Archive Result

Soundfile 19950110GRLR

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location unspecified [Jewel Heart Ann Arbor - reference to winter in transcript]

Topic Lam Rim

Transcriber Janna Weiss

Date October 12, 2020

0:00:10.4

Rimpoche: Good evening everybody. Before we go on continu[ing] what we are talking, I would like to say that many of you have attended the retreat, that what we had, we call them - normally we call them ‘miserable retreat’ [Audience laughs. Rimpoche laughs.] and it has not been so miserable, I thought, this year, okay, right? Okay. But it’s a very dramatic retreat, and I was just thinking back and so the first day happens to be the Tsongkhapa’s anniversary day, so the— it is one of the greatest opportunity for us to commemorate, [to] remember the kindness and compassion and the path that Tsongkhapa had shared. [Rimpoche asks if everyone can hear. 0:01:46.5] And it was a great opportunity and we had to make the maximum usage of the opportunity, and also the most important point of remembering the— commemorating actually, is the reviewing knowledge, knowing what Tsongkhapa’s message is, and what Tsongkhapa really wanted to develop with the type of work for benefiting others, on what [line? 0:02:39.8], so it is activity of Tsongkhapa. Among the most important activity is the activity of speech, which is actually sharing his personal developments, through communication of word, teachings, form, all this.

0:03:03.3

So we had opportunity to make whatever we could use it out of that, we have [done? 0:03:21.1]. And then we had a wedding, right? And then three or four birthday celebrations. And of course we’ve been able to deal, we went through with the Lama Choeba up to half, a little bit more [a liberant? 0:03:42.9] and I think, if I recall, the first word. How do you translate this thing in English, the first word, in English? dezhing nang nei the first word in English? Within the bliss, or something, isn’t it?

Audience: Within the nature of bliss.

Rimpoche: Within the nature of bliss. And if I recall back, probably we took that for two days or something on that, and then went through and the half of them quite reasonably satisfactory explanations in the teaching. And the other half, we reserved for the next year. But today I want to complete before who have come so went through [? 0:04:36.9] and the last one day or something. Then, a number of people came from outside, quite a number of them, and seven people from Malaysia, and out of which one of them happens to be Gelong-la, Austrian born Buddhist monk who had studied and remained in the Tibetan monasteries for a long time. He was a hippy and a very, one of the very strong type of thing. And he sat in the Munich train station many years ago and he was going through and it happens to be the Dalai Lama being there, and he passed through there. That’s the first time he saw [the] Dalai Lama. Somehow, from there then he went to India

0:06:04.2

and became a monk, and worked in Drepung Monastery, and that of Loseling, in South India, virtually tried to organize Loseling, in an acceptable, what we call it, a modern style. But he tried to organize in a function style different than [we are] traditionally used to. He worked really hard. And then set up a library and set up societies, tried to register them legally, set up an entity and set up a press where they were able to publish books and set up a newsletter informing the Westerners what’s going on here and also the Tibetan scholars to be able to— some sort of form where they expressed their knowledge or whatever it is in some form to be able to share. And did a lot of those. And contributed a lot. And afterwards then he came up to Delhi and worked in Delhi and in Saranath, and finally he went to Thailand and worked with the Thai Buddhist monks as well as the Western people who are interested in Buddhist studies in Thailand. And finally, he went to Malaysia and Singapore area and worked there a lot. And he had been sort of studying and working with me for— [Rimpoche pauses. 0:08:43.5] What happened? Has it been twenty years? Is that all? For fifteen? 0:08:51.1

Audience (male): ’81? [? 0:08:59.3]

Rimpoche: When were you in Delhi?

0:09:01.3

Audience (male): In ’82.

Rimpoche: You were in Delhi in ’82.

Audience (male): Maybe ’81, something like that.

Rimpoche: Even before. But I don’t know since when he started studying steady [?0:09:29.0] with me. But probably around ’80 ’81 I think. Probably around about ’80 ’81.

So since then he had been sort of with me studying here and there and this and that and mostly in the East. And recently I saw him in Europe too. And finally he came to this retreat and the last day and he’s gone. That’s what it is. He went to bed and didn’t get up the next morning. So we sort of had to— we had a funeral too. [Rimpoche laughs] So we had a wedding and three birthdays and a funeral, so all of them. And incidentally, it looks like that, it looks to me that he knows what he’s doing and he sort of indicated that he’s going to die, acting a little bit crazier than usual for two days, very funny way. And he sort of picked up all his relics, his things, whatever he had, he divided them and early in the morning he came and “Rimpoche, it happened to be 32. It is 32. Is it 32?” I said, “What do you mean, it’s 32?” He said, “Oh, all the relics that I have last night, and what is that girl’s— Doris from Chicago, and she had beautiful paper and I sort of took her paper and gave her something to cover that drawing of Manjushri that she’s drawing. So I cut the papers and divided everything. It happened to be 32. It happened to be 32. So I’m giving you this and so please give it to your most important disciples in America, for 32 of them.”

0:12:02.3

Okay, so I sort of said, okay, but you know, he’s acting a little crazy. So I took it and in my heart I thought okay, well here’s someone who is just remembering the number of the deities in the Guyasamaja mandala is 32. Okay, sort of thing, didn’t pay much attention. Then by lunchtime he came up and put all his money in one little red packet, like Chinese style, and he said, “I’d like to give you all this.” All his money belongings. So I looked this way, I saw it looks to me like a couple of hundred dollar notes and some Malaysian ringgit and Singapore dollars and German Deutsch mark type of thing, I saw it. So, he’s a monk, he doesn’t really have any money, probably whatever he had is in there, so I said, “Thank you, but I want you to keep it for me and spend it whenever you need it.” [Rimpoche laughs] I don’t want to take it but I had to, say no, he will insist, so I said okay, so he said “All right,” so he took it. [Audience laughs] Then he has been telling those Malaysian people who had come with him and said, “I’m going to come back as a reincarnation a female.” And one of the women from Singapore called Barbara, she said, “Barbara, the dakinis came and asked me to go. Should I go?” And she told Gelong la, said, “Forget it!” She said, “Forget it!” “Oh, you’re jealous. That’s why you told me [to] forget it,” he said. “So the dakinis want me to go to the pure land. Should I go?” And she said, “Forget it!” “Oh you’re jealous!” And then, after a little while, he said, “Anyway I’m coming back as a female. I’m coming back as a female. My reincarnation is female. Female. Whether I’m coming back in the West or in the East, I’m not sure. If I come back in the West, I have to go through the women’s struggle,” he says. Women’s struggle. “If I come back to the East, it’ll be worse, but I’ll have to come back as a female.” So, so, they paid no attention. They thought he’s sort of acting crazy.

After a little while he went over to another Malaysian guy with the glasses, and they came, so he said, “[The] journey back is going to be a very long way. You wait and see. It’s going to be a very very long way. He said, “What are you talking [about], Gelong-la? Come on, get out, do something!” And they kicked him out. [Rimpoche laughs.] So that’s what happened. And the next morning, he didn’t get up.

0:14:58.2

0:15:01.0

And, anyway, it is sad, because he’s only 45 years old. Whatever the cause of the death, whatever they mentioned, but he was 45, anyway, it’s a sad. But on the other hand, it looks like exactly what he wanted to be and exactly what he was sort of hoping to be. So it is sort of mixed feelings, a feeling of sadness that he’s gone, but yet [a] feeling of joy because exactly what he wanted to be, and also incredible, I can’t say blessings, but incredible thing for us. In one way to see how impermanent we talk a lot and it’s really a very true reality. It doesn’t take— It doesn’t take time or one is absolutely healthy, I mean not even coughing, not even a cough, not even a drip of you know like dripping a waterfall, not nothing, not a single thing, not a single cough. And before he was sitting next [to him], not even breathing wrong at all. Just absolutely healthy. And just slept and that’s it. And then hands are like this, which is of course, we all will hope for, is that the hand gesture of the Buddha Vajradhara both in that manner, so… That’s that.

And then, of course, people wondering what is happening, what happened, why. And did he really go on willingly with his spiritual development? Or he just wanted to take the opportunity and use phowa or all this sort of different questions goes on in a few people’s head[s]. And in my opinion, I don’t think he had to use phowa at all. And I think it is totally, people, what do we call it, people who had

0:18:02.1

control over their rebirth and things, and they don’t have anything else to do beside than that. Many of them of course take normal illnesses and it goes for months and months get sick. And many of them sort of an easy way to go, but they go through with the normal thing. And even [those] who had control in their own hand of dying, taking rebirth, and the bardo period, and they have nothing more than this to demonstrate. And, even you look in the traditional Tibetan history, everybody has that sort of thing, many of them gone in that way. So I just wanted to share this information and thoughts. And so, at the same time, I would also like to request that everybody pray and the way and what you pray is to fulfill whatever the wishes he ha[s]. I believe that’s on what you have to focus. And that’s it. Anything else that I need to mention on this?

And I would really like to share that with you. And of course, today in the afternoon Cathleen and Paul went out and brought a bunch of newspapers in. So I said I don’t read these newspapers. It is another problem. Why are you bringing in this? They said, “Look it, look it here.” So my eyes [is] [Rimpoche says ‘are’ 0:20:08.5] bad, I thought, what is that? I thought some kind of nice beautiful looking girl in the picture, from a distance. [Audience laughs.] And I said, so what’s in there? So he says “It’s Marcia! Look at it.” So when I’m coming close and saw your picture, it looks great, nice, very nice. [Rimpoche laughs. Audience laughs.] And everything, whatever you’re saying things, and things what you did, and everything, very nice. Good.

And now, to go on what we’re supposed to be here, together. And we still are not finished with our Lam Rim.

0:20:59.8

So if - can somebody tell me, because I’ve completely forgotten, where are we and what line and what level are we? Can somebody read the paragraph on which we are on?

0:21:20.6

0:21:31.1

Anybody? Doctor? Or anybody else? I think it’s in the Six Paramitas somewhere, isn’t it?

Audience: Yes.

But is it the First Paramita or the Second Paramita? The Second Paramita.

Audience: I think the second.

Rimpoche: Okay, first is done.

Audience: Yes.

Rimpoche: Is that right, everybody?

Audience: That’s what we spoke about last time was the first one.

Rimpoche: First one, Generosity.

Audience: Yeah.

Rimpoche: Okay, now I have to speak about the Morality today, right? The Second Para… - Those of you who are new here, maybe come first time or couple of first time[s] — What we are doing is we are going through a textbook called Lam Rim, which is sort of the development stage. When we talk about the Tibetan path, from the spiritual development, it’s not a very symbol letter, one letter thing, and then it’s ‘Ah,’ that’s just the Tibetan Buddhist path — No. It is a very gradual process, very gradual process. It has to provide all the steps from this ordinary level to there, to Buddha level, so all the steps are provided, and that is called, in the Sutra path and Tantra path. So in the Sutra path, all the steps we call it Lam Rim, so we’re on that. And it’s almost at the end level. Basically, Lam Rim is divided into three categories. Category One is called common word, Lower Level, or some people even call it Small Scope. What they do is they give you the principles of the Theravadin teachings of the Buddha, if you are familiar with that. If you are not familiar with that, basically they give you love, compassion, focus on self. So the importance [important-ness 0:23:47.6] of your life, how important it is, what value it is. Is it lasting or permanent or impermanent? It deals with that. And then it talks about death and dying,

0:24:00.5

taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and basically told through the Four Noble Truths, and how the Four Noble Truths are [is 0:24:13.5] based in our life, or our life is based on the Four Noble Truths, how it functions. So that is the common word ‘lower,’ and the common word ‘medium.’ The goal is to develop compassion to yourself and to achieve yourself a freedom, the freedom from the delusions, freedom from anger, attachment, and especially from ignorance. And we talk about samsara, which is a circle of life, continuation, one after another, and Nirvana is what they call it, sort of Cessation, or ‘free of that.’ So then the third path, what we are in, is the Mahayana path. Mahayana part takes one more step than that. They said love, compassion to self is not enough. You must think of all the others in their principal one. And the second, they say Nirvana is also boring and is not totally the thing that you wanted to be. So you have to get out of it and we even call that ‘the fear of samsara and fear of nirvana.’ So the Mahayana level, two things. Your focus has changed. Your focus — you are no longer focused for self-interest alone.

Whatever you have a focus on self, to seek freedom, to get free of delusion etcetera, is also: try to share with everybody. Everybody. And try to feel the pains that other people are going through. Feel the pain and understand what is going through. And then the compassion and wishing to separate [from] it and wishing to have joyful with both love and compassion, is, in the practical level, with the feelings, try to bring it in. And not only that.

0:26:55.1

And then it becomes, I will — I — sort of committing the individual [suggested edit: the individual committing] to do that whatever it may takes me to do that. I would like to commit myself to go all out of the way to help. And then you say, “Then what can you do?” and you jump around. You sort of throw it in the middle of the — ithe middle of the stage, and then you started jumping around and say, “I don’t want to do.” Probably you don’t know what to do. Sort of, when you jump around, you don’t know what to do. So, well, I probably need to add the knowledge of what to do. And to be, I need the best tool, the best capability to do my committment, to carry on what I committed to help all the beings, I need the best possible tools. So that’s sort of — you throw in the middle of the stage. You started jumping around, “What am I supposed to do? Whether I know it or not know it, I’m going to go ahead and do it! So somebody — Can somebody tell me what I’m supposed to do?” So then the answer comes, you’re supposed to get the best tool and the best capability you can get it. And then you say, “Oh, wow! Who has the best capability?” And say, “Hey! The stage of the Buddha has the best possibility. Why don’t you aim for it?” “All right! Well, really I don’t need it for myself. I can be very happy with the free of all the pain. But when I’m committed to do something for else, something for the others, so I need the best tool. It is absolutely difficult, even to break through with the one individual alone. [Rimpoche paused] Do you think they need help? [Audience laughs. Rimpoche laughs.] Whenever you think they need help otherwise they are not disturbing us.

So the absolute best tool available is simply to be the Buddha stage, according to the buddhas. I mean, it’s a Buddha, because that’s why Buddha is so great. And so what is the greatness of the Buddha? Because the Buddha can be able to function a million things, to gather without really putting much effort for helping other beings, that sort of inconceivable capability and that’s why it’s called ‘enlightened.’ Like a normal Western mind, if you look— Ah, the capability of the God is unquestionable. And sort of, you know, it’s there. Sort of you know at that level sort of thing, we’re looking, as a Buddhist, we look for the Buddha descending.

0:29:56.0

So the message comes, if you can become a Buddha, you have all this capability, whatever you need it, and whatever the best ever possible. So, the people begin to pick up interest. Hah, it’s not only me to get free, but it is that I would love to help everybody [to get] free so I need the best tool, so let me become a Buddha, so then it’s relevant. Until this time there is [suggested edit: it’s] not relevant for [the] individual to become a Buddha. I have a friend and student in New York, a black lady. She came to the retreat this time too. And in the beginning in New York, it’s about maybe four years ago, maybe three or four years ago, I was giving, talking and during the break she said, “Can I walk with you and ask you one question?” I said, “Yeah.” She said, “You said, the Buddha is [the] same as God today.” I said, “Yeah, you can look [at it] that way.” “Well, if that’s so, I have no interest to become God for whatsoever. (Rinpoche laughs.) Therefore I don’t think I should have interest to become a Buddha.” (Rinpoche laughs.) So, I mean, she thinks very seriously, so— So the relevance of becoming a Buddha does not really rise, even though Tibetan Buddhism tells you from the beginning, “You can become a Buddha,” that’s your goal, and this and that, but it is only relevant to the individual until [suggested edit: when] you wanted to be committed to help millions of others. And if you have — if we have a problem to break through, communicating, break through to one individual, whether it is your roommate or companion or husband, wife, whatever it is. To make [a] breakthrough with that one person has a hell of a problem. It’s not easy, it’s always the harder thing to do, right? So vice versa, not only— it’s not one sided. It’s not like [a] drum, you can beat the stick all the time, on one side. No it’s both sides, it goes both ways. So if you have a problem with a breakthrough [with] one person and when you think about millions and the way our problem’s going to be. So there comes the need of a best tool. And there comes the relevance of becoming Buddha. So, more commitment. And more— not only seeking freedom for me, but seeking freedom for everybody.

0:32:57.4

And feeling the compassion and loving feeling and so, committing yourself, committing to help, so, seeking buddhahood, a combination of that has become a Mahayana path. So in Mahayana just you say, “I’m going to do it, I promise to do it” will not help. Everybody can raise their right hand and say, “I promise blah, blah, blah.” But if you don’t act, so you can just simply pray, if you like to, or you may not even pray, just sit quietly, you know, and it’s sort of an overfed underworked bodhisattva. Sort of you know you can sit there (Rmpoche laughs) and do nothing and you can do that, you know. So, so, overfed, underworked bodhisattva sitting beside. (Audience laughs.) So you don’t want to do that, right? So the activities comes in. So the activities are like ten different activities comes up, so there will be six of them. First, six of them is to improve the individual and four other ones will be [to] improve the others. So there are six to improve ourself, so first comes the Generosity. Generosity. Second comes the Morality. So we talked [about] Generosity the other day. So the subject what we [are] supposed to talk today is the Morality. Can somebody read that verse? Tony, would you please read that verse?

Tony:

Moral discipline is the water to wash away the stains of faulty actions.

It is the ray of moonlight to cool the scorching heat of the delusions.

It makes you radiant like a Mount Meru —

[Rimpoche interrupts, speaks Tibetan 0:34:51.2 karesa {English: What’s that?}, apologizes]

— in the midst of the nine kinds of beings.

By its power you are able to bend all beings to your good influence without recourse to mesmerizing glares.

[Audience laughs.]

Knowing this, the holy ones have safeguarded as they would their eyes, the rules they have accepted to keep purely.

The great masters have practiced just that.

If you would also seek liberation, please cultivate yourself in the same way.

Rimpoche: I forgot the Tibetan verse. I can’t remember at all. [Rimpoche speaks Tibetan 0:35:26.5 dugay {English: Isn’t it?}] [Does] anyone have the Tibetan version of it? No. Anybody has it? No.

[Rimpoche recites in Tibetan 0:35:48.7]

What is that? Is that water for purifying?

Tony: Moral discipline is the water to wash away the stains of faulty actions.

Rimpoche: Okay, so then the next second word?

Tony: It is the ray of moonlight to cool the scorching heat of delusions.

0:36:00.9

Okay. And third was? I’m trying to reconstitute the Tibetan in my head. [Rimpoche recites Tibetan 0:36:07.2]

Tony: It makes you radiant like a Mount Meru in the midst of the nine kinds of beings.

Rimpoche: Oh good. Thank you. Okay.

Anyway, the [Rimpoche recites Tibetan] the moral[ity] is naturally, it is the best protection for protecting the individual from the negativities, downfalls. I like to talk about what kind of morality we are talking about. The morality we are talking about here is honoring your own commitments, whatever the commitment that you - we - have. You know, we take vows. So we take a vow and saying that, “I’m not going to harm any sentient beings.” You say, “Oh, I’m not going to kill any human beings.” And that’s your vow. And to honor that vow is called — to honor that vow is really the morality we are talking about. So any vows that you have taken, we have taken, committing [to] our own vows are the basic morality.

Actually there are three kind[s] of morality. [Rimpoche recites in Tibetan sems jian tam jie 0:37:34.6] I’m not sure why they call it [the] word in English ‘morality.’ But it is really, one, of course, to protecting from the downfalls or negativities. Two, to create positive karma and to do whatever the maximum, [the] best thing you could do, sort of meditating. A hell being, protecting yourself and others from downfalls as well, particularly protecting from fear. And all of those are one type. There are basically three divisions. [Rimpoche recites Tibetan 0:38:26.0] Another, the third one, is committing yourself to being helping [suggested edit: of help to] others. That’s morality. That type of morality we are talking about it. We’re not talking about it whether somebody has gone with somebody else or not. That’s just what I’m trying to say here. It’s not that sort of narrow view [of] morality which normally in America you see with the television and the journalists, they scrutinize all the politicians and all everybody else. [Rimpoche laughs.]

0:39:06.3

And no, we are not looking at that! I don’t think we are talking [about] that morality at all. Here the morality on the subject what we are talking is the commitments. Commitment here, meaning, if you’re committed not to indulge in killing a human being, which I think, we all, more or less, we are, whether you took any official vow or not, nobody wants to kill a human being. So that sort of vow what [suggested edit: that] we have is protecting. It’s basically morality, one kind of morality.

The second kind of morality is creating the positive karma as much as possible. It’s the bad [0:39:55.5] type of morality.

And third, here is third morality, is committing yourself to be helping others. That is, as a bodhisattva, you’re committed. So with committing [to] that commitment, honoring that commitment, [to] go out of the way, whatever you can, to help the beings, is the third kind of morality. So basically, these three moralities. Then, if you [are] honoring these three moralities, and you don’t have much of negativities, because you are bound, with this sort of— you are — [to] this particular moral contact [Does GR mean: contract? 0:40:40.1]. This particular moral contact [contract? 0:40:42.9] will separate you from the anger. This particular moral contact [contract? 0:40:48.3] separates you from the control of ignorance. And this type of particular morality will push you to be loving and kindness, and not only the love and kindness as lip service, but also actually moving in it with the feelings and try to protect and do it and help [in] whatever the way you can. So, that is basically morality. And such morality will protect the individual from downfalls. So even [if] you have a little bit of negativities of something done wrong, this sort of conduct will purify it. So that’s why [Rimpoche recites Tibetan 0:41:42.3] And then, what is the second point?

Tony: It is the ray of moonlight to cool the scorching heat of delusions.

Rimpoche: That’s right. So this is a little bit of old style poetry. They always give you, you know, like the heat of the India.

0:42:00.0

You’re always sick for coolness, and the daytime’s so hot. And when the moon comes out, that little — so it’s a cooling effect. It’s a nice romantic cooling effect. So what does this morality point give you is a better cooling effect. Like we’re going through with such a strong heat of negativity. We always go through. We always have difficulty. And here we get a relief. That relief of coldness. Of course, we don’t want here in Michigan nowadays. (Audience laughs.) But they do want in the midst of India in the month[s] of April, June, May, all this period, from April to July, August, probably you need that, that cooling-ness. Everybody’s looking for that break of coolness. Sort of that’s the moonlight which gives the cooling effect of the individual, going through such hot-shaped [-shaped? 0:43:05.8] heat of negativity. Here, the moral, this morality, of what we are talking, particularly three kind[s] of morality over here. A combination of it will really give you the shelter of cooling effect plus where you can rest and breathe and get some kind of recuperate yourself going through those attack[s] of negativity. So the point what they are doing is the quality of a moral being presented. Rather than telling you, “You’re immoral and you’re terrible and you’re not fit to be in society,” but it’s telling you, if you have that sort of moral[s] [and] often kept it, and that [would] give you this feeling of— that’s called— that effect in your life. That’s what it’s talking about it. The next verse? Not verse, but…

Tony: It makes you radiant like a Mount Meru —

Rimpoche: That’s right. [unclear word. A name? About? 0:44:10.7] You know why? The person who has a good [amount] of those three different things happening is become [suggested edit: becomes] an outstanding person. Definitely. I mean, it’s just a different person, you know, outstanding among the many others. The person [suggested edit: people] who are great and good are always shine [shining] and stand out. So the Tibetans that live in the mountainous area, the Mount Meru is supposed to be the biggest and the best, and most majestic mountain [that] ever existed, so therefore, they’re telling, “It looks like Mount Meru among the mountains!” So that would be a great being.

Tony: By its power you are able to bend all beings to your good influence—

Rimpoche: There you go! (Rimpoche chuckles.)

0:45:00.2

Tony: without recourse to mesmerizing glares. (Rimpoche laughs.)

Rimpoche: Where did that come from!? (Audience laughs.)

Rimpoche: So naturally, not only, and you will be great and outstanding and wonderful, but others who know you will automatically give you a great respect because I know you, you are a good person. And you have no selfish interest. You are dedicated. You always think of the benefiting of others. So, and, you are wise and you have all this, so naturally, people will give you respect. So not only you. You can influence others and lead them in the same step as you are. So that way, not only you help yourself, and that’s how you help other beings. How you conduct your life, with all this committing, helping others. And honoring your —

0:46:00.9

[no sound until]

0:46:18.5 too. And plus, commit to help all beings is the Mahayana morality. That is the Mahayana morality. And Theravada morality does not have committing yourself to helping others. For many minds, the negativities maximize[s] the positive karma, and period. And so the Mahayana comes and minimizes the negative karma and maximizes the positive karma, and plus, commit for all beings, and keep on working for other beings’ benefit. And that’s become the basic morality, for the Mahayana morality. And those of us, if you admire the love and compassion, and these are how great beings have practiced and gone in through that way, and if you’d really like to follow their path, and if you’d like to be good like that, if you would like to do the same thing, that’s what we should do. So not only, “I commit, I pray.” So these are the things you work, so that way you will not be overfed, underworked, fatty bodhisattvas, you know. So, so [Rimpoche laughs] not to become that, that’s what you’re supposed to do. And that is that path, right?

So the next will be Patience. [Rimpoche asks about the time: What time is it? I don’t have a watch here…. etc. 0:47:51.7]

So the Patience I probably will not talk because that is another very important subject.

0:47:59.7

Patience bursts [? 0:48:01.7] anger. So here[’s] what you do. You have to recognize the anger, and you have to recognize the problems that [are] create[d] by anger. And then, how to deal with it. And that will be the — if I try to rush in ten minutes it will do no good. So we’ll do that next Tuesday.

However, now, let’s coming back to the morality point. And so, it is to be able to be, have a, basically, perfect morality, it’s always important to recognize the negativities. And if you recognize the negativities, then you know what you restrain from. If you want to put a discipline on yourself you have two choice[s], actually, two possibilities. [Rimpoche harumphs.] That [hope means? opens up? 0:49:14.5] Two possibilities. So, anyway, the two choice[s]. The one choice is through a discipline, you cut the negativities, and try to work hard. And that will be strict, and things like that. Then, another one, you can be very open, relaxed manner, and keep your principle of what you really need to do, you know. Keep your principle of what you really need to— of what your goals [are] and what you wanted to do. Keep your principle intact and try to relax a little bit here and there and don’t try to be too much righteous. Overrighteous has a problem. There are people who could do it, it’s wonderful. Wonderful. Great. Admire it. But, but — and sometimes people push themselves too much in that category and you become grrrrrr [Rimpoche growls. 0:50:32.6] You know, everything, whatever, you do, krrrrr [Rimpoche growls again. 0:50:35.3] Sort of, then, gwrrrrr [0:50:37.0]. Then, that is, the problem comes in because you try to be too, too sophisticated. Too detailed. What is— specific?

Audience: specific

Rimpoche: Too, too, too what?

Audience 1: Too sophisticated.

0:51:00.0

Audience 2: Perfectionist.

Rimpoche: Too perfectionist, thank you. Who said that? You said it? Okay. Too perfectionist. To try to be too much perfect. And I use this word ’too much perfect.’ So then everything is not right. And has to be [this] exact way, you know. Then what happened? Instead of disciplin[ing] yourself, it’s becoming defending your views, defending your point. There’s a lot of those. The negative and the positive within the individual functions so close, so close. Sometimes the earlier Tibetan masters said, “Sometimes the difference is so subtle as that of hair from a horse’s tail.” Did you get it? The horse’s tail is supposed to be very thin and yet very strong, so as thin as that.

So, if you go too much, of a little bit - boopch! [Rimpoche makes a funny sound and laughs 0:52:08.2 Audience laughs.] What a hope! [? 0:52:10.2] [Rimpoche laughs. ] It’s a habit! [0:52:14.8] So too much of this side, will become, instead of becoming [a] discipline, and you become a very — What [do] you say? “It HAS to be this way and cannot be the other way around! You’ve GOT to go this way!” Huh!? Yeah, very rigid, forceful, and, in addition to that, if the individual is stubborn, then you had it! [Rimpoche laughs.] So they pick up rigid on stubborness. Then you had it. So that’s one way of protecting.

0:52:59.5

But if you know what you’re doing, if you know how to handle it, it’s okay. Great! But what you really need is, you avoid the negativity and relax yourself. Not tense. That’s what it is. So what you do is, you know what your goal is, you don’t want to fall badly, yet you keep on going only a little bit of falling here, there. It’s okay. Be a little relaxed. And I like that way. That’s my way. So I like to be [a] jolly fellow, if I could. So I got a nickname, according to, I mean I got a nickname called, Happy Lama. And that —

Audience: [inaudible]

Rimpoche: — Lama [? 0:53:48.9] Pema was joking with me and translated that way and it became a part of it. And we noticed that in the— Gelong-la’s computer

0:54:03.5

there’s a heading called Happy Lama. And under that [there are] so many teaching transcriptions there. Right. A lot of them. Paul printed out and there’s about two to three hundred pages. It’s printed, it’s still there, it’s coming more and more. So, I do get that name. I’m happy with the name. I don’t want to be grrrrr [0:54:24.5] terrible person. I like to be relaxed and go easy, happy-go-lucky. I’m happy with that. But, and I don’t want to lose my principle. I would like to maintain my principle, the principle of committing yourself to benefiting others. And the principle of seeking enlightenment for the benefit of others. And the principle of not falling into lower realms and negative karma. And if you do you should know how to purify and get on with it. But don’t trip over, fall [a] tiny little thing. And that’s what I like to do. And that’s — I’m sure you can do it. So that’s the way. If you are [a] sort of rigid type of person, very well-disciplined and you can do it without becoming so intense, you’re welcome. But if you are becoming too intense, relax. Relax, relax, relax. [Audience laughs.] It’s really true. The life is too short and there’s a lot of work [in] becoming intense and tensioned. So relax and move over that. So if you do that, do that, and that is morality. And if you go intense, and then you are losing on that. In one way you are protecting, but on the other hand, you are losing. So that is how you balance on the morality. I think, I guess, [that] I have to say that much for tonight. And if you have anybody who ha[s] any questions, you may have a couple of minutes. So I’d like to — If you have anybody [with] questions, I’d give like two or three questions.

Okay— so I think everybody’s an enlightened being, so that’s fine. (Audience laughs.) It’s not that I have answers for everything. But we can share ideas anyway.

[Q&A 0:56:35.4]

Rimpoche: Yeah —

Audience (female): So how do we put —

Rimpoche: You are the unenlightened being. (Audience laughs.)

Audience (female): I’m clear on that. I got that part. (Audience laughs.)

Audience (female): How do we, how do we process Gelong-la’s passing with the Lam Rim teaching of precious human life? And how are we supposed to value it at all costs, and value the opportunity to be with the teaching?

0:57:03.8

Rimpoche: I don’t really know how to answer that. But on the other hand, human life is extremely precious, no doubt. But it [is] also subject to change. And it is for ending. And people lose their life. I don’t think— normally, people do, right? [At] one time or another. (Audience laughs.) So, one way or another, anyway. So, what happens is— that’s why we have the reflection of young age of 45 and going in that way, there’s a sadness in that, from our point of view. From his point of view, he may be totally happy with that. Happy in the sense [that] the mission of his life has been fulfilled, and the last mission, [at] the last point, to be with his sangha that he belongs to. And incidentally, I happen to be the person from whom he has— one of the persons from whom he has taken a number of teachings and happens to be there. And so I think this is [a] great fulfillment from his angle. And another word is mission completed. And it is at a good point of going.

Audience (female): So there’s a point in the learning where you can reach that stage?

Rimpoche: For us, for the rest of us, it is a tremendous opportunity of learning. And a tremendous source of rejoic[ing]. Not because he died, but rejoice because of his life complete. You know what, I talked to Rudy [Rimpoche asks last name] Willis, yeah, the guy who wrote the script for The Little Buddha. And Rudy said, “Wow! What a great opportunity!” And that’s what he said to me. “What a great opportunity!” and admiration and a blessing for Jewel Heart. I can’t believe, while on the telephone. “What kind of blessing is this?” started going through in my head. And then, second thought, Steven and Lisa had given a big silence for a little while.

1:00:18.5

And they keep on going still, coming, you know. And that they were sorry that he was not there. He couldn’t make it there, he was extremely regretted blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, going on. (Audience laughs). And, so, I thought for a little while and— I thought for a little while, and then, maybe, I don’t know, it is a source of admiration. That’s what it is. I know you have a big question in that.

Audience (female): Yeah.

Rimpoche: Yeah. You know what? You have to look at life and lives as one big picture. You don’t want [to] look at one life like this. And you also do not— you have to have understanding the individual existence does not end when you end with one life. So you must keep all of them in the picture and a broader look. And that is actually a main point. It doesn’t begin at birth, nor it ends at death. That’s what it is. 1:02:00.6

(Rimpoche breaks to drink something. Audience talking among themselves.)

1:02:12.3

Audience (female): I don’t have a question, but just a comment.

Rimpoche: Hmhm.

Audience (female): In the Lama Chopa offerings that Sund— or that Monday, Monday, he also offered you his begging bowl. Is that right? [inaudible 1:02:29.2] I thought he did. What did he give you that day?

Rimpoche: When?

Audience (female): During that time.

Audience (male): The Lam Rim ceremony.

Audience (female): During the Lama Chopa that morning.

Rimpoche: He gave me a little piece of seed, some kind of seed of [a] tree. And it is a medical seed. And he told me,

1:03:00.3

“Please accept this as a Medicine Buddha.” That’s what he told me. (Rimpoche laughs.) So, with that little [garbled 1:03:10.5] you thought, okay, okay.

Rimpoche: Yes, now you.

John: Oh. How— How—

Rimpoche: What’s your name?

John: My name’s John.

Rimpoche: John what?

John: [inaudible, Midlow? 1:03:24.5]

[Rimpoche repeats name.]

John: What’s your name? (Audience laughs.)

Rimpoche: Gelek Rimpoche. (Audience laughs.)

John: Do I have to point to my nose?

Rimpoche: You know, if you’d like to. (Audience laughs.) It’s free. If you want to touch, go ahead and touch. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. (Audience laughs.) But Allen says, “Touch when you want to touch.” (Rimpoche laughs, audience laughs.) Allen Ginsburg.

John: Anyhow, how can Buddhism help me to become a better Christian?

Rimpoche: I don’t know.

John: You don’t know?

Rimpoche: I don’t know.

Audience (male): By finding your way to see it without really seeing the seamless perception of the perfection of the whole. There’s no difference.

Rimpoche: To become a better person, and Buddhism definitely helps you to become a better person. And if you become a better person, and if you are Christian, I believe [that] you become a better Christian.

Audience (female): I’d like to make a comment in relation to your question.

Rimpoche: Okay, go ahead.

1:04:48.0

Audience (female): I was telling my sister a little bit about Buddhism and I told her that I’m now a better Christian than I’ve ever been in my whole life. [Pause to 1:05:10.4]

Rimpoche: Basically, the issue of Buddhism, Christian[ity] and this and that, all of them. What is religion meant for? What is the purpose of it? And the purpose is to improve the individual. And Buddhists will call it: how to become a— Buddhism, a Buddhist, a Buddha. And the Christians will call it: how to bring closer to God. Whatever technical names you call it.

1:06:01.0

Like basic negativities through body, through mind, through speech, like in Buddhism they recognize as Ten Negativities, like killing, stealing, blah blah, and lying, cheating blah blah, and all this, and being mean, blah blah, all this type of thing, ten of them, is very very similar to what we call in Christian[ity] Ten Commandments type of thing. So I kept on thinking that Buddha and Jesus Christ and Muhammed, and all these people had some kind of telephonic conference (Audience laughs.) and they decided to issue the similar type of thing in one part of the world and the others issued in the other part of the world. So they may [have] had some kind of telephone conversation. You know, you remember that movie called — that in Austria, Australia, that movie called Crocodile Dundee? In Crocodile Dundee they make that little swing wrrrr [1:07:14.8] we call ‘telephone’? And they’re sending message[s] of the native aborigines to come and help him? (Audience laughs.) Remember that? So that sort of telephone wrrrrr [1:07:28.2] that type of thing (Rimpoche laughs. Audience laughs.] might have exchanged between those religions and leaders during that period. Some kind of [inaudible: web length? 1:07:39.9] on what they’re taught. Maybe. (Audience laughs.) And I’d like to say good night. (Audience laughs.) (Tibetan prayer cut off 1:07:58.0 end of audio)