Archive Result

20010809GRNYOTF - Odyssey to Freedom Date: 08/09/2001 Run Time: 98:21

00:00 Jewel Heart Prayers to 09:08

09:08 Welcome to tonight and as you know we are reading through this Odyssey to Freedom and that was number 33 and 34 and we are the level of thirty-four, considering negative actions bring negative results. And we are talking about basically the division of good and bad, negative and positive, and also very specifically talking about very specific negative actions. And such as we have mentioned. It is interesting because I think I do remember when I was first talking about this Odyssey to Freedom itself. I did not have a long discussion on karma because I thought that I would make a separate talk in this, number one. Number two karma is also very difficult to understand in one way and that is a number of people think that karma is something external other than myself. Some kind of second force or second person is pushing me as if there is chair there, a second force or second person or third person is controlling me or not even a person, but something external is controlling so it becomes a very difficult issue to some people. 11:11

11:11 To some people it is a very old thing we keep on hearing in Judeo-Christian tradition and Catholic tradition and all this, and good and bad, negative and virtue and non-virtue and what the hell is going on here. So, the second reason I try to avoid. And there are third and fourth reasons there. We cannot avoid them completely all the time because it’s reality. Other that we are controlling and that is a big issue with a number of people. But I don’t know other that ourselves, put it is our personal actions that control ourselves. I want to make it clearer on that. 12:20

12:20 I don’t think my karma is something separate from me. I am not talking about the (? 12:25) of me, but basically it is my action, my deed, my responsibility and consequences and my great achievement. I can all sort of attributed and credited and put the responsibility on me. I am not sure that you can look at something separate from me. A number of difficulties have difficulty with that, thinking something other than me is controlling me, some kind of external force. Maybe it is God. May it is karma. It is very similar sometimes it becomes to some people they say “Christian God and Buddhist Karma” become similar to it. I don’t know. People have that difficulty seeing other than me externally controlling me. I want to be clear on that. I don’t think so. It is a part of me and is my own creation. It is not some other person out there that has created and grounded and not grounded and giving and not giving. I don’t think that is the issue here. 13:56

13:56 The issue was what I did and whether I am responsible or not responsible. I am responsible because I created perfect negative karma, so I have perfect negative results. Or I created half-hearted negative karma, so I have a half-hearted negative karmic result. Or I have created incomplete negative karma, so I have incomplete negative karmic results. So that is the thing that is very important. And also, it is important if there is no karma, there is no good result. There is no spiritual development. There is no Buddhahood. There is no arhat. There is no Arya or special beings. There is no future life, there is no good future life, there is no bad future life. And there is almost like there is no tomorrow. It is all today, no tomorrow. But some Buddhists say that, there is only today but no tomorrow. So do say that. This is where the problem comes, and you simply couldn’t make it out of what is karma and how it works. And that’s the problem. 15:48

15:48 So, that’s why I wanted to make that clear to you. I don’t want you to think there is some kind of third force or second force which is controlling. But it is a part of me, part of my own creating. You may argue the same thing. I created my own children, but it is not me, it’s my children. Perhaps I do not have an answer for that. That’s the way my mind works. I am saying you created it’s not a separate from me because we created. If that is true then we created our own children, to a certain extent. So, the children will have to be the same as me and that’s not true. It shows the reason that I am using is wrong reason. It is an invalid reason because it self-contradictory. So, it looks something more than we created. I don’t know what it is, but I do know it is a part of me. I don’t have a valid reason to give to you right now. I gave you a reason and then contradict my own reason by myself refuted. And that’s the wrong reason. 17:25

17:25 Yeah, it the same thing as I created my own children. I did not create children. Yes, you did create your own children, but you may not create the total (? 17:36) and all this, but we did create self not me (?) So, because I created, it is part of me it’s wrong. Yet the artist may have created a beautiful piece of art, but the art is not the artist because created doesn’t work. So, there is music, there is poetry so it’s an invalid reason I am using. So, I have to find some valid reason. I don’t know what that is anyway. 18:15

18:15 So, I wanted to emphasize this because it bothers some people. Something other than me controlling me, which is very uncomfortable in our mind to some of us. But maybe it’s my clock. When my clock gets to six in the morning it rings a bell and wakes you up. It’s my clock but that clock doesn’t control me. But to a certain extent it does. I make you wake up. I don’t know if that is a valid reason but. I am not finding reasons to prove that karma is a part of you. Maybe it’s not part of you. No really. But there is no separate force, that’s what I wanted to say. Nothing external, no second person, not a third person, that’s for sure. Because if there is not even a person, it doesn’t have a mind of its own. Karma doesn’t have a mind of its own. Karma doesn’t have its own agenda. It is a force that makes things move, but it doesn’t have a life of its own. And there I can give a valid reason. 19:51

19:51 Perhaps I cannot say it’s a part of me because I did not find a valid reason to give it. Maybe the time is too short for me to think. Yeah, you have a reason. Audience question about thoughts. Rimpoche said that’s a big question whether your thoughts are a part of you. There is also a big question whether your mind is a part of you, is another big question. Actually, it is. So, thoughts are the creation of mind. It’s my thought. Audience: inaudible Rimpoche: I am thinking about it as to whether my thoughts are a part of me. It is my thought for sure. It is certainly not me; it is a part of me, I don’t know. I don’t know whether your karma is part of me. I don’t know about it. That’s why I said right from the beginning we raised that question where we leave our karmic imprint on. 21:26

21:26 You know I used the word, IOU Note, it is just something to hold on. But the real question of where does the karma leaves its imprints on, where, what? Is it on my consciousness? So that’s why even the Buddhists great schools during the Buddha’s time and after all this and there is a big question. So, that is why certain Buddhist’s school accept something called the Basis of All. The Basis of All means … Sigh, that’s why there are four different thoughts in there. I don’t want to get into that detail right now because we are going to lose the total thing. So, some people accept the basis of all. And some people call self-illuminating, some kind of mental thing. Some don’t. And those who accept the basis of all may have to accept the mind as permanent. That’s a very complicated point. So, let’s not go in that. 23:39

23:39 I think that is the reason why I couldn’t make a simple logical reason to prove it. But it is a very good idea because the karma should function just like thoughts function. That’s the reason why. And karma may not be even there, at all. Karma’s gone at that moment. It is passed until created. It leaves some kind of imprint and karma itself becomes past tense rather than present tense. So, then it somehow later picks up the condition and realizes that. And that is one of the reasons that you not only accept existence in the past tense, but you also exist some past tense as impermanent. Impermanent future tense, which you will not be able to bring very clear on. But Losong Rimpoche did give a very good teaching on this in Ann Arbor. So, we will revisit that and also those other points. That will make it easier for us to look into what really emptiness is. 25:31

25:31 So, anyway, so that is probably the reasons why I cannot give a valid reason saying why karma is a part of me. Or perhaps it is not. It is past tense. But it is not even there. It left imprint and that imprint meets with the conditions. Anybody who is a physicist, because I am thinking how this quantum leap business work. Where does that go? Quantum leap where does that go, you know? Why do they appear on the other side? What happens in between? So, it must be very similar to that, karmic thing, you know. Anyway, I raised those ideas so that everyone of you is intelligent, so you can think about it. So, what really happens is, when you create karma, it thinks it goes off and becomes past tense. It is dead and it’s gone. But at the same time, when the terms and conditions meet, it rises, and it became impermanent, and it functions. 27:20

27:20 So, that is a valid reason why it is not a part of me, because it is past tense. So, if I am going to say it is part of me, that gives you reason. Any reason I give you will contradict with that reason. Audience speaking inaudibly. Rimpoche, the big problem with this that you just exist dependently and interdependently (? 28:03) could just exit on that. However, there is a certain centuriation as well. Particularly the individual person. And if there is no certain continuation, then you lose the continuation and you lose the total basis of maintaining between this life and future life. Karma is not the network of continuation. Karma materializes. Karma we created and pops up at the end and gives you the results. And in between that that particular karma is not there. So that’s why to explain this I am trying to give you and imprint that is like an IOU note. The IOU note is inactive until the due date comes. That tries to give you a little understanding of it, but it is not really truth because karma actually disappears completely. Completely, and then it is not even there, it is gone. It’s dead, it is past tense. Then when the result comes up, it suddenly becomes a present because of right conditions (conditioned worked). So, it works in that way. 29:29

29:29 And karma doesn’t have to continue as a person individual does. So that is no problem from that. But the problem for the person has to be continuation because otherwise my karmic results in another person other than me. So that is the problem. So, it is me who experiences all the thing. I am not saying this to prove that (Terry) is right. But it really happens. And this impact you see it because of memory alone. The remembrance and the picking of the information. Things you know and all of them really link you up with that previous person and you. There is a very strong linkage that links you up. 30:27

30:27 You may not know it what had happened in between, but there’s a linkage that comes in. And where does that linkage continue? These are all big issues and maybe we should bother or should not bother. In one way we should bother because we really know it thoroughly. But on the other hand, there is a lot of thinking on that. But it is definitely a part of our life, that’s what’s happening in our life. And that’s why our lives and controlled life, because you never know what’s going to happen next minute to anyone, anywhere, anytime, you know. So, it’s all because of this. Just because of this. And that it’s a mystery of life. 31:26

31:26 Anyway, so thinking that way you can begin to see that it is my creation and my dream and my experience and sort of like to say it is part of me. Part of me and nobody else. I can assure you there is some guy called karma sitting over there and looking over our shoulders like an elder brother, sort of looking over our shoulder and say it is time for you to do this. It is time for you to experience this. That’s for sure. But it is all our deeds our own function and when the conditions are right, it just happens. 32:18

32:18 Audience inaudibly speaking in the background. Rimpoche responded in this way: That’s what I always tried say but it never worked out. The physical gene, the DNA gene, and I always think that Tibetan’s like a sign called “endless note.” It is sort of consciousness chart and whenever it comes across when it overlaps then it becomes this life. That’s what my mind reads all the time. But I think I could not draw a line through it and never worked. I had to still (? 33:03) still comember to still do that with a computer, but it didn’t look (? 33:07). I couldn’t do it. I think we have to find a way to work it. I am quite sure there is a (something) in there. It is very true, when these two (the chart and you) overlaps, if you can bring it out, you can definitely see what a life is. And also, this DNA gene goes through parents to the children, to us and to children. And this life consciousness circles endless around everywhere and overlaps and that is exactly what happens to get into life. And if you don’t think about it karma, then it is a total accident and coincident. 34:00

34:00 When you are thinking about the karma, then you begin to see the mechanical system who it’s working. Hopefully you can clearly see it the mechanical system how it’s working because it is not just total coincident. It is not just an accident that we are in life. That is not really (reality). It is sort of really something more than that. And that more than that is our deeds, which measures for us karma and not reverse karma whatever it may be. That is exactly what’s happening. But it is very difficult for us to comprehend and even for me to present. Sort of I think I knew and what’s happening, but if you ask me how, I don’t know what to tell you, you know. That’s where I am. It is very unscientific. That’s what I have. And hopefully, it will become scientific anyway. Logical, yes. 35:22

35:22 Anyway, so why I am talking this because I don’t want people to think there is some kind of third force controlling me. Then the question really becomes, how do I deal with that third force. Should I please the third force. Do I pray to the third force and make it happy and make me better? That question comes in. So many people will be so happy to say, “Yes, of course, but I am not. That’s me. I am not. I never believed I have been made by Buddha. I never believed I have been made by God. And I believe I am made by myself. And I like to be my own creator. If creator is too much work, I wouldn’t do. So (? 36:22) the word is just boring. 36:23

36:23 It is true, to a certain extent, each brings our own little universe. I thought a lot on this. It is our own particular universe we bring in, our circle, our friends, our environment, our everything is my own little universe, which we bring in and plug into your universe so that we can have this big universe plugged together. It’s a part of me and when I go away from here and switch off my plug and I pull out my plug and my particular plugging in system it plugged in the universe it goes out. But this whole world remains, continuously. Anyone who comes in, you grow up and go into the circle, whatever the circle, wherever it takes and wherever I am going to plug again. And there is comes up again. 37:22

37:22 Even Bardo, even in Hell Realm, even in Heaven. Hell, Heaven and Earth wherever you go and this is what’s happening. That is my understanding of how I connect with the universe, my universe. That is how we all connect. That’s how we created the big universe of our own. And it has its own little forces as well. It is a collective karmic produced force. (Synergies) Anyway, forget it. In a way we need it because we are talking about karma. When you are talking about karma it is very important to see the individual but as well as see the collective karma as well. It is equally, there is an individual karma and their collective karma. And every one of us in this room we have a collective karma or common karma of each one of us together, which happens to be plugged in this room at this moment. Really, that’s what it is. Common karma provides us the basis to be able to talk and listen, raises thought and ideas (?38:51) analyze and understand or not understand and draw conclusions and that is what’s happening. That is how karma functions everywhere. With two people, with three people, with four people it is all karmic force that’s functioning. 39:17

39:17 With like about 80 people here tonight, there are 80 karmic plugged in works together. That’s what it is. But we don’t have that much control over these 80 people’s karma. But we do have control and thing with our each and individual karma which is a part of these 80 karmas here. So, we do have control over that. And the control that we have is over the creation time, particularly creations time. And when the creation is done, it becomes past tense, so you don’t have much control, except you may be able to neutralize and you may be able to make it not be able to function by delaying the conditions or by cancelling it completely is all possible. Why? Because it’s asleep (dormant). 40:26

40:26 On the one hand I said, it’s gone and past tense and that, on the other hand I am saying it’s asleep. So, you have to give every possibility. Don’t take it as black and white because this doesn’t work as black and white. You must give gray room and make moment. So, that is how it works. And that’s the reason why we talk about this ten commandments points here because of that individual karma. It becomes important because each and every individual karma contributes towards the collective karma. Collective karma runs the universe where we are trying everything. That’s how it is. 41:19

41:19 So, we’re talking about individual karma which we divided into three (categories? 41:30) and that is also negative karma we are talking. While we are talking the negative karma the opposite of that is positive karma. For example, we talk about, three by body, four by speech and three actions by mind, right. So out of three by body we already talked about killing. I talked to you that thoughts, recognition, action, motivation and completion and also delusions at this point. 42:22

42:22 Then we talked to you about if one is missing (of completed karma) what happens and all of those we talked last time. And I am supposed to tell you how to steal today. (a bit of glee underlies about it) I think we are on the second point. It is the stealing right. So, if you know this, then you know how to steal better. It’s the loopholes on the stealing. So, the other day I did talk to you about this thing about the killing part of it. 43:17

43:17 So base on which we created negative karma, whether its snatching or grabbing or all of those, so I don’t know whether it is stealing is the right language or not. For example, when the Mao took over Tibet and took everything off, this is totally the second one such as when Hitler too over everything with the Jewish People had and that is exactly the second one. Though you may not call that stealing do we. Is that stealing? Yes, taking what is not yours. Yeah, and that sounds better. Taking what is not yours and so, that is what this is. So, the base on which this karma has to be created and work, is something that somebody else owns other than yourself because you can’t take away your thing by yourself. So, somebody has to own it. Somebody else other than myself in order for me to get that taking away karma, which is something that is not yours. So, the base has to be that. 45:00

45:00 So if you try to take away something which is owned by nobody it might not be taking it away. You know what I mean? So there are a lot of interesting things and what kind of creation of thoughts. The thoughts should be the recognition should be correct recognition. It the recognition is wrong this perfect karma will not be created. So, that’s your loophole number one. So if you keep on thinking I am going to steal the pants and you took a shirt you will not have a perfect karma of stealing a shirt because your recognition for pants rather than shirt. That’s loophole number one. I told you I was going to tell you how to steal. 46:15

46:15 That doesn’t mean it’s free. You have broken karma, incomplete karma, of course, but it is not perfect one. So, also the motivation really needed to be, I really want it whether that person want to give it or not, I am going to take it and that motivation you need it. (Coveting and conniving) I going to beg it, I am going to borrow it, might not work but I am going to borrow it now and not going to return it later, hope that person will forget, and when they forgot I realized I am not going to give it back is perfect karma of taking away. But I really wanted to borrow it and you forgot may not the perfect karma of taking it away. But when you realize you have to return it. Then when you don’t return it, it becomes perfect. There are a lot of those things like this. 47:37

47:37 It’s a funny thing, tax is another one. If it is a right tax, the correct tax if you don’t pay it, we get stealing karma. If it is the incorrect tax, the correct and incorrect, during the time of the Buddha is not made by the decision of the king. This was a kingdom, but it was not the decision of the king and country; but It was a decision of the value and percentage. So, this is very funny and tricky here. Here you can say the judgement of the IRS is wrong, you get into trouble, right. But really the true tax that you owe, collectively individually to the collected people, that is the real idea of Buddha’s taxes was that in that moment. 48:48

48:48 It is not the king’s wishes document. It is the values document and the value, and it is shared, and you have shared collectively. And if you don’t pay that and you get stealing karma. And this is funny and also you know the tolls, like when you drive on Detroit you have to pay fifty cents or whatever that is, whatever that is the tolls. And they even had in Buddha’s time when they built a bridge, and they paid a bridge toll. So, that was the biggest issue during the Buddha’s lifetime. And is it stealing karma if you don’t pay the toll? So, the incident came, and the Buddha said, “Yes, it is stealing karma.” Because when you look at it, look at the mind of the individual is avoiding paying it. But if you go on a different road and avoid the toll, you don’t get stealing karma. But if you go on that particular road with the mind of avoiding paying it, it is the mind of cheating. Audience: inaudible…50:50

50:50 Anyway, so I think that’s the… If you don’t have those tolls and then it is becoming stealing karma. (I believe Rimpoche meant if you don’t pay those tolls, it becomes stealing karma). If you are a monk or num you lose your vow on that, actually. It’s a little risky. But really, you can lose your vow on that, totally. You get downfall when you lose your vows unless the country says you don’t have to pay. Like a talent, monks are hold to this too, but monks don’t have to pay any tax at all in Thailand. But in Tibet, you do. So, you do have to pay tax. In Thailand you don’t. So, if you do have to pay tax and don’t pay tax, you lose your vows. It looks like people ignore that completely. Not only you, but if you tell someone else, don’t pay it, you lose your vow too. It’s a bit risky stuff here. 52:14

53:14 So, anyway, then the actions. The actions don’t have to be as a thief who goes somewhere in the night and snatch, or when somebody looking to pick your pocket and all this. They don’t have to be this doing that. Action is, I mentioned to you, there are a variety of different actions. Now, for example in Tibet Buddhism talk a lot about the Tibetan monks. So, you know those monks have a lot of money distributions. People will give money to the monks and distributions, because they want to create good karma the benefactor. So if one makes take it twice and take one and hide it and then take another hand out. If you do twice, it’s stealing. So you didn’t go anywhere and but you do. 53:33

53:33 When it means disciplinary action people, when I was a kid, they always take three or four times a day. Three, four or five times they come up and you always give it, everything whatever was in your hand. That is a sort of custom. So, I don’t know whether they get downfall for stealing. I have no idea. I think it does. If you go in detail and literally in those you really do get downfall and that meant all the disciplinary people will not lose all their vows and not a monk anyhow. It is funny, anyway. And also, some of the leaders forcefully make you do give you taxes here and there (? 54:39) and all this and extra tax generated is also considered a stealing. And who gets this negative karma of the stealing? Members of Congress, probably. No, really or the President all of them they don’t get it. We don’t get it. 55:14

55:14 They you know people who cheat you with the weighing business. That is always there. It is very common in Asia and India and actually everywhere. The weighing system is never correct. And when you’re buying you don’t have that problem in the United States. But those of us when are used to it… Audience: spoke inaudible. Rimpoche: You do have that and that’s the wrong business and when there is value in there… When I use the word value, the value is the monetary value and changes from time to time everywhere country to country. Even during the Buddha’s lifetime all these kingdoms had different value systems. It really goes to that is something useful, helpful you can buy. Maybe a cup of tea, a cup of coffee which is something useful which you can buy some measurement goes to that level. 56:31

56:31 So, I don’t know whether this quarter and nickels and the dimes here really carry value of this. I am not sure. Can you buy anything for a nickel? Maybe a cigarette. Somehow around there it is not like looking ten dollars or five dollars. We are really looking in those areas, so that’s the value part of it. 57:19

57:19 That also brings in another question. If you are a member of a jury and that jury would like to award a very high amount to somebody who was hurt. Sometimes we intended to go and insurance pays it. They have a lot of money and they settle for a million dollars or something. We you contributed to that decision, whether you are going to have it a stealing karma in between or not has to be thought about. I am not going to say, yes you do. And, I am not going to say no you don’t have it. So, you have to think about it, too. Though you are not getting it, so it may not be as the completion part may not come. Because the completion you say, Yeah, I got it. Now I got it. 58:40

58:42 So, in short whether that other person is not there willing to give it to you, but you act in all different ways through all different types of means, you try to collect the things that don’t belong to you, which means negotiations, like trying to get more money in negotiations could be stealing and may become one of these methods, you know. So, one has to repay and has to be careful. Through a negotiation everything is yours of course, by all means. It is not yours and you try to negotiate for more. So, maybe it is stealing karma there. I am not sure. 60:01

60:01 Anyway, the conclusion here is when you realize you got it and you are satisfied, and you think it is now yours and then that is the conclusion of that karma completion. So, if you have that and you are a monk or nun you lose your vow completely. Even if you change your death you pretend to be some old person, but from the vows point of view, the vow is gone. Now, if you are not a monk or nun, but you have a other set of vows (? 60:54) it has the same downfall. And the bodhisattva vows have the same thing. Though it is not technically focused on that way. And the Vajrayana vows have the same problem too. So, this is interesting, and I think if you know it clearly so you can present yourself not to be indulging in these downfalls. For our life is such that we do so many things in our life and this thing comes without realizing without any awareness it is here. And I am quite sure if you are driving a cab, a taxicab, and you have a person like me, doesn’t know any direction in the city. So, if you have to take the $5.00 route and you go around and charge $10.00, you are sure to have this stealing karma, too. 62:19

62:19 Okay … Rimpoche responded to an inaudible question. You lose later, you have to pay out of your own pocket, but sometimes you have to pay with your own flesh and blood, then it became difficult. Not necessarily in this lifetime but in future lives. And if you think, someone’s going to tell you there are going to beat me in future, I don’t have to worry about it. Then it’s fine. Another question inaudible. Rimpoche: It is done all the time, he says. You better be careful what you’re talking. You can answer to somebody. You know who that person it? 65:00 Edited out to 67:14 Buddha clearly stated that during the war when the solders go down there and shot an individual person, and that soldier has the killing karma of that particular individual. But the general who order from out there has the killing karma of all those killed and the king, in our case, the president who issued and signs and ordered, has the killing of everybody including the enemy and your side, every one of them carries the karma of that and that makes it very difficult for anyone of those wars, really. Any individual who can think about it, it become very, very heavy in that way. About the other part, the first part of the question, is very difficult for me to say. Particularly when you talk about the children. The innocent children who have done nothing wrong but has something to do with that previous karma. It has to be connected. It is very hard for me to said that. A it is a victim. B - it is innocent and C - it is children. So, it really becomes very difficult. But every negative suffering that we experience no matter what, even if it is totally the other persons fault, even then our karmic thing is there. So, I what I think you really have to say is not the individual’s fault but there is this karma that the individual has created so when that karma comes around and get you and it also falls on the other person who … It is really difficult to say because it is a victim, a willing victim, it is not a blaming victim. It is not the fault of the victim what happened at that moment. However, without karma it would not have happened. Good things also, bad things also. This is a very, very difficult point. 69:52

69:52 Do, I really have to answer it? Audience: inaudible question. Rimpoche: Well, I did not say karma is not reversible. I said karma is definite. It is reversible because purification reverses. I believe it works on both. And particularly where and how it works the condition not materialized. And when the dependent arises, when the conditions not materialized, it will not materialize. I believe this is the principle on which the purification works. Conditions, when the conditions are right, things will materialize. What the purifications do is make the conditions not right. Something is missing. It makes a missing condition. Makes the conditions not get together (Convergence). So, materialization has been delayed or not going to happened or postponed or (? 71:29) it works. Alright, now there are so many hands, okay. You go ahead. 71:36

71:36 Audience: inaudible. Rimpoche: Karma of eating meat is not the same as the karma of killing, but karma of eating meat definitely contributes to the killing karma. Audience: inaudible. Rimpoche: Maybe not, maybe not that strong. Because you didn’t eat that individual in life. So may not be that strong. But it definitely contributes to the killing because is different. You probably here answer from Lama Yeshe or somebody because it was not killed for you. Did you hear that right? And that’s what true during the Buddha’s lifetime and it was true back in Tibet. But we are different, a market economic. This economy is based on demand and supply. So, that is different now. When you go on demand and supply economy it builds on that. When you contribute to the demand and you contribute to the supply, and the supply contributes to the killing. So it definitely contributes to it that way, for sure. I don’t think you are going to get the result of eating life, because you didn’t eat that in life. So, I think that’s a difference there. Now I have to go back to you. 73:23

73:23 Audience: inaudible. Rimpoche: Well, I think you know really especially a person like you. What you really need to do is (attachment? 74:22) you really need to know it in and out. You need to know it in and out or you know it, but you still have to know it more, clearly and convince yourself and that’s what it is and that way convincing yourself is not make you a scholar of it, but it will reflect on your life when you are living. It sort of become intervention in your living, so that’s what I think is important. When you know it, you automatically make a moment and maybe you don’t do it. The first time, third time maybe, thirty-eight time, forth-eighth time, but when it becomes sixty times, seventy times it makes changes. (Repetition is the mother of skill). And I think that is one thing. 75:25

75:25 And the second point is also you cannot have a life that will not create any negative karma. It is impossible. A lot of people will think, I can’t have that it’s impossible. It is impossible but we try to avoid it as much as possible and those what we indulge in we have to purify. And the most important thing is making sure you don’t repeat. And I think that’s the point where we make a difference. We first know it and second, we noticed our repeating again, and again. We regret a little bit, we regret a little bit, regret a little bit those of sixty or seventy times. By that time, you begin to think well I just cannot go on doing this. And then you begin to think a little bit more. And then prevention is the most important point rather than in future. I think that is how it works. That is the reason why I am tell you directly and I even told you at the beginning. I have to tell you how to steal and that’s my point. 76:56

76:56 And so, what is correct. What is complete and incomplete. You wanted to see it. And so that’s what you do, right. Audience: inaudible. Rimpoche: I am not yet on that. I won’t talk to it. The subject of purification will come later. I won’t talk about this now. I said earlier. The subject of purification is not purifying but I think it is negative karmas don’t create their result because we postponed the conditions. Positive karma as well. Anger destroys the positive karma which makes your anger and makes your positive karma not give you any results. And that is how it destroys. Though we give you the metaphor of fire and forest. But it still is nothing is burning nothing. It is simply a metaphor. It makes the condition not materialize. 78:30

78:30 Audience: inaudible. Rimpoche: Sometimes it’s true. Sometimes it’s true but that’s why right from the beginning I am saying this when you talk about this karma earlier, I have to be very careful what I am saying. When you are going through this, let me go through with this and we’ll go through with this and then at the end of these ten things, then I can basically tell you how it works or generally, how we can handle. So, I don’t know whether I am going to be right or wrong but has to be a general way whether we take it and what we take. I think I can even say it now. 80:00

80:00 Yes, we should know this detail. Yes, we should try to follow as much as possible, but also, we have to live a life so everything is not literally as going to happen as you know, we’re saying it. So, when it doesn’t work that way and that’s not the end of the world and there is purification, there is always means of doing it. Basically, the bottom line is where you weigh your life between the positive and negative and making sure that your positive is a little stronger than your negative. And every negative, no matter how small it might be, do not ignore. We talked about that a few days ago. Do not ignore. And whatever positive however small we maybe do, do not underestimate. Do not undermined it because it will make a big difference in our life and at the end of our life and the next life and the next life thereafter. We make a big difference. 81:23

81:23 Maybe this is a principle where the difference comes, where the Chinese call… The Chinese always argue something. Even last night after twelve I arrived when I’m here. I write one of the books published by the Chinese in Beijing, in Chinese. And this is published by the office who try to prove that Tibet is not independent. It was an old collected work of a Fourteenth century scholar. And in the introduction, they said, “We have been asked to publish this, but if you read this book carefully it goes not against the principles of the materialistic world and this is taught in the principles of mind importunateness or people or something.” So they always raise that question. Maybe it is a principle of mind important or the importance of materialism. I am not sure I am saying right in English when the materialist world and it always the argument that the Chinese Communist always put up. I am sure they have affairs for it. I don’t think the Chinese materialists is what we are talking about it. I think Chinese materialists is material-oriented thing and so the mind-oriented thought, I think that’s what this argument is all about it. 83:57

83:57 It may be that karma is the principle of mind importance. I think it is becoming that way. The more you think about it and it is that way. Audience: inaudible … Do I experience anything other than my karma? Rimpoche: Actually, you don’t experience your karma. You experience your karmic results, and you are the experiencer. And whatever the good or bad you experienced is the karmic result. Who is experiencing that? That’s you. So, it’s definitely other than karma. That’s how I think. 85:19

85:19 Audience: I hear you saying separately from that karma … Rimpoche: That is an individual person is the moment in the combination in your identity to physical identity the body and your mind combination. Combination is you and you are the one who is experiencing what the heat is outside the cold inside all of those, the experiencer, the person who experiences that, which is you. And what experiencing is the external feelings and where and why you experience that becomes the karmic results. This is something that I cannot prove. That’s what Buddha said and that’s what I am following. 86:26

86:26 Audience: Karmic imprints, are they a form of subtle energy or a store of subtle energy. 86:49

86:49 Rimpoche: I have no idea. We call it subtle energy. I don’t think it become cells; the cell is physical. I think this is mind. Am I right, is it the moment it become cell it becomes something physical? And this is the mind level we are talking about. I don’t think there is any physical thing there at all. Okay. 87:18

87:18 Audience: What is it that allows karma to increase exponentially once you committed it without your influence? 87:41

87:41 Rimpoche: No intervention and time. 87:44

87:44 Audience: So, does it acquire a life of its own? 87:50

87:50 Rimpoche: It is sort of when you put money as a deposit it collects its own interest in that way. 87:59

87:59 Audience: I want to talk about this notion of karma and free choice. I still don’t understand it but I think a few weeks ago you said that not everything is the result of karma and that you do have free choice because I was trying to understand whether your previous karma, when you had a choice, like three different choices about what action to do and you chose an action whether your earlier karma chose you to go in that direction and you said not everything is the result of karma. And the Losho Rimpoche was teaching, I don’t have my notes here right now, but I thought he said something different, or I am sure I wrote it down wrong, but it came to me that everything, that we are operating in a karmic cycle. We are in a karmic cycle and that everything we do creates karma, but you are saying not everything is the result of karma, to me that seems very confusing. But the second question I have is if you get sick and if you get cancer for example, or you get a mental illness, or if you are looking at people that are poor, which is most of the world, for example and if you take the results that is my karma or that is their karma. It seems like a very hard view for me. It seems like a very harsh view if you get cancer well this is my karma. Or if you are looking at half the world and say well that’s their karma, that’s not my problem. 90:09

90:09 Rimpoche: You are on the dot. You raised two important questions - freedom of choice and the last thing I am talking earlier. I am not sure what whether I said not the result of karma. I may have said that not everything is the result of a karma. A karma, but everything is the result of karma. You got one karma which is the result of many different karmas at different levels. I hope I said that. But every action we take it creates karma, no doubt about it according to Buddhism. Now, this is where I don’t have any proof. It goes beyond my comprehension. But I am simply following the teachings. So, every action creates karma. So, I don’t think we take the view as when somebody got sick, cancer because that is not combined karma. I am taking that view; you’re right it is not a good view at all. But you don’t deny the (? 91:35) whether you can see your karma, too, because you are deprived of a lot of other opportunities. For example, I am diabetic, you know. By being me and being diabetic I hope that everybody won’t be diabetic. I’ll be the substitute for everybody and put the weight on me. So, it doesn’t have to be diabetic. I pray that way too. And that is the opportunity I have and doing this I am not trying to be on my side, but I am trying to create positive karma in that way, and I am doing my own selfish interest. I am not trying to be kind to those, but I am trying to be selfish on myself. That’s what I am doing. But you deprive that opportunity. But I don’t think you have to say, “It’s my karma, so I can do nothing.” And that is the wrong view. I really think you have to make a division there. And even karma is changing, but karma is definite, but you can make it short or make it longer. You can do all this. There is prevention, no intervention. Intervention is always possible. But intervention does not cancel. But intervention makes it go fast. That doesn’t make you die first. Even it is reversable, it can reverse first and things like that. So almost anything is reversable. Truly speaking, like a Type II diabetic. It is reversable. Type I diabetic may not be reversable. Not everything is reversable. I am talking about this doctor thing in me, but I don’t know what I am really talking about. You know. Anyway, so you go ahead. It is 9:30 so I should close. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how late it is. The last part of the recording is about the trip to the Washington, NJ to the First Tibetan American Monastery. Migstema!! 98:21