Archive Result

Soundfile 19950221GRLR

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Ann Arbor

Topic Lam Rim

Transcriber Baby Dee

Date August 24, 2021

0:00:00.0

Rinpoche: put in everybody. We have to say we had a very nice week, last week. And as you all know the Alan’s reading went on very successful – Alan and (unintelligible) reading went on very sweet. Very nice and everybody did very good work. And thank you for those of you who helped. Very kind of you.

So we’ve been talking about meditation. And actually sitting and conditions, how you sit, and what sort of mental state, if you have to have to bring in, and even the stale air within ourselves – how to clear. So we get like the seven postures of Vairochana, Budha’s way of sitting. Plus clearing the air within you. So making like eight important postures how to sit and meditate. For meditation. So this is artivularl talking about the Shamatha Meditation.

So even Shamatha Meditation, though Shamatha Meditation is common between Buddhist and non-Buddhists. Anbody could do it. Everybody. It is done in India during the Budha’s lifetime and thereafter during the Buddhism of early India. It has done in Tibet. It has done in China. I has done in Japan. It has done everyplace, wherever meditation was tqught. East or West, wherever it is, it is done that way.

But to be effective to the individual, to be effective, to work it for purification, purification is not our main goal at all. I mean, it is main goal but it’s not. To achieving better spiritual status, enlightenment, to liberate oneself free from the Samsara. And to become a Buddha. And for this, just sitting, just by having the seven postures and sitting is definitely not enough. Definitely not enough.

0:03:15.0

So therefor it is very strongly recommended to make – Are you going to be comfortable there? – So to be more useful for the individual, even if you don’t do any other practice but to do it with at least like a seven limbs practice or if possible, one should have complete overview of all parts before even you sort of begin to concentrate, Complete overview of all parts, or at least Seven Limb, join them together, would be very, not only very useful, but to do it is very important for achieving long sort of, you know, what you call it, sort of long time goal?

So whatever you’re seeking for. I mean really seeking, point that I have mentioned earlier. If you just sort of, control over the mind, stable, you don’t need that. Just sit down. Doesn’t matter. The earlier Tibetan masters say you can meditate on anything, from cow dung to yak’s horn. So yak horn to cow dung, whatever you focus, that’s okay. Just the training of mind. To mind focusing. So for that you don’s all need all of this. You can have the seven postures, looks nice, and somebody looks at you and says, “Oh yeah, This guy is meditating.” Do not just eh. “Shhh…” all this, but whatever, But beyond that it’s not that important. For those who like to gain some kind of mental stability or even go a little beyond that, a sort of mental qui... What’s it called?

Audience: Quiessence.

0:05:28.5

Rinpoche: Quiessence. Okay? Mental quiescence. Or, truly speaking, harmony within yourself. Sort of making peace with your own mind. And just have a little comfortable thinking and a comfortable way of functioning. And just to do that, you’re probably going to need Seven Limb and all this. And – You can come in the front because that, sitting on that plastic is very difficult – but if you want to achieve something. If you want to achieve something then you should have some practice to do. Very easy and simple, it’s recommended to do is the Seven Limb. That’s somebody, like people can do that every time, every day whenever you want to do. It’s not a commitment I’m giving. Don’t misunderstand. So if you don’t want to you don’t have to. Nobody’s forcing you to do it.

But if you do it it may be some helpful. That’s simple as that. So I have to say it clearly because sometimes people… You know we talk, people get misunderstanding. So that’s why I have to make it clear. You don’t have to do it but if you like to do it you can do it. (Laughs)

So recommended, Seven Limb here, And out of Seven Limb – Okay, let’s do this way. What is Seven Limb practice? Because There’s quite a lot of people who will answer that. What is seven Limb practice? Tony. Can you give... What is it?

Tony: (unintelligible) a practice by which you do several different activities to invite the presence of guru and

Rinpoche: Or? Or? Don’t think the guru is the…

Tony: all enlightened beings.

Rinpoche: Yeah, okay. So, to some people guru is not a problem, to some people guru is a big issue. And to, you know it’s a little bit true,

Tony; I said (unintelligible)

Rinpoche: Whatever you said doesn’t matter much. That’s the – That’s object of refuge, right? So, object of refuge or something. (unintelligible) (laughter) So, object of refuge, you know? Object of refuge, so you may, People may use whatever, ‘enlightened state of mind’ or some people like to use ‘Buddha’ People who like to use to, whatevery, you know? Like whoever you worship or you know, anything is okay, The object of – As long as, the object of refuge is really the object of refuge. If the object of refuge what you use is full of Jealousy and anger then it is a big problem. So it doesn’t fit to be. Really true. A lot of people do worship powerful sprit or people may call it anything.

Like I was just thinking. Just sort of thinking that I used the terminology called God. God. Okay what? If you let some God in the West you do have some picture, You say God. In the East everything – to some people everything is God. The spirit is God. Some powerful deity is God. Anything. So in the West it’s (unintelligible) to find. There’s something called God. You know, sort of above everything. At least, if you believe it or not. Whether you believe it or you don’t believe it but you at least communicate. As in the East, probably not.

0:10:06.8

Many do. Many don’t. If you’re a Christian God background, yes. If you’re not Christian background, like I say, if you’re – Indian tradition, Brahmas and 0:10: 20.7 Indiras and so on and so forth, everybody’s God. And that is the God. If you use the terminology God, that’s God for them. They will identify that. And earlier there was a guy called 0:10:38.7 Ter Tchin Bol Boo in the nineteen twenties and thirties, very strong, Christian missionary guy, who runs a newspaper from 0:10:50.5 kah lim bohn into Tibet. Kah lim bohn is in India and into Tibet and he used the terminology to God had been translated as 0:11:02.9 Kunsho in Tibetan. So that person 0:11:04.9kun sho to vah. Kunsho in Tibet. Kunsho means ‘prized as gem’ prized as jewel’ prized as Budha Dharma and Sangha. so that’s the word. Like that. It goes. So the language along to language, country to country, culture to culture, it changes. So of course in the West there is a terminology called God and you define the terminology. And you do have some kind of idea and picture – maybe not a picture but some kind of concept which you can think it is, can hold it. So it’s there, but that is not true when you go to different culture, different language, different country. That’s what it is.

So it is funny and difficult. So does that guru. So does the enlightened being, all-mighty, even Buddha. Yeah, all these 0:12:03.0 gods change in that 0:12:05.0 level. So that’s that.

So, Object of Refuge, that is our – Let’s take refuge under that. (laughs) So concept, Obect of Refuge, right? So then, I’m sorry, I interrupted you. You were talking.

Audience: Well, I could refer to the Prayer Sheet here. (laughs)

Rinpoche:The prayer sheet what we do before we did this thing, we have that one sheet prayer. You do have sort of like in there, right? That’s good. I mean, we change from time to time what we say but that doesn’t mean you have to leave them out. They are very useful for, particularly people who are sort of interested, doesn’t really know what to do, and yeah, I would like to add. And something – For them it’s very useful. You can just go 0:13:04.0 har them with this, no commitment. Nothing. Just look at it and see if there’s what it is. And there’s the Seven Limb, and there the seven things to do. If you get bored with one thing you’re doing, there’s seven different things to do to amuse you. (laughter) For your own amusement.

So, what do you do then? You go ahead and… Maybe we should switch around. And so in other words, the Seven Limbs is, you’re playing that with the Object of Refuge. The Object of Refuge is considered to be – okay, to be representing God (laughs) Okay again, well, whatever it is, you know, the terminology, so whoever you are whether you accept God or you don’g accept god, as god, or whatever it is. Everybody seems to be playing with some kind of Object of Refuge. So whether you don’t like the word ‘God’ or whether you do like the word ‘God’ Whether you do like a ‘guru’ you don’t like ‘guru’ or you like to use ‘Buddha’ I don’t know if there’s anbody who does like Buddha but who is very suspicious of Buddha there too.

So, I used to live in Cherry Street, where John is and I have nice neighbor over there, very nice guy. And the guy, you know. And somebody asked the guy, “Who’s you’re next door neighbor the new guy is?” And then he says, the guy replied, “He’s a nice also nice Asian gentleman. The only problem is, I don’t think he’s worshiping good or (laughing) 0:15:02.5 good god, therefore he must be worshipping devil. (laughs) So, I mean, doesn’t matter. He’s nice guy. That’s fine. You know? I mean, it’s true. So, sort of you, sort of extreme level, otherwise it becomes that way, you know. I mean if you look at it, technically speaking, as a Buddhist, you’re supposed to be Atheist, right? Isn’t Buddhist an Atheist? I don’t think so. What does Atheist mean?

Audience: (unintelligible)… the denial of all deities.

Rinpoche: All deities. I don’t know. I’d rather not pretend things which I know, I’d make a mess out of people’s light. But you know, but if you look at Buddhism and all this. If you look at it – Do you accept Object of Refuge? We do. Do you accept god as the supernatural creator of everything existing? No. So and also depends line where you draw. So I believe that’s what it is. So if you’re Buddhist are supposed to be Atheist.

Audience: Non-theist.

Rinpoche: Alright. Non-theist. Non-theist, whatever it is. What does that mean different anyway. It’s language. Anyway, so whatever you do under—but still you – pray. And you do worship. You do protect something. You’ve labeled them as a Buddha. Or you label them as this Yidam, that Yidam, this thing that thing. You label them, do something, right? And all of them it goes through almost every religion and every practice you do. Even you don’t accept any concept of Object of Refuge, however. The tranquility of mind. And also that we, you pull, pull on point where you really try to focus. You know what I mean? Mark eh market rules. Are you getting me? Sort you know. I’m going beyond political point. I’m going beyond religions and cultures boundary and if you can keep on thinking in that way. So whatever you may be do a sort of external or internal or internally manifested esternal, whatever it is, but if you focus on something we go on. Don’t we? We really do.

Whatever 0:18:03.2 main level we put, I think that’s what we do. Of course the concept, the moment you translate it, and interpret whatever that is then you get lot of different explanation and at certain point you accept something or you don’t accept something. You deject something, you deny something. You welcome and that all goes on and I think it’s just the mental manifestations. People’s understanding, whatever may be.

0:18:35.3 So anyway, that’s what Obect of Refuge I taught. You can 0:18:40.0 (unintelligible) tegerthatreak under that, but we don’t have to go through that big argument of whatever it is.

So, Object of Refuge – And anyway, that is becoming our ground. Ground on which you really work with. So basically, in the Buddhist point of view, what you are working. What you are working is, you bring the work to make yourself better. That is, That is period. Buddhist or non-Buddhist, I’m sure everybody does someday. To make yourself better. And improve. And better. And the question arises, How do you do it? Two ways. One – Even if you don’t want the negativities, Purify them and claim them. Or sort of, you know, Get rid of them. Anyway, the negative thing, whatever you have – purify them and get out of your system completely. And get yourself somehow, separated from that and let’s see if don’t have any influence of it, which automatically we call it purity and whatever you like to call it. Maybe you don’t like ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ but you would like to have a pure and – maybe you don’t like impure, I don’t know, whatever. So anyway, in that manner is one way of going.

One, however, one alone doesn’t work. Along with that it also has to be accumulating positive, what you call it, merit. Positive things. So do that only two ways. Only. – Not only, but these are the two ways of working with individuals. When you work with individual what you do is, you’re not only sitting there and just sitting watch what’s happening, waiting for, it’s not. That’s not an answer. So you become active and involve yourself. And why you have to be become active and involved? What you do is purifying the negativities and acumualating positiveness. And these are the two words that’s sort of in 0:20:49.9 buhl lehs strongly brings in and recommends everybody expected to do and everybody did and also following. That is the main point.

0:21:01.4

So on what ground do you do this? On the ground of yourself? And on the ground of the Object of Refuge. You, yourself is actually actor. The person who’s acting, the person who is performing, and the way you’re performing is on the ground of Object of Refuge. Or in the presence of Object of Refuge. Maybe not one big ground, otherwise you may have to drive on the Buddha’s chest or something. And that’s no good, right?

So in the presence – but actuall, it is the ground that you get it so the earlier Buddhist teachers call it Field of Merit. Sort of, you know, you grow food in the ground, they call it Field, right? Corn field and potato field and whatever. So that’s why it’s called Field of Merit/. It is become 0:21:56.2 tehn ay guhl. So really, thing is, on what you work, with whom your work and where you make the dealings. And it is the place of the wheeler dealer works you have to do. So, that’s what it is, the Object of Refuge. So what you do with it and there are a lot of enlightened beings. There’s millions of ways of doing it. How you deal with them. There’s millions of ways of doing it. So the wise seven recommended. Lot of them said, come out to the conclusion and saying that, “Hey. These seven are great.” Easy to do it and had a tremendous yield and no risk. And yeah, it is very good in that meant. And many of them, -- A lot of them I do not know. -- There’s no risk involved, and good yielding, and easy to do it. And easy to do. And so they recommend. So, seven different things to do. That’s why it’s called, known as the Seven Limb, seven branch, People may call anything. But seven different things to do.

So if you’re looking that sheet. One little sheet there. And what is the first thing among them to do is?

Audience: I bow down in body mind and (unintelligible)

Rinpoche: There you go. The first thing, you have to bow down.

Audience: It’s also called (unintelligible)

Rinpoche: You may call anything. But you have to get understanding, right? Because, they, the English language is particu – Basically, all the languages are borrowed language. You want to communicate something. So the tool to communicate, you use language. The best tool. But to some people, what you call it? The right brain doesn’t work. The left brain works. The left brain doesn’t work, that will – Some people had to draw, Some people have to perform. Some interested to communication – truth. That’s really I think, way and how to communicate. Prabably that’s what it is all about. So even the English language. It’s a borrowed language. Even Sanscrit for this, it is a borrowed language. It is some kind of message and understandings because enlightened beings have it they want to communicate with many enlightened. Fools like us – me – and so the medium of communication, what they could use it, that’s got what they’re using it. So they use the English here, they’re using English. As medium to borrow the language. So ‘bow’ the word ‘bow’ is the only the translators choose to use the word ‘bowing down’ which is absolutely clearly it is wrong language. Absolutely wrong language. I mean my English language is understanding of English is this much. Really tiny this much. But the bow – bowing down – doesn’t really give you the meaning of the first message.

Actually. The first message they try to give you is actually, to look in the quality. In this case, in our case, in this case we use Buddha as an example. So look at the Buddha and look at the Buddha and the Buddha’s quality. What quality that person has. And look at it and see the quality and admire them. “Hey! How nice! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I become like that?” If I had all these qualities, if I become like this, wouldn’t that be wonderful? Yeah. It would be great.

So, I want that quality. I admire your quality and it’s great. That’s what normally we do. We like somebody. And we like the peresons qualities, whatever it is. Whether it’s inside quality or outside or whatever the quality of the person it is, we like them, we acknowledge their quality and say, “How wonderful you are!” Don’t we? We say how wonderful you are. And then you go on one more thing here. How wonderful you are, and I really admire and it’s great, and I like myself to be in that condition. Like this. These are the qualities I would love to have. Right? And that same thing think. We admire this quality great. And it’s wonderful, but not for me. People do that too. But it is here, they admire it and want be on that level. Because ultimately, Wow, this is the greatest thing I’ve seen it, This is wonderful quality and I not only admire, I’d like to have it for myself. So that was the first step.

So the ‘bowing’, the original word for that in Tibetan called 0:27:29.5 chag sel is I’m admiring you, I give you salute, I, great wonderful, I admire. And also demand that I should get that quality. So that together. So that’s why I say ‘bowing down’ doesn’t convey the message.

So on that other Avalokiteshvara workshop that I did I wrote something. Does anybody have the copy?

Audience: I admire your qualities…

Rinpoche: I admire? There you go. I admire you qualities. Cathy’s shaking head and looking at the book.

Cathy: I honor your qualities and aspire to gain them.

Rinpoche: Yeah well, it’s the same thing. (laughs) Change – it is impermanent. It always changes. So it is quality of impermanent. So that is actually the first of the Seven Limbs. I admire your qualities – What did it say? Cathy?

Cathy: Again. I honor your qualities and aspire to gain them. (laughter from rinpoche) I honor your qualities and aspire to gain them.

Rinpoche: So that is the first Limb. Which means, whoever you’re looking, either you’re, either the object of meditation going to be Buddha, or object of meditation going to be refuge, tree or refuge, whatever it’s going to be, And admire the quality of that. I mean, id the object of is not going to be Buddha, if the object of the meditation going to be mind – Is it hot or is it me?

Okay, it’s real hot. So, Chris, could you open the door? And, he can’t get up so you have to get up.

Whether the object of concentration here, Is it going to be mind? Then it’s different but the Seven Limbs is sort of placed on the Field of Merit. That’s the Buddha the first thing, you admire the quality of the Buddha. Whatever the knowledge of you have, you admire from that angle. -- Are you going to go on in the bath? Are you going to get cold thing, hitting your… The moment you’re cold you can shut the door because it will affect everybody. Until you get cold, don’t shut the door because we’re all hot. –

So admire the quality of the 0:30:35.3 book, quality of compassion, quality of love, quality of knowledge, quality of whatever, you know? Whatever the knowledge of understanding of you have, and project the quality and the pu – 0:30:51.4 (the recording cuts off here)

0:30:51.5

But we will repeat because new people comes in and they should have opportunity.

What is the second, No, Tony, I think we should change to mic.

Audience: The second is – On this sheet it’s Making Offerings.

Rinpoche: Making Offerings. Okay. Generosity. Like Allen’s reading. “Yeah, generosity!”, He says. (laughs) That’s right. It’s the generosity. Offering is nothing but that of generosity. Right? We all agree, generosity is a great thing to do. Do we? Or agree. Or somebody thinks generosity is not great thing to do. Anybody think it’s not a great thing to do. No, nobody is raising hand so probably they all think it’s a great hing to do. Right? (laughs) Somebody is lying down there sleeping. With a blanket on that and pillows and stuff, Um, generosity. Basically, if you’re, sort of, the – generosity to the, sort of to the higher obect. I think it’s called offering and generosity to the – I don’t know. Mabe it’s, Maybe I’m wrong. That generosity to the general in sense giving everybody is gift or whatever it is. I think it’s almost the same thing everywhere. So offering is definitely a part of generosity. And what do you offer? What do you offer? You offer everything. Everything. Actually, the most important point of gererosity is most important part of the generosity is give and give it without any hesitation, without any hope of return, without any attachment to that. And that is the main point of generosity. Generosity. So fortunately or unfortunately the human beings, we do have attachment for all sorts of things Attachment for everything. For things, for beings, for look, for physical 0:33:44.7 shit, for mental quality, everything. You do have attachment for everything.

So generosity is one of the way to cut the attachment. Actually, one of the ways to cut the attachment and learn. The Bodhisattva’s do not have hesitation to give their body. To give their body, do not misunderstand. Not other way, but literally give, I mean lierally cut the arms,take out the eyeballs, and all this sort of things, if you read it in the Bohisattva’s history or life stories,

They don’t have any difficulties. Not only, they don’t have any difficulties, it’s equal for them to give away piece of 0:34:37.5 grieve out of your refrigerator, or want to chop your right arm and give it away. It is not, there’s no, it’s almost the same feeling. That sounds horrible but that’s the way it is. And so that’s how it goes. It’s like a 0:34:57.5 aya dowa. It – I don’t have it here but I have it in my house. But early Indian 0:35:06.0 san den scholars Nagajuni and the disciple called 0:35:09.0 Ar ya del. Ar ya del doesn’t have one eye. Ar ya del lost one eye because somebody has one eye and Ar ya del, without any hesitation give it away like this. So that’s the, there’s a long story behind that. So we used to sing it 0:35:27.1 Duh ji mi vun dah ya se vol sum…

0:35:34.0 Like the Buddha scholar said, you know these – 0:5:42.8 Indira. The Indira who may have one thousand eyes, but probably sometimes don’t see the true nature of reality but aya dowa with the one eye sees the true reality. Totally. So that’s the sort of thing you have.

Anyway, so, the generosity, the point of the generosity is to cut it 0:36:03.4 ultimate. And also it is the – one of the direct cause to become rich. 0:36;09.3 mi nim deh wah lahn jin meh neh…

0:36:15.8 So, become rich. What you really have to do is to be generosity. To build up generosity will make you directly you become rich and if you be stingy, stingy and hang on and tight fist, It’s not going to become rich at all. Rich in the sense is not the number of dollars what you have. It doesn’t become rich. The richness is here the person be able to utilize that. And if you have a large figure in the bank and you can’t use it, so what is it? What is fun for that?

It is almost the same as in America sometimes you see crazy things. There’s some rich old lady who leave all their estate to a dog or a cat, you know? So there’s a couple of people who manage this cat all the time so the cat is a rich cat. But what really she do? With all the money they figure belongs to her but what will she do? Is almost the same as that is the rich cannot use it. So the richness is the – Now people, now if you are getting cold that means you have to shut the door because other may getting cold too. You shut, thank you. – so richness really meaning that you be able to utilize that and make your life rich. And that is the main thing, not the figure of dollars more. The figure of dollar is something. I mean you definitely need it. Howeverm everybody – Okay don’t misunderstand me, okay – Everybody had his own little karma. Somehow, whatever it may be the karmic materialization comes and you get it. That doesn’t mean you don’t’ have to work. That means that – don’t misunderstand me – you get it as sort of a right, appropriate, work or whatever it is, it comes in. And then sort of whatever it is if you can use it. But if you have lack of generosity can’t get jobs. Things like that. You may have difficulty of finding, that’s a lack of generosity, the material-wise, as the richness of the spiritual reality, as well as the richness of the life itself, the quality of the life itself. And all of them are the result of generosity.

0:39:08.8

So, offering is one of the best example of generosity. Why best? For a number of reasons 0:39:19.6 any of read it. So sort of, act of generosity here you give the offerings. The quality of the offerings is without attachment, without hope of return. And the best you have. You know the Tibetan teachers always say. Do not give – don’t be generosity when your vegetables getting yellow. And don’t be generosity when your butter is getting blue. And when you’re – If you want to be generosity you be generosity but don’t give the yellow part of the vegetables and the blue part of butter. It is not useful for you, it is not useful for the others too. So that’s what it is – as far as food goes. As far as clothes goes – different – you don’t like it that? Somebody else might like it. That’s different.

The reason why you give, because you want to give it. That’s what you should be. Rather than -- If I don’t give it, it’s going to go bad. Or, I should give it. I should be generosity but I can’t give sort of this little inferior quality let it go first. Or this sort of generosity is not generosity. So that’s why. And then even if you don’t have anything to give and if you think, “I’m so poor and I have nothing to give,” You don’t have to hesitate. You can give a glass of water. You can give, you can have, -- the main point of the generosity is – Now I don’t remember the word. – 0:41:05.0 in som ya zon ya tah wah som bah. There’s a word in this metphysical textbook I forgot.

0:41:19.4 (Unintelligible) (laughter) Tah wah som bah. (unintelligible) Anyway, the main point of the generosity is the mind of giving. Mind of giving is very important. Very important.

Incidently, we are talking, up today, (laughs) We saw yesterday a very nice place. Maybe thinking you know, we’re looking for a place for Jewel Heart to be. So hopefully we’ll be able to buy someplace. To be looking different places. And yesterday we saw a place. It is magnificent. I mean, really beautiful. It’s what it’s called? 0:42:03.4 Anscotters. It’s in Southfield. It is very beautiful, But what they want is eleven million dollars. (laughter) Eleven million dollars, I mean. that’s that. it’s nothing to be negotiate. No 0:42:18.0 pebble will be hold. Nothing. And nothing because they just wanted like. million dollars down. And that’s it.

And it’s a very beautiful place so I sort of staying talking and saying that, Oh maybe we should buy lottery ticket now. (laughter) And see if we get it. And some people says :Yeah, if I get a lottery I give half to Jewel Heart. Oh, only half, you know? So, -- Ha! There is no money, right? There’s no lottery ticket. It’s not yet bought, did not win, But you know, the mind of giving is hard. (laughter) So 0:42:54.4 It wasn’t me who said it, okay? Don’t go there. (laughs) So that’s sort of indicates the mind of giving. And it was a couple of us and a couple of them said, well – I said, No, we should buy. We should buy, everybody should go and buy a ticket for Jewel Heart a dollar. What’g going to be there. Maybe Jewel Heart’s lucky. And somebody say. No it’s, Yeah, everybody should go an buy a ticket for Jewel Heart, but if we win we should give half only. (laughs) And fine. You want half is fine, but. The point is. This mind of generosity. Here. You don’t have it. And the strangeness is that such a thing that we have habitually built in so even you don’t have money. Money which you don’t have, you have strangeness on that. True That’s how our mind works. But that does not, again, mean, the person really, who think that is really generous person. Really, really generous person. Really really truly. Even then, the mind will demonstrate in that way.

So that’s the how of how our habitual patterns work in opposite direction how we should be. So you know, if you have a mind – Alright, we but lottery ticket. If we get it we give to total litte 0:44:36.1 j—(gap in recording) I forgot, anyway, so whatever it is. It that I’m so poor and I have nothing else to give except a glass of water and a little sweet grass or even I don’t have sweet grass then one little glass of wine, here. And so that sort of thing even works and mind of generosity. And that particular person who has to be that sort of difficulty later makes the largest incense ever possible and the best quality incense ever possible and 0:45:14.8 (unintelligible) 0:45:17.0 it is directly contributed to his generosity of glass of water and burning dust as incense. For, and saying, you know, that. And sort of he contributed to that. So it is really cause of the wealth is this. And cause of stinginess or stinginess. The stinginess itself is cause of poor, cause of losing it rather than being a generosity.

Now I will not go beyond that. So. And then the next is I believe Purification. That is another one. Extremely important in our life. And particularly important in the Western – a lot of western people have the mind that you cannot purify anything and you have to be everything, you have to feel guilty that I did it. And I have to – stuck with the guilt. Because I have done mistake and even the Patty Smith, the other night got up and said. I feel a little guilty losing Tibet. Just because she has to be praying something of Tibet will come in newspaper because she chose that as a country. And her 0:46:36.0 haps also says, No you can’t. Chose a real country. She said she’s been very stubborn on that and I want to stick with this and he’s hoping a praying for news and then Tibet has been kicked out by Chinese and a lot of 0:46:50.0 prayed (unintelligible) to God. And she feels guilty about it. Because she thought she have to be blamed because she prayed in that way. (laughs) She didn’t pray that way, but that happened. And that is example of guilt.

0:47:04.4

Patti Smith praying doesn’t use in Tibet not going to make Tibetans not kick out of their country. And we all know that absolutely, right? And God is… Even if God does something. It’s not going to girl here and kick whole country out. (laughs) It’s not going to happen that way. Anyway. But the guilt of the individual feels that way. And that is self torture. And that goes with everybody with all sorts of things. I mean this is a interesting example but it really goes for everybody. Everybody will have different feelings and they feel guilty about it. And that guilt is somehow stuck. With a lot of people. The cannot free themselves out of that guilt feeling. And people make use of that. And they will make them feel guilty. And make them somehow they like to feel you pain. And some really don’t want to do. The type that use the word and make them feel guilty about it. And then, other side people will accept that and torture yourself and put yourself, you know, tighten yourself a little. It’s like the 0:48:39.0 bro kah do who, -- How always look – I spent long time in India. The Buddha, all the time. The 0:48:45.6 bro kah, they make a lot of rules. You know, they make the rules and the make the rules tighter and tighter and tighter themselves. Happen a little you watch them. They tie their hands they tied their legs they tied everything and they gag their mouth, and say that what themselves, they do it. With the 0:49:03.0 bro kah. The bro kah system. They do that.

And just like that in the West the guilt. So somebody produces guilt, somebody sell it, somebody buy it, and then you sort of torture yourself under that. I mean, in reality there is nothing in there. Truly. The Patti Smith feeling guilty about Tibet because she prayed there’d be news in Tibet. So the Tibetans kick out of the country. Out of the country. And there’s no fault of her, there’s no guilt but she’s suffered in that. she even feels today. So that’s what happens. And this is good example and where everybody buy guilt and tight yourself under that. One thing I like to say, I am definitely non believer of guilty.Guilt. I like to say I’m not guilty but maybe I am guilty. (laughter) But I am non believer of Guilt. I don’t think it does something,which you know,

0:50:27.6 kun shi chu soh yen oh nih tel leh neh geh cha…

0:50:35.0 So if there is something to be corrected, you should correct. Why you stay there and have long face and feel stuck and punish yourself. If there is nothing to be corrected, why worry?

What torture yourself? Forget it. That’s 0:50:54.6 enough. And the Buddha doesn’t believe in guilt. Buddha believes in regret. The guilt and regret 0:51:03.6 (unintelligible) Guilt is something you cannot do anything. You’re stuck with it. You feel guilty. It’s your fault. It’s bullshit. Definitely. Usually every individual when they suffer it’s the result of their own karma. And nobody’s going to suffer result of other persons karma. However other people will contribute. It’s like that have nothing to do. They do. They do contribute. You become instrument of, you become instrumental, you bring suffering to others and you create your own Karma. And you will pay yourself. You are responsible to your own deeds. And that itself is the proof there is nothing 0:52:03.5 (unintelligible) to be feeled guilty. Your own difficulties you will experience your own karmic result. You are responsible for your own deeds. Whoever might be the highest level to the lowest level. Whoever it may be. Your totally responsible for yourself. No-one is. You’re not responsible for others. But if you did something to others then you’re responsible. You have the consequenses.

And the consequences of the karmic system is also dependent arise. It is not independent karma. It is the dependent karma. It is the materialization of the karma depends on conditions. So there is nothing independent. It is dependent.It depends on the conditions. Get it? If you have a karma of getting stomach aches and if you look after yourself, take care of yourself, you’re not going to get a stomach ache. Because you don’t provide the condition. The karma depends on the condition. And that’s why it gives you room for everything. Room for miracles, room for dependent, for dependent to arise, room for purification. Everything is there because it’s dependent arising. It is dependent originated even.

Anyway, so guilt? You don’t have to feel guilty about anything. But you should have regret and no matter how heavy it might be. No matter what heavy negativity it might be, it can purify. There is nothing which cannot purify 0:54:26.3 kyeb je nil Rinpoche, one of my late masters, used to say, even the negativities have good quality. That quality is, to be able to purify, if you purify it. That is the good quality of the negativity. So no matter whatever it is you can purify. You know this Angulimala story. There is somebody who killed nine hundred and ninety nine human beings in a week, during the Buddha’s lifetime. Chopped everybody’s thumb, or not fingers, and made a mala – Oh thumbs! Sorry. Anguli is thumb right? Thumb. – and made a mala. And wear it. So that person became liberated by being – by doing the purification.

So if you have to feel guilty there nine hundred and ninety nine human beings, their thumbs wearing around and moving and thinking you’re going to be liberated by that. It didn’t work. So that one didn’t do it. So we didn’t kill any singe human being. So forget about the nine hundred and ninety nine in a week. So why do we have to feel so bad about it? That’s what it is.

So purification is extremely important. What happens if you purify very strongly, if everything works perfect no matter whatever it is, it purifies. It’s sort of neutralized, you know? It happens. And if purification is not strong enough, and it doesn’t purify totally, however, it purifies to a certain extent. It depends how strong, how long, how hard you do it, accordingly, and also depends how heavy it was. And all of them somehow you know it. And the purification is important. And just by saying “I purify” will not work. Purification also has ways and means of functioning it. It has four powers. Purification has four powers. Power of Regret, power of Antidote Action, Power of Recognition Renouncing, and Non Repetition.

0;57:18.5

And – Huh?

Audience: (unintelligible)

Rinpoche: Honey, there’s all words on R R R there’s four r’s. Anyway, Regret, Renouncing, Recognizing, Regret, Renouncing and non Repetition. That’s right. Refuge. Refuge, Recognition, Regret, and non Repetition. R & R. That’s it. Four R’s work through that.

So, this here if you want to, There’s a 0:58:06.7 (unintelligible) in that liberation in bonds – Liberation in Palm of Your Hand 0:5813.6 (unintelligible) goes on that anyway. Sort of, in that, among the six preliminaries. And within the six preliminaries I think there is Seven Limb in there, right? Yeah, So ) 0:58:29.0 (unintelligible) is on that. So if you look in there. That is a great practice, mind you. Mind you, you know, it’s really a very great practice in that. Sit up there, admire the qualities of enlightened beings and express that I would like to have it and all my negativities I purify them, and accumulate merit by rejoicing what others did rather than getting jealous of others did. And then now the Fifth, right? The Sixth. Rejoice, I already said it. And Sixth is?

Audience: Request to remain.

Rinpoche: These are the additional things. Requesting to remain and requesting teaching and then what else? Ah Dedication. Dedication is another important. You know we say, by four R’s you can purify everything and that is the positive side of the 0:59:31.0 armies have that weapon. And the negative side of the armies have equal weapons to destroy every positive thing we did is that Anger. Getting angry. We get very angry very quickly. The anger is the one who will consume everything. It is like a fire who consumes all the woods all the forests of the positive karma. The anger does that. That is the powerful weapon the negative sides use on us. All the time. The power of positives and negatives equal. Almost. The positive always wins at the ends. Likes to win, anyway, So that’s what it is. But there’s a equal powerful thing we use each other against.

The negative powers are with us automatically because we habitually use them. Positive powers we have to work hard because habitually we’re not doing it. That simple as that. So the negatives use anger. It is habitual consumption what they take it is the positive actions. So there’s again protections to defuse that/ The Dedication is diffuse that. You know why. The karma is definite so if you dedicate it for something, it cannot be used by any other things. It is look like lawyers learning legal tricks, or the technicians using the technical points, or the chemist using the different chemicals to balance it another chemist. That is similar to these spiritual powers also works in that way. Exactly in that way and that’s what it is. The Dedication is one of the things where the safe it is the sort of saving point or the saving 1:01:47.4 box. Or whatever it is.

1:01:58:2 There’s sort of when I was watching, going round. The 1:02:05.7 Bandscatters? And next to the big church where the six or seven beautiful church, and there’s a room where the priests change clothes. And there huge, built-in, walk-in, safe box which you have a big roll turn around. And I saw it and I said, Oh there’s a big safe box and the 1:02:30 (unintelligible) was showing me the – when you have a collections collected you have to put it in the safe box. (laughs) So They were there sitting talking saying 1:02:41.4 like those cats cannot land on head. So anyway, the saving point of the positive karma, the safe box, where you put it in your collections are not walking closet built in wall, but it is the dedication. The Dedication is the walk in safe box. That’s it. That’s kind of the Seventh Branch.

After that, you have to focus. The focal point of focus itself, can be anything. But this time I would like to introduce you as focus on the mind. Normally all that’s introduced, you focus on obect of Buddha image or anything like that sort. This time I like to introduce you the focal point of the mediation on mind. So you have to watch – not going to come today but basically give you the idea – and you’re going to search. First point is searching the object.

1:00:04.0

Searching the object on which you focus. You have to focus on something. And that’s always with the mind. So with that possibly have to do a little work of searching that. And what kind of mind you’re going to look for. The moment you focus on the mind. You’re probably going to get what mind is perceiving. That message what you’re receiving, rather than the receiver. The message what you coming in receiving point. Because there’s always focus out rather than focus in. So the moment you think of the mind, you probably get what mind is thinking about it. Am I saying correctly? So that’s why you get that picture of the different messges rather than getting it. Sot the here comes the Ram Das’ talk about peeling the orange skin. So that’s what it is. Of those, the first thing what you’re perceiving thing, is you have to peel it off. Saying, “Hah, this is not the mind, what I’m looking for.This is what mind is getting message. And this is message I’m looking for, this is the object that mind is perceiving. Keep on reecting it. Keep on peeling it off. Keep on peeling it off. After a little while, after a little while, after a little while, you will get the subject what you really wanted. That is clarity, crystal like, and clean, and observing.

1:05:44.3 shuh shing rik weh shuh geh ting ih dihn che veh deh

It is clear. It is 1:05:52.0 rik bah.

Audience: (unintelligible)

Rinpoche: Incidentally, rik bah in Tibet means, ‘a part of mind’. Seeing. Knowing. Acknowledging. It’s mental faculty. Seeing and 1:06:16.0 clearating. And that’s what we’re going to look. And we’re going to explore that. Not going to be next Tuesday. I will not be here next Tuesday. I have a sort of pre-commitment to be in New York, and also next Thursday is Tibetan New Year so we thought we’d meet on next Thursday to celebrate the New Year together. So whether we can explore the mind at that time or not, but I would like to say that. We can make it clear that no next Tuesday. Instead of Tuesday we’ll be meeting Thursday. For those of you who can come, you’re welcome that Tibetan New Year. Same time. Same place. But Thursday. Not Tuesday. Thursday. Okay?

1:07:12.9

Audience: Why don’t we (unintelligible) lottery tickets… (laughter)

Rinpoche: Great, great, welcome. I can’t encourage but no, I will… decorate… Right? and then bring it here. Leave it there. And somebody has to watch, anybody got it. (laughter) Good idea. It’s like, you may get it. So incidentally, it is interesting to say, talking about money, it is interesting to say. Today I was sitting upstairs and Kathy came up and—what did you say? It was good news? Or something. And she said, “There’s good news here.” Oh? Okay.” So somebody who took the Tibet project which we wrote earlier distributed here, And somebody wrote and said, “I like the project. It’s very nice. We are pledging fifty thousand dollars for it.” So we’re very happy to receive that too. And that’s for the proect. Not for buying land or house. (laughs)

So I like to share that with you and we meet on Thursday.

And you did have questions and I said later.

Audience: Later?

Rinpoche: Now is later.

Audience: Now, in your first translationof the, back on the subject of, the first step of lam, First limb? There was the matter of speaking, ‘admiring the quality’ and I hear you say, that there is a quality of demand. You used the word demand and that raises the question…

Rinpoche: I said Demand?

Audience: (unintelligible) But whether or not you said it, I still have a question.

Rinpoche: Okay good.

Audience: If there is an expectation of a gift or something coming from the Buddha or God or something, but that it’s from the outside of the self. That’s my question. Is there an expectation in the admiration of receiving something from outside yourself.

Rinpoche: Why not?

Audience: I think it’s a good idea. But I want you to say. That would be free if I were becoming (unintelligible)

Rinpoche: Not necessarily free. But you can get a lot from outside too.

Audience: Okay, That was my question. And so there is a step, as one admires, as (unintelligible) your encounter with His Holiness. There’s an expectation of receiving something. In this admiration there is the hope of receiving something.

Rinpoche: I don’t know about the hope or not. But the words 1:10:48.2 chag zel or 1:10:49.5 prostration is always ‘admiring qualit’ and ‘seeking the quality’ both. All the same. Can the give the quality? To yourself as a gift? Maybe not. Can you receive it? Yes. You can receive it. Without giving, With giving. But can they give the quality? Not. Can you receive it? Yes. Through your work.

Are you happy with that? Okay?

Then we can go home.