Archive Result

;;;FILENAME: 19860903GRJHNLAVA 3

DURATION: 95:21 (1h 35:21m)

SPEAKER: Gelek Rimpoche

DATE: September 3, 1986

LOCATION: Netherlands

TRANSCRIBER: Kimba Levitt

TOPICS: Avalokitesvara Preliminary Teaching;

death and dying

killing karma

is abortion a complete killing karma?

… and giving the important attachment for the life. Something will happen before you’re dying. So it is no point. Some people, with or without realizing, do a lot of bad things to create tremendous amount of negative forces, for which you have to suffer later. One ourself has to suffer later. So that is no point. Why there’s no point? Number one, it is very short-lived. Number two it has - you know, we are all, no matter how much we will talk but we are all subject of dying. If I talk about the word dying and death, some people will become a bit unhappy and get upset. I’m sorry. But don’t get upset, OK? If any one of you are getting upset. Because this is something which you have to go through it, no matter whoever it may be. You have to go through it.

As a matter of fact, death is something beautiful of its own nature. I mean, it’s really it is own nature. It is own way it is beauty. No doubt. But still, when you go through it, it is not so easy either. It is definitely not easy. Particularly, when you know good and bad; particularly when you know there is past and present and future life it is more difficult to go through.

What happens normally, you and me, when we sit here we don’t think about dying at all so we have strong attachment for material things or for any other things. We do have attachment comes into life because we’re not thinking of the dying. Buddhism - Buddha has one of the strong experience, whatever. I mean one of the strong advice that he is giving to his followers is impermanent. To remember impermanent. That is the first teaching is suffering and last teaching is impermanent. Buddha’s impermanent. This is very, very important for us. It is not very nice to talk about dying and death; however, it is necessary to think and necessary to talk because if you can avoid the death by not talking, then we all can keep our mouth shut. And you know, tied up and stitched. Whatever. We can do that. But that will not help. It will come no matter either you talk, either you think, or you don’t talk, you don’t think, but it definitely come. There is no thing that can avoid it. Spiritually, no. Materially, no. Or economically, no. Military power, no.

0:03:52

There is something that is nothing can be returned. Nothing. So, which we owe every one of us including the children born last night, every one of us has to go through with this sooner or later. Sooner or later we have to go through with this. It is definite. As I mentioned to you, spiritually very high person like Buddha, like Jesus Christ, like - or anybody, you name it - the founders of the great religions you name it today. We talk as though they’re living to the next door. We started talking, “Buddha said this and that. Jesus said this and this and that.” We talk about it. But when you ask, “where is Buddha, where is Jesus? What happened?” So the answer you get only, “Buddha came for such and such a year to such and such a year.” You know, like he passed at the age of 81. Something like that. Even our years when you go 19 this thing, 19 that thing. What is it? Before Christ and after Christ. B.C. and A.D. and all this. When you started counting it is counting, talking about the death of this Jesus Christ.

So spiritually, a very high developed person like those who cannot survive out of the death and you and me no way we can survive with our little spiritual whatever we have. There is no way to survive. Why I’m saying that? Because you might think, why is this fellow saying this. We know we all have to die. Yes, surely, you all know. We all know you have to die. But on the other hand, you don’t acknowledge. Neither of us acknowledge this. If you ask, you’ll say, “Oh yes, yes, yes. I know. I know. Definitely know.” And say, “You’re not acknowledging.” “No, no. I do acknowledge.” However, if you ask yourself deeply, you don’t acknowledge. Because you plan to live forever. Every one of us. We don’t plan for dying. We plan for living. So this is sign we don’t acknowledge that. And when we don’t acknowledge this we create our lot of causal problems just because not thinking of it.

0:06:55

The great Kadampa lamas, (Kadampa lamas is the early Tibetan lamas; something like 1100’s and 1200’s are called Kadampa lamas), they say if you don’t remember the impermanent in the morning, the death, rather death in the morning, you’ll waste the whole day. It’s true because if you think of dying, then everything comes back. Even the person is not honest but when he think about dying, that he has to die, he change his character. He changes his way of thinking. He or she. I’m sorry. He or she changes his or her character and thinking everything will change. So don’t think reminding death is not try to develop frighten or fear but the main purpose is to correct your way of thinking and way of living. Number one.

Number two, it is going to come. Definitely. Let it not come by surprise. Surprise. This is one of the most important thing you have to. Spiritually you cannot return so naturally no matter how much money you have, you cannot - I mean, you may be able to give little bhakshis to [LAUGHS]… You know what bhakshis are? Little bhakshis - bhakshis is the Indian language, OK, for…

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: Huh?

AUDIENCE: INDECIPHERABLE

RIMPOCHE: Professor?

AUDIENCE 2: Something extra.

RIMPOCHE: Something extra which goes underneath the table. Not over the table but underneath. [LAUGHS] So anway, no bhakshis can ever buy the dying. No bhakshis. No military power can stop the death. If military power can stop the death, then all the great generals will still have to be living. So none of them are there. So many powerful generals have come in Europe. You name it. Anybody, right? So many. Napoleon, Alexander Great, this and that. You have all so many of them. Today, you only have memorial libraries and memorial societies, memorial this thing, memorial that thing. The word memorial is very nice and beautiful however it conveys behind that the person is no longer there. So the military power could not stop it.

The strength, the physical power, no matter how much exercise you, but the physical power also cannot stop. If the physical power can stop, all the lions and elephants are still living forever but they don’t. In short, no matter whatever method you apply, no matter whatever method you apply, there will be nothing to escape death. Of course there are some doctors may give you like vegetable for a while. I mean, this is not - I don’t consider that as life at all. I’m sorry. [LAUGHS] I mean really. I mean the vegetable is not worth. Don’t do it, uh? Not at all worth for it living. Actually you’re not even living at all. I mean, the machine must be breathing for you, just go and say, “foo, foo, foo [NOISE OF AIR PASSING THROUGH LIPS].” Right? So that is not worth at all. So there is no way, no way. Person has to go through.

0:11:31

So, not only - so what will happen? What will happen thereafter? Though if you look today, especially those people who are collecting for, thinking of money, money, money. You know.[LAUGHS] (I’m sorry. I thought of funny thing but I’m not saying it.) As though they can carry everything. But they cannot. They cannot. They have to leave. Everything has to go when the death comes.

Some Tibetan lama, called Gungtang Jampelyang, a very good master who had come in the 17th century, who have said,

[0:12:22 TIBETAN]

You might have accumulated enough food for eat for a hundred years but the day when you actually needed food you have to go with empty stomach. You might have accumulated clothes enough to wear for next hundred years but actually the day when you really need it you will go naked.

Not only naked, you leave everything. I mean, I don’t have to tell you. You know that, right? You leave everything and go. Everything. Even our body what we have here, which we care so much, we look after so much. When we tell each other, “look after yourself. Take care of …”- I mean, what do we have to take care of? You have to take care of body. You have to look after your body. That’s all. Right? Even then, what was born with us will let you down. You have to leave that body and goes.

And … (oh, sorry).

[0:13:46 - 0:20:10 PAUSE AND DUTCH TRANSLATION BEGINS AT 0:14:00]

0:20:15

Thank you. So, that’s it. This death … no way to return it. It comes. When it comes, you leave everything, as I mentioned earlier. I mean, nothing. Not even the body whatever we have we cannot carry. So think other things are definitely nothing.

So now the question rises, is there any worth for us to have a strong attachment for our life? Right? Is there any worth at all? Does the life really has a meaning or not? You can think about it. Think about it that you should draw a conclusion on that: life really doesn’t have meaning at all. Not only you go, the going is definite, but when is very, very uncertain. When is very, very uncertain. Normally speaking, the senior persons are supposed to go earlier and junior person will remain [LAUGHS], go a little later, however, there is no certain at all. No certainty. We see, we witness every day so many grandparents are attending the funeral of great grandchildren. We see them. Very often we see with our own eyes, which is a clear indication it is not necessary the seniors will go earlier and the juniors will remain later. No.

There is no time limit. There is no age limit. Nothing. We have nothing to hold on, actually. There is nothing. But at most we say, “Well, I’m still healthy. I have no blood pressure, no sugar,” or what else? What else do you say? No sugar. Then what? No cancer. And all this. I have done my checking only yesterday and so I’m healthy, perfect, wonderful. So when the doctor tells you that you’ll be happy, right? But still, no guarantee. No guarantee. And we will hold that as a guarantee but it is not. With all this you can disappear.

In short - I don’t have time. I’m cutting it out. OK. When I say, in short, I’m making a point so please remember. In short, no matter whatever it is, there is no certainty. No one can guarantee that the person, the self, when asleep tonight that you will wake up with fully conscious within this life. No one can guarantee. If you think carefully whatever I said is true. If you don’t think, well, it’s a strange fellow talking about the dying. But that won’t help. So no certainty at all. Number one, it is definite. Number two, there is no time limit, no certainty.

0:24:38

Number three, when it comes, nothing helps. Nothing helps, except you carry nothing, except the imprint of good and bad, or negative and positive karmic forces. You carry that imprint. That goes with you. So nothing else. So nothing can harm you except negative forces. Nothing can help you except positive forces. So right or wrong, please think very carefully. Nothing. The positive and negative forces will function at that time. The positive forces will start giving you their result and negative forces will start giving you their result. It is a day your total, the great grand total will be done. Your account will be closed that day. The books will be closed that day. The grand total will be done at that time. So that time it is the negative and positive forces which is really matters.

The traditional Tibetan system, we do have drawings to remind impermanent everywhere. The dying everywhere. And even they do draw a Lord of Yama, the Lord of Death. And people standing there and weighing the pebbles, the white and black pebbles weighing. I do not know whether they really weigh or not, but actually it was total grand total you do in that day. So, it is the only good and bad work, whatever you have done, it is matters. Nothing else. Nothing else. Nobody takes their clothes, nobody takes their checkbooks, nobody takes their credit cards, nobody. Nothing can be done. OK? So please remember that.

Not only you should remember that, you have to think that very often. When you think very often, no matter whatever the environment you may have, whatever, wherever you may have, your work, your spiriutal activity will automatically improve. I do meet a lot of people to tell me, “when I meditate it doesn’t work. When I started saying prayers it doesn’t work because the right environment is not here.” The right environment you have to create yourself. By remembering impermanence, by remembering death, by remembering dying stage. If you do that, you will automatically have the right environment, you will automatically improve your good work, you will automatically improve your efforts, and everything will be improved if you think of dying. If you forget dying, all your spiritual efforts will go side by side. That’s all.

[0:28:13 - 0:32:12 PAUSE AND DUTCH TRANSLATION]

0:32:13 TIBETAN (ge wa gye shi…)

0:32:15

Oh sorry! [LAUGHTER] OK. So, when you die, (sorry), the kings will leave all their whatever, the statehood and all this, and the beggars will leave all their begging bowls and everything. Number one.

Number two, the moment your consciousness is separated from your body, the rich and wealthy people who die in the palace or in the whatever, good house, and the street dog outside in the street are side-by-side the equal shorter they will go. No difference for whatsoever, outer death. The moment your consciousness leave your body, no difference. The VIP with all sorts of … whatever …

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: Huh? Privilege, yes, but what I mean is sort of more retinues and - (I’m sorry, I have another Indian terminology here called cham cha. I do not know whether it is familiar to so many people or not, but) - you know, every VIP has its own - you know, some people who goes with them and butters them off all the time. So, all this sort of thing, whatever may be there, you leave everything and go.

And there are poor people who has nobody and will go side-by-side together. And equal level. No difference for whatsoever. Once.

And then the question rises, what will happen thereafter? A lot of people do think after all we have a human consciousness so it is higher consciousness so we always go up. That is human consciousness is definitely a higher consciousness, but as long as you’re a human being, your consciousness - as long as I am a human being, my consciousness is higher than other consciousness for sure. But the moment I cease to be a human being, my consciousness does not remain any longer as a human consciousness. Therefore, there is no certainty whether it is going to go up or down.

0:35:33

So now, we are quite sure it will not disappear when death comes. You don’t disappear. It’s not like a candlelight blows off. When the candlelight blows then you get a little smoke and then disappears. Right? No. The consciousness will continue. As I been telling you, past and present and future life is sort of very strong. I mean, it is really unavoidable now. I mean, definitely it’s very, very strong. So, that’s bound to happen. So you don’t disappear. You have to, to have another life for sure. So whether that life is going to be good or bad, what kind of life you’re going to get it? And that is the biggest question we have to worry. That is the biggest point where you have to really struggle. And that is the time when you needed help and that is the really time for us to need help and, I mean, it is the most difficult time for us because what’s going to happen our next maybe 50-60 years or maybe 1,000 and 1,000 of years thereafter or forever what going to happen to us is depend on that day what will happen. It is the big day for us. Really a big day. Whether you’re going to go up or go down, or whether you have a comfortable, or whether you have happiness or whether you have heavy sorrow and pain and misery, the decision is going to be on that day. So it is the time for us to need help. It is the time for us to work for. That’s what you have to worry now.

So if you are a spiritually interested person - I been telling you yesterday, walking over fire is nothing, sitting in the water is nothing, flying in the air is nothing. OK? Nothing. You, I mean, everybody flies. Now airplane goes so well. So, I mean, that’s true. The material benefit. The material, you know, power and you use and you fly. Not only fly and you go up to the moon and all this. So nothing to be surprised. So, but the time what you really need help is here and that is the day whatever is going to happen, what shape of your future life going to happen matters that day. So this was the day you needed help. This was the day where you need to put all your efforts and that’s the beginning of your spiritual interest comes here.

0:39:01

Until then, until you have developed interest for that, you have not developed spiritual interest at all. You get my point? That’s why I kept on telling you yesterday, everything everything is no, no, no, cutting out. When you cut out, what you get in is you left this. This is the - OK. OK. Thank you. This is the beginning of your spiritual path. OK. Until then, I mean, life. What is there? Really? Two arms, two hands can definitely feed one mouth. Even the ants and the rats and everybody can feed themselves. Even the birds can feed themselves. So we are human beings, we can definitely do. But where we really need help is here. So you have to remember that and you have to put efforts and focus even from now on. If you can focus then you can get used to it. When you get used to it and it becomes easy. OK. It becomes easy.

Why I’m saying this? Maybe I have to make a little more clear to you because I just said briefly. OK. What will happen when you die? What really happens? The period of death itself is such a short period and it is a shock period so therefore the question of becoming virtue and non-virtue on that does not rise. It is neutral period because it’s short period. So what happens period immediately before that becomes very important for us, according to the Buddhism, OK? Why is it important? The virtue brings the virtue and non-virtue brings non-virtue normally. Normally. The good thoughts will bring and bad will bring bad and good will bring good. So, immediately if you have the shocking period, the period of the shock, neutral period, you cut that out because it’s neutral. The immediate period before that, if you have virtuous thought or some kind of virtuous thing, then the next thing thereafter, thereafter the next, if you got 50% chance more than normal to have a virtuous connection so the virtue gives good result. So therefore, therefore you try to bring - you know, the virtue brings virtue. This is one of the important, one of the important points where you can struggle. So, you try to get virtue moment immediate before that. (Is that clear to you? I hope so.) Immediately before that.

And that is only possible because if you are normally getting used to it towards virtue - if you’re, because we are in our level today we are used to it non-virtue. We are not used to it for virtue. If you have to do good, you have to put a lot of efforts and it’s hard and difficult. If you have to do bad you will automatically do it. We don’t have to put any efforts. If you don’t believe me, look at the children. If you have to make your own child do something good, how much effort you have to put in? How much efforts the child has to put in? Why? They’re not used to it. Life after life you do, you always used to do bad things. OK. Bad things you don’t have to teach children. The parents will try to avoid the children not to see the bad things. Even bad television program you don’t let them watch and you do all sorts of things. No matter whatever you do, they automatically know it. Why? They’re used to it. Simple. That’s why I’m telling we’re used to it for bad and so we do bad things. We don’t give - we are not used to it for good things so we have hard time to do good things. If you don’t believe that, you watch your children. Or if you don’t have children, watch neighbor’s children. [LAUGHTER]

[0:44:19 - PAUSE. TRANSLATOR CLARIFIES A POINT IN ENGLISH BUT DIFFICULT TO DECIPHER]

0:44:46

RIMPOCHE: I think I said the kings will leave the kingdom.

TRANSLATOR: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: I don’t think you missed any important point. Just go ahead.

[0:45:00 - 0:50:28 DUTCH TRANSLATION]

0:50:36

So, that’s it. But I told you about this impermanent and death, OK? Remember it. Don’t get scared. No use in getting scared. And remember if you have to go through it but if you remember now, if you prepare now, you can go with dignity and that’s what you need it. And that’s what we all work for. And I’m sure, quite sure, that if you work hard, you’ll be able to do that too.

So, I don’t want to talk a long time because I don’t want people to miss the train, OK? Have a very good night. Thank you.

[0:51:22 - 0:51:42 DUTCH TRANSLATION]

AUDIENCE: Thank you.

0:51:51

[NOTE: IS THIS A NEW SESSION?]

Uncertainty that you can face any moment of death. All of this, I mentioned, I’m not trying to scare you for dying, however, I’m trying to warn you that such a part of natural phenomena which will come as unavoidable and every one of us has to go through it. Not only has to go through it, there is no certainty of time. So, number one, there is no reason why we have to attach so much for the benefits of life, this life. Number two should be why don’t we prepare ourself when we face the unavoidable situation? So this are the two reasons why this concentration and meditation on the death is become very important part of our work.

[0:53:15 - 0:54:09 PAUSE AND DUTCH TRANSLATION]

OK. Now question is what will happen after death? We mentioned yesterday. And it is certain that you will not disappear at all. Not at all. Though you die from one life but we will definitely continue in another life. Another form. That is definite. As I mentioned to you yesterday, twenty years ago if I tried to tell you there is past and future life, probably the scientists will tell you that is rubbish. Today, educated scientists can never say. They have to think because there is too much evidence. It is there. Now let’s not go into this. It is there. So we have to face. When we face it, what will be? What will that be? So I have to raise this question for myself. What will be my future?

So I do have some idea what will be my future. How do I get the idea? It is simple: because what I did, how good I have been, how good my thoughts have been, how good my actions have been. So that will give me some idea.

[0:55:53 TIBETAN]

Nagarjuna, the great Buddhist saint of India had mentioned, whatever the karma you have created and that sort of result you are bound to experience. So for that there is no doubt. That’s only going to be. So if you have been good, you can expect your future will be good. And if you have been, you can expect your future is bad. So I get rough idea. So does you. You can get it. Whether you have been good or bad is only known to you, not to anybody else. You may act like so holy. Such a holy person! However, you might have been a terrible person but you act like sort of a terrible … I can’t even find the example. You might act like a terrible crook, however, you might have been such a good person. Who knows? Only you know. So therefore, your mind and your action is known to so you can judge accordingly. If you have a problem of judging your action of your lifetime, it is simple. You can judge your action by the day. By the evening before you go to bed see how much good you have done, how much bad you have done for the day. That will give you a rough idea of your good or bad of week; so as the month; so as the year. So you can judge your lifetime almost in that way.

So if you have done good thing, you are sure to have good future life. But you know, person like me, you always find the negative forces are much more active and more in our action than that of our positive actions. So does our thinking. You think yourself - some people may think, I’ll tell you what, some of us may think, “Uh, I have not done so much bad. I have not killed anyone. I have not stolen anybody’s property,” and so and so and forth. But, if you check your mind, your mind is such a tricky. It may be doing all sorts of funny things. Though just now you may be sitting here and looking - all of you looking holy. And very nice, however, some of your minds may not be as holy as you look. Yeah, really. So each one of them counts. And many of them you think, I mean, if you are able to convince another person of your cleverness and crudeness through act of holy, through act of holiness (I’m sorry), so you may think you have managed but your karma can never, never, never be cheated. So does the enlightened beings.

0:59:57

Only the enlightened beings and your karma witnesses your actions as well as your thoughts. Your thoughts and your actions are going together or not is known to them. So you also leave the imprint of good and bad so you suffer or you enjoy the result. OK. If you have done something bad, if you can escape from the police, that doesn’t mean you have escaped from your karma at all. Please do remember that, OK? You may be able to escape from the law of the land by having a clever lawyer, paying expensive money, but you can never be able to escape from your own karma and you will have the result. Good or bad.

So those results will be started giving you when you take the next life. OK? So do not take guarantee that human beings will always have a better life. As I mentioned to you, human consciousness is maybe higher consciousness as mentioned, however, when you are dead you are no longer a human being, therefore your consciousness is no longer human consciousness. It can go anywhere, anytime, any minute. You could be a next minute - let me say, I could be a next minute a dirty, filthy pig in a slum somewhere in Africa, or in Asia, in India, somewhere. Any next minute. There is a possibility. Can be. So does everyone. Everyone. So this is what we have to worry. Even the pig is not so bad compared with other realms that you can take birth in it.

So this all depends on our action. So action of the now. So we have been luck because of our previous act and previous life, somehow we have got this precious human rebirth and be very good and educated, intelligent human. It’s because of our previous person’s act. However, what’s going to happen our future is totally going to depend our action therefore it is requested to the great, intelligent human being of today should not give a funny result for ourself in the next life.

[1:03:26 - 1:08:20 PAUSE AND DUTCH TRANSLATION]

Thank you. So let’s presume by chance, good luck, we have a better future life. We be able to avoid the hell realms, the hungry ghost, animal realms and we’ll be able to take rebirth as an human being.

OK, even then, even then, all our efforts what we put today have gone to gain one rebirth as a human being and that’s not enough. The reason why that’s not enough because even you take rebirth as human being it will repeat whatever we have today. Everything will be repeated. Whether you’re going to be good or bad, who knows. Not only that, even during that human lifetime, we have to face tremendous problems, as you been facing. We and I have been facing.

We face too much sufferings we face. Pains, miseries, problems. I don’t want to go and talk in detail now. I’ve mentioned before. But short, in short, we have the suffering of illnesses, aging. Aging is not easy. It’s terrible. One good thing, it comes slowly so you don’t realize. But it comes all of a sudden there is no way one can bear it. Then dying, birth, etc. So much pains we have. These are our deeper problems. As I mentioned to you, we have man created sort of small problems. You get into that more than the actual deeper problems. Now, I mean, I said this and she said that and I quarrel with her and she quarrels with me and this and that. These are really a man-made small little problem. No problem at all. But aging, illnesses, dying, rebirth - these are the real sufferings we have to go through.

Even you be reborn as a human being, you’ll repeat the whole - what will happen thereafter again. So the cycle continues. Circle continues: death after birth, birth after death. So the circle keep on continuing so what is the use? You get me? So what is the use?

So if you are a spiritual person, now, so the question what you have to aim at least is to cut the circle so that you do not continuously run one after another. To cut the circle is needed.

1:11:58

What can cut the circle? The circle can never be cut in-between. Only at the root and reverse the circle. There are drawings. I don’t have time to talk to you but if you look into it, there are drawings of the life circle. And it was sort of hold together by twelve dependent, interdependent link of twelve holds it together: birth after death function. All this sort of - there are twelve of them. I have no time to explain to you but those who are interested they can always - you know, I mean in the study group, studies, they always talk. (I hope you are talking about it.)

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: Huh?

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: Yeah.

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: You haven’t discussed? You can discuss later, right? Really. So, [LAUGHS] you haven’t discussed so far but you can. Twelve dependent link. If you see this twelve dependent link and how the person is always locked, in the twelve dependent link it can only go in the reverse direction. You cannot cut in-between. So the reverse; how does the reverse go? By stopping one this stops second, second stops third, like that it goes. If you don’t do that, then the circle will continue. That’s why I keep telling you if you do this that’s not spiritual, that’s not spiritual. I been cutting out no spiritual, no spiritual, no spiritual before. Now, what is really spiritual you’re getting at it? At least for future life - even for future life good is nothing to be surprised because cycle continues. So what’ll happen thereafter?

1:14:00

In short, since we don’t have much time, in short, Buddha had mentioned, if you have to keep the heads, the head, the different heads that we take birth and if you keep all the heads together somewhere, the whole universe will be too small to keep all the heads together. So that much rebirth we have taken. Not necessarily in this galaxy alone. So all other many different galaxies. And there are millions of different galaxies. Don’t think about, when you talk the universal, according to the Buddhist teaching of the universal, it is not from the North America whatever the south it is. It’s not only this simple, round ball. No. There are hundreds and thousands of the different galaxies. That’s why I’m telling you. You have all. It’s nothing to be surprised because there are so many of it. So many of it. So if one of them are eligible for us, we have taken rebirth in all the different galaxies. Even then, we could not become completed. We still go around running it.

So, in order to stop the continuous running of the circle, Buddha has suggested to cut it off. In other words, reverse the twelve dependent link. Through what can you reverse it? Through always putting good action, good efforts. Accumulation of merit and understanding of wisdom, accumulation of merit - doing good work - can reverse this.

And that also depends on your motivation. Say, if you’re going to do a mantra of 100 times, or you’re doing something good, whatever it may be, saving somebody’s life, or whatever good work you’re doing, but if you’re motivated, your motivation is only to gain a good future rebirth, then it will give you a result of good future rebirth. And that’s all. So you cycle it again.

So this type of karma we call it lucky karma. Why call it lucky? Because it will give you a good, comfortable result. That’s all. But, it will not go a cause for liberation at all. Liberation from the circle of existence. As long as we are not liberated from the circle of existence, our problems will never be able to [INDECIPHERABLE]. We never be able to overcome our problems at all because temporarily we may have stopped but it’s going to repeat again, and again, and again. So therefore, our motivation from the beginning should be aiming towards liberation. If you do that, you are begin to walk in the spiritual direction. Begin to walk. It is the first step almost towards spiritual direction.

1:18:36

How does this liberation business work? Liberation business only works when you see a fault in the samsaric, the circle life, and you will see the advantage in what we call it “nirvana,” in Sanskrit. That is the liberated area. You have to see the advantage and one direction or you’ll see the faults in another direction. Then you begin to - you know, everybody wants good, as I told you. Everybody wants happiness. There will not be a single human being who doesn’t want happiness. They’re always looking for happiness and good. So when you see the real good and real happiness in liberated area, well, you really can’t go to the area, but in nirvana, and you see the faults of the samsara, then you really develop a thought or desire of liberating yourself. In order to get that you have to see the faults of samsara and the advantages of nirvana. Nirvana does not have the faults what you and I are talking and experiencing in the samsara. So therefore, you’ll desire to be there. So every action you put, every good work that you do will be directed towards that direction. So, it builds force behind you to be able to push over it.

This is only the force we’re talking is the force of virtue and the forces of non-virtue. The forces of virtue push you from the samsara and you’ll be able to move over it. So you build enough force to be able to go over that. That’s how it works. Very simple. Not mysterious. straightforward.

[1:20:57 - 1:26:56 PAUSE AND DUTCH TRANSLATION]

Thank you.

So, the forces, the positive forces, the more strong you’ll be able to build, it will push you. You get more power to be able to cut across. It’s very simple. Now what are the positive forces and what are the negative forces? This is the question. I have been talking to you yesterday, or the day before, all this. What is good and what is bad? This are really funny questions. One has to think very carefully.

Now, normally what we know about the ten virtues or ten non-virtues, what Buddhist terminology calls it. In Christian background you call it Ten Commandments, right? So all of them are almost the same. The Buddhist ten virtue and ten non-virtues and the Christian Ten Commandments are almost the same. I’ve been wondering sometimes whether the Buddha had a conference with Jesus Christ to talk over those. Maybe they have a telephone call and conversation. One is in the east and the other is in the west, right? But there is no certain - there is certain there is no contact of the ordinary, our human level contact, or conference or conversation between the two of them. So, when they say almost all the major religions are pointing to the non-virtues and virtues almost the same, which is the sign whatever they been telling is true.

So it’s very simple. Three by body: killing, stealing, and (what is it?)

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: OK. Sexual mis…

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE

RIMPOCHE: …conduct. OK. And four by speech and three by mind. Right? So I hope you will count them in the translation. So that’s it.

1:29:27

So I would like to touch a funny subject today. I feel like touching. It become a bit funny. So that is [LAUGHS] that is the killing. What does killing mean? What do you have to do? And what about the abortion? Huh? That is the tricky subject. [LAUGHS] Yeah, all this are big question. What does killing really mean?

Killing means - I mean, you know what killing means. In order to complete a killing karma, what do you have to do? Every karma (now take kiling as example), every karma needs three functioning: motivation, action, and completion. Three of them. So if you have a perfect (I’m talking about perfect, OK?) If you have a perfect karma of killing, then you have to have perfect motivation: “I really wanted to kill him or her because I was so angry,” and this and that. Or even animal. Don’t overlook animal killing. Killing of animal is also killing. So, I mean, it’s not the ten non-virtuous. Ten non-virtuous killing is only human beings, I talked to you. Because the base on which you are committing is very heavy and important. That’s why they count it. But animal killing is not counted in that ten non-virtuous. I mean, basic, four broken vows and all this are human beings is counted. Of course, animal killing is killing, however it may not be that heavy as the human killings are, as you know everywhere. So when the person intended to kill with the desire of killing, and when finally when the consciousness of the particular person could never be able to stay on that body, the body which you made unserviceable to that consciousness, when the consciousness is separated from that body, then you have completed the killing. And when knew, when you acknowledge the other person is dead, when you say, “Ha. I have done my work.” OK, then you have completed your karma of killing.

1:32:30

So …. That is perfect. OK? Perfect desire of killing, perfect action, and perfect result the life is separated. OK? That’s it.

So now what about the abortion? What about it? I can tell you one thing, abortion is definitely non-virtuous, OK? Question does not arise. In Buddhist texts it mentions very clear human beings and human life started, very clear, started means when the consciousness goes in. It is non-virtuous, for sure. But, whether it is that killing, that heavy killing of human being killing, and that to be seen. The doubt is there, for sure. And another thing, I can assure you, every abortion, no mother had a desire of killing at all. No mother had a desire of killing the child. However, they have desire of getting rid of it. So whether that is a killing desire or not, that’s another question. That’s another question. So abortion is definitely non-virtuous, however, whether it’s a t killing of human being or not it has to be seen. It has to be really carefully thought and seeing it. Most probably no mother will have a desire to kill its own child. So from the desire, from the thought, motivation point of view, I don’t think there will be a desire of killing unless somebody really wanted to kill it or something. So motivation may not be completed. Action, yes. Completion, yes. So only if you can escape, you can escape on the motivation. On the basis of the motivation, you’ll be able to escape. So therefore, I don’t think it will be a complete …

[1:35:09 AUDIO CUTS ABRUPTLY. TAPE RUNS SILENTLY TO END, 1:35:21]