Archive Result

20010301GRNYOTF14 - Odyssey to Freedom 03/01/2001

1:06 Welcome tonight. First of all, I have to apologize, I have laryngitis here, for sure. And besides that, I don’t know what I have, some kind of cover on my mouth. So, I want to stay a little far away from people, so they don’t get whatever I have. So, last Thursday, I expected about five to ten people, but some fifty came in. It was very nice. I didn’t think there was that much interest. But it was very difficult to get through the snow and all that. And also, you who are on the internet the last two weeks, you couldn’t hear anything because some simple number has been changed and carrier did not inform anybody else, or something like that or whatever. So, anyway, I hope you people are hearing here tonight. If not, then that’s that. If you are hearing that, that is the reason why you didn’t hear last Thursday. 3:10

3:10 So, we’re still continuing in here on the steps of the Odyssey to Freedom. So, what we did last Thursday is avoiding all different wrong rebirths, including the limitations on the human rebirth. I remember the lady over here asking a question and we discussed at that time. So, today we should be the next one, which is (31), Know what can help and harm in life and death. So, I would like to share a story. A few years ago, (a few doesn’t mean one or two), it’s a joke. I have a terrible thing. Everything I say is a few years. It has to be five, six, seven, maybe, years ago. One day I am having a lunch and the phone rings, and it happens to be Allen, Allen Ginsberg. So, Allen is telling me that I’m transfers (5:07), I think, and William Boroughs and so had a question for you. The question is, “Do you think my addictions to a joint, will give me trouble at the time when I die?” So, I said, “Addiction to joint does not honor, right. Addiction to joint is a physical addiction, so you are going to leave your body there. You are not going to take it with you. So, you probably don’t have to worry about it. But, your anger, if you are not careful, will give you a lot of trouble.” 6:15

6:15 So Allen later told me, it hit right on the nose. I just got reminded because, we are looking at some of Allen’s tapes that Jewel Heart has. Mark and I have been looking at that. So, that thing came up, right? So, here you go, what can help and harm. So, that’s one thing. And also, I have been talking on the phone this afternoon, to Kathleen. So, Kathleen said… Rimpoche asked her do you follow up where I am tonight? So, I don’t know. So, he just read it too. So, I said, what can help and harm. She said you have a nice list in your Odyssey to Freedom, take two or four, she said. So, what can help and what can’t help. I am trying to kill two birds with one stone. But I don’t have to say too much. 7:57

7:57 The first bird is not going to be killed very well because every word you say, I may have to comment. So, did you find it? So, is it a help list or harm list? Harm, first. Alright, read one by one. What can harm you in life and death? Mark says, “We all know our ego harms.” Rimpoche, “Stop there, (8:30), what you read we all want.” Mark continues, “…but we all know our ego harms.” Rimpoche, “and.” Mark continues, “we all like to perceive the ego as the most important part of me. It has become my queen bee.” Rimpoche, “Stop there, thank you.” 8:43

8:43, So, ego, mind you, the word ego, what I understand, is created by psychology for a purpose to boost ego rather that to destroy, right? Mark, “I have been trying to figure out where ego came from. Actually, it’s a translation of Fraud, who actually used the German word, “Ish”, which means me, or I, actually it means I not me. And, when they translated it into English, they didn’t use I because it didn’t sound scientific enough. So, then they used ego, which is the Latin word meaning I. 9:47

9:47 I’m sure you have proof of what you said, right? Mark, “Fraud used Ish for the ego, or what we call in English, ego and et, literally, it for what they call the id. But I guess in Greek it’s id, so. Rimpoche: So that’s where ego comes from. So, the Germans and the Greeks gives us the ego. Anyway, so what when I try to use the word ego for something other than mine, me or I or such, but more or less ego clinging, ego… 10:42 This is a little difficult for me but things we try to think something very important behind everything. 10:59 The things mostly we have to protect, the worries that we carry, that we will be hurt. When we go deeper inside, we sort of try to find some sort of deepest entity of the self. So, perhaps, it is really I but we’re talking about. 11:34

11:34 Last night somebody ask me, when I was speaking in that medical conference and said, higher self. And that person said higher self is that the same as soul? That was the question. And it’s a very good question. As a Buddhist, normally Buddhism does not accept a soul. I had an interesting time in America, with Ram Das. And Ram Das had a very interesting formula that he worked out. He would like to make self the base and self-growing and self-beloved, he called it. Sort of three level thing, he would like to bring. So basically, who the person really is originally and then who we are and beloved who transformed in becoming perfect? So, he would like to have three step thing. 13:05

13:05 So, he asked me in the worship, openly, do you have a problem with that? I think he used the word soul, rather than ego or self or anything. So, I thought for a while and I said, “I don’t have a problem.” And he was a little surprised. He said he asked the same question to Sharon Saltsburg, right, and John Halifax, both. And both of them had a problem and how come you don’t have problem? So, I said, “I can understand the word that you used. When you change the level of the individual improving and becoming ultimately beloved. I don’t have a problem.” And then he goes on and changed the question and he says’, “Why do you think Sharon and John Halifax has a problem?” 14:19

14:19 So, I thought for a while have said, “Ask them.” They are there actually. So, but I didn’t because I thought it rude and he’s very respected and a wonderful person, and a great man who had been tremendous for a lot of people. So, I said, “I suppose they have a problem of being a permanent soul, permanent. Being a permanent soul, may be a problem. So he asked, “how are you going to explain that?” 15:03 And I said, (? 15:10 Timbu) Rinpoche use to use the word “continuation of discontinuity.” The consciousness itself is continuing. So, the consciousness itself is continuing but is impermanent. So, continuation of discontinuity changing every minute. However, it is continuing. So, Ram Das and I agreed. So, for that we don’t have a problem. Who know what other will say? Right? That’s this after death. 16:03

16:03 So, when you think of impermanent, and if you accept the impermanence of the individual, and changing through, then it’s fine. Even if you have to change through three levels of beings, you have to change. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck there, same old thing. How can it even change? 16:24 So, it is (? 16:29) but that is self-consciousness or even soul. Long pause. 17:37 But ego over here is something more than consciousness or even soul, something which is completely exaggerated, point where we have to protect, sort of perceiving, independent, completely independent, independent without depending on anything, sort of a big director, or maybe even a big dictator, behind all our actions, deep down there, we are cherishing, we’re protecting, we’re saving, something we really project, something deeper down in there. 18:43 [It’s] more than consciousness, more than impermanent, interdependent, but much more permanent, strong, independent, something without knowing, something deep we project. 19:24

19:24 But if you spend a little time for yourself, try to find out, they what we are, we’re trying to protect, what we are. Who is it when you are embarrassed by other peoples? Who gets embarrassed? Who are you trying to protect? If you go deeper in there, you will find it. This is not that difficult to find it. But there is deeply somebody called “Me” or “I” or something deeper than our mind, deeper that our physical body, deep down inside not dependent on our body, not dependent on our mind, and independent. I normally I called at the beginning, I, Rimpoche, and I shifted to queen bee, so all of those, that we have deep down, something we are protecting, we just don’t want anybody to come nearby, push the wrong button. [It is] sort of a very strong porcupine style of a big dictator inside, hiding there, really. And that I would like to call the Big I, or ego. So, I think you have clarified what ego means, I, and so, it’s great. And so is what we are referring to. And this one is the one who is going to harm us. It is the biggest harmer at our time of death is that, even more than our negative emotions, even more than any misconduct (21:40?), much more than Monica Lewinski for example. 22:00. That’s the ego part of it. 22:03

22:03 But when you really search [for] it, if you just think normally, I am not here. It is wrong idea. Though you read Heart Sutra, It says no eye, no nose, no tongue, no consciousness, no (? 22:23) of consciousness, no this, no that. But if you really name. No, no, no all of those are there, but if you think I don’t have an eye, I don’t have nose, you do. Especially, American’s have a big nose, anyway 22:54. Not only do we have a nose, but we have big ones. So does the ear, eye, tongue, everything, we do. So, that is the wrong way of looking at it. But when you look deeper inside, deeply when you are looking for that big dictator behind, hiding somewhere, (22:28?) inside of ourselves, not in (? 23:34 Bad Bob) but really within us [Note: Bad Bod was a character in the movie: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. He was a bad guy who drank a pot of scalding hot coffee from the coffee pot] deeper if you look at. (? 23:45) you’re going to find it, then comes no tongue, no leave, no service. No leave service. You know what I mean. Until then we’re paying leave (lip) service, for me, somewhere inside, this sad little thing we’re trying to protect. 24:12

24:12 So, exactly that’s the ego, we try to protect. And if you search deeply inside, you are never going to find it. If you search the right way, never ever going to find it, because everything is dependent arise. And that part is difficult to understand and difficult to realize. [It is] more difficult to realize than to understand. That is our biggest harm, we get, at the time. Not only at the time of death, even in our life. Even in our life as wonderful human being, human natural, basically we all have kindness, compassion, love of them within all of us. But we don’t see that very much. Instead of that we give a lot of cold shoulder. Why? Who’s dictating? The ego within me. 25:40

25:40 Actually, ego has become so powerful, truly speaking, so powerful that it has completely smashed through me. Not necessarily this me, point finger for us, through me is badly smashed by ego. So, everything is in ego’s control right now. Long pause 26:48 In this ego’s control and I couldn’t help myself because my ego disagrees with me. My ego forced me to do the wrong thing. if we don’t have ego, we will not have negative karma. We will not have any fear at all. They are all coming from there. 27:29

27:29 The source of fear is the dictator, what you call the brutal dictator, has no compassion, no caring either to anybody, including myself. [It is] totally confused, ignorant. 28:01 Why did it behave wrong? Why did it force me to do wrong? Because ego thinks that the best way to do. So, normally, if you’re really looking for some kind of enemy with little horns with a tail, I don’t know. So, it’s there. It’s inside, not external. Not external, it is internal, that is the bad one. And that is going to hurt me. It’s going to hurt you in our life, in our death and during our bardo and during our rebirth. 28:54

28:54 During the bardo, this will play, and we will hallucinate all kinds of miserable trouble, all going to be orchestrated by this ego. During the rebirth, it is going to twist me around and the ego’s mind is actually to control me to overpower me, making sure that I remain totally subdued by him (IT) and totally devoted for him and totally hopeless, helplessly listening carry out ego’s orders. That is the ego’s job. 29:54

29:54 So, that is good enough for me to talk to you about the ego. So, before we talk about any negative emotions, I’m going here to jealousy, ectara. This is the root, the biggest problem. The real root in Tibetan language they use this as sometimes as a geta, which means view of fear. Sometimes they use this as a self, bah. Or sometimes, they use this (? 30:47) as self-holding. So, whatever the name we use, this is beyond me, deeper, not myself, but beyond me. [It is] someone who has been controlling me life after life and we can make sure that this one continues to remain. 31:15 That is the ego we try to unfasten. Anything else in there? 31:26

31:26 Audience: The next sentence you furnished continue on: It is your queen bee, and you try to utilize every sense and every power that you have to serve the queen bee and when you can you utilize other people, too. That why people get into trouble. Families get into trouble. The family and the children get into trouble. Everybody is getting into trouble because somebody’s queen bee is too strong. 31:54

31:54 That’s fine. Anything more? 31:58

31:58 Audience: This next paragraph is about ego. 32:03

32:03 Rimpoche: Can you skip the ego part and what number two list. 32:07

32:07 Audience: Actually, the next one goes to what can help you in life. 32:10

32:10 Rimpoche: Okay, that’s fine. 32:11

32:11 Audience: Who can help you in life? You have a lot of friends. Friends will help you. The Sangha will help you. The Masters will help you. The teachers will help you. Your education will help you. Everything will help you. However, the true help is you. You who has to do it. 32:26

32:26 Okay, so the first help is friends. Can friends really help at that time? In our life, sure, at that time. That’s a big question: Can friends help? [It] depends on what kind of friend is it. Anyway, Masters, teachers, can they help? That is another question. [It] also depends on what kind of master and teacher they are. Basically, the spiritual teachers, the word in Tibetan is green Shani (?) 33:23 or short form they call that Geshe. Nowadays, Geshe is perceived as some sort of degree. The original name of the Geshe really comes out, “one who is friend and guide, who can guide you, help you leads you to the better life and a better death. That is the word Geshe really stands for. Nowadays it doesn’t. The language has been changed completely. Now if you have a Geshe (deity 34:12), I am a Geshe and don’t have a Geshe (34:15 deity) I am not Geshe according to degree, a PhD type of thing. 34:24

34:24 So, they’re supposed to. The qualifications of a spiritual masters are supposed to be able to help their friends and themself to be able to travel or take the transition between the two life’s. I am talking on the basis of reincarnation. Because I am talking about the death. If the death just ended there, if you the individual person just ended there, why should we worry? We just end it. So you die you disappear and gone with the wind or whatever. So, why worry. Just disappeared, vibrated in there and gone. So, we don’t have to worry about it. But it seems that every major religion talks a little bet expert in that. They raise the question. They do that. Even we, we will be, the thing is, definitely there is no scientific proof that there is reincarnation. At least, what I know, or I heard about it or nothing. 36:15

36:15 However, I am quite sure there is no proof that is not no reincarnation, or I don’t think there is a proof. And remember if you consider, we don’t have reincarnation, and the life, whatever it is up to the death, that’s fine. We all have our right to do that. No one can tell you; you cannot do that. I think we can do that a right. In case if there is a future life, in case (? 37:13) if it’s true, then we are doing a terrible service for ourselves, disservice. Instead of help, we are harming. If we are really going to end there, why do we worry anything as long as we manage somehow. Whatever you have to do, twist and turn or whatever. As long as you manage, that’s fine. Nothing beyond that we have to worry about it. 37:55

37:55 So, why should we be to worry about it even basically morality. Why should we worry about it to be generous? Why should we worry about all of those? If you can manage your life by twists and turns and go on to death, that’s fine. But somehow, we all know that’s not right. And who is going to face that, right or wrong? It’s myself and yourself and we are going to face that. We may think it is a kind of different me by that time and dead and somebody else will wake up and put into be me. It’s not going to be. It is me continuing. 39:00

39:00 As, I told you earlier at the beginning, “continuations of discontinuity” and that’s what’s going to happen. That’s what it is. If it’s the same me who is sitting here today, will be the same me who will be whatever, (39:19) we are going to a whole realm up in Tibet in the Himalayan Mountains trying to find green grass up in the highlands or someone who’s having a wonderful life, it’s going to be me, no other. Will I remember? Certainly not! If you develop, yes. Until then, we won’t. So, anyway, so the point is, we might be doing a disservice for ourselves. 40:18

40:18 As far as I’m concerned, I am convinced scientifically, but I am convinced there is reincarnation for me. Not because I have the title of reincarnated lama, not because I am worried about losing my job. I was one of those very skeptical Tibetans. Really, sometimes I’m a troublemaker because I don’t buy exactly what other people buy. That is my habit. I am always wondering why, why, why, why. I was sort of born in the manner. It is extremely difficult for any Tibetan teacher in Tibet at that age of mine, asking them is there really reincarnation. It’s difficult. I am going to get a couple of lashes out of that, if I do ask that. No doubt about it. Bus somehow, I raised that question very often because the reasons, the logical reasons what they use to introduce reincarnation, is continuation. 42:15

42:15 I am today’s me is the continuation of yesterday’s me. so does last week, last month, last year, beginning of it. There is no problem. You can trace that up to the (? 42:39), whatever, up to death, we can trace it. And beyond that the traditional teaching system will take you and that is the continuation of the bardo and that is the continuation of the death. But, for me, there’s a quantum leap, big gap there, really. But how do I ask, you know? So, that was a big problem for me. 43:12

43:12 So, I don’t mind the breaking in that. I can’t. But I cannot ask the teacher’s over there for fear of getting beat up. So, really that was my childhood story up to age of thirty-eight. Then I came out of Tibet. But, finally, what happens to me is I have some kind of funny understanding which is not imported from external reasons. But somehow it was coming internally. I don’t want to call it belief. But something coming internally, very deep coming out, whatever. Sort of an unshakable, the shakable questionable thing after many years settled, something unshakable understanding. It somehow settled within me. I can’t explain this is the reason it worked. I cannot. But somehow, I have that very strong conviction. And, that this. I have to share that with you. If I don’t have that, I would be misleading you. But I have no proof for whatsoever. 45:00

45:00 Yes, there is this, the kids remember that. There’s that story. There’s this and this and all of them there. They did not convince me. They may remember the previous collection, an ordinary Indian girl in the early sixty’s and early seventies. And a girl was born and would go to their own village and meet the old relations and grandmother and so on and so forth and all of them there. Even then, I’m sure they’re telling the truth. Even then, it really doesn’t convince me much. Some sound like fairy tales’ story. That didn’t help me much. It’s not fairy tales, but reality, but still. 46:00

46:00 So something deeply inside settled. I don’t know what it is. So, that’s the reason why, I think there is reincarnation. It is not that I remembered my previous reincarnation, no. From the story point of view, I read so many. So many of the different lamas in between their lives. I am not going to repeat. You can read later. There are a lot of those. But the deeper conviction what I have is some internal understanding. I don’t believe it’s saved. I don’t believe, nor is it memory. No, I remember my previous life, no, not that sort at all. 47:09

47:09 So, anyway, one does not evaporate and disappear for the continuing. Even if your quantum leap, it appears there again. So, how is appearing? It’s me only. The same old bearded ball headed guy, but the beard is gone, the bald head is gone. So, that’s the same old person, become younger. That’s what it is. That’s me. 48:00

48:00 So whatever, I experience today, I will have the same experience at that time. Suffering or joy, good or bad. Can you go down a little, other notes on there. 48:17

48:17 Audience: Education. 48:18

48:18 Rimpoche: Education will help you tremendously. I want you to hear this. I am from old Tibet. Old Tibet does not really have what we call it today. [There is] not a good education system, truly speaking. If you look, leave the Buddhism out and you really look at education, in old Tibet, virtually none. They will teach you how to read and write and a little bit of mathematics, totaling up or dividing, or subtraction or something very little. Of course, they make so much emphasis on the calligraphy system. So, every kid, probably ever kid they give a piece of wood and they keep them writing the alphabet for years. First a dry thimble (finger) paint copying over the teachers written. Then gradually, with a little sort of ink and gradually, five or six years later, they’ll make you write on a piece of paper. So, so much energy was put there for looking for the artistic point the calligraphic point. 50:14

50:14 Some of the old Tibet they don’t write with the brush, like the Chinese. And the only education which you really can get, is after you know how to read and write and then they will give you a little bit of history or something like that. And if you are going into the government service, they have that training school separately. So, they give whatever they give. I have no idea. So, the monasteries give you a tremendous education. And, yeah, the monasteries are great, no doubt about it. But I, like me, I deport (? 51:15). At the time when I was doing my Geshe a distribution system, that means it takes a lot of money and food. At that time, it is about thirteen thousand nights in people (? 51:32). So, all thirteen thousand people are well educated, great monks. No, they are not. Sixty, seventy, eighty percent is not. There will be a wonderful ten or twenty percent will be there. Great ones. And then there will be five to ten percent, totally trained for artistry work, only on hand. For example, (? 52:09) here. Great artwork, and all this sitting on the fingers and the butterscotch all of them, they do (????? 52:25). They’re good. And they are trained in that direction. So, my point is, what happens when you talk to the person, the level where you can talk, is a big difference. 52:41

52:41 A lot of people ask me how you find talking to the Western friends who are interested in Buddhist teaching and the Tibetans. And mind you because of your education, the level what I talk to you is very high level, not necessary the Geshe level, but there a lot here. That’s what I have to do. And, if I am talking to a handful of Tibetans, who have not had a Western education, that’s the most I would say, by the time when you die all this are harmful and today you have to be careful. It is in your own control and pray and say mantras and go and do circumambulations and do prostrations. Be kind. Be generous. Don’t be mean. That’s how much I am limited. 54:00

54:00 If I try to talk to them, there is something called the ego, it’s behind this, how it works. I am sure that about ninety percent of the people won’t get it. So, it would be wasting my time and wasting their time. So, I am able to talk to you, it’s because your level of understanding is all because of your education. Don’t look down on education. A lot of Western friends like to look down on their education. That’s not true. That’s not good. 54:36

54:36 Not only will your education get you a job, but education will make you understand better. It makes you think better. It makes you analyze better. It makes you meditate better. What else you want? So, what is next. 54:59

54:59 Audience: Then at the time of death your friends cannot help you, your wealth cannot help you, your state cannot help. A hundred different friends may be standing around you and they can do nothing. Nobody would like to go on your behalf and even if they would want to, they cannot. Your wealth cannot help you. You cannot take your American Express care when you die. Can you? Try to give Yama, the Lord of Death, your American Express card Him (or Her) I have unlimited credit. It doesn’t work! 55:42

55:42 Rimpoche: That’s me. Why I should have said, American Express black card. Okay, what else? 56:10

56:10 Audience: At the time of death all of that we consider life insurance or savings will help us. So, what will help us? The positive karma that you carry. What’s going to harm? The negative karma that you carry. It is your responsibility. It is your audit time. The Certified Public Accountants are here to audit your account [Sort of ironic, as that was once my profession]. So, you have to produce your account to how much positive is there and how much negative is there according to that your future life is guided and shaped and you live with that in another life. So, it is important. 56:47

56:47 Rimpoche: Kathleen read me a lot of (56:52?) of what can help. 57:00 I think you are missing some there. I think you are jumping. There are seven or eight counted what can help together. 57:10

57:10 Audience: We did education.

57:42 Rimpoche: So, anyway, if you can’t find it, that’s fine. So, anyway, what can really help is our positive karma and our Dharma can help. And, I talked so long here, so I probably should end, discontinue talking. And I heard somebody say, we just went over the death last week or something. I don’t want to go back there. So, it’s interesting, if you read this Odyssey to Freedom. It is the same as you listening to me, because the transcripts are very rare teachings. So, as a transcript, so that’s what it is. So, it’s helpful. 58:35

58:35 Then what else is next on the (Sixty-Four Steps), number 32, Take refuge. There is something that’s missing there. Something like four, five, six, seven, counted what can help on page 204. Does anybody have a copy of Odyssey to Freedom? It’s okay. So, anyway, that’s got a clear of what happens and then we talk what can help and what can harm. So, now the next is, each is (?59:38) even we get, even let say, today, we have the know-how, we have the knowledge of possibly can be future. And the possibility of falling into lower realms. What are you going to be afraid of is falling into the lower realms or whatever may be? The temporary solution here from the Buddhist point of view, is taking refuge. 60:20

60:20 Taking refuge in Buddha, in Dharma and in Sangha. So, we’re on Step 32, right? So, what is this refuge business in Buddhism. Actually, it is a doorway. Whether you are Buddhist or not Buddhist, is the doorway. If you are taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha, you become Buddhist. If you don’t, you are not Buddhist. That is a Buddhist rule. Earlier in India the practice, what we do, is very similar between Buddhism and Hinduism. A lot of them are quite a similarity. Lower level, medium level, higher level, tantra, everywhere it is very similar. At the time of Atisha’s visit to Tibet, he said, “In India, there are only a couple of great masters, less than a half dozen at that time who can make distinctions between the Buddhist practice and the other practice.” So, very similar. 62:11

62:11 So, Buddhism for us, to me, is easy to know. It is taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. That we call, the doorway. If you have refuge, you are Buddhist. If you don’t have refuge, you are not Buddhist. That is a sort of old rule. 62:39

62:39 Even the word Buddha says a lot of things. I would like to say, if one would like to take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, before you do anything, it is important to know what a Buddha is, what is Dharma, what is Sangha. In Buddhism, this is very important. So, without knowing Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, how can you take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha? So, the moment you ask question, who is Buddha and what is Buddha. So, we ask, “Do you know Buddha?” Well, I did not meet Buddha, but I know who you are talking about. Right? An Indian prince, who passed away two-thousand five hundred years ago. We will say that. To me, that is the historical Buddha. If I have time, I can go very detailed here, but we don’t have that much time. So, I would like to come to talk to you (? about …64:29). We cannot go and take to that Buddha two-thousand five hundred years gap. You can’t. It’s represents, but it is not in contact. So, now taking refuge to Buddha, what are we talking about? 64:59

64:59 So, I am going to talk to you, bare bones, bottom line, not worrying about theoretical points. Really, the true Buddha, for me, is my future Buddha. Buddha that I am going to me. It is my ultimate passage (privilege 65:46). Not the causal buddha, but the revered buddha. 65:58 This is bare-bones, bottom line, okay? Causal Buddha is the historical Buddha who represents total enlightenment beings. But it is my future Buddha, which can make a difference to me. Right now, I only have a seed, not Buddha within me. That is a wrong understanding. A lot of people will tell you, the Buddha within me. We don’t have Buddha within you unless you are a Buddha. And if you don’t know you’re a Buddha, you are not Buddha. That’s true. You’re not IT. This is really true. A lot of people think about it. Buddha is the all-knowing, awakened state. If you don’t know who you are, forget it. Logically, you can see it. It’s not 67:09

67:09 So we have a seed, a seed is capable of becoming a Buddha. It needs a lot of nurturing, caring and development. That’s there. That is the real Buddha we are talking about. Buddha has a concern about me. So, taking refuge to Buddha you’re linking the Historical Buddha, representing the total enlightened being and my future immature, unborn seed level, Buddha nature. Linking these two together and making it work. 68:23

68:23 Don’t ever forget that we are responsible to ourselves. We go down worship or pray or something and you think Buddha is going to provide that. No, he’s not going to provide that. Ninety-nine-point nine percent is not going to happen. We are wasting our time and energy. What will really work what you link up that historical Buddha, who are representing a total enlightened being, and my Buddha-nature within me. Try to link them up, hook them together and bring them up to maturity. 69:09

69:09 True refuge will be that taken to the Buddha. But for all practical purposes and theoretical purposes, it is taking refuge, I am taking refuge to Buddha, that’s what it is. But it is absolutely reality, bottom line, that’s what it is. Linking will refer to Buddha and historical Buddha. The Historical Buddha is the causal Buddha. That what it really is. So, some people may understand, misunderstand. Oh yeah, he’s saying that there is no point to praying to Buddha. There is no point of doing this and that. I am not saying that. I am simply saying the bottom line, refuge to Buddha, is really linking my future Buddha, of what I am going to be, that Buddha as a seed in Buddha nature, here within me and linking up with the enlightened society, united beings. Enlighted Buddha, linking them up, hooking them up together. bringing them. 70:36

70:36 Perhaps, many Buddhist teachers may not believe this. So, if you don’t, don’t blame me. It’s not my fault. But that is my understanding. Can I defend that, sure? I can defend that logically as well as from the quotations, everything, I can. 71:34

71:34 So, now comes the Dharma question. Well, I should have said a little more. The Buddha has tremendous qualities. But if you don’t know the quality, taking refuge is not right. There is no admiration. Right now, we have some understanding. We all say Buddha is great. That great idea of great is coming from because everybody that you contact say, “Great.” No body say anything bad about the Buddha, except for some very Eastern people you know. Every year, I get it, I get it. Some people make a hand delivery, both in my office and in my house, with a pamphlet. It is probably made for me purposefully. And it says how the Buddhist will go to hell. I get that hand delivery, FedEx delivery and everywhere, I get that very often. In Michigan, not in New York I get that. Every year without fail for the last couple of years. Very specifically printed [for me]. 73:21

73:21 I do respect their opinion. I don’t feel anything funny and I am sure these people would like to have the best for me. I have no doubt about it. I also used to get, Jehovah Witness, visitors. And when I was not busy, and I enjoyed talking to them, you know. They would talk to me and then I’d ask one or two questions and they’d think about it and then they’d try to give me some answer which didn’t make sense. So, I tell them, it doesn’t make sense. They’d think about it (? 74:12). Then they’d come back the next time, with a return answer, they read and tell me the answer. And, that doesn’t make sense, either. This went on for a while, for months. So at the end, three or four of them came to talk about it. And in the end, they told me, “What are you.” And I said, “I’m Buddhist.” And one of them said, “No wonder.” But whatever, you know. Whatever. 74:55

74:55 Anyway, so, another thing is that nobody says anything bad about the Buddha. So, we think it’s great. We don’t know the quality of a Buddha. Is it possible to talk about the quality of a Buddha? It is also difficult. What else can you say. All knowing, ultimate kindness, ultimate compassion. It’s difficult. But if you read. I am not sure how much I talked to you in Odyssey to Freedom, but if you read the normal Lam Rim books, especially Pabongka’s “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, “th76:26 Sangha, there is an official Sangha, unofficial Sangha and the real Sangha, three of them now. The official Sangha in Buddhist tradition is more than four Buddhist monks. We would like to say nuns, too. But what was traditionally said is more than four Buddhist monks. It has to be more than four. Less than four is not qualified. One is not good enough. Two is not good enough. Three is not good enough. Four. There are a lot of reasons. That’s why some translations used here instead of saying, “I take refuge in the Sangha.” They say, “I take refuge to the highest assembly.” [It is] the collection of people. 80:37

80:37 The true official Sangha, the real true Sangha, whether you are a man or women or whatever may be, when you see true reality of total existence, then you are true Sangha. Whether you are a monk or not a monk, nun or not num, men, woman, children, cat or whatever may be. When you see the true reality, then you are the true Sangha. 81:24

81:24 Then we have the unofficial Sangha, in the West. People like us call everybody Sangha. And I do not know, if you call it, it’s fine. It’s ok. It’s North America. So, I tried to find out where it started in America. I thought it may be from Suzuki Roche or Tembo Rinpoche or somewhere. So, the other day, I had an opportunity to ask question to Bhaku Roche (? 82:08) through a common friend. So, whether it was done by Suzuki or when already done. So, Bicki Roche goes even bigger. There’s a tradition in Japan which call everybody the Sangha and there reality that every sentient being, every human being is the Sangha and this and that and all of them. Then at the end, he said, it was not Suzuki Roche, right. It is not Suzuki Roche, he said that. So maybe it was Tempo Rinpoche, I don’t know. I wish I had asked him then. 82:54

82:54 So, anyway, we have a system of calling everybody who takes refuge in Dharma. That’s where the line has been drawn. Am I right, whether you call it a Sangha or not Sangha? That’s totally fine with me. I would like to protect that too. But I am calling that official. Should we call it Modern Sangha. Whatever. You know why? The Sangha has its own reasonability. The Sangha ship goes with responsibility. So, it will help a lot to the practitioners to do better because the Sangha is the Role Model. So, if you want to set a good Role Model for future generations, for younger ones who are coming up. So, we have to think of ourselves better. The title goes with responsibility along with it. So, I am happy to have the title, but the responsibility also has to go with it. 84:22

84:22 So, basically again, the true Sangha, is whenever we, individuals realized emptiness or recognize the ultimate truth, then we become true Sangha. Until then, we are an unofficial Sangha (?84:48). I think I am going to stop here because I think I’m going to choke. Thank you so much. 85:00 Rimpoche would not take questions as his labored with a sore throat. The Sangha finished the Migstema