Archive Result

Sound file:19911209GRAALR1_01

Speaker:Gelek Rimpoche

Location:Ann Arbor

Topic:Lam Rim

Transcriber:Jayapushpa

Date: 23rd September,2023.

..correcting the motivation as normally as explained in the Lam Rim tradition or by the great masters. So kindly generate pure thoughts, so that whatever we do may become perfect dharma which new will be able to give total enlightenment stage. And through which you will listen and …the thing which which we are going to talk today is the Mahayana Dharma system which leads the fortunate beings to the ultimate buddha stage. The stage which very clearly clarified by the great Indian sage and scholars and it is the essence of the practice of great Atisha and Tsongkhapa and it also contains the essence of all the teachings of the Buddha , made it possible for one individual to achieve the highest achievement. And that is called the stage of development. So, very short way we are going to explain it, for next couple of sessions. So, I would like you to remember , in order to do this properly, there are certain outlines which are absolutely necessary. Number 1, it is necessary what points you have to go, and you have to understand the points. And it is the divisions and it is the systematic orders. And so each outlines you have to think , you have to understand the points properly, explanations, quotations, and the resolutions. Otherwise it will be disorganized. So, do kindly try to have some kind of outline points.0:03:23.0

And Lam rim outlines there are a number. I mean there are so many different outlines are there. But to make it short and precise, and nothing is missing, we do have certain outlines that is worked out, and ..I am not sure this group has the copy of the outlines or not… Nobody. You do have your copy of outlines? (Audience: Of the Lam Rim? ) There are number of different outlines in there. Okay. (*Shuffling sounds) Alright, this is rather detail but ..(Audience: Rimpoche, this is the first one…) It is okay. So what I’ll do… (pause) …everybody should get a copy of this one. I think everybody did not have earlier. So, everybody should get a copy of this one. Just read it, we may not be able to follow this outline. If you try to follow this outline, it is going to go couple of years. So, best thing just read it and maybe..maybe , maybe not be able to follow. But group earlier, they had follow the outline, more or less they have. So, let’s …in this outline they try to proof the authenticity of the teaching. We will talk to you the background and life stories of the teachers from Buddha onwards and all these sort of …we have to probably…Let be four important outlines. In order to proof the authenticity of this teaching, authenticity or in order to proof it works, so looking to historically how Buddha did and all this and that and how disciples do. Some times we talked, some times we jumped; we did that before. I find that advantage and disadvantage both. Find advantage because we can cover actual teaching much more than spend lot of time on talking historical facts and biographical stuff. And disadvantage is, when you go through, it is very difficult to find role models, as well as some kind of …I don’t remember word today. I don’t know what’s happening but..some inspiration sources. We find very shortage of inspiration. So, these are the disadvantage of not spending time on this. Advantage is in shorter rime we can cover much more. But since this “Liberation in the …what do you call..”Liberstion palms?” (Audience: Hands..) Liberation In Your Hands , since that book is available, if you read in that , they cover quite good, particularly they cover Atisha’s biography quite good, but I don’t know it covers Tsongkhapa’s biography or not but it covers Atisha’s biography quite good. So, let’s refer to that and let’s not spend much time on that. 0:08:34.2

Then the second is the quality of the Dharma, what you are supposed to practice. And that is a…quality of Dharma is second. Then the third one is how to listen and how to teach and fourth one is , actual teaching practice. So, that’s about it. So, four basic outlines. Out of which the first one we just refer to this ‘Liberstion in the Palms’, so that’s about it. Then, the quality of the teaching ..I think we should say a little bit about it, otherwise we’ll be missing it. But what qualities , whether it is material here but the quality the whole teachings of the Buddha is ..they say, ‘non contradictory’ manner. There are reasons for this and all the…every part of the teachings there are something have beneficiary and meant for us to pick up something. And it also helps to understand . When I say , “to understand” actually it meant…what it really meant is to ground individual far better in the grasp the spiritual practice path. And that definitely helps, we have seen it. Then it also helps the all undesirable non virtuous karmic will , it helps to stop. These are the basic four qualities. And ‘non contradictory ‘ matter and manner , and all this and these. There were very big problem in Tibet earlier. That’s why they put that in, I think. The problems what Tibetan faced earlier, is about between around 9th and 10th century. When Buddhism first came overt Tibet, it came very nice and pure nature of Buddhism. And then what had happened is, Tibetans are much more fascinated to find a more attractive like clairvoyance or some magical power here and there , and try to get in messages. I mean as we have in Unites States, like very much like voice tells you what to do, the lights guide you, this an that , and the coincidental signs, try to be reading here and there. And all these sort …all these types…I am not against all of them. However if you want to lead one’s life …try to …this is big problem, I tell you the truth. I try to say ..things are very gentle for number of …a long time for a lot of people, so we are…if you look in our life, we are very much confused. Completely, we are totally confused in our everyday life. And every day our behavior, everyday functioning , we are quite confused. And in addition to confusion, we add up too many spiritual paths which is sort of …called ‘spiritual paths’. And we do all sorts of things. Number one, because of lack of information. Number two, toot of people are very hungry at the spiritual path. Because you don’t really find anything reliable, solid, something effective. So they need it, so very hungry.And number three, there are lots of people who will show you all sorts of things, and all of them together , we add up so many things. Adds up to our confusion. In addition to that the spiritual path is something r completely really little we know. Particularly in the West, you know very little. And every experienced people, people who had really good experience , they will not share it. They will not and they will not blow their own trumpets,they will keep it very quiet and even we look among the tibetans…I am not saying only the tibetans have, but there are a number of people. But among the tibetans, if you look many of the great developed person, will completely behave as though they know not a single word. They just not know a single word. And they behave totally, completely innocent, naive style and say no word and rather keep it rather quiet for themselves. And very many of them. And out of which you pick up few and try to share things here and there .So they also said very limited things. So which also adds up to thing. And then on top of those spiritual material…spiritual ma..what do you called that ? (Audience: spiritual materialism) Spiritual materialism, ya, which becomes very attractive to lots of people. And they just do it anything…I mean anything really…so anything. 0:15:58.1

So, number one, when you are looking at this, and people have blindly…people put lot of faith on lots of things and..I was watching this morning, I asked Matthew if he pick up this vase water and offer everybody. And I was watching and everybody without questioning and drinking that drop of water without even asking what it is and what for. Anyway, you maybe very polite. Anyway, that is shows you people puts lots of faith on things.If it is poison, then, what then? (Laughter) Luckily it is not (Rimpoche laughs) and so, this sort of thing. So it is very important and also have a …intelligent..We as human beings, we have very good brain. I think you have to use it. And there is no question we use our brain to the development of material, whatever the way. We really use tremendously best. And why can’t we use that to our spiritual path? What we want is to achieve spiritual development , if that’s so, you have to use spiritual, your intelligence on the spiritual path. And so what happens is, in earlier in Tibet, this is the point. Where are people..people started leaving the solid spiritual development aside , rather than they carried away by all sorts of these spiritual materialism. Some passing messages, or guiding by lights and voice and dreams, visions and all sort of things. Andtry to make big deal out of it, and as a result , what happened is tremendous amount of people will put tremendous amount of energy to a result which probably nothing,for benefit of that individual. And also very little benefit to lots of other people. I mean it has its certain usefulness , in those but in reality, it wastes a tremendous amount of time. And so what happens is, it begins to pick up contradiction between the simple, pure Buddhist based on the Buddha’s experience practice, and those spiritual materialistic activities. They finding big contradictions. Followed by, it picked it up this spiritual materialistic activities begin to find take refuge under Vajrayana. And because Vajrayana has lots of rituals and lot of other activities , and lots of extraordinary qualities, so then everybody tried to take shelter in Tibet,under Vajrayana. Then begin to pick up misunderstanding within the Vajrayana itself and pure sutrayana. So, it almost become a contradicting to each other, like hot and cold. Or, sort of becoming big gap. So, then it becomes tremendous disadvantage for lots of future people. So it becomes necessary for those period of the great teachers to make it non contradictory, to explain it properly , and to see what is the really spiritual materialism, and what is really a achievement of proper spiritual achievement. Spiritual materialism also makes confused on this, tremendous amount of confusion. Because the powers that people get through that is mostly karmic power. And many of them are not karmic power but also mantra power. And many of them are simple activity of certain spirit around. Lots of spirits like that of nagas and hungry ghosts have tremendous amount of power compare with our individual as a human being. They can read peoples’ past and future, little bit here and there..and all these sorts of things and have tremendous problems.For example, I give you little example..what happened is there was one guy who used to take the domestic animals to mountain for grazing. One fellow will go because to protect from other wild animals to harm them, like cows..the domestic milk giving animal. They take them to the n mountain for grazing. And there was a little spring water source, there was one place, a little spring source. And the guy who use to graze the animals near the spring site, there is a very nice smooth feeling. You know, the feeling of smoothness, calmness because number one, it is a nice place and all sorts of things. Nice spirits round there, that also helps to feel calmness and all these sorts of things. So this …what you call..looking after these..(Audience: shepherd) shepherd, that fellow (*Interruption*) Anyway, that human being with those animals like that place a lot. As a result what he …I don’t even know he or she…used to do milk one animal, pick up little milk and he always make that as offering to that spring always. That becomes like a ritual for him. Like in western language, it becomes his religion, and he does that everyday. So, one day, the naga , non human spirit living over there and he said he really like and grateful he does this everyday and he would like to help him whatever he could do something. So, as a result this naga gradually started taking over that human being completely and sort of remaining within that and gives lots of the stuffs. And what they used to do, they used to sit one little grass, like a straw or something on the straw; used to sit cross legged on that little grass, one single little grass! (Audience: ..one blade) ..and a long one. And they sit cross legged on that and started talking. So, lots of people got attracted because a) he is sitting on a single blade of grass. So, people got very much attracted. And at that time there has been one very great person who has been practice a lot and he wondered what this person is saying and what’s going on? So, he went over there to listen and it is nothing but total spiritual rubbish. So he said, “Well, it is necessary for me to do something. I don’t know what to do , how to start. I don’t know” Anyway, he decided to do three prostrations to this fellow.So, he picked it up and said, “I prostrate to Buddha” and he did one prostration. And the blade went like this slightly. (Laughter) And he did second time, “I prostrate to Dharma” and this fellow fell off that grass. And when he did the third time, “I prostrate to Sangha”, he becomes real human being again. So that’s how that been gone. And then he, these spiritual developed people , these group of developed people reviewed what this fellow had done properly couple of years I believe went on. So reviewed they found over hundreds of volumes all these done , all sorts of funny things except the few are useful for sick people specially sick with naga problems. Sort of some healing power. Few of them they kept it and rest of them they burnt off. So things like that and that is becoming…people begun to see the contradictions…sort of picking up the contradictions. So, it becomes necessary tot hose people at that time to say all the teachings , all true teachings of the Buddha are non contradictory manner. So, when you have to speak the quality, it becomes part of the baggage, because of that problem during that period. This is one example I am giving, there are lots of them.0:27:46.1

Many of them are what we look , whether we look as spiritual materialism or actual spiritual, and that is becomes big question. And the question I don’t think anybody has easy answer for it. But the normal circum..normal what I understand, where you look as spiritual materialism actually …it depends the goal of individual. If the goal of the individual is to have some kind of power and to be able to impress on other people, through various ways of reading their mind, or reading their past, present and future, or reading their aura, reading their guiding lights or listening to their voice or reading their..some people called their ‘Akasha record’. and anyway, whatever it might be, the purpose if the individual desire is limited benefit, mark my word, “Limited benefit” I tell you in America today, people who are interested in spiritual path will do not have so much selfish interest. They always have desire to help others and helping and servicing …very stubbornly carry out righteous view point , “This is not right, this is right.” and this and that. And sort of you know, they have the tendency of helping, almost 90% if not 99%. But 90% have tendency of helping others. That does not cover not to be a spiritual materialist but the helping is limited. They can help as well as “I am good at it; I am good at reading their future. I am good at all this and this. That sort of interest and that sort of mind. And having a living of tremendous benefit of getting oneself grounded; oneself established a spiritual foundation within oneself and liberating oneself completely out of sufferings; helping others eliminate their total sufferings. And when you don’t have those sort of aim but individually pick up a few thing, I intend to count in the point of spiritual materialism. But on the other hand I am not saying you know, people who does through astrological works, through readings and all these, I am not objecting that at all. I am simply saying that with the limited capable of what we have and with the confusion on ourselves, as we know we have, yet we still sit there and said, “ Well, I feel..blah blah blah…” and these sorts of things are sometimes is useful. I don’t have objection for those people who are doing it. They are perfectly alright ; they are very much within their right. We can pick up useful information out of it. I have no objection. However if we spend our life long effort to achieve something and leaving great opportunity at the side, maybe a tremendous waste in our life. And that is what I read. I am sorry if I offended anybody. I don’t mean anybody, any individual in mind, it becomes part of my duty. If I don’t say it, it might not be right. I don’t want people to mislead, as well as misunderstand. Therefore it is become necessary to this point. But the Lam rim definitely avoid those those spiritual materialistic activities. And I think very difficult for any individual to judge whether that individual is spiritual materialist or is really pure sincere spiritual developed. I don’t think we are able to judge the other person. Buddha Himself repeated told, “Nga…kasa…..” He said in order to judge other people, it has to be either like me”. That’s what the Buddha said. So, person should be at the Buddha stage to be able to judge others. So, but, that doesn’t mean you cannot judge your own future. For you try to practise yourself, so you have to make sure you don’t do that. So your mind is not hiding to you; it is known to you. So, that’s why you know it. You know your own capacity. You know your own limit. You know your own motivation. So you make your judge yourself according to that. And then it will not become spiritual ma…a(Audience: materialism) spiritual materialism to yourself. When you are able to do that, you are not cheating yourself, you are not misguiding yourself. And that is important. That you have to judge, not judge others. When you are judging spiritual materialism, don’t judge others. Whatever they do, they fly in the air, go underground, sitting under water, or what..jumped from the roof. Whatever they do, don’t judge others. Judge yourself. And the purpose is to help ourselves, individual, rather than making judgement on others. Remember Buddha recommended not to judge others unless you are Buddha. So, that is the first quality. (Rimpoche laughs) 0:35:06.6

And it is important. Important for ourselves. What do we practice, where do we spend energy and time. This is important. Because we don’t have much …how difficult time we can get. And for you to get one Sunday aside in a month to do this is difficult. Because our life structure. And truly speaking that is two hours in the morning, and it’s three hours in the afternoon, so it is really five hours. Putting five hours aside plus maybe one hour on Tuesday something, so it’s become problem. It is clear sign that we don’t have much time to waste, to play with it. So therefore whatever we put it, we should put it in something solid. Something makes me the individual grounded.

Something which me the the individual to be able to grab something solid which will definitely benefit meat the time of my death. All these spiritual materialistic thing will not be able to benefit anything when you die. Nothing.You may think , “I have tremendous amount of people”. Yes, you have contributed tremendous amount of people. At the same time people have convinced on that too, through various ways and means.So, if you think you have something to carry, I really big question. So that keep that in mind and then work. So don’t judge others, judge yourself. This is so important. Please don’t judge others, judge yourself, and that also by yourself, okay? So, I tell you one more thing. One more thing when you are judging yourself. And this almost fourth quality, it is almost the same. Find out the practice what you do, what does that practice do to you? It makes your head bigger or make your head smaller. You know what I mean? Make your head bigger, “I am somebody! Wow! Or, “I am nobody, I know nothing”. “I an very limited; I want to be something good”and judge on that..If it is making your head bigger, it is going in the wrong direction. Number two, what does that do? It cuts the delusion down or increases your delusion. If it is cutting down, it is going in the right direction. If it is increasing, you going in the wrong direction. For example, anger. If it makes you more angry to other people or to yourself, then it is going wrong direction. If it is making lesser angry, then it is going right direction. But by knowing that , remember, “Oh, making more angry is bad, I should not” and try to catch yourself at the time. And even if you are angry inside, try not to show out outside, it becomes more worse to you. So these are the signs you can observe for yourselves. You know what I mean? It’s “Hey, oh, I am showing temper, that’s not right; that is wrong. I am a spiritual person, if I show temper, people misunderstand . Oooh, no, no, no, no, no” so, immediately changed your tones, and whatever you have to change. And doing that , it becomes worse. So, these are the few signs you can use within yourself.But if you sincerely want to catch your own mistakes, and change it, it is different. It is different. Just by sake of not showing, you know what I mean? By sake of giving good image of myself, so I caught my wrong behavior within me , within me individually and I changed it immediately. The purpose of changing is not because anger is bad but because it hurts my image. You see the difference? If that is so, then it becomes materialist. But if you caught anger, anger is bad, “I am so sorry, really I got so angry; that is terrible”. If it is deepest regret, “really I mean it “ from bottom of our heart, then it is good thing. The good thing and the bad thing is very close, very close, very close. So, it is only known to yourself, not to other people. Only you know. So only you can help yourself. That is what is meant, “You can help yourself”, not others. So your mind is your motivation, everything’s only known to you; nobody else. So that means only you can help yourself. I think I have said enough for that. So what Lam rim if you do very nicely , carefully, it helps you to…I mean this is non-contradictory, went rather far away. Anyway, so, that’s that part of it. 0:42:23.3

Second quality, sonam ta wa le che wa (?) ..well, (pause) …all the teachings that Buddha and disciples of Buddha and lineage masters…all the teachings have some thing or another to contribute. I mean it always has some purpose and carries some important message. And to get that message straight, it becomes difficult. When we say we have obstacles, blocks and all these, what the first thing they block? They block the real message. The spiritual thing, the development is mental development. Though we communicate to the other person through the words of your inner quality to others, however words have limited capacity to be able to convey the real message.

And especially when it is translated into the different languages …pulled up down , up down with translators favour…flavour…they put flavour on it. So, it becomes more difficult. What happens is originally it was in different languages..Sanskrit, Pali, and Pishachi…all these different, and the local languages wherever they have been put and they have been translated into either Tibetan, Chinese whatever. And at the time, when the first translation going on, it was already diluted quite a lot. It is already diluted quite a lot. Then the second translation came, from Tibetan into English, or Sanskrit into English. Then if you do the word by word translation, even the words have different meanings, and besides that word by word doesn’t really work. You know that very well. So, that’s why a lot scholars complain, if you really translate, it doesn’t make any sense. So they all book (?) ..becomes blah, blah, blah,That is because it is true problem. So, to make it sense, the translator try to observe as much as possible the message and within the capacity of the translator. Translator’s capacity will observe that thing. And then expressed it in different language. Whatever observation he got it,, and then it is manifested out, he or she got it. So, the number observation is very limited. So, these Buddha’s text are , especially the buddhist texts; Lam rim is a little easy. When you go through other buddhist texts, it is very complicated. You read 30 different times, probably have 30 different understanding for it. You go to 30 different teachers. They will give you 30 different explanations. You read 30 different commentaries, They will give you 30 different points. I mean really , I mean it is very very very difficult to observe within that language, the person who speaks the mother tongue has that language; who’ve been brought up, educated and spend whole life long in that, will have problem. Scholar of that language will have that problem. So forget it, another person who spent couple of years , 10 ,15 days try to observe it, is very limited. You get 10% out of it, or 15% out of it; very limited. So, then we expressed once again, based on the the information whatever you observe. So, that’s why it gets…it is very hard to get a real message. So, what happens is, if you’ve been…if individual been able to build up quite good basic solid base, then you read it. Sometimes you get more information than translator himself. You get more, you go beyond that. And that depends on the individual. How solid the individual be able to build up , one. Two, it also needs a little bit of purification as well as little good luck, is also necessary. So combination of it be able to go beyond that. And that’s unlike other texts, textbooks or something. It is unlike other textbooks because the depth of spiritual is such a thing. When the translator picks up certain words, even the translators may be limited. And individuals may be able to go. These foundations been able to build up by this Lam rim. And that’s the second quality, to be able to find the …oh, sorry, this is third quality. ..to be able to find the real message. Did I talk second quality? (Audience: No) I mean second and third qualities is almost the same thing, anyway. 0:50:30.7

So anything which doesn’t make sense, will definitely have lots of meaning behind. Try to look carefully. One will be able to find that and that is the second quality. And the third quality is there’s lots of message which is not really expressed by words and also so the Lam rim helps that. And the fourth one, at least you’ll be able to understand what is problem and what is not problem and so…if you don’t leave the information in your notebook or in the tape, then it helps the individual in daily life. When you are daily functioning, “Well this is not…I should not be doing it, it creates not..funny karma, different types of karma, which I don’t want”, without overtaking by righteousness. So, these are very briefly the qualities that one can look for by …benefits one can look for by Lam rim.and we did noticed these benefits and the effects to a number of people. Number of people we find is very effective, not to all but to a lot of people, we find it is very effective. Find very effective to a lot of people. It almost to the point…now, it maybe very difficult to help, maybe now it may be out of it. You may go to that point, but still you find , you noticed to that..those individuals. Which really is something very important. Even our retreat, those last two winter retreats, a number of people told me as well as they acknowledged among themselves there is a tremendous amount of improvement to a lot of people, which makes me feel a little bit happy. So whatever we put for the last couple of years which not totally been wasted. So…but..that benefit is individual benefit. And only the individuals know, and individual’s contribute. Otherwise, we can’t do much. So, anyway, these are briefly the qualities of the teaching. In addition to that, some people see the contradiction between the mahayana and hinayana; some people see the contradiction between what? …sutra and tantra; some people see the contradiction between the solid meditation and scholarly learning ;some people see…I mean a lot of those contradictions..and which people try to manifest by various different reasons. Some people say, “If you want to be really a scholar, then you may do this. But you are not going to be a great practitioner or meditator, or some thing. Some say, “If you really want to be a good meditator , you can’t be scholar”, and all sorts of things you know. All sorts of things which is total bullshit!And there is no contradiction between the scholarship and practise; there is non whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it is very much compliments. And if you do not know , if you don’t have the scholarship of knowing what you are doing, what you are supposed to do…what you are doing, then practically it is very much handicapped, for the practitioner rather than disadvantage. It becomes handicapped because you don’t have information. I mean if you read , “The Liberation …what is it..Hands or something, if you read, and there I am quite sure mentions. Some people do have that problem.Some people only learn, learn, learn….The learning only becomes information.and cannot take it to the individual, then it is a problem. Possible it becomes problem It is only left for information. That’s why from beginning I said, “If you don’t leave it information in the notebook or the tapes. Then, if you leave it in notebooks and tape, then it is a problem. When you really need it, you need a notebook (Laughter). And if you misplaced your notebook, which I do very often, so I cannot find anything I need to find, so..so..then that’s it; you are finished. Or, if you left on the tape, there is no tape recorder, there is no electricity, no battery, then you are finished. So,that won’t do. So, as long as you put in within you what you observe, you don’t have remember every single damn thing said it in there or not, every single thing. But the basic structure,basic thing, you do need. When you have that, then the scholarship and practice is definitely complimenting each other. Okay, do not misunderstand that. Limited information is limited practice, okay. Limited information is limited practice. But, on the other hand if you don’t have much information, in order to become spiritual practitioner, you don’t have to become scholar. It is not, you don’t have to. But if you are, it is better. So this is important to know. And some people give you idea and say, “If you wanted to become learned scholar, then you read this, this, this, this…” And if you want to be practitioner, you don’t have to ; just sit down and meditate, that’s enough” People say that. The question arises if you don’t know what to meditate on, so then it is is equally bad; just sit down and meditate, on what? So, everybody meditates on their job(Laughter) Everybody meditates on their duty, whatever it is. So, meditation to me is a technique you apply, for a purpose of whatever it might be. If you want make use of the meditation for just to relax, calm , quiet life, you can definitely do; it is very good thing. If you use the meditation to become a brilliant computer operator, or programmer, you can do that’ it is very good technique. If you use the meditation to gain concentrated power, samadhi,very strong concentration power, you will be able to bend the iron beam, also you can do. It is very good technique. And if you want use the meditation , for spiritual achievement, you can do that. If you want to use your meditation to cut off delusions, you can do that. If you want use meditation to achieve liberation out of samsara and eliminate sufferings,you can do it. It is like technique; it is like Apple computer. Anybody can use for any purposes. (Laughter) so that is that. So, if you don’t have the information to apply on , so there you have the technique. So, then, what you do? You will,use it sort of personal whatever you think is right. You know what I mean? Which might not be beneficial. So, therefore, for information is very important. And that also correct information. And the correct information also has to be cross checked. And don’t believe it “Some body told you” Don’t believe because Rimpoche told you; don’t. Don’t. Use your own brain and check. And that’s very important, if you do, believe it. Even Buddha said , “Ge long da dang kye nam…(?) “ I forgotten, getting forgetful . Buddha said, “Don’t buy because Buddha said so”If you want to buy gold, that’s what you normally do ? Cut, burn, rub with some other stones, and when you are satisfied it is pure 24karat gold , then buy.Otherwise don’t. Very similar to this. Spiritual path you have to do the same thing; you have to. Just because somebody told you , specially somebody with a big name, big title told you. You said, “Oh, ya, this has to be right because it was said by so and so (quote) …” And that’s not right. So, use your intelligence. And Lam rim tells you to use your intelligence in your spiritual path, because this is the important point.This is the method which is at least think, you are gambling for couple of lifetimes. If you have to buy car, what do we do today, right? We check the car , we look look look and argue, and finally you find it somewhere, take the car , take to another garage person, which we believed to be expert. Whether the expert concentrate or doesn’t concentrate, you don’t know. However, we take to that person, and ask his opinion and try to put it up on some kind of that thing…what do you call that thing? It goes up (Audience: Hoist) Put it up and let the expert look and you look . You don’t trust the expert, but yet you don’t know, you have the expert to look. And you see, and you see …and we see, and do all these right , and finally we buy , especially if it’s secondhand one. Finally we sort of pay a limited amount of money, which can be very big, maybe limited on the other hand. In one hand is huge, on the other hand is probably nothing, compared with one’ s life. Anyway , so that’s what we do, right? For a couple of hundred dollars maybe. That’s what we do. Yet on the other hand, this is big gambling. Spiritual path is big gambling.If you go to wrong spiritual path, you gamble a number of lives. If you get the right spiritual path , you’ll be benefited maybe forever, maybe number of lifetimes. So, we have very little check on that. We don’t take that to the garage …of course you have to like it. If you don’t like it, then never works. You have to like it. But on the other hand, you have to like it but your liking is not that important either. Mostly the major benefit for the individuals, individuals mainly don’t like much. It is becomes boring, dry. It is. Why? Because it benefits individual, so therefore you don’t like it. Because our karma is such that the dislike has to obtain…has to. Lots of obstacles will come up for really benefit one. Really, it has to come up. Why? Because we have lots of bad karma in our storage. And number two, whether you believe it or not, some people says ‘evil is not there; it is only me’. But it is definitely there, whether it ‘s me or somebody else. But it is there. It is all stuck as much as possible . It manifested in our karmic forms. So, number one, easiest way to manifested to us is disliking that. Boring, difficulty, cannot manage, no reason . It manifested in any possible way…negative form, negative way sort of approach, obstacles …even to the extend of cold and so and forth that type of thing. So, all these are bound to be. If it is not there, then that’s something wrong with that path, definitely. Because then it might not be beneficial to the individual. So because of this sort of…what will happen? As I often tell you, it is struggle between the negative and positive forces. The gambling on you, the individual. Whether you are going to lose from this angle and going to go from that side, or you are going to lose on that side and going to go on that side. It is not that black and white side here and there. I am just simply exaggerating or what you called it, “ (subsided(*?) saw the picture. There is. I have a friend, a Rimpoche, whose name is Terab(?) whose in Denmark. He used to come I believe, sometimes to the Essling(?) Institute in California. There’s some good shows, sometimes. Sometimes…not really many in United Sates anyway. So, he had a number of dreams he shared with me. One time he had a very funny dream . The dream says….it is a big struggle. He was in the middle. It was a big huge house, there’s a stairs. There are so many strange looking..sort of looking here, and another strange looking here. And they sort of saying that he has to be there …no it is not there, it’ not there, and after sometime he noticed, there is lots of struggle so much. At the end one side said, “That is enough” He belongs there now. So, he was watching and ‘that little sort of little some kind of lamb…piece of meat or something but very fragile’ if drop will break. Something like that, they throw the other side pick up. He had that sort of funny dreams. So which another words, you are the subject, ; it is the struggle between the positive and the negative. The negative will not let you go at all under any circumstances. They have to hold you back. That[s their job. They are good at it. The positive side will pick provided all the conditions are right. ; they do not pick up if conditions not right. So, that’s what they do. So it is our…we have that big struggle that we have to do. (*interruption) so, the conditions has to be right. So it is sort of big obstacles will be there. I do not know where I came from that. (Audience: it is from the negative and positive and know what you are doing). That’s right. Finding to know what you are doing. It is important. Though you have very limited information, limited way of judging. Very limited way of judging. That’s why the historical facts will be important. So, anyway, you have to judge a little bit. Just don’t buy because so and so said so. Even Buddha said,” Don’t buy because Buddha said so” so you can’t go beyond that no matter whosoever may say. If Buddha said, “Don’t judge because I said so”. So, doesn’t matter whoever said so. Doesn’t matter. You have to use your intelligence little bit and try to check up. I mean sometimes don’t over checkup. Sometimes you over checkup, then becomes difficult. When earlier, one of the Sakyapa lamas, called Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, was invited by the Chinese emperor to be his personal guru. So invited to China…that’s what tibetan documents tell anyway. Chinese documents tell something else. Anyway, (Laughter) ..so anyway, invited to be the guru. And when he reached to the emperor’s palace, the emperor told him, “I need to check you.” So, he was kept there for 12 years without any single teaching or anything. So 12 years. So after 12 years, the emperor said, “I have checked and I am satisfied with you. It is fine, now you are fit to be guru of emperor of China”. Then he turned round , he said, “Well, you have checked me 12 years, I have to check you now whether you are fit to be a disciple or not”. so he said, “I need 12 years o check”. So, anyway, in between that, he died. So, that also happened. So, don’t over checked but you also don’t under checked. So, that’s what you do.So, I think this much about the quality 1:14:28.4

(*Another session)…Of course I didn’t go anything deeper in the qualities. And so..most important thing is practice what you do is something what you do ,it has to be a perfect one. Sort of Lam rim normally says, “It is perfect “ Why? Because result what you want to achieve out of this is buddhahood. Now, this is big question. Before I go in there, I still would like to make very clear. This sort of thing is very good for those of us, Tibetans, who have been generations as unquestionably accepting the buddhahood is ultimately something to achieve and that is the only thing which you can work for …worth for working and this and that. For us, when you say “Well, you aim is buddhahood. In order to achieve buddhahood, you have to have a perfect path , otherwise you would not get result” But, for the Western dharma friends like you, and when you said , “Buddhahood is your aim” it is great, so what? So then I’ll probably say, “That’s your aim” You said, “How do I know? Why should I have …why should I have to become a buddha? And especially if Buddha is God, I am not particularly interested to become a God” I have a friend who told me. It is very good actually. And looking back last two years and before, so one day she told me,… I was giving a talk somewhere..and try to make Buddha not so much different than God, and then sort of you know..and when …the normal understanding of Almighty God, ..so I try to make Buddha in there..sort of thing making… I mean for Buddhism, Buddha is God, right…not necessarily exactly true but I mean just the general Buddha is God. And I was talking to that and she asked me a little later, “Well, seems like what I heard today, if Buddha is God, I am not particularly interested to become a God” (Rimpoche laughs) People do that, see? So, it really doesn’t mean unless we really work out and carefully. So it is worth spend time on this. Sometimes I say your sim is to blah…blah…blah.. If somebody try to do a little carefully Lam rim practice and study all these, not only study but Lam rim practice on this, I think it has to be very clear to the person why you need to practice Lam rim. And what for. And why you don’t have a spiritual materialism rather than ‘spiritual spiritual’ ? That has to be very clear to the individual. So, it is only possible to make it clear if the individual is willing to cooperate and then if the individual is not willing to cooperate, it is not , it is not really going to be clear. If I just say to be a buddha is the ultimate aim, you’ll probably accept that. And say tibetan buddhism tells you buddhahood is your aim and you probably put full stop over there or you pursue a little more. Anyway, that’s what it is. So, if you leave it there ‘tibetan buddhism says…the aim of tibetan buddhism is they say is to become a buddha,so sometimes you may hesitate to tell another person your aim is to become a buddha, so you reduce your sound a little bit lower so that may be not right. So, all these sorts of things is [possible to go with individuals. So, I have to make it very clear to the individual here , “What do we wanted?” What do we want? The unquestionable answering to everybody what they have is , “I don’t want sufferings”. to be free from sufferings is answer acceptable to all provided if you know what suffering is. 1:19:56.3

A lot of people will say suffering ..they will immediately dissociate yourself from suffering. The moment you look at suffering , you begin to look some kind of event that has taken place to individual. Or, the moment I say, “suffering”, what picture do you get in your head. Immediately do you look for homeless, or this country mostly people can’t see that much, the homeless or child abuse or abuse over child or not child, you know…the women abuses or whatever. Or, any kind of abuses you get that sort of picture, you get dissociate yourself from the suffering. I mean ‘dissociate’ in the sense…now I am beginning to get the picture. ‘Dissociate’ itself meaning …I give you some picture, meaning ‘it’s not me’(Rimpoche laughs) I am learning something. (Rimpoche laughs) That’s not me. Okay. It is not necessarily it is me but not dissociate yourself. Now I begin to get the picture. You know what I am talking about, Aura? (Aura: Hm, hm). Ya, I begin to see it now. People get the idea…okay, now I get the picture. People get dissociate yourself from that category or what you call it, “That is there, over there is happening, not me” “I am the helper , I am there to help. I wanted help’. Well, that’s not a problem, you can help. But dissociating is a problem, definitely, I think. Because I mean…I didn’t get see this when some people try to tell me, “That’s me, that’s me , that’s me” I keep on saying, “That’s not you, not you, not you”. The main thing is dissociating yourself away from that. And sort of you are the better person coming over there helping and you are not the one suffering but they are the one who are suffering…maybe black, maybe whatever it is.Sort of looking over there and dissociate ourselves. And that is problem and then that is we are not recognizing suffering. We called it ‘not recognizing suffering’. I try to leave it there normally. The problem really rises , you know. A lot of people in the mind , when I very carefully, always, everybody wants help. Everybody is there ready to help ..helper. But no one is there, no one associate yourself with that. Sort of you…lots of people makes superior yourself, and …I don’t know whether you are making superior or not. . But definitely you dissociate and you take the position of helper, problem solver…you called that ‘solver’? Or, trouble shooter. (Rimpoche laughs) That is wrong language, isn’t it? You get that. So,what you do? Watch your mind and say ‘suffering’. It is very hard for..on us; we accept that, unless you are sick. Sick is something easy to accept on us. We can associate with that. Other sufferings we begin to dissociate. And that might be our problem. That’s what I call, “We don’t recognize suffering”.Maybe ‘suffering’ is too strong word for American society. Maybe you need some different…some lukewarm or lukewarm word which you maybe be able to put your feet down in that. But you are already in that; we are already in that …much more than that for sure, more than that for sure. I mean we sure for that. I mean really, there is no question. Even you look at abuses, everyone of us been subject to abuse. Though physically somebody has not abuse us. Mentally a lot of people has abuse us. And ourselves every time I notice with everybody, they abuse themselves, all the time. Under any pretext…the pretext of righteous. Whatever it is people do a lot to yourself. And keep on thinking all the time and making you sick, unable to sleep,…all these are …there are really few people who can comfortably sleep. (Rimpoche laughs) I mean really, truly. These are the exclusiveness of the pain on the mind., which normally created by ourselves. Another words I can call that, ‘we abuse ourselves’. We really do. I am sorry, I am not psychologist or anything, but we do it, whether like or not..you really do it. So sometimes some people gives self punishments. I was a little surprise but people try to give punish to yourself. I mean this one needs punishment (*unclear) Ya, people really do that. People’s minds is such a crazy thing. I mean who knows, who is what going to do what ; you never know. So, under the pretext of purification, Under the pretext of working out with karma. These are the language we use, right? .Under the pretext of …anything, rather extreme sacrifice and all sort of things. So, we do that to ourselves. So we are subject to be…as abuse. And every day we do that to ourselves. We are suffering. Not only that…and really, if you look in yourself in anything. Our body is such a thing, such a delicate thing is covered with a little skin. And any moment anything can break, or give up. And it is such a delicate thing. It looks nice when it is polished outside. It looks nice but inside it is filthy totally. It is really true, really true. And it is a totally thing that we have. So, we don’t have to look when you say “suffering “…something is over there , in the street of New York or something. You know really don’t. Sometimes it maybe those of poor , dirty, homeless person sleeping in the middle of the park, maybe more happier than the person staying in the Park Avenue apartment, or something, you know. Really and they are suffering, they have difficulties, no doubt. But also they quite enjoy life actually. Allen took me to near his house. There are homeless people living in big public park over there. When you go near there, they will not let you go in. And they yelled, “Hey, out !” And Allen shouted back, “This is Allen Ginsberg. I am going to see somebody . “Oh, are you sure you are he right person?” they come and look at you. “Okay, go”So, you go inside and they have bon fire, they are drinking , smoking, sitting there, talking , cheating, yelling, all these sorts of things. It is not that bad in there. (Rimpoche laughs and some did too) And it is cold, a number of blankets on them, sitting there, there’s chairs round and everything is there. Sort of mentally some are not sad at all. Not that really. And they are talking about the war, they are talking about it whether they are going to be draft or something…everybody has to go be soldiers something. Whether that’s going to be or Bush is right or wrong, whether Saddam Hussein is right or wrong, (Rimpoche laughs). They all have the same conversations…even over there with the fire going on. Bon fire going on, talking there, sitting there and then something, something happen and somebody did some thing in the city today which is not fair to them, blah blah blah. All these regular type of usual life is there again, slightly different condition. But that’s not the worse. I have seen much worse conditions than that, much worse than that, much worse than that. As refuge, I myself has been worse than that and I have seen people worse than that. And the coolies in India. We called the ‘coolies’ , the porters who carries a huge amount . You have no idea. If you have two or three boxes like 25 or 30 kg in it, they will take it on head. One, two, three…some of them carry on top and they walked with you, and ..I mean they run with you and there’s no problem for them. They really run faster than you sometimes. So you have to chase them, keep them up in the public. Otherwise they will disappear , you lost all your boxes (Laughter). You have problem to chase them even. So,they are sort of used to it on that sort of thing. And they lived on 10 rupees per day maybe..about a dollar or 50 cents a day. Maybe 50 cents a day they live on, and that’s all they have. Little tents like that, they sleep on the road. 1:32:34.1