This time we are going to begin with the teaching prayers. The meditation prayer to purify, paying homage to Buddha, the founder of the present Buddhadharma, then Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Then Buddha’s advice, then the Heart Sutra, Lion-Face Dakini, the Heart Sutra, a most powerful one to pacify obstacles. The greatest obstacles are our defilements and the wrong concepts, defilements, the negative karma, also due to that, then outer obstacles, so those things, which doesn’t allow to practice Dharma, interfering to practice Dharma, outer obstacles, in the form of living beings and non-living beings. Then after that, maybe the short seven limb, and the requesting prayer to the lineage lamas to bless our mind to grant, to generate realizations from guru devotion up to enlightenment, the whole path, method and wisdom. Then the Foundation of Good Qualities, the lamrim, the requesting for the realizations.

[Rinpoche leads La ma tön pa….chhog tu dä pä chhag tshäl lo]

Read the last two, three.

[The group reads the final three verses in Spanish while Rinpoche completes the prayer in Tibetan.]

[long pause]

The first stanza, this signifies the four noble truths, a very important subject, the foundation, the fundamental Buddhism and on the basis of this, the Mahayana Paramitayana then the Mahayana tantra, secret mantra, Vajrayana teaching, based on that.

So the next verse, what it is saying is, look at all the causative phenomena, the English, in Tibetan comes, so look at all the causative phenomena, so you have to remember, at the end it goes, but you have to remember not just look outside but you have to remember that time, look at causative phenomena, you have to remember yourself, your life, your body, your mind, and your belongings, the ?family, the friend, enemy, stranger, the people around. You have to begin with that, that’s the first thing you have to remember, so all these, which are causative phenomena. They exist compounded by cause and conditions. The permanent phenomena they are not composed by cause and conditions, but the impermanent phenomena are created by cause and conditions.

So anyway, look at the causative phenomena, so that time must remember yourself, so all these things, your life, your body and mind, all the possessions and the surrounding people, friend, enemy, stranger, family members, so forth, all these things. Then form, sound, then you elaborate, form, sound, smell, taste, tangible object, including, so these things, so similar subject to what is in the Heart Sutra.

So what it says here, look at it like a star. First one says star, look at it a star. It is not saying look at everything as like a star, like this . So it’s not saying that. So the meaning that is very, it has extremely profound meaning. So you can meditate in the meaning of this, like a star, you can meditate this for many hours, months and years, I mean, life time. Meditate at the death time, this life, even when you die, intermediate stage, when you get born in mother’s womb, meditate like this, when you come out, meditate like this. Anyway, so this first, extremely profound, very deep meaning.

Since I talked a little bit on emptiness the last few days, so should get a little bit of something about the idea. I mentioned already, I don’t need to go into much this time. So we didn’t do analysis of the house and many things, but we analysis ?mainly the I in simple way without explaining the text, just simple way. The I that we believe inside this body, oh, that’s very gross way of talking. However, on the aggregates, on these aggregates, [pause] there’s I there not merely labeled my mind, existing, a real one in the sense existing from its own side, okay, and believed by oneself, believed it is true by one’s own mind, which is ignorance. So anyway did analysis, and it’s not there. ?Talked that _____ there. On the aggregates, you can’t find on the aggregates. Neither, we went through each of, there are five aggregates, each one is that that I, not that real I, and even the collection of those five is not that I. That real I exists nowhere on these aggregates. I mentioned from the tip of the hairs down to the toes, nowhere you can find. So that’s the reality. It exists nowhere. So that means, that proves that is totally nonexistent.

I mentioned that I what exists, what exists is merely labeled I but even that you can’t find on these aggregates, from the tip of the hairs down to the toes, nowhere you can find if you look for. But, of course, it doesn’t mean because you can’t find on, from the tip of the hairs down to the toes, nowhere you can find on this base, of course that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. The merely imputed I. It exists. You can’t find on the aggregates but it exists. You can’t find on this base, on these aggregates, but it exists. So, where is it? So, where is it? Is the I exists on your nose? Does the I exist on your nose? On your nose? Right on top of your nose? Huh? On top of your nose? [Inaudible comment] Why? Why it doesn’t exist on the top of your nose? That’s very strange. Why it doesn’t exist on the top of nose? The I?

Student: It’s not there. If you look for it, it’s not there. Rinpoche: You mean with a torch? Look with a torch? Maybe with the Olympic this torch? Maybe need to look with the Olympic torch.

So where is it? If it doesn’t exist on the top of the nose, then means it exists nowhere, right? If it doesn’t exist on top of your nose, so that means then it doesn’t exist, right? If you don’t find here, how can you find anywhere? On the fingers. Is there some place we can find? [Students: No.] No? So everybody agree, no, we can’t find? Can’t find on this base, collections of the five aggregates that we have, on this base, or inside the body or above the body. Does it exist inside the body? [Students: No.] So, everybody agree? Yeah.

Student: Might the I be in the mental continuum. If we can find maybe there, the I, if we cannot find the I on the mental continuum, then how it’s possible that the mental continuum goes from one life to another life and still there is some I? Rinpoche: [pause] So the I doesn’t exist on the body but it exists on the mind? So saying? So one part of the aggregates. It doesn’t exist on the body but it exist on the mind. So it exists on the cognition, feeling, it exists on the compounding aggregates, it exists on the consciousness but only it doesn’t exist on the form? (RL) Becomes like that? Yeah? (GL) Student: No. If the I is not on the mental continuum, then how it’s possible that the I goes from one life to another life? How’s it possible? Because the mental continuum goes from one life to another life, then the I must be there. Rinpoche: [pause] I’m going to say, it is not on the I, it’s not on the mental continuum. You can’t find on the mental continuum. If it’s on the mental continuum, you’d be able to find. If you can find then that’s totally opposite to the Prasangika school view. According to the Madhyamika school, Svatantrika school, you can find on the aggregates; but Prasangika school, you can’t find, if you look for, can’t find. So that’s the same. Yes, you can’t find on the body, same, you can’t find on the mind. Same. It’s the same.

It’s there, I is there on the mental continuum, if you can find it means that becomes existing from its own side. If you’re able to find on that it means, existing from its own side, not merely imputed by mind. So it becomes that. Not merely imputed by mind. So you’re able to find means existing from its own side, the meaning like that.

So [pause], it doesn’t mean, because you can’t find I on the mental continuum, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It exists, it exists. Yes, there’s a continuity of I from life to life, yes, self, continuity of self from life to life, like there’s a continuity of the self today, twenty-four hours, there’s continuity of the self, today, twenty-four hours. So similar there is a continuity of the I, since from birth, death, there’s continuity of I, there was I who taking birth in the mother’s womb, there was I taking birth, so therefore, there’s I, there’s a self, before taking birth in the mother’s womb, is about to take rebirth in the mother’s womb, so there was I. (RL) So there’s a continuity of the self from beginningless rebirth up to enlightenment and even after enlightenment. Because there is the continuity of consciousness always there, that never ceases. Never ceases, that never ceases. So therefore, there’s continuity of the I, self, all the time.

The question here is, my question is, you can’t find on this, so where is it? So about that, that was my question. Okay. So that’s good to analyze, that’s a very good point, that’s a subtle way of checking.

Student: If there is a mental continuum, and there is a continuity of the I, and on that mental continuum, this where the karmic imprints are, but at the same time everything is empty, and the I is also empty, doesn’t exist, what is that makes— Rinpoche: I is empty doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. That I’ve been telling quite a few times.

Here, emptiness is, you see, your purse is empty of money, right? So you can see when you don’t find money there. Empty of money. Because you don’t find money, okay? Your stomach is empty of food, oh no, I think we just had lunch some time ago, right? So the mug is empty of, no, this is not empty, but anyway…. Like similar, empty of water.

So anyway, the I is empty, when it says I here, the meditation, meditating on the emptiness of the I, I is empty, that’s not meditating that the I doesn’t exist. Not that. This emptiness is not the empty of I, you have to understand. So here, when you didn’t understand the meaning of empty then it’s very easy to think, empty of I. Means none, it’s the same as saying I doesn’t exist. This is same, exactly the same. If you think the I is empty of I. It’s like saying I is not the I. So anyway, sort of I is not the I is the same, that. It’s not that at all.

I mentioned yesterday or the day before yesterday that, now you keep…. [long pause] First I mention two things. So, you see the body of a cat running, (RL) so the mind is not cat, the body is not cat. Association of those two is not cat. It’s similar. Before you see this running, the mind has no reason to label cat running, okay. Mind didn’t have reason to put that label, to choose that label, there’s no reason. In order to label that, your eye, sense of your eye, has to see that particular phenomenon, design, body which has a particular design, shape, okay. Which has mind, which is associated with the mind. (RL) But inside you put batteries or something like that, cat body but inside you put some machine or some batteries, something, then you control somewhere, running. You don’t say cat running, you don’t do that. Unless somebody didn’t understand and somebody believe a real cat there, having mind, but the body filled with things and put some machine that control somewhere, like the airplane you can control, so the cat, you see cat jumping. If you knew then you wouldn’t say cat jumping, if there’s no mind. If you know there’s no mind. So you won’t say cat jumping. You won’t label cat. Cat body but you don’t label cat, if you know there’s no mind.

So anyway, you wouldn’t label, before seeing that, cat jumping, because you have no reason. You haven’t seen any particular phenomena that receives the label, cat, and jumping, the function jumping, running. Later you see this, association of body and mind, cat, shape, design, which receives label, cat. So, cat jumping. So, the mind is not cat, the body is not cat, together it’s not cat. So you see this particular design that does function of running, then which can receive cat, that one, so by seeing that then your mind label name, cat, that particular design, then your mind label cat and then function, running, you label.

By seeing that particular phenomena doing that function, then, first you see that, [snaps fingers] second the mind, first you see that particular phenomena, which can receive the label, which can receive the name, cat, then because it’s running, does that function, then merely impute also the function, running, cat running. Then after the mind imputed then it appears back. Of course it doesn’t appear back merely imputed by mind for us ordinary beings, for us sentient beings, it doesn’t appear merely imputed by mind. That’s the reality but it doesn’t appear, because our hallucinated mind it appears, hallucinated mind that which carries, that which is contaminated the negative imprint left by the past ignorance, concept of true existence, inherent existence. Because the imprint, right after you mere imputation [snaps fingers], the cat which is merely imputed, then next second [snaps fingers] the negative imprint put back, put this true existence, the - mental fabrication of the true existence, or truly existent appearance. So that’s why, so when it appears back, it appears back totally wrong, the real one, real cat, in the sense existing from its own side, not merely imputed by mind.

Anyway, that’s the kind of details of how you see, but anyway, so then so like this the cat appears to you and then you see cat. That part is a total hallucination, that real cat, not merely imputed by mind, running, it doesn’t exist, didn’t happen, that never happened, cat running not merely imputed by mind, never happened; I mean, doesn’t exist at all. Not there at all.

So however, the mere gathering, the consciousness and the body, that particular design of the body, so reason just because of that, then the mind here just made up the label, cat, because you are taught the label by somebody, by a teacher or by parents or by somebody. You are educated, you are taught the label of that particular phenomena, cat. So then because you’re taught, then what you’re taught, you believe, then your mind make up the label by seeing that particular foundation, base. Your mind just made it up, label, cat, by seeing that particular phenomena, which has that design receive the name, cat.

So everything like this. Like this, all the rest of phenomena, including the I, all the rest of phenomena, I, action, object, all the rest of phenomena is like that. By the base seeing, sense of eye, or base, heard the sense of ear or base, by the sense of nose, base, sense by the tongue or tangible, base, the sense of the body experience, made contact. So then mind just make up the label.

So reality is this, so you see that particular phenomena, association of body and mind, that has that particular design, then receiving the label, cat, then running, then just put that. Your mind made up the label cat because you are taught that by somebody, that label, and then by believing that, your mind make up the label, cat, and believe in that. That’s all the reality, then by seeing that base, that particular design, with mind, running, then believed you saw a cat, believed because your mind just made up the label, so you believe that you saw a cat running. And that’s it. That’s it. There’s nothing more than that. There’s no other reason how you see, how the cat exists. Reality is this, anyway. Just by that, because you saw that, just by that believed cat, you believe you saw a cat and you believe run. So because your mind imputed, just now merely imputed, so and you believe in that, that’s it. There’s nothing more than that. Therefore, the cat exists, because that phenomena exists, which has that name, so cat exists, even though it is merely labeled by your mind, cat exists but it’s empty. It is not empty of cat but it is empty of the real cat. Empty of the real cat. This is the point what you have to understand, real cat, real in the sense, existing from its own side, existing by its nature, truly existing. Empty of not merely labeled, what the cat is is what is existing in mere name, merely imputed by mind. So now what you realize is, what you have to realize is, the cat is empty of not cat, but the cat is empty of something else, some hallucination which doesn’t exist on the cat, which doesn’t exist on the merely labeled cat, okay, something which is not there, something which doesn’t exist on the mere labeled cat, and it appears to your hallucinated mind and believe it’s true. So it’s empty of that. The cat is not empty of cat but the cat is empty of the real cat, the way it’s appeared to you and your mind believe that is hundred percent true. The real cat in the sense, existing from its own side. Okay? Which is believed by your mind, by your ignorance, that it’s true, so it is empty of that, so empty of object of ignorance. So the object of ignorance is the cat existing from its own side, not merely labeled by the mind, existing from its own side. So that is the object of ignorance. So the cat is empty of the object of ignorance. So you can see cat is not empty of cat. If you don’t know that, if that is not cleared up, then difficult to meditate on emptiness. Because empty of what? So then you haven’t got a clear idea of empty of what. So if you think of the empty of cat, then you destroy the, you lost the basis, the base to see empty. [Conversation with Zangpo in Tibetan; pause while Rinpoche drinks.]

So your mind, after seeing these things, that aggregates, that particular design which receives the name, cat, which receives the name, cat, so it means it’s not, so it shows it is not cat, it’s the basis to be labeled, cat. So, you see that running then the mind merely imputed, cat, you believed, mind merely imputed cat and you believed in that and that’s it, the cat run. That’s it.

So therefore now here you see the cat is not empty of cat but cat is empty of the real cat, meaning of real, existing from its own side, not merely labeled by mind. The cat is empty of that. Cat exists but it’s empty. Cat exists, while the cat is existing, it’s empty, empty of the real cat, inherently existent cat. While the cat is empty of that, it is existing. So totally unification of those two. So that is Middle Way view, the Prasangika school view. So it’s the same with the I.

So, [long pause] maybe just finish this one, the verses we have done, the second one. So, the self, the I, for our hallucinated mind looks there’s an I, but not merely imputed by mind, existing from its own side. But if you look for can’t find, nowhere, neither on these aggregates nor anywhere. It’s totally nonexistent. Totally nonexistent. So in other words, if I make it very, very simple, it means the I what we have been believing from beginningless rebirth, I mean, we have been believing from this morning, from birth in this body, something a real I exists, not merely labeled by mind. In the case of the real I not merely labeled by mind, we have been believing from beginningless rebirth, from time without beginning. So anyway now, that’s completely, totally nonexistent. In reality it’s not there. From where it is appearing, it is totally nonexistent right there. From where, like this, from where it is appearing, it is totally nonexistent there. So this, I mentioned in the past, this is mudra of how you meditate on emptiness (GL, RL). From where it is appearing, it’s totally nonexistent there. There’s no mudra from the lineage (GL, RL), some great lama. This is my own.

So, as we meditate, so can’t find anywhere, totally nonexistent. So like that, same, everything, from the aggregates, everything, down to the splits of atoms, particles of atoms, particles of atoms, the split-seconds of consciousness, all that, same all. What appears all these real is totally nonexistent. There’s no such thing there. Totally nonexistent. Can’t find. Totally nonexistent, everything.

So like this, this house, however, I’m not going to elaborate, so all the rest of phenomena is all like this. I mean, here in the sense, emptiness, so all the phenomena. Whatever exists is empty; it’s empty of the real one, in the sense existing from its own side. Anything that exists is empty of the real one, meaning that it exists from its own side, not merely labeled by mind. Everything what exists is what is merely labeled by mind. Therefore, everything is empty of that which is not merely labeled by mind. So you have to understand that, total opposite each other.

So anyway, so everything is totally, yeah, so besides this, then wherever we look at, this building, the pillars, or ceiling, or floor, all pieces, lights, the flowers, offering bowls, so everything exists from its own side, something real, everything is real, appearing from there, appearing from its own side, everything is real, not merely labeled by mind, even though all these are merely imputed by our mind. All these are hallucination. Total nonexistent, there’s no such thing, even an atom of that. Totally empty.

But again understand that I’m not saying there’s no house, I’m not saying there’s no water bowls, I’m not saying there’s no kitchen, there’s no food. (RL) I’m not saying there’s no parents, there’s no father and mother, there’s no children.

So now, everything the way it appeared to you and you believe, something real, existing, so all this is totally nonexistent, empty. So the buddhas’ omniscience and the arhats, the higher bodhisattvas, the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, so this is how they see. For us, including the meditator, the I, body and mind, the aggregates, sense of form, form, sound, smell, taste, everything that which is merely imputed by mind but appeared not merely imputed by the mind, something real, okay, total hallucination. We’re living in a total hallucination, okay. So buddhas’ omniscience how they see; how you see is everything real from its own side, like this, everything real, real made by, I told you now many times, negative imprint left by past ignorance decorated this projection, inherent existence, so made everything real. What makes us to see everything real, from its own side, where it come from, you have to understand that.

So now, buddhas’ omniscience how they see, how they see you, how they see everything, totally nonexistent all this, totally opposite the way we believe, how things appear to us, how we believe. What they see, totally opposite, all this totally nonexistent, there’s no such thing, not even an atom, completely empty, totally empty. Not only buddhas, even the bodhisattvas, higher bodhisattvas, totally, not only that, even the arhats, those arya beings, see all this totally empty. With the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, totally empty. Totally empty.

So, in the daytime you don’t see a star, so like a star, so like that, so with the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, they see, how everything appear to you, something real one and then you a hundred percent it’s true, which is a total hallucination, so they see, the wisdom directly perceiving emptiness, they see all this, totally empty. So, look at all the causative phenomena like a star has that unbelievable meaning, deep meaning.

So you have to think that time, star, so you have to think, they see, how they see you and everything, totally empty of the real, the way it appears to you and you believe. So have to meditate on that. So how they see everything, the reality. So that become antidote to rise attachment, anger, all these delusions, so it helps to cease and then to achieve liberation.

So then, the rab rib, rab rib is defected view, used as an example. So while you are eating food or something, then hairs dropping down, kind of that defected view. So, it means the truly existent, looking at the causative phenomena, everything appearing real to us, including yourself, I, action, object, everything, something real one existing from there, then you believe hundred percent that is true. That’s the basis for, that’s the foundation of suffering, that’s what, all the problems come from that, anger, then all the emotional mind, attachment, jealousness, pride, all this, so many. But if you meditate like this, all this disappears, nothing, there’s no basis. So related to that, that meaning also related to the true existence, to that hallucination.

“Kar me rab rib mar me dang.” Then because the phenomena are dependent arising, they depend on causes and conditions, like the butterlamp depend on butter, the wick and the people making, so many, depend on so many things, so all the causative phenomena, as I mentioned to you before, so all these things depend on so many cause and conditions, so related to that. Then the dependent arising, the gross dependent arising, so then that helps to realize impermanence, all of that. Then to not get attached, as well as anger and all the things to not rise.

Gyu ma, then illusion. So, the same, that’s related to inherently existent appearance, the truly existent appearance, not merely labeled, appearing something real, not merely labeled by mind, and believing. So same, illusion.

Then, gyu ma zip pa chhu, then like water dew, so all these causative phenomena are like water dew. So water dew on the plant, it can be dropped any time, it can be fall down any time, so the impermanence. So to remind you of impermanence, the causative phenomena they are nature of impermanence.

Zil pa chuu bur dang, then like water bubble, that can be popped any time, so then like causative phenomena. However they look beautiful, however, they can be stopped any time, can ceased any time.

Then like a dream, again that is related to truly existent appearance. Look at causative phenomena, dream. All that what appears something real, and you hundred percent believe they are true, so it’s like a dream, not true.

So, then like lightning, when there’s lightning you see things very clear, then suddenly become, so shows impermanence. So all these causative phenomena are like lightning, impermanent nature.

Then, clouds, while there are clouds in the sky, you see the clouds there but next minute you look at it, it’s not there. Or while you’re looking at it, it changes, cannot stay. So causative phenomena, they decay, they change, they decay, not only day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second. Even within a second they change, they decay. They don’t last.

So it’s a very powerful this Buddha’s teaching, Buddha’s advice, so to achieve liberation and to control, to cut the negative emotional thought, the delusions, and to achieve liberation, that makes to achieve liberation, then also with bodhicitta, then to achieve enlightenment.

Jang chhub sem chhog rin po chhe….

[Students offer a short mandala.]