Archive Result

SR 2004, tape 1: 20040711GRSR1

As you know we always have at least two at least a weeklong important teaching retreats each year. In one we emphasize open and what we call it sutra path. In the other retreat we emphasize more the Vajrayana, tantra path. That’s how we divide these two different retreats in Jewel Heart so far. That’s what we have been doing. Before we had these retreats earlier, we had been doing sort of long Lam Rim teachings. That is almost every weekend we had a teaching in Ann Arbor and people from various parts came in, particularly from Chicago, Cleveland area, and Indiana people drove every weekend. We did that for five or six years. At the start of the retreat there was a major focus open in the summer. As a matter of fact, I think it was somebody’s recommendation to do this if I remember correctly. Then in winter we have a closed retreat. That’s what we have been doing. Whether we do it open or not open, whatever we call it, I think people are here because they would like to help themselves and help others.

So, help themselves or help others, what I know is only that I have learned as a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, as incarnate lama, at a young age. Whatever I know I can share with you as Buddhism, that is the only thing I can share with you. Whatever Buddhist or other blah, blah, the color or or shape whatever. We will share whatever we can. It doesn’t matter. It is all okay. The only thing you will hear from me and the only thing I can share with you is only what I know. What I know is only that of Tibetan Buddhist teachings that I have studied and learned and tried to think and meditate a little bit. That’s all I can share with you.

The person who comes here to listen, do you have to be Buddhist? No, you don’t. It is true you don’t have to be Buddhist. If you want to, nobody will get you. It is not compulsory to become Buddhist or anything. From a Buddhist background I’m talking to you. Even if you want to pick certain things in there as a non-Buddhist that will be fine. There is no rule. There is no compulsory discipline that we tell you if you don’t do this, or you don’t do that, we are going to hang you and hit with a stick. We don’t do that. What happens is whatever you will hear is really an established thing together. So, if you pick up things here, pick up things there the pieces may not fit together. If you think you can jump from here to there I don’t know. You may be able to do it. You may not be able to do it. Even if you pick up one little thing and try to improve yourself, that you can also do. That’s the reason what we mean this is open. In Vajrayana you can’t do that. The beginning of the Vajrayana is initiation. You must get an initiation. Right from the beginning the moment you are in Vajrayana right from the beginning it becomes what you refer to as heavy stuff or whatever you call it. That’s why we have a closed retreat in Michigan. That’s the reason we do during a miserable time in Michigan. So, we call it miserable retreat. Here this is an open retreat.

We do say some Buddhist prayers. If we don’t it becomes so funny. You know what I mean? Like the Heart Sutra it is something that every Buddhist everywhere they chant in any tradition anywhere you look. That’s why we do say the Heart Sutra and that because of, actually there are a number of reasons. The most important reason is that is what the Buddha really experienced by himself to overcome the difficulties by himself is the basis for the Prajnaparameta or the transcendental wisdom. That transcendental wisdom he shared in words. That is the basis for that Sutra. So that is wisdom to share is the essence of Prajnaparameta Sutra or the transcendental sutra. The very short one is called the Heart Sutra. The reason why we chant this sutra is in any Buddhist tradition wherever you go so far in this world. It is the Buddha’s wisdom and his development. Buddha was overcoming difficulties and negativities. That’s what he shared us, the essence is Heart Sutra. So that’s why we chant the Heart Sutra. Also, we chant the Heart Sutra in mantra form. The mantra is not the complete the Heart Sutra.

A number of younger generation people here. I don’t want you to forget I did give a teaching on this GATE, GATE, PARASAMGATE, BODHI SOHA for a couple of months ago. I think it was on Tuesdays. What is this GATE, GATE, PARASAMGATE , BODHI SOHA? What does it have? There are five stages in there what the Buddha shared with us. Wherever Buddha is, that is called the stage of no more learning. That’s where Buddha is. You can learn nothing more. (10:00) you know everything. You are total knowledge. You reach, you reach the highest stage, whatever you can reach in development. That is called the place of no more learning. No more learning, the fifth stage we call it, the fifth level.

The fifth level, one doesn’t get it, no more learning without doing the the fourth level, which is meditation. The fourth level is called “meditation.” The fourth level is divided into nine stages. That’s not nine stages that I am talking in the meditation level. People may confuse. Those of you who have not heard, the nine stages in the fourth level, meditation levels are called the big-big, big-medium, big-small, medium- big, medium-medium, medium-small, small-medium, small-big. It is the capacity of the individual, how much that individual can digest the wisdom according to that, that nine stages developed.

In order to reach to these nine stages, whatever the stage is, in order to reach this, whatever you meditate on you can’t just see it. You have to learn it. That pushes up to the fourth level from the third level. The third level is called the path of seeing. What do you see? You see the true reality. You see the wisdom. In other words, whether you say it or don’t see it. If you learned the wisdom, then it’s called the path of seeing. If you did not learn it, you are not on that path, simple. No question, no mystery, nothing. Very simple, though it has three different sort of stages. The first one is not directly knowing, but somehow you have your development, knowledge. The second is you are directly seeing it, encountering it. Third is aftermath because it has some crazy things in there. That is why it is called “aftermath.” That doesn’t mean you become crazy. Aftermath of it. Without seeing, without knowing it, you cannot meditate. That’s why without third you cannot get to fourth. We can say, you can sit with open mouth, doesn’t matter. You can sit as long as you want to but that doesn’t count in this particular level. No, it is not. In this particular level of the meditation almost ninety-nine-point nine percent of the Buddhist meditation done in the United States or in Western Europe, meditation is done. It is not counted at all, at all.

You are just sitting there, nice, mental relax, enjoy, and relax, mental relax, physical relax. Fine, great. That’s why we have to find the Shinay that we have been talking about. Without Shinay you don’t see it. That’s why Shinay becomes important in the path. This year we are devoting to Shinay on both Tuesday and Thursday, one based on Bodhicaryavatara and the other based on Tsong Khapa’s Lam Rim. Why we are doing this because without that you don’t see it. You don’t have access, what traditionally is called the vipassana. The word, vipassana, I think people use it for anything, and everybody called it vipassana. Really, the true vipassana, what happens is not just the usual insight meditations. That’s called vipassana in this country now, but true vipassana is obtaining true wisdom. Seeing or getting through vipassana it all becomes the third path.

Third path cannot be reached without getting the second path. Second path is called path of action. Where you take a lot of actions. There are only two actions. That is purification and accumulation of merit. Particularly, that second path, the path of action is actually contemplating. Almost everything what we are been doing so far, the good ones, except for a few that I don’t know about. So far what we have been doing, everything is within the framework of, the good ones, are within the path of action, and not so advanced ones within the framework of the path of accumulation. Most of us have not even reached that, we are what is called lay persons. In traditional language is ones that have not yet entered on the path. Most of us are there, but when you enter in the first, it is going to be the path of accumulation. Accumulation means building luck.

If you are not lucky you cannot have a great spiritual path at all. That’s why the first path comes, the path of accumulation, and accumulating merit. Merit is an interesting word, but actually what you are really accumulating is luck. Luck that I will make it. If you are not lucky you will never make it for sure. Whether you use your luck to build money or whether you use your luck to build your spiritual path, or if you are very lucky you can have both. If you are not very lucky you can have one of them. That’s the human capacity. Human beings have that capacity. That is when you are looking from the window of Tibetan Buddhism. That’s what we see as spiritual development.

There are layers, there is stages, there is measurements, there is the signs that you know where you are. I like to say if you don’t know where you are, you should know what you are knowing. Truly, a lot of people say, “I don’t know where I am, but I should be somewhere.” Yeah, you should be somewhere, but you are at the place where you don’t know where you are. That means you did not really get to that measurement level yet. That’s basically the five paths. That’s what we do when we say practice. We say do a spiritual work means pushing ourselves through these stages, through this way, and through these (20:00) activities. That’s what is meant to me, a spiritual practice.

To make that easy to us there is even the path of accumulation what I said where we don’t know where we are. Most of us are at that level. When you are at that level, how do I make it from this, ordinary not knowing where I am to extra ordinary where Buddha is today and how did Buddha get there? Or is he some kind of son of God that has just come down from the sky to do something for us. In Buddha’s own description of this Buddha said, “No, I was just like you. You and I were the same, same capacity, same level, same problems. But I had been a little fortunate and I had a little luck. I was a little more enthusiastic than you are. You have been a little unlucky and you have been a little lazy. So that’s why you are here today and I’m there today.” That’s what Buddha said.

Which means the path of the spiritual practice and the spiritual path that Buddha is sharing is not a mystery. It is not supernatural. It is not just a crazy idea cooked up by someone who has been sitting in the corner for the and writing their thoughts. It is simply based on an individual's experience that has been put together. So that’s where this Odyssey to Freedom or Lam Rim, whatever you call it, has come out of. It is simply reaching the individual like us trying to bridge to that first lane; the first lane is the path of accumulation. Try to bridge that. What I’m saying is you can pick up anything, you can drop anything you want to, but if you goal is to make that road, whatever you drop out you have to make sure you bridge. If you bridge to where you are going, then you can drop anything in between. It is perfectly okay. If you cannot bridge, if you are going to fall in the ditch, then it is your problem. That’s what I like to say before I talk about it.

A number of you have thought, “Hey, I have heard the Lam Rim so many times.” But I don’t think many of you know the long one, just medium or medium-short. You may think, oh, I have heard this so many times, I know this. That’s okay. As far as I remember I attended the complete Lam Rim teachings something like thirty times. I don’t know exactly. There are some parts that I can’t count, because I forgot so many things.

Therefore, number of people may even tell you that the Lam Rim is something that the Gelugpas use. Fine. Maybe you are not Buddhists. Tsong Khapa is not the author of the Lam Rim. The Buddha is the author of the Lam Rim. That’s why, because it is Buddha’s experience based. It is the Buddha who shared his experience in the form of sutras. Some people think Lam Rim is Gelugpas’ thing. Yes, it is Gelugpas’ thing. Gelugpas have been very fortunate that Tsong Khapa was able to interpret and suit to our level, and extremely intellectual level too, and extremely intellectual, very practical. Combined together, there is intellectual and the practical what I call the the cow teachings. Telling the cows how to stand, how to sleep you know? That’s what I have been talking the last couple of weeks at least to those of you who have heard, which we call it in the West practical teachings. Hey, you have to sit down, put your legs crossed, sit down and keep your body straight. These are not teachings to me.

Remember I talked to you a story, a Tibetan teacher, who tried to teach knowledge. You can see the name by saying knowledge. That teacher happens to be a very nice, gentle educated person. He taught this knowledge. He is teaching the Tibetan alphabet. The Tibetan alphabet is not a, b, c, d., no. It is ga, ka, ka, not. This teacher told the knowledge. A nice gentleman first he said ga. So, they repeated, this nice gentleman, first he said ga. The teacher said don’t say such a thing, just say ga. So, he said repeated, don’t say such a thing, just say ga. Then the teacher got mad. He used all these words you know, and he said say ga. So, they said say ga. He said get out of here you are learning nothing. So that is exactly how we call it cow teaching. If you are a cow, you have to teach a cow, you really have to say do this, do that. That is really what you have to do.

But with educated people you don’t do that. As an educated person, you get the information. Utilize. Analyze within your mind. Work a path for yourself, suited to you. Because a number of times (30:00) I may not be able to repeat this teaching. A number of times you people might not be able to miss it. A number of times you might be able to read or a number of times you may not be able to read. You have to make your own path, so I really want you to think this time that you’re going to make your own path from here to accumulation of merit. After that don’t let up. Don’t let up.

There are a number of different Lam Rims, right? So, it doesn’t matter. They all work on the same principle, same system. Even though the other traditions such as Kagyu, or Nyingma or Sakya all those, they may not call it Lam Rim. They may call it some different names, but what they are really teaching is the same old stuff. Those of you who are used to it you will know it. First and foremost, they may say you don’t have to do anything just sit and meditate. Yes, you sit and meditate, but you have to think this. In order to think this, you have to do this, and in order to think this, you have to do this. That’s how they teach you. In other words, there is no…I don’t know any other way to help ourselves to do this.

It is time for us to be able to make your own, based on anything, Odyssey to Freedom, Lam Rim, even a good one, or even out of the four principles. Every created is impermanent, every contaminated thing is suffering, every phenomenon is contaminated. This is Tibetan Lam Rim. It’s there. You can talk or not. It is not necessarily in between breaks. Also, the tradition where I belong to it is always the teachings are on basis of certain books. I’m going to base on this. I’m going to grab one little booklet today out of my shelf. There are three or four different Lam Rims in here. Anyway, if I’m more or less, if I’m going to talk out of this and you are going to be more or less. I think I remember two years ago I did the Lam Rim based on the Delam, the Smooth Path (to Enlightenment) by the First Panchen Lama. What I try to do today is the Delam. It is actually the commentary on the Smooth Path by the Third Panchen Lama. Most important we have noticed on this Lam Rim there are eight great commentaries on that. Eight great commentaries plus Pabongka’s Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand makes nine.

So, nine combined together I received together from Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche two, three times in Tibet and a couple of times in India. All the commentaries together plus the first time Pabongka’s book, Liberation was printed in Tibet, nineteen fifty-four or fifty-six. He did that teaching, but in this eight, this Third Panchen Lama’s Nu Lam is also included. And also, I received this teaching from Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, when I was nine years old, maybe eleven years old, for the first time. That is the time when he started crying, talking about sufferings in the hell realms.

What happens is in these Tibetan traditions you find them they rely on a lot, taking for granted we know. There was a tremendous gap I find in what the Western mind knows and what they share with the Tibetans. There is a big gap sometimes, sort of taking granted. For example, the reincarnation. The acceptance of reincarnation is taking for granted by almost every Tibetan in Tibet. It is sort of reincarnation is taken for granted. You know I have doubts about reincarnation, I could not ask anybody. I was afraid. They probably think I was a devil or something for sure. That much habit is there. In the West if you accept reincarnation, you are probably out of your wits, some crazy, weird liberal, whatever. There are a lot of those taking for granted parts I try to catch in between.

I’m not going to be reading it. If I do so, I’m not going to finish. I will be making shorter at the beginning part and longer with the six parameters because every time it’s opposite. Every time it’s opposite in the beginning it’s detailed and then it’s shortcut. I remember two years ago Marianne Sutras from Holland and I was talking to her about six parametas and she showed me two lines. For each parameta that’s all just only two lines for each parameter. That’s not very good, so I try to make it longer this time at the parametas’ level.

What the Third Panchen Lama says: I’m here now, the fortunate ones who are just looking for fancy ideas and not looking for poetry, but really looking to make a difference to yourself, (40:00) and leading yourself to total enlightenment. In order to lead you to the total enlightenment I have two outlines of this Lam Rim done. That’s how they talk to you. For me if you are simply looking for some nice words, very artistic like poetry all of those types. If you go for that you can stay at that. If you are seriously considering ending your suffering and making the best of yourself, your spiritual path, then you should be looking for no more learning.

To reach you to that level is two outlines, he says. Outlines are actually not really outlines. It is like PowerPoints. He says explaining the lineage and the traditions and why do we do this unless by doing so you realize what the steps are involved as how we follow. When you understand that, actually you when you are convinced that is right, then second point, second outline, I will share with you. It shows you how to think. It’s like two outlines.

It’s going to tell you the lineage people because lineage people are going to be needed. For you, for me I take it for granted. For you, no you don’t. You don’t even know who the hell these people are. Some guy back in the Himalayas in the fourteenth century, eighteenth century, eleventh century, two or three in the eighteenth century whatever. But still, you don’t know who in the he’ll they are. However, they are names of people. They have their dates, and they have their biographies, and what they did, and what they make it, how did they share? What their legacy they left. All this we know, even though we don’t know head and tail who they are. They did that and there were tens and hundreds of thousands of them. That should convince you. One person can lie. Two persons can lie. Hundreds of thousands cannot lie and write volumes and volumes of literature. They can’t you know.

By telling you it will help you to at least give you the benefit of doubt, instead of shutting your mind, just the benefit of doubt. If you are really convinced, then you will be interested to learn how we do this. That’s why these two outlines, what they have done before. It looks like a concert volume box over there. Who are these people and then when you realize they really made it, that inspires you and you would like to follow the same thing. That’s really what they are talking about, why they tell you stories. You know that’s really what it is.

The first, where did it come from? The Tibetans have a system, if you want to drink good water, the water must come from snow mountains. Tibet has nothing except good water. Water is really good. It is whatever the million years and whatever the snow mountains up there gradually melting, and that is really good pure water. Tibetans have a habit. They don’t even drink even spring water they don’t drink much. They really don’t drink water unless it really comes from snow mountains. Anything bubbling up in between and coming out is very doubtful because you get sick. That’s what they say, “You get sick.” It used to be at least before nineteen fifty-nine, up to nineteen fifty-nine.

Anyway, just like in order to drink pure water you make sure the water comes from the snow mountains. Likewise, when you want to follow a good spiritual path, you make sure the teachings come from Buddha, based on the Buddha’s experience. That because it is Buddhist. It come from Buddha. That’s why they say Buddha. That doesn’t mean only Buddha. It doesn’t say that. It simply says make sure it comes from Buddha, because it’s Buddhist. That’s only what I know. You don’t want to say something that you don’t know. If you do so, you are not only going to mislead yourself, but you are also going to mislead other people too. So that’s why, it makes sure.

These three scoped Lam Rims, when you look in the lineage prayers. The first one is, would you please open to the lineage prayers? The first one says:

PAL DEN TSE WAI LA MA RIN PO CHE

DAG GI CHI EOR PA DA TING ZHUG LA

KA DRIN CHEN PO GO NA JE ZUNG TE

KU SUNG TUG KYINGO DRUP TZAL DU SO.

It is specifically requesting from the root master. The second verse:

PHUN TSOK GELEK JEI WAI TRUN PAI KU

THA YEI DRO WAI REI WA KONG WAI SUNG

MA LU SHEI JA ZHIN SIGPAI THUG

THUB WANG DORJE CHANG LA SOL WA DEB

SHAKYA TO means the most important person in the Shakya clan. The Buddha was born into the Shakya clan. I changed that into THUB WANG DORJE CHANG because we don’t have time to go through all this. THUB WA refers to the Buddha. DORJE CHANG refers to Buddha Vajradhara. THUB WA DORJE CHANG It is the combination of sutra Buddha and tantra Buddha, combining them together. THUB WA DORJE CHANG. So, it is one person, it is Buddha Shakyamuni. It is the Buddha. It is Buddha Vajradhara, Buddha Vajradharma, (50:00) Buddha Shakyamuni, the early Indian prince historical Buddha, and the Buddha, my spiritual master. They are all the same. That’s why DORJE CHANG is the Buddha. We are referring to that.

I don’t want to explain, it’s like cow teaching, when you don’t know how to teach. JE WAI means JE WAI, GELEK means GELEK. JE WAI means million. That means the person doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Remember one of those cow teachings? This is the cover, this is the Tibetan book, this is Tibetan writing, nothing difficult you cannot say it. You are simply wasting your time by doing that. He doesn’t know what GELEK means. He says GELEK means GELEK, JE WAI really means a million. It also in Tibetan language means mice too. Actually, the person doesn’t know what CHO means. He doesn’t know it’s referring to the Buddha. Actually, GYA CHEN CHO PEI GYU LA SOL really means body of the Buddha, is not just an an ordinary body, the body wonderful, auspicious, millions of them accumulated body. THA YEI DRO WAI REI WAI SUNG. Your speech is not just sound, or not only just irritating noise, not only just sound but sound that fulfills the wishes of millions of human beings, countless human beings.

MA LU SHEI JA JEI ZHIN SIG PAI THUG, the quality of your minds is total knowledge, if there is anything to be known you know it. When you don’t know it, it is a sign that it does not exist. By saying this it gives you the quality of what no more learning is all about. No more learning, when you reach that your body will be not simply just a contaminated collection of fat, all those grubbing bones and all of those. It is millions of virtues that are accumulated because Buddha’s body in one way it is a simple ordinary human body. On the other hand, the extra ordinary body is our virtues that we accumulated now. It becomes that body. That’s why it becomes an uncontaminated pure body. DORJE CHANG. Such a thing is called a vajra body which neither has death or birth, that qualitative body that comes out of the tremendous virtues that we do, the work that we do.

Even the mandalas are not just sandcastles that kids build, though it’s done by sand mandala. It is not just a photograph. It is not just a drawing tantra. It is the actual virtual and living environment of that enlightened being. The walls of the mandala are not just concrete or dry walls or the junk that you put in between for insulation. It’s not. It is the pure work, pure like a door. It is like a door. For example, the door is not just steel or wood or junk. It is the door of the four mindfulnesses. By doing mindful now, that mindful becomes your door later. That door is made out of mindfulness which you have it.

That’s the reason why accumulation is necessary, because when you build your merit, there is no door. There is no mindfulness because you are watching TV all the time. So, there is no mindfulness. That’s what it is. The body, the mind, the speech all are extraordinary. We are praising Buddha in that way. Another message, why I decided to go on this? That tells you that’s why you do it. That’s what you are going to get. That’s what you are looking for. That’s what body you are looking for and the speech you are looking for. That’s the mind of the deity. That’s your inspiration and that’s your goal. That’s where you are going. That’s your destiny. That’s what it is.

Then you look at the next verse. There are two lineages: one is called vast; the other is called profound. What does the vast do? The vast part talks to you more on compassion and so forth. The profound lineage talks to you more about wisdom. In other words, that combination of the wisdom and the compassion is the two lineages. The first verse is:

GYA CHEN CHO PEI GYU LA SOL WA DEB

I pray to the lineages who are in the vast teaching tradition. That includes Maitraya, Shantideva, Asangha, and so and forth. The second verse will tell you:

ZAB MO TA WEI GYU LA SOL WA DEB

Which means the wisdom lineage, that is Manjushri, Nagarjuna and all that lineage. When you say the prayers if you look in the Lam Rim lineage, there are like pages and pages of the names, supplications, prayers of all this from Buddha up to Atisha in the tradition of the vast teaching and in the tradition of the profound teachings. We don’t have time not only to say those names or even to read it. Even to read it will take seven days alone for that. Therefore, I made them short saying I pray to the lineages in the vast tradition, and I pray to the lineages in the profound tradition. I also pray to the lineage that has blessing practice tradition.

So up to Atisha actually vast and profound lineages, these two join at the level of the Atisha. Why are we tracking to Atisha? (100:00) Because we only got through to Atisha who happens to visit Tibet from India. So, we are sort of pinning down on Atisha. That’s the reason why. Atisha started a lineage called “Blessing, Profound Practice Lineage.” This is the third one.

NYAM LEN CHIN LAB GYU LA SOL WA DEB

Within that lineage actually there are three Kadampa traditions. These are old Kadampa, not new Kadampa traditions. Not new Kadampa, old Kadampa. Kadampa traditions. One is called the straight (authoritative) Lam Rim Kadampa. One is called the mainstream (essential)Kadampa and the other is called the Wall Street Kadampa! I’m joking. The other is called the practice oriented Kadampa, so two Kadampas, Kadampa traditions. From Buddha two lineages joined together at Atisha. From Atisha two old Kadampa traditions joined together at that level. To make it short, that’s the reason why if you look at the Lam Rim lineage, a bunch of lamas from here, bunch of lamas over there, five or six or seven whatever there are. From Tsong Khapa onwards it’s known as the New Kadampa. Therefore, when you see this New Kadampa, they are all New Kadampas. Not necessary Geshe Kelsang Ghato’s, but all new Kadampas.

Tsong Khapa had a direct teaching from Manjushri talking about the three most important points of the practice. Number one, traditionally it’s called renunciation. A number of translators keep on telling us you cannot use renunciation because if you tell renunciation people will think we are telling them you have to give up all your life and go to forest or go to retreat or go to a monastery or something. That’s why telling us not to call renunciation. So, some people call it freedom or whatever and all kinds of things.

There are good and bad points from this. The bad point is by telling them renunciation people may think you have to give up everything. That is the bad thing. If you really think what true renunciation is then it has a plus side. It doesn’t mean give up your life, it doesn’t mean give up your family, it doesn’t mean give up your material life. It means cut the attachment, cut the obsession. In other words, yelling you to give up the obsession. Renounce the obsession. That’s what it really is talking about, seeking freedom.

Second and third you know. These are compassion and wisdom. These are the three most important, the essence of Lam Rim, the main points where you can help yourself. The main points where you can make a difference to yourself are these three things. These, Tsong Khapa had this from Manjushri. Later, Tsong Khapa had teachings from different traditions.

He made a huge Lam Rim, over nine hundred pages. Five hundred Tibetan volumes, so more than one thousand pages Lam Rim. Tsong Khapa thought that’s too detailed, so he made medium one. Then he thought that’s too detailed, so he made a shorter one. Then you have easier ones, Lines of Experience, and then Foundation of All Perfections. It comes everywhere, even four lines too. In essence the experience of the Buddha that is coming through the profound and the vast and practical, mainstream tradition. These are the Kadampa traditions. All combined together and made them into these stages.

If I keep on reading it, I have to read a little bit here. Before Tsong Khapa wrote theseLam Rims or when he gained this experience about this experience he was staying in a little monastery, called Reting, which was built by Atisha’s disciple Drom Rimpoche. One thing, I’d like to tell you this, Atisha when he first came to Tibet from India, he was requested by the Tibetan king who invited him and told him I don’t want fancy teaching, I want the essence of what Buddha learned when Buddha became a Buddha and what the great Indian sages, scholars practice. So, he gave him the root of the Lam Rim and Atisha called the person who requested him a good disciple. But when Atisha was there, people are requesting this initiation, that initiation all fancy stuff rather than actual Lam Rim. No one requested Lam Rim teaching.

Finally, he gave this to his disciple Drom Rinpoche, who doesn’t wear a monk’s robe, wears a long robe. In sort of my crazy opening, any Tibetan who hears this would be horrified, I think Drom Rinpoche was a woman. At that time people are not willing to accept a woman up there, so Drom Rinpoche wears these funny clothes with big, long belt that goes (1:10:00) nine times round the body, you know. Sort of a funny dress he wore. If it was a man, they would have made him a monk, no doubt about it. Because Drom Rinpoche is celibate, if he was a man, why didn’t they make him a monk, bound to at least a semi monk. The way he’s sitting there above all those Kadampa lamas, he has to be a woman. That’s my stupid thought. Just a stupid thought, but if His Holiness hears me, he will probably get mad, who knows. Probably, “Would you like to have an orange?” Or in public no matter what you think, His Holiness does that.

Drom Rinpoche asked Atisha, “You are giving other people all kinds of initiations to everybody. Why are you giving me this, anything which is as a confidential teaching?” Atisha replied, “I couldn’t find anybody to give this teaching to besides you. Everybody wants fancy.” That’s exactly what is happening in the United States today, shockingly. People like fancy stuff, or not initiations but blessings, very similar to it, you know, something. But you know that sort of thing. Atisha really said, “I couldn’t give to anybody else except you.” That’s what happens.

Then later, Tsong Khapa, after his practice, before he started composing, he had been praying for months in the retreat. During that period, in front of Atisha’s image. During this period Tsong Khapa had a continuous vision of Atisha, and a couple of his own teachers, Drom Rimpoche, for months and gave a number of teachings. Finally, Potawatomi, Drom Rimpoche and Shatawa dissolves to Atisha puts his hand on Tsong Khapa’s head and said, “I will help you to help other peoples, “and disappeared. There are a lot of those things.

Finally, there is no point for me to read those names. Finally, as I said I have received this teaching from Gebse Ling Rinpoche for the first time. That’s why in the lineage then the next to the Lama Atisha is Lord Tsong Khapa and his two disciples.

GANG CHEN SHING TEI SOL

Means the fathers and children and all the lineages. Then I was straight away taking to Ling Rimpoche and the Dalai Lama rather than in between. Then since I received this from Ling Rimpoche first time in order to make sure the lineage is correct, I skipped that, two verses. Then all the teachers from whom I received this teaching. That’s how I concluded the lineage prayers.

So, these are the people who made it. If you get those names, there are hundreds of them. They are real. They developed and then they are in the lineage. Now the next step here will be the six preliminaries. Normally in the Jewel Heart Prayers, we have offerings and all of those. I’m not going to spend time talking to you on the six preliminaries because we have workshops in which we divided those six preliminaries, right? Just one of them? So, I misunderstood. Okay we can just talk a little bit. Explanations are available. Actually, you can read in the Lam Rim. That has a lot of detail in there.

Anyway, I’m going to end here tonight. As we normally do, I’m sure In the orientation you were told the most important thing here is the motivation. Why you spend your time, money, everything here for seven days? For what? Not just to be fancy, just to please the company of your boyfriend or girlfriend. Just to make a difference to me and my family and all my near and dear ones, and all sentient beings. The way and how I can dd is only if I can help myself, I will know how to help others. If I don’t know how to help myself, I can’t help anybody else. So, I’m here to learn, think, meditate and become capable of helping myself to get the best spiritual achievement, to cut all negativities, negative emotions and its consequences. Help me Lama Buddha, guru, sangha. That’s your motivation. At the same time, enjoy yourself. Don’t bring your personal problems, your work problems, (1:20:00) and family problems in here for at least the next seven days.

Also, I’m sure Kathleen told you I don’t like nestings. Please don’t make nestings. You know what that is? If you don’t know, don’t leave your smelly stuff on the cushion. Sitting, if you are comfortable, fine. It’s empty here. The senior ones can come to the front. Just don’t squeeze yourself. Make a little room. If you like a chair, pick a chair. We have a lot of nice chairs. Actually, it is against dharma teaching rules, somebody sitting high level up, but there are a lot of nice chairs. I think I have the right to give you permission to sit on chair. It looks like there are some comfortable chairs over there. So, can go up. Make yourself comfortable. Probably sitting in comfortable chair over there. (Then chanting).

PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 2