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20010208GRNYOTF11

Odyssey to Freedom – XI - Eleventh Transcription

2001/02/08 is 122:23 Minutes in length - An Advertisement for Jewel Heart with Tibetan Monks Chanting (a possible recording)

For the first 17:30 Tibetan Monks Chanted as an announcer advertised for Jewel Heart. Then:

The Jewel Heart Prayers continued to the 27:18 mark followed by Rimpoche:

27:18 Welcome here for this evening and everybody here who are on the telephone and internet. And particularly, I would like to say hello to those who are listening from Malaysia and Singapore, and those listening from Europe, it’s 1:30 in the morning. So, I just say hi to you. And now we are here in New York. What we are doing is Odyssey to Freedom, here, and we have been doing on this number Twenty. And we have been talking about death and dying for the last couple of weeks. So, I sort of concluded last Thursday, but still, I would like to emphasize a little more the last point we have. 29:08

29:08 The last point what we have is death is definite. The most important point is that 1) death is definite. 2) When it’s going to be, we never know. 3)And the third point is at the time of death, what can help. So, at the time of death what we can help. We talk so many things. We said that life insurance will not help. That’s for sure. Then we said that our savings, besides that life insurance, you know, diamond or whatever we have that all of them will not help. And whatever is there, the house won’t help, the plane won’t help, the boat will not help, the friends will not help, the food won’t help, the cloths won’t help. Nothing! 30:38

30:28 There is a funny Tibetan example, which is very funny. I have been living in Tibet, living with animals. We talk a lot about the yak, and we talk about yak butter. Though it is not correct language, it’s de butter, not yak butter. We talk a lot about butter so maybe not very clean or pure butter in Tibet, not like it’s purified here or pasteurized or taking the essence away or refined. The sugars are made a little whiter and the butter is made a little smoother, or whatever. It’s called refined. Actually, it is the … Anyway, I am not going to make jokes. 31:32

31:32 So the butter may not be very pure, and the butter may have, you know. The people who worked with the butter their hair might have contributed in the butter. So when they pull the hair out of the butter, so only the long hair will come out, a single long hair will come out, not whole piece of butter coming out. So, with all this huge butter, so you pull that one little hair and that will come out. And just like that with all the midst of our activities, our life, friends, family and the house, everything, out of that, like one single hair, the individual, the dying person has been pulled out, just like a little piece of hair pulled out of butter. The individual’s consciousness is pulled even out of our own body. That’s called death. Pulled out and gone, separate. Separated one for all. So, actually death is separation for me. Separate from the friends, from the family, for everything. Everything. It is the separation. Thing that we perceive, we don’t perceive anymore. Things that we can pick up and throw it or keep it, we can’t do it anymore. Things that belong to me, that is my, it is no longer my and it does not belong to me anymore. 34:59

34:59 So, it is a big transition for me. It is one of the biggest (evens) in our life. One of the biggest (?) in our life. It is the separation. It is change, not only a change of our environment, but it is even a change of our identity. This is the biggest change we go through, is our physical identity. That is the big change. 35:44

35:44 When we change the physical identity, people no longer recognize you and you no longer recognize them. That’s how it changes. And as I said, a number of people, we like to think when we talk about life, we are always thinking about birth to death, nothing beyond that. That is a very narrow perception because when you are coming from the background of reincarnation, from birth to death is an extension of our life (?), a chapter of our life and not a total life. 37:06

37:06 Life continues before and will continue thereafter. There is no scientific proof that life continues thereafter, but there is no scientific proof that it no longer continues thereafter, either. So, we must give the benefit of doubt. Almost all the spiritual path, including, Judeo-Christian tradition, seems to me, to talk about some kind of life after. Though they don’t accept reincarnation, officially. But they talk about what happens thereafter. If you go to the right side or the wrong side, they talk all the time. Unless you accept a sort of hell. You go to hell, unless you exit hell in the human realm, human level, which is very hard to accept. On the other hand, in one hand, when you suffer a lot, it is hell, that’s true. But it seems to be, to me. So no one really can deny there is not a life after death. 38:48

37:06 Life continues before and will continue thereafter. There is no scientific proof that life continues thereafter, but there is no scientific proof that it no longer continues thereafter, either. So, we must give the benefit of doubt. Almost all the spiritual path, including, Judeo-Christian tradition, seems to me, to talk about some kind of life after. Though they don’t accept reincarnation, officially. But they talk about what happens thereafter. If you go to the right side or the wrong side, they talk all the time. Unless you accept a sort of hell. You go to hell, unless you exit hell in the human realm, human level, which is very hard to accept. On the other hand, in one hand, when you suffer a lot, it is hell, that’s true. But it seems to be, to me. So no one really can deny there is not a life after death. 38:48

38:48 So, all the spiritual teachers, such as Buddha and the thousands of disciples, one after another, continuously taught about life after life. I was talking with a monk the other day, two days ago, and I was saying it is funny when you talk about reincarnation and when you talk about the Tibetan reincarnate lamas, and their lives, it sometimes looks like we are talking like a fairy tale story. So, but it does exist, the life after life in fairy tale stories and Tibetan incarnate lama’s life stories. They exist there. But we don’t have scientific proof. However, really, it doesn’t prove it is not there either. For the benefit of doubt is we must give. And when you give the benefit of doubt and who are we talking about. I am not talking about a Mister A over there and Miss B over here and Madam C over here. We are talking about you and me. You and me. 40:29

40:29 That’s what we’re talking about. I am not talking about over there, this one or that one over there. It is not photographing that we take. But it’s talking about our self here, within us. So the separation of what I have been talking about is, is the, all the Tibetan teachers we say it is time to total up. We can never close our work, no matter whatever we do, we ‘re going to do, we never end it. We never get to the grand total. We can never conclude or balance sheet or our spread sheet. We cannot conclude that grand total is never going to be closed, though we want to put one here, one there they do. But death is the time that we produce that grand total there. 42:01 So, it is the time the machine will calculate the total number that was put in there. (There were Frieden Business Machines). It is a great, totaling, fine. So, what are they totaling? 42:15

42:15 Income and expenditures, that’s it. What is your income? The accumulations of your virtues are your income. And the virtues that you spend for negativities, non-virtues are expenditures. So, it is a time for totaling and then we get our balance out. Whether it’s a minus (loss) or plus (gain) or whatever, in black (profit) or red (loss) or whatever we will see at that time. This is the time, in one way, it is the time for totals and in another way, it is the biggest transaction and the biggest change. It is the time to change our identity. That’s what it is. 43:23

43:23 So, the things we talk, dying stage, you have heard a number of times, the eight stages, what you go through. What is your own perception is and whether other people can look at it? You have heard a number of times and it doesn’t stop here at this level. So, you know it. You have heard, if you want it, you need it more, you read those transcripts. It’s available everywhere, almost everywhere. The eight stages, all these stages are nothing more than that of very usual separation of our elements within our body. And this is the separation of our consciousness and body. That’s what it is. 44:33

43:33 And, you know, we have been living in our body too long. Too long the consciousness. If you really go in detail, there is a separation between the consciousness and me. Me and my consciousness there is a separation. But let’s not do this right now. If you do it, we’ll get more confused. 44:52 So, let’s not talk about it. And be my mind be me, but in reality, there is separation, okay, anyway. So, it is the time I have been living too long in my body. So, it is time to separate. 45:09

45:09 When you have to separate, it takes time. It’s hard. If you have two friends living together and when you have to separate, it takes a lot. Right? It is not simple. Very few people can say, “Okay, bye.” So, these are very few people. The rest of them will cling on each other and one would like to say, “Let me go.” The other will say, “No, not yet.” And the other will say, okay I’ll call you and wish you a happy birthday or something. You pull and pull and push and push and all of those will continue and they go. So, it is hard. 46:00

46:00 So, it is hard. Also, two separate individuals who have been a couple of years together, to have to separate is very hard. So, mind you, the me, my consciousness and my body, not only have we been living together, but we’re born together. So, born together, remember that, and when you have to separate that, it is very hard. And that’s why and all this symptom or stages we talk about, these are the totally is the transition of the separation between the consciousness and the elements, the external elements and the internal consciousness. That’s why you have this mirage like, smoke like, or like a fire like, whitish, reddish, darkness and all of those states, we talk. It is the separation of the consciousness and the external elements, which is our body is made out of five elements. 47:30

47:30 The earth element is our flesh and bones and all of those are earth elements. The liquid in our body is the water element. Heat, if you don’t have heat, you don’t have digestive power or anything. You’re a ghost with no heat. These are the fire element. And then you have circulation is because of air element. So, the outer physical body is the accumulation of the five elements. The inner consciousness is the accumulation of another five consciousness. 48:19

48:19 So when these two are separated, that’s why we have the old (?) and where we can feel and all of those. What happen in body? So, this is what we call it, changing identity. I really like to call this “changing of identity,” and thereafter, we are going to have a new identity. The identity that we have here is either too old or too sick or too rotten and it becomes unserviceable. You know I always use to give as an example of rented apartment. The apartment loses heat, running water and a roof, and the window and the walls. You have to get out. You know you can’t stay in there anymore. We have to get out. 49:48 We are exactly in that condition when the manufacturer’s defect shows up over our body. And the occupant, the tenant, needs the consciousness has to go. The tenant must leave the apartment. That’s what our death is. 50:10

50:10 What does that do? Take a big total and also what does that do, separation. The separation. The total separation. You are no longer here. You can no longer talk to. No messages follow. Nothing! Nothing! It is sort of big separation and the company cable was totally cut (? 50:44). And that is what I call separation. There are no more communications. Okay. 50:02

50:02 Why, because all of our communications and contact of each other is based on our identity, the physical identity. We recognize each other from our identity. We talk to each other, knowing that person is this. We talk to each other; we communicate with each other on the basis of our identity. When we lose that identity, we don’t have the basis of communication. It is sort of a big giant, I don’t know, some kind of air… I don’t know how to describe it. It is sort of a huge, giant air collection, a huge one. 52:00 So, you sort of know you merge in that. You merge in that. 52:06

52:06 Do you have in your own personal identity, yes you do, but you don’t have the physical identity. You have a mental identity. Then you get a new physical identity from there, sort of this giant huge air kind of thing. You merged in there and then you come out of it, again. You pick up one identity, two identity do whatever. So, the identity may be big difference or very similar looking. Maybe very similar looking, maybe different. So, you never know, so you’re going to get a new identity. 52:53

52:53 That new identity is what we call it, reincarnation. That is reincarnation. There is no other than that. There is no other reincarnation. When you pick up the new identity, and so, during that separation, the hearts you are taking (? 53:14) and the shock of the shock you have, these shock of the shock and the time that we spent in life, in between, and in transition and the shock, and the reason illnesses, will make you to know this. All of them destroys our physical being, number one, memory, number two. So, everything has to be new learning. The example is very interesting. When somebody has to have, if people have some stroke or something, then the physical therapist teaches you how to move. 54:22

54:22 You know it before, already. But you cannot do it because of the stroke, or to do with whatever the reason is. And the things you use to know, you don’t know anymore. You have to learn it, right? So, people forget their names. They have to learn the names again. It’s just like that, this transition takes place. Almost all the information, wipes out. It becomes new learning again, all over again. That’s what it is. And that’s the reason why we don’t recognize each other. And we don’t know who you are, and you don’t know me. And, for me, I don’t care who you are. I don’t care who am I. I really don’t. 55:21

55:21 But to some people it’s a big issue. A few years ago, I was invited to speak here. The Tricycle, Change of Mind Day, in Central Park. As usual, I just walked in. I don’t prepare anything. People asked me what you are going to speak. I have no idea. So, my idea, is that I like to listen to who spoke before me, a couple of them, and then I thought I would follow up and pick up from there. That was my idea. So, I walked in there and a number of people that we know I haven’t seen. They came up and started saying how are you and all this. As the consequence of that, I never heard these people speaking. 56:32

56:32 Then it was about time for me to speak, then somebody over there said, “You have been sitting here whole day, to find out who we are and what we are.” That’s all I had. So I keep on thinking, I really don’t care who we are and what are, do we really care? Or can I say I don’t care. Or is this a big disappointment for people. So, I did not know. That’s what I was thinking and suddenly Joseph Goldstein walked by. Oh, I can ask Joseph and say if I say, I don’t care who am I or would that be okay, or people get disappointed. He’s walking. He’s tall, right? So, I had to get up and follow him and I couldn’t catch him. He’s tall and going long legs going and I am big fat and short little running behind him. And, suddenly, somebody at the podium over there saying our next speaker is running down there and couldn’t come back (?) 57:48 So that was a few years that happened. 57:54

57:54 So, anyway. So honestly speaking, I really don’t care who we are, what we are. Who am I? What am I? I don’t care. Unless you are selected to be the vice president of Rose Jewel. (58:12?) Then I call you Dorje, who am I, what am I why am I here today? Do you remember them? Do you? Some people do remember. You don’t remember? (Digression). Beside it, there is no knowing who you are. 59:05

59:05 You know, if you didn’t think about it, who am I. Then you say, “I am so-and-so in the sixteenth century or so-and-so in the seventeenth century or eighteenth century, right? So, the identification is based on the name of the person at that time. Right? So, the point of reference, is the time of name level. Besides that, there is no way of knowing it. If you don’t put point of reference to time and level, you have no way of knowing it. 60:00

60:00 (?) With the point of reference to time and level, we can say, this, this, this. Right or wrong, who knows. It really doesn’t matter whoever you may be. You may be Napoleon, or you may be Cleopatra, or you may be a singer. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is what am I am now and what I do now and what will I be. And that is the most important, right now. 61:06

61:06 Even you are Napoleon is gone. It’s in past tense, gone. Even you are Empress Pow Chom, even then you are gone. You may be Queen Victoria, gone. You may be Winston Churchill, even gone. So, it doesn’t matter. But what does matter is will I be happy or will I be miserable. What will I be? And that matters. That’s the reason why I say, I don’t care who am I. I do care what I will be, very much. You know why? Because, whether there is good or bad, I have to feel on my body. If it’s bad, I have to suffer on my body on my mind and on my emotions. And that matters to me. 62:24

62:64 So, what will be is concerned for what I was, no concern whatsoever. It is past tense. So, what I will be, what I will be is difficult to know, though it depends on me. How I will be, is also you can judge from what do we do now. The great Tibetan lamas, who have said, (In Tibetan) my previous human life, I thank you, my present wonderful life, present spiritual practitioner, please don’t let me down in my future. 63:39 So whether I am going to let me down or I am going to help me, it’s the difference on me and depends on me now. 64:03 So, that’s that.

64:08 Otherwise, all the rest, at the time of death, nothing can help except Dharam or except your good positive karma. That’s that. You can’t carry anything else. As I said, your life insurance, wealth and all this, so the kings who have estate, revenue, soldiers, ministers, queen, princes and all of them, they all have to leave and go. The beggars in the street will also leave their stick to protect from dogs and begging bowl, they have to leave that and go. 65:17

65:17 In short, the king who died in palace and the dog who died in street, will carry the same thing. After separation of their identity, they are shoulder to shoulder together, equal. It is not like a president who becomes citizens, but still, there’s a difference. But this is different. This is really a difference. That’s what it is. 66:02

66:02 So, nothing else, except our two different karmas, the positive, negative karma, they’re active, there is a lot of neutral karmas there inactive. So only these two will guide you. Take you. These two are your guide, your vehicle. These two will transport you from the Heaven’s Gate to the Hail Bobs. Okay, so these two are the vehicles available. So, that’s what it is. 66:45

66:45 If you want to go beyond Hail Bob from the Heaven’s Gate, so that what you have to die of. So, now I would like to conclude. I’ll conclude from the sutra of Buddha (In Tibetan) “So, no matter wherever you look, the permanent things, what we call it, the monuments, the mountains and all of those what do you call it, permanent and everything, wherever we look, the environment, the mountains, the river, the water, the houses, everything, it is just like clouds in the air, clouds. They’re there and it depends on the movement of the air and they will drive away. They will go away. This is just like it. 68:14

68:14 When you are looking, if you look there’s a great New York City, it looks like it’s forever, permanent. But we see from some funny movies, right. But the reality is, is that this is not solid. It’s not permanent. It is almost like a cloud. 68:38 Then our death, our life, our birth, it is almost like a performance, a drama performance. You know they come in and pretend to be, one of them go round and do all kinds of whatever, you have to do. And go and change (?) 69:10 and change the music and come back and do something else. And that is exactly our life, our growing up and our birth our growing, our illnesses and our aging. All of them are just like a drama group, performing a drama performance. We are just looking like a drama. Change from moment to moment, that’s something different all the time. 69:51

69:51 Everything looks like a movie. Our movie is our life story, they make a movie, anyway, whatever. Our life is lightening short lived. Just like lightening, these are the Buddhas words. It is just like lightening, very short. Or it is just like water falling from the high cliff, it goes very quickly. So, that basically is our life story. No matter how much we try to make the best out of it, of course, we have to. We have to. No matter how much we have suffering, we cannot be in a bad mood all the time. We have to pretend to be happy. We have to put up negards. And if the negards, if you know, if you needed picnic, you put on heavy makeup and if you need light, you put on light makeup and you do all of them. It is simply a type of show. We have to put up a little face that we try to look better. Try to pretend to be better. And the reality is truly is we’re cheating ourselves all the time. 71:35

71:35 But that’s not bad. It’s okay. Anyway, so actually we really did not have a time or right or opportunity to be what we are. We don’t have. We are force. We are pushed by our emotions, all the time. And we are running toward death. Remember, I used to quote, the Seventh Dalai Lama, all the time. (In Tibetan) So the moment you’re born you don’t even have a minute and to sit and still (?) 73:03 we’re running like a galloping horse towards our death. That what everybody, man, woman and children. That’s where we are. 73:13

73:13 And what’s going to come (in Tibetan), you never know whether tomorrow going to come first or so-called future life. Which is going to come first, one never knows. This is true reality. Each and every one of us will go back to our own bed tonight. We have a soft comfortable, warm cozy bed. And we put our body in there, we go to sleep, and our gross consciousness will go down. So, we go to sleep, and subtle consciousness will take our (? - breath 74:13) in and out, and if something happens and we put our breath out and couldn’t take back, and the time we have to get up tomorrow morning, and at that time we have a different reality. 74:31

74:31 No one cannot deny that. Everything possible. So how fragile our life is. How talk about how wonderful our life is how life is great opportunity and all this. Remember, we talked about numbers fourteen, fifteen all of those. Now here is the thing you also recognize how fragile our life is. We are dependent of the life, and that life is so fragile. It almost looks like a tight rope and try to walk over that 75:49. That’s how fragile we are.

75:51 And that’s why the slightest thing goes wrong, we can go. We can sit right here; the house can collapse. You can sit in the car; the car can crash. You can sit in the plane; the plane will fall down. You know, whatever. All of them is a matter of a second, a matter of a minute. It’s a tiny little screw loose that can catch the plane of fire. You know, we know that all the time. And that how fragile we are. 76:38

76:41 I mean, the absolute reality, our future life, and this life is very, very small. You are needed to go the miles to get there. You don’t have to get visa, passport or that type of thing, you don’t. You don’t have to fly, you don’t have to die (maybe dive), you don’t have to write a horse (77:15). You don’t even have to walk. The difference is only the little air that we breath in and out. That’s that. 77:34

If we are breathing this air, breathing air, we it’s left out, you cannot breathe more. That’s that. So, our curtain is pulled down, right out of sight. There is a tiny little air curtain, that is protecting our life. So, how fragile it is. So, the basis of our life, in one way, is so fragile. Yet, it is rich with so many opportunities and capabilities. The human (capital city) the sky is the limit. You know it. I know it. We all know it. Sky is the limit. Whether it is scientifically or spiritually, the sky is the limit. So, if we don’t take the opportunity now, when are we going to take it? This is so important for us not to waste so much time. We have to do… Remember last Thursday, we talked. One of these earlier teachers said, “If I have one or two months to live, I will make my present life worthwhile. If I have one or two years to life, I will make sure my future lives are worthwhile.” Remember, we talked that last Thursday. So that’s the opportunity is giving us. And that opportunity is not impermanent (meaning independent). It will depend on that rope on which you work. Even (? 79:45) it is simple thing we have that we have to walk over with balance. That’s what it is. 79:15

79:15 Our death is just like falling asleep. If you fall asleep and you wake up the morning. If you are lucky you wake up on this side of the curtain and unlucky you wake up on the other side of the curtain. That’s similar to that. Our bardo (? 80:15) is like a dream. If you want to see your dream it is just like that. 80:22 Death is just like sleep. Bardo is just like a dream. And there are good dreams and bad dreams. Then that myriad (80:34) and a wonderful picknick, beautiful things, and that is exactly what the bardo is. There are good ones, bad ones. 80:45

80:45 Every bardo is not necessarily good. Not every bardo is necessarily bad. It all depends on our karma, whatever we have. What kind of karma? We have a tremendous amount of karma. Each and every one of us has a tremendous amount of good karma. Tremendous amount of bad karma. We may think, we don’t have so much bad karma. Well, I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t steal anything. I did not rape anyone. So, I don’t have that bad. In one way it may be true. On the other hand, can you imagine. 81:44 Not only mine, each and every one of us has taken a different life. Even every one of us may have been a tiger for sometimes. At the time of the tiger, being a tiger, you probably killed all those little animals and ate them up. 82:08

82:08 Not only probably we did it, that’s why we survived. At the time we are elephants. And how many times we might have bulled over those tiny little creatures called human beings. We have, countless. How many times have we been a queen bee, queen ant? So, there is a tremendous amount of good and bad karma. We don’t have a shortage. That is really true. We are very rich in this. 83:22

83:22 So what’s going to happen? You don’t know what’s going to come first. So that’s why we have this opportunity of trying to plug in our positive karma. And that’s why at the time of death, the dying mind dissolves, is a neutral mind, cannot be positive or cannot be negative. It is a very subtle mind. It has to be neutral. Too subtle to be positive or negative. 84:10

84:10 It is subtle, too subtle. But mind immediately before that, makes a tremendous difference if you can think a positive virtuous spot of your own practice such as taking refuge. As for Buddhist, taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. All compassion meditation, love to all being. Understanding of the nature of reality. At least to the level who are in the sutra level. In the tantra level, whatever you are, are you at the level of the seven purities, accumulation of merit, and all that level, you focus on that. 85:16 And if you are at the level of trying to understand the meaning of mantra, Om Shunyata, Yana, Somaya _______________85:30. So the nature of reality. (In Tibetan) So, try to be understanding the meaning of the mantra and try to meditate. And, if you have the power, to transform your ordinary death into the extraordinary death and this is the time for you to do it. 86:06

86:06 And if you have time to transform your impure emotions into pure wisdom, that is the time to do it. If you have the capability of combining such wisdom such as clear light into illusion body, this is the opportunity to do it. And if you don’t have it, then less and less, whatever. I have mentions upwards. You can come downwards. If you cannot become the union at that time, then at least, try to focus, transforming the impure negative emotions into pure wisdom. If you can’t do that, at least try to meditate on Shunyata. And if not at least meditate on Yidam or guru. Or then if not go on to meditate on compassion. Even if that is not possible, meditate on seeking freedom. Even if that level is not yet reached, take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. So, if that is not possible, just think of Buddha, just think of Guru, that simple. Even that not possible, think positive, whatever it is. 88:00

88:00 Because the mind immediately before that has the total power to be able to link the mind and next to death. Death itself being a neutral mind and they will link, the positive will link positive and the negative will link negative. That’s the reason why people say do not raise anger or attachment with the dying person. This is the reason why. It makes a big difference for the dying person. It doesn’t make that difference for the living person. So, the living person must keep the opportunity for the dying person. 88:51

88:51 Don’t push. And I told you a number of times, no one would like to die on you. The poor fellow is dying. They are not dying on you. So, remember that, because we always say if your loved ones going don’t die on me. Even the doctors will do it. Don’t ever do that. Health professional should never do that. They are not dying on you. They’re dying. Who wants to die? Nobody. Nobody. 89:23

89:23 There was a joke among the Tibetan lamas, I would like to share it. the joke was: There was somebody, some guy, who always tells his family, his wife and kids. Well, I’m okay. I’m a lama and I managed and whenever I go, I’ll go well. Then whoever is going to suffer, you people, poor thing, blah, blah, blah. So then actually he is going to die, and he got sick with a terrible disease and then going to die. So, the family goes and tells him, for you, it’s okay, because you are going to go anyway. We are bad and we are the ones who have to suffer behind you, without you, blah, blah, blah. So, he said, well, if I have right to live, I’d like to live. So that show how the reality is. 90:30

90:30 So, no one would really like to die if they can. So, that is very interesting, very interesting. So, what happens thereafter, the traditional teaching will simply tell you here. You will not disappear. You will continue. It is difficult to understand this. There is no scientific proof as I told you earlier. However, there are a lot of incidents where we can see where people remember previous life. People talk about that. Kids will continually talk a number of times until a certain age they come, they will disappear their previous life on this until they continue. Some of them can pick up conversations with other people they had before they die. There are a number of incidents. 91:40 So all these incidents you cannot rule out even if you don’t believe in reincarnation, or reacquisition (? 91:46) or the incarnation and all this. I can’t blame you. Recognition or incarnation also has a tremendous amount of corruption of its own, mistake of its own (91:58), politicization of its own. All of them are available. We don’t have too tall so much. 92:08

92:08 Even now look at the Panchen Lama. So, this is very clear. Those these things can happen. The worst part of the incarnation is the at the connection level. That is the weakest part of it. There you can have all kinds of interventions can come, corruptions, manipulations, politicizations and all of them are possible. This is human land. We are all human beings. We all do this. They are all there and that makes it even more doubtful about reincarnation. Number one, it is a problem to see it as it is. Number two, there are difficulties such as the Panchen Lama, here. The Chinese has its own Panchen Lama and this and that. And His Holiness recognizes somebody else and all this sort of thing, which clearly shows how fragile it is. So, it’s there. So, this adds to our confusion even more. Where we have difficulty of understanding reincarnation, there are two of these and two of that, two Karmapa’s, two (Denjin) Rinpoche and you name it. So, that adds good confusion on top of that. 93:40

93:40 So, it makes very difficult for us, even more. If you don’t talk about incarnations at all, it’s fine. Then you can recognize two of them. So, which one is it? Then of course, there’s explanation then there is body, there is mind, there is speech, there’s knowledge, there’s quality and then go up to eight or five or all of those and there’s additional confusion. So, anyway, what reality really is we don’t end there. We’ll go. Where do we go, either good or bad, there is nothing in between? Do I go white, not gray? There is no gray. Good or bad. Buddha introduces fact (? 94:39) called six realms. Three good ones, three bad ones. Simple, very simple. Three good ones, three bad ones. And we have to think this. At least we have to think with a benefit of doubt called future life called next life, the next existence. And what is going to happen in that next existence, suffering or joy, what is it? 95:34

95:34 So, we have to think about it. We have to know. So, we have the idea of give possibility of sufferings. What possibility of joy, as long as we remain within the samsara circle? If you go beyond the samsara circle, we have no problem. We have no problem. But we cannot get beyond that if we (? 96:17) to circle or possibilities. So, Atisha was asked by some Tibetans. Atisha was an Indian teacher who came to Tibet in 1100’s, so they asked, “What will be the future?” He said, “Hell, Hungry Ghost, Animal, Human Beings, Demigods and Gods. That’s the six realms, three good ones, three bad ones. Hell realm of course, bad. Everybody talks about if there is hell, it must be suffering, or why should we call that hell, even? So, what kind of suffering there, hot and cold, that’s all. Nothing more, nothing less. Is it too hot or too cold? So, that’s that. 97:17

97:17 if there is a hell realm, it’s reality. If it’s a psychological level or what is it. It’s a different story. It could be psychological. It could be reality. It’s not for me to say. Not for me to conform. But what I learned from the traditions and teaching, ever since I was a kid, I’ve been taught it is reality. But it could be phycological. Whether it is psychological or real, whatever it may be, the individual person will experience the pain. An example for me is very clear. The psychological difficulty, the people who have psychological difficulties, who are suffering, who have been depressed. What do you call the biggest depression? It is called manic depression or all of those. And whatever they complain, they may not be, the same reality for you and me. But that really individual is experiencing and feeling the pain and suffering. We all know that. We cannot deny unless you’re stupid. The person who’s suffering manic depression is really experiencing the pain. You better believe it. 99:02

99:02 They are, though you may think that person is crazy. It’s not happening. Nobodies beating, nobody is trying to kill you, nobody is ganging up on you. But, that individual feels and experience that. That is the reality for that person. So, the suffering is real. It’s true. Just like that. 99:50

99:50 So, it’s real and that will be real to the individual, the hell realm. Either it’s a psychological state or reality, whatever it may be. The experience if going to be real for the person. Likewise, the Hungry Ghost level, likewise the Animal. The suffering in Animal is very clear. We can see it today. (In Tibetan) The biggest suffering in the animal is one eats the other. Believe it or not, it’s reality. That why I told you, when you are (were) a tiger, you might have been eating up all the smaller ones. (In Tibetan) So, these are the realties. We have to acknowledge. We have to meditate. Definitely, we have to meditate. Otherwise, we will be simply watching “Animal Planet.” So, if you are looking over there and watching television, we know it’s true, but it’s over there. And that won’t help. If that helps, we can watch the tv all the time. It will not help. 101:33

101.33 But it has to help me. In order to help me, I must think I am that animal. The animal that was eaten by the other animals, or the big powerful animal eating all of them. Even (seeing 101:54?) yourself, you know what, one of the great advices given by the earlier Tibetan masters, it is wonderful to meditate yourself to be the powerful Yidam deity, great. But why don’t you visualize being in the Hell realm and try to feel the experience. Try to feel it as reality. And try to meditate yourself as a hungry ghost, so hungry. Try to meditate that you are an animal, eaten by another animal. All you are eating them up. If you meditate that way, then it became a reality for me (you). There is the possibility that if I wake up tomorrow morning, I could be that one. I could wake up in that position. Or I could be a little (? picnic 103:01) in the slums of Calcutta. All of those are possible. These are totally reality. Total possibility is there. So, we are not right there now yet. 103:18

103:18 We still are human beings. We have the capability to understand, communicate, help each other, help myself. Why don’t I help myself? Not to have those experience, those I can imagine to be experiencing, the Hell realm experience, the hungry ghost experience, the Animal realm experience. And this is a good cause for us to take refuge. This is a good cause. This is not a good cause, this is reality. We are not there yet, so we can do something. So what we do something, is that we can do two things. One, long-term planning and another, short-term planning. 104:09

104:19 The short-term planning is taking refuge. Long-term planning is making myself guaranteeing not to be in those conditions. This is called Dharma practice. If you don’t have that, if you are simply sitting down and watching your mind and counting the stars and (dipping you? 104:48) may or may not be Dharma practice. You may be doing circumambulations, maybe good exercise, may not be Dharma practice. There are a couple of lamas used to say, I told you Atisha was asked by Tibetans, should I meditate. Atisha says, “Very good, but I wish you’d do a Dharma practice.” Or should I sometimes meditate or sometimes teach? Very good, I wish you’d do some Dharma practice. Or, should I accumulate merit do a mandala offering, or circumambulation and prostrations. All very good, but I wish you do some Dharma practice. 105:47

105:47 So, another words, Atisha telling the Tibetans, if it is not affecting your mind, no matter whatever show biz, you may have, it is not your Dharma practice. Certainty counting the stars and dipping your (cerebra’s ? 106:10) are not going to be a Dharma practice. Real Dharma practice meaning makes a real big dent on our own negative emotions. Our target of destructions is negative emotions. Our target of accumulation is merit. By accumulating merit and purifying the destruction of the thing we have to destroy is making a dent on it. So, here is the beginning of Dharma, really, truly, the beginning of the Dharma is here. Dharma really begins here. Though we did all kinds of things up there. We said mantras, we did meditations, and we had number one to number thirteen, thirteen to twenty. This probably is twenty-one or twenty-two. Even you memorize, if you don’t make a dent on your mind, that’s not Dharma practice. That’s not Dharma practice, okay. 107:59

107:59 You know what Dharma practice really does? If the Dharma practice is really right, things that you don’t like, the difficulties in life, gives you a little misery, you have a better understanding of it. The better understanding, it will protect you from the sufferings that we get from whatever, let’s say rejection or whatever it is. So, all of those is Dharma practice to protect you. And if it is not protecting you, then there is something wrong somewhere. So, you have to trace back, even you memorized, I am not talking to any individual, but I’m… We have a saying in Tibet (In Tibetan), “The smelly dirty cloth was thrown in the air and somebody, guilty person, recognize and acknowledges.” Anyway, so, that’s what it is. 109:39

109:39 So, we have to do something. Now you can see much better, right, what the goal of Dharma is, protecting myself. Falling into those miserable lives, because I know I am not going to end up there. I may not know exactly, but I have doubt I am not going to end there. If I don’t end there, I will continue. Where do I continue. Good or bad, only two, there is no gray in between. So, my job here is to make sure that I will not go into bad place. I don’t want to visit there. I certainly don’t want to live. I certainly don’t want to experience their suffering. I sympathize with them. I develop my compassion on them. But I don’t want to be there. 110:39

110:39 So, that reality. Unless you are great Bodhisattva, who can sacrifice everything. Otherwise, no. I don’t want to be there and that’s my job. That’s Dharma. Okay, what kind? There are so many Dharmas. So, I told you Atisha said in the last part to Tibetans, should I meditate? Should I teach? Should I practice? Should I do circumambulations? Should I do prostrations? Should I be generous? Should I be (?) 111:19? Should I be a strict moralist? Or should I be all those? And Atisha kept on replying, “Great, but I wish you do Dharma practice.” Everything single thing you do is Dharma practice. 111:36

111:36 So what that really means is making a dent on our negative emotions and in changing the negative emotional addictions into positive addictions. That is real Dharma practice. There is no such equivalent practice, then that of the traditional Lam Rim or now we call it Odyssey to Freedom. There is no such equivalent for that, nothing. The highest, highest, highest possible teaching, you know sometimes they call it, if you practice daytime, you become enlightened in daytime. If you practice in nighttime, you become enlightened in nighttime. Never works. Never works! It won’t work to that person at that level. There is one little funny in Buddhism. And during Buddha’s time, Buddha told someone come here. And when they come here, the words of the Buddha invitation of saying come here, made that person become an Arhat. 112:56

112:56 So they talk about that. But they don’t talk about how much that person has done before that. 113:07 So you think it is sort of instant enlightenment there. And some people like to talk, if you meditate in the morning, you become enlightened in the morning, noon, afternoon, day and night. It’s never going to work, never! 113:20

113:20 Constant continuous efforts day after day, week after week, month after month, slowly yet steadily building up. Steady building up. That will make a difference. Nothing else! No instant! So, that is true reality. Not only have I read, but I have also taught that that is my experience of a born-again Buddhist for sixty years of my life. That is the experience. That’s reality. No matter whoever, whatever, they say. They say all sorts of things. They sort of did all that. And then you have to come down. Gradually, they will take you down, bring and study up (? 114:30). There is no instantaneous enightment. And if anyone tells you, just sit there and watch and wait, and you can wait till the cows come home. I guarantee you, nothing is going to happen, okay. So, don’t waste your life for doing something like that, because you can wait and then…as (? Darun 115:03 Rinpoche) says (In Tibetan), “So, before the enlightenment tomorrow comes, today’s death can come.” So, if that happens you’ve wasted your life. That’s what is is. 115:24

115:24 So, anyway, so what Buddha said here (In Tibetan), “Good and bad life will simply follow whether you have good karma and bad karma.” That’s that. No one can do anything, no one can undo anything. It is all your deeds and your own responsibility, and it is yours. 116:03

116:03 So how you going to shape your future is in your hand today. Because today’s planning can shape tomorrows functioning, tomorrow’s life. That’s true, in everyday life. That’s true in spiritual path. We all hope in our deep mind, some kind of instant something, miracle. We all hope. We deny, yet the hope is in not giving up. We have that. Will it happen? Yes, it will happen. It will happen when the conditions are right. When the conditions are wrong, it will never happen 117:03 And, who makes the condition, right? Me. Me and each and every one of us. I make my condition right to make my miracle reality. So, it all depends on me. Nobody else. 117:24 I better stop talking here. So, that’s that. We’re beginning Dharma now. The beginning of Dharma; that’s what it is. So, anyway, whatever I have mentioned to you, please don’t flush that down the toilet. And that is waste. So, think about it. And if you would like to meditate, analyze, raise questions. And, if you don’t at least read the reading list available here. The reading list is on the table. So, it’s there. And I will continue to be here for the rest of Thursday’s this month, February and March. I will be away in April and May. 118:34 The remainder of the recording is housekeeping about the broadcast and schedule. 120:28 Announcements of Dharma Practice with Tony King. Announcement on Asian Therapy for Cancer Conference. Rimpoche will be doing a lecture and also be part of a panel. End 122:23