for example, form. So far we haven’t got to recite the Heart Sutra, so it’s [RL] so the emptiness of form is [RL] chö-nyid and form is called chö-chen, having chö, having emptiness.

So however, there are eight worldly dharmas. There are four desirable objects and four undesirable objects, that means the eight objects of attachment that the worldly mind—the mind clinging to this life—clings onto. I guess it can be said this way. So like, clinging to the absence of discomfort, clinging to not having criticism, so like this; the eight objects of worldly mind, the eight objects of attachment clinging to this life.

If we do not have attachment clinging to these—comfort, receiving material things, praise, interesting sounds and so on—if we don’t have attachment clinging in these four objects, then there’s nothing that which brings life down, making us depressed or angry, upset. Maybe put it this way, if there’s no attachment in receiving praise, then when we receive criticism, when we meet we situation where somebody criticizes us, there’s nothing that makes us depressed, down, upset, angry. There’s no reason, if there’s no attachment to receiving praise, to hearing nice things, nice words for yourself, about yourself, if there’s no clinging, then when there’s criticism, when the criticism happens, it doesn’t disturb the mind, it doesn’t upset the mind.

This is very important psychology. If you do not understand this point, what makes you to get upset, depressed, your mind down when one hears criticism, if you don’t know that it is because there’s attachment into receiving praise. The more attachment there is to receiving praise, reputation, the more worry and fear there is in not receiving it, not gaining reputation, not achieving reputation, there’s that much worry and fear. Also, there’s that much worry and fear in receiving criticism

I think short break.

When we hear criticism from others, how much it bothers to oneself, to one’s own mind, how much it hurts if somebody talks mistakes of oneself, if somebody provokes, how much it hurts one’s own mind, depends on how much one clings to receiving, how much attachment one has in receiving praise, reputation. So, the stronger attachment there is in the other object, receiving praise, hearing the good things, nice words about oneself—how much stronger the attachment, when one hear criticism it hurts one’s own mind that much more.

DEALING WITH CRITICISM (BY REMEMBERING EMPTINESS)
We should look at it this way. This is psychologically how it works within our mind. It’s related; there’s a connection between this criticism hurting you and attachment, in the opposite object of criticism, the praise. So actually, what we should recognize, is actually this person is not hurting you but actually your own mind is making the person’s words hurt yourself, your own mind is using that person’s criticism to hurt yourself. Why it is your own mind that makes the person’s words what is called criticism, this is besides the, that the person’s words are either blaming or either explaining your own mistakes, it is words that are explaining your own mistakes, expressing your own mistakes.

Or maybe you didn’t have that mistake but saying the words that you have these mistakes. So one’s own mind again make up the label, criticism, this person is criticizing me, so when this person says these words which express one’s own mistakes—or you don’t have the mistakes, but saying the words that you have mistakes—even if you haven’t done it but saying you have done. Depending on this, then one’s own mind makes up the label, “criticism,” then it appears as criticism. One’s own mind makes up the label, criticism, you yourself build up this concept, your mind labels it criticism, and you believe in that, then that is how you make the concept, this is how you create the concept, criticism. Then, making up the label, “bad,” then it appears as bad. Similarly, somebody praising, expressing the good qualities of oneself, depending on this, then one’s own mind makes up the label, “praise” or “good,” one’s own mind makes up the label, “nice,” “good,” how nice it is, how nice this person is, how this person is nice to me. The more the person praises more and more and more and more, then one’s own mind makes up the label, how nice, how nice, how nice, how nice [GL, RL]. How nice it is, how nice this person is, it’s kind of business [RL], or it’s kind of a play, a joke or play. So anyway, one’s own mind makes up the label, nice, and then it appears nice, nice words, nice person, and we believe in that, so that’s how we make the concept of nice.

Besides these things that we already talked at the beginning of the course, long time ago [RL, GL], this we talked a long time ago at the beginning of the course, that more subtle thing, we already talked at the beginning of the course. But besides that, even from this, you know that it’s come from, both came from one’s own mind, creation of one’s own mind, by putting different labels, on the different words one put different labels, depending on the different words then one put different labels. Besides that, that is very clear it came from one’s own mind, that, and because by this reason it’s clear, all the excitement or emotional upset, however, the whole thing is one’s own mind. It is mainly creation of one’s own mind, it came from one’s own mind, that if you know how to deal with when somebody criticizes to you, if you know how to deal with it, it doesn’t upset oneself, it doesn’t make the mind negative towards the person, it doesn’t make angry, it doesn’t bring your spirit down.

DEALING WITH CRITICISM (BY GENERATING COMPASSION)
For example, one can remember emptiness or able to apply the meditation on compassion, as I mentioned at the beginning of the course, using the person who is criticizing you, who is badly treating you, to develop compassion. The person who left you, the friend who left you, who changed their mind, who used to like you so much, but, whether it is loving kindness or whether it is love that which is attachment, however, now that person’s mind changed, that thought stopped, the friend left, gave up oneself. If one is able to use this to develop compassion, if one is able to use the relationship problem, the other person criticizing, badly treating, dislike you, hate you, if we can use to develop compassion then you made the relationship extremely worthwhile, beneficial. By using it to develop compassion, then the experience of the problem become extremely beneficial, because without compassion we cannot achieve full enlightenment, we cannot cease all the mistakes of the mind, all the delusions, obscurations, cannot complete the whole realization, qualities of all the realizations of the path. Without compassion, we cannot even complete the works, even our own works, our own mental development. Without compassion, we cannot free all sentient beings from all the suffering and causes and lead to the highest happiness, the full enlightenment. Without compassion within our mind we cannot do all these things, we cannot succeed works for self, works for all sentient beings, we cannot succeed.

There are many other meditations you can apply how to deal with the situation, how to make it to not disturb your mind, to not upset your mind, how to make the situation to not hurt you, how to make the life situation to not cause or to not make oneself crazy, nervous breakdown or whatever. But if one is able to use the experience of the problem, the life situation, to develop compassion for that person, for that sentient being, then I think it becomes most beneficial, most worthwhile, because compassion is source of all your happiness up to enlightenment, and is the source of happiness towards all sentient beings, all sentient beings receive happiness from you only if you have compassion. As I mentioned some days ago, during the talk on how we are responsible of all sentient beings’ happiness, same.

As I mentioned that verse from Bodhicaryavatara, “My karma persuaded, therefore I received this harm. Didn’t I make the person to fall in the hole of the hell from the human realm?” From the human realm to fall down in the hole of the hell. With, by this action.

So what he is saying is in the past, I gave harm to that person, what this person did to me I did similar in the past, that one really relied upon so much, you gave everything to that person, while you relying upon him or her so much this person suddenly changes his or her mind and left you, whether it’s attachment-love or loving kindness, whatever. So, I created similar negative karma, harmed him or her in the past lives. So then my giving harm to him or her in the past became the reason, that is what caused this person to create negative karma and give me harm this life. As a result of this person’s giving harm to me, which is negative karma, that person will be born in the unbearable suffering realm, the realm which has the heaviest suffering in samsara, the narak, the hell realm. So, it’s saying didn’t I make him or her fall down in the hell from the human realm. So in other words, if I didn’t create negative karma with the relation of that person in the past lives by giving harm, then there’s no cause that this person would give this harm, there’s no reason, there’s no cause for that, so this wouldn’t happen and this person doesn’t have to be born in the lower realms, so there’s peace.

So this way, there’s no choice, the compassion has to rise to that person who gave you up, who left you, who doesn’t love you, by thinking of karma, by thinking of the evolution of this, the sequences of why this is happening, if you think of this evolution, if you think of the karma of this, it came from one’s own side, the mistake is done originally from one’s own side, so therefore, this person is only object of compassion, is only object of one’s own compassion.

So, if one is able to experience compassion, able to generate compassion, there are so many benefits of having problems. The problem has so many benefits, but if we can use the life problems in order to generate compassion towards others, this is the best way to use the problems of life, it’s the most, from the problem we get the greatest benefit, so benefit is all those things which I mentioned before, all these are achievements what we get from the problems of life, from those people whom we think are harming us.

It is said in the Bodhicaryavatara, in The Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Life, by Shantideva, “Being upset it eliminates arrogance, pride.”

When somebody criticizes you, when you come to know your mistakes, your mind can get upset, but there’s benefit, that is you become humble towards others, you don’t feel pride, arrogance. If you feel pride then it is said in the teachings, it is the cause to be reborn as a slave in the next lives, then as a blind person, then having very small capacity to do things, unable to help others, unable to do things even for your own happiness, even for success for yourself, you don’t have power, so very small capacity. Then, bad color of the body, unpleasant, that people don’t like to see. It is mentioned that a person whose mind is filled with pride, like balloon, if you put water on a balloon that cannot stay, so like that, person whose mind is filled with pride, then the water of the quality cannot stay on top. Someone with pride, the person doesn’t try to learn from other people, so it interferes with develop the quality, understanding, realization. So there are many shortcomings mentioned about pride, arrogance, that negative mind. So however it becomes obstacle to develop the mind. So the upsetness eliminates the arrogance.

I think this might have meaning also, this one, this [Tibetan], also being poor, it might have that meaning, being poor, so, eliminate arrogance. This might have this meaning, being poor, then the benefits of being poor, how poverty eliminates arrogance and causes compassion to arise. It has benefit that it causes compassion to arise towards other samsaric beings, who are experiencing suffering of samsara.

For example, a person who has AIDS, because you understand your own experience, how you feel by having this disease, so much fear, so much worry, fear, how you feel, it is very clear when one has this disease, how one feels, how one suffers so much. Therefore when one sees so many others who have AIDS then naturally a person feels so much compassion for all other people who have AIDS, how they are suffering so much. So it is very easy to know how they feel by having this disease, how it is so unbearable, so therefore, when the person think of others having the same disease, then it helps to generate strong compassion.

There happened one Chinese student in Singapore who has this disease, but because he practiced compassion, by doing the bodhicitta meditation, tong-len, taking and giving, taking other’s suffering then, giving away one’s own happiness, merit, all these things, with loving kindness giving away to the sentient beings, so taking other sentient beings’ suffering with compassion. He did this special bodhicitta meditation, taking and giving, only just for four days, didn’t do many hours. So I asked him how many times he did, he said, only a few minutes, only two or three minutes he did, each day he did only a few minutes, two or three minutes but what happened, even though the time, the meditation time that he did is very, almost nothing, so short, but what happened is that he was, after four days when the doctor checked he had completely recovered. The doctor could not find AIDS. That is mainly because when he was doing this meditation that he felt unbelievable compassion, there’s no time to think of his own problems, there’s no concern of his own problems, only concern of others, when he was doing this meditation, only concern of other sentient beings, especially those who have AIDS. So when he did this meditation, so many tears, constantly so many tears came. So, you see, he didn’t do meditation for many hours, but from where the power came, healed completely the AIDS, it came from the strong compassion, unbearable compassion that which is his own mind, that he felt for others. So the whole healing power came from this compassion.

GETSUL TSIMBULWA’S STORY
This is similar when you have your own problems, whether it’s relationship problem, whatever it is. Anyway, I’ll mention here since the topic happened. Getsul Tsimbulwa, the disciple of great yogi of Chakrasamvara, Nakpa Chöpa, I don’t know what it’s called in Sanskrit, but Nakpa Chöpa, who flies in the sky with the five hundred dakinis, who could be female enlightened beings are having high realizations of tantra, “dakini” means female enlightened beings. So with the five hundred dakinis playing damarus and bells, so with the music, so like this, this yogi surrounded by five hundred dakinis, then fly in the space, so like that.

However, his disciple, a monk, Getsul Tsimbulwa. First, the story is this, the great yogi Nakpa Chöpa, the teacher of that monk Getsul Tsimbulwa, t was going to the holy place called Oddi, I think, to do the last part of the practice before achieving enlightenment, so it’s called chöpa, anyway, the last part of the practice of tantra, I think. So, the yogi was on the way to that place, and there was a big river and next to the river there was one woman whose body is completely covered with leprosy and very, very black, kind of very, very ugly looking. So then this lady was waiting next to the river and asked the yogi, “Please could carry me on your back to the other side of the river.” So the yogi he went straight, but this has another story. [RL, GL] Anyway, that, the story has a story [RL].

However, [RL] afterwards his disciple Getsul Tsimbulwa the monk came. So when the monk came then the lady asked him the same thing, to carry on the back, to take to the other side of the river. So the monk felt unbearable compassion to the woman. According to vinaya, the ordination of the self-liberation, it’s not permitted to touch a woman. Even so, he felt unbearable compassion, so without any thought of feeling dirty, he got unbearable compassion towards her and he carried the woman on his back, then when he reached the middle of the river, the woman transformed into deity, Dorje Pagmo. You see, this woman is embodiment of the female deity, enlightened being, the buddha, Dorje Pagmo. But, you see, but it manifested as ordinary woman, extremely ugly and filled with disease, like that.

So then, in the middle of the river then this woman transformed into deity, then she took the monk Getsul Tsimbulwa in the pure land, called Thakpa Khajo, her pure land. So without need to die, without need to leave the body on the earth, with the body, the monk went in the pure land with the body, with human body.

In some of those certain pure realms, like that of Dorje Pagmo, Tara, or Amitabha, if you are able to be born there, then you are able to complete the path in that life, able to complete the path by receiving teachings directly from the buddha and able to complete the path. It’s a quick way, going to the pure land of a buddha. This does not happen in every pure land, but certain pure lands, such as Tushita, Lama Tsongkhapa’s pure land and so forth. So it’s a quick way to achieve enlightenment, if one did not become enlightened in this life or in the intermediate stage, like Lama Tsongkhapa did. Due to some reason, for the benefit of other sentient beings, Lama Tsongkhapa chose to become enlightened in the intermediate stage, after this life. So however, there are like this. Otherwise you might think pure land Hawaii or somewhere else - I’m joking, this I’m joking! [RL] Hawaii, or Bali beach or somewhere, or Goa or somewhere [GL, RL]. Might think one of those ?lines.

If the yogi Nakpa Chöpa had carried her then he would become enlightened, would have gone to the pure land and would have been enlightened first, but he didn’t, so Getsul Tsimbulwa, the monk, did that, because he generated unbearable compassion. His unbearable compassion, carrying her, sacrificing himself completely, not being worried about getting disease and all these things, so completely sacrificing himself to help that woman. That purified so much negative karma, an inconceivable amount, so much negative karma is purified. Before unable to see her as the enlightened being, Dorje Pagmo, but only an ordinary woman filled with disease, very ugly, but because of unbearable compassion and sacrificed oneself to take care of that woman, so that purified so many obscurations, so much negative karma, so then [snaps fingers] because of that then, after carrying her, then he saw her in the aspect of the buddha, in the aspect of the deity. Then, without need to leave that body on the earth, he was able to go to pure land and achieve enlightenment quickly. That is the benefit of generating compassion even for one living being. What benefit you get from it is unbelievable. Even whom you generate compassion is, even it’s one living being, you see, but the benefit is unbelievable.

ASANGA’S STORY
The same thing with Asanga. From those two former great ancient pandits, who did extensive clear explanations of Buddha’s teachings, one is Nagarjuna, one is Asanga, they are called the two great charioteers. So Asanga he tried to achieve Maitreya Buddha, tried to see Maitreya Buddha, by doing retreat. So he spent twelve years in the cave, in the hermitage to achieve Maitreya Buddha, to be able to see Maitreya Buddha, but didn’t achieve. Even after twelve years by doing retreat in order to achieve Maitreya Buddha, even Asanga did twelve year retreat in the hermitage, but did not achieve Maitreya Buddha.

So, he left the hermitage, before that he left the hermitage already three times, then he saw something and that inspired him to go back, so did like this, each time when he left the hermitage, he thought, I could not achieve, so then he left the hermitage, so each time in the road see something, then that inspired to go back, so like this, did retreat for twelve years, still didn’t see Maitreya Buddha.

So Asanga then left the hermitage and came down. So in the road Asanga saw a wounded dog, the lower part of the body, completely wounded, filled with worms, lower part of the body of the dog filled with worms. So Asanga felt unbearable compassion, so he cut his flesh from his leg, from his thigh, cut the flesh because, if you take the worms out they need to survive, they need food, so he cut his flesh to put them there. Then, he went to pick up the worms, so if he picked up the worms with the fingers, because so they are fragile, so to not hurt them, so he went to pick them up with the tip of his tongue. So, by closing his eyes, when he went to pick up the worms, could not touch. Then he opened his eyes, then he saw Maitreya Buddha right there. Before what he saw was just dog, just wounded dog, but now Maitreya Buddha.

So immediately he grabbed [RL], I think he grabbed Maitreya Buddha and then said, “I have been meditating on you for a long time. Why?” I guess a little bit like complaining, I’m not sure [RL, GL] “I have been meditating you such a long time, why you didn’t come? Why I didn’t see you?” So then Maitreya Buddha said, “I was always there in the hermitage with you, I was always there but you didn’t see.” Then Maitreya Buddha proved to Asanga by showing on his dress Asanga’s spit, in the hermitage, you see, Asanga spat [GL, RL]. So, what happened, so Maitreya Buddha showed, proved to him by the spit [RL, GL].

Then Maitreya Buddha asked, “What do you want?” So then he requested him for teachings. Then Maitreya Buddha took him to pure land Tushita and then gave teaching for the duration of one morning according to their time, one morning of Tushita time [RL]. This is Tushita, the pure land Tushita [GL, RL]. So Maitreya Buddha gave Abhisamsaya-alankarika, this teaching, which explains the whole path, about the path gone beyond, the whole path to enlightenment, which describes extensive qualities of the four kayas, two truths. So Maitreya Buddha gave teaching one morning according to their time. I think, according to human years, fifty years or something like that.

So however, then, Asanga then came from Tushita and gave this teaching in this world, then and also wrote many commentaries to Maitreya Buddha’s teaching. So now this is one major text that monks in Sera, Ganden, Drepung, the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition monasteries, that these monasteries where they learn philosophy, where they learn, study the whole sutra, these monasteries where they study most extensive, where they study Buddhadharma most extensive way and also by form of debating. So they study these commentaries, memorize this text, not only this, there are many others, all those five root texts they have to memorize by heart, and also the commentaries they have memorize. So this is one common text that everybody in those monasteries memorize and study the commentaries, not just one, many commentaries. So they spend many years just studying these texts. There are many different classes of studying these subjects.

So, however, the essence is the lam-rim, the teachings of the graduated path to enlightenment. It’s all referred to those teachings. So therefore, since from that time then, since Asanga brought these teachings, then there happened, so many like stars in the sky, so many pandits, yogis, many beings actualized the path, there’s so many, India, Tibet, different countries, many practitioners actualized the path, becoming enlightened. Now, still the teachings are existing and commentaries and still, even nowadays many meditators having experience, actualizing the path from these teachings, still, so even in the West in many of our Dharma centers, the geshes they teach from those texts, explaining the path. So nowadays even that many us Western people have opportunity to learn, to hear these teachings, so it can be said that this is due to Asanga’s great compassion that he generated by seeing the wounded dog.

So even though he did retreat for twelve years in a hermitage he didn’t see Maitreya Buddha but now only after sacrificing, only after feeling unbearable compassion and sacrificed one’s own life completely to that dog, only then, he saw Maitreya Buddha. So then that means, unbearable compassion, sacrificing one’s own life to even one living being, it purified inconceivable negative karmas, obscurations what blocked to see Maitreya Buddha, purified [snaps fingers] during that time, so immediately, the karma that doesn’t see Maitreya Buddha, seeing wounded dog is gone, that is purified, now see Maitreya Buddha, the karma unable to see Buddha as Buddha, in aspect of Buddha, only seeing ordinary being, wounded dog, that is purified by unbearable compassion and sacrificed oneself for that. So, therefore, that karmic obscuration is gone, purified, so then seeing Maitreya Buddha, seeing the Buddha as Buddha. Before, ordinary being, wounded dog, seeing in that way. So that compassion, unbelievable benefit, what, from that compassion incredible benefit what Asanga is able to do for sentient beings.

So the reason why I’m saying if we are able to use our life problems to develop compassion like this, for others. For that person if you can develop compassion for that person who is creating so much negative karma, that person who is completely overwhelmed by anger, that person him or herself has no slightest freedom, no freedom at all, completely like possessed by spirit completely possessed by the evil, the disturbing thought, the anger, so forth, these disturbing thoughts. So it is exactly the same, we can get a similar benefit if we are able to generate compassion to that person or to that sentient being who is suffering so much. If we are able to generate strong compassion like that and able to sacrifice our life to take care or for the happiness of that sentient being, so in this way, the problem, what the person did to you, does to you, the harm, the experience of the problem become quick path to enlightenment.

THE BENEFITS OF PROBLEMS
So it is said, these are the benefits of problems: one generates compassion towards samsaric beings, one becomes careful of creating negative karma and one enjoys accumulating virtue, creating good karma. Shantideva gave some examples on the benefits of the problems.

What I was saying before, if, by applying meditation, one is able to handle what a person does to you, when they don’t love you or leave you, however, all these things, by applying the meditation, it doesn’t upset you, it doesn’t disturb your mind, this proves that what upsets you is not that person’s words, it’s one’s own mind, because if what upsets oneself is without depending on one’s own mind, without depending on one’s own attachment, if it’s just only caused by that person, if it only came from that person, then there’s no way you can’t apply meditation. If what mistake arises, without depending on one’s own mind, it came from the words, it came from the person, which means independent, inherently existent, then, by applying meditation, you cannot make that it doesn’t hurt you. The life situation or what the person says to not hurt you, one cannot do that. If it does not depend on, that the person doesn’t love you or left you or saying nasty things, talking mistakes of oneself, so this hurting you, if it didn’t come from one’s own mind, if it did not depend on one’s own mind, then, if it came from the side of the words, which means if it came from its own side, which means inherently existent, then since it is independent, there’s no way to apply meditation and then make it to not harm, not hurt you, there’s no way to do that.

LETTING GO OF ATTACHMENT
What makes it to become shock for one’s own mind, is attachment, the attachment of one’s own mind. As I explained before, if one did not have attachment to comfort, to receiving material things, to praise, interesting sounds, if one doesn’t have attachment in these things, if one doesn’t have attachment clinging to the happiness of this life, then this person doesn’t love you or left you, the person did the opposite to these four desirable objects, the person does opposite to these four objects that which one is attached or that which one is expecting.

The conclusion what I’m saying is, if one doesn’t have attachment clinging to these, then this person doing all these things opposite to these four objects which one expect or attached, the situation doesn’t become hurting, it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t bother you. So therefore for your mind it is balanced, psychologically it’s balanced. Before psychologically your own mind makes what the person speaks, what the person thinks of you, all these things, psychologically one’s own mind makes it to harm yourself, to hurt yourself.

Now, by applying the meditation, emptiness or bodhicitta, renunciation of samsara, the most powerful one as I mentioned other times, death can happen any time, any time, this week, even tomorrow, today, even today, even within this hour it can happen, therefore the most powerful and the easiest meditation is the impermanence and death, that death can come even today, even this hour. So what is the point of attachment? By thinking of death, which can happen today, even this hour, even within this hour, when you think this, then, when the mind is in this state, in the state of remembering impermanence and death, that it can happen any time, suddenly you don’t find any reason to cling, there’s no purpose, it immediately cuts off clinging, it’s nonsense to cling. So what appears to one’s own mind, expecting all these things, clinging to all these things—it’s nonsense, it’s childish, it has no meaning.

Since there’s no attachment to these things then when the other situation, those four opposite things, when this happens, when the other person does, then for your mind, those two equalized the comfort and discomfort, criticism and praise, receiving material things and not receiving them—it’s equalized and then interesting sounds, not having interesting sounds, uninteresting sounds, it’s equalized, those two opposite objects are equalized for one’s own mind. Therefore, in that person who is a pure Dharma practitioner, in her or his life, the mind is always in that state, cut off attachment clinging to this life, these eight objects, so the mind is always free from all these expectations, from all these hundreds, thousands of expectations, worries, fears, all these things that come from this attachment clinging to this life, all the problems: unable to harm the enemy, unable to develop friends or relatives—all these worries and fears. All these things are completely stopped, all these emotional problems are stopped, they’re not there.

So there’s stability of mind and stability of life, there are no ups and downs. There’s great peace and satisfaction within that person’s heart, whether this person is in the city or in the hermitage, even if the rest of the people in the country are fighting, quarreling, having so many problems, political problems, whatever, two parties fighting and killing, whatever is happening, this person is free from all problems. Even the angry, jealous mind, so many of those arise because of the attachment. So therefore when one has cut off attachment, by applying the meditations of the graduated path to enlightenment, especially by having realized the impermanence and death, that the actual time of death is uncertain, so especially by having realized this then the attachment clinging to this life is cut off. So all these hundreds of thousands of problems coming from there, then all completely stopped.

So that’s why destroying enemy, developing the friend, relatives, so forth, all this life seeking for power, reputation, the comfort, happiness of this life, keeping the life so busy, day and night, so busy for this, so busy, the object what the attachment is looking for, the comfort of this life, so unbelievably busy that, however, creating so many problems with others, disharmony and so forth, so one is completely free from all these, once the attachment clinging to this life is cut off, all these, like branches, so all the emotional mind, all the problems are completely cut off.

So therefore why it is said in the teachings so much that how great peace, that’s why in the teachings many meditators they talk about their experience, how incredible peace they have or satisfaction or content, the Kadampa geshes, Milarepa, so many meditators they talk about their experience, happiness, peace, freedom in their life, so that is like this.

LETTING GO OF EXPECTATIONS
Psychologically the more attachment, the more expectation there is of this life’s comfort, this life’s happiness—having this object, friend, hearing praise, hearing people only say nice things about oneself—how much expectation, attachment there is, there is that much worry and fear of separating. And also the day when the separation actually happens, that one actually loses that companion, friend, he or she completely changes and follow somebody else, that day, the depression, anger or upset is much greater. If there’s less expectation, less attachment, there is less worry and fear normally in the daily life, but then when this separation does finally happens, there’s also less shock and less depression and less upsetness. So it helps also, so less clinging there is, that, because of that less expectation and worry, fear, so therefore more healthy, the mind is more healthy, and because the mind is healthier, more peaceful, so the body becomes healthier because even the four elements—fire, water, air, earth, blood circulation—are all more balanced, more peaceful. As the mind is not that violent, emotional, so the elements of the body also are more peaceful, balanced, they are not disturbed, so therefore then it keeps less disease. When the elements within the body become unbalanced, disturbed by the mind, because the mind become disturbing then that causes many diseases, the heart attack and so many other diseases.

When we do meditation, for example, on equanimity, on compassion or patience, we can practice the present existing enemy that who is doing things, who is doing the actions that we don’t like. So we can apply these meditations to the present person we call “enemy,” that is good but I think might be very useful as a preparation for the future, to visualize that now. It’s psychological training for oneself that your own mind prepared, just like the army, before actually fighting the war they do many years of training, anyway maybe the war happens, maybe the war doesn’t happen, but anyway they do the training, it’s wiser to have the training, some years, so that prepared, ready to fight and to win over the enemy when the war happens. So similar we do the meditation that the person whom one has strongest attachment, so this person is doing completely opposite to what you expect, what the attachment expects, what the selfish mind expects and what the attachment expects, the attachment clinging to this life, the thought of the worldly dharmas, what it expects, so one visualize that this person completely hates you and doing everything opposite to what the selfish mind wants and what the attachment wants.

So visualize, first make up this, in your mind make up like the army training, make up this and then try to apply the meditation, the death can happen even today, this hour, so forth, then, so in other words, you expect, rather having very fixed mind, hundred per cent fixed mind, this person is going to be always like this, this person is going to be always friend, always going to be good to me, rather having fixed mind, permanent fixed concept that this person is going to be always like this, permanent, so, you see, that one expect, this is the nature samsara, that the opposite things what the self-cherishing thought want, what attachment clinging to this life doesn’t like or doesn’t want, so this, the person is going to do, so to expect.

But that does not interfere with loving kindness. Having this expectation, the mind being prepared, expecting the opposite, so that when the situation actually happens, so you don’t become, your mind doesn’t become hell, one’s own mind doesn’t become hell, a hell-mind, so that you want to commit suicide, to jump off a bridge or a house or put electricity in the bath-tub, something, that one [GL], I’m not sure, I heard something like that [RL], I’m not sure, maybe not correct. Anyway, so maybe I heard wrong [RL].

Anyway, so however, that so many months, years, life become completely crazy, can’t do job, even, that one has met Dharma and even normally you do some meditation, some prayer, even mind is completely obsessed, mind become so sick, so depressed and so sick, everything is dark, you go out, inside the house, no matter how beautiful the house is, a very rich apartment, the food has no taste, even it costs hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars, no matter how well made it is, made with many flavors inside, by putting many [Student: Raisins!] No, not raisins. [GL, RL] Yeah, I think probably [RL, GL]. Probably I think if you eat raisins it might stop the problem [RL, GL]. Anyway, I’m joking! No, this word, what’s it called? Anyway, doesn’t matter.

Anyway, so, [RL] so even put so many [RL, GL], I think this word means normally spices, some small things like that, it doesn’t matter so much. The conclusion is, how much delicious it’s made, there’s no taste, one cannot enjoy. So whatever enjoyment, whatever richest enjoyment around one has, there’s no enjoyment in the life, like completely destroyed, the mind which enjoys completely destroyed sort of. So anybody, even if one sees other people, outside or inside the home, unhappy, that doesn’t want to see people, even if one sees people, even they don’t disturb you but somehow in your view they become annoying or disturbing.

Even if one has met Dharma and there’s some practice that one used to do, like prayers and meditation, one is unable to do. Then, it is very close, the wind disease, so much wind disease, uptightness, so much wind disease rises, then there’s danger of becoming schizophrenic and crazy, to become completely wild, crazy, so all these. So however, now, so as I mentioned that, I mentioned one day one student in Switzerland who received teachings quite a number of times and even able to read Tibetan scripture, even he taught Tibetan language to other people, but however, that I think, seems he didn’t get done any retreat, somehow didn’t get done, I guess, it seems life was spent more, seems didn’t get to spend much in practice, so however, even the person is around Dharma but didn’t get to practice, even though he has wish all the time to do retreat some time in the future, to practice Dharma or to do retreat. So however, so after his girlfriend left him, his life completely collapsed and didn’t get to apply meditation, Dharma, so he hanged himself and died. In other words he killed himself.

This story becomes two things: one thing is that, the story of him, one thing, the retreat or Dharma practice should be done now, not putting off later, some time later to do. Then something like this happens and one thinks, I’m going to do later. “Oh yeah, Dharma is very good, but I’m going to do later. Dharma is a good thing, very worthwhile thing to do, but I’m going to do later, some time later.” So however, always thinking later, later, later, next year or after some years or something, when I finish this or when I get done this or that, so however, then suddenly death happens, suddenly death came then the opportunity is gone and this story to tell, one point is that.

The other point is, one has to prepare in the mind, rather having one fixed mind, attachment, only that, rather that, one should have the expectation that the person is going to do opposite to what the self-cherishing thought wants, what the attachment clinging to this life, to expect is very important training, to expect that the person is going to do, the body, speech and mind, going to do something opposite to self-cherishing thought and attachment clinging to this life. If one expects, rather than rejecting, accept, so if one expect, the more one is able to expect, when the person actually does it, the day the person actually does it what you expected before, because you expected it, you have less worry and fear, it helps to have less worry and fear, because you expect it and because you accept. So therefore the day when it happens, so because one is prepared, one’s mind is prepared so there’s no problem, there’s no, as that much one’s own mind is prepared, accept or expected, this way that much less depression, less shock, so upsetness, all these things.

COMPASSION FOR THE ENEMY
So therefore, that is extremely important psychology. For example, the person who doesn’t love you, the enemy who harms you now, who hates you, who criticizes, who only harms towards you now, even with this enemy you can generate loving kindness, even this person who only hate you, criticizes, physically harms but you can generate loving kindness. You can think of the kindness of the mother, these four ways of kindness, numberless times or other way, the other extensive, you can meditate on other extensive kindness, that this person, what this person is looking for is always happiness, happiness, what he doesn’t want is suffering, what he wants is happiness, so this person is devoid of enlightenment, devoid of highest happiness enlightenment, this person is devoid of liberation from samsara, this person is devoid of even temporary happiness, so after meditating how that person is the mother, however, that this person is the source of all my past, present, future happiness, including enlightenment. However, you try to see that person so kind and so precious, so that is the main point to feel in the heart. So once you feel that person in your heart, then this person is devoid of highest happiness, enlightenment and devoid of even the liberation from samsara and devoid of even the temporary happiness, even the happiness of samsara. What the person wants is happiness but doesn’t know, ignorant in the cause of happiness, and what the person does in the reality, aim is happiness but in the reality, in the action, what the person does is always destroying the, always running away from the cause of happiness, always destroying the cause of happiness, by getting angry, by rising heresy, so forth, running away from the cause of happiness. So, it is due to ignorance.

So then one generate loving kindness, how wonderful it is that this sentient being, this precious, kind mother sentient being, how wonderful to have happiness, to have all this happiness, how wonderful it is, happiness up to enlightenment, especially that, how wonderful it is. So how wonderful it is to have this, that sentient being, then I will do that, I will cause this person to have all this happiness. So one can generate loving kindness even to somebody who does nothing, who does no benefit only harm to you, only harm to you, one can generate loving kindness like this. This is nothing to do attachment, here there’s no attachment involvement. So therefore one can generate loving kindness towards the friend, same loving kindness one can generate to the friend, so therefore this other mind which we were talking before, expecting this person to do completely the opposite to self-cherishing thought, attachment, it doesn’t stop you to practice loving kindness, it doesn’t interfere you to practice loving kindness towards that friend.

By having less attachment clinging to a friend, it gives more space for loving kindness, to generate loving kindness. The mind becomes more clear, like clear space or clear water. Like fog covers the clear space, like that attachment, those emotional minds cover, kind of make mind unclear, unable to practice pure loving kindness, the loving kindness path to enlightenment. Therefore by becoming attached and clinging, there’s more space for generating loving kindness, sincerely from the heart, and you want to cause happiness whether this person loves you or doesn’t love you, helps you or not, whether this person gives harm to you or helps. Whatever the person does to you, from one’s own side, without depending on anything the person does to you—help or not, harm or not—without depending on that, from one’s own side, sincerely from the heart, you wish happiness, temporary happiness and especially ultimate happiness. You want to cause to that person, to that friend, happiness. So it becomes even clearer, it is easy to develop, there’s more space, mind become clearer, easier to develop loving kindness.

So I think, I stop here. I think I talked so much.

DEDICATION
Please dedicate the merits, jang chub sem chog....

So, this is very important, when we do dedication, to precisely meditate, intensively to meditate as I have explained, because the dedication, we should dedicate to achieve enlightenment first, so this way the merit becomes unceasing, inexhaustible, how much we use can never be finished. If you put a drop of water in the ocean, then as long as there’s the ocean, this drop of water that you put in the ocean is always there, so it becomes unceasing, the drop of water you put in the ocean becomes unceasing. So therefore whatever merit we accumulated, even with good heart, sincerely from the heart, to make other sentient beings happy, even saying some nice words, some respectful words, praise, or that if one see one insect being attacked by another ant or another insect, then saving, even tiny food for that insect, ant, so however whatever merit that we accumulate, so if we dedicate for enlightenment, to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, then becomes unceasing, the result never finishes, even after we achieved enlightenment, still we live on the result of the merit, so you continuously work for all sentient beings and bringing all sentient beings to enlightenment, every single sentient being. So, you see, you are continuously experiencing the result, the result of the good karma, even those small good karmas, so it is extremely important to dedicate for enlightenment. That’s why we do all the time this gewa di... this to achieve enlightenment for sentient beings, this dedication.

Then second thing is, extremely important to seal with the emptiness, it is extremely important to seal the merit, oneself, action, the object, enlightenment, the three circles, to seal with emptiness. So, by looking at them empty, by looking at their nature, which is emptiness, then, in that way, then dedicate. So this way, the dedication is done unstained by ignorance, the concept of true existence, so therefore the dedication becomes very pure dedication. Otherwise, if the dedication is done with the concept of true existence, thinking everything is independent, truly existent, then it’s like the food mixed with the poison, so it does not become pure. So that’s why, and also if one does not dedicate the merit by sealing with the emptiness, then later, anger, heresy rises then it destroys the merit, the good karma.

So, for example, today we took Eight Mahayana Precepts, accumulated unbelievable merit, so much merit, so if it’s not dedicated by sealing with emptiness then later, put so much effort, time, life is given up to accumulate merit, but then if you don’t dedicate perfectly, purely, by sealing with emptiness, then later, anger and heresy rises, then can destroy the merit, so therefore the reason why often I mention the merely labeled or empty, so that has a very important reason, so should, intensively one should concentrate.

Due to all the past, present, future merits accumulated by me, by buddhas and bodhisattvas, due to all this merit, that which are merely labeled by the mind - so it means, when you say that, when you think in that way, it can appear that they don’t exist from their one side, naturally; there’s nothing there, all those merits, there’s nothing there except what your mind labeled. So the merits are completely empty, like space, completely empty.

So now similar, think, the I, may I, who is merely labeled, again become like space, doesn’t exist at all from its own side achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, that which is merely labeled by the mind. So again, like space, it doesn’t exist from its own side. Now, like space, in emptiness all these three are empty, so in emptiness, there’s no such thing, merit, I, enlightenment, everything is one taste, there’s no this and that, emptiness, like the space, there’s no this and that, there’s no merit, there’s no I, there’s no enlightenment, everything is in one taste. And lead all sentient beings, who are also merely labeled, so again they don’t exist, they are empty from their own side, so become one taste. Also sentient beings become one taste, in emptiness, one taste in emptiness, there’s no I, there’s no sentient beings in emptiness. To that enlightenment as quickly as possible.


[Dedications in Tibetan]

LECTURE 16: 6 DECEMBER 1992 AM

THE EIGHT WORLDLY DHARMAS
So yesterday what I was mentioning, that how the thought of the worldly dharmas, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life, how this is the basis of all of the problems of this life. This is without talking the result, the sufferings, the problems what one experiences after this life, this is without talking that. As a result of the action that which is made negative karma, nonvirtue, by the attachment clinging to this life, which is nonvirtue. So, the rebirth in the lower realms—the hell, preta, animal realms—their sufferings, then all those problems one experiences even the times in the future lives when one is born human being, experiencing the result similar to the cause and creating the result similar to the cause and possessed result, to do with the place, as I mentioned briefly one of the times.

So as it is explained in the sutra teachings, in the teachings of the graduated path to enlightenment, so this is without talking of the problems that which one has to experience life after this, this is without talking that, just how much, the worldly mind, the attachment clinging to this life, how this becomes foundation for all the problems in this life, that we went through so many times, repeated, so because strongly attached to the other four objects, the comfort, receiving material things and praise, then the interesting sounds, sweet words, so these things, being so strongly attached in these things, so having this strong emotional mind, the attachment in these, so then when one don’t, when there’s change, so strongly attached to this, when change happens in these objects, the day, the hour when the change happens, then unbelievable depression or anger, so drives us crazy, it makes the life that much more crazy.

So, as I mentioned yesterday, the day when there’s change [snaps fingers] on the object of attachment, on the day when the change happens, separating from, that object separated from you, that one clings so much, anger rises, jealousy rises, so many other negative thoughts rise due to that fundamental, the emotional mind the attachment. Then, even though normally at other times when that condition did not happen, there’s no thought of killing other people, one thinks it is bad to kill others, even though there is this faith or understanding that it’s no good, but then when the object of attachment goes away, the friend leaves you, gave up you, the day the object of one’s expectations or the worldly mind, you can’t think of Dharma, even one has heard Dharma, about karma, but that time no space to think of, then the thought to kill the enemy, the object who used to be from whom you cannot separate from even a day, even an hour, that can’t separate, so unbearable to separate from, however, then thought comes to kill.

Then also the other person, the other person who possesses this person, that this friend follows, gave up you and follows that person, so then thought to kill, to do anything to destroy, so there’s no space for Dharma or no space to think of karma. Nothing except this life, to destroy the person who hurt, who harms one’s own self-cherishing thought, to destroy the person who hurts the self-cherishing thought, one’s own mind the self-cherishing thought, to destroy the person, to destroy that sentient being whom one used to feel so unbearable to separate from even one day, hour, before. So who hurt now, whom one thinks, believes, to one’s own mind that which is attachment, who hurt to one’s own mind - what is that? That is self-cherishing thought, the worldly mind, nonvirtuous mind, the attachment clinging to this life. So, hurt, so no space for other things, Dharma or to think of karma, so just only think of this life, today’s happiness, present happiness, happiness which the self-cherishing thought is seeking, happiness what the nonvirtuous mind, attachment clinging to this life, what this mind is seeking, happiness what they seek. So this happiness.

Only the thought comes how can one destroy them. In Singapore I met one man at the airport then later he telephoned, or maybe I met him at the center, I don’t remember a hundred per cent, my memory is very bad. So the man said he had a big, he had a huge problem he said. He said that he’s not sure whether he’s going to be alive even tomorrow, he said he’s not sure. [RL] So then later he told me that his wife left him or went away [GL, RL], anyway, she was away [RL, GL], I think she was away for quite a long time, maybe, the problem is not so much that she was away, but the problem was that I think he heard she has some other friend [GL, RL]. I think that is the main problem [GL, RL]. Not so much that she was away.

So I think somehow she wrote him that she was coming back, so he was thinking to kill her [GL]. So he told me, by telephone or at the house, I don’t remember—I think by telephone—he told me that he will go to temple and he will tell the Buddha, I don’t remember, maybe he said excuse me or something [RL, GL] like that, anyway, what he said was he would tell the Buddha that I will take her with me. So what he was telling me that he will, when she comes back, he will take her with him. So his meaning is this, first he will kill her, then he will kill himself. So that was, so for him it means she’s coming with him, so after killing, somehow after killing her, then he kill himself, then she was coming with him [RL]. Somehow he used these words, that I will take her with me. Anyway, I’m not sure, I didn’t check with him, you mean, do you believe after you kill her and yourself then that she is coming with you, I didn’t check, I didn’t ask him, but it kind of sounds like that.

Anyway, so he kept on saying, he’s not sure whether he’ll be alive tomorrow or not, this week, he kept on saying. So I talked to him a little bit, saying this is completely opposite to what Buddha taught or something. Then I don’t remember, I didn’t meet him later, I didn’t meet him afterwards, other times I didn’t meet him anyway, so I don’t know what happened now. Maybe he’s in another realm, maybe both of them are in another realm. I’m not sure, can’t say.

Even though it’s a person that one thinks of day and night, that it’s unbearable to separate from, so then they become the object to kill. All this it leads to court and all this, so kind of problem gets spread out from, depending on that, another problem comes, depending on that another problem comes, depending on that another problem comes, then also all the unnecessary expenses, costs, court and then so many other things, unnecessary. That from the childhood time that parents spend so much money, as I told before, the parents from when they were young time, childhood time went to school to have education and then worked so hard, saved money, then with that money, fed, took care of the children, spend money to educate, then the children, from young time went to school to educate, so after all these years of studying then finally found job and then made money, got some money. So then again this money that received, putting unbelievable effort and time, sacrificed whole life for that, for that reason then went to university, college, and day and night studied, so put so much effort, life into that, besides your own parents. So, then this money that, sacrificed the life so much that this very precious life, sacrificed for, to make money, so this money which one received after all this, then this is spent for all these things that which are unnecessary, which doesn’t have to be done, if one is able to handle life situation, when these things happen if one is able to handle, if one is able to look after oneself, if one is able to protect one’s own mind, by practicing Dharma, which means by applying the meditations then, even one cannot cut off, but make it less, decrease the emotional mind, the anger, attachment. So all these things, expenses which are not necessary, no need.

THE SHORTCOMINGS OF SAMSARA
In the view of this emotional mind, attachment, anger, all that money is spent for all these things, so many, even one can’t afford that much money for the good cause, to help poor people or those many things, those many other people who are suffering, they need help. So even if one can’t afford those, but then here in these problems, one becomes slave of anger and the worldly mind, attachment, then all these expenses are gone for that. One problem comes, dependent on another problem, dependent on that problem then another problem comes, so this is kind of like root of a tree. From one big one then comes another one, then more and more, more and more, so like that, so many, from one thing, then, so because of the discriminating thought, anger and then this, the attachment clinging to this life, so then, like the root of the tree, so then, especially gave harm to somebody, killed somebody, so then the relatives become enemy to you, however, so, so many problems, that which continues year to year, month to month, year to year, in the life.

Also I heard recently that, in Australia, a student, a girl who is quite new to Dharma, her husband is alcoholic, I’m not sure. So one day the husband hanged her in the house, at their house, so she screamed [GL, RL]. Namgyal thought it’s impossible to scream [GL]. Anyway, she might have screamed before it get tight. Anyway, so I think, somehow, that, either somebody saving her or whatever, the next, the neighbor heard some noise, so then, when she was almost dying, almost finished completely then, after she became unconscious then somehow right that minute, the next family came in the house, so as the neighbor was talking to the husband, then she was able to escape from the house.

Then also, that, quite a number of years ago, I think in Sikkhim, some Indian came from Himachal Pradesh, some Indians came from there to Sikkhim. I think there was one doctor, so I think this, the girl who was with him, whether it’s his wife or, that I’m not sure. So however these people came from Himachal Pradesh to kidnap her. These people, these two or three men came, so they killed the doctor. The way they killed the doctor was that they cut the ears and left them hanging, his hands fastened on the chair, at his house, his arms are fastened with the chair, and then they cut his penis and put in his mouth, and the whole room filled with blood. So, like that, and they took his wife to Himachal Pradesh.

The world is full of these problems, so many. There is news about this, how the people’s lives, suffering so much, that how samsaric beings are suffering so much, experiencing so much pain in the heart, physical suffering, especially mental suffering, not only experiencing but also creating the cause continuously, not only experiencing the problems, the result of the past karma, on top of that, continuously creating the cause of the same problem again. So this is what is happening in everyday life, every day creating the same thing.

Every day one sees on TV, every day one sees in newspapers, also one can hears, so, one’s own relatives, friends, the people one knows, one hears, besides what is in newspapers and TV. Even by watching TV that’s what we see, when we read newspaper this is what we see, so all the shortcomings of this attachment, the worldly mind, this nonvirtuous thought, attachment clinging to this life, all the hours this is what wee on TV, what we see in the movies. This is what we hear in the world, so many problems, all these are shortcomings of the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life. So all these are like mirror, all these are teachings of, what we see, what we hear, all these are teachings explaining the shortcomings of the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, what we see people are going through, suffering, hearing, all these things.

So, all these are talking about the shortcomings of samsara, what we are watching, what we are hearing, when we see people, when we hear about people, even in the radio, news, all these things, so expressing, all these are teachings talking about how samsara is only in the nature of suffering. It is reminding us to practice Dharma, all these are reminding us to practice Dharma in order to be free, in order to be liberated from the samsara, saying that, If you do not practice Dharma, then this is, so these things what one has been experiencing from the beginningless rebirths, even in this life experienced so many times. It’s like, the problem is like package, the problem of relationship is like package, that outside there’s cover, then box, then inside, again there’s other papers, then inside there are things, package or the whole set, like the tea-set or the refrigerator set, anyway, like that, tea-set. If there’s a bedroom there’s a set, anyway it doesn’t matter, so now [RL] there’s a whole set, the cups and things, then pour tea, you see, there’s whole tea-set. So each relationship problem is a whole set, its whole evolution is a set. So one experience another set, then afterwards, then experience another set, another set [RL]. So similar, one after another like that, you see.

KARMA (EXPERIENCING THE RESULT SIMILAR TO THE CAUSE)

All this is telling us that if we do not practice Dharma, if we don’t try to be liberated from samsara in this life, while we have this precious human body, this perfect human body and we have met Buddhadharma, which has unmistaken path to liberation and have met the virtuous friend who can reveal the unmistaken path, while we have all these opportunities if we don’t practice Dharma, then we will be experiencing the same problem, the same situation, the suffering of samsara without end. So as it has been beginningless, the continuation of the suffering, as it has been beginningless it will become endless if we do not practice Dharma.

If we look at the world, if we look at ourselves, at the world, at others, while we are experiencing the result of the past karma, all these problems are the result of ten nonvirtues, the basic negative karmas, the ten nonvirtues. From the past negative karma of sexual misconduct, these relationship problems of this life are the result of the past lives and past time negative karma, sexual misconduct. While one is experiencing the result, going through the result of the karma which one has already created in the past, then again one is creating, continuously creating the same cause, doing the same thing again, repeating again, doing the same thing again, which causes one to experience the same problem again in, next time, even after some time when one is born as human being again to go through the same problem, again to do the habit, because one of the results of the negative karma is doing the action again, so that is creating the result similar to the cause, so next life doing again that action, so that is one of the results, so goes on and on, so that is what, even being born in hell, narak, that is not forever.

Here there are some differences in Christianity. In Christianity it says once you are born in hell, you never come out. You are in hell, in the naraks, forever, but in reality, in Buddhadharma, that not forever. Not forever because it’s the result of negative karma, it is an appearance, the whole thing is an appearance of one’s own negative karma, so depending on how heavy the karma is, the heavier it is the longer one experience the result. By experiencing the result of the karma, how longer one experiences it depends on how heavy the karma is, so therefore there’s a certain duration. Even if it is many eons, there is an end, because it’s the result of karma, so by experiencing the result, when the karma finishes, there’s an end. What I’m saying is, even if the result is to be born in hell, it’s a certain length of time.

But comparing to the result of the karma, doing the action again, creating the result similar to the cause, I think this is worse than the hell, because creating the result similar to the cause, doing the action again, again this has four suffering results, then again that has creating the result similar to the cause so that leads, from that again there’s the four suffering results, so that one causes to create negative karma again and experience the result, create negative karma again, so I think this is worse than the hell suffering, repeating the action again is more harmful than the actual hell suffering. Experiencing the hell suffering itself, that itself doesn’t cause to create the karma again, but negative karma itself, the killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, this, by having completed then that has four suffering results, then one of them is creating the result similar to the cause, doing the action again, so then again that has four suffering results, so then this one is much more harmful, if you think long term, like that, if you don’t think of how painful it is now, if you think of long-run, without end, so this one is much worse than the hell.

What I was saying is, while in the world, other sentient beings, other people, ourselves, so while we are experiencing the result of the past negative karma then creating the cause again, while we are experiencing the result, we are creating the cause continuously. But also, besides this is the nature of the life, besides life itself is like this, also what one hears, on top of this, what one hears only stories of this, result of karma, experiencing problems, creating cause, but also what one watches, like movies, TV, it’s also the same thing, the problem of life caused by this attachment and experiencing the result and creating the cause again, so what one watches is also that, what one hears is also this, so it’s like this.

So in reality the life is like this. There’s no peace, this thought of the eight worldly dharmas, this doesn’t give any peace in our heart, in our life. When there’s comfort, receiving material things, praise, interesting sounds—when these things happen, then the thought of the worldly dharmas, attachment is torturing oneself. It has completely controlled oneself, the mind is completely occupied, overwhelmed by that, and there’s no freedom for yourself, you are completely overwhelmed, completely overtaken by the attachment, the clinging to this life. So when one has these things, when one has met these objects, the thought of the worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life is torturing oneself. There is no peaceful mind during that time, there is no relaxation, there’s no rest in the heart, there’s no rest for the mind, so there’s no real rest in the life. As I mentioned earlier, even physically resting in the life, going to hotel or beach, those expensive places, by spending many thousands of dollars, and also by traveling, by going there very far, however, that in the heart, when our mind is, when we don’t keep ourself free from this emotional mind, this thought of the eight worldly dharmas, then there’s no actual rest, there’s no actual peace of mind there, in the heart or in the life.

THE EIGHT WORLDLY DHARMAS STOP US PRACTICING DHARMA
Even when we have these objects, attachment, the thought of the worldly dharmas tortures us, doesn’t give any freedom, any peace. Even the times when we don’t have these, even the times when we lose these objects, again this attachment tortures us by our expectations, and expecting, clinging to that, and you don’t have, you have lost, so even the times when one doesn’t have, so the attachment tortures. Then this causes anger to rise and even other additional delusions, anger, jealousy and other things, then more, then even tortures more our mind, our life.

Even when we try to do meditation, try to have some peace in the mind, even we try to do meditation, we are unable to concentrate for even a minute, the mind is full of expectations, mind is full of clinging and this and that, so many things. So because of that then we can’t concentrate even a minute without the mind wandering to the object of attachment. We can’t create a peaceful mind even for a minute, cannot, unable to bring peace even a minute, without attachment and the scattering thought. So again even when we try to meditate, this evil thought of the worldly dharma comes to attack you, not letting you to meditate. So when we do any it is like this, so when we do any Dharma practice, it doesn’t let us to do practice, it makes us to delay to do retreat, to take teachings or to do practice, it makes us to delay, the attachment tells, the thought of the worldly dharma tells us, First you do this, it tells, it advises us that first you do this, “you do this” means what the attachment wants, what the thought of the worldly dharmas, attachment, what it wants, so tells us, You do this first, then you do retreat later. Then you do the practice later. So it gives us very wonderful advice [GL, RL].

It makes us delay our practice Dharma. Even if we try to practice Dharma, this attachment, thought of the worldly dharma makes our practice impure, not pure Dharma. Even when we try to practice Dharma, it doesn’t let our actions to become Dharma, even when we meditate, even when we practice charity, helping others, when we do listening, reflecting, meditation practice, the thought of the worldly dharma it doesn’t allow these actions, even the times when we try to practice Dharma, even we try to dedicate, try to make special time for to practice Dharma, even in that time, even during that time try to practice Dharma, the evil thought of the worldly dharmas it interferes our actions, listening, reflecting, meditation, making charity for other sentient beings, those so forth, to not become Dharma, to not become holy Dharma and it makes these things to become worldly dharma, nonvirtue, which result is rebirth in the hell, preta, animal. Even the action that which becomes Dharma but not pure Dharma, like this.

Because attachment has taken over, before we do these activities—listening, reflecting, meditation, listening to Dharma, reflecting, studying, meditation, helping others—the evil thought of the eight worldly dharmas suddenly comes in the mind, takes over our mind and then it makes us to expect power, reputation, praise from other people, to become known in the world, to get power, power of this life. Attachment takes over our mind and then makes us to seek the happiness of this life. Then that’s how even what we meant to be Dharma, practicing Dharma, even that did not become Dharma and becomes worldly dharma. Even if the actions are somehow Dharma, they can’t be not pure Dharma.

REMEMBERING DEATH
When we think of death, the easiest, most powerful meditation, the remedy to destroy, to cut off the thought of the worldly dharmas, that which constantly tortures us, tortures our life, doesn’t give peace. When we think that we are going to die today, that death may happen today, either I’m going to die today, even this hour, or death may happen today, even this hour, so when you think this [snaps fingers] it’s like an atomic bomb, it’s like throwing an atomic bomb right. I think I mentioned before, you know, how the Americans they, when they shot the missiles—not Marcel! [GL, RL] So when the Americans shot the missiles, they hit exactly the right point, where there’s target, where’s the spot that they aimed. Anyway, like throwing atomic bomb, the country where the enemy is. When you think like this, this attachment that tortures all the time, brings all the problems of life to yourself, to other people, so many other people, family, and so many other sentient beings, that which makes hundreds of thousands of thoughts, expectations, so, doesn’t give any peace, so this attachment, that which is abiding in the heart, that completely destroyed, cut off. So when you use this thought [snaps fingers], when you think, I’m going to die today, or death might happen today, even this hour, so when you think this in your heart, not just repeating the words, but when you think in the heart, suddenly, all of a sudden, all these things, all these expectations, thousands of expectations, thousands of things to do in the life, suddenly has no meaning, suddenly didn’t make sense, suddenly there’s no meaning, suddenly become unnecessary, all these things suddenly become unnecessary.

So suddenly there’s satisfaction, suddenly there’s satisfaction found in the heart, suddenly there’s contentment [snaps fingers]. Suddenly so many problems which one experiences or which one believes in, no longer exist. They are cut off. So there’s great peace in the heart.

Yeah, please have tea.

[Blessing of tea]