LECTURE 16:  November 22, 1975

THE FUTILITY OF ATTACHMENT TO SAMSARA
The pandit, called Chandragomin, whose story I told before at the beginning of the course, Chandragomin says that in just the same way that the ox which is attached to the grass that is growing on the edge of the deep, deep well can be caused to fall down it, like this are the worldly beings who live on samsaric enjoyments. If you, if you meditate, if you think exactly like this, we don’t find one single objection in any of these words.

What he is saying is how the worldly beings who live on samsaric pleasures by having attachment are like the ox who comes on the edge of the well by being attached to the pure grass that is growing on the edge, and caused to fall down in the deep well. Other living beings that we see are enjoying, having rich sense pleasures, craving them. If there is no attachment, there is no problem living on the samsaric pleasures, but we see other living beings have the sense pleasures, enjoyment, with attachment. Such pleasures, what we recognize as pleasures, don’t have essence, are trivial and also doesn’t last for a long time. As we expect, it doesn’t last for a long time, it is decaying in each second. By seeing other living beings living such a life, having these samsaric pleasures, we realize there is nothing to feel attracted to.

Enjoying with craving actually is, itself, suffering. Experiencing those pleasures with craving is itself suffering, not real happiness or pleasure. Why there is no attraction, why it is essenceless? First of all why there is no attraction is because it is trivial, it doesn’t last, it decays each split second. Besides, it is only in the nature of suffering. It is a very harmful thing, very frightening. How? The second thing which is extremely important to understand, the very upsetting thing, is, is to realize what it means to say that they experience it with craving. Like this, the ox, which is experiencing attachment with the few grasses growing on the edge—the attachment makes the ox to go the edge, a dangerous place, the well is very deep and the grass is growing right on the edge and the strong, uncontrolled attachment makes the ox come right there, even though it is very dangerous. Because he sees it beautiful blue and delicious, growing there, he comes there to enjoy it, so attachment brings him to a very dangerous place. Why dangerous? He can easily fall into the well. The way the samsaric pleasure with craving should have no attraction is similar, should be the same experience, a very upsetting thing. The cause of attachment, the attachment to enjoying samsaric pleasures, makes the worldly beings, the samsaric beings, to be attached to the few samsaric pleasures, like the few grasses growing.

Also, then, the attachment, the attachment with the few samsaric pleasures, being attached to samsaric pleasures, that itself is the karma. Due to attachment the worldly beings are again attached to the samsaric pleasure. That, itself, is the creating karma, bringing the being to the deep well of the suffering lower realms. So the attachment is forcing the person to create karma, which is like the edge where the cow is. Attachment forcing the person to create negative karma is like the attachment forcing the cow, the oxen to reach the edge. Those two are similar. Enjoying the samsaric pleasures with attachment is like the ox trying to eat the grass with attachment, and makes one fall down the deep, deep well of the suffering lower realms.

This is very helpful. I will explain this here, now, before finishing the lower gradual path. More explanation on this point comes in the teaching on the gradual path of the middle being. This is very helpful.

If you just watch the world like a movie, the nature of the sentient beings is like that. The ways they’re suffering in samsara are just like this. Most of the sentient beings, besides their suffering in suffering lower realms, and even those who are in the upper realms, even they don’t have samsaric pleasures, most of them are suffering. Even those who have rich samsaric enjoyments, even those who have samsaric pleasures, who have the chance to experience samsaric pleasure, the ritzy rich, all these things. If you check up the nature, if you look at it with the understanding of karma, with your wisdom , with your Dharma wisdom understanding karma, it is very dangerous. Instead of wanting to be like that, feeling attraction, it’s only compassion. That kind of samsaric life becomes only an object of compassion. It only causes you to renounce the samsara. It only causes you to generate the renounced mind of samsara. Exactly as the animal on the edge, even the animal is eating the grass, you know, it’s just for short time.

Then again, if the being doesn’t have to take another birth in other realm, even though the pleasure is changing, if the being could experience it without dying and without being born another realm, that is still something else… but that’s not like this. Just for a short time.

So, the nature of the samsara-being is to be ignorant to the nature of the samsaric suffering. Even though they are at such dangerous point, like the animal that is in dangerous edge, they not aware. Like the animal on the edge, ignorant, not aware that he’s on the edge. There are many people, many other sentient beings, also like this, also who are similarly ignorant, not understanding the evolution of karma, not understanding the nature of samsaric suffering. They also feel attraction, that kind of experience in life, and they always try to copy it, they try to be same, similar like the other cows, thinking they’re finding pleasure but in reality creating similar karma, creating the danger to fall, again, in the deep well of the suffering lower realms. As we recognize this, as we open the door of our wisdom, we realize that using the life in such a way, only making more danger for oneself—that is not the essence.

The highest essence is to receive enlightenment for the benefit of other sentient beings. If you work for that, to obtain this end, automatically your life is also protected from all these various samsaric dangers. As we work for enlightenment for the benefit of other sentient beings, the life is automatically protected from samsaric dangers.

However, to receive enlightenment, to take the highest essence, it is necessary to listen and understand and meditate on the teaching, on the gradual path to enlightenment. To be able to do this, it is necessary to listen to the teaching on the gradual path, but be before listening the teaching, it is necessary to cultivate the pure motivation. At least necessary to feel like this, “Only releasing myself from all the samsaric suffering is not sufficient. There are numberless of other mother sentient beings who are extremely kind to me all the time and they are continuously suffering, continuously suffering without having Dharma wisdom-method. It is my responsibility, alone, to release them from all the suffering and lead them to the most sublime happiness enlightenment. To be able to do this I must reach enlightenment first, therefore, I am going to listen to the profound teaching on the gradual path to enlightenment.”

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching that leads the fortunate one to enlightenment. It is well expounded by the great philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is a profound teaching, the essence of the great pandit Atisha and was extracted by the great Dharma king of the three worlds, the great Lama Tsongkhapa, through his infinite knowledge. It includes all the 84,000 teachings, the importance of all the 84,000 teachings, shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, all these teachings set up for the gradual practice for one person’s achieving enlightenment. This is the only path by which the past, present, future buddhas have receive enlightenment.

This commentary on the gradual path has four basic outlines. The last one was how to lead the disciple on the actual path. That has two outlines, how to perform the guru practice by following the guru, and how to train the mind in the gradual path. The first outline is what you do in the actual meditation session, and then what you do in the interval time, the break time.

Then there’s the second actual thing about guru practice. So yesterday I was running on that subject.

So, I think pipi time. Thank you.

IT IS NATURAL TO FOLLOW THE WRONG PATH
I was talking just generally, that usually, the ordinary people don’t know how to seek a guru or who don’t know for what reason they have to seek guru or what kind of guru they have to seek or what, you know, has to be found. Usually the ordinary people , other people in the world, they don’t realize that a teacher being far-famed and millions and millions of people following him, that does not mean that he’s the right, perfect teacher. Even though by following such a teacher it might seem kind of benefiting, kind of helping to the mind, that cannot be the reason that proves that the teacher is right, perfect, benefiting the life. Cannot be.

As I asked yesterday, and gave examples, how can it be possible? Because even if the person, the teacher, is enlightened, other people can’t see that he’s enlightened. They see only according to their own mind’s projection and according to the level of their mind. They have that level of projections, you know, of views. So that’s how actually they can see the knowledge of that teacher, through their own projections.

However, generally, due to ignorance, due to karma, even if the teacher has total understanding, showing the right path, other followers can’t understand. First of all, they don’t see the other person’s knowledge in that way, even though he’s enlightened, no matter how much it is announced in the whole world, they don’t see that. Then there are some who accept the teaching, but are not understanding it right away. Then, many, many distractions, so many distractions, difficult to digest, you know.

So like this, it is natural to follow the wrong path. This is the nature of the samsaric beings, nature of the ignorance, like this. Then, just briefly, even though one person finds it is benefiting to his mind, feeling excitement and happiness, that one person’s singular experience cannot prove that the teacher is right and perfect, really beneficial for the life. When you don’t have the goal, you don’t have discipline, not concerned with taking others’ lives, practicing everything that delusion, that attachment wants, then there are people like this, who follow the path harmonious with the delusion. The person has excitement, you know, is happy, “It really benefits my mind, fits into my life. It really makes me happy,” and for those few hours, for few days, just for short time, is like this. There are examples like this.

Then, when that person, that follower, meets the right teacher, meets the right path, right teaching, which really benefits his mind, which really brings happiness, which really brings happiness, how is it that it actually benefits? How does it bring real happiness in his life? It helps to control his delusions. It faces his delusions. It controls his delusions. So that, that teaching, what he practices or what he explains, that is opposite to delusion, opposite to what delusion wants. The person thinks, “It hurts, the teaching hurts me.” The person thinks, “Delusion, the delusion itself is me.” The person thinks he’s oneness with delusion, you know, “Delusion is me,” you know, “Delusion is me.” So by thinking like this, “Delusion is me,” thinking that delusion hurts, then he thinks, “It hurts me, it is the cause of my suffering.” That kind of person wouldn’t follow the disciplines of the mind. That person would find it difficult to practice, difficult to accept it. That is the nature of the samsara, the nature of the ignorance and nature of the samsara. Oh, to create the cause of samsara is very easy, so easy, so easy, so easy, so easy, so easy. To practice Dharma, right teaching, it is very difficult, extremely difficult because we are full of distractions, full of distractions from outside, from inside, doesn’t matter. However, it’s like this. That is the nature of the samsara.

In order to receive enlightenment, one must follow the gradual path to enlightenment. To do this it’s not sufficient to follow a teacher who knows only one technique of meditation, such as shamatha or such, or even just only knowing the teachings of the lower gradual path. It is not enough only knowing the teaching of the gradual path of the middle being. The most perfect thing is having experience, living in the practice and having perfect understanding of the lower gradual path, middle gradual path, and higher gradual path.

What I mean is like this. Perhaps it may not be clear. Some person met one guru and he knows one technique, just one technique, one meditation, and she says, “That’s enough, “ Satisfied, doesn’t have to find another guru who knows other techniques, you have one meditation, you met one guru who knows one technique, you have one meditation, enough for life. That’s not skillful. That’s not enough. You have to depend on a teacher who knows all these teachings, the whole path, that you have to follow gradually.

THE QUALITIES OF THE GURU (CONTINUED)
Through the example you can understand like this. As Maitreya Buddha said in the sutra teaching called Do De Gyen, she.nyen means not just the virtuous friend but the virtuous friend who is subdued and pacified, greatly, greatly pacified, has more knowledge, more or greater knowledge, and has energy and effort. Then, also has the knowledge of the oral teachings in the mind, the verbal teachings, realizing shunyata. Then, skillful in teaching and has compassion, is able to bear the difficulties and tiredness. As Maitreya Buddha said in the teaching, “A teacher who has this much knowledge you should follow.” And so, if you don’t find on the earth, then you have to go to find on the moon, or on Venus.

Student: Do you think you could go over that again? I think it’s really important and I didn’t get it all.

Rinpoche: Oh, maybe some student may have notes…

First of all, the teacher is subdued with body, speech, and mind. How? By living in discipline—the Vinaya, the bodhisattva, or the tantric disciplines. Without making confusion, by living in the Vinaya discipline.

Second is pacified, meaning having control over the distractions to concentration—scattering thought and dullness.

The third is gradually pacified—having the realization of penetrative insight, the special vipassana, on the basis of complete shamatha realization. The person sees the absolute nature without any distraction, and while the person is checking the absolute nature, the rapturous ecstasy, the blissfulness, the rapturous ecstasy is growing, is increasing. The higher vipassana has to have the realization of shunyata, in addition to and on the basis of the realization of shamatha.

Then having more knowledge than oneself, than the follower, than the disciple oneself.

If he himself is not subdued, how can he influence the other person to live in discipline? No way. Therefore, therefore the teacher himself has to subdue the action of speech, body, and mind by living in the discipline. For the sake of himself, maybe there’s no need for discipline. Because there’s no distraction in his mind, you know, no obscuration, no delusion, no dualistic mind. But, even though there’s no need for discipline for the sake of himself, for his own mind, it is necessary to act, necessary to pretend or to show the form of living the discipline to subdue, to control other people’s mind, to benefit in that way.

Guru Shakyamuni Buddha himself was already enlightened before taking place in his mother’s womb. He received enlightenment, you know, many, many eons ago. But to show the need to observe karma, and discipline, he took this form. This is like we teach babies in school—to teach a baby to close a door, we close a door ourselves. To teach them to eat, we pretend to eat. To teach them to sleep, we pretend to sleep. If you just talk they can’t understand, so you have to show them.

Guru Shakyamuni explained like this to ignorant beings. He explained with his form, by taking different forms. There was no need for him to do that from his own side—take birth, being born as a prince, getting married, living in the palace, enjoying this, renouncing everything, and taking the form of a bhikshu, a monk living in precepts and wearing yellow robes. Then making six years of austere retreat. Before making that retreat he looked through the four gates of the palace, and saw an old man walking on sticks, shaking, and he took the form of realizing the nature of the samsaric suffering of old age. Then through another gate he saw a dead person, and took the form of realizing the nature of samsaric suffering of death. Then he took the form of renouncing worldly activity, and receiving enlightenment under the bodhi tree. Then he took the form of death.

Guru Shakyamuni Buddha didn’t need to do this for his own mind control—he’s finished working with his own mind. He did these things to make other sentient beings understand about the benefits of the Dharma, why they need Dharma practice, all these things, why they need discipline, all these things. So like this. This I’m giving as an example, but you can see in others, with others, you know.

I think we stop here.

LECTURE 17:  November 23, 1975 (morning)

DON'T FALL ASLEEP: MOTIVATION
From the holy speech of the great bodhisattva, Shantideva: “By depending on this human boat, the great river of suffering can be crossed. It is difficult to find this boat later on…. Don’t go to sleep.”

What he’s saying is, the purpose for which we’re born as human being this time is to use it for crossing samsaric suffering, the great river, the river which is very deep, where there’s danger to drown, to be taken away, like this. It’s extremely, extremely wide and deep water; there are many samsaric sufferings. This human body that we have received now, the purpose of that is to use it in order to cross the samsaric suffering. Just like the boat that is used to cross the dangerous river, the deep, wide, dangerous river.

Why did Shantideva say in his teachings, “While one is ignorant, don’t fall asleep”? “While one is ignorant,” this has much meaning. “While one is ignorant, don’t fall asleep.” It has much meaning. Without checking it sounds like, because I am ignorant, of course I should sleep, I have to sleep because I am ignorant. It sounds quite funny, you know. Because I am ignorant I should sleep, I have to sleep, But however, don’t think in that way. For instance like in a place where there is very wide water, and you have to cross, but the boat that you can ride on comes only at certain times, not often. It’s not every day. It’s not all the time. It’s not every hour, not like that, you know. Very rarely comes. Only sometimes. So it is usually very difficult to cross this water, very, extremely difficult to get to that place where you want to be, that beautiful place where you can enjoy, where there’s everything you want, that beautiful place there. People who reach there, what they think is, “I’m lucky, I’m extremely lucky. This time I have found it,” you know. Exact, exact same thing, you know. “I have received this boat, you know. I have received this boat, this body, and I can use it, I have the possibility to use it to cross this dangerous ocean.” How lucky, the person feels happiness you know. Extremely happy. And even though sometimes the boat is there, you go to get the boat, and other people take it. Now you have the choice to use the boat. How happy that person would feel, you know, to be able to use the boat at this time. Usually in certain places where we have to travel, it is very, very difficult, and people would feel happy to have the boat, like this, you know.

Once you’ve found the precious boat which can take you there, you should not be too lazy to use it, should not delay to use it. It should be used right away while the boat is in one’s own hand. But if it’s delayed, there’s much danger, much danger. There’s maybe danger to lose the boat. Like this, this human body that we have now which can be used to cross this samsaric ocean, we don’t have all the time. If we have all the time, that’s something else. But very soon this human body will be lost. So, while one is ignorant, don’t fall asleep. This means while you have the boat, recognize that you can cross the ocean.

“Do not fall asleep,” but cross the dangerous ocean. We don’t have to be more ignorant, we are already ignorant. There’s no benefit to become more ignorant. “Fall asleep,” that means don’t purposely make oneself more ignorant, you know, by creating negative karma. You shouldn’t fall to the wrong conceptions, the wrong views, the wrong conception which makes oneself more ignorant. Also, you shouldn’t create negative karma, which makes oneself more ignorant. By following the wrong conceptions one is falling asleep. So by using the precious human rebirth in this way, besides not giving meaning to the human life, we continuously cheat ourselves, we are continuously trapped in samsara. The best way to use the precious human rebirth is to dispel the ignorance by listening and understanding, meditating on a well-condensed, practical thing, like this gradual path to enlightenment.

So, before listening the teaching it is necessary to cultivate the pure motivation, that is, “I must receive enlightenment.” The listening subject that is Mahayana teaching which leads the fortunate one to enlightenment. It is well expounded by great philosopher Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is the profound essence, the infinite knowledge extracted from the great pandit Atisha and Dharma king of three worlds, great Lama Tsongkhapa. It contains all the importance of the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. All these teachings are arranged, set up for the gradual practice of one person’s achieving enlightenment and this is only path by which the past, present, and future buddhas have received enlightenment.

THE QUALITIES OF THE GURU (CONTINUED)
So the commentary on this gradual path to enlightenment has four basic outlines. The last one was how to lead the disciple in the actual teaching. That starts with how to perform the guru practice and how to train the mind in the gradual path to enlightenment. The first has two, how to do in the actual meditation session and how to do in the interval times. And the actual times has three: preparation and actual thing and the completion. So the actual thing that’s part of the guru practice.

So just briefly, some importance that can help much to protect oneself from the dangers. Yesterday we were talking of the qualities of the guru, as it is said by Maitreya in his teaching.

Generally although it is not necessary for the teacher to live in the discipline, the teacher will show that aspect to benefit the disciple. There are some exceptions—some particular disciples whose minds have very high intelligence, heroes, very strong, who don’t mind the difficulties of practicing Dharma, like Milarepa, Naropa. As the teacher sees that the disciple can be led in the path to enlightenment through such methods, and that they have strong devotion, not easy to change, and that it is difficult for heresy to arise whatever the guru asks him to do—they are exceptional. You may have read some books of those great yogis, many strange things, the actions of the teacher looking very strange, or how they treat the disciple. From the ordinary side, especially the western mind, it looks very negative, with no compassion at all, very cruel, like beating an animal. Some people may feel that. But why they do those things, why they treat them in such a way? First of all the teacher himself has a completely free, non-dualistic mind. Second, the special disciple has the fortune to receive enlightenment through such a method, is receptive, has strong devotion that is never up and down.

Certain methods may look funny or crazy, and they may not use the same methods for all the disciples. However, we can’t criticize. The point is this: before, I emphasized that it is not necessary for the teacher to be living in discipline for himself, but instead for the sake of others. But I am saying, also, we should not criticize the one who does strange things, not living in discipline, crazy, or see it as acting negative. We shouldn’t generalize like this, because like the example, Marpa, Tilopa, and others, there can be certain methods, and even though it’s positive from their side, from our side we can’t see that it’s a perfect method. We don’t see the level of his mind, so we can’t judge what they do, it is difficult to criticize. It’s bad, bad and difficult to criticize, difficult. However, like this, generally I’m emphasizing that there is no need to criticize other people. How your life is going to be, that depends on the teacher, because the teacher is the copy of your life.

Pipi time? OK, thank you.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE GURU
Like His Holiness Dalai Lama said in his teaching, “Oh, when a perfect lama and receptive disciple meet together, enlightenment will be as if it is made by hand", as if the enlightenment molded by hand, like flour. Then, also he said, just like clay, the mold, whatever picture there is inside, it comes out perfectly. If it’s good, it comes good, beautiful. If it is ugly, this also becomes ugly. This is another example of why I said “receptive disciple.” If the mud is not so wet; if it’s so wet, when you print, it disappears like this. If it’s very wet then we can’t print. If the disciple won’t accept the print, then difficult. If there is a perfect, receptive disciple, then enlightenment is easily received, like made by hand. It generally depends on both. Not enough just the teacher himself is perfect, as these examples just I have mentioned, and not enough the disciple is receptive but the teacher is imperfect.

Previously we were talking about if the guru whom we follow lives in the discipline, like this, is it very easy to control your mind, you easily take the influence? He’s also a human being. It’s very easy to control one’s own mind and bring more benefit to the mind, but if you don’t see him acting in the same way as he says then it doesn’t go in your mind, it doesn’t make sense, that’s how it would feel from your side. However, once you have made the relationship in the Dharma, disciple-teacher, since it’s decided there’s no change from your own side, “Now he’s no good, now I need another teacher, now he’s no good, now he’s not my teacher, now he’s not my guru.” It’s the most heavy negative karma, the most heavy negative karma, heavier than, killing hundreds, thousands of people, a million people. It’s the most heavy negative karma. So once it’s decided, your mind has to be like diamond. No matter whatever mistakes you see, the mind has to be a diamond. No matter whether he pure or not, realized or unrealized, if one follows perfectly, without rising heresy, you doesn’t trust whatever you see in your projection, in your vision. The mind living in the understanding, in the knowledge of the guru, following the guru with the devotion like this, even though he’s not an enlightened person, even though he doesn’t have any realization, through following him can receive enlightenment very quickly. Realization comes like water, easily. So like that, also enlightenment.

Also as your mind gets more and more purified, your view, how you see him, changes, it is not the same thing as you see at the beginning, not same thing. Even if you don’t have very high realization of bodhicitta, or high realization of the path, or this and that, while you are practicing, while you are performing the guru practice, your mind changes, your mind becomes more understanding, you gain more wisdom, so also at the same time your view changes. Your view, how you see things, changes. Your feeling changes, the discrimination, all these things. Anyway, even while you’re practicing, even while your mind training in this, it’s like this. Then, afterwards, gradually, then you, as you enter in the path, then you can see him in the aspect of buddha, the nirmanakaya. Then, if you follow higher paths, as your mind reach higher level of path, then you see him in sambhogakaya aspect. Then as you understand better and better, you recognize, recognize what the actual guru is. As your mind reaches at the same level as the guru, then, at that time, you start to recognize, really start to meet, like two friends meeting.

I think pipi time, thank you.

GURU DEVOTION QUESTION AND ANSWER
Student: Rinpoche?

Rinpoche: Oh...What’s happening? …

Student: Could you explain what the Buddha’s thinlay is? Why the sentient beings rely on the thinlay?

Rinpoche: What it is? How it is that they can experience the result of his action? And why is it that we cannot, we cannot have the direct contact with buddhas without relying on the guru?

Student: Why it is we cannot receive the thinlay? Why it is there’s not a direct relationship with the Buddha?

Rinpoche: The last one?

Student: The last one is ah...why is it that we cannot...

Rinpoche: Why the sentient beings have to...First of all, your first question is, why do the sentient beings have to depend on buddha action [thinlay]? [Yes]. I see, I see. Why do the Nepalese people depend on the king’s action?

Student: Because he’s controlling them.

Rinpoche: Oh? What about their benefits? The development of the country and benefits depends on his actions.

Student: Because they work for him.

Rinpoche: Oh, they work for him, I see. They work, they work for him? But why the benefit and development can’t happen without depending on the king?

Student: Because then that’s self-sufficient.

Rinpoche: Same thing. This answer that you gave me, you can give that answer to that question, why the sentient beings have to rely on Buddha’s action. That answer you give to other question, to the first question. Like that.

Student: How is it then that the actions of the buddhas can enable me to receive realizations?

Rinpoche: Simply talking...How does the patient’s cure, his benefits, his happiness, depend on doctor’s action?

Student: Administering the medicine.

Rinpoche: Giving, by giving medicine. Administering means?

Student: Yes, by giving the medicine.

Rinpoche: By giving medicine, that’s right, that’s right, that’s right. You’re correct, perfect. So just like this. This answer you give to the other question. Receiving realization, that means having certain mind control over the delusions. Which is like the cure or the panacea. How does that happen by the Buddha’s actions? That is by listening teaching, to understand teaching and practicing the teaching. Just like this patient’s taking medicine from the doctor, you know. As it is instructed by the doctor, you know. Like that, same thing, same thing. He himself is ignorant and not recognizing medicine, all this. Same thing, we have to depend on Buddha’s action in order to escape from delusion, the disease.

Student: What’s the definition of blessing? Why does the sentient being's mind rely on the blessing?

Rinpoche: Like this. In order to grow a crop, why does it have to rely on water? Without water it cannot grow. This I can clarify a little bit afterwards.

Student: Rinpoche? When you’re practicing guru devotion and you’ve found the perfect guru, but before you’ve gotten much spiritual development, something happens and you lose him, like he dies or you have to run out of Tibet but he doesn’t also run, or something happens and you can no longer find his face...[Rest of question inaudible through Rinpoche’s laughter]

Rinpoche: And you lose him? That does not mean you have lost your guru practice. Your not seeing guru anymore, that doesn’t mean you have lost your guru practice. If you can remember previous life’s guru, even if he’s not there around you, you can still practice. Even if he’s nowhere around you, you can still practice, you can still make guru practice.

Student: Then what would your attitude be, do you think, toward whom you are now taking teachings from? If you cannot...

Rinpoche: If you need teaching then you check and then you find another teacher. Like this, like this.

Student: You mean have two gurus? Two root gurus?

Rinpoche: You can have billions of gurus. You can have one, you can have one guru, you can live on one guru, if that is enough knowledge. Also on other hand, you can have a billion gurus. Like this. For instance, Atisha, just before I told the story of Atisha, you know. He has, he had 157 gurus. That depends on whether you practice Dharma just by following one guru or by following many gurus, depends on individual.

Student: May I ask a question? Is it possible that we can discuss a little bit about the question of last night, of dream and life?

Rinpoche: Ah. Maybe after sometime, OK? After sometime. It’s good, good you keep it. Don’t forget, maybe after some time in the afternoon.

THE QUALITIES OF THE GURU (CONTINUED)
Once the guru-disciple relationship is made from one’s own side, there’s no change, no change.

Then pacified, then greatly pacified...Anyway, without repeating, the most important thing is his having the subdued actions by living in the discipline and having the realization of shunyata, having greater knowledge than oneself; and then having compassion, having compassion. Even though he has all these realizations, if he does not have compassion, it wouldn’t benefit, or the disciple wouldn’t receive that much teaching. The important things is having compassion, concerned with disciples, and then, not caring about the difficulties, and having the perfect understanding of shunyata.

That is very important, extremely important. If the teacher doesn’t have the perfect understanding of shunyata, even if she wants to be free from samsara, the teacher cannot show the actual method which really cuts off the root of the samsara. The teacher cannot be of benefit that much for the disciple to be free from samsara. In that way the disciple cannot understand the absolute nature of the mind. So since he does not understand what the real nature of mind is., since he’s ignorant, there is no way to recognize the cause of samsara, the root of samsara. Since he does not recognize the root of samsara, there’s no way to cut off the root of the samsara, like this. So in this way you can understand how it is important that the teacher should have perfect understanding, at least perfect understanding of shunyata, the lowest thing. So just briefly talking, as I explained yesterday, out of this, that is what is the most important thing, you know. Having greater knowledge, more knowledge than the disciple. This is what is explained by Maitreya Buddha in the teachings, in the sutra teachings.

There are certain qualifications necessary, like, for instance, like this, as I have already mentioned, having subdued your actions and pacified penetrative insight, like that. These are also qualifications of the Hinayana guru. And the Mahayana guru, there’s about ten qualifications. Then comes the Vajrayana guru, and there’s many more qualifications, like this. Those who have received the teaching on the Vajrayana teaching, the Guru Puja commentary, it is in that text, explaining the qualifications of the Hinayana guru, the Mahayana guru, Vajrayana guru, like this.

Part of the Guru Puja subject is the qualification of the guru. However, like this, talking simply, if it is possible, the teacher that we’ve found, that we’re going to follow, should be like this—even though he doesn’t have much knowledge, much realization, he should be one who emphasizes taking care of other sentient beings more than oneself. In this way, as the teacher emphasizes things such as bodhicitta, you also mind training in bodhicitta, this bodhicitta. You always are concerned for other sentient beings, always working to receive happiness for them. This causes you to receive enlightenment quickly.

Then secondly, if he is not like this, then he should be at least one who recognizes that oneself must be free from samsara, and try to receive nirvana, also emphasizing to avoid the ego-grasping or the I-grasping, the cause of samsara. If the teacher is not like that, if he’s not like that, if he doesn’t have that personality, then the disciple wouldn’t try to be free from samsara, he wouldn’t recognize the cause of samsara. Oh, so then, at least he should be like this.

The lowest thing is Dharma teacher who at least emphasizes that the future life is more important than present life, who always emphasizes more important to work for the future life than the present life, who does not care so much for the present life and who emphasizes mostly the future life. If the teacher is like this, then the person becomes concerned over the future life and in that way, he seeks happiness in the future life and seeks method and he creates good karma. In that way, continuously he receives happy rebirth in the future life.

So if the teacher is none of these, it’s very difficult. We don’t call him a Dharma teacher. No concern for karma, no way to protect you from creating negative karma, only working for this life, completely wrong path. This is not a virtuous friend.

This point is the most important thing, because our life, this life, many lives, depend on that, relies on that. What kind of life we have in this life, what kind of person I will be tomorrow, what kind of future life will be, one life, two lives, future lives, all depends on how this present life is. And this depends on from who we take example, who we copy.

The first, simple example, is like this. The first, you know the first block where your money gets printed, if that is the right one, then, then the rest of all the money from where that money is copied all becomes same, all becomes perfectly same.

Even when you buy ice cream in a shop you choose a good flavor. You check up on the ice cream and the price. You check the taste, and the price. If even buying ice cream is that important, why not the teacher? There’s no question.

Then as we said in the glance lam-rim meditation, the morning prayer, the yon tan kun gy’i shir gy’ur dr’in chan je, tsul shin ten pa lam gy’i tza wa ru, leg par t’ong na ba: pa d’u ma yi, g’u pa ch’en po ten par j’in gy’i lob, the morning prayer, as we say.. like in the Guru Yoga, the prayer… it is translated just by verse, in many verses: you tan kun gy’i shir gy’ur dr’in chan je -- that is, “The most kind venerable one who is the best of all the knowledge, who is the best of all the knowledge.” Then, tsal zhin ten pa lam gy’i tza wa ru “… perfectly following, this is the root of the path.” Then the second verse, leg par t’ong na, means, leg par t’ong na, that means, “seeing this well,” “by seeing well this,” leg par t’ong na. Ba pa d’u ma yi, “and then, with much effort,” ba pa k’u ma po tin par j’in gy’i lob, “please with great devotion” g’u pa ch’en po ten par j’in gy’i lob.

Making the long sentence, “Please grant me blessings to be able to see well, perfectly following the teacher, the most kind, the venerable one, who is the base of all knowledge. This is the root of the path. And to be able to follow, with much effort and great devotion.” That is the meaning. I’m translating the meaning of the prayer, beginning of the prayer. However, anyway, this is very big subject and this is just for auspicious, for, just to plant seed that I just repeat, translate this prayer.

Perfectly following. First of all, without talking details about how he’s the base of all knowledge and just the second thing, just talking the essence, the outline, “perfectly following,” there are two ways, following with the teacher through mind, following the teacher through actions. There are two things, like this. Following the teacher through the mind, that is trying to understand, remembering, trying to feel the thinking of the guru buddha’s knowledge, thinking of the guru buddha’s knowledge, remembering the kindness, rising devotion by remembering kindness. Following the guru through mind, following the guru through actions, two things. Following the guru through mind is by generating devotion. But now, there’s two methods to generate devotion, there is thinking, or trying to understand, or trying to see, the guru buddha’s knowledge. Then second one is remembering kindness of the guru. Those are the two things which generates devotion, like this.

Think I stop here.

LECTURE 18:  November 23, 1975 (evening)

QUESTION AND ANSWER: DAYTIME AND DREAM IMAGINATION
Did anyone find out if there’s a difference between the dream and the actual, I’m not sure, the daytime light?

Student: I think the difference is that the recognition in the daytime light comes from the skandha of form and the recognition in the dream state comes from the skandha of consciousness.

Rinpoche: I see.

Student: I think you can compare the dream state to a shadow on the wall that looks like a spider, and the reaction to the shadow, you can compare that to the way you react in the dream.

[Long discussion follows, mostly inaudible]

Rinpoche: You were sitting here in Kopan, but mind was in America? Do you think, in the daytime if you think of America your mind is in America?

Student: I think it’s maybe possible. It’s imagination.

Rinpoche: So whatever object you think of, you think your mind is there?

Student: Yes.

Rinpoche: When you think of my mind?

Student: Of your mind I cannot think, it is impossible for me.

Rinpoche: You don’t think of my mind?

Student: I can’t think about your mind. It’s impossible for my mind to imagine.

Rinpoche: You don’t think of any other person’s mind, of what he thinks?

Student: I can only experience my mind. My consciousness of others’ personalities. The more I understand my mind, the more I can understand others’ minds.

[Further discussion, inaudible]

Rinpoche: If you think that dreaming of America means that your mind is there, so during that time you have two bodies, one body is in America and the other one is here?

Student: When you die in the dream, you don’t wake up in the same body, you wake up in another body, you actually are dead. You cannot dream that you die and wake up in the same body.

Rinpoche: How can you say that?

Student: It depends on the mind.

Rinpoche: Maybe you didn’t have the experience but how can you say it’s impossible for others.

Student: Can anybody here tell me they have died in their dream and woken up in the same body?

Rinpoche: Dying in a dream is a common thing.

Student: Usually when I die in a dream, eaten by a shark or something … usually I wake up …

Nick: [repeating question for other student] Does she really see herself dead or in the process of dying? If she really sees herself as dead she would never wake up in the same body. If she dreams of a shark eating her leg, maybe she wakes up with her leg missing.

[General laughter]

Rinpoche: Many times in the dream you die and you see your body burning, other people burning your body. It’s common.

Student: Do you really wake up in the same body?

Rinpoche: I’m not saying it really happens or not really happens. But there is dream that happens like that, where you see your body being burnt or destroyed, things like that. Also in dream time you recognize, you think “I am dead” and you see the body being burned or similar. It’s a common dream, nothing special, many times, and wake up with the same body. You can’t stop other people’s experience.

I think if you have things, you discuss by yourselves. When a thief, try to imagine, when he meditates on how to steal money from the bank, how to make a bank robbery, when he thinks in his house, imagines he’s going around the bank, in such a time, with people, with guns, going through windows or doors, imagines, thinking, how to do the process, how to do it. And he thinks he’s going to inside of the bank and taking it out. He thinks, he imagines, and also in his imagination he sees that, going in there and doing these things, just exactly as the dream, in the daytime while he’s meditating, imagining, thinking how to steal, how to do it. When he makes concentration how to do it, going inside and taking the money and coming out, then imagining what to do with this money, how to, where to go. Imagining, then going to another country, then escaping to another country, imagining he himself is going there, he can see like that in his imagination. This is same as a dream, exactly as a dream. Let’s think this way: if you think the dream, what you do in the dream, what country that you dreamed, if you think, if you believe you really got there, then think this way. When you imagine like this, you can see yourself in the bank, when you’re imagining like this. But taking money, all these things, receiving money, taking the money out of the bank, coming out, coming to your place. But, did the person get the money? Did that person really steal the money? At that time, did the person really steal the money? The money’s there in the bank.

Let’s say he’s going to steal tomorrow, but today he’s imagining. But did he really steal? He imagined like this, he himself was going there and taking out like this, but no problem, it’s still there. Then he goes tomorrow, and, as he imagined, if he becomes successful, then money doesn’t exist there. But today he’s imagining—money is there. He is imagining that he got money and coming back, but the money is there. So if dream things are true, then this should be also true, this imagination should be true. He should’ve got the money. That means the money is not there. Check up like this, think like this.

Those who were thinking what you were doing in the dream are true, “My mind was really there, I was really there,” those who think like this, think, use the imagination. Is that true? Your imagination is true? [the daytime imaginary]. Check with the imaginary. Then, as you find the imaginary is not true, if that is not true, how can the dream be true? This is also action of mind, imaginary, it’s also action of mind. The mind thinking, trying to imagine—it’s the action of mind. Dreaming time, as he [a student] said, it’s action of skandha, the consciousness. So as he said, this is really quite a good answer, good talk, that makes much sense, this is also action of consciousness. So if the imaginary is not true, how can the dream can be true? So you check up like this.

Student: If you are going there in a formless body, with the mind…

Rinpoche: Without his physical body, I’m not saying such that is impossible. Without this gross body, just mind travel, I’m not saying it’s impossible. That’s possible.

Student: Does that mean an act of mind has no reality?

Rinpoche: An act of mind has reality, and act of mind has reality. As there’s act of mind, it has reality.

Student: And you create karma?

Rinpoche: Yes.

Trying to finish this subject, these two lines.

Saying the objects of hatred and attachment…[unclear]…looking at the transformation, illusory, however, just to briefly mention. There are many techniques. According to the person’s mind, according to the person’s understanding of shunyata there are various techniques how to look it as transformation and illusory.

RELATIVE EXISTENCE AND INHERENT EXISTENCE
As I said, I did not complete the end of yesterday’s talk. The main point, the most important thing—some people perceiving any objects, seeing any objects existing, thoughts of any existence, as completely illusory, that is completely wrong. Should be cut off, everything should be cut off. That kind of thing, instead of benefiting, instead of becoming cause of benefiting to oneself, it only becomes cause of suffering, to become oneself more ignorant, to become farther and farther from the wisdom of realizing the reality of the object. Because, besides not understanding the reality of the object, even the relatively existent object, even that which is existing, the person is not accepting, the person doesn’t accept. The person thinks it is completely illusion, doesn’t exist utterly, doesn’t accept even the relative existence, then there’s no way to realize the reality of the object.

That kind of wrong conception, how it’s saying, that is just like this example. How that kind of thing does not benefit, that is like this. Yourself is in the fireplace sitting and then thinking there’s no fire existing, there’s no fire at all, it’s completely illusory—no fire.

In the dream-time, if you think like this, it is worthwhile. In the dream-time if you think, when you get in the fire in the dream time, dreaming that you are in the fire, if you think it is illusory, that’s correct, it’s true, doesn’t harm, doesn’t burn your body. Doesn’t burn your body, which is relatively existing, this it doesn’t burn. The dream fire doesn’t burn the relatively existing body. That is ok, that is skilful, the person thinking, especially.

Sometimes it is like this, in the dream time, as you recognize, sometimes funny things, dream time, as you recognize the dream, as you recognize this is a dream, as you’re walking on the path, something concrete, which you feel concrete in the dream time, but you know that it is a dream and you know that those heavy things cannot hurt you. So purposely you go to grab it because you know that it won’t hurt, so you try to do with those things all kinds of things. Like if someone transformed illusory house, road, stones, if someone transformed it, you see and if you know it’s just illusory, it’s not real, then you can touch it and it doesn’t hurt. You can touch you can do anything. Like if you go to touch a rainbow it doesn’t hurt. As you’re dreaming, does one atom out of that pile, that whole thing, does one even atom exist? No, it doesn’t exist; it does not exist. Even one atom out of that pile, it does not exist. Besides the whole not existing, even one atom of that does not exit. If there’s one atom out of that pile that exists, then there would be also concreteness exist—jewels, in the world, also the concrete things can exist. If it exists, when he wakes up, he would have in his house, he would have in his room, right there. Right after he woke out of that dream, he would have a piece of gold, he would have a piece of a jewel, at least, even if he doesn’t have the whole pile. But never. He doesn’t even have one atom what as he dreamed—not even one single atom.

Similar like this as I described outside, same thing with “I” that you feel, what you see, same thing. More you recognize outside things, your view, more you recognize that which does not exist there, more you recognize, clearly you recognize, the way, how you view, that much easier you can seehow you can perceive, you can see how you see your “I.” As you recognize the outer views, then at the same time if you check up the “I,” then you can also similarly you can recognize easier and better the real—I’m not sure how people meant evil—however, at that time the person starts to recognize the real root of samsara. As the person sees, he recognizes his wrong view of the “I.” Like this can be possible. The techniques how they can be used, the object of the hate and the attachment, just simply talking.

For instance, let’s say this mug, let’s say this is an object of attachment, may not be object of hatred. Possible, possible—object of hatred—possible. When we look at the mug, besides the mug there’s something on top. I’m just putting another way, similarly before, but I’m just putting another way. But like that also. While we’re looking at the mug , besides the mug there’s something else on top. Some kind of cover, something on the top. Mug, mug, completely got stuck there, completely stuck there. So you point out, “there’s a real mug there.” As soon as you hear or as soon as you look at it, mug, completely stuck there, oneness, kind of oneness, completely stuck there. That truly existent mug, that is the thing which generates attachment. This is the view, this is the perception which generates attachment. This is the thing which obscures, which prevents us to see the reality of the mug, to see the mug as illusory. Because of this, simply talking.

As it appears to us as truly existing mug, we project, we believe, this is real mug. Therefore, we don’t see this as illusory. Something, mug, truly existing—completely stuck there, oneness. It is there. Because this prevents to see the reality of the mug, so therefore, we don’t see the mug as illusory. Because we don’t see the mug as illusory, this mug, just by looking at it, generates attachment. “How beautiful it is!” It’s actually just a mug, so what’s the use?

Then clinging, mind of clinging, comes, grasping. Then, at the same time, creates negative karma to be continuously born in samsara in the different suffering realms. At the same time creates karma, leaves impression again, builds more attachment, more and more. Like this, it obscures, as the attachment arises, it obscures our mind to see the reality of the mug, again. That’s how it is dangerous. Then the way to look at it as illusory, perhaps, can be also like this. Depending on how much you understand the meaning of shunyata, emptiness, depending on how much you understand, how clear it is, how much you can see. If you have true understanding of emptiness, what’s the real emptiness, if you recognize and you know how to look at it, if you know what is the wrong view and these things, then, just by even even remembering the words of those great lamas who have realized shunyata there are three words that are is very helpful for the mind: “Don’t trust as it appears, but look at it in the nature. Don’t trust as it appears, but look at it in the nature, look at the essence.” If you think these words, relating with your view, at the same time, then your wrong view, it will disappear. Then at the same time it will disappear, then by disappearing, you can see as illusory. Then it doesn’t become cause of attachment. If you can see like this, it doesn’t let to raise attachment.

I expected to finish this subject very quickly so that after the meditation, the lam-rim meditation, can be done more. But I didn’t expect to talk as much about the—then sometimes mind becoming crazy, cannot control, so then it took more time. Didn’t expect to talk that much the part of the subject which I had no idea, but perhaps expecting that by maybe understanding, by maybe hearing a little bit of this, not sure whether I can talk about this afterwards, so by talking a few words now, then perhaps, expecting, hoping that it may become cause that people, beginners, who are first here to the lam-rim teaching, can become cause for them to understand karma. I’m not expecting them to understand shunyata from it, but to understand karma. Perhaps it may become cause, beneficial, for them to understand karma and to be careful with karma. So like this that’s how it happened.

Understanding more karma helps to understand the shunyata. Not understanding karma also hinders to realize the reality of shunyata. It helps each other. So if you want to realize the absolute nature we have to be concerned with karma, we have to understand karma, we have to observe karma. If you want to be free from samsara. Without realizing absolute nature, there’s no way to be free from samsara at all—it’s hopeless.

[Ge wa di… Dedication prayers]

PRAYER VISUALIZATION ADVICE (PARTIAL)
[Beginning of next topic is lost]

…And to receive immediately all the right thoughts, the respectfulness to the guru, and so on. That means, after the devotion to the guru, then all the former realizations up to enlightenment. It’s good to say like this, relating to tantra: zhi ne la sag dang, zhi ne lag, nyi nang tang ne tar gye, nye nang [audio unclear] I, the subtle dual subtle mind, requesting to cease all the wrong thoughts, reversing all the wrong thoughts, starting from the disrespectfulness to the guru until the subtle dualistic mind. Because the very last thing which prevents enlightenment is the subtle dualism view of the mind. That causes all the wrong conceptions.

Gen chi nang ki means cause, the conditions. The outer conditions. This is asking, after receiving immediately all the irreversible right thoughts, starting from respectfulness to the guru and so on, and pacify quickly all the hindrances of the outer and inner causes. Outer cause includes the hindrance of the outer cause such as many people suffer not having chance to practice Dharma, not being allowed to practice Dharma. For instance, due to outer conditions like wars taking their countries and because of that you cannot practice Dharma. Such as you’re controlled by the king, the king wants you to work or something, also you don’t get a chance. Like also such as those examples. You desire to practice Dharma, how much desire you have, but no chance and you have to follow the emphasis. As they ask you, you go to the military. There are many hindrances of the outer cause, that which comes from the countryside, from the other people’s side, like other people not letting you to practice Dharma, disturbing.

Then, even though there’s no outer condition, like other people disturbing or from the country side maybe dangerous many things happening or controlled by other people, even thought there’s no hindrance coming from the, even there’s no hindrance of outer condition, but there’s hindrance of the inner condition. That’s having some problem within you, cannot practice, like health problems. When we’re sick we are incapable to practice Dharma as we want. And also there are many other problems, besides mentioned, so you cannot start.

So this short prayer is very, very useful, this includes all the requests for stopping all the wrong conceptions, all the negativities and it includes the request to receive all the right thoughts, all the realizations. And also it includes stopping these hindrances. Besides outer and inner there’s also hindrance such as you become incapable to do those practices of the Dharma. So this prayer has to be said after the mandala offering. After finishing the part of the seven limbs, after dedicating, then mandala offering. This mandala offering also can be short, doesn’t have to be long one in regards to prayer, I’m not saying visualization. Just as the, just like the short prayer you can say, and then after that you can repeat this prayer which is really powerful and very helpful.

This mandala offering, the second mandala offering comes. The reason is following subject what’s coming is the request of the lineage of the gurus. It’s like when someone goes to see the king, to be able to obtain your success, to request something, so you have to offer something to the king. This mandala offering, which comes at the fourth prayer, is like that. In order to persuade, to grant the realizations or the blessings as the request is made. This prayer is very effective for the mind, this following prayer. How the prayer is important, in order to receive the realizations that what we need, depends on the receiving the blessing of all the buddhas, what you visualize in the merit field. To receive blessings, that depends on the prayer from the heart. By looking at the guru, one receives the deity.

Palden tsa wai lama rin po che/da gye chi wor pan den teng sho la …etc
The jewel root guru who has glorious, perfect, complete realizations—palden tsa wai lama rin po che just even palden, that can contain...pal is sort of “glorious”, den means “having”—this can include having the achievement of the gradual path of the lower being, having the achievement of the gradual path of the middle being, having the achievement of the gradual path of the higher being.

Da gye chi wor pan den teng sho la
Please sit on the lotus moon which is above my head. Chi wor means in the center of the head.

Ka den chen po go nai …(Two lines)
Just by not only sitting. After sitting…is kind of taking care. So the meaning is “and receiving me through your great kindness.” Actually, je sun t’ai—actual meaning "receive" itself, that’s also meaning. However the meaning is the beginning of the path where you enter and the final goal, enlightenment, what we received. "In that path, please lead me...." so actually je sun t’ai,
“receiving,” the actual meaning is like this.

Ku sum ku gyu ngon drup sel du sol
“Please grant me the realizations of your holy speech and body and mind.” I think this is just a brief meaning of this but it explains, according to tantra, this kind of subject there is so much.

Then, this prayer has to be recited. When you say this prayer, Ku sum ku gyu ngon drup sel du sol,
that time, the root guru, that which you have realized in the merit field, that comes down in a similar aspect like that we used to visualize guru Shakyamuni Buddha, similar aspect, a second root guru, emitting, coming out of the root guru that we are visualizing there. Then seated on your head.

Then the guru sits face to the....as you facing this side the merit field, with hand like this, like position of request. The purpose of coming down, sitting on your head, that is to recommend. Like when you have to go see very important people in office. You yourself don’t have much power to talk or to explain or to get things done. Then you ask someone who is more proactive, maybe… Usually is something like this, whom he likes very much, something like this, usually. Then you go to him so that as he helps to recommend you what you want. Then, whatever you want, that can be successful, that can be obtained. So if you know the beginning visualize like this, even though you don’t know the meaning of each word.

Tu je kang ba shen… [audio unclear]

LECTURE 19: November 24, 1975

IMPERMANENCE
The founder of this present Buddhadharma, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, as he said in the precious teaching, the sutra teaching, “The three worlds are impermanent like the autumn cloud. Look at the dance of the sentient beings, the birth and the death. It is same. How the sentient being’s life finishes, how the sentient being’s life goes, it’s like lightning in the sky.” Guru Shakyamuni Buddha said this in the sutra teaching called the King of Concentration.

What he’s saying is that there is the world of form, the world of formless, the world of the senses, dividing the whole samsara world into three. All these three worlds are impermanent, do not last. Even in a simple second it changes. So that’s how as it is becomes decay in each simple second, it is impermanent. Just like the autumn season, cloud. Why it said “autumn” can be because in autumn time there’s more clouds and then also generally the clouds are very quick to change. Just one second or minute it is there, then after one second or minute it is not there, it changed into another shape or it disappeared. The cloud also changes so fast, even in a split second. So the whole three samsaric worlds are like the autumn clouds. “Look at the dance of the sentient beings, death and rebirth, are the same.” What Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is saying is that how all the three worlds are impermanent, how they are like clouds, because the dance, look at the dance of all the sentient beings, death and rebirth, the circle of the death and rebirth. Nothing lasting, again dying, again reborn, again dying, again reborn, every second like this. That’s how it quickly becomes decay and changing, so it is like a cloud, it is said. “How the sentient being’s life goes, how it finishes, it is so quick, like lightning in the sky.” The lightning in the sky, just one second it is there, but after that second, it doesn’t exist. Just for a short time just for one second, but in the second second, it doesn’t exist.

Normally, in our view, even though we see, even though we believe we are living for a long time, we are going to live for a long time, even though we believe like this, “I’m not going to die soon,” no matter how much we believe in this, the nature of the life, the way how it finishes, how it quickly reaches death, that is the way that lightning so quickly finishes in such short period. The period, the length of the life, that is so short, like the length of time of lightning in the sky, so short, very, very short.

Clarifying, if I clarify, like this, how what Guru Shakyamuni Buddha said is true: since we were born until now, all the past things, past history, past life stories, everything what we did, everything where we stayed, no matter how long story we had, no matter how much we did, however, since we were born until now, the whole thing finished so quickly just like last night’s dream. Quickly finished, just like lightning of the sky, just in such a short time finished. From the time when we were born until now, what we did, everything, whether we suffered, whether we enjoyed pleasure, no matter how much we did. If we check up with our own experience like this, it is very true, exactly same, absolutely true. There’s no exaggeration in what Guru Shakyamuni Buddha said in his teaching, no exaggeration. Just exact, according to the nature of the life. Since this perfect human rebirth that we have received now, since it does not last, since it is for just a second that we have this.

For instance like a person, complete dark in the night time, can’t see anything, even if he’s reached the place where there’s jewels, where there’s diamonds that he can pick it up. He can’t see in the night time, completely dark. For instance, there’s a person who want to steal jewels in the night time. In the daytime can’t steal, so in the night time. Night time it’s very, completely dark. So, like the person thinks, while there’s lightning, if you’re careful, try to see, try to checkup, and try to get it while there’s lightning. If you can’t be careful, if you don’t try to pick up this diamond, the precious jewel, then after the lightning is finished, then you can’t get it. He cannot see, he cannot recognize even if he’s there, even he’s close to the jewel, where there’re jewels, he cannot see it, he cannot recognize in the dark.

So like this, like the Dharma, the precious human rebirth, while we have received this, just for a short time like the lightning, while we have this, just before the length of time we have this, the precious human rebirth, before this length of time finishes, passes away, before passing this time, in the short time, like the short second of the lightning, we have to be careful, we have to put all our effort and by recognizing this, by recognizing this try to get the essence. The essence that is to receive enlightenment for the benefit of other sentient beings. Example is this. Having received the precious human rebirth is like having the lightning, and then taking the essence is like picking up the diamond. Taking the essence is receiving enlightenment is trying to receive enlightenment for the sake of other sentient beings like taking the diamond, picking up the precious diamond.

To receive enlightenment, it is necessary to listen, to understand, to meditate on the teachings of the gradual path to enlightenment. In order to listen to the teachings, it is necessary to cultivate the pure motivation. Necessary to feel at least like this. For the benefit of all the mother sentient beings, I must receive enlightenment right away as quick as possible. Therefore, I’m going to listen to the profound teaching on the gradual path to enlightenment. What we are listening that is the Mahayana teaching which leads to enlightenment, it is well expounded by the great philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is a profound teaching, the essence of the infinite knowledge of the great pandit Atisha and Dharma King, great Lama Tsongkhapa. It contains all the important of the 84,000 teachings from guru Shakyamuni Buddha, and all these teachings are set up for the gradual practice of one person achieving enlightenment. This is how all the past, present, and future buddhas have received enlightenment.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE GURU THROUGH THE MIND: GENERATING DEVOTION
This commentary on the graduated path has four outlines. The last one, how to lead the disciple in the actual teachings. That is two outlines. First one is how to perform the Guru Yoga practice, and that is two outlines. Guru Yoga practice has two outlines, the second one is actual meditation session. First preparation, then the actual session, then completion. That part is about the explanation on the meditation on the guru practice.

However, just to tell some points that which will be useful for new ones and also old ones, emphasis on some important points without talking details, how to perform the meditation.

How to follow the guru involves two things: how to follow the guru through the mind, how to follow the guru through the actions. How to follow the guru through the mind involves two things: the root one, training the mind in the devotion—generating the respect or devotion is same thing—by remembering their kindness. The basic outline is like this. If one doesn’t know about this, even by understanding the outlines of the lam-rim meditation, all of a sudden you get idea. When you honestly understand, even though you don’t have the detailed explanation, honestly you can understand it from the outlines. You have the understanding in order to increase the devotion. What is the method in order to develop the devotion? What is the method? Just by hearing the outline, you have the idea, the method, what’s the meditation that which helps to develop such and such in the mind, the realizations. It is clear, even from understanding the outlines. So that much helps, understanding the outlines, even though the detailed explanation is not given. So without knowing this, even one has desire to talk about guru devotion, even one has desire to do something with it, even one has interest, since one does not have even the outline, then difficult to talk about, difficult to think about, difficult to meditate about, to meditate on. Difficult, the person has no idea.

Training the mind in the devotion, this is again many outlines. Important, of course, many outlines, but it will take much time. If a person wants to follow the gradual path, this is something that one has to understand. If a person wants to follow the gradual path, “In order to follow the graduated path I have to do this, I have to practice this, I have to train my mind in this,” then this is something one has to understand, this part of the meditation. Definitely it can happen if one has energy, if one tries. Of course it can happen, one can understand, one can realize. If one doesn’t have energy, if one does not try, then difficult to happen.

There are many outlines, just on how to train the mind in the root thing, how to train the mind in the devotion, many things. However, the conclusion, training the mind in the devotion, the essence is just like this: As how we feel toward Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, as how we look at Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, as how we have respect or as we have the devotion when we look at the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha—that he’s completely pure being—as how we feel when we look at the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, exactly like this is how to look at the wordly guru. How, from our side, how to think of the guru, the essential guru practice, that is just the same way how we look at Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, like this. It is the same feeling, or same understanding, that we have to have with the wordly guru. Just like this.

Another way of putting this: As it is said in the tantra, the Vajrayana teachings, in the conclusion, “As how one just thinks of the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, if one thinks same way to the guru, if one looks in the same way at the guru, then all the knowledge comes.” Then, by following the guru’s orders, all the knowledge—this knowledge does not mean just ordinary knowledge, it doesn’t mean knowledge how to talk, how to play etc., the main piece of knowledge is enlightenment, the whole path that leads to enlightenment, the complete full enlightenment—all the knowledge arises. As one looks to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, if one looks to the guru in the same way, all the knowledge rises without effort. However the essence of “knowledge,” what it means, the main thing is the realizations. Besides the general knowledge, even the realization of the path that leads to enlightenment.

Another way of putting, making it more clear, is, for instance let’s say, of course the person who didn’t hear of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s knowledge, doesn’t know anything about Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, the life story, all these things which show the complete mind control, having received enlightenment, that person wouldn’t have much idea how Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is buddha. Even though he may say “buddha,” he wouldn’t have much feeling of buddha. However, those who have heard of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s knowledge and life story, which show that he is completely enlightened, having complete mind control, not ordinary person, do they have doubt that he is Guru Shakyamuni Buddha or not? We don’t have doubt, thinking that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is not buddha, “Maybe he is not buddha.” Generally talking, no doubt. The feeling is that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is oneness with buddha. When we think of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha he is kind of oneness with buddha. We don’t feel separation of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha—Gautama Buddha—and buddha are different, do we feel separation? No we don’t feel separation. Just generally speaking, according to people who don’t see as separate. We don’t feel separation of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and buddha.

Just like this feeling, just like this, when we get this feeling, real feeling, not making up, not just saying from mouth, your mind believes Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is not buddha, buddha is something else, Gautama Buddha who lived in India, did this and that, maybe he is a little bit down from buddha, buddha is something else, mouth speaking, “Oh yes, he is Guru Shakyamuni Buddha,” but not feeling not like this. Generally talking, we don’t feel that way, we feel he is oneness with buddha. Can be possible like this, but generally the person who knows about Shakyamuni Buddha, who knows the refuge meditation, knows about Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s life story and knowledge, would not feel this disconnected way.

Like you feel as oneness, just like there is no distinguishing one from the other when water and milk mixed together, like this, really feeling, no doubt, unshakeable feeling that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is the real buddha. Just like we feel this strong, real feeling, when the person feels like this, exactly like this strong feeling, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is buddha, completely pure, not one single mistake at all in his understanding or his actions, not one single mistake, just like this, when we feel like this with the present guru, when we feel this just like that, inseparable Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and buddha, same thing, when you feel like this, not having any feeling of separation, no mind feeling that buddha is something else very high, not feeling separation, exactly same kind of feeling regarding the guru, inseparable with the Buddha. Exactly like this, real, not just made it up, but the real feeling, for sure, no doubt. Like very strong, complete decision comes in the mind. “If this is not Buddha, who can be Buddha? If this is not Buddha, where is Buddha? Where is Buddha? Who else is Buddha? If this is not Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, where there is other Guru Shakyamuni Buddha?” Sort of like this complete decision in the mind, it comes.

That is the realization, when an unshakeable understanding, a complete decision, arises. You feel, also, also you continue to feel like this. Then at the same time, like we feel the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha then very easy, like we feel with the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, no one single mistake in his understanding or actions, completely pure, whatever appears is my projection, it is very clear, very true for us. Like this, something happens with the present guru.

Also you don’t see any more wrong views or any more mistakes. You don’t see any of these when this realization happens, so unshakeable, complete decision in the mind. At that time that the realization of this guru practice is received, it is by the mind training in the guru practice, the meditation. It is like this. This is the conclusion of what I’m saying. Realization is like this. During our practice, in the future, the experience of the realization will happen such that, when you can see that real experience, you realize that even at the present time you don’t see like this, you don’t feel like this, like what you will feel when you realize, when you receive the realization of the guru practice. In order for you to feel like that, you have to think, your mind has to train now. So, generally, the conclusion of the general form of practice is the conclusion you’re going to experience, you’re going to have that realization. It has to be now, at the present time, when you have to put effort, you have to train the mind.

Let’s say a child who was lost for a long time, who doesn’t recognize his mother. He didn’t see mother entire time, and afterwards the mother came and he doesn’t recognize. Afterwards the child came and he doesn’t recognize that that is his mother. Then afterwards, as he was introduced by other people, “She is your mother because you were born in such and such a place at such and such a time, your mother had to go away because of this and this and this.” It’s possible the child may not believe right away, may not believe, “This is my mother.” Perhaps. He also may think, “Oh yes, she has been introduced to me, this is my mother.” Then he thinks, “This is my mother, my mother, my mother.”

Then after some time he would feel stronger and stronger and then he would really believe that, “This is really my mother.” Then, afterwards the mind gets trained. Whenever, even though there’s a bunch of women coming, whenever he sees that he’s with the mother, always there’s intuitively the feeling of “mother.” Different from when he’s with other women like this. Intuitively, without making effort to try to think “this is my mother.” No need to think, just intuitively, whenever you see, whenever you remember. This is good example. The child’s mother, the other person who try to explain, “‘this is your mother…” Let’s say like this: Child has been blind and with blindness cannot recognize. Blind for many years, from the birth time. There are a lot of people who has been taking care of him, doesn’t know, even though he has mother. Then after some time, once he opens his eyes, then some other person introduces, “This is your mother.” He’s trying to justify “This is my mother” to himself, and other person trying to justify “This is your mother,” but it is not that child’s mother, it is not the mother, but someone which is not mother.

He’s trying to prove that this is his mother, trying to see as his mother. Not like this. This is very important, this is one main thing. Trying to justify, trying to recognize who is his mother, who was his mother before, who has been his mother. The child himself is ignorant. He’s ignorant in recognizing the mother as mother. Child cannot recognize, cannot understand. So therefore, not to justify to the mother that “you are mother,” not like this. Also, she’s not mother, but trying to justify to the child “this is your mother,” not like this. Child is ignorant, has been blind and ignorant, and did not recognize. So justify for the child’s mind to dispel child’s ignorance.

Just like this, same thing, I don’t think any difference, no difference, with the guru practice. This example it’s useful to understand, it’s useful to keep in mind. But the other one can be difficult to understand right away, but it takes time. One thing I’m forgetting. Before the child he gets the effortless feeling of “mother,” before this, after he was introduced by the person, he tried to think, “This is mother, this is mother because the person said I was born to her, she carried me,” like this, putting reasons like this and tries to think, believe “That’s mother.” First of all, he puts effort. When he puts effort but still he can’t see, can’t feel so strongly that is his real mother, that she’s oneness with mother, can’t feel like that. Also in the guru practice same thing. First, doing the practice, the person has to put effort to justify for his ignorance, to settle his mind. By this method, like this, details come. This form of practice is the one main thing, this is the one principal thing. Like as explained in the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, this is the one main thing which causes, which develops, the devotion.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVOTION
Devotion, just a little bit short talk on that.

Atisha. Dromtönpa, the embodiment of Avalokiteshvara, asked his guru, Atisha, “In Tibet we have many meditators, but why so few and so rare who has received the realizations? Why so rare, so few?” he asked his guru, Atisha. Atisha said, “The Tibetan people, how they think of the guru, how they look at the guru, is like an ordinary person. Only that, no other way of looking, no other way of feeling—only that. So how can be possible to receive realization?” Atisha answered to his follower.

Then also, to Atisha, one of the meditators asked Atisha, “Could you give me a teaching?” Atisha told the person, “dang nga.” Dang nga means “technique,” guru’s technique. Dang nga means “all the teachings to practice.” So when someone asked Atisha, “Please give me teachings,” when he was in Tibet. Atisha—sort of like the accent when you hear some kind of thing which you don’t feel comfortable, then you make fun of it. How to say?—he just kind of laughed, “Heh, Heh! It sounds good embracing, teaching, ‘Please can you give me a teaching?’ Sounds interesting, sounds like some good thing for the ear, but ‘teaching, teaching’ means devotion. It sounds interesting for my ear, but ‘teaching, teaching’ means devotion.” Through his mind power he can see the other person’s mind is something else, even though he’s asking for teaching, so that’s why Atisha’s telling him like this, emphasizing like this.

It’s like this—just a few words talking, how it depends so much on the devotion. One of Atisha’s great meditators, called Potowa, great meditator, who has achievement of bodhisattva, who has great mind control, he said, “Whether the guru has more blessing or less, little, blessing—great blessing or little blessing—that does not depends on the teacher, that does not depend on the guru. It depends on oneself. Does not depend on actual person, the teacher. How the guru has great blessing or small blessing depends on oneself.” Just like this. Even the teaching. If the disciple has no devotion, even though 84,000 teachings he heard, he listened, mind is still like rock, mind is like Everest the mountain—Mt. Everest is white, maybe not good example! [laughs]. Big rock. Does not change the mind, does not shake the mind, no matter, even whole tantra teachings you listen, whole tantra teachings, any secret teachings you listen, no change of the mind. Does not depend on how much teachings you listen. The benefit of the teachings to one’s own mind does not depend on how much, quantity of teaching. Benefit can even be given by a word, even by four or five words. Can be possible. It doesn’t need even one month of explaining to benefit the mind, or to receive the blessing, or to receive benefits, to benefit for the mind. To benefit for the mind and to receive blessings, same thing. If there’s no benefit for the mind, then he’s not receiving blessing. If it’s a benefit for the mind, he is receiving blessing. Another way of saying, making simple.

Previous time there’s one lama, one guru, in India. He was very busy, lama was very busy. It was during the time he was very busy someone came, asked to give teaching, “Please can you give me teaching?” while he was very busy. The lama said “Go away. Go away.” In Indian language, “go back, go down, go out” means ma jao. Maybe Sanskrit, but the lama said “ma re lanza,” which means “go down.” The other person didn’t understand. Other person, he had so much devotion and he thought ma re lanza means make offering. This means “mudra.” In the pujas we make mudra. So other person, he thought “this is mudra, ma re lanza means to make offering.” So he thought, “Now I have received teaching.” Then, by reciting, “ma re lanza”—actually it means “go down,” but this other person, he understood in this way and he recited this, and he thought that he had received, that the lama gave him teaching, he was satisfied, so he went back—by this certain siddhis, certain realizations he received just like this. It benefited that much to his mind. He gained even a small power to cure ordinary disease.

Then there was one mother, maybe nun or something, I’m not sure, but she has one son. This mother, she received this mantra from her teacher called tama don da which is a female aspect of buddha. The actual mantra is OM TSALA SU LE TSUNDANI SOHA, but she misunderstood and recited “Om bale bule tsundani soha,” she misunderstood. She recited that way. But she has much devotion and this deity has certain specific powers, by reciting this mantra you can do certain things like you cook stones and stones will get melt and you can eat the stones, you can live on that. Then it can be eaten. So this mother has been reciting “Om bale bule tsundani soha” and the stone has been cooked, even though she has been reciting the wrong way. But one day, her son visited, he knows the right mantra “Mother, what you are reciting is wrong. The mantra is like this: OM TSALA SU LE TSUNDANI SOHA,” but the mother did not believe. Then afterwards she recited “OM TSALA SU LE TSUNDANI SOHA” but the stone didn’t get cooked, stone never cooked, doesn’t melt. There are many stories.

You see, it’s mind power. Other person also who received little bit some siddhi, benefit his mind, change his mind. It’s power of mind. Whose power of mind? Power of mind—mind power. What is that mind? Power of mind, that’s what she has, what the mother has, what that man has. That is what kind of mind? Not negative mind. It’s a positive mind. What is the mind power? That is the devotion that the mother has to the guru, what that other person has to the guru. Even though what they are reciting, what they heard is wrong. For the ear what they understood is wrong. So like this, mind power. Does not really depend on the word, so much depends on the mind, the person’s mind power.

Same thing as I said at the beginning of the Guru Shakyamuni mantra, similar that when we are reciting mantra prayer in the presence of the greatest guru, the Bodhisattva Khunu Rinpoche, I didn’t hear clearly, but I tried to listen but I couldn’t hear clearly. I heard kind of saying MUNA-YE, so since I heard something like that, my mind was uncomfortable to say “muniye, munaye,” mind doesn’t feel comfortable. So what I heard is actually more comfortable even though it may be wrong. But what I heard, feel more comfortable to say it. Afterwards checking, I found it is the right syllable, in the few texts. So much depends on mind power, the devotion.

So like this example, you can similarly see the benefit to the mind, receiving realization. How, through devotion, person easily receives realization, siddhi, power. If one has devotion, whatever the lama, even though he doesn’t give teaching, even things that he say, just even general things, his orders, or even if it’s teaching, everything goes well, everything goes in the mind, and it becomes so effective to the mind. So effective to the mind, so beneficial to the mind. This means it makes the person find s it easy to control the delusion. Somehow the person gains energy to control the delusion. How quickly the delusion gets controlled is like putting water, if there’s a big fire on the ground burning, then you put much water. All of a sudden it becomes, it just disappears. Like that, how the delusions are also very easy to control by receiving teachings. Whatever the guru explains, whatever teaching explained, everything goes in the mind, benefits to the mind, which means controlling the delusion.

As Guru Shakyamuni Buddha said in the sutra teaching, “For the person who doesn’t have devotion, the white Dharma does not grow.” White Dharma means the knowledge, all the realizations. Example: The seed that is burnt, the blue stem doesn’t come, just like this. Guru Shakyamuni said in sutra teachings like this. I’m just giving some ideas and emphasizing things and then gradually as you’re convinced you can feel, the actual feeling will come, gradually as you study the lam-rim meditation.

Just briefly, why it depends on devotion, whether the teaching is given or not given? How the benefit of the guru depends on the devotion, and why the devotion is important? It’s scientific experience. Another way of saying is like scientific experience. We believe in scientific experience. The scientist is like the Buddha where we should believe. Sort of like that. The scientist is the main thing whom we should believe. Everything is wrong. This is a scientific experience. Why? This is the experience of the meditators, those who have completely achieved the gradual path, even who have not achieved the gradual path, the meditators, practitioners, their experience, so it’s scientific experience. Sometimes scientific experiments will be wrong. Many times it becomes wrong, they discover wrong thing. First they checked, they explained, “Because this is like this, like this…” they discover something. According to the understanding of what they have discovered, then afterwards, after few months, a year, again they check up, “Before what we did is wrong. Just now there’s a mistake in this.” There are many things like this. However, it’s not always like this.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE GURU THROUGH THE MIND
In regards to remembering the kindness, the second outline, remembering the kindness, generally there’s much to talk about it. However, those you can read in the books after some time. Just personally talking from my side. For instance, this time I have received the precious human rebirth. How I have received precious human rebirth? That was in my previous lifetimes I created the cause of the eight freedoms and the ten richnesses. Those are all good karmas, the cause to receive each of these freedoms and to receive these richnesses, I have created that much good karma in my previous lifetimes. How I got that chance to create good karma in previous lifetimes? That is the kindness of the guru. That’s how I received in this lifetime the precious human rebirth, by the kindness of the guru.

Since I was born until now no life dangers happened which made life shorten, that is also the kindness of the guru, because he saved me from dangers to the life. The reason why this time I can read so many Tibetan texts as I wish, whichever text that I want to read I can read, I can try to understand whatever text that I want, whatever subject that I want. Why I have such a possibility like this, chance like this is by the kindness of the guru. Even also I am capable to be able to say even one sentence, even to be able to read even one sentence from the prayer, that’s also the kindness of the guru. How’s that the kindness of the guru? When I was a child, I have two teachers who taught me the alphabet, Tibetan alphabet. If they didn’t teach me the alphabet, if they didn’t introduce to me, how it is possible? I have no chance, there’s no way that I can read any of this precious teachings, no way to understand by myself, and no way to explain to other people also. No way that I can read even one sentence. All this is the kindness of the guru. My guru who taught me the alphabet.

I have two gurus, because, how it happened two gurus, this is how it happened, because I was very naughty in the child time. In the child time I was very naughty, so that’s how it happened, two gurus, they needed two gurus teaching alphabet. Because one guru, he’s my uncle and very close to my house. His monastery’s very close, I think it may take a few minutes to get there. So child time I was about four years, that much age, then at that time as a child I like very much to play. So when the teacher teaches me alphabet outside his house in the courtyard in the sun he teach me alphabet. Then he goes in the room to cook lunch. So, between that time, I just ran away [laughs]. I escaped down to my mother’s house. That time I was very small, so in the road, even in the daytime, it’s kind of usual child’s kind of activity—specially mountain people, they don’t walk slowly, somehow that’s their habit—so I used to just run, kind of like water flowing, to my mother’s house. Never stopping, never resting on the way. So like this happened, very naughty like this. So my mother said, I think, I don’t remember for sure, but I think I, maybe except one or two letters, I did not recognize. I think that’s what he told me also.

Then my mother sent, because I’d been naughty, so then she sent me back to the monastery, and I escaped down, and she sent me back. Because also that time, she has good mind, she’s very, very kind, she has good mind to educate in Dharma. There’s other stories, anyway, there’s some rumors going on also at the same time [laughs]. So maybe because of that is why she wanted to educate in Dharma. Then that’s how she sent me to another country where you have to cross snow mountains, very dangerous, snow mountains. It takes, in autumn time when the weather’s good, you make it in one day to cross if you leave early that morning and you may reach there other country nighttime. But sometimes takes two days. When I was traveling, three or four times crossing the mountains, was very dangerous. You have to spend the night in the way, you have to sleep in the cave, in the kind of, just mountain animal sleeps that kind of cave. So she sent me to other country and I have to be there for a long time.

Then I wrote mother. I was very small, but I could write Tibetan letter just by myself just with wood on a pen. What do we do is make fire of wood and then out of that they burned piece of wood, then write on paper. I tell my mother, because I want to come back home so I have sneaky mind, no good mind, so I wrote to my mother without the teacher knowing. “You must write to me saying I must come back,” sending letter like this, on piece of paper, give to other person who was traveling to the other place. The funny thing what happened was when he reached my mother’s place he didn’t find the letter. And when he was coming back to the other place, on the snow mountain they have to rest. In our country when you travel the snow mountains, our shoes are primitive leather shoes, no good, not strong, very thin animal skin, and then you have woollen cloth. Inside very cold. Your feet they don’t have socks, so very cold. So the method that they use is you pick up from the mountain dried grass, then you put it in the shoe, then you put your feet—it keeps warm. So you have to change on the snow mountain when you travel because the snow gets inside and it becomes wet then your feet gets wounded. So you have to change. You have to take the old grass out and put new grass which you carry on the back, new grass, to keep warm. So he was shaking his shoes like this, the letter was in the shoe [laughs]. So the letter came out, as he was coming back.

Anyway I think it’s lunch time.

So when I remember, think, check up, like this, it is impossible that my teachers they have not been kind. It’s impossible that I can do these things if they had not been kind. Even though they taught me just the alphabet, nothing, no other explanation, just only that, it’s something I can’t repay, even in hundred billion eons. Even I have number of atoms like jewels, even I offer, the value I benefited, even I give that much, offer that much, is not something that which can be repaid like this in such a way.

[Ge wa di… Dedication prayers]

LECTURE 20: November 25, 1975 (morning)

REMEMBERING THE GURU'S KINDNESS

MOTIVATION AND THE MEANING OF MEDITATION
The great Lama Tsongkhapa, who is the Dharma king of the three worlds, said, “The perfect human rebirth is difficult to find and doesn’t have a long span. Training the mind in this, by being trained in this way, the worldly activities of this temporal life are stopped, cease.” What Guru Tsongkhapa is saying in his teachings, the perfect human rebirth or the freedom rebirth, that is received now, not only is it extremely difficult to find, not easy to find again. If it lasted for a long time, many eons, thousand, three hundred, four hundred years—it doesn’t last long, the length of the life is very short. As the nature is like this, it is necessary from our side to try to be aware of this nature of the life, instead of ignoring it. As it happening in this way, it is more useful to be aware, than trying to ignore it, which only becomes cause of unhappiness, cause of suffering. Trying to ignore the nature of the life, when it becomes a cause of ignorance, by not being aware of this the person does not think to obtain the ultimate goal, does not seek the happiness of future lives, does not think of the future lives. The person thinks only of this life, how to gain happiness for this life, only trying to work for this life.

So in the person’s life, no matter how long he lives, even though he lives to be even a hundred, ninety or sixty years, in his life, not a single dharma action is done. Not one single dharma action, which is opposite to the worldly activity of only this temporal life, activity that is done only to obtain happiness only for happiness of this temporal life. That is what we call worldly work or worldly activity. Means actions that are done only for the happiness of this temporal life. Not ultimate happiness, not ultimate happiness, not ultimate but temporal happiness, samsaric happiness of the temporal life, this life. So, such a person as that, who does not understand the nature of the life such like this as explained in the lam-rim teachings, as Guru Tsongkhapa. explained, all his actions become worldly activity. No matter how long he lives there is not one cause of happiness not one single dharma practice that is done.

If he spends the life in that way, no matter how much he has a long life, no matter how long he could live, not so much use. Living longer becomes more harmful, creating more cause for suffering, so then like this. However, after he passed away, after he passed from this life then continuously again suffering. So therefore, in order to in order to make the life meaningful, by practicing Dharma, then in order to practice Dharma it is necessary to, necessary to do the action that is practicing Dharma, the pure Dharma, opposite to the worldly activities.

Therefore, how to do? What makes one to stop? How to stop, what makes one cease continuously doing the worldly activities, the activities to obtain happiness of only this life? How to stop that, the method how to stop that, that is stopped by making pure Dharma practice, practice which is the activity for the cause of receiving happiness in the future life, and enlightenment, like this. However, then, what’s that method? That is mind training. In the meditation, in the meditations of the precious human rebirth and the difficulty of receiving the precious human rebirth and the usefulness of the precious human rebirth, the mind training in that.

“Meditation,” when it’s called “meditation,” perhaps it sounds kind of it is made up, nothing to do with the nature of the life, with your life nothing to do, but it’s something idea, something that is made up, “meditation,” perhaps it may sound like this but it’s not like this. However, whether you call it meditation or not, meditation is the—our mind is not trained, is not aware, no trained in such as the nature of life, in having received the precious human rebirth how it’s useful and how its difficult to receive and easy to change, in all this the mind is not being aware and not trained, not trained—maaking the mind familiar, training the mind, training the mind, to be aware in this, such as nature of the life. That is, that itself, that is the meditation, that is the meditation.

Maitreya Buddha said in the teaching “Do de gyen” making the mind familiar with, making the mind familiar with the object, object of the meditation, you know. Familiar, or, how to say, making your mind familiar in the object of meditation and training your mind in the object of meditation. That is, however, the same meaning, that is the meditation. Like bodhicitta, then, if you’re meditating on the bodhicitta, then, making the mind familiar with that realization. You know, training the mind in that realization. Like this. So, as the person practices the meditation, the mind becomes closer to the realization, and afterward, the mind itself, you know, become oneness with it, itself becomes bodhicitta, Oh, like this, that is how is the meaning of meditation is. We should make pure Dharma practice, pure Dharma practice. Then, that, that is the trying to follow the gradual path to enlightenment, the gradual path to enlightenment in order to receive enlightenment for the benefit of other sentient beings. However, this is the most practical thing.

Then, before listening this teaching, the teaching on the gradual path, necessary to cultivate the pure motivation, pure motivation. Think, I must receive enlightenment in order to enlighten all the sentient beings, therefore, I’m going listen to the profound teachings on the gradual path to enlightenment. The listening subject, that is the Mahayana teaching which leads the fortunate ones to enlightenment and is the one expounded by Geshe... It is a profound teaching which is essence of the great pandit the Atisha and the great Lama Tsongkhapa It includes all the important points of the 84,000 teachings taught by Guru Shakyamuni.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE GURU THROUGH THE MIND

REMEMBERING THE GURU'S KINDNESS (CONTINUED)
All these teachings are with the gradual path this commentary on the gradual path to enlightenment is four basic outlines. The last one is the gradual path, how to lead the actual teaching. These are two outlines, the first one is how to follow, how to make the guru practice. Then, by following that, how to train the mind the path to enlightenment. Inside the first two outlines, what is there is the three outlines: preparation, and actual meditation session, completion. But actual thing, that is the part of the guru practice. Then, how it is explained, from the Guru Yoga, the teaching the lam-rim meditation, the perfectly following the guru? Then, that comes in two divisions. Then, how to follow through the mind, how to follow through actions, the action. Then, how to follow through the mind, that is that comes in two outlines: Training the mind in the devotion, which is the root, remembering, rising, rising the devotion by remembering by remembering the kindness. So two things like this. Then, that very simply and just very briefly few words part of, just only few words from part of the subject: Training the mind in the devotion, which is the root.

Oh like this. Then just briefly, just briefly mentioning. For instance, I am just talking from my side, then, like this. Then, before that I have possibility to create good karma, if I try to take the vow, try to take all the precepts. Then, that I have possibility to create, as I live in the vow, as I took the vow, I try to observe the vow, then for that reason I am fortunate, I am fortunate, I am fortunate that I have chance to create good karma as I checked, as I observed, you know, each time. As I observed, then, try to check what karma. All the time, all the time, all the time, like this. Each of these good karma that I can create, that I can receive, that is the kindness of the guru who gave me the ordination.

After coming back from the Solu Khumbu from Nepal, then, spent there some time in that monastery, somehow the karma brought there, entered into the discipline for the monk. However, the monk who had lived there had then entered, how do you say, society, society people, in that group. So in Tibet the custom—or not custom, how to say, is not custom, tradition—when entering the monastery you have to make offering, you have to make offering. You have to make offering to the monk. If it is rich people then they make much offering. If it is poor people, poor people then not so much offering. Just cheap. If very rich people then they offer money, tea and thing and many other things, you know, religious things for the monastery and many things. Also many like this. So, however, that time, just always alone there, just always just a beggar, alone. Then, there’s one monk who took care of me. One monk, I like him, no one, no one, single thing. One monk took care of me, so he’s in Bhutan now, so he helped me often in the monastery. The offering, my offering is the one delicious Tibetan tea [laughs]. Concerning the previous Rinpoche, the very precious, the pure, a very, very precious, pure, which is very precious in Tibet, or all over Tibet, then, put that the tea, good bowl of tea, then, I don’t know what else, maybe money offering, I’m not sure, I don’t remember. Then, one big bell. Round, not bell, what you call, gong, big one, it has a very, very good sound, very good sound, very big and inside there’s a kind of thing like this coming out so if you sit on that it makes a very good noise, like kind of you know, kind of very strong, not kind of like bell, you know. That I remember. Then, by this monk coming, somehow the karma that good karma which I created by the kindness of the guru, then so that happened so I entered that place. So I made little bit, not maybe not the best, rich offering, but I think made it the middle one. So that time there wasn’t title called “Rinpoche” that other people call me, you know. The people they didn’t have, the people that time in Tibet they didn’t hear any stories that other people talking saying like this.

At that time there’s a kind of exceptional thing called—if you make offering, you have to make little offering, then there is this title, you become tondrup. This means if you enter in the monastery, if you make offering, then that means you don’t have to serve the tea to the monk, you don’t have to clean the floor in the monastery, you don’t have to serve, you know, you don’t have to do. Usually, for the monasteries you have to run so much, go outside and bring food, and much, do so much kitchen works, and so many, many things you know. So if you do the offering, then you have kind of exception, you don’t have to do it, so I got the title.

Then, after you made offering you had to learn, you have to make, you have to give examples three times, three times. Long text, like this, and many pages, many many prayers, so many prayers you have to learn by heart and then you have to, in the puja time, where all the monks are sitting, then you have to sit in the front of the abbot and then you have to say all the prayers by heart. The abbot he checks through the long prayer, each word whether you say correctly or not, you know, whether he makes a jumble, you know, all these things. Then, I did that, so that was little bit successful. Then the abbot said I did a good job, I did a good job, a good job. So the place where I sit in the puja, the puja time, there was , because there’s follow according to discipline who came first and who become monk first, he should sit first, like this, so I was sitting very last in the line, very last with the monks. After me there’s no little monk, I think, I don’t think so [laughs]. Oh, good experience, good experience.

Then after the puja and examination finished, after when I was coming out, little boys, you know, the little boys, my friends, the little boys, monks, they were saying, “He didn’t do good, I did better, I did better,” these things, they were kind of jealous, talking like this when we were coming out of the monastery, the prayer hall, you know. I still remember.

However, at that monastery I took the ordination from the abbot, the abbot who came from Sera College. Very wise, noble, learned, all three together. So like this, an example is like this.
Talking like this, even the 36 precepts you know. How the guru, how he is kind, you know. Then, also, then I am, then also at present, in the false shape of monk, in the false shape, the full monk which means taking vow 250 precepts. False gelong, false gelong. However, definitely, as I made vow to receive the ordination, that much good karma, that much good karma I have chance to create. There is also kindness, the kindness of my guru, the Dalai Lama’s tutor, the older tutor, like this.

However, then, besides that, I also have chance to create good karma, having chance to create good karma which makes the cause for enlightenment, by taking the bodhisattva vows and Vajrayana vows, all these things. All those are the kindness of those gurus, those gurus whom I’ve, from many of those gurus who, all those gurus from whom I received so much Vajrayana teaching, all the very rare, extremely rare teaching, the Vajrayana teaching, the short-cut path to enlightenment, the initiation, which is difficult to receive on this earth. Difficult receive generally in the world, even in this world difficult to receive. Like this, not in all time, not in all time. And those gurus from those Vajra gurus from whom I received so much the sutra teaching and the initiation, the Vajrayana teaching, which, by thinking their knowledge, by thinking about their knowledge, if they are not Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, then who has been Guru Shakyamuni Buddha? Also like this, if they are not Buddha. If their methods, their methods, what they’re giving the teaching what they’re giving, what they’re doing, how they’re guiding, how they’re guiding me, if that is not Buddha’s method, if that is not Buddha’s action, what action can be Buddha’s action? There’s nothing I can point out, nowhere else to find. However, like this. Then, each time the teaching, the Vajrayana teaching as they are received, each time, like this, leaving impression on my mind, each time, that much become cause to, leading, also to lead, that much becoming cause to enlightenment, like this. That’s extremely, extremely kind.

Like this, such as this, each word, the each of the words which I have heard, which they explain me, each of the word from the teaching, even I make offering, then, even I make offering as the number of the atoms of this world for eons, eons, eons, I cannot repay for one word, it doesn’t fill up the value of the teachings, it doesn’t fill up, is not enough. However, is not enough, is not enough, not enough. Like this.

While I’m, each word, each Dharma word, each Dharma word that I’m explaining you, each of these words, that is also not because I’m competent, not because I’m intelligent or not because I am competent. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing like this. Nothing from my own side. Nothing because I’m intelligent or competent or because, nothing like this. Only by the kindness of the compassionate gurus. Due to their kindness, their, each of the word that I can, each of the Dharma word that I can say, you know, that I talk, that I explain to you. Then, also having chance at the same time, having chance to create good karma. Then, other people listen that I can try to explain little but you know that is also the compassionate, such as the compassionate gurus’ kindness. Like this. Otherwise impossible, impossible. From my own side hopeless, only from my own side is hopeless. No way to happen like this. That there is a chance for that mind to train in the lower gradual path and the middle gradual path and the higher gradual path, in those paths that is also the kindness of the guru. In the higher gradual path also there’s sutra and tantra, vajrayana path, all like this. That is also the kindness, such as the chance that I have to train the mind, that is great kindness of the guru. Like this.

Then, having little understanding of Dharma that is also the kindness, even though my understanding is so little, like the atom of this earth like this but also even this, little knowledge, understanding Dharma, that is received by the kindness of the guru. Oh, like this. Even though there are no realizations received, however, receiving all the graduated path, completing the graduated path, that is only the kindness of the guru. Receiving enlightenment is the kindness of the guru—that is very clear. Without depending on the kindness of the guru, without depending on the guru, no way is it possible—I can not see that enlightenment can be received. Also without depending on the guru, even the Buddha can’t become enlightened. Without the guru even Buddha cannot become enlightened.

Even the samsaric perfection pleasures, since I was born until now I did not work to obtain the temporal needs—perfectly possessed, but so far nothing works. All the time not purposely work for that with the aim to obtain the temporal needs. All the time the life hasn’t been spent in that way, however. Without any trouble, difficulties easily receiving the temporal needs, many times, as one thinks, just easily it is received, not having problems of starvation or many such things—all these are the kindness of the guru. Each day, without depending on putting effort, food clothing, all the temporal things, even these samsaric perfections are also the kindness of the guru. For instance if the abbot did not ordain me there is no way I can be in these robes, like this.

Then just briefly, then, just like this one can figure out all the past, present future happiness, all the perfections of happiness are received by the kindness of the guru. Then, I think it is definitely, no question, definitely, true, from my own side, personally. That is just briefly explained like this, you know, like this, in regards to remembering kindness. Then perhaps there may be some useful things in this. As I think, I wanted to explain from my own thinking, you know. So perhaps among this, there may some useful things, maybe you can think of it, you know, through these examples. Then, thinking it may be useful if I explain like this, that’s how the thought happened. But there’s many other ways to think, many other, there’s so many ways.

Pipi time, thank you.