Archive Result

Standaard;

Soundfile 19981022GRNY

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location

Topic Mantras

Transcriber Constantijn Koopman

Date August 21, 2022

[recording starts in the middle of a sentence]

Rimpoche: Fooderhood???, like a plum or something. Very much overriped. And if you press any corner, it is really to burst. You know what I am talking about it? When the fruit is too much overriped and it’’s almost getting rotten, and if you touch anywhere, the skin is going to burst it. Right? And we are almost in that manner. That’’s what we are in the condition with our delusions today. And Buddha, I can’’t say even worse than that, but nothing better before. The same condition where we are today, and even worse to some people. And that level, and he has worked and he managed, or he gained victory over those gross delusions. That is very gross delusions, strong, heavy anger, mind that you cannot let it go; you have to catch either this way or that way, because beginning to pick up some kind of hatred and jealousy and everything, everything. So, very gross level, and Buddha been able to manage that or have victory over that gross delusions, or conquered those gross delusions. So, that’’s the first muni comes on that level. Are you with me?

Okay, that’’s when you say OM, we are talked to three letters and body, mind and speech, and birth, death and bardo, and everything. Remember? And then, now saying muni, during that period of life, during that period of death, during that period of bardo, one who really managed those gross delusions –– we are talking about. Gross anger, gross attachment, gross this, gross that. The first muni is the really gross level we are talking about it. You understand me? Muni.

Now comes the second muni. The second muni repeats again, second muni. Muni, muni, right? The second muni now it’’s not only the gross level keeping managed and conquered, or he had a victory over that, but also the subtle level. Subtle delusions: and he had managed even the subtle delusions, and he had managed the subtle attachment, subtle all this. So, muni, muni. 0:03:19.4 Is it easy to handle? The gross delusion for us is very difficulty. But when you are getting, when you are dealing with it, it is the subtle delusions are more difficult to handle than the gross delusions. We know that. That is the reason, when we think, we thought we managed our anger, and suddenly you notice it popped up again, and it is still there. You don’’t know where it’’s coming from, it suddenly pops up, and it is there. It is disturbing ourselves. We see that. And that shows the subtle delusions not gone out of our system.

So, a number of people tells me, ““I have been managing very well. But suddenly, I can no longer handle it. I notice it is as large as alive over there, again popped up.”” That because there is subtle delusion still remained. So, subtle delusion really is like a seed. And it make it possible, even you cut down the gross delusions, it comes back. It pops up because sort of seeds is over there and easy to get collected and raised. And that’’s what the subtle delusions do. So, when you’’re not saying only one muni, but you’’re saying the second muni, you’’re talking Buddha not only managed the gross delusions, but also managed subtle delusions. Okay?

Now let me talk you a little bit more in the path level. Because when you talk about the five paths…… In Buddhism, normally you talk/take??? about five paths. Whether it is Theravada level, or Mahayana level, whatever it may be, five paths. Always five. The path number one, whatever we call that, whenever we get there, that’’s called ““path of accumulation.””

I think somebody walked by. And if you can let the people in or whatever. Whatever they need some…… Path of accumulation. 0:06:00.4 ““Accumulation”” here, is the level where you have to…… it is the contemplating level. You have to work, you have to contemplate. And that level is called ““path of accumulation.”” What do you accumulate? You accumulate merit. Right? Am I right? Yeah. Accumulation is the…… we call tsoglam in Tibetan, right? So, tsoglam is actually…… what does tsoglam mean? It is the period where you are building tsog. That is the merit, where you’’re building merit.

There are two types of merit, relative and absolute. We call it sonam ga tsog da yi shi tsog???. So, relative is; normal level of, you know, people doing prostration or circumambulations or doing a good work or behaving a positive attitude, just try to bring a love-compassion-oriented action. And all of those are categorized as relative merit, not as absolute merit. Relative merit. And when you have an understanding of the nature of the reality, then it becomes absolute merit, Buddhist normally called ““emptiness.”” So, emptiness. And when you have understanding of that emptiness, every work that you do through compassion, love, good work, service, anything you can think…… meditation, all of them become absolute. Until that it becomes relative. Are you with me?

So that is called path of accumulation, because here you’’re accumulating. That’’s path number one. You have very strong delusions there, you’’re not even challenging the delusions. You’’re not even challenging…… you’’re indirectly challenging anger, you’’re indirectly challenging attachment. You’’re not directly challenging at all at that level. That is path number one.

And when you get into number two level it’’s called ““path of action.”” Actually, this will correspond at the beginning, when you say, ““Tayatha, gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi soha.”” There are five of them: gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi soha. That corresponds with these five paths. 0:09:06.1 So, first gate is the action level, sorry, accumulation level. That’’s where we are talking with the gross delusion. That is first muni level. Muni actually managed, we have not managed yet. So: gate, gate. The second gate is the action level. You begin to take some action, so you begin to challenge. The first one you keep on building the merit, second level you begin to take some action, begin to challenge with our delusions.

You know, like what we do: we straightaway would like to go and face our anger and our attachment, and try to fight with that. We do that, we love to do that, because as an American we like to do everything like boom-boom-boom-boom-boom, rather than go slow and do nicely. I mean, you do nicely, but you like to do boom-boom-boom, hit everything in one time. So, we do that. And then what we get? We get, you know, like burned-out, and we get a problem, we get a fall-back and you’’re disappointed, and all of those. Because we took…… I mean, actually we bit something which we cannot not chew. And that’’s the problem, that what you do. You have to throw it out. So, that’’s the problem.

What the Buddha really does, or taught us, is: first, build up your merit. Even your daily prayers or whatever it is or even meditation, just keep on doing it. Keep on doing it, building it up. Normally, in your daily life, what they suggest you is: do not try to challenge your delusions straightaway. Do, say your sadhanas or do your mantras or do your meditations or whatever you do, keep on collecting it. And keep on building it up. You know, it doesn’’t look like you’’re doing anything, looks like you just read a piece of paper that you read every day. Or do something which you sit every day and meditated. And doesn’’t look like you’’re taking so much action. But whatever you’’re doing is actually you’’re building a tremendous force within you. So that when you have a strong force, you can challenge those delusions that you have to challenge. When you don’’t have the force, if you try to challenge…… you know, it’’s like some young little kid trying to challenge a mucktassin??? or something. And if you hit once, you’’re going to loose, right? 0:12:00.6 So, not to have that, not to have that. And that’’s why you just say your prayers and do your regular meditations. And doesn’’t matter, doesn’’t deal with those delusions too much. It is the time you build up yourself, building up your strength. It’’s almost like those boxers, they keep on training. They run around and then beat that little thing, whatever that black thing is. You know? Ah???

Audience: Punching back

Rimpoche: Oh, punching back. There you go. [laughs] And all of those. And you keep on training. Nobody is going to punch you back, but if you’’re not careful they hit you. But somebody is holding it; you keep punching it back. And all of this. A time of things you’’re training yourself. Right? And this is the same thing, and so that’’s why you do your daily meditations, daily prayers, and seven-limb we do every day you come here. Or maybe some of you doing it in your own places. And all of them is actually building a strength within yourself. So, you’’re really accumulating level. You’’re accumulating the strength. So, directly you have to say merit this and that. Maybe you say luck and all this. But really, what you’’re building is you’’re building your strength. Once you have the your strength enough, then you begin to take action. Then, you begin to challenge. If you challenge too early, then people loose. You get a set-back or people say, ““I’’ve been burned-out.”” Or, ““I’’m fed up.”” You know, all those familiar words we know. Right? So, all of those because we could not really…… we don’’t have force to challenge the delusions. Truly speaking. We don’’t have force to challenge anger, we don’’t have force to challenge the attachment, we don’’t have force to challenge the jealousy. When the jealousy, anger, attachment are asleep, we try to do our best. We think we’’re doing fine. When they woke up, you realize???, ““Oh, my God! I though I managed but it’’s come back.”” And you get disappointed. That because run out of??? force.

Maybe, it is an American way. We just really go ahead and straightway doing, whether you have the capability or not. Maybe. But not bad! And then, even you do it find…… some will find mean???, try to manage that they do not knock you out completely. 0:15:06.4 Somehow, you get a few hits here and there, but you’’re turning your cheek round right and left, and try to do and manage. That’’s what we do. As a matter of fact, that is all practice is about it. Practice is not really necessarily saying mantras or reading your sadhanas. The practice actually is actually practicing, training yourself how to handle. It is training.

Right? You’’re with me?

Okay, so that’’s the first muni level or first gate level. And then, the second gate level is still at the first muni level. You begin to deal with it. You begin to deal with it; begin to deal with it. Basically, second level is…… One thing I don’’t want to talk to you is three of these and four of these, and three of these and that. That gets people get completely confused and worried. But still, sometimes you can’’t help it. Sort of, even at the action level you have like four different stages. Four different stages. It is so interesting! If you look, the metaphor they use for this is very interesting. It is like an old fashion; very very old-fashioned. Very very old-fashioned where you try to catch fire out of wood, when you don’’t have match log. You know, match log thing. Even before that. So, period before that, what they really do is they rub the wood together; and keep on rubbing the wood together, and then pick up heat. When you keep on rubbbing two woods together, it will pick up some heat. So number one stage is also called ““heat”” in that action level because it is like rubbing the wood. So it is beginning of saying, ““Hey, anger is no good; it doesn’’t do any good for me at all. It may hit me, but I don’’t like it.””

0:18:00.

So that is the heat level. And when you pick up the heat, and it becomes more hard. Then you’’re getting on the top. So the second level is called ““top”” or ““peak.”” That may be Tibetan like mountain peaks. So maybe, they want to say ““peak.”” So you’’re gradually getting a top level. And when you get a top level means: you’’ve been able to manage. You see the anger there. Yeah, you know it’’s not good. It’’s there, it’’s challenging you, it’’s plighting fighting/plighting??? with you, it’’s pushing back and forth, but still it’’s there. But yet, you’’re not lost. You’’re still there, but you have a little upper hand. So, you call it ““peak,”” you know. You might not even went to the peak level, but it’’s called ““peak.””

So, you really have,a little upper hand. Then, how to maintain the upperhandness over the delusions? Then it becomes the third level; it is called ““patience.”” Right? Every delusions will lose because we have patience. The laziness will help us to lose but patience help us protect. So, you really have wait and be patient till the cows come home. [laughs] You may ask, ““How long do I have to wait?”” We have to wait till the cows come home. Okay? Don’’t tell me a cow never comes home, they do come sometimes.

Really true. When you look at the patience, the patience has to go tell the cows come home. And that sort of patience. So, that sort of patience will help you maintain the upper hand. We’’re still talking the second path level. Right? ““Gate, gate,”” second gate. Within the muni it is within the first muni. Gate, gate, second gate, but within the first muni. Okay? I’’m talking two mantras together, don’’t confuse. 0:21:04.5 If you’’re confused... I’’m sure you’’re confused because way I said it, you know, is not very good. I’’m talking about these two mantras at the beginning, ““gate, gate, paragate……,””and ““muni muni……”” together So, the first muni: gate gate both together I’’m talking here. Okay?

So way and how you maintain the upper hand over the delusions is really the patience. So, at that level it is labeled as ““patient.”” I said, there is four stages. That stage is labeled as ““patient.”” So, Buddha goes on and said, ““There is no such difficult word like that of patience.”” If you have to be patient, it is such a difficulty. It’’s not your fault, everybody has such a tremendous difficulty. Buddha goes on and says, ““There is no negativity heavy like anger, but there is no such difficult work like that of patience. Patience is very difficult to achieve. But patience give you an upper hand over the delusions.

This is, we’’re talking the delusions. But on anything, anything you’’re dealing with your life, whether it is a political matter or economic planning, or whatever it may be, patience will make you perfect.

Don’’t they say that? ““Practice make you perfect.”” What does patience do? Help you to retain??? the practice. Right? So, that’’s what it is. If you look in the spiritual point of view, it gives you strength for your spiritual practice; but if you look in the material point of view, patience make you success. That’’s it. If you don’’t have patience, and then you can’’t do much. If you’’re lucky and if you’’re really some sort of miracle thing happened, things may happen boom-boom-boom. But the chances are not luckily. And then, if you loose patience, it becomes end of it. That level is called ““patient level.””0:24:03.8 Still, at the second muni……. Oh sorry, first muni and second gate... There you go, I’’m confused myself. So, what is it now?

After that a fourth stage: cho tsam na chopa cho tsog???. The fourth one is called ““best of Dharma.”” The best. Not the Best Western Hotel, but the best [laughs]. Okay. The best of Dharma. So, the best of Dharma is the consequences of patience. So, not only you’’re be able to maintain upper hand over your gross delusions, but you’’re the best. And that’’s why it is called the best of Dharma. And that also the consequences of patience. When you care, maintain patience, you get there: best of Dharma. Still, at the second gate and the first muni.

After that, you transfer from the label ““Path number 2”” to ““path number 3.”” And that’’s called ““seeing path.”” Seeing, you see it. So, what do you see? I saw you, you see me, the see/sea???. You understand now? Oh, good. ““Path,”” we’’re talking about path, like a passage through the mountains or, you know. That’’s my fault. It’’s my...

Audience: [inaudible]

Rimpoche: Okay, you can blame yourself and I can blame myself. [laughter]

So, what do you really see at that level? And you really have not only an upper hand on the gross delusion but the source of the delusion that is the ignorance. So, you are really cutting down the ignorance, and you begin to see the total reality. That is Buddhist call it ““emptiness.”” You begin to see emptiness, so it’’s called path of seeing. 0:27:08.4 Now, you have a completely overpowered the gross delusion, so you have a victory over the gross delusion. So, you have muni over there; that’’s the muni. Muni. You really gain power and control over the gross delusion. So, first muni really materialized here. Okay?

So, once you see the path, what do you have to do? You have to meditate on the path. So path of seeing you move to the ““path of meditation.”” That is the fourth one, fourth level. So, you have to meditate. It’’s called ““path of meditation.”” Meditate is nothing else than that of actually training yourself again. The meditation, really, is a training: training how you can focus, training how you can think, training how you can analyze. Meditation is not only a concentration. The concentrated meditation is called shamatha of zhine in Tibetan. Shamatha in Sanskrit, which is really focusing. That’’s one half of the meditation. That doesn’’t complete whole meditation. It is meditation, but it is the one half. Right? You say ““one half?”” You just say ““half.”” Okay, half of it. It is meditation but to able to manage our negative emotions, this is half. Half. Shamatha or focusing or concentrating is only half because, what we’’re trying to do is a direct power of the negativities to reduce. It is half because this has no capacity to eradicate the negative emotions at all. That’’s why it’’s half. 0:30:03.6 So, the purpose of the shamatha or focus meditation is reducing the power of the negative emotions. In other words, you try not to entertain those negative emotions.

You try to focus on something else, on whatever it might be. Truly speaking, if you’’re learning how to meditate, it is actually how to focus. In order to focus you have to get a point on what you’’re going to focus. That point can be anything. Earlier Tibetan teachers, not only the Kadampa lamas but way before, way before, like Marpa and Mila and all that period, and they used to say, ““From the yak’’s horn to cow dung, on whatever you may focus, that is fine.”” It is learning how to focus. That’’s not a recommended point. Recommended point they will say, ““Meditate on Buddha image,”” or ““Meditate on your mind,”” or ““Meditate on your parts of body.”” Or whatever. They may tell you. But what you can do, given asked questions???, they use a lot of questions. Saying, ““On what can you meditate, on what you cannot meditate?”” And they said, ““From the cow’’s dung to yak’’s horn, you can do anything you want on that.”” That is basically training how to focus, so you can focus on anything. Anything. So, that’’s the reason why it is a training how to focus. And that will reduce your gross delusional power because you’’re not letting your mind occupy by those delusional thoughts. And that’’s why you’’re reducing the delusional power. Very simple, straightforward.

Some people spend years and years together just sitting and focusing on whatever: empty or blank mind or thinking nothing. But whatever it may be, as long as it is not strange things…… 0:33:06.2 You know, I mean, it can be very strange things, can help to grow more attachment. And then it may not be right. Otherwise, anything. If you keep on thinking a pebble, you know, like little stone: pebble. If you keep on focusing on pebble and if you train yourself think nothing but the pebble, and it cuts down your anger, it cuts down your power of anger, and it cuts down your power of attachment. That’’s no question, because you’’re not letting your mind to entertain the attachment or anger. Does that make sense to you? So, when you train your mind focusing on nothing or focusing on your mind or focusing on anything, and it reduces delusional power sure, because you simply do not let your mind entertain. That does not eradicate your delusions at all. It reduces power; whenever conditions rise, it pops up again.

So, when you say MUNI, it gives you another message. Now, this is going to be Buddhist propaganda, okay, if you don’’t mind. Because I have to deal with the…… you know, the traditional Buddhism is as the traditional, so thing in India. So Buddhist versus non-Buddhist in India. So, this level, what does it tell you? The difference with the Buddha’’s path and the other paths: the other paths will cut down your negative…… the delusional power does not eradicate. So, they give you example: you keep on meditating and you’’re reducing all the delusional power, completely reduced, and you sat so long so that your hair is grown and it has started touching the ground. Right? So, you don’’t have any anger or any attachment, and you think it’’s wonderful peace and harmony. 0:36:02.7. Suddenly, you find a rat or mice…… We don’’t like rat, you know. Mice comes up and chewing your hair. You see the rat is chewing your hair there, and suddenly you get disturbed. And suddenly, you get disturbed, you get upset. And with that upset, suddenly pops up after so many years, and you will smash that mice. Okay?

So what happens? You have a fall-back. So, Buddha says Buddha’’s experience has no fall-back. Are you with me? There’’s no fall-back. These negative emotional things, not only they reduced their power, but they eradicate. And that’’s why there is no fall-back. And what makes different here is now here: Buddha does not recommend you to sit and sit and sit. They introduce you now…… Once you gain power to focus your mind, then they introduce you to analyzing. Analytical meditation they introduce you.

CHO CHE TEN PEI CHIN DU SAM ME MU SHE MA TOG DEN…….

So, the analytical meditation: analyzing each and every delusion; and analyzing the root of delusions; analyzing the antidote of the root of the delusions; finding yourself what the nature of reality really is. And that eradicates even the subtle delusions. That’’s why MUNI, MUNI, the second MUNI; PARAGATE and path of seeing. That’’s how it works: MUNI, MUNI. Are you with me?

Audience 1: Is the second muni the path of seeing after path of meditation?

Rimpoche: No. Path of meditation transferred you to the path of seeing. Path of meditation is ranging you to move from the one muni to second muni. 0:39:09.3 Path of seeing level, where you’’re not only…… I’’m sorry, I’’m getting mixed-up; truly getting mixed-up. The subtle delusions are path of meditation will/which??? leads you to the eradication of the subtle delusions completely, which is actually ““no more learning.”” In the case of PARAGATE level. Okay. So, there is subtle delusions completely removed, so it is impossible to come back. And there is no…… actually, you’’re freed from the total negative emotions; this is the level of the freedom really you have maintained. And in Theravada level they call this arhat level. In the Mahayana it doesn’’t call arhat level, in Theravada it is arhat level. Arhat means ““no more learning.”” So, you don’’t have to learn anymore, you knew it exactly how you have to free yourself. No more learning, free of subtle delusions: MUNI, MUNI.

Now the third one, MAHAMUNI is not only the subtle delusions but imprint of the subtle delusions. Imprint You know what imprint is? The example given in traditional Tibetan teaching is garlic and garlic smell. You know, if you have a utensil where you’’re smashing garlic, or you’’re cutting garlic and chopping garlic, and you remove the garlic, it looks like…… You remove the garlic, but the smell still remains. Even the garlic is gone, smell still remains. So, the gross delusions gone and the subtle delusions also gone, but smell is still there. So, this is against the Buddha. To become a Buddha, to become fully enlightened, is the smell part of it. That is what you call it imprint of those negative emotions, imprint of negative emotions. At Buddha level you have even totally freed yourself, even the imprint is no longer there. So MUNI MUNI MAHAMUNIYE. 0:42:05.9 Are you with me?

Audience: [inaudible]

Rimpoche: MAHA is big MUNI, big victory. Over what? Imprint of that delusion, imprint of subtle delusion. That is the garlic smell. Okay? MAHAMUNIYE SOHA. Some people will say Shakyamuni, that doesn’’t matter. A lot of people say, a lot of people don’’t say. And according to the proper explanation it’’s not there. But some lamas like to say it. They’’re not wrong, and they may have extra explanation to do on that. According to this, but I don’’t. So, I don’’t say... ““MUNI MUNI MAHAMINIYE SOHA.”” I don’’t say, ““MAHAMUNI MUNI MUNI MAHAMUNI, SHAKYAMUNIYE SOHA.”” I don’’t say because there’’s no additional explanation you don’’t have. ““Shakyamuni”” is because Buddha belongs to the Shakya cast. So, ““Shakyathubpa”” according to Tibetans, so they adds up. And the cast here has nothing to do here MUNI MUNI business. So, but still some people like to add it. That’’s their choice, I have no criticism against that. But according this explanation, according to the cutting down the delusion, it doesn’’t work if you add up Shakyamuni there. But then, that’’s that.

So, SOHA now. The word SOHA. SOHA you see everywhere. A lot of mantras are ended with the SOHA, and a lot of mantras are beginning with the OM. And a lot of people will say OM is universal sound and the beginning of the mantra. And a lot of people will say SOHA is universal conclusion and end up mantra. But basically SOHA is, what they really saying is, ““Lay the foundation. Put down the foundation.”” So, what you are talking here now is OM: body, mind, speech of the Buddha who managed gross delusion, subtle delusion and imprint of delusions, lay the foundation of your gain??? in my body, mind and speech. So MUNI, MUNI, MAHAMUNIYE SOHA. 0:45:00.0 Lay the foundation of your body, your mind and your speech in me; in my body, my mind, my speech. So OM works in both level: me as a practitioner and Buddha as object of refuge. So, meaning body, mind, speech of my body, mind, speech may have the foundation of Buddha’’s body, mind and speech. That is SOHA is.

So even in the Hindu tradition we go, and all the Hindu somis??? will say, OM blah, blah, blah, SOHA; OM, blah, blah, blah, SOHA. All this. If you watch the Indian sadhus, and...

[0:45:48.1 : cut in the recording, no sound for 11 seconds]

……what! So, immediately refers to the OM. The A-O-M mark: combination of body, mind, speech of object of refuge to lay on the basis of my base. That is my body, my mind my speech; or my birth, my death and my bardo. As A-O-M combined together becomes OM. So, when you say OM MUNI MUNI MAHAMUNIYE SOHA, actually what you are saying: a total practice of Buddhism. Buddha’’s experience, based on which how he had handled gross delusion, how he had handled subtle delusion, how he managed to get rid of even the imprint of the delusion. And that’’s what we’’re referring. And that’’s why, if you know this and if you understand that and if you can think that, any single mantra is been so powerful. That is: with the knowledge, with the understanding, with the good motivation. And when you say it, it works. Otherwise [chants in an uninspired way] OM MUNI, MUNI, MAHAMUNIYE SOHA, OM MUNI, MUNI, MAHAMUNIYE SOHA, it doesn’’t do very good.

Truly speaking that’’s what it is. So, the mantras are so important because it is so profound; so profound it deals from the beginning to the end of how we manage our life. From this ordinary full of attachment and anger to totally free of attachment and anger, even imprints. And that’’s why it is so profound. 0:48:05.9 Only what you have is three words. Or maybe more: OM MUNI MUNI MAHAMUNIYE SOHA. Four, five, six words, anyway. And that’’s why the mantra’’s become so profound because it has such a deep meaning. And it has not only meaning as a presentation but meaning as experience of Buddha that expressed in the form of sound, in the form of short sound. In the form of short sound that we can repeat, and we can meditate and we can focus. And we can make our body, mind and speech work together towards cutting down, the eradication of all our negative emotions. And that’’s why it is important, and that’’s why it is profound. And that’’s why it is secret. And that’’s why it is secret. Are you with me?

Well, this is not vajrayana, but more than vajrayana. Because it is mantra, mantra of the essence of the vajrayana anyway. What does vajrayana do? Deals with our life, death, and bardo. That is vajrayana is all about it. What does mantra do? Deals with our life, death and bardo. And deals with our path. Deals with how we can handle the negative emotions. How we can bring the power of the enlightened beings through a sound work within us. And that’’s why mantras are important. Whether you chant or you don’’t chant, keep on saying OM MUNI MUNI MAHAMUNIYE SOHA, whatever you do. That’’s what they do. So, MUNI MUNI MUNI MAHAMUNIYE SOHA.

I forgot the GATE GATE up there. So anyway, GATE GATE PARAGATE level, because GATE GATE slightly different than MUNI MUNI. The difference is only the last level. The MUNI MUNI is dealing with enlightenment level, GATE GATE deals only with only five paths. So, path of seeing, path of meditation and no more learning. 0:51:01.5 BODHIYE SOHA is the no more learning. PARAMSAMGATE is meditation, PARAGATE is seeing. Then, the second GATE is path of action, and the first GATE is path of accumulation. So, the MUNI, MUNI level, MAHAMUNI is gone beyond BODHIYE SOHA. Going beyond that, that is, imprint of the delusions. For the difference between the Theravada arhat and the Mahayana arhat, which is Buddha, is the imprint of the delusions, whether you have eradicate or not. That’’s where they draw the line difference.

So, the Theravada level, the total enlightenment is the arhat level, which is we call it nirvana. So, when you go into the Mahayana, they will say, ““Nirvana is boring. So, don’’t stuck there, is boring. So, get out of it. Have a lot of action. Have compassion, have greater compassion and have more action.”” And that is where that level of the differences between Hinayana and Mahayana is drawn on that. It does not draw on simple compassion, it’’s drawn on greater compassion. It’’s definitely not drawn on wisdom because both have the same wisdom. But commitment: bodhisattvas and Mahayana have a total commitment to all sentient beings without exception. Bodhisattvas don’’t say, ““I have compassion to all beings except me.”” They don’’t say that, though a lot of people like to say they are selfishless person, so they’’re totally dedicated, they ignore themselves. Excuse me, they don’’t!

Bodhimind itself is two-pronged. One mind is totally dedicating for the service of others, and the other prong is totally oneself would like to become a buddha. It is a desire-commitment both together. Desire: one would like to become a buddha; and commitment that you’’re committed all your actions for benefit of others. 0:54:00.9 So, the bodhisattvas don’’t throw themselves out. What they don’’t say is, ““I would like everybody to become a buddha, except me.”” That’’s what they don’’t say. On the other hand, what they say is, ““I would like to become a buddha for sake of everybody else.”” So, that means they are electing themselves. They are nominating themselves to be the representative of all sentient beings. So, bodhisattvas are taking the place of tomato??? [laughter]

Audience 1: Tomato?

Rimpoche: Tomato, Not tomatto???. You know what I thought? I thought that is a tomato, the other is shoe. So, normally shoes will hit the tomato, smash the tomato. [laughs] I’’m joking, sorry. You might well have gotten?? that I am going to hit OM MANI PEME HUM. Anyway, it’’s after nine. So, I was hoping I would be able to do the OM MANI PEME HUM today. But MUNI, MUNI took so long. Unnecessarily, I dragged down that GATE GATE too. But I did a GATE GATE explanation for, I think, it’’s a whole summer in Ann Arbor. Over here, you watched the videos didn’’t you?

Audience 2: There were six of us.

Rimpoche: Only six of you watched the video without heat in the building, right? And a call to Ann Arbor at the end of it. Did you get Michael today? No, you didn’’t get Michael. What happened? Fraught??? in work or this……?

Audience 3: No dial at home. [inaudible] Did it touch in?

Rimpoche: Does this one have right to??? ?

Audience 3: inaudible.

Rimpoche: Otherwise he may be waiting and couldn’’t get back. Yeah, you know? He may be sitting on the phone and...

Audience 3: [inaudible]

Rimpoche: This has dial to it, so maybe didn’’t plug properly.

Audience 3: Oh, that’’s my fault.

Rimpoche: [laughs]

Audience 3: On/with??? this phone, you mean???…… 0:57:00.0

Rimpoche: So, we probably have to give him a copy of that what tonight, whatever we talk. Copy of tape. So, that’’s what happens. So anyway…… Yeah, you go ahead and ask your question.

Audience 4: What about the fifth path?

Rimpoche: ““No more learning.”” ““No more learning”” in the Theravada level (you know, I’’m so bad habit of saying hinayana), Theravada level is arhat, or they call nirvana. They call nirvana. And ““no more learning”” in Mahayana is buddha level. That’’s the difference. Yes?

Audience 5: Isn’’t there a so-called YE before the SOHA? You know, MUNI MUNI MAHAMUNAYE SOHA.

Rimpoche: Yes, I think there is. I think it is some kind of semantic in the Sanskrit word, grammatical thing. It is to join them together or something.

Yes sir.

Audience 3: I was wondering of the path, you say the path of the arhat. Before that, they normally translate the path of learning.

Rimpoche: Path of meditation.

Audience 6: So, then it is: first we call that meditator or [inaudible] between a meditator and an arhat?

Rimpoche: They call it ““gomlampa”” in Tibetan. Gomlampa.

Audience 6: What’’s the difference?

Rimpoche: Yeah, it’’s different. ““Gom”” is meditation, ““lam”” is path, ““pa”” indicates the person, person who is meditating on the path; which is only the fourth level is called ““meditator””: ““gomlampa.”” And from meditating it becomes the path of no more learning. Is that okay? Thank you.

So any more questions? O yeah, go ahead.

Audience 7: Isn’’t SOHA also a Tibetan translation for SVAHA?

Rimpoche: What SVA?

Audience 7: S-V-A-H-A.

Rimpoche: I don’’t know. But that’’s supposed to be Sanskrit. The Tibetans don’’t pronounce Sanskrit…… no good. Really true, it’’s really terrible. According to the Sanskrit scholars the Tibetan Sanskrit is terrible. 1:00:03.1 Like ““vajra”” they say ““benza””. Or ““sattva”” they say ““sato.”” I mean, that’’s what according to the Sanskrit scholars, coding code???. But the traditional Tibetan teachers will say the Tibetan style is right. Not necessarily all mantras are Sanskrit. Certain mantras are Baul??? language. You know, there is a group of Indian sadhus called ““Baul saddhus.”” A lot of Kalachakra and Chakrasamvara things comes out of Baul. So, it is slightly different than even the Sankskrit, like even the mantra of Kalachakra. You say, SHIRE BENZA HERURUKAM HUM HUM PHAT DAKINI DZOLE SHAMBARAM SOHA. These are not Sanskrit, this is a totally different language.

So, the Tibetans say…… I mean, even before the Sanskrit scholars comes. I’’m talking about in late forties and early fifties, that I remember. Like Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, the senior tutor to His Holiness, is an expert on those. He is considered expert. And they call this ““Dah””???, it’’s called sound. It is not really the Sanskrit but it is sort of combination of Baul language, Sanskrit. There is a lot of local early ancient Indian dehlas???, and they all combined together and be able to read together in one language. And that’’s called ““Dah””. So, according to that ““Dah””, the way Tibetans read the mantra is correct, rather than today’’s Sanskrit scholars read it. And I don’’t want to pick up that argument because otherwise I will be fighting with all Sanskrit scholars and all Tibetologists who picked it up Sanskrit in the Western universities; and also even the Kashi pundits in Varanasi, where the Sanskrit, the scholars and Sankrit university. So, I don’’t want to pick up that fight, so I’’ll surrender here. But then, if you’’re really looking deeply, so it might not necessarily be ““benza”” is wrong against ““vajra””. You might not be able to say that completely. If you consider four different early Indian languages plus a lot of mantra local dialects coming, if you up pick them together ““benza”” may not be wrong against ““vajra.”” Might not even be the same. Might not even be the same at all. 1:03:12.2 When you explain ““benza””, and you have more explanation than that of ““vajra.”” So, who has the time and energy to argue with that? So might well as surrender, without no being deal anyway???.

Yes, Dimitri.

Audience 8: In the path of accumulation, you normally strong have to deal with confronting our delusions head on. Let’’s say something comes up, you feel very strong anger, jealousy or whatever it is –– attachment. You know you haven’’t yet cultivated enough the strength to really deal with it……

Rimpoche: Avoid! What to do? That’’s what it is, really, really! That’’s why Buddha’’s recommendation is avoid. And that’’s why they build so much root/rules??? with monks and nuns, they cannot look five feet this way, five feet that way, you have to go like an elephant and things like that. It’’s on that basis. Really true, yeah. So avoid. If you cannot handle the delusions, avoid. If you can handle it, enjoy it. [laughter] Really true. That’’s what it is.

Audience: How do you know you can handle it?

Rinpoche: That you know very easily: if you’’re not losing it, you’’re handling; if you lose it, you’’re not handling. That’’s what it is. It is simple. Dimitri was very much aware of that. But then, you know, sometimes the time make difference, sometimes the way you think make difference, sometimes the understanding will make difference. They will all add up and comes to help. And that’’s great. And so, you have to enjoy it.

Other questions? Yes!

Audience 10: If you have anger towards a person or situation, and you’’re unable to control your thoughts about it, you try for months and months and months, is it worse ?? to keep thinking those negative thoughts or to beg?? to just get it out and then something hear??? about it?

Rinpoche: Have a pillow fight. [laughter]

Audience 10: I don’’t know, there’’s gonna be feathers all over ???

Rinpoche: That’’s okay, not bad. You can begjum?? them.

Audience 11: Can you beg if you’’re anger? ??

Rinpoche: Well, first you have to begjum??? the feathers, and hopefully some anger picked it up with that. 1:06:06.6 Actually, I don’’t recommend at all suppressing anger, putting down; which is not very good because suppressing, pushing it down. Don’’t! Sometimes, it can create a lot of trouble. But don’’t punch anybody else. And don’’t use the sharpest weapon we have. You know what that is? The tongue is the sharpest weapon, which cut the heart of somebody into two pieces. It’’s called sharpest weapon. Don’’t use that too much. Don’’t punch anybody else, but don’’t hold it, don’’t suppress. That’’s why I said, ““Have a pillow fight.””

Anger is not dealt when you’’re angry. When your anger is very strong, where we have extremely angry, at that moment the recommendation is: divert attention. Because we are not strong enough, we don’’t have the path of accumulation built yet. So, for us is divert, right? Think something, go somewhere else.

Traditional teachers in Tibet, they will tell you, ““Go on top of the mountain and enjoy the view. Or go to the bank of river and enjoy the water. And go a beautiful landscape, enjoy the flowers.””That’’s what they tell you. And that is all mattered of divert your attention. That’’s what it is. And sometimes it is very nice…… Now pay attention to this: sometimes it is very nice to watch the sunset, when the sun goes down. 1:09:01.5 Stand up and maybe, you lean towards toe a little bit. Lift your heel up a little bit, and keep on watching the sun going down. And breathing out and letting all this anger that you’’ve been holding and all this things let them go down. Let them go out, and stand up breathing out. And that is actually…… It is one of the vajrayana practices, but it was shared very commonly. So, you can do that. You can do that, and letting it go. But you really have to have nice view, and stand up…… It doesn’’t matter if you are in the office somewhere in Manhattan or even your office is in battery palm??? or whatever, doesn’’t matter wherever it is. But if you see the sunset…… If you don’’t see it, you can’’t help it! [laughs] You can’’t do it, because you don’’t see it. So, watch the sunset and letting it go down and breathing out. And when you’’re breathing out or in, it is also recommended: do very gently. Don’’t do it hard, do a gentle breathing. Because some people will think, ““Oh, he said breathe out.”” So keep on breathe out until you fell down. Don’’t do that, okay? [laughs]

Audience 12: Rimpoche, did you say you have to stand on your toes?

Rimpoche: Yes, if you can’’t stand on toe, then put your heels down, but still go back.

Audience 12: Is it only for anger?

Rimpoche: Every delusion. It works better with anger. You can do with attachment, I don’’t know how it works. Hatred, it is actually very good for hatred. Jealousy as well. But then, don’’t think, when the sun rises tomorrow, the sun will not bring them back. [laughs]

Okay. Well, when there is no more questions…… And I’’m sorry I didn’’t do the OM MANI PEME HUNG today. So, that means next Thursday when I am here…… That will be, what day is it? Do somebody have a calendar?

Audience 13: November the 3rd.

Rimpoche 12:00.05 November the 3rd we will do OM MANI PEME HUNG. And OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA is going to be with the Tara workshop. That will be coming at Saturday, day after tomorrow. November 3rd is Tuesday, that means November 5th. Not number 3rd but number 5th.

O yeah, tomorrow…… So now, you know, we have been working here... We have this beautiful place here ,but it is officially not opened. So, we try to make this officially opened. This is emptiness, remember: the label. So, when there’’s emptiness you can do anything. And when there’’s no emptiness, you can do nothing because it is fixed. So, not officially opened, we’’re meeting here unofficially. [laughs] So, now we can call level it is going to open. So, three days, like tonight, and then tomorrow night we will be doing Lama Chopa tsoh offerings. And those of you who like to come, there will be simply reading and saying prayers and things like that. There’’s no teaching, no talk. But those of you who know what to meditate, will be great. But if you just like to come and join, you’’re welcome. Same time, 7:30, we hope to start. But we hope to finish by…… I’’m sorry, we hope to start by 7:30 and we will be able to finish by 9:30 latest. But few people may like to…… if they can stay a little longer to help us to put up the things for day after tomorrow, the big day.

Basically, as you know, we’’re going to do the White Tara long-life initiation combined with the practice. So, it is workshop form. So actually, it is true to the tradition, traditional initiation. And I’’m working together with the people participating. So, what happens is: traditional initiations, the lama who gives the initiation will say all the rituals and do everything; and tell you, ““Visualize this thing happened, that thing happened.”” So you say, ““Oh, now you have obtained blessings, you have obtained this thing, you have obtained that thing.”” So, keep on visualizing. So, the story goes: there was a lama who is actually on fundraising mission and going round giving initiations. 1:15:05.1 So, like we do have in the state these days, all the monks going round and dancing and doing this and that. It is fundraising activity. So, we had a bunch of Loseling monks and stay in my house last couple of days. So, they do everything whatever they ask, and do everything. So, whether it is really full initiation or not, who knows? But whatever it may be, they do everything. So, tells you, ““Everything visualize this way, visualize that way.””

So, there was earlier a lama who was going in Tibet, who was going to northern Tibet, nomads area, for fundraising. So what they do is, they collect a huge amount of butter, they collect. So, there is one very interesting fellow. So, he brought a big bundle of butter, and covered with…… you know, in Tibet they cover with the animal stomach so that butter maintain. So, there’’s no package, so they do that. So, he had that.

So, he’’s sitting there, and this lama goes and says, ““Oh, visualize you have obtained that blessing; now visualize you have obtained this and this and that.”” And then he rang the bell and goes. So, then everybody go and see him afterwards, taking the blessing. So, everybody give something. So, this guy has that big butter in his pocket. So, he comes in front of the the lama and took out the butter, ““Now you visualize that I have given you this big butter,”” and put it back in his pocket. [laughter]

So to avoid that…… it is joking. But so, you know, we do the traditional thing, visualize this thing that had happened. And instead of saying me the mantra alone, we can conduct the meditation, guided meditation, and say the mantra together. So, we work together. So, it is true to the tradition, yet adapted with the modern method. So togetherness we can function. And that’’s what we’’re going to do. It is together we do, rather than I do the all work and you keep on doing visualize. So at the end, whatever the checks and credit cards you have written, you visualize Jewel Heart got that, and take it away. [laughs] 1:18:06.3 So, to avoid that, we do together. I’’m just joking. So, that’’s what we plan to do the whole day from 10 to 12 and 1:30 to 5.

At 1:30 we will make the official opening. And I requested Robert Thurman to do that. Two reasons: he is a very good American Buddhist scholar and professor –– number one. And number two: he’’s the director of the Tibet House. Tibet House is supposed to be Tibetan culture center. And so that is why this is part of Tibetan culture. So, to synchronize them and to function together. Again togetherness, we will be able to serve Tibetan culture and Buddhism better. So that’’s why with the two reasons. So, he’’s going to cut the ribbon. And we have interesting, little interesting prayers, that I worked out this. During the initiation, big initiations, there are auspicious of the five buddhas. So, I worked out this five-buddha auspiciousness for opening. So, we do this five-buddha prayer and this opening will be done. And at the end of that, we will have seven-limb, which we normally say here. After the invocation we make offerings. What do we say? What is the first thing?

Audience 14: I bow down……

Rimpoche: I bow down. So at that moment, we bow down and we offer scarf. When we make offerings, at that time we make offerings. Diana is going to light the candle light at that time. Big nice red candle with good smell. One of those she’’s going to make candle. And then, people bring the offerings at that time together. And then we purify negativities and we rejoice, and we request remain, and we dedicate. And we stop there. And then, a few rhetorics thereafter. A few people may say a few words, that is rhetorics. And after that, we have general protectors. 1:21:01.4 We cannot do specifically Mahakala, Kalarupa and Palden Lhamo, all this. But for general, not specifically anybody, but for general a simple little general protectors’’ prayer. A little bit. And at that…… This is America, so we have a wonderful singer, will sing ““Amazing grace.”” And that is how we conclude that part of the opening. And we continue with Tara. Maybe a little bit more than five. So, just those of you who are coming, plan it to be here till 5:30. Just don’’t because, you know, the funny thing is: if it is 5, then everybody has to leave by 5. So, just plan it to 5:30, if we’’re done before you can leave earlier. Actually, it is up to 5. Everything says up to 5, but…… So, just plan it.

So you want. Here, you need this?

Audience 15: With the White Tara ???? you see those ??? illustrations. And we basically almost completely ??? So, if anybody wants to bring the ???, please do it so, tonight. And if anybody calling registration and didn’’t pay for it, if you can do that this evening, it will make things fall a lot easier for us on Saturday morning. And John and I are here to help you to do that tonight. Thank you.

Rinpoche: That’’s what you want to say? You want to say those who have been registered earlier, then can sit in earlier and... Oh, I’’m sorry.

Audience 15: The way we thought we would handle it Saturday morning is that the people who have already sent in the registration and payed and are complete in registration, they will come right into the room and sit down. And people that will then have to pass as everybody else. So, that’’s why I am encouraging you to do it tonight, it will just make things run smoother on Saturday.

Audience 16: [inaudible]

Audience 15: Maybe you take care. We have a record of everyone who is either called in or sent in their registration. That’’s all taken care.

Rimpoche: Well, I just wanted to thank you. And I guess we have some dedications there? Do we say dedication here? We do say dedication. And they have a few words here written. And say that dedications and followed by MIG…… [recording cut off here] 1:24:03.7

.