Archive Result

Soundfile 19960215GRBH3P

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Bloomfield Hills

Topic Three Principles of the Path

Transcriber Jill Neuwirth

Date 12/19/2020

Good afternoon everybody and thank you for coming in that very beautiful, wonderful, nice, mystical snowfall. But I’m very glad that you all are safe and nice. And the reasons why we have this series of talk here, is a number of friends in this part of the Metropolitan Detroit area, he had been coming up to Ann Arbor for some number of years every Tuesday. And they have been asking me to have a few talks here in this part of the area. And once I had one somewhere in, is it a Women’s Club? Right? Women’s Club one time and couldn’t have much opportunity to do that too. Except couple of times by the Edgar Cayce Center they asked me to speak so, which I did. So probably I thought why not we do here too. And then I go almost everywhere to talk in one of your own neighborhood.

[0:01:58.3] So that’s what the reason why we decided to have a six Thursdays, six Thursdays. And we call it Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism because Tibetan Buddhism is in a way it is brand new in this country, in one way. In another way it is very, very well known and well established and well-followed, I mean, for that purpose. And well-followed by a number of people in the both the east and west coast. And here in the Midwest also too. We basically have a small organization called Jewel Heart. Jewel Heart we named as an after individual mind. Mind of every individual people who would like to make it better or improve and make it happier so jewel-like mind. And so we sort of named the organization here and started in Ann Arbor round about five years ago? It’s 1988. Whatever it is now. Maybe eight years ago? The time flies (Inaudible) [0:03:51.5] (Audience laughs) Eight years ago.

[0:03:55.1] When we started the organization, there’s only two person, two woman in the Midwest and who happens to come to India and happen to meet me there and studied with me. So it started with two person, two women. And followed by like three or four people so in basically we started with couple of people only for about few years ago. And now we do have quite a number of people who comes there every Tuesday, 80, 90 people. Plus we do have people in Chicago who study this and Cleveland, New York, and Lincoln, Nebraska. San Francisco, Europe, and Southeast Asia, and India. So, so that’s the basically what the how the Jewel Heart came to exist. And so it is sort of functioning from Michigan and it is based, supposed to be based, in Michigan.

[0:05:19.7] And now the second question comes what do we do there? So when we get together, what do we do? So what do we do, you know, we get together and I try to share whatever little knowledge that I have about the Tibetan Buddhism. And I’m not here to change your religion and do a missionary work and that’s not our aim at all. Our aim is to try to draw from the Buddha’s experience. And experience of the great Tibetan masters who have been practicing and doing all this for a thousand years. And out of that, what is going to be beneficial for us? Can that help us? Can that help us, A, to improve the being, the wonderful human being that you are, and can we make that improvement out of that? Can there be anything to make our life little easier? Can there be anything which will probably see what the difficulties the emotional problems that we face? And the emotional thoughts and emotional mind that comes up very often. Namely anger, attachment, jealousy, hatred and fear.

[0:07:07.4] All of those comes up and somehow we get completely overwhelmed. That’s the word, I believe, excuse my English. I never learned this language. So I always say I’m uneducated, illiterate, fat, Asian guy, shorty one. That’s what me, that’s me. So I mean uneducated illiterate so forget what- forgive me if I speak the wrong English. Particularly at the grammar level. So, so we get a completely overwhelmed sometimes and cannot handle our life properly. And is there something can we get benefit out of those experience of the Buddha and experience of great masters? And that’s what we do. So try to draw from the rich experience of the Buddhist teachers and Buddhist masters and how they have dealt with their life. That they’re equally same as us, as we are. And that’s one thing we have to recognize the Buddhism is not some kind of religion that, sort of you know, it somehow it is coming from the air and giving down. In other words, it is not sort of God gifted, God gifted, how do I put it? God-gifted, can’t say thing, right? God gifted… Audience: Inspiration. Revelation. Rimpoche: Okay let’s be spiritual, whatever, you know?

[0:09:15.3] But it is the basically the experience of the Buddha. And the way and how Buddha have experienced, faced the challenges in life as we know are having it today. And that’s exactly what it is. The guy had a- it’s a great Indian rich prince who suddenly realize that life what he is living in is in totally an artificial life. And is not in touch with reality. Anyway before I talk, before I go in that how many of you are familiar with the Buddha’s life? Woo. That’s a lot. That’s a lot. So I don’t want to talk much. So if you are familiar it makes me easy. So before Buddha was born, it was very rich kingdom there among the Indians. There’s a lot of small kingdoms. It’s not like one India today. At least that’s Pakistan India too. And the question is Kashmir what will happen but (Laughing) that’s a different issue. But that was not one India- a couple of, some of you can come up here. Would you like to come this side? (Speaks to Audience) [0:10:46.5]

[0:10:56.0] Rich Indian kingdom and always wondering, you know, they wanted to be bigger and better kingdom. So where and at that time two thousand five hundred years ago, right? And where and how they can become bigger and better kingdom, is if they have a some sort of central attraction which is the ruler, and the young prince. So they’re always looking for some kind of powerful, young ruler who can overpower all their neighbors. And that is basically the goal of the kingdoms at that time. So what they call it in Indian language is Chakravatiraja, meaning the king, universal king, universal. (Speaks to Audience) [0:11:43.8] Universal king. They’re looking for universal ruler. Somebody who can rule the whole universe. That’s how far they could see. So they’re looking for, and so the Buddha’s parents, when they know they’re going to have a child, so they’re excited and looking for, saying that we’re going to have somebody here. And there a lot of good signs coming up so they’re more excited. So they consulted the soothsayers, they call it, right? Soothsayers. Fortune tellers. Or clairvoyant. Or whatever you call now, psychics. Nowadays you can call it psychics.

[0:12:27.3] They’ve been consulting them. And then they came out, they say hi, you’re going to have a great prince. And it’s going to be universal ruler provided if you can keep him home. That is sort of unanimously all the different psychics telling the, those rulers that if you can keep that person home, there’s a no question. He’s going to be the universal ruler. So then the primary duty of the whole kingdom is becoming how to, how they’re going to keep him in, in the house making sure that he doesn’t run away. So, so it’s a rich kingdom, so they built up an artificial palace. I mean it’s a palace, not an artificial, but palace. All best things they could. I mean, I have seen those, the ruins of them. Those the palace they build. (Speaks to Audience) [0:13:31.4] They build up nice. I’ve seen this ruins of those you know. It’s such a beautiful. It is ruins you know, they have built swimming pools you know, it’s running water coming from room to through and it is really beautiful.

[0:13:52.1] They really, all this, those days I mean, you know how Taj Mahal is, you know? So that is an idea they give you. It’s a build up such a beautiful palace and given artificial life meaning, only youthful, young, beautiful, handsome, whatever is only available and no one sort of you know, no one who having a difficulties, mental, emotional, physical is out. So that sort of rule they have. Or even the elder people, nobody, sort of not allowed. So this little boy was kept completely in a complete artificial life with the whatever he wanted. Totally spoiled sort of manner. And so he’s always wondering what is beyond the boundary. And there’s a lot of out of bounds for him, you know, from all the four directions there certain places cannot go anymore. You’re out of bound. He’s always wondering what is out there. What is out there? When he can manage himself when he’s in control sort of thing, and one day he sort of picked it up his horse cart driver and said drive, go. So of course is the king the, in the traditional Indian they call it king of king, blah, blah, blah, all this. You know they have those double titles they say. So he said go and then of course he has to go. And he went out.

[0:15:36.5] And when he went out he saw a sick people. He never seen in his life. So he said what is this? And he turned down- turned back and said, sir this is called sick. (Laughing) What happened? He said he got a pain. He said what is pain? And all this sort of thing. And then the second question that little young prince asked, will I be subject for that? So he turned around and say the god of god and king of king and all this, whatever you may be, but you will be subject of that. He said alright let’s go back. And next day he went out again this another direction and he found a funeral procession. And he said what’s that? And he said death. What does that mean? And so they had to explain same question will I be the, will I be in that condition? And they turn around and say yeah. And I’m in trouble now, yes, you will be in that condition. Sure. Sure one day you will die. So that’s how he begin to see the, begin to notice what is out there.

[0:16:56.1] What is out there. That is the suffering, pain, illness, death, and also meditator. The meditator person who is walking very peacefully undisturbed. And he said what is this going on? He said it’s meditating. And what is this? And he says (?)[0:17:20.5] I explain something, whatever. And then he said can I do that? He said you can do that too. So that’s the reason why he begin to see what is out of the bound for him, and he said look, this is an artificial life. I’m not interested. I must go out and find what really truth of life. What is in there? How does one encounters these difficulties, aging, dying, and death, illness? All of those. How does one handles what it is? So I- it is beautiful to live in the palace, have those beautiful, young, youthful girls and boys singing them round, and playing with the beautiful swimming pools and flowers and so and forth. It is wonderful. But how does life really encounters those? How does one individual do that?

[0:18:26.1] That was Buddha’s interest. That interest made him go out of the palace and search for the real truth of the life. And whatever he keep on discovering the problems that we’ll face, the solutions that is available to encounter the problems. And if you follow the solution what it make difference in one’s life. These experience that Buddha builds up and he started sharing that with people. Sharing of Buddha’s personal experience dealing with the difficulties of life. And how to overcome. And how does that make individual different than what we are. And that is the real Buddhism. It is not sort of worshipping type of religion, nor it is some kind of love and light. Excuse me to saying that. Flying, wonderful, moving either. It is very grounded. Very grounded dealing with difficulties in life and how can one make difference to that. That’s one. Two, second one, I’m not sure whether you’re going to like it or not, but I have to say it. I have to say it because that’s my background. It is the reincarnation.

[0:20:24.3] The reincarnation. It is very difficult subject to prove it because there’s no black and white or scientifically we can prove it it is reincarnated. But on the other hand, neither anybody can deny the reincarnation scientifically too. They may just say no, but that is just simply saying no. Just because we have not seen it doesn’t mean it’s not there either. Nor it is true that we have we have heard the stories and things like that and so that’s the, that’s the point. I have, I may come across with a gentleman, a very well-known doctor from Harvard. I think he wrote the book called How One Dies I think. Is it familiar with anybody? How One Dies or something. So he told me he said, I cannot deny the reincarnation but I have not shaken my hand with anybody who had come back from the, from death so he said as a scientist I cannot say it is true, nor I can say it’s not true. And because normally we don’t accept in scientifically as long as we don’t have the scientifically explain this is this, this is that.

[0:22:06.0] And but he says, no matter whoever may be it dies. And whoever tries to work with that coming back, and I’m sure it comes back. And no matter where and who, whatever it is, as long as you follow the system, you system in which you’re caught in, which will come back, he says but as a scientist I cannot say it is here right now. But he said I’m very close. So that is the, that is the true situation and in my case I have to accept the reincarnation otherwise I’ll be out of job. (Audience laughs) I’ll lose my title (Laughs) and then I’ll be the second time or third time refugee. (Laughing) So I’d like to keep it that way. So anyway, the, the another question is the reincarnation. And if there is, if the reincarnation is true and then what happens one dies? And how does one get into it? And what are the what are the consequences thereafter? What makes it difference? All of those and Buddha goes on and talks and explains. There’s a, Buddha goes on talking about the reincarnation what happens one, what happens when one dies, how you go through, what sort of stages do you have to follow, and where are you going to go, and all this according to his personal experience.

[0:24:05.1] And so that is a very heavy statement when he goes and say this according to my personal experience that’s how it works. And what can you do, how you can handle it, all this. And then on top of that, on top of that, once you begin to know how you can handle your own personal life, how you can make better being and better person. How you can develop kindness and compassion to yourself. Then begin to focus, thereafter begin to focus. The focus on the others, how we can develop love and compassion. And can we do something for the others? If so, how? What is the way how we going to do, how we can do. So this is the basically Buddha’s experience carried on life by the earlier Tibetan masters over a thousand years. That is basically Tibetan Buddhism. That’s what it is. So we call it a living tradition. Living tradition in the sense, in the sense, the message, and the practice and the method been followed by the living human beings, one after another with the unbroken lineage continuously functioning. And that’s why we call that a living tradition. That is basically Tibetan Buddhism.

[0:25:53.1] So when we are in the United States here, which is sort of traditionally Tibet is known as home of spiritual development and spiritual practice. And you look anywhere, any sort of Eastern tradition anywhere you look, and they will begin to look into Tibet, or India and Tibet as source of Eastern spiritual tradition as in the west you look either in Egypt or Greek tradition, right? So when you look in that very similar to that, a Tibet is that sort of, sort of source for all home of the spiritual path. But now, Tibet is gone under a communist Chinese control and there’s a some spiritual practice left, but then they have this cultural revolution as which wonderful destruction (Laughs) cultural revolution which destroys everything, and also no longer a spiritual home that look for. On the- on the other hand, if you look in the United States today it is a spiritual shopping center. It is spiritual shopping mall where you can get everything you know, from everything. Everything to anything, whatever you wanted it is available.

[0:27:29.8] So, so when we bring in this traditional, what do I say- Buddha’s experience in shopping mall, and try to put up on the table with some kind of, I don’t know, product demonstration or something. Anyway, we have to have a very limited as well as very, very carefully worked out and because we don’t want carry on so much of the mystical point of it. Mystical points are very much there but the problem in the here in the United States, there’s no shortage of mystical, spiritual path. But shortage what I’m noticing is grounded path. People don’t ground. They like to fly in the air, bigger than a bird. Vulture. And so you fly in that manner. So, so that’s why for that for that purpose, the Buddhism, the particularly the Tibetan Buddhism, will definitely give you tremendous amount of grounding for the individuals. So if you don’t- if you’re not grounded then you’re not going to be very helpful either to yourself or to others. And you can do a lot, but you could do much better if you grounded yourself. So therefore, fore, it is very important, particularly in the 90s we had that period of 60s, 70s, and 80s so in the 90s it is time for us even in the spiritual path to be grounded. It is sort of honeymoon is over. Carnival is over. It is really true.

[0:29:42.4] You have to be grounded if you want help to yourself or to help others you need solid foundation. And each and every traditional religion like Judeo-Christian or Hindu-Buddhism is capable of delivering that, provided if the individual look from the right angle and grab the right path, you can do it. it is the from the religion’s point of view, they are capable of delivering. Each one of those traditional great religions are capable of grounding people. So if you want a fancy sort of, you know, let’s call it alternative or whatever you call it, so in that manner if you look at the Tibetan Buddhism they’re also provide that. They also provide that. So from my point of view, what I know is only that the Tibetan Buddhism. That’s all I know. So I have to talk to you from that background only because that’s the only thing I know. I cannot pretend to have knowledge of something which I don’t have it. Nor I can pretend to have a clairvoyant and giving you a prediction and this and that. I cannot.

[0:31:10.5] So it is grounded work, very, very basically grounded. And thousands of the masters experience for thousands of years and develop themselves. What I have information is only the footstep how they have followed the Buddha’s experience and how they got to the right place. So, so if you, if we follow the same footstep we are quite sure to reach to that place, wherever those earlier enlightened beings reach, and that’s about Tibetan Buddhism. That’s what we intend to talk and discuss about six days in the next six Thursdays. But is also customary to follow a certain basis on which, on which we sort of, sort of, follow rather than keep on talking, blah, blah, blah all the time and then at end of it if you try to put them together you’ll be nowhere. So you have heard wonderful things here, you have heard beautiful things there, you have heard this, you have heard that, and all this, but if you try to put them together and try to hold something in your hand solidly for yourself to be grounded first for that, you don’t have it. You’re not going to get it anything.

[0:32:49.1] So the traditional Tibetan tradition, they will use certain text. They will use certain text where they will tell you they sort of things can be combined together. Things can put together and so that later on, if you sometimes, you decided to look back when you see that text- ah, something like that they mentioned. And so you can, you can, your memory can reflect back and you can look at it and if you’re very interested and then you can really look at that, you can get some understanding and try to become a part of your life. That’s is all about it. The basic, the most important thing I must, if I don’t tell you that I’ll be failure. What did Buddha really experience? So Buddha experienced suffering. Nothing else. Suffering. So when I went and you know one time I was in traveling in the plane and there’s a gentleman next to me and he told me what do you do? I said I talk about Buddhism. Oh yeah, Buddhism- the religion of suffering, right? That’s what he told me religion of suffering. Made me think. But the true fact is the suffering is part of our life. And I know a lot of Americans don’t like to think about it. Don’t like to talk about it.

[0:34:29.2] I had a friend, a guy in Texas I met in 1977 in Texas. So I been talking with for a little while and I had dinner with him. And after dinner he give me a like a $4000 check and say here, you take this. I said what’s this for? To help you and don’t want to talk about sufferings. (Laughs) Oil-rich Texan guy- cause I don’t want to go to India, I don’t want to see about it I know you people have difficulties the communists kicked you out here is, here you are that’s for you. Use this and I don’t want to hear about suffering, I don’t like it. (Audience laughing) And I kept looking at the check for a while and told him, that’s fine if you don’t want, if you don’t like the sufferings, if by not talking, if you’re not going to get suffering we all can shut up. That’s true you know? But it, it won’t, it won’t stop there if you don’t talk, you don’t look, you try, you try to close your ear, close your eye, close your mouth. You know those monkeys do, three of them. So in that manner if you do that that’s not going to stop our sufferings.

[0:36:06.1] We’re going to get sick. We’re going to get older. Our hair’s going to be little more gray and little more bald. It’s going to, can’t hold it anymore. There’ll be little more wrinkles. The young ones may not feel it today, tomorrow you’re going to feel it. (Audience laughs) That’s, that’s, that’s the nature and that’s how the suffering comes in. It is part of our life. And then we loses. We lose friend, we lose near, dear, everybody, everyone. You know without realizing all of a sudden they’re gone and unbelievable, you know it just goes. And that’s part of our life, that is the part of suffering with us all the time. That’s what Buddha discovered. So when he started talking he call it Four Noble Truths. That’s his discovery. The first truth he called truth of suffering. That’s absolutely true. But he’s not trying to frighten people by saying suffering, suffering, suffering so that’s what he discovered.

[0:37:13.4] He noticed he himself as a prince, richest prince in India. Indian kingdom with artificial life. Even in there he had suffering. He doesn’t know what’s going on outside there. It’s out of bound wherever he go, four direction, four corners. Wherever, he gets out of bound. The suffering there even that itself is suffering because he’s wondering always what is life beyond there? Is it same as here or what is it? So that itself is alone suffering and then when he sees the sick people, dying people, and aged people, he got shocked. The same question comes am I going to be like this and the answer comes yes, you are going to be like that. So that’s exactly what we are. We are all going to be, not going to be younger every day. Not. Not going to be younger every day. We know that. We all will die one day. We also know that. We also know that. This is basically suffering what we have. We also know we all going to get sick one day. Like it or not. By not talking, so better not talk about it we can keep our mouth shut if it is help, but it doesn’t. we all going to get that. That is the life. That is the truth of life.

[0:38:42.5] You know recently I saw a very interesting advertisement for fax machine. Is it Toshiba or some kind of fax machine? And they have a one guy up in the mountain and meditating and then this, this engineer goes through a sort of mountaintop with the snow cover walks in, and the guy with the saffron robe sitting on the middle of the rock. And he goes up and say, hello Dalai, and what is the meaning of life? And he said leave your number here I’ll fax you. (Laughing) That’s the- and that goes on on television comes on these days anyway. So, so the meaning of the life and what this advertisement didn’t fill you up, is the suffering. Yeah, that is the meaning of life. Really true. Like it or not. Is it suffering alone, no. Definitely not. There’s a tremendous amount of joy, there’s a tremendous amount of pleasure. There’s a tremendous amount of wonderfulness available in the life. And you can do it, you can make it. You can obtain it, you can enjoy it, it is also the life. This life, the human life what we have, that is I’m talking about what the Buddha said, okay I’m not talking. What Buddha said is the human life what we have is the most precious life. The human being’s capacity, our mental capacity is unlimited. Whether it is spiritual, material, scientific, or whatever it might be, it is unlimited. That’s what the Buddha said two thousand five hundred years ago. Unlimited human capacity is unlimited.

[0:40:57.3] Here we are thinking, we are human beings we have limitations, yes, we do have limitations but we always look how great it will be if we come in contact, close contact with Third Kind or whatever. (Audience laughs) Always look for outer space, sort of outer space beings and we always look for aliens how they can, how we can now, what we can be oh, I’ll be different and better. You never know, you can be worse in contact with the you know outer space beings. Human beings capacities are unlimited. One, it has wonderful good and kind nature of human being. Human nature with us. The Dalai Lama calls the warmth of human being, he called from the heart, the warmth are from the heart. And that’s exactly he says. But that is the wonderful quality of the human being. Each and every one of us has it. Each and every one of us we don’t recognize. We underestimate our self.

[0:42:08.1] We underestimate our self we don’t recognize. The Buddha you know, to prove that to the to the disciples the Buddha, Buddha said look at the dogs. They’re being too. Look at the cat. Look at all other animals. I’m sure the animal lovers will say my dog’s very intelligent. My cat is wonderful you know, knows everything. We do say that right? We all do that. However if you really mean it, if you really look what you know and what your cat know, it’s a big difference. What you know and what your dog know is big difference. Big difference. That’s difference is nothing but that of human being. That made the difference. So the wonderful nature of the human being that each and every one of us have it deep down. But we don’t share that out, do we? No. We always give cold shoulder. You call it, right? Cold shoulder. To everybody including yourself sometimes. We do that. Why? This is a very important point.

[0:43:33.5] Why? Because we’re so used to it. This is our habitual pattern that we always give cold shoulder. Most of the time anyway to our self, to the others, we don’t give the wonderful feeling that we have within our- we cannot share because we have anger, we have hatred, we have attachment, we have jealousy, and we have a fear. And that make us, rather than to share the wonderful, open nature of our self, we share the, give the cold shoulder. Because we’re angry, we’re suspicious, we’re attached, and we’re, you know, every single damn people, we all of us, I’m sorry. Every single day we do that. We know it. That’s what we do. Knowingly or unknowingly, we always do it. That’s what we call it our habitual way of functioning. And that’s why we have those sufferings coming back because of our basic attitude. So Buddha’s one of the discovery what they call it buddhadharma way out of the suffering, buddhadharma. He said changing that very habitual pattern- (Audio cuts) [0:45:19.1] (Audio resumes) [0:45:35.4] he meant with the appreciation. Replace jealousy with appreciation. Replace anger with patience. So this is the, this is the experience that Buddha learned how to get out of those difficulties that we’re caught in.

[0:46:03.0] That is the Buddhism all about it. Tibetan Buddhism particularly is all about recognizing our negative emotions, building knowledge, understanding how these negative emotions affect our life. What make us to share tears more than what we needed to. What make us to have long face sit in the corner and say I don’t want to talk about it. And when that happens to us how we can handle it. How we can relieve our self with that. One, temporarily, two permanently once for all. This is the, this is what Jewel Heart talks all the time. That’s what the Jewel Heart presence drawing from the experience of the Tibetan masters. And how we handle our life. So that has tremendous way of doing it, you can build up if you want to build up that, that- this is the basic thing. And if you how to handle this, if you want to build up philosophically, make a huge philosophical thing there. And if you want make that easy for individual how to handle it, how do I deal with every day in life. Every day in life. How do I deal with my emotions in downtown Detroit? How to do that, if you wanted make it in that essence form, this is what we provide.

[0:48:07.6] And as I said earlier, to make it not go haywire, but to make to keep in intact with certain sort of things together so there’s an- you follow a certain different text written by earlier teachers to make it simplify and concisely for the individual to keep them together to make in that life difference. So we do have some text called Three Principles the Path. I probably will distribute with that next Thursday. I don’t think we’re going to go over that text today. But next Thursday we will distribute this papers and you will have them, and you can look in that, and we can sort of go over and say what does that mean. So since I said Three Principles of the Path, so what does that mean? So why is it three principle? Principles in first knowing our own personal situation, our own personal situation, and developing compassion and love to our self and building a determination to be free our self from the sufferings. Point number one. I said principle, three principle. Principle number one will tell us, tell- we will see it. Help us to see how, where we are, how we are, what we are, and builds a true determination to be free.

[0:49:54.5] So when I say true determination to be free, you may think we are all Americans we are free person. Free, politically free. Economically free. I don’t know whether we are free from Gingrich or Clinton or I don’t know who (Laughing) or Bob Dole, or one thing we will, we know we are free from what is this guy’s name? Senator from Texas. Audience: Graham. Rimpoche: Graham. From Graham. We are free from him. (Laughs) One thing we know that. But besides that we don’t know. So I mean truly speaking. And we may think we’re Americans, we are, are, we are free. In a one way, yes. We are definitely free. I must share some stories here. For long time I was from Tibet. Came out about 1959. I been to India and lived in India for long time. I never become Indian citizen. Never become. But I, I became a U.S. citizen last year and I’m a very proud of it. You know why? And not because you people are Americans I’m saying that, no. I’m very proud of it because this is the society which will accept all variety of life. Where you can really feel you belongs to it. You belong to it. It really true. If you live- I speak Indian, the Hindi fairly well. And one of those Indian diplomatic officer told me once in Delhi he said, if I don’t see your face I’ll think you’re an Indian talking, you know? He said if I close my eyes I think you’re an Indian talking in Indian language. So I get that, I get the, you know, language, culture, everything very well. Very well. But, but you can never be one of them.

[0:52:15.9] You can never be one of them. And if you want to be Japanese, forget it. No way. If you want to be Chinese, impossible. So this is the society which will accept variety of whatever you might look like, Asian, white, black, green, pink, yellow, whatever you may be, it is somehow- I’m not sure what’s happens in Washington when you get there or something. Then I don’t know. But in basic in general society, it is society which welcomes every being. And everybody. And that’s that is one. Two, I lost my passport and my bag and ticket in Switzerland this time on December seventh. At the airport somebody grabbed my bags so that’s, that’s what happened. (Laughing) So gone everything. And for a short period, short period it’s very strange you know. I keep on thinking that my bag’s here, but it’s not there, it’s thinking there. But the funny thing is when I reported to the police that I lost and then he says what proof do you have who said you said who you are? Nothing, right? For a short period there’s nothing. That’s so funny.

[0:53:44.2] We are so dependent on the identification. The driver’s license are so much we depend on who you are, you can take out driver’s license and show it, right? But you don’t have that, you lost. And so for couple of minutes you don’t nothing to prove. So it’s very funny. There’s an emptiness in there. So but what happened is a by being an American citizen I could replace every single thing in two hours. The new passport, new air ticket, new credit card. Everything could replace in two hours. This is quality of being American citizen. (Audience laughing) True. No one could ever do it. I used to have an Indian identity certificate to travel around. Forget it. If I lost that I’m stuck in Switzerland for about a year or so, for sure. That’s what happens. (Audience laughing)

[0:54:48.8] So it is very privilege, and it’s really freedom and there, and the respect of the American citizen by the other people is also tremendous. Whether you have money or not, they will consider you’re in the rich category. Even you’re homeless from New York or something, but if you’re American you belong to the rich category. So everybody will say sir or madam or whatever, so in that manner. It’s a very great. There’s a tremendous privilege. I like to say that because a lot of people sometime do not appreciate that. Don’t see it. Because you’re not being outside. You have not deal with others who go through what sort of difficulties. It is superior, no doubt. No question. Yet it absolutely not free. Yet is not absolutely free, not free of our personal sufferings. We not free our emotional problems. We’re not free from our all this problems that we will face one after another.

[0:56:00.8] So what Buddha provide here is solution how to get out of that. Tells us seek a proper freedomship once for all from all the suffering. That’s what when Buddha said there’s a way out. There’s suffering, I discovered the suffering, I also discovered the way out. That is the, that is the real message of Buddha. And Buddha’s way out does not demand to worship Buddha. Buddha’s way out does not demand anything else except to change way and how you think, way and how you perceive, and way and how you act, way and how you deal with life. So that’s why it’s called correction of addictions. Addiction to anger. Addiction to attachment. Addiction to jealousy. And addiction to fear. Change it. And that is the basically Buddhism will tell you how to change it. That’s it. I have nothing more to say. I am completely finished.

[0:57:21.1] If you have any questions or something I’ll be happy to. Yes sir? Audience: You mentioned the four truths? Rimpoche: Four Noble Truth they call it. I only mentioned cause of suffering, truth of suffering, cause of suffering, and way out and cessation. I’m sorry I didn’t count earlier. I simply counted two. Audience: Did you say already what time you would discuss the next- Rimpoche: It’s going to be next Thursday, 7:30. Somewhere around here in this building I believe, right? (Discusses which room with audience) [0:58:13.9] Audience: (Inaudible) [0:58:16.4] Rimpoche: Go ahead. Audience: What topics you’re going to discuss the next- three principles? Rimpoche: Oh the same thing. Three Principle of the Path and we will go into the, into little detail what it is. Audience: For those of you who arrived after the introduction (Informs audience of schedule and location for next five weeks) [0:58:37.3]

[0:58:50.1] Rimpoche: Sir? Audience: As far as going along this pathway is it possible for it to come instantaneously, instantaneous enlightenment or is it, does it have to be a learned process to overcome the habits is there, is there- Rimpoche: Very good question. This is something which we should really talk. Is there such a thing called instantaneous enlightenment? Answer my knowledge, no. Definitely no. You know what as a Buddhist, what we do, we look at Buddha’s life and we look that as an sort of role model how does one go. Not only Buddha, but all the great teachers, Buddhist masters, they have come after Buddha and if you look at their life story they will follow almost the same way. Almost the same way. So what happened is mun jo tem pai (Quotes in Tibetan) [1:00:08.3] The earlier masters and Buddhas way and how they function is the guidance for the practice of the future disciples, future followers. So meaning how they have done.

[1:00:27.5] So the what they have really done is first they picked it up the informations. Second, they analyzed the information and see how much is right and how much is wrong, how much should be taken in, and how much should be discarded. Third, whatever the essence what you get it on- out of the information, out of analyzation you meditate on that and become a part of your life. And that’s how one get free. Making the changes in their life, in the life, in the sense where and how we make change in our life in sense it is the mental attitude we take. It’s not that we change our job, it’s not that we have to shave our head, and wear robes, and go to the Himalayas. Or the forest. It’s not. If we have to, we- really the real point is, how to change attitude and way, how we function mentally and have the same life. Same business. Same way of functioning business as usual, how to go. That is the key. It’s not that you have to shave your head, change your robes, no, change into robes, no. It’s definitely not. It is most important thing how you can be kind and compassionate yet shrewd businessperson and harsh people. [1:02:12.8] No really. And that is that is the key. I think the Tibetan Buddhism provides that. Audience: Thank you. Rimpoche: You’re welcome.

[1:02:27.0] Somebody else, where is going? Yes, sir? Audience: Yeah I’m curious as to knowing in Tibetan Buddhism is your way leads to help people spiritually who have died? Rimpoche: Tremendous. One thing what a very rich in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is dealing with death. And death and dying. And both those who already died and those who are going through, and our self when we die how to handle. And that is one of the essence of the first principle. Seeking freedom. It is one of them is there. So there’s a tremendous way of doing it through a practice, through ritual, through meditation, and there’s various ways and means of doing it. And also it tells you it is always better if you can help yourself as an first hand person. Make the all the thing by yourself, help yourself, it is always better than hoping and rely on second and third person to help our self. But, in case if it’s too late or something there still provides lot of ways and means of doing it.

[1:04:06.6] A, number one. A very commonly used is the dedication. Dedicated a positive- you know the Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism or Buddhism is almost a lot works with the, sort of the big thing in there is what they call it karma is the sort of natural law how one governs by one’s self. It sort of natural law. So karma they divided basically positive and negative. The positive karma gives positive result and negative karma gives negative result. So where and how they do is try to contribute towards the positive karma of the other person. So sort of way and how you do through dedication. The dedicate the positive things that you do. Dedicate the life savings or dedicate that if you help somebody. Dedicate your generosity activities. Dedicate your morality activities. The dedicate the patience that you put up with the, whoever. So all this. And dedicate your enthusiasm and dedicate your concentration. Dedicate your wisdom to those, you know, beings to their positive karma and that is one of the way. Sort of common way, that’s what they do. Audience: Thank you. Rimpoche: You’re welcome.

[1:05:39.9] Sir? Audience: So what does incarnate lama mean? Rimpoche: Aah. That is big question. It is very mysterious question. Thank you. Basically, in Buddhism we’re all incarnated. Each and every one of us incarnation of somebody, A to zed. A to Z. Somebody. But, you know the purpose of seeking freedom is not to be reincarnated. Nagarjuna, one of the great Indian saint and scholar said, yeng tzi (Quotes in Tibetan) [1:06:24.1] Try not to have reincarnation. That is the great achievement. That’s what he said. However, the incarnate lamas what you call it, we get a little better, what you call it? Little better name and little privileges. Maybe little more money. What happened is- you know, it is very strange system. And one of those big incarnate lamas you, you recently read about the Panchen Lama, right? The Panchen Lama lot about the Chinese Panchen Lama and The Dalai Lama’s Panchen Lama and all this big thing about Panchen Lama. What happens is the, if the whoever becomes the official reincarnation of the Panchen Lama he will inherited the whole institute of the Panchen Institute call it Panchen Lhabra (?) [1:07:32.1] whatever the wealth everything, whatever it is the little boy will inherit it. that’s what incarnate lama is. (Audience laughs) Materially. Or politically. Truly speaking, this supposed to be a same being, you know? Same person, the same life, the same soul. Same person comes back to a new form because the old form is no longer useful. It’s becomes bad apartment. The sheep (?) [1:08:16.0] doesn’t work, the water doesn’t work, the rent is too high, whatever you know. There’s no en- not good enough security service. Or something. So whatever is happening, the apartment is no longer useful. So the individual dies and look for new apartment. So whenever you find a new apartment and if a good enough the person recognize the old tenant and that’s called reincarnated lama. Supposed to be. Okay? So thank, thank you so much. (Speaks to audience about announcements)

[1:09:07.1] I’m sorry there’s one more question. Audience: Okay is the ultimate place, if you’ve been reincarnated and been good is the place to go nirvana? Rimpoche: Nirvana’s supposed to be peace but that better place in than that. Audience: Is that right here? Is that right here? Maybe? Rimpoche: In Detroit? (Audience laughing) In Michigan somewhere. (Laughs) In Michigan somewhere, sure. Okay.