Archive Result

Soundfile 20010927GRNYOTF.mp3

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location NYC?

Topic Karma, purification

Transcriber Todd Denton

Date 5 Oct 2020

[chanting, prayers]

[0:10:44]

Welcome for the evening here. We should be continue today doing whatever we're doing here. We are at the level of the karma that is, if you look in this [artificial?] freedom, it is number 33, 34 and 35. At that level we're in, what really said positive action brings a positive result, negative action brings a negative result recognized as suffering. I think we sort of basically I thought we did talk quite a lot of karma last time, but Dimitry tells me we haven't done yet or something. Can anybody recollect? [audience speaks] That's part of the karma; I think we are concluded then, right? I think we concluded that. Really that's exactly what we talk. We did [with this?] major non-virtuous actions, three by body, three by mind, and four by speech. We finished talking that. So now the question really comes: Is there such a thing called negative actions? Is there something called negativity? That is a question.

[0:13:11]

Now I can see you. Before that I don't see you, you know, so I have to look between the Kevin [?] over there. Kevin is tall so he blocks. Now he doesn't block. Anyway, the question is, it always bothers me, you know there are a number of people who thinks there is no such thing called negativity. There are a number of people who think everything is wonderful, everything is positive, everything is good. There is no such thing called bad. Or, what is bad? And there are certain people likes to think that way and say there is no bad. Positiveness is so important and all this, no doubt about it. But what little I know about Buddhism, there is something called bad. There is. It cannot deny. What had happened on the September 11 is bad. Some people who have difficult to accept what is bad. I think that is rather difficult. That is a problem. Good and bad is really, is a fundamental basis on which we function our karma. The fundamental basis on which we really follow the Buddhist ethics. All of those. Sometimes it's very difficult to say, but a number of people - not a lot of people but a number of people think well, if you don't think about bad things everything going to be good. That's maybe truth in that, I don't know. But you cannot deny the existence of the bad. You cannot deny negative action. If you deny negative action you have to deny positive action. If you deny both positive and negative action, then you lose the basis of total karma. There is no such thing as positive karma, there's no such thing called negative karma, so everything is just like that whatever has happened, you know. There is no principle on which we are functioning. This is funny.

[0:16:44]

In one way, we may pay more attention. In another way, everything we function in our life has certain principle, certain way of functioning, certain principle. Then you may say, OK, in that case, what happened on September 11th? That's what happened. This is some bad action. The bad thing happens. The result of bad karma. It's the result of bad karma, creation of bad karma, and, you know, it is all this. This is what happens. The principle on which we function, we have to accept positively. We have to accept negative. We have to accept good. We have to accept bad. And you have to accept good action. You have to accept bad action. Otherwise everything is lukewarm, and we lose a principle of our functioning. Really, that I think is a very important point, and sometimes it's difficult but I think it's a very important point. Now, for example, you know negative karma, the killing is bad. It's negative karma. Saving a life is positive karma. There is all of them there. Now then the second question what I really want to bring it is: If we have negative karma, if we create negative karma, what do I do? Is it I become hopeless, helpless, or can I do something with this? What do I do with the negative karma? That is the second question.

[0:19:02]

You know, actually I should say that's what you should meditate. You should meditate negative karma brings negative result. You should meditate positive karma brings a positive result. You should meditate in both way: in analytical way and concentrated way. Analytical way is you have to think and analyze. Now concentrated way, and once you analyze you draw the conclusion and you focus on the conclusion and concentrate on it. And what does that do? That brings you in part of your sort of habit actually, and when it becomes part of your habit, then you don't have to pay special attention, you automatically dealing with this. That is - what do we call that - development. Really what it is is that's development. It's very strange. When you're really looking at the development, what are we looking at? This person is develped, that person is not developed. That didn't mean you have learned. Doesn't mean you have learned how to chant, doesn't mean you have learned how to meditate, doesn't mean that at all. What it does really mean is the focal point which we've been introduced, whether that person has comprehends, and if it has comprehends it becomes a part of their life or not been part of their life. And when it's been part of their life, then there's a mechanical system of [establishment?] pushing one after another. Another begin to function, and when that functions, the individual development is functioning. Until that functions, there's no development. You may have knowledge of it or you may not have knowledge. Knowledge alone is not [true?]. That knowledge has to become part of our life. Now for example, what we have covered. We have covered here from 13 onwards. At a level of the 13 and we begin to understand, comprehend and develop, become a habit of the individual, acknowledging the spiritual master.

[0:22:15]

Then you move to next thing, to the 14th, qualities of the spiritual master, and that also comprehends and you know it immediately. The next time when you talk about the spiritual master you automatically see the 10 qualities or two qualities or 20 qualities, whatever it is. You automatically see it. You look at the person, you look at the quality, you know the person fits or not fits. Next immediately the same thing, move to the qualities of the students, the relationship, then the [human?] life. All these are step-by-step development. That is so important for us to know this. If you think this is an information and message or some slogans, you can treat this as a slogan. Yes, it's fine as a slogan. If you look at this information, use the information. You leave at the level of the information, it just becomes information. You adopt these and practice, and then it become part of your development. The things that we are talking here, I'm not giving a lecture. Maybe I am giving lecture. What I'm trying to give you is I'm trying to guide you. I'm trying to show you. I'm trying to give you the reasons and want you to meditate. Because our mind is such.

[0:24:10]

Now for the example here today, positive action brings positive result. You take that in your mind and your mind will immediately say, how? Or maybe at the most you may say yeah, maybe there's truth in that. As long as your mind did not accept that within you, you have not done your work. You have not picked that up. You have not developed that. If you learn leave this as informa- positive karma brings positive action brings positive result, says Buddhist. All right, it becomes over there, it's exhibition. It become knowledge, it become information. It has nothing to do with me. I watch it, I also- It has nothing to do with me. That's what Buddhist says. But if you take this and take it in yourself, how come? What makes it work that way? Then you meditate on that. Then, it becomes part of your life, and it has really become part and parcel of your functioning. Then you have comprehended this. What is there to do? That will prevent you to build a negative actions. And that will prevent- help you to build positive actions, because that is the personality of the individual is actually is a building of a personality. And then when that has been built, and then the level which you work is much easier rather than-

[0:26:19]

[PLEASE CHECK THE FIRST PART OF THIS SECTION]

Remember I used to give sometimes example: that [dead?] tired, overloaded [donkey?] drove up here. Sometimes that happens to us. Why? Because we don't deal with the personali- we take that as information, and maybe I [?] think about it that way, or maybe that's what Buddha says. I heard that before. I know about it. Or this is my pride, OK I don't have to read it, and that's about it. Well, I guess I really wanted to read it even though it is like at two in the morning but I really don't want [break?] that, I want to read it. Let's just read it, and then nothing more, and then if we really sometimes becomes that tired [donkey?] driving uphill with a lot of loads. That becomes difficult. That become disadvantage for us. If you make it wanted advantage for us, this is what we have to do. This is what we have to meditate. Meditation does not necessarily mean you have to sit down and do all the great thing you should do, but that always don't have to if you cannot, and you can do- concentration is meditation. Actually, when you look at the Bodhisattva activities, activity of meditation is called concentration. You focus, you concentrate. You comprehend, you understand, you become- you adopt, it become part of your life, and that is how one devel- that's how one becomes a Buddha even. There's a place called Buddha, and you go over there and become a buddha, that's not right. There is a job called Buddha, you apply for it, go interview and do and get the job, and then you say I am a Buddha. That's how that doesn't become that way. That doesn't become that way. Actually, it is the quality is adopted by the individual and become a part of the individual, and that is how you become a Buddha. These steps are the steps that will lead you to the Buddha level.

[0:28:56]

You know I have to be a little, sort of... There are cushions available here. You can sit here, because if you sit there, you're going to block people who want to go to the bathroom. Thank you. So why did I emphasize that? Because if you don't emphasize that, it doesn't- you don't pick up. And if doesn't pick up, that's like I'm sitting here, it used to be Johnny Carson and now it's what? Jay Leno. If you go in that way it just becomes useless. If you really think very carefully and look into within you, and the idea of not accepting this suggestion is actually great thing. If you buy everything, whatever everybody says, and then it shows you [that] you have no principle. If you disagree, you think about it, you analyze within yourself, then you really build a true knowledge, and the true knowledge help you to become a part of it. Remember, the Buddha is not a position that you apply and get the job. That is how the qualities builds up, that's how you become. That also, the qualities doesn't build all in a night. It doesn't build all- it never, never- There's no instant enlightenment at all, no matter what you say. We may be waiting for something happened and something switch in our brain and suddenly zoom-boop-up ah- I'm enlightened. That's never going to happen. Never ever is going to happen, you know?

[0:31:15]

When I look back in 60 years of my life, and I went through that. I don't blame you people. I went through that. I keep on thinking there's some kind of switch, you know, and you sort of, you go to sleep and tomorrow morning you'll be enlightened, you know. And all this is a [kid's?] dream, or whatever it is, but you know I went through that. Also, I pray a lot. I did pray a lot. I pray, you know, I be enlightened, I be enlightened, I be enlightened, and pray enlightened doesn't work. Honestly, maybe sometime I might have put some positive karma in there; it has some value in that. And it's going to happen sometime maybe. But simply I'm praying that I may be enlightened, I may be enlightened. I don't think it's going to happen. It's almost I put a little piece of, handful of peas or barley over here and I keep on pray it may grow, it may grow, it may grow, it may grow. It's not going to happen, you know? It's not going to happen. It has to have conditions are right, the right condition to grow the barley I have to have dirt over here, and I have to have moisture over here. I have to have a [sheet?] over here and I have to have [feet?] over there. Then the conditions right, it will grow. Even I pray it may not grow, it may not grow, it may not grow. It's going to grow. Enlightenment is also like that. Same way, the conditions has to the right. The individual has to bring to that level. This is the level where we're bringing up to be right at that level, to that condition.

[0:33:13]

So if you don't become enlightened, doesn't matter. Each and every step over here makes the individual uplifted. Normal American language, it's upliftment. That's what it is. Any level wherever you reach, and that is your stage of your development. This is the measurement where you are. Really, true. This is the measurement where you are, no matter whoever says whatever. No one ever enlightened by sitting and watching. No one ever enlightened by praying alone. No one ever enlightened by analyzing alone. It all has to work together, work within the individual, become a part of the individual. These each points influence- it's not only influences, it is become a part and parcel of my life. Then you are becoming someone, something. You are getting developed, and then that will work by itself, push by itself. And until then, nothing's going to happen. You really have to have breaking point. The breaking point is the embracing the human life. It's much easier than [searching?] the guru devotional [protects?]. You may do side by side together. Once you break through, then it will go. Until you break through, it will be like, you know, like title claim on [various library?] wall. Wall that you go and claim it- some- doesn't- until you break through, it will be like that. Once you get breakthrough it will go. Then whether did you break yourself, did you break through? Did you have a breakthrough with yourself or not? It's known only to you, nobody else. No one else can judge you. You are the only person, you know it. If you did not break through, you still- what do you call it, the layperson? When you're making breakthrough, and then you are entering through the passage. That's why I have to make this big deal here.

[0:36:04]

You know, surprisingly these are karma business. We call it the two. Only just two. Positive brings positive result. Negative brings negative result. Don't leave that on the theoretical point. Don't leave that as a statement of fact, but just really get it. Get it and feel it and it become part and parcel of you. then you know you don't have to do anything. You automatically notice you're avoiding the negative actions. You will automatically notice you are not going to be for killing. You'll automatically notice you are going to be for saving a life. This is how these things happens. Even you automatically happens. You may not recognize, you may not even realize. When you see a certain insect, your feeling will change. You don't see that as an insect. Yuo see that as somebody living, somebody with a life, and that's how it will change within the individual. That is called spiritual development. Believe me, there is no- by having [clairvoyance?] is not spiritual development. [Clairvoyants?] are what we normally American language we call that a gifted ones. But whether if gifted or not gifted, it is the karmically gained. The lot of people who had a karmically gain sort of a power, you can see and read and do all that, that is the karmic power. When the whatever that karma cause you to have that power, when it exhausted, that person's [clairvoyant?] is gone, no longer there. Because the cause is gone the result has gone. When the spiritual development- by development, when you see that. And then there's never going to go. It always remain because the cause is going to be always remaining with you. And particularly it is common with the law level after the taking refuge here. The most important point for a spiritual practitioner to practice is to honor the karma. Knowing the positive karma gives you positive result and negative karma gives you negative result, and functioning yourself within that is really the main point with all this up to nirvina is peace. That's what it is.

[0:39:15]

Now I'd like to go back what i really want to talk to you is: When I'm doing this, do we have- If I get a negative karma, what do I do? But the question really is if I get. There is no question of if. We are going to get it. And each and every one of us going to have a tremendous amount of negative karma. There's no question. If you don't have that negative karma we're not human beings. As a human beings we do, we do, whatever we do. We have attachment, we have anger, and we do, we have feeling. We're not a [dakan radesh?]. If you're a [dakan radesh?] you don't have feeling. We're human beings, we have feeling. I mean, honestly. Since we have a feeling, we have a positive feeling, we have a negative feeling, we have attachment, we have anger, we have jealousy, we have hatred, we have that. Since we have that we are bound to gather lot of negative karma too, though we try to create lot of positive karma. We try to do our best, but still there are zillions of negative karma will come. Even we don't want it to. With or without realizing, it's there. Sometimes it's helpless. You can't really help it. If you drive, supposedly if you drive on that road, how many insects going to go under that wheel? Your wheel is not going to fly up the air and save all the insects because you want positive karma. It's not going to happen. you know it, I know it, we all know it. Whether you're driving over there is automatically we kill lot of insects. It's a killing. Not a killing of a [feeling then?] but it's a killing. We do that. We walk over and our feet, we crush ants, we crush cockroaches, it happens. Right, we're not in the space, where there no weight in the body and then fly up there. We walk, that happens. So, it happens, negative karma.

[0:42:05]

You have the- Some people feel bad. Fine, good. Some people recognize, it's good. But does that make us hopeless helpless? Certainly not. Does that make us not to drive? Not possible. Does that make us not walk? No, you can't live with that. It is natural is there. It's always there. But then, what to do. Once you get negativity, am I become helpless and hopeless? No. What do I do? I can purify. This is a very important point, and I do want each and every one of us remember: The negative actions are bad, but they're not permanent. Positive actions are good, but they're not permanent. It is impermanent. It is changeable. It change because it's impermanent. So negative actions are also changeable. Positive actions are changeable. We have the change the negative actions into positiveness, and that there are many ways of doing it. But for us it's really a step number one. For us, it's the purification, and when we have a better, higher development we can shift them around, we can play them around, we can do lot of things. But at our level we can't do that, so only what we can change is through purification. Purification is a really an important point, to make ourself totally not negative. What did I say? Did I say wrong language, totally not negative? What does that mean? Try not to make us not be negative totally. Or maybe that's how I'm supposed to say, I don't know. Both ways fine. All right, thank you.

[0:45:36]

So the purification: So there, surprisingly lot of our friends, many of you think once it is negative it is negative forever. That's not true. Once it's positive it's also not necessarily remain positive forever. Also we have that. That is our gamble, we have. So how do we purify Negativity? You know the purification is something accepted in almost all the major religions. The Judeo-Christian tradition, I know nothing about it, but what little I know by seeing movie, and you know people go into church, and you feel uncomfortable, you go into booth and confess. True, you confess, and James Bond is listening for the other side. [laughs] And that part is a little bit joke, but that is the tradition, and you have that. And in the Buddhist tradition we also have that. And when I was a monk, as a monk we're supposed to be purifying every fourth night. Fourth night we purify everything. You know, how do we say is a bit different than what they do in the West. In the West, one individual human being goes up there and says, you know, father I've been sinned and I did this and that, right? But in the Buddhist, you know, what we- As a kid, what we used to do, and those commitments, your vows, you have a vow have a commitment. Those commitments are written together, and maybe there could be, you know, 10,000 monk standing up. One chanting master will begin, say killing and stealing, and everybody will say killing, stealing, so you don't need to the line... we say all of them together, you know, 10,000 people saying together, that is how we do. No one can blackmail you and say you didn't have to say the prayer. How do you know i did that, you know? So that's exactly how it was done.

[0:48:35]

Make responsibility of recognition of the giving to the individual as collectively as a group we may say all together. Now for example, there is one little purification verse we say. We say, I mean that. you know, like because of the power of attachment, anger, hatred that I have committed a killing, stealing, lying, you go- committing five limitless of the negativities, and closeness to that five of them and going against self-liberation vows, going against Bodhisattva vow, going against Vajrayana vows, just simply say these words together in the group or individually, the responsibility of the individual person, whatever you knew it, you did it something, you want to purify, you focus on that. You don't say the words, you just simpl- the words will go, you simply focus on them. So that is really how mind works, mentally. It's not necessary you even have to say it, but things put together makes easy for if you forget something, by saying the words everything included. And that's the great work of the previous masters, everything made into single little words. That's why the words become so important in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, because the words really keeps the total structure framework, everything necessary, every must things has been put together so that you don't miss anything. The words become so important. Language doesn't matter, whether it's English or whether it's Tibetan or Sanskrit or Pali or whatever you want to do. Language doesn't matter. The structure is important.

[0:51:33]

When we're going through, you can say the words all the way through the list, but your major focus is for purifying that I had fresh fish in Chinese restaurant. Believe me, it's true when they say very fresh - means there's a little water tank there. They pick up that fish. True. You may enjoy that fresh fish, but then you have this negative of killing that fish, and when you want to purify that you have to focus on that. Whatever the words is going on, the group may be saying, the individual may be saying, but you focus on that. Recognize - If you don't recognize our negative actions, then there's nothing to be regretted. Recognize - Once you recognize, and then you work with that. The number one issue's regret. The most important thing is regretting for us. Recognizing is not a problem, especially if you don't have to announce. I mean, you remember, I did not know what I did. i may not remember when, but I do remember what I did. Recognize and regret. Point number one is to recognize. Point number two is regret it. And how strong regret you have? It depends. Point number three depends on point number two, how strong regret you have. If you have very strong regret, you're not going to do it again for a long time. If you have very little regret and you just simply artificial regret, you will repeat the next hour.

[0:54:03]

I remember when I was a kid, you mean in Tibet, and we used to get oranges, the fresh orange from Sikkim, Bhutan. It is a wonderful orange. But it is during the winter in Tibet we get it. And so i used to enjoy, used to love orange eating. Then in the summer there's no orange, but from China you get some kind of a funny dry orange. What they really did is they smash the orange with the skin together and put sugar on it and dry, and that comes in the summer. I ate, I probably ate a lot, and I was really sick, terribly sick, probably like eight or nine, 10 maybe. Terribly sick for a long time. For me it was very long. I don't know how long - weeks or months, I don't know, but very long time I was sick. Since then, I could not even stand the smell of orange until '60s. That must be in '40s, late '40s. So '40s, '50s, '60s, even until almost '70s. Until that I cannot take orange, because that illness. That's the regret we're talking here. And that much regret, if you have it, no matter whatever, even though I love oranges those days, you know? But you can't take it, you can't even smell it. That sort of regret is called powerful regret which makes the purification powerful. Otherwise, I purify, I purify, I purify - it doesn't do any good. So that's the strong regret we'll have, strong feeling of not going to repeat. I think it's important point. That makes three: recognition, regret, not going to repeat.

[0:57:11]

Then you have antidote action. You have to do something. Actually, you have to- you know, what is negative? To me, the negativity is when you hurt someone, either yourself or other than yourself. When you hurt somebody you are creating a negative action through your hurting. I think it's not a hundred-percent thing but that's what we can really measure, you can draw the line. If you're hurting somebody, and then you're creating negative. When you hurt somebody or yourself you have to compensate it, right? The word is compensate, compensation, right? Do you know if that's right? Thank you. What do you do? If you killed someone, you cannot bring that person back to life - person or insect or fish, back in life, you cannot. You already killed. Still, saving the life will do something. Though you're not bringing the same individual back, but it does something. You're not really going to have a real person back, but you have, you know, something else comes. It's almost like if I'm keeping a bad dog, the dog dies, I get another dog. You know, the same dog but there's something there. It's similar to that. But most important thing which we can do here is really you can give a gift: the gift of compassion. That is the most important, compassion.

[0:59:49]

So now the question comes: Whether the person you have hurt is some enlightened ones or not enlightened one, we don't know. If it's been enlightened one, if I try to generate compassion, then it's a little silly. You know I can't generate compassion on Buddha. [I say?] Poor Buddha, you suffer under my [palm?] you know, you can't do that. It doesn't work. If it enlightened one, what do we do? I take refuge. The combination of taking refuge and generating love and compassion becomes the gift here, which technically we called power of the base -- base on which you have committed negativity, compensated. So that's that. Recognizing, regret, I don't want to say repentance, but not repeating. The power of base really works. Sometimes it's five; normally it's called four. So [?] [1:01:19] So when you have those, no matter, you know, no matter. Whatever it is you purify. That simply doing once does not purify, but very forcefully, powerfully doing it again and again and again will really purify these negativities, and that is the advantage what we can take when we have negativities. That's the reason why I said - or that's what Buddha said, I repeat- is when we commit negative actions, we'll not become hopeless or helpless because it's all changeable. As a matter of fact, this is the first step of transforming the negativity into positive. That really, it is. There is no other than. I mean, higher level you may have different, but transforming negativity is not a piece of cloth that is white, you put into the yellow color or red color and change into red and yellow, doesn't work that way.

[1:02:49]

The natural of the action, the karma that you are carrying has been changed into negative into positive, and that is transforming negativity. Am I right? So please remember that. This is important. You meditate on that, you think about it, and, I mean, that's what you do. Then a lot of people will say this mandala [handled?] 10,000 times, a million times and this and that, they're all great, no doubt about it. But the most important thing is generating love and compassion. Shantideva in Bodhisattvacharyaavatara says [speaks Tibetan] a powerful negativity such as this beside the [?] [1:04:03] as a bodhi mind, any other virtue cannot handle this. That is the Shantideva. Nagarjuna says meditation on wisdom, emptiness [speaks Tibetan] Even arising a doubt alone could make the samsara into some kind of [charade?] [1:04:38] samsara. These are the two most powerful thing you can do: develop your wisdom and develop love and compassion. Whatever is possible for ourself, we have to do that. If that not possible, then you depend on saying mantras and [?] [1:05:03] prostrations and all of that, they are really indifferent things. As a matter of fact, prostrations are very good. It good, in one way it's dharma activity; in two way it's purification; on third it's good exercise.

[1:05:39]

A number of Tibetan friends told me, well you should do a little more prostrations. Because you are Rimpoche it's good for you and it's best exercise you can do. That's true they meant to do it, but you don't do prostration for exercise. Maybe you cannot do for both, I don't know. Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you, and even we have negative karma, we have it. It's going to get it. We had tremendous ways of having it, we will have it. But don't worry, it can purify. The example Buddha gave: The sky is there, the clouds come and goes. the southern moon shines, sky remains. The negative action and the positive action both are like a cloud. It comes, it goes. The individual human being is like a sky, it will remain there. So that is how it works.

[1:07:23]

So in one of the most important thing, if you're looking at the daily activity, that daily prayer we do here, and one verse says I'll purify all my negativities, right? I purify all deluded action, it says. That's the purification [worth? work?] that much. Your mental mind has to bring the four powers and apply on that and [the content to it?] [1:07:56] When you say this prayer together as a group, nobody's going to stop there if you want to think four powers. Nobody's going to stop there and wait for you, so if you cannot think there when you're repeating mantras, that's what [repeated?] you do of those. Mantras go on your lips, and then the thought you should put on there. And when you get used to it, one little word says I purify all deluded actions. Your mind will immediately [think] dum! There is four powers. Recognition, regret and not repeating, and power of the base, refuge, and compassion is already throughout this practice, beginning we take refuge and then it's throughout it's there. All three of them will pop up in your head like that. And then that's it, and then you move forward. Then do it again. When you're alone think about it, meditate, actually really thinking about it. That's how make yourself make pure. that's how you make yourself a better person. That is how you had your negative action, and that is the actually way, beginning of the way of transforming our negativities into positive action. Does your spiritual practice does that? Any questions anybody or comments?

[1:09:54]

[question from audience]

I shared that during the summer retreat this year. Where you meditate on this and you have a true visualize lama inseparable that of a Buddha, either on your crown or right in front of you, and then these thoughts has to generate and focus. And to answer your question, first you run through every step, get completely used to it, and then comprehend the step. Finally, you begin to focus. How long you have to meditate 'til you get the result, 'til you really get the result. Why you can't do that one time. The reason that when the good period of time that you can spend, and that's what you do. That's why the foundation of the perfection or the portion in Lam Rim Chen Mo where this Lam Rim stage, all simply reading through these, and that will maintain the structure and that will organize them. When you get- actually it's three things, right? Learning, and then pondering round on the idea, and finally becoming part of life. These are the three steps: learning, analyzing and focusing. these are the three steps. Every point you do that. Important not to miss any point. If you miss it it be difficult, it won't move. Then they try to push you another step, it doesn't know where to push you because the one step is missing. They cannot push you up here, and then though you done you can't get it. It is very important not to miss the steps. When you don't miss it push you like that. It's really I guess normal Western language, you have to say it is very systematic thing, not really automatic, you know. This really pushes you, but if your step is missing then you don't know where to go, it will stuck. It's not consciously we don't transform. The experience itself will push you. You will notice yourself where you're spending more time, what happening. You will notice yourself there you have to have efforts. This comes effortless. This is how you know. At least that much I know. I hope it was helpful. I think they do have a summer retreat CD so I try to really go through point by point with a sort of meditativeness.

[1:15:27]

[question from audience]

Though you may be human being, so you cannot generate compassion on terrorist human being. Really, honestly. It's not easy to develop compassion when someone really created such a terrible crime like that, particularly hurting a lot of innocent people. They're stupid. Believe me, they're stupid. They're stupid from various angles. Number one, I'm sure they think there's a huge reward, whether it is reincarnation or future life or whatever. The moment you die from the crashed plane, there's some beautiful sort of thing, blooming lotus and pop up in there or some kind of like what we talk about a pure land type of thing. Probably a god's going to reward - huh? [comment from audience about dark-eyed virgins] Ah, so whatever, you know. 72 or 700,000 or whatever it is, you know. Anyway, I heard that too. [laughs] Certainly some kind of they feel they have done a tremendous God service and they're going to be rewarded tremendously, that is stupidity, number one. Number two, even you can think of other people. Think of yourself and your own fellow people, the economic consequences. When there is difficulty, economic difficult comes, and we are here in the United States is not going to be the first person who will not have food to eat, dinner to eat, or who will not have cloth to wear, but there are going to be. The third world nations. They don't can't even comprehend that. That is the really stupidity.

[1:19:35]

Compassion, developing compassion is very difficult, no doubt about it. You're a human being, it's very hard. But if you think about it, how stupid they are, they could even lose their life and hurt so many people, and they destroy themself. They kill themself, that's how it happens. They kill themself. What more value do human beings have more than life? Nothing. There was a verse in Shantideva, and it verse says, I don't remember exactly the words, but it says if someone says you are very brave person, you are hero, you will jump yourself, get killed yourself, who are they going to praise? You're looking for the name, and then there are nobody to be praised because you are died. The most important thing is life.

[1:19:35]

Compassion, developing compassion is very difficult, no doubt about it. You're a human being, it's very hard. But if you think about it, how stupid they are, they could even lose their life and hurt so many people, and they destroy themself. They kill themself, that's how it happens. They kill themself. What more value do human beings have more than life? Nothing. There was a verse in Shantideva, and it verse says, I don't remember exactly the words, but it says if someone says you are very brave person, you are hero, you will jump yourself, get killed yourself, who are they going to praise? You're looking for the name, and then there are nobody to be praised because you are died. The most important thing is life and they destroy their life. If such a stupid person is not an object of compassion -- who's hurting themself, losing their life, forcing others with you to lose their life, if that is not stupid there cannot be any other stupid -- and such stupidity is not object of compassion, where are you going to find object of compassion? Somebody with cut and would, pain and bleeding, yeah it is. But that hurt and hurting themself, losing life, compare it. It's definitely the object of compassion.

1:21:54.4

That doesn't mean you have do just fine. you have compassion which you allow them continuously to know. You have to stop. Stop the action, not for the sake of giving punishment. Not for the sake of being justice in it. Just to stop committing it again for themself and for a lot of other people. With that mind it really becomes compassion. With a just revenge mind of they did this and we want do that, it is a act of anger, act of hatred, and a pure- I always have difficulty when people talk about punishment, and I always hope to see the present system is sort of training the individual to be able to fit in the society, rather than punishing the individual who did the bad. I think this is the difference between the compassion-oriented action and hatred-oriented action. I always say love and compassion is not only love and light. Think about more powerful object of compassion than this. Hurting themself, killing themself, being absolute stupid. Lost total [conscience?], educational background, totally brainwashed, as good as robot, except it happens to be flesh and bone, not metals or plastics.

1:24:40.4

That is definitely subject, as i said the other day. Such a feelings, even me, who had been in love compassion business for sixty years, had that. Comes up. Nothing surprise when you have, you must be human being. By the way you look and what I found way you look is this, really. If that is not subject of compassion then what else can you find? Much more than cut and would. Cut and wound is bleeding, may be terrible but we all feel sorry. Even somebody who trip is sorry. That compassion comes in, but this is much serious than that. the act is serious, the mental status very serious, and I really think it is the real true object of compassion. I'm not sure, some people may not like it, but I think that's what I think it is. Thank you. I'd like to say I'll be here next Thursday, 4th of the year. Anything else? Then after the 4th, few Thursdays I won't be here because I have to go on book tour, but I have Tony King [sp?] will be here for a few Thursdays, and then there's a meditation at all of them. Some program will work, and we'll let you know. Thank you.

1:27:00.6

[announcements & chanting]

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