LECTURE 25: 11 DECEMBER 1992 PM

ASANGA AND THE MAGGOTY DOG
[Appears to be the end of the story of how Asanga saw Maitreya and attained bodhicitta. Presumably the tape was not turned on immediately.]

He tried to achieve Maitreya Buddha, did twelve year retreat and didn’t see Maitreya Buddha, even though Maitreya Buddha was there, all the time, with him, in his hermitage. But [RL], only after he felt unbearable compassion to the wounded dog, and he completely sacrificed his life, and, felt unbearable compassion, and then completely sacrificed his life. He cut his flesh from thigh, then stretched out there, then he went pick up womb, the worm, the womb [RL], with the tip of tongue, by closing eye and then he could not touch, so then he look at the eye, Maitreya Buddha, he saw Maitreya Buddha.

GETSUL TSIMBULWA
So if you just think that, if you just concentrate on that, that and then other, then also I told another story, that Getsul Tsimbulwa, one monk who is disciple of one great yogi Ngagpa Chöpawa . So at the beginning saw just ordinary lady, ordinary woman, full of leprosy disease, very black, completely black, and very, very ugly and full of leprosy disease, waiting at the river side [RL]. So, then, because this monk, Getsul Tsimbulwa, he completely sacrificed, as he was asked by her to please take me, carry me other side of the river. So Getsul Tsimbulwa, so even though according to vinaya, the precept, according to vinaya, the liberation, to achieve liberation for self, , even one doesn’t touch the monk, the woman. But he felt unbearable compassion and, so unbearable compassion that without any thought of dirty, feeling of dirty, so, with unbearable compassion, so he completely sacrificed himself to carry this lady who is filled with disease, leprosy disease.

So, and then, in the middle of the river, as they reached the middle of the river, then this lady transformed into, so then that time he actually saw, his appearance of seeing as ordinary person is finished, because so much obscuration, negative karma, that which blocks to see that it’s an enlightened being, also in aspect of enlightened being, which blocks him to see that, it is purified. So then, when they reached the middle of the river, then, saw then actual deity, called Dorje Pagmo. So then the deity took him to, without need to leave the body in the earth, took him to, Dorje Pagmo took him to, in the pure land, in the pure land of the deity called Tharpa Khacho. So where, opportunity to practice tantra and become enlightened.

So that contains the answer. So these two stories contain the answer. Why they didn’t see before? What helped them to see later? So it’s the same. So it’s like that. Yeah, go on. [RL]

RENUNCIATION
Question:
Rinpoche, we spoke about renouncing this life but for somebody who has a family, what particular advice would you give about the meaning of renouncing this life, for example even when you’re living in a physically poor country?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yes. Physically poor condition, yeah. You mean if the family has difficulties?

Student: What sort of life style should they adopt?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Physically poor condition means the family having difficulties, right? Do you mean that, or ...?

Question: What I mean is, for somebody who has a family, so what would renouncing this life means, that’s the first step? Renunciation, how can we practice renunciation?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah yeah.

Question: I mean we still have to live in this....

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Means to run up on the mountain, on the top of hill [GL, RL]. No, when one become fed up in the family then one just run up on the top of the mountain. Also beach [RL, GL]. That’s renunciation, isn’t it? [RL, GL] Renunciation of samsara [RL, GL]. Or run away from that to a hotel, I’m joking. Run away to a five star hotel, no, I’m joking.

No, that means, as I mentioned, renouncing the mind which brings the problems, in one’s own life and in others’ life,. So that, renouncing the mind that which brings all the confusions, all the problems in one’s own life, in others’ life. That which interfere to achieve enlightenment, liberation, happiness of future lives, and that which doesn’t give peace even day-to-day life. So that mind, cutting off that mind is renunciation. like that, cutting of that mind is renunciation. Is it clear?

So this is what actually, did everybody understand what I was telling him?

Question: No. [GL] Please repeat it.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah, I see [RL]. I was telling Michael, that, his question is, you have family and everything, and, how to do renunciation of this life. That’s his question. So, I’m saying that [RL], renouncing this life means that, cutting off the mind that, renouncing the mind that which brings all the problems, that which brings all the confusions within your life and in the life of others, towards the family, and in the life of others, and that which becomes obstacle to achieve full enlightenment, and also the liberation from samsara, even the happiness of future lives, and even the peace in day-to-day life, in your life, and also others’. So that mind which becomes obstacle for all this, so to, renouncing this mind, so that is what means renouncing this life. So, clear?

Question: Yes.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah, go on.

Question: How can you practice to renounce to the life?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Hm. Maybe, maybe every day going to the cemetery [GL]. Where the bodies have been brought, where the different body, rich people, poor people, middle class, all kinds of bodies they bring. And go then see ... [GL]. Hm.

No, it is very beneficial, it is very beneficial, especially when you have problems in the life, especially when you have so much confusion in the life, problems in the life, emotional problems, so much desire problem, dissatisfaction in the life and that. However that one is if there’s so much this anger and attachment, great dissatisfaction in the life, then it’s very good to, it’s very powerful meditation to go to see, to go to cemetery, to watch. And then then mind thinks, then that time it cuts off other distracting thoughts, and then things that usually we don’t think, that time we think. Things that usually we don’t think we think that time.

Usually the mind is like a restaurant, big restaurant, or train station. It’s like that, so many thoughts, so many distracting thoughts. Mind is anyway like this [RL]. So many, filled with distracting thoughts, occupied, so many delusions, wrong concepts, delusions, so then, completely distracted, so it doesn’t give chance to look at the reality of life. It doesn’t bring down on the earth. It keeps kind of in the space, it doesn’t come down, ground. Doesn’t make you to look at the reality of life, to think of the reality of life, to come down to look at the reality of life.

So, that time, when we see somebody is dead, when one somebody’s, when you see bodies being carried, in the road or cemetery, when you see, when you go to see a, when you go to a home where there’s somebody died, some friend or whatever, known person or unknown person, whoever, somebody’s died, especially rich person, wealthy person died, wealthy person or, even poor, even lower class or poor people. For example like this, in villages, somebody unbelievable working hard, day and night, completely, life is completely sacrificed, life is completely sacrificed for this attachment clinging to this life, the thought of the worldly dharma, the thought of the eight worldly dharma. The life this precious human body become a slave, become a servant to this thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life. In other words, the whole, the precious human life, this precious human body which has incredible opportunity to meet Dharma, to meet Dharma, to practice Dharma.
Now all this, completely, by being a slave, a servant to attachment clinging to this life. Which means this thought is nonvirtue. Why it is nonvirtue? Because the actions done out of that, what results is action done out of this thought, attachment clinging to this life. The result is only suffering, no happiness, only suffering. So, therefore, this attachment receives the label nonvirtue. it is a valid base, this attachment is the valid base, which receives name, the name nonvirtue, because effect what it does, the effect what it does to oneself, to other sentient beings. So, effect is depending on the effect of that mind.

So, the label is given according to the function of the mind. So one is called positive, because it brings the, the thought, the satisfactory mind, the satisfied mind, the mind that which is free from the attachment the clinging to this life, or in other words, the renounced mind. So, nature of that mind itself is peace. If you analyze, if you look at the nature of that mind, it is nature of, it is a calm mind, it is a peaceful mind. like, like the water that stands still, very clear that can see through, like that, very peaceful mind. And the other one, the opposite, the attachment is unpeaceful mind, uptight mind. It has its own pain, as it’s attached to the object it has its own pain. It clings to the object, it has its own pain, the nature of that mind has pain, pain of attachment, there’s pain of anger, pain of attachment, like that.

So, you can see, one is a valid base to, that which nature is not peaceful, which nature is pain, the attachment which nature is pain, not peaceful, that which obscures, by following the attachment which obscures to see the reality. This is we’re not talking reality, emptiness we are not talking about that. Reality, even the reality of conventional nature, such as to, causative phenomena, to see the reality of the causative phenomena, that which nature is changing in every second, that which nature is changing within every second, decaying within every second. So it blocks to see, it blocks the mind, it hallucinates the mind, it blocks to see the reality of these causative phenomena.

And, as I mentioned before, for example the body, when we follow the attachment, it blocks to see the nature of the body that, all the inside things, the skeleton, inside the skeleton, then there’s pieces of meat, flesh, pieces of flesh around, inside and outside, and then covered, tied up with veins, with muscles, with veins, tied up, like this, like the fishing net, net? Like the fishing net that’s like this [RL], something like this, a fishing net. So like that, muscles, the veins, so this, wrapped up [RL], then, wrapped up, then holes, then covered with skin. So like that. So while one is following the attachment it obscures to see, to think of the inside, it blocks the mind to see the reality, the what the teaching says container of thirty-six impure, dirty things. So it makes, it stops the mind, it interferes the mind to look at the reality, and it makes to hallucinate, and like that. So then, so these conventional natures, the reality of, the conventional truth of the body, so it makes, it interferes to see. Then of course, it interferes to see the emptiness, the ultimate nature of the object. So like that.

So however, so negative, positive mind. There’s a valid base, depending on the, there’s a valid base that is according to effect, nature and effect what it gives to you and then to that sentient being, so then, then it receives that the different labels, like that.

Oh yeah so, [RL] that’s right, so, your question [RL].

No, I just, no, the answer, of course the answer is to meditate on the graduated path to enlightenment [GL, RL]. The answer is to meditate on the graduated path to enlightenment, starting from perfect human rebirth, especially, so as I mentioned, as I introduced before, the graduated path of the lower capable being, so the perfect human rebirth, usefulness, difficulty to find again, so these meditations which persuades, which gives energy, which persuades the mind to take the essence, to achieve the meaning in this life. Then, how to take the essence? Then comes the division, the graduated path of the lower capable, middle capable, higher capable being, three. Then starts from the impermanence, death.

From these meditation subjects, perfect human rebirth, then up to karma, so those parts of meditation, that is the main one, especially impermanence and death. Not just thinking that I’m going to, it doesn’t mean much if you don’t relate to the karma, if you don’t, it doesn’t mean much the benefit, if you don’t relate, if you don’t think, consciousness continues, after this life, the continuation of this life consciousness, going to the next life. So if one does not think of this, and if one does not relate to karma, if one doesn’t think of continuation of consciousness, doesn’t relate to karma, negative karma, positive karma, the cause of the three lower realms, cause of the heaviest suffering of samsara, the three lower realm sufferings, then the good karma which result is, which temporary result is body of the happy migratory being, deva or human body. So if you don’t relate to these things, then just, without relating at all to these things, then just think of “Oh I’m going to die today”, then, even thinking “I may die now”, it doesn’t have, then, without, if the meditation on impermanence and death, if it’s not based on those things, without thinking that, then “Oh I might die now. Better I kill the enemy first” [GL] [RL]. Because after death, nothing. So, why not?

THE BENEFITS OF MEDITATING ON IMPERMANENCE AND DEATH
So if you leave out continuation of consciousness after this life, then, where the consciousness goes, where, what kind of body that it migrates, takes. So, that, then that is dependent on karma, so then comes here the karma, which realm the consciousness migrates, then here comes the karma, subject of karma, the cause. So then, now when you think of this one, then to think of impermanence and death, then become very powerful, like atomic bombs, very powerful, very meaningful. it is very deep, very vast, very deep purpose to think of impermanence and death. But if one doesn’t relate, if one think “I may die today, this hour”, then one doesn’t relate to those, continuation of consciousness, karma, the result of karma, those heaviest suffering of samsara, then the good result, happiness, then the body of the happy migratory being, deva, human body.

So then, so there’s a possibility, using the wrong way, thinking of the death, using the wrong way, to quickly create negative karma [RL] that I may die today or this hour, so I better take the chance to kill the enemy. Instead of avoiding negative karma, instead of avoiding, therefore I must renounce, therefore I must [RL], so it doesn’t make sense, so therefore I must abandon, this is only cause of suffering, for myself and for other sentient beings, so doesn’t make sense, so must renounce.

So, it is very important to know the reason of meditating impermanence and death. Why? Why is reflecting on impermanence and death so important? Importance of that, the benefit of that, the shortcomings of not reflecting, and benefits of reflecting, of meditating on impermanence and death. So that’s why in the meditation, in the lam-rim, in the outline of the graduates path to enlightenment, this comes, before meditating on the impermanence and death, those detailed outlines, first it talks about the shortcomings of not remembering impermanence and death, what happens, all the problems, unable to practice Dharma, unable to discipline mind, unable to control the mind, also even one tried to practice Dharma but does not become pure, all these problems. So there are six shortcomings, not remembering impermanence and death in our daily life. Then to meditate on impermanence and death, and then how it is so powerful, to cut, while there’s incredible emotional problem or, mind is so unhappy, so depressed, or so unhappy, filled with, completely overwhelmed by anger or dissatisfied mind, attachment and so forth, any delusion, pride and so forth. Also, wrong concept, the concept of permanence. So, that one’s own life, that you are in the situation to create something very, besides a very disturbed mind, very unhappy, overwhelmed by delusions, then you’re in a situation to harm so many other sentient beings, so many other human beings, to destroy their perfections.

So, whether it’s one person, whether it’s one hundred people, whole city, the whole city, the whole family, the whole city, the whole country, the world, so, as there’s always historical things that one person, not controlling the anger, the dissatisfied mind, attachment, wanting more, wanting more power, wanting more property, to have more control, more control over the people in the world. So however, these dissatisfied mind, attachment and anger. One person not controlling the delusion, that destroys, not just one family, all the material, all the perfections, all the things of the, that what the family has. And then whole city, even one city, even one big city that has been developed for so many years, by spending many millions of dollars, the bridges and buildings, many things, the airport, so forth, so many things, many millions of dollars are spent to build by many hundreds, many thousands of people put effort to build, by all these millions of people in the country they put effort, time and money to build. So then because of one person, doesn’t control the mind so, because of dissatisfied mind attachment, want more power, want more, control more people, possess more land, more property, then when somebody interfere to that attachment, then anger arises, then war starts. As that person has the power to do war, then starts a war.

So then all the city, that is unbelievable people’s energy, time, many millions of people, and then, many millions and millions of dollars spent to build up, for the people’s happiness, for their comfort. So all these things get destroyed, within one hour. All these other sentient beings’ perfections are destroyed. So this is just one city. So it is, so how it is harmful, the destruction, the incredible destruction that the anger, the dissatisfied mind attachment indirectly, that anger does directly, anger does directly. The dissatisfied mind attachment, so originally came from that, depend to that. When somebody interferes with that, then anger comes, then, so directly came from anger, all this incredible destruction, even one big city.

So now then, like this, one whole country, when it tried to destroy the whole country it’s unbelievable. So there, so many cities, big cities like this, so that many years build it up for people’s comfort, for other sentient beings’ comfort, happiness. So however, so like this, so much destruction, one person’s anger, can give so much destruction in the world. So it brings the world in danger.

That it, by meditating on impermanence and death that has great meaning. That makes to achieve the graduated path of the lower capable being, middle capable being and higher capable being, so that makes to achieve the whole path to enlightenment. That causes to achieve happiness in future lives, by thinking of impermanence and death, it causes to, it inspires oneself to create the cause of happiness in future lives, then one achieves happiness of future lives. Then, by reflecting impermanence and death, it inspires us to create the cause, to practice the path, to achieve the liberation from samsara. So it makes us achieve liberation.

Then also, it inspires, it gives perseverance to practice the path, the Mahayana path to full enlightenment, to actualize bodhicitta, practice the six paramitas, the path to full enlightenment. So, this way one is able to achieve the full enlightenment, the cessation of the mistakes, full enlightenment which is the cessation of all the mistakes of the mind and completion of all the realizations. So, that’s how by reflecting impermanence and death, by meditating on impermanence death, how it has great meaning. So, not only that, then one is, after having achieved full enlightenment then one is able to bring, able to free everyone, every sentient being from the sufferings and obscurations and able to bring in the peerless happiness, the full enlightenment.

So, all these are, all these came from the, benefit of, all these are the benefits of meditating on impermanence and death, in everyday life. And so what I was saying before is, when one is completely overwhelmed by the delusion, and one is in the situation that, to create very heavy karma, to cause incredible destruction, incredible destruction to other sentient beings, others’ life, others’ needs, material possessions, others’ perfections, destroying others, harming other sentient beings, there’s danger to cause great harm towards other sentient beings, so that time then if one remember impermanence and death, especially that death can happen any, especially death can happen even today, even this hour, especially reflecting this way. So then, suddenly then, suddenly you find unnecessary all this anger, you don’t see any purpose, suddenly you don’t see any purpose to give harm others. Suddenly you have no purpose to get angry, suddenly you have no purpose to give harm other sentient beings. So like that.

Immediately it cuts off anger, it destroyed the anger. Then same thing, even times when the mind is so emotional, completely overwhelmed, controlled, invaded or overwhelmed by incredible strong desire, attachment, like a water flood, a lake that broke and flowed down from the mountain, that completely covered the whole city, the whole city is completely covered by the lake that came from the mountain, completely covered. So, like the flood completely covered, houses, people, cars, everything. So like that, the attachment. When there’s such a, when one’s life is in such a state, oneself or the mind is completely overwhelmed by such, unbelievable, the attachment.

That which makes the life so difficult, and that it, from that so many problems arise, depending on that then, so many problems arise, connected with many people, so many problems arise, so much confusion arises depending on that. More and more it happens, makes the life more and more suffocated, more squeezing oneself with all these problems, that you see more and more suffocated, can’t, almost you can’t move.

When one reflects on impermanence and death, as I mentioned before, suddenly, there’s no purpose, suddenly there’s no purpose to cling. Suddenly that strong attachment is gone, it is cut off. In the view, before, in the view of the attachment, while one is following the attachment, there’s so many things, so many objects that one should have. In the view of the attachment, there are so many things one has to do. But then suddenly, when you stop following attachment, by reflecting on impermanence and death, suddenly, when the attachment is cut off, all these things what you used to feel before, while one is following the attachment, I need this and that, so many things, and I must do this and that, so many things, suddenly, didn’t make sense, there’s no purpose, you don’t see any purpose. So when one stop, by reflecting impermanence and death, when the attachment stopped, when one doesn’t follow attachment, suddenly, all these things, you see no purpose, no need, no need.

So many hundreds of things which one thinks need, hundreds of thousands of works, and activities, objects that I should have or I should do. Suddenly, when the attachment stopped, by reflecting on impermanence and death, so suddenly all these things, hundreds of thousands of activities, all these objects, become no need, become no need for oneself. So become content, contained, and satisfied and, mind becomes contained and satisfied, found satisfaction, found satisfaction in the heart.

So however, so anyway, by reflecting impermanence and death, it control, it is so powerful that it cuts off immediately the three poisonous minds, so therefore it immediately stops all those heavy negative karmas, all those hundreds, thousands of negative karmas that one create out of this ignorance, anger, attachment, then, all these negative karmas get stopped, as the three poisonous minds stopped.

Then, that means that all those sufferings, the heaviest sufferings of hell, preta, animal, the heaviest suffering of samsara, sufferings of the three lower realms, that which one experiences for, millions of years, thousands millions of years, many eons which one has to experience. Even from one negative karma, without talking of all the negative karmas, even from one negative that one has to experience such, heaviest suffering for an incredible length of time. So then, by reflecting on impermanence and death, all these sufferings, you are saved [snapping fingers], you are saved from this many, millions of years and many eons of lower realm sufferings, you’re saved, you are saved. Your mind, reflecting on impermanence and death protected. Your own mind, protected yourself, saved yourself, from all this heaviest sufferings of samsara. This is still we’re talking about the result of one negative karma, we are not talking all the negative karma. So then, so unbelievable benefit. Then, not just one negative karma, then it saves, it protects oneself from all the negative karmas. As one keep the mind, as one practice mindfulness, mindfulness in the impermanence and death, so like that.

What makes one begin the practice, what makes one begin the practice of Dharma, what makes one actualize the path, from guru devotion or the perfect human rebirth, what makes one start to actualize the graduated path to enlightenment is by impermanence and death. So what makes one continue Dharma practice is also by impermanence and death, by remembering impermanence and death. What makes one complete the Dharma practice, actualizing the path is also by impermanence and death.

So what makes one complete the Dharma practice, which means, achieving the full enlightenment, the achieving full enlightenment is the end of the Dharma practice. After one achieved enlightenment, then one has finished practicing Dharma, one has completed the Dharma practice. It is not like, it is not like works of this life, it is not like samsara, it is not like works of the samsara which, however much you do it has no end. Works of the samsara, however much we do, it become that many causes of samsara so it never ends, never finishes. But Dharma practice, more you practice, then you’re closer to the end of the practice. So there’s huge differences between samsara work and the Dharma practice. So however, something which you cannot finish, and Dharma practice something which you can finish, you can complete.

Then, even when the death comes, then, by reflecting on impermanence and death, in everyday life, even when the death comes, then one can die, with great joy, with great happiness, with great joy, with great satisfaction, with great joy, with a great happiness, even the day when the death comes. So that is because during the life one always remembered impermanence and death, and that inspired that, gave energy, that gives the, that causes to have perseverance, to continuously practice Dharma, to continuously to make preparation for death, by purifying negative karma and stop, one thing is by purifying, one thing is the Dharma practice, by remembering impermanence and death, Dharma practice, practicing Dharma, what it does, purifies the past negative karma, then it stops to create negative karma again. For example, taking the precepts, living in the precepts, it purifies past negative karma, one thing is it purifies past negative karma. How hard it is to live in the, as one experiences harder, as one experiences more difficult to live in the precepts, as one bears more hardship to practice Dharma, such as to live in the vows, it purifies the past negative karma, more negative karma. As one bears more hardship, more difficulty, more difficult you find, more hardship one bears, the more negative karma get purified. As one experiences harder, more negative karma get purified, more obscuration get purified.

And then, such as Dharma practice, living in the precept, one stops creating negative karma again. So like by taking eight Mahayana precepts, one stops creating eight negative karmas. This is the best preparation for death. This makes it easier. When the death comes, there’s much less negative karma, so makes death much easier, and more satisfied, more joy, more joyful.

When the death comes, just before the death, around those days or around those hours, before the death, so, it makes to think all the life, one remembers, somehow, due to karma, it makes to think, it makes to see the whole life, it makes to see the whole your life, what you did, good things what you did, and negative things what you did, so makes to think of the whole, it makes to see the whole life, what negative things one did, and harm one gave to others, it makes you see the whole life. So however, that time, then, one did Dharma practice as much as one can, so as much as one can. Every day one tried to practice Dharma as much as one can. So that there’s so many good thing you have done, so there’s so much to rejoice, there’s so much to be satisfied, to feel satisfaction, that I have done so much meaningful things, worthwhile things.

That, having done Dharma practice as much as one can, having done sincerely from the heart, then, from out of compassion, having done service for other sentient beings, sincerely from the heart, out of compassion, loving kindness, done so much service, one served other sentient beings, as much as one can. So there’s great joy at the time of death.

THE MEANING OF “SELF-SUPPORTING”
Lama, Lama Yeshe, who is incomparably kinder than all the Buddhas, who guided us, who gave us the opportunity to practice Dharma, because of Lama’s guidance. Before Lama passed away, before Lama left for America, when Lama was living in the farm house in Delhi, Lama mentioned to me, one evening, that, I don’t mind whether the operation for the heart works or doesn’t work, is successful or not successful. Lama already planned, two or three years before, he already planned his passing away. He knew everything, two or three years before he already planned his passing away. He prepared everything, like for the monastery, the boys, the monks, the means of living, the finances, their means of living. Then, the organization, activities, things like that. So, two or three years before, he prepared, prepared that, so, things to run without Lama, things to continue to run, he prepared already before, some years.

At that time Lama told me that I used myself. So doesn’t matter whether the operation is successful or not, because I have no regret, because I have used my life to be a servant for other sentient beings. That is enough, I did enough, I served, I used my life to be a servant for other sentient beings, therefore I have no regret. So like that. So these are the result of Dharma. So, like for example Lama’s case, that, having self-supporting, when the crucial time of death comes, having self-supporting.

When you are young, you live with the parents, they dress you and give you food and all these things. Then, later, the parents send you to school, educate you, then after you have enough education to find a job, you got degree. When you are able to find a job and live by yourself, without depending on parents, normally that is called self-supporting. You can look after by yourself. That’s what self-supporting normally means in the world, what it is regarded by common people, the ordinary people.

From a Dharma point of view self-supporting is when you die, you’re able to look after yourself. At the time of death, the day of the dying, the most critical time, then you are able to look after yourself. Anyway, you are able to look after yourself in everyday life, then that makes also, that becomes, strength, that helps, you are able to look after yourself at the time of the death as well. So this way, you are able to look after yourself, from a Dharma point of view, or the real meaning, the most important, in the world, what ordinary people talk about looking after yourself, that doesn’t relate, that doesn’t talk about, you should be free from anger, dissatisfied mind, attachment, ignorance, it doesn’t talk about that. It doesn’t talk about that, to save yourself, to protect yourself, you to save yourself from the negative karma, from these delusions, negative karma, all these results of sufferings, sufferings of the lower realms, sufferings of the human realm so forth. That you should look after yourself, protect yourself from these things.

In the ordinary people’s talk about looking after yourself, this topic never comes up. The real way to look after yourself, the real way, the real one, you should take care of yourself, is this one. This is the real one, how to take care of yourself, how to look after yourself, but it doesn’t come up in ordinary people’s conversation, even though this is the real, this is the best way, how to take care of yourself.

What I’m trying to say is that if one is able to look after yourself, everyday life, by transforming the mind from the self-cherishing thought into cherishing other sentient beings, from anger into patience, from the dissatisfied, painful mind, from desire into satisfaction, renunciation, this way you take care of yourself from the negative karma, from all the sufferings, all the suffering results. You are protected from all this endless suffering that comes one after another, from each of the negative karmas. So, you are protected from this, from all this. You are saved by yourself.

So however, day-to-day life, even one is able to look after yourself, then, become self-supporting, then that become preparation, when the death comes, then you are able to look after yourself. It makes it easy, when the dangerous time, the critical point of life, you are able to look after yourself, or you are “self-supporting.” You become self-supporting, you are saved by practicing Dharma at the time of death, by transforming the mind into the lam-rim path, especially bodhicitta. You are saved, from the painful suffering death, undesirable death. Becoming self-supporting, you have saved yourself from the lower realms, from all those sufferings.

This is what Lama expressed when he talked about his state of mind, happiness. Because of Lama’s, Dharma practice, his own mind that had developed in the path, having actualized renunciation of samsara, emptiness, bodhicitta, and especially the completion stage of the Highest Yoga Ttantra path, clear light, illusory body, those very high tantric stages. For a practitioner with such a level of mind, death is nothing. Death is nothing. Something which makes life difficult, or something which become obstacle, something which become obstacle to practice Dharma, or something which become obstacle, something which disturbs the mind, something which interferes for the development of mind, in the path, not like that. For them, the death is nothing.

So. [Blessing of tea]

IMPERMANENCE AND DEATH: PURIFYING NEGATIVE KARMA
There are about six benefits, reflecting on impermanence and death. The shortcomings of not remembering impermanence and death, when death happens, one dies with much suffering, with so much regret, with so much unhappy mind, regret. That’s because one did not remember impermanence and death, so didn’t get to practice Dharma, so didn’t get to purify negative karmas, didn’t get to purify past negative karmas, didn’t get to stop creating negative karma, so these are the Dharma practices. So, didn’t get done any of this, so therefore, did not get done Dharma practice, to do Dharma practice, so therefore didn’t get done to purify past negative karma and to stop creating negative karma again.

So what happened is, how the person’s life has been is, on the basis of past negative karma increasing, the person doesn’t do practice, such as confessing the negative karmas, to purify, like reciting the Thirty-five Buddhas’ holy names, doing prostrations, where each Buddha purifies a different negative karma, the function of each Buddha is to mainly purify those different negative karmas. Doing the Thirty-five Buddha confession, by reciting Thirty-five Buddhas’ holy names, with the remedy, the four powers, with the meditation, the remedy of the four powers, which makes the confession most perfect or powerful. Like that, or Vajrasattva, which stops past negative karma increasing, multiplying the negative karma day by day. So as I mentioned the other day, that by having killed one tiny insect or, whatever negative karma, even if it is very small, done today, even if it is very small negative karma, but then, because one does not purify before going to bed, such as with the Vajrasattva practice like this, which stops multiplying the negative karma day by day, so, one doesn’t do this purification, so the negative karma increases tomorrow, become double, get multiplied, become double, and third day triple.

So after fifteen days, it becomes same heavy karma as having killed one human being, even though, even you don’t have actual story having killed one human being, but by multiplying the karma, that one negative karma, so after fifteen days become very heavy. Same amount as having killed one human being. Then after eighteen days, then one hundred thousands, thirty-one thousand and seventy-two. So, before the seventy-two whether there’s one hundred or not, that I don’t remember. So however like this.

Any virtue that one practice is a remedy to the negative karma.

Here we’re talking just one small negative karma. But within one hour there are many, as you don’t protect your mind from the delusions, ignorance, anger, attachment and so forth, by leaving the mind in the lam-rim, so one doesn’t apply, as one doesn’t keep the mind in the lam-rim, either in bodhicitta or emptiness, or the renunciation of samsara. So therefore, by arising, delusion, then that motivate, various karma, negative karma, even within one hour.

THE DEFINITION OF NEGATIVE KARMA
First of all, we have to think of the definition of nonvirtue is not just killing something, not just only that, or telling lies, or stealing, or sexual misconduct. Then those negative karmas of the speech. Not just that, not just those, not just the ten nonvirtues. We should think broader way, the definition of negative karma. Any action that brings suffering, only a suffering result, motivated by ignorance, anger, attachment, particularly attachment, clinging to this life, makes the action nonvirtue. By the attachment clinging to this life, not the attachment seeking happiness of future life, not attachment seeking the perfections of future life, the happiness of future samsara, not this attachment. This is the attachment to this life that makes the action nonvirtue.

For example, to be able to reborn a human being, being attached, deva, human rebirth, being attached, to be born as king, being attached future life to be born as king, being attached future life wealth, to have wealth in the future life, so forth. So, with that attachment you can create virtue, one can practice charity towards other sentient beings, in the future life to have wealth. And then one can practice morality, with attachment, that which seeks, that which clings, good rebirth in the future life. That doesn’t make the action nonvirtue. But what makes action nonvirtue is by the attachment clinging to this life, this particular attachment, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas. This is the one that which makes the action nonvirtue. If the action is done with this attachment, then it becomes nonvirtue.

And the other one is anger, and ignorance in the karma, not knowing, what is cause of happiness, what is cause of suffering, so ignorance not knowing the different, ignorance not knowing about karma.

For example, the communist Chinese leader, Mao, for example, who made plans to destroy all the holy objects, statues, stupas, scriptures so forth, the monasteries, this is without talking harming the actual living beings but this is just talking about destroying the statues, the holy objects. So, there can be motivation hatred, hate, hatred, dislike, there could be motivation of anger because Mao, he told His Holiness in the last interview, before talking other things, then, at the very last minute, then I think he called His Holiness again or something I’m not sure, then said the religion is a poison. This is what Mao told His Holiness, at the very, very last meeting, his very last words he said to His Holiness.

There could be the motivation of hatred, but basically it’s due to ignorance, not knowing karma. Basically the whole thing happened, all these actions, all these ideas, all these plans, all these philosophies, all this happened, due to not understanding karma. And that is due to not having analyzed, not having studied, not having understanding of karma, so forth, that is because, not having understand karma and reincarnation, and that is due to not having studied, not having analyzed, not having studied, not having checked. Did not experiment, did not experiment.

So without studying, without checking, without experimenting, without having created the cause, the merit to understand the Buddhadharma, without having created the cause. One may study, one may analyze but if one doesn’t have merit to understand, to feel, to understand, which means feel the meaning in the heart, not just intellectual understanding what Tibetan Buddhism looks like, what the scriptures says, we’re able to repeat, able to tell others from beginning to the end—not just that, but to be able to understand, in the sense to feel what it says, to feel in the heart. So, understanding which comes with faith, that understanding. So there’s need lot of merit, much good karma. That person has to be fortunate person. It’s not easy.

It’s like having a million dollars. Putting it this way may be easier to understand. One who has a million dollars can do many things. One can have a house in the city, one can have a house many houses, countryside, wherever one likes, mountains or beach or many different countries, East, West, wherever there’s beautiful places or places where people go for holidays. One can have so much enjoyment and all the material needs from that.

Similar, if one has an understanding of Dharma, feeling of the words in the heart, the understanding which comes with faith, this is like having a million dollars. If one has this, then the practice comes, then one practices from the heart. From this all happiness comes. From this, one is able to achieve all happiness, one is able to stop all the sufferings of the six realms, whole samsara, and one is able to achieve happiness of future lives, one is able to achieve happiness of liberation, full enlightenment, even bring every sentient being to happiness, even one is able to cause happiness, all the different levels of happiness to all sentient beings, able to bring sentient beings to highest enlightenment. So, all this comes from understanding Dharma, this way of understanding Dharma, feeling in the heart, understanding with faith, understanding which comes with faith.

Not everybody can have million dollars. Similarly, not everybody has the merit to have this way of Dharma understanding. Basically, due to ignorance, not having analyzed, not having studied how not having studied, analyzed, then basically, not having also, merit to understand.

Such as disrespect towards the holy objects, and there’s no motivation, anger, or done out of anger, something like that, but basically, due to ignorance not knowing the karma, that it’s disrespectful, not knowing that, and that it’s negative karma, relation with a powerful holy object.

The actions in our everyday life that bring suffering result and motivated by ignorance, anger, attachment clinging to this life, so, these actions become nonvirtue. So therefore, if there’s no anger in our everyday life, there’s no anger does not arise all the time. What arises all the time is, that is the, besides the ignorance not knowing the ultimate nature of the mind, I, so forth, besides that, the, so, one thing what constantly arises is, from the delusions, is attachment clinging to this life, thought of the worldly dharma, the attachment clinging to these eight objects. So, this is what constantly arises.

So therefore, so this arises constantly, this attachment. So the actions are done out of this attitude, attachment clinging to this life. So therefore, most of the actions, for us, the ordinary beings, like myself, us the ordinary beings, then everyday life action, so the what, the attitude which arises, mostly this one, attachment clinging to this life, so therefore the actions, most of the actions become, even though we’re trying to practice Dharma, but most actions become negative karma, because done by, possessed by this attachment.

So we should think when we purify, when we do practice of purification, we should think a broad way, not just ten non- virtuous actions. We should think first definition of nonvirtue, then we can see how, so much, so much. And also, it’s very helpful to count, starting from the time getting up, we dress, eating, washing then, having breakfast. So, even the meditation practices, check with what motivation I did the meditation, with what motivation I recite the mantra, even those one check. So everything one check, everything, so, as much as possible, the activities, and then check whether they, how much they become virtue, how much they become nonvirtue. So like this, check.

If one has found some actions that have become virtue, then one should rejoice. By rejoicing it gets multiplied, the merit get multiplied, increased more than what you actually created. So this way, by looking at the motivation, by checking the motivation, then whether the action become, with this action, I did this one, I spoke to this person, I had conversation with this person, whether it become virtue or nonvirtue. Then you check the motivation how I did. With what motivation I spoke, I did conversation. With what motivation I ate the lunch. With what motivation I went to Kathmandu, with what motivation. So like that one checks, until that moment. Then one purifies. Then, as one finds the nonvirtuous action, then one purifies that. This is just talking about one day. One has to purify, so like this, one has created negative karma so much everyday life, in this life, from beginningless rebirth, that which one hasn’t finished experiencing. There are many negative karmas which one hasn’t finished experiencing. All this have to be purified. So like that.

So it’s useful to think in a broad way, by starting the day, one can, one can go over the ten nonvirtues, how many that is done in one’s own life, in this year, last year, in this life, and like that. Then, using the four outlines of karma—karma is definite, it’s expandable, you don’t experience the result if you haven’t created the cause, if you have created the cause then definitely, you experience result, it doesn’t get lost, you definitely experience the result. So you apply these four outlines of this.

Then you think of the definition, then make it more even wider, that you think of the definition of nonvirtue, and then check, then one day’s activities, and then, check, by relating to the motivation. Otherwise, if you don’t relate to the motivation, if you don’t check the motivation, if you don’t check the attitude, then there’s no way to find out whether it’s virtue or whether it’s nonvirtue, there’s no way to find out.

The more faith one has, the faith itself is a kind of a realization achievement, having faith in karma itself is an achievement. Even having some faith in karma, that itself is a kind of achievement, itself is a kind of a realization. Even that is not the realization of the karma that what the lam-rim talks, by meditating on karma, then you have realization of the, the meditation of the karma, that you feel, that you feel even the small negative karmas like the heavy negative karma you feel like this, you care so much, you concerned so much.

And even the small good karma you feel extremely important, you cherish so much, you feel so important to create, you feel so important to practice, so precious, even the small good karma, like those, great, virtuous actions. Even the small ones you feel so important, so precious. And so one practices those. One abandons even the small negative karmic actions, one practices even the small good karmic actions, one cherishes so much, one thinks they are so precious Even having done small negative karma, one feels like having done those very heavy karma, one feels like that, because of the result, what the small negative karma, what incredible result one experiences from that small negative karma. By having such this strong faith in the action that comes, you abandon even all small negative karmas, and you practice even all small good karmas, so everything you practice. So, even if one doesn’t have like that realization, faith in karma, but having some faith in karma that is still kind of like realization, achievement.

Depending on that, how much faith one has, then one feel that much regret, that having done the negative karma. That much stronger regret one feels, itself becomes purification. That is the main one, the feeling of regret of having created negative karma. That itself is the main purification, that itself is a method which purifies. The negative karma becomes that much lighter, as one feels sorrow or regret. How much the practice of purification or confession becomes powerful, how much it can purify, how much it is able to purify negative karma, that depends on how much faith there is in the karma.

SIGNS AT DEATH OF FUTURE REBIRTH IN THE LOWER REALMS
There happened to people, who at the time of death didn’t practice, who didn’t get to purify negative karma, who [poor recording] practiced Dharma, [gap in recording] past negative karma and stopped creating negative karma again. [gap]

I heard that many student nurses, who worked in hospitals, looking after dying people, said that the people who are alcoholics have so much fear at the time of death. This is what I heard from the nurses, and not just from one person, from many people. Their death is more difficult, they have greater fear, so much fear, their death is more frightening.

Some years ago, one Tibetan man in Dharamsala died. When he was dying, he was screaming so much, and he was having visions at the time of death of many sheep coming—not ship, the boat, not this ship in the ocean [GL, RL], not this ship, not that one with the white flags, with white what you call? Sail, yeah, and that goes very slowly on the water or that ship, so many sheep, [GL], yeah? [Audience: sheep] Many sheeps [GL], right? [Audience: no 's'] oh ____ [RL], so many sheep, many sheep? [GL] No ships [GL, RL], so anyway, many sheep, came, coming towards him and attacking to him [GL], all around attacking to him, so he was screaming so much. There were many people, many friends and family in the house but nobody else could see the sheep, only himself. But for him it’s real, they’re attacking to him, so very frightening.

Why is this frightening experience happening? Why is this happening at the time of death for this person? So then they checked. I’m not sure. This story was told me by one of my teachers, one great meditator, who actualized bodhicitta, renunciation of samsara, who accomplished these nine levels, called calm abiding meditation, who completed all this, then, not only that, even the very high tantra stage, the completion stage, the clear light and illusory body, even, achieved this, even achieved this very high level of tantra. His holy name is Gen Jampa Wangdu, so he lives in the cave down there, down below the mountain. As he has clairvoyance, even though he is meditating down there but some, but he comes to meet the people that he knew, he comes at the right time, even though it’s in an isolated place in the cave, he lives in, in a big rock, under, but he comes in the moment that you need help, you have some difficulties or something, something, he just [clicking fingers] appears.

People knew that he would come, without invitation, just suddenly appearing. So however, so I think these people that, I think Geshe-la, he knew, I’m not quite, I’m not sure that maybe Gen Jampa Wangdu he asked the people, because this he was having a very frightening death, seeing all this things, he might have asked what kind of life he lived before, in Tibet, what he did, so he tried to find out his life story. His friends, who were from the same place, told Gen Jampa Wangdu that he used to be butcher in Tibet, butcher killing many sheep. This is the sign of going to lower realms, already the sign of reincarnating in lower realms had started, even before the consciousness left the body. These are the signs of going to lower realms, all these frightening visions at the time of death. What this person saw, all these frightening things, all these frightening appearances came from the evil mind, negative karma, that of killing. So it’s manifestations of the negative karma, which is intention, negative intention.

Then, one monk in Tibet who caused a lot of problems between Sangha, groups of Sangha, caused disunity, and that’s regarded as very heavy karma. Among negative karmas, causing disunity among the Sangha is one of the heaviest negative karmas, one of the five immediate uninterrupted negative karma. He didn’t confess, he didn’t purify the negative karma, then, when he was dying, then he had a vision that monastery where he was staying was on fire, he saw the monastery on fire. And he had a karmic vision, appearance of his karma, of the monastery on his body. He was lying down and the whole monastery was on his body, pressing down on him. And the monastery had caught fire.

And also, one man died some years ago in Kathmandu, one big businessman. He was a great benefactor of a Lumbum Rinpoche’s monastery where His Holiness Serkong Dorje Chang, who is embodiment of Milarepa’s guru Marpa, lived. He was a great benefactor of that monastery. However, because he didn’t get to practice Dharma from the heart, to actually practice Dharma, to purify negative karma, to do purification, lam-rim practice of renunciation, bodhicitta, emptiness, and practice of those, those other method of, those preliminary practices—because that strong practice didn’t get done, there were still many heavy negative karmas. The practice also needed to be very strong, need much purification because his business was probably selling statues and holy objects, then living on that money, which is wrong livelihood.

When he was in the hospital, the preta, hungry ghost, suffering as described in the teachings of Buddha, actualized while he was still in a human body. Of course, there is still there’s no comparison but it’s like that. His stomach became huge [GL], and his limbs became very tiny, and completely dark, and unnoticeable, the person became unrecognizable. The doctor could not do anything. He could only drink water. So difficult to eat and drink. He got unbelievable thirst, but when his wife came from time to time to give water, it took so much time to drink one drop, very difficult to swallow. He had to wait for a long time. The doctors could not do anything, so he was sent to home. As he was climbing the steps, I was told that it took one hour. That’s what I heard from some friends who saw him, who know him. To go step by step, to climb each step, it took a long time.

When he was in his room, he had a karmic vision, a karmic appearance of his negative karma, of many ants coming in from the windows and wherever there was a hole, crowds of ants covering his body, his bed is completely covered by ants. He asked the people to check, “Please close door, windows and please check my bed because it is full of ants.” But nobody could see one ant, nobody could see one ant on his bed. But for him it was all real, everything had to close the doors, windows, everything, so it was very dark. They had to keep the room very dark. Before his death, he had to stay like this for some time.

So however, all this is a sign of going to lower realms. There are many stories like this, of individual people who didn’t get to practice Dharma, who didn’t get to purify.

THE SENSE OF PERMANENCE TRICKS US
The conclusion is [RL] that every day when we get up we think, “I’m going to live for many, many years, many years.” The concept of permanence, that I’m going to live many years, is there. When we don’t check, when we don’t reflect on impermanence and death, if it’s left up to our mind, then this concept of permanence, that we’ll live for many years, is always there. This same thought I’m going to live for many years, this happens even on the same day that you’re going to have a car accident, even on the same day you’re going to have a plane crash or whatever, or some bomb explosion or a heart attack or something, that one suddenly dies.

So this is the reason you can’t trust this concept of permanence, why you can’t trust it. Even on the same say we die, this concept of permanence is there. When you get up in the morning, this thought is there, that I’m going to live for many years, even the moment [clicking fingers], even just before the accident, even just before having car accident, the concept is there. I’m going to live for many years, this concept is there, so it’s not true. So therefore, if you just listen to that and do not practice Dharma, every day if you listen to that, if you follow to that, and always think there will be time in the future to practice Dharma. Then it cheats us, this concept cheats us from practicing Dharma, to achieve happiness of future lives, liberation, enlightenment. It cheats us, so it doesn’t let us to achieve those things, so, doesn’t let us to practice Dharma.

Suddenly you are in the situation, suddenly you come to know that you’re going to die [clicking fingers], you had been expecting that you’re going to live for a long time, by following that concept. Suddenly, one has cancer or something, something, AIDS or cancer or something suddenly one is in the situation that one is going to die. Then suddenly one is frustrated, thinking that the world has cheated me, sometimes that thought comes. I don’t think it’s common but I think [RL], I think there are people who think this way.

Then one thinks, one gets so angry, and breaks tables, chairs and things [GL] and he thinks the world cheated me, but actually his own wrong concept cheated him but he did not recognize it. His thought of the eight worldly dharma, the attachment clinging to this life, that cheated him. The concept of permanence cheated him. By believing in that, then, he cheated, so by believing in these things, in this wrong thought, then he cheated, he is cheated by himself. Nobody cheated but he is cheated by himself. So then but he thinks the world cheated, the sense objects, so all the desire objects cheated him.

I heard of one Japanese man who died somewhere, in Santa Cruz, one young Japanese man, who had much potential, intelligent, who had much potential. He was quite intelligent, but even so he thought the world cheated him. But he didn’t relate to his own mind, wrong concept, but I think even to relate, to relate to the world cheated him, I think even that is a kind of quite clever, because the world cheated him, you can relate, in a sense the appearance cheated him, the appearance, believing, that you believe in this, you believe this, you cling, you attach in these appearances, that which appears as permanent, that which appears as truly existent. So it makes some sense, the way he said, “The world cheated me.” So makes sense if you relate like that, believing that things appearing as permanent, as true, inherently existent, beautiful from its own side.

This concept of permanence even comes just before one accident, so therefore that’s nothing to trust. Just before a heart attack. Therefore, Dharma practice, it’s extremely important and is something which has to be done, which has to be practiced right away.

This is what happens, all these appearances of negative karma, this is what happens, if one did not practice Dharma, all these terrifying signs at the time of death. Even the end of the life, there’s no peace. Besides there’s no peace during the life, during the life even, besides there’s no peace, constantly experiencing problems, one after another, so many problems, then, even the end of the life, there’s no peace. One ends up with great fear, and regret, with so much pain. Dharma practice is needed and the best Dharma practice is bodhicitta. That’s the best, the most beneficial.

When I was in Delhi, I went one or two times to the cemetery many bodies are brought. There are two big cemeteries, so one cemetery, I went twice. I spent one or two hours there. It’s very interesting because, with poor people four or five people bring the body, and it takes much longer to burn because they get old wood. Maybe it’s cheaper, I don’t know. So, it takes longer to burn. Then the rich people come. When a rich people’s body is brought, hundreds of people come, on motorcycles, cars, many cars. So poor people come, two, three people just carrying like this [GL, RL], and then, takes a lot of time to burn. And the rich people, so there are many hundreds of people around, and they take pictures and the persons, and they take also kind of blessing or something.

So anyway, after watching there two or three hours, I thought the best time to teach Dharma, is that time [GL, RL]. That time is the best time, best occasion to teach Dharma, because the person’s mind is inside, not distracted outside, time to think of, time to bring the mind back to, inside, to think of one’s own life, question of one’s own life. It’s easy to explain Dharma, because otherwise, especially rich people, other times, especially rich people, life is generally, and especially rich people, there’s so much distraction, sense enjoyment, no interest to do something from the heart, to do practices from the heart, to do something that which involves, to do some practice, practice of Dharma, because the life is constantly following anger or attachment, anger, attachment, the discriminating thought, so that’s what keeps the life busy. So, basically by attachment, so busy.

So now, here the Dharma is something to renounce, or to be free from these, to be free from these things which they have been following all the time, day and night and keeping busy life. So therefore it’s not easy to [RL], it’s not easy to, no interest other times, especially when they are having successful, especially when they don’t have problems, when the business is successful there’s no time to, no interest.

At that time, not everybody but many people, their faces are kind of sad. At that time, at that hour, something they are sad but they don’t know what to do. There is no solution. The feeling I got is that even those rich people who died, there’s no connection. The day of the death, you see the body there, in whole life what was done, being so busy, so many years, now, all that work of this life, was done for this life, the attachment, the thought of the eight worldly dharma, attachment clinging to this life. So now, all this activity that kept so busy, so many years, now there’s no relation to the death. All the, now this day, all that thing what the person had been busy, is all completely empty, become completely empty, meaningless. All that, all that what the person did, now completely empty, meaningless. There’s no relation to the death. There’s nothing to do with the death. Nothing useful when the person is dying. Nothing benefited at the time of death. So, what, so this is what I felt, when I saw this.

DEATH CAN COME AT ANY TIME
It’s almost like death is something to be hidden, but you cannot hide it. It’s almost according to the society life, with that motivation, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the lifestyle is busy. Besides the business, there’s the family which keeps life busy so it is very difficult to have virtuous thought, compassion loving kindness. Basically, it’s the discriminating thought and attachment. There’s so much worldly concern or attachment, looking for power, always looking for power, power and reputation, so that is the fundamental thing, fundamental attitude.

There is so much involvement to harm the enemy, somebody who criticized him, to harm that enemy, creating negative karma with the body, speech and mind. Then, with attachment helping the relatives, the friends, those people who like, the family who like oneself. Then, life is so busy, with the discriminating thought. After having an education, childhood, going to school, and all those things, having education. However, again motivation is just for the happiness of this life, from parents’ side and from children’s side, and the son or daughter who goes to study, however the motivation is the common one, to have a job so you can have a house and support yourself or, to have all the enjoyment that one wishes. The basic motivation is just, nothing else other than happiness of this life, happiness of one’s own this life, nothing else other than that. So this is only the nonvirtue, the black worldly dharma.

In the evenings, life is finished by having parties, party here and party there. More people, more, the family is more famous, is more famous or more power, more reputation, then, more party. So however, then life is kind of gone, so life is gone like this. The method of achieving happiness for this life creates so many nonvirtuous actions, also from ten nonvirtuous actions, so many, the method to achieve happiness for life is nonvirtue, and even from the ten nonvirtues. So that’s the method, their point of view of method of, for the happiness of this life. So however, so life is finished even after the education, so like this, is finished.

Whatever they are doing is ended by impermanence and death, one day. In that life, there’s no one single positive thing, there’s no one single good thing, one worthwhile thing, which can result in happiness, in the future life. Happiness in future life, there’s nothing there. There’s nothing there that the person can enjoy as the happiness in next life. Nothing becomes the cause of liberation, nothing becomes the cause of enlightenment, so it’s all completely meaningless, empty. There’s no connection, there’s no connection with the death.
So, even somebody who doesn’t know Dharma, who doesn’t know the words much, but somebody who lives with a good heart, like my mother, with no education, but somebody who lives very good heart, loving kindness, compassion, in daily life, then, even doesn’t, that, even though my family is regarded poor, poor family, after I was born, after I was born to my mother, then, the family become very poor. Many animals died and, lot of debts, they had a lot of debts, they owed a lot of money to many families, so, poor family. However, whatever she has, even food, even some food, so every day, from morning every day when people come, she offered them food and drink or whatever, even though she was so poor. She offer it all with a with warm heart.

DYING WITH A GOOD HEART
Even you don’t have an education but you live with very good heart, then you can see the connection to the death. Then there’s a very peaceful death, a very happy, very peaceful death. You can see the connection, what it did, what the person did, how the person lived the life, how it affect the death, you can see the connection, like somebody who has been meditating. For example, a beggar mother in Lhasa, who lived on the street, reciting only OM MANI PADME HUM, and living on begging, she had no education, other than OM MANI PADME HUM, no other education other than OM MANI PADME HUM [RL]. So, anyway, the day when she died, beams of white light emitted from her body. That is the sign that she lived her life with faith, with devotion to the Compassion Buddha and recites OM MANI PADME HUM. A good heart, living life with a good heart, even though she had no education, she went to a pure realm. At the time of death she went to pure realm of Compassion Buddha, Chenrezig. Light coming from the body is the definite sign that the person is going to pure land.

And also I heard that, in Buxa, one Bhutanese father or mother, somebody died, then His Holiness Zong Rinpoche, this great master from whom I received many initiations, did powa, transferring consciousness, I think from distance—I’m not sure—he did powa from a distance. However, from this person’s body, light came. So however, it’s explained in the text that, those are the definite signs, means going to the pure land, of Buddha.

You can see the connection, how the person lived the life, the practice that was done, and this is result. You can see the connection.

RENUNCIATION
So, about renunciation. [GL, RL] So, that was the answer what I told before. But the last word to mention this is what has to be practiced, this is what has to be done. This is what has to be done, since we do not like suffering, since we don’t want suffering, since we do not like suffering of samsara. Since we do not like problems, this is what has to be done. Even if it’s not done right now, this is what has to be done anyway, if you want to be free from the whole entire samara, if you want to be free from the lower realm sufferings, which are connected to the question, in general, of the whole entire suffering of samsara.

So if you want to be free, this is the path, this is the way, this is what has to be done, even if it’s not done now, even one doesn’t cut off attachment, clinging to the whole samsara, even that is not done right now, even that is not done now, this is the only way. This is the only path, through this you can be free, you can be liberated from not only lower realm sufferings but the whole entire suffering of samsara. It is very logical, because attachment is what ties us to the suffering, what ties us to the samsara. These aggregates caused by karma and delusion come from attachment. So it’s logical that way to be free from this samsara is by cutting attachment, clinging to the samsara, that’s logical. Therefore, this is what has to be done.

Not only renunciation of this life, but renunciation to the whole samsara. Since we want happiness, we also need happiness in future lives. We need also happiness of this life is a result of past karma, so therefore, if we want happiness, we need also happiness in future lives, not only happiness today, we need happiness tomorrow, next year, same thing, we need happiness next lives. Since we want happiness, if we are looking for happiness, it is natural to want even the highest, full enlightenment. If one knows that there is such an experience, there’s such a state of mind that you can experience. If one doesn’t know, then that’s different.

It is like business which has the highest profit. If some business people find out this method of business has the highest profit, they would run for it. If they didn’t know then that’s it, because they didn’t know so they would not attempt this method. This is similar.

Since we do not want suffering, this is renunciation of samsara, renunciation of this life, this is what have to practice, to achieve. In our everyday life, if you are able to practice like this, of course that’s a great achievement, a great success. Even somebody who is unable to achieve this, but in their daily life, one has to practice as much as possible. The point I am trying to say is, even somebody who can’t practice this now, completely like this, but one has to practice renunciation as much as possible, the reason is because you don’t want problems in your life. That’s a very simple reason. You don’t want problems in your life, you don’t want confusion, and if you don’t want confusion and problems in your life—relationships problem, and so forth, all these things—if you don’t want them, then practicing renunciation is the only method, this is the only way, the only method. Even bodhicitta, renouncing oneself and cherishing other sentient beings, even that is renunciation, renouncing oneself for others. Even one is living the daily life with that practice, still it involves renunciation, sacrificing oneself for other sentient beings.

One has to practice renunciation as much as possible, because that’s the only way, that’s the only solution. Eventually, I mean, this is what one has to achieve, but since one do not want problems so the solution is to practice renunciation, and as much as one can practice renunciation, one has that much less problems, and one experiences more peace in the life, more success, more harmony.

However, as a beginner, because the mind weak, even applying the meditations, even applying the lam-rim mediations, it doesn’t cut immediately. Applying the meditations, the problem never arises. While you are meditating impermanence and death, attachment does not arise during that time, how many hours one meditates, during that time is doesn’t arise. It depends on how much one is able to keep the mind in that, depends how strong and how much able to keep the mind in that state, in that experience, of awareness of impermanence and death. For sure, definitely, how many hours one is able to practice mindfulness in that, attachment doesn’t arise. That is the nature of the phenomena. But the mind is weak, and it is even difficult to apply the meditation. One can’t strongly feel, or you apply the meditation but very short time, you meditate for just only two or three minutes, and then stop, then again after that, again gradually the problem arises, the dissatisfied mind, the attachment and so forth.

So there are two things. When the mind is weak, then to be away from the object, so that is a solution. However, again to be away from the object alone is not enough, because, if you don’t apply meditation, then attachment is constantly there, constantly arising. Without meeting the object, as one do not meet the object, if you do not apply the meditation on top of that, the meditation on the renunciation of samsara, on emptiness, bodhicitta—especially as a beginner, it is more effective. For some people maybe it is more powerful, more beneficial to use emptiness or compassion, the bodhicitta meditation, but for most people renunciation, this part of the meditation, is more powerful, such as impermanence and death.

If you don’t apply the meditation, even if you do not meet object, then attachment arises. So there is no remedy, there is no protection, without applying meditation. There is no protection, there is no remedy, you don’t have protection from the delusions, attachment. If one does not apply the meditation, then attachment continuously arises, and then even if one does not meet the object, as one does not apply meditation then one follows attachment and then more and more one thinks of the object. Then it creates more and more pain, it creates more and more pain, in the heart. It creates more and more pain, then it creates wind disease. So the problem is related with the wind, which also can lead to the person becoming crazy. With wind disease and so forth, when it gets worse and worse, the person can become crazy.

So therefore, it is very important, as beginners when the mind is weak, not only to not meeting the object, but also on top of that to apply the meditation. So the two things can solve the problem. That is same not only for an ordained person but also for a lay person. It’s the same. This way then there is more harmony, there is more peace. There are more harmonious, more lasting friendships, or whatever, where people help each other. One becomes a servant to another, then another one becomes the servant. That simply means because this person is somebody who wants happiness, this person is a sentient being who wants happiness, who do not want suffering, you use that reason the sentient being who want happiness, who does not want suffering, so I will help, so like that. So this way it’s pure. Simply this sentient being who wants happiness, who do not want suffering, who want happiness but devoid of happiness, who don’t want suffering but are experiencing suffering.

That’s the reason to help, that’s the reason to work for others. This one is to do with compassion and loving kindness. So this way, there is no expectation by helping that person, that person will do something for you, there’s no expectation. So therefore life is very easy-going, because even if you work very hard, you serve that person very much, your motivation for helping, for serving that person is simply because this person wants happiness and does not want suffering, to not experience problems and to have happiness. The motivation is not so that the person will do something for me, that person wants harmony and helps me, which means what the self-cherishing thought wants, not what the bodhicitta wants. Not thinking that way, but what the self-cherishing thought wants or what the thought of the eight worldly dharma wants. Since one serving others is not done with this expectation, therefore, even this one day, even this person changes, doesn’t love you or if this person leaves you, all of a sudden one day this person left from the home or whatever, even if this person harms you, there is not that much depression, or being upset, because there are no expectations. The purpose of your serving that person wasn’t so that person won’t harm you, and will help what the self-cherishing thought wants or what the evil thought of the worldly dharma wants.

So even if that person harms, there is less upset, there is less emotion and less depression. The less expectation there is, the less attachment, the less self-cherishing thought, there is that much less hurt when the person does something that your self-cherishing thought does not like, does not want, when the person does something that hurts your self-cherishing thought, when the person does something that hurts your attachment. So there is much peace. What the person does to you it does not become very important for your life. It doesn’t bother you because there is less expectation.

WE CAN TRUST THE DHARMA
So I didn’t get to read the oral transmission! Again I want to emphasize that the teachings Buddha explained—karma, reincarnation, the sufferings of the lower realms and so forth, these quotations—are not harmed in the slightest by valid perception. They don’t receive harm from the valid mind’s inference nor from another valid quotation, a quotation from another fully enlightened being. The third thing is it doesn’t receive harm from another valid quotation, another true quotation, one that does not betray, does not cheat or tell a lie. It doesn’t receive harm from another valid quotation. Simply this way, a valid quotation is not harmed by another valid quotation said by the Omniscient One, therefore it is pure, it is reliable. This is the way it is checked. This is how the pandits checked.

Actually Buddhadharma is already checked, it has already been checked in the past. The teachings have already been examined. It is now only a question of whether one studies and practices a lot in order to have the result. So this one is very important, very important to understand. Then this way, you have the wisdom how to discriminate. If you are following what is called a spiritual practice, then you know how to check. By understanding this you know whether it’s pure or not, whether it can be harmed by a valid perception, a valid mind’s inference. You can also check whether the valid quotation was said by the Omniscient One.

If somebody contradicts something, that doesn’t mean that is true. For example, because somebody says you are not a human being, you are a dog… Now I’ve become confused, my talk! Anyway, if someone says you are not human being you are dog, it doesn’t mean have to believe you are a dog. If someone says you are a Buddha, while you are not Buddha, [RL] it does not mean you have to believe it. Because there is some contradiction, some philosophy which contradicts, that does not mean it is true, so you have to check. It does not mean that it’s true. Some philosophies say there is no reincarnation, no karma, because such a philosophy exists it does not mean necessarily that it’s true. So the path which one practices, the teaching that one practices has to be like that, one that can be checked, which can be proved that it’s pure.

The other very important reason is, as I mentioned before, this morning, the simple reason is that Buddha became enlightened. Besides the historical facts—the place, Bodhgaya, where Buddha became enlightened, and all the stories, all the facts, that Buddha did twelve deeds, in this place did this, in this place did this, this much time, this much thousand years ago, you see there’s all the facts—besides that, so many pandits, yogis, not only from Tibet, from India originally, then from China, from Nepal, from many places, so many pandits, yogis who correctly practiced what the Buddha taught, they all achieved the same, they all achieved enlightenment, same quality as Buddha. They all had the same experience the Buddha described, and then they themselves made commentaries of their experience. They taught many other disciples, many other sentient beings out of their experience. Then, many of those disciples also correctly practiced and they also became enlightened. So many of them became enlightened and had the experience of the path, and with their experience then they taught many other sentient beings. Up to now, it has happened like that.

For example, after Guru Shakyamuni Buddha we can think about also Lama Tsongkhapa, who achieved enlightenment, who did the deed of achieving enlightenment in the intermediate state. He completed the whole path to enlightenment. Lama Tsongkhapa, taught with his experience of the path to many disciples, and they experience the whole path. It happened that some disciples became enlightened in one life. Each of those who actualized the path, the graduated path to enlightenment, again they taught so many other disciples, so many of them followed the same example of those high lamas, Lama Tsongkhapa’s disciples, who completed the path, and so many of them, each of those taught with their experience so many other disciples. Then many of those correctly practiced, followed the example and then they practiced, they achieved the path, so many of them again, they built monasteries and so forth. Whether lay or ordained, they practiced and gave teachings with their experience of the path. Then those disciples, as they achieved the path, with their experience, each of those taught so many other disciples.

Lama Tsongkhapa’s direct and indirect disciples established Sera, Gaden, Drepung, these monasteries, and the two tantric colleges. And this is just talking about Lama Tsongkhapa tradition, without talking about the other sects. Then, in those monasteries, extensive study is done, the root texts, commentaries, all these things. Then at the same time they practiced, so there happened many learned ones, there happened in those monasteries, actualizing the path, three principals of the path and tantric path, those who have been practicing, many, many happened. Since these monasteries were established, so many have happened. And even nowadays in those monasteries, there are many, many geshes, the lamas, who have been practicing, having actualized bodhicitta, emptiness, renunciation, the lam-rim and even tantra—even nowadays this has happened to many. Even my own teachers—I have about twenty-five gurus, besides Lama—besides three principal aspects of the path, those very high tantra stages, experienced even in the ordinary view. You can feel, you can understand if you ask them questions, they from their experience. If you ask questions about the path, and besides lam-rim especially about even the very high tantric path, you can see that you get clear answer, which you can feel that comes from experience. So even in the common view, so this is a simple but very logical reason why what the buddhas said is true, because Buddha became enlightened [by seeing the truth] and so what the Buddha said is true, and because of that, that has been their experience of so many others, numberless others.

You also have to check like this about other philosophies. For example, the Hindu religion, which says that if you do this you get liberation, you can achieve liberation. They have their own path explaining like this, as a path to liberation. So you have to analyze, you have to check, besides what I mentioned, all those other three analyses, then also this one, whether it is really like this or not, if it is harmed by applying all these three analyses, that it is what numberless sentient beings experienced by following, what the Buddha experienced. Starting from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, they also had experiences based on compassion. Compassion is the main essential practice, to not harm other sentient beings; it is the fundamental practice. So therefore there’s no reason to cheat, there is no reason for all these numberless beings to lie to other sentient beings. Starting from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha there is no reason [RL] to lie about karma and reincarnation, there is no reason. What they tell is what exists. It is not that while it doesn’t exist they are saying that it exists, it is not that.

Also, out of compassion, if there is compassion towards other sentient beings, whatever work compassion does, the aim is only to benefit others, not to harm. Whatever work is done out of compassion is only to benefit others. Even by that reason, starting from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, all those buddhas, those yogis, saints, and up to the present living holy beings, who actualized compassion, whose fundamental practice is to not harm other sentient beings, it’s impossible to harm other sentient beings, to cheat other sentient beings, things like that. By seeing that holy beings, who have accomplished the path, who have the realization of bodhicitta, who have renounced completely themselves for other sentient beings, who cherish only other sentient beings, by seeing those holy beings, you can feel it is not possible they can give harm, it is not possible to do this. You can feel their hundred percent sincerity and hundred percent compassion. When you personally meet them, you can feel that this is now way they can ever harm other sentient beings, by telling lies, by saying there’s something called karma when there is no karma, by saying there’s something called reincarnation when there is no reincarnation, saying there’s a hell where there’s no hell. You can see that it’s impossible they can cheat other sentient beings, harm other sentient beings. Even by seeing, meeting these bodhisattva, even by seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you can feel that, you can see that. That is one example, like that.

Yeah, I think I stop here.

[Dedications in Tibetan]

LECTURE 26: 12 DECEMBER 1992 AM

…the dispelling the interferences, the Lion-face Dakini practice and then the requesting prayer to the lineage lamas. Then the direct meditation on the graduated path to enlightenment.

[Preliminary prayers]

THE CAUSE OF HAPPINESS
This teaching is the essence of Buddha’s advice or guidance, even though Buddha taught the Lesser Vehicle teachings, the Mahayana teachings, the sutra and Mahayana teaching, tantra, however, 84,000 Dharma but however the essence is or the fundamental teaching is the four noble truths, that is condensed into this verse, this stanza, in one stanza:

Do not commit any unwholesome actions,
And engage in the complete, the perfect, wholesome actions or virtue.

So in other words what it means is that to abandon the actions that harm to oneself, harms towards other sentient beings, to other entities. So that is the action which has result, harm, that causes, which makes oneself to experience undesirable result, the problems, sufferings, then which harms towards other sentient beings, so that is what it’s saying, to be abandoned, the actions which harms.

In other words, to abandon the cause of the sufferings and engage the life in creating the unmistaken cause of happiness, complete, perfect, engaging in the unmistaken cause of happiness. So unmistaken means not that you believe that this is the cause of happiness, not by that! But with the logical, that action in the reality, the action itself become cause of happiness, not just only the reason that one believe, that you interpret this is the cause of happiness, not just by that, but in reality the action itself become cause of happiness.

So as I mentioned yesterday and the day before yesterday, that the definition of nonvirtue, so here the same thing, action which brings result happiness, so that is what is called virtue, that action is the valid base and that receives the name virtue. If that is a completed action, if it is a completed virtuous action, then it becomes powerful. For example, for each of the ten nonvirtuous actions, each one that is completed, which means there is the base, and there is the thought, action, and goal—there are four things. If there are all these four things, then the action is completed, whether it’s killing, whether it’s stealing, whether it’s sexual misconduct, telling lies, all these things has four things to complete.

If one of these is missing, there’s thought, action and base it but did not have the goal, or you have all these things but did not have thought. So, even the action did not have all these four, I still think it has a result. As you have already meditated and I think I mentioned twice or three times already, that each of the complete actions has four suffering results, like the ripening aspect result, because it’s nonvirtue so ripening aspect result is the body that one takes, rebirth of the lower realms, the suffering migratory beings, preta, animal, and the narak, the hell, that’s ripening aspect result. So the ripening aspect result for the virtuous action is the body that one takes is the body of the happy migratory being, deva, human body.

So, then, when one was born as a human being, just as one has caused harm to others in the past similar in this life then others cause harm to oneself, having this experience, turning the karma on oneself, which one did towards others in the past. The times when one is born as human being, one experience this past karma, so that’s why even after we are born as human being, why there are so many problems is this life. Problems began from birth. It is not that the problems began after fifteen years of going to school or something. [RL] It is not that after certain number of years then the problems began, it’s not like that. The problems began from the birth, but we don’t remember. So, I am not going back again that part of the discussion. From the very beginning of time when the consciousness took place on the fertilized egg, suffering started from there, from the very beginning. Except who is liberated from samsara, who is liberated from the suffering of death and rebirth. Then in that case, when that being is reincarnating, the consciousness took place on the fertilized egg, even if that being is not completely liberated from samsara, such as arhat or higher bodhisattvas who are completely liberated from samsara, higher bodhisattvas, when they reincarnate in the form of ordinary beings, because they don’t have the cause, they don’t have the reason to experience suffering, they don’t experience suffering of rebirth and death.

THE THIRD PATH: “HEAT” AND “TIP”
The higher bodhisattvas have achieved the third path of the five paths to achieve full enlightenment, peerless happiness. There are Mahayana paths. The Mahayana path of merit [accumulation], the Mahayana path of conjunction [preparation], the right-seeing Mahayana path, the Mahayana path of meditation, the Mahayana path of no more learning. The path of merit has three levels, within that there are three categories, three levels, and the path of conjunction has four levels: the heat, the tip, patience and sublime dharma.

Why it is called “heat,” it is like before starting a fire, fire it doesn’t start immediately, first there has to be heat. From the warmth slowly the flame starts, the fire. So the heat is the preparation for the fire. Like that, this is when you are very close to achieving the right seeing path, which is the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, that which burns all the obscurations, the negative karmas, the delusions, so the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness that is the main one, that which burns or removes the disturbing-thought obscurations, the delusions, and the seed of delusions. So it is close to that, so therefore it is called “heat.”

Then “tip,” even up to here, even as a bodhisattva, there is no question that the followers of the Lesser Vehicle path achieve liberation for self. It is definite for followers who are following the five paths to liberation for self. Even the bodhisattva, the reason it is called “tip,” the second level, is because until that time there is still a possibility for heresy to arise.

THE THIRD PATH: THE PRASANGIKA WAY OF ANALYSIS
For example, even if we have established a strong faith, a strong understanding, that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is a fully enlightened being, with all the extensive reasons explained in the Pramanavarttika, this philosophical text, which has one chapter completely on reincarnation, negating all the other assertions of the Hindu philosophers, saying there is no reincarnation. This text contradicts all their points of view, all the other wrong views, saying there is only one life, there is no reincarnation. It uses sound reasoning, logic to prove the reincarnation.

One chapter has many details on that, in the form of debate, in the form of question and answer, negating those other answers, that which are not according to experience, which are not according to reality of the life. This one chapter mainly talks about how Buddha is a pure founder, and the reason is because the teachings, path that he has shown do deceive sentient beings, so not cheat sentient beings. All the logic, all the reasons are in the form explanation and debate, showing others’ views and then negating them, showing how they are wrong. This way of explanation is especially the traditional way of Lama Tsongkhapa’s tradition. This way of studying Dharma is by analysis, by checking, bringing all the others’ different views, not only the straight explanation of Dharma but bringing all the other views.

The present views may not be explained there, like maybe what scientists explain, on the evolution of beings, the biology, probably those things may not be there, because the scriptures, the wrong views what was brought there, and negate, proving that they are wrong. Not only that, many of those fully distinguished, learned, realized, Buddhist pandits in the past debated with the Hindu pandits, with the extremely learned from other philosophies. In the past they debated, like gambling. When you gamble you put a lot of money down and then you gamble. Those fully distinguished pandits from India and those very learned Hindu ones, learned in their philosophy, instead of putting money, they put the whole country. [RL] So if the Hindu wins then he controls the whole country, and the whole area, all the people have to become Hindu and follow Hinduism. Then if the Buddhist pandit wins then all that people have to follow to Buddhism. So they made wagers like that. Many pandits did like this.

Also the Nalanda, the great university in former time, where there was five hundred pandits, from where Lama Atisha came to Tibet to re-establish Buddhadharma. It was probably the biggest, during those times, the largest monastery, not like a present university, not like that. It had a gate in each direction, with one pandit whose job, whose responsibility was to be at this gate, and when the Hindus came they debates. Before they were allowed in they had to debate at the gate, So it seems they had like this.

According to the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition, the particular way of studying, the extensive way of studying is to brought many other different views, from other religions, then analyzing how they are right or wrong. Also within the Buddhist there are different philosophical schools, four different schools like that, as I repeated many times when I was talking about emptiness. Also different views within the Buddhist, as you know. Then usually at the end they gave the definitions. At the beginning there are many pages of just discussion, explaining the different views then how each one is wrong, with logic, with reasons, and also even the reasons that which are explained, also they are also checked, even the reasons that is put back to negate others’ wrong view, so those reasons are also analyzed. Then, sometimes when there are different explanations, different answers by different pandits or different lamas, those authors, those highly realized, those great pandits, those lamas or great pandits who have, highly attained great scholar, also highly attained path. So, sometimes there are different answers, also those are analyzed. It involves a lot of analysis, checking. One has to study every single sentence, word by word, with analysis. So it becomes a very deep, very extensive learning.

I’m just talking how they look like, but I myself did not learn, I’m just talking how they look like. [RL]

THE THIRD PATH: HERESY
What I’m saying is that, even while one is doing very intensive practice, even generally there is faith that Buddha is a fully enlightened being, even while you are doing intensive practice, doing preliminary practices, doing many hundred thousand prostrations, towards Buddha, it is possible all a sudden for the thought to arise that this is not an enlightened being. All of a sudden, just without reason, there is a cause for this to arise. [RL] Suddenly your mind changes, suddenly these thoughts arise, while you are doing the practice. So like this, heresy can arise, because the imprint is there, the imprint, the seed of heresy from past is planted there on the mental continuum. It is possible, there is an imprint, you have the seed of heresy, for these negative thoughts to arise, which destroy the merit or good karma, which one has been accumulating, like an atomic bomb that destroys the merit. While you are doing very intensive practice, trying to develop the mind in the path, then it’s possible [to be harmed by] the outside evil-doers, those who want to disturb you, those who do not want you to accumulate virtue, those who do not want you to develop your mind in path to enlightenment. So those evil-doers who do not want others to do positive things, good actions, positive things.

The seed of heresy, those negative thoughts, planted on the consciousness in the past, is main cause, and then the external evil beings come who want to interfere with your practice, to your development of the mind. Together like this, while one is doing the practice, suddenly the mind changes, these things can happen.

Heresy, such as these negative thoughts can arise, just all of a sudden, for a minute, for a few seconds, or for a minute like this. Besides then a complete change of the mind, suddenly the mind completely switched in the wrong way. Suddenly your whole view is completely changed. The person is a very strong practitioner and very intensive like this, but then suddenly, which gives you a big shock, one hears that person their whole view completely changed, completely believing in the wrong way.

These things can happen until one achieves the second level of the Mahayana path of conjunction, the tip. This tip is the tip of the heresy. This is the last stage the mind can be effected. After this then no more heresy can arise. Even after you enter the Mahayana path, even for example a bodhisattva, you see, even if you have achieved the right seeing path, no, what am I saying! Not right seeing path! The path of conjunction, so until you achieve the second level of the path of conjunction, there is the possibility of these negative thoughts arising. So when you have reached the tip then this tip means the tip of heresy. After then, no more heresy can arise.

THE THIRD PATH: A GOOD HEART SAVES FROM THE LOWER REALMS
Then next level is patience. Probably it means that not having a fear of realizing emptiness, not having a fear of emptiness, the ultimate nature of things. After having achieved this, one has full confidence, only then one has full confidence that from now on one will never reincarnate in the lower realms. Of course even without depending on an understanding the philosophy, a person who has lived a good life, who has lived a sincere life, who lived a life with compassion towards other sentient beings, can face death without fear. With this attitude who did much service for other sentient beings, the person, who lived with sincerity, loving compassionate nature, even if the person earlier in life experienced so many problems, did so many wrong things, but in later life, but the person, by having met Dharma, however, the person’s mind changed, becomes sincere, good-hearted, did much purification, service for other sentient beings, at time of death, the person has no fear of death. The mind is very comfortable with death. It does not become any discomfort, it does not bother the mind. Kind of just label, death is just a label, kind of like that. It does not bother to your mind, it is very comfortable.

Even if one has not met Buddhism, even one has not studied philosophy of Buddhism, not received teachings, but somehow the person lived their life sincerely, with a good heart. Even if their earlier life had been bad, but the later life is good, when the person dies there is no fear of death, the mind is very comfortable, happy. There is confidence within the person, there is no fear. On the other hand, due to society, due to the culture one is born into, even if the person might have intellectual philosophy that there’s just one life, that there’s no reincarnation, no karma, this subject doesn’t come. What you learnt at school, university, normally, intellectually this is what you believe. Intellectually, this is what you say and intellectually this is what you believe. But however, maybe even on normal days, even before death, so many people, even though they have this intellectual belief somehow, very deep in the heart, they are not clear about death, what’s going to happen at the time of death. In the very inside of the heart, not clear, confused, not clear, they have no knowledge, not a hundred percent. Even they may follow the intellectual philosophy, because this is the only philosophy that they know. But in their heart, the very inside of their heart, it’s not sure what they feel from the heart, it’s not sure. So, there’s uncertainty, there’s a fear, when they really examine from the heart.

So however, so, due to karma, basically, not so much of understanding, that there’s reincarnation karma, but the fear at the time of death is, there’s no reason to have fear if,

If that is true, why do we live? If that is true, there’s no reincarnation, karma then, why do we live, because living is a problem, living is a problem. So, it’s better not to live. If living is a problem for oneself, for others. So, less trouble for other people, less problem to the world, for other people, less problem for yourself [RL], if one doesn’t live [RL], in the basis of the philosophy there’s no reincarnation, karma. So why we cause a lot of worries for, to the world, lot of worries, lot of problems, to other sentient beings by existing.

THE THIRD PATH: THE KIND OF DEATH EXPERIENCED DEPENDS ON THE MIND
Whether there is fear or not at the time of death is due to karma. You should also understand that, even the Buddhist, who normally has faith in karma or reincarnation can have some problems. As I mentioned, the student in Switzerland, whose girlfriend left him and he committed suicide. However, even if one is a Buddhist, some problems happened in the life, the emotional mind, the attachment, anger, some problem happened, who makes the conclusion to commit suicide. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no reincarnation, karma. It’s just because the person’s mind is weak, even though normally faith in these things but mind is weak, unable to apply the meditation practice, when this emotional mind arises, when the life meet problems. So the negative mind, negative karma controlled.

As I mentioned some time ago, the evil outside beings who connect with the negative karma, the negative mind, who associate with it and then together this thing happens, and one commits suicide. There’s a relation between the outside spirits or evil beings that associate with your negative mind, and the negative karma, then causes these things to happen. I may have seen, I don’t remember. But in India, Buxa, I think a monk who was leading a puja suddenly left one night. I thought maybe there was some problem. This happened quite a few times. This place is a very mischievous place where there’s a lot killing happened during the British time, when India was under the control of British. However, this monk somehow went missing from the room and, in the night, quite a few miles in the forest, on a mountain, there’s a huge tree, and he was hanged with his belt on the branches of the tree. The tree is very tall. It is not something that a person, himself alone, can do this, because it’s such a high tree, hanging himself from the branches with the belt, it’s not something that he can do by himself.

So, even somebody who has some faith, even who is Buddhist, who has some faith in these things but mind is weak, unable to apply the meditation when there’s a problem in the life and emotional problems, such as those relationship problems and when those things happens, the object of strong attachment left you, they separated away. So however, the mind is completely overwhelmed by the negative mind, delusion, the karma, so then, these things happens. So, but that does not mean that there’s no reincarnation or karma.

What I was going to say is this, even someone who has never met or heard of Buddhadharma, if that person lives sincerity, in the later part of life, even if in the earlier life he has done many bad things, very cruel and selfish mind. Everybody thinks he is a bad, negative, evil person, with a bad reputation in the country. But the later part of the life becomes very positive, with a changed mind and very sincere, very kind and compassionate. For that person, at the time of death there’s no fear of death, there’s confidence, there’s a happy mind. Even when death comes, it doesn’t bother him, he has a happy mind.

And, the other one, who didn’t live such a life who never heard of reincarnation, karma and, never heard of Buddhadharma, but even one has intellectual belief that there is only one life and so forth, at the time of death there’s doubt and fear, what’s going to happen after death. This is a natural feeling from the heart, due to the result of negative karma, there’s a natural feeling from the heart, even the intellectual philosophy, belief is even there’s no karma and reincarnation these things.

When one achieves the fourth level of the third path, sublime Dharma, that bodhisattva is able to see numberless buddhas. Wherever that practitioner is it doesn’t matter, even if it’s not in the meditation room right there, when the meditator reaches that level, then one is able to see numberless Buddhas around, wherever one is. The mind is that much purified by that time. So therefore, when one reaches that level, wherever one is, one sees numberless buddhas, in aspect of the Buddha, you see Buddha in aspect of Buddha, the nirmanakaya, form.

Before that, normally, even if we meet a buddha but we do not recognize him as a buddha because he appears in his ordinary aspect. Because one’s own mind is not purified, because in our daily life, how we see things is according to the quality of our mind. If the mind is that much more obscured, impure, we see things that much more impure; if our mind is purer, then what we see things are purer. How we see things depends on the nature of our mind. How we see things, how we see the people, living beings, the objects of the senses, is dependent on the nature of our mind, the characteristics of our mind.

If you look at that person with anger, you see that person as ugly, undesirable. Depending with what type of mind you look at the person, you see that person that way. How things appear is a creation of one’s own mind. So, if one look at with attachment, there’s one view. If one look at, for that person with anger, there’s one different, completely different view. So like this. And, with indifferent mind, there’s one view. So, with pure mind you see things pure, with impure mind one see things impure.

So this meditator who achieves the fourth level, then sees numberless buddhas in aspect of a buddha called the nirmanakaya form. Then, then this meditator or bodhisattva achieved the higher path, after achieving the right seeing path, third and fourth, after achieving the third path, Mahayana the right seeing path, then that bodhisattva become Aryan being, higher being.

Before, when the bodhisattva was not Aryan being, he could see the buddhas in the nirmanakaya aspect but after the bodhisattva becomes a higher being, then he can see the buddhas in the sambhogakaya aspect, another aspect of the buddhas.

So, the reason why I brought up this is that, after having achieved the third path, then after that, the Mahayana path right seeing path, after that, then this bodhisattva, this higher bodhisattva, also do not have, the body changes, the body becomes spiritual body, and this higher bodhisattva doesn’t experience suffering death or suffering rebirth.

So, this higher bodhisattva, starting from the time of having achieved the right seeing path, has a spiritual body and doesn’t have body like this, in that he doesn’t experience the suffering or old age, sicknesses, death or rebirth. He’s completely free from this level, after having achieved the Mahayana right seeing path. So, he does not experience the suffering of uncontrolled death and rebirth caused by karma and delusion. According to lesser vehicle path, those arhats, from the Mahayana path those higher bodhisattva who achieved the right seeing path, the third path, they don’t experience uncontrolled death and rebirth, through the development of the mind.

Anyway, there’s no question, in order to work for other sentient beings, those beings reincarnate, but they don’t go through suffering. It’s not, their taking birth is not caused by karma and delusion, it’s not uncontrolled rebirth, it’s not suffering rebirth.

What I was going to say is, the problem of the life, beginning from birth, for us ordinary beings who haven’t developed the mind, who haven’t reached those levels of mind where you don’t experience death and rebirth. So same thing, even enlightened beings, in order to benefit other sentient beings, taking these manifestations as being born from a mother. Even though the aspect looks similar but it doesn’t have suffering.

However, we haven’t reached that level of mind to those stages, so life begins with problems. So, as soon as consciousness takes place in the fertilized egg, according to the karma, then, it’s like being drowned in the hot water. So there’s, due to karma, due to the, due to the power of wind, when the body starts to develop due to wind, the karmic wind element wind there’s also much pain. There’s much suffering in those nine months, being in mother’s womb. So, it’s not that problems begin only afterwards. Problems of this life begin from the time consciousness takes place in the fertilized egg.

So therefore, the problem has a cause, and cause has to be created before the result. Cause has to be created before the result because that is natural evolution.

THE FOUR SUFFERING RESULTS
So the negative action which has all these four things. So the experiencing result similar to the cause, what harm you gave to others, then you experience on yourself, when you were born as a human being. Then possessed result to do with the place, one experiences the problems relating to the place where one lives. Then, creating the result similar to the cause, that you are doing, because of past habit you are doing the same thing again, killing, stealing and so forth, all these things. So creating the negative karma again because of past habit.

One complete negative action has four suffering results and the same with virtue, the complete action of virtue. For example, as there are ten nonvirtues, there are ten virtues. Then, again, those have four things. Then by having gathered all the four things, then the virtue become complete, so therefore it has four happy results, completely the opposite to the negative karma which has four suffering results. A complete virtue has virtuous motivation, then action, then dedication, then it is complete, then it is powerful. So engage the life in the action, in the complete, perfect virtue, being a beneficial action for oneself for other sentient beings.

Why do we have to engage in this practice, abandoning unwholesome action or nonvirtue or cause of suffering, and practice cause of happiness? The fundamental reason is because oneself wants happiness. What you want is happiness, what you don’t want is suffering, so you have abandon cause of suffering and practice cause of happiness. Because that is the evolution, the cause of happiness or suffering comes from within one’s own mind. Suffering comes from one’s own mind, happiness comes from one’s own mind. That is evolution. Happiness comes from one’s own virtuous thought, suffering comes from one’s own mind that was nonvirtuous thought. So, therefore abandon the cause of suffering, which is within one’s own mind, then, transform one’s own mind into virtue, which is the cause of happiness.

Eliminating suffering, freeing yourself from the suffering, from within one’s own mind, obtaining happiness, achieving happiness from within with your own mind. Because everything comes from one’s own mind, s therefore, the best thing is, the advice is to subdue, the solution is to subdue one’s own mind, and this is the teaching of the Buddha.

Maybe I’ll do a little bit lung [GL], oral transmission. So, just a short mandala, short.

[Short mandala]

Think, the purpose of my life is to free all sentient beings from all the sufferings, and to cause happiness to all sentient beings. That is purpose of my life, and, and I have this responsibility. So therefore, to be able to do this, I must be fully qualified. So, to have all the qualifications to do perfect work for all sentient beings, then one must have omniscient mind, perfect power to help others, and compassion. One must have, one must complete one’s own mind training in the compassion towards every sentient beings. So that, who is that who has all these qualities is only the fully enlightened being. So therefore, one must become fully enlightened being. So that depends on actualizing the graduated path to enlightenment. So for that reason, so I’m going to take the oral transmission, in order to plant the seed of the whole path to enlightenment.

[Oral transmission]

The words of this lam-rim teaching are very effective. All these words are describing the requesting prayer to the lineage lamas, so they are very profound and very effective. It says, “The compassion of all the numberless Victorious Ones (which means the Buddhas) manifested in the holy body of the supreme virtuous friend who reveals the path. To the kind root guru, I request, please bless my mental continuum.” Its meaning is very, very effective.

GURU DEVOTION
Those who have made mistakes in devoting themselves to the virtuous friend, those who have criticized or abandoned the virtuous friend, those who have generated heresy or anger towards the virtuous friend, if they doesn’t confess and purify, if they don’t repair it, if they don’t change their mind from those mistakes into devoting themselves correctly to the virtuous friend, it will be extremely hard for them even to find the body of a happy migratory being in their next lives. And even when, after a long time, they do receive the body of a happy migratory being, because of experiencing the result similar to the cause of disrespect, they will be reborn in a state where they have no freedom to practice Dharma. This means that in the family or place where they will be born as a human being, they will no freedom to practice Dharma, no freedom to develop their mind in the path. They will not even be able the hear the name of the holy Dharma. There will be no chance to hear even the name “virtuous friend.” Even when they are born as a human being, they will be born where they cannot hear even the name “holy Dharma” or “virtuous friend.”

There are also a few pages missing. I think it is also time to stop.

[End of Discourse]

LECTURE 27: 12 DECEMBER 1992 PM

THE MIND QUALIFIED TO TAKE REFUGE
So this happened or not I thought to, just continue the text, to, see if I can finish the whole text, I thought to do, more like an express train [GL, RL]. Anyway. So yeah, then, so I didn’t get the whole preliminary prayers done but just maybe, this morning, maybe just mandala, then.

[Long mandala]

I guess, this one stanza should that we recite, first two verses, to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, I go for refuge, and until I become enlightened. So last time, when I spent the night when I was giving refuge, I already explained, during the refuge, the lesser vehicle, according to Hinayana, the lesser vehicle, the way of taking refuge, and according to Mahayana way, taking refuge, and also the absolute and conventional Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. So here, in this prayer, there’s one more thing to mention, that is contained in this, anyway, to, in case somebody has no idea, then also to understand.

The mind that takes refuge, that has to be qualified of these two. The mind which takes refuge has to be a qualified mind, and what quality that mind should have is the mind that takes refuge is by a special mind, that which is qualified of these two, that is the understanding fear of the suffering of samsara, how the samsara is nature of suffering, the aggregates, caused by karma and delusion, that which you can, that which is contaminated, contaminated seed of delusion, and that which creates, compounds future life samsara. So these, this is what compounds future lives samsara, so like this, these aggregates which are the continuation of these aggregates which joins from here, from this life to the next, aggregates. Then that, aggregates, continuation of that aggregates again joins to the next life.

So it, until we cease the cause of the samsara, the karma and disturbing thoughts, until we cease this, there’s always cause that this continuation the samsara circles, joins, from one life to another life without end. Then, one experiences the suffering of the samsara from these six realms, one after another, continuously without end. One experiences the suffering of samsara without end. So, by ceasing the cause, karma and disturbing thoughts, then there’s no cause, the continuation of aggregates to join from one life to another life. Because, this, this gross body, this one doesn’t go to next life, doesn’t join to next life samsara, the aggregates, but what goes is the consciousness.

In the sutras, it doesn’t talk about subtle wind or subtle body. But in tantra, there is, gross mind, subtle mind and extremely subtle mind, then the body has a gross body, subtle body, extremely subtle body. So, tantra talks about the extremely subtle body that continues from this life to next life. That aggregate goes, that continues. But that is not what is, that is not the subject of, talking about the subtle mind and the body, that is not a subject of sutra. So in reality, there’s a subtle body, the extremely subtle body, goes from one life to another life. There’s aggregates that joins from one life to another life besides the consciousness, besides the consciousness.

By having ceased karma and disturbing thoughts, the continuation of the aggregates, there’s no cause, so there’s nothing what it makes to join from one life to another life. There’s nothing to circle. By ceasing the cause, then one is able to cease the continuation of the samsara, the aggregates circling from here to the next life, from life to life, so this gets stopped. So one is able to stop, one is able to cease this continuation, continuation of, circling the continuation of these aggregates.

This way there’s nothing to tie oneself, this, by ceasing the cause, karma and disturbing thoughts, so there’s nothing which ties oneself to the samsara, which makes the being caught in samsara, makes oneself to tie to samsara. So, one get liberated from samsara, these aggregates, these defiled, that which becomes the cause of the future life samsara. Defiled, and which becomes, putting it simple way, that’s defiled and then becomes cause of future life samsara. These aggregates, so by becoming cause of future life samsara, so this one creates the future life samsara, this one takes the future life. So, the understanding fear of the samsara, how the samsara is only in nature of suffering, like being in the center of the fire, being in the nest of the poisonous snake.

Then however, then second thing is the, the other quality is the faith, that Buddha, Dharma, Sangha has the power to save oneself from the, the whole entire suffering of the samsara. And then, the particular three lower realms, in general, the suffering of samsara, particularly the three lower realms. However, the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha has the power to liberate oneself from the whole entire samsara.

So, these two, understanding fear of the samsara, the aversion to the samsara, then faith that Buddha, Dharma, Sangha has the power to save. So, these two are the qualities of the mind that which takes refuge, or in other words, are cause of refuge. Then, with these two minds being perfected with these two causes, then, relying with the whole heart relying upon Buddha, Dharma, Sangha that whatever happens with my life, whether miserable, happy or unhappy, whatever happens, that is, that my life is up to you. However, with the whole heart, relying upon Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, so that is the way of taking refuge.

LABELING
Another way of saying this is that, if the mind doesn’t label, if there’s no mind which labels Kopan, Kopan doesn’t exist. If there’s no mind which labels Nepal, Nepal doesn’t exist. If there’s no mind which labels Kathmandu, Kathmandu doesn’t exist. If there’s no mind which labels Peter or if there’s no mind which labels Wang or something like that anyway [RL], so if there’s no mind which labels Peter, Mr. Wang or something like this, Peter doesn’t exist, Mr. Wang doesn’t exist, if there’s no mind which labels these things, they seem to not exist. Same thing, so same thing, that the I is also, that the I, without the mind which labels I, then also I doesn’t exist, then also I, the self, also doesn’t exist. Without the mind which labels I, the I, the self, doesn’t exist. It’s same. It is same, all these are exactly the same.

But, even though Kopan, November course, then Nepal, Kathmandu, Peter, Mr. Wang, I, all these came from the mind, labeled by the mind, and they’re all these are merely labeled by the mind, but these things, even though this is the reality, all these things are labeled by the mind, not just labeled by the mind, but these are merely labeled by the mind. All these things exist in the mere name. This is the reality but these things do not appear, this is the reality, you cannot except somebody who is, except whose mind is crazy, not in the natural state, not normal state, but otherwise can understand without the mind which labels, it cannot exist without the mind labeling.

If the parents, if nobody gave a name to the new child that was born, such as Peter, that person exists but Peter doesn’t exist. If nobody gave the name Peter, relating to that child, the base, the aggregates, so that Peter doesn’t exist, and at that home, the parents who has one child there’s no Peter, in that family there’s no Peter. Peter does not exist in that family. Peter doesn’t exist, if nobody gave the name. So it’s clear, it came from the mind. Not just it came from the mind but it’s merely imputed by the mind.

And also, so the same way that Peter exists, Kopan, Nepal, Kathmandu the I, the whole thing, so like this, so like this the whole phenomena exists, in mere name, or being merely labeled by the mind. So, that is the reality. Nothing exists from their own side.

LABELING LONG AND SHORT
That, I just mention this, this idea, that, so, that by using the finger, depending to this finger, this finger is longer, depending on this finger this one is longer. Everybody can see my finger? [GL] My finger or your finger? Anyway [RL], so, depending on this, depending on this finger this one is longer. It looks as if there’s a long finger from its own side. [GL, RL] There’s a long finger from its own side, existing from its own side, can you see? [GL] Do you see a long finger from your side or from this side? [GL, RL] Anyway, so you see the long finger, so, this is long or short? So this long finger, that looks long finger from its own side, there’s real long finger, there’s a real long finger, from its own side, existing from its own side, real long finger, existing from its own side. [GL, RL].

So we should analyze, how it’s appearing. This one, little bit shorter, still a little bit shorter [RL, GL]. So, now like this. So now, so now this is longer or short?

Student: Short.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Eh?

Student: Short.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Eh? This one. [GL]

Student: Short.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Short finger or long finger?

Student: Short. [unclear speech, GL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Hm. Eh? Short finger. Hm. This short finger? No, this is a long finger. [GL, RL]. This is not a short finger because this is a long finger. [GL] Anyway, that’s just playing. So now this is what, anyway, so, depending on this, so when this came out, what happened with this one? [GL] Eh? What? Short.

But the important point, the reason that I bring this example, is that, to analyze the appearances, to recognize before it was like this, this long finger, and looked truly existent long finger, existent from its own side, even though you labeled, you label long to this, comparing to this one, but it doesn’t appear to us, long finger, it doesn’t appear to us as long finger labeled by your own mind, it doesn’t, even though that is the reality we’ve labeled but it does not appear to us, as is labeled by your own mind. It looks like an unlabeled, unlabeled long finger, existing from its own side. It appears more, real, real long finger. However, on this finger, there’s a finger, on this there’s unlabeled finger, and there’s a long unlabeled long finger, long finger existing from its own side.

So now, you comparing this, this one is shorter. So now, what happened, so now what happened with the long finger?

Student: Ceased to exist.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What?

Student: Ceased to exist as a long finger.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Ceased to exist.

Student: Finished.

Student: Stopped to exist as a long finger.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: There’s no long finger? [GL] There’s no long finger? Because still, still there’s this long, still short, but still it’s long, this one is still long comparing to this. Anyway, the point is this, the main point is this. So, by depending on this, when this, when you compare to this, what happened with the appearance of the long finger, what happened with the appearance of the long finger that you had before?

Student: Turned to the opposite.

Student: The label changed.

Student: Becomes short.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: What happened to the appearance of the long finger, before, has there any change or not?

Student: _________ [many voices]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: In the appearance, in the perception, and appearance. So, however, now, comparing this long, with this short. So now what happened to long and the short? Relating to this finger, long and short. It depends on this, long, it depends on this, short. So now, depending on this finger, relating to this finger, or on this finger, the long and the short, on this finger, the long and the short, do you still see long and the short, from its own side, or you see from the side of your mind? Eh? So now with, so on this, now do you see the long and the short from your, from the side of your mind or, you still see the long and the short on this finger, long and short, from the side of the object? Eh?

Student: From the side of the finger.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Still with the [RL], even with this, even the third finger?

Student: ___________

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: That’s it. I’m asking your present perception, I’m not asking that, to repeat what text says [GL]. Hm. So, on this finger, long and the short, now what happened? Do you see the long and short from the side of the finger, or do you see the long and the short from your own mind, existing long and short from your own mind? On this finger, long and short.

Student: ________ Comparing to this one, ______ short, comparing to this one ______ [voice hardly audible].

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Yeah, so what happened, in your appearance, the long and the short? So anyway, eh? What?

Student: It’s both long and short.

Student: It’s neither long neither short.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: So, [GL, RL] what? [RL]

Student: _______ [not audible]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: So it doesn’t exist. [GL, RL]

Student: It’s Tibetan rice. [RL, GL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: I thought you had enough Tibetan rice [GL, RL]. No, so the idea is that, the analysis is that, so when like this, it’s a long finger but it looks, see, it’s more concrete, it’s more, long finger unlabeled by the mind, truly existent long finger, but, the second time, when you labeled, depending on this short, so now you think, in the appearance of long and the short on these, depending on these, after putting this, then comparing to this, this is short, shorter. So now, on this, the long and the short is, it becomes very subtle, it becomes short, then the long, short, so when you look at it, long, short, then just suddenly it becomes subtle, very subtle phenomena, what the long, short phenomena is, it suddenly becomes very subtle phenomena, which doesn’t exist from its own side, it exists from the side of the mind, that is simply what is labeled by the mind. And even to talk of reality, even more subtle, merely, what it is is what it is merely labeled by the mind, so depending on this the long and the short is simply what is merely labeled by the mind.

So it exists, depending on this, the long and the short does exist but it is a very subtle phenomena. It is empty of existing from its own side, it is empty of truly existent, it’s empty of independence. It exists just in the view of the mind, it exists being merely labeled by the mind.

So just like this, what I was saying is, comparing to this one, we call long, but that time looks, appears as truly existent, long finger, long one existing from its own side, independent long, unlabeled by the mind. But when you compare to this, then label short, this one short, then suddenly, so what happened, how it is the long and short, this, all of a sudden becomes subtle, the phenomena long and short, very subtle phenomena, nothing slightest exists from its own side, except only from the side of the mind, labeled by the mind.

So like this, how the long and short depend on this finger, the long and short finger that which exists by depending on this, how it is, suddenly, it’s never the phenomena that appears real one, existing from its own side, it’s empty of real one existing from its own side, so like this, I and all the phenomena exist in the same nature, like that.

LABELING HERE AND THERE
It’s the same thing, from your side, the place where you are now, you call “here” and then you call where I am sitting, you label “there,” but then, and then here and there, there is a here and there which appears unlabeled by the mind, even though it is labeled by the mind but it appears as unlabeled by the mind, a “real” here is here and a “real” there is there, existing from its own side. But when you come here [RL, GL], to the place where I am, [RL] then that time, where you used to label “there” now you label “here” and where you used to label “here,” you label “there.”

So now, again what happened in the appearance. Again, here and there, this phenomena here and there, nothing real in the sense of existing from its own side, it came from the mind, it is merely labeled by mind, there is nothing real here and there in the sense existing from its own side. Suddenly so when you check, when you look at your perception, your appearance, here and there, it is empty. There is no real here and there existing from its own side.

So, the same thing, so like this, how all the phenomena they exist, how they are in the nature, it is like this, very subtle.

LABELING ME AND OTHER
Depending on the base, these aggregates, from my side, I label myself “I” and label you, “other,” but now, from your side, depending the base, your own aggregates, you label yourself “I” and then depending my aggregates, you label me, “other.”

So, again, it’s the same exactly as the finger, the examining the perception, first long, then by bringing this, short, then checking, what is the phenomena that is the long and the short on this, so then you see nothing real in the sense of existing from its own side. So same, when you meditate, when you analyze, because of the reason of base, aggregates, you label I, then from my side, depending on your aggregates, I label other. So, when you think of only one, that which you yourself labeled the I, still appears as not merely labeled by the mind, that it exists from its own side, real one existing from its own side, but then when you think others, they point you, they label you, depending on the base, your aggregates, others label other, for example, I label other, depending on your aggregates. From your side, depending on the base, your aggregates, you label I, but from my side, I label other.

So again, with this second label, when you think of this, you can see that there is nothing, so same, depending on this finger long and short, so nothing exists from its own side, there is no I and other exists from its own side, I and other came from the mind. What is I and other become extremely subtle again, subtle, phenomena, nothing concrete, real in the sense of existing from its own side. It exists in mere name. So, just like this, how all the phenomena, how all the rest of the phenomena exists in the reality, how they are is extremely subtle, how they are in reality, their nature, what they are is extremely subtle.

And in that way we see the extremely subtle phenomena, in that nature, exist being merely labeled by the mind, so therefore nothing exists from their own side. We can see this way, when we analyze, when we practice mindfulness, when we really analyze the phenomena, only then when we analyze the phenomena, how they exist, only after we realize the emptiness of, reality of things, then we see the way that things exist is extremely subtle, exist being merely labeled by the mind. But when we do not analyze, when we follow the wrong concept, ignorance, when we live the life by following the wrong concept, the ignorance, concept of true existence which apprehend I, action, object, everything which appears, even though they are merely labeled by the mind but appearing as they exist from their own side and apprehending them that they are a hundred percent true, so, like this, making very concrete, truly independent, truly existent, very concrete.

Believing in this appearance that is what obscures to see us the reality, the emptiness, how things exist, that things exist in mere name, so it obscures to see the reality.

So, therefore, if it is true, depending on this, if we label this is a “long finger,” but according to our perception, our appearance, the long finger is appearing to us, except there is somebody who is enlightened here, otherwise, for us this long finger, so comparing to this labeled long finger but in our appearance, so our mind labels “long finger,” but the mind is not aware that this long finger is merely labeled by the mind, not aware and so that is one thing, and as I mentioned in the past, because of the imprint which is left on the mental continuum by the past ignorance, concept of true existence, so after one labeled “long finger,” depending on this, long, then the imprint projects or decorates the true existence, the inherent existence on the merely labeled long finger. That imprint projects or decorates the true existence on the merely labeled long finger. Right after one labeled “long finger,” there is the appearance of truly existent, not merely labeled by the mind. There is appearance of the long finger not merely labeled by the mind, independent one.

Now, the point is this, if that is true, what you see after you put the label “long finger” and what you see there is a long finger from its own side, existing from its own side, if that is true, there is a long finger existing from its own side, which means long finger existing from its own side means independent, truly existent, so without depending on cause and conditions, anything, that it exists from its own side. So, in that case, since it is independent, it exists from its own side, as the long finger appears to you like this, if that is true, what appears as independent, existing from its own side or inherently existent, all this means, same meaning as independent, without depending on cause and conditions, nothing, without depending on anything, that long finger exists. So, in that case, then even when this finger comes up, still it should be long finger because long finger exists without depending on cause and conditions, base, thought, name, without depending on all these things, your appearance says this is long finger exists from its own side, inherently existing, or independent. So if that is true, as your appearance says, independent long finger, then next, even when this third finger comes up, then this should still be long finger.

[Microphone feedback noise] That is also another inherently existent sound [RL, GL], that which doesn’t exist.

So even when this one comes up it should still be long finger, when this one comes up, it is no more the long finger, it changed, you see so, that proved that the long finger is dependent arising, it is not independent. So it makes false, so when this comes up it becomes short finger. So therefore, so now changed, so that shows long and short fingers is dependent arising, depending on causes and conditions, depending on the base and thought labeling, so depending on those two, then long finger and short finger it exists.

So, now, by comparing this, it’s a short finger, so that proves your previous perception, your previous appearance which tells you that independent long finger, that is completely false, so comparing with this, short finger, so now, that proves it’s not true what appeared to you in the past, what appeared to you before when you don’t compare with this, there’s long finger existing from its own side, which means independent long finger, so that is not true. So by comparing to this, this appearance that we had before, long finger, real long finger in the sense of existing from its own side, that is not true, so it proves that, it makes it false, to see that one as false.

So the same thing, as things appear to us truly existent, if that is true, real, independent, existing from its own side, if it is true, then when you, place where you are, from your side you call where I am “there,” then when you come to the place where you used to call “there” it should still be “there.” If it is here and there, if the here and there that which we labeled and appear to us as they are real, existing from its own side, which means independent, without depending on cause and conditions and base and thought which labels. In that case, even when you come to where I am, where you used to call “there”, it still should be there, because there exists without depending on cause and conditions, without depending on anything, there exists from its own side. So, then when you come here to my side, still it should be there. Then you say, I am there. [RL, GL] You are here, I am there.

There is no change, there wouldn’t be change because doesn’t depend on cause and conditions, and base and thought which labels. So same thing in our perception, in our appearance now, the I who is sitting now appears as real one, there is a real I sitting here. According to that appearance, perception, if it is true, then that means real one existing from its own side, without depending on causes and conditions, which means independent, then in that case, the next, when you are standing, even that time you would be still sitting on your meditation cushion. Next time when your aggregates are standing then there should still be I sitting on the meditation cushion. Next, when your aggregates is in the toilet, there would still be the I sitting on the meditation cushion. [RL, GL] Anyway, like this.

If it is true the way the I is appearing to us as a real one, in the sense existing from its own side, without depending on anything, if that is true, then all these mistakes would rise, all these things, that even if your aggregates is in the West or even when your aggregates are laying down on the beach, having a holiday, the I would still be sitting here in this hall on the cushion and having colds, [RL, GL] coughing and blowing nose, all those things. So then many mistakes arise, so which is not true, which is not according to the experience, which is not according to the reality.

So yeah, anyway, I didn’t mean that, but it just happened.

[Prayers] …Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment and lead all sentient beings to that enlightenment.


THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING EMPTINESS
Why I was bringing up emptiness again is because the concept of truly existent I, independent I, while the I is not independent, while it is not truly existent, as it appears, while it doesn’t exist from its own side, so this wrong concept, so that’s why it is wrong concept. By analyzing you can see object of this ignorance is not true, that what appears existing from its own side, independent, truly existent, real one existing from its own side, if you analyze, if you check, it is not there, it does not exist, it is nowhere, it exists nowhere. This ignorance is the basis of anger, attachment, all these three poisonous minds, then from there, all the other branches of delusions, other wrong views. There are six root delusions, five views and five non-views but all those are wrong, so one of them is this, apprehending that the I as independent, while it is dependent arising. So, the twenty secondary delusions, so, all those delusions and the karma motivated by this ignorance, anger, attachment, so then from this karma and delusions, the whole entire suffering of samsara is experienced, is actualized as a result, so all these are created or came from karma and delusion.

So, all this came from the root, all this sufferings of samsara—the hell beings, the hell suffering, heaviest suffering of hot and cold, animal suffering, being eaten by another one, extremely fool, so forth, then the heaviest suffering of hunger and thirst, the suffering of the preta beings, hungry ghost, and then the human beings problems, eight types of suffering and deva realm suffering, the desire realm suffering, form realm, formless realms sufferings—all those sufferings of samsara, all one experiences one after another is caused by the root, this concept of truly existent I that we are born with from birth, from beginningless rebirth. This is the very root and the only way to liberate us from the whole entire suffering and causes is by eliminating the very root, this ignorance, this concept of truly existent I.

No other realization can cut off this ignorance, no other realizations can eliminate, no other education, no other culture cn do this. Even other realizations, even bodhicitta, do not become a direct remedy, they help, but do not become a direct remedy to cut the root of the whole entire suffering, the concept of true existence, the ignorance. No other culture, no other education, no other even realizations can cut it, even bodhicitta, which can help, but it does not become a direct remedy, it helps to create extensive merit so that we can quickly realize emptiness, then in this way we can cut the root of the whole entire suffering, to create extensive merit, to purify the obscurations and to create extensive merit then because of that it gives a chance to quickly realize emptiness, but itself does not become direct remedy to cut the root of samsara, it does not become a remedy to the root of samsara, the ignorance, the concept of true existence. Nothing can cut it, except realizing emptiness, except the wisdom realizing emptiness.

WISDOM CUTS DELUSIONS
Therefore, this is one example of what Dharma is, what path is, so this is one example, one essential meaning of Dharma, of what Dharma is. So this wisdom realizing emptiness which cuts the root of the whole entire suffering and causes, this wrong concept, this concept of true existence, this ignorance.

Another way of explaining what Dharma is, the meaning of Dharma is to protect yourself, to hold yourself. You are Dharma, your positive action, your wisdom, here in this case, your wisdom, your mind which is Dharma, so here we are talking about particularly the wisdom realizing emptiness, your mind realizing emptiness. This Dharma, what it does, it holds you from falling down in the lower realms, and protects you from the whole entire suffering of samsara. It holds you, it protects you from the whole entire suffering of samsara.

Even just the problems of human beings are too much. We can’t stand them. The world’s problems, even just human beings’ sufferings, just only meditating on the human beings’ sufferings, the problems of the human beings, even just analyzing, even just meditating on that, it is unbelievable. If you think of all the different problems in the world, the human beings what they experience it is so unbelievable or unbearable.

Here we are not only talking about human beings problems, here there are suffering of lower realms or deva realms, the whole entire samsara, the whole entire samsara. Your Dharma protects you, your mind, your wisdom, it holds you from that, it protects you from that. So that, and that Dharma is your own mind. Your own mind that which is Dharma.

As I mentioned many times, there is wisdom, by developing this wisdom, it cuts the root, the ignorance and then all of the delusions, even the seed of the delusions, it cuts, it removes completely and, so even in the Lesser Vehicle Path, when you reach, there are five paths to liberation, so the third right-seeing path, after having achieved that, one remove the disturbing-thought obscurations, one hundred and sixteen, I think, I’ve got a little bit confused, you see, sixteen or twelve [RL] The obscurations, one hundred and sixteen, right? Sixteen or twelve? [Student: I thought there was eighty-one. [RL, GL]

Yeah [GL]. But all together, what he’s talking about, eighty-one, there are many details to explain this delusion which arises the desire realm, and the form realm, the formless realm. However, one hundred, anyway, it can be checked, this is just to give you an idea, one hundred and sixteen disturbing-thought obscurations, then after achieving the path of meditation, then sixteen delusions, sixteen disturbing-thought obscurations are removed. So then it’s everything, finished.

Then the bodhisattva path, the Mahayana path to enlightenment, the five Mahayana paths to enlightenment, besides removing the disturbing-thought obscurations, here we are talking somebody without going through the Lesser Vehicle Path, somebody who entered in the Mahayana path straight, without going through the Lesser Vehicle path and achieved arhat state, without doing that, straight entering the Mahayana path, so according to that, also by achieving the Mahayana path of right seeing, path of meditation, then one removes those disturbing-thought obscurations, the Mahayana path of meditation, I think the disturbing-thought obscurations are twelve, I think.

Then, the subtle obscuration, how much is removed by achieving the Mahayana path, Mahayana the right seeing path, a hundred and sixteen, then by achieving the Mahayana path of meditation one removes a hundred and sixteen subtle obscurations.

The main thing it removes, the main thing it becomes a remedy to is the obscurations that block wisdom directly realizing emptiness. So by developing wisdom realizing emptiness, when one achieves right seeing path, then that time wisdom directly perceiving emptiness gets actualized. So this one is the one that actually removes all the obscurations. By developing this, one removes all the obscurations. In the Lesser Vehicle path and also the Mahayana Path, this is the one which removes disturbing-thought obscurations and also subtle obscurations, with the support of the bodhicitta, the method, the skillful means, that which makes the practitioner to accumulate extensive merit. And all the paramitas, the bodhisattva’s deeds which accumulate extensive merit. One achieves liberation from samsara and one achieves full enlightenment by ceasing the whole disturbing-thought obscurations and subtle obscurations.

This is what Dharma does to you, Dharma which is your own mind, the path, that protects you from the suffering and causes, all these obscurations. Another meaning of Dharma is “to hold up,” your Dharma holds yourself up from falling down in the sufferings lower realms. Similar, you see, on can think also continuously falling in samsara.

When one has the wish to realize emptiness, to actualize the path, the wisdom realizing emptiness in order to cut the root of the whole suffering, when one starts the inspiration, the interest, the faith in this, to realize emptiness, to actualize the wisdom realizing emptiness, at that time, one has taken refuge in Dharma. That is one example. When one starts the inspiration, the wish, to realize emptiness, to actualize the wisdom, the path, and when one practices this, when one does the meditation, that itself is, especially when one practices, then that itself is taking refuge to Dharma. In the same way we take refuge in medicine when we have a disease, when we have fever, a headache, we take refuge on aspirin, those tablets, one takes refuge to stop the disease. Similarly, here, one takes refuge in the path, the wisdom, which is your own mind, to cut the root of samsara, to liberate yourself from whole entire suffering of samsara.

REFUGE
The wisdom realizing emptiness, the true path and true cessation of suffering, this is the absolute Dharma, this is the path and this has to be revealed by somebody. What you are going to actualize within your mind, mental continuum, somebody has to reveal that path, therefore naturally, one has taken refuge in the Buddha, because the Buddha is the one who revealed this path, who explained, who taught, so naturally you rely upon the one who founded, one who taught the path, so naturally the refuge, which means relying upon Buddha who taught the path with the complete experience.

Therefore, one has to rely upon the founder who revealed the path. The heart relies upon the Buddha and that itself becomes taking refuge in the Buddha. In order to actualize the whole path to enlightenment you also need the help of the Sangha to inspire, to give example. So there are many ways that Sangha help to actualize the path, Dharma, within one’s own mind. So in order to have this success in actualizing the Dharma, the path to enlightenment within one’s own mind, that depends also to receive help of the Sangha. So, naturally, you rely upon the Sangha, that itself becomes taking refuge in the Sangha.

Like for a complete cure a very severe patient relies upon the doctor and the medicine and the nurse. So in order oneself to be completely free from the whole entire samsara, the delusions like symptoms and then that which manifest in pains, in the different disease, and then all the resultant sufferings are the manifestation of symptoms, the pains, all these things. So to be completely free from this one relies upon the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, one needs help, one has to rely upon the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, all three.

The point I was planning to mention, besides what I explained before, with the understanding fear and the faith the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, that they have power to save oneself from the suffering of samsara, with this two causes of refuge or with these two qualities of the mind, then taking refuge, means relying upon Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, so this is the Hinayana way, taking refuge according to the Lesser Vehicle Path.

In the Mahayana way of taking refuge there is another, one more additional quality of mind or the cause, that is the compassion towards all sentient beings. After having renunciation, on the basis of renunciation, aversion to your own samsara that is the nature of only suffering, then when you think of other sentient beings, then similar way that they are also experiencing the sufferings of samsara, so then one generates compassion towards all sentient beings, so that understanding, the fear of samsara, and then faith, the compassion towards all sentient beings and then faith that the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha has the power to save oneself and all sentient beings from all the sufferings of samsara. With these three qualities one relies upon the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha with the whole heart, this is the Mahayana way of taking refuge.

When we say “I go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha,” “Sangye cho dang tsog kyi cho nam la,” to the Buddha Dharma, Sangha, I achieve enlightenment, I will definitely go for refuge. So there is a causal refuge and a resultant refuge. I mentioned those other things during the refuge time before, but this is what I meant to clarify, what is contained. The main aim is for your mind to become the Dharma, the path, to actualize the whole path, Dharma. By having actualized the true path and the true cessation of suffering, your mind becoming Dharma, the path, having actualized Dharma, this path within you, this is the absolute Dharma. There is conventional Dharma and absolute Dharma, and this is the absolute Dharma. This way yourself becomes the absolute Sangha, whether you are lay or ordained person you become the Sangha, absolute Sangha, then through this, the Dharma, the path that is in your mind, by developing this you become the Buddha, so this is Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha which is possessed by your own mind, this is the resultant refuge. This is the main aim, the main goal. Anyway the purpose of this, by actualizing Dharma yourself becoming Sangha and then yourself becoming Buddha, the purpose of this is that the sentient beings who are equaling the sky, the space, who are the source of all your past, past and future happiness, from whom you receive all your happiness, who are so precious and so kind, so to free them from all the sufferings and to lead them to full enlightenment, so that is the purpose of why we have this aim. By actualizing Dharma, you yourself become Sangha and then also Buddha.

But in order to have this success, that depends on practicing the causal refuge, you are relying upon the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, possessed by others’ mind. That is causal refuge. To the Buddha Dharma Sangha until I achieve enlightenment, that contains the resultant refuge and in order to have that success, practicing the causal refuge which is contained in, through the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, these words, that contains the causal refuge.

So, when we recite the prayer to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha then at that time we should think the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha possessed by others’ mind. So, with these three qualities, since Dharma what we are practicing is lam-rim, the graduated path to enlightenment, and especially bodhicitta, that is the main aim of the lam-rim, main goal of the lam-rim, bodhicitta is the main goal, the purpose of developing guru devotion, in order to actualize bodhicitta and also meditating on those perfect human rebirth so forth, up to karma, which is the graduated path of the lower capable being. The purpose of realizing those meditations is bodhicitta. And also the graduated path of the middle capable being, the purpose of actualizing these realizations, those meditations is bodhicitta, again the goal is to actualize bodhicitta. So, the whole concentration is bodhicitta.

Only then, can one enter the Mahayana path to enlightenment. Otherwise, there is no chance to enter the Mahayana path to enlightenment. So, all the preliminary practices, everything, the purpose is to actualize bodhicitta. All those prostrations, all those various seven limb practices, mandala offering and all this, Vajrasattva, the practice of purification of Vajrasattva and so forth, all these things to actualize bodhicitta. As it is mentioned in the lam-rim, in the teaching that this is the aim of all these practices, so same, actualizing bodhicitta has to be the main goal of this life.

So this teaching what we are practicing, we are listening, reflecting meditation practice is a Mahayana teaching, when we take refuge we are also not just remembering our own samsara, but also reflecting numberless other sentient beings that they are suffering in samsara, then when we think of that, the compassion to free them from all their sufferings can arise. And so then with these three cause of refuge one rely upon the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Then, taking refuge to the causal refuge and the resultant refuge, relying upon them. Then, due to the merits of having accumulated charity and so forth then may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit all migratory beings. “Migrator” it might have the general meaning, those sentient beings, anybody who has a mind, all those sentient beings who are not fully enlightened, “migrator” can have a meaning relating to anybody who has a mind. One particular thing is a migrator is the sentient beings who migrate in the six realms continuously, from the six realms, one of the realms, continuously, by being under the control of karma and delusions.

SUFFERING
Being completely under the control of karma and delusion, sentient beings themselves have no freedom at all and because of that then the consciousness migrates from the six realms, one of the realms, continuously, and then experiences all the sufferings: suffering of pain, suffering of change, pervasive compounding suffering, anyway, all the general suffering of samsara, particular each realm, continuously experiencing one after another, without any freedom themselves. In short, this is how sentient beings are, how they are suffering so much. So, first of all, they are completely being under the control of karma and delusion, and secondly because of that consciousness continuously migrating in one of the realms, then experience all the sufferings, again and again, again and again.

So, how painful it is even when we when ourselves experience even one human problem, one relationship problem, when a friend, a companion, a desirable object separates from oneself, leaves oneself. How incredible the pain is in the heart, how much suffering we go through. And not just that, very terrifying or life-threatening diseases. When you hear you have cancer or AIDS, or a life-threatening disease, suddenly you understands you are going to die. Suddenly what comes in the mind is that you are going to die.

Normally, you don’t think that way, you don’t regard yourself like that, but suddenly here when you find this out, when the doctor tells you, what can you do? A disease is just one problem, that is not all the problems of the human beings, it is just one problem. So, when one experiences these problems it’s so unbearable that we can’t do anything, so unbearable. But there are numberless sentient beings who are suffering like this.

The suffering of change and pervasive compounding suffering are these additional sufferings, but due to lack of understanding, due to ignorance, one does not recognize that they are sufferings. And also because of believing in the hallucination, one cannot recognize the suffering of change, pervasive compounding suffering are suffering, one cannot see them, one cannot feel them, because of believing in the hallucination, as I mentioned the day of the precept, those days, when the eight Mahayana precepts started, around those times.

So, when one realizes even those other conditions—even pervasive compounding suffering, suffering of change—are suffering, one feels like being in the fire. So unbearable. When one realizes these are sufferings. So, however, there are numberless other sentient beings, samsaric beings are suffering.

THE SUFFERING OF TAKING AN ANIMAL REBIRTH
For example, you think of the monkey. There are no monkeys around here now, but however, anyway, somebody might have so many problems that he wants to be monkey. He has so many relationship problems or this and that, that he does not want to be a human being anymore, he wants to be a monkey. Normally one would not choose to be a monkey, if you have a choice to be born as a monkey or a human being, usually, one would choose to be a human being rather than a monkey, do you think it is true? Is it true, is it like that? [RL] If someone asked whether you want to be human being or monkey, what would you say? [Answer: Human being.] Why? [RL, GL] What is your name? A, G, E. Age. [Answer not heard] [GL, RL] Without many words, I think he exposed the heart, [RL, GL] for samsaric pleasure.

If you look at the monkey the consciousness migrates to this body. This happened due to ignorance, being ignorant, being under the control of karma created in the past, before this rebirth. And karma is motivated by the delusions, the ignorance, attachment, these poisonous minds. Being under the control of delusion and karma, the consciousness migrated, in this animal body, caught in this.

So there’s nothing you can do, the karma’s actualized, How much suffering, No matter how much suffering there is, no matter how great pain or whatever, incredible fear, nothing you can do. So, have to experience the karma until it finishes. How long one has to have this body and experience the sufferings, karma is already experienced, nothing can be done.

This sentient being didn’t take this monkey body purposely, didn’t take this monkey body with complete freedom, it’s not with complete freedom, by having, without complete freedom in the sense without being under the control of karma and delusion. How much suffering there is, one has go through. How the migratory beings are suffering, migrated in this body and suffering.

This is the meaning, when we say, when we do this bodhicitta prayer, in order to benefit for all the migratory beings. So this is one example. Then, that same thing, so those spiders, scorpions, snakes, those worms, those centipedes, crocodiles with the very long mouth and small eyes, and body is full of bumps, like some of the trees, there’s some trees of the same color and a lot of .... what’s is called?

Student: Cactus.

Student: Scales. [unclear conversation in the audience]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Eh? So anyway. Those flies which have incredible long legs. I mean [GL, RL] very easy to break if it’s caught, the legs are caught on honey or some, on something a little bit sticky thing, caught, then, easily, pulls out, then, breaks. So for example like that. There are amazing things. So I don’t know whether you have seen the correct animal [RL]

Student: Daddy long legs.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Eh?

[Audience: repeats]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Daddy long legs. [GL] Daddy. Daddy? Like father. [GL]

Student: Yeah. [RL, GL]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: That’s good for meditation. [GL, RL] Good, it’s very good to remind lam-rim, the, all sentient beings have been father mother [GL]. That, that Lama Atisha, when lama Atisha, when there’s, when he see some animals have been caught somewhere in the forest or, being eaten by another one, being attacked by another one or, that, some animals would be tied up, then caught, somewhere, see, having, Lama Atisha sees some animals goat or some cows or something, having some difficulties, then Lama Atisha says, “My mother is suffering.” As Lama Atisha realized bodhicitta, then, that, realized all the sentient beings have been mother and kindness, so he felt that way, he talked that way. [RL].

Anyway, what it’s called, that fish has, animal that has like thread, very, very long? Eh?

Student: Jelly fish.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Anyway, kind of like this body like this, body kind of like this, then very very long.

[Student: Jelly fish.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Jelly fish. Anyway, there’s an animal program, that is very important. It’s same as listening to lam-rim teaching but here you’re watching [GL] this, the animal suffering, it is same, itself becomes a meditation, like reading Dharma text and then, meditating, here, it’s same. Even, you’re actually seeing picture of actually exist. You can have more faith because it came from the West [RL, GL]. If it came from Tibet maybe not sure [GL, RL].

Anyway, think of the spider, or you think, the ant, the worms, slakes, eh? [Audience: slugs] Slugs? Anyway, think in the similar way that, if you don’t think, then, when you don’t think cause and the evolution, then, it looks like there’s one creature, one insect, and that’s it. There’s not much feeling. There’s no connection, you don’t feel a connection with that, that you are nothing to do with that, that you’re nothing, between the insect and you there’s no connection.

However, again same thing, spider or snake or something, so again, it’s not because with the choice, it’s not because, the, with complete freedom, they are born, they took this body, with complete freedom, it’s not that. So, these beings, these animals, these snakes, these slugs or, these long-leg ones, and worms. Maybe just think of the snake. They all have been human beings, they all have been like us before, they all have been human beings before, they all have been like us in the past, they all have been human beings.

This snake has been a human being in the past, but it didn’t get to practice Dharma, didn’t subdue the mind, didn’t get to subdue the mind. By following the delusion, by following the three poisonous minds, motivated karma from that, then, completely being overwhelmed, completely being controlled by the karma and delusion, without any freedom, then, karma is actualized this time, so, the consciousness migrated into this snake body, which terrifies even human beings, just by seeing the body. Somehow, taking such a shape of body, that which scares other beings, even human beings. And, so without choice it just happened, without any freedom, so consciousness migrated in this body, which has that effect, which has, because such a shape, such shape and such a way of going, and also, especially, due to negative karma, then this has this, body has this poison, due to negative karma, result of delusion, the negative karma, result of not having subdued the mind, not having, result of unsubdued mind, untamed mind.

So, karma is already actualized, so the consciousness already migrated in this, so what can be done? No matter how much suffering there is, nothing can be done. One has to experience it. So, how, until the karma finishes, one has to experience, one has to suffer. So when we think like this, even this snake is completely, only the object of compassion.

And because it has such a dangerous body that which terrifies others, as soon as people see, if it’s in the road or somewhere, they kill it. If it’s exposed in the road somewhere where there are human beings, immediately they kill. Immediately they kill because of dislike, having the poisonous body, so forth. Or other reasons, such as for food, to use the body and skin for other things. So like that. So how much suffering there is, cannot express anything, cannot do anything. It cannot do anything, it is so pitiful, no power. It is so pitiful; there is nothing can be done.

So, worms, those things, those tiny insects, due to delusion and karma, being controlled by karma and delusion, the past life following, they also have been human being, like oneself, like oneself this time, oneself is a human being but they also have been human in past life but didn’t get to practice Dharma, didn’t get to subdue the mind, so being under the control of delusion and karma, so consciousness migrated in these worms, these insects. When you touch with the leaves or grass or something, they immediately get frightened, they put their limbs, heads, the limbs and the head they bring back inside. Or some of the worms, if you touch them, they pretend they are dead, don’t move for a little while, so afraid.

When the consciousness has migrated there is nothing can be done, how much suffering there is. The tiniest insect, so tiny, on the rotting wood, so there are very tiny, tiny insects on those things, tiny insect on the flowers, on the vegetables, that which comes on the leaves of salad, on the flowers, those tiny, the tiny ones. So what can be done, nothing, that the consciousness, due to karma and delusion consciousness being overwhelmed by that, consciousness migrated this time, they also have been human being like us before, with all these enjoyments. They have been also kings. I mentioned yesterday, the day before yesterday, about wheel-turning kings, who have control over the one continent, two continents, three continents, four continents, who nobody can compare with. These insect also have been like that, numberless times.

There have been all kinds of negative karma created, so there are all kinds of bodies. There are beings so tiny we can only see them through a microscope; there ones a big as mountains in the oceans. Due to the merits of accumulating charity and so forth, in the past, present, future, due to all this, then, may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit, in order to benefit for all the migratory beings. So that contains all, every single suffering animal, every single suffering hell being, every single suffering preta being, every single suffering human being, sura, asura, however, then, all these samsaric beings, and all other sentient beings, all the sentient beings.

So the migratory being, that, in that word comes the whole meditation of twelve links, the evolution of samsara, the three delusions, two actions and the seven results, so all that comes there. That, and then, all the result, the general sufferings of samsara, particularly each realm, so all that comes in the meaning of the migratory beings. If you meditate, so all that, whole that subject comes in the meaning of that word, “migratory beings.” In order to benefit for all the migratory beings.

BODHICITTA
Therefore, bodhicitta is incredible, therefore the thought of bodhicitta is incredible. It is a thought to benefit for every sentient being, without leaving out even one from the animal, without leaving one even from the hell, from hell beings, or hungry ghost, without leaving even one from the human realm. So, there are numberless, there are numberless hell beings, preta beings, animals, human beings, suras, asuras. Bodhicitta is a thought to benefit for every single sentient beings, to want to help, want to benefit for every single sentient being, every single one that exists—every single that it exist on this mountain, on this hill, whether you see or whether you don’t see with your physical eye, whether it’s on the ground, under the ground, above the ground, on the trees, in the space. However many ants there is on this mountain, on this hill, however many ants there are.

When we generate bodhicitta, by reciting this one stanza, “I’m going to achieve enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migratory beings,” generating the thought to benefit to every single sentient beings. There are numberless. In the ocean, there are numberless, like those conch shell animals, like sand, like sand, so tiny conch shell animals, so much at the beach, at the water side, born on the rocks. Then, then, how much there is in the water, no question, how unbelievable number, those tiny conch shell, those conch shell animals.

So just even thinking, just even you generate thought, to benefit, to help, even if one just generates bodhicitta, the thought to benefit just the conch shell animals, even these are numberless, uncountable, even on one beach, even in one part of the ocean, or even one spot, uncountable. So even if you just generate bodhicitta to benefit, to cause happiness, to free from suffering, to achieve enlightenment, even just for the conch shell animals, it’s just unbelievable, even just that thought, even that thought is unbelievable, so great.

So then if you think, if you generate this thought for the ants, even just for the ants, to cause happiness, to free from suffering, to achieve enlightenment for them, just ants. Even at one spot, there are thousands, thousands, thousands, even at one nest, one spot, many thousands. So this is without talking on one mountain how much there are, without talking how much in that area, in this Kathmandu area. So, without talking how much on this Earth, and other worlds, how many ants there are. So just even generating the thought to cause happiness, to free from suffering, even just ants, there are numberless.

Like that, bodhicitta is just incredible. The thought is such an incredible thought, so precious, so great thought, because even that, how many want to benefit is uncountable, even the ants, even just only the ants.

So now, here we are thinking about each of the six realms, each realm of sentient beings, every single sentient being. Just like the infinite sky, there is no end, no edge of the sky. Our thought to benefit is limitless, like infinite sky, to benefit, to achieve enlightenment for. So it’s an unbelievable thought, this bodhicitta is incredible. So, it’s not just a small thing. So, this is something one has to practice, this is something incredible to practice, whether one understand karma or not, whether one understand reincarnation or not. This is something that, incredible value, incredible worthwhile, makes the life most fruitful, makes your life beneficial for every living beings, for every living being.

So for example, when we eat food with bodhicitta, that means we eat the food in order to benefit for every single sentient being. When we do meditation with bodhicitta, it means we are doing the meditation in order to benefit, to cause happiness, to free from the suffering, each of these sentient being, all these uncountable sentient beings, like limitless sky. It means you’re doing the meditation in order to benefit for everybody, to every single being.

Having this opportunity to be able to understand, being born as human being this time, and able to meet Mahayana teaching, having opportunity to meditate on bodhicitta, it’s amazing [GL] Couldn’t believe, it’s hard to believe, it’s very hard to believe that, this opportunity, having this opportunity, that we can do this meditation, that we have opportunity to generate such a thought, to benefit to every single sentient being, who want happiness, who do not want suffering. To generate this thought, the thought is, as I mentioned before, it’s unbelievable thought. So having this opportunity, now this time having this opportunity to practice this is unbelievable. It’s hard to believe, it’s like a dream.

So we do the prayer once more, two more [RL] two more times, we did once before. So, maybe, first one we do in English, just, doesn’t need to recite, just meditate, I just say, I just lead and then just meditate, just like that.

I go for refuge, to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, cause refuge, until I achieve enlightenment, result refuge. Due to the merits of having accumulated charity and so forth, all the merits accumulated in the past, present, future, due to all these merits, merits of wisdom, merits of method, may I achieve full enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migrator beings.

So now, meditate in the meaning of the migrator beings.

So those who are familiar, then can do Tibetan. Those who are not familiar, then, so, you can, repeat in English, in your own mind, recite in English, or whichever language anyway [RL, GL], or in mouse language [RL, GL], anyway, I’m joking [RL].

[Prayers]

In order to free every, the numberless hell beings from all the sufferings and to obtain happiness, I will achieve enlightenment. In order to free every single hungry ghost beings, free from all the sufferings and I will cause them happiness. For that I’m going to achieve enlightenment. I’m going to free all, every animal from all the suffering causes and cause happiness to all the animal beings, to every single animal beings. For that reason I’m going to achieve enlightenment. I’m going to free every human being from all the suffering and causes and cause happiness to all human, to every human beings. And for that reason I’m going to achieve enlightenment. And I’m going free every sura, asuras, from all the suffering causes and I’m going to cause happiness to every being, every sura, asuras, and for that reason I’m going to achieve enlightenment.

And every sentient being, to be free from all the obscurations, even from the subtle obscurations, and to lead to full enlightenment, highest happiness, full enlightenment, I’m going to achieve enlightenment.

So it is mentioned that, in the sutra teaching, by putting palms together at your heart and, I’m going to achieve enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migratory beings, for that reason I’m going to generate bodhicitta, going to practice bodhicitta. So, just by thinking this, one accumulate merit equaling the, one, just by this, just by thinking this, within few seconds, that, one generate merit, so one accumulate merit equaling the infinite sky.

LECTURE 28: 13 DECEMBER 1992 PM

REQUESTING PRAYERS TO THE LINEAGE LAMAS

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: I prostrate to the Arya triple gem. Thus I have heard.

Students: At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha on Massed Vultures Mountain, together in one method with the great assembly of monks and assembly of…

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: …to the, requesting prayer, meant to do at the beginning of the oral transmission, to make strong requests to the lineage lamas of the graduated path, this graduated path to enlightenment, that making strong request, from the heart, with the devotion, that, that they have completed all this path, that their holy mind is completely bound with compassion towards, they have compassion towards us, all sentient beings, and that they work for sentient beings forever, without break, without stop even one, even for one second. So those who are familiar, with the visualization of the, the elaborate merit field, as it is explained in the Guru Puja or, the Jorcho, the preparatory practice. So, one can visualize according to that, and those who can’t do that, those who cannot visualize the elaborate way, then, one can visualize all in one aspect, aspect of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, so all the direct and indirect gurus, all the lineage lamas of this path, then, the lineage lamas of the extensive path and the profound path, the method and wisdom, then, all the deities, those, all the four tantra deities, then the buddhas of fortunate time, all those one thousand buddhas, the seven Medicine Buddhas, Thirty-Five Buddhas, all those things, all those buddhas, all those buddhas and all the bodhisattvas, the bodhisattva, the Sangha, the bodhisattva, arhats, daka-dakinis, protectors, those, who are beyond from the samsara. However, all these are in one aspect, in the aspect of the kind compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, in one aspect.

Then one makes a strong request to grant realizations of the whole path to enlightenment from guru devotion, up to, say to eliminate all the wrong concepts, the wrong concepts, the ordinary mind, undevoted mind, non-devotional mind towards the virtuous friend, from there up to the subtle dual view. So all the wrong concepts to be, that which exist within one’s own mind and mind of all sentient beings to be purified, and all the right realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment to be generated within one’s own mind and in the mind of all sentient beings.

So, with the first repetition, so those who are familiar, with the first, I’m requesting to you, with the first request, that white nectar beams emitted, one nectar beam or five-colored nectar beam. Then, purified all these wrong concepts. And second time, one can think the replica of each of the, whom you are requesting, replica, each of those replica absorb within oneself and the sentient beings. However, that, with the second request, think having generated all the realizations what each of the lineage lamas has, the whole quality is generated, the whole realization what each of the lineage lamas who completed the path has, then, within one’s own mind, all the right realizations generated within one’s own mind.

So, the first part is the lineage lamas of the extensive path, so it’s, pacified the, particularly the self-cherishing thought that which, the self-cherishing thought which interferes to generate bodhicitta, the essence from the path of the method, the path that which is the method. Then, from the tantra, method from the highest tantra then, such as the illusory body, then, then as a result, rupakaya, it’s the achievement of the rupakaya. Then, that then now, the purified the ordinary concept, ordinary appearance, that which tantra path purifies. So, these things are purified.

So I explain that, the request, the visualization, with the lineage lamas of the profound path so I explained that time. So not only pacified wrong concept, all the wrong concept, within one’s own mind, not only within one’s own mind but also all the wrong concept that which is in the mind of all sentient beings, also purified. Should think like that. Then generate, with the second request generate all the right realizations, within one’s own mind as well as the mind of all sentient beings.

[Rinpoche whispering]

Comment: Tibetan?

Rinpoche: Yeah.

Comment: This is page sixteen of the white book.

[Everybody chanting the request to lineage lamas in Tibetan]

As regards the lineage lamas of the profound path, so the, by the first repetition, so with the first repetition, then the recitation, the requesting prayer, purified, the, white nectar beams or five-colored nectar beams, however, purified the, all the wrong concept, all the obstacles, all the wrong concept, to generate the profound path, the graduated profound path, and then particularly the wisdom realizing emptiness from the sutra, and then the subtle wisdom from the Highest Tantra, the extremely subtle consciousness realizing emptiness, from highest tantra, the wisdom, highest tantra. Then, the goal, the achievement, the goal, dharmakaya, to be generated within one’s own mind and the mind of all sentient beings. So, all sentient being means, it means all the Dharma friends here, around oneself, then all other rest of the sentient beings. So the request is not only for oneself for, there’s a request to grant blessing of the, to grant blessing which means the realizations, is the request is for everybody.

MANJUSHRI’S ADVICE TO LAMA TSONGKHAPA
The lam-rim, the teachings of the graduated path to enlightenment, give advice as to how to quickly actualize realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment. Manjushri also advised Lama Tsongkhapa on this, and many Kadampa geshes gave advice on this from their own experience of the practice. When Lama Tsongkhapa asked Manjushri for advice on this, Manjushri advised, “To train one’s mind in the actual body of the graduated path to enlightenment, one should attempt to purify the obscurations (through Vajrasattva practice and so forth) and to accumulate merit, which is the necessary condition. Then, one should make single-pointed request to the guru in order to receive the blessing within one’s heart. If one attempts to strongly and continuously practice in this way every day, realizations will come without any difficulty.”

So, I don’t remember the quotation word by word, but this is what Manjushri advised Lama Tsongkhapa when Lama Tsongkhapa asked what one should do in order to have quick realization of the graduated path to enlightenment. Manjushri advised that if one strongly and continuously attempts these things in everyday life, one will achieve realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment without any difficulty. So, by making request to the guru with strong devotion, one receives blessing. The blessing gives space in the mind for realization; the blessing makes it possible for you to generate within one’s mind the realizations of the graduated path to enlightenment, from guru devotion up to enlightenment.

Anyway, I’m planning to talk a little more on the importance of this last point at another time. So, I will just give you the general idea. Simply listening to teachings on a subject doesn’t bring realizations. You can understand this from Manjushri’s advice to Lama Tsongkhapa. Manjushri is a Buddha and the embodiment of the wisdom of all the Buddhas. In the beginning it was Lama Tsongkhapa’s guru, Lama Umapa, who saw Manjushri. Lama Tsongkhapa would ask Manjushri through Lama Umapa all his profound questions on the points that were difficult to clarity. Lama Umapa would then ask Manjushri, and when he received the answers from Manjushri, he would pass them on to Lama Tsongkhapa. After some time, after Lama Tsongkhapa had done a lot of purification, Lama Tsongkhapa himself was able to see Manjushri. He saw Manjushri with direct perception and received teachings from Manjushri just like a disciple receiving teachings in front of the teacher, where they engage in conversation and the disciple can clarify whatever doubts they have by asking the teacher.

Lama Tsongkhapa was able to clarify many points about sutra and tantra. In sutra, he clarified especially the Prasangika view of dependent arising and emptiness, which is very subtle and difficult to realize. In tantra, he clarified especially the means to achieve the illusory body. All the points that were the most profound and difficult to understand, where many famous learned meditators had made mistakes, Lama Tsongkhapa was able to check directly with Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. He was able to clarify all the subtle and profound points and cut off any doubts.

In Lama Tsongkhapa’s essential commentary of the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment—renunciation of samsara, bodhicitta, and emptiness—all the subtle points are very clearly explained. Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings explain clearly all the subtle meanings of the sutra and tantra teachings, and Lama Tsongkhapa received many teachings on these directly from Manjushri as a disciple from a guru.

So, we can understand from Manjushri’s advice to Lama Tsongkhapa on how to have quick realization of the graduated path to enlightenment that it does not come simply by listening to teachings. Of course, those disciples whose minds are ripe, who have a lot of imprints of the graduated path to enlightenment left on their mind from the past, who have fewer obscurations in their mind, and who have accumulated much merit in the past, even during a teaching, are able to have realization of impermanence and death, emptiness, and so forth even if it is the first time they have heard it. The minds of such disciples are already prepared, as advised by Manjushri; they have already purified much obscuration and accumulated extensive merit, which are the necessary conditions, and have guru devotion, which causes them to receive the blessing and the realizations. So, for those whose mind is qualified, who have gathered all the cause and conditions, just by hearing the Dharma, they are able to realize it. It is very easy for them to have faith in karma and reincarnation.

Therefore, from Manjushri’s answer, you can understand that you can’t expect to understand everything simply from listening to teachings. You can’t expect to really understand everything, which means, as I mentioned before, to feel it in your heart. You can’t expect to feel what you hear in your heart. From Manjushri’s advice, you can see that just reading a book or listening to teachings alone is not sufficient to understand Dharma. You can’t expect to understand everything simply by listening to teachings. All the causes and conditions are needed. Even understanding Dharma depends on how much imprint has been left on your mental continuum in the past.

LAM-RIM NEEDS TO BE EXPERIENCED IN THE HEART
Dharma is difficult to feel, difficult to understand. So it is the same thing. Then that reason goes also difficult to realize, to actually experience the path.

Even if all the reasons are explained, even if all the logic, even if it is very scientific, very logical, even if it is like this, but that doesn’t mean that everybody can understand. Because it is dependent on all these causes and conditions, all these things to be gathered in the mind, in the mental continuum, having much imprint and pacified, having purified the obscurations and accumulating merit that which is the necessary conditions, and with the devoted mind requesting and receiving blessings. So it depends on, for example, the flower to grow from the garden, it is not enough just having the seed, just you have the seed, that is not sufficient. That alone cannot make, the, you can’t get the flower from the garden. You need soil and you need water, you need many conditions and it should be free from obstacles, the worms don’t eat the seed, the birds don’t eat the seed, the seed doesn’t get burned by fire. There are many obstacles, so it should be free from all these obstacles, the seed that you planted in the ground, it needs water, soil, all those minerals, necessary minerals, beside the seed. Only after all these are gathered only then the seed can produce the stem, then the flower, this plant can grow. Even for these flowers, then it depends on so many causes and conditions. So by depending on so many of these things, then it grows.

So, no question. Now here we are talking about understanding Dharma, feeling in the heart. There is something which is so precious, which is incredibly precious wisdom which liberates you from the whole entire suffering and causes, which stops your death and rebirth, old age, sicknesses, this wisdom, this Dharma wisdom, by gaining this Dharma wisdom, which stops, which ceases all these problems, all these sufferings, so which has incredible benefit or result from Dharma understanding, Dharma wisdom. Not only Buddha experienced, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, numberless buddhas, there are numberless pandits, yogis, all those followers, up to now, even now there are many meditators in Tibet, there are many meditators even in Dharamsala, in India, who are actualizing on this path, who are experiencing bodhicitta, renunciation, emptiness, then two stages of tantra. There are great yogis who have accomplished those paths and those who are experiencing this path, who accomplished.

So as I mentioned even among my gurus there are so many who have these experiences, who have actualized this path. There are many meditators, there are many practitioners who are experiencing the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment and also tantra. Even nowadays, so without talking about the former lineage lamas, or without talking the past, those pandits, yogis. So that, even present meditators they are experiencing what the former those lineage lamas, all those pandits, yogis what they experienced, what they explained, now present meditators are experiencing and then as they are experiencing then they offer their realizations, they make offering their realization to their guru. So many of them offer their realizations, their experience, they report. Those who are followers, those who are disciples of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, those many meditators, wherever they are meditating, then they report what achievement they are having they report to His Holiness, their gurus. So it is like that, every year many meditators are having experience of the path, those who are correctly practicing, those who have all the necessary conditions put together in their mind, they are having experience, they are making progress. They are having what the text is talking about, the path, they are having in their mind, they are having in their heart.

Also those who are practicing correctly, continuously among even the Western students, who are correctly practicing, who are continuously practicing, even there they are also who are having some experiences.

So understanding Dharma, understanding karma, reincarnation, understanding Dharma depends on so many, this is the most precious thing, precious because the result that you can achieve, what it does to you, what inconceivable benefit you get from that.

What is the root of the whole entire suffering? What is the root of the whole problem? It is not mentioned in Western science. There is no mention about how to cut the root of the suffering. There is no mention about, there is no education given in Western science, what is the root of the whole entire problem of the sentient beings, living beings. And what is the solution to cut that? You never hear that. That is because the main analysis is, the main education, the main analysis is on external phenomena. So therefore, without having correct understanding what the mind is, without having correct understanding what is the mind, just from the very, very beginning what the mind is, what is the mind from very, very beginning, so there is a lot of confusion. What is the mind? So it got stuck. It is very difficult to get the answer “what is the mind?” that definition, clear complete definition within a few seconds. [GL, RL] I think the cat is giving definition of the mind. [GL, RL] He is saying “I can give you the definition of the mind.”

So anyway, many years ago when I was in America, I tried to ask some student who was psychologist about book explaining what the mind is. I got the book, but anyway I am very lazy so, but I read some pages here and there I think, but it just goes on and on just like my talk. Can’t remember. [GL, RL] Just like my talk, it just goes on and on and on and on. [GL, RL] Then at the end, so I checked up the last page. [GL, RL] I didn’t find any conclusion there. [GL] Going into many details something like that, example or I’m not sure. However there is no, I didn’t see any conclusion at the end, on the last page. Whereas in the Tibetan Buddhism, there are many texts and there are also very condensed texts, very short texts giving clear definitions of each of the thoughts, the general, definition of general mind, then goes into all the details, very precise, all the different thoughts. Everything—what it “senses” means, what “consciousness” means, all these things, everything. Even what is called lo-rig, a very short text. Lo-rig, how’s it translated? Mind and awareness. This is a fundamental text. This is a preliminary text. This is to have a basic idea of what is the mind, so general definition, then it goes into details, many, many thoughts. Like there is a large office, then within that there is parliament, the large office, then within that there are many, many sections, different offices. So like that, same thing with the mind. So this gives a clear idea of what is each one. So this is preliminary, to have a basic idea. Then later one studies those larger, more extensive philosophy then it gives more details.

This is how the debating scriptures start, with very, very simple things, simple subjects. Various subjects, simple, then there are many different texts, so then it becomes more and more profound, more and more technical, more and more involved. So it starts like that. This lo-rig is preliminary before studying those extensive paths, those philosophies, the extensive commentaries, the debating subject.

Even a little boy, in the monasteries, even the little monks, have studied debate. At least because they have memorized, so at least they have correct intellectual answer, what is the mind. Because of the way it is taught, first a very simple way taught, the basic idea, for beginners. So even a little boy who just started debating subject, at least there is a correct answer to say. Even that little boy, monk, even word by word, not identified to his own mind, but at least intellectually can give the definition.

EVERYTHING COMES FROM THE MIND
Buddhadharma, contains all the subjects, all the existence, it contains all the existence, it contains all the subjects, all the existence it contains. One can say Buddhadharma is the study of the mind. The main thing about it, for example you can say the lam-rim, the teaching of the graduated path to enlightenment is the study of the mind. So the happiness is mind, the cause of happiness is mind, suffering is mind, the cause of suffering is mind, so all we are talking about is that. This is the meditation, this is the way we do meditate, subject that we meditate.

Without really correctly, exactly understanding the mind, there is no way to really understand completely matter, the atoms. There is no way to really understand the atom, how the atom exists. There is no way to really understand without understanding about the mind, because without the mind there is no atom, without the mind the atom doesn’t exist. Without perception, without the mind perceiving the atom that atom doesn’t exist. Without the mind which labels atom, atom doesn’t exist. So to really understand how the atom exists, without understanding the mind, there is no way to really understand how the atom exists. As we talked at the beginning of the course, for about a week, for quite a number of days, as we talked how everything came from the mind, because everything exists being labeled by the mind. So then the long run evolution is how things came from mind because things came from the imprint, that object of the senses in our everyday life—desirable, undesirable, indifferent. By the action of meeting the desirable object, which compounds the pleasant feeling and by the action of meeting the undesirable object, which compounds the unpleasant feeling, the suffering, then, by meeting the indifferent object it compounds the indifferent feeling.

So everything, in our everyday life, all the objects of the senses, including senses, all these aggregates, this whole body and mind, all these aggregates, everything comes from the mind, including this body, all the sense objects, sense, everything came from the mind, and everything comes from the imprint. All the good things came from the positive imprints left by positive actions, good karma done with the positive attitude, virtuous attitude, the mind which is Dharma, the mind which becomes Dharma. Then all the undesirable things, all the bad things or all the undesirable things come from the negative imprints left by the negative actions, created by the negative attitude, the nonvirtuous attitude.

I mentioned one day, why this flower exists. Why? What is the reason that this flower exists? One day I mentioned what is the reason this flower exists, why this flower happened. Of course it has a seed, it has its own seed, all these things, but why did it happen? Probably immediately you might think of seed, because there is seed it grows from the seed. But the same question, including the seed, why it happened? Why does it exist? For example, why does this Earth exist? Why does this world, the Earth exist? Why did it come into existence? Why did it happen? What I heard is something, there was a big bang. There was something huge and it broke in pieces, “Big Bang”. So it becomes different planets, so becomes pieces of planets. However anyway, why did the “Big Bang” happen? In the Buddhadharma, in Abhidharmakosha, Buddha said that the various worlds were born from the karma, which means from the mind, it came from the mind. So this world, without depending on, this world enjoyment, this world, this earth is to be used. So this enjoyment is dependent on the sentient beings who are enjoying. This Earth is enjoyment, something to be used by the sentient beings. So this Earth is dependent on the sentient beings. So how pure this world is, how impure it is, how much healthy or lack of health or whatever, hot and cold. So different parts of this Earth have different qualities, that depends on the karma of the sentient beings who are living in those different parts of the Earth, their minds. Those people who live in that part of Earth where crops don’t grow and so forth, it all depends on the minds of the sentient beings who are living in those parts. How many crops can grow, or whether crops growing or not growing, all the different aspects of the place are according to the karma of those people who are living there, whether the imprints left in the mind from past karma, good karma or negative karma, then that what appears the Earth, what appears the environment, the Earth, including the weather, everything, then that is the appearance of the imprint, manifestations of the imprint, appearance of that.

So however this Earth, enjoyment to be used by the living beings who live on this Earth. So therefore it came from the sentient beings’ mind, sentient beings who live on this Earth, it came from their minds, it came from the imprint left by their past karma.

So, without the mind, this flower would not exist. Without the mind this Earth cannot exist. Without the mind this Earth wouldn’t happen. This “Big Bang” even if that is true, it wouldn’t happen. By depending on the mind this flower happened. By depending on the mind of the sentient being who sees this flower, who perceives this flower. By seeing the flower, whether it gives pleasant feeling or unpleasant feeling, however so by depending on the mind of the sentient being who sees this flower as a sense object, so depending on that mind, those sentient beings' minds, then this flower exists. Similar, this Earth exists depending on the mind of the sentient beings who use this Earth, so this Earth happened.

So for example, after a house is built, some people stay in this house. So this house happens, depending on the mind of the people who are living in this house. Then after some time these people die or move from that house, go away from this house and other people come to live in this house. So again, the existence of this house is dependent on the second group of people who come to that house. The house exists depend on their minds. Depending on the people who see this house, who use this house as enjoyment, depending on their mind, depending on the imprint which is on the mind, then this house exists. So like this, it’s the same thing with the Earth.

Anyway without the concept of the atom, the atom doesn’t exist. Without depending on the concept, without depending on the mind, atom doesn’t exist. Without relating to the mind, there is no way to really explain how the atom exists, anyway, in a simple way it’s like this.

WHAT IS MIND?
The main blockage, the main thing where understanding gets stuck, to understand reincarnation, karma, from where it got stuck is from the definition of the mind. From the very beginning, the definition of the mind is not clear, the recognition of the mind is not clear. It is related to the elements. It is related to the waves. One psychologist, many years ago, who is quite intelligent, so many years ago, one American psychologist came from Thailand. So we discussed, then I let him and Lama Lhundrup debate. Anyway, he was quite intelligent. It seems sometimes mind refers to the waves, like electricity, kind of waves that goes in the brain, in the veins. However I thought, but that is talking about, seems related to the elements, wind, kind of related to the element. Probably that still might be I think the most intelligent answer. However still related to the elements, looks like more related to the elements, to form, related to the form, what is the mind, mind is form. But form here, I’m not talking about substantial matter, but form in the sense of four elements. Wind is form. There is the general form, not the particular form, the substantial which is only object of eye. Form, sound, smell, taste, here form, sound, smell taste, tangible objects, this form means the form that is only the object eye, for us only the object of the sense of eye see. But all these are form. The form that is the object of a particular object of sense of the eye and then there is general form. There are two divisions. However all the four elements have got form. Then what different kinds of form it has. Then it goes the form that which is object of sense of eye and then ear, sound, form the sound, sense of ear. Then it goes like that. So however the way the mind describes these things, the mind describes as form, the way I, what I heard anyway, the way it is related.

What Buddha explained is that mind is not form. All the causative phenomena are divided into three. One is the substantial, one is the cognition—she-pa is cognition? Then, that which, space, which includes name, year, time, being, the person, living being, so that is not substantial, that is not cognition. So that goes in section, third category, compounding phenomena, the imprint, so, many of these causative phenomena, so goes in the section of the compounding phenomena.

The mind, all the different thoughts, go into this section, the non-substantial cognition, that which has no color, no shape. All thoughts cannot be seen by the eye, no color, no shape, so all these thoughts go in the section, she-pa, cognition. Because all these thoughts, consciousness, senses, all these thoughts, their nature is clear and perceiving object. So that is the definition of cognition. So, no form, no shape, but which has nature of clear and perceiving object. All that phenomena that we have, that you possess, my mind, you possess mind, so all these thoughts goes in the section. So my body is substantial and, of the three types of causative phenomena goes in the section of the substantial phenomena. Then my mind, so all these thoughts then goes, which has no color, no shape, but which nature is clear, perceiving object, so all that goes in the section, all those are cognition, because what is the definition of cognition, that is which nature is clear and perceiving object.

The difficulty of understanding reincarnation, karma, the blockage starts from the very beginning, completely different definition of what the mind is. What is explained by Buddha, definition of mind, that and what is recognition in the sciences, complete opposite, completely different. One is related with form, so, like that. That is the main point. It is like the border is closed. It is like if the border is closed, then nobody go into the country, nobody can see the country. From the very beginning, what is the mind. So that’s a completely different recognition, completely something else. Then all these things, these phenomena that have no shape, no color, nothing, but it has all this potential, then this cannot be caused by physical body, it has to have its own cause. This can exist only by depending on this. For example, today’s consciousness is a continuation of yesterday’s consciousness. Yesterday’s consciousness is a continuation of the consciousness of the day before yesterday.

Because of that, we can remember what we did yesterday. What we did last year, what we did in childhood. One did some very big naughty things in childhood [RL] or something very pleasant, something that you got so happy. You remember certain stories, still very clearly you can remember. So that is because there has been continuation of consciousness. It is exactly the same for those people who can remember their past life. Those who can remember their past life it’s like we remember yesterday. Those who have clear mind, those whose mind is developed, advanced, through meditation—due to karma or due to development through meditation, those who have clear mind. With less pollution or a clear mind, they can remember their past life. The reason one can remember is because this life’s consciousness, which took place on the fertilized egg, is not caused by the parent’s consciousness, it did not come from the parent’s consciousness. Then if the consciousness came from parent’s consciousness, then this body is the manifestations of the parent’s. Our body’s like the mother reincarnated. This is the reincarnation of the mother. You are the reincarnation of your mother, you are the reincarnation of your father. [RL] And you are the father and you are the mother because your mind came from father’s mind, your mind came from mother’s mind. So you are the father, you are the mother. So therefore there shouldn’t any reason to fight because there wouldn’t be any reason to blame the parents because your mind came from mother’s mind, your mind came from father’s mind. You see, it is like father and mother reincarnated or father and mother manifested.

I usually give this explanation. I would think that one family has a few children, and one child is more compassionate than the mother, more compassionate than the parents. One child’s nature is so compassionate, completely different personality from the parents. They have great love or great care for others, completely different personality from the parents. Among that one family’s children among themselves their minds have different characteristics. Some are more impatient nature, some are more angry nature, some are more attachment nature. Or a compassionate nature. They have different characteristics of mind, different wishes. The reason is because their mind did not come from their parents’ minds. But still a person might say, “Oh, this is due to different cells, or different kinds of something inside the body. There are different atoms or something which cause compassion, something which causes this and that.” Still one may say something like that. I haven’t heard but anyway this is my guess. Somebody still can say like this, might say like this, different atoms, some atoms have more compassion [GL, RL], but this I’m just making it up, this I’m just assuming, making it up. I haven’t heard, just making it up as a Western scientist. [RL, GL] So there are different atoms, so that’s why this happened. Still one may explain this one like that. This is my guess.

REINCARNATION STORIES
It’s not just one person who can remember past and can see future lives, who can see others’ past and future lives. It’s not just one person, there are so many. Not only in Tibet, this is not only a Tibetan thing. There are so many in the West, everywhere there is so many, old and young who can remember. This is without talking those incarnate lamas who can remember. In the West, everywhere, there are many people young and old who can remember their past and future lives. Besides so many of the very high incarnate lamas those who can remember. Even some years ago in India, near Himachal Pradesh, there happened one small daughter, I think maybe she was over five, six or seven. She can remember completely, she can describe the village, her past life village and parents and then she took her present family to that actual village. She took where she has never been before. So she took all of them to that town and she took them to her past life family house. And then there was a picture taken of the present life family and past life family all together and the girl had in her hand something, can’t remember, the girl was in the middle standing.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama heard about this incredibly clear fact, about how this girl could remember so clearly, His Holiness sent somebody from Dharamsala with some presents to give to this girl and to find out more. So probably this picture that I brought, the photo, I think I have lost. [GL, RL] I think I kept for some time, but then I don’t know what happened, lost, with a newspaper, also with newspaper, there are some more amazing stories happened beside this. So together I lost. So I kept this picture for some time. Also I think maybe I put it, one of the courses, I put it outside at the office. What? Oh, I see. [RL, GL] I think then you can see it tomorrow. Very fortunate.

So the girl, this life parents look like more, the past life parents look older, more maybe primitive, or older. This life’s parents looks like more, what do you call, younger, a little bit younger, more healthy. Probably more better living, I think. However but she liked more her past life parents.

Then there is a newspaper that has incredible stories that one girl died under the train and this I don’t remember a hundred percent but, under the train, then this girl’s consciousness entered another girl’s body and that girl never speak. She didn’t go to school, she doesn’t speak English. But that other girl was able to speak English. It is like similar happened in Tibet in early times. There is a meditation technique that if your body becomes very old, cannot help others, cannot work for other sentient beings because body becomes very old or also I think to continue the path because this body can’t manage, so then you take a young body. Your consciousness enters in the young body, then you can continue your practice, you continue to work for other sentient beings. Also if it’s dead body then your consciousness entered into that, it it’s not dead body then separate that being’s consciousness from that body, then you enter your consciousness into that. So there is the special meditation practice like this, the transferring, entering in the dead body, something like that.

So there is two types of transferring consciousness. One is in the pure land, then one is you enter in other somebody’s body. So then this, from Milarepa, Marpa, there happened the lineage, then after some time the King of Tibet, Dharma King of Tibet, made the rule nobody can practice this rebirth and there’s danger that somebody might misuse for power, misuse, not to benefit for other sentient beings, not continue your practice of the path, but for power. So then made law, if somebody uses it then it’s a criminal. So like that.

So however why I’m talking about this. It looks like similar to what happened to this girl what, amazing stories. So anyway the point is that, there’s one book in the library, there is one thick book, that one professor, one American professor, I don’t know his name, but many years ago, uh? Stevenson, so, that’s right. So he sent me, I think he might have sent me, I don’t remember a hundred percent but many years ago for that book that he made research by going to many countries, he made research on reincarnation, in the villages, many places he went so he found many young and old who can remember. Therefore, there should be about, I heard there are about, I didn’t read it, about maybe more than a hundred, at least a hundred I think.

So anyway, the end of this talk is that, because this is not what is not explained in science, because it is not explained by the scientists, because this is not what is taught in school, because this is not Western culture, that could be one of the reasons. One doesn’t say, but it could be, even one doesn’t think in that way, one doesn’t put the words like that, but because it’s not the culture where one is born, lives. Or this is not what is taught in school about life. So in school it is taught one life. Or the scientists did not explain in science.

Now the question is, are all the scientists enlightened beings, are they enlightened beings or not? [GL] That is the question now. If they are all enlightened beings there must be some reason why they didn’t explain it. [GL] If they are all enlightened beings, there must be some reason why they didn’t explain because reincarnation, karma didn’t fit the people in the West. So then out of their compassion, they taught one life. [GL] But that means as the people in the West their minds develop they have to change the method because if you keep always one life, then always with that method, then it’s not skillful, because if their mind is developing, if their capacity is developing, then you have to change your method also. For the time being it is okay, but then you have to change later. So anyway, that is the question, that’s the big question whether all the scientists who made the philosophy, whether they’re all enlightened being or not. [GL]

Then, if you are saying because you don’t, anyway the last thing, this is the very last. [RL, GL] If you are saying because it is not your experience, you don’t see it. You don’t remember. Because you don’t see it then that is why it doesn’t exist. Then there are numberless things that you don’t know about the mind, there are so many things about time, the future, the past, present things, even by distance, there are so many things you don’t see. Then same thing what His Holiness Zong Rinpoche said then you have to say your backside doesn’t exist because you don’t see your backside, [GL] your back side of your head, the eyes here but this is here. [RL] This one you don’t see. There are numberless things that you don’t know. Then you have to say anything that you don’t know, that doesn’t exist. Then in this case, then you don’t have to learn anything. In this case, why do you have to learn, why are you learning? Why do you want to learn new things that you don’t know because they don’t exist? So anyway, so I think better to have tea [RL, GL].

[Break]

… free all sentient beings from all their sufferings and to bring, to cause happiness to all sentient beings, and especially to bring in the peerless happiness, the full enlightenment, that is the purpose of my life and I have this responsibility of the happiness for all sentient beings, every single sentient being. So, to do this work for other sentient beings perfectly then I must achieve full enlightenment, state of omniscient mind. For that then I must actualize the graduated path to enlightenment. So therefore I am going to take the oral transmission of the, from the eight commentaries of the graduated path to enlightenment, which is the one text from the eight commentaries of the graduated path to enlightenment, The Essence of Nectar.

MEDITATING ON LAM-RIM
The purpose of the oral transmission is not only to leave imprint of the path, the whole path to enlightenment, not just only that. That is the main reason. By leaving the imprint then from that then one is able to understand words and meanings and able to actualize the whole path to enlightenment. By receiving the oral transmission which carries the blessing from the lama who composed this text, this text is also Pabongka. The later part of the text I heard this is through Pabongka, added, continued this text. The later part I heard was not complete and then the lama passed away or whatever. So Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, who is author of the Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, this is one of the most effective, extensive commentaries on the graduated path to enlightenment which is now translated into English, that whole in one book from Wisdom Publications. So that is what I heard; it’s not said here but I think that is what I heard.

For daily life meditation on the lam-rim, the guide in daily life meditation on the graduated path to enlightenment, one is the outline of somebody who can follow the outline. I think some meditators can memorize by heart the outline of the Lama Tsongkhapa’s Great Treatise on the Graduated Path to Enlightenment. They memorize it. When you have memorized that outline of the great commentary of the graduated path to enlightenment, because it is quite extensive, even having just memorized the outline, even the outline is so very clear. So I think those meditators who are, those who have more intelligence, more capacity, then they do meditations on the basis of that outline. I think mostly, since the Liberation in the Palm was written, since those shorter lam-rims, the Quick Path and the Happy Path, then there’s this outline, so many meditators might memorize this outline then this becomes a guide for the meditation, meditations on the three principal aspects of the path, starting from guru devotion. With the preliminary practices from guru devotion, the graduated path of lower capable being, middle capable being, higher capable being.

So however the meditations on the renunciation, bodhicitta, emptiness. So many might do the meditation by having memorized on the basis of the outline. So when you have memorized the outline or when you follow the outline, then, it is short but it contains all, but by relying upon the guideline, the outline, then it gives the whole idea. It gives the whole idea of lam-rim. The meditations get done extensively from beginning to the end. All the details, one doesn’t miss anything by following the guideline, the outline.

The other way, every day to meditate on lam-rim which I thought especially, who can’t remember everything from the commentary, then this one is quite extensive. It doesn’t have all the stories and all the many, many quotations. All those things are left out. It just goes straight. The other thing is outline of the lam-rim, then the other text is then to use this one. There is quite detail. The text gives quite detailed explanation but without many, many quotations and many, many stories. It goes straight. It is also very effective. The way it is written is very, very effective for the mind. I used to tell that this looks like a pocket lam-rim. It goes straight. So wherever you want to start meditation then you just open and then you just relate to yourself. The main thing is to relate, to use this subject on oneself, on one’s own mind.

Meditation doesn’t only mean fixed meditation, one-pointedness concentration, focusing the mind on one object. Meditation is not just on one object. Concentrating on one point, it’s not only that. There are two types of meditation. Those who are not familiar then there two types of meditation. Those who think meditation is only focusing the mind on one object. The meditation has two types: one-pointedness meditation, (fixed meditation) and analytical meditation. Except for shamatha, the calm abiding meditation which has nine levels, which mainly depends on concentrating on one object, except that, all the rest, renunciation of samsara, the bodhicitta, emptiness, all these are to do with the analysis. All these meditations are to do with the analytical meditation, by checking, by reasoning with quotations and logics. So there is analytical meditation and one-pointed, fixed meditation.

For example, within the analytical meditation, there is also one-pointedness concentration because, for example when we meditate on how this precious human body is qualified with eight freedoms, ten richnesses, then if your mind is distracted from these, while, you begin this meditation then after some time you’re distracted, the mind following attachment or anger or something, this does not become one-pointed. So within the analytical meditation so when your mind continuously keep on that, then within that there is in that sense there is one-pointedness concentration, fixed meditation. So you are fixed your mind in this perfect human rebirth, analyzing how your perfect human rebirth is qualified with eight freedoms and ten richnesses, so therefore so how precious this is to realize. So, within the analytical there is fixed meditation. You don’t wander the mind, you just continue to keep the mind in this.

If you are doing a sadhana, from the beginning of the refuge until you finish at the end, you keep the mind just straight, without letting it wander after some time, nothing to do with the sadhana. The sadhana is going on in the mouth but the mind is somewhere else, [GL] doing something completely opposite to sadhana. So keeping the mind, from beginning to end, the object of meditation changes as you go through the different prayers but there’s fixed meditation within that, you keep the mind in the practice of the sadhana from beginning to end. So like that. The same with the lam-rim meditation.

After meditating, how this precious human body is qualified of the, having freedom to practice Dharma, not being born in hell. If I’m in the hell now, then it is impossible to practice Dharma, first of all overwhelmed by suffering. And now I have this opportunity to practice Dharma, freedom to practice Dharma, not being born in hell. So how fortunate I am. So one do analytical meditation one by one like this, each freedom and each richness, ten richnesses, then at the end then you feel so precious, this perfect human rebirth.

Among of wealth, money, those precious things, materials, there is nothing there which can compare to the value of my precious human body, the perfect human rebirth. In the world, all this money, all this material possessions, all this precious jewels, there is nothing there which can compete the value as my precious human body, this perfect human body, there is nothing there. The value is lost, the value is lost compared to my perfect human body.

You feel so strong, how precious this is, so precious, you generate some experience, that this so precious. So then you keep the mind in this experience, you place the mind in this experience as long as one can. So then there is, so then this one-pointedness concentration, fixed meditation, one-pointedness concentration, you keep the, you try to keep the mind as long as possible in this experience that you have generated. This discovery, this experience, feeling that it is so precious, so you keep the mind in there. So then, if this experience is generated stronger, if this experience is developed stronger, stronger and stronger, that leads to realization.

PERFECT HUMAN REBIRTH
So that even one hour, even minute, hour, that if one did something, if one even one hour that one did something meaningless, that which doesn’t benefit, that which doesn’t cause happiness beyond this life, that which doesn’t cause happiness, liberation, that which doesn’t cause happiness, the enlightenment. Then, then it is meaningless. So then, that one feels great loss that like having lost millions of dollars, for example, like having lost millions of dollars. Not having practiced Dharma within an hour, minute, then didn’t get to practice Dharma, then like having lost, wasted this perfect human rebirth, then like having lost millions of dollars.

So if you have a million of dollars and you lost it, even one thousand dollars, even one hundred dollars, that even five dollars [RL], one feels such regret, so depressed, having lost even five dollars, ten dollars, so great loss. However that is because we know, we know that how this is so precious. That is because we know what we can do with five dollars, ten dollars, thousand dollars, million dollars. We know that, we know very clearly what we can do with, so much what we can do with it. So therefore, we feel that it is so precious and so when we have lost it, so then we feel so much regret.

We feel much regret if we lose money or if somebody steals it. However, with this perfect human body, even if we waste so many years, even so many years we have wasted, even if we have wasted our whole life, but we don’t feel regret. So that is, we don’t feel regret, we feel nothing. There is no sense of terrible loss. That is because of not having realized how this is so precious and what we can do, the incredible benefit of happiness what we can achieve for ourselves and for all sentient beings, we can cause for all sentient beings.

However not having realized how this is so precious and that you can achieve great meaning with this life, with this perfect human body. So, not having realized this. So however, so at the end, you generate the experience this is so precious, then you keep your mind in that experience as long as possible.

Then by meditating on the perfect human rebirth, with eight freedoms and ten richnesses, again and again, again and again, going over again and again, then the experience, how this so precious get that it get developed, it increases, increases more and more and more and then also it become, so more and more then, so anyway, so when one feel even having wasted one hour, a minute that didn’t get to practice Dharma, wasted by doing meaningless actions then that one feel regret that like having lost one big sack of gold or one big load of gold or a million dollars, such a great loss. So and then constantly, because of the feeling so precious, so that continuously one practice Dharma, so that makes continuously to experience, that makes continuously to practice Dharma and that strong experience or discovery or realization that this is so precious, then that makes naturally, wherever you go, whatever you do, wherever you go, naturally to practice Dharma, naturally the actions are directed towards the happiness of future life, liberation, enlightenment, naturally, so become naturally become Dharma. Wherever you are, whatever you do, naturally become Dharma. So this realization of this, strong experience, discovery of that this is so precious. So that makes naturally actions to become Dharma, and naturally to continue Dharma practice.

So this realizations, perfect human rebirth, its usefulness, the difficulty of having it, all these things, so as one has realizations, as one has strong experience and stable, then there is no difficulties in practicing Dharma, it doesn’t allow attachment clinging to this life to arise, it keeps mind away from these things. It keeps the mind free from this distracting mind, the delusions, attachment clinging to this life.

So therefore, Dharma practice becomes continuous. One is able to continuously practice Dharma, whatever you do becomes Dharma. There is no separation between you and Dharma, between your heart. There is no gap between you and Dharma. The body, speech and mind become Dharma. So there is no difficulties in practicing Dharma, no hardships.

So, before this there is a lot of hardships. There is many obstacles, all this delusions, because the mind follows these delusions then makes, blocking any strong experience, such as impermanence and death. It not there, so delusion takes over the mind. Our mind is weak, very weak, so that there is not this strong experience, so the mind is very weak, so then delusions take over very easily. Then that’s how we find it difficult to practice, that’s how find hard to practice, find hard to renounce.

But by meditating on this perfect human rebirth, its usefulness and so forth, by having this strong experience, it keeps the mind free from distractions, from the attachment clinging to this life, and so forth. So then, everyday life, whatever we do our body, speech and mind become Dharma. Dharma become kind of life, Dharma become your life.

Since I brought up this subject, whatever meditation you have done, if you have done meditation on perfect human rebirth, you have generated strong feeling that this is so precious and then actually, how to make that morning meditation beneficial for the rest of the day, so, now if you, you have generated the experience, some strong feeling, even not the actual realization but close to that, some strong feeling. Before that, before you begin the meditation, you don’t feel that. So now that experience, you just generate the experience, as you get up from the meditation cushion, you don’t think about that subject. Then you stop, you completely stop, then the rest of the day there is no connection to the morning meditation.

It is good that the meditation was done, and that you generate some experience, but then afterwards you just cut it. Actually, the way to practice, the way to benefit from that morning meditation for the rest of the day is, even after you get up from the cushion, when you go to work somehow try to keep the mind in that experience, try to keep the mind in that experience what you’ve generated from doing analytical, fixed meditation in the morning, whether it’s perfect human rebirth, whether it’s compassion, whichever meditation you did in the morning. Whether it’s impermanence and death, whether it’s equanimity, whatever, so that experience that you’ve generated, so then trying to keep the mind in that state, in that feeling the rest of the day.

This way then there is a connection, for the rest of the day life and the morning meditation, there is a connection. Now you can see there’s incredible benefit, to the rest of the day life from the morning meditation. So naturally your mind is protected as you are keeping your mind in that experience, continuation of that experience, your mind is naturally protected, safe, protected all the time from these disturbing thoughts. Like that, from the obstacles to achieve happiness of future lives, liberation and enlightenment.

So this way, I think then very quick to have realization of these meditations lam-rim. So this, in this way, then the rest of the day, then this way after the session, after the morning session then rest of working day or whatever, so, anyway the working day, rest of the day, in the break time, because your mind is in the experience, that also, keep in the experience, which means when your mind is kept in this experience, the experience of this meditation, then you see, naturally one doesn’t follow the delusions, and therefore then again it helps all the activities to become Dharma. So like that.

ORAL TRANSMISSION
So I read one or two pages then I stop there, the page that was missing. [GL, RL]

As I received this oral transmission of this text from His Holiness Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche, who is His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s guru, who is regarded as the son of Milarepa’s guru, Marpa, Darma Dode, historically. So, at Dharamsala I received from Rinpoche, in Rinpoche’s room, from Rinpoche’s room, well, in Rinpoche’s room [RL]. So therefore I’m happy to do something that which is complete, something that is quite extensive and complete lam-rim, so that you receive, imprints, seed get planted. So when you practice, by receiving oral transmission when you practice, when you read this book, this text, when you practice, there is more effect because it carries blessings from the lineage lamas. Then, also when you teach this to others, when you explain others these teachings, there is more effect, there is more effect to other sentient beings’ minds, to subdue the delusions, to develop their mind, there is more effect. So that is the benefit of the oral transmission.

[Oral transmission]

...good meditation if one has understanding of lam-rim, if one has understanding of the whole subject, then it becomes very, very effective meditation.

THE KINDNESS OF THE GURU
These virtuous friends are my guides from the lower realms. So, the more you know about those sufferings, the more feeling you will have for this. When one remembers all those sufferings, there is a strong feeling of kindness. But if one doesn’t know the sufferings of the lower realms, there is no feeling for the kindness of the virtuous friend in guiding oneself from the lower realms. If one has studied or meditated on those sufferings, one will have a strong feeling for those sufferings, and one will also remember very strongly the kindness of the virtuous friend in guiding oneself from the lower realms, from those many eons of suffering.

The virtuous friend is the leader who liberates oneself from the oceans of samsara. The more extensive your knowledge of the general and particular sufferings of samsara, the more strongly you will feel them, and the more strongly you will feel the kindness of the virtuous friend, the leader who liberates you from the oceans of samsara. You recognition of the kindness will also be much stronger.

The virtuous friend is the leader who leads one to the higher realms and to liberation. The virtuous friend in also the doctor. Remember the kindness of the virtuous friend in being the doctor who cures the chronic disease of delusion, the continuation of which has no beginning. The virtuous friend cures this sickness that has no beginning.

The virtuous friend is like the waterfall that stops the great fire of the suffering of samsara. The virtuous friend is like the light that eliminates all one’s darkness of ignorance. The virtuous friend is like the sun that clearly illuminates the path to liberation. The virtuous friend is the liberator who liberates one from the prison of samsara. The virtuous friend is like the rain and clouds that grant the holy Dharma. The virtuous friend is like friend who stops all harm and gives all benefit. The virtuous friend is like the parents who always guide one with the loving kindness.

VAJRASATTVA
First we have to recognize what Vajrasattva is. We think, so in the front of you, all the Buddha’s holy mind, the primordial wisdom, the dharmakaya, that which is the absolute guru. The wisdom of non-dual bliss and voidness. This absolute guru is bound with infinite compassion towards oneself and towards all sentient beings, is bound with the compassion, embracing oneself and all sentient beings. So because of this then manifested to purify myself and all sentient beings, disease, spirit harm, negative karma, obscurations, all this, to pacify the oceans of samsaric sufferings, to pacify all this, for myself, every sentient being, every samsaric being. This is manifested in this aspect called Vajrasattva. Okay?

Seated on lotus, moon disc, anyway the aspect you are familiar every night doing the meditation, visualization. So taking refuge and generating bodhicitta, which is the power of object. In other words, in Tibetan it’s [Tibetan], so a person falls down on the ground, but the person stand up. He fell down on the ground but he stand up by depending on the ground. By depending on the ground he stands up. You fell down on the ground, then by depending on the ground stand up. So similarly, we accumulate negative karma with the relationship to the sentient beings, and so we purify by practicing bodhicitta, generating bodhicitta. We accumulate negative karma in relation to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and we purify by taking refuge, by relying upon, by depending on Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. So that is what it means.

From the four remedies, the four powers, this is one, refuge, bodhicitta. “I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha until I achieve enlightenment.” With the whole heart, completely, nothing else to rely, nobody, no other than this to rely upon for me, no other than Guru Vajrasattva, there is no other than this for me to rely upon. Whole heart rely the Vajrasattva. Due to the merits having accumulated, due to the merits having practiced charity and so forth, may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migratory beings.

“I go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha until I achieve enlightenment. Due to the merits having practiced charity and so forth by me, may I achieve enlightenment in order to benefit for all the migratory beings.”

So you can think the same thing. In your own language so you can say, so in your heart, say however so you can recite and think of the meaning.

Sangye cho dang chog kye chog nam-la
Chang chub bar du dag nyi kyab su chi
Dag gye jing chog gy pay so nam kye
Dro la penchir sangye drub par chog

So, so just try to get the idea how many times one has. No, first think, all the sufferings comes from where? All the sufferings come from the nonvirtue. All the sufferings come from where? From the nonvirtue. The cause is nonvirtue. Now think, Since I was born, how many times there has been negative karma of body, killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and telling lies, slandering, gossiping, harshly speaking, hurting other’s mind, words hurting other’s mind, done out of delusion, self-cherishing thought, attachment, anger, then also covetousness, ill-will, heresy. How many times have I created ill-will, negative karma? So many times!

Covetousness, this negative karma, this complete negative karma, from ten nonvirtues, covetousness, even in one day, when one goes for shopping in a department store or supermarket, even in one small shop, then being attached to those objects and wishing to have, being attached to that many objects. How many objects in that one shop, being attached in all those objects and wishing to have for self, for oneself, for one’s own happiness. So, one time going in the department store or supermarket there are hundreds, thousands of objects, with one has attachment and wish to have for one’s own happiness. So one day, when you go shopping, coming back with loads of negative karma, covetousness, creating hundreds of thousands of negative karma of covetousness.

Then, now check from this morning till now. First remember what’s definition of negative karma? It is ignorance, anger, attachment clinging to this life.

So now check how many, from morning until now, how many actions become nonvirtue done out of attachment clinging to this life. This morning, when I was dressing up, with what motivation did I dress up? So whether it become virtue or nonvirtue. When I was washing, what was the motivation? When I was serving tea, what was the motivation? Was it attachment clinging to this life or not? When I was doing the session, what was the motivation? Coming to the session, was it attachment clinging to this life or not? When I was having lunch, what was the motivation? Attachment clinging to this life or not? For whom I ate the food, for sentient beings or for my own happiness of this life? So, when I was having discussion, with what motivation I did the discussion? Then afternoon tea, with what motivation I drank the tea? With what motivation I listen to the teachings?

So, as that many one found negative karma become nonvirtuous actions; now this is only today, and then like this from birth- time so many negative karmas, nonvirtuous actions accumulated, from beginningless rebirth. Various negative karmas and then all these negative karmas, definite to experience the result and expandable, result, from each cause the, even from very small cause negative karma, the result increases, one experiences the result many lifetimes. In one life various problems, so many years of problems of many lifetimes, hundreds of lifetimes, thousands of lifetimes. So, depending on how heavy it is then much longer, from one karma, from one negative karma.

Even when I have toothache, I can’t stand it; even when I have a headache, I can’t stand it, it’s too much. Even one disease, when I have to experience it’s too much, it is so unbearable. So, experiencing sufferings of lower realms, which is the heaviest, how I can experience it? It is unbelievable and even those human beings sufferings for so many lifetimes, hundreds, thousands of lifetimes, it’s unbearable.

And the karma that is created never gets lost. One never experiences result if the cause was not created. And once the cause is created it never gets lost. Also, all these karmas are expandable and also they have been multiplying, they have been increasing, all the time. As I didn’t practice confession, as I didn’t purify, if I died right now, if suddenly the breath stopped or if suddenly a heart attack happens or suddenly I was paralyzed completely, suddenly gone into a coma. However if I died suddenly, if I died now, it is definite what I find the most negative karma and this is the one that I did most powerful, complete, perfect, complete, so this is most powerful one. So, if I died now it is definite to be reborn in the lower realms, where there is no opportunity to practice Dharma for sentient beings. Completely overwhelmed by sufferings. And death can happen, the death can happen this year, this week, this month, this week, even today, even this hour, even this minute can happen.

This concept that I have that I will live for many years, this continues until, even in the same day of the death. This concept is there even on the same day of the death. Even before the death this concept is there, “I’m going to live a long time.” So, therefore, there is nothing to trust in this concept.

So therefore, I’m going to practice the purification, going to do the Vajrasattva meditation-recitation, with prostrations, in order to achieve full enlightenment for the sake of all my kind mother sentient beings.

So this purification, this practice of purification is not for me. This practice of purification is for the sake of each sentient being. This is for each human being, each animal being, each hell beings, who are suffering right now, each hungry ghost, each sura, asuras, this is for every sentient beings. This practice of purification is not for me, it is for every sentient being who are equaling the infinite sky.

Then now do the prostration with mantra.

So, after going over the negative karma, after reflecting all the negative karmas, whatever one can remember, recognize, this life and all from beginningless rebirth that was done. So, having done these negative karmas is like having taken poison, having eaten poison that which kills oneself. Feeling like that. So, if one has taken poison, if the poison has gone inside, whether by having taken poison, by knowing or without knowing, however by after having found out how dangerous it is, how harmful it is that it harms life. So, without delay, without delay even a second, it harms life, it causes death. It causes death, so without delay you can’t wait even a second, one cannot wait even for one second, without taking this poison, without taking medicine, without doing something to get rid of this poison, before it kills, before it causes death to me. Can’t wait even a second without doing something to get rid of this poison from by body.

Like however, then feel the negative karma, if I don’t have negative karma to be reborn in lower realms, even if I ate poison I don’t go to lower realms. But if I have negative karma, that causes me to be reborn in the lower realms and experience constant, endless suffering even in the human realm. But eating poison, even if it kills me, even if it cause death of this life but it doesn’t cause to be reborn in the lower realms, again and again, and it doesn’t cause to experience human beings’, to experience the problems in the human realm again and again. It doesn’t do that. So this negative karma is many million times much more worse, much more harmful than poison. This negative karma is much more, million times much more harmful than cancer, much more harmful then AIDS. AIDS is nothing.

If I don’t have negative karma to be reborn in the lower realms, even if I die by AIDS, I don’t get born in the lower realms. If I die by cancer, I don’t get born in the lower realms. There are many holy beings who take cancer, but they don’t get born in lower realms, they reincarnate to benefit for other sentient beings. There are many great, strong practitioners who purified negative karma and who stopped creating negative karma, living in the morality, even if they die of cancer, due to past negative karma, they don’t get born in the lower realms. Those strong practitioners and those saints and those holy beings, even if they die with this disease but they reincarnate again and they do extensive benefit for other sentient beings with the new life. So therefore, AIDS, cancer, is nothing. What harm it gives me is nothing comparing to the negative karma, harm of the negative karma.

This way to think is good before reciting mantras also to think this way. From where the cancer, AIDS, comes is from negative karma. The cancer, AIDS is not independent, it’s a dependent arising, it came from negative karma. It’s just one of the results of negative karma.

So now, from now on, while you are remembering, while you are, so in the front of Vajrasattva, then one makes the commitment, from now on the negative karmas what I can abandon, those ones I will abandon from now on. And even the very difficult ones to abandon, even the very subtle or very difficult ones, those I will abandon, those difficult ones, even those very difficult ones I’ll abandon for an hour, or even a few minutes or even a few seconds I’ll abandon. So this way of making promise to not commit again, that not become telling lie. So, it’s more truth.

So now, because of this Guru Vajrasattva is extremely pleased. By saying what I am going to do with my life, that I’m going to practice Dharma. So like this, for the sentient beings, for the benefit of the sentient beings, so Guru Vajrasattva is extremely pleased and now melts in light, absorbed between the two eyebrows, in the form of light absorbed between the two eyebrows and blessed my body, speech and mind. And those who have received a great initiation, Highest Yoga Tantra, then you can do the Guru Vajrasattva entering in the heart. That secret meditation. Those who haven’t received then melt into light, absorbed between the two eyebrows. There is a hole, there is a channel there which has a hole, which is facing out, like the handle of an umbrella. The tip is between the two eyebrows, then it curves, then it goes down the channel. So that’s the door, when a spirit enters, it enters from that. So same thing, so also the door of blessing, from where one take the blessing such as this visualization, that is the door. So blessed my body, speech, mind. Then it is transformed. The three vajras of Vajrasattva, holy body, holy speech, holy mind.

However those who do guru entering, Guru Vajrasattva entering the heart, the last thing is, then meditate on emptiness. In the emptiness, so think like this first. “I”, look at the “I”, the creator of negative karma. Action creating, creator of negative karma, action creating something real, something real one, appears, appearing real one. Negative karma, when we say negative karma again appearing as real negative karma, in the sense existing from its own side. So now all these three are hallucination, empty like space.

Now think: in emptiness, there is no “I”, in emptiness there is no action creating, in emptiness there is no negative karma at all. So, strongly meditate on this. Intensively meditate on emptiness. Keep the mind experiencing or seeing emptiness.

So now, it is said in the sutra teaching that even wishing, even having interest in the emptiness, even that purifies ten nonvirtuous negative karma, having interest in the emptiness purifies ten nonvirtuous negative karma, even five uninterrupted negative karma, it purifies those heavy negative karmas.

So, therefore, even a second meditating on emptiness is unbelievable, it has incredible power to purify so many eons of negative karma. It purifies, even mind touching emptiness for one second, meditating on emptiness, inconceivable negative karmas are purified, burnt, and unbelievable merit is accumulated. It is one most powerful, besides the Vajrasattva mantra and prostration, to meditate on emptiness is one, like atomic bomb, one most powerful purification, besides bodhicitta.

So now, while the mind is meditating on emptiness. In emptiness there is no “I”, action, negative karma. “I” creating negative karma, action creating, and object the negative karma. In emptiness there’s nothing. In emptiness there is no “I”, there is no “I”, there is no action of dedicating. In emptiness there is no enlightenment. In emptiness there is no sentient beings. So, with this awareness, then dedicate, while the mind is keeping in this state, emptiness, not space, but like space. Empty of true existence like space. So while the mind, while one’s mind is in this state, experiencing emptiness, seeing everything emptiness, so now, while the mind is keeping in this state, in this experience, then dedicate: Due to all the three time merits accumulated by me and by buddhas and bodhisattvas, so you label like this, may I achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment and lead all sentient beings to that enlightenment as quick as possible.

Or you can say, same, Guru Vajrasattva, it’s just different name, different label, you can say Vajrasattva, Guru Vajrasattva, it’s the same. So with this meditation, while the mind is awareness, while the mind is aware of the state of emptiness then you don’t need to say merely labeled or “are empty” that what I’ve been saying in the past, these, every day. So one doesn’t have to use that word. Because the mind is kept in that experience, so you don’t need to repeat the word. No necessary the word, to recite the word, “merely labeled” or “empty.”

Then, I have accumulated inconceivable merit this time, today, by keeping the Eight Mahayana Precepts, all this, listening to Dharma, and so forth, and then also prostrations, Vajrasattva mantra, all these things, meditating on emptiness, inconceivable merit accumulated.

And all the past merits, future merits all this, then from these merits all the happiness, result happiness including the highest enlightenment, now this I offer, I give away to every hell beings, to every hell beings I give away, including my body, speech and mind, possessions, everything I give away to every hell beings.

Then, one gives everything to the preta beings. Now one gives everything to every animal, every insect, every, everything. Then one gives away to every human being. First we start from here, one’s own body, speech and mind, everything, all the three time merits, all the realizations, enlightenment, everything one gives to every human being here at Kopan, to the next person, your next person, then to everybody, to the person next to you, then to everybody. Now, give to all the suras and asuras. Now all sentient beings, even those who are beyond from samsara, arhats, bodhisattvas who are beyond samsara.

Now say this prayer, now recite this prayer: “Whatever suffering the sentient beings have, may I receive it, may it be ripened on me. Whatever happiness and, whatever merit and happiness that I have, may it be ripened to other sentient beings.”

Now think: “Due to all the three time merits accumulated by me and by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, may myself, family, all sentient beings in all the lifetimes be able to find perfectly qualified Mahayana virtuous friends, and from one’s own side to be able to see only enlightened being and to be able to do actions pleasing only holy mind of virtuous friend and to be able to fulfill the holy wishes of the virtuous friend by oneself alone, immediately.” That means not only, that means from the side of each sentient being, not only yourself but from the side of each sentient being to be able to practice like this.

“Due to all the three time merits accumulated by me and by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, may all the father and mother sentient beings have happiness and may I be able to cause this by myself alone.” Have all the happiness and to cause this by myself alone.

“May the three lower realms be empty forever and may I be able to cause this by myself alone. Wherever there are bodhisattvas, may all their prayers succeed immediately. May I be able to cause this by myself alone.”

“As the three time buddhas and bodhisattvas as they have dedicated their merits, I dedicate all my merits in the best way to quickly enlighten all sentient beings.”

[Prayer in Tibetan]

“Due to the three time merits accumulated by myself and by buddhas and bodhisattvas, due to all these merits, may the pure teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa, the unification of sutra and tantra, may this actualized in the mind of all the students in this very lifetime, to be able to actualize completely, whole path, in this very lifetime, and generally the organization and the individual meditation centers, their works to benefit others, and also needs, the conditions, the necessary conditions for that, to be received. All this to succeed immediately and all the hard workers doing service for the organization, for other sentient beings, to spread Dharma, then those and all the students, to have long life and healthy and that all their wishes to be succeeded immediately according to Dharma.”

[Prayer in Tibetan]

Thank you so much.

[End of Discourse]