Archive Result

Soundfile 19950400GR/19950402GRCOLivDie2_01.mp3 (2/2)

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location New York 1995

Topic Tibetan Living and Dying

Transcriber David Klaviter

Date 10/07/21 Revised

GR: If I am the one dying person I would definitely like to be told, this is only me. I'm not telling you, that's better for you, ok. That's up to you and your family and all this. But I'm going to talk on my experience. I didn't die before, did I. So, what I like to be, I like to be told. You know why? Even then, though you do your daily practices so and for, but even then you like to be told so you can put a little more efforts still. And it will be more helpful to me. Rather than try to keep it secret. Anyway, you're on the death sort of a stage, death bead, and death is approaching you. They, what is dying? I told you earlier. But like to tell you the process a little bit. Our basics of functioning of this body is based on four elements. Element of earth, element of water, element of fire or heat... what did you say? Element of air and space, make it five. Or four, that's ok, wether you count space or not. Some people do some people don't. It doesn't matter. Let's stick to four it's easier, four. So, both dying process and healing process. Tomorrow afternoon, I have that Tara workshop which is healing. So, I thought, when I first approach I thought it's interesting to do it, healing workshop in the death and dying workshop. So, anyway, so that's my original assignment is tomorrow afternoon. Dealing with the Tara, White Tara over here, that's with the deity yoga and the healing. The healings will be approach through the four elements. What did you say? Yea, four elements. But dying is the same thing, the elements. Because a combination of the elements functioning perfectly. Label is called perfect health. Spiritually or even otherwise, I believe. I don't thing the doctors will discard me on that. But the thing is, like your flesh and bones and etc, etc, are the earth element and there functioning. And the fluid in the body is the water element and it has it's own function.

00:03:00

Then digestive power and heat and all these other fire element it has it's own function. And

Then you have, what are left, air which is circulation movement. And all these are the air element. And when the air elements are weak, and your body circulation goes onto weak. That's simple as that. The combination of it, the combination of the balance point of the element is the perfect health. And then one is less, one is more, you get headache, you get sick, you get this, you get that. Are this are because of the imbalance of the elements power within you. So, now these dying stages also, we call it, nice way, dissolving system. So, the first, earth element will dissolve to the water element, we call it. True reality is not dissolving. True reality is earth element is saluting, saying 'good bye.' That's what it is, I can no longer take it, I'm out, I'm quitting. That's what it is. The earth will quit first, earth element. So, what will happen is. Now if you want to visualize, you can visualize, if you want to take note, you can take note. Whatever you want to do, you can do it. If you can't visualize now, you can visualize later too. What will happen is, when the earth element is weakened, and naturally you will encounter with a mirage. You call it 'mirage,' right? When you're driving in the desert, Arizona or somewhere, you see that waterish thing. But, it's not water it is mirage, you call it. So, lot of mirage, you either, through eye you will see it. Or, you have the feeling of the mirage. Or, sort of, you are over-powered. No, sorry, withdraw that word 'over-powered.' You will have a lot of mirage encountering. The mirage feeling, the feeling of the mirage. And those of us who are meditating every day, we visualize encountering the mirage. We think we will be seeing mirage. We pretend we be seeing mirage. We acknowledge these as a mirage sign. The sign of mirage is the symbol number one, the earth elements quitting. That is within individual.

00:06:00

This is internal sign, not an external sign, internal sign. If you are good practitioner. Or, if you are good spiritual person, what you do over here and you will acknowledge. With this visualization of a mirage. Encountering with a mirage. So, you have to acknowledge, this is the sign of an earth element quitting. So, this is the beginning of the process of death. And at the time of the real death, I will put all my efforts to leave focus on, on what? Whatever, love, compassion, ok I have to get. Nature of reality, compassion, whatever it is. So, you acknowledge that. So, with that positive feeling, if possible, one-ness with enlightenment mind. Joining one-ness with enlightened mind. Wether it is represents to you by your guru. Or, wether it is represents to you Padmasambhava, Guru Tsongkhapa, or Avalokiteshvara, Tara, whatever. Buddha, Jesus Christ, whatever, doesn't matter. As long as the object of refuge is 'full enlightened being.' Doesn't matter wether it carries the level of Judaeo/Christian level or Hindu/Buddhist level or East level or West level, doesn't matter. Enlightened mind is enlightened mind. So, maybe pick union with that. So, one would like to have that. Sort of putting your a sort of point of 'importantness.' Then the next dissolving system, when the earth element is no longer serviceable to you and then they will quit. And you have the water element is coming up. So, the next will be the water element. Earth goes to water. Water dissolves to fire. So actually mirage is the water signal. Earth is going, so it is the water signal. It is the water age, the water signal. So, why you get water signal because your earth is going.

00:09:00

That's what it is. Now the next step. Suddenly, this mirage sort of face way (?), it almost becomes like a lot of smoke in the room. As though there had been a lot of people smoking cigarette or a lot of people burning incense. If you want a little spiritual, burning incense. If you want a little bit of naughty side you have smokes. Or, whatever it is. So, anyway, feeling of smoke, the room filled up with smoke. Ok, smoke is the sign of fire. Where there is a fire, there is a smoke. Right? Where there is a smoke there is a fire. So, the water quits fire elements taking over. So, the people taking individually the, internally you're perceiving a lot of smoke. As though the room is sort of filled up with a lot of smoke, you got that right? Before the smoke, alarm goes off. Get a lot of, that's joke right. And so, can't be soo serious all the time, so. So, the smoke fills up and you have to acknowledge if earth, the fire elements is now taking over. Actually, if you're looking from outside. Let's say, if you are helping somebody. Looking at them, when the earth quits, I think you loose all the body movement power. The body can not move. Until then, the dying person, either holding you or holding on the cloth. Or, try to put it up, or something. But then, body can not longer move. And this will correspond with earth element quitting within individual and signal of the mirage. Person is actually observing a lot of mirage. These three will correspond. The external sign, no body movement. Body could not move.

00:12:00

Body become difficult to move, it's become close to that. You know, that is the early, early signs. And then, body can not longer move. That's the same time. And when the water element quits, the leaves and all these will dry, the nose will dry. Dry, and theres no, sort of, moisture, less moisture. And one of the reminders, the great master says [Tibetan, 12:36]. He said: The last word, people try to share the experience of what you have suffer and what you like, the experience of suffering. And what you would like to do, you will. In the west you write the will soo early. Then people fight over it, anyway. But in the east they don't do that. So, at that moment they try to say what you want to do. But your tongue is soo dry and become dry and nobody can understand. You may have to go that way. That is one of the reminders by the early masters used to give that way. Anyway, so, the tongue drys so naturally that is the water element quits. And the person has smokey feeling. And water elements quit. And all these dry outside. They correspond them. You know, one of the job for the incarnate lamas is to try to guide people when they die. So, what they do is, you go and talk to those people. And when they're dying, you talk to them. And talk to them, now you are going through this stage. Now you are doing this, now these are your feelings, and so don't worry about it, don't be afraid. This is what's going on. And by then you do think this way, think that way. So, we observe the, we are taught to tell you this, and internal signs are like this, external signs are like this. These are corresponds, that what I'm sharing with you. Because you people are doing a lot of work, many of you. So, that's exactly how it corresponds. The secondly within the smoke, within that smokey feeling, then a lot of fire sparks will come up. All of a sudden the fire spark. The example giving here is; as though in one dark room, if you bring a handful of incense which is burning, throw in the air.

00:15:00

So, in the west, if you bring handful of cigarettes which had a lit fire and throw in the air, in the dark room, you'll see the right, red sort of colored fire spark everywhere. Right? Like that. Within the smokey feeling all this fire spark will pick up. When there are fires sparks picking up and then the air elements taking over. The fire is going. Followed by the breath. [Tibetan 15:55]. Whoops, now I forgot the word. So, that is the signal, signal number one. Forgot the word. Anyway, what happed is then this breath is becoming heavy or shallow or whatever you call it. Faster and faster and faster. And finally, it goes out and doesn't come back. That's where the air element quits. Stop breathing. Together. And in your internal feelings. In your internal feeling, by this time, the fire spark is gone but as though there is some kind of butter lamp that's grow. Tibetan example, butter lamp. Candle light burning not your looking at the candle light. But candle light reflection available in the room as though there's a burning candle at your back or something. You're not really looking at the candle which is burning, going like this. You know, candle goes up and down like that, right? When it's burning. When there is a little air it goes up and down, not that way but the reflection of the candle light. So, from the spark of red light it goes some kind of, looks like there is some kind of a candle light burning in the room but dark yet some kind of reddish colored reddish, yellowish, orangish colored reflection available. So, that's what your internal perceiving

00:18:00

is this externally by this time you're no longer breathing because air element is now quit. Ok? So, now I don't know wether in the west maybe the doctors will declare your dead here or brain dead or whatever it is, maybe. But according to the buddhist, vajrayana buddhist teaching, and especially those people who have returned from that. Many of them, their life stories I have edited. And published in India, quite a lot of them I have edited. And there are like seventeen different volumes of return from death in the Tibetan tradition. The books that have I seen it. Mostly women, interesting. The women and so according to their sharing of experience and according to the vajrayana teaching of buddhism. There you have still more formal process inside. You're still not gone out of your body, you're not disconnected with your this life yet. So, what's happening now, now there is no external sign. Can you wait the questions till the end so that I can collect them together. Not collect the elements together but we can handle them together. Let me just finish this process. So, then, what happening then is now the internal process. The external elements are over, quit, gone. Now internally it is a preparation for our consciousness to go, to go. So, there's like again, four more processes on this. The first process is we call it whitish. The individual is observing, like a moon light type of thing. But not completely, clean, clear moon light. But I keep on wondering myself, I live in Michigan, so I keep on wondering wether it is Michigan winter weather. That grey all the time, grayish thing. Or is it really moonlight.

00:21:00

But it is sort of moon light but with a lot of grey influence, grey influence. And that, we call it whiteish. It is not a clean clear crystal like moon or cloud. Not full moon, no, no, not that. But it's like a moon light light but it's a little more grayish thing. That's what it is. Actually, what's really happening physically, now here comes the difference. Eastern religions, we call it consciousness or mind is leveled at heart level. In the west you call it is the brain up here, right? That's the different here. But whatever it is, according to the Buddha and buddhist tradition, Buddha's teaching. I have to quit saying tradition. That some how I picked it up my mouth somewhere. It's not a tradition, it is the teaching. And it is what Buddha shared with us. The actually, when we take birth, we don't have to have a seed from the parents. From the father we get, what do you call it, semen? semen? And from the mother the egg. So, these two pieces, which is the actual basis n which our physical body is totally built. Is the joining of the parent's, what do you call that? The seemen and the egg combined. So, this is what we call it "indestructible drop." It doesn't destruct till the individual die. So, what happened is the separation of that. Separation of that so that's why the white feeling comes out because the white part is opening and move. Though you don't see it, you totally disconnected now. External senses, completely. But your consciousness there. You still observing. You don't see with this two eye outside. But you do see it with your own consciousness. So, that's why the feeling of whiteishness. Which that give you like moonlight, grey, blah, blah, blah. Actually, it is the father's seed. Which is sort of indestructible drop is now opening. So the whiteish feeling. It is so like the moonlight, grey, Michigan weather, mix type of thing. Or, even you know, people drink soy milk, right?

00:24:00

So, I can, keep on thinking that maybe it look like soy milk. Yea, that sort of, you are looking at soy milk. Type of thing. Not a rice drink, that is too light. Soy milk type of thing. And whiteish feeling. Followed by reddish feeling. And example giving here is the sunshine with the cloudy, and this and that. Not totally clean. Sort of the second step. One step, sort of the whiteish feeling goes through. Whiteish feeling when I say, you don't think like someone is pouring soy milk in the cup. But as though you had a shower of the soy milk. Sort of, you know, that sort of thing. Or, you are in front, there is a huge fountain of soy milk falling down. So, you see nothing but that soy milk type of thing. So, you have acknowledge that as a whiteish feeling. Followed by, now the egg. It a red color. Red color, red color, the other half of the indestructible drop. Which is now opened and destroying it. So, that's why, that's why it is huge amount of reddish color. Like a sunshine, or rather sunset. Sunset, looking at sunset. Which sometimes you see over the Great Lakes, if you are from Michigan. If you are Michigandan you can see all in Chicago or something. If you look over the Lake Michigan. Sometimes you see the huge red sunset, sunlight, right? In the evening. And that sort of reddish, not orange, but more reddish color, that sunset type of feeling. At this time, it is soo sensitive. As though, actually, in reality, there maybe tiny little drop. Maybe a less than a millimeter or something. However, it is the sensitiveness of the mind. It is exaggerated so you have that huge feeling of huge thing, because that's what it is. And if you don't believe me how sensitivity when the mind is the subtle you know if you are used to it taking joint or some drugs. And you know how alert it becomes how white, exaggerated white. And how green is exaggerated green. You know that, right? I'm sure everybody had experience here. They don't like admit it.

00:27:00

Maybe it is, I don't know. Whatever it is, anyway. What did you say?

Audience: We did not inhale

GR: What did you say? You did not inhale, [Laughter]. I get the message.

Audience: [Laughter]

GR: Anyway, that's right. You didn't inhale, that's great. I had experience with that. I'm going to share with you. When I rebelled, I wanted to go to find out, didn't get success me. Because somebody gave me a joint and I inhaled once and I was sick. Terribly, headache, throwing up all sorts of things. That's not the point. The point, what I have experience is in India, there is a wealthily Indian guy who invited me for breakfast along with a Tibetan medical doctor. The very famous Dalai Lama's personal physician who came out of Tibet. So, he invited me and doctor for a breakfast. And there are a couple of Indian politicians and ministers are there too. So, after a little the guy got up and said "I have a prasad." Meaning a blessing food or something, you know they do the temples blessing food. Which you normally don't say no because it is a temples blessing food. Even you are diabetic, you take that sweet. That is the cultural custom. Anyway. So is it prasad. Two of the ministers in front say "I have a cabinet meeting, I have to go, I can't take this." He run away, they run away. And they giggling, and they give me the first one. I took it. It is sweet, this much sweet. They call it bhang, they mixed in there, I didn't know. I ate that and then the doctor ate. And after a little while the guy said "Oh don't give this doctor too much, he have to see patients." And I began to go "What does that mean?" Whatever it is. So, after a little while, I don't know, it took about an hour or something. After a little while, and it is everything so vivid. And so clear, and people talking to the next room it looks like talking to, inside my ear. You know, you know the talk, the talk is inside my ear. That's, that's what I experienced. So, so that shows you how the mind is been go settle. How the mind goes settle, and then exaggerate that much. So, at this moment, it's a very subtle period. So, any single little thing, whatever it is,

00:30:00

it is a huge. It is in huge. And that's how you proceed. That's what happens, ok? Now we are reddish level, right? We are the reddish level. From the reddish level, then you go into completely darkness. Completely darkness: no white, no red, no spark, no smoke, nothing. It is darkness as though it is one of those really dark. In the late in the evening when completely, the weather is completely. What do you call those, cloudy and there's a storm over. Not raining, about to rain, and that sort of darkness. That was the traditional example giving here and that is the darkness. So, three period: white, red, and dark. So, three feelings, three perceiving consciousness. So, that darkness period, you loose your consciousness, you, I mean, no matter how powerful. With great power, forget it. But in our ordinary level, how powerful, how careful. How concentrated we may be by the time when it goes into darkness your control of the will power, everything really doesn't work. You're caught in it. So, so you loose consciousness. You all of a sudden, you go blank. Even in the dark period, you go blank. And that is the actual point of death is approaching. The really, The next step, you come out of the darkness, you suffer, you want to get out, you feeling. You know, all these are there. Because people always talk about the beautiful part but they don't talk difficult part. There are a lot difficult parts to, self-escaping. Wanting to go out. If you don't want to go out, you can't go out. So, naturally, naturally, you want to go out with your self-escaping. So, the moment you are willing to go out and then you get the feeling of the actual clear light. Not clear light at the ultimate level of the clear light but sort of clear light. Clear in the sense, it is free of darkness, free of that whitish, free of that reddish. [Tibetan 32:45]. So, free of those three which you have earlier. So, in this moment, it is like

00:33:00

full moon. You are not looking at the moon, clean clear weather. There is no cloud. And, traditionally, Tibetan masters will give you example of autumn weather. Autumn weather. Why autumn? Tibet is very dusty, you know that. A lot of dust, winter, spring. And then summer you have all the rain falls the dust down. So, it is the period, autumn is the period where there is clean air, everything clean. No dust, free of dust. So, that autumn period, high mountain. In that sort of clarity, crystal freshness. Within that you have the full moon, and not really looking at the moon, but full moon, reflection everything. Don't observe the mountains, buildings and all this. But sort of that openness, spacious. You know, most important thing within the death is spaciousness. You know, they call it "emptiness emptiness," emptiness is very much related with spaciousness. Spaciousness to be able to observe anything, whatever you have to observe. To be able to take everything. To be able to become sources of everything. To be able to generate everything out of it. It is very openness, spacious. So, that is the, that is what you need it. So, that sort of the light free of that white, red, and dark period of that clean clear crystal type of luminous is the actual death period. Now the big question, which is not answered. Another lady came up here and told me "I have a question and I would like you to answer." I said, ok, you can ask anything and she said "No, no, no, no." Or something like that, she said. "I'm not expert," or something, she said. So, the question is what is the reincarnation and how it works. "Do I have a choice?" I think something like that. Is that the question? That's the question, right? Ok. You know, that question was asked here before when the Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was alive. Somebody was asked that, I was told. And you know what he replied? "Ladies and gentleman, I'm sorry to disappoint you the reincarnation is your bad habits."

00:36:00

Thant was his reply. Would you like it or not? [Laughter]. It's a also true in the sense you die, your in that beautiful luminous wonderful period and question again, that is impermanent again. Again, it's impermanent. It is not impermanent, you move, and you move towards the bardo, period in between. Or you made a very short path in matter of second and have go into the next life. Whatever it may be. The period of this is now your totally disconnect with your body. So, the actual death is at the end of those process. At the end of the dying stage which is the actual death. How long it take, I have no idea. There is no blanked answer as far as I know. It depends on individual. Some individuals sit for a long time. Some individuals doesn't sit that long. I have witnessed couple of deaths, quite a number of deaths, I should say. It is very interesting to see, very interesting to see. Dying mind is also very interesting to observe. I have a friend, had a friend, who was Dalai Lama's official. Very very nice wonderful guy who later in India married to widow of the Bhutanese Prime Minister. It's very funny, who happens to be my sister-in-law. Anyway, so, all this family linkage and all this. So, anyway, so he was very sick and I was in the Unites States that time and went to Europe to give some teachings. And I been requested to move fast. So, I move fast, I was in Delhi, he was in Delhi, in the hospital. So, I went and saw him and they even told him he's dying. Actually, about ten years before that he had gallbladder problem and removed and they said that become stomach cancer or whatever it is. Something like that but at that time they removed, he doesn't have anything.

00:39:00

It took ten years. And then they don't want to tell him he had that stomach cancer and he is going to die within very short period. It doesn't know. But then when I saw him, "I'm glad your back." I say, "How are you." "Well, I don't have any pains or anything and I'm in the hospital ward for a while and they have decided, we have all agreed, my treatment is Tibetan medicine, now." And I said "But living in the hospital." It is one of those expensive nursing, what do you call "nursing," expensive private hospital where sort of everything is occupied by the, you people know that type of thing. He said "I'm in the hospital, however we all agreed that Tibetan medicine is the I am supposed to take." So, he knows this Tibetan medicine he sometimes has to take three four times per day and with hot water. And he said "Nobody is really giving me the medicine, they all neglect. Anybody comes in, they just give me a little medicine here and not really bring it." "Looks to me they have given up hope, what do you think?" I said "Looks to me the same thing." And then he said "What can I do?" I said, "Ok, what practices do you have?" And then he told me he has this and that and certain thing he doesn't have, certain thing he has. So, I said "That's good enough." So, within this practice, let's do a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h. And then he said "Would you be around when that happens?" So, I said, "Well, I try to be." And so, so I went there everyday. And one day he is really dying. I went in there, I went in there and said "How are you?" He didn't reply. I said "How are you?" loud. Then "Oh Rinpoche you are here." "Rinpoche, do you think I'm dying?" I said, "I think so." "Why, but why you say." "I mean this, this tantric college monks are here, they chanting." There is not a single tantric monk. He said "All of them, five-hundred of them are here." "There chanting, look, listen." And he can hear the tantra words and he is repeating, he said. I said "Oh, it is very good, very good." "I think you are dying." "I think you are dying, focus on that." And then suddenly he turned he said, his wife's name is Tess, "Where is Tessla?" He said what you have to doing. He said "No, we have to catch a plane." "She still hasn't come, so we are going to miss the plane." So, I can see the mind flooding between the catching plane and dying and tantric monks chanting.

00:42:00

So, that's is what happens. So, when you have a normal practice. And when you do it well and basically to be a good person. A good person is the real dharma. Buddha was asked "What is Buddhism?" "What is your Dharma?" Buddha said [Tibetan 42:18]. So, meaning avoid negativities, build up all the positive, watch your mind, and this is buddhism. So, meaning avoid negativities, build the positivities within you. The positive in the sense, I'm not going to die, I'm not going to die, I'm not going to die, I don't mean that way, ok? Positive in the sense, positive virtuous nature. I hate to use the word "virtue" in all this but to get the message across, virtuous nature thoughts. That's to be a good person is the real dharma with you. Our life is based, life and lives, based on karma. Nothing but that old karma. The karma is nothing but that of our own deeds and it is result. And that's why we are responsible to our own action. Whatever you do good, you get good. Whatever you do bad, you get bad. You become, you suffer. That is responsibility. We are responsible to ourself. So, basically, in our principle, in our life, when you are leaving, when you are perfect. Whatever it is, you do that. And that is the best practice you have. You get it? In addition to that, I also have to share a little practice, if you don't do it. Is it time? Oh, fifteen more minutes, ok. Or maybe I can share the practice tomorrow because I, tomorrow morning [Audience talking]. Your not here tomorrow. Alright. You know, every buddhist practice. Oh, you know, this is buddhist propaganda. Every buddhist practice is geared towards upliftment of individual and brining joy and pleasure and bringing future life to ourselves.

00:45:00

So, every practice is good practice. Buddhist propaganda. Just joking. There's a number of them, really number of them. But I probably like to give you very simple one. Simple is easy. Actually, again, I would like to emphasis once again. If you think, some people who says mantra million of these and million of that. Hundred-thousand of this and hundred-thousand of that. And this year retreat, that years retreat, nine-years retreat, ten years retreat, fifteen years retreat. But if your mind is not corrected. If you not become a better and softer and kinder person no matter how much mantra you say. How many years retreat you do, how many mantras you say it is not correct. I always joke, not only I'm joking, even earlier teachers have said [Tibetan 46:12]. Again, I forgot the word, see now, a lot of signs, you know [Laughter]. Invitations. One of my teacher Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, junior tutor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He wrote a poetry when he was eleven years old. The poetry he said [Tibetan 45:42]. The Tibetan alphabet started with 'ga,' 'ka' like Sanskrit. So, he go to first alphabet 'ga' [Tibetan 45:53]. He said "Hey, the friends, the invitation of the Lord of Death has reached to you in the form of snow on your head." That means hair become white [Laughter]. Eleven years old boy wrote that. So, that is the invitation, the forgetting how the words. Anyway, what he said is this, even I forgot the words but I did not forget the meaning. The meaning what he said here is even you remain in the family, if you have to remain in the busy family and you have to pay your bills. You have to be responsible for your pay your bills is my American sort of culture add-up, ok. But even your responsibility for your life family and all this still, you can have a total liberation. Look at Marpa.

00:48:00

Marpa was the founder of Kagyu tradition. He said, that was example. But if you run away in the forest, shave your head or wear different clothes and remain in forest in the mountains or Himalyas, caves or whatever you do. Nothing to surprise because moles. You know they say groundhogs, moles they run away under the ground for six months and come out with the same shape. And that is the earlier Tibetan teachers teaching. So, where is the practice, it is in your heart. Within you, kindness, compassionate. Sensitive. These are the needed. Kindness and compassion, you really have to with the feelings. Do not misuse the word of compassion, really. Compassion. You know, everybody love the word of kindness and compassion. And then you, it becomes over use it. Over use it. So, it becomes connected with the feeling. I had a great experience for this. I talk that all the time, I must share with you. I don't know whether you like, anybody likes if or not but this Allen Ginsburg, the poet. And he, he also stayed with me these days. Anyway, for a couple of loud(?), a couple of years. So, he does sometimes, but he is very kind to do a benefit for my organization, Jewel Heart. So, he came to Ann Arbor and read his poetry. And one of the reading there's, that's exactly 28th of February last year. Just before the Dalai Lama came to visit Ann Arbor. The month before, two months before His Holiness coming. So, Allen read the poetry there, four-thousand people are watching. And spot light. And sometimes Allen pull me up and say, ask me question from no-where about death or something else or something. He does that. So, he wanted me to come up. I said no from the beginning but all of a suddenly he announced. And he said "no" but I think we can persuade him to come up. So, I went up, I have to go, right. And I talk something, something, some his questions. These audience, something questions, throw it up. Somebody said something. I forgot question, the answer is love and compassion. So, I said love and compassion (?). So, the people in the front went like this.

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So, I thought it's ok, people get it. And I look Allen said "No." I said "What's the matter?" He said "Rinpoche, this is buzzwa word." Buzz word. I thought he said "Buzzwa" [Laughter]. And I didn't get it. But I didn't know what to do, there are four-thousand people watching and the lights all over. So, so I sort of smiled a little bit and somehow I managed, you know. I managed, got off. Then afterwards, I asked Allen "What did you say, 'buzz word' or something?" He said "Oh, you didn't get it, I thought you didn't." So, he said "It is 'buzz word'." And he give me long story what 'buzz word' comes from, sixties something. Anyway, 'buzz word' what does that mean. He said, and he said it's meaningless. Oh, ok. Meaningless. Love/compassion meaningless, what he is talking about it. And then I said, couple, I thought long time. And one day I was having shower, and in the shower I'm thinking, "You know, what does love/compassion, buzz word, buzz word, meaningless" [Laughter]. I began to realize, people had over-used this word soo much, soo much, really. And to the right extreme Pat Robertson, to the everybody, to the Ram Das [Laughter]. Everybody uses love/compassion, love/compassion. I mean, lot of feeling there with the some people who have feelings but those who doesn't have feelings, doesn't have feelings. The love/compassion sort of become a compassion construction company, or sort of thing. You know, almost in that manner [Laughter]. So, then I get it what does 'buzz word' mean then. So, since then, I emphasis, all the time, when you use the word of love and compassion, please do not forget 'feelings.' If you disconnect word of love and compassion from the feeling, we loose. We loose tremendous. So, it must have a feeling. You can not be out of touch. You have to be touch with the feelings. So, feeling, feeling of the pain that people are going through. You yourself are going through. The person you care having the pain.

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The pain feeling is easy. Earlier Tibetan teachers will give you example if dog has been run over by vehicle and cut the wounded, the lower part of the body, nothing damaged the upper part of the body. And try to drag themself out from that street. How much pain they have. Feel it. And if that not a dog, if that's a human being, how much we will feel? More, feel it. If that human being is no stranger but somebody you know, how much you will feel? Feel it. If that's not only you know it your family member or person you care. How much you feel, you feel it. And if that's you yourself, how much you going to feel it? Feel it. Feeling is the compassion. The feeling is the love. Caring feeling is the love, not the word. So, when you have a practice love/compassion oriented. I think the watch is catching up me. So, love/compassion oriented and then in front of you whatever you maybe having. Whatever your belief, your tradition, your religion, whatever it is. I talk to you from the Buddha's point of view and that of Buddha Avoloketeshvara. Buddha of compassion. In reality, it is all enlightened beings. And it is the physical form or even light will do. Even light will do. And in the presence of that, you have to feel the presence of the enlightened beings. Enlightened beings are everywhere if you, if we give them opportunity. Normal christian words will tell you, Gods they are everywhere. That is true, it is extraordinary quality of enlightened beings. Their body and their mind is on same frequency, where their body is where their mind, is where their mind is where their body. So, I talk tomorrow if you people are back. So, that but that is the extra ordinary quality of enlightened beings. Our case is body and mind functions separately. So, where you have to get to New York from Michigan, you have to get in the plane and sit and fly. Even at midnight, so that is what you have to do. Because you get the invitation and so you have to go and you go. You have to commit it, you have other things to do. You can catch the last plane. If you miss it then you in soup. But anyway that's what happen. So, but when it is same frequency then you don't have to. Where their mind is where their body is. And they're there.

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So, strong believing, intelligence believe not blind faith. Strong belief that the fully enlightened beings are there. And in their presence two things are very important. Purify all our negativities. Which normal American language you may say "Seek forgiveness." And the rejoice, that's very important. No jealous, no just rejoice. Other peoples doing, appreciation. Appreciation of the life. Appreciation of other peoples deed. Appreciation of your own deed. Purification and rejoice. That may be buddhist language. But seeking forgiveness and appreciating. Two of them, till fully satisfied. Put all your body, mind, speech together. And put every efforts on that. Ok? So, within that, then you have to think, you've been pure. You have to think where and how you can think becoming pure. You can think your body has become a light nature body. Light not the heavy and light. But light, illuminating, illumining, nature body. Which is a sign of purity. So, you have to think in that way. And within that then you recognize your own primordial mind. And be encounter with that. Sit with that, pray with that, live with that, sleep with that, eat with that, die with that, and that is good enough. And there's millions of others too. One thing the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is very rich on that. I did this sort of, I didn't do the death and dying workshop but last time somebody insist soo much and I did in Chicago. So, I provided the sort of menu what you can do. There are eleven things you can do. Ways of doing it. So, anyway, with that I will stop here. I did not give you time for question and answer. But if people don't have to leave completely, immediately, so you may have ask questions. [Applause]. Good, thank you.

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