Archive Result

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Soundfile 200409003GRGRLBMT03

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Garrison

Topic Lojong--Infinite Heart #3

Transcriber Helen Breault

Date January 3, 2019

Thank you for coming back. [laughter]

What we’re talking about is the life, importantness, opportunity and difficult to obtain and easy to lose. We’re just touching about the gross importance with this death. We’re saying we cannot avoid, no matter whatever. I mean there’s a lot of things here you have to meditate and think, that is number one: What is death? And I don’t have much time to talk to you because I’m supposed to talk to you about the Lojong. In order to reach to that level, if I don’t talk to you a little briefly, then it’s not right. It doesn’t mean anything, whatever you talk later because you’re talking with no foundations.

[1:40]

Again, what I do know about death is one thing. What normally people looking into death is end of all. Somehow we knew it’s not end of all. There’s too many obvious incidents happening everywhere, everywhere. It just doesn’t end. I don’t have time to go in that though and there’s a lot of material to almost every Lam Rim. And so many people are writing about death and dying. There are basically people who just do the scientific research. Or, not so much scientific research, just simply doing research on death and just presenting. And there are people who are writing books on the basis of whatever their faith is telling. And there are people who are writing books about, you know, half on the basis of what their faith tells them and half what they know. And all sorts of things there. So you will know from those sources as well.

But also you will know that one thing: sometimes a lot of Americans will take it as reality because it’s written in black and white and printed and published by a responsible reasonable well-known publishing company. And that is not a valid reason to take it. Even Lobsang Ramba’s [3:49?] are published by a reasonable well-known publisher. The publishers will publish if it makes money. The publishers will not publish if it’s not making money. So that’s what the truth is. I’m not criticizing the publishers. [laughs] But this is reality because it’s economic reasons are such a thing, it is. The facts and fictions are always mixed anyway so that’s what they make money out of.

[4:33]

But for us, we have to make it out clearly, whatever we can. So use. What I can tell you is what I learned. What I learned is the reincarnation, reincarnation. And incarnation—whether it’s “re-incarnation” or whatever—it’s incarnation. Simply, individual does not end when we, the individual consciousness separates from our physical identity, physical identity. The best identity that we have right now is the physical identity, which, by the way, all the officials don’t accept, right? They all want driver’s license, the photograph, not the real identity. Real identity is not good enough and it has to be driver’s license or passport or something. But the true identity of ourself at this life is our physical body. When this body, the external, the physical and self, the consciousness, the being, when it separates I call that a death. When it’s together I call that life. That’s my—whether it’s stupid or whatever—that’s how I see it. So death is separation of our physical identity through which we plug in the world. It’s almost—it’s very strange—it’s almost like when we come in we bring our own identity, our own body, our own mind and our own environment as well. And then it comes in. It’s almost like, in computer terminology point of view, you plug in, you’re in, like the virus and form. [7:50]

(This spot. This is particular spot. Where the person who gives the sermon probably sitting around here. So all the outside sound will not come here. Everything goes out. Some ecosystem, that’s what Jonas told me. Just pops up. [laughter])

[8:54]

So somehow like it’s plugged in and in the society it functions. And when we die we pack them up and go out, unplug. Sort of in the chat room you do that, right? Very similar to that. That is how we come in life and that’s how we plug out. Plug in, plug out. That’s what really happens. And when we plug out we pack up everything. And even we leave the body, the identity. So then picks up new identity. And we will take time to run around and to find the right identity, what we want to. But we don’t have much choice. Though we have a choice. Choice we have is: what sort of future identity we want we have now. At the time when you’re really going you don’t have much choice. Somehow it’s more or less pre-determined. Pre-determined by you, by yourself.

[10:38]

By your own deeds. This level may differ with certain philosophy or thoughts or religious tradition. But that’s what I know because I am responsible for my own deeds because of that reason. Right now we have a choice. We can do, undo anything. It’s not too late. The Tibetan spiritual masters earlier they give sort of a metaphor for tailors. When the tailor’s cutting the suit or the skirt or the dress, they take the measurements and then they draw a line on the cloth or make the pattern. And then they put it down. Until you use the scissors to actually cut the material it is never too late to change anything you want to change.

Once started cutting it’s getting too late. And after all is cut out already you can do a little alteration here and there but the major work is done, too late. So the determination of what it is done is when you die. That’s what happens. Until then it’s never too late. Never too late to change. That’s what we have the power in our own hand to determine what we want to do, what we want to be in the future. But once it is started functioning, started literally cutting down, then it’s too late.

[12:52]

Getting too late may not be completely too late. But once it’s cut and stitched again, then maybe you can do a little bit here and there, that’s about it. That’s about it. That was the metaphor given by the earlier Tibetan masters of how it works.

So basically, very simple. Simply what we discard is discard things that don’t make so much difference in our lives. Realizing that all worldly activities are as immaterial as chaff. It is the skin of barley flour—not really barley flour—barley. The Tibetan’s staple food is the barley, barley powder, powdered barley. The skin of the barley is not so much useful. Isn’t that for wheat? Isn’t that for buckwheat? It’s what we use for cushions so it becomes useful here, if we know how to use. Even if it’s immaterial, like to be discarded as an example but...

[laughter]

[14:47]

Anyway, it’s not edible. It’s not for the use of eating. It’s not completely useless because you can make cushions out of it. Anyway, that was supposed to be a joke, but nobody laughs. [laughter]

So material, almost useless works should be discarded and the works that make a difference in our lives should be put on all awareness and efforts, day in and day out. Day and night. And like Tsongkhapa says, “I the yogi who has done this, if you seek liberation, if you would also seek liberation please cultivate yourself in the same way.” That tells us what a priority should we have in our life because the life precious, important, opportunity, and difficult to find and easy to be lost.

What priorities do we make it? Based on the karmic system. Even after death, somehow we knew we do not disappear in the thin air. We don’t. Actually, beings never disappear except in one viewpoint. That is…well, forget it. It is continuing. One of the reasons why in the Buddha there is no beginning, in Buddha’s viewpoint or Buddha’s discovery. There is no beginning and no ending too. Ending of samsara and ending of suffering but not ending of any individual. Nothing. Even nirvana it doesn’t end. No beginning. No ending. This is Buddha’s view. No beginning. No ending. No newborns. Because of no beginning and because of no ending, no newborns. All souls are old souls. Exactly. No newborn, no ending.

[18:29]

In the Hinayana portion they divide nirvana into two categories: with and without-leftover of samsara. So it is only out of four Buddhist outstanding schools, only one Hinayana school accepts the ending at the nirvana. They give the example of candlelight that exhausts all the wax. The candle dies. That is exhaustion of everything. Every other school, all Mahayana schools, will reject that point because no one ends. Even if you have obtained nirvana you don’t end, you continue. That is the reason why the ultimate yana or the vehicle—whether it is one or three—it’s among the Buddhists. That’s the simple reason why. I don’t want to give you here a lecture on philosophy but that makes a difference. That’s why.

[19:60]

This makes a difference that’s why it’s wrong.

Since we did not disappear and when we will re-appear it’s not necessary, and it is sure we do not have old identity. Because more or less, the old identity is gone. It is not more or less—or more or less. It is cremated or it’s buried or it’s destroyed. No, you’re not going to get the old identity back. Even if you get it it’s useless, completely. It is manufacturer’s defect. [laughter] Lots of them. Those who are made in 1939. It is General Motor’s problem.

[21:22]

The new identity, let’s presume we’re convinced—I know you’re not convinced because I know you have to work yourself, you have to think, meditate, argue, and all of those, plus accumulate merit and purification side-by-side will make you realize that—but, let’s presume we do say, “Yeah, I’ll continue.” So what will be? Good or bad? Either good or bad. I’m not going to be third kind. If we’re lucky…What I mean by lucky: if we have a lot of good karma, if we have created a lot of positive energy. Then we’ll have a good life. If we’re very fortunate, just like what we have today, with all the opportunities and with all the capabilities.

[23:05]

But it’s very rare. Buddha has given example and Buddha was asked by one of his disciples, “How many people will go from good life to bad life? And how many will go from bad life to good life?” And he says Buddha said, “If I’ve been able to pick up all the sands near the Gangas and Ganges, and so if I’ve been able to pick up and pour it out, all the sands will go. More or less the majority of the people will go in that manner. But out of which I can pick up only a handful of, the handful will go up and the rest of them will go down.” That’s not because Buddha decided, “Let them go down.” No, no one else decided to let the people go down, nobody. Everybody, all enlightened ones, all kindness-oriented persons, compassion-oriented people, all of them will definitely like to help and pull it up. However, they cannot.

[24:35]

And it depends on the individual. If it doesn’t depend on the individual, why not everybody be liberated? Why not everybody becomes fully enlightened by now? Zillions of years and zillions of lives that we went through. Why not? Only a very little amount of people. Officially in this eon there’s only one Buddha, one Jesus. So it’s rare. That is not the fault of enlightened ones, neither the Buddha, not the God, not the Jesus, no one. It is our addiction to negativities. It is our addiction to hatred, obsession, ignorance.

Spiritual or dharma really means changing that. Changing our addiction for negativities, negative thoughts, to a positive such as faith or morality or compassion or love. Try to have an addiction of compassion. Try to have an addiction of love. I mean pure love. We do have addiction of the other love, no doubt about it. Try to have addiction of wisdom rather than confusion. Put efforts day and night, means efforts on what? Try to change to that addiction. That is efforts. Whether you want to meditate, whether you want to say prayers, whether you want to do whatever you want to do, that is your mission of life. This precious capable human life’s mission is to change that.

[27:47]

Why? Because if you change the cause you will change the result. If you make the cause for good way the result is bound to be good way. Only way to help ourself is changing at the causal level. To me, the spiritual practice means that. It means something. It means something solid. The solidness that makes me, the individual, is a better person, kinder person, gentle person, lesser addiction to the wrong things. And more happy and comfortable to positive things. And that is really a dharma. The translation of “dharma” word in Tibetan, dharma as a practice, not dharma as a phenomena, dharma as a practice in Tibetan is chu. Is the past tense of chur [29:17] which means correction. Correcting from the addictions to negative emotions and activities into positive activities and positive emotions. And that will be true means of something to do for ourselves to benefit us all.

[29:51]

So, that’s why Buddha gave the first teaching was The Four Noble Truths. Four Noble Truths. Truth of suffering. Truth of cause of suffering. Truth of cessation. Truth that leads to that cessation. That basically is Buddhism. What we call Buddhism today is truly the Four Noble Truths. It is absolutely true. It is truth that was discovered by Buddha 2600 years ago. And it is relevant and true absolutely to each and every one of us today. It is absolutely. Truth of suffering I don’t have to talk about it. Buddhism is full of suffering. [laughter] That’s what people tell me. Anyway, whether the Buddhism is full of suffering or not it is the reality in our life. I mean, think about it. All kinds: physical, mental, emotional. Pains that we have all the time. All the time.

[31:42]

Physical, mental, emotional. These are the suffering of sufferings, what Buddha called. Because it is noticeable, it pinches, it pains, realize we dislike it. So Buddha calls that “suffering of suffering.”

What we don’t realize is changing suffering. That is true suffering because it gives you pain anywhere. It looks like it’s great but it gives you pain any way. Most of our—what I call it—“samsaric goodies” are the changing sufferings. All of them. Mostly what we enjoy. They’re all changing sufferings. The companions, companies. All of those. Sex. Anything. It looks like it gives us a little pleasure. And if you have too many you can’t take it any more. That tells us it is changing suffering. Looks like good. All samsaric picnic spots and their goodies are changing suffering.

[33:37]

They are the result of good karma. Yet it’s not perfect good karma. We do not produce perfect good karma. We do a lot of good things. Helping this, helping that, doing this, doing that. We do produce a lot of good karma. But each and every good karma that we produce, if we examine carefully there is something else involved in it. Something ultimately linking to me, my benefit, me, ultimately. Or anything else. A lot of other things. We do a lot of good things. And each, I don’t have a lot of time to talk to you—but each and every good thing that we do we will attach strings. Strings attached. And that makes it not that great. That produces changing suffering rather than perfect joy. So that’s the reason why we pray “Joy that has never known suffering.” The reason why we say “Joy that has never known suffering” is perfect joy.

[35:31]

Total dedication. Total honesty. And honesty includes no judgement. We always have judgement. These are called “unshakeable karmas.” I don’t know why it’s called “unshakeable” but the sense should be it’s shakeable because it shakes, it changes. But they call “unshakeable.” I don’t know why. So it’s known as unshakeable karma, [Tibetan 36:18]. Immovable, unshakeable, immovable, whatever. That’s why even our positive karma, positives, lots of good things do not become perfectly good because it has a lot of things involved. We may think it’s discriminative wisdom we are applying. However, it could be a judgement.

This is how karma is so difficult to know. Buddha talks about Buddhist wisdom is emptiness. And Buddha says karma is more difficult to understand than emptiness. More difficult to realize than emptiness. That’s because of our ego and its association are too deep. So the ego’s tricks and plays so much, we could never imagine every situation there will be a new face pops up all the time. The ultimate goal is to block the individual to each the true reality. In order to do that, they alter all of our even positive efforts. And that’s why changing sufferings.

[38:12]

And the third suffering is the pervasive suffering, pervasive, which is produced by a negative-natured positive. Or run the life by negative-oriented positive. And many by negative itself. So these are really everywhere—at the causal level, at the result level, in-between level, everywhere. That’s why it’s called “pervasive suffering.” Free of it is total enlightenment. Until then you have it. It’s not only the delusions or what they call “afflictive emotions” but it’s imprints of those afflictive emotions, right? [Amy’s thinking and not acknowledging]. Afflictive emotions, it’s imprints of that.

What we have to do, our positive deeds, is make sure they are truly positive. Correct the motivation level. Correct the action level. Correct the result level. That’s what it is. And, to change that result of suffering is the change at the causal level. Causal, there’s two: the direct cause is the karma, according to Buddha it is karma, positive and negative karma. So karma do not come by itself, not pre-fabricated. It’s not permanent. It is impermanent. It is created. It is changeable until the result started coming. It is changeable, all of them. That’s why we have opportunity. That’s why we have time. That’s why there’s miracles even. Because karma is not a permanent. It is impermanent. A lot of people think somehow if it’s karma we can do nothing.

[41:45]

I was talking with a very dear friend of mine this morning. The person says, “When it is the fruit of karma, so…” And I’ve been telling that person, “Your question is coming from one source and you diverted that in another.” The idea is somehow I thought, the idea is if it’s karma you can do nothing because it is karmic fruit. Whether it is good or bad, whatever it is it is karmic fruit so you cannot change. And that is absolutely not true. If you cannot change your karma it’s too bad. It’s too bad. We’re all really in trouble then. Really extremely. If we cannot change our karma then we’re guaranteed to be in this condition forever. And there is nothing called “forever” here, nothing.

Even it’s karmic fruit it has to be changed. And no one else can change that except ourself because it’s my karma. So I can only change, not you. Not you. I can only change my karma. Nobody, not even a Buddha, nobody. If they can change, why don’t they change earlier? Why should we suffer?

[44:04]

If Buddha can change, why not change it earlier? Why should I be fat? Why should I be diabetic? So that’s it. Why should I have to die? All of those. This is very, very clear. No one can change except me. It’s all my fault. But it’s never too late for me to change. Never too late until it started cutting. Once the scissors going “drk drk drk” to cut it, then it’s too late. Until then it’s not too late. Even if it looks bad, even it looks bad it doesn’t matter. Let it be. You know what I’m talking about? Okay. It’s never too late to do anything. Yes, once they’re taking charge of a certain period and certain function we lose our freedom to that. But it was given by us, by ourself. So we can change. It’s in our own hand.

[46:01]

How did we create karma? Because of our emotions. They are the way, how we created karma. The true spiritual really lies here. It’s not the holiness that makes the perfect spiritual. It is the goodness that makes the perfect spiritual. The goodness and—can I say—badness among ourselves. When you reach to the level of holiness you’ve gone beyond. Don’t worry about it. That’s not what it is. It is the goodness in our heart. That’s really what it is. Whether you behave like a holy or don’t behave like a holy, whether you dress like a holy or don’t dress like a holy, or whether you have a mala in hand or no mala in hand, it doesn’t matter. It is the individual mind, it is heart that counts.

You dress anything. Dress like a clown or whatever. [inaudible 48:12]…who shows everything. It doesn’t matter. But what your heart, that does matter.

The karma is pushed, the actions that we do was pushed our mind how it is influenced by the emotions. Remember mind, I always give example of clean, clear crystal lampshade. Emotions are like a colored lightbulb. When you have a clean, clear crystal lampshade with the red-colored lightbulb, you see from a distance, “Oh red light. Red light. Red lampshade.” Green lampshade, blue lampshade, yellow lampshade. The lampshade is clean, clear crystal, the mind is pure, clean. But it is emotions that put tint on it, tinted on it and make it like red, green, blue.

So therefore, bottom line, karmic creation lies to the emotions that influence the mind. Bare bones you can really say the cause of the suffering is those emotions. And these are in our hands. Right in front of us. Within us as large as life. So here is your task, your spiritual task. What are you going to do with those? Are you going to encourage those negative emotions and let yourself be a slave of your ego, as we have been? Or, are you going to deal with your negative emotions, change them into positive emotions and let you stand up, challenge your ego and take charge?

[51:37]

That is what we call cause of suffering, Second Noble Truth. In our life, in our situation. Out of Tara that is OM TARE TUTTARE. TUTTARE is this. TARE is the suffering. TUTTARE is the cause of suffering. TURE will be the path. SOHA is “lay the foundation” which in other words means “establish me in the pure nirvana.” It’s the fourth Noble Truth.

So cause of suffering. And path—how do I handle it?—is the Third. Just change it. It is so simple. Get over it! Just be done with it. [laughter] That is the hardest part. Number one, to recognize.

Whatever I told you, I might have convinced you to some people half way through. To some people a little bit. Some people questionable whatever it is. But it is for you to figure out. For you to find out whatever we’ve been telling you. Is it right or wrong? Until you’ve been able to figure that out it’s not necessary that you will put efforts to change, except a few.

[53:50]

All dharma practice, whether it’s Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, whatever, is meant to make that change. Peaceful way, kind way, gentle way, wrathful way, horrifying way, terrifying way, whatever. And that’s why enlightened ones are so compassionate, so much caring. Whomever, whatever they like, they have been given all these methods. Nice way, kind way, gentle way, wrathful way, peaceful way, all kinds of way. The goal is to make the change. So it is only you can change at the causal level. You can never change the result level.

We don’t know. We don’t recognize until it gets to the result. All the spiritual path, the great ones, all of them are actually that’s the goal. That’s the goal, that’s the way how they serve people. That’s their goal, to change from negative into positive. Good way.

[55:45]

It’s true to Buddhism. It should be true to everything. Whatever “ism” or whatever it may be, no “ism” or “ism” whatever. That’s why whatever tradition or “ism” or whatever it’s really not so important, honestly speaking. It’s not so important, honestly. Forget about those little sects. But it’s not so important. What is really important is making a difference to my life, me and yourself, and then effecting the others. Remember, unless and until we effect ourself we cannot affect others. Until we’re capable of effecting ourself we cannot effect others.

One friend tried to give me a metaphor. It’s very interesting. She says, “When you’re flying in the plane, they say when the oxygen mask falls down, they say ‘First use it yourself. And then whoever needs help, do them second.’” It’s true. If you’re not there you can’t help the other one either. If you try to help the other one near, you pop off in between and then that’s at the end of the story. So, first make a change to yourself and then it will change others.

[57:55]

Like good old American saying, “Preach what you practice.” Is that right or is it the other way around? Okay, “Practice what you preach.” That’s what it really is. And actually what you preach is what you practice. And if you don’t practice and you preach, that’s the difference between show biz and true spiritual. Show biz is just completely worked out what the best way is to entertain, engage and everything. It doesn’t matter what really spiritual is. The main emphasis is made to entertain. But if the spiritual becomes show biz then we’re all in trouble. That is the difference. So “practice what you preach” or you preach what you practice. Then it becomes really means something. Whether it means something or not is based how it’s effecting the individual, my thoughts, my understanding and my life.

And did I wake up from anything? You know, because we are all asleep. We are asleep in obsession. We’re asleep in hatred. We’re completely asleep with ignorance and confusion. And so does it begin to wake me up or not? If it begins to wake me up it’s effective. If it’s not waking you up it’s not effective.

[1:00:13]

Now I can talk you about the Training of the Mind, Lojong. Because we’ve reached to this level now.

[1:00:25 to end]

But it also tells me it’s lunchtime. But before we go to lunch, Kathy has a couple of announcements and she prefers to do them now, right. Thank you.

While they’re preparing for the microphone, if you have any questions or if you have questions in your discussions or in the group meetings, if you’re not satisfied with your questions, almost at the end of the evening session we will be dealing with the question and answer. We will have two people collecting the questions and so if you have those questions and you put forward to these two persons—I think Kathy’s going to identify.

[1:01:41 tape ends].