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20000428GRJHNLMED 1

Welcome to Jewel Heart. This is supposed to be home, so welcome home. You know, perhaps better than I do, the reason why you have come here today. But, I have to keep on guessing. That is because we said we are going to speak tonight about meditation in our daily life. So, you probably thought, ‘Well, let me find out how to meditate in my daily life. I suppose that is the subject tonight.

Right? Or wrong? Right. OK, thank you. Let me just be relaxed and open. You also relax. Meditators don’t get tense. If you do, you have trouble. So, let’s relax, and let’s talk about it. What comes to mind the moment you say, “meditation?” Ask yourself that question. Then, you can get some idea what you think about it. It’s important that you ask yourself. I have a couple of different ways of thinking about it.

Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem saying, If you don’t know how to meditate, copy the other person. The first thing to do is to sit on the ground. If the ground is not there, sit on a chair. The first thing to do is “keep your backbone straight.” Then, keep on breathing normally. I don’t know whether that is Allen’s word or not. [00:03:38.28]

So, what he is talking about is concentrated meditation. I look at meditation, and I see two types. One is passive. The other is active. Normally, I’m sure it’s the same thing in the Netherlands, too. But in America, the moment you say, “Meditation,” they straightaway think about passive meditation, rather than active meditation. The point here is the active meditation finds the subject on which you meditate. The passive meditation makes it part of your daily life. It sort of gives you the result of whatever they have to give you.

The combination of active meditation, finding the subject on which you meditate, and then passive meditation; thinking, focusing, sitting. The combination of these two delivers the goods. What we normally talk about; how to sit, not think much, let it go, all of those are part of passive meditation. In passive meditation, the thoughts come up, we let them go. That’s the idea. [00:07:46.17]

Why? Let’s ask this question first: Is meditation necessary? The answer that I know is, very definitely yes. Why? Because we want to achieve something. We want to do something. We want to make a difference to ourselves, a difference in our consciousness. We find no other way to do that for ourselves, other than meditation. For example, if you are not aware of what you are doing in your daily life, then your daily life will go [out the door]. As I said last night, the morning comes, the sun rises, the sun sets, it goes, and the next morning comes. The week goes, the next week comes. The month goes, the next month comes. The year goes, and then finally goes out the door! [00:10:02.02]

That’s why awareness is necessary. What am I doing? Particularly in this spiritual or religious tradition that we follow; whoever or whatever it may be. It’s necessary. Let me tell you from the Buddhist point of view. That’s all I know. The purpose of Buddhism, the Buddha’s essence message is: to make a change within yourself. Why is the change necessary? This is a big question. Because the way we function; normally, we are a wonderful person. We are a great human being. We’re kind, compassionate and beautiful, no doubt. But, the way we normally function, we function equally with our negative addictions, such as anger, attachment, jealousy; all of them come out. This happens with or without our efforts, and whether we like it or not, they come out.

These things; anger, jealousy, hatred, attachment; are they a good thing? Or, are they bad? No one will think this is a good thing, unless you are crazy. On the other hand, I would like to raise this question: who knows? On what grounds are you making a judgment of good or bad? Who knows what is good and what is bad? This is a really difficult question. If you don’t think, don’t pay attention, if you don’t meditate, because our subject is meditation. Actually, thinking, paying attention, having awareness and meditation are almost the same. So, if you don’t think, then it doesn’t matter, whatever it may be. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. It’s OK. It’s going. [00:14:57.20]

But when you think about it, it’s very hard to make the decision what is good and what is bad. Who knows? It’s interesting to me that what is good for Tibetans is sometimes bad for the Chinese. And what is bad for Tibetans is good for the Chinese. Right? I’m sure we all know someone within our individual lifetime who wants something they should not have. I’m thinking of chemicals. Some of them suffer terrible withdrawal symptoms, like from cigarettes. It’s painful. Who really can decide what is good and what is bad?

We have to have some line between good and bad. We must have it. What will that be? What do you think? I’ll tell you what the Buddha taught. Buddha taught that if an action of yours is hurting anybody, including yourself, then it’s considered bad. You must include yourself. A number of people think, ‘I can hurt myself because it’s me.’ Wrong. Absolutely. Because you are a human being. You can’t hurt yourself. OK? It’s important. Any action that hurts anybody, including yourself is suggested to be considered bad. [00:19:46.14]

Vice versa, anything helping should be considered good. That is the general guideline that Budddha has suggested. But there’s a large grey area that goes this way and that way. For these things you have to use your normal, usual common sense to make a judgment, case by case.

So now, coming back to the subject, because of bad action, the consequences of this action is suffering. You know this word, karma in Buddhist terminology? How many of you have heard of karma? How many have not heard of karma? Raise your hand. I see no hands here. So, everybody has heard of karma. Whether we know it or not, a person like me who has had the good fortune to spend sixty years studying Buddhism probably doesn’t know much about karma. Truly speaking. What it really comes down to is, “What really is karma?” At the bottom line, it is responsibility. [00:22:58.08]

That is not the translation of the word, karma. It’s not the explanation of the word, karma. But the bottom line, you know, the bare bones really come to responsibility. The responsibility of your own actions and whatever good or bad may be, you’re not only taking the responsibility, you have the consequences. This is what karma really means. The problem with us is not that we are a bad person, that we want to do something bad and hurt somebody. Some wicked person may have that, but there’s very little of that.

The largest problem is that without any awareness, we do hurt a lot of people, including ourself. Then, we create negative karma. You know, it’s funny; if you look at the western tradition, they say, “Justice is blind.” [The figure representing justice holds scales.] And that person is blindfolded. They say that justice is blind. It’s also true of karma. Karma is blind. There’s no excuse, because when we act, the result is bound to happen. When we do something, sometimes we can explain it. You know, “I had to do this. I can explain.” But in karma, there’s nothing to explain. It affects. That’s what I meant by “It’s blind. Like justice.” [00:26:46.00]

Sometimes justice is such a funny thing, everybody may think [a verdict] is wrong, but those who are responsible, whether it is a jury or a judge, or whoever it may be, they have to go against public opinion. No one can do anything, except yourself. So, the bottom line comes: how to make myself happy? How to make myself not have suffering? [The answer is] the correction. The correction of my negative emotions and any actions that I commit due to the power or influence of my negative emotions. Changing that is the only key. Negative karmas are created because of our addiction to negativities. Not because we want to be a mean, wicked person.

Changing our habitual way of functioning is the key. It is truly the key from the point of view of religions. I’m talking about Buddhism. The only key to making yourself better, to freeing yourself from suffering is the way and how we act. Act means not only physical action, but also our way of thinking, how we calculate, how we plan, how we function; everything. [00:29:55.16]

So, that’s what it is. In order to get that, number one, you have to understand. Not just by me telling you or just reading a book. Each and every one of you over here is an educated person, an intelligent person. Use your mind. Convince yourself that this is the cause of my suffering, and our suffering.

This is the most difficult point. As long as you’re not convinced, whatever you try to do; sit, meditate, say your prayers, say your mantras, or do whatever you try to do, it is half-hearted work. You are simply told, you simply heard. You may be thinking, ‘That’s about it, maybe.’ If you are not convinced, why do you have to put your total energy into it? Even if you want to, you won’t, because you are not convinced. First and foremost, saying that is the most important thing in our daily life. [00:33:18.27]

Another problem is, when you are not convinced, and you are thinking, it may be, “Yeah, he said so. He’s supposed to be from Tibet. He’s a Rinpoche. He’s big and fat enough, so whatever he said is good and right.” You know, really. You may think that way. But then somebody else will say, “Hey, that’s not right. It’s not necessarily the case that bad action brings bad results.” You may be thinking, “Oh, that may be true, too.” How can you put in the effort, when your mind is like this?

So, active meditation will convince you. Feel, with yourself. Feel is the wrong word. Really go deep inside and compare with your experience. Just look back. See how your anger has made you miserable in your life, how your hatred; how much trouble it has given you, and your attachment, how it has given you as much trouble. Just go back with your personal experience, which most of us have anyway. If you don’t have it, watch others; those who are suffering. [00:36:06.19]

Active meditation is nothing more than thinking and analyzing. You’ll see it. “A” is having the same problem. “B” is having the same problem. I am having the same problem. You are having the same problem. Then, you should be convinced. Otherwise, you are crazy or stupid. Once you are convinced of that, then you know what to do in your life. You begin to see your mission. You begin to see your purpose in life. Until then, we don’t have a purpose in our life. The sun rises, the sun goes down. Sleep, wake up. Sleep, wake up. Sleep, wake up. That’s our purpose, until then. Who knows that? Everybody. The cows, cats and dogs and everybody knows that.

The birds know, too. In the evening, they go, “Chee chee chee chee chee,” all the time, right? And early in the morning, “chee chee chee chee chee,” all the time, right? Even they know. So we, as human beings have to be a little better than that. So, find the purpose of your life. Find the mission of your life. This life, that you and I have today is a very special life. It is special because of its capabilities. No life in the world can do what we can do. You know that. [00:40:34.03]

What we call scientific achievement is human achievement. All these great scientists we talk about, Einstein, and so forth, are human beings. They’re not God. They are human beings. They are able to develop and to make it! The comfort that we have today; hot and cold. Heat, in Holland!

It’s really true! And then, Buddha. We talk about it. Right? All of them. Even Jesus. Maybe he’s the son of God, but he’s a human being too, as far as I’m concerned. He was. And Buddha; human being! So, whether it is materially or spiritually, whatever it may be, there is nothing that human beings can’t do. Our ancestors have done it. The future generations will do it. Why not you and me? Tell me. We can do it. We’re capable. We have the opportunity. [00:42:54.14]

Don’t waste it. If you waste it, it’s really a waste. How not to waste it? How to make the best use of it? Meditation. For me, active meditation is more important than passive meditation. That’s for me only. This is my view, my personal view. I’m not saying it’s Buddha’s view or the Buddhist view or the Tibetan Buddhist view. That’s my view. Why? Because active meditation will make you know what to do.

You know, when I was a kid, I had a little cave. The cave was between the two big monasteries; one called Drepung and the other called Sera. I would go there for retreating, whether for a learning retreat or a memorizing retreat, or whatever it may be. It was my retreat area. Then, one day one of my teachers told me, “Come, come quickly. Something is happening.” You know what was happening? There were a lot of lizards in that area. A number of lizards sit on those rocks, on their chests, like this, because they needed the heat of the rocks. So, they put their chests over the rocks. Open mouth, open eyes and sit. So, my teacher said, “They are meditating.” [00:46:47.06]

So when you don’t think much, and sit like that, I call it “Lizard Meditation.” I said this to encourage you to be involved in active meditation. I did not say this to discourage you against doing a passive meditation.Even passive meditation is better than no meditation. I don’t know what I’m doing here, or what I’m talking about.

The real purpose is, if you observe yourself, and watch within your mind, see how your anger rises, how your hatred comes up, how your jealousy comes up. Watch it. Find out how it feels and recognize, and acknowledge. All of these are the job of active meditation. Because, if you don’t recognize, then you don’t know what to do with it. If you recognize, but you refuse to acknowledge, then that is another problem. A number of people do that. How many times has each one of us heard somebody telling us, “I’m not angry, but — blah, blah, blah.” [00:50:24.10]

First you don’t recognize. Second, when you recognize, even then you don’t acknowledge; you deny. When you do that, you can’t work with it. Because, in your mind, there is no hatred within you. So, the recognition and acknowledgement are almost step one. If you recognize that “I am angry,” you will feel a little embarrassed at yourself. Maybe even a little bit of shame. That will protect you from anger. That will protect you from your anger growing bigger. When you feel a little embarrassed, you’re not going to be up like this, you’re going to shrink down. Along with that, your anger goes down.

Recognition and acknowledgement normally cut the power of the negative emotions, whatever they may be, almost 50%. Almost 50%. It depends on the individual person and it depends on how angry you are. That’s the first step. Then you can work with it. In the beginning your recognition will be quite late. It doesn’t matter. Better late than never. Then the recognition will come earlier and earlier. Sometimes, when you’re really angry, suddenly you realize it. Then you may be able to recognize even before you get angry. The anger smell may be coming inside you. [00:54:49.02]

Then, bring your awareness to that and watch that the anger does not arise. This is truly awareness in your daily life. It is also true when you are coming here and sitting, whether you’re sitting here or there, in this nice, quiet, beautiful atmosphere, you’re not going to have anger. You’re not going to have jealousy or hatred. At that time, you don’t have a problem.

The problem arises when you get out there, with the bicycles, when somebody passes you, giving you the finger. Here, the purpose of meditating is to influence you, so that when somebody is going by and giving you the finger, you don’t get angry. You should be able to think, ‘What a stupid person,’ instead of getting angry. And you should be able to have compassion. You are fit to have compassion. I was driving once near Cleveland, Ohio, in America. Without realizing it, I passed some lady. She started moving over, from right to left. Finally she got over, and with her hand on the horn and giving me the finger. I thought, ‘What’s the matter with that woman?’ Honestly, immediately after thinking that, I realized I must have passed her. She then got annoyed, and the poor thing, now she’s upset. I thought, I’d better stay back rather than trying to push myself in front of her. Rather than compete, I decided to stay back and slow down. [00:58:54.12]

So, I thought, I didn’t do a bad job at that time. I have a number of funny stories like that. I’’m not going to tell them to you tonight. The purpose of meditation is the reduction of the negative emotions. OK? That’s why meditation is important. Let me also tell you this: meditation is capable of bringing you to a certain level. I didn’t even know, a certain level of what? About six months ago, I had to do a retreat for a good friend of mine; a fellow named, “Ram Dass.” Many of you know who he is. He wrote a number of books, one of the most important of which is “Be Here Now,” “How Can I Help,” and all those. He’s the Psychedelic Guru too.

He himself was sick, with a stroke. He does a yearly retreat, so he wanted me to come and help. A number of us went and contributed to his retreat. He used to do a weeklong or ten-day retreat. I think he was making his living that way. So we all went there and helped him to do that retreat. He was there, with me, and they asked, “What do you think are the most important contributions that he made in spiritual life in today’s world? [01:03:13.05]

My answer was: not only his books, but he experimented at Harvard University, as the youngest tenured professor, with LSD, along with Timothy Leary. When I talk to you about either Ram Dass or Timothy Leary, the older people; those who were active in the sixties, they all acknowledge them, but the younger ones won’t know. Ram Dass and Timothy Leary discovered through their experimentation a certain number of levels they could reach, going beyond our total capability of what we experience in life. They found that.

While they were experimenting, they found so much. They were [exploring] uncharted territory. Through their scientific study; they were keeping notes, making comparisons and re-experimenting, re-confirming everything they were doing. They really saw it as uncharted territory. They charted it. Somebody handed one of them “The Tibetan Book of the Dead.”

This professor started reading the book, and found that the “uncharted territory” that they thought they were charting, was all in there. That was a big surprise for them. Then, what they did, particularly Ram Dass, is they closed this experimentation. With the chemicals, you can last a little bit, but then it goes down. Then you take more and then, it goes down, and then you take more. [01:07:36.27]

What he did was, he stopped this experiment, he closed it down and went to India. He started exploring meditations with Neem Karoli Baba. Then they came back, like sadhus, with the beard and long hair and all this, Harvard professor, you know? Harvard fired them too. Tenured professor.

They discovered, “Hey, you don’t have to have a chemical to experience this. You can meditate and gain experience.” That is the message they were able to deliver. That was one of the best contributions toward spiritual development. Ram Dass himself was very happy [at the retreat]. He was hitting his left hand on his wheelchair.

The reason why I say this, is the value of meditation. In the Netherlands, you have a choice; whether you go to the coffee shop or come to Jewel Heart and meditate. You’re going to have the same result. If you don’t get up there, don’t blame me. So, whenever people talk about the sixties; the experience, what they gain, discover, or even now, either the relaxing part of it or the hallucination part of it or whatever it may be. Meditation is capable of delivering the same thing, when you get used to it.

To me, meditation has much more value. It’s able to free me. Free me from negative emotions. If I’ve been freed from my negative emotions. I will not commit any body or mind actions that are influenced by them. When I don’t have that, I don’t have negative karma. When I don’t have negative karma, I have everlasting joy; what we call the joy that has never known suffering. [01:12:44.12]

Now I’ve said too much about meditation. I have to do two things: I have to entertain your questions, if you have any, and also I’ve been asked to lead a guided meditation. And then, you have coffee, and an opportunity to talk with each other. Then we’re supposed to be out of this building, so we have to hurry up.

So let’s [open the floor] to questions.

Q: Is meditation the only way to get rid of negative emotions?

Well, we know the drugs don’t get you out of it. So far, what little I know of the experience of Buddha and Buddha’s disciples and followers and everybody, I believe it has only been done through meditation. On the other hand, the meditation doesn’t have to be done at a separate time, sitting down with all these postures; it doesn’t have to be. Use your intelligence here, properly, in the right direction. Convince yourself, “Self, the negative emotions are not good.” Separate the individual and the negative emotions.

That is great meditation, even if you do it while sitting on the throne. If you face the right way. Or, while taking a shower. While waiting in line at the grocery. Or in the parking lot. But, don’t meditate while you’re driving. True.

Q: I practice zen meditation. I’m a beginner. My teacher says you shouldn’t have a purpose with your meditation. Just be there. When there’s anger, just let it be. Just notice that you feel anger. Don’t think about it, don’t think deeper about it, just notice it.

I do respect zen meditation tremendously. I have great respect for the zen tradition. The zen tradition will tell you not to think, not to have a purpose. I think it has a different meaning. You do have a purpose; otherwise, why do you go there and sit? I’m not joking. Do you know what it means, ‘don’t have a purpose?’ Don’t have hope, or don’t have doubt? I think that’s what they really mean. Don’t have hope, don’t have doubt. You do have the purpose of calming yourself down. Or be able to focus. Meditation has such a tremendous range. [01:20:08.00]

It is really a tool. It is like a computer. You can use any software you want, for whatever purpose you may have. It is a tremendous mental tool. Meditation can be a very good tool for a businessperson, to be able to focus, and to be very sharp, comparatively. Meditation can be used by a spiritual person to cut his or her negative emotions. A spiritual person can use meditation even to become a Buddha. It is a tool that has a huge range of uses.

You can use any software you want; it doesn’t have to be Microsoft only. I have a number of people in Jewel Heart in America, friends, who go with executives and CEOs of various companies to do stress-release work with meditation. A number of them work with aerobic exercise, using meditation for stress release. I have one, Cindy Lee, who does with aerobic exercise for meditation. She puts candlelights (?) [01:23:19.19] in between the exercise machines.

That is a tool you can use for any purpose. You have to understand that very clearly. There are a number of Harvard medical doctors today using meditation for reduction of high blood pressure. It’s a tool that can be used for anything. People associate it with religion immediately. Not necessarily. But now, I would like to associate religion with meditation today. Just as Allen says, “Sit on the ground. If the ground is not there, sit on a chair. The first thing to do is keep your backbone straight.”

If you are sitting on a chair, you don’t necessarily have to sit cross-legged. You can put your two feet down together nicely, and put your two hands on your knees like this, or in the [contemplation pose] like this. Another thing to do is train your thoughts toward yourself. Try to see your mind. Although there is nothing physical, nor a tangible color to see, watch your feelings. Are you irritated? Angry? Or are you simply just relaxed? Or do you have sadness and depression? [01:26:45.17]

If you have any one of those, take a deep breath, let it out from the right nostril along with your negative feelings. Empty your breath from within your stomach. Then, breathe in from your left nostril. This time, the blessings of the enlightened beings, your positive karma, you are taking in. Taking in, all the way through, deep inside you, becoming oneness with you.

You think that your mind is relaxed and pure. Within that pure state, focus for a while. [01:29:20.23]