Archive Result

12

Soundfile 20001010GRAABWLc6a

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Ann Arbor

Topic Bodhisattva’s Way of Life

Transcriber Lay Tin Ng Elsie

Date 22 May 2022

Rimpoche: Welcome everybody here for today. And, I was not paying attention when Bruce said how many really new here today, first time. Because I saw, saw, saw, Daniel or ‘Tucker’s’ hands going up, so, his hands going, so, that’s not right. How many brand-new here, first time today? Quite a lot them here, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 9, and 10, 11. Thank you. 12, 13, 14, 15, a lot.

You know what we are doing here?

Audience: (Laughing)

Rimpoche: (Rimpoche laughs.) I have to talk to you a little bit, you know. Because you probably expect something and we are doing something else. So, well, the first question you raised, is that, are we talking a spiritual path? Yes, we are definitely talking spiritual path, no doubt about it. Are we doing some practice? Yes, we are doing some practice. Are we doing meditation? Yes, we are doing meditation. But we read it. We did not give time and try to think what we said it. You know, why? Because we presume everybody will know the said words and they can think together. Okay? So, maybe you think oh there is no meditation. Yes, there is meditation. The meditation is done through the form of prayer. You are doing the prayer and you are doing the meditation together. And those who have been trained to do that, quote and unquote, they are supposed to be doing. Okay. I don’t know what they really doing it or not. I have no idea. I presume they are doing it. So, I have to take it for, what is the difficult? Ah?

Audience: (Inaudible)

Rimpoche: Okay. I thought you didn’t hear me, Clara. What is he did it, he wanted to talk about it, okay. I mean, that is his problem. Anyway, we are supposed to doing the meditation and saying prayer together. That little piece of paper you get, so that has all the prayers and mantras all of them together. Even you don’t know tonight what you are doing, doesn’t matter. If you read it, you will probably ask somebody, or couple of times, sometime they give explanations on that. So, anyway, it is giving you prayer and meditation together. What kind of meditation we give here? I better not talk about that, otherwise then I will be no-where.

Okay. What we are really doing is, we are in the middle of some books. Buddhist way of spiritual path, basically many of, many of you know Mahayana, Hinayana and Vajrayana. Is that Greek to you? Total Greek? Greek to all, is not Greek to you, I am glad.

Anyway, you know, in Buddhism, basically, three different systems. They are interconnected. Interconnected. And each and every one of them will tell you, we are the best. We are the most important. If you look in the Theravadin tradition, they will say they are the best. If you look in the Mahayana tradition, they say they are best. And if you look in the Vajrayana, we say we are the best. So, we are the best, because we said so. Anyway, it was joke. But, but, like three different categories or three different ways of working it.

If you really look carefully, they are all interlinked. Very much interlinked. Without Hina or the lower level, they cannot be Maha or the higher level, bigger level. Without having a Mahayana, Vajrayana is really a part of Mahayana. Mahayana is divided into Sutra and Tantra. So, so, actually they are all very much interlinked. Completely interlinked. Perhaps, Mahayana and Vajrayana unable to exist without having the Hinayana. It really depends on that. It builds on top of it.

Hinayana can exist by itself without having Mahayana. But they are not looking for to become a buddha at all. So, general goal here is to become a buddha. You know, what would I like to achieve? I would like to become a buddha. Perhaps you people heard, I said on Saturday here. My goal is to become a buddha. That is my aim. That is my goal. So, when you look at the, the one should become Mahayana, your goal is to become a buddha. Until you come to the level of Mahayana becoming buddha is not issue at all. Even, even in Theravadin level or the Hinayana level.

What you needed is freedom. Freedom is the goal. Freeing individual from the negative emotions and sufferings in samsara. That is the freedom. That is the Hinayana goal. No Hinayana people would like to become a buddha. Because there is no reason why they need to become a buddha. Only what you dislike is suffering and then you look at it, what causes suffering is the negative karma. What causes negative karma, the negative emotion. So, overcoming the negative emotions and making it sort of you know, have no consequence left of negative karma is freedom. And that is the total goal in the Hinayana level.

When you become a Mahayana, then I not only care about myself, I care about others. I care, I care my companion, I care about my children, I care my family, I care my friends and I care my circle, I care my fellow countrymen. That’s how they expanded, anyway.

0:08:46.9

So became to the end, you care for everybody. You are not going to throw anybody out. Caring for everybody. Not only caring for everybody, I would like to make sure that everybody is free. I would like to make sure no one will have fallback. Everybody is free. And that’s where come, then it is called Mahayana, the big thing. It’s a big thing. Because not only I care myself, but for everybody. You cannot leave anybody. We are all interconnected. I like to care for my family, my spouse, or then my parents, her parents, her children, my children, and goes on. And everybody has it’s connected somehow or another. She’s brother-in-law, her sister-in-law, goes on and doesn’t end. Somehow, this interconnection between human beings are, are, really endless, really goes on, it’s very hard to cut.

Not only the human beings, the animals too. My pet. My cat has sister. Ya, my dog has a brother. So, no end to it. But, but perhaps you don’t worry much, too much about the cat’s sister and dog’s brother, and then maybe that much, you don’t beyond that because they can’t speak. They can’t bug you. But otherwise, family will bug you. This is my friend, this and that, this and that, all this, it will go on. So, anyway, this is one way of looking. In another way of looking is we are all interconnected, tremendously connected, one time or another, one lifetime or another lifetime. We are very much connected. There have been a number that I have to depend on my total survival for you, vice versa, you have to depend your total survival for me. If you look back through the reincarnation, who can really tell whom you have nothing to do with me. Who care? No one care.

If you look in through the reincarnation, no one can tell anybody you have nothing to do with me. Cannot. Sometime or another, you have been my mother. Sometime or another, I have been your mother. Vice versa with everybody. If you don’t think reincarnation, that’s why your vision of life is limited, short. Started at birth, ended at death. Shrink this much. Very small. But if you look in reincarnation, it opens up completely, so does your relationship opens. Relationship.

0:13:27.5

I was talking with somebody about the relationship today. Sounds funny. People understand relationship. So anyway, so, that is the reason why love, compassion cannot be limited at all. It has to be unlimited and unconditioned. If it is, if it is not conditioned, then the usual American thing. I don’t know I thought it was Saturday, no, must be Sunday. I went to the Wholefood here, walked in, there is a guy there and say you want to become a member or something, wanted to give me a card. So, I have to fill up my information and then sign this piece of paper. Then I asked him what’s in there for me. What’s in there for me. Oh, you get cheaper thing, and I said, well, this is usual American question, if I don’t get cheaper, can I bring my card back to you. And he said, sure, sure, sure. But at the end, actually two dollars cheaper. So, what’s in there for me? It is the usual American question. So, the moment you ask the usual American question, what’s in there for me, meaning that your love, your compassion has become conditioned. Conditioned to benefit me. You know? You heard this conservative compassion? Didn’t you hear that? That’s what the conditioned compassion is. What’s in there for me? That’s a joke, okay. Don’t take it seriously. We would like to make a political joke all the time. And since it is election, everybody is excited so we have to talk about it.

So, when it was conditioned and limited, and conserved, and then it becomes conditioned compassion so which means conservative compassion. (Rimpoche laughs.) Isn’t that funny? That’s great, don’t you think? (Rimpoche laughs.) Okay, again, let me repeat, that’s joke. But what is not a joke, is compassion and love should not be conditioned. Should not have limitation. So, naturally, it should not be conservative compassion. Conservative normally means not easily going, very restricted, right? Conservative doctor means don’t buy easily, be very careful. Right? Right or wrong? So, the conservative compassion is also limited. (Rimpoche laughs.) Perhaps the 1% of the most-wealthiest people. (Rimpoche laughs.) Anyway, now I better not joke because I am bad. If I do that, I can’t stop. So, so, anyway, love, compassion should be unlimited, unconditioned.

And that, ultimate love, ultimate compassion which has no limit, no condition, when one gets that and with dedication, and that fellow more or less called bodhisattva, it’s sort of Buddhist terminology. A person who is going to become buddha. It’s bodhisattva. Did you hear that word? Bodhisattva. It’s a Sanskrit word, not a Tibetan. Sanskrit word. What is bodhisattva in English anyway, is there some name for that, no, what does this book say? Bodhisattva’s way of life. They use bodhisattva again. So, what we are doing is, I mean, I am telling you, the new ones, what we are doing is, we are doing, we are reading this book, we are read a verse and we talk about it. Or you thought you may come in the middle? Yes, you have come in the middle. You did come in the middle. But when did we start this? Ya, it is 4 years ago. (Rimpoche laughs.) Is it 4 years? 96 or somewhere, right?

Audience: 96.

Rimpoche: 96. Okay. So, we started 96 this, and we are not even half the book through yet. So, what we do is, we read every Tuesday here, we have been doing this, every. And it has just been interesting and helpful. From the beginning to the end, can anybody do it? No. Not going to happen. No one can really be able to do it exactly from beginning to the end what this book says. But wherever you can get, whatever you can do, it is going to be helpful to you in your life. This is the bodhisattva’s way of life. So, we talk here quite a lot. First benefit of compassion. How the compassion should not be conservative, the compassion should be open, liberal for everyone. Radical. Yes, radical. Would you going to tell that to governor ‘Arnold’?

0:21:41.6

Well, in other word, is really tell you, there should not be any condition and any limitation to anybody. And also tell you how the individual should function. We talk about the generosity, we talk about the morality, we talk about, what did we talk?

0:22:04.8

Ah, and then next is, this is another chapter included, alert-ness. How does one can be alert-ness. And what chapter is now, 4 or 5, 6, I think it is 6. So, what are, first is the benefit; second must be generosity. No? Ah? Purification, second is been purification we talked about. We talked about do we wrong things, we said yes, we do it, you know why? Because we are human beings. So, if you are God, you don’t make any mistake. But since we are not God, we make mistake all the time. So, when we make mistake, is that end of our thing? No, it is not. So, we can purify all whatever we do wrong, it is purifiable.

This is very interesting issue in people’s life. A lot of people think if I did something wrong, I have been doomed. I cannot do because I cannot undo what I did it so therefore, I have to go down, down the, down the hills or to the hell, or something. That’s what people think. Because I make mistake. I can’t undo. In one way, it is true. You can’t undo what you did it. But yet you can still do a lot. Yet, you can still do a lot.

You hurt somebody, you can, you can work out with that person, not necessarily seek forgiveness of the person. Well, he thought we are in Myers. That is joking. He works in Myer, right. How many years you say you have working in Myer? Ah? You don’t know. 10? Very good. Do you work in the Myer with good motivation or with bad motivation, or no motivation at all? Good. Can you give me one example such as what? You give me one good, to say I work with good motivation. Give me one example. You don’t know. Do you think I am working here because I have to get my cheque? Or do you think I work here because I will, I will be helpful. Helpful. That is one good example of being a good motivation, don’t say I don’t know. You know it. Right? Good. Thank you.

0:25:43.9

See, it is interesting, if you think I have to get my pay cheque I have to work. Where did Clara go? Clara ??? Oh, okay. When you think I have to get my pay cheque, so I have to work. Then it becomes selfish interest. If you work there, I can serve a number people who come here, I can give them good thing. I can cheat them with a little bit on the check-out counter. (Rimpoche laughs.) I can put one extra zero. (Rimpoche laughs.) I am teasing Clara. So, anyway, so, so if you think that way, you know, these two simple motivations, I can be helpful, I can serve them, or I am here to collect my pay cheque.

So, these are two different motivation you do the same thing, you spend the same amount of energy, you spend the same amount of time and you do exactly the same thing, but your motivation will make this work is become positive or neutral. Or if you cheated, then it becomes negative, (Rimpoche laughs) if you put two zero extra, if they don’t figure out, so then it becomes negative, and then Myers will be benefited or closed off whatever.

So, anyway, sort of that people who had ultimate compassion, ultimate love and who really wanted to become a buddha not for their own sake, because for the sake of those people they are committed to help, because buddha level is unlimited, unlimited resource available, capability available, that is simple reason why one would like to become a buddha. That’s why the bodhi-mind is. The mind of bodhisattva, called bodhi-mind is a total dedication for the benefiting of other beings and yet, seeking a total enlightenment for yourself, by yourself, for benefiting the others. So, we always taught bodhi-mind is two-pronged mind. One - dedicated, two - seeking enlightenment, a desire to become a buddha. I used this word desire, specially, because a number of people think anything is a desire is bad, it is not. If you desire to become good, that is not bad. If you desire to become a buddha that is not bad. Right? Good. So, these people are called bodhisattvas and how they behave in their life. What sort of life they should have, and when the difficult thing encounter with those people, how do I act? It is not so much terms and rules like monk or nun, you can’t do this, you can’t do that, you can’t do this. Not in that way.

0:30:03.6

But it is more if you encounter with anger, how would you like to, how would you, how one should behave, how one should think about it, how one should adjust. If you are encounter or overpower by attachment, how does one should think about it, one should go about it. If you are encounter with jealousy, how does one should go about it. That’s the bodhisattva’s way of life we are talking about it, rather than in term of rules, you can do this, you can’t do this. You should do this; you should not this. No one can impose any rule on anybody, unless you are in the communist country.

0:31:02.7

Even in the leftover communist country, even ??? has to go, can’t stay there, has to go. So, no one can impose anything on anybody. You have to know that absolutely clear. No one can force you to do anything which you don’t want to do. Likewise, you cannot force anyone to do anything what they don’t want to do. That’s true between us, that’s true between the mother and daughter, that’s true between the father and son, that’s true with Supa and Kimba. (Rimpoche laughs.) Kimba just came in, so I just said that. So, so, so, anyway, Supa and Kimba mean boyfriend and girlfriend, or the companions. That’s, that’s, the thing. So, even Buddha knows that. Unless you want to commit to become a monk who will follow the rules. If not, they will come as, if you encounter with this what should you do, what should you not do.

So, we are in the middle of that, and middle of that also, today unfortunately, those of you who come for the first time. Unfortunately, we have to, it is a very, quite a tough theory today, it’s sort of, it is a tough nut that we have to crack today. So, sometimes, it is very simple, very easy, today it is a hard one. You know, I came encounter with that, last Tuesday, so I quickly run away. I can’t run away today because the book we read through. So, I believe it is number 27, am I right? Number 27. So, this book, this version.

Actually, bodhisattva’s way of life, is translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan, from Tibetan into English, as far as I know. And there are two different translations are available in that. It is heat or air-condition? You did push something and it did went. I hope it is cold, not hot. Okay. That’s what we don’t wanted. Sometime you know, I think it is in New York, one day we were talking and it was so hot, so hot. And then, someone said, turn on the air conditioner on, air conditioner did turn on, after a little while, it became so hot, so it said, it is not air conditioner, it’s heat. (Rimpoche laughs.) So, it's okay. What you going to do? It’s okay. Is it cold outside? So, what is the use? You can put that fan on, if not too noisy. Well, if you open the air conditioner onwards. Ah. That means what, is it going to work or not going to work. Supa said it will work if you open it.

So, it is number 27. Right? (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan.) It’s difficult. That which is asserted as primal substance, there is 21, what does that mean? There must be some footnotes, can you read it? Ah? You got a mic there, Sandy.

Audience: According to non-Buddhist Samkhya school of philosophy, the primal substance is the permanent underlying material, cause and nature of all objective phenomenon. For further clarification of this concept, see below ???

Rimpoche: (Rimpoche laughs) That is it. Did you hear that? That is the primal substance. Okay, now, we have to talk about primal substance. Because we talk, we read this, it is mentioned there. So, we can’t escape it, escape it. What is primal substance? Ah? What happened? What? Did you say something? Anyway, what is a primal substance? Why this came here? If you look back, 2,500 years or 2,500 years ago, there are a number of viewpoints in India. Buddhists, non-Buddhists or great spiritual beings, or great spiritual teachers, and one of them, accept whatever we called this, primal substance, primal substance. I don’t know whether I need to mention this or not. Perhaps it is not bad idea to mention. Okay. (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan.)

0:41:07.1

I am sorry. I am not reading primal substance I saw something very funny here so I got lost myself. It’s the viewpoint of earlier Indian teachers. And one of them really say, you know it is very funny. It just came back to here, one of them just really said, really said that human beings we are existing, and we are existing is nobody made and nobody came, just happened to be there. Just happened to be there. So, our body and consciousness, all, just happened to be together. Body and mind is one-ness. It’s like the walls and the mural paintings on the wall. When the wall destroy, painting will go. So, this is one way of looking at our total existence. Are you with me?

Total existence means body and mind together, and there is one-ness. If the body exists, the mind will exist. The mind goes, body will go. Body goes, mind will go. So, giving the example of the walls, and painting on the walls. When wall goes, the painting will not be left. So, just like that. So, so, that’s one way of looking at it. There is another person who said that is not true. How we exist? This people, some of this people see it, that you die, your consciousness continues. So, therefore, they said slightly different than that of what we talked earlier. Walls and wall paintings, body mind one-ness, one goes the other goes. The other guy sees it, body and mind have very simple, wonderful little connection, however, they are separate. Body can separate from the mind; mind can separate from body. It goes. But where it comes from? They say it is come from, a creator, a creator had created. You know what it means. A creator has created. It is not exactly like the Judeo-Christian tradition that we talk about God as creator.

I don’t think it is not exactly same way but quite close, not exactly same way but quite close. Why is not exactly same way because there is a lot of other things. So, they, you know, the idea of, the idea, I mean it is rather difficult for me to tell.

The idea of me and my future and my ultimate being, the God is one. So, there are, that, that is the point. And that also if you look at even at the Judeo-Christian tradition, I know nothing about it. Very zero level, what the Judaism and Christian say, but if you look at them, the God and the me, and where I come from, will not look as one. Do they, Christian tradition? Do you have any Christian expert here? The God and the me, one, are you sure? I am not created by God because I am one-ness with the God. You see, there is a big problem on this. You may say I am created by God because I am God. I don’t know. You know better. Because I couldn’t comment because I don’t know. Ya, you know.

Audience: Well, I know, for me, but there are so many different versions for me.

Rimpoche: Good. That’s good enough for me. Sit down, sit down, sit down, that’s okay, mister, sit down. I don’t want to do that right now. Okay. Because I needed to talk to, just ask a couple questions. So many good versions. Yes.

Audience: A version I know is that,

Rimpoche: Sit down. Okay. Anyway.

Audience: ??? what I know is that. Christ was the first one, holy son, holy spirit, and that if you believe in Christ then you in turn become a direct child of God or a direct part of God.

Rimpoche: Okay. So, that’s different from being one. That’s a different. That’s a different. But anyway, I don’t know about it, so I better not comment because when I don’t know, I mean, I try to talk to you, going to be blind leading the blind, worse than that, I make a fool of myself, so I don’t want to do that. So, but I wanted to see the difference here. Here, those people who accept this, what is it called,

Audience: Primal substance.

Rimpoche: Primal substance and they accept a creator, creator with 25 qualities, so it becomes so funny, creator with 20, don’t let me count the 25 qualities, it’s going to be very complicated, okay. So, anyway, for them, that group, the principal, the big, the pride, the five elements, 11 senses, self-intelligence, creator, all of them same, become same. So, that’s they called it creator. Creator. If you translate the word ‘chi-sor’ it really doesn’t say creator, it really says Queen Bee. The most important one. They don’t say Queen Bee, they say the most important one, the most important one, the most important one who directs who does everything. For us, we may refer that as ego or something, but it is not, it is not, it is creator, my creator, it is not a God, if you look in the Judeo-Christian tradition, really, this is a creator who have 25 qualities, and also, and also, it is me and my creator and I am same with my creator, but I am not my creator, my creator is not me, you know you have all this and it is all my senses, but my senses are not my sense, my senses are not there, senses are gone, it is very complicated Hindu philosophy exists in 2,500 years ago. And today I don’t know, there must be a lot.

0:50:05.5

I am not sure. I don’t know. So, what I do know is from Buddhist literature. So, when you look at this, this primal substance. Primal substance and that which is, what that imputed means, imputed as ‘saive’, so, we have a philosophical translation in Tibetan, this is called (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan – dar-shi-ling-gi-bu, dar-shi-ling-gi-bu.) What does that mean? The self, they did not really tell you self and primal substances is the one thing. They said self is the expression of, expression of, expression of primal substance, substance, right? Primal substance. So, the primal substance is not so happy so it is shows you certain sort of gesture, certain act. So, these acts become negative actions to the individual, by the individual, for the individual. You understand?

When the primal substance is happy, they will act in certain, every good and bad is nothing but the performance of, way and how the primal substance behaves, behaves, it almost look like a not God’s God, but certain level they say, well, the Amazon god is so angry, so they are sending us the thunder and storm, and this and that, and all this type of thing, very similar to that. But much deeper, deeper than this. The Amazon god, I mean I don’t know what the Amazon god sends or not, the fire god is angry, so there is fire broke out. The water god is angry, so there is tremendous amount of what you call,

Audience: Flood.

Rimpoche: Ah?

Audience: Flood.

Rimpoche: What?

Audience: A flood.

Rimpoche: A flood, yes. Thank you. So, so just like that, but much deeper than that. So, it has its own complete system, you know why it is difficulty? Because everything is a creation of the primal substances, and whatever we experience is the dances and reflections of the primary substance. But we do not know that and that’s why we become suffering, we enjoy, we have miserable, we have hot, we have cold, all the hot and cold come out of the dance of the primal substances but we are confused, we don’t know about it.

Maybe there is a time that great guru appears and guru will show us the way so that we can look at the primary, what is it, primal substances and somehow primal substance is so shy, you know like the traditional Indian culture if a man who is not married to a woman or somebody else’s husband look at somebody else’s wife, is traditional Indian culture, the wife will be very shy and she has to hide herself, who cover her face or put her sari around or even if the man ‘trace’ her a little more than that, she may jump her in the fire or water or commit suicide because she feel so shy, that is the traditional Indian culture.

0:55:06.1

So, this people, they say, maybe a great guru appear somewhere, suddenly guru show the people how to look at it, so when we look at it very carefully to the primal substance beyond his performance. So, he will be feeling so shy like somebody else’s wife has been looked by somebody else’s husband, so she will shrink all her manifestation and that is how we liberate ourself. This is a total system of liberation. I mean I said in so little word. But if I have to really said it, I have to read a hundred pages here. But, so, like you know, in short, in short, we are here because the primal substance has produced us, we have suffered because the primal substance is not so happy so giving the wrong dances so we are suffering.

We are happy here primal substance is very happy giving us the right dance, so we are happy. But when the guru shows me how to look at the primal substance, I will look beyond the dances of the guru and bad feeling of the primal substance, and the primal substance is so shy and withdraw and so I get liberated. Okay. That’s the primal substance that they are talking about it now. So, just because this word here, I have to explain this, otherwise, you know, primal substance, primal, what is that, you know. Like John first used it. What is the primal substance, so now don’t ask me, okay, so here you go?

So, since everything is the dances, or reflection or creation of the primal substances, I as a self is also imputed in here by the primal substance, that is called dar-shi-ling-gi-bu. Chi-sor is the primal substance, and the chi-sor created all this, and me as my life was imputed in me by the chi-sor, and so I become dar-shi-ling-gi-bu, that’s what the Tibetan word is, anyway input self, they called it, right. That which is input as self. Sound like primal substance itself, came down within me, is not. How they look at it. It is another reflection, reaction, manifestation, dance, performance of a primal substance.

So, what is this, Bodhisattvacayarvatara is telling you is, saying there is no such a thing primal substance. There is no such a thing called self, which is imputed by the primal substance. So, therefore, whatever we experience, whatever we feel good and bad is all dependent on condition and cause, the cause and condition is the real stuff, not the primal substance, not the self-input, none of them. In other words, if you think the condition and the cause are somehow independent of something. Saying wrong, there is no independent condition, there is no independent cause, every cause and condition are dependent arise. It depends not on the creator, but depend on the part and parcel of it. That is the reality.

Look at anything in the United States today. It is everything collectively produced. The United States itself is collectively exist. If the people, the citizens of the United States is not here, the President and Legislator and the what it is, the Legislator’s branch, and executive branch, and judicial branch alone cannot be the United States. President has to preside over something. The legislator has to legislate something. The judges must judge something. So, it is a collectiveness, collective of the people of the United States, the land of the United States, the label called United States, all together then it becomes United States. Am I right or wrong? If you don’t have the land, if you have the people like the Tibetans. We have the people, we don’t have land, we don’t have country. See, it is dependent, how dependent it is.

Native Americans too. They may have both land and people everything, they don’t have nation. Something is missing. You know why? It is very interesting. Why? There is direct contradiction. There is a direct contradiction. The people of the United States directly contradict the native American nation. It not become true because direct mind, perfect mind, perfect being, perfect country, perfect citizen contradicts. See it is very interesting. To be exist is to depend on piece and parcel and acknowledgement. Native, Tibetans don’t have land, so therefore no matter how many times we say we are independent since ancient, blah blah blah, we can yell, scream, shout, and sympathetic people like you will listen and shed crocodile tears with us and all that, but no nation in the world will do anything because there is no land.

1:03:42.2

See, the native Americans have the land and have the people, have everything, have their culture, language, everything but there is a direct contradiction. So, therefore, it is not a true in the ??? of the native Americans is existing here.

Likewise, how do I exist in this world? How do you exist in this world? Because you have your body, you have your mind, body and mind together and you have a label. And no direct mind will contradict that. If you say I am John and everybody will say you are John, unless you are lying. If you are lying, everybody will say, oh no, no, no, you are not John. You are not in Texas with female director, (Rimpoche laughs) so you are exaggerating, so your numbers will go down. (Rimpoche laughs) See, that’s, that’s, what this particular verse is talking about. So, everything is, depends on condition. There is no independent self, cause or condition such as what is this called, primal substance, or self that input, all of those. I think they say, is that 25 right, was it 27, since they are unproduced with brackets, do not arise after having purposefully thought, so what is that Tibetan word here. (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan.)

1:07:25.0

Am I reading 27? Or 27, right? Do not rise after having, purposeful thought, purposefully thought. I don’t know this translation exactly. The Tibetan word will really say, as a such, you called self. As a such, you called self. Because self that was supposed to imputed, the substance, whatever that is, primal substance. They use just the label, as you label as self, there is no such a thing. Why there is no such a thing? The Tibetan word here goes, (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan.) The translation doesn’t seem to go very well. Since, they are unproduced, do not rise after having purposefully thought. Okay. Since, they are not produced, so it is only labelling, there is no true. Now, this translation doesn’t give me good, good point. The Tibetan does. Why, why is it not there, why not a self there, it is only labelling. If it is created, I should be able to enjoy every perception that I have, good and bad, whatever it may be, even after I gone, I should be able to enjoy perception of good and the bad. (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan.)

1:09:57.5

So, this is, if it is thought only created me, way before I was born, I should be here, because primal substance has its thought and its expression and its dance, they are way before I came in. Why not I came in now. And the primal substance dances will continuously go, way after I have gone. Why did I have to go? Because I am simply the expression of a primal substance. So, that’s what, that’s what, the mind, the logical reason, what they are using is, we the human being are not the creation of a primal, primal substance. If so, we should be there right from the beginning whenever the primal substance comes in, because expression is there, we should continue way after I have gone, because primal substance will continue.

That’s the reason why they are saying, that is not right. We born when we are born. We die, when we die. Because of the cause and condition. We do well when do well. We do bad when we do bad. Because cause and condition. So, we are not a primal sources’ expression.

Likewise, the second verse is made even more difficult. (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan.) So, what is the, now number what? 28, right? If they are unproduced and non-existent, then whatever wish they have to produce, harm will also not exist. This is difficult, not even, even more difficult to crack than this. If it is not produced, we are not talking about the primal substance, we are talking about ourself. If we are not produced, then we have to be do-not-exist. If we do not exist, we cannot have any function at all. So, therefore, non-existence of me is also wrong. Because I do exist. This is very difficult subject. Particularly those of you who came for the first time, much more difficulty, you really got in the middle of big mess here.

1:14:14.8

So, you know, when in one way, you are not production of the primal substance, now you may think, I am not produced anywhere. I am not a production of primal substance. I am not a production of anybody. I am me, that’s what it is. I am me. So, if I am me, I am not produced. Then I should not be here. How can I be me? How can I function? I should not be produced. I should not exist. So, what you talking about it. We are talking about it, I am not been produced by a permanent independent principal primal substance. I am not produced by anything other than impermanent. I am produced by cause and condition which is impermanent and that’s why I become impermanent. Since I am impermanent, I am not a production, I am not a continuation, or part and parcel of a permanent. Are you with me? If there is a primal substance or something, it has to be a permanent one. So, if I am part of it, I should be permanent one. I am not a permanent, I know it, I am impermanent. I depend on cause and condition. I am impermanent. And therefore, me is not an independent self-existing. I am existing with dependent condition, impermanently.

Are you with me? I don’t know whether you are with me? A lot of heads saying ‘woo, woo, woo’, but I am not sure. In other words, in other words, what they try to tell me, how do I being here? I am being here because of my cause and condition. Not because my primal substance has reflected me in this way or that way. In other words, in other words, bottom-line, what they are talking about it, I am my own person. I am nobody else’s agent. I am nobody else’s creation. I am own mind. I am my creation. And I am responsible for me. And I am me. I am not part or parcel of primal substance, if so, I should be impermanent, unchangeable. Not only that, I should be long before me, I should be way after me. I am not. That’s why, I know, I am impermanent. I have to stop here. But what does that tell you, I am impermanent means, I am changeable, I can become better, I can improve, I can make myself better, you can help me to make myself better. But you can’t make me better, I can make me better because I am responsible for me not you.

You can help because I depend on condition and cause. So, ultimately, what they are telling you (Rimpoche speaks in Tibetan.) I am my own protector. I am my own helper. Who else can help me? I created all my negative karma. And I created my own suffering. Likewise, I created all my positive karma and I created my own joy.

1:19:57.9

(Sound ended)