Archive Result

Soundfile 19970717GRBH3P

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Bloomfield Hills

Topic Three Principles of the Path

Transcriber Jill Neuwirth

Date 9/5/2021

…here tonight and especially like to welcome Venerable Thubten, what? Sherab Je, not Thubten. Thubten Sherab, alright Venerable Sherab Thubten Gyatso (?) [0:00:17.9] who is from California and practicing rig me [0:00:26.4] which means non-sectarian thing and he’s passing through doing a lecture tour and he’s passing through and he would like to be here tonight so we’re very happy to have you here, you’re welcome. And also I’d like to remind you this is the last evening though the previous announcement has probably have two more Thursdays, one more Thursday but however, we’re going to finish the subject I hope tonight. So, when we’re going to finish the subject there’s no reason why we have to meet again for one extra day, so hopefully. So, I’m sort of looking forward this be the last, this be the last meeting before the summer retreat.

[0:01:27.3] What we have been doing here as you know, we’ve been doing this Foundation of Perfection, they call it, meaning how can you make yourself better? There’s millions of different methods by different spiritual teachers, how can you make better, that’s what it is. So what I’ve been following is the Tibetan Buddhist tradition that, actually what we really did is the basic, basic, very basic structure of lamrim. Which really means a number of almost all the schools in Tibet, they don’t call it lamrim, they have different names some will call it de (?) [0:02:29.9] some will call it Gompopa’s Jewel Ornament, and all this all sort of different names they give. But if you really look down it is really lamrim. Lamrim the label of the lamrim is actually put by Tsongkhapa. So thereafter it begins to know lamrim but Tsongkhapa did not create a new path at all. It is the path that Buddha has taught, path on which Buddha experienced, and essence of lamrim is prajnaparamita, or the transcendental wisdom teachings of the Buddha. So anyway, that is what we did.

[0:02:29.9] And that we find is very useful, particularly in the- not talking about Tibet, but in the West. In the West people like such as you, you know it. And it has been helpful, and it makes sense, and if you understand okay, I’m not going to say perfect, but if you understand it’s okay, and way and how you deal with your life and dealing, way of your life and dealing with the material, hard, difficulty, competitive life, it makes little easier and you also have yourself something solid to hold on, something solid to look in, something solid that you can feel happy and confident, and that’s the feel happy and confident- that is the thing as you have seen yourself. So I found it’s very useful. So naturally we will always do leading people through this path. Because in one hand, on the other hand that’s only I know, so I’ve been limited, that’s true. Right? Yeah. So anyway, so basically in this we have again I’d like to remind you once again, what we really looked is we looked in at the beginning at life itself. And saying is that important or not? If so, how much, how important it is? And we did all this. And then we also looked whether the life is permanent or impermanent, we looked that. We saw, I think we saw it it’s permanent. Did we say it, it’s permanent? Life? Susan, did we say life permanent? Audience: Yes… (Inaudible) [0:06:00.6] Rimpoche: Or impermanent? Okay. Alright. Impermanent or permanent? Audience: It seems like both to me. Rimpoche: Both. Okay. Well, enjoy! (laughs) See you another hundred years later. You remain the same way?

[0:06:24.4] So we see that, right? What makes you think both ways, anyway? Audience: (Inaudible) [0:06:40.4] …subjective reality and absolute… Rimpoche: So in absolute reality you’re permanent? That’s what you’re thinking? Audience: I think that in the absolute you’re not, but in the subjective you are. Rimpoche: What makes you think it’s permanent? Audience: Ignorance. Rimpoche: what? Audience: Ignorance. Rimpoche: I’m sorry. I don’t, don’t give me that thing, you know, really. Yeah. Audience: [0:07:22.0] Ignorance in the sense that we reincarnate again and again until we reach perfection and that is the type of… Rimpoche: Well, again and again reincarnating is one good thing however, or one bad thing, whatever, and however I think you know this path has tried to tell you you don’t have to reincarnated you can get it done while this lifetime when you have every sense of your senses with controlled by you. When you have your control you can get that done within this lifetime, that’s what they’re talking about it. Impermanent, you know, I mean, I hate to remind you but, again, but impermanent we have talked gross and subtle impermanent. Gross impermanent is the death, is gross impermanent, sign of gross impermanent, symptom of gross impermanent or function, whatever, and then we have subtle impermanent changing every minute and all this, so anyway, so if you try to tell me the life is impermanent, I would like to know what the reasons is. And if you don’t think there is good reason to be, and then naturally it was wrong. And because we can see it directly people die, people get old, the beards grow. I did grow yesterday, beard, and today I had to shave because it doesn’t grow nicely, not like yours. Not like yours. It’s getting gaps in between. And white. Since I had beard yesterday and today I don’t have it. I had this morning, but I don’t have by now, you know?

[0:09:13.0] So it’s a sign of impermanent, we change. We get a little more extra wrinkles on the face. Couple of tooth we’ll lose. Glasses comes up. The hearing aids will come. Then (?) [0:09:30.0] comes, difficult to move. The knees will pain, can’t get up, can’t sit down. When you sit down it’s almost like, almost like a three hundred pound bag of grain is fall down and goes boom down, right? So all this, so we don’t do that at the beginning, right? And then you can’t walk, you can’t run, you can’t see it, you can’t hear it, then you become dependent. After that, dependent. Because then you lose your independence, you become dependent, right? All of them one after another, successively it go through. So that shows you it’s impermanent, right? You think so? What’s your name? Audience: Flower. Rimpoche: Flower? Wow. What a beautiful name. Audience: Thank you. Rimpoche: So it is impermanent. There’s nothing permanent. Everything. There is a permanent, all thakpas (?) [0:10:45.5] are permanent but we’re not thinking about that. But everything that we deal, we live, what we functioning, we’re functioning within the framework of impermanent. And knowing the impermanent, knowing that our life ends, and when knowing our life ends and then we begin to think, raise the question what happens thereafter? And so we’re talking about reincarnation. I mentioned to you exactly because as reincarnation is concerned, I am a believer of reincarnation. Otherwise, I lose my job. I cannot lose my title. I can’t be Rimpoche, right? If there is no reincarnation, then I can’t be Rimpoche. So, I lose my job, so I like to believe in that. But for you, you have to find out. You just don’t buy because I’m here selling you the reincarnation because I’m selling you, don’t buy it. You find out yourself. Think. Think. There is, if you really think the right way, there’s a continuation. There’s a continuation of everything. As we have continuation of yesterday and today. Last month and this month. Last year and today. And ever since you’re, whenever you’re young, you’re teenagers and today. And when you are babies, and today, there’s always continuation. But continuation we will not be able to see beyond a being in born, or being in mother’s womb because our capacity to see beyond that has been limited. That’s the reason why we don’t see it.

[0:13:17.7] When our capacity of seeing, you know the normal basic human capacity doesn’t have to see that, but if you have developed some development or even material development, I will not be surprised if the scientists discovered there is a last previous, and future- future life is hard but they will discover the past life, they will. And when they announce that I’m not going to be surprised at all because the power of material, that scientific power is equally powerful to that of power you gain by mantra, or even meditation. So they will- if they look in. If they don’t look, it’s never for the consideration, then it’s different. Otherwise, they’re going to find it. Whether the scientists find previous life or not, when you sit down yourself, when you’re honest with you, when you’re thinking within yourself, and can you absolutely deny? Honestly. To be true to yourself it’s very hard for you to say- your answer is most probably I don’t know. That is the honest answer. And you just can’t say no. Then where you come from? Then it’s a big problem. We have, our parents have given us a body. They’ve not given us mind. Body without mind will not function as a human being, you know that. Mind without body is also impossible to function as a human being. So the combination, collectiveness is functioning. So if you look very honestly and then if you think the parents have given you the mind, then whose mind is it? Father’s or the mother’s? Or what they divided put half and half? And did they lost their mind? Because you can’t divide. And if you have lot of siblings, they might have divided ten ways. And then probably left nothing, right? So the logically it just doesn’t work. Doesn’t make sense.

[0:16:07.0] So if you think very strongly, carefully, your best answer will be I don’t know. And that is true genuine answer because we don’t know. We’re so used to it. There’s a Buddha and this and that people making statement after statement and all these are there, but somehow our sort of mind is such a thing especially that in the West, the inquiring mind is good and powerful, it is really good and wonderful and powerful too so, so well, Buddha might have made a statement, but since he’s not a Caucasian, so we not like to buy it. Did you hear me? I’m making jokes. (laughs) If Buddha was Caucasian I don’t think we’d have any problem to buy that because some white man made a statement. (laughs) It’s joke. Half joke. (laughs) So anyway, so the reincarnation I think that’s where you begin to look in. And as Allen Ginsberg used to say all the time, he said, not used- at the beginning he kept on saying it all the time, he said, “I don’t know there is reincarnation or not, but I don’t want to deprive myself an opportunity if there is.” So that is a good way of thinking. I always appreciate that. So that’s very good way of thinking. And if there is reincarnation, then what kind? What kind? What possibility?

[0:18:06.7] You know we live in some kind of funny little world where we think, I think I mentioned this here to you people, if not this time but last time, I’m sure. We think, you know, we think that reincarnation is such a thing that you go to the bathroom, have a shower and change your dress and come out different way. A lot of people think that way. They say, I’m dying, well yeah I die, but when I get back, I come and then I’ll do this and that. People think that. At the beginning when I talk reincarnation and everybody was very nice and easy accepted reincarnation I was a little surprised. Really. I expected in the Midwest in the place like Ann Arbor Detroit area, I always expected there would be a little problem with reincarnation and when everybody straightaway accept that, I got a big shock. I saying, why? And then I realized, nobody wants to die. So they want to live forever, so they like the idea of reincarnation, right? But I have to give you bad news. Because the reincarnation is continuation of this life, but not this life. This person, yes, continuation not this life person. What does that mean? That means you have disconnected with this life completely. Disconnected with this life completely. So therefore, your future life there’s some kind of tiny, subtle continuation called being, that human being or whatever. Whatever the being might be. That continuation is there. Beside that, everything is brand new to you. You don’t remember what had happened before because the capacity is not there. Human capacity could not catch, go beyond that. So that’s why we have that number one limitation that you don’t remember your previous life. With the exception of a few psychics here and there. Which I don’t think they’re lying, but who knows? There’s zillions of previous lives so you might have connected one or two, who knows where.

[0:21:03.2] So all this. Most of us normal people like me do not remember the previous life. Except childhood. Childhood you do have a lot of flashing back here and there, but I think it is very hard for us to recognize and continuously remember after the age of five, six. After seven, no. So that is another disadvantage. Then the most important disadvantage we have not seen anybody to come back and say, shake hands and say, “Hey, I come from the future or something. I come from the future life.” We didn’t see anybody, right? So we will always like to have something black and white proof, that’s what we’re so used to it. And we always need it black and white proof. But there are sometimes things that you true but you cannot really prove by black and white. You cannot prove within the capacity of our senses, eye, nose, ear, body, whatever. Touch, whatever those are. Those senses cannot prove there are something, some- there, quite a lot of those. Reincarnation happens to be one of them. Happens to be one of them. But those you cannot have black and white proof which you can understand by thought process. You can think, you can analyze, and people like Buddha who’s been always telling you, always saying there’s reincarnation, it’s not lying, either. So, give it due consideration and think, how do we function? How do we continue? The continuation is extremely important, continuing. And where does that get this memory reflecting that coming? Where did I- what the hell is I thought I done that before? What is it? When did I see it? Where did I see it? Think with yourself. Don’t buy anybody whatever they tell you, but think with you. Very, you have to be very honest with yourself. Give your own reasons, and then what the reasons making sense or not making sense. That’s how you move.

[0:24:06.2] Anyway, this is not my main subject today. (Speaks to audience) [0:24:30.2] So if there is reincarnation, then what type? Only either good one or bad one. There’s no third. Really. Good one or bad one. So which one would you like to have? Always we want good one. Because we’re always worried that we’re missing something. We’re going to miss something. That’s what we always worry. So the good one. So the real question comes- yeah, let me put this way, it’s very funny. If you think good life, or bad life is laid on the table and you are supposed to go and pick up one of them and say it’s mine. Do we think that way? A lot of people may think that way. Right? Good life I can get it when I grab the first one. Or bad life I get it when I left at the last minute, everybody had picked a good life. Right? Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s right. That’s not right because good and bad life comes from our own deeds. You know you have to remember you are responsible to yourself, nobody else. You are responsible to yourself. So whatever you did, you did good something, you’re responsible, you get good result, you enjoy, you deserve it. You worked for it. And you did something bad, you get bad result, should I say you deserve it? (laughs) That’s not so good. But we did it. It’s our self. I am responsible totally to my own deeds, good and bad life is connected with me. It is my deed that makes me good or bad.

[0:26:37.0] Right? That is true. Don’t think about future life, think about this life. Within this life, when you try to be good to somebody, kind to somebody, and what do you get back? When you try to be bad and mean and harsh to somebody, what do you get back? Think from those line alone they will tell you, you’re good. But if I smile, give you big smile, you can’t go on, say rrrr. Right? You can’t do that. Unless you are crazy. That’s right. So everything is reciprocating, everything is interdependent, everything is interconnected, so therefore that’s how it works. And neither the good life or bad life is just popped out of the ground. It’s been gradual process. You know it, I know it. And the gradual process, that process are changeable. Sometimes it’s becomes good, sometimes it becomes bad. What does that telling you, when you look in your life? What does that tell you? Think very carefully. That tells you it depends on something. If it’s totally in my control, I don’t want any bad at all. I want to have everything wonderful life. Whatever the way you want to be. But it doesn’t work that way. And that’s tells you it needs something. To be successful, that is normally people look, to be successful your missing something. To be horrible, you’re missing something. So what is it? And so truly speaking, since I am responsible to my deeds, that means whatever going to happen to me in future it’s going to be me responsible. I am responsible to that too. So the moment I use the word you are responsible for your deeds you may think temporarily that’s my responsibility. Or if I have children, that’s my responsibility. I’m not thinking about those, I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about tomorrow’s me. How tomorrow’s me is going to be shaped depends on today’s me. Because today’s me makes, provides all these needs for me to be tomorrow’s me.

[0:29:58.5] So that is the responsibility what I am talking about. We are responsible to ourself. That is what I’m talking about it. It is difficult subject, but I think we spend a lot of time on that. So already, so I try to review today so I don’t want to spend too much on that but that’s good way, that’s a way to think and if you think, you can get it. Understand and get it and comprehends and even meditate. If you don’t think, it’s not going to happen anything. Anything at all. So there, the even the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there a number of ways of guiding the individuals. So the best way to do is the involving themselves in the process of thinking. Involving all of us together in the process of thinking and try to gain your own understanding and go along with that and meditate, and then along with that, add up saying mantras and doing prayers, et cetera. to give more support for that. That is good way of doing. And if you are incapable of thinking, and if you incapable of analyzing, then you have to say, then they will say, well, it’s Buddha said so, and so that has to be true, I’ll buy it. Okay, that’s okay, that’s okay, but that is not intelligent person’s way of doing it. So that is also okay. Then another thing what you can- well I don’t understand this very much, but I like to be nice, good person. And I like to be kind and loving and compassionate, and that’s also okay. So the each one of them has their own way of handling it. And easy way of handling which sort of involves a little faith and very intelligent way of doing, it’s not intellectual way, intelligent way, using your mind watching with yourself. And we don’t need intellectual way, you don’t want to become professor. Even all of you become professor you’re not going to get any job at all anyway. (laughs) On this subject.

[0:32:48.2] So, that’s that. So what I’m talking now, the reincarnation. So since I’m responsible my tomorrow’s me, whether tomorrow’s me that reincarnated one now, reincarnated one will going to be good or bad, depends on me. That responsibility falls on me. As I’m going to be comfortable and easy whether next week or not it depends on my this week, right? Yes, you do. You know that. You know that. If you don’t do anything today and postpone till next week, a lot of thing to do. And even you don’t do it and then they will cut you electricity, or cut your phone or something, right? So (Inaudible) [0:33:59.3] on me today. No today, yesterday. Today. Today, yeah. So that’s like that. If you keep on go- whether you’re going to be comfortable, or you have to do additional work of running here- oh, I’ve got cable bill, they’re going to cut me too. So I have to run to their office. So things like that, additional extra thing that you have to do become a discomfort and difficulty is depend on the today. This week. So does the next month, so does the next year, and we do, we know that. We also knew whether you’re going to be good or perfect human being, or you’re going to have little neurotic problems here and there, which also depends on the, the year before, month before, teenage and childhood period. Are you going to deny that? None of you could deny that. We knew it.

[0:34:57.9] So there, that’s what it meant, we’re responsible to our self. And so does our so-called future life, quote unquote. If it exists, depends on this life. So it is up, entirely in your own hand. Nobody else’s hand. That is absolutely true. You know if there is future life, then I can guarantee you it’s in your own hand and nobody else’s hand. Because we are responsible. We knew it, we knew it this life, we knew it. So, so the future life depends on us. Whether you want to be good one, or bad one. You don’t have to buy just because Buddha said so, or so-and-so said so. You can think, you can understand. You are all are educated people you all have a great mind. You can think. And you can think and you can understand. If you stop thinking, then just do some prayer, om mani padme hum or whatever you say. So then, that’s totally you’re going to depend on that. Otherwise, think.

[0:36:29.5] Then of course you can also, can get some help what we normally call it “divine intervention.” You can get that. There’s a possibility. There’s room for it, there’s room for miracle. You’re responsible for your own deeds, at the same time you also have room for divine intervention and you can- you also have room for miracle things happened. We all knew that. What happens, what happens is not the cause, but the condition. On the basis of the condition divine intervention miracle all happen. So as Buddhist we recommend, as Buddhist we recommend taking refuge to Buddha, dharma and sangha. And that also not the historical Buddha, not the historical dharma, not the historical sangha, that is Buddha within you. Whether it’s seed level, or immature level, or whatever baby Buddha or whatever it is. Buddha within you, it is much more important to you than that of historical representing Buddha. So Buddha within you. So does dharma within you. Your dharma is direct products of your good deeds are your dharma. Suppose if you are going to kill Mr. X and you’re mad at him and you’re going to kill him, you have the opportunity and then you suddenly decided. wow… a human being will kill another human being? No not me. He may be bad. That’s his problem. If I kill him. I become even worse than him. No, I will not. So you decide not to kill. So by deciding not to kill, you gain a positivity of not killing. You know what I mean? And those very positivities are your virtues. Those virtues will bring you some spiritual developments. Overcoming the negativities. And that’s your true dharma.

[0:39:21.0] The moment you say dharma, don’t look in book, don’t look for teachings, don’t look for something else, this is the true dharma is the spiritual development whatever you have. Good or bad, whatever. There may not be bad spiritual development. I mean to say, big or small. Whatever you have. So that is your dharma, true dharma and that is the direct antidote on your negative karma, negativities, delusions, or whatever you call those. That is the antidote. That is the true medicine. And Buddha is like a doctor who just simply- the historical Buddha is like a doctor, and well, I think you have this and this problem and so therefore I suggest you take this drugs at that much dosage. That is Buddha’s job. The sangha is like a nurse. So they bring you on time the pills, they give you the pills, and hold your mouth and put water on it or whatever, you know? So that is the sangha’s job. Meaning the sangha around here together has to helping each other that’s our job. Helping each other, it is very important. If you don’t help each other, this is very difficult. Very difficult. The Buddhist path is a completely foreign in this country, you know that. And that also in the Midwest definitely, what you call it? Absolutely is foreign. Foreign. And also, also people like it. People have an idea what they’re talking about they make sense. People have the idea. Then you have a fear. You’re afraid. You’re afraid of I don’t know what, get afraid. I was driving down with somebody today, and that person said, that person was very afraid of going into it and came to the parking lot for three or four times and went back. Because just afraid. No reason. Maybe it is Eastern religion, that’s why they’re afraid. Maybe it is, maybe they think it is somebody who knows exactly what I’m thinking about it, So I don’t want show myself, I want to hide.

[0:42:00.3] Or maybe, you know- whatever the thought, you know human thought is unlimited. So any thoughts you come up, you get- people get even afraid of it though there’s nothing to be afraid. So the sanghas need to help each other, need to support each other. Need to give your, loan your shoulder for somebody to cry little bit or whenever they need it. We all do, you know that very well. You do, you all know that very well. You always need a shoulder. The sangha should give shoulder to each other. And so that’s how, you know like nurses will help you to take the pills, take temperature, do whatever in that manner, the sangha should do that. The sangha should do that. That is the sangha’s job. And that is how they count on sangha. That is why they take refuge in sangha so they count on the support. That’s what it is in practical level. In the traditional where you have to say sangha has to be aryas and blah blah blah, that’s also true. But in practical level. that is what the reasons why you refuge. To Buddha, because it’s like a doctor, you take refuge to dharma it is real medicine to cure our chronic disease of that neurosis chronic disease and that’s why it’s dharma. Then we take refuge in sangha because we are hoping to be able to count on those person when we need it. So whenever somebody within the sangha needs help, please don’t say I’m too busy. Don’t say I’m overworked. Give- this is in one way (Audio skips) [0:44:13.9] it also helps, helps you, it is your practice. It is your, it helps you to develop yourself. This is one of the best way to develop yourself. You understand? That is one of the best way to develop yourself. So there a lot of reasons the sangha is community. The community support each other, help each other. It’s not organized way, but individual basis, supporting, helping.

[0:44:51.4] We sit here and saying all sentient beings be free of sufferings and we say they may never see, they may never be separated from joy that never knows suffering. We say that. But here is practical help. Whatever you could give, five minutes, ten minutes, one hour, whatever you could give. Give that and try to help each other. And what that is the reason why the sangha is dependable. Dependable companionship and dependable community which was aiming to liberation or enlightenment or whatever it is. So that is what it is. So that’s why we take refuge in Buddha, dharma, and sangha. Then what else we do? Is it good enough just taking refuge to Buddha, dharma, and sangha then no, it’s not. The Buddha, dharma, and sangha after taking refuge they will say to you, we try to help you whatever we could, but you are responsible to yourself. They tell you that. We can guide you, we can show you the way based on our own experience. Buddhism is nothing than that of Buddha’s personal experience in his journey. Nothing. So they will tell you, we will guide you on the basis of our understanding and experience but how you’re going to go, whether you follow it, not follow it whatever you’re going to do, that’s up to you. Makes you are responsible to yourself. Right? So once you know that, once you know the positive things that you do brings good things and negative you do, they brings bad things. And then you when you understand that, you begin to change yourself, way you think, how you function, what you do, you begin to change and I’m sure many of you have that experience. Many of you have that experience. Many of you must be for the first time or first couple of days may not have any experience or maybe some, who knows. But then the question is after that, question is, you know I talked to you Four Noble Truths earlier? I did talk to you Four Noble Truths on this. Truth of suffering, truth of cause of suffering, cessation, and path.

[0:47:56.1] Truth of suffering is absolutely true. We all have sufferings. Tremendous amount. The richest have their suffering, the poorest have their suffering and the beauties have their suffering and uglies have their sufferings. Old have their suffering, the young have their own sufferings. It is true. And then the question comes, where does that suffering come from? Did God give that suffering? No, certainly not. Did Buddha provide the suffering? No, certainly not. Who provided this suffering? I did it. It’s me. I am responsible for my suffering, not yours. My suffering. And so does you. So we talk about the second truth. Delusion as a cause of suffering. Delusion creates action which becomes karma which is creates suffering, we talk that, right? And once we know there’s a way out, once we know there is a total cessation, then we begin to act. We begin to act. And way and how we act is we just don’t sit here and say, how can I do it, how can do it? People do that all the time. How can I do it? Is it better for me, or is it better for me to shave my hair and become a monk like him? You. Or is it better for me to go into the forest of Thailand to sit and meditate? Or is it better for me to go to Himalayas or the Tibet or something and do this? What can I do? What can I do? Should I say this sadhana? Should I say that sadhana? Should I do a hundred thousand Vajrasattva recitation? Should I do a hundred thousand mandala, or should I do a hundred thousand prostrations or should I do circumambulation? Should I go to Bodhgaya or should I do this? Should I do that? And what should I do? Is it better for me to meditate in the morning? Should I meditate in the evening? You know all of this should I, you keep on beating yourself up. And that’s not the point. You missed all the points. The point is, when you realize you have the problem you immediately think person you care. The person you love, is that person, he or she, is she or is she different than me? And you’ll find same pain with almost everybody with the same condition.

[0:50:58.8] So when you find that, and are you going to walk away? They’re in suffering but I can’t, I can’t pay my attention, I have to go and get self. Yeah, you could, but that’s not the way. The way is, way to yourself to get liberated is helping others. Looking at them, how can I help? If you want think, should I help? That’s fine, think. Give me one solid reason you should not help. You won’t have it. You won’t have it. Unless it is ego-oriented, selfish-oriented or something, otherwise you do not have a good solid reason why should not care. Why I should not care? You don’t have any reason. You won’t. So you have to care. When you care, that mind of caring mind will begin to open your compassion. It will begin to open your love. And that love and compassion based commitment by yourself is the way how you are developing yourself. I was talking with Philip Glass yesterday, day before yesterday. He went and visited this ailing Rimpoche from Tibet who’s dying in Los Angeles. Cedars Sinai hospital there. Actually Jewel Heart is being responsible for everything, from brought from Tibet and giving, getting treatment and he’s one of those top Tibetologists, Tibetan Tibetologist. Greatest scholar, greatest living spiritual teacher over there, almost, in central Tibet. And Chinese made him number two everything because number one must be (?) Chinese [0:53:46.4]. Art expert number two. Buddhist expert number two. Poet number two. Astrology number two. Everything is number two guy because number one must be Han (?) [0:54:03.5] Chinese. So he got number two position for almost everything. And number of books that he had written even under the watchful fearful eye of communist Chinese on spiritual path history on poetry. Poetry, now the book is almost become a textbook for all the schools of Tibet. All the Universities picking up that as their textbook.

[0:54:34.2] So he’s in Los Angeles and he’s sick and so Philip- actually different people went every week. So Philip went last week and he went there and he said he, when he is going back to New York he called me from the plane he said, I went there and then I did my sadhanas, my practice, he said I realized one thing. I said what? What did you realize? He said, “I thought I’m doing my sadhana, my practice for him, but I realize I’m doing for me.” So that’s what it is. You’re doing for him, but you’re doing for you. So every love and compassion oriented action of helping others, though you think you may be doing for him or her, but actually you are doing for yourself as well as benefitting the other one. And that is how you go. When I say what can I do, what can I do? And that’s what you can do, that’s what you should do, and that’s where you should be committed, and then if you needed more tools on that then you can become a buddha. So that was basically we have covered for all this- how long it had been here? Not very long. How many period? Audience: (Inaudible) [0:56:15.7] Rimpoche: I think three different sessions, right? Yeah. Last two- is it four? Ok this is fourth one, fourth session. But that’s what we covered.

[0:56:30.6] So now, if you look at in here, whether you look it, or whether you don’t look it, if you think you have a organized method of traveling on your spiritual path. You have organization there. You know what follows what, so you have them functioned. So then you think about it, you review if you have a difficulties, call each other. And if they don’t know call in the office. There a number of people who are able to answer those. And call me and leave message. (laughs) And Kathy will call you back. So anyway. So that’s what I thought we have done and then did we leave a little bit in here? What we didn’t do the other day? Audience: The last verse of (Inaudible) [0:57:41.1] Rimpoche: Last verse on this. Well, one who trains, trains in this common Mahayana practice- oh I think I forgot one thing here. And empower me to pacify- what is it? Distorted mental wanderings and to dispel- Audience: Decipher. [0:58:18.2] Rimpoche: What does that mean? Audience: Figure out. Rimpoche: Figure out. To decipher the ultimate meaning of life that I may give birth within my mindstream to- what is it? And wisdom. So now what is telling you is even you have that desire and generosity and all this are not enough. You have to have a very strong concentration. We’ve been talking that all day. If you cannot concentrate you cannot achieve anything. Concentration is not only for spiritual practice, concentration is also commonly true to any job that what you do. Right? If you’re talking to dialogue to one to one basis if you’re not concentrating it goes haywire. And if you’re working something, if you’re artist and you try to do draw art, if you’re not concentrate what you’re going to get it? And so the spiritual path is even more difficult than that, you need tremendous you have to put tremendous efforts to gain concentration. And if you have- after that if you gain concentration and you have concentration powers it’s not enough, you need wisdom. You need wisdom. Without wisdom it is absolutely impossible to function. That’s why we have idiot compassion. Idiot compassion.

[1:00:09.4] All of those, idiot generosity, idiot morality, idiot patience, all of those is lack of wisdom. Right? So wisdom is absolutely necessary. Concentration and wisdom is the tool, the best tool for you, the best tool to function. Otherwise you become idiot compassionate and idiot, everything is idiot. Whatever you do because you don’t know whether that’s going to help you help others, you don’t know. Right? Generosity is great, but we cannot go on giving an addicted person the money all the time. Right? Drug addicted person, you cannot. If you do so, it’s not going to be helping him, it’s going to be harming him. That is the wisdom that will make that decision. I must share with you a story, very good example of idiot compassion. I was in Holland. When was that? This time when I went to Holland. In May I went to Holland in Jewel Heart Holland and spent what, a week, ten days. And one day we’re driving around and there was a gentleman not going to name but he comes here too. So I’m not going to name the gentleman passed through a certain strange area in Nijmegen. It’s near the Utrecht. So we passed through that and he- it’s a little strange area. And I said this is a little strange area and he said, “Well I had interesting experience here.” I said what? He said there’s one woman in Jewel Heart in Holland who’s losing sight. She- I don’t think she can see anymore. So he said three or four years ago she’s losing sight getting worse and worse and he said he went to see and visit her and then she decided to cook, and she told him to read certain books and all this. Certain dharma books and all of that. So he did all of those and by the time he realized he has to leave he said it’s almost two in the morning. Now suddenly he’s passing through that he said there is a woman standing in the middle of the road, he says it’s a pouring rain, pouring and she is completely soaked and terrible. So standing in the middle of the road. So he thought she needed a lift. And he should give her a lift somewhere. So he stopped car. He said the moment he stopped car he said she jumped from the side door and pulled his key out of the car. And then he says, what are you doing? What are you doing? And anyway whatever it is, and she will not let him go unless he gives her a fifty dollars. And he is a such a stubborn person he says under this circumstance I will not give you a penny. And then he says she throw herself in the middle of the road and screamed and by that time he says two big guys came behind and beat him up. And say either you want to give fifty dollars or you want more? And he said no more. He said I don’t want to give you fifty dollars at all.

[1:04:41.2] That’s fifty gildens. Not fifty dollars, fifty gilden. That about twenty-five dollars. He never give. He did not give at all, and they couldn’t take away from him either. And so he got a good bad beating there and finally he went to the police and the police said, ok. So that is an example of idiot compassion. You cannot judge, you have a discriminating mind so if you don’t have that, then you have idiot compassion. So wisdom is important. Wisdom protects you from that. You understand? Good. So then what is left here? Okay what happened here… So since this is up to here is Mahayana. Is it Mahayana enough? It’s very good thing, no doubt, but it’s not enough. Not enough why? I’ll tell you why. We are a such fortunate and lucky people. Lucky people. Think. Really think hard. You may not realize this. We are extremely fortunate. Even Buddha appears and Buddha comes and Buddha goes, and another Buddha comes and goes and all this. Supposed to be doing one thousand times during this aeon. Don’t tell me count the aeon. You have to count long up and shorter down and there’s a zigzag eighteen and all this and that’s how they count the years of aeons. So anyway, so within the aeon there’s supposed to be a thousand buddhas appear. Among the thousand buddhas noticeably who carries the Vajrayana path is only for the buddha, the Buddha Shakyamuni. And we are happens to be in life with connected with the dharma in this very fortunate period. What does Vajrayana do? Vajrayana gives you the possibility all your spiritual needs to be completed within the lifetime. Don’t have to wait till you die. Within the lifetime. And that is Vajrayana. So the Vajrayana is important, wonderful, dangerous. Dangerous, if they throw you off you fall into lower realms. Even you fall in lower realms, it is worth to be able to connect with Vajrayana so you can come back quickly. Bounce back almost immediately. Able to complete. This is the Vajrayana quality.

[1:08:24.6] So Vajrayana is something extraordinary that’s why it’s called diamond-yana, or Vajra-yana , or indestructible path, or sort of giving, sort of like, I’m glad they didn’t call it thunderbird or something. But actually it is something like that. And then Ford will take it. Is it Ford or GM? Ford, right? (laughs) I’m glad they didn’t call it Thunderbird or else Ford gets. We won’t get it. So that’s why Vajrayana is important. All this whatever we’ve been talking lamrim everything is the ngondro, or the preliminary for Vajrayana to be able to. Because Tibetan Buddhism is the Buddhism carries the Vajrayana. Vajrayana is not in the tradition of Sri Lanka, it has in Thailand before but it is no longer in practice, it’s not in Burma, not in Ceylon, not in the Cambodia or Laotian or it’s only left in the northern province of Tibet and China, Ladakh, and Mongolia and all this area. A Japanese has some Vajrayana Buddhism. Chinese had Vajrayana Buddhism. So that is very, very important because if you look in any Buddhist tradition, nobody will talk to you, you’ll be able to complete your spiritual journey within the lifetime, nobody. If you look Theravadan level they will simply introduce you, your ultimate goal will be liberation only. If you look in the Mahayana they will introduce you to be able to become a Buddha, the goal is. And if you look into the Vajrayana to be able to become buddha within your lifetime so this extraordinary important. But Vajrayana without preliminary of this is no good. No good. With this Vajrayana works. So it is also important to get yourself when you’re ready introduce by an appropriate Vajra master to a Vajra mandala. And follow, keep your commitments. When you say commitment I don’t mean sadhanas, I keep your vows intact. That is your morality. When I’m talking about morality keeping your vows together it’s your morality.

[1:11:47.5] These days there’s a lot of discussions going on in the internet I was told whether it is right or wrong in Buddhist point the sexual orientations. So as far as this fellow, as far as this particular person is concerned keeping your commitment, keeping your vows are your morality. Whatever your sexual orientation is, it really doesn’t matter. Whatever you do, it doesn’t matter. Traditionally if you’re a monk and then you have a lot of rules, the labels will change. That is applicable to the monks and the nuns. And so otherwise your ethics, your morality is to keeping your vows and commitments. If you have taken vows that you will be what you call it- I forgot the name. Audience: Celibate? [1:13:17.1] Rimpoche: No. I’m thinking monogamous. If you have that vow and if you cheat you’re breaking your vow. If you don’t have monogamous vow and if you have a open whatever call it, then, then you don’t you’re not breaking your vow. And if you have a vow taken that you will be what you call it, man and woman together? If you have commitment being heterosexual and if you try to be out for homosexual then you’re breaking your vow. But that’s what I mean. That’s how you look. And if you have taken vow to be a homosexual if you try to be heterosexual then you’re breaking vow, too. (laughs)

[1:14:22.0] So that’s how you have to look- that’s how I look, I’m sorry, Whether you look that way or not, different. And especially I can’t say much because His Holiness The Dalai Lama is giving a long press interview in San Francisco and that’s why after that there’s a lot of discussion going on that. But that is probably His thinking I hope I’m trying to interpret, His thinking of the lot of monks and nun. Then you may think the monks and nuns are the celibate, how can they have sexual things? Which is also true. But you know they have like two hundred and fifty three different commitments, even sutrayana alone so not thinking of bodhisattva vows, not thinking of Vajrayana vows and that different levels are there so when they explaining those levels and there’s a sexual activities detailing explained. So anyway the perfect morality here will be having perfect commitment kept. Good ones. Being good person. Be honest person. Be wonderful being as we are. And try to maintain that. Try to make yourself in future great one. Your future is in your own hand. That has been your ethics, your morality. Well, on top of that, you should be very compassionate and kindness. If you cannot be very compassionate and pure loving oriented person at least you should care. And if you cannot care, don’t harm anybody. You have no right to harm anybody. Even a cockroach. Don’t harm. Send them away, don’t keep them in. Sometimes you can’t help it. Sometimes you can’t help it. I got ants in my basement and I had the Orkin people to come because you can’t live with ants, red ants. So that’s you can’t help it.

[1:16:58.3] I know it’s bad for the ant, I know it’s bad for me, it is chemical, it is bad for everybody, however you can’t help it sometimes. From the negative point of view, all those negativities you can purify. Purification is another important point. So that’s how I’ll suggest you try to lead your life and think about it. Then you are true Buddhist, whether you are whatever you may be, whether you’re Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, whatever you might be you’re a true Buddhist. You are on the true spiritual path. I guess I’m going to conclude here because then the last one is dedication. We dedicate all great beings including ourself and every practitioners, everybody who wants help themselves have a long life, opportunity, everything. If you’re not helping, harming yourself and harming everybody else. and then the long life’s not necessary. (laughs) You’re better off. With a shorter life. But if you’re- since we are not, since we’re all of us are kind person, compassionate one, we wanted help so need a long life and dedicate for longevity. And dedicate longevity of remaining this method effectively in life, in life. This is a difference. Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism is living Buddhism. It’s not a separate from you. It’s in life. It’s living Buddhism. It will remain in life for generations and generations for their benefit. And ultimately we all dedicate this, every one of us, to become enlightened together like Milarepa says the person who’s meditating up on the mountain and the people who are benefitting him through growing food in the field, et cetera, we all have a great hope and prayer and omens to be able to enlightened together.

[1:19:47.5] So that is the dedication. So then I’d also like to thank you for Nick arranging this every time, every time here. And then I’d like to thank you all of you, if you don’t come then I cannot shout in here. And everybody else. Everybody else, you’ve been working all the time bringing sound and Bud Miller coordinating everything, and even those people who sit behind the table over there and carrying up and down, giving life for different people and each and every one of you I’d like to thank you. And we will not meet next Thursday and so then we will be after the summer retreat. Meeting will be after summer retreat right? You have something to say? (Kathy makes announcements) Rimpoche: Thank you. Those who are coming to retreat we’ll see you there. Thank you.