Archive Result

Soundfile 20020430GRNLLRMyurLam08

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Topic Nyur lam

Transcriber Michiel Kerkkamp

Date 2021-06-27

0:00:00.0 Part of that will you going to think difficult to find. While meditating Lama La in your crown, so you have to give yourself a reason not only it’s important but it’s also difficult to find. According to the Vinaya sutra, Vinaya sutra says, Vinaya sutra says: it is very difficult for the lower realms to take rebirth in the higher realms. It’s like throwing a handful of peas against glasses, glasses that stands vertical; it’s very hard to stick peas on that glass. And especially human life with the qualities what we have, those ten endowments such as timing where there is teachings available, timing where there is spiritual practitioners available, timing where everything that you can do is available, is even more real. It is true, it is absolutely true in our usual world, if you look at: how many people really does have these opportunities. Even in place like this, is great deal of interest and all that, but how many people really have the opportunity, if you look at that you know? We have what, a some hundred people here? And there may be another two-three hundred people who may be having interest, maybe more: five hundred or maybe at the most a thousand people.

0:03:29.5 But that’s not even a small percent, not even one percent, so that really shows how many people can really have the opportunity to do this. Actually reality is, because there are a lot of people who are not interested on the spiritual path at all. Some are extremely conservative, some are not that conservative but they are not that open either and many of them are interested in different things, whatever. Whatever the easier it is, more people go on that. So that’s why, if you eat brown rice and drink wheat grass juice, it’s really easy to do and that becomes a spiritual path to some people. Some people, if you eat brown rice and drink wheat grass juice that’s considered spiritual ....(coughing?). A lot of people do that.

0:06:37.6 Its health oriented, that’s what they do. We do enjoy that to, not here ...(?). Anyway, so these are the easy things, people seems to go (for) more. And when it becomes more difficult, more complicated, it becomes even more difficult for people to be in. So anyway, if they are saying I'm not interested. And from that persons angle: you’re not interested; it’s fine, correct. Nothing wrong with that. From our angle, that person has not the opportunity. And lacking that particular opportunity anyway. So although the teaching is available information, everything is available, even in the language that you speak is available ( ore valuable??) , but when you are not interested, it’s not available to that individual person. So to that person, these ten endowments are not there, and that’s the reality. I'm not saying that person is bad, I'm not saying that that person is wrong, just simple fact. So whether we can make it or not: we have interest so it is opportunity for us to bite, even (if) you don’t have teeth, you can bite with gums. So it shows how rare to get this.

0:09:48.8 Every good thing is very rare in this world, you know. It is true to the material world, it is true to the spiritual world. So we are quite good in the spiritual world, that’s your pep talk. So anyway, so we have to do this. Ok, it is difficult to find, if you miss this chance this time, it’s difficult to find. Three points: example point of view, actual reality point of view, general mathematical number point of view. Example one, I told you earlier: throw sand against standing vertical glass. Almost none will stick. And from the reality point of view, what is need(ed?) to have such a good life. The cause to maintaining the human life itself, is based on the pure morality. That’s just human life alone.

0:12:12.8 You know, you can be human live with the, you can be human live with the: something like George Bushes' commander. So you don’t need that much good fortune, you need perfect morality. And then good service for the people. And had Karma to gain some good wisdom, that’s good enough. Perfect morality will give him the human rebirth. Karma for the wisdom will give him the education, and also the military training. And service for others done something good, will give him the commandership. An that’s that, then you can go and kill as much as you want. And that Karma will go over, then you go down, that’s what it is. For us it is different, we definitely have a better Karma than military commander, even not George Bushes'. So, the perfect morality: how much we have? We know ourselves, you don’t have to ask anybody else. What did you do last one year? What did we do last one month? And even, what did we do last one week? And to some people, even last day.

0:15:16.9 So we know, whether we have the morality or not. You can judge from that angle. Is it going to be easy. And then, on top of that, to have such a quality live, with the ten endowments, such a quality live needs more than perfect morality: there is a conjunction of pure pray dedication. This existence and the support of the six paramitas. So since the base itself is very difficult, so it is all band(?) with difficult. Ok, that is the natural quality point of view. Now number point of view, that’s a threshold. So, among the human beings, how many people really find this very teaching? And then the number of the human beings and the none human beings: which is bigger. And they are all very true, absolutely true, there are more insects and animals then human beings, we know. And I like to deal with the... (?) That’s right because the number of animals are much more then number of human beings and all of those are very .....? (I think there are two people coughing and Rinpoche names it a competition between the two?). And so number of, number of, what is it? The beings, if you look at the non-human and human beings, it is big difference.

0:18:25.2 There is no doubt about it, right, just even look at the fish alone, just look at the the insects alone, just look for the cows alone, how many were lost last year? And how many we have again? So this is valid...(?), but there is another question here and I like to deal (with) this: this is not a usual Dharma thing, but the thing is: there is much more human beings now than before. The number is still increasing. The question comes: where are they coming from and why? Where they are coming from? No doubt about that: from the other realms. Why there are coming more now? I think it is because there is a lot of good work done by our previous forefathers time. Such a Buddha, Jesus and all of them have contributed tremendously. And that karmic circle of the individuals who did not get really really liberated at that time, but the second time they come back as good human beings now, or not so good human beings. That’s my stupid interpretation. And the ritual (?) also tells us, if we put a lot of good efforts, we will also contribute to bring more in the human land.

0:21:21.6 Not by ...(?) babies, so I think you know, that’s sort of it is. Anyway: let’s get back to our subject. Our subject is difficult to find you know, direction point of view, by the reality point of view, by the example point of view. So and then, even among those who have a ...(?) with the Buddha teaching. If you look among them, there are much less people who are really interested in touch in Mahayana then in general Buddhism or meditation or Theravada or Zen or anything, there is much less. Thought the Zen Buddhism says they are Mahayana you know. So since I slept ten hour of my time so I like to clarify that. So that’s, so and then there of Vajrayana is even rare, my god. And some may not be able to enter in Vajrayana at all. Some maybe go to enter but will not able to maintain, and these are all there. These are the true facts and that shows how rare it is, even among ourselves. So if we cannot appreciate it, there is a little bit something wrong.

0:24:07.2 Some people may thing: why is that Vajrayana so great? Vajrayana, really it has, I mean, if I talk here it might not be appropriate right, but Vajrayana, most important thing is: Vajrayana is the only Yana that thought: how can one individual become a fully enlightened Buddha within a short lifetime or within a couple of lifetimes. No other talks about that. You look in the Hinayana, they never even talk about becoming a Buddha. Their ultimate goal is becoming an Arhat. And if you look into the Mahayana and their aim is to become a Buddha, but how many eons later? Three countless eons later. And If you look any other thing, they simply tell you, you cannot become the ultimate. If you think you can become the ultimate, your committing sin or something. So these are the realities. And right in front of you, you can see it. The advantage of today, the twenty-first century: you can see all of them very clearly. So then you can select. This is even rare to find then you know, then those of even ten endowments and others.

0:27:01.7 So I must accomplish the mission of my life, within this very life. If I miss it, I may not find such an opportunity again easily. Or for long time. So I pray to lama La, that I and all sentient beings be able to complete mission of their life, complete this. Then light liquid comes, purify negativities and built a fortune.... (?) like usual. And then, that finishes the actual part of this outline.

Prayers and instruction.

0:31:05.2 And now the actual development of right, the third …(?) That has three: common with the lower, common with the medium and the Mahayana way. And I don’t know, I like to say something and you know what happens is: sometimes you know, some of those cold can be contagious, some of them cannot be. So what we do in America during the retreat and all this, when you have people with cold, we ask them to wear masks, as well as we ask them to sit in separate areas. Because, you know, you don’t bless everybody but it doesn’t seem to be bothering here so, maybe it’s not necessary I don’t know. So you know why, we have the winter retreat in America in the most coldest period and some may get the cold and very soon you may find: everybody is coughing. So that’s why we do that. But maybe, if not necessary, don’t have to do it? Because I don’t particularly enjoy looking at that. So actually, if somebody is coming in sick, we don’t let them in, naturally, normally. But even you are in already and got sick, then they give you a mask. And we have a sick room so we have all of those there too. Maybe it’s a typical American way of handling it, I don’t know.

0:34:05.6 "Conversation with audience and instruction for prayers".

0:37:44.7 So then the thought comes: what went wrong, why so many people, why do I still stuck here, why? One fault of my is, that I have ignored the dying and death. Second point: I never paid attention in the lower realms. And since I paid no attention to lower realms, so I don’t have a fear or doubt that I maybe there one day. So I never took the precaution. So I never prepared myself and that is one of my biggest faults. So I and the mother sentient beings, all should pay attention to our death and dying. I and the mother sentient beings should consider possibility of taking rebirth in the lower realms. Particularly that of hell realm, hungry ghost realm, animal realm. And I have no guarantee, I have no confidence even. So if I go, in this moment, I never know where I’m going to be. So I must gain at least confidence and right now I don’t have the convenience. So I must rely on someone.

0:41:18.8 That someone that know better than Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. So I would like to take refuge. Taking refuge alone may give me protection for one life. But is not going far enough. In order to go far enough I need to be …. (?)and respecting and guiding my life through the principles of Karma. And because of understanding and guiding’s of Karma I may be generating always a positive Karma and avoiding purifying the negative Karma all the time. I like to do this and I am maybe able to do this. And I want all sentient beings to do this. I seek you Lama La as a blessing to be able to do this. Then light, liquid, purification, generating life etcetera like in general. Particularly purifying obstacles of each level. And I have been blessed to be able to develop these developments. Ok, that is the preparation. You know, the session has beginning and this is preparation.

0:44:12.9 And then actual, you have to look a little more detailed, analytically. And that will be; the first is impermanence. ... (Tibetan). So basically the death is definite. There is nothing with that that can change. That’s one outline right? And then you have a second outline ... (Tibetan). At the time of the death, nothing else helps me, except my positive Karma or negative Karma can’t harm me. Ok, so either you could make elaborate, a little more elaborate outlines like we have in the Odyssey to freedom or you want go medium level or even short as this much too so whatever be, it’s easier. So the details I'm not going to talk to you much because we have a very good establishment of the death and dying and impermanent period for this study group so I'm going to leave it there. So where are we, I would like to cover a little quickly that death is definite, no matter, whatever you do, there is no way you can cheat, buy, sell or defeat death at all, we cannot do.

0:47:06.9 Simply, if you look: even spiritual power can defeat death, we should see Buddha and Jesus and all of them today and they are not there. Buddha gone 2600 years, Jesus is what, 2002 since born, but how long he lived? So death is definite. The military power, medicine power, economic power: nothing could really have bought the death. Medicine and health care can extend it a little bit. But there comes a time when nobody can do anything. That happens to everybody. Why should I be the exception? I'm not going to be the exception for sure. So that covers the death is definite and does nothing to return. There is a lot of detailed study on this in our study group materials. Please use whatever is helpful to yourself , pick up. Some, you have a lot of those reasons, a lot of those examples. Some of them doesn’t make sense at all to you. To some people the others make sense. Whatever what make sense to you, you have to pick up that, and that will be your choice. Not the study group leader choice, not the teachers choice: it has to be your choice.

0:50:14.6 The purpose what we try to do here, is try to make us to remember death. This is counter culture. Our culture will say: ah, forget about death, don’t think about dying and think about living, and there is a truth in there. But that probably, especially when you become old and you are sick, you don’t want to think about dying. But when you are young and healthy you would like to think about dying. Because you don’t have the tension of dying there yet. Yes there is, but there is not, less you know. So the whole purpose is not to get afraid, but the full purpose is to cut out our laziness. So our laziness and our, you know, our permanent feeling is so strong and it is so difficult to shake. And that’s why, even this nine round of meditation, nine round of impermanent dying meditation. And particularly Pabonka has an additional thing is: visualizing dying procedure, and there is that little booklet called "Heart spoon" or "Spoon heart" or whatever, Heart spoon. Each verse will give you every point of visually leading you through the visualization of what happens to you way before you die. As where you pretending to be dying.

0:53:22.6 So the possibility will remind you all the time and then you will think; what will happen thereafter? And also it really helps you not to waste time, not to do all this, it really gets you moving. There are so many stories. One thing right now I was thinking: after Tsongkhapa’s death and then ... and ... and .... and all those spirits. .... was made successor to Tsongkhapa by the majorities wish, they did not really wish it but .... sort of recommended and then everybody agreed you know. .... completely refused to be the successor of Tsongkhapa, he doesn’t want it, and .... came prepared. ..... was a little more, he was younger, much younger and much more witty then ..... So .... thinks ..... is going to be Tsongkhapa’s successor and when they had a get together, .... askes ....: you stay up? So .... said, no no no you are much older than me, don’t make me old. So ..... sort of concerned younger then you, so he ran up there and the moment he sat down, ..... took out a scarf from his pocket and put it on him and say........ (Tibetan). Most beautiful poems. Plenty new poems that he composed, you know like, just like, quit a number of them. But ...... (Tibetan). You are the one who are on the highest thrown, being made the successor of Tsongkhapa and blah blah blah. So he is actually giving him scarf, he .... old can get out and ...... put his pressure, you know looks like offering scarf but putting pressure ......... ......

0:57:45.6 So then.... becomes the successor and then a year later ...... got back to ...... And that is ..... overnight picnic. For a couple of days I believe. Then invited ...... to join the picnic too but he didn’t come. And then one day he came. And he had lunch and was about to go. And ..... said, what is so hurry about it? Why don’t you relax and sit and ......? .... took out his hat and showed his grey hair, see I don’t have time to stay. So .... couldn’t say anything. So he left. That shows ... say: I have to prepare for my dying, you know: grey hair. So this is, that is everything what is happening in our life. We’re wearing glasses, were getting grey hair, falling ....(?), not hearing, not giving smell (?), getting sick, every cough: and each one of them are reminding us: hey we are not permanent.

1:00:28.3 So what happens when you are dying, do we disappear ore we don’t disappear? According to the Buddhist tradition and teaching of the Buddha we do not disappear. Do we really come back as we are? No we don’t, so this is the problem here: the continuation is there but that continuation is totally different circumstances, different everything. Actually, what does really continue here? Not the total awareness. That we know. We know because you know, we forget, we don’t recognize, so the awareness is going much weaker, even before we die. We know that very well. So after you die, you are not going to go back to that full recognition. It’s even going subtler so it’s almost like you know very very tiny thing.

1:02:45.1 If you look from the scientists, the physicists, if you look the physicists; what do they do? They will cut and cut and cut and pieces and pieces and finally they come to that point and say: we cannot cut anymore so they call that atoms. Then you begin to see and you begin to discover: hey, atoms can be divided. Then you come down to Newton (?) and all this atoms(?) comes out and at the end, the particle may almost become evaporation. In the evaporation may just almost become some kind of air but that doesn’t disappear, that much we see now, scientifically. That we know. Now, the spiritual level. If you look at the spiritual level, internally when you look and actually when you’re dying, you may not be going that much subtle but you are going way ...(?) atoms. I mean equivalent to the, this is your mind looking, this is your physical looking, so the equivalent to the level of the atom and the........(?). It is something like evaporation. Even going subtler then that.

1:05:29.7 So how can you expect you carried memory ready? You may carry the memory but how can you expect the memory can function? So that very subtle continuation is the one who will get out of our physical body. And looking for new identity. And while you are looking for new identity at that time, very weak state and you don’t have directional control at all. We can all see, how much we are looking for identities. If you look in the microscope, for those cells in the blood, how much they are busy running around looking for identities. So each one of them is consciousness. So that much the consciousness is looking for identity. Even very few of them get contact, few of those cells get contact. And if every cell gets contact: we have so many baby’s right? So a very few of them get contact. So like that our and you know, we can be level beyond those cells we see in microscope, even beyond that level. Even those microscope, if you look, see those cells, you see the moment and you see they’re here. But going beyond evaporation there is not even those.

1:08:22.8 So then totally where you are going to reach, it really depends on something else, then where I go. So now the Buddha gives: that something else is Karma. And we don’t know. I mean we don’t know we in the sense: the scientist don’t even bother. So Buddha gives: the something who are guiding is the Karma and that’s why karmic becomes powerful. And so far what we can see, according to the Buddha, if you do something good: you going to get something good. Not only Buddha but every religion, every positive religion. If you do something wrong, you get something wrong ... (?). As far as we can see, as far as we know: that is true. And then we begin to trust them, if that is true, then this level may be true, must be true. We don’t have a valid reason to prove this is true. Those highly spiritual developed persons, they supposed to have the capacity to be able to see, supposed to have. But if they see, they won’t tell us anyway so. So what we have is the best to go from our trust and judgement.

1:11:19.1 So even our judgment, even if you do trust in judgment: we have to make a judgement on the basis of something. If we don’t have any base, it will be just shooting arrow in the forest: you never know where it is going to hit. So the judgment is, now we are based on the Karma, that’s the reason why. Ok, that period, that level, that position maybe blind for us. But our Karma is not blind to us. Because our deeds are known to us. So that’s, on that basis we make the guess where we are going. So when we have more negativities, such as very strong powerful negativities and then the results are: we can judge probably hell realm. And the medium level, probably hungry ghosts. Lighter easy one’s: animals. So like that we will judge good birth and bad birth. Make our own guess, guessing work for our self. So in order to save us, sounds like Christian now. In order to save us, what we should be able to do is cut the negativities, purify them.

1:14:37.4 Sort of neutralize them, and then you left with only positivity’s . And I guess this is our guarantee. And that’s what we do. And that’s the way how we will fulfill or mission of live. It is very simple way of putting it. So is it hell realm is really real? Is it hungry ghost realm really real? Is it animal realm really there? So we see the animal realm is really there: we have a dog here, two of them yes, three of them all right, it is proof that animal realm is there. So now I missed(?) one thing, I really missed one thing: If you read these traditional Lam Rims, they will divide the animal realm in two categories: One is that valuable (?) on the human land we see, the other is in the ocean we don’t see. And that also they talk about the different layers and the deeper down and all this. All of those, they are taught in these Tibetan Lam Rim books they talk deeper ocean animal, this, this, this, that all the time: they are written by thousand years, five hundred years: no one really saw it.

1:17:37.8 Especially Tibetans were living way out there, above the Himalayas, above the Himalayas. So they don’t get down there to see it. But the literature is talking this for thousands of years. And people meditated that for thousands years. Now the scientist goes into the ocean, take those little ... (?) . And they see it. So at least there is something confirms. So hungry ghosts must be there too. Because this is true, why not that is true? Then the hell realm is also true. Now so it is now you know my mission for me is really protecting me. I don’t want to go to hell for sure. I don’t want to go to hot hell, I don’t want to go to cold hell. I don’t want to go to near hell, I don’t want to go to distant hell. So it is very funny: some people run away from catholic tradition; they don’t want to hear about the hell realm and you come to Buddhism you found eighteen sorts (balls?) of hell realm. Not golf balls (?).

1:20:14.9 You talk about it, there are eight hot hells, the number one is yangse....(?). Means dying and rising, dying and rising, this is a hundred times a day. And then goes down to Tikh nag ...(?) : black line. Below yangse.... (?) and then tin nagh..(?), make draw lines on your body and cut them out, all that kind of thing. Just like you are piece of four by four, two by four, four by four, two by two, this carpenters: they put those woods you know. Exactly what these carpenters do: they take a line and they put your, you know the wood and sometimes they don’t even cut you straight, they will make those zig zag , and they will make very carefully push through the machine. You remember, it was funny; when Chakja (?) Ling Rinpoche was talking this .... and .... and all this, you know this .... will draw the line and people hide and all this. I remember I keep on crying, crying, crying, crying, couldn’t stop crying for a couple of days. And one of my teachers said, showed me: take a radish ...(?), he said: I am going to show you the suffering of the radish (?) , they cut the radish , they did all this and all of those and then they laugh. It is funny: today you are laughing, another day, it is a good thing anyway.

1:23:20.8 So then .. (?) , below that crying, there like eight hot hells and eight cold hells and that’s sometimes to read and meditate is important. Sorry about that, I remember a funny joke but that’s (laughter) I don’t remember the joke very clearly. The joke goes like this: They found this guy, what was his name, Osama Bin laden, they found Osama Bin Laden going into hell realm. So he has to be assigned his job, they have to give his job, assign some place to do something. So they found, they opened one door, they said after you Osama Bin Laden, come right here now so we give you a sign so would you like to do this, they opened one door and they found Eisenhower, getting all the bullets shooting (at him). Osama Bin Laden said: I shoot, I don’t take it, I do that. Then they went another room, the opened, they found that the French president Mitterrand, doing, you know, hard labor, and they said: would you like to do this? He said: my kidneys are something wrong, my shoulders are broken: I can’t do that. Then they opened another door, this goes long: Tony Blair is found there, then they found another door, they opened another door. They found president Clinton with Monica Lewinsky doing the best they could.

So Osama Bin Laden thought: that’s you’re not bad. So I could do that. So they said, ohh fine, all right, ooh fine now. And then they told Monica: your time is up, now you go.

1:27:32.4 There is no certainty in our Karma, it may become that one, maybe replace Monica Lewinsky. That’s a joke but really no certainty because, you know, as I told you earlier: this, the moment you become sort of really evaporation, were you’re really looking for the new identity and all of them, you are really everywhere, and never know which Karma is going to connect. So I want to make sure that I don’t have to replace Monica Lewinsky. So right now, if I die, I may have to, there is no certainty. So who can help? Buddha, Dharma and Sanga and that’s why we take refuge. And that’s why, when you are taking refuge, cause of refuge is fear, right? There are not talking about the ordinary fear, they are talking about the fear of taking rebirth in hell realm, in the hungry ghost ream, in animal realm. So we can make jokes, but sometimes it can be very urgent. It could be very serious too and sometimes we face that serious(ness) and urgency. This the cause of taking refuge. Likewise in the hungry ghost, likewise in the animal realms: the purpose of taking refuge is to get protection from the lower realms.

1:30:42.6 So in order to take refuge, you also know whom are you taking refuge (to), though you have the Lama La up here. But that is the Buddha nature, or not Buddha nature: natural Buddha. Natural Dharma, natural Shanga. And that’s how you take refuge, right? After taking refuge, your supposed to follow them, the advises. And that helps us, guarantying not falling into the lower realms. At least one lifetime. The next is a different story again. So up to the refuge level is common with the lower level. So it was very short today, but still we have covered this common lower level. Since you have a lot of materials, you have, you can be short like this ....(?). You have to go, that’s why you have a teacher, that’s why you have a study group, That’s what you have a support system, that’s why you have group leaders, that’s why you have all this. So that’s to pick out the materials to meditate and go to. And I hope to cover the common with the medium level tomorrow. So whatever we have talked to you today, try to have that into practice.

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