Archive Result

Soundfile 19870100GRRTOMLOVCOM_13

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche/Robert Thurman

Location Omega Institute

Topic Love and Compassion

Transcriber Jill Neuwirth

Date 3/20/2023

(Rimpoche speaking in Tibetan) So, wish them- I wish I could free them from pains and cause of pains, totally. I will do it. I will work to free them from pains and cause of pains. I may be blessed to be able to do that. Okay, three steps. First, object, all sentient beings. Second, thought of wishing them free from the pains and cause of pains. Third, you decide you will try to do it. Fourth, you seek support you will be able to do it. Seek support. Support, okay? Audience: (Inaudible) [0:01:10.0] Rimpoche: Support. Support, okay? Support from whom? From your lineage masters. From your- from the buddhas, from the enlightened beings, from every single enlightened beings available. Their support is needed. As much as you can get it, you need it. And they’re there, if you know how to take it. So that’s what you do. It’s the first immeasurable, immeasurable compassion. Okay? Second immeasurable, love. Same. Object is not one person, okay? One person is- but beginning you can’t do that. Beginning you have developed in one person, then you develop two person, three person. If you try to do beginning altogether, it’s hard. You sort of gradually expand it, you know.

[0:02:16.9] It is the like British colonials, how they have come, you know? (Laughs) You know, gradually. You can’t go all over the world one time like that. Then you get collapse like Hitler did, right? So, but the British did it, they take it bit by bit. (Laughs) So they sunset it everywhere. So, we ought to do the same thing. Bit by bit. First, the person you care most. Second, you added up one more. Then you add up another two, three more. And then after some time, you add up your relations, like ten, fifteen of them together. And then as another thirty, forty. Then it adds up like that, you go. Okay? And leave the enemies if you have, to the last. At the end, then it's sort of mixed with all sentient beings and put them through so that doesn’t recognize. (Audience laughs) Really. That’s what- I mean, these are practical problems I’m telling you. It’s practical problem, because when your mind noticed that, he said, hey- where is he going, what do I have to do with him you know? Yeah, really. Because it’s our human mind, and human mind so much capabilities there, because we’re used to it. Human mind has also has so much disadvantages also because we’re used to it. That’s it. Then the second is the love. Same as this. Object to whom you visualize is all sentient beings. Thought what you put, now wishing them a pleasure, a joy. And, cause of joy. Not only the present joyfulness, but in order to get continuation of future joyfulness, the cause also. You know what I mean, cause? Cause. Cause and result. Causal and result, okay. Audience: That which creates the joy. Rimpoche: That create the joy. Cause. Audience1: So, you’re wishing them- Audience2: The cause of joy. Virtuous acts. Audience1: Oh, okay. You’re wishing that their life will be led- Rimpoche: No, you’re wishing them a happiness and joyfulness at the present. Not only at the present, there be happiness and joyfulness, but also that joyfulness and happiness to be continued.

[0:05:02.5] In order to continue that, they need a good karma, so you know, good karma. Karmic causes. Now you know what I mean, causes. How to spell it, cause? Audience: C-A-U-S-E. Rimpoche: C-A-U-S-E, okay. Cause. Thank you. Cause. So, so not only you wish the present happiness and pleasure, but the cause which, the act which creates continuation of pleasure and harmony. That’s what you wish. Okay? And not only you wish, you also take one further step, I will do it. I will try to make it possible to become it that way. And I may be given all the support. The blessing or support what else? It is the Christian terminology, it’s a blessing you call it, right? Otherwise, is support in the normal, usual language, it is support. A force beyond you to push the things, that’s what it is. It’s called support, isn’t it? That’s what it is, yeah. So, that I may be supported, or I may be blessed to be able to do it. Blessed sounds like a little holy, so use that. (Laughs) Otherwise, it’s same thing. You don’t call political blessings. But you call political support, right? But you call religions blessing, you don’t call religions support [0:06:53.0] but it is immaterial. It is same thing, actually. Okay, that is the second immeasurable.

[0:07:10.9] Then third one is a similar to this. Similar to this. Sem je tam je (Recites in Tibetan) [0:07:23.8] So all the living sentient beings may continue in joyful without any sufferings. Now this is combination of both compassion and love. All the living sentient beings may continuously remain in joyful without any pains. I pray that they will remain for that and I will also act whatever I can to remain that. I may be supported to be able to do that. If the enlightened beings support me to do that, I can do it if I get the full support. Okay. Now fourth one is the equanimity. All the living sentient beings, same as before will give up the thoughts of closeness and distantness. You follow what I’m talking? Closeness and distanceness. You know, you distinct between the people. Some of them you say, this is my enemy. Some of them you say, this is my friend. Then the friend you become closer and enemy you distant. Right? So, these thought. Thought of dividing among themself as enemy and friend. Audience: So, the idea is I’m wishing everybody should be free of those feelings of dividedness. Rimpoche: Yes, yes. You’re supposed to be- you developed bodhisattva mind (Laughs) You’re supposed to pray about. So, wishing now others to do the same way as you do. Okay? If they all remain great equanimity, how wonderful it will be. I wish they will all remain in the great equanimity. I will do it, my best, to put them in the equanimity. I may be blessed to be able to do that. And this is the four immeasurable practice. This practices are such a great. If you do that every morning a little bit, the merit which you develop out of this and purification what you do out of this is a really- jet sun (Recites in Tibetan) [0:11:09.1] If merit out of this, if you could develop in some kind of form, and if you try to store it, you see the whole world will be too small to store. So that is the Buddha’s word I’m quoting it, okay? So, it is very, very useful practice.

[0:11:36.1] So- yes? Audience: So when you do this you visualize very specifically who- started small group of people? Rimpoche: Well, watch your mind. If your mind going to accept whole sentient being as like a big ocean type of people filled up like that, okay. But if you started thinking individually little bit more and then if you started getting rejections or things like that, then, then make it to smaller. It depends on, totally depends on the individual, okay? If you have no problem of excluding, including anybody, then it’s fine. Just go ahead. But if you have a little reservation of one or two people, particularly if you think you may have it, try to think on them and say what do you feel it. And don’t you ever try to force your mind with something which is not willing to accept. Then they will bounce you back. Never force, okay? Never. Even you’re- some of you may be able to relay the information, whatever we’ve been pouring here, if you do it, please see to it, don’t force information on anybody. You try to sell your ideas, be best salesman, but don’t force it. If you force them, they will reject you. Not only that, and it could create wrong understanding which creates a lot of bad karma for the other person. So, it’s very delicate. Okay? And also, the spiritual thing is such an important, the mind you, you’re playing with very delicate matter. You’re playing with mind. You may be talking. You may be listening. But what you’re doing is you are communicating one to the other with mind. The toy what you’re playing is mind. Somebody’s mind, okay, it’s very delicate. Keep that in mind, it’s very important. I mean, I occasionally mentioned, okay? Yes? Audience: I have a- when I was a young girl, the university was very far from my home (Inaudible) [0:14:03.5] the classes would end around midnight or eleven o’ clock (Inaudible) Very often I am on very dark streets and one day I am passing (Inaudible) because I saw this man and I trusted that man (Inaudible) So after this, whenever I saw a stranger coming and the road was dark, I would say, this person will protect me. He will do me no harm. And it never happened anything. Rimpoche: You’ve been lucky. (Audience laughs)

[0:14:47.5] I admire your luck. But that’s good. So, these are the four immeasurables we have. Any more questions? Anybody would like to say anything? Yeah, please. Audience: In terms of having people come to mind and you encounter a resistance in terms of being able to accept (Inaudible) [0:15:42.1] You did indicate not force yourself on that issue. Is there some way of letting go of that anger, or this way? Rimpoche: What you mean, letting go of anger? It’s when somebody- I mean, probably I didn’t get your question. Did you say, when you try to communicate to somebody, and when you cannot get through, then, instead of forcing, let it anger, and which anger you’re talking? Audience: In terms of these four practices, if you cannot accept all sentient beings, there are some that you see as enemies, how do you- Rimpoche: That’s what I said. Audience: How do you learn to love them? Rimpoche: That’s what I said, first, person you care the most. Use them first. Get used to it. Then person you know, but you don’t care that much, neither you hate, use them on top, then bring them on top. Bring them in the room. And then, then use those unknown persons in. That is easy. Then, if your mind- by that time your mind will change a lot. But if they accepts, then bring them in. But if they don’t accept, so put them under the shadow of all living beings. And, go back to the equanimity which we talked yesterday. Remember that equanimity, three people. Enemy, friend, and (?) [0:17:37.7] three people meditation. Slapping on the face, and that was the hand, and not the- and then going beyond, not only the person, but the anger, and all so and forth. Remember that. Okay, that will be very helpful on that. And also, impermanent. Changing. The enemy change into friend, friend changes to enemy, you know, the first, they’re all friends, set up the company, the last they fight, and then that was the worst enemy, because they all know all the secret of yours. (Audience laughs) And then the enemy that all along you’ve been fighting, while you are with company something and then you start line up with that. And in order to attack the other side. Right? So all this are the nature of the samsara, so it changes. So, where you really can rely as a permanently color black and white. So, these are the four five techniques that you can apply on the mind. Okay. Yes Sir?

[0:18:48.0] Audience: There’s a similar practice in yoga, like the Hindu school of yoga of these four immeasurables and they’re- what they do is I think they apply compassion to just the people that are suffering, and joy to people that are virtuous, you know, because of this notion that if someone’s virtuous, you’re jealous a little bit, you know, so you try to give joy to that, you know? And like happiness, I can’t remember exactly, but happiness that the people are, when somebody else is happy, you know, you try to feel good about that. And when somebody else is bad, doing bad things, you try to have equanimity there, and instead of saying, you know, what a horrible person, you just try to be neutral. So, I kind of understand what the relationship, I mean, it’s very similar to the four, kind of, adjectives, the feelings- I think if my understanding is right, it’s close to the feelings are the same, but the people to whom you apply them are limited. You know, whereas what we’ve got here is something where the very similar feelings, but they’re applied to everyone. Rimpoche: Yes. The thing is Hinduism and Buddhism are very close. Very, very, close. Lot of particularly in vajrayana tantra, lot of techniques are very, very, very close. However, there are certain little differences. Things like taking refuge to Buddha, dharma, and sangha. Things like, mahayana practice of object for everything is, object is all living beings rather than selected. Things like, going into the wisdom rather than continuation of samadhi sitting. And there are quite a number of them. And is very hard for a person to divide, division- they said, who said, this is Hindu and this is Buddhist practice. It’s really hard. During Nagarjuna’s period. Nagarjuna said, there are two or three great panditas who can distinct between Hindu and Buddhist practice. Even among the Hindu scholars and Buddhist scholars.

[0:21:05.5] Truly. And when Atisha was in Tibet, and when he got visitors from India, he said, now, who is there who are really be capable of distinction between the Buddhism and Hinduism and he gets later part of his life, when he was quite old, and they said, none. And he was feeling sad and he wanted to go back to India also that time. Sort of, you know, it’s like that’s very, very close. But then you know when you look very carefully, because this Buddhist have this spirit of enlightenment, altruistic. So that makes the all sentient being as object. By using all sentient being as object, what you gain is the amount of the merit. If you do something good for one, you get that much merit. If you do something good for two, you get the doubled amount. If you do four you get the double, eight, doubled. Just like that. So that’s why this is sort of maximized. So here, actually we are talking, actually you can’t say it’s a phony. But we are talking about altruistic. However, we wanted to obtain enlightenment as quickly as possible because the excuse is, the mother sentient beings cannot wait. Okay? That is good excuse. (Laughs) So, every best method to be able to get quick possible. That’s why we’re applying. That’s why we use this vajrayana. Tantra, different than Hindu tantra. It’s to use it to development, it’s totally focused development of enlightenment. It’s like taking acid, I’ve been talking with Ram Dass yesterday, so that’s why. (Audience laughs) Taking acid to a good purposes really helps then, I mean, that’s what he said- I never took it, unfortunately. If I’d been there in the sixties, I would have tasted, you know, but. (Laughs) In that period. So, it have serve a purpose, you know, for him. But then for a lot of people, it has not served the purposes, it gone zoom, down. So very similar to that, that is the using of the vajrayana is very similar to this. And when you know how to handle it, it is great. I mean, you cannot get better than that. Greatest thing. It’s a real psychedelic. (Laughs) But if you don’t know how to use it- (Laughs) Oh, you’re not familiar with that term? Audience: No, I didn’t understand when you said psychedelic.

[0:24:17.1] When you don’t know how to use it, I mean, it’s really hell, then. That’s what happens. So, Buddhism had that technique of the best use of every quick method. So that’s why this everything is based on living beings for the benefit of all living beings. You know the motivations make all different. So actually, what the buddhas want, they’re committed like we’re try to be committed for the benefit of all sentient beings. They’re really committed. So, they think and sit back there and think the best what we can do. How best we can do. And they find these little techniques, they come out and give that technique. And then push us little bit up. That’s how it happens. So now let’s go back. Okay, that is the briefly about bodhicitta, or the altruistic spirit of enlightenment. Okay, four immeasurables are very useful practice. And in addition to that, what bodhisattva supposed to do is six transcendental activities, okay? Six transcendental activities. Okay, I don’t really have much time to go through all detailing, but first is generosity. Activity of the generosity. Generosity is great. If you are stringy person then you may make quite a number of money during this lifetime that also questionable, but in future lives, you’re going to be very poor. The direct cause to be taking rebirth in prieta (?) [0:26:28.3] that land of poor, poor, prieta, where there’s no food, no clothes, and all this sort of very, very poor land, and direct cause to taking rebirth for them is stringiness. Audience: Stinginess. No R. Rimpoche: Oh, no R. Okay. Stringy. Audience: Stingy. Rimpoche: Oh stingy. Okay, stingy. Stingy. I mean, not giving, not sharing, when you have ten, you need hundred, somehow you really wanted to build up the hundred. When you build hundred, make big note, put it somewhere else, then make another thousand, then, like that, you know? I mean, really have no idea of sharing for whatsoever. Luckily, that much is not much problem in the United States. I mean, you people are great. Really. You don’t have that problem. That is we Asians have that problem. And unfortunately, I’m totally different. Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe it is, I’m sort of you know, throwing person, you know? (Laughs) That’s my habit. But most of the- in Asia we have that problem. People will work. It builds up.

[0:27:53.0] But generosity, is actual practice of the generosity, is the motivation and actual thought of giving. Actual thought of giving. Giving. Giving everything. Sharing. You know, share my knowledge with everybody. Share my information with everybody. Share my spiritual development with everybody if I can. Give away everything. Give everything, you know, of I have. Those, you know, there are a lot of practice, I will not go into detail but you know, there are practice, some deep that- there’s all sorts of things, but that’s countless practice in this. Countless. Performed vajrayana practice, and sort of giving your body. You know, those who are, you know I mean, it’s all visualize way. Those who need the blood, take drink my blood, those who need flesh, take mine, those who want to chew the bone, take mine. You know, with blessings and you know, and give them away. Generosity. And the practice is really thought of giving. Du wa (Recites in Tibetan) [0:29:27.0] So it is the practice is really giving, not holding mind, you know, giving it away. Thought of giving. Okay, the giving thought alone will not do. You keep on thinking that I give everything, everything when somebody comes to you and says please give me something, how can you ask me, how dare you ask me? That won’t do, you know? You have to be, you should be able to. If you have two shirts, and if there is somebody without shirt, you should be able to share that additional shirt. I will not say, you give up shirt and give it to them, no. You need it. But, the additional one, you should give and be able to give it. Audience: Would you say if you’re walking down the street in New York City and anybody who asks you for money you should give them money, because simply because they’ve asked? Rimpoche: Actually, you should not refuse. You should not refuse. You should give it. Actually, but giving that may create another problem. If that is so, Du pa kule (?) [0:30:41.9] there was one great sage, Tibetan sage, books, dharma books, relating- that’s what I told you yesterday, om mani peme hung, do not put on the ground, those sort of book. It’s we consider it’s very important representing dharma, so it’s very precious, carry on the head and all sort of thing, highest place, whatever we can, you know? So, the Dupakule was carrying one dharma book, so he was bitten by a dog. So, he has nothing else he hit the dog with that book. (Laughs) So what he said, dar gye (Quotes in Tibetan) [0:31:19.4] He said, the objection is very strong, but the purpose is more important so may auspicious of the book on the head of the dog, that’s what he said. (Laughs) So objection is strong, but purpose is more important, then you should be able to use your common sense. You understand what I mean? Some people may rob you. Pretend to be begging, but may rob you. Some people, maybe it will just spoil them instead of getting something, but they may straight away run into liquor store and buy something else. Something like that, you know?

[0:32:03.9] In such a cases, you don’t give. It is more harmful to the person rather than giving, so then you sort of, you know, visualize that you have given it. You don’t refuse, just walked away. Say, sorry. You have visualized giving it away. Okay, that’s what I do. And in Cleveland, when I was crossing there, there’s a two, three guys always sits there and they say, do you have a quarter? (Laughs) And I was hesitating, then I give the quarter, one day and I observed. I went other side and sat there, and watched it. And this fellow went straight into the tea shop and got a cup of coffee. So, I was happy. Since then, I always give him quarter, and whenever he says, hey, quarter? (Laughs) and if I have, I always give. That’s what you should do. But if they’re using, misusing it, I mean, you can’t go and observe what people do in New York street, right? But I did because I passed through every day. I see them every day, so I like to see what do they do. I mean, if he goes and buys liquor, I won’t give it next time. Audience: (Inaudible) [0:33:26.4] …in New York. You know, people are hungry, I would just give them food instead of giving them money, because you know you can’t go to the liquor store and give food to get liquor, so you just give somebody food, then it’s- Rimpoche: Well, good, I mean, you give anything, give it. Give. If that helps, I mean, give. Really give. And in that way, I say generally the western people are very generosity. Really very generous. The aids, that refugee aids, that’s what you give. (Laughs) I don’t mean… Are very helpful. I mean, I was refugee. I am refugee still, but when I came out of Tibet, I mean, you should really realize I mean, you have no idea how we have come. You have no idea how I have come. I probably walked a month, never took off clothes. Whole month, have a month, have everything, crossed Himalayas and have no idea, you get a meal a day, or maybe not. I mean, not only me, but hundreds and thousands of us walking same way, same manner. But it is so great when you reach that relief organizations have cup of tea ready to hand over to you or glass of milk and piece of vitamin, or piece of clothes, though it may fit or not fit to you, but you have nothing to wear. You’ve been wearing something for months together. And high altitude, and coming down into India is smells like anything, too. (Laughs)

[0:35:10.9] And thick skin clothes, or something, and then there’s Indian heat, you know? I mean really, that’s very, very, I mean, how helpful it was at that receiving end is you people will not know. That was a great thing. And also, it’s interesting, as I always said, Americans don’t know their value of their life. Really don’t. You don’t appreciate. At all. How important, how comfortable, how protected, how good environment you have. If you look, if you go outside, in third world countries, you’ll know. If there is war, the American embassy will pick up all the American citizens and put it in helicopter or whatever they can, pack them up home first. And who else going to carry anybody else, you know? I mean, Americans followed by the British and France, French maybe, or Swiss. They’re probably the first one. But that very little amount, you know? So little. Maybe they have four, five people to pick it up. It’s easy for them. The America have thousands and thousands, every part of the world wherever you go. Still, they fight back, and say, I’m not going and this and that, and they argue with them, and they fight and they do all sorts of things and you know, the government will come around and try to please you, and try to force you, and try to get you somehow off the danger. That’s what they’re trying to do, that’s their job. And you’re very well protected. You have no idea how valuable the Americans are. And very generosity. But you must also know how to utilize that. I mean you are generosity but you throw everything everywhere. That’s not the way to do it. That’s not the way to do it. And when this reliefs, when it comes, at the receiving end, it was so helpful. However, what you get at the receiving point is also very little, what you give from here. Totally different. I was working for the Tibetan- I was the, sort of principal for emergency Tibetan refugee school. And I mean, practically there is no clothes for the children to change. I mean, so, so, so, pathetic situation. And then first thing what I got is aid from Canadians. Something like thirty-two boxes of clothes.

[0:38:16.3] Thirty-two boxes of clothes. And five boxes are intact. I mean, that is really, I mean you can see that is the western clothes, people wear it, that’s that. All other, something like twenty some-odd boxes, boxes are there- I mean you open it up on the top you see few western, sort of people thrown the clothes, and then you see few old saris, and dhotis, and then you see the rags and sacks, and nothing’s there (Laughs) and all sorts of funny things. I mean, really. You know, sacks. You know what I mean, they put this wheat and all this sort of, you know normal sacks in there. (Laughs) So what happened is customs and relief committees, you have to go through with so many bureaucratic red tape, you know, they have all these funny thing. There is an organization called Central Relief Committee we have in India. Central Relief Committee. And all these people, you know, they take everything out, and then when you really get, anyway you get few, and that itself is great help. So anyway, whatever it may be, generosity is great activity. Generosity, whatever you can give, you should give it. And whatever, even you can’t give it, you don’t have to feel bad. I’m poor, and I can give nothing, and I cannot develop merit. You don’t have to worry. There is limitless thing you can give it. It is the mind. Mind. You can make offerings. Offerings to the field of merit. Offerings to the sentient beings. Offerings, you know, anything. Anything. You know, the best object of the field is recommended to be two- higher up, and lower down. Higher up is the enlightened beings. Lower down is the poorest who need it most. So when you don’t have it, don’t have to worry. You can pick up every single good thing that you see around your mentally, and make offerings to the enlightened beings. If you see beautiful flower garden, pick the garden flower up and multiply it in sort of multi million size more, sort of blow it up, and make offerings. Make offerings. And you may have an example of one or two flowers to represent, and then it is multimillion you make it. You understand what I mean?

[0:41:40.0] Similarly, everything, everything. Even you may give one piece, one single Anacin, to somebody who have a terrible headache or toothache or something. And visualize that and all other sentient beings who are having problem I have given a multibillion Anacin tablets. (Laughs) Or for that matter, Tylenol as well. (Laughs) Whatever. Visualize. It is the mind exercise, mental activity. That is the most what counted. Okay? There was a great master called Drekung gele Gyatso (?) [0:42:31.9] Drukamba (?) what he used to do, he was so poor, so poor he was. Beginning he was so poor he doesn’t have extra cup available. And Tibet is nothing great, a lot of people think Tibet is mysterious land like Shambhala. It’s not. It’s a poor country. Really, very poor country. He doesn’t have extra cup. Only one wooden bowl, he has, bowl. So, what he used to do, he used to make offering in that. Early in the morning, he washed this, put water, and put it to the altar as making offering. After some time, he borrowed that, and drink his tea, and use it whatever he has to use, then he wash it again, and offers up. And for incense what he used to do, he used to go outside and pick small little, nice little smelling things, and used to burn that. And used to say, ba ni (Quotes in Tibetan) [0:43:36.4] He said, I am so- I have very limited luck, I’m a very unlucky person, so I’m poor, I have nothing else to offer except this glass of water here, and little incense that I’ve been able to picked it up, but I visualize this as a multibillion ways, and every enlightened beings may enjoy this glass of water as their elixir, and a nectar, by your power, that little incense terrible smelling thing, whatever I got out of little outside the door will, by your power, it may be taken as a burning of a real, the most expensive perfume smell available in this world, you may enjoy that way. That’s all he used to pray. And later once, he become such a rich, wealthy person, and he doesn’t use the cup, he had pure gold. Pure, hundred percent gold, hundred water bowl he built made out of pure gold. Thick ones. He used to make offerings that all the time, and his incense is the best Tibetan incense ever available now. Way of making the incense. He used to mix so many things, the deer musk, there’s some kind of animal skin which he gets out of ocean, animal horn types of thing, and then this red and white sandalwoods, and there’s another white sandalwood, which is more expensive, more rare than sandalwood called agaro (?) [0:45:27.9] And all sort of, something like a hundred and twenty different things he mixed. And make little incense, and that one incense burning probably can smell it like two, three miles. That sort of incense he make. I mean, it’s very, very expensive incense. I try to copy, and try to make in India once, two years ago. He had used something like a hundred twenty-five ingredients, and I could hardly get fifty. Not at all available, fifty. And then I made the incense measurement according to his measurement, and I try to make a stick (Audio cuts) [0:46:16.5] …makers, I talked to them, and they’re so much interested, so I didn’t give them really detailing what I made it, but I asked, I give the whole material, whatever I made it, and give it to them. And I said if they could make stick. And they sold me back, for one box of incense fifty, like seventeen Indian rupees each. All materials mine, what I prepared, you know. And even then after something, whatever they did, I don’t- whatever they aid it, but my powder is still better smelling than that one. (Laughs) I don’t know what really they did.

[0:47:00.8] Unfortunately I run out now. And whenever I get next amount, make some more. Audience: Do we take a break? Rimpoche: Oh, do we? Oh, sorry. I’m glad you reminded me. So, take it break. Nothing to meditate. Because, you know, this meditations, the four immeasurable ones, I have given you material. If you have doubts and questions, it’s your benefit to raise the question and ask me. Okay? Don’t feel bad. Any question is never stupid question, okay? Don’t feel embarrassed. We’re all within family. Don’t feel shy. Now we know each other. We number of almost day and nights together. There’s nothing to shy or hide. So just raise any question that you have. And then when you sit you have able to sit and think about it. Sit, I mean when you meditate. You should be able to think. Okay? Good. I don’t know how long do we have to take a break? Okay, ten minutes. (Speaks to audience about break)

[0:48:26.5] … move up or down. Audience: …Have vows that they recite or chant, they have to do with these same things that you’re talking about today? And I’m wondering whether you would prefer to have us have our own private meditations or whether there is something like the dedication, for instance, that can be chanted on the subject. Rimpoche: Doesn’t matter. Are you still alive? (Laughs) Audience: (Inaudible) [0:49:10.2] Rimpoche: Sorry. Well, we have bought it now we’re going down, so don’t worry. (Discussing going up and down the hill to the site, afternoon teaching schedule) Rimpoche: Okay, we are talking about generosity, right? [0:50:12.0] Generosity. Okay, that generosity includes saving of life. And giving a dharma teaching. Dharma information. Spiritual information, dharma information. All these are included in the generosity. Food, clothes, shelter, money, everything. Okay? The spirit of sharing is a great spirit and you should do that. And also, Chandrakirti had said, you know what Chandrakirti had said? Chandrakirti is great Indian pandit. Nagarjuna is a direct disciple. Min im den wa (Recites in Tibetan) [0:51:05.3] The comfort of the human beings cannot be completed unless you have certain wealth. Wealth, wealth. Money and comfort, you know, wealth. So, the Buddha knows that, and Buddha choose to put first activity of bodhisattva as generosity. Because the more your generosity it is, and that much you will become a better off, even economically. If you are thinking of, I’ve got a hundred dollars here, I won’t keep a hundred as it is, you keep on keeping it, it may or may not remain as a hundred. If you started throwing, you may get somehow another two hundred more. It’s always happens that way. You don’t agree? You do agree. Good. Thanks.

[0:52:10.4] And this is I’m talking about here. But, your next life. It’s not necessary to be next life. Nowadays, the karma runs very fast. We have saying in Tibetan, the traditionally karma runs through the body. Nowadays the karma runs on the finger. So that means karma doesn’t take that much time it used to take. It running very fast. So, it don’t have time to going around the body, it goes on the finger only. So, which means very fast. So, it could affect even this life very much. But, when you know the generosity is the cause of a wealth, when you know- and if you wanted to be wealthy and for the sake of becoming wealthy, if you try to be generosity, that is useless. When you really be generous spirit of sharing, you should not hope not have any hope of getting it returned to you. Lan dang (Quotes in Tibetan) [0:53:32.0] Do not hope a return. Do not hope of result. If you do that, it is manipulated generosity. It’s manipulated, calculated, right? If I throw now, I get something later, it’s calculated. Like what we say aid with the strings. The strings attached, they pull you. (Laughs) That’s what Oliver North does. (Laughs) That’s what happens. Audience: (Inaudible) [0:54:11.1] How much do you keep for yourself? Rimpoche: Okay, the good question. You keep whatever necessary. Necessary including, don’t throw it away. Including what you needed in future. You keep it. But, when somebody really urgently seeing, saying how much you, how much your heart can let it go. If you cannot let it go, without holding, but still you think it is necessary to give, then it’s useless. Without any hesitation you think, okay, I can really throw it away ten dollars. Okay. Then let that much go. Okay, I should throw a hundred, but I feel, you know, then it’s no use. No use. Better not give it. But, try to practice through mind. Give everything, give everything.

[0:55:19.4] After some time, you not only give hundred, but you can give thousand, you can give everything. Even then you have no hesitation, you’ll be more happy. Be great bodhisattvas, they give their life. You know, one of the- if you tell the Buddhas jataka story, look into it, he sees the tiger, the babies are dying. And they’re all, tiger mother and baby all dying it because they didn’t get food, and they’re so weak they couldn’t do it. So Buddha went there (Inaudible) [0:55:52.4] he even cut his own veins and let them start slowly suck the blood, and then they build their strength and they ate him up. And when they do this, they be very happy. They saved their life, he said my life, I have been born and died and been born and died hundreds and thousands of times, and never been useful. Today at least be useful. Okay. You know, the great bodhisattvas when they used to it, even they have to give their life, and body, it is just like that it be like giving a piece of vegetable out of refugee (Inaudible) [0:56:32.4] You don’t have any string or any feelings at all. That’s what happen. As long as we have that, we have to mentally exercise and become better and bigger heart, bigger heart, you know? Your heart has to become bigger and bigger, that’s what it is. But on the other hand, generosity’s fantastic, I should do it, and I give everything and now I go and beg around. And that’s also not advisable. That is too extreme state. Not the middle path. (Laughs) Okay.

[0:57:16.7] Any more questions? Should I continue? Good. Okay then the, then the dharma or spiritual information giving generosity away is also very good generosity. One of the best generosity you can recommend it. But, giving wrong information, or information not fit to be given. And suppose if I try to talk to you on great vajrayana techniques here, it’s not fit. It’s not right. So it is do more damage and harm than that of help. For you, as well as for me, or even for other people to come to future. So, so that sort of wrong giving is not recommended. Similarly, a giving sugar to a diabetics, salt to the high blood- what do you call it? Hypertension? Things like that, it is wrong thing. Giving poison to people, it is give, but it’s- (Laughs) But you are giving poison. So, these things are the wrong thing. Okay? Okay, that’s enough for the generosity. Second activity is morality. Good morality is needed. I don’t want to go into the detail, because we all know. Here the generally, morality is slightly different than the western Christian sense of understanding. Here, the morality really means committing your vows, whatever the vows you have. Whatever the vows you have committing them. And honoring them. Vow is important and good. Why? Simple reason. (Inaudible) [0:59:29.1] If you have a vow, vow of non-killing or something, every time when you sit, alone, and not killing, you are accumulating a merit of not killing because of the vow. You know what I mean? You are sitting here; you’re not killing anything. So, but you’re not killing. In my case, I have a vow of not killing, though I do kill. Vow of not killing. So when I’m sitting here and not killing, I get a continuation of merit of not killing because of the vow, but those of who you don’t have a vows, sitting here, you’re not getting it. You’re just not killing it. But you are not getting a merit of non-killing.

[1:00:21.4] Because you don’t have the commitment of not killing. When you have the commitment of not killing, when you didn’t kill it, you’re fulfilling. When you kill it, you’re breaking. Okay? Yes sir? Audience: On the question of purification, seems like a non-killing is a non-virtue whether you have a vow or not, but- Rimpoche: Non-killing is not non-virtue. Non-killing is virtue. Killing is non, yeah. That’s right. Audience: Killing is non-virtue. But it seems that there would probably be a worse non-virtue in a sense if you’re violating the vow. Rimpoche: Yeah, it is. Audience: So is there some difference in terms of purification. You know, there’s a mosquito, is there something to purify? Rimpoche: Well purification’s almost the same. Audience: Okay. Rimpoche: Almost same, yeah. Unless you have pratimoksha vow. Pratimoksha vow is those monks and nuns take it. That was taken in the presence of a group of people, so you have to purify in their presence. So, you don’t- you get up and then you say, I did this, and I- you don’t say individually. You said I did a lot of things belongs to this category, belongs to that category, belongs to this category, it’s categorized, so it belong to that categories and all of them, and their related matters they are purified. That’s how they do it. If you have bodhisattva vows, the bodhisattva vows are taken from the lama buddha bodhisattvas. So, you have to purify in their presence. If you are taking the vajrayana vows, vajrayana vows are taken at the center of the lama bodhi mandala- not bodhi mandala- lama mandala. Lama deity mandala. So, you purify at their presence. Only these are the specific. Otherwise, general everything is everything. Okay, now what are we talking? Morality.

[1:02:22.2] So committing your vows, committing, I mean, honoring your commitments. That is the generally vows that you take. And, there are a tremendous amount of vows in the Buddhist field. There a lot. And if you can take a vow, and become a monk and nun, it’s wonderful. Monk and nun. (Laughs) It’s wonderful, but even you can’t, don’t have to feel bad. Tremendous opportunity. Tremendous opportunity. For example, there are twenty-four hour vows. The mahayana twenty-four hours, eight precepts, we say we call it eight precepts of mahayana. It happens on twenty-four hours. And that you can take twenty-four hour vows, you can take forty-eight hour vows, and you can take lifelong vows, you can take year-long vows, you can take month-long vows, there all sorts of things available. So, as a lay people, with a family. Then you have refuge taking, refuge taking will also automatically will help certain vows it will cover. So, all of them are available. And is has lot of advantage. And very little disadvantage. There are disadvantages, too. But little. Disadvantage, inconvenience. Lot of inconvenience comes up. Okay. So that’s enough for morality, okay? In other words, in short, the perfect morality is person has to try to be pure. As much as you can. To be pure is very hard. We always have some kind of motivation, some kind of twisting, and some kind of covering up. Try to be nice, try to be honesty. Try to remain pure. It is very hard. But as much as you can, you should do. Even you break it, you become some kind of unpure, or you have to lie something, or something, but then you should not say, well, I did already lied, I might as well break it more. No, don’t do that. That is dangerous. If you break one or two points you have to break, there are ways and means of purifying it. But you don’t say, I broke once and now might well breaking go on breaking, no. That is bad. Really bad. Buddhas and bodhisattvas will say that is bad person. Ungrateful person.

[1:06:07.0] Enlightened beings you look down that person. I mean, everybody will do something or another wrong, they can’t look down. We’re helpless, we are full of ignorance and hatred and anger and attachment. We do all sorts of things every minute. But they keep on have to be excuse. But knowingly say, well I might well broke, keep on break it, so what? That is bad. They will really look down. Okay? That’s it. To be pure is important, as much as you can. And don’t think everybody is pure. Almost everybody’s unpure, except unless you’re enlightened. When you’re fully enlightened, fully buddhahood, then everything’s pure. Till then, nobody is hundred percent pure at all. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry you name it, will have faults, okay? No matter whoever it may be. Spiritual masters, great lamas, high siddhis, to us. From that level to us, people do make mistakes all the time. And create problem. So, we’re not problem free. Don’t have to feel bad about it, but try not to repeat. Try to purify. Okay. I talk about purification, didn’t I? There is nothing more to talk. Yes, I did. Audience: Somebody asked a question about those four powers of purification. Rimpoche: Yeah, I did talk for that answer. I did give four powers, right? But taking refuge and meditating love and compassion will fill the base, power of base. Both are necessary. Why both are necessary? Because if you do not have, you can’t take refuge to the unenlightened person. You cannot meditate love and compassion on enlightened people. Because if you meditate love and compassion on Buddha, you can’t say, poor Buddha, right? They probably love you back (Inaudible) [1:08:56.3] You can’t do that. So that’s why taking refuge was one they substituted. Because you never know, everybody who is enlightened, who is not enlightened, how do you know? It’s hard. They themselves may know. If you’re fully enlightened, they know. But they’re there to help every sentient beings. They’re there among us to be, to act like us. If they don’t act like us, they can’t help us. Right? If they are supernatural comes, everybody either scared and run away or everybody will be jumping over already and only few people can do it. So therefore, they don’t do it.

[1:09:43.2] They sort of act according to normal human being level. And looks like normal human being, acts like normal human being, behaves like a normal human being, so who knows who is enlightened, who is not enlightened. It’s hard to judge person like me, to say who you are. It’s hard. But you know who you are yourself. I know who I am, so that’s it. But you do not take behaviors as a reason, and saying, oh this person cannot be good person because he does this, this, this. That is not good reason. Person do all sorts of things for various reason. If you look great mahasiddhis of the great siddhis, some of them are terrible behavior. Really horrible. There are book of the life of eighty-four mahasiddhis available. You read each one of them are strange. Some are acting like prostitute, some are acting like a thief, some are acting like a man who carry the dead body up and down there (Laughs) Always many of them are like that. Some are king. Some are all sorts of things, you know? All things. So that is not reason that person is bad because he or she does this, this, this. That’s not reason at all. That is totally unvalid reason. So, Buddha recommend us not to judge people’s spiritual standard. You may say he’s good man, bad man, according to the normal behaviors and normal knowing. That is no objection. But at least to me, right? But you don’t say he’s spiritually high, because he had Rimpoche’s name. Or he talks or teach. That is bullshit. Also, you can’t say, he is- I’m sorry, I used bad language, right? (Audience laughs) Okay. Also, you can’t say he or she has no spiritual development, because she or he or she doesn’t understand anything. That’s also not right. So, you spiritually you don’t judge the people, okay? Among the butchers there may be a great saint sitting there doing a particularly good work. Every animal that he or she butchered may probably be sending it up, who knows?

[1:13:00.7] Too extreme, right? Audience: Well, not the butcher, I’m just confused how is somebody going to hide spiritual gain, how can they act by the mores that we describe as being immoral? How could they, I don’t understand. Rimpoche: Excuse me. May I use bad example? Please excuse, really. Suppose, the purpose of the highly spiritual developed persons is what the purpose? Purpose is to help others. To build a connection, to get a touch with other people. Right? If you come, as nice way spiritual guide and friend and talk and that way, that’s one way of doing it. If you are not in that condition, what else? Let’s say, let’s say, excuse me, please, really within family talk, okay? Let’s say, if I’m a female, okay? Let’s say I’m also spiritual highly developed, I’m not- but let’s say I am. And I’m also female, okay? And my duty is to help sentient beings as much as I can. Okay, what I will choose? I’ll probably be on the street. I get in touch with so many more people. You may consider that as immoral. But I don’t. For me. Because I have purpose here. I’m sorry it’s maybe too radical to some people. If we have any very conservative people around here. (Laughs) Maybe it’s too radical. But it is possible. Generally, the act is immoral, however, in that particular person that act, the nature of the immoral has been transformed in a good work. You’re getting me? It’s making more clear. Generally, killing is bad. One of the worst. But if the person have the power to be able to, as a Professor Thurman talked the day before or yesterday, you look at the tree, and bring the fruit down, and put it back. If you can do that, it is the sign that you can protect the person that you destroyed. So that sort of people can kill somebody and making sure that somebody had a better life the next. Okay, for that, that killing is not a non-virtue, that killing is a virtue as a matter of fact, dharma work. As a matter of fact, it is method for him.

[1:16:40.2] Because it is a hundred percent guarantee. It’s like a doctor who’s doing a surgery work on you, but the doctors are not really a hundred percent sure, because you have to go under general anesthesia, who knows what happens? (Laughs) So, even then, you consider this as good work. Good act. But actually, using knife on somebody is bad. Generally, right? Cutting is bad. Cutting somebody into two pieces or whatever it is, it’s bad. Removing somebody’s some part of inside is bad, generally. But for doctor, it’s good. Same. Audience: (Inaudible) [1:17:45.6] The person that you’re interacting with, let’s use your example of somebody being a prostitute on the streets, and she has a relationship with somebody. Would that person that interacts with the person that’s enlightened, get any understanding then, that it was something other than what normally happens? Rimpoche: No, not necessarily, but one good advantage is ka na (Quotes in Tibetan) [1:18:17.4] if you look Bodhisattvacharyavatara, at the end of the last word of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara it said, bodhisattvas so great, if anybody builds relation with bodhisattvas, it builds tremendous benefit seed and become closer to the development, much more. Even you cannot build good way of relation, if you build bad way of relation, even hitting and fighting, if somebody harming, we also build good relation. Ka la (Quotes in Tibetan) [1:19:00.8] that also brings, develops source of happiness. I was- I think Matt asked me that day before yesterday, didn’t you? That’s alright. So that’s what it is. So even that by building a relation alone, it has tremendous benefit of its own. So that’s how it works. Okay?

[1:19:32.2] And the vajrayana had special, in addition to that, for in case of prostitute, There’s a lot of different things, but I don’t go into that, okay? Okay. So now, can I continue? Thanks. Otherwise, you all feel bored and tired. Okay, now what is next? The morality’s over. Can I do the patience, or can I not do patience? We still have ten more minutes. (Inaudible remark, Audience laughs) Maybe we do ten minutes meditation, because the patience, there a lot of things to talk on the patience. Patience is very important for every one of us in our daily life. Because we get a lot of irritation for all the- okay then, if there’s any questions, anybody want say anything? We still have- (Audio cuts) [1:20:38.9] Audience:… the third one then. Rimpoche: Yeah. Audience: So, purity is part of morality, purity wasn’t the third one. Rimpoche: What? No, no, no, it’s part of morality. That’s what I’m talking about morality. Any more, anybody want say anything? Yes sir? Audience: Something from yesterday I didn’t ask that you answered yesterday, I’m not sure, but the type of analytical thinking supposed to do in meditation. You may have answered it. I want to distinguish, if possible, whether it’s thinking in the head, or with the heart, or with both together, you may have said- I think you said something about it. Rimpoche: Doesn’t matter. We always think in heart, Tibetans. We always think heart. In the west, they say it is head, so I don’t know. But you may use whatever is available for you. Actually, it’s one person, right? It is general one person. Whether you say it’s here or up there, it’s function. If you think it’s here and functioning here, it functions. You think it’s down here and functioning down there. Any more? Anybody want say anything?

[1:21:57.6] Everybody’s ready for meditation, okay? Do you, would you like a guided, or like to do yourself? (Audio cuts) [1:22:32.5] I have a very nice young boy with us who have been saying om mani peme hung with us and should welcome you too. (Laughs) Right? Welcome you. (Audience claps) Okay. What did he say? Audience: (Inaudible) [1:23:06.0] Okay, now this morning we talked two activities of- I mean four immeasurable, beside the two activities of the bodhi, the altruistic spirit of enlightenment that persons. That is the generosity and morality. Now the next is patience. Patience. Patience, that is the thing. We can’t be a patience, we are very, very nervous, always. If we are, you know, if you are late, something , five minutes, you go zzzzzzzz like that. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to teach bad things. I’m late always. So, so what? I mean, really if you’re five minutes late, what? The sky is not going to fell down. The whole universe is not going to go upside down. So what? It’s just five minutes late, so what? Take it easy. But we can’t. We are so much programmed, particularly Americans are so much programmed, if you are late half an hour you yell, scream, and do whatever, you know. I think that’s too much. A different thing, the Tibetans, I’ve been Tibetan. We’re not programmed by hours and minutes. We’re programmed by months. (Audience laughs) You’re programmed by minutes and seconds. So that’s why becoming- (Laughs) that’s why you’re becoming very impatient. So ba ga (Quotes in Tibetan) [1:24:57.7] The patience is one of the most important virtue. Really. One of the most important virtue is patience. One of the most important powerful, sin- what you call it? Non-virtue is anger. Anger. The anger and patience is antidote to each other. This is the two powerful forces which meets and then one destroys the other. Whoever comes. This is, everywhere there’s a war. As I told you, there was stinginess and generosity is war, there is immoral and moral, there’s war, there’s anger, and patience is war there. Yeah. And you are the bet, whether if you’re going to be taken by anger, or you’re going to be taken by patience.

[1:26:20.7] The you are bet. If anger wins, you lose, you go to the anger. If patience wins, you lose, you’re going to lose it. (Laughs) But you lose it for the better purpose or worse purposes. That’s the thing. So, the choice is yours, though they fight. Choice is yours. So why, what do you make- why, I mean, choice is yours. We all know that, right? Choice is ours. But before we choose, we have to know the advantages and disadvantages. Without knowing advantages and disadvantages to make a choice is very difficult. Even you do so, you have limited choice. I was given example of Colonel North, remember? If you have a lesser knowledge or information. So, I try to introduce you here what does anger do? What does patience do to individual? Before you make choice. That is the important thing. What does anger do? Anger creates what? Discomfort? If you get angry, whole day is spoiled. Discomfort. So uneasy. And miserable. Even looks miserable. The person, man or woman, whoever, when you get angry, you don’t see yourself. When you really look, look at your face, when somebody get very upset and get really angry, and started yelling, you may think you’re yelling on somebody. You may be saying, you may be giving your piece of mind. You may be thinking. But if somebody watched you, your face looks like that of monkey’s… not even the face. Backwards. Yeah, really. You’ll be totally red, ugly, horrible. At look itself alone. And other side person, if especially if he is patient man, he'll be feeling sorry to you. You may be thinking you’re giving piece of mind. But on the other hand, he’ll be feeling sorry for you. And the person who’s between, spectators, or person who are watching over it, they will judge so poorly. You can’t control your temper. You lose your temper. They will think a very low of you. They will laugh at you because you act such a different way.

[1:30:07.6] You act such a funny way. And to yourself, you get more angry, because what you think you have given piece of, piece of mind, which doesn’t affect the other person, you get more angry, you know? And you become more red, more ugly, and more horrible and maybe your voice go a little bit higher. And as much as your voice goes higher, that much you look more horrible, you are. Sound is terrible. And you’re really object of pity-ness. That’s what you become in the eyes of the other. Your own, within yourself, so unhappy, so miserable, you can’t even don’t want, even can’t take proper food. You have to keep secret, or have a drink, or something, you know, you go like this. And not only some people days together, like this. You can’t sleep at night. And nobody made it. Our self made it. Such a miserable. This is the material part, and part what we can see. Now, as a spiritual path, what happens? Ka ji (Quotes in Tibetan) [1:31:44.7] Okay. If you are angry on somebody, you know your anger is so expensive, you have no idea how expensive it is. Tremendous, it costs you kan ji (Quotes in Tibetan) [1:32:23.3] Generosity, morality, et cetera of good virtue that you have accumulated for number of years…