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20010201GRNYOTF - Odyssey to Freedom - Continuation of Number 20 about the Certainty of Death and Our Meditation

20010201GRNYOTF - Odyssey to Freedom - Continuation of Number 20 about the Certainty of Death and Our Meditation

Welcome for this evening. As you know, Thursdays, are teaching in New York, on the basis of the Odyssey to Freedom. The Odyssey to Freedom is a traditional Lam Rim, which really gets you how one step after another one can follow. It is very systematic spiritual steps that you can follow, and one step leads you to another step. I cannot say it is very scientific because there is nothing scientific about it, but it’s very systematic. Very systematic and one really leads you to the to the other steps. So, these steps are traditionally. It was sort, you know, under this, turn of this, half of this and twenty of this and all that. It is sort of like you are studying philosophy or something in that manner, which I was told by a number of (?), a number of friends saying that was very difficult in the West. So, we made it sort of straight forward, one, two, three, four went into sixty-four steps. It actually tells you how we are today, what we are, as ordinary human being. From this level, how can I reach to a level of enlightenment? So, what do I do? What steps are involved? So, this is what we have. 2:28

2:28 Traditional Lam Rim turned into Odyssey to Freedom with the sixty-four steps. There are transcripts that looks like a book but is not a book, is available there. It’s not book. It’s sort of a notebook, but It is sort of not a book. The transcript is available there and it gives you a lot of information on that and also it gives you a supplemental reading list which we normally distribute here, but the last couple of Thursdays, I am stuck on this step 20. Am I right? And that is death. And we all get stuck there anyway, some time or another. So, it is unavoidable, I’m sorry. Many people don’t like to hear about it but no matter, whoever, whatever you might be, no one can avoid. 3:44 I made it very clear, Buddha, who is considered the most important person in this spiritual field, as long as the Buddhist concerned, is gone. Gone two thousand-five hundred years ago. So, that tells you. And Jesus, what do you call it this year two-thousand and one, right, so, that tells you. So, all of those great beings that we talk as though we know them personally or as though we’re very familiar. I mean, all kinds of people, even our modern times, look and Gandhi or Mother Terresa, Dr. King, you name it, you know. All of them gone. So… some funny thoughts came out of my head. I shouldn’t say it okay. Don’t make me say it, okay. Don’t make me say it because it’s politically incorrect. So, I am not going to say it. 5:48 So no matter whoever you may be, we’re all gone. 5:55

5:55 Actually, when we talk here, I would like to emphasize that very often, that sometimes I do. There are two things. One that you do listen to these talks as though you are listening to Johnny Carson or something. I am still back in this old time. That is one thing all of those. When you are listening to the spiritual path, what I am trying to share here, I am trying to give you material to meditate. It looks like talk, but it gives you a lot of information about the life and the death, and it emphasizes and urges you to meditate what you heard. That is giving you material for you to meditate. 7:14 - 7:39 interaction with the students.

7:39 The reasons why you need to meditate on this are a number of things, but most important thing is to cut your laziness, whatever it may be -laziness or business. So, anyway, what we did over here the last couple of weeks is the benefits of thinking and meditating about death and dying, the disadvantages of not thinking or not meditating on death and dying, and how. And how also has two parts of it. One part is, sort of nine-round meditation on death, that is, understanding about it. 8:45

8:45 The nine-round being three roots, three reasoning, three resolutions. So, three roots establishment is (1) death is definitely coming and there is nothing else can stop. We talked that already. 9:11 Number two, our life has nothing to increase or add up to anything more, whatever or whenever we are born, we have some kind of set of life, whatever the years you are going to be depends on our body. Whenever the manufacturer’s warranty goes away, then things start getting wrong. 9:40 Yeah, it is. It is just like the car, a General Motors car, they produce, they give you a warranty and when the three years warranty goes, something goes wrong with the car, all the time. 9:54 And just like that we have the warranty there and the warranty period is getting over, things getting, we’re breaking here and there. And sometimes even without warranty going out (expiring), they go out, too. 10:13 However, what I try to establish here, say here, that our physical condition is such that no way we can survive forever. This body is not meant to be. So, it’s not going to (? serve us) at all. So it’s going to go way and dismantled then. It’s going to rot. It’s going to get bad. It’s going to break. It is going to go all kind of things; we all know that very well. Yes, of course, it’s also true, that I was told, it’s very true that we all die, but I am more worried about the dying of other people. It is true, we all face the same thing. We are all manufactured by some company (MY insertion - Blade Runner and the Tyrell Company), they use the same material, you know. They use those the rubber the Firestone used (the inventor if Vulcanization). So, I don’t know whether it is Ford’s fault or Firestone, or whoever may be, but we have a very similar condition in our body. 11:46 We are all manufactured by the same company, use the same material, it’s bound to brake, anyway, whatever. So, that’s the true part of it. We have to worry about it, definitely, no question. 12:00

12:00 But, here I am talking, about myself dying. My “Self”, I don’t mean the myself sitting here. In one way I mean that, in another way, we all, each and every one of us, I am specifically talking, the pacific individual, who is dying. You know why? Because of course we worry about losing our loved ones and dear ones and near ones, and we have a terrible thing, no doubt about it. 12:37 But they are not so effective to cut our laziness as I am the one who is dying. There’s a big difference between you know, because you worry, we see death. But we can see the loved one goes and I continuing. So, you can still have all those pains, whatever you are going to do in the next reincarnation. Talk about loved ones. 13:10

13:10 But when you are talking about yourself and when you are thinking of yourself, it’s the same subject that I may die and that will solve it. That will shake you that you really shake you. It you don’t think or if you don’t meditate, or don’t meditate or think, it doesn’t matter. You heard; it looks like watching a horror movie. You watch a horror movie. You get scarred. Then you go away and do the something again and again watching a horror movie. And if you think about it, it is sort of connected with yourself, or what we’re talking about it, still makes you think twice. That’s the reason why this tradition, this teaching, focuses more on dying yourself rather than thinking on others. Because, it is training our own mind, develop ourselves, cutting our negativity, cutting our laziness, not wasting our time, tying to make it useful and helpful. That’s the reason why we talk about ourselves rather that other people. Sure, we all worry about it, all this everything. That’s not the point. 14:14

14:14 The point is we are talking about ourselves so that we don’t waste our time. I am talking about myself, so I don’t waste my time. No matter, we say we, we, we, same thing with all humanitarian oneness and you are all everything, we know, globally, the universe is small, we are interconnected, and everything, it is absolutely, but also, we’re separate, which is also true. When I die, I die alone. But you, so do you. When you die, you die alone, not me. So, who is responsible? Who has to make arrangements? I have to make my own arrangements and you can’t make my arrangement. And I have to make my own arrangement. That’s what it is. And that’s the reason why we’re talking about me, me, me here rather than you, you, you or I we, we, we. That’s what it is. 15:53

15:53 Anyway, so, I think we are on point number two. Point number one establishes definitely, we are all going to die. You know I quote the Seventh Dalai Lama and all of those. You remember that. Now the question comes, when you establish it definitely, I am going to die. Who thinks I am not going to die? No one, unless you’re crazy. And, if you think you are not going to die, we can put you in a mental institution. That’s a joke. Maybe, that’s a terrible joke, but it’s supposed to be joke. Okay, but the question arises when that’s going to happen? So, before you even meditate and think about it, it is advisable to ask yourself, when do you think you are going to die? And ask yourself, when do you think I am going to die and see what answers you’re going to get. You have a big surprise, there. 17:37

We are lucky we accept that we are going to die one day. But when you raise the question when, a big surprise. We are actually preparing to leave here in another sanctuary. We are all planning to be here whenever the century changes. Whether it becomes year three thousand right. You all have that in our denying, we do, though you’re denying. 18:22 But if you think how you’re planning how you’re planning and you always plan to be there, the year 2000 is going to go like that and then the three will begin (third millilumen) and the way we’re thinking is that’s going to be there. When you watch how our mind sets up this, this is exactly what’s going to happen. 18:57

18:57 Yes, we accept we’re going to go, but maybe I’m exaggerating a hundred years, maybe too much. But no one really thinks so, no one. Even the person, who is on their deathbed, the eleventh hour, it is very hard to think, I am going to go now. With the actual exception of a few people, they all talk about who’s coming to visit next Sunday. What do I need here, all of those? So, the point here is the uncertainty when it’s going to come. Very uncertain. No one really knows when it’s going to happen. No doctors will know, no lamas will know, no spiritual masters will know, no spirits will know, no protectors will know, no one knows. Maybe Buddha’s will know. 20:21

20:21 So, I have to give you three reasons here. Generally speaking, we, the human beings, we are here in this universe. We never have certainty of our life. There is certain universe according to the Buddhist, Cosmology or Mythological, or whatever. There are certain planets where people’s lives have been six thousand years or something there or some announcement comes out from the sky, so-and-so is time is coming up. It is supposed to be something like that according to the Buddhist metaphysical thing, they say that. 21:48 When I got to Japan the first time, I went to the hospital to visit a friend of mine. So, that’s where I encountered the first kind of announcement of the name on the microphone all over the area and so-and-so, come pick up your medicine. Though I heard in the airport, I didn’t realize, but when I heard it in the Japanese hospital 22:29 where they come, where the announcer so-and-so’s time is right now. That’s the thought that went through my head. 22:40

22:40 Anyway and if you are in Vajra universe, let’s say there is such a universe, where you’re lives fixed is a thousand years or something. So, when we have nine hundred years over or whatever, seven, ten, fifteen, fifty and we get ourselves ready to do something and make our future preparation. If there is a certain thing, so there is none. So, we would be better off to prepare ourselves now, when you can. When you definitely know, then we can do all our, you know, whatever I have to destroy this enemy, I have to help this friend and I have to down Bush and I have to push up Gore, take down Gore put up Bush, whatever. So, all of those types you can plan it and do all this and then after that, I’ll prepare myself so we can do all of those. But there is no certainty if we do this and we’ll be loser. And particularly, the time that we’re in is a wonderful time in one way. Tremendous scientific development and great and it’s really a wonderful time in one hand. 24:22

24:22 On the other hand, because of our death has also increased tremendously by this. There are different illnesses, which we never heard before. It’s not because we don’t know some of them are but some of them are new. It has developed new, that’s why it’s there. All of those environmentally affected illnesses and all of them are just because of way we function in our life. They are all new. Even (?) is new to a certain extent and now it’s been for years here, but it’s a new one. 25:17 Almost cancer is too. And all of those you look at in, along with this development there are two ways of looking at this. One way, this is samsara. When you begin to overcome their terrible disease, then something new popped up, it continuation of (?). It’s bound to be and it’s happening. The Yellow Fever, the Donkey Fever, all of them are terrible diseases, remember years ago. And we overcame them and malaria and some form of everything, tuberculous and all of them we begin to overcome and then you begin to add all these cancers and all of them, and maybe getting a little grave over to control them and now we’re getting new diseases, madcow, you know, whatever. One of those are going to come up one after another, because we make it. And madcow disease is nothing but a man-made disease. 26:34

26:34 So, things like that it continues, that is because of samsara. In another way, this scientific development is so great, we try to challenge that and try to take over control. And along with that, we produce more disease and so the causes of dying becomes much more than before. So that’s why in this age, it is a wonderful age, beautiful. I always say it is great today in the United States today. It’s fantastic. Open mildness and each and every one of you are opened minded people. You wanted to help yourself, you wanted to help others, that’s why you are here. You are not a closed mind. And I contribute this so many times that the incidents did not take place in the sixties, you won’t be open today. Guarantee you. And that’s why whatever in the sixties were that bad. A lot of good things happened. That’s why this openness is here. 28:00

28:00 It become tremendous, wonderful and our human level of understanding is fantastic. Our scientific development is fantastic. Equally, spiritual path is available, fantastic. Yet, because of this we have a tremendous cause of dying, too. Increases everything good and bad. So, not only the life of the people who are in this particular universe is no certainty, but particularly our times is definitely worse. You never know what’s going to happen to anyone. 29:00

29:00 We see all the time, some people say, “Well the older ones that die, the young first, some people say,” But, we think about it. Older ones will go, and the younger ones will live, maybe true. But we see so many times the grandparents attending the funeral of the great grandchildren. How many times is not a certainty? Even we when you think about it, so many people younger than ourselves, dying here and there. The ideal of the elder one’s going first and young one’s living is false. 29:56 There is no certainty. It is true, you can think, you know, how many. I got a note from somebody, saying that last year, I said, if someone walks through the room and started shooting and the first thing you notice is you’re going to hide under tables and then if you can’t hide under table, one’s going to hide behind others and there will be very few people who will throw themselves in front of others. 30:51 So she wrote, like three days after, when you said that, the Columbine School incident took place and wonderful compassionate teacher throw herself to protect the children. It was very nice to hear that, but that is a great person, who can really sacrifice. I don’t know why did I say this? So, so many children died there. This is so, the certainty that there is no certainty, at all. 32:00

32:45 When we had the winter retreat last time our friend, Fabio, started calling me, saying I want to come to the Winter retreat, and he said I am coming. So, then I said, “Are you feeling okay?” He said, “Well, I have this temperature, this fever is going up, but I got cold. I got better and I am out of the hospital. I am coming. And I said if you have fever then you better not come. If you’re temperature not going down, then don’t come. So, the day we finished that ten-day retreat, and when I came home, the first telephone is talking to him and then he died a couple of hours later he died. So, things like that happen. I am talking about things that happened last year. I am talking about things that happened this year. So, think about it. 33:44

33:44 And each and every one of us have that. So, uncertainty is definite. So, anyway, though people try to make it with realism, they did that and that’s a good thing, and even in the material world they do that preparation. What do we do in the spiritual world, we do the same preparation? That’s what you have to do. Our part is Dharma practice, meditation and Dharma practice is preparation. We are not talking about the preparation to write your wills and distribute everything. I am not talking about that. I am talking about what you are going to carry with you. That what I am talking about. 34:42 I have mentioned to you a number of times, Pokula (?) Rinpoche s same lama of Ladoke, who came and visited here. He was the Indian ambassador to Mongolia for eleven years or something. Ambassadors would change every three or four years, he was the ambassador for eleven years because he happens to be a great Buddhist master and practitioner and Mongolia happens to be Buddhist. So, they all want him. The Mongolian government kept on begging. But the Indian says leave him alone. So, whatever we want, you will do it, leave him here. Whatever you say listen to you. So, leave him here (35:27).

35:29 He had been eleven years Indian ambassador. So, Rinpoche came here and one day we were talking. He said,” I haven’t packed today.” “Pack what, you are not leaving now.” said Rimpoche. “No, no, no, I am not talking about leaving now, I am talking about leaving for my future life. I haven’t packed today,” said Rinpoche. So every day he does practiced and he says this is packing my bags. So I am sure Polula doesn’t mean pack his bag. But he is giving this message so that we know that we have to pack our bags. 36:07

36:07 We have to pack our bags every day. If we don’t, we never know. So, we have to pack our bags every day. That’s the preparation that I am talking about. I am not talking about preparation so you can shave your hair and wear your robes and go into the mountains or the forest. I am not talking about that. I am talking about everyday meditating, thinking about it. One thing we do, I’ll do this and finish it up today and tomorrow, I am going to prepare. We say a lot of tomorrow. Tomorrow I am going to do. We do that a lot of times. But if you really think does tomorrow really come? I don’t think so. When you get tomorrow, it’s there again, tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. People say that sometimes. But whether tomorrow comes or not comes, there will be another tomorrow, another tomorrow, another tomorrow. We delay, so much. And many people, I would like to finish this project, and after that I am going to do it. 37:36

37:36 You know earlier teachers tells us, our activities, are like the beard of an old man, like me. If I keep on shaving, more and more will grow. I keep on shaving every day and more and more comes. There is no end to it. Our activities, our projects, one after the other. It is like sitting on the shore of the ocean or lake. I live near Lake Michigan, anyway. If you go, there it will go swish (meaning the sound of waves). That will continue. You can wait till that finishes, it will never finish. Right? You can wait there till cow come home. It is not going to happen. 38:23

38:23 So our projects, our activities are like that. So, mind of dream after that. It is definitely not right. It’s wrong. As I told you, I think I shared with you a couple of years ago, then if you want to stop smoking cigarette, you have to stop right there and then. 38:53 Because if you think I am going to stop, then you think I am going to stop, I’m going to stop. I’m going to stop. You never stop. That’s what it is. You have to stop right there and then. I told you that because based on my personal experience. You know, I was a heavy smoker in India. After the fall from being a monk and I tried everything. Every single thing that I can. It’s better that I can drink, something better. Or that I smoke, it’s better. Or if I have sex, is that better. I tried everything and I’m becoming a heavy smoker. I smoked that heavy Indian, Panama cigarette without filter, maybe two packs a day for thirteen years (13X365X40 or about 189,800 cigarettes according to my calculation). 40:02 And the day when I have to cut it and somebody says that when you finish this, you’ll stop. I say no, if I am going to stop, I have to stop right now. So I put it down, not finishing the pack and not finishing that cigarette in hand. 40:18

40:18 And luckily, I did not have withdrawal symptoms. I never knew about that until I forced my brother who came from Tibet to visit and I forced him to stop smoking. He said I am going to go crazy or something. I couldn’t even figure out that they called it withdrawal symptom, or something. Anyway, I never had that. But what I did is, I would love to smoke. I really want it. For evetime that I want it, I think about the difficult period I passed through. How many halves an hour, then hour, then two hours, then three hours. Am I going to blow this suffering that I sort of endured for three hours am I going to blow that in two seconds? I am not crazy. I am not going do that. Then that extended for a day, a week and a month. That’s that. 41:15 So, it’s just like that. 41:20

41:20 Even you want to do something, practice, you have to do it right now. If you have to cut your addictions, you have to do right now. The moment you want to do it, do it. Don’t ask somebody else. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. So, this is our life (Lesson on Procrastination - my view). So, if you don’t do this, what Buddha said (In Tibetan) In the morning we see a lot of people, some of them we don’t see in the evening. In the evening we see a lot of people and then next morning, we don’t see some of them. And that someone, hopefully somebody else, but it could be you. It could be me, so it’s definitely to be prepared. 42:19

42:19 What does preparation mean? You know a great teaching called Pabongka, who spoke with difficult, we have in the reading list, “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand,” his teacher, his master a very quiet gentleman from southern Tibet called… Pabongka became very famous, so he called him Pabo Rinpoche (?). So he becomes Pobo Rinpoche. Otherwise, it is just a monk from southern Tibet in monastery. He’s a very nice gentleman. A very quiet one (talks to someone in the audience about taking a chair). So, (?) Rinpoche says, “If I don’t die for two months, I will make sure that my future life is right. And, if I don’t die for one or two years, I will make sure my journey through my lives are always right. And that what I pray for, that’s what I wish for, that’s what I work for.” This is the work of (?) Rinpoche. 44:00 to 44:26 Repeats

44:26 In two or three months you could do it. And the way and how you do is not that set, but think, meditate and analyze and focus both. If you don’t have analysis (analytical skills) you will never be able to develop the sort of development that I am talking about. 44:53 If you don’t have focusing, it can never become a part of you. Without analyzing you can never get it. Without concentration it will never become a part of you. So, both of them, one after another, you synchronize one after another. Sequentially, you have to do that meditation. So, that is important. (Note: we have to integrate analysis and concentration). Now that is important. 45:32

45:32 So that is important. Now here what I am talking about death and uncertainty is material for meditation. Analyzing, thinking so you convince your mine (conditioning it), say there is no certainty. Actually, it’s true, you know it. But we are not convinced. We are not convinced. So we think my death is going to be two hundred years later down there. In three thousand one or two or something. So anyway, that’s what we think. As I told you, even the person who’s dying, the eleventh hour will not think, you know you’re going to die, but not now. Maybe not next week, maybe not next year. So now, think about it, us, and next year about this time are we all going to be here? Also, but chance is not. Maybe I’m here, maybe you are not there, who knows, who goes? Who knows, nobody. This is the reality we face, today 46:56

46:56 Remember Buddha’s words. People in the morning and some in the evening, those of the evening they are not there next morning. This is Buddhas words. So, that’s what it is. So, the second reason for the cause of death is too and as I told you, even more than before. There are causes of living more, too. Very true. The medical development is fantastic, as well as there is more equally it come out. That’s where we are, which makes our life, like earlier teachers use to say, “Our life is like a candlelight trying to survive in a storm. Traditionally, they use to say, if you have four different snakes, big ones. Put them in a bottle and lick them up and the most powerful one will eat the others. 48:22

48:22 I don’t know if it’s scientific or not, but probably they are or probably they’re not. So whatever it may be it’s like our body is like a bottle and we have four elements, the earth element, the water element, the fire element and the air element are like four animals and you lock them together, they are going to eat each other. As long as our elements are on the right level, we’re well, we’re healthy. Then one goes lopsided and then we begin to get sick and we die. So, if our life is based on the four elements, the earth element, the water element, the fire element, the air element. When that is not in balance, that makes us to go. That is the manufacturer’s defect, they have. 49:30

49:30 So, not only the cause of dying so much, even the cost of living becomes cause of dying. Sugar, for example, for me. This particular person, sugar. Right, salt and oh, people get mad cow disease. Here we go. All of those, we eat that to survive, to live, and it became a cause of dying. How many times it happens? All the time, everywhere. So that the reason, there is no certainty, when death is going to come. One never knows. It is always better off, if you are prepared. If you’re surprised one day, you can’t do nothing. You cannot stay awake a minute; I call to Rimpoche. I doubt it. 50:47

Two things, whether you can call Rimpoche or not, whether Rimpoche can do anything or not. These two things you have to remember that. Anyway, earlier teachers may not come on this level, but earlier teachers use to say, “There are a number of people who will say, well, I’ll be near the death bed and I’ll give you great introduction of the bardo. Bardo is life in between. That they do it, they say, hay, poor you. You are going through such a terrible thing called death, but don’t worry. I have invited the great Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and beings are over there, and you will take refuge to them. Take a refuge to Buddha. Take a refuge to Dharma. Take a refuge to Sangha. And you are going through certain feelings like this. There are aches at different stages. They keep on talking to them. That’s what we do. Bardo introduction. So, you will get out of this and you will realize you are out there, but you don’t know where you are. You cannot find. If you still don’t believe, you didn’t die, look whether you get your shadow or not, look whether you get anything wherever you walk, anything stick on your feet or not. That’s what talk. 52:28

52:28 So a great many teachers say, yes. You can do that maybe there are some blessings or something, but the best is to introduce now when you can do something. At that time, what can you really do? Not even usual thinking. Not even common names of your spouse, which you use every day, or taking a little piece of food, putting in your mouth and this is not possible. This becomes difficult. And how can you do all this when somebody is sitting there and saying think this, think that. How can you? 53:11 So, it is better, if you’re really going to help with a bardo introduction, it is definitely better when you are in life. This death teaching is introduction to the death. So, if you have to prepare and want to prepare, you prepare when you can. 53:30

53:30 At the time you are dying that bad. The first Karmapa, _________ or _______________, I forgot. I think Dusum Dodje (?) Dusum Dodje says, “By the time when you die, you begin to scratch your chest. And what’s the use?” It is true. And it is also true to us, particularly us, the spiritual people. You know, we have more information than those scientific people. We look into reincarnation. We look in future life. We look about the bardo. We look at the transgression. We know those. Whether you believe it or not, a little bit of doubt is definitely there. So, we been more worried than those, who doesn’t know, are perfect yuppies. We be more worried about them because they have very limited information. They simply close their eyes. And we think more. We are more worried about it. Whether it’s going to help or not, help or harm, whatever. We have more information. Our mind is busier. 54:55

54:55 In a way, it’s a good thing. When our mind becomes busy, you have to think about one thing. The positive brings positive, the negative brings negative. At least, try to put your mind in a positive way. You what is positive here, does not mean I am not going to die. That’s not a positive way of thinking at that time. At that time, the positive way of thinking, something nice. Where you may think, I really did not commit a huge negativity anyway. I’ve been good. I’ve been kind. I’ve been generous. I shared everything. I was not mean person. I did okay. I am not going to be that bad. Such a thought will even help. 55:55

55:55 I must say, I think I mentioned once but don’t mention to many. When Timothy Leary was dying, Allen was alive, Allen Ginsberg. Allen was in Tennessee where there was Lynn Bosworth there, Kansas. He called me from there and saying Tim is dying. So, would you please talk to him and somebody is going to call you. I was eating a dinner and I had a wine. I was a little tipsy at that time. So, the phone rings and I picked up the phone. You know what I did? I chanted Om Mani Padme Hum (rapidly) for a while I say Om Mani Padme Hum and saying mantras. And suddenly, I hear big heavy words, why or something, something like that. Suddenly, it clicked in my head. Maybe he has no background for Buddhism for whatsoever, so why I should say Buddhist mantra. It is not going to help him. Probably not. So, three days before that, I saw an old commercial from Henry Ford, a commercial for his car. And as long as anybody in the United States, who has a job, who can buy this car and you can drive and enjoy God’s creation of unlimited beautiful space. That thought came up in my head. I said, “you’re going to go to beautiful, unlimited space and that’s what I did. Honestly, speaking. So, I don’t know whether I contributed to him or not. Whatever it may be. So, it links up his mind in a very positive where in an open space and wonderfulness. Later Allen told me he always wanted to get to space. So, anyway it worked out okay. So, his idea of mambo jumbo manta, does not be able to shift it to a beautiful space. I don’t know whether I said God created or not. I am not sure. I don’t know. But I sort of had the commercial on my head. So, on that basis, and I say that. And I think it helped some to a certain extent. 58:51

58:51 So when I say positiveness, I mean in that way. And particularly it is so important at that time. Not to get upset. people do get upset, very much because no one expects you to die. You don’t expect to die. So, the loved ones left behind you, may say “Don’t die on me!” The doctors say, don’t die on me.” I always talk to a doctor who is a friend of mine. That person didn’t die on you, the poor fellow is dying. Who wants to die? So, the people are dying. They’re dying. They don’t want to die on you. They’re dying. So, that’s what it is. So, it’s all of those will created an uneasiness and uncomfortable to that departing person. That parting person, even his mental level is quite smooth, and then you know you’re grabbing, grabbing and saying don’t die on me, blah, blah, blah. You know, all of those will make the person, uneasy. But I am not worried about uneasy. 60:17

60:17 I am worried about two things - attachment or hatred. If it is trickled (?) attachment or hatred and the people die with those emotions, then the rebirth is bound to be bad, immediately after death. So, with anger, hatred brings some kind of negative consequences. And attachment brings something like that. So, you really have to be very careful. So, that’s why it hard to keep the people as peaceful as possible. Of course, it is sad. No doubt about it. But you don’t have to experience your sadness and misery to the dying person. The dying person is dying at the end of suffering. Why do you want to add yours on top of it. I don’t know. I don’t know. Let them go. 61:33

61:33 This is the real farewell. Memorial service is not a real farewell. The person is gone, long dead, gone a long time ago. This is a farewell, the last minute, is the farewell. Let the person go in peace. Collect yourself, keep, sounds like military. But really it is so important and also the person thinking about the better future life. I had an incident. A friend of mine, and old Tibetan government official, who died in Delhi and I was there. And just before he died, actually the day before he died, he was about to die, and he hallucinated. He is talking to me, where are those tantric quality monks. You know tantric quality is like 500 monks, the whole college, is one of the best sorts of the best thing available in Tibet. So where are these tantric college monks, he asked. And I thought he probably wanted to probably have tantric … I said, “Are they there?” of something like that. He said, Yeah, I can hear them saying Shamata prayers and Yamantaka prayers. I can hear them blowing tantra (?) and all this 63:29. This is a hospital in the middle of Delhi. There is nothing going on. But in his hallucination, yeah, they are there. So, I can hear the words. He is repeating works what he’s hearing. It is sort of a self-initiation of way of Samadhi (?) 63:47 And, then he suddenly says, “Where’s my wife? So, he’s late and we’re going to miss the plane.” So, all of them at that mind level, is one level is working that way. In another here is something else coming up. So, I started saying a number of sadhanas so strong and he reversed. And, this guy should not have died, later I thought. Then I should have let him go. But I did not know I was going. So, he reversed and stayed two more days and gone the next morning. 64:30

64:30 So, that happens. Sometimes that happens with the people with the mental thing. Somehow, they link up. And then like suffering, too, there was a chap, a Nepalese guy, who sells antiques. Terrible things this fellow has done in this life. I will not go in detail. So, anyway, later he’s become a benefactor for Pagula Rinpoche, Sempa Gula Rinpoche, we’re taking about (?) 65:05 So, he was in the hospital in Delhi, dying. Tibetans have a custom, you bring image of a Buddha or Buddhist tanka, or Buddha’s picture in front of you. So, when the person dying so the person can think about a Buddha where there are all Buddhist. So, the person can think about the Buddha and they can die while thinking about Buddha. So, that’s what they do. So, this fellow, when the Buddha image was brought and he started screaming, he said Buddha jumped off from the place where the Buddhas sat and was jumping over his body and choking him. So, he couldn’t breathe and he’s become terrible. And he sort of, he stole a lot of images out of Nepalese temples and cut those old images and sold them. He does terrible things like that. 66:11 They said, normally, he had those antique buyers take them to tour in monasteries to see what you want and they pointed them out and he sold them and collected the money and he delivered outside the country. 66:25

66:25 So, anyway, when he was dying, all those different images coming out and jumping over him and he can’t breathe and is choking him. So Pocula Rinpoche wrote me note and saying with fifty rupees, please pray for this guy and dying. These are his visions and very difficult. Please pray. With the special delivery of fifty rupees. So I made a joke to Pocula Rinpoche, is it too heavy and is fifty rupees, too little. Is it too heavy and is fifty rupees too little. So that was joke. That’s what happens. So by the time the individual is dying, things happen within that individual. And this start (?) is very important. 67:23

67:23 So, anyway, I the most important thing is, is that we have to realize is that time is not certain. You’ll never know when it’s going to happen. And, you have to meditate on that and make yourself, actually, the addiction of laziness has to be cut. Here I have to quote, one of the great teachers, (? 68:22 Kudon Rinpoche) “(In Tibetan) 68:38. He said I will finish this work with this year with this month, and when I have completed everything, then I am going to go and do a very Dharma practice for my future. This is the real cause of cheat, cheating yourself (procrastination is the thereof time), this will let you down, this will cheat you. We have that. I’ll have to finish this and then I’ll do this. Then I will have to finish this, I’ll do this. We will never never be able to finish. 69:16 Kudon Rinpoche also said (in Tibetan) 69:26 He said, “Preparing tomorrow, before preparing tomorrow that of todays can come.” So please don’t let yourself down. If you really want help yourself, help now. 69:47

69:47 So, now that’s that. So what do you have to do. What do you have to. What will help. What will help at the time of death, nothing else. Number one, you can be sure nothing going to help you is your life insurance. It doesn’t help you. Somebody else is going to cash that. Maybe somebody else fighting for that. Who knows? Normally, the lawyers will collect. So it doesn’t help. Life insurance will not help, wealth will not help. No matter how rich you are, you cannot take it. No matter how rich you are you can never take anything. No one can take anything. 71:21

71:21 Buddha said, “(In Tibetan) You might have collected great food, accumulated it.” Buddhas is talking about it two-thousand five hundred years ago. “Great Food, enough for 100 years, but the day when you die, you’ll die with hunger. You may have accumulated enough cloth for a hundred years, but when the day you die, you go naked.” Nothing can help. A great mahasiddha in India was talking to a king. The king says, “What happens when I die?” So the mahasiddha folder his hands and said, “Great god of god, king of king, no matter how rich you may be, by the time when you die, you’ll be like a beggar in the dessert. You’ll be alone. You won’t have princes around and you don’t have queens around. You don’t have ministers around. You don’t have soldiers around. You’ll be like a beggar in the middle of desert. 73:06

73:06 Shantidiva says (In Tibetan in the Bodhicaryavatara) “When death catches you, at the time, what your friend can do, what your family can do, nothing! 73:30 (In Tibetan) The first Panchen Lama (Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen) said, “Death is the time you are making complete separation from loved ones and dear ones and near ones.” Not only that, the body, that we care so much. We are always worried about it. You’re going to get cold. You’re going to get too hot. It is too rough, too gentle, no exercise, not right food, wrong food, too much this, too little this. We worry every minute. Even that body will let you down. 74:16

74:16 Though we are born together in my body, born with my body, but my body will let me go. It will let me down by the time that I die. I have to leave that. So, forget about money or work, family, recon (?) 74:44, fellow citizenship. Even the Chinese Emperors Dynasties, even they bury the ministers together, as we now know when they dig it out. They’re buried together, but actually, the emperor went alone. Nobody went together. Earlier teachers use to say, “By the time when you die, if all the mountains become gold, and every human being are your nearest and dearest friends, even then they can do nothing. That’s what it is. 75:31

75:31 And we can say today, yes, my doctor will help me. Yes, my doctor will help me to a certain extent, they can help. When the complications arise, even a doctor will be helpless. And animals can say don’t die on me. So, that’s that. That’s where we are. 76:09

76:09 So what will really help you (In Tibetan) Again, Kondar Rimpoche (? 76:20) “It says that to the guide to the road we don’t know, is Dharma practice. The food that you can use and need, materials you can use, in your long journey is Dharma. The helper, the guide, who’s leading you is Dharma. From now on your body, your mind, your speech, all three together focus on Dharma. Milarepa (In Tibetan) said, “Listen my friend, rich house lady, this life and a future life, if you compare it, your future life is much longer, much deeper, more difficult. Did you make any preparation at all? Did you collect needs for your future life?” In other words, did you pack well, your food, water and whatever you needed. Did you pack well? If you did not pack well, the generosity is the one you have to pack. So, please be generous. So maybe Milarepa wants something from her. Do you think so? 78:18 I don’t think so. Milarepa only lives with a simple little cotton cloth and nothing else. He’s almost naked all the time. So, really, Milarepa was naked and his niece comes and visits. And she feels shy, because he’s totally naked. So she goes around and works hard and bought a little piece of cloth and told Milarepa, “Please stitch something to cover up the dangling thing on your body. You know what she means, 79:00. Milarepa, says oh, okay. When she came back the next time, Milarepa made a little thing to put on each finger, and every finger and every toe and thing, too. She said, “What did you do with my (cloth) thing too? (Milarepa) You told me to cover my dangling things, so I covered all dangling things. That what Milarepa. So certainly, he didn’t want anything from her. So, generosity. 79:30

79:30 So we all know, generosity is not enough, morality. Morality is not enough, patients. Patients is not enough, enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is not enough, concentration. Concentration is not enough, wisdom. There is your preparation for your future lives. So, that’s what it is. 80:06 Like Milarepa says (In Tibetan) “While I am sleeping, I’m meditating. I have a great method. I have, others don’t have. I wish they have it. How happy I will be if they get it. While I am eating, everything whatever I eat, it become practice. A great TSOL offering. TSOL means accumulation of merit and purification together. TSOL offering. I have the method, others don’t. I wish I don’t have it, how happy I will be, if others could do like I do. So, this is what it is. So, I am taking too long on this. So, I am going cut it. 81:13

81:13 I am not going talk to you how people die. So, if your mind did not move enough, then you meditate. Actually, you go and see people dying. People close to you dying and then it will affect you more. And even that, when you visualize us on the death bed… Pabongka has written a great thing called “Heart Spoon, a Reminder of Death.” It is beautiful poetry, that translated into English and there is a little pamphlet type of thing. So, if you look in there. So, this really takes you to the stage where you cannot move, cannot speak, cannot drink (IN Tibetan). Now I forgot everything, it’s been years. 82:34 So anyway it says, “People try to give you blessings pill, and all this, and try to push you. But don’t even have the power to swallow and it is left in the mouth of a dead body. All these are there 82:50, steps. If you have the time, if you are really interested, you can meditate according to that. This will be the best part of what of that at what stage you are going to experience at the time of death. Actually, at the time of death, actually, you yourself, everybody else will know you are going to die. even the doctors and your family they will talk something in front of you, nicely. “Oh, you are getting better, you look wonderful blah, blah, blah.” However, you’ll notice them, they are talking in the corner there and without looking back, whether you’re hearing or not hearing, or they will go out of the room and started talking something. That is an indication that you are going to go. They don’t know what to do. They can’t help you much. 83:47

83:47 These are the indications, so all of those. So, that’s that. That’s what it is that we are bound to face and believe me, we say we are not going to end there. We’ll continue for sure. You don’t have to buy my words. You can think. You are intelligent. So, you can think about it. You cannot rule out. You have to give it the benefit of doubt whether the life ends, whether “me,” the person ends, when this life ends. You don’t end. You will continue. 84:32

84:32 You continue, we won’t see you because, death is there, in between. It is like a curtain to door. This side of the curtain is life, this life and that side of the curtain, is the other side. There is really a curtain in between. In certain levels, in certain individuals, the curtain will move. You can see beyond. We are not in that level yet. Those who can see there, they can go in there. During the Buddhas lifetime, one of the disciples of the Buddha’s monk, this side or that side, one is Shariputra and one in Bungala putra. Manunggal Purta is considered to be the most magical power in the Buddha’s disciples at that time. So he asked about the disciple that died. So, falling in the lower realm, in the hell realm, Manunggal putra went there to help him. So, when he went there, he says somebody else there, which he knows. 85:53 Normally, against Monguapulo. And this guy sent a message. He has disciples. These disciples are worshiping him. So, every time they worship him, he has more torture and more suffering. So, he sent a message through Mongulpooh, tell tells don’t do this, this, this. So Mongulpooh came out without thinking and went there and told them I saw your teacher in the hell realm. These are his messages 85:21

85:21 I am no use of my (?) in the thing 86:25. So they got a hold of him, Monogulpooh, beat him up completely. Beat him up. Broke all his bones. So Shariputra, the other guy, came to know and went there and picked him up, his broken bones, together in his robe and carried it over and brought and told him, “You are the most magical power person and why didn’t you do some sort of magical thing?” He said, “I didn’t even think about the magic.” Forget about actually magical performance, I didn’t even think about it. That’s my karma.” I think Manunggal Putra died of that, too, from that beating up. 87:08

So, at a certain level the curtain goes this way or that way. So, the person who can see between that, they see what’s happening to the other side. They can even go there. We can’t. But we have this big curtain, is not a curtain it is like an iron steel door is shut down. You know when you watch these interesting movies, sometimes they have this thing, go in, jump in certain things and get into past time or something. We see that movie. I am not really sure you are getting into the past so much, but you get to the other side. The other side is not necessarily past time, it’s present time. So, it’s there. But it is not for me to tell you, it is there. You have to know, yourself. At least, I can tell you now, the benefits of doubt should be there. And when you have the benefit of the doubt, then you should help yourself. 88:26

88:26 I really don’t care whether you believe in reincarnation or not believe in reincarnation as long as you help yourself. I do care if you don’t help yourself. Then it’s difficult. Okay, well I talked too much. I should stop. Anybody have any questions? Yes.

Audience: Question inaudible.

Rimpoche: You did not hear me. You haven’t heard me. I repeatedly said both analytical and concentrated meditation. So, analytical meditation you can do in subway. You can do while you are taking a shower. You can do while you’re sitting on the throne. If you are facing right. You can do that. But concentrated meditation you might not be able to do it. So, you have to do both. Analytical will give you the material for you to concentrate. Concentrated meditation will bring you to your habit, habitual of the people, become a part of you. And that’s how the development comes in. Truly. If you have to force yourself all the time, you are not ever going to be developed. If has to be a part of your habit. Not only the sitting and meditating, but also the understanding. It should become part of you. In other words, you should be made out of all these steps rather than cracking bones and all this. That should be. When that becomes it has become comprehensive. You begin to develop. Until that happens, it becomes separate things from me and then (? 90:59) in tacked. When it does that, it is not going to work. It has to be in this. Okay? Thank you. So, then an announcement. There was an Asian conference for cancer and Gelek Rimpoche will be giving an evening lecture on February 28th and will also be a part of a panel discussion on March 2nd. Arrangements have been made for Rimpoche’s students to attend at a special price. End. 92:08