Archive Result

19951200GRJHNLVT2

So there is a vow for each of those 5 buddhas, and each one carries its own commitment, comprising 19 general commitments and some specific ones as well, which is why you do the Six Session Guru Yoga 6 times in 24 hours. It covers them all. Just by saying the words alone it helps you not to break the commitment. That is the Vajrayana vow. The vows and the commitment are two different things. Saying Six Session Guru Yoga 6 times does not keep your vows (unless you are doing self initiation), because the vows come from the Lama in the mandala. It does keep your commitment. That is the whole purpose of the Six Session Yoga.

So now the next is the yoga of all mind. Actually the mind here is talking about bodhicitta or the boddhimind. Bodhimind is divided in to two: absolute and relative boddhimind. The true boddhimind is relative boddhimind. Absolute boddhimind is not true boddhimind, and when wisdom mind pickup boddhimind, then absolute boddhimind comes about. Absolute in the sense of absolute truth, rather than absolute in the sense of absolute boddhimind itself.

So generating in that mind at the heart level. There is a lot of symbolism in Vajrayana, always. The symbol of the true boddhimind is the mandala of a moon disc. If you think of it in a nice way it's like a Seedy disc. If you think of it in a bad way it's like an Indian chapati. It is white, flat and round. But if you think of a Seedy disc you will think it's like metal. It's not. Maybe chapati is better. Or maybe naan or paratha. Anyway it has a soft quality. Gentle and cool in nature, like the moon, really. At least the moon is always talked about nicely.

Absolute boddhimind, or the boddhimind with understanding of emptiness, will be like a vajra, standing in the middle of the moon disc. The reason they use vajra is the vajra is indestructible, so the truth is indestructible. Truth is truth. If you tell the truth always, all your stories will remain consistent, it won't change. So the truth is indestructible. That is why wisdom is represented by the vajra.

Real wisdom is the essence of compassion. The true wisdom has to have the essence of compassion. Wisdom and compassion are developed in no particular order. Very intelligent people may develop wisdom even before they become a bodhisattva.

Rinpoche recites from memory a passage from Nagarjuna’s Flower Garland, translated by Jeffrey Hopkins.

It is hard to get it exactly in words. Do you know what happened? I was in Ann Arbor in the days near the beginning of Jewel Heart, working at the University as an editor and lecturer, and they had invited an extremely famous, well-known Japanese professor, who was teaching Buddhism there. And he kept on telling people that the bodhimind is first, and the wisdom comes later. This fellow is the one who is translating this particular book from Tibetan, Sanskrit, English, into Japanese. He was giving lectures.

I was on faculty at that time. One afternoon I just casually mentioned to him, “Didn’t you say that?” He said, “Yes, this is the real thing.”, and he gave me a lot of reasons, and then I said, “Didn’t you translate that book?”

“Yes”

“Did you see this particular verse here?”

“What verse?”

I showed the Tibetan verse to him.

Rinpoche quotes the verse in Tibetan.

It simply says “if you put in a lot of effort you may realize wisdom, and if you realize wisdom”...something, it doesn’t say exactly in words. And then I tried to explain what that means. He picked up the commentary where this was clearly mentioned, and he was very happy, but he was a little upset because this was not known to him. Said, “These questions are already translated; I just mentioned it.” But he didn’t understand it; he just found the translation and put it down verbatim. So things like that happen.

There is no order. If you are a very intelligent person you may obtain the wisdom before the bodhimind. The normal order is bodhimind first, and then the wisdom as the third path, the Path of Seeing. That’s what it is. When an intelligent person who has wisdom generates bodhimind, they bypass the first and second path, and go straight away to the third path. So there is helicopter service for them.

So the order is not fixed; it depends on intelligence. I don’t mean intellectual intelligence. At this level of Mahayana, when they talk about intelligence, many times it refers to luck. That is why accumulation of merit becomes important. That is the cause of luck.

In general, the order is, first you generate compassion and you enter the path. The path of accumulation of merit is first. Second is the path of action which is trying to get the heat of wisdom. The path of action is divided into 4. The first is called heat, then peak, then patience, and then best dharma or something. You have the tape here, right?

Why is it called heat? Just as when you rub two sticks together and they become hot, when you work hard and put in effort to realize emptiness, you are making progress. Then the heat increases to a peak level. It’s really getting hot. But you still have patience to keep on working. It then reached the level of best dharma where it is extremely hot and ready to spark.

Path one and two are geared toward seeing emptiness, so that’s why it is ordered that way. But a very intelligent person who has already seen emptiness does not need to go through all that, so they take a helicopter and land on the third path, because they have already seen it. That is why there is no order.

Back to initiation. The invocation of wisdom and all this is all done outside the mandala. The ritual of entering the mandala has an outside-the-door phase, and an inside-the-door phase. At this point the outside-the-door phase has been completed.

It is time for the Lama Activity. The Lama who gives you the initiation is actually the principal yidam of the mandala. The Lama generates a duplicate yidam to come outside and give you the flower and the blindfold, gives you instructions on what to do such as folding your hands and coming inside and so on. This is the Activity Lama. remember the Executive Director idea we mentioned when talking about the activity vase. The one who does the work.

Audience question: We are still outside the mandala?

You are not inside the mandala's door. You are outside the Eastern gate. There are steps going up to the door. At the base of the steps, you are in the courtyard. You are in the mandala, but not inside the door.

Are there protectors keeping you out?

No. The door was always shut, so until they open the door you cannot get in. You can only ring the bell.

But you are inside the ring of fire and cemeteries and so on?

Oh yeah, you are already in the courtyard. You are inside the protection realms.

The Lama Activity comes out, holds out a vajra and says, “Here hold this and come with me.” You grab the vajra, you are pulled toward the door, and the door opens. You get in, the door shuts behind you again.

This is all happening on an imaginative level. It is mystical. That is the nature of Vajrayana. Of Tantra.

So the way you enter the mandala is by holding hands with Lama Activity. The means by which the door opens is vajra power. Where electrical power might operate the door slowly open and closed, maybe vajra power can make it zoom open and zoom closed. (laughs)

After obtaining blessing and offering a flower to the principal deity, the principal yidam will give you back your flower as protection, and then of course you make yourself into the fortunate one who will be able to see the mandala. Seeing the mandala is not simply a matter of removing the blindfold. It is removing the blindfold and ignorance together. So normally they will tell you to visualize OM radiating light. The light clears the eye obstacles which prevent you from seeing the mandala, as if removing the cataracts obscuring one's vision.

So it is not just removing the blindfold, but also burning out the ignorance by the light of wisdom eye. So that is what is happening when you remove the blindfold. While it is said the blindfold is in place to protect secrecy, but you cannot see it, because if you have obstacles and ignorance you are not going to see it at all, so that clearly indicates the need for OM with the burning light to clear it out.

After entering, you are right in front of the Lama who is inseparable from the principal yidam of whatever the mandala is. Now come the first 5 initiations. It is the beginning of the vase initiations. The order may differ from yidam to yidam.

In our case today with Yamantaka, the first is Akshobhya initiation. The material used is the vase. Earlier we mentioned the activity vase and the ‘other one’. This is the other one. The other vase is the main vase. The complete form of the whole mandala is generated inside this vase. Offerings are made, mantras are recited, etc., and at the end the entire mandala dissolves into water. The outside looks like a vase, the inside holds water which is the entire mandala in liquid form. This is used to give the Akshobhya initiation.

With each of these 5 initiations, the disciples - those receiving the initiation - will themselves change from the principal yidam to the different Buddhas of the initiation. In this case you change yourself into the Akshobhya Buddha form.

Then, the actual abhisheka, or water initiation, is carried out by initiation deities invited by the Lama yidam. They give you the abhisheka and then dissolve into you. That is the first of the water initiations. Sometimes there are 11 or 12 of them.

Then what happens is, at the end of each initiation they will also give you water to drink or water to sprinkle out of the vase. It is called water initiation because each of the abhishekas concludes with water from the vase.

The real purpose of this initiation is to purify the negativity of hatred. It gives you the seed to be able to transform hatred into dharmadhatu wisdom. Actually, all five Buddha initiations are dealing with the five skandhas, and the five emotions. Involved are the five bodies of the Buddha, and also the five wisdoms. So the whole project is aimed at transforming the five emotions and five skandhas into the five Buddhas and five wisdoms. Are you with me?

That is the whole idea behind the very famous “Vajrayana transformation”. This is the thing. During the initiation what really happens is you receive a seed that grows into the capability to transform at a later stage. Though during the initiation you will say “this has been transformed, it has become pure.” If you don’t think that way you don’t get the initiation. But it is only at the imaginary level. Such activity at the imaginative level will be able to become actualized later. So the abhisheka gives you the seed to be able to do that later on.

The process of really doing this is the 3 kaya practice that you do in the sadhana. This practice, when intensified and made more profound, is the actual completion stage. The completion stage is the perfection of the development stage. That is what it is. The intensity and concentration and capability all increase, and from the development stage you shift yourself into the completion stage. It is not like some kind of class you attend, and then you have examinations and get a certain grade and pass from class 6 to class 7. I don’t think it’s done that way.

Same procedure, same process, when it becomes intensified it shifts automatically. It’s like driving a car with automatic transmission. When the engine revs up to a certain level it shifts automatically to the next gear. In the three kaya practice, and in particular in the dharmakaya practice, when that practice becomes intensified, more powerful, more real than imaginative, then the gear shifts.

The same process is used for the Generation stage and the Completion stage. There is no separate process, but what you process is different. Here you try to process your ordinary body and ordinary death, resulting in sambhogakaya. In the generation stage, instead of using death in the process, you use an impure clear light. As a result, instead of rising as nirmanakaya, you attain an impure illusion body. This goes through the same process to become a pure clear light, which is processed to attain the pure illusion body. Again the same process is applied with the pure clear light, out of which arises the “still more learning” union. That is processed to the fourth stage, the clear light level, and the total enlightened body. The difference from the point of view of the practitioner, is how strong the process is working. Concentration, purification, and level of development make the difference.

Even during the initiation, it is the same procedure. You say

OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHAH SARVADHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM

And from emptiness rises. That is the same procedure. Emptiness is the real main thing.

Audience question: How does the tumo heat relate to this process?

Tumo heat is a different issue altogether. Tumo heat is only an aid to make the process more powerful. Tumo heat gives you more power to melt the drops. Because of that it will intensify. The difference between vajrayana and non-vajrayana is bliss. The same emptiness but with bliss added in. Bliss intensifies it.

Audience: So the Completion stage methods like tumo heat are additional methods?

It’s not really additional. Things like tumo, kundalini, dreams and so on are not the main methods. Tumo is an aid. It helps you have more bliss. The amount of drops you melt from the crown will increase because of tumo heat. And the more drops being melted, the more sensation in the body, and more bliss. And with the reversing business, there is more intensified bliss. It is all just simple little techniques to apply to a main process of emptiness combined with bliss. When the bliss is strong then the void is stronger. When the bliss lasts longer the void lasts longer. The encounter with the void is intensified and prolonged.

Audience: Does the difference between generation and completion stage have to do with the stability and purity of the deity’s appearance?

Stability and intensity of the development stage practice will make the completion stage possible. Generation stage is the beginning level, and the completion stage is the conclusion. The intensity and duration of focus brings the completion stage. Tumo and the other techniques are aids. Tumo is the basis of the other aids because tumo is heat, and heat helps to melt, and melting gives you sensation.

That is the nature of the relationship between sexuality and spirituality. It is not usually talked about. People who know do not talk about it. People who do not know talk about it a lot. This is the point. I’ll not say more about it because this is being recorded. And that’s what it is, ok?

Ok now within the vase initiation, water initiation, then the crown initiation. The crown initiation is the Ratnasambhava initiation. The crown is the material used for the crown initiation, but what you really use is Ratnasambhava out of the five Buddha families. The process is the same as before and what you really do over here is you give abisheka with Ratnasambhava and you are trying to purify or transform pride as well as stinginess or lack of generosity. Of the 5 skandhas we are working with feelings, sensation. The result of the transformation is the wisdom of equanimity.

Each of the initiations aims to transform an emotion and ordinary body, into a wisdom and a Buddha body. Here we have pride and parsimony transforming to the wisdom of equanimity, as well as the ordinary human body transforming into Buddha Ratnasambhava. The ritual process for each of the 5 initiations is the same. The initiation deities are invited, songs are sung, bells are rung, words are repeated eleven times.

The next will be the vajra initiation. The material used is the vajra. This is the Amitabha Buddha initiation. Sometimes the materials used and initiation deities will change because from yidam to yidam there are differences. These are details you will have to resolve when the time comes, but in this case I am going through the Yamantaka solitary hero initiation.

The Amitabha vajra initiation purifies the emotion of attachment. The skandha is acknowledgement. The wisdom is discriminating wisdom. To acknowledge is to make an assessment of an experience such as good or bad, rough or soft, which is discriminating. At the ordinary level we don’t call it wisdom, but at the pure level it becomes discriminating wisdom.

The next is bell initiation for Amoghasiddhi. The emotion is jealousy. The skandha is compositional factors. The resulting wisdom is the ability to do work. The reasons are the same, the process is the same. The only difference is one dhyana Buddha, one emotion and one form. That’s exactly what it is.

The fifth one is yourself. There is no separate material. Virochana is the pure form of your physical body. That’s why in the meditation sitting posture they recommend virochana style. Because virochana is supposed to be the perfect body. Virochana is the weight lifter with the perfect form. There is no other material for that. The emotion is ignorance. The physical form is transformed, becoming mirror-like wisdom. You see everything clearly. The initiation is called name initiation. They will name you, and you become a buddha of one of the families.

Still it is the vase initiation going on. There is water sprinkling going on.

Next is vajra master initiation. Not only are you initiated into the vajrayana mandala, you are also initiated as vajra master. So they put you on the throne and generate you in the form of buddha vajradhara and then they give you three or four empowerments. Hand implements, books, arrow, mirrors, bell and vajra, because these are the hand implements of buddha Vajradhara. They are called hand implements because they do activity through that. No because they are holding them in hand. Activities are done through these things. They are not holding the book and arrows and bell and vajra all the time, right? Activities are done through them.

They give you a mirror and say remember emptiness; it is all like a reflection in the mirror. They give you a book and say go on and teach and lead the people into the path. They give you a vajra and it reminds you of your commitments. The body commitment. The mind commitment. The mudra commitments. These are the vajra master initiations. A couple of them.

And also there are the activities of the vajra masters. All of those are very briefly mentioned. And within that I think they also give you the mantra empowerment. If you don’t receive the empowerment then whatever mantra you say is less powerful, and it doesn’t work that well. As earlier I mentioned, when there is no initiation there is no achievement. And when you squeeze sand, you don’t get butter out of it.

People can pick up mantras anywhere. They can say it and do it, rightly or wrongly, properly or improperly, whatever it is, and it doesn’t work very much. Whereas people who receive the initiation, who practice, who do a retreat and do it daily, for them it works differently. That makes the difference here, when you have received mantra recitations.

And then of course one thing I have to mention here: The Lama transformed into the form of Shakyamuni Buddha, and they tell you you will become Buddha Shakyamuni and Buddha this and that. And though the name initiation has been given at the Vairochana level but here specifically doing it to correspond with what had happened during Buddha Shakyamuni’s lifetime the Lama transforms into Buddha Shakyamuni and tells the disciples you will become Buddha this and this, just to fulfill Shakyamuni Buddha’s life activities in that manner.

That concludes the water initiation or the vase initiation.

Then you have the secret initiation. Secret initiation is “secret”, they teach you how to smoke a “cigarette”. Audience laughter.

In the case of Yamantaka initiation the vase initiation is only 6 initiations, actually. Five Buddha initiations and the vajra master initiation. Heruka has eleven. These are vase initiations because they are based on the vase and you sprinkle water, the abisheka.

Secret initiation is very simple. Secret activity is using clear light represented by the sexual union of male and female Lama yidams. And giving you the secret material which is the egg and semen. The body becomes capable of becoming a vajra body, The mind becomes capable of becoming clear light. The initiation gives the seed of ultimate improvement of the body and ultimate improvement of the mind.

Next is the wisdom initiation. This wisdom is the wisdom to be able to understand emptiness. Since this is vajrayana they will also introduce bliss as well. The bliss is represented by sexual bliss. That’s why there is a consort, either male or female. There is the process of union, with the necessary requirement of visualizing the body as a deity and blessing the secret organs so the secret material will not be dropped, and will not be joined. The mind is focused on emptiness. That is how you are introduced to wisdom. The wisdom has bliss, and the bliss acknowledges wisdom. This so-called bliss-void is the result of the wisdom initiation.

The last initiation is the word initiation. It is simply words now because we are incapable of perceiving the level of enlightenment. What does the wisdom initiation do? It actually introduces you to clear light. The secret initiation introduces you to the illusion body. The word initiation will introduce you to the ultimate buddha level. There is nothing to be imagined and there is no ordinary material used. There is only the word. This fourth initiation actually introduces you to the essence meaning of the ultimate union level.

The purpose of these four initiations is to develop the seed within the individual to be able to develop the four kayas. Dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, and natural kaya. You often see or hear mention of the two kayas or the three kayas. When talking about “the two kayas” it is rupakaya and dharmakaya, the form and formless. And when you talk about “the three kayas” it is the first three of the four kayas, and the addition of natural kaya makes it “the four kayas”.

The purpose of the four initiations is to place the seed within the initiate. Placing the seed is the real and proper initiation. All the other things, the vase, the bell, the rituals are there to mark the experience, but the real initiation is putting the seed within the individual, plus the five buddha and vajra master business. That’s that.

Audience question about receiving initiation a number of times before getting the real one.

What happens is the true fourth initiation you receive just before you become a buddha. At this level we are providing the seed to make the transformations possible. The actual initiations will occur at different levels and at different times along the way. For which I don’t think you go out and do things like the normal initiations that we do. The Lama appears in different forms and you receive whatever is needed at that level. I think that is Buddha Vajradhara’s job and I don’t think they fail. To make it possible we do this. That is what it is.

I have done my job. Are there questions?

Audience question about Six Session Guru Yoga covering commitments. Does that mean I don’t have to bother much at this level about my vows?

You should actually definitely try to recognize the 19 general commitments and the specific commitments. There are books and notes available. In the Six Session Yoga or somewhere it is already printed, so go through that and acknowledge.

The 19 commitments are not a problem, but there are also commitments like performing actions with your left hand first…

At this moment this is too much detail. You know if you say “ladies first” with the intention that women are not capable of doing things you get a downfall. Yes, really true. And I had a big roil in Malaysia this time because in Chinese society they look down on women, then they picked up the British system with the ladies first like they are sort of delicate little dolls who cannot do much, and have to be seated and eat first because they can’t grab the food enough. That sort of thinking brings downfall in the mother tantra. Mother tantra is there to protect women’s rights.

And it goes both ways. It is sort of semi-respectful to say “ladies first”.

FILE 3 (19951200GRJHNLVT 3.mp3)

It is as if they are dolls, and they can’t really do things as an equal. If you do the over-respect like the British system.

Another controversial thing is remaining in a hinayana home for 7 days. The whole idea is to prevent brainwashing. Seven days is plenty of time to brainwash someone so you have to get them out of there. laughter

As for always starting activities with the left hand, for some people it is natural because they are left handed. For some people it is not natural. It’s ok. As long as you don’t insult it. The downfall comes from insulting. You can insult a woman by respecting, or you can insult a woman by not respecting. In both ways you can get downfalls.

That made a very big roil in Malaysia because everybody is on their feet. They can accept “ladies first” in the British system. It is the way they are taught in school. They cannot accept equality. It’s like, “women are women, they get less pay. They have to work more. They are expected to work in the kitchen.” Every time I go there I get into a little problem with that. This time was not exceptional. It was more this time. Where I put it probably sparked them.

Why not male protection? Why is there female protection? Because they were the weaker sex at that time. Very simple. Male power was guaranteed during that period.

Audience: what do you mean by “that period”?

The period when these rules were made. These rules were made during the Buddha Vajradhara period, 2500 years ago. They were not made in Malaysia yesterday. So that’s what it is.

Audience: Could you say more about how to view your Guru in the vajrayana?

In the Theravada level of practice, which is the “common with the lower level” Lam Rim practice, you should look at the Guru as a buddha. In the Mahayana level where you develop boddhimind and do the six paramitas practice, you look at the Guru as actually Buddha. At the Vajrayana level the Guru is totally inseparable from a fully enlightened yidam, or the Buddha. Total oneness of Lama and yidam. Inseparable. The reason why the vajrayana has that “inseparable” quality is to accommodate the guru dissolving system where your mind and the Guru’s mind attain oneness. When you become a buddha of that yidam you are really becoming of the nature of that Guru’s mind.

Six Session Yoga, Lama Chopa, Ganden Lhagema, Chittimani Tara all have the guru dissolving system where the guru’s mind comes into oneness with your mind. “One taste” it is sometimes called. This is your way to become a buddha. This is how the vajrayana functions.

Audience: On a day to day basis how do you relate to your guru? Should you follow to the word what he says?

Basically yes. But if you cannot, you don’t have to. You can say, “I’m sorry I can’t do it. These are the reasons.” You have to explain it. If you don’t explain, and you just don’t do it and keep it quiet that’s probably breaking some guru devotional rule. If the guru is not a fool he will be ok with that. Make it simple. That’s what it is.

Audience: When processing through the three kayas, is the dissolving system reversed?

Yes, from the dharmakaya to the sambhogakaya you grow in reverse order. From sambhogakaya to nirmanakaya you don’t do that. In general practice you just do boom boom business, but actually there is a process in there by which you build up the elements such as earth, water, and so on. This is treated in detail in the completion stage practices.

Audience: When you see yourself as a deity then, is this in nirmanakaya form or sambhogakaya form?

Both. It depends on what tantra it is. If it’s mother tantra it will be seed syllable form. If it’s father tantra it will be deity form. Yidam form. Yamantaka has Manjusri. Guyasamaja has a white Buddha Vajradhara. All the father tantras have sambhogakaya as a figure. All the mother tantras have sambhogakaya as a seed syllable. Why? The physical body of the yidam is the illusion body. If the yidam is body-less it is clear light.

Audience: So we need initiation into father tantra for development of the illusion body?

Yes, you do. That is why in Tsongkapa’s general practice you have Guhyasamaja - the king of father tantra, Heruka - the king of mother tantra, and Yamantaka - the most powerful protection.

Audience: We have short and long sadhanas. When are we obliged to do the long sadhana?

Every day. You are obliged to do the long sadhana every day. But that is not your commitment. “Obliged” meaning it is the best way. The best way is the long sadhana every day. But if you can do the short sadhana you are lucky enough. You cannot require everybody to do the long sadhana every day. You don’t want to push people to do that. During a retreat the long sadhana is a must. It is required. “Required” is stronger than “obligated”. On a daily basis the long sadhana is better, but not required.

Audience: What is the difference between guru devotion and taking refuge in the guru?

Guru devotion is different from taking refuge in the Guru. Taking refuge in the Guru is seeking help and protection, and submitting. Guru devotion, according to the Lam Rim, has a mind aspect and an action aspect. Guru devotional practice may be refuge, but refuge is not devoting.

Audience: When you become a buddha do you still see everyone as pure according to the 7th yoga of Vajrayogini?

Good question. It is not relevant right now. You know why? In the practice you try to see everybody as pure. What happens when you become a buddha, that is, a sambhogakaya buddha, the retinue and environment is pure. In the nirmanakaya, you have all sorts of things. That’s the reality. At this level, it is the practice level, you are training yourself the best way you can. So, such a question is there, but it is not relevant.

Audience: is it the case that when the Guru performs initiation he generates himself in the form of the yidam in the mandala in order to get in touch a certain type of reality, and if the student can really open up, when entering the mandala, they can get a taste of that reality that the Guru has generated?

It is. Not only must the teacher generate him or herself in the form of the principal yidam or deity, they must go to the extent that they are actually seeing it, and really functioning in that way. You develop a certainty that it is real. The only break the teacher gets during the initiation is when they are giving vows. Then they can simply go blah, blah, blah, repeating the words. The rest of the time they are in very intense concentration, seeing every individual not in their ordinary physical form, but rather individual yidams. Every step you take is as if you can see it and feel it and touch it.

Audience: And is it intended that the student participates in the same way?

They are supposed to. But if they cannot then they simply imagine with confidence that this has happened. But if the student strongly participates, it makes a miraculous difference. That’s there.

Audience:

Intention. Even with the invocation of the wisdom some people will shake, some people will jump, some people will cry. We don’t advertise that. If you say that in the West then everybody will cry. You never know. But people do jump, shake, levitate. All of those; it is reality. At least the physical feelings and sensations people get all the time. When you make it permanent then they settle down.

Audience: How can we know that the mandala is really generated?

You don’t. You have to rely on the person who is doing it. When you are doing it yourself, you go through the ritual and keep on visualizing the best you can. When you are doing it with somebody else you won’t know, but you have to rely on that other person not bullshitting around.

Audience: Does the part of the teacher make a difference in the initiation?

The part of the teacher makes a hell of a lot of difference, yes. It is not scientific, so the individual doing it makes a big difference. That’s why you say, “From a perfect vajra master receive the four initiations…” Anybody can read a book and do it, but that does necessarily mean anything.

Audience: So if the teacher is not perfect, the student can’t achieve the actual result.

They might not. But sometimes the teacher might not be that great but the student is great, and it might work because there is a continuation. But it generally might not be. That is why the good quality teacher is absolutely necessary.

Audience: What are your plans to guide our vajrayana group being so far away in America?

For the time being you will meet together, and the senior students can share their experience a little bit. Do your sadhana. There are tapes available, teachings and explanations available in the transcripts. Make yourself perfect on saying the sadhana. Make yourself perfect on saying the Six Session Yoga, and perfect on Lama Chopa. That is what I expect you to do. You have the tools available to do this.

When you have questions like these, write them down and get them to me and I will answer them. If not me there are other people around. Aura, Chodak Tulku, and others can give answers, too. But if not we will handle it when we get together. So that’s how I expect to do it. To have a perfect sadhana. To have a perfect Lama Chopa and Six Session Yoga. If you do that then you have a perfect vajrayana practice. You have the tools for that and you have the ability to ask questions.

And there are books, like “Guide to Dakiniland” by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. And the new transcript of my teaching on Vajrayogini has come out.

You have all the tools. The only thing you need is openness. Openness in the sense that within the practice you are doing you raise your difficult questions openly. You may not be able to expect any one person to answer, however you can look in the books and the group can function as a seminary rather than a class. So you can all do some research and everybody or anybody will have all the answers. So facilitating everybody meeting together and looking onto any question anyone might raise. Look at the books. Turn the tapes on. Whatever it takes to get the answers. That will be very very useful and everybody will appreciate that in time.

And it’s easy to call Alfred. He’s not that far away. And if he gives you bullshit, then send me the question. If I give you bullshit, then ask Locho Rimpoche. laughter

Audience: Yesterday you had used as an example an individual who had doubts for 2 years.

Two years in Jewel Heart. He had doubts for 25 or 30 or 40 years, but even in Jewel Heart he had doubts for two years. He could have used that time very well. But by the time he was really convinced that this is the right thing to do he only had two weeks to live, and nothing really happened. I was really sorry for that, that’s why I remembered and used it as an example.

There are people who doubt all the time. Some people are like that in their blood. They just have to doubt. We all know people like Robert. He is always doubting all the time. Laughs That is his job, doubting. Not his young Robert here, I’m talking about the Robert in America.

Audience: I mentioned this example because I wanted to ask you your opinion about taking initiations when you have doubts, given that you may die at any moment.

When the person is ready they should take initiation. It is a very very good opportunity and it’s extremely important. But when a person is not ready, if they take initiation they get unnecessary difficulties and problems.

Audience: In Cittimani Tara when visualizing the Tara mantra clockwise around the concentration being, where do I visualize the Guru mantra ?

Guru mantra inside the Tara mantra.

Well, if there are no more questions, then once again I am very happy. Thank you.

Where is the tsok?