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20000314GRAABWL

Side A of tape 87 of 03/14/00

We have been talking about verse eighty-five last time.

The last line of that verse says,

Except for the three robes, I may give away all.

This refers to monks and nuns. They should not give away their robes, because then they would be naked. The three robes are the lower skirt, a yellow piece above that and then another yellow one. It is not so relevant for us. We only have one nun here. So lets read the next verse:

Verse 86

This body which is being used for the sacred Dharma

Should not be harmed for only slight benefit.

By my behaving in this way

The wishes of all beings may be quickly fulfilled.

As Bodhisattvas we should be ready to give anything. We should not have attachment to anything. In the usual Bodhisattva practice it says that you have to be prepared to remain for eons in the lower realms for the sake of even one sentient being. One should not be disheartened or feel burnt out. In the Six Session Yoga there is also a verse which says

Land, body, wealth and all virtues collected,

Or the sake of all mother sentient beings I gladly release.

So why not? You have already dedicated your body, life and belongings to the benefit of all beings. However, the purpose has to be great enough to be worth it. Simply because somebody asks you to give your life, you should not just give it.

Sometimes it happens. The enlightened beings come and ask you for part of your body. It could be your right limb or one of your eye balls. When you are capable of giving it you should do so without hesitation. It will be of great benefit. But sometimes some evil disturbing spirits come in and ask the same thing. If you give it to them it is very harmful. Sometimes for no good purpose somebody may want to beg you for your life or for your arms or eye balls. Normally you would expect Bodhisattvas to give it to them, because they are supposed to give everything, without attachment and hesitation.

There is a story about Aryadeva. He had the nick name ‘ One-eyed person.’ Because of that we used to call Robert Thurman ‘Aryadeva’ very often. Aryadeva was on the way to a debate when somebody on the road side asked him for his eye ball. He took it out and gave it to him. However, he looked back what that person would do with it. He saw him getting two stones and smashing the eye ball in between. Aryadeva felt so bad about it. This guy happened to be a good guy [a god] and he restored his eye sight. But bad things can also happen. It is explicitly said that if you are not satisfied with the purpose, or if you don’t know the purpose, such things should not be given away . Because of this body and this life you are able to fulfill the wishes of all enlightened beings and all sentient beings by becoming enlightened yourself and thus being able to help much more. So if you are not satisfied with the purpose you should not cut your ear off, unless you are some crazy artist. It is very specifically mentioned not to do it.

Verse 87

Those who lack the pure intention of compassion

Should not give their body away.

Instead, both in this and future lives,

They should give it to the cause of fulfilling the great purpose.

When can you give your body away? We are not talking about what happens to your body when you die, but when you are alive. Can you chop off your right hand and give it away? Can you take your right or left eye ball out and give it away? Can you take your heart out and give it away? Or your kidney? It is not talking about organ donation for when you have died. So when can you give your body away during life? This verse tells you not to do it, if you ‘lack the pure intention of compassion.’ It sounds very easy. If you have the pure intention of compassion, it seems that you should give it away. But no, it is not like that. I don’t know if it is the fault of the translation, but the message that I get in Tibetan and the message that I get in English is slightly different. In Tibetan it reads that your compassion must be so strong that even if you take out your eye ball you have no pain at all. You don’t have to avoid pain by using an anesthetic, whether local or full body. If even physically, literally, if you can remove a part of your body without feeling any pain, if you have no hesitation, then you can give it. Until then, no, you cannot do it. If you pinch yourself and you go OUCH!, then you know it is not the time for you to give it.

When compassion becomes very strong, it can overpower all your other feelings completely. It is like some people who use hypnosis as an anesthetic. Likewise the hypnosis of compassion is so strong that you can’t even feel the pain of removing your eye ball from your body. If that is the situation and if your purpose of fulfilling the great purpose is good enough, then you can give it away. I don’t know whether the English translation gives you that message.

Not only will you not feel the pain but you also will not have any regret whatsoever. It is the timing. It is not whether it is the right or wrong time for the individual, but the right time is when the individual, because of compassion, does no longer feel any pain.

There are some people who hate their own body. There are Bodhisattvas who hate their own bodies like an enemy. But even then they are not supposed to give it away. Even those Bodhisattvas have the duty, the commitment and the job to protect their body. That is because there is a purpose to be fulfilled. The basis of the long life of such Bodhisattvas is a tremendous accumulation of merit in order to benefit all beings.

It is like a medicine tree. If you have to cut the medicine tree from the root to make a particular person feel better, it might not be worth it. But you can give that person leaves and branches. It is not okay to cut the whole tree, because it would deprive so many other people of the opportunity to get healed.

This particular verse also tells you that it is not allowed to give your body away unless you have perfect compassion. If you do so, you even get downfalls. This is because you would have ignored the purpose of being of benefit to many others. Besides that, you have already dedicated your body, wealth and virtues for the benefit of all beings. So your body is no longer yours. You have no right to waste it. It no longer belongs to you. It belongs to all sentient beings.

This is emphasized because some people are very rigid. They say, ‘I am going to give my body, it is time to go, that’s it.’ For such stubborn people it is emphasized not to give their body.

The next verse will tell you what to give. You can give Dharma, teachings and anything else, whatever you want to, except your life and parts of your body, unless it is the right time for the right purposes. This verse also tells you to whom not to give.

Verse 88

The Dharma should not be explained to those who lack respect,

To those who, like sick men, wear cloth around their heads,

To those holding umbrellas, sticks or weapons,

To those with covered heads

Verse 89

Nor to a woman unaccompanied by a man.

The vast and profound should not be taught to lesser beings,

(Although) I should always pay equal respect

To the Dharma of the higher and lesser beings.

These verses explain to whom you cannot talk about Dharma. If it is a sick person, or someone who is bald-headed and feels very cold, that is an exceptional case. Otherwise, you should not teach those who are wearing additional head coverings. You know, when you are teaching Dharma, you can wear anything you want to. That is the Dharmic system. But those who are listening should not unnecessarily cover themselves too much, nesting within a lot of blankets and coats, etc. It is not allowed to talk Dharma to them. As a teacher you get downfalls, even if you are talking to someone who sits there with a thick overcoat. Wearing hats, scarves and shoes falls under that category. Also the listeners are not allowed to wear malas and mumble mantras during teachings. Neither should they carry umbrellas, sticks and weapons and things like that. Before 1959 we even removed our watches during teachings and put them in front of us. Later that stopped because it became too difficult [to maintain]. That is what happens.

We do not necessarily have to follow all of these rules literally. However, that is what the Bodhisattvacharyavatara tells you. Further, a Dharma teacher should not talk to those sitting down while standing himself. If people are lying down, don’t talk to them. Let them get up or get out. You are not supposed to teach those who stretch out their legs. If you are monk or nun and if one of your listeners sits there with stretched legs or is lying down, for every minute of your teaching you get one downfall. It is disrespectful towards the vows. This is old stuff. You are not supposed to give teachings to those who are wearing necklaces, malas, ear rings, chains, etc. [laughs]. It is so detailed. This is from 2500 years ago.

What is the system of teaching and listening supposed to be? One should have great and profound respect to the teacher. You are not there to find out what faults that teacher has. You are not there to find out how you can contradict the teacher. If you do so, as a listener you are not fit to be in the Dharma teaching.

One should look at the Dharma teacher as just like Buddha. You should sit much lower than the Dharma teachers and have great respect. This is telling Bodhisattvas how to behave. This is the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. I am not telling you this, because I want your respect sitting up here. I am sitting higher so that you can see me. I found it easier to sit here on a part of the altar and put a little cushion here. Actually I used to have one cushion and now I have two. I don’t know where that came from. Earlier I also didn’t have a back rest, but sometimes I would like to lean. Recently Tubten and Loden made this back rest in the traditional old style. So I have been promoted. But I did not promote myself. Right in the beginning, when Supa began making the altar, I had the idea of using the corner of the altar as a stage, rather than as the altar itself. So don’t think I am sitting on the altar! It is to save space and make it convenient. If you go to other Buddhist centers, you will find that they have made big thrones for the teachers to sit on. This is because of the reasons explained in this text.

In such a system, with this respect, what do gain from that? You will gain wisdom. You will understand your practice. Can anybody give Dharma teachings? How is the teacher supposed to behave? This is only about the physical behavior. We already told you about the mental behavior during the Lam Rim period.

The commentary says that it should be a beautiful, clean place where you have to have a huge, nice and open throne. You sit on that and teach. Whatever dress you are wearing, make sure it is clean and has beautiful, bright colors. If you are a monk or nun, make sure your robes are clean, bright and shiny. As a teacher you are not there to find food, drink, clothes, or wealth. From the point of view of your mind you are not there to make monetary or material gains for yourself. You have to be presentable, clean and not smelly. This commentary goes on about that, I don’t know why. Perhaps it is because the Tibetans don’t wash. Maybe that is why it says you shouldn’t be smelly.

You always have to learn what you are teaching and you must have no jealousy towards anybody. You have to have great compassion to all your retinue. That means to those who are listening. If you don’t know what to think about them, at least think that these beings may become fully enlightened because of your contribution. With that mind one should be talking. To prove this a sutra is quoted which says,

One who is teaching should wear a clean, new dress. The dress should fit the person teaching. It should not to too big, too small or sloppy. That person teaching should behave like a doctor. The Dharma should be given like a medicine. The person who is listening should be thought of like a patient. You have to believe that Buddha is extraordinary and that his message should remain for a long time. With these five recognitions you should teach. You should teach only what you know, yet you should not teach to make yourself look better than other teachers. You should not teach people for reasons o f fame and you should not teach people to show them that you know better than others. You should not teach because you want to say everything and you should not teach to gain respect or to hurt other teachers. Further you should not teach people who have not asked you to teach. If they don’t ask, keep your mouth shut. You have to know when to shut your mouth. If they have a wrong motivation, don’t teach them, even if they request you. If they have come to insult you, don’t entertain them. When somebody asks you to teach, make sure you say, ‘I don’t know. I have not studied, I am not good. Find somebody else’ If you still have to do it then, do it well. If they don’t ask you again, just go away.

The commentary of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara says,

At the same time, you should also not teach those who cannot get the message. In other words, don’t go over their heads. Talk to them, don’t talk over their heads. You are not here to exhibit your knowledge. You are not taking a test of how much you know. You are here to help these people. Don’t talk profound things to those who cannot understand them. Don’t talk vast things if they cannot get it. Talk simple things. If the person is eligible to have teachings only of the Hinayana, don’t talk to them about Mahayana. It will create trouble for them. They will fail to understand and perhaps even misunderstand. So you are not helping, you are creating trouble. To those who cannot understand emptiness, don’t talk about emptiness. It could mislead them. If you are a monk or a nun, don’ talk to a woman on her own. If she is a single woman, don’t talk to her in a room without another person being there too.

Don’t say to people, ‘This is a Hinayana teaching and not good for you,’ or, ‘This is a Mahayana teaching and not good for you.’ There is no such a thing as a teaching of the Buddha which is not good. If you do that you are getting the downfall of giving up Dharma. No matter what the teaching of Buddha may be, higher or lower, treat it with great respect. If you get the downfall of giving up Dharma, it is the worst of all. It is an immeasurable downfall. When we say Dharma, it is not just Buddhism alone. If you say, ‘Judaism is not good’, you get the same downfall. The same goes for Hinduism, Islam, etc. If you do this it is the same as despising Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. When you teach, you have to know what you are talking about. If you say, ‘This is a Hinayana thing, Bodhisattvas don’t have to worry about it’, that is also giving up Dharma. If you are talking to people who are fit to be disciples of the profound and vast teachings of the Mahayana, you should not misguide them to the Theravadan tradition. If you do so, you get this downfall. Those who are fit to be Vajrayana disciples should not be left satisfied with the [sutra] Mahayana teachings alone. If you do that, you get a downfall.

I have read this from the commentary. The reason why you should not talk to a single woman on her own is that you could get into scandals through that. Verse eighty-nine says,

The vast and profound should not be taught to lesser beings

Actually that itself is despising somebody by calling them ‘lesser beings’. [laughs].

Verse 90

I should not communicate the Dharma of a lesser being

To one who is a vessel of the vast Dharma.

I must not forsake the (Bodhisattva) way of life,

Nor mislead others by means of sutras or mantras.

As I told you, if somebody is fit to practice Vajrayana and you leave them to practice just a simple meditation or some Theravadan teaching, you are doing them a disservice.

Verse 91

When I spit or throw away the stick for cleaning my teeth,

I should cover it up (with earth).

Also it is shameful to urinate and so forth

In water or on land used by others.

Not only should you not give teachings in the wrong way, but you should have proper behavior at other times. This verse talks about a stick for cleaning teeth. In those days they did not have toothbrushes, not to mention electronic toothbrushes. People instead used to bite onto some kind of twig. In India you can still see people doing it in the villages. In between biting the stick which makes it into some kind of toothbrush head, they will clean between the teeth. Afterwards they will break the stick into two pieces. The skin of the twig will fall away and they will clean the tongue with the rest. That is the Indian culture. This verse now is telling you that if you are a teacher you should not clean your teeth in this way in public. You do this quietly somewhere else. We have bathrooms for that. But in those days they didn’t. They would go out somewhere into the open air. If somebody was around you were not supposed to do it, because it looks ugly. It may create disrespect for the Dharma teachings.

Don’t spit just anywhere into the open. That is also Asian culture. People do that. India is not so bad, but in the traditional Chinese custom it is done very much. In Singapore they tried to make the city very clean. They had to put up many cameras and impose 500 Dollar – fines, because people were so used to spitting everywhere. It might hit another traveler or it may land on the wall somewhere. In India, they chew this stuff called phan which is made of beetle nut. This makes their mouth go red and then they will spit it out after some time. They do that in the middle of the road, wherever they are. That is why this verse tells you that as a Dharma teacher you are not supposed to do that. Others may follow you and you are setting a bad example. If you have to spit, do it somewhere hidden, not in the open. The text even says, I should cover it up with earth [laughs] – like a cat! Then:

Also it is shameful to urinate and so forth

In water or on land used by others.

This is the old Indian culture. They used to do that. There were no toilets and you could only do it in the open somewhere. I used to travel between Dharamsala and Delhi all the time. The train would reach Delhi in the early morning. When you looked out of the train window you would see quite a few people squatting out in the open, showing their bare behinds. There would be sixty or seventy or up to a hundred people out there near the train tracks, doing their morning business. I had a camera and tried to get them a number of times, but I could never get a good shot. If I get back to India I will make sure I will get one good picture of that. It is funny to see up to a hundred people lined up like that. So this ancient text tells the Dharma teachers not to do that, particularly not in water which others will drink from, or on the open field through which others may walk or do their exercises or whatever.

Verse 92

When eating I should not fill my mouth,

East noisily or with my mouth wide open.

I should not sit with my legs outstretched

Nor rub my hands together.

This is telling you how the Bodhisattvas are supposed to behave during eating. You don’t stuff everything in your mouth, as if somebody was about to take your food away ,and then talk. It is not good for your health and it does not look good. You should also not make a lot of noise when eating. That could make others throw up. This is a very important rule in the monastery. The disciplinarian will hit you without question with whatever he can lay hands on. If he can’t find anything, he will slap you. Eat with your mouth close, otherwise other people will feel terrible.

When you sit cross-legged, don’t stretch out your legs. It looks funny. Anyway, the whole thing is about how to function properly within society. Whichever way the society functions, you should go accordingly. If the people in your society sit on chairs, you sit on a chair. If they sit cross-legged, don’t sit with stretched legs. If you have to stretch your legs, go and sit on a chair. There is nothing wrong with that. Not rubbing your hands together –that is one that I don’t understand. It is even said that when washing your hands, don’t rub them against one another. I don’t know why. It could be some Indian cultural thing during that period.

Aud1: In the Hindu culture only the right hand is meant for eating.

R: But we are not Hindus. The Hindus actually do have the culture of using the right hand for eating and the left is used …for something else. So maybe that is the reason. Perhaps the left hand is not supposed to touch the right hand, because it is considered dirty. It does not matter much. It is not so important, but it is part of the text, so we have to read it.

Verse 93

I should not sit alone in vehicles, upon beds

Nor in the same room with the women of others.

(In brief), having observed or inquired about what is proper,

I should not do anything that would be disliked by the people of the world.

These days we have cars as vehicles. In those old days you would ride horses. You didn’t have vehicles to sit in, other than horse carts. But these were mainly reserved for royals. So this is telling you not to ride on a horse together with another woman, because that will give you a bad name. Also you never know where you are going to land. That is a problem. It is actually ‘with the women of others’. So it is with married women. The Bodhisattvas, when coming to a place for the first time, should not just go ahead and function, but first inquire about what the custom is. For example, if you are coming from Asia, don’t go around with a raised finger. That is not a good custom here. Other people may have no idea. There is a particular Vajrayana mudra just like that. Once in Nebraska, a group of Gaden Shartse monks were doing a public performance. They were chanting OM VAJRA GHANDE PRATICCHA HUM SOHA and the abbot was making the mudra for that which is the raised finger! I noticed that a lot of people in the audience were giggling. This abbot had no idea, having just come out of India. He was just doing a mudra! That is a different culture. That is why the Bodhisattvacharyavatara is saying that if you don’t know the culture of a place, better learn it, before you behave in a funny way. If the culture permits being in the same room with somebody else’s wife, you can do it. If the culture does not permit it, don’t do it. So you have to learn the culture first and go according to that. Really, nothing has been forgotten, the author must have known that we will be here at this time reading this. So he is telling us to learn the culture first.

I am thinking of a funny joke. It is a dirty joke. It is about when you do know the culture but you sometimes don’t behave according to it. The Queen of England is sitting in a ministerial conference. The British Prime Minister is there, the President of France and the Secretary of State of the United States. The Queen had had many guests before and had eaten the wrong thing. She had to pass wind and thought that it would go quietly. But unfortunately it made a loud sound. The British Prime Minister thought, ‘This is a disgrace to the Crown. I have to take the blame.’ So he gets up and says, ‘Excuse me, your majesty’ and sits down again. So he took the blame. Then another time the same thing happened and President Mitterand of France thought, ‘Well, it is my turn now’. So he got up and said to the Queen, ‘Excuse me, Madame’, and sat down. Then it happened again. The Secretary of State looked around the room. The others had already taken the blame. So he called out,’ That’s my Ma’am!’

So that happens when you don’t know the culture. The next verses up to verse one hundred are similar. There are all kinds of those cases. But I am going to stop here today. In one way these things are funny, but in another way they are the normal ways of conduct which normally the parents would teach the children. In Asian cultures it is the parents’ job to teach the children what to do and what not to do in society. In this country, if the mother tried to tell the kids things like that they would probably say, ‘Mom, don’t you think I know that?’ or something like that. But remember particularly, not to eat with open mouth and not to fill your mouth completely as though somebody was about to grab your food and you are still talking at the same time. To do these things may not be a downfall, but the Bodhisattvas are told not to do it. The reason is that it could create dislike in other people. It really tells you how to behave in society. Go according to society. If everybody in society is walking around in the nude, then don’t wear a shirt. If the society is not going around in the nude, then make sure you wear clothes. That is what Buddhism teaches you. Go according to the culture and the time that you live in. In that way Buddhism is extremely adaptable. It really does not carry a particular way of dressing or culture, but accepts the culture that you are in. If you as the individual practitioner don’t accept the culture that you live in, it becomes your own fault. So culture-wise and food-wise and otherwise Buddhism is very adaptable, except for the principle of how to guard your mind, how to avoid negativities. These are not compromisable. For example, if you are in a society where everybody is a hunter, it does not mean that you should hunt, because that is killing and that is not the way. Besides that, how to eat, how to sit, how to talk, how to behave, how to wear your clothes, etc. the Bodhisattvas are supposed to totally adjust according to their age, their culture, their society. That is why I always say that it is great if you are a practitioner. But you don’t have to show your mala to everybody so that they see that you are somebody. You should be like any other person.

I also emphasize that after taking an initiation you should not go outside in the street with all these red dots on your forehead. That will create different feelings in others. If one single person does that it is not so bad, but if fifty or a hundred people do that if gives people the wrong message. The same goes for wearing malas. If, however, it is a fashion, then it is acceptable, because fashions are acceptable. But don’t try to send the message that ‘I am a practitioner.’ That is how Bodhisattvas are not supposed to behave.

Are there any questions?

Aud1: Could you teach police officers Dharma, even though they carry guns?

R: Well, that is an exceptional case. I am quite sure that it is okay. Unless you are a monk or nun you would not get a downfall for that. You can definitely talk to the police persons and teach them compassion.

Aud2: You said before that you are only allowed to give parts of your body if you don’t feel the pain. But if my brother needed a kidney and I gave him one of mine, even though it is painful for me, is that okay?

R: Yes, it is not a wrong thing, because you have two kidneys. But if it means that you are going to die yourself, then it would be wrong. These are general guidelines. This text was written over a thousand years ago. But even if you think about how long ago it was written, it is amazing how detailed it is. It even covers the vegetarian and non-vegetarian issue. We didn’t read that yet or maybe I have skipped it. There is lot about the food business.

Aud3: In some prayers about the vows it says that you should not do certain things, even in your dreams. What are the karmic consequences of doing something non-virtuous in a dream?

R: If you are in control of your dreams and then commit non-virtues in them, then you are responsible. But for people like me, who don’t have any control, I don’t believe there are any karmic consequences for whatever happens in the dreams.

There are no more questions, so I would like to close for today.

End of side B of tape 87 of 03/14/00