One cannot save oneself alone, without relying on others, on one who has the perfect ability to save. Oneself alone cannot save one from the suffering of the lower realms. Oneself alone cannot save oneself from samsara; oneself alone cannot save one for the possibility of achieving enlightenment, for the benefit of all the mother sentient beings, without depending on help, without receiving guidance from the holy object, the perfect guide.
The mistake that has been made so far is that, even though we have been wandering in samsara from beginningless previous lifetimes until now, we haven’t got definite confidence in the mind, that, “I will never be born in the realm of the suffering transmigrator beings.” Even though one has been wandering in samsara, in the realm of the happy transmigrator beings and in the realm of the suffering transmigrator beings, even though oneself has been circling numberless times from beginningless previous lifetimes, still one hasn’t got or achieved the definite confidence or certainty that, “From now on I will never be born in the realm of the suffering transmigrator beings.” And still, we aren’t free from samsara; still we haven’t achieved enlightenment.
That is the root mistake, from beginningless previous lifetimes until now, not having taken pure refuge to the perfect guide, who has perfect understanding, fully enlightened mind, infinite compassion and, not only that, perfect power. Not having taken pure refuge in that, not having taken refuge one-pointedly on that, specifically in the perfect guide, the fully enlightened being. One hasn’t followed the holy Dharma, the path which is the actual refuge. Even though the founder of the refuge, the fully enlightened being, has already shown the actual refuge, the path, the actual refuge, the holy method, which gradually leads one to enlightenment, the state of the omniscient mind. From the side of the founder of the refuge, the fully knowing one, even though he has already shown but from one’s own side one hasn’t followed it perfectly. The root mistake is not having taken refuge one-pointedly in the fully enlightened being, or having taken refuge in something else, some other object who doesn’t have power to save oneself from the sufferings, even the sufferings of the lower realms. The holy object alone among all those objects in whom one has been taking refuge has the power to save one from the suffering of samsara, to lead oneself straight to the omniscient mind.
Normally, the refuge that we take is in material possessions. When we have difficulties in our lives, we one-pointedly take refuge completely in material objects and possessions, completely on that; others, in boyfriend and girlfriend. When there’s confusion, we take refuge in these normal objects.
Some might wonder, upon hearing the word refuge, if it’s some kind of new conception, something which wasn’t done at all before, some kind of new trip. Generally, refuge is nothing new. All the time, day and night, we have been taking refuge. At the baby time, we have been taking refuge with the parents. When we were children, we took refuge completely with the parents. Day and night, all the time, we met the parents’ faces when we cried. We were completely dependent on them.
For instance, we’re taking refuge here now, to this shelter hut, what is this called, this hut, this hermitage, from rain, from the hot sun. We are taking refuge in this place, from those other difficulties, those other problems. When we are traveling, we take refuge in airplanes, in those machines, in cars and also we take refuge in televisions. I’m not sure whether somebody makes prostrations to them… people do take refuge but prostrations I’m not sure! Generally, to avoid the suffering of hunger, one takes refuge in food. Generally it’s like that. When we are sick, we take refuge in the medicine, in the doctor or hospital. So it’s nothing new, it’s not a new trip, generally taking refuge. This type of refuge is something we have been doing from beginningless previous lifetimes until now.
Because, as I mentioned before, one has not taken pure refuge to such a perfect guide as the fully knowing one, and not having followed, even though the actual refuge, the actual method, the path was shown by the founder of the refuge. Because of that, the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma, which is the cause of the suffering rebirth, all these things, all these daily life problems, those causes were not eliminated by us. Those causes still exist in our minds. Still we are not free of that. We are still not free from the ignorance holding the “I” as truly existent. We are still not free. The root of the suffering, the ignorance, we are still not free from. So the original mistake, the root mistake is not having taken refuge in the fully enlightened one, the perfect guide, who can free oneself from these causes of suffering, the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma, the ignorance believing the “I” is truly existent; who can free oneself from this suffering.
The main purpose, the way we practice refuge now is, without using the word refuge, relying on, asking for help, because alone one can’t do, and others do not have perfect power to save us from these different levels of suffering and the causes of suffering. So, one should take refuge in the fully knowing one, the one who has achieved the state of omniscient mind, which is the meaning of Buddha, which is called Buddha, the perfect founder of refuge; the actual refuge, the Dharma; and the attainer of the path, the Sangha, who have the realizations of the path, the true path and the wisdom fully realizing shunyata, and the cessation of the sufferings. The attainer of the path, the Sangha.
The founder of refuge is like the doctor, who recovers the disease of the disturbing unsubdued mind, such as the eighty-four thousand diseases of the disturbing unsubdued mind; the Dharma, the path, is like the medicine, the actual refuge is like the medicine; and the Sangha is like the nurse. By relying on these three holy objects, not only that one time will the body be a happy transmigrator being in the future life, without being reborn in the realm of the suffering transmigrator being, not only will one achieve nirvana, finally being freed from samsara. But one is able to achieve enlightenment, the state of omniscient mind, in order to free all the sentient beings from suffering and to lead them to enlightenment.
It’s just changing the object of refuge. The conclusion of what I’m saying is just changing the object of refuge. Who has the perfect power to completely eradicate the cause of suffering? So think, the guru and the Triple Gem have the perfect power to free all the mother sentient beings from all the sufferings of samsara. So in order to receive enlightenment for the benefit of all the mother sentient beings, I am going to take refuge in the guru and the Triple Gem.
[Refuge Prayer]
...is the cause of the sufferings. When we concentrate on the cause of the sufferings, indirectly the result, the sufferings, it comes. Why we should concentrate to cause them to be free, “I will cause them to be free from this,” it is very useful to think at this point, to free, “I will cause them to be free from the disturbing unsubdued mind, the three poisonous minds and karma.” This is very useful to remember in this way at this point. It is good to rise the thought, to help them to be free from this, just say, one hour, one minute, two three minutes’ pains, problems, one hour problems, one or two days’ problems. That is good to free them from fever, to free them from attacking, that is good, but that alone is not the ultimate way to help them, to free them from the sufferings. That alone doesn’t eliminate the disturbing unsubdued mind, karma. From where they need to be freed, the worst suffering, the greatest suffering from which they should be freed is from the disturbing unsubdued mind, karma. If we think in this way, to free other sentient beings from this, then it is very effective for one’s own mind also, for oneself to protect karma. It is very effective, very useful for oneself to protect the karma for the benefit of other sentient beings’ happiness.
[Four Immeasurables Prayer: “If all sentient beings were free from suffering…”]
“At any rate I must achieve enlightenment in order to free all the sentient beings from all the sufferings and to lead into enlightenment. Therefore, I’m going to listen to the commentary on the steps of the path to enlightenment.” The motivation of listening to the teachings on the steps of the path to enlightenment is necessary to be possessed by at least the creative bodhicitta.
Listen to the subject, the teachings on the graduated path to enlightenment, the teaching of the sublime vehicle, the Mahayana teaching, which leads the fortunate ones to the omniscient state of mind, to Buddhahood, which is well expounded by the two great propagators, the highly realized Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is profound advice as the essence of the holy mind of the incomparably highly realized bodhisattva, Atisha and Lama Tsongkhapa, the Dharma king of the three realms. These teachings contain all the essence, the heart of the 84,000 teachings, without missing anything, and all these are set up for the gradual practice of one person to achieve enlightenment.
This commentary on the steps of the path to enlightenment has four basic outlines: the qualities of the author, to show pure reference of this teaching; the qualities of the teaching, this lamrim teaching; and how to listen and explain such these teachings, which have these two qualities—the four qualities and then the three other qualities. Just briefly going through that outline, this is the third outline. The fourth outline is how to lead the disciple in the path to enlightenment by showing him the actual body of the lamrim teachings.
So, the third outline, how to explain. The actual body of the teaching has two parts; the second one is practicing the six recognitions which are necessary conditions.
1. The first of these is having recognition of oneself as a patient.
2. Then, having recognition of the holy Dharma, to which one is listening, as the medicine.
3. Then, recognition of the spiritual friend as a skillful doctor.
4. Then, having the recognition of recovering from the disease by practicing precisely and correctly.
5. Having the recognition of the tathagatas, the buddhas and bodhisattvas, as holy beings.
6. Then having the recognition to practice Dharma in the long run, for a long time.
Listening to teachings in order for them to be effective and beneficial for one’s mind, this very first outline is important, recognizing oneself as the patient. If one has this first recognition, all the rest of the recognitions come by the way. One Kadampa Geshe, Geshe Kamawa, states, “If it’s not true that oneself is the patient, having that belief, then it is wrong meditation, wrong conception thinking I am the patient”; if it is not true.
Just that way, we are not recognizing that we are experiencing incredibly dangerous disease; we are not recognizing that we are experiencing incredible great pain, by having the chronic disease, the chronic three poisons disease: ignorance, attachment and anger, the disease of the three poisons. If one is the patient, then one should know what it is. If one doesn’t recognize that, one doesn’t know one is the patient. Even though one has all these chronic diseases, the three poisonous minds, pride, jealous mind, wrong view and doubt, like this, the six root delusions and the twenty secondary delusions, the branches, the hundreds of diseases of the delusions. One has been experiencing great pain by having caught, with this chronic disease, hundreds of disturbing unsubdued minds from beginningless previous lives, one’s own samsaric lifetimes. One has been experiencing great pain with this chronic disease.
It can be said also to be contagious disease because, like those other contagious diseases, tuberculosis, leprosy, these which spread to other sentient beings, as one follows strong anger or attachment also, it obliges the other surrounding people to rise anger. When there is a very impatient person in the family or in the group of friends, then also this becomes the condition for the surrounding people to get angry easily. Similarly with attachment; if one follows strong attachment, then also it draws other people, it obliges them to make arise attachment and to follow it. Also similar is the jealous mind. In the beginning, oneself has jealous mind, jealous of some other friend, some other person, perhaps one who was one’s own previous girl friend. As one has jealous mind about that person, that girl friend, the other, your friend, you explain to him how terrible he is, all these things, he doesn’t have jealous mind in the beginning, but you explain to him well, as perfectly, as true as possible, so that, before he didn’t have that jealous mind, that contagious disease, but now he has jealous mind, now also he feels jealous about that other person also. So, like this, he has the contagious disease of jealousy. With an example like this we can recognize it is a contagious disease. So, besides being a chronic disease, it is also a contagious disease. Similarly with anger; first of all, the parents are not angry towards that person. Then the son tells how that person criticizes him and badly treats him, then that causes the parents also to have ill will, to have anger.
So besides oneself having anger, besides oneself being sick with the contagious disease, anger, one has also made parents and other sentient beings get sick with the contagious disease, anger. If one is a patient, one can’t recognize what it is; it is like this. The person who has very high fever, the person is hallucinating. When he is hallucinating, at that time, the patient does not think I am sick. There is no thought; when he is hallucinating he does not think, “I am sick.” The person who is crazy, who has the mental disease, who has some mental defect, the person has many hallucinations but he doesn’t feel sick; he dances and sings, he doesn’t think he is crazy.
Likewise, because the disease of the delusions has been dwelling within our minds from beginningless previous lifetimes, it has been so long; also the pain of the contagion, the chronic disease, the delusions, is extremely great, so heavy. Because of that, we are unable to recognize that we ourselves are the patient. If there is disease there should be some pain, but there is no pain. If these delusions, the disturbing unsubdued mind, are diseases, I should feel pain, but I don’t feel any pain. But it’s just a matter of not being aware, not having recognized. We experience the heavy pain of the disturbed unsubdued mind every day, all the time, only we are not aware, unable to recognize.
For instance, after having seen a beautiful Tibetan buckle in the antique shop, one doesn’t have money to pay for that and one is unable to get it. Even after one came back to the hotel, from the market, feeling pain in the heart, wishing to have and unable to get it; there is so much pain in the mind. That is the pain of attachment. Same thing, one has seen in the street a beautiful girl; one goes back to the house missing her, again having much pain of attachment, didn’t have the chance to talk or to be friendly.
Similarly if one has seen one’s enemy who dislikes oneself, who criticizes oneself, when one remembers that person who badly treated oneself, either one has heard or one remembers, there is great pain of anger, the whole manifestation of the person changes. The eyes become big, the nerves in the veins become bigger, even those normally invisible. At that time the eyes, nose and ears turn red, the beard is moving, the body is shaking. Similarly there is much pain of pride and jealous mind. These heavy pains, the disease of the disturbed unsubdued mind, we all the time experience this.
It is said that if we have to be scared of even one ordinary disease, why shouldn’t we be afraid of having hundreds of diseases of the disturbed unsubdued mind? Why not, if one has to be scared with one ordinary disease, fever, just one fever, or cancer, with one ordinary disease, cancer. If one has to be scared with one ordinary disease, why not be afraid of being sick with worse—the disease of the disturbed, unsubdued mind? The great Bodhisattva, Shantideva says in the teachings, Following the Bodhisattva’s Actions, “Even the person who got ordinary disease has to follow according the doctor’s instructions; why not one who experiences the hundreds of diseases of the disturbing unsubdued mind, such as attachment?”
What he is saying is that the patient who is sick with the ordinary disease, such as bile disease, phlegm disease, the air, or wind disease, cancer; all those things, in regard to manner, actions and diet, what kind of physical actions, speech, how the person should behave, what manner the person should have, what diet the person should have and how to take the medicines; exactly everything the person has to listen, to follow according to the doctor’s instructions. Then of course one should follow exactly the teachings of Buddha, who is the highest skillful doctor, who completely cures from experiencing great pain all the time, experiencing the great pain of the thousands of causes of the disturbing unsubdued mind, such as attachment. What the great bodhisattva Shantideva is emphasizing is usually ordinary people in the world are careless, completely careless, do not recognize, experience the great pain, the chronic diseases of the disturbed unsubdued mind, which have been there from beginningless samsara lifetimes. They can’t recognize and, being completely careless, never try to treat, to give medicine to recover.
The conclusion is it is more important to have treatment of the holy Dharma than experiencing the pain of the thousands of diseases of the disturbing unsubdued mind. It is more important to recover from this, these diseases of the disturbing unsubdued mind, to recover from this is more important than with ordinary disease, the disease which lasts one or two days, maybe one month, two or three years. It is extremely important to be careful and to give treatment. One reason is that, because it has been there from beginningless samsaric lifetimes, therefore, it is extremely important to be careful and to treat that with the holy Dharma.
The second reason is that if one does not give treatment with the holy Dharma, these contagious diseases which have been harming the mind from beginningless samsaric lifetime, then those other ordinary diseases, all those problems, cancer, headache, toothache, all those problems, ordinary diseases, come all the time; those are the result. Where they come from is, they come from one’s own mind. How do they come from one’s own mind? From the disturbing unsubdued mind, from the three poisons and its action, karma. It is the result of the disturbing unsubdued mind and its action, karma. Therefore, it is extremely important, more important to give treatment with the holy Dharma to the contagious, chronic disease of the disturbing unsubdued mind.
Second one is having the recognition that the holy Dharma is medicine. This automatically comes whenever one listens to teachings, all the time, as one always recognizes oneself as the patient with the disturbed unsubdued mind, so then this, those other recognitions, that the Buddhadharma is the medicine, this comes.
The third one is having the recognition of the virtuous friends as the spiritual doctor. Without the doctor, if the patient takes medicine, without a doctor, without the guidance of a doctor, if he takes medicine, those different types of medicine, which he should take at different times, he doesn’t know what medicine to take, he doesn’t recognize. It isn’t clear what he himself has, which medicine he should have and how to take the different medicines at different times. So then he makes mistakes; the medicine that should be taken later he takes earlier; the medicine which he should take at the beginning he takes later; then what he does is make more dangers for his own life.
Like that it is necessary, in order to pacify completely the disease of the disturbed unsubdued mind with the holy Dharma one must have the virtuous teacher. Thinking, “There are all the texts that explain the meditations, so why do I need a teacher, he is just extra? I read a lot of books in the library, just go in the library and read a lot of books or just buy a lot of Dharma books and read, it is very easy. Whatever is said, I will just recite or meditate.” Thinking like this, doing like this, one doesn’t receive one single realization. One doesn’t receive any experience of realization on the stages of the path to enlightenment. Later, you will understand what happens. Instead of the mind becoming more and more generous, more and more soft, what happens, the result you get is that the mind becomes more and more solid. So if one wants to practice the holy Dharma well, the first thing one should find is a virtuous friend, like a learned doctor. It is extremely important to be careful at this point, at the beginning.
After having found the virtuous friend, well then one should do just like the patient, when he has found the learned doctor. He is extremely happy, and whatever the learned doctor advises, the patient listens exactly, he respects with faith, he believes because he is skillful, because there is no danger in his treatment, his instructions, he pleases the doctor by listening. So that’s how, after having found this skillful learned friend, well then like that extremely, destroying the pride, one should follow the holy Dharma as shown by the virtuous friend.
The fourth one is having the recognition that the disease will be recovered by precisely and correctly following the holy Dharma. What benefits the patient’s disease is the medicine. What happens if the patient takes big stores of medicine from the doctor, good medicine, the best medicine, which fills up the whole store, the whole house, then not following the instructions, what is said by the doctor? The patient’s disease never gets recovered, even though he has very much medicine, house full.
The highly realized bodhisattva Shantideva said in the Bodhisattva’s Path, “Practicing like this with body, just with words, how can you be successful? How can it be achieved just with words? Merely reading the prescriptions, how can it benefit the patient?” Without practice, just having read the scriptures, doesn’t benefit, does not recover the disturbing unsubdued mind. As it is said in the sutra teachings by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, “Even if I have explained extremely good Dharma, the holy Dharma, the most perfect pure holy Dharma…” which Guru Shakyamuni Buddha sees as most pure, the holy Dharma…
The person who never takes medicine, the person who carries the big sack of medicine but does not take the medicine, doesn’t recover from his disease. (I think I’ll stop here—just number six then it’s finished). I mentioned before, having the recognition to practice a long time, that is okay, it is not completely wrong; here, according to the direct explanation, by having listened such the Buddhadharma, by listening to such the holy Dharma, then wishing or praying for this holy Dharma to exist a long time in the world, wishing to exist the holy Dharma in the world until samsara ends, praying or wishing like this. I think that is all. Then after that I think the part of the outlines of how to explain the holy Dharma, which I have to tell myself.
[Dedication Prayer]
…what we have done from our side, what we have been doing is not causing them to abide in equanimity, free from attachment and hatred, but as much as possible we have been causing them to abide in attachment and hatred; for instance, causing some to be close and others distant. Besides oneself accumulating negative karma, we are together creating negative karma with the group, this occasion with group, kind of special occasion. Normally we accumulate negative karma in a group, by giving best suggestions, by giving the best ideas how to accumulate negative karma the quickest and the most powerful way, as it can be done instantly. So now, here we are making the determination, we are transforming our actions, what we are going to do with others, with other sentient beings.
We make the determination from now on how we are going to act with the mother sentient beings; to cause them to abide in equanimity, free from attachment and hatred, opposite to what one has been doing, what we have been causing them in the past from beginningless samsaric lifetime. Directly what it says here, the determination we are making is, “I shall cause them to abide in equanimity, free from negativity of attachment and hatred.” But indirectly, what it means, it is difficult to bring the sentient beings into equanimity, free from attachment and hatred, without subduing one’s own anger and attachment that holds some close and others distant; without transforming first of all one’s own anger and attachment, which creates this confusion. First of all, without transforming these two negative minds oneself, without first training one’s own mind in equanimity, then there is no way, one can’t help the sentient beings, bring them into equanimity. Only what one does, instead of sentient beings receiving benefits from our side, only receiving harm from our side, because our mind is not well subdued, it is not transformed. The angry mind and attachment, the clinging mind is not transformed; so that is only harm, instead of receiving benefits, it is only harm.
So, indirectly what making determination means is, the way to cause them to abide in equanimity: first the method of one’s own mind, by transforming one’s own mind, by transforming the clinging mind and the angry mind, by changing it from the mind of attachment and anger into the mind that is devoid of anger and attachment. This is the method, the way to cause them to abide, to start bringing sentient beings into equanimity, free from attachment and hatred. As this is the method, as this is the way to start, from one’s own mind, so indirectly one makes determination also to abide, to keep one’s own mind in equanimity, free from attachment, devoid of attachment and hatred; without letting rise the attachment and hatred, which does the function, which creates the confusion of holding some close and others distant.
It is very useful, to remember this, what I have just said; indirectly, to cut off one’s own attachment and anger, always keeping one’s own mind in equanimity.
Please Guru Buddha, bless me to be able to do this...
…going to do like this, each sentient being, including the sentient being, the enemy, the sentient being who dislikes oneself. Always badly treating, always criticizing oneself, especially remember that one. And make determination, this is what you are going to do in return, even though this is what he does, in return, retaliating back, harming in exchange, only to have happiness, the sublime bliss, enlightenment.
Please Guru Buddhas, bless me to be able to do this...
If we oblige the mother sentient beings to accumulate negative karma by the disturbing and unsubdued mind arising, what happens is, as we are ripening their negative karma. It causes them to be born in the lower realms; we throw them in the lower realms, in the suffering, in the realms of the suffering transmigratory beings. In that way, now they have the body of the happy transmigratory beings, so what we are doing is we are separating the sentient beings from the higher rebirth. Because of this karma, after this, they get the karma to be reborn in the realms of the suffering transmigratory beings. So, like this we kind of separate them from higher rebirth; and also they haven’t achieved the liberation of nirvana or enlightenment, the great nirvana, they haven’t achieved before. For instance by taking, by causing harm to their life, then obliging them to accumulate negative karma, one separates the sentient beings from this higher rebirth. Not only that, due to negative karma, instead of receiving the higher rebirth after this life, they get reborn in the lower rebirth; so one separates the sentient beings from the higher rebirth, from receiving the higher rebirth, separates, like this, obliging negative karma, causing them a short present life. That is those who have higher rebirth; separating from present higher rebirth, like that then, by obliging them to accumulate negative karma, they don’t receive the higher rebirth in the future life, so one separates the mother sentient beings from the higher rebirth, to not have higher rebirth, to be separated from that. Like that and separating them from the supreme bliss of liberation, like nirvana and great nirvana, enlightenment.
It is not that we are separating those who have already achieved it from that stage—from those realizations we are separating, kind of splitting—it is not like that, not like that. If you harm the sentient beings in that way it obliges the sentient beings to accumulate negative karma, it disturbs, it makes them to be far from nirvana, it makes them to be far from the enlightenment. Instead of we helping them to benefit, to not separate from nirvana, to abide in nirvana, to abide in the qualified state, to have the supreme bliss, enlightenment, from our side, instead of benefiting them to have this we, by giving harm, by obliging them to accumulate negative karma, make them more distant or far from nirvana and from the great nirvana, enlightenment. Instead of being close, to help to have the happiness, we harm them.
You see, it is generating the wish for sentient beings who have, in the present time, found the higher rebirth and who are happy transmigratory beings, after this life to not separate from that again, to be the happy transmigratory being. Not to separate from the body of the happy transmigratory being in all the future lives, until they achieve enlightenment, until they complete the path; praying, wishing like this, making determination to benefit the sentient beings. And the mother sentient beings who are in the realm of the suffering transmigratory beings, who have found the body of the happy transmigratory being, also. You see, now they are separated from the body of the happy transmigratory being, those who are in the lower realms, now they are separate. They are separated from the body of the happy transmigratory being, so we are wishing, generating pure joy, “how good it is that they are not separated from that,” praying to have that, and making determination. Praying is not sufficient, praying to happen is not sufficient, without yourself putting into action; it is one’s responsibility to make them not separate. Those who are in the lower realms, who haven’t found the body of the happy transmigratory being, to find the body of the happy transmigratory being, or not to separate from the body of the happy transmigratory being. Then all the sentient beings, those who are in the lower realms and those who are living in the realms of the happy transmigratory being, the whole samsaric transmigratory beings, the whole sentient beings, details like this.
Those samsaric beings are separated now from nirvana, they are separated from the great nirvana, enlightenment. However, generating pure joy, “How wonderful it would be if all the sentient beings have great nirvana, or the supreme bliss.” Then praying for that to happen; not just leaving it up to the prayer but making determination, “This work I will do it by myself.” Not leaving it up to prayer, not leaving it up to the Buddha.
This responsibility is one’s own duty, one’s own responsibility, “I must fulfill it by myself,” which means this is one’s own life job. It is going to be the job, the work, for the sentient beings. It is very good we have the feeling with the job, like to go to the office, to be secretary, whatever, sweeper, dish washer, bringing the elevator up and down, all day meditating in that small compartment, on the buttons. Anyway I’m joking. You see, with the job, we have so much feeling, you know, the job is very important, so important, there is so much feeling. Just what you can get, the advantage you can get from that, one sees very clearly, how many dollars one can get a month; it is very clear, so clear. The advantages are very clear, with that what you can do, what you can buy. Anyway, there is much feeling. Then all the time there is big concern in the mind. There is big worry to lose it, there is big worry to lose that job, one has to be very careful, in the lifetime, to do the jobs correctly, all these things; very easy to get the fear to lose the job, to get kicked out.
Anyway, but first like this, practicing Dharma for the mother sentient beings, practicing Dharma, the holy Dharma, for the benefit of other sentient beings, to obtain the happiness of all the sentient beings, to practice the remedy of delusions, to achieve the supreme bliss. That alone, to achieve the supreme bliss for the benefit of sentient beings; even to achieve this for oneself, the job to practice holy Dharma, we don’t have so much feeling in it, there is no thought that it is important, or there is not as much concern as for the job you have in the city, the job which gives a few dollars a month, which benefits oneself. The recognition, one month, seven days, that there is so much feeling, there is great thought, recognition of thought, how this job is so precious, so important, so precious. But the job of practicing the holy Dharma, to obtain happiness for the numberless sentient beings, to achieve the supreme bliss even for oneself, the complete cessation of suffering, this job whose method is only, all the time, only trying to bring peace within one’s own mind. The method, practice of holy Dharma, which means keeping the mind always in peace, keeping the mind always in peace, one’s own mind, always in peace, well then, this job, which benefits you at the present time, even right this moment, frees you from confusion without need to talk about the great, supreme bliss—because one does not have much concern in this case, being careless of this which has incredible, such a great aim, to establish the supreme bliss in the minds of all the sentient beings; this job of practicing holy Dharma to obtain the greatest aim, even there is no greater aim than this, even there is no greater aim than this. The most precious work, there is no more precious work, more important work than this, but then being careless, in this not having so much feeling, being careless. And even if it is done it is done only sometimes.
Then however, without talking much, this you see is the one way of not having enough understanding of Dharma, not having strong mind renouncing samsara, not having strong compassion for other sentient beings. That is how, even though one sees it is good, one feels or sees it is good, but being careless, unable to do, that is due to this. Not having the mind renouncing samsara, not strong, not having love and compassion for other sentient beings, mind renouncing samsara not strong enough, not enough love and compassion for other sentient beings.
Excuse me, but so much is coming from the beginning of this prayer. This is the reason why I mentioned the certain points, whatever thought arises. Normally, during the teaching, when they do puja, when there is a small group sometimes the lama explains certain points, but normally in the teachings like this is never done, it isn’t the way, it is not the way, it is not done like that. But anyway, a little bit talking like this hopefully, even though it is not in the time of the body of the discourse, but during the prayer I thought talking a little bit like this, hopefully, it might benefit little bit to the mind. Just during the prayer I thought, talking like this, hopefully, it might benefit to the mind. Just because of that hope, the purpose of talking a little bit as it comes is like that. In case somebody doesn’t understand what it means, this “to not separate,” the way to think is like that, what it means.
Cultivating special Bodhicitta...
The motivation of listening to the teachings on the steps of enlightenment is extremely important to be possessed by at least the creative bodhicitta, making complete determination at any rate oneself to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of the mother sentient beings.
The recent subject is the teaching on the steps of the path to enlightenment, the Mahayana teachings, which lead the fortunate one to enlightenment. The teaching is well expounded by the great propagators, the highly realized pandits Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is profound advice as the essence of the holy minds of the highly realized bodhisattva Atisha and the Dharma king of the three worlds, Lama Tsongkhapa’s holy mind, the essence of which it was taken out. As the essence of milk is the butter, it is like the very essence of all the other extensive, definite understanding of the holy Dharma; this is the essence. It contains all the 84,000 teachings, the essence of those teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, without missing anything, all these are set up for the gradual practice for one person to achieve enlightenment.
This commentary has four basic outlines. The third outline is how to listen and explain the teachings, which has two qualities. I will make the commentary as short as possible on these few beginning outlines—only some important things. As Lama Tsongkhapa said in his great commentary on the lamrim, the purpose of listening to the holy teachings is to understand; that is the purpose of listening. After having listened to the holy Dharma it is extremely important to do some practice, according to one’s own capability. The purpose of listening is to understand, and the purpose of understanding is to practice, the purpose of practicing is to realize the stages of the path to enlightenment. So, the whole point, the whole thing where we should concentrate is not just to understand, not just to have intellectual understanding; that is not the main goal to concentrate.
Where we should concentrate is to realize the path, what is explained by the teachings, we should try to generate realizations of that. That should be the main goal. Then, when you have that goal, if one is concentrating on that, then listening and understanding, how much one listens to the teachings, how much one understands the teachings, how much intellectual understanding develops, how much deep and wide understanding of Dharma one has, all this... because you are concentrating on it, why you concentrate is to transform the mind, to progress the mind, to generate the realizations on the path—that is the main aim. You use listening, understanding, all these things, practicing. As you use in this way it only becomes cause to generate the realizations of the path.
If one’s goal is not to generate realizations of the stages of the path to enlightenment, if one’s goal is just to have intellectual understanding, jut to get a degree or to be able to write a book, to get in the line of those many authors who wrote books on Tibetan Buddhism, to be in the line of Blavatsky, Alexander David-Neel, all those lines of authors who wrote books; wanting to be famous or rich or something like that. If the purpose is like that, however much one listens to the teachings, how much understanding there is, how much wide understanding there is of Buddhadharma, instead of becoming a cause to pacify the disturbing unsubdued mind, it only becomes cause to develop the self-cherishing thought and pride, a cause of developing pride. This kind of practice, kind of practitioners, instead of pacifying the disturbing unsubdued mind it becomes cause of developing disturbing unsubdued mind, things like pride and so on. In thought training teachings this is called, it’s one of the commitments in thought training teachings, “the god become devil,” “the god possessed by (or the god become) devil,” something like that—it’s one of the commitments: god not to be possessed by the devil. Means practice and understanding of the lamrim should not become a cause to develop the self-cherishing thought and the disturbing unsubdued mind. If it happens that way, the practitioner who is supposed not to be the practitioner of delusions, who is supposed to be a practitioner of holy Dharma, becomes a practitioner of delusions.
If one concentrates in one’s practice of Dharma, the whole aim is to generate realizations on the stage of the path to enlightenment, then everything, whatever you hear, understand, whatever you do, it goes to that point, to achieve that aim. The whole thing goes to transform the mind. You utilize for that, so that when you practice Dharma it doesn’t come under the control of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment. It becomes pure Dharma practice.
It’s like not doing any practice, having only the listening and intellectual understanding but not having any practice. It’s like, as it is said in the sutra teachings by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, “It’s like not tasting the candy that is inside, but licking the cover,” this one is very useful—whoever is left can have that candy there. It’s like in the theater, the people talk about the history of kings, the actors act as the people watch the theater. The actors themselves are not kings, don’t have real possessions, wealth, all these things, as those kings had; they talk about all those stories which they don’t have at all, how wealthy they have been, all those things. Like the beggar who has not eaten, who has not one single paisa, even money for tea, but talking about the millionaires in the country, what they have, where their money is, what they have, counting all that they have, how many factories they have, counting all these, while he himself has nothing, not one paisa. The person who is not doing practice is like that.
At the beginning, if one doesn’t try to practice, try to put into action, if one does not meditate, even though one is listening, there’s danger, the Buddhist holy Dharma becomes normal, nothing special, like everyday coffee, nothing special, like everyday breakfast suji. It doesn’t become any special method for one’s own mind. One doesn’t see anything special ...kind of normal. Then, if one does not meditate, if one does not practice, how much one listens to the holy Dharma, even if it is a new subject one doesn’t benefit very much in one’s own mind; because of the motivation it doesn’t benefit. Even if it is the same subject one heard before, all the time, “I know that subject, I know that subject, I know that,” each time the teachings, which one has heard before, when one hears those teachings, one always thinks, “I know that, oh, I know that. I know that subject,” all the time thinking like this. Becoming only the cause of pride, building up pride instead of utilizing the teachings one hears to subdue the pride.
At the beginning, at the very beginning, the first time one hears the teachings, the very first time one listens to the holy Dharma, one finds benefit to one’s own mind, at the very beginning. From the very beginning, as one receives benefits, as one finds it is benefiting to one’s own mind, if one does not continue, if one does not remember again and again, if one doesn’t continuously meditate—at the beginning, when one meditated, there was great effect in the mind—if one does not continue meditating, to remember the teachings, this strong feeling you have experienced, the great effect of these teachings, this strong feeling you have experienced, the great effect of these teachings, the meditation, disappears. If one does not continue meditation, keep the experience of the mind that was changed in the beginning, then later, when one hears the teachings again, you don’t find the teachings any more powerful, any more effective for the mind. You don’t find so much benefit, less than before. You hear the teachings a second time and less benefit than before; at that time, not so much change as before, in the beginning. After that the mind gets worse, more and more solid, more and more difficult, more and more solid, becomes more and more poor, then at the end, nothing is changing in the mind. The teachings, how much one hears, become normal. One always thinks, “I know that, I know that subject,” this thought becoming a cause of pride. The Tibetan term for this, mind becoming very solid, no Dharma, how many profound teachings one listens to they don’t benefit anymore, the mind becoming more solid; it is called cho chay, thick-skinned Dharma, thick-skulled. In Tibetan they say thick-skulled, when a person doesn’t listen, doesn’t benefit anymore. He follows completely his own idea. That person is very thick-skulled—how much you give the best idea, best advice, he doesn’t listen at all—the expression is that the person has such a thick skull, he won’t listen. “Don’t give any advice—he won’t listen.” Thick-skulled Dharma, it’s called, that kind of mind, which, no matter how much profound sutra or tantra teachings one hears, not benefiting at all the mind. Once the mind has become like this, has habits like this, it is very difficult to transform. One’s own mind becomes like that, thick-skulled Dharma.
So, it’s very important from the beginning not to let it happen, the mind not to become like that. To continue the first experience, again and again remembering the teachings, meditating, as one can. If one continues with similar motivation and experiences, then as one hears the teachings, whether it’s new teachings that one hasn’t heard before or it’s the same teachings, the more and more one hears, it becomes more and more attractive for one’s own mind, even though it’s the same subject, each time when one hears, it’s so interesting one never gets bored, never gets bored, never gets bored. You find it more and more interesting to hear that. Each time when you hear, it benefits more and more, so effective.
There is a saying of the previous Kadampa Geshes, “The evil beings can be subdued by the holy Dharma, but the one who has the thick-skulled Dharma cannot be subdued by the holy Dharma. The very dry one can be made flexible, can be subdued by oil, but the butter skin cannot be subdued by the oil. The very dried one can be subdued by butter, but the butter skin cannot be subdued by the butter.” What he is saying is that the evil beings, the ones who have killed human beings, who accumulated much negative karma, killed many human beings or like such as butchers, killed many animals like that, who accumulated heavy negative karma—those evil beings, by explaining Dharma, their minds get changed, transformed from the evil mind. But the person whose mind becomes Dharma thick-skulled, how much Dharma is explained, doesn’t subdue his mind.
In Tibet or in the mountains where I was born, the Solo-Khumbu areas, the leather, the animal skins which have been kept, become very dried, contracted, very dried, so hard. In order to use it to make shoes, in order to use for other things such as sacks to keep the barley flour to mix with the cheese; sometimes they don’t use bowls, they use these skins. They put butter or whatever the person has, sugar, cheese, whatever the person has, they put in it and they close it up like this, around the skin. Then just by pressing, without need to put the finger inside, by just moving around, then it becomes well-made inside—it mixes well.
So, in order to use it for those things, they have to make the leather very soft. How they do it is, the old butter which cannot be used for tea or things like that, they keep it. Then they dry the skin under the sun, keep the butter there. Then that makes the skin soft with the butter. Then with feet they make very flexible. Then after the skin becomes well subdued, very flexible, they cut it and use for shoes and other things. But you see also they keep butter, how the nomads keep butter in Tibet, they cover the big squares of butter with the animal skin, completely covered, round, like this, so the butter has been inside that skin for years. But the skin is still solid, even though it has been with the butter for many years. The other skin which was very dry and contracted, just one or two hours, put butter inside, put it under the sun and it becomes very flexible. Tibetans use that as the example of the evil person who has created much negative karma—his mind is like that—by listening to the Dharma it can be changed. But the person who always lives in a Dharma environment, always lives in a monastery or a place where all the time reading scriptures, all the time listening to the teachings... then the mind becomes so solid, like that skin that covers the butter, so by hearing teachings of the holy Dharma, does not subdue the person’s mind.
Specially, it is extremely important, mind not to become thick-skulled to the lamrim teachings. It is extremely important. The mind which has become thick-skulled to other teachings, other scriptures, the teachings of other scriptures, by explaining the lamrim, that person’s mind can be subdued, transformed. But the person whose mind has become thick-skulled, stubborn, thick-skulled to the lamrim teaching, even the lamrim teachings, there is no other method, there is no other way; the most effective teaching is the lamrim teaching. So then it’s very difficult.
The previous lamas who gave lamrim teachings emphasized very much not to have a thick-skulled mind to the lamrim teachings. Whatever one is going to practice, one should listen to the teachings on that, whatever teaching one listens to one should try to practice as much as one can, together: listening, understanding and meditating together. Listening, understanding and meditation should not be separate, should not be separate.
Unfortunately, yesterday I went to see His Holiness Serkong Rinpoche, the one who came from Dharamsala, and requested him to come here to stay a few days if possible. Also for the boys to receive some teachings on the lamrim, asked to receive if possible some commentary, explanation of the short lamrim on which we always do direct meditation. If you receive some explanation and commentary on that, together with sutra and tantra, it is very rich. However, Rinpoche does not have time. Even the blessing of the mantra, OM MANI PADME HUM, the mantra of Avalokitesvara, just to have contact, it’s very fortunate just to have a small contact. This lama, like the one who passed away, His Holiness Serkong Dorje Chang, it’s just a matter of seeing in different way, otherwise exactly the same as seeing those previous great yogis that are very far famed—Marpa, Milarepa, all those yogis, those previous great yogis, who have incredible biography, who work for the sentient beings, the same. These are the lamas who do the work in this time. Fact is same, just seeing differently. Otherwise, we are highly fortunate to receive even the blessings of such lamas.
However, even Rinpoche asked to not insist at this time. “If I had time, I would come, but I have no time, so please don’t insist this time.” I think the requesting was late. We didn’t know that His Holiness Serkong Rinpoche had arrived; only two days ago I heard. Then there are so many people who want to receive His Holiness, want him to do pujas and things like that. In the morning, of course, he goes to spend his time in the family house of one benefactor, and in the evening, for dinner, he goes to another benefactor’s house. So the days are all divided.
He is going to the West, as the center in Italy invited him there for three months, where he will give elaborate commentary on the lamrim teachings, and probably his teaching will be translated as it is there. It will be one of the extensive lamrim teachings and then some tantra commentaries because, usually, they like initiations very much. I’m sure Serkong Rinpoche will give them lots of initiations, Italians they like very much. Then I think whatever the people who invite him want, he will do, because he has time to give teachings in full. He said he has not time to come up here but he will pray for all of us. Just his prayer, I think, is sufficient.
The other previous Serkong Rinpoche passed away. There are many stories came from that. I think I heard somebody ask the question of whether there are lamas who do not pass away, or something like that. So, however, just the thought came to remember, as soon as Serkong Rinpoche passed away.
When the monasteries have had the summer retreat or the rainy season, afterwards, they go for picnics, normally. Sometimes for one, two or three days they go and do their playing. So, Serkong Dorje Chang, he enjoys very much the picnics. When they go for a picnic, all the monks, normally they play. When they go for a picnic, usually His Holiness tells incredible stories. So, all the monks, they sit around all day and he is telling stories of past lives, incredible things, unbelievable things, the stories of past lives’ experiences, what he did in past life. Then at the end he says, “The previous Serkong Rinpoche was like this but in this present life Serkong Rinpoche, he was born as a very foolish person. Previously like this, but this time Serkong Rinpoche was born as a very foolish person, he has taken the rebirth of a very foolish person, so can’t do anything.”
Also sometimes, before he passed away he mentioned that in the next life—in this life he did what all the monks normally do in the monastery, what they have studied, went to the classes, doing examinations, the geshe examinations. His Holiness did those things but later he became more and more kind of hidden yogi, pretending not knowing anything, more and more like this. If someone asked him a question, he would say, “I don’t know anything.” I remember one day when I went to see him, the first time, the second time I’m not sure, the first western student called Zina, she and another boy from England, Clive, Lama Yeshe and myself went to see his Holiness. I read a lot about his amazing stories before, so I had always the intention to see him. So, she asked the kind of question which normally people don’t ask, she’s a Western person so…
Rinpoche has some texts piled up in his room, so she asked, could you read some of those texts. He showed the aspect of being completely frightened, “No, no, I can’t, I don’t know anything,” but I think that was quite a fortunate time, the very first time. She asked, or he, the boy, asked something about guru practice. Rinpoche gave incredible advice on the guru practice, guru devotion.
Anybody who comes to see him, he knows exactly everything that person did in his life, past and future—what he is going to do, what he did, every single thing—even the dreams that a person has, he can see clearly. This I, myself have experienced. When I went to see Rinpoche, he told me the dreams which I had. It’s very surprising, it’s kind of quite a big shock—somebody has to be very careful, no matter whether you tell lies, whatever—Rinpoche knows exactly. Whether you make it a very interesting subject, he knows exactly every single action that was done in the past. Sometimes people come to him and ask for observation. One day one Tibetan man came to him for observation—I guess he had killed someone in Tibet or Nepal so he came to him to ask for observations about business, or other things. Anyway, Rinpoche, before he made those observations, suddenly he pointed, “Oh, you have killed a human being!” The other person was completely shocked, completely shaken, very embarrassed. So then he couldn’t ask anymore for observations, he was completely freaked out, he dare not repeat the question. Then he was advised, “You must make prostrations and confession with the 35 Buddhas.” Then the person had to leave quietly without finishing his business.
Sometimes Rinpoche, when he circumambulated the stupa, suddenly the other person he would tell straight like that, even though there is normally not much contact: “You will die in seven years and you should do many prostrations.” One person did listen and did do, and after a few years, he did die... so many stories.
“At any rate, I must achieve enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings, therefore I am going to listen to this commentary on the graduated path to enlightenment.”
So, as I mentioned this morning, it is extremely important, these three things, which in Tibetan are called listening, understanding and meditation, which means also the practice of transforming the mind in the path, making the mind familiar with the object of the meditation, virtue, making the mind familiar with it, transforming the mind in that path, making the mind to become that, making the mind to become that path.
Without separating these three, doing them together, without doing these three in different times: while one does the listening not doing the understanding or reflecting the subject; when one does the reflecting on the subject, or thinking on that, trying to understand that, then one doesn’t do the listening; or one doesn’t do the practice or when one does the practice, the meditation, then one doesn’t try to think, one doesn’t try to develop the understanding, one doesn’t really listen to the holy Dharma. As the Kadampa geshes do the three things together, the listening, reflecting and the understanding, and the meditation.
Also, the most important thing to understand first, and to do the action, is this. For example, a person who has leprosy disease and whose hands and legs become puffed, broken by the leprosy disease, applying the medicine once or twice for two or three days doesn’t benefit, it doesn’t do anything. The person who has the leprosy disease, whose limbs were cut off, who applies the medicine two or three days, who has treatment for two or three days, doesn’t recover even a small part of it, it doesn’t join well the limbs. What is needed is that person should have very powerful treatment for a long time for that disease to be recovered. Without having treatment, long treatment, that disease won’t be recovered well. The person should take medicine for a long time. Similarly, a person who has got a chronic disease like cancer or T.B., just taking two or three tablets does not cause him to recover from the T.B., having taken the medicine just two or three days does not help. A person should take it for years until the disease gets completely cured.
So, the heavy disease of the delusions that we have, we have been sick from beginningless previous lifetimes. Just having listened to the teachings and advice once or twice, for two or three days, two or three months, or two or three years, having listened to the teachings or practicing for one or two days, seven days, or just for one month, just for two or three years—such as making a retreat for three years, three months and three days—is not enough. Listening to Dharma for two or three days or years or making retreat for one or two years, that is never enough to recover the heavy disease of the disturbing unsubdued mind.
How can it satisfy, how it can recover completely the heavy disease of the disturbing unsubdued mind, which has been there from beginningless previous lifetimes? How can it be recovered within one month, within seven days or several years? Even an ordinary, chronic disease like cancer, T.B., things like this, which the person wasn’t born with, the person has been sick for one year, the ordinary disease the person had for one year, for one month, seven days. Even for those diseases, the person should have treatment for many years, has to be very careful and should have powerful and long treatment.
So, why not, to completely make non-existent the disease of the disturbed unsubdued mind, which has been there from beginningless previous lifetimes, which has no beginning, so of course the treatment, listening to the holy dharma, practicing the holy Dharma, of course it is extremely worthwhile and it is necessary to have powerful treatment, the powerful Dharma practice, even if it takes hundreds of lifetimes or a hundred eons, even it if takes that much to give treatment, to completely make non-existent the heavy disease of the delusions, of course it is extremely important. It is extremely important and it is worthwhile, even though it takes that much time, a hundred lifetimes, which means nothing, a hundred eons, which means nothing.
Even if it takes a hundred eons to completely eradicate, to completely recover the disease of the delusions, to be free from samsara, even though it takes a hundred eons, still it is very quick, still it is very short, it is very short, it is very quick to be free from samsara. Comparing ...if you think back, when you think of the past, how many eons one has been sick with the delusions of the disturbing unsubdued mind. One has been sick with the disease of anger many times. Ignorance, all these hundreds of different delusions, how many eons one has been sick there is no number to count this many. “For that many eons, that number of eons, I have been sick with the hundreds of disturbing unsubdued minds. There is no number of eons; numberless, numberless, it cannot be counted. There is no way to finish counting, it is numberless.”
So, you see, even though it takes a hundred eons, hundreds of great eons to pacify completely the disease of the disturbing unsubdued mind, the hundreds of the diseases of the disturbing unsubdued mind, by giving treatment, by practicing the holy Dharma, the remedies to the hundreds of disease of the disturbing unsubdued mind. When you don’t think of the past, of beginningless previous lifetimes, when you don’t think about that, that one has been sick with the delusions, when you only think of the future, it looks like a long time—the hundred great eons seem like a very long time. But when you think of the past, the numberless eons, numberless past lives that one has been sick of the disturbing unsubdued mind, the hundred great eons that it takes to pacify the diseases of the disturbed unsubdued mind, the treatment, the remedy, the holy Dharma…
By taking medicine, even though it’s recovered now, it’s possible to come back after a year, after few years, it’s possible the same disease to come back, even though it was recovered by taking medicine before. Even though it’s recovered in this life, it’s possible that in next life you get sick of T.B. and cancer and all these again, even if you take medicine at the death time in this life to not get sick again. “Probably this life disease might have been recovered, it has been recovered in this life. In the future life, when I get reborn as human, for sure, because I have taken so much medicine in this life, so, sure, sure, sure. Because I have lived a long time in the hospital, and I have taken so much medicine, so for sure I won’t get T.B. and cancer in the future lives.”
You can’t say that, unless you don’t have the karma. Then that’s something else. If one has purified the karma not to have those diseases in the future life, then that’s something else, that is some other question. You see, by taking the medicine against the delusion, by practicing the holy Dharma, once the delusion is completely eradicated, even the root, even the seeds of the disease of the delusions—when it is completely eradicated, once it becomes non-existent, once it is completely removed, it is impossible for the delusions to come back. Unlike the fever, like those other ordinary diseases, it is impossible for it to come back again, to arise. So therefore, how many hundreds of great eons it takes, no matter how many, not only one, but hundreds of great eons, it is worthwhile always to give oneself the treatment of the holy Dharma. The advantage is this: even though it is difficult and it takes a long time, the particular advantage, the beautiful, incredible advantage it has is that, once it is removed, the hundreds of the diseases of the disturbing unsettled mind, it is impossible for it to arise, to come back.
So therefore, by understanding these things, we should have great will, instead of being discouraged when we find it hard to practice Dharma, when we find it hard to protect karma. Instead of being discouraged, it is something, by thinking how long one has been sick in samsara with these hundreds of delusions, by remembering the past, and the incredible great advantage it has, that, once it is removed, it will never come back. By remembering these things, it is something that, as you find it harder to practice Dharma, you should get courage, strengthen the will. [At this point, Rinpoche’s alarm watch went off] This is automatic peepee break. But it is different time [laughter].
I think this is important to remember, for us to understand and to remember in the future, especially when the mind is very disappointed, many times the mind is very disappointed or indifferent, discouraged, thinking, “Oh, I am hopeless; I can’t practice Dharma, I can’t do anything. The delusions are too strong. They’re attacking from the backside, front side; I’m completely overwhelmed by the delusions now and I can’t get out.” When you feel hopeless, completely disappointed or discouraged like that, especially at those times, it is very important to remember this.
A highly realized pundit, Chandragomin, said in a teaching, with the example of the tree that has the taste of acid, the big tree which has been that way, while it is in the field, putting drops of honey to that tree to transform the whole taste of that tree to sweet, to the taste of honey, doesn’t help, that doesn’t do anything to the tree, that doesn’t change the taste of the tree. Like that the mind, which has been together with and always at the control of the delusions, from the beginningless previous lifetimes. Of course, hearing Dharma a few times, listening to Dharma a few times and practicing Dharma two or three times in several years, can’t do anything, that can’t remove completely the disturbing unsubdued mind.
I think I left one outline from that part of the listening, the outline the six recognitions, so let me explain one hint. That is, having recognition of the Tathagata, the Buddha, as a holy being, the way to have these recognitions, of seeing in the very first, who has shown this holy Dharma is the Buddha, Buddha himself. The holy Dharma was shown by him, with his complete experience, having actualized the whole of this path, all this graduated path to enlightenment, having actualized completely the path himself, and the result, enlightenment. These teachings are not shown by Buddha as someone without any experience of the path and its result, enlightenment, and he just created his own idea, just made up his own theory, his own doctrine on the path and the result, enlightenment, only for his followers, without himself having any experience. Kind of like the holy Dharma has been shown by Buddha, having been blind, he suffered from inexperience, kind of just made it up. Not like that. He himself had the complete experience of the path and its result, then, the experience that Guru Shakyamuni himself had, he has shown. As he himself had experienced that path, that path was revealed to all the sentient beings, the followers, us, it was revealed for us. He is showing the points, what the practice is and what is the avoidance, what is right and what is wrong. He is showing the points: that is the practice and that is the avoidance. There wouldn’t be one single mistake. Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is the true being, the unbetrayable being who has the achievement of omniscient mind, who fully sees every single point of what is the practice and what is the avoidance. So, how can there be a mistake in the holy Dharma that is shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha? So, thinking like this, remembering Buddha as a holy being, or to think like this relating to the one who does guru practice, relating to that and relating to recognizing Buddha as holy being. Then those who do guru practice, relating to that practice, thinking the guru who revealed the teachings is himself the embodiment of Shakyamuni Buddha, or the holy being.
That’s not part of this outline, but I just remembered the previous talk about practicing Dharma, the discouragement of the mind. Many people say that, many students say, “Oh, I have been meditating, I have been practicing Dharma for many years, but nothing is happening. Look, I have been meditating for thirty years, but nothing is happening.”
From the mouth he says like this, but not sure, actually. In action, it is more definite that a person has been meditating for thirty years but not having been meditating on lamrim for thirty years, or twenty years. In the action, it is more definite that he has not been meditating for thirty years; he did not meditate for that many years, even though that is what he believes. Probably the person might call, if he has meditated, he might have meditated for one hour, one and a half hour each day. If he did meditate on lamrim, he might have meditated for half an hour or one hour, or fifteen minutes each day. So, for twenty years, no, thirty years, make it longer, “I have meditated for half an hour or one hour or fifteen minutes each day,” if the person did so. “For thirty years, I have been meditating for so many years, thirty years.”
Let’s say, by putting together all the hours he meditated, even if he did meditate for one hour each day, it doesn’t become thirty years that he meditated. It doesn’t become twenty years or even ten years, by putting together all the hours, even if he meditated one hour in each day. It comes to nothing, by putting the half hour, one hour all together—make it a day, make it a month. By practicing meditation, generating realizations, if there’s a question about generating realizations or not, that is not easy, that depends on so many things, even if one knows the meditation subject, knowing only the meditation subject is not sufficient. That alone cannot make to generate realizations, without having done continual and extensive purification and accumulation of merits. Without having these things, just very dry meditation alone, just staying one hour meditating, just alone, cannot make it possible to generate realizations on the path.
Without perfecting all these conditions besides the main body, the actual meditation, without perfecting all these conditions, actual growth depends on not only having the seed planted, but it depends on perfecting all the conditions; on not only having the seed planted, but depends on perfecting all the conditions: all the elements, the perfect soil, the water element, the heating, all these should be perfect. One that’s perfect, not only having the seed that is not rotten or burned, not only having the right seed, which has nothing wrong, not only having the perfect, the healthy seed in the ground, but having the perfect conditions. So all together, makes the stem come out very easily. The whole thing depends on a person’s skill, a person’s understanding. Actually, the whole question about how a person can realize the path, the stages of the path to enlightenment, how quickly the person can achieve enlightenment, the whole thing depends on a person’s understanding and skill of practice; the understanding capability and skill.
And so you see, many people think, after having meditated for thirty years or something and nothing happening, that that’s a mistake of the Dharma, a fault of the Dharma, something wrong with the Dharma, not recognizing his own mistake, not having recognized the practice that is missing, which are the hindrances, which doesn’t let you develop the realizations of the path. What makes to take a long time, not having recognized one’s own mistakes in the practice, not having recognized what is missing, then thinking, “Oh, I spent many years meditating on lamrim,” or “I meditated on this, but nothing happened, must be something wrong with the Buddhadharma. Maybe it should be changed.” Then the thought comes, instead of changing oneself, the Dharma needs to be changed.
Wishing for the teachings of the Buddha to exist for a long time by having listened to it; if I mention a little bit of details, the teaching is divided into two: the oral teaching, the available teaching, and the realization; the available teaching and the realization, those two teachings. That other, which is in the mind of other holy beings, other practitioners, wishing to exist a long time, is also the teaching realization But the moral conduct that is within one’s mind, the moral conduct such as not taking other’s life, not stealing, such as the high precepts, all those things, living in moral conduct, avoiding the ten non-virtuous actions, such as these things, these realizations of the teachings are within one’s mind. Then, understanding the available teachings, wishing them also to exist for a long time, to progress and to exist for a long time; there are ways to think like this; other teachings and one’s own teaching of the Buddha.
Here—remembering the previous one, the fifth, remembering the kindness of the Buddha, his revealing the teaching—the thought to repay the Buddha by following and developing the teaching, the Buddhadharma that is within one’s mind. While one is listening to the teachings, this is emphasized very much in the teachings, and this point, number six, mainly meditating on repaying, rising the thought to repay the Buddha by following and developing the teaching, the Buddhadharma, which is within one’s mind. So while one is listening to the teachings, one should use the teaching as a mirror. By looking at the mirror, one can see clearly whatever spot, whatever dirt there is on the body, whatever ugly thing there is, one can see clearly in the mirror. By recognizing this, it is necessary to clean. By that, the teaching of the Buddha is like the mirror, is the mirror of one’s own mind. The external mirror is the mirror that shows just the shape of the body and whether there are any ugly forms, black spots, marks.
Dharma is one’s own mind’s mirror that shows all the wrongs, all the mistakes of one’s own mind. As the mirror of the body shows the part of the good things, the clean things, part of the dirty things, the other things; like that the mind mirror, the Dharma, shows the beauties of mind, shows the positive and the negative parts of the mind. Also the actions of body, speech and mind, how it is done, the Dharma mirror shows clearly. As one finds the mistakes in one’s own actions, in one’s own mind, as one sees from the Dharma in the mirror, it is necessary, after having seen in the Dharma mirror it is extremely important to attempt to clean up, to wipe off the wrong actions and the wrong thoughts. It is said in the teaching. “When I clearly see the form of my bad actions in the mirror of the Dharma, then by generating strong repentance in the mind, I will face the Dharma; I will turn towards the Dharma.”
There’s a short story about this point, which clarifies two points. One is regarding this point, of listening to the holy Dharma. But this story is useful for several other reasons. This is one of the stories about Guru Shakyamuni Buddha when he was a bodhisattva, one of the stories of his previous lives.
At a previous time, when Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was a follower of the path, one time he was born as a son of a king, a prince called Moon. There was one person called Sudhasa’s son. This son used to kill human beings and eat their flesh. So, one time Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, in his previous life as the son of the king… he was born as a prince, you know, the king’s son, and his name was Moon, so kind of easy to get mixed up. So, the prince left for the king’s park. Then in that park, one Brahmin who gave teachings well, who was learned, came and the prince was listening to Dharma from him in the park. Suddenly there happened a kind of a big noise around the area. Then, the prince sent someone to see what had happened.
The people knew that Sudhasa’s son was coming. The bodyguards, the people who ran, requested of the prince, “Now Sudhasa’s son, who eats human flesh, in such a fearful way he came here. All the military, those who have horses and elephants and carriages, all those multitudinous groups have already scattered and run away. So now what should be done? It is time to consult.” They requested the prince. Then the prince was extremely pleased. He did not listen to his wife, even though the wife tried to stop him from going out, the prince did not listen. The prince went out toward the direction of the big noise. Then Sudhasa’s son was so angry, he was carrying all the army things, weapons, the round thing to protect from weapons, the shield, and the sword, by carrying like this in the space, then with much anger he came towards the prince, he came after the prince and all the military. Then the prince, Moon, without any fear or doubt said,” I am the son, Moon. I am here, so you came here.”
Then, all of a sudden, Sudhasa’s son said came towards the prince, and said, “I also will meet you.” Then he ran towards the prince. Then he put Prince Moon on his shoulder, on Sudhasa’s son’s shoulder. Then he ran away, he escaped. The place where he normally lived, Sudhasa’s son who eats human flesh, where he lived, on the floor were the bones of skeletons. The whole place was full of human bones and the whole ground was kind of red, you know. And all around that area, even the animals were very wild animals, wolves, bears, eagles, that big bird who eats human flesh, making kind of uninteresting sound. There were vultures and crows, those crows who make a lot of noise. And the rocky place, where he has throwing the corpses, that whole area was completely black from all the burning of the corpses.
So the prince was put in the middle of that rocky place. Sudhasa’s son sat down in front of the prince. Then by looking at his face, he was so attracted to him. He kind of took a rest, because he had run, he had escaped over a long distance. The prince’s face was so beautiful, he sat down to rest in front of him and, by opening big eyes to the prince’s face, was so attached to him.
While Sudhasa’s son was taking rest and being so attached, looking at the prince’s face, at that time, the prince suddenly remembered that he had not made offering to that Brahmin who was teaching in the park, because he was suddenly taken. Suddenly he remembered that he had not made an offering before he left, so tears came from the prince’s ideas. Then Sudhasa’s son kind of suspected, he told the prince, “You sit here for a while. You are the prince called Moon who supposedly has unshakable thought. But when I catch you, a tear comes out. That is strange, very strange.” Then he said, “When there is danger in the life, the firm thought has no meaning. When there is misery, having listened to Dharma doesn’t benefit. When it is lifted up, there is nothing that cannot be moved.” This saying, expressing this is true. “So therefore, you tell me the purpose as to why you are crying. Is it because you have doubt that I might kill you, or are you crying because you have fear, that you are separated from your relatives, your wife, son and parents? What is it, why are you crying? You tell me sincerely,” Sudhasa’s son asked the prince.
Then the prince gave this answer; “I didn’t make offering to the Brahmin from whom I have received teachings. So please let me go tomorrow. I will make the offerings to him and then I will definitely come back to your place.” How much prince told him this Sudhasa’s son never trusted. Then Sudhasa’s son thought, “Once the person has escaped from the mouth of the Lord of Death, who will again thoughtfully come back in the presence of the Lord of Death and who will come back thoughtfully into the presence of one who will cause the death?” So then the prince told him, “Didn’t I promise you that I would come back again? I am the son called Moon. I won’t give up the truth, like my life, I won’t give it up.” Then Sudhasa’s son, without believing but in order to check up and see if what he was saying was true or not, gave his permission, “All right, you go. It seems that you are very sincere, that what you say is true, so you go. You go away and then give whatever you have to give to the Brahmin, and then come back quickly. Also, I will make preparation for fire in order to burn you.”
Then the prince went home, he offered the four golden coins, he made offering to the Brahmin, having received the four graces. Then how much the prince’s father, with various means and methods, how much he tried to keep the prince from going back to that place, the prince did not listen to the father, and after having made offerings to the Brahmin, he left for Sudhasa’s son’s place.
When Sudhasa’s son saw the prince coming from a very great distance, he felt, he thought, “Very strange!” Then the prince said to him, “Now, you eat me.” Then Sudhasa’s son said, “I know my own time to eat you. Now in the fire there is a lot of smoke, if the flesh is burned in the smoke, then the flesh smells smoky, it is not tasty.”
Then Sudhasa’s son asked the prince, “For a while you listened something from that Brahmin ascetic, as it is very important, but let me, could you show me what you have listened from him which seems so important?” Then the prince told Sudhasa’s son that the Brahmin has good explanation, is clarifying the difference between what is Dharma and what is non-Dharma. Then the prince told him, “You, who are more evil than the cannibals, what’s the use of listening to the qualities of Dharma?” Then Sudhasa’s son couldn’t stand what the prince said, he got angry, he couldn’t stand it. So Sudhasa’s son told the prince, “You stay here for a little while. By taking the weapons you go for hunting, which is opposite to the Dharma.” Sudhasa’s son told the prince and the prince answered, “Of course the kings who go for hunting are opposite to Dharma, but those who eat human flesh, it is worse than that, because human beings in regards to capability, in regards to caste, the human being is much higher than the animal, and even if natural human beings’ flesh cannot be eaten, the flesh cannot be eaten of those who naturally died, how can the human beings be killed for food?”
Then Sudhasa’s son told the prince, “You are coming in front of me, you are not skillful, you are not wise.” Then the prince told him, “I came here to keep my true words, to protect or to keep my true words, I came here, so I’m wise in what I’m doing.” Then Sudhasa’s son told him that the people, other human beings, when he takes them, they are under the control of him and they get scared. “You are so brave, it looks like you don’t have fear of death, looks like you don’t have fear to die.”
Then the prince answered, “Why are the other human beings scared while they are in front of you, under your control, why are they scared? Because they feel upset, having accumulated negative karma. I don’t remember that I have accumulated negative karma at all, so I have no fear of death. Therefore, now I am going to make charity, I am going to make offering of charity to you.” Then Sudhasa’s son, who eats human flesh, got incredible devotion in his mind. His eyes became full of tears and all the hairs of his body stood up. Then, he completely changed his mind, by expressing the nature of the negative karma he regarded the prince with much respect.
“How can I accumulate negative karma? Taking your life totally, my doing like this to you is like drinking poison, so please show me the teachings that you have received from that Brahmin, one who is learned, one who is wise.”
Then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha explained the verse, I think, which I mentioned, the four verses which I mentioned accompanied before, “When I see clearly the form of that action in the mirror of the Dharma, strong repentance is generated in the mind and I turn towards the Dharma, I face the Dharma.” He, the prince, said the four verses he received from that Brahmin. The prince, Moon, discovered now Sudhasa’s son had become receptive to the teaching; it was the right time to reveal the teaching. Then the prince told Sudhasa’s son, “You sit down in the extremely low place, generate respectful thought, in a subdued form, sit with subdued form and then look with happy eye, just like drinking nectar, by generating devotion. Just like the patients listening to the doctor’s advice, with respect listen to the holy Dharma, which is very clear and stainless.”
I think I will stop here.
These are two points, one is about impermanence and death, and one is about the listening to the teachings.
[Dedication Prayer]
Generate at least the creative bodhicitta, thinking, “Especially, I must achieve, at any rate I must achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all the mother sentient beings, quicker and quicker, therefore, I’m going to listen to the teachings, the profound commentary on the steps to the path to enlightenment.”
The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching, which leads the fortunate one to enlightenment, which is well expounded by two great highly realized pundits, the great propagators, Asanga and Nagarjuna. It is their profound advice and is the essence of the highly realized bodhisattva, Atisha, and the Dharma king of the three worlds, Lama Tsongkhapa, whose infinite understanding of the holy Dharma, was taken out. It contains all the essence of the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, without missing anything, and all these are set up for the gradual practice for one person to reach enlightenment. This commentary on the steps of the path to enlightenment has four basic outlines. The second outline is how to listen and explain the teachings, which has two qualities—the lamrim teachings, which have the first two great qualities.
I will just finish, from yesterday evening, the biography of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s previous life, when he was a bodhisattva, Prince Moon.
Then Sudhasa’s son put his clothes on the upper part of his body, he put a very high stone and then he left. He asked the prince to sit on that, then he sat in front of the prince and, while looking at the prince’s face, he asked the arya being, “Now please you explain.”
The prince started to give teachings. “Even if one has met the holy being only one time, if one wishes, without need to become friendly, it does not change; the relationship with the holy being does not change; it becomes more and more stabilized.”
The prince started to give teachings, then Sudhasa’s son’s mind was well subdued. Then, in order to repay the prince, Sudhasa’s son put in a prison ninety-nine king’s sons....
...was great even, but having listened to teachings, if you listen to the teachings, the mirror of the mind, and one’s conduct, if you listen to the teachings in a correct way. He discovered completely all his mistakes, then by feeling repentance, he completely transformed his mind. Then he followed the holy Dharma—before he was following the side of the non-virtue, but now, by transforming the evil mind, then by discovering the mistakes through the Dharma mirror, he followed the side of the virtue.
So here it emphasizes, the person who listens to the Dharma: listening to the Dharma, without any relationship of one’s own mind to the Dharma, keeping the mind somewhere else and then listening to the Dharma, keeping one’s mind somewhere else separated from that, listening to the Dharma in that way, however much the guru is qualified, however sharp and pure the advice, if he does not listen to the teachings in relationship to his normal conduct and mind, keeping the mind separately, without any relation to the teachings, it does not benefit.
This point of listening is the most important point. It is like the door, this is the door, which locks completely, then however many years one has listened to the teachings of sutra and tantra, every teaching that one hears benefits one’s one mind. The beginning way of listening is vital, is like the key, like the door.
In regards the presentation of the lamrim, it is mainly concentrated to subdue, not kind of very neat, normal or fixed, not having repetition, not so much concentrated on that, mainly its concentration is to subdue the disciples’ minds. Whatever the subject, there are a lot of repetitions, of course the words should not necessarily be perfect, but the presentation is mainly concentrated to subdued the mind. So from the side of the listener, what one should consider when one is listening is not the form of the lecture but the meaning of the subject, and relate it to one’s own mind and conduct.
By listening like this, if one listens correctly, in the right way, then first also the very first realizations get generated in the very time of listening to the teachings.
The outline, that part of outline, how to explain the holy Dharma, has four basic outlines:
One is the benefits of explaining the Dharma, offering services, respecting the founder, the one who shows the holy Dharma, and the holy Dharma. How to explain the Dharma, the thought and the action and to whom the Dharma should be explained or not. Which kind of object Dharma should be explained to, and to which kind of object the Dharma should not be explained.
From the side of the person who explains the Dharma, who gives these teachings with the evil thought of the eight worldly dharma, the attachment seeking the happiness of this life, like, “By giving teaching, I will receive a lot of offerings,” or “If I teach a lot of meditation to many people, I will have many disciples, they will respect me,” thinking like that. Then, “I will be very wise, I will have much reputation.” Thinking with these kinds of expectations, with this kind of motivation from the side of the teacher, if he gives teachings there is more negative karma than benefit; his fortune gets degenerated.
The conclusion is that the action of teaching, teaching meditation, even though the result of that virtuous action is virtue, the teacher should not expect the result of that virtuous action. That should not be his main concentration. Great compassion should be his main concentration, explaining Dharma to the disciple with the hope to benefit the disciple’s mind; that should be the main concentration. With the right motivation, without seeking material possessions, without seeking the happiness of this life, “If I give a good talk, then everybody will like me, everybody will kind of respect me, they will praise me, they will follow me.” So, without that kind of negative motivation, with the right motivation, if one explains the Dharma, there are twenty benefits.
Then second one, offering service and respect to the founder and to the holy Dharma. Even Guru Shakyamuni himself, when he was giving the Prajnaparamita teachings, about the path gone beyond wisdom, with his own hand he made the seat higher to explain the Dharma—that is to respect the holy Dharma. By showing that much respect to the holy Dharma, one should explain the holy Dharma. One explains the holy Dharma by sitting on a higher place; the listeners are lower. The virtuous teacher who explains the teachings sits on a higher place to respect the holy Dharma.
During Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s time, when he was giving teachings, nothing was recorded. The disciples followed the teaching as it was been given by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha; it wasn’t written in the form of text. All the five hundred arhats and many others kept, instead of recording on paper, they recorded in their mind, so when Guru Shakyamuni Buddha passed away, other’s were in danger to lose the teachings. They wanted to record the teachings to benefit future sentient beings, so all these five hundred arhats, and all his disciples, were invited to collect together, and then Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciples such as Kungao, who was kind of a servant to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. Wherever guru Shakyamuni Buddha goes, Kungao, this arhat follows guru Shakyamuni Buddha.
So all those arhats piled up their robes, put part of their robes and let Kungao sit on top of that, and they sat down. Those 500 arhats sat lower and they listened to his teachings, what he has received from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, what he has in his mind, like this. So what Guru Shakyamuni Buddha did, this example, respecting the holy Dharma, which frees the listeners, which frees all the sentient beings from all the suffering, and then gradually leads to enlightenment.
By taking as an example what Guru Shakyamuni Buddha did himself, even nowadays, when the Tibetan lamas—same thing in any Buddhist country—when the monks give teachings, it has been taken as the traditional practice to respect the holy Dharma. The reason why it is done like this here, not in the same way as the university or schools, why it can’t be simple, the reason why it is done like this is mainly, the purpose why I am sitting here like this on the throne, the point is also not to degenerate those examples that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha has left, to respect the holy Dharma.
How to explain the holy Dharma with thought and action: the important advice is not having miserliness, the lama giving teachings making himself so important, showing himself important, talking about the qualities of himself, “I did this and I did that,” again and again always talking, “I did this and I did that.” “I have received this realization and I did this and that.” “I had this experience and that experience,” you see, with the wrong motive, just to show oneself important; also teaching with attachment and with anger, attachment to one’s own side or telling a lot of mistakes about other people, with angry mind; and having attachment to one’s own tradition, one’s own sect, or one’s own religion.
So in brief, generally, it is not a mistake—if it is Buddhadharma, or any religion’s teachings, which clearly finds with reasons and logic the right motive to benefit other sentient beings, to purify or to remove the other sentient beings’ ignorance, doing wrong practice, following wrong path, with the right motive, good motive, having the wisdom eye, with the wisdom understanding what is the practice and what is the avoidance, what is right and wrong—this has nothing wrong with it. Like saying ice is cold and fire is hot—just talking about the nature of it. Same like this, any teaching that can be shown to be mistaken with logic, and with the right motive, to release sentient beings from ignorance, there is nothing wrong, this is not discriminating with wrong motive.
Then, how to explain the Dharma with actions: what I do before sitting, three prostrations, visualizing the lineage merit field; the lineage lamas of the lamrim teachings gradually absorb into the root guru and then, as one sits on the throne, this guru absorbs into one’s own heart and mind, and it becomes oneness with the root guru.
When one is giving the teachings, the psychology is, “I am going to give teachings, become the root guru, in order to benefit more disciples and prevent hindrances.” As one sits down, one snaps the fingers—which shows a short time to remind one of impermanence and death, by remembering this teaching of Guru Shakyamuni, that all samsaric existence is like a shimmering star, a flame, lightening, illusory, like a dream or cloud. These examples show impermanence and shunyata. There is no sound of snapping fingers that exists from its own side, without depending on the conditions of putting together the fingers. Even atoms don’t exist—this sound came into existence by depending on putting together the fingers, and the sound of the snapping finger happened, came into existence by merely being labeled on that. So like this example, this sound, then oneself listens, the whole thing, the whole existence like a dream, like illusion, the whole thing exists by being merely labeled on the base, just like the sound of the snapping fingers. In order to remember shunyata, one snaps the finger like this, remembering impermanence and death; the main thing is impermanence and death, how the nature of all whole causative things is empty, how they are dependent, how they are of an impermanent nature.
The purpose of making three prostrations to the lineage lamas, visualizing the lineage lamas, all these things is to stop rising pride, and also to not arise anger or attachment clinging to the happiness of this life—to have perfect motive, good motive, these practices are done. Also when the lama gives the teaching, also giving the teachings with smiling face, which I have to practice since August! There are many lamas who are great yogis, and some lamas when they teach, they give teachings with sticks. Some lamas are so strict when they give teachings, all the disciplines, if the person doesn’t sit in correct position, doesn’t sit in respectful subdued position, with respect to the Buddhadharma or not listening to the teachings, doing something else, the lama scolds or kicks him out of the teachings. There are different lamas who treat them in different ways, who give teachings in a different way.
The way the teachings are given is not mixed up, all the outlines, up and down, mixed up the whole subject. In talking not like the nest of the birds—I don’t know how to call that, those big black birds—I don’t think they are in the West, in Tibet they used to have a lot of these big birds, bigger than the crow, it has also a different name, much bigger, much louder than the other one, the crow. Anyway, not like this bird’s nest, kind of all mixed up; and then not like the old man eating food.
If the whole subject is mixed up then what happens is that the other person has nothing in his mind to meditate on, to generate the realization gradually. If the way the teaching is given is like an old man eating food, old man who does not have good teeth, then you see when he eats food, he eats the soft, which he is able to bite, he eats, then which he finds hard, he leaves it—one should never doubt the hard points, which one can’t understand. Leave that which one can’t explain well, and the easy ones, simple ones, he explains.
One should not give teachings like a blind man, not like a blind man depending on the stick. This means you yourself not having full understanding of the subject, the meaning of the teachings, the subtle points of the important teachings. If the teachings are given in this way, the disciple cannot understand the important points, doesn’t get a clear understanding of the subject.
I finish this outline—then peepee break.
Reciting mantra at the beginning: normally, there is a longer prayer to say, the Heart of Wisdom from the sutra teachings, and the mantra is the essence. As we can’t say this long prayer together, the essence is the mantra. The purpose of reciting the mantra is to prevent the hindrances caused by maras to do the action of listening and explaining the Dharma, the maras or the spirits who dislike to spread the holy Dharma—to prevent the hindrances caused by them, like that.
So those are the practices, Jorcho, the preparation practices that are done before the discourse, which are divided into accumulating merit and purifying, making request to the lineage lamas to grant the realizations. The realizations of what they have achieved, to generate within one’s own mind, oneself and all the surrounding sentient beings; to generate the realizations within the minds of all the surrounding sentient beings. Doing this, giving the teachings and beginning with these preparatory practices, all the following teachings, which one is going to listen to, benefit one’s own mind, it prevents all the hindrances to generating quickly the realizations to the path.
The main purpose, the path that is shown in the teachings, the steps of the path are explained to generate quickly the realization of that; even trying to generate the realization of the steps of the path to enlightenment during the session of listening, to start at the very beginning, during the session of listening to the teachings, to start the very first realization, to try this. For that reason, it is emphasized it is important to do these preliminary practices, these preparation practices, so that one’s mind should not wander. Doing these practices the mind should not wander, doing the different practices, exactly, as perfectly as possible. Then after that, putting the text on the head and praying to benefit the teachings, praying to benefit, the text, from which the teaching is explained, to benefit the minds of the disciples and the sentient beings.
Then the lama, as normally it says “Due to having accumulated merit, such as charity and so on.” In place of that, “Due to the merit of explaining Dharma,” from the side of the lama, Cho she gye pe. And from the side of the disciples, one should replace with the words, “Due to the merits of listening to the holy Dharma, Chon yen gye pe. Due to the merits of listening to the Dharma, may I receive enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.”
Then after that is the short prayer, the short mandala offering. The previous mandala offering was to the merit field, the second, short one is offering mandala to the guru who gives the teachings. Then after that, there is one short prayer that I say with this mudra, before the teaching. It takes time if I explain the verses, the prayer that I say, a teaching that was explained by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, a sutra teaching. However, the purpose is giving permission to the worldly gods, who can’t sit down, they can’t sit on the dirty ground, to give them permission to sit in the space, they can listen to the teachings by sitting in the space above the ground, giving permission to them. So the visualization is all the sentient beings around, all the sentient beings, not only the people around here, then all the worldly gods, they come from their own planets sitting in the space, then telling how the teaching is medicine to pacify the disease of delusion, all these things, that they should listen to the teachings with devotional mind, and with respectful form, respectful way of sitting.
Generally, there are twenty-six disciplines about sitting during the teachings, while one listens to the teachings, in the sutra teachings. The teachings can’t be given to somebody who sits like this, somebody who sits like this, somebody who sits like this. The main purpose is to respect the holy Dharma, the path that leads one to enlightenment, free from all the suffering of samsara, and to respect the one who reveals the teachings. Also, what happens, if those disciples are disrespectfully listening to the teachings, that itself becomes a hindrance. The reason for the disciplines is not that somebody made it become negative karma, one person, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha or somebody made it, kind of painted that as negative karma, it is not like this. Some of those certain disrespectful positions, those things themselves become hindrances, karma, even though the person doesn’t have understanding. How to sit, all these things, this particular way, what is disrespectful, even if he has no understanding at all, but it is karma that is created with ignorance, itself it becomes hindrance, itself becomes karma. It becomes hindrance for the teachings to be effective, to affect one’s mind and to generate the realizations of the path. So therefore, in the teachings, details like that are explained. If the person himself is sick, then it is an exception that he can’t keep, there is much pain, he is sick, then there’s exception. Kind of, by completely lying down, listening like in the universities or schools—the university is not to receive enlightenment, it is mainly to just understand the subject and to get a degree, the aim is just to get the degree, so you can find a job.
However, the whole purpose is kind of, every single action that is done normally in the teachings and done in universities and schools, is completely different. The purpose, the motivation, the aim, everything is completely different.
However, without talking much, if oneself doesn’t have pain then in that manner of subdued position, with subdued mind, subdued respectful position one should listen to the teachings. Keeping the body straight like that, keeping the legs crossed as one can, then however respectful manner, not keeping the hands in the back, putting the hands in the back side, or the arms, or laying down, kind of like that or the hands, the hands crossing, embracing the legs, things like that. I’m not telling anybody, I’m just saying, general visualization, but it is good to understand these things because, if it is not explained, every time whenever we listen to the teachings from different lamas, here it doesn’t matter, other lamas, other places, later on if it is not explained at all, these disciplines, all the time, doing the same disrespectful manners, which disturbs to oneself, becomes disrespectful action, negative karma with the relationship to the teachings and the virtuous friend, the guru. If you understand, then when we listen to the teachings from other lamas, that time we know, that time we can be mindful to create the perfect condition in order to generate quickly the realizations of the steps to the path to enlightenment.
I think peepee break.
What I mentioned before, about with what kind of action to explain Dharma, so you know, while the lama is saying to the worldly gods, the asuras and suras, persuading the mind to listen to the teachings, there is nothing more interesting that Buddhadharma, saying how this is the best medicine to recover the disease of the delusion; while the lama is saying like this, listening to the teachings respectfully, doing the mudra like this. This mudra is called the mudra of expounding Dharma.
Mudra of expounding Dharma; this has great significance—these three fingers signify the three graduated paths, the graduated path of the lower capable beings, the graduated path of the middle capable beings, the graduated path of the higher capable beings, the whole steps to the path to enlightenment. From beginning, from guru devotion up to enlightenment, all are divided in three: the gradual paths of the lower capable being, middle capable being and higher capable being. These three fingers standing up signify that, so this means leading the disciples who are listening to the teachings, leading the gradual path of the lower capable being, then leading the middle capable being, then leading the disciple in the gradual path of the higher capable being, the Mahayana path. Then, by having actualized the whole three paths, then leading to enlightenment, the enlightenment which is the unified state of the rupakaya and dharmakaya—the two fingers joined, the thumb, then leading to enlightenment, which is called the Vajradhara stage; the Vajradhara state, which is the unification of the holy mind and the holy body. In other words it is saying, the unified enlightenment, the unified stage of dharmakaya and rupakaya; dharmakaya, the holy mind and rupakaya, the holy body. So, that mudra signifies how the disciples are guided or how the virtuous teacher is going to guide the disciples by showing, by revealing the teachings on the steps on the graduated path to enlightenment.
Then, the object to whom the Dharma can be explained and to whom the Dharma cannot be explained: without having made request to explain the teachings, the teaching cannot be given, but sometimes if it is the right time, certain beings, without need to request from their own side the teachings can be given, when it is the right time. Generally, without request from the side of the disciple, the teachings cannot be given. Even if the request is done, then checking, by checking the motive, checking the mind of the disciple whether it is receptive. When one finds that it is receptive, then giving the teachings. Also there are ways of doing this. The right way, not accepting to give even if the request is done, not showing pride, “I’m the most expert in this.” Even the request is done, saying, “I haven’t done well, how I can teach?” You know, in front of higher learned, intelligent beings, “How can I teach that,” not showing pride. I don’t know how to say in English, the term for that. Even if one knows that subject very well, even if one is very learned, but not showing pride at the beginning, saying that, “I have not much understanding of that.” Even if one knows the subject very well, even if one is very learned, but not showing pride at the beginning, saying that “I have not much understanding, I haven’t studied well,” it becomes humility. Anyway, to one who is standing, is sleeping in the sleeping bag, or one who is sitting higher than the teacher who explains Dharma, those kinds of things, which become hindrance for him to generate the realization—those are the objects to whom not to explain Dharma.
The third outline, what to do in the end, together what to do. The third outline. One of the above outlines, what to do at the end together, is making dedication together of the merits that have been accumulated by listening and merits that have been accumulated by explaining. Then dedicating, making dedication in order to develop, to exist a long time the teaching, the teaching to exist long time and to develop; then dedicating the merits in order to receive enlightenment for the benefit of the sentient beings, like that. So, just briefly like this, on the basis of following the outlines.
I might mention here the purpose of dedicating merits at the end of the session, why it is so important to dedicate after each session; whenever we accumulate good karma, why it is so important to dedicate merits. If we don’t dedicate merits to receive enlightenment, if we don’t dedicate merits, the cause to achieve enlightenment, then, even for 1,000 eons, the merit that has been accumulated by making offering to the Buddha, by making charity; accumulating much merit by creating good karma, by making charity, making much offering to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, arhats, continuously having accumulated merit for 1,000 eons. Even if one has dedicated merits for that much length of eons, if those merits are not dedicated, by rising anger in one second, in one minute, by rising anger in one second, it completely destroys all those merits, like the rice that is completely burned, which can’t grow, which has no potential to grow the stem, completely burned.
Even if one has accumulated 1,000 eons of merit, incredible merits like this, as they are not dedicated, so by rising anger in one second, it completely destroys all those merits; makes no power to enjoy, to receive the result: temporal happiness and perfection while one is in samsara, then the result of generating realizations, receiving nirvana, receiving enlightenment from those merits. Those merits do not have the power to bring all these results, like the completely burned rice. If it is dedicated, any merits which are dedicated for the cause to achieve enlightenment, for the sake of all sentient beings, those merits don’t get destroyed completely like the burned rice, even while the anger has risen. The worst enemy, which destroys the cause of our happiness, temporal happiness, the ultimate happiness, nirvana and enlightenment, is anger and heresy, the wrong view; anger and wrong view. Wrong view in karma and the Triple Gem, like that. So, those two are the worst, most harmful enemies, the most harmful enemy to the perfection, happiness of this life and all the future lives, and enlightenment. Any merits that are dedicated to achieve enlightenment, don’t get completely destroyed like burned rice.
You see, one drop of water that you put in the Atlantic, the big ocean, that drop of water; when you recite one mantra, TADYATHA OM MUNÉ MUNÉ MAHAMUNAYÉ SOHA, make one flower offering in front of Buddha, or make one small grain of rice charity to the ant, with virtuous motivation, this merit that is dedicated, which is easily accumulated and dedicated as the cause to achieve enlightenment for the sake of other sentient beings; it is like putting one drop of water in the Atlantic ocean. When we dedicate the small merit, it is easily accumulated, like this. You see, until the Atlantic, the whole water, until the whole Pacific completely gets dried, the one drop doesn’t get dried, because the one drop that you put gets mixed, it is there, it is mixed with the Pacific ocean. So, until the whole ocean completely gets dried, the one drop that you put in the ocean doesn’t get dried. So, until one achieves enlightenment, the merits continuously increase, they exist as they have been dedicated for the cause to achieve enlightenment, the merits all the time exist and increase all the time. One continuously enjoys the result which comes from that merit.
Dedicating the merits is of the utmost need, the cause to achieve enlightenment, which makes one achieve enlightenment, which brings one to the state of omniscient mind. Concerning this present life, or the life while one is in samsara, and concerning the ultimate goal, dedicating the merits is extremely important. If you don’t dedicate the merits right away, after having accumulated the merits, after each session, whenever we have accumulated great or small, any good karma that we have accumulated, if we don’t dedicate the merits right away, after that, the heresy, the wrong view or the anger easily rises—we don’t know when it will arise, it doesn’t have to have great preparation to get angry. Small conditions, such insignificant small conditions, can easily make to rise anger, with small, ugly, good word, small and ugly good word, beautiful and ugly word, with one word the anger easily comes. So therefore, it is extremely important all the time to dedicate the merits right away, and also to be careful, as much as possible not to let rise anger and the wrong view.
I think I stop here.
Before explaining the graduated path of the middle capable being, I’m planning to do the brief explanation of the graduated path of the lower capable being, just a brief explanation, just quickly going through those stages in meditation, then hopefully, to briefly expound the graduated path of the middle capable being as a preparation for the graduated path of the higher capable being, those two bodhicittas.
The fourth outline is how to lead the disciple by showing the actual body of the advice, the teaching of the steps of the path to enlightenment. That has two divisions, how to follow the guru, which is the root of the path, and by following the guru, how to train the mind in the steps of the path to enlightenment.
I will talk just a little on the first division, how to follow the guru, which is the root of the path. The trunk of a tree, its branches, its leaves and fruit depend on its root; the whole tree comes from its root. For instance, the fruit, branches and leaves of an apple tree depend on its root. Like that, the whole experience of realizations from the beginning of the lamrim path—the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, its usefulness, and the difficulty of finding it—up to the unified state of no more learning, or enlightenment, completely depend on the root, the practice of following the guru.
The way of following the guru has two divisions: how to follow the guru with thought and how to follow the guru with action. All the meditations on the guru are expanded from these two, how to follow the guru with thought, then afterwards, how to follow the guru with action. The main meditation subject is contained in the outline, how to follow the guru with thought.
Perfectly following the guru with thought and with action is the root of the whole path, starting from the first meditation, eight freedoms and ten richnesses, up to enlightenment, the unified state of no more learning. Whether or not the whole tree will grow quickly completely depends on whether or not it has a firm root. The whole development of the tree, including its fruit, depends on how well the root is taken care of. Like that, how quickly we will generate all the realizations of the steps of the path to enlightenment, from the eight freedoms and ten richnesses up to enlightenment, depends on the very root practice, how perfectly we follow the guru, the very root of the whole path. In short, the conclusion is that if we perfectly practice following the guru, the root of the path, all the rest of the realizations of the steps of the path to enlightenment, from the eight freedoms and ten richnesses up to the unified state of no more learning, will come quickly and easily, one after another, like falling raindrops.
It the root is not perfect and well taken care of, the rest of the tree will not be so good; the fruit will be slow to grow and even when it comes, will not be very good. Even if we meditate, whether we will easily be able to generate realizations of the steps of the path depends on the very root of the path, perfectly following the guru. Therefore, the practice of guru devotion is called the root of the path. It is because all the realizations come after having followed the guru that the second outline is ‘after having followed the guru, how to train the mind in the steps of the path to enlightenment.’ The is why the outline is set up in this way. That is just to clarify a little that point about the outline.
I thought before that a little explanation on the practice of guru devotion might come in relation to refuge, but for those who want to understand the meditations on how to follow the guru, there is one lamrim text here, The Essence of Nectar, which was translated recently. I started to translate it with one of the Kopan monks who does translations, because so far there aren’t any lamrim texts in English, apart from the short ones translated at the Library, such as Lama Tsongkhapa’s Hymns of the Experience of the Steps of the Path to Enlightenment. This short lamrim is very effective for the mind; it has all the essence, with nothing missing. There are other short texts, but they don’t have the way of doing the basic analytical meditations. This lamrim text, The Essence of Nectar, does have the basic meditations. It gives quite detailed explanation of how to do the meditations on the guru, on the eight freedoms and ten richnesses, and so forth. Also, the way the meditations are explained is very effective, in regard to not only the practice of guru devotion, but all the rest of the meditations on the graduated paths of the lower, middle, and higher capable being. The very essence of the path of Secret Mantra is explained with just the titles. It doesn’t have the many stories and the elaborate commentaries of an extensive lamrim text. The meditations go straight from one point to the next. Since so far there hasn’t been a simple lamrim text that gives the whole idea of the basic meditations, I thought it would be very useful. People who practice lamrim could use it like a pocket dictionary. Usually you travel with a small dictionary and have a very big dictionary at your house. Whenever you want to meditate on any point, whether it is guru devotion, impermanence, bodhicitta or emptiness, if you don’t know how to do the meditation, you just open the book and read over that part. The most important thing is to get the feeling. An elaborate lamrim text, which has long commentaries, is not as simple to use as this condensed lamrim The Essence of Nectar.
The Essence of Nectar was written by the root guru of Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo, who is the root guru of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s tutors and author of the elaborate lamrim teaching. Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo’s root guru started the text, but wasn’t able to complete it. [Later, to repay his guru, another compiled the rest of the meditations by the same author.]
For those who want to know the parts of that meditation, I heard that in the library there are several copies of this book, translated by one geshe from Sera College, who has been living in America. Before I saw this book in Dharamsala, we had already started translating it. Translating it doesn’t have great but only middling benefit; even if it has only middling benefit, I thought to just continue translating it.
‘How to follow the virtuous friend, the root of the path,’ has two divisions, what to do in the sessions and what to do in the break times. See how many chocolates and biscuits you can eat! I’m joking. It is extremely important to know what to do in the actual session time and the break time. Why? Because the whole life is divided into these two. This is talking on the basis of somebody who meditates on lamrim every day.
The twenty-four hours of one day are divided between session times and break times. If we are able to make our life meaningful not only in the session time but also in the break time, the whole twenty-four hours become highly meaningful. In this way, the whole year and the whole life become highly meaningful.
How to do the actual session has three outlines: the practice of preparation, how to do the actual body of the meditation, and what to do at the end. You see, it explains, it gives the whole idea, if one wishes to perfectly meditate on the steps of the path to enlightenment. If one wishes the meditation practices on the steps of the path to enlightenment to be successful, then, how to be done perfectly. So, advices as it is contained, as it is shown in the outline, the practice of preparation, how to do the actual body, what to do at the end.
The practice of preparation is what we do in the morning before the discourse. What we do in the morning before the discourse is the short way of doing the practice of preparation. For instance, when one, at the very beginning when one buys, if one is going to make a cake, then, when one buys the flour, the eggs and those things, butter, those things, if one buys bad quality from the shop, very old flour, which has got [insects], or the rotten egg, if you make mistake from the very beginning when you buy, even if you make food at the house, even if you make cake for the party in the evening, the cake doesn’t have a good taste. It is disgusting taste and bad smell! Then it makes, besides oneself then everybody who comes to the party, it makes to have renunciation to the cake, very strong renunciation, which makes them even to vomit. So, from the very beginning, when you do the preparation, from the very beginning it is important to not make mistake, to buy the good ones. Similarly, if you buy the good things when you make cake, then you who make the cake are also extremely happy, delicious, then also other people enjoy.
So anyway, during the actual time of the meditation, how much experience comes, whether one is able to generate the experience of the meditation or not, the realization of the meditations, the whole thing is dependent on the cause. Whether one is able to generate the realization of the meditation or not in the actual time of the meditation, the whole thing depends on, the cause, the practice of the preparation is done at the beginning.
Therefore, at the beginning, before the actual body of the meditation, the beginning practice is extremely important to do very neatly, to do perfectly. There are six practices of preparation. The first one is, after having cleaned the place, the meditation room, then arranging well the holy objects, the holy body, holy speech and holy mind, arranging well. The cleaning can be done every day, but arranging the altar doesn’t have to be done every day, because every day you don’t have to move it to another place and bring back. As you have these holy objects then, as it is explained in the teaching how to set up these things, arrange well the holy objects of the holy body, holy speech and holy mind: holy body, the statues; the holy speech, the texts; the holy mind, the stupas. If one has them arranged well, as it is explained in the teaching how to set up, the different aspects of the Buddha, the statues, once it is set up, then every day, if there’s dust then clean the dust on the altar, things like that, but one does not have to move it, doesn’t have to shake the statues.
The second: without being crooked, beautifully arranged offerings. There are two crooked, the main crooked is the crooked mind, then outside crooked is in the offering, the water bowls, like that, not beautifully arranged. The offering the water bowls should be well decorated, either it is straight or, according to the place, it is round, whatever it is, according to the place there is; without crooked, beautifully performed offerings.
Then third: on the comfortable seat, sitting oneself in the seven positions of the Buddha Vairochana, and then doing the practice of taking refuge and generating bodhicitta with a special virtuous thought. That is the third one.
The fourth one is visualizing the merit field.
The fifth one: after that doing the practice, practicing the method, accumulating merit and purifying. The method, which contains all the importance of purifying and accumulating merit, is the seven limb practice and the mandala offering. This, the practice of the seven limbs and the mandala is the principal method of accumulating merit and making purification.
Then the sixth practice, making request to the lineage lamas of the lamrim teaching, who have completed the steps of the path to enlightenment in their mind; making request to them. Mixed with one’s own mind, making the request from the depth of one’s own heart in order to quickly generate the realizations of the steps of the path to enlightenment.
These are just the titles of the six preparation practices, without the explanation.
The actual body of the meditation, here on guru devotion, is done mostly with analytical meditation, followed by fixed meditation. At the end, when you have finished each meditation, you recite Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s mantra then make the dedications. That is what is done at the end of each session.
The second outline is what do in the break time. It is extremely important not to waste the break time, but to also make your precious human body, which is qualified by eight freedoms and ten richnesses, highly meaningful in the break time. In the break time you try to remember whatever meditation you have done during the session; try to relate whatever you do in the break time to that meditation. In that way the three poisonous minds of anger, attachment and ignorance will also not arise as often in the break time. In that way you also protect karma.
If the meditation is on guru devotion, read the biographies of Naropa, Tilopa, Marpa, Milarepa, Lama Atisha, or other great yogis. Read about how they followed the guru and generated realizations in their minds. In the break times it is very useful to read such texts or other teachings that explain details of the meditations on guru devotion. After the break, when you do the meditation session you will have deeper experiences, because your mind will not have been distracted from strong practice of guru devotion. Your understanding will be clearer and your feeling for how the guru is in essence Buddha will be deeper. The break time then helps the session time, and also the session time helps the break time. Your meditation on guru devotion in the session will help you to generate greater devotion when you read those biographies and other scriptures about guru devotion in the break times. The break time helps the session; the session helps the break time, so that you quickly generate the realization of that meditation.
Similarly, if you are training your mind in bodhicitta in the session time, in the break time you should also read different books that talk about the benefits of bodhicitta and about how to meditate on it. You should read texts that talk about the particular meditation you are doing in the sessions. Even if the realization of the meditation is not generated during the session, you can generate it in the break time. Many of the Kadampa geshes generated realizations in the break times.
In the break times, after having done the session, you shouldn’t come out and talk or read about things that have nothing to do the subject you meditated on in the session or that are the complete opposite of what you meditated on. You shouldn’t read books with all kinds of conceptions written by all kinds of people. You shouldn’t read about astrology, fairy tales or fictional stories of couples grooving around in the East or in the West. You shouldn’t read things that cause you to develop anger, attachment or other delusions. If you watch television after the session, as with the books, you will see things that cause anger, attachment and pride to arise. Reading all kinds of books that are not teachings of the steps of the path to enlightenment only becomes the cause to lose wisdom. Reading such books or watching television causes disturbing unsubdued minds to arise so strongly that in the second session, when you do the meditation again, you don’t remember much about the meditation but you remember more about what you read in the book. You become completely involved in that. Even if the meditation is two hours long, you spend most of your time thinking about that.
What happens is that it is very difficult even to start the meditation in the second session. Starting the session can take hours because your mind is so busy with the strong impressions left by watching television or reading those kinds of books. Even though you are sitting on your meditation cushion and it is supposed to be the session, in your mind the session did not actually start. Perhaps you meditate for five minutes, then the meditation session is over. In the second session your mind becomes so disturbed that you can’t concentrate. Your mind is like a cyclone, which takes papers, dust and other things up into space. Your mind becomes very uncontrolled.
Therefore, meditators try to be very careful even during the break times. During the break times, they close the doors of their senses. They have the right quantity of food, do the yoga practice without sleeping, then the sleep time. The complete practice during the session time involves these three things.
Closing the door of the senses means that during the break times, one guards one’s mind when one experiences the objects of the six senses—beautiful, ugly or indifferent, these three objects. By seeing the beautiful object, attachment arises; by seeing the ugly object, anger arises, by seeing the indifferent object, ignorance arises. However, when one meets these objects, when one’s senses meet these objects, with remembrance and awareness, by constantly watching the mind, try not to let the disturbing unsubdued mind arise. For instance, when it is in the danger to arise attachment or to arise anger by meeting the object, with the remembrance and awareness; if the disturbing unsubdued mind is about to arise, one should try to remember the meditations of the lamrim, remembering impermanence and death, or karma, or the perfect human rebirth’s usefulness with the eight freedoms, or the difficulty of obtaining it, or the shortcomings of samsaric suffering, that nothing is definite, not having any satisfaction from samsaric pleasures, how much one is seeking or has received bodhicitta, shunyata or voidness, like that. Whatever is more effective for the mind, either to think in the meditation of shunyata, or bodhicitta, or usefulness, or impermanence and death; whichever is more powerful, more effective for the mind, then remember that, renunciation, then try to not to let the disturbing unsubdued mind arise. While the delusions are arising, remember the meditations, the remedy, then try to stop the continuity of the continuously arising unsubdued mind.
Or not seeing the objects of the disturbing subdued mind, which cause to arise the delusion, not looking at those objects which cause the disturbing mind to arise, not seeing those pictures, those books, which cause it to arise. For instance, the most important thing, the best method during the break time to not let the mind enter the control of the disturbing unsubdued mind is to remember the practice of the bodhicitta, things like that, during the break time; and in whatever action of body and speech, always watching the mind by remembrance and awareness. Like the house; there’s one door in which the thief comes and goes. If one closes that door of the house, then the thief cannot come in. Like that, the door of the delusion, by watching the door of the mind, all the time closing the door of the mind, not letting the thief come in, the disturbing unsubdued mind arise. So the conclusion, for very beginners, it’s more beneficial not to see the objects of the disturbing unsubdued mind, for those who can’t control the delusion while it is arising.
Then having the right quantity of food, as it is explained in the Vinaya teachings; if one eats too much, the body becomes very heavy. Then one can’t meditate well; one easily falls asleep, the body becomes very heavy, one becomes tired, the meditations are not clear. The inner stomach is explained like this: one quarter like this, has this much space. You fill up all this other space, then this much space leave empty in the stomach. Eat enough food not to feel hungry until tomorrow mealtime.
Then, practicing the yoga; what that means, the times which are not the sleeping times, like the day time, of course the dawn times, the evening times, the late evening times, even after sunset, then at the dawn times doing yoga practice, practicing Dharma.
Then at sleeping time, like in the middle of the night, at that time without even sleeping, without becoming non-virtue, by transforming the sleep into virtue, what to do at the sleeping time, doing the yoga practice of sleeping. When one lies down, what is called the position of the lion in sleeping, the same position that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha did when he was passing away: keeping the right side on the bed, the right side perfect, then keeping the right hand under the right cheek, both of the legs straight, then stretching the left arm along the leg. If there is an altar, the legs should not be stretched towards the altar. First the head should be at the altar. Usually in the house, in one’s own room, it’s better not to have altars completely all around. That way it’s difficult to stretch the legs. It prompts disrespect, committing evil karma. Wherever one stretches legs, don’t put an altar on that side. Then, in order to not have thick sleep, to have thin, light sleep, in order to get up easily in the morning, Lama Tsongkhapa explained in the teaching, when you go to bed, visualize light. With a vision of light, then go to bed, with a kind of white vision, then go to bed, that helps to have a lighter sleep.
Before going to bed, remember Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, before he passed away, took this position in order to show impermanence and death to the sentient beings. “Also, myself should take the attitude to work for the sentient beings like Guru Shakyamuni did, in that position, by taking that same position, then I’m going to do the yoga practice of sleeping.” Then, you lay down in that position. What one can do, before going to bed, by visualizing Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, if one can make three prostrations to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, which is the practice of refuge, if one can do that, it is excellent. One who has taken refuge ordination before, this is one of the practices. In the morning when one gets up, making three prostrations, and before one goes to bed in the night time making three prostrations.
However, after one has lain down, visualize Guru Shakyamuni Buddha at the pillow; one’s head is in front of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, you have completely offered yourself, completely relied on Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. That way, you see, if one falls asleep with the thought of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, thinking that you have offered completely, that you are in the hands of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, that way also in night time one doesn’t get bad dreams, the fearful dreams, which make one scream in the middle of the night, which makes to wake up everybody [laughter]. Anyway, fearful dreams or spirit harms; if one is able to fall asleep with the thought of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha like that, completely offered, completely in the hands of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, then one doesn’t get offended by the spirits in the night time. Many of the diseases start in the night time, in the dawn time it starts, fever, many of the coughing or other diseases. So, one doesn’t get offended by spirits, things like that. If one falls asleep with the thought of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, all that sleep, how long, how many hours one sleeps, even if one sleeps one hundred hours, all the sleep becomes... you know, the diseases starts in the night time, starts, kind of fever, coughing, so many diseases, so one doesn’t get offended by spirits.
If one falls asleep with the thought of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, all that sleep, how long one sleeps, hundreds of hours, all the sleep becomes virtue, even if one sleeps for one month. However, if one is able to, if one falls asleep with the thought of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, all that sleep becomes virtue. If one can do, after having visualized Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, one can visualize very strong beams, very strong beams coming from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s heart, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s great compassion, emits, sends very strong white beams, which enter into one’s own body and mind, completely enter one’s own body and mind, completely purify all the delusions and negative karma, they completely disappear.
The practice like this becomes purification. Visualize all the disturbing and unsubdued minds, and the negative karma, in the form of darkness, and Guru Shakyamuni Buddha emitting the strong white beams from his great compassion. Then immediately purified; as the beams emitted, entered into one’s body and mind, immediately, all the disturbing and unsubdued minds, and the complete karma that has been accumulated from beginningless past lives, are completely, in one second, completely disappeared. Then, relax with this white beam, the body being full of the white beam, while it is coming from Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s heart, then like that one can try to fall asleep. You don’t have to visualize light, visualize separately in a vision of light.
I think I’ll stop here.
Dedication prayer.
... the colored beams, the white purifying beams, then receiving realization, that time yellow beam. Whichever one finds more comfortable or easier, just to visualize the five different colors, five different color beams purifying, concentrating more on the white, and the second time, the second repetition, concentrate more strongly on the yellow beam. Five different color beams emitting from the five points of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and absorbing into one’s own five points.
Recitation: Sangye la kyab su chi o…
...of Buddha, the holy body, holy speech and holy mind, the omniscient mind, the infinite compassion, the 18 particular qualities of Buddha are being generated with my mind and the minds of all the sentient beings.
Cho la kyab su chi o…
...with the beams, it purifies the general obscuration and negative karmas, particularly negative karma that has been accumulated with the relationship of the holy object, the Dharma; and also all the mother sentient beings’ obscuration and negative karma; particular negative karmas are also purified, such as avoiding Dharma, all those things.
Cho la kyab su chi o…
Then the five paths and ten Bhumis, those that are the true path to the cessation of suffering, all these are being generated within my mind and the minds of all sentient beings... also the graduated path of Tantra.
Ge dun la kyab su chi o…
All the general obscuration and negative karma, all the negative karmas that have been accumulated with relationship to Sangha, criticizing, disrespecting, having broken the precepts of refuge; and also all sentient beings’ particular negative karma, are completely purified
Ge dun la kyab su chi o…
The Aryan beings, the higher beings, all the transcendental beings’ understanding of Dharma, understanding realizations that they have, what arhats have, what bodhisattvas have, all those are generated, all those realizations and qualities that the Sangha has, are generated within my mind and the minds of all the sentient beings.
Lama yi dam kon chog sum la kyab su chi o…
Think here, all the general obscuration and negative karma, particularly negative karmas that have been accumulated with the holy objects, guru and the Triple Gem, were completely purified. Same thing sending happiness to all the sentient beings…
Lama yi dam kon chog sum la kyab su chi o…
The infinite qualities of the holy Triple Gem, the deities, which are different aspects of Buddha, the tantra aspect of buddhas, which are called deities. The whole thing, the Triple Gem, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, is generated within one’s own mind and in the minds of all the sentient beings.
This last one, lama yi dam kon chog sum la kyab su chi o… before the purification, the refuge practice is done, individually, separately, but at this time, the refuge practice is done all together. According to the elaborate vision of the merit field of lamrim meditation, one visualizes the different tantric aspects of Buddha, the bodhisattvas, arhats, the dakas and dakinis, in different levels. So again, with little more detail, doing practice together, practice of refuge, then here according to a single visualization, the visualization, which is called the ‘all encompassment,’ according to the jewel tradition. The visualization, the aspect, the whole merit field; all the different aspects, visualizing all the different lineage lamas, the different tantric aspects of buddhas, the sutra aspect of the Buddha, then the bodhisattvas or arhats, dakas, dakinis and protectors, the different transformations of buddhas—all are visualized in one aspect.
Sang gye cho dang…
All the sentient beings in this world, whatever life, happy or sad, whatever they experience—all these things, came from where? All these beautiful and ugly places, the places of the sentient beings, all the different types of the world, the ugly and beautiful, the bad and good, the happy life and unhappy, of all the sentient beings who are living on this earth, the whole thing was not created by some other creator, by some other doing, one created the whole thing, some other being. All these are created by mind, all this came from the mind. How it came from mind—all the happy life, suffering life, all this, the beautiful places of the sentient beings and the ugly places of the sentient beings, all these are the result; all the suffering life and the ugly places of the sentient beings, all came from non-virtue; all the happy life and the beautiful places of the sentient beings, all the good part came from virtue, came from the cause, the virtuous karma. The other one, all the suffering came from non-virtue, the karma.
First of all, the karma itself; karma causes impermanent phenomena. From the divisions of phenomena, permanent and impermanent existence, it is impermanent phenomena, then…
...the divisions are matter, knowing phenomena and compounded phenomena, which is neither. Karma is knowing phenomena, the karma is thought, and that itself came from mind, came from mind or consciousness.
So first of all, all these different results, the bad, beautiful and ugly, beautiful and ugly, the happy life and the suffering life of the sentient beings in the six realms, came from karma. The whole thing came from karma, is the result of virtue and non-virtuous karma. That is how the whole thing, the bad and good places, the bad and the good life, how they came from the mind. First of all they came from karma, which is thought, and that came from mind, that is how it is created by the mind. Karma itself, even the karma of the thought came from the consciousness, from consciousness or mind.
So all the happy and suffering life, whatever we experience in this life each day, even in one day we get different experiences; there is peace in the morning but after the sun has risen there is no peace and we have a miserable life. In one day, having different experiences of life, bad and good, happy and unhappy; the whole thing, all these bad and good situations of life came from, were created by the previous life karma, the virtue and non-virtue; so created by the previous life’s mind. So all the past is finished, whatever it was. From now on, all the endless suffering of samsara and all the happiness, all the future lives’ happiness, up to enlightenment; starting with the future of this life, before death, the life after this, up to enlightenment, all the happiness completely, the temporal and the ultimate happiness, are completely dependent on the present. All the future temporal and ultimate happiness is completely dependent on this present mind, today’s present mind, the present life mind; completely dependent on the present life, the creator, the present life mind. Whether it be endless suffering, whether the future will be endless in the samsara, endless suffering of samsara, from this life on, or receiving the body of happy transmigratory being, the perfect human body, going in the path of happiness, again and again finding the perfect human body, in the path of happiness.
By taking the perfect human body, then making better Dharma practice, receiving the body of the happy transmigratory, better human body in the future life and practicing Dharma better than this life; and from there the next life, find receiving better the perfect human body, and practice Dharma better—each life, by finding the perfect human body and practicing Dharma better and better, gradually following the steps of the path to enlightenment, achieving enlightenment. In all these future lives always going from the path of one happiness to the path of the next happiness; in all the future lives, continuously, going from path of happiness to path of happiness, to path of happiness; continuously going like this, reaching the sublime bliss of enlightenment. In each future life, by finding the perfect human body and making the Dharma practice better, like this.
However, whatever the life, whichever direction, either to have endless suffering in the samsara or not, whichever way one’s own future life goes, it is completely dependent on this present life mind. This present life mind, completely, however ill one is, being endlessly in the suffering realms of samsara or gradually, continuously in the future lives, from the path of happiness to the path of happiness, reaching enlightenment, like this. The whole thing is completely dependent on the present life’s mind.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the course, in this life, whatever type of life we have, whatever that experience, happy and unhappy, as it is created by the previous life’s mind, comes from that, the whole thing is dependent on, is in the hand of the present life. What type of attitude, how one does the actions of body and speech, the action of three doors, with what type of attitude, depends on how one lives life. How one utilizes the life, the way of living the life, is dependent on also this present year’s attitude; depends on this year’s attitude, way of living life, each month’s attitude, each day’s attitude, it depends on today’s attitude, the way of thinking.
How this life’s attitude is dependent on each day, for instance today, the attitude, the way of thinking, whether thinking in a negative or positive way, having good motivation, whatever action, whatever action one does today, whether that action is done with good motive, pure or virtuous motive, or whether all actions of today are done with impure motive, the non-virtuous motive.
So, the whole future, whether it will be endless samsara, or each life going from path of happiness to another path to happiness, like this to reach enlightenment, is dependent on the attitude, how we lead the life today, the whole thing depends on the way of thinking, attitude; the way of thinking, the whole determination of the future, the actions of body and speech, the way of living the life this year, this month, this week, today. Like this present moment, the present time, how we think, how the actions of the body and speech are. How the actions are done, the body and speech, is dependent completely on the attitude, the way of thinking, so the whole determination of all the future lives, completely comes from just the way of thinking, the attitude, determined by that. So, all the future happiness, temporal and ultimate happiness, all the future endless suffering of samsara, the whole thing is created by the mind, comes from the present attitude; the positive, virtuous attitude or non-virtuous attitude.
Like this, if we are going to receive enlightenment, to achieve enlightenment, the ultimate happiness, that is also created by the mind. That has to come from mind, has to be created by the mind. So therefore, transforming the attitude, to take care of the mind, you take care of your own mind. That is the most important thing: you take care of your own mind. Who should take care, who takes care of one’s own mind, there is no one else, you, oneself is responsible to take care, oneself is responsible to take care of one’s own mind. Each day, each year’s mind, each month, each day’s mind, each hour, the mind to take care by oneself. As much as possible try to keep the mind, try to protect the mind from running towards non-virtue, running towards the side of the non-virtuous, try to protect the mind from that. Being under the control of disturbing unsubdued mind, try to protect from that, then try to keep the mind in the virtue.
I think I’ll stop here, fresh air, not peepee break.
It is one’s own responsibility to take care of one’s own mind. If one does not take care of one’s own mind, others will not take care of one’s own mind. If one doesn’t take care of one’s own mind, no others will take care of one’s own mind. Whose responsibility it is to take care of one’s own mind? It is by yourself, it is oneself. As Milarepa, the great yogi who achieved enlightenment in one brief lifetime, said with this experience, “One who takes care, one who is able to look after his own mind, that person has enlightenment in his hand. One who is able to look after his own mind, for that person, the enlightenment is not far, enlightenment is in his hand, it is not far.” The enlightenment is not far for the person who is able to take care of his own mind all the time, to protect his mind from the side of disturbing unsubdued minds, the non-virtuous side; the enlightenment is extremely close, there are no great difficulties, that doesn’t take much time.
Well then also, Guru Padmasambhava said, in the teachings, “The one who calls, one who doesn’t know the secret point of the mind, one who doesn’t know the secret point of the mind, but calls himself as a meditation is a false meditator.”
What Padmasambhava is saying is all the happiness and suffering, the whole thing, how it is completely dependent on the mind, how all this is created by the mind—who doesn’t know all this, all the happiness came from the virtuous attitude and all the suffering came from the non-virtuous attitude, and one who doesn’t understand the nature of the mind, this important, secret point of the mind, one who doesn’t know, who has no idea at all, yet calling himself a meditator, is a false meditator. As he does not know the secret points of the mind, there is no way to do correct meditation. In the meditations, what is called benefit, that which has that meaning, the person receives the benefit, is the mind going in Dharma, itself becoming the path to enlightenment. However, the person who doesn’t have understanding of the secret points of mind, though the practice, concentrations, even though he calls it meditation, it is not the meditation, it doesn’t receive the real meaning of meditation, it only makes far or distant the mind from the path.
As Guru Shakyamuni Buddha explained in the teachings, or the highly realized bodhisattva, Shantideva said in the teachings, “Oneself is also one’s enemy, oneself is also one’s own guide.” It is very true, when one follows the side of the disturbing and unsubdued mind, the non-virtuous attitude, at that time oneself becomes enemy. When one is not protecting one’s own mind, following the side of disturbing and unsubdued minds, the non-virtuous attitude, then as oneself is doing actions that harm to oneself, oneself is enemy, oneself becomes enemy to oneself.
When one takes care of one’s own mind, keeping the mind in virtue, without letting it go under the control of the disturbing and unsubdued minds, one is benefiting himself, that time oneself is creating the cause of one’s own happiness, so one is benefiting, doing actions to benefit oneself. So, in that time, one is the guide to oneself. When practicing Dharma, oneself is the guide which guides oneself, who guides oneself to the body of the happy transmigratory being in the future life, who guides oneself to nirvana, who guides oneself to the state of omniscient mind.
It is extremely important, even each day, each hour, as much as possible, to make life highly meaningful, without letting the mind run after the disturbing and unsubdued minds. It cannot be under the control of the disturbing unsubdued mind.
In the lamrim teachings, there is an example, there is a story given right at this point. In India, there were two beggars; one beggar was the king’s caste, the generation…
He didn’t get any food so he came back really angry and told the other beggar: “I didn’t get any food from the monastery, I wish I could cut off those monks’ necks from their heads to the ground,” he was extremely angry.
Then, after some time, the other beggar whose caste was, I think, the king’s caste, knew the right time to beg for food from the monastery. He went around noon, around twelve o’clock he went to the monastery, so he got plenty of food from the monks. So, he was extremely happy and came back with a very happy mind. He came back and told his friend, “I wish to be born very wealthy, to be very wealthy and to build a monastery, to build a monastery for the monks, I wish very much, this.” This boy, who went to beg second, his mind was extremely happy with the monks.
So what happened soon, as they were going along the path, a horse cart came by, and the other boy, the first beggar who went to beg in the monastery, his head was cut off by the horse cart, the wheel went on his neck and his head was cut off. The other beggar, he was lying down, he was sleeping in the shadow of the tree, in the road.
So during that time in the area, the leader, the king of that area, passed away so they didn’t have any leader. They had a meeting and they decided to position a leader, somebody who is highly fortunate. Some people they saw in the street, how long this beggar sleeps in the shadow of the tree, the shadow never goes away from his body, it doesn’t move from his body. Some people have seen this, kind of very peculiar, so then, those people, suggested that the person who, how long he sleeps in the shadow, the shadow never goes away from his body, that was very peculiar, “person like this, maybe, we should give the position of the leader to him.” So then they decided to, him to be king of that area. Afterwards, just in that life, in the same life, he became leader of that area and he became extremely rich, and he was able to do as he wished before. He built many monasteries and he was able to make all those offerings, always inviting the monks for meals. This is how the karma works.
There are many similar to these two beggars’ story, who created the cause in this life and experienced the result in this life, there are many like this. Similarly, just because we are not aware of our own karma, we don’t understand, we are not aware of our karma; only because we are not aware, not necessarily all the karma we create in this life, virtue and non-virtue, to experience the result always we have to wait to change the life, always waiting for the future life—not necessary. Especially, karma that we accumulate with special objects in the merit field, the Triple Gem, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and especially objects such as the parents. Then after such special objects as the parents of this life, whatever the good karma or negative karma, whatever we accumulate of those karmas, even the accumulated, small non-virtues, the small negative karma, is very powerful. Even the accumulated, small, virtuous karmas, is very powerful done with in relationship with these objects: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and then after that, the parents of this life.
Telling the mother blindly, with negative and angry mind, calling her by her nickname or things like that, with anger, just in this life, sooner or later, the person who calls nickname with anger, who criticizes the mother, his eyes become blind, having destroyed or by contact the disease comes, becoming blind or things like that. With anger causing much difficulty to the parents, beating up the parents, didn’t get food or things like that; or with angry negative motive, badly treating the parents, then in later life, even though they were rich earlier, they didn’t have trouble in the beginning, in the earlier life, then in later life becoming completely poor, or always getting beaten by other people, things like that. There are many people who have the result of karma, virtue and non-virtue, accumulated with the holy objects, with Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the special objects of the merit field, then particular objects. There are many stories like this. The son or daughter beat, kicked the mother’s head, then later, by machines, due to their karma even in this life, the head was cut off, there are many stories. However, there are many karmas in our life that we experience the result of, which cause was accumulated in this life; it is just because we are not aware, we don’t recognize it.
Before, I didn’t have any good offering, before I didn’t have any guru offering, before there were no gilded silver bowls to make the water offering, one had brass or copper bowls at the beginning to make offerings. Then gradually I was able to make better and better offerings, from silver bowls, better and better. Before there wasn’t much, very rare the materials for offerings, the incense things, then the offerings becoming more and more better and better, having plenty of offering to make to the Triple Gem. Having the opportunity to make better and better offerings itself is the result of previous karma, that was the previous karma, the previous offerings, making water offerings, even though the bowls were ordinary brass or copper, glass, or things like that. Even though it was little offerings, nowadays becoming plenty, having opportunity to make plenty of offerings, is due to the power of the merit field, the Triple Gem. Even the good karma that was accumulated was very small, but the result being experienced, it was powerful; the result is being experienced in this life. Like this there are many other examples.
The conclusion of what I’m saying, you see, the happiness of the future coming years of this life, one of my points emphasized, not only talking about the future life but even the happiness of the coming years, it depends on today’s attitude, today’s life, how we live the life, the attitude we have today, whether mostly that is virtue or non-virtue. It depends on that, even the future coming years of this life, how they will be, whether those coming life will be happy, depends on this year’s life, this month, today’s attitude.
I mention this again, this is useful also, today’s attitude; it gives clear idea for somebody who has no understanding, no clear idea of this point, it is useful. There are four people who say prayers and recite mantras, four people. The first person, as he recites, says the prayer with the motivation to achieve enlightenment for the sake of other sentient beings. [The second person says the prayer with the motivation to become free from cyclic existence.] The third says the prayer, recites the mantras just to receive the body of happy transmigratory being in the future. The fourth person who says the prayer—they all say the same prayer, they all sit in one line saying the same prayer—the fourth person says the prayer with the motivation only for the happiness of this life, to have long life, to not get sick, to be healthy, like that, to be rich, to get lots of money, to have lots of friends. The fourth one recites the mantra, the prayer, only for the happiness of this life.
The first person saying prayers, that becomes cause to achieve enlightenment. The second person saying prayers, that becomes cause to achieve nirvana but not cause to achieve enlightenment. The third person saying prayer, that becomes cause to find the body of the happy transmigratory being in the future life but it doesn’t become cause to achieve enlightenment, and it does not become cause to achieve nirvana. The fourth persons’ action of saying prayer doesn’t become Dharma. That didn’t become Dharma. The first, second and third persons prayers, those actions all become Dharma; the third person’s action, saying the prayer, it is just thought to bring Dharma, it is not completely out of Dharma, it is the minimum to become Dharma. The fourth person saying prayer, with that motive, to be rich, to be healthy, just for the happiness of this life, that didn’t become Dharma. This is the practice, especially at the beginning, when we generate motivation.
I think I stop here.
Dedication prayers.
