Archive Result

2

Soundfile 20011213GRNYOTF.mp3

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Jewel Heart, New York City?

Topic 4 Noble Truths, eradicating the ego

Transcriber Todd Denton

Date 26 December 2020

0:00:00

[discussion of schedule]

0:09:30.6

Last time we talk recognize suffering. On that level we begin to talk about four noble truths, the truth of suffering and the cause of suffering.

[more discussion of schedule]

0:13:33.0

We did talk about the cause of suffering. When you look at Tsongkhapa's short Lam Rim, about this level it says [speaks Tibetan]. There's English translation available. Lines of Experience. I don't think the bookstore has it. It comes part of a practice from Jewel Heart. If you have a practice book with you you have it. Let me try my translation, which is terrible. You'll find out I don't know how to read English. It says if you do not make an effort to think about true sufferings and their drawbacks you will not properly develop the keen interest to work for liberation. If you do not consider the stages whereby true origins of all the suffering, place and keep your [skylike? 0:16:38.0] existence you will not know the means for cutting the root of this vicious circle. Therefore you should challenge exalting total disguise and renunciation of such existence, well knowing which factor binds you to its will. I the yogi have a practiced just that. If you would also seek liberatons please cultivate yourself in the same way.

0:17:24.8

Another words, if you do not get it, the drawbacks of first noble truth - that is truth of suffering - there's no way one can develop keen interest to gain liberation. That is half of the verse. So what is that telling us? If you don't have a keen interest for liberation, then every efforts what we put in, it will be to build something within the samsara, nothing outside. It always within the samsara. Even we devote our time, energy for spiritual development, even then that spiritual development efforts what we put in will be within the samsara. That's why we notice - I don't know whether you notice or not - I notice we now more try to modify so many things, try to suit the feelings of the individual rather than truly what really is. For example, there is a very strong guru devotional practice which is called root of all development. We try to avoid talking about that, thinking it can create misunderstanding or it might not be suitable for the people's mind. People may not like it. Another example is we talk about impermanence. We talk about the death and dying stage. We talk about death and impermanent, but within that we will avoid again very strongly try to say, hey you're going to die, I'm going to die. All this pinpointed things like Paboka's heart spoon or something, there's a couple of verses. There's a little booklet and we try to avoid talking that because people may not like it. You understand what I mean?

0:21:02.5

It is almost to the point sometimes we have to, we try to modify our practice sometimes, Yes, it's very true. Buddha said and everything we have to go according to the time and the condition of the people. Absolutely true. But on the other hand sometimes we will do a lot more. That is the problem because sometimes we try to make the practice not to be able to obtain the liberation purposes, but sometimes we try to make not for liberating ourself, but we make a practice to make ourself feel good. Modify - Remember one of the Thurman's translation of the Three Principle Path, it says turn off interest on this life. Then all other translations been modified instead of saying turn off. Instead of that it's saying just made something beautiful so that people will not just go say eh, what is this. It is true to certain extent we have to, but again it's not the dharma has to bend backwards and forwards. It is the individual who really have to be- If you have a deep interest it is the really that's what it is.

0:24:04.3

At the end of the day what happens is all of us one day we all go. At the end of the day what happens is all of us one day we all go. We don't go together, we go one by one. At the end of the day when we go, then that is where we really need the dharma at that time. If we've been trying to bend the dharma this wa y or that way to try to suit our interests of our life, and if you over-bend that, then that dharma will not work at that time when we need it most. Then what we have done is done much more disservice to the people than service. That's I believe this one is talking about it. If you don't think about the sufferings, if you don't put efforts of thinking the sufferings there will be no interest for liberation. It is true. As long as we are thinking about this life, what will be me tomorrow, what will be me two years, what will be me next five years or down the road 10 years. Or will I be relaxed or will i be intense or will I be in joy or will I be in misery or all this and we try to gear our practice towards that purposes, then I think we are misusing. But if you think all the way through I need to be happy forever, I need to be joyful forever, I need to be free of suffering forever. If you think that way then our purpose will be OK. I really think this is important over here. Up to this level we can do and all this practice to suit our convenience and all this and all this and that, but beyond this level we really have to be very honest and straightforward.

0:27:07.1

Really if you look the remaining of our life, either you had 60 years more or even 80 years more and the rest of your lives and which is more important. Really, even you have 60 years or even you have 80 years, that is just 80 years. We live much more than that. We don't live in this life but you know we continue much more than that. Compare with the time that we continue. This 80 years is like five second. So how much we will sacrifice for the sake of five second, how many hours, how many weeks, months and year. Think that is very important to think and to help ourself. It is important.

0:28:37.7

That makes it serious business. This is very illiberate [illiberal?] translation. It says if you do not make efforts to think about the true suffering and their drawbacks you will not properly develop keen interest to work for liberation. [speaks Tibetan] the second Noble Truth tells you how this suffering is been developed. If you don't get at that how can you cut the root of sufferings. I think this verse is very important. If you do not understand how it develops, the suffering, how can you cut it? That's what Tsongkhapa is saying and that's why it is important not to have attachment for the samsaric goodies. And it is also necessary what makes me continue in suffering in samsara with suffering. What really tied me down to the samsara. It is important. I the yogi have practiced just that. If you also seek the liberation please cultivate yourself in the same way.

0:31:22.2

Now here it shows very different than lot of usual spiritual practice and here. Lot of in this text you're really quite deep in, very deep in. Within our life, within the circle of our life, the continuation of our life, the reincarnation. All of them at this level, they're really taking you, talking to you about this. How it's been continue. How it's been developed. What makes me cannot go out of the circle? What makes me continue? What makes me come back and back and back again and again? That is the second noble truth. Thank you. The second noble truth tells you how it's been developed. So there are, I think we do have a transcript called 12 Link done in Holland. Either it's done by me or [Losing Rimpoche?] I don't remember. We do have that transcript available. Please read that. It is important. It is the 12 link. Read that transcript and also read the Liberation In Palm Of Your Hands should have that, might not be at this level but it maybe come separately somewhere. There's a 12 dependent link. Whether you call it 12 dependent link or interdependent system or whatever they call it. There's 12 things there happens. they're all part of our life. It is like within maybe one or two circles of life it completes 12 of them. They have functions they cut within the two different lives at least.

0:34:48.9

Whenever I see this, is it German car called Audi so they have that mark there and whenever I see that I think of this 12 dependent link because it cuts through the circle within itself. That is the car's mark, logo of that Audi cars have that, so whenever I see that it gets in my mind. you know why? Because the 12 does not complete in one life but it can be completed in two or three, so you have either going across with the three rings or two rings. That's what it is. Anyway, the root of all this the ignorance, the ego. The fear-ego-ignorance combination which Tibetans normally call that as ignorance. In my book I have called that the ego. That is the root of all this fear and confusion and no clarity combined together forms that very thing called, I called ego in that book. Oh by the way read that. It gives you quite easy to understand what really ego is all about. I think it's much easier to get it than that of reading in the Liberation in Palms of Your Hand. This will be much easier to get you the picture.

0:37:09.9

That set the stage of confusion, fear and not clear what you're supposed to do. Then somehow you come in and somehow you jump in. Try to protect yourself. Try to help yourself. Try to put desire of helping myself is there. Everybody have that desire and that is good quality of human nature. Deep wonderful quality of human nature. We want help ourself. We want to be the good one. We don't want to be the bad one. We don't want harm ourself and we don't want harm others. We do have that as a natural. That is the good quality of human nature. Yet we are ignorant. We are confused and there's no clarity and that's why it's called ignorance. That's why it's called [speaks Tibetan] means not knowing. [Ma rigpa?] means ignorance. [Mongpa?] means stupid. All this labels are put in traditional teachings, this one, because we wanted to do something. We don't know what to do so and whe try to do the best I can, which is again very human nature. The best what I can with not having clarity and we don't know what you're doing so you're totally confused. You may be thinking you're going towards the east but you're moving towards the west. That's what happens. That ignorance-ego combined together want to protect me, and that creates me. That's fine but then you don't stop at the level of me. You go one more and then you say my.

0:40:30.3

That my then brings my friend, my enemy. Then you know you have this distant and near. You have that very strongly my. That my I must protect my interests. Anybody comes and stops me I must push it away. I must overcome. Basically, if there is no ego of that level there will not be a hatred. There will not be attachment. The attachment and hatred grow because of that basic ignorance. It is, if you don't want to talk very simple way we can do very simple way. The simple way is much easier and much better.

0:42:03.1

You have this pull and push. Attachment pulls, hatred push. Because of that we create negativities. Negativities to serve my interests. To push the wrong sensitive buttons of the others so that I am protected. All this cause of suffering is what we call negative karma. Negative karma is produced by negative action. Negative actions are committed because of negative emotions. Negative emotions arise within ourself because of that ego. It is almost like a 19th Century British policy, politics. The 19th Century British Empire runs all over the world and the policies you have to divide the people and then you can rule, as simple as that. You look today everywhere it's the same thing. India and Pakistan been divided. Kuwait and Iraq and all those are divided. Wherever you go there's this division, even in the middle east all these divisions have come. It is basically the British 19th Century policy. Exactly that's what ego does within ourself, just like that to protect me. It is my attachment and my hatred. That's exactly how they use it, push-pull. Because of that we create a lot of negativities. Just like because of that we've got full of problems everywhere. We create all these negativities.

0:45:16.4

All these negativities will make sure we have a continuation of the suffering. Then on top of those actually you have to think about three of those: attachment, hatred, and that ego ignorance. Ego ignorance is the root. They produce the attachment and hatred. The attachment is glue for the samsara that make you stick within that samsara. You cannot get out of the samsara. Your continuation of the rebirth has been guaranteed automatically because of this samsaric glue that is the attachment. The hatred is just like spices there. You know when you throw a lot of chilis and it burns your mouth and it makes you eat more food and all this, and particularly if your food is not good and you throw a lot of chili in there so you're hungry, you have to eat it. It makes you eat that. Hatred does that. Hatred provided the spices so that you don't be bored and all kinds of things. It is good entertainment to maintain ourself within that samsara. This attachment is like a glue to attach to attach hold it and this hatred will throw spices or sugar in tea. When your tea doesn't taste good enough you add sugar. Actually sugar will kill the taste of the tea, which you all know. But still we like to have sugar. Or I'll say coffee, forgot about tea. That is exactly these three things works and that makes us guarantee to continue, you cannot get out of it.

0:47:39.5

Then you look this 12 link. Twelve links each will bring the other one, each will bring the other one. The first will bring the second. The second bring the third. third brings the fourth. Fourth brings the fifth and it keeps on running around all the 12 things. It is important to see how it works. Then you begin to see, when you see how it works then you begin to see what you mean by liberation. Who is liberating? From what? How? That we'll know. Until that, whatever we say liberated, liberation, and all of them are totally interpretable. Everybody will interpret in this way or that way, but the true liberation will be when you are liberated from your ego. That's the main thing. The ego is there, really very strong, so sensitive, ready to challenge anyone, ready to cry any time, ready to pretend victim any time, ready to be aggressive yet pretend to be victim any time anywhere. That is exactly what ego do. Unless and until what is really ego to know and how does that works with me? What is difference between me and my ego? Who is the false one? Who is the reality?

0:50:00.2

I think in my book I have mentioned five reasons why my ego is not me. If you look in there you will find there are five reasons in this. These are important. Then you really know who is false and who is the real me. Honestly speaking until now even we are at this level at this age this ego is functioning much more than me. Me totally crushed. No matter how much I try to raise my points, my ego will never entertain. So I'm fed up and I'm burned and I no longer raise my head. That's where we are. The truly we know when we have ego sickness, like morning sickness. You have ego sickness and when you push the wrong button, sensitive buttons you get angry. You have to cry. You have to fight. you have to kick. You have to do all this at the ego sickness. And then the most important thing is I always wanted to do the right thing but me ego always wanted to do the wrong thing. Because I always wanted to help me. My ego agrees with me but my ego leads me to do the wrong thing, always, and this is one of the sign that I'm not my ego. That functions at every level. Important in our life it functions. At young, it functions. When you're old it functions.

0:53:05.0

Sometimes we know it is not good for me yet I continuously do it. My edo would like to give a little bit and make me do it knowingly even though it's a strong we do it, and that shows how ego is in control, not me. When you really think, either you're going to meditate or think or whatever you do, and the root will lead to that. Every problem that we have will lead to that ego, so that's where the suffering is beginning. That's where the suffering really begin. If we don't see how this is coming to us and then we will not know how to reverse this back. When we don't know how to reverse this back our liberation talk of liberation will be simply sweet talk. It will have not a strong effect on us.

0:54:52.6

Let's look a little bit openly. As a Buddhist we look for to become a Buddha or Bodhisattvas. Or any other, even you're not a Buddhist you try to be good and liberated person, high developed person, terminology whatever you use. Person close to God or person that become pure, close to beloved one or whatever terminology we use. To be able to reach to that level or to be good person, or to be pure human being. All of those. You'll be looking to the person if not free, but not the control of hatred or attachment. If the person is under the control of hatred or attachment you know the person is not pure, particularly yourself. Don't judge others; that's their business. Judge ourself; that is my business, judging ourself. So when we know our motivations and our purpose and our aim has been controlled and dictated or even influenced by attachment or hatred, which means I'm not that perfect person. We can see that at every level by everybody.

0:57:27.8

When you are seeing spiritually developed person, let's forget about Buddha or Bodhisattvas, but talking about spiritually developed person. What does that mean to me? You have to think that very carefully. For me, this me, personally, when I'm looking at the people and when I see spiritually developed person, for me it means person who has reduced the negative emotions. Person whose mind is being sort of influenced by compassion, by love. The motivation of the individual, the purpose of the individual, the goal of the individual, the mission of the individual, when we see it is compassion and love. And that sort of tells me it a good person. And the motivation or goal or purpose is other than love and compassion that it may be anger oriented, maybe attachment oriented, maybe a self-interest oriented. And all of those, as I have said earlier, the 19th Century British empire policy is self-interest oriented. No matter whatever you do somehow your personal agenda is over there.

1:00:12.4

Now for example, I know very little but it's 1947 when India and Pakistan got independent, the agreement is there if they fight among themself then the British Empire returns and they continuously rule. They give you the independence but if you cannot manage we'll come back and help you to manage. And I'm sure it goes everywhere else, wherever the division, and that is self-interest. Self-interest gift looks nice, beautiful, may not achieve their goal but that's how it is. I'm trying to give you example. Since this is history then there's no big deal. That's how self-interest worked in. It is not love compassion oriented. So that doesn't become pure. The mission is not to serve the people but to serve the interest of the individual, and that becomes impure. Why you have that? Because you can't give up, the ego's clinging on power, like to continue. that's how it works. I mean, that's what we see, right? So now when we see you know thos big nations work that way. History gives us that. And then you see the person, we individually functions the same way as the big countries function. When you begin to look within the individual our ego has its own interests. Our ego has to make sure we don't function, ego functions. Since ego functions continuously, ego guarantees that we will continuously remain in the samsara. Ego is very afraid of liberation. Ego is very afraid of nirvana. Ego is afraid that ego will be eradicated. Ego is afraid that ego will get into annihilation. Individual will continue, ego will dropped out, so ego is protecting, and that's why many of us function in the way like porcupines ready to shoot anything comes nearby, and that is the reason why ego is controlling us.

1:03:55.6

All our sufferings are coming from there. All our negativity is coming from there. All our negative emotions are coming from there. When we want to reverse that, our main point is has to get this ego out, has to get that ignorance out. Once you get at that, you know this word Buddha, enlightenment means all knowing, all knowing means the opposite of knowledge is not knowing. Are you with me? So when you cleared not knowing and you become knowledgeable then knowledge will lead you to the enlightened. It's very simple in that way when you look a simple way. It is important to have a dharma practice in very simple way rather than complicated way. Complicated way, nobody will know what we're talking about it. Nobody else will know. If you don't know what we're talking about it, then we don't know what to do. You can call that a profound one but the profound remain as profound. It is that we have to work within that. When Buddha talks about emptiness, when they talk about no eye no tongue no nose no leg no hand no mouth no heart no, they're talking about that ego oriented person. We know there is nose. We know there is hand. If you slap yourself you know there is something. You get a pain here. But the reason why they're talking about that ego.

1:06:12.6

It is important. The first goal for us is to find out what we're talking about. Who is that ego really? For that we call it recognition of object of negation. We have to negate something. So what are we going to negate. If we don't recognize what we have to negate, then how do we negate? What do we negate? It would be like a blindfolded person shooting arrow in the forest. You have no target. So it is very important to recognize the object of negation that is this ego combined with ignorance and fear. Recognition of that is important. It's almost sort of a number one job in order to reverse the sufferings. It's number one job to recognize object of negation.

1:08:01.4

Truly speaking we are not here to defeat myself. We're not here to defeat I but the false I, the false me, the ego. To separate me and my ego that's going to take a hell of time and a hell of efforts by each and every one of us. It's going to take a lot. Until we can do that we're not going to make much progress on that. That's one of the reasons why so many practitioners are stuck to some level. We don't even know where we're stuck. Then we draw the conclusion I'll try to do my best, see hope everything is okay. We reach to that level because we're stuck. We're stuck because we don't know what really has to be negated. The separation between me and my ego, that is not only our problem. That is the problem of so many even earlier, even those we called great teachers or whatever. Many of them are stuck with that.

1:10:02.3

I think there's a very simple way of dividing it, particularly your knowledge. You have a knowledge that you want help but what your ego or even sometimes in forms of common sense will tell you what to do will give you the different result, and that indicates it is ego is not me. It is easy to work against anger. It is easy to work against attachment. It is easy to work against jealousy, but that will be like cutting branches. You cut that branch and then it will grow again. You cut it again, it will grow again. You cut it again, it will grow again. In order to eliminate totally you have to cut the root of that tree. That root is that ego. The root of samsara truly is ego. If you can cut the ego you're out of samsara. If you're looking that circle which i recommended to read the 12 link there's no other place to cut except this. It all linked to each other. No other place to cut except this. When the root was cut it all go. When Tsongkhapa says [speaks Tibetan] until you really know how this second noble truth what really how this negativity has been developed, what makes it. It's easy to call karma and leave it there, but karma is not something coming out of a sky. It is individual creation. How it's been created. Why did I do this to hurt myself? Why I have my hatred to hurt me, although I'm there to pretend to protect me I hate that person. I have to reject that person because it's going to hurt me.

1:13:16.8

But in that form the reality is the hatred which hurts me. Why did i do that? Because I'm confused. I'm confused because of my ego. I'm afraid because of my ego. Many times we're afraid we don't know what we're afraid of it. It comes from the ego. When you really talk about the second noble truth and that is the most important point, and that's why Buddha says purpose of the second noble truth is to eradicate. Purpose of the first noble truth is to recognize. Purpose of the second noble truth is to eradicate. When you try to eradicate the cause of suffering it's actually the fourth noble truth you practice. Path is nothing more than that. That is the really path. That is the really practice and that is what Buddhas did it. That is the way how they developed the fourth noble truth is the really working against the second and first noble truth is fourth noble truth.

1:15:23.8

We talk about eightfold path, four noble truth, again it's back, you know, goes around, and five paths and three yanas and all of those. The essence of the eightfold path or essence of the three yana or essence of, all these are actually how you work eradication of that ego. That's really what it is. The meditators are meditating for what? To get rid of ego. The yogis are practicing yoga for what? To get rid of that ego. The mahasiddhas are getting all these funny little things, all of them. What for? To get rid of ego. Why they dressed crazy? To get rid of ego. Why they behave so funny? To get rid of ego. So the bottom line is no matter whatever you do it is that ego has to be eradicated. If that doesn't work every efforts you put in is not in spiritual, at least in this path. Then it becomes showbiz. If there is no spiritual purposes pretend to have a spiritual purposes yet doesn't make, then it become showbiz. And if you are involved in that showbiz type of spiritual practice in reality we're wasting our time. We're not making any efforts. Remember the other day, last week I talked. you work 14 hours a day, get two dollar per hour, or work four hours a day and get $4,000. And that's the difference here it comes. So that's why I say don't work hard, work smart. Don't you say that? That's what I mean. And if you know how to deal with this, then all these three yanas will work together with you. This Theravadan yana, Mahayana, Vajrayana will all work together complementing each other. One brings the other. One works as base of other. If not, then they will contradict. That's exactly they will contradict.

1:19:16.7

Not contradicting those three yanas, particularly Vajrayana and self-liberation yana. Not contradicting each other is so important, and that is only possible if we can work on this level. That makes this path is profound. That profoundness we can understand and profound it can eliminate total suffering from the cause with very little efforts actually. When you look at this then the rest all are joke. [speaks Tibetan] Just two verses will give you really the essence of total Buddha's teaching. If you don't see the suffering, no way you develop the desire to be liberated. And if you don't see how the suffering is generated, you will not be able to reverse it. So it is important to develop a desire to have freedom from the negative emotions and its result. It is also we should know what makes me continue in this suffering. It is the attachment. That's why attachment has that nickname called glue of samsara. Glue will make you stick. When you're sitting in the restaurant, just put your finger around here, there's gum stuck here, you know, you stuck your finger all the time. [laughs] That is how the glue works, and that is the attachment makes you stick to the samsara.

1:23:51.7

That's why they say I the yogi practice this and you follow the same thing. That's what Tsongkhapa tells us and that's what I mean, work smart. Don't work hard but work smart. Otherwise we put hours and hours and hours and say prayers, say mantra, do this and do this and sit meditate. Days and weeks and months and all this and get nowhere. I'm not criticizing day long sitting month long sitting, week long, I'm not criticizing, ok? I want to make clear. But it has to be work smart, and the way and how you work smart is this. Knowledge of knowing where, what is coming, how it's coming, how do I reverse. So anyway, by talking about this ego here what I have done is I have introduced you a target or negation. Another words, you have a target area for which you can work against. It's not a Tora Bora but it is this ignorance, you know. And that's what I mean, our own Osama Bin Laden hiding in the mountains of our heart. That's what I really mean it. That's what I'm referring to. It is the introduction of target, object of negation. But deeply you have to find yourself. I cannot tell you. No way I can tell you, not because I don't want to tell you, but I keep on talking to you you're not going to get the picture. No matter how much I talk to you, but you have to find within yourself the difference between yourself and your ego. And talk to other people, read and ask questions. And when you begin to make the distinction you are beginning to get on the right direction. then finally you find object of negation. Once you find object of negation, then negation is easy.

1:27:05.2

The problem is not finding the object. You know you heard emptiness is so difficult. Always everybody says emptiness is difficult, wisdom is difficult. Emptiness is difficult because we don't know empty of what. Object of negation, that was the most difficult. Object of negation is not going to pop up. It's not going to fall down, nothing. It has to be recognized. Make sure it is the right thing. And that makes it difficult. Object of negation, the most difficult, the deepest difficulty of wisdom emptiness is finding object of negation. that was the biggest difficult. We get confused, we get wrong, we get all problems of this.

1:29:05.7

[question from audience about who's making the choice to come here]

I'm not sure whether it is ego choice or your choice. I like to make the distinction between you and your ego, me and my ego. I always see two separate. I don't want to see split personality. I don't want to see that but however there is, sort of, almost sort of there is two personalities within us. You know people talk about it, oh I never seen the dark side of that person and a good side of that person. There's a personality difference between me and my ego, and that is the point where I'm trying to make five different reasons to be able to see that differences between me and my ego. That's in the book. Five different reasons, points. That is the difficult point, and perhaps it's the different viewpoints where the the [Shanta Acarya? 1:31:03.7] and Nagarjuna differs. I'm talking about 1,500 years back. the point of Nagarjuna and [Shanta Acarya?] differs on that point. Buddha's point over here is it is so important to see the distinction between me and my ego and eliminate the ego so that you eliminate completely all wrongdoings. Another words the dark side of yourself is completely eliminated. And if the dark side of yourself is not completely eliminated, then it'll continue. The samadhi meditation power will reduce the negative emotions to a certain level, and then this give the example, the yogi sits in the cave for what, a year, and finally red, all the mice comes in to bite his hair and certainly anger arises. Point of return fall back and no fall back issue comes out of this. So I believe that's still what the different points comes in there.

1:33:40.3

The ego is the part stuck with our attachment or our attachment is stuck with ego. [Comment from audience] I don't think you're the only one who's stuck there. We all are, really true. I think that's actually the bottom line of work smart is really on that level.

1:35:32.2

[Question from audience]

When you eradicate the ego then you automatically enter the path of seeing. This is where we are talking about path of action. This is a question comes out of five paths. In the Buddhism they talk about five paths: path of accumulation and path of action. Accumulation is where we have purifications and accumulating merit, and all this seven limb prayer we do, you know all this and all those common with the lower level. You know, recognizing human life, preciousness of the human life, impermanent and also the guru devotion practice and all of them are accumulation path. And now over here is a path of almost like a path of action. The traditional example is try to create a fire out of dry wood. Rubbing the wood, rubbing the wood, not wood but twigs. If you keep on rubbing the twigs it develop the heat. You will still keep on rubbing the wood, they pick up spark and then finally catch fire. So that is the action level we're talking about it, if you go in the five paths of the Buddhism. That's I believe we're there.

1:37:51.6

[question from audience]

I think you're teaching the ego a lesson. I don't think one action like that will eliminate ego. Actually I'm glad you raised that question. What you really need to do over here is not only you have to find the wisdom but also is important to have purifications because of these two works together. Purifying the negativities helps to bring the wisdom in. Again, some people will emphasize so much for purification and nothing but purifying purifying purifying. It's great no doubt, but you lost balance. So you have to purify and simultaneously you have to build the wisdom. That is very important. Purification alone, that becomes hard working not smart working.

1:40:16.9

[question from audience]

We are in bardo anyway. there's two bardos. you know bardo means stage between birth and death and the stage between death and birth. So normally they are talking about bardo funny things, this stage between death and rebirth. We're in bardo stage between the birth and death. It's also a bardo.