Archive Result

Soundfile 20030731GRNYOTF

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location New York

Topic Odyssey to Freedom

Transcriber Glenn Powers

Date 2021-09-02

Welcome tonight. And I like say, I did not know His Holiness Saka Trinzin 0:00:32.2 was giving a public talk in Tibet House tonight. If I knew that, we could have canceled it. But, I just knew late in the early evening. So, anyway, that and lack of information, we do have a problem. It is slightly disrespectful for me to have teaching here tonight. But, sorry about it. Okay, I like to conclude what I talked earlier, generosity, last week we talked the generosity, sort of really talk what generosity is, how it effects, six paramitas of generosity, all of those. So, like to conclude that. Conclusion for that is Tsongkhapa’s short verse, [Tibetan] 0:02:06.1 So, actually, I think it is in lines of experience, in there. [Tibetan] 0:02:14.6 The generosity is like a jewel that fulfills the wishes of all. [Tibetan] 0:02:27.6 because it helps and fulfills the wishes of all people. Because, that’s what generosity is about it. That is true to the individual who’s giving, that’s true to the people who receive. And that true to the object of refuge. That true to the person who is taking refuge, who is doing practice of generosity. It fulfills the wishes of all. And that’s why it’s like a jewel. Like a gem, jewel, fulfilling the wishes. It is like, you know, genie we talk about it, genie the lamp you rub and genie comes out and whatever you wanted. We have that story anyway. 0:03:51.4

Second verse says [Tibetan] 0:03:56.2 it is the best weapon that cuts the knots of stinginess. So, we like to be open, sharing, giving, nice. But, we always have that stinginess that hold us back. We can’t give. If I give that way, there will be nothing left for me when I need it. We talk that last week. So, don’t want to go back. But, stinginess is also a negative. It is negativity, emotion itself. It is negative emotion. So, it is hard to cut. Hard to cut. [Tibetan] 0:04:52.2 This is the best weapon that cuts the knots of stinginess. [Tibetan] 0:05:08.1 It is also a bodhisattva’s activity which the bodhisattvas gain tremendous self confidence, confidence, self confidence. Because when you, you know the giving is also practice by you, very slowly. We talk about great bodhisattas giving life and Aryadaywa 0:05:37.4 giving an eyeball and all of those. And then we talk about those. And then that is nice to talk, great to rejoice, wonderful to be admired. But, we can’t do it right now. We should not do it, we cannot do it, we are not capable of doing it. But, sort of gradually, we learn. Talking about Aryadaywa, tomorrow, I’m going to the Medicine Buddha thing, what you call it Mela 0:06:24.4 So, Mela Mountain Retreat. I’ll be there Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday morning. But, Sunday evening I have to be back to Michigan because our Summer Retreat starts. So, I’ll be there. Aryadaywa reminded me that. So, I Aryadaywa means one eyed guy. So, we make jokes about that. [Tibetan] 0:07:18.3 It is tremendous bodhisattva activity which really gain a self confidence and confidence, self confidence. And it really cuts, not only cuts the stinginess here, it also cuts the one type of laziness that says I can’t do it, I’m incapable of doing it, all of those. So, [Tibetan] 0:07:59.6 So, it really grows tremendous self confidence and it cuts down that laziness of I’m incapable, undermining yourself, it cuts down tremendously. 0:08:14.2

[Tibetan] 0:08:25.4 It also makes you, people like you. If you’re philanthropist, if you are giving, a lot of people like you. Because you’re giving. So, and they will talk to you about good things about you. [Tibetan] 0:08:49.6 Makes you popular. That’s, Tsongkhapa talks about that. That is the, I would like to conclude the generosity part. I think it is the, I’m quite sure it is the Lines of Experience or the shorter version of Tsongkhapa’s lamrim. Do you have it on your Palm Pilot? You do not have it at all. Okay, not even a booklet. [..] Not in Palm Pilot, okay. Did anybody bring shorter lamrim of Tsongkhapa? Nobody has it, right? So, I think that is the verse from there. So, that is the generosity part. So, today I like to talk about morality. Remember, the next is morality. 0:10:06.3

We always talk about morality here and there, little bit of this, little bit of that. And it comes in every time we talk a lot about this. But, still what is really morality, because I talk to you what is generosity and I give you the definition of it. So, I have to do the same thing with morality. What is morality? What does that mean, according to what I learned. Okay? Everybody will have different definition for morality anyway. People like to give you totally different definition. What I learned, I like to share that with you. But, also I’d like to say something on that, when you give such a definition, I don’t know how does the American system and language and all works. Where I come from, when you give the definition, there’s a certain rules that you have to apply. That is, every part of the morality should be part of the definition. And everything that fits this definition should be good morality. And also, funny, such a definition should be if certain act does not fits for the definition of morality, then that action or act should not be good morality at all. 0:12:48.5

So, it’s like four points. If this is this, then it has to be this. If this is not this, then it should never be this. And so that is the definition has certain sort of locking system which may be too philosophical or too dialectical here to talk about it. Because, you know, definition just does not mean description for where I come from. It should have to have this quality of it fits here, they have to fit there, if doesn’t fit there, should not fit here. If that’s sort of thing. And then you have both, the things that are not both. So, it’s like four points, they will lock in. So, the definition is not just simply a description, it’s a little more than description. I don’t know. I know nothing about Western philosophy, I am sure they have something to describe that. Must be one language. I don’t know. Anyway, what learned the definition of the morality is [Tibetan] 0:14:42.0 The mind of giving up anything that hurts or harm people. Whether it is action, cause, or base. So, the mind of giving up. I have language problem here as you can clearly see it. The mind itself, like I said generosity earlier, the mind of giving, here also mind of giving up those things that hurts people. The action, the cause, even the basis which causes the sufferings for the people, giving up that totally, is the definition, mind of giving up, is the definition of morality. And that clarifies tremendously. So, normally, you know, sometimes we’ll say breaking your commitment or doing this like that we say because it hurts. Breaking your vows hurts you. That’s why that is, a don’t like to say immorality, but that is wrong, lack of morality. So, for bodhisattvas, maybe it differs person to person, but for bodhisattvas are giving up people or hurting. The hurting people is either you’re bodhisattva or not bodhisattva, it goes for everybody. Hurting people, including yourself is almost a definition of negative act. Therefore, the morality gives the mind of giving up all that causes suffering for beings. [Tibetan] 0:18:06.9

The mind that you want to completely keep up. That is the morality here. And probably it’s different than normal American understanding of morality. That’s why morality really covers much more than smalls things like sexual orientations or whatever, all those things. It goes much more than that, much beyond than that. So, and then I talked lot normally with everything. So, made lot of statement last year or two about this morality. So, if you look it back, if I look it back, and if you look it back, you will see every points where I made point has effect of hurting people, harming and hurting. And there are, I think it is very good definition, really, so it really covers anything. There are people who says, like case of rape, this not that bad, I think it just blind. Because, the Tibetan tradition, if you read the text, they may not say rape is here, too. They may not count it. But, it is become sexual misconduct. And sexual misconduct is a sort of not good morality. It is sexual misconduct because it hurts other person. So, that’s why to some extend, it goes too extreme, anything in the sexual activities except just sort of certain thing is all sexual misconduct, they go too extreme. And sometimes, ignore completely even the rape cases and all that, because in the books, it’s not counted there, what you do wrong. So, all of those. Because you’re not thinking what really a point of morality mean. So, [Tibetan] 0:22:59.5 So, really morality is the mind that giving up any act, causes, basis, which really creates or may create hurt to people. So, mind of it. 0:23:22.4

It is mind that we are talking about it. When I say it’s mind, that doesn’t mean, again, I have mind of not doing it, but I did it. That doesn’t work. So, really the mind of not giving up all of those are the real point of the morality. That way, when you look on those questions that we have here, it also quite well answered by the definition itself. And also, the other issues, like the social issues, like war, antiwar, all of those and also, I can’t say poor war, but avocation of war and antiwar, and all of those are generally, and people might not even think that’s about good moral and immorality, people may not even think about it. But, when you look in this definition, that effects this. It also touch another social issue of, important issue, that is prochoice and prolife and that issue also touch from the morality point, too. So, everyday in our life, when, it’s not necessarily you learned today, but you heard what I learned. So, it really becomes a point of consideration for all of us, what is really morality is all about it. What you heard today is what I learned. What I learned today is not just somebody’s good ideas and thoughts, that comes through Buddha, from Buddha on wards. So, that is important point to think our sort of daily dealings, daily life, even the movement of the society itself, it will touch you, touch us.

0:26:38.2

So, basically, these are the points of the morality, the definition. So, then you know theoretically divided morality into three categories, [Tibetan] 0:27:16.7 Morality into three categories, category one, protecting yourself doing the wrong thing, which is basically not hurting people. Keeping your vows intact. And most of the vows, if you look at it, and Buddhist oriented vows are based on not hurting people. It is really two important point. Point one is not hurting other person. And point two, is by not hurting, sort of uplifting yourself, improving yourself by not hurting others. So, point of becoming celibacy, taking monks and nuns vows, and all of those, taking vows are by protecting yourself, not hurting others, you yourself uplifting. That’s why you take vows. That’s why you become a monk or nun or whatever. It’s not because you want to be a holy person and person superior than ordinary others. During the Buddha’s time, Buddha emphasized so much for the monks and nuns to behave like inferior person, rather than superior person. The beautiful dresses that they have today, with the beautiful yellow brocade red, whatever, all of them are originally, they cannot go naked, they have to wear some kind of shall type of thing. And that also raises obsession for the cloth and quality and color and all that. So, the color, the red and yellow are the inferior color at that time. If you look in Indian history, you will absolutely see it, this is the worst color that only women would wear. At that time, it is in that culture, in that society, so that is inferior color. 0:30:23.6

And the beautiful decorations now become decorations, at that time, you supposed to cut them. Cut them just is not just one single piece, pieces cut into pieces, completely. It does not fall apart, because holding together. It was all cut into pieces. Made it absolutely useless, other than just to wear it. And just to cover yourself. And they don’t have to worry about keeping warm, because it’s Indian heat. Honestly. So, cut it everywhere, doesn’t matter. Now, of course, become a nice decorations. It is wonderful that His Holiness the Dali Lama, if you look at him, he really completely sort of give all old fashions, nice way of wearing, nice expensive dresses, and it’s funny, you know, just before I left Tibetan, it is 1956, 57, 58, you know, if you look at those dresses, myself included, the low skirt is not just a wool will not do. It has to be number of knits, how close it’s knitted, everybody will have competitions who’s wearing what. You know, how good quality this skirt is. And then the shawl upper part of the shawl is not just woolen cloth, it’s not enough. It has to be pushmiro 0:32:46.5, it’s not just pushmiro it’s not enough, it has to be shadoosh 0:32:49.7, so all this. You know. That is how it’s supposed to be inferior this, become superior act. That’s where things go wrong. Now, if you look at, the great thing, because His Holiness, what he did it, first thing, is throw all those dresses out. And just got Indian cotton cloth, just wear it. Even those things, he has that yellow strap, originally, it is brocade. And not just brocade. You know, I have two or three jackets of that type. Has to be white Russian golden brocade. So, it is, if you look it in there, it’s so funny in the culture, that’s how it went. So, anyway, so it was purposely to be inferior became superior. And that is, if you become quality individual person. 0:34:05.2

Superior quality, great. Quality of the person gets worse. The other things makes you look inferior becomes makes you look superior. That is not very nice. I don’t know why I’m talking this for morality anyway. So, the three divisions, let me get to the point, the first division is protecting yourself from the downfalls. That makes keeping your commitments and vows. Again, when I say commitments, I’m talking about some people have sadhana commitment, some people have commitment to say this prayer, that prayer. That’s not talking about this at all. It is different commitment. Commitment, when you took vows, you certain vows, say I will do this or I don’t do that, so certain vows that we have taken. So, protecting that vow is the what I’m talking about commitment. I’m not talking about saying your prayer, or sadhanas, or going here, going there. I’m not talking about that. [Tibetan] 0:35:41.4 The second point is building, really building, as much virtue as you can. As many virtue you can. And that is basically two. The qualities which you don’t have, you try to develop those. And qualities which you already developed, maintain it. So, this are the basically two. Collection, accumulating of positive action really means the qualities we don’t have, try to develop. Qualities which already have, maintain it. So, that really concludes the second part of this morality called accumulating merit. And then the third one is the, since it’s bodhisattva activities, is the morality of helping people. This are applicable to the bodhisattvas and not hurting people are applicable to everybody. Helping people, it becomes morality for the bodhisattvas, not necessarily for everybody else. 0:37:21.5

So, what does that mean? What does really mean? That means everything, whatever we do, try to help people or try to help ourself, try to help environment, try to help society, try to do anything, whatever you do, do that with the mind of compassion, do that with motivation of love and compassion. When you do that, every action, whatever you take, with the force of love and compassion, it becomes this third pure morality. That includes all the activity of every spiritual work. Of course, each one of them, each one of those six paramitas, have all six round like I talked to you. The generosity, the morality will also have the generosity of the morality. That is when you know what really issue of the morality is, be generous, share with people. Don’t hesitate to talk to people what you know, don’t hesitate. Some people do, some people do. Some people do hesitate to talk about meditation. Some people do hesitate to talk about the practice. Some people do hesitate to talk about love-compassion for variety of reasons. Some people will think I don’t want to push the person. Some people will think yeah, but they may misunderstand me. So, all those are actually, with sincere and honesty, with the mind of love and compassion, you have to share it. If you don’t, you are undermining yourself and you’re also depriving yourself the opportunity of being generous about the information. 0:40:19.1

It is harmful, it is harmful to those people who you share information. It is also harmful to yourself, because you yourself have deprived opportunity of be generous for yourself has been deprived. So number of people have that feeling, well I can share to certain extent, I don’t want to talk about it. Because I am not, I do too. I do too, but I do talk when the place to be talking. But, I also do to. I say very often, I’m not Buddhist missionary. I’m not. I’m not. I’m not here to promote or propagate Buddhism, but I only share what I know. And what it helps me. And that part, one should not hesitate to talk about it. Because, that undermines ourself quite a lot and undermine ourself with all type of things, it undermine your own practice, it undermine helping people, it also undermines the bodhisattva activity of generosity as well as it cuts the morality as well. So, sometimes we have to understand that. And remember it. 0:42:24.1

I like to conclude now with Tsongkhapa’s verse [Tibetan] 0:42:49.2 This is the beautiful water in which you can clean all our wrongdoings. It’s true, when you have good morality, all wrongdoing cut out, one by one. [Tibetan] 0:43:17.3 It also like moonlight that give you cool effect of cutting down heat of negative emotions. And it’s true, particularly for us, a lot of our emotions are so much, negative emotions are so much to do with the something wrong with our dealings with people, functioning. I’m liked, I’m disliked, like, dislike, lifted up, dropped down, all of those are the roller coaster of emotions, negative emotions that we go through are something to do with our negative emotions all the time. Mostly it’s like, dislike, people accept me, not accept me, particularly this person accept me, particularly that person accept, did not accept, that’s all our roller coaster of the emotions. And if you’re looking your life, in the principle of perfect morality here, which is mind of giving up the action hurting anyone. So, all the causes of those roller coaster negative emotions are tremendously cut. That’s why Tsongkhapa says [Tibetan] 0:45:13.2 It is cool moonlight effect that relive exhaustion of negative emotions. [Tibetan] 0:45:30.0 I should have them by my heart. I don’t. [Tibetan] 0:45:43.0 When you know how to function your life, when you know what you do, what right to do and wrong thing not to do, and then you become like king of mountain among the hills. People look at you, people respect you. People, you become the role model of others. So, I think that’s what he means bottom line. He’s says it’s like the mountain Meru among the mountains. So, that’s what really he meant. [Tibetan] 0:46:30.7 You gain tremendous respect from people. You don’t have to force them. You don’t have to threat them. You don’t have to do anything, they automatically give you respect because you become the role model. This are the qualities of the good moralities do. And that cuts down how it protects how it protects from our negative emotional roller coasting sufferings that we do, we have lot, it is all cuts out. 0:47:14.2

I guess that’s it, I have to say. Before I close, I was told repeatedly to talk about it, right, there you go, I have that to. So, that is Cleveland Jewel Heart has invited this heart shrine relic tour. [..]

Audience: I have a question about generosity. 0:51:52.2

Rimpoche: Okay, there is a question about generosity. Okay. Let me finish what I’m saying. [..] Your question now. 0:53:06.7

Audience: A couple of weeks ago, you mentioned a verse from the Lama Chopa, which says something like inspire me to take the bad deeds and imprints of all beings to ripen upon me now and give them my hapiness and virtue.

Rimpoche: Yeah. [Tibetan] 0:53:36.3 I’m sure you have that in your Palm Pilot, right? [..] He had it by heart, better than Palm Pilot, giving that.

Audience: Through giving my happiness and generosity to others, may

Audience: That’s not what I’m talking about.

Rimpoche: It says body, [Tibetan] 0:54:10.2 Body, wealth and virtues of all three times. It becomes the goods and things needed by individual, whatever they desire to be. Something like that.

Audience: It says something about inspire me to take the bad deeds, imprints and sufferings to [..]

Rimpoche: Even in this Lama Chopa at that level, it says by generating the mind of giving it, constantly, continuously, always, we don’t talk about taking back here.

Audience: [..] That to me has, when I lately, that to me has a feeling of martyrdom to it. And I’m having trouble with that. And I’m wondering if you can help interpret that a little bit.

Rimpoche: Okay. [Tibetan] 0:56:37.3 So, okay. Before I talk to you, I think I did share here, there is right now a formal Tibetan government officer in Cleveland right now working with the Melvin Goldstein on the Tibetan dictionary and whatever it is. So he was arrested during the 59 Tibetan trouble, arrested and quite badly he said, they put all this, you know what they put on prisoners, what you call it [..] shackled, without any cloth, no socks, nothing, just on the bare skin, which they said cuts whenever you move, it goes harder and harder. They give very little food and long suffering. And there’s another Rimpoche, who I even know, was also there in the same thing. So, he asked him can you give me something to practice and think. He whispered, he just sort of whispered, making sure nobody else know, sort of took three or four days to complete that verse. [Tibetan] 0:58:54.5 So, all the sufferings of all others, may be ripen on me. Right? By giving my virtues and everything to the others. And all may become joy and happiness. Sort of, roughly. That was the thing. So, and this particular officer that I’m talking about it, from the sectarian point of view, he’s anti-Gelupa, quite strong used to be. And he even said whenever he’s sharing the story to me, and when you get into prison like this, the question of Gelupa, non-Gelupa all gone, there’s nothing left. And needs something. So, that was shared by this Rimpoche, I think it’s called Tripzan Ripmoche 1:00:07.9 shared to him and that practice really sustained that guy through a tremendous amount of torture and all this. Even today, he’s not only alive, but he also knows Chinese, he knows English, he knows everything. So funny, he even knows how to make blue jeans, how to cut bundles of the blue jeans together. So, all of those. So, all of them, he sort of gained from there. And that was practice that really protect that guy from 15 years in jail with those shackles. Before I comment on anything on that, I like to share that. 1:01:17.9

It is very hard for us straight away to take all the suffering and pain of others on me. And that’s why they made that secret. The secrecy is because of that reason. People get shock and it becomes something not really a thing, sort of too much. It’s not considering ourself enough. After and then put them together. And this give you lot of reasons why you can think that way before that. And that gives you the faults of self cherishing and benefits of cherishing others. And like almost concluded [Tibetan] 1:02:23.7

In short, I’ve been cherish, self cherishing for all my lives, Buddha chose to cherish others and what consequences we received. And judge from that. Then, somehow follow. That also in prayer form, not in action for. Praying I will be to the level of taking that much without any hesitation, without anything. And also, there’s another verse, whether it’s below there or lot, they sort of, I call it nine bullet of ego busting. One of those bullet will say when you take those, when they literally come, where you going to put it? And it’s not going to hurt yourself, not going to put on ourself, but putting on our egos. Using that as ego destruction as well. So, when you put all of them together, and it is very good one. It’s really goodies. Really, really true. But, if you just pick up suddenly in the middle then it’s little bit of strange. Thank you. Yup?

Audience: [..] I know the three categories, but at some point you mentioned four points.

Rimpoche: Did I?

Audience: [..] 1:04:22.0

Rimpoche: There are points which are neither. The pillar of this house is neither definition, this is too much geshe talk, the pillar of this house is neither the definition nor morality, it’s just pillar. That’s the fourth point. Sorry. Yes?

Audience: [..] spiritual, physical problems there’s various practices you can do such as White Tara where you’re sending them some sort of healing light rays or the tonglen practice. Is there other than saying long life prayers, is there some kind of visualization practice one can do if your lama or somebody like His Holiness, you want to help them with difficulties they are facing.

Rimpoche: Well, if you look in that White Tara practice, it also has special category of doing a longevity practice for your gurus. They have that. There’s different visualization and all of them. But, I like to point it out, whatever you do, even you think we’re doing practice, let’s say for the longevity of Dali Lama, I don’t know whether it contributes to the Dali Lama or not. It certainly contributes to ourself tremendously. So, whether it really effects the Dali Lama or not, that’s different issue. But, it definitely effect ourself tremendous for longevity or healing, whatever. One of the last words that Kabje Ling Rimpoche, the senior tutor to His Holiness, in official, in open, during the daytime, told me do the longevity practice of White Tara.So, immediately the manageer of Kabje Rimpoche heard that. So, when I came out, he immediately packed up a scarf and money in there and Kabje Rimpoche requested you to do the long life, White Tara long practice. So, normally custom is give you some money and a scarf, requesting you to do. He’s thinking he asked to do for Kabje Rimpoche. But, my understanding is, the Kabje Rimpoche asking me to do for Kabje Rimpoche means to do for me. So, this is how it works. 1:08:13.7

Audience: [..] to do something like tonglen for somebody like His Holiness.

Rimpoche: Good question, I don’t know. I never thought about it. Perhaps it is. Let’s say it’s object of refuge. So, you give everything in the form of offering. And take blessings. I don’t know. I think it’s interesting question. I have to think about it. Really. But, I think it is, I never did it, I won’t do it, I don’t know. Really, I don’t know whether it’s appropriate or inappropriate, I don’t know. But, on the other hand, when you do it, tonglen practice for all sentient beings, all living beings, that includes all living beings. That includes everybody, everything, too. When you talk about this purification, four powers, power of base, and they give you two points. Point of taking refuge as well as generating compassion. So, why two? You do not generate compassion to all unenlightened beings. So, all of them you have to consider before you say it is yes or no. I don’t know, I’m sorry. Okay, I presume there’s no more questions. Thank you so much.

[dedication]

Thank you.

[end of audio]