Archive Result

Soundfile: 19960414GRJHNLTara (2)

Speaker : Gelek Rimpoche

Location: Netherlands

Topic: White Tara Initiation

Transcriber Matt Hannah

Date finished: 3/29/2021

[Chanting] Next is patience.

[Chanting] Next is enthusiasm.

[Chanting] Next is concentration and meditation power.

[Chanting] Next is wisdom.

[Chanting] Next is all six paramitas together.

[Chanting]With this you have completed the longevity initiation practice combined together.

[0:03:04.7]

Okay? So what we'll do is: those who have little children and they want to go home, take them home, now you can take them home, and that’s complete. It's very nice to see you all, and good to be, and it is a good time to go home. And those of us you have a little more, we have one more hour, so little more time to talk, discuss questions, answer. If you want to stay, you can stay.

But those of you who, probably I conclude this, now you have received the initiation completely, so what you do is just the rule, the rule says whatever I tell you I listen. That's right. Not Rimpoche whatever the yidam tells you, you listen. So do repeat after me that:

[Chanting] Ok so now to thanking the lama. Do kindly make short mandala offerings. [0:05:12.1]

[Chanting] So we also take break from--I don't know whether we're going to meet back or not, it’s 4. If you like, you know, 15-20 minutes break then you come back if you do come back it will be ok. If you don't come back you don't come back. Thank you.

[Question about the shape and symbol, form of torma]

[To audience] You mean the big one? Uh torma basically is food. [0:07:02.2] For food offering so the Tibetans eat it, barley flour. So the material is basically, originally it is the barley we use. And then to make it good you put butter in it. Then to make it better you put those what you call it--inuadible [0:07:52.3]--the blessing peels as well as different substances something like 25 different substances you put in for kriya and charya tantra.

That is the not initation for kryia and charya tantra. Not talking about initiation at all, just for torma they have that. And those 25 of them like different flowers, little bit of saffron and little bit of, it's called a [Tibetan word for a flower used throughout][0:09:13.8] It's not marigold, not zinnia, but ah? Yeah, what is ? It is known as ?? in Tibetan. It is between the marigold and chrysantheum. ?? Thats right ?? . And also you put little marigold too. Marigold. Twenty five of them, there's no meat at all. [0:10:18.1]

And when you go into the maha anuttara tantra you add a meat on it. Some places you add wine or whiskey. Then it goes both. It is almost same material for incense too. 32 different incense when it becomes 32 different materials there is some meat in that. When it becomes 25, 24, 22, then there is no meat in it. Originally but now who knows what making.

So then the second part of the question why flower why this, why that. Basically each tantra will tell you exactly how torma should look like because the yidam might have said somewhere, some place, somebody I like this shape that style. And when they've not said in general, in the kriya and charya tantra will make flour. And mah anuttara tantra some times it is the heart shape, sometimes it is the triangle the red triangle. Sometimes. And tsoh is mostly nipple shape. And the yidams who uses flesh or meat, it’s mostly red color we use torma. Yidams who don't use flesh, red meat at all you use the white dough. This is basic although sometimes individual change.

Very technical question but thank you.

[question about the difference between nectar and light]

Nothing. We didn't use two words, we say the, light and liquid. That liquid is nectar. Sometimes light sometimes without light, liquid. Whenever there's liquid it's only nectar, don't pour water.

[more questions about differences]

Many of them I don't think there is basic rule. Many of them we follow your own teachers, whether they're using light and liquid, both or one sort of you follow that footstep. That's why some places they use both some places they use only light. There's no unified, scientific, consistent rules about that. I mean not that I know. [0:15:54.7]

Any other questions, anybody?

[question about karma, whether it is directed, luck, we are like a feather]

No, more karma, karma controls. It is karma. You don't have to combine. As far as ourselves is concerned, like we are a feather in the wind. Wind is like that of, wind is karma, where it takes. We are the feather. We are the feather; the wind is karma. So we are the feather. We are the feather [laughs].

translator: She has always understood that rebirth is a very easy thing, and now she thinks she has heard yesterday that being reborn as a human is very difficult.

Rimpoche: You are right.

translator: She finds that confusing.

Rimpoche: I know. You are not the first person who tells me that. Didn't I tell you when in the Death and Dying workshop in NY somebody told me "how dare you Tibetans do that." [0:19:25.9] It's reality. True. It can be nice and light, can be hard, no certainty. The key is in your own hand. How? [Tibetan] [0:19:47.7]

[to translator regarding Tibetan] Did you hear that? [laughter]

When the karma goes, karmic circle. [Tibetan] [0:20:12.4] Whichever is heavier that comes first. And if it's same the positive and negative heaviness is the same, then whichever is fast one they count. And most important key is whatever you're used to it. They have a more likely to be connected easier. So if you're used to it for negative karmas like anger or jealousy or something , the chances are to be connecting with that is more. And if you are used to it, more compassionate, kindness, considering, patience, enthusiasm towards positive action. If you're used to it, chances are to connect that are more. So which means daily habitual routines of mental attitude, daily habitual routines of mental attitude our chances are likely to connect with that is much more than that of occasional praying. So don't have to be so upset. Right now the key is not yet handed over. The key is in our hand. Later when it's too late, then it's too late. Until then, it's never too late. [0:23:15.6] It's never too late. It is never too late to meditate. Huh?

[question about creating best circumstances to reconnect with the dharma]

The mind immediately before death is considered most important. If people die with anger, then it's terrible. Basically, basically. If people die with attachment then it's difficult. It people died with open mind, kindness and compassion--it is simple. When you are sitting here and the mind will continue . And the last mind and the next mind there's always a connection. Unless some kind of special cut or shock comes and says "ah, oh" [inaudible] unless you do that. When it's natural unfolds always there's a connection between previous thought and the next thought always. [0:25:32.4]

And it is like that--mind immediately before death will have quite a good influence. And that is circumstances. [repeats] That is circumstances. He was asking what best circumstances.

Mind immediately before is you can do a lot, your friends can do lot. Friends instead of try to create worries or something crying, or screaming, or something, rather than provide calm and quiet atmosphere? Let it go nicely, let it go smoothly. Do not say: "how dare you die on me, don't die on me." Many people do that, they say: "how dare you die on me." The poor person is not dying on you, he's dying. She's dying, yeah. And also the person who's dying sometimes get upset and we must show understanding. It's important, and if you lose job or something how much upset do we get? The poor person's losing everything. [0:27:57.2] So has some right to get upset there too. So even is upset don't provide them too hostile reaction or attitude or something. Provide them health, let it go smoothly as much as possible.

[to audience member] She's there, she’s there, I was worried the kids may jump off steps, something, there's somebody there.

[Question: if it is possible with anger that by acknowledging anger its power is reduced. Is it the same for shame? the emotion of shame. Or does it work the same way]

Rinpoche: Shame works differently. In Buddhist way shame is in normal western understanding sometimes they think shame is bad. In Buddhist psychology the shame is not necessarily considered bad. And they use this actually in Buddhism. Shame means if I do this, I will be embarrassed of myself. That is shame in Buddhism.

And they have different name: if I do this, if somebody else will know I will be embarrassed. I'll lose my face, that is, that has different name for that. So the shame of yourself, don't you say that, shame of you, they say that in English right, ashamed of you, something like that they say. But anyway, shame of myself using me as a reason, using embarrassment as a reason, using that, that is a useful mental faculty. [0:31:00.9]

To restrain our self, to gain some control in the language which Mr. Hoberman uses, to gain some control, little bit of control. Sometimes that is some help.

[audience member suggests dutch are ashamed of things that are not nonvirtuous actions, rather appearance or disability, ashamed of that]

Rinpoche: They're different, yes. I'm ashamed of having handicapped body--but maybe it is the language, there's no reason why you have to be ashamed of having handicapped body you know. It is, then you have to be ashamed of being white, ashamed of being black, ashamed of being yellow, ashamed of being fat, ashamed of being thin. It's unlimited you know.

True, people think that way yeah. Yeah people do that, it is true, it is a reality, people do that. But if you understand there's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sure it will help. I'm sure it will help.

Well, it's there, I think they do acknowledge it and acknowledgment makes them embarrassed, I think in this case, sometimes. There's people being ashamed of being handicapped. It is the lack of understanding from the other people truly. To me it's a different--

Last summer in our summer retreat last year there's a woman named Rachel Raymon. Rachel Raymon came she's a very good drawer, she works with the--what does she do? She works with the dying person, she's very well know psychologist and works with dying people.

She says when she gave the lecture, when she was talking she said when she was coming from the Jewel Heart retreat from California and she's in the airplane. She says there's a man sitting there and they said they served him, tea or something. Somehow the man lost the control and dropped the milk, on the, milk or yogurt or something on his shoe. [translator asks repeat] I said whether she was saying whether he was drinking tea and they give the milk and he lost control of the milk and drop on the shoe. Or whether she said they're eating yogurt or he lost cup or something I forgot. Whether it's yogurt or milk, one of them.

And then suddenly she saw, she saw the person is trying to put his leg little bit back, so she could understand he couldn't move. So she got up, she told the hostess, tried to help. The hostess says busy I'll do it later, or something I'm busy, she has a little piece of cloth or something. The hostess said I'm busy. So she collected a couple of napkins around and wiped his shoes off. Then he began to talk, he thank her and says he was this violin player, but he had stroke for about six seven months ago, so couldn't help himself. So when the people show the understanding to that person he get relaxed and he will tell the stories why and what's happening.

And when the people are going like this and he get more embarrassed and tried to push his leg in and couldn' t do anything else. [0:38:24.6] So to me it is lack of understanding of the other people. And when the people don't show understanding then you have to hide.

Bob Dole running for the US president is hiding his left hand always, so he's going like this all the time. If you look at him he's always bending here and going like this all the time. So indirectly he's hiding his right hand, he doesn't have right hand. So consciously he's hiding this so that's why all the left hands coming up all the time just try to hide this [laughs]. So consciously you are hiding. If people shows understanding I don't see much problem and handicapped is handicapped it's really true. It's nothing did wrong. I mean you become handicapped, it's not like being stealing, murdering somebody or raping somebody, it's not like that. So I mean I don't think there's a reason to be embarrassed. I don't know anyway.

So but I would really like to thank you so much for everybody, it is so nice to see you all, and thank you for everybody who's working behind, organizing, planning, taking responsibilities of major planning, cleaning, dishwashing providing food tea coffee, cleaning the house, toilet, everything. From the top to bottom I like to thank you. Thank you so much. And thanks to the translation without which we don't communicate anyway. Without which, handicapped [laughs[. So thank you, thank you so much. I guess that's it. Thank you. [0:42:31.0]

[1:28:03.7]