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Soundfile 19901229GRFNLCWR5

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

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Transcriber Wee Lin

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0:00:04.2 Forget about enlightened beings even during the bardo period, our mind and body are combined. Wherever the mind goes, the body goes. That’s why even if you lock the door, ghosts can come in. You cannot lock the door for ghosts [because] they have mental body and mental body functions like mind. Even the movie makers know how to [use] that. That is because the body and the mind are combined in that manner. For enlightened beings, it is more than that. Their physical form will be without limit. The HUM here is representing this illusion body on one hand and the clear light on the other hand and their combination. [There is a ] more extraordinary secret explanation beyond that [as well as] an uncommon inconceivable explanation. But I am not going to go into that detail. That much is enough.

0:01:38.9 With this sort of understanding even you say one OM, it is powerful enough to move or to lift the Pentagon up. It is. Ha ha ha. Just joking. With this sort of idea and attitude if you say OM MANI PADME HUM followed by light liquid and thinking on the meanings that I gave you, like the little external explanation, little bit deeper explanation and the idea of union is this. The ultimate idea of union is the combination of the ultimate mind and combination of ultimate body. The ultimate body represents the female, the ultimate mind represents the male. There are also lots of Vajrayana explanation on what the male and female union is about. Which is possible through attachment. That is how you transform your attachment. With this sort of mind, every visualisation you do is concentrated meditation. The Tibetan tradition adds up the mantras. The other traditions don’t have mantras, don’t use mantras. They simply sit and meditate. So meditation and saying mantra together. Which means if you think saying mantra means you are only thinking of the sound and saying some kind of weird words but you are not meditating, you are making a damn mistake. That totally is a damn mistake. It is really a mistake. If you only think you have to meditate and say mantra separately, it is a big mistake. You have to combine the meditation and mantra saying. After sometimes mantra becomes on the tip of your mouth. You don’t have to read the book and try to see the sound. That is difficult part. But who doesn’t know how to say Om Mani Padme Hum. Even parrots can say that. Even Simon says Om Mani Padme Hum.

0:05:07.8 That you don’t have to try to catch the words. So sometimes focus on the meaning, sometimes focus on the deeper meaning and sometimes light and liquid. When you can’t do that and are sort of losing it, when it becomes boring then switch to focusing on the meaning. When you are getting bored on that, switch to purification, when you get bored on that, switch to the healing and when you get bored on that, switch to [something else]. That’s what you should be able to do, switch around. That’s how you do.

0:05:43.0 Please do short mandala offering. Sa zhi po kyi…..

Now you have to think of the motivation. You are going to say mantra and listen, all of them together for the benefit of all beings for that one would like to obtain enlightenment and for that I will do this. Say about 100 times the mantra and then say mantra by yourself.

0:06:28.3 Tara is one of the manifestations of the activity of the enlightened beings. When you talk about the manifestation of the activity of enlightened beings that means the enlightened beings came up on how best they can help and guide all the beings. They came up with the conclusion that we need some activities and somebody who will be able to carry out that activity in feminine form or female form. They definitely wanted a feminine figure because people sometimes have misunderstanding with Buddhism particularly [for those with] Theravaden principle. In Theravaden principle the vows and discipline are treated as one of these principles to control gross delusions. Discipline is a major theme of common with the lower level practice. We call that common with lower level practice. Normally it is referred as Theravaden or Hinayana. If you use the word Hinayana, the practitioners of the Theravaden tradition don’t like it because Hina means narrow and lower. Yana is vehicle. Maha is big and greater, so the Mahayana says we are Mahayana , you are Hinayana. That becomes a problem.

Actually originally during the Buddha’s period, I don’t think there was such a problem. Lots of scholars will even say Mahayana was not there at that time, that’s why there was no problem. They said that Mahayana came a hundred and ten years after Buddha died. Many scholars said that. I don’t know if they have any scientific proof for that. They just simply said that because the collected works of the Buddha which is known in Tibetan as Kangur which has Sanskrit version, Tibetan version, Chinese version and Mongolian version already existed. The Tripitakas are what the Theravaden considered as complete works of Buddha. The Mahayana says it is not complete. They have additional things. A number of Western, earlier Buddhist scholars will say all these are known as Buddhist Canon rather Buddha’s collected works. That was how it happened. Who knows what happened 2500 years ago.

0:13:07.5 Anyway the teaching tradition and practice tradition which had come through Buddha is continuing. Even the scholars who said the collected works of Buddha are not Buddha’s works also accept that the teaching tradition continues and will say where that came from. They said “oh this was what Buddha taught. People kept on telling one another and then finally started writing them down” which is true. Even the Buddhist tradition says [there was what] Western scholar called the Great Council or Convention.

There were three meetings after Buddha’s death. Actually after Buddha there were seven regents and that is for sure. Each one of those regents started repeating what Buddha had taught. At that time nothing was written down. Even the orthodox Buddhist tradition will tell you, nothing was written. During the seventh regent’s period, they [continued] repeating [the teachings], all of them. Those repetition of all the sutras were done by three different people at that time. That was considered the first Council or meeting.

Then during the second Council [something] different came up. Different because [it was about what Buddha said on discipline] though that was also questionable. Buddha said those who were taking the pratimosha or self-liberating vows like Monks and nuns, they were not supposed to eat in the afternoon, after noon. Then a group of people said, “ya you are not supposed to eat in the afternoon but if you scratch the food, like using two hands or fingers, scratch the food a little then you can eat.” They made these new rules with exceptions that if you take something out of that food, scratch and then you can eat. We don’t the reasons. There were ten [such rules]. ( quote in Tibetan). They said for those things that you are not supposed to do, if you do things [in a certain] way then you can do that. There were about seven hundred arahats got together there and finally they confirmed that ten of them were wrong. That was considered the second Council.

0:17:31.4 (Tibetan) Then 400 years after the Buddha’s death, there was another big debate on Buddhism. The debate was mostly on the monks’ rules and not much on the practice but the rules the monks were supposed to observe, like why they have to have different [robe], why some have to have a mark on the different [robes] and how [to accept] the [robes]. Some of them won’t even touch it unless somebody else offer to them. Do you notice that Theravaden monks specially from Ceylon or Thailand won’t even eat unless somebody offer them [food in a certain manner] only then they will accept like this and only after that they will eat. Otherwise if nobody pick up and give to them, they won’t even touch it. All these sort of different rules were there resulting in the big debate [on 18 different rules]. (Tibetan quote). 1700 Bodhisattvas and arahats had a council and they decided that all 18 rules were right.

The reason being Buddha himself had mentioned somewhere that during the [previous] Buddha’s period one of his big benefactors, a king had the funniest dream one night and it really disturbed him so much. He said in his dream, his very nice kingdom which was doing very well and all of a sudden 18 different people walked up straight away and started fighting and fighting. They tried to find out what they were fighting about. There was a big huge piece of cloth and they were fighting for that cloth. They fought and fought and fought. And at the end each one of them got one complete piece and then they settled. Everybody at the end of fighting got a complete piece of the cloth in their hand.

That King thought that was the funniest dream he had ever had. So he went and ask the Buddha, not Sakyamuni Buddha but Buddha before that. He went to the Buddha and said, “I had this dream and it must be something very bad. What is it? Is my kingdom going to become 18 different kingdoms or what is it?” That Buddha said, oh it is not, it has nothing to do with you, nothing to do with us. But in future there will be a Buddha called Sakyamuni and in his teaching tradition there will be 18 different [set of] people who would like to behave by the rules differently. They are going to fight and each one of them are going to [end up] having the correct piece. Accordingly they found that prophecy and said this being 18, so fine, so go ahead, everybody is right. That was called the third Council. And since then they started writing down. The writing business came since then. Before that nothing was written down. That’s true.

0:21:54.8 Neither the Tripitakas nor Mahayana sutras were written down before that. That’s why the scholars called them Canon. They were not written by Buddha like what we said in the West somebody wrote that. Not in that way. Besides that Buddhist also gave a lot of rooms for different systems [to co-exist] because of that. Anyway our main point is then the discipline becomes a principle thing and one way of disciplining is to make the separation of the male and female. Then the monks become separated from the nuns and others. If you have been to SE Asia you will know that they all been separately rather badly.

I am the worst one because every time I get to SE Asia I used to tease all those yellow monks. The separation becomes so much that the monks withdraw completely from women. They are not even supposed to look. They won’t even allow them to look. And similarly the nuns, they are not to look at the male at all. That is because so much discipline, total discipline. But somehow the monks have the upper hand and it looks like it becomes very chauvinistic type of thing. People have difficulty with that. I don’t think that was like that originally in Buddhist tradition.

0:24:22.1 The discipline had been overly emphasised. Then many disciplines of the monks came up by incidents. When an incident took place, they would asked “what shall we do?” “Oh better separate [from that] now”. Another thing happened, “Ok better separate [from that] now.” So more and more discipline had been added especially in the Theravaden tradition. It is really strict discipline. The monks won’t even look around. They would just walk straight ahead. If you look at the Tibetan monks and the Theravaden monks there is a wide difference. The Theravaden monks are very well behaved, they would walk straight in a line and only look this much in one direction and that much in another direction. Tibetan monks going like that all the time, everywhere (Rimpoche gestured). Ha ha ha. Besides Theravaden monks are much smaller in number and they sort of separately retreat in their monastery and the public will treat them differently too because they wear the robes and they are only few of them. However 50% of the Tibetan population are monks. In one family you have two or three monks. Jumping around. That might have made the difference.

0:26:19.1 What happens is people sometimes think that in the Buddhism there is no feminine principle and that it is entirely monk [dominated] only and male chauvinistic. That’s not true. There was a tremendous number of nuns during the Buddha’s period. There were a tremendous number of full fledged Bikshuni and woman novices. There were also a number of lay practitioners both male and female.

In the Theravaden tradition or even Pratimosha tradition and the Vinaya tradition they would reserve the term sangha only for those who have the self liberation vows. But in the Vajrayana tradition, Vajrayana is the trouble maker, the sangha is different. The dakas and dakinis are the true sangha of Vajrayana instead of like in the sutra path where arahats are the sangha. That is why if you look in the refuge tree, you have all these dakas and dakinis in the big tree sitting there above the arahats. That is the reason why. In the Vajrayana tradition, Vajrayana sangha are dakas and dakinis. And that’s why we call those members here who have taken refuge the sangha community because we are taking the liberty out of Vajrayana tradition. Don’t think it is not, or that we just call because it is in the West. Some people think that way. That is wrong. We call our members sangha because we practise Vajrayana. Our ultimate practice is Vajrayana.

But we cannot introduce Vajrayana straightaway because it won’t work and that’s why we are doing the prerequisite or Ngondro to getting into Vajrayana. So in Vajrayana practice, dakas and dakinis are sangha. I mentioned this because somebody else also told me, “how can you call them sangha because they are not monks.” That is the reason why I mentioned this. I am sure when you people go around and say, our sangha, some people may say, how come you are sangha. That’s the answer. In Vajrayana tradition, dakas and dakinis. Nobody can deny that you are not dakas and dakinis. Ha ha ha ha.

0:30:34.9 Anybody clear what dakas and dakinis are?

0:31:06.2 Audience: inaudible

0:31:29.2 Daka is a male and dakini is the female. Does that answer you? If you look at the Lama Chopa there is a Shing ….. They are divided into three different [divisions of] dakinis, the field born, the mantra born and the simultaneous born. These are the divisions. In Vajrayana they mention more on the female than the dakas. Field born which is corns, mantra born, what will that be? Sound? And simultaneous born, popcorn? ( joking) Ha ha ha ha.

Those who have obtained initiations and who are at the level of accumulation stage practice are called Field born. Those who are at the Completion stage are called Mantra born and those who are obtaining higher level, not yet fully enlightened and [as well as those] fully enlightened are simultaneous born.

There are two enlightenment. I have earlier introduced to you ordinary enlightenment and extraordinary enlightenment. We said ordinary enlightenment is the arahat level and extraordinary enlightenment is the Buddha level. In Vajrayana there are two more [divisions]. Before you become fully enlightened there is union with efforts and union without efforts. Those who have obtained union with efforts are also known as simultaneous born. These are how the level of the spiritual level are divided. It is not divided based on whether it is corn or apple, that was joke. Got it?

0:34:48.9 Audience: Inaudible

0:34:53.3 Some people call them sky goer and all these. They can have physical [bodies] like a human being or they can be without, both. But these divisions of [dakinis] these are divided on the basis of the individual level whether you are with body or without. Those sky goers who do not have [physical] bodies also have bodies. Their bodies are not like our body made of flesh and bones. Whether it is flesh and bones or whether it is mental body or rainbow body, you do have body.

0:35:50.1 Audience: I thought the meaning of sangha for the purpose of refuge we stress that we don’t take refuge in the people that practise but the people who have at least direct experience of emptiness… ( parts inaudible)

Rimpoche: That is true sangha. The true sangha are those people who have known emptiness. That is the Mahayana true sangha. On taking refuge in Jewel heart, if you don’t want to, we won’t beg you to. Ha ha ha. If you want to take refuge to Rachael I am sure, I have no objection, ha ha ha ha.

The relative sangha is more than four Buddhist monks or full fledge Bikshu nuns. The absolute sangha refers to those who have direct experience of enlightenment or even indirect experience of enlightenment. So refers to those who have understanding and experience of that.

0:37:35.8 Tara is one of those who chose to take birth as a female for the purpose of serving, representing the activities of all the enlightened beings. When Buddhism came into India and it carries lots of Indian caste culture. In the Indian caste tradition, the male dominates a lot, so lots of those practitioners chose to take rebirth in male form so that things will be a little bit easy for them.

( Replying to some question which is not audible : I think they are fully enlightened beings, can be dakinis too. The terminology of dakini normally are not used all the time. Technically yes and theoretically, yes. They don’t use that. Anyway I don’t think I should take questions at this time.)

Tara from the beginning chose to remain in the female form. Even though it is a manifestation of enlightened beings they also have to go through the path. So Tara generated bodhimind in the form of female body and committed herself saying, “I will remain as a female body, accumulate merit and complete my path and I will obtain enlightenment in the female body. I will function and serve to help sentient beings in the female form.” So from the beginning Tara generated the motivation of not only generating bodhimind in the female form but also committed to remain as a female, to function as a female, work as a female, accumulate merit in female form and ultimately obtain enlightenment in female form. And then thereafter functions as a female totally.

[Actually] for enlightened beings male or female really doesn’t matter. For them they can manifest anyway. But Tara always remains as a female. Always. That is her commitment and functioning. We have a lot of other female deities but many of them had not generated their bodhimind in the female form. Some of them did that half way and then they switched but Tara is the only one, I think, as far as I know, maybe I am wrong, who generated bodhimind in female form, accumulated merits in the female and finally obtained enlightenment in female form and thereafter functioning in a female form.

0:41:34.9 And one thing I do not know whatever the reason is, whether it is being female or not, but Tara is a very effective, very special and very easy to practise. Very very easy to practise. It doesn’t have the complicated delicate problems that you have with other deities. She doesn’t have that. It is a very open [practice]. You can almost play and do anything whatever you want with her. That sort of very open thing. And also very effective, very very effective and very quick. For many [practices] of those other deities with exception of Mother Tantra deities, you really have to work a lot [harder] and sort of gradually get to it. Also during the time what we call degenerated age, those enlightened beings retreat themselves a little bit away because of the karmic [consequence] of all beings. Some kind of dark age will begin to set because enlightened beings gradually retreat themselves somewhere with exception of Mother tantra deities. Mother tantra deities however work in the opposite direction. The more the other [enlightened beings] withdraw and retreat, the mother tantra deities come out more because it is a mom I think.

0:43:23.1 Tara has that effect too. The practice doesn’t have the sophisticated and delicate [element] so it is very easy to practise. Whether you have initiation or you don’t have initiation or you are normal practitioner or you are not normal practitioner, it is a practice that you can do. It is also a very good protection from fear. Tara is known as a longevity deity particularly the White Tara, a longevity deity as well as rejuvenating energies and building of life [force] and all these Tara is really really good. It is very easy to practise and very good.

Audience: ( inaudible)

Rimpoche: Why did you ask that question

Audience: ( inaudible)

Rimpoche : That’s easy to look.

Rimpoche: Let me ask Rachael. What does Tara belong to

Audience: I don’t remember exact words. …….Kriya.

Rimpoche: Non dual Tantra. Non dual tantra has to be a part of Mahanuyoga Tantra. If you accept non dual tantra they are talking about Mahanuyoga Tantra which is divided into Father tantra and Mother tantra. Tsongkhapa did not accept non dual tantra. He went through everything and he said where is it.

There are different versions of Tara. Under normal circumstances if you categorise it, it is Kriya.

Tara is a very effective and very important practice. Tara has a lot of different versions, one of which is the Chittamani Tara. Chittamani means jewel heart. When you write jewel heart in Tibetan, you write as Chittamani which is Sanskrit but is an accepted word in Tibetan language. That means heart jewel. Otherwise if you write jewel heart straightaway in Tibetan it looks like some nice little young lover writing a letter. Hahahaha. It is a very very important practice and very effective. All Taras are different physically. They look different but they are all same.

Now we will do the Tara practice today. We will try to collect energies and all that. First we will say invocation.

0:49:50.2 (Tibetan) We should say the seven limb prayer. ( Tibetan) We can also do the seven limb out of the Ganden Lha Gyema. We also have a shorter seven limb.

0:51:22.3 Have image of Tara in your mind. Then during your personal time [at the retreat] whether you are partying or seeking or whatever you are doing, be aware of it. Don’t lose the awareness. Without losing the awareness you can [do] whatever you want to but remember that there are other people who want to be quiet. You try to keep a usual schedule.

0:52:02.3 Earlier during the Tara practice what we did is known as six light rings. These six shells that we form are normally known as light rings and is not very commonly used. It is a little uncommon. So since we have a blue moon, we share that.

Now next is the rejuvenation of our energies. Let us remind ourselves once again [of the image of Tara]. Some of you are generating in the form of Tara. You dissolve into emptiness and from the emptiness appears a lotus, a moon disk and on the moon disk a letter TAM which is your subtle consciousness which transforms and become Tara. Those who are not generating yourself in the form of Tara you just have a Tara in front of you. And at the heart cakra of Tara there is OM Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. If you can manage you can think Om Ta re Tut ta re Tu re may my life and luck be increased Soha. Then light radiates from that [mantra mala]. If you have Tara in front of you then you can’t say “my life and luck”. Instead you have to visualise your own name there, Om Tare Tuttare Ture may (so and so’s name)’s life and luck be increased Soha. If [the mantra mala] is at your heart level, then it’s may my life and luck be increased. Now you can chant Om Tare Tuttare Ture may my life and luck be increased Soha. You don’t have to chant you can say the mantra.

0:57:17.8 The visualisation will be the light radiates from that [mantra mala]. If you are in the form of Tara, on your crown will be Tara’s spiritual master represented by Amitabha Buddha. He is just like Buddha but instead of holding that begging bowl and touching the earth, he is holding a life vase in the hand. So light goes out and collects back all the energies of the earth that you get from the great earth, great mountains and great universe areas in the form of yellow [light], like liquid gold type of thing and dissolve to the Amitabha‘s vase, his hand implement. Then the liquid overflows and goes through your body, fills up your body and all the weaken earth element within you will be rejuvenated and increased. Earth element will be all the flesh and bones.

0:59:58.9 Let’s do seven OM Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

1:00:22.6 Another point that I would like to share is how to know whether a person is spiritually developed or is just simply being crazy. I think there is a big difference yet it is a very subtle difference. So how can you figure out whether that person is simply just crack crazy or has some kind of spiritual development. It is not that I know it. We all like to discuss and share our thoughts and see what we can know. These sort of things I have thought about but I am not really sure whether we have time to share all these. It doesn’t look like it. But doesn’t matter, from time to time you will hear about that.

Audience: Inaudible

Let’s not disturb the schedule much and try to keep on time. Except we do have some changes now. Anyway those things I thought I would share. Then I thought I will read this whole thing. We have a saying in Tibetan, “We will like to put barley flour powder in the mouth as well as drink the water together”, doing that simultaneously. Probably I am unable to do that. Maybe I will like to share a little bit about this meditation point.

1:04:34.0 What I am going to talk here today is going to be a little different than the usual. Those of you who heard before this will be slightly different than usual. For those new ones even if you don’t really get it immediately you may be able to get quite good [information]. Even if you don’t get it completely clear, you may be able to build a good connection and may be able to [make] use of it. And I am going to [talk] as though people are Vajrayana practitioners. Those who cannot visualise themselves in the form of deity just now, it doesn’t matter. Keep on collecting these information and later I hope everybody will soon be able to get to that stage and by that time it may be useful for you. So I am going to talk as though everybody can do that [self generation]. I am a little worried about the tape but it doesn’t really matter because I am merely going to talk about the meditation part of it.

1:07:06.9 Before we talked about this meditation I would like to give the root tantra from where this [practice] is coming from. This root tantra says (Tibetan), in order to develop a perfect samadhi in the Vajrayana style, what the fortunate people who are seeking enlightenment should be doing is [shamata on] body, mind and speech nature and then have extraordinary method apply on that. So both shamata as well as special seeing. Shamata is concentrated power which sometimes people may say the result of which is samadhi and the wisdom which sometimes people call it Maha Vipasana. I do not know why they call it Maha Vipasana but because I think it is just normal vipassana. Our friend here (referring to someone in the retreat) says it is not vipassana but it is Maha vipassana so let it be Maha Vipasana. It is looking deeply inside and developing the wisdom part, both. I don’t think I am going to touch much on the wisdom part but will touch more on the concentration part and how to deal with that body, mind and speech. Rather than the normal way of body focus, mind focus and speech focus this is slightly different. You have to say the body nature, the speech nature and the mental mind nature. Shamata on three of them.

1:09:57.5 So for body nature, what do Vajrayana practitioners have to do? As I had mentioned to you, Vajrayana is most positive, the most gone beyond Madam Positive stage. It is very very positive so much so that you almost visualise yourself in the deity’s form and almost saying “I am a fully enlightened being”. That is one of the points of the body [nature focus]. A number of you may not be able to do that at this moment but will be able to do later. Then meditating your own root or your own Vajra Master either at the your body level, the crown level, speech level or the heart level wherever and whenever the time and need arises. That is another important point on this.

Then of course meditating on love compassion, seeking bodhimind and then concentrating all the efforts whatever you are going to use here will be directly geared towards obtaining ultimate enlightenment. I am taking for granted that people [here] are Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners. Those who are not they can learn this as information and knowledge and at least they will have the benefit.

1:13:45.8 Is this clear to everybody?

1:13:57.0 You can visualise yourself in the form of Manjushri or Tara, white Tara, Green Tara, Red Tara or Yellow Tara or whatever you want. There are lots of different Taras. For that matter any deity that you would like [to visualise yourself as] it doesn’t matter. We are using one of the easy ones rather than complicated ones . If you are going to work for wisdom, Vipassana or wisdom development it is better to use Manjushri. It is recommended to use Manjushri because Manjushri is the embodiment of wisdom of enlightened beings. There are some omens too.

All Buddhas are same, all enlightened beings are all same but each one of them has a little bit of different technical thing like if you want develop love compassion Avalokitesvara is like a connected person. In normal American language Avalokitesvara is the contact person. If we want deal with the wisdom then Manjushri is the contact person. If you want to have some strong protection or something like that, Vajrapani is the contact person. If you want to have multiple activities then Tara is the contact person. Or if it is for increment of life and luck and all these, even among the Taras, then the White Tara is the contact lady or contact woman. And for increment of wealth etc then it is the Yellow Tara with the wealth vase in the hand. It is called Tara who protect from all poverty. That’s the contact woman. Then there is Red Tara and a completely Black Tara. She’s a little wrathful one. She put one foot down and the universe shakes three times. That much wrathful.

1:17:46.0 So let’s use [White] Tara here, one face, two hands and holding the lotus here. Actually the lotus has three flowers. One is supposed to be the fruit, the other is bud [and the other, the blossom]. When you look at fruit trees, the bud comes out first, then the flower and then fruit. [For Tara’s lotus] one is already in fruit stage, one is blossoming and the other will be opening. There is a reason for that. The reason behind this is during past Buddha, present and the future Buddha’s period she will be in active service or in reality, she was [functioning] during the past Buddha’s period , she being inseparable than that of Buddha there and also during the present Lord Buddha Sakyamuni s official period as well as during the future Buddha’s period she will also be functioning. [The flowers] indicate that. If you know the indications of the hand implement it helps a lot [with the understanding]. Otherwise we will just think of two buds and one flower in the middle. What does that mean? Who knows? Right? So that’s what happens.

1:20:48.1 It is important to pay attention when you do this sort of meditation because then you go through with the body and acknowledging everything like what we did yesterday on those six protection rings or shells. Even if you are doing concentrated meditation on that, that alone will do. You keep on focussing on each of the shells and when you start losing [focus of] the yellow then switch to the red. If you keep on focussing on the yellow shell only after sometimes you may lose it. Then you go to the next [colour]. You have to keep changing the focus back and forth. Even that will do.

But here it is slightly different. So pay attention to the hand implements. And what that mean? (referring to Tara’s hand gesture) She’ll bring a lot of money for you, right? What does this mean. (Tibetan) This means “I will protect you quickly, quickly.” In Tibetan we call it protection. I will protect you quickly. (Audience: inaudible) I think there is a slightly meaning there. Taking refuge means, you are seeking refuge whether you are getting or not getting. Maybe the word, taking is wrongly used. Now giving refuge, Suppose you are taking refuge from me and I say “I give you refuge”, but what am I really giving you? Maybe the vows supposed to be transmitted. I should not have really said that, normally I said what did I give you? Nothing. I should not have said that because this will be rather too extreme to say that. It is sort of giving in a way, somebody said generosity, giving but giving what? Giving protection, I will protect you quickly. That’s what is really indicated. But Buddha is the other way around. He is not taking.

( Audience: inaudible)

She doesn’t hold the flower with her right hand. She could have switched it but that doesn’t mean she is left-handed either. Ha ha ha.

1:24:57.9 Then on your crown in reality is your own spiritual guru but in the form of Amitayu Buddha. For Tara it is Amitayu Buddha. If you switch to a different deity then you have to switch that top as well. For example if you are Manjushri then you have to have Namba nangdze which is Vairocana and if it is Avalokitesvara then it is Amitabha Buddha, that’s the red coloured one. Amitayu is yellow. If yellow and red are not very clear for you, it doesn’t matter. Just visualise somebody there, looks like yellow or looks like red. Remember we used yellow lump, red lump or white lump. That is because the clarity will come much later. If you try to work for clarity, you are going to take hell of a [long] time to get that and you are not going to get clarity. Once you begin to get some clarity on one, you begin to lose clarity on all others so all your time is going to be spent trying to put them together. The jigsaw puzzle will not come together at all. So if you get clarity on one, you may lose the other. That doesn’t matter. So sort of little yellow lump there or little something there representing that Buddha’s form will do. If that is also not clear, you just think that it there, that’s all about it.

1:27:14.1 Then at the heart level of that Buddha on your crown you have a moon disk and above that a White OM. Now straight from here [ to the image you visualise] in front of you the gap is your body size. If you are five feet six, then the gap is five feet six, if you are six feet, then the gap is six feet. Remember yesterday, the gap between those shells is body size, so very similar to that. That is on the empty space. Since this is Tara you have to have a lotus and moon disk and size of Tara is size of fist plus this much ( some gesture), 5 inches? That is the size of the image you visualise in front of you in the space.

Amitayu Buddha will also be with the Om too. That may be difficult but if you can do it, yes. The quality of this very Tara should be very peaceful, very very peaceful and smiley. Not smelly ( joke ) And sort of very smooth. And very graceful with light radiating. Don’t think of big aura going around like that but sort of actual living being type, normal human being type yet sometime you see the human shinning. It is not going like haywire luminating. Don’t think of it like light ball luminating but just like a human being with radiance. Most importantly you can see it, you can feel it, you can hear it but you cannot touch it. You can perceive it, it can function but it doesn’t exist from its true nature. You have to remember that, otherwise you are going to lose the wisdom part completely. You can see it and feel it. Sometimes some people have a funny feeling, saying I can feel it, I can see it but I can’t point it out, I can’t figure it out, I can’t get it. People say that, don’t they. That is indication of the nature of emptiness. What you are going to get because there is nothing, empty. That is really true indication of [lack of] inherent existence, feel it, see it, as though you have a little image of Tara here and looking in the mirror. If you look in the mirror while holding a little white bear over here and then what you are going to see in the mirror is really nice. Ha ha ha. But it is Tara not bear. If you show this way in the mirror …..