Archive Result

5

GEHLEK RIMPOCHE

New York – Thursday Evening

(speaking in Ann Arbor)

4/01/04

Gehlek Rimpoche: OK, we’ll begin here. And first of all, those of you who are in New York, I owe apology. It’s not my fault, I went to the airport and they just canceled all three planes that’s going to go to La Guardia, JFK and Newark, so I don’t know whatever. They say bad weather, but I was told, Philip said, “There’s not even a storm here, what is this?” So I couldn’t get there, so my apologies. And I think I’d like to continuously talk where I left last time, that last Thursday. Last Thursday what we talked is the meditation focus on – who can focus or who should focus on what focal point? And there are two PowerPoints. The PowerPoint one, we are talking about in general what can be the focal point of development of zhi ne and specifically what we recommend at this level. [apologizes to Ann Arbor for disrupting their schedule]

So the general, I did mention though it will say four in all teachings, but out of four the first one they call pervasive meditation. Pervasive meditation is generally applicable for all kinds of meditations such as pervasive meditation has been divided into two categories: category that analyze on the focus point and category that do not analyze on the focus point. And a third point in that pervasive meditation is looking into the deeper reality of absolute-relative. And fourth is through those way of meditation, then transforming the meditative state, be able to transform. These are the four points under the pervasive, which really applies in total all kinds of meditations. So it’s really basically if it is meditation, they somehow should fall in one of those categories and particularly to last one. Whether you analyze or don’t analyze, but getting to the bottom of the situation and the meditative state should be transformed into a great positive. And I made that clear last time because on Thursday night there was a question raised I think by Karuna, so I think I made it more clear on that. But then the second point is the meditation according to the addictions, which I did talk last time, which I talked and said if your addiction is very strong on obsession, this, this, this meditations. If your addiction is very strong with hatred, this and this and that meditations. If your obsession is very strong with ego, pride, then this and that meditation. And if your mind is very, very unstable, always has to be jumping around, I gave the example of a monkey in the temple, if that is the case, meditation recommended is to focus on your breath. So these I did mention, but I have to be slightly talking because what I did not mention that day I’d like to clarify a little more so want to bring this.

What I did not mention last Thursday, what I want to emphasize today, because I said strong addiction, medium addiction and light addiction, either for hatred or obsession or pride or ego. So the question arises, how do I know I have a strong addiction or I have a medium addiction or I have a very light addiction? What makes these things happen? So where do you draw the line of being a very strong addiction or light? Buddha says here when the individual comes in contact with the basis on which we develop those, obsession or hatred or jealousy or pride or all those, what makes it strong…strong and weak we know. However, a person who maintains that state of mind for a long period is considered strong, according to the Buddha, or heavy. Let’s say if you are very angry, upset, and that becomes hatred. And if you maintain that within you for a long time, whenever the question of that person or dealing with that individual, the face and name, of course direct or even indirect like remembering face or name, talking about it, even then we rise the hatred strong and it further intensifies that hatred you are holding is making even more stronger and unable to let it go, that is considered strong. Why some people have more stronger, some people have less, what makes that happen? Buddha’s reply here, those of the people who do have this problem, who did have those problems, they never acknowledge that as a problem, they never saw the faults of those negative emotions, and never try to take antidote or try to work according to Buddha in their previous life, and they have much more stronger now. And those who had these emotions developed in previous life but you are unable to get rid of it – however, you have acknowledged it and recognized that as a problem, even you don’t do anything to get rid of it, you have information, you have knowledge and understanding these are the problems – those people in this life, even you develop those negative emotions but does not really mean a long time within the individuals. And the light ones, the last one, the light negative emotion people is also categorized almost three different levels. In general, the light one not only saw it, understood these negative emotions are a problem, but they worked, they tried to get rid of it. And because of that reason, in this life these people very difficult to grow or develop those negative emotions, it takes a lot for them to rise hatred, obsession or all those, jealousy, takes a lot in general. And then sort of subdivided among them. Some people only develop when it is really something huge; but middle level attraction or small, nothing happens. And then the medium level and the light ones, even though it does happen, the medium level when you come in contact with the subject that rises hatred or obsession, they just have a little stronger feelings and not that much hatred or obsession. And a very light one, almost nothing happens. So this is how Buddha divided. Not only divided, that’s how Buddha taught, according to the experience of the people. So now sometimes we think even though we try our best, nothing is happening here. But it makes a hell of difference in next life, in future life, if you are with the mind of incarnation. If you are not, you are not. If you are, that makes a hell of difference. So I thought I’d like to share that with you because last time I didn’t do it. So what makes it strong, what makes it light, what makes it very light is Buddha really credited that in their previous life.

Even in our own life, like today, if we recognize these negative emotions are not great, it’s terrible, it’s a problem, and we decide to get rid of it. We decide, we pass a resolution saying, “I shall not entertain Dr. Frankenstein till Monday,” as Allen used to say. So “I shall not entertain my hatred till Monday.” And if you stick to it, because of that effect in our mind, the next time or the next time after that or a number of times thereafter, your hatred, your anger, your temper tantrum will be much less, weaker and less, and it changes. That we all know with our own personal experience. It is not at all difficult for us. Our personal experience tells this. So when sometimes people may think, “Yes, yes, yes, hatred is bad but I like to have it” or something, “I like to entertain” or something. But you should really remember. Even we don’t have to think…Buddha talks about the previous life and its effect to this life. But the reality we can see by ourself in our own life between the years before, couple of years before and today, between today and a couple of years later, how strong, how effective these negative emotions to the individual, you will see the difference. This is nothing mystery. With the personal and our own experience we saw it, we witness other people going through this, we have our own experience – these tell us something, and that something we have to remember. That something may be a huge contribution to our life, to the well-being of our spiritual practice. So this much I should have said the other day and didn’t get it, so I made it very clear today.

And especially person like us, I think I mentioned last Thursday too, especially the Western mind, the mind that never trained before, the mind that never had any training. That’s not true. We did have a lot of training. All our educations through the kindergarten level to Ph.D. and teaching and working, whether you become a teacher teaching or become a professional person who executes your work, they are all training of mind, no doubt about it, because all we have taught ourself to think, to understand and to experiment and to work and to make a difference in our life. I’m talking about the life, everyday life, that we all know. So that was done through our mind. Body alone will not do. You know it, I know it. If it’s only body, then what do we call it? It becomes some kind of a robot, electronic person, mechanical person, not a person person. So it clearly indicates we work through mind, even in the material world. Anything. So the spiritual world too, it has to work through mind. So working through mind, first it’s important to give training to our mind. Let the mind focus the right thing. Don’t let the mind play being like a monkey in the temple, I told you the other day. Monkey in the museum. If the monkey is in art gallery and a show is going on, wow, we have a problem. Can you imagine the monkey is running around, tearing, scratching, or maybe throwing up on the paintings. It’s all possible. That’s exactly our mind. Our body has become like an art gallery, and our mind has become a crazy monkey in there. So that’s why it’s important to have this zhi ne, bringing peace and remaining in that. So this I have already said, out of those PowerPoints the general way who needs what.

So the point number two here, specific. Specifically, according to Buddhist teachings, it recommends to meditate on physical body of Buddha – not on statues, not on drawings, not on posters, not on photograph, but the real physical body of Buddha. Why? By focusing our mind on the physical body of the Buddha, from the Buddhist point of view we accumulate a tremendous amount of good karma or what we call lucky merit, good karma. Why? Buddha is one of the best supreme field of merit that we can get, and that’s the one reason. Number two, since it is a special field of merit, therefore, we can gain a lot of positive karma. We have found a subject or object to whom we can make offerings, we can make prostrations, body, speech and mind prostrations. We have found a subject on or at its presence that we can purify all our negativities, negative karma. We have also found subject on which we can rejoice. We have also found object that we can make a request, we can pray. We don’t simply have to pray something extraordinary in the air above us, somewhere middle of nowhere in the sky, we don’t have to think. We do have a real subject that one-to-one, person-to-person we can think, talk and mentally dialogue. And by doing it and with our own spiritual progress, we can even receive teachings, information. And especially in case if we die before any development that we have, before any guarantee that how we’re going to manage our future life, at least if we die by thinking of Buddha, that not only protects us from falling into the lower realms but also gives us a bridge to be able to gain either a pure land, pure birth, or at least good human being who will continue the work that we are doing. So it is very important. And if the individual practitioner happens to be Vajrayana practitioners, then it helps us to meditate the yidam or the mandala. Remember? Every yidam is guru, Buddha. Every Buddha is guru, yidam. Every guru is guru, Buddha, yidam. So these are the reasons, very important reasons, that’s why it’s recommended to meditate on the physical form of Buddha. So that also two things as I can think of it. Some physical form that we call it, it is Buddha form that we newly created, or something it is really original there though we created by mind. But if it’s just something newly created or something originally really there, two points. And every great Tibetan Buddhist masters recommend the later one, which means real original one there. Why? It helps us to develop intelligence faith. That’s why it’s recommended.

Now second point. This is the physical, and then I’m not going to talk detail about the Buddha image because I already talked a couple of Thursdays ago so I’m not going to repeat. But next Thursday I hope to introduce mind as focal point instead of Buddha image. I’m going to introduce mind as focal point, that also relative mind and the absolute mind. So absolute mind will probably cover the vipasyana level or lhak thong level. So over here I’m going to introduce relative mind as focal point. Some people may say this, thinking, “Oh, Tsong Khapa has emphasized, recommended very strongly use Buddha image with all these reasons that I give you. Why is he introducing the mind?” My answer to that, if you look in the Tsong Khapa’s Lam Rim, the great Lam Rim, Lam Rim Chen Mo, it is recommended to use Buddha image. But if you look in the middle-level Lam Rim, the middle-level Lam Rim will say you can focus on mind. So for my own defense, I will say it is not going out of Tsong Khapa’s rule or style or teaching. So next Thursday I’m going to talk about the mind as object of meditation.

So since I have already talked about how to think about the body of the Buddha, so I’m not going to repeat. But there are some important points which I have to say here. I suppose I can repeat because we have a saying in Tibetan, [Tibetan]: when it is important you can say two, three times; and when it is a dharma point, we can say a hundred times more. That is a saying in Tibetan. I mentioned a number of times and I’ll repeat again here. That is, when you are learning this meditation, the focal point what you’re going to focus is the mental image of the Buddha, which is an absolute reality, you think it is Buddha but then you made it in your mind to make it clear. That is the mental image of the Buddha; therefore, you don’t look in the Buddha’s image or thangka or painting or drawing and meditate. In that case, it will be eye training rather than mind training. The next point I’d like to say is, as I mentioned earlier, as you found just physical shape of Buddha, something like there’s a head and two hands and some kind of body and in general imagery, sort of basic physical imagery of Buddha is enough. Don’t try to clarify, it is important. But if you are a Vajrayana practitioner doing Vajrayana sadhana, then you have to try to have clear. But if you are simply learning zhi ne, practicing zhi ne, it is recommended not to try to make clarity. The reason why, because if you try to make clarity, perhaps it becomes obstacle to our focusing. So general is fine. But sometimes if you find some specific point of body, let’s say eye or nose or something, you can hold that. And if you are losing that, then hold the general thing. And within the general thing, like an eye or something, that’s OK. But what is not OK as follows: someone who likes to meditate Buddha as yellow but your mind telling you and showing you red, or you wanted to have something human vertical form but your mind will insist it flat or horizontal or something, and you want to focus one but you begin to see two, or you want to focus OK size but your mind wanted to have a big huge one or small one, or you wanted to have sitting but Buddha wants to get up and walk. And when you do this, it is very strongly recommend not follow the thought and try to focus, keep it on the original object of meditation. Very important to keep it.

And then next week I will talk about the mind point, how to focus on mind, and actually focal point of mind like we introduced Buddha image here, like that. When you find that sort of object, whether it is going to be physical form of Buddha or mind, so there are three points I’d like to clarify. What is really perfect meditation here, and what is meditation with the wrong false things, and how long one should meditate. What is the right thing to do, what is the wrong thing to do, and how long. So what is the right thing to do here is what kind of meditative level you need. This is what I’m talking to us, laypeople like us or beginner like us, what kind we need. We call it ting dzin or samadhi or meditative state, what we are looking. We said earlier keep on meditating, transform. What kind we are talking here. And such a thing what we need is two qualities should be combined together. That two quality is the focusing mind, it should be very clear – not only clear, but strong and clear both. I’m talking about the mind itself. I will come to this to make it clear to you. But the second point is completely single-pointedly focusing. So these are the two qualities: mind must be absolutely clear and single-pointedly focusing, combined two together. That is the right thing to do. Some people say on top of that you have to add up joy, makes three. Some people say add up clarity and makes four. Instead of two qualities, make four qualities. But Tsong Khapa disagrees with this. Why he disagrees? Especially he should agree with the clarity and joy. When you talk about the clarity, Tsong Khapa says there are two types of clarity you are talking about. We are talking two things, apple and the orange. Two things, two separate things. The first one, we are talking about the clarity of the mind which focusing, mind itself one clarity; and the other clarity is subject on which you are focusing in clarity, two things. So when we are talking about the mind clarity, example given here, traditional teachings gives you that example, it is a faultless, clean, clear, crystal glass, in that pollution-less, pure, wonderful water was put in. And which is exposed to the light, the sunshine light which is free of all type of cloud, no cloud at all. So completely pure like clean crystal glass with the pollutionless, wonderful water, cloudless sunshine together – that is the example of mind clarity. Now subject or object clarity if you are looking, let’s say if you are focusing that big pillar in the middle here. If you are looking in that pillar, you are not only looking to the pillar but you are looking deep, deep inside, so much subtle so that every item or molecule in that pillar, each and every one of them I can clearly see it, divide it and put it in the right place – that much clarity. So Tsong Khapa said this is the part of the quality which I said clear mind. So there is no reason why we have to add up clarity here. The quality of the mind I already mentioned. And second joy part. Joy part is the result of this meditation, so therefore there’s no point to add up. Therefore, the Tsong Khapa’s idea of with the two qualities – clarity and complete focus. Now you know the clarity too. So earlier I just left it at that, clarity, just said clarity, did not really tell you. So when I talk to you that you don’t need to add up here because these are the reasons, you begin to know why, what I’m talking about clarity. The mind clarity, remember this example – clean crystal glass, completely free of any kind of pollution, pure water, was exposed to sunshine, sun that is free of all clouds, perfect sunshine. Wonderful, clean glass, beautiful water in it, that clarity. That sort of mind should be able to bring that clarity, and that is the clarity we are talking about. Not simply just clear. And also the subject clarity, to be able to see deep inside every single point of molecules, being able to see. You can think, you can come to the point that “I can almost count each and every molecule.” That is the meditation. Single-pointed meditation needs these two qualities. When you say clarity and focus, means that.

I don’t think I will be able to entertain any questions because we will not be able to talk back and forth. So with this, I’m going to call it a day. Again, my apologies I’m not there, and that’s it. So thank you so much.

[END]