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Singing prayer: may all beings have happiness; may they be free from suffering……

Good morning to everybody and welcome in Jewel Heart. As you know the Jewel Heart is a nonprofit organization which is dedicated through self, through give a present a spiritual knowledge and why we are doing it, the purpose of the Jewel Heart, the really one when we say serve means we serve to the people to ease that pain a little bit. The bottom-line what the Jewel Heart Service goes through? is to serve and ease the pain of the people. There are many ways of easing the pain: through medical way, through relieve way, through scientific way, through spirituality way. And we try to serve through spiritual reality way and specially our mental pains, that’s obvious, we go through tremendous amount of pain although we have a tremendous amount of scientific development, perhaps, the richest in the world, most powerful in the world but we are not most compassionate in the world. Although we have all these things, there is a tremendous pain that gets all us, no matter how great scientific or material development we have. What had happened in 9-11, what had happened with Hurricane Katherina and generally what happens here. And because of that tremendous amount of pains, additional pains continue. And normally everything, everybody has a tremendous pain and sufferings. How do we handle those pains? I mean every day, the older people have mental, physical, emotional pains, the younger people have more mental and emotional and supposed less physical pain but still some go through tremendously. We never know, it happens things all the time, everywhere to everybody and when it’s happening it happens to be all together, all of a suddenly all together as though everything is sort of focused on one individual, one thing after the other goes wrong. So, this is our reality. I’d like to talk a little bit from the background of Buddha. And Buddha calls this: it’s a samsaric pain, samsaric, it’s not really samsaric but samsara, and it’s Sanskrit word, they use, it’s actually continuation of life and birth, birth-life-death, birth-life-death and rebirth. And that is how Buddha sees how we are, Buddha comes from the idea of reincarnation, but only Buddha comes from the idea of reincarnation but Buddha sees that’s what happens with everybody else, that is his statement. Whether we buy that or we don’t buy that, it’s entirely up to us and Buddha never ever says you have to believe because I said so. On the contrary Buddha says this is my idea and you find out by yourself. This is a principle of Buddhism, as a matter of fact. It’s a very scientific principle, science is looking for the truth and spiritual reality also is looking for the truth. Science is looking for the way to bring peace, comfort, happiness and joy to the people and the spiritual reality is also looking for the same thing. Buddha focused on the same object from different directions. From the point of view of happiness and well being, science and spiritual reality they are different, yet complimentary approach to the same share goal: seeking the truth. This is a very important common ground between the spiritual reality and science. Both Buddhism and Science agrees that most reliable foundation of the knowledge is direct experience. The Buddha is famous for having said that, individual should never accept anything he says simply because he says it. And that every person needs to exam and find out for him or herself whether something is true or false, based on the personal experience. This ….(09:21) on the direct empirical experience is common to both Buddhism and Science. His holiness the Dalai Lama has pointed out, he says when Buddhism speaks of empirical experience it has broader understanding of empiricism which includes meditative state as well as evidence of senses. These types of empirical knowledge which is the result of deep contemplation is accepted as direct and very…. (0:10:15) experience within the Buddhism, that is to say it can be verified by anyone who has developed a …(0:10:29) contemplative capacity, it’s similar to how the world is revealed to someone who looks through a microscope or telescope. Such a person will be able to extend the capacity of the senses and see things that cannot be observed with a naked eye. Every properly trained person who looks through that instrument will be able to see the same thing and thereby come from the observation of others. Similarly, this is true for those who have developed the inner awareness and inside capacity. They are able to see, and experience shall invalidate report of others who have the same level of inner development. So which tells us spiritual reality also not as simply one’s feeling, I feel good or I feel, whatever good or bad, whatever, is not based on just one’s individual feeling, it’s a solid ..(0:12:15) when you are looking at the spiritual reality which is also absolutely important for us to have within our life. I tell you why as earlier my statements, we are the richest, we are the most powerful, we have the most destructive weapons in the world and that is because we have it. We have our development, we have a great scientific development, that’s why we have it. I also said we cannot claim we have the biggest and most powerful compassion and caring, we don’t because we don’t have it and why we don’t have it. The problem is the liking, the people appreciate everyday life and makes you to work very hard to pay your bills, actually and our life is designed in such a way that you don’t have time for you. I mean right at the beginning of your career, moment you are coming out of school, how much debt do you carry, you need the debt because you have to pay your bill, to get your education and make your living and when you come out you have to work hard to pay your debts and that’s how the other side set up our life designed such a way that it makes your life totally worked for, excuse me, for the green dollars. We think we are making but it’s not, that’s a sort of circling there you know, and it’s becoming, I pass on you, you pass on me, you become a keeper of that particular thing for a short period of time and then it……and in that whole thing the individual is really, really, made a slave of money. And that’s true, that is liking the spiritual reality within you because of that, within us, not you, us as we, the Americans. It’s not that we don’t have it, we have a great tradition, Judeo-Christian tradition and almost every spiritual reality, whatever it is in the world, ever existed is available in the United States. Truly somebody told me: anything, whatever you want in the world is available in New York, if you know where to get it. I think it’s almost true. It’s almost true. And that time, you know in Tibet a stable food is the Bali Flower we call Samba, so I said to that person: can you buy Samba in New York City and he said: oh, yes, yes, you have to know where to buy but then you get it. But now we do buy Samba in Tibet but in New York too. Anyway, but the reality is, spiritual reality is here but somehow it becomes like, I don’t know, there is a problem, the problem is not the individual alone, the problem is with the spiritual path, the problem is with the spiritual person, problem is with the Church, problem is with the Synagogue, problem is with the monastery, problem is with the temple, problem is everywhere, every tradition as well as we have a problem. So, it become almost like a Sunday show biz. That is the problem because we don’t care about the spiritual reality within us. Now, the question arises: what is a spiritual reality? Simply going into the Sunday Church and worshipping or it is a little more than that, a little more than that. Where I come from, I’ve been fortunate in one way, on the other hand I’ve been very unfortunate, together. I’ve been fortunate because I was born in the place, at the time which is really the top most level of the spiritual reality, flourishing in Tibet. That it 1940ies and 50ies. Unfortunately, in early 1950ies the communist Chinese took over Tibet, completely, and finally they destroyed whole spiritual part of it, for communism spiritual reality is a big enemy. Those of you who are young you have no idea what Communism was. Those of you who are my age you know about Communism. Spiritual reality is the biggest enemy for them, that because, because it puts, brings people together, a common interest, other than the communist ideas and theories. And that’s why. It still functions in the same way, if you look at China today all the monasteries are completely a target of communist party, they put limits of people and all kind of things. A vivid example of out of China is the falling gowns?, it gives you a correct idea whatever the falling gown? might be, but it gives you an idea how communism mentality works. And because of that I’ve been kicked out of my country, fortunately I found a beautiful land and wonderful people and correct, people who love the individual rights, people who respect the liberty and independence and individual rights. And that’s why I became an American citizen. But when I’ve found a second home and what I can give back to the people who are wonderful, kind, compassionate, who impressed me and not only me, every poor ….. (0:21:01), everyone. This country, it’s because of its great tradition of kindness and compassion which is somehow stuck almost in our mental genes and that’s why this is a great country. And today it is a lacking? It’s a sort of you know, we are forgetting that, so to bring the spiritual reality, whether you follow the Judeo-Christian tradition which is really the original, not complete original, but original religion of here. Truly origin here is the native Americans, right? We don’t’ have aborigines, so we have native Americans. Or their tradition, or Hindu Buddhism, whatever tradition you follow it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter as long as it is a great tradition and as long as it is reliable, as long as it has a record of confirming your spiritual development as I said earlier. Spiritual development is not just a feeling alone, it has to have confirmation, it works just like a science. Works just like science. Buddha gives us a wisdom called wisdom of compassion in 26 hundred years ago and that, Buddha says, if you develop compassion to yourself and if you develop compassion for the others and if you care for yourself and care for the others, it is the way how you bring happiness in your life. That is Buddha’s claim. And Buddha had many millions of followers, even today after 26 hundred years later, in the place like the United States, the Buddhism developed, began in India, way over, the other side of the ocean and it’s still here today and there are millions of followers who had developed that, however you may think there is no scientific confirmation of what is spiritual development, what it may be. Today, because science has developed subtle and most sophisticated technology, scientists are beginning to find evidence for some of the Buddha’s claims by using highly experienced meditators as a subject. For example, it’s more than 26 hundred years ago that Buddha told us that cultivating compassion and caring for the others, for the sufferings of the others brings happiness and wellbeing. Scientists are now, I was told, finding the proof for this by looking at the brain activity of those meditating on compassion. If it is so we have now an outer and measurable scientific confirmation that compassion brings joy to the individuals who cultivate it. It is the compassion, not the conservative compassion. If you are conservative on compassion, then you can be plenty on the walls? But real compassion and the compassion begins at home, as the good old Americans say: charity begins at home, don’t ever forget that. This is our forefathers, pass it all, it’s a great thing. If the home is not strong, not healthy then if you try to do something outside it’s very difficult, so charity begins at home. Compassion begins at yourself, you must have compassion and care for yourself, in other words you must love yourself and if you begin do dislike yourself you begin to hate yourself and when you hate yourself whatever you do it’s miserable. Nothing can help although we may think that the money is the answer, or the power is the answer for our needs today. It has been proving again and again, the most powerful, lot of rich people themselves are miserable and they commit suicide, their children do the same thing, so it’s proving again and again, so it shows it’s not the answer. The answer lies within you, it’s love, love and love, compassion, love, love and compassion and that is within you. It’s not expensive to buy. As a matter of fact, you don’t’ to have to pay anything, it’s yours, you have it, that’s your wealth. It’s tremendously valuable and it’s precious and one should ..(0:28:58) that. If you don’t love yourself that’s the beginning of the trouble for yourself, please remember that. Not as a spiritual person, but as an old man, I’m an old man and I had lots of experience in my life and I can tell you: if you don’t’ love yourself it’s the beginning of all miseries, begin there. If you want happiness, if want joy, if you want a beautiful life, if you want a beautiful companion, whatever you do in your life it begins loving yourself. Caring for yourself and there after caring for your companions, your spouses, your family and then needs to be expanded. We are hearing the world, peace, and this and that, all the time, everybody is shouting, right? Whether the spiritual people or the politicians or hippies or yappies, everybody is shouting that, the world peace, joy, happiness is not produced in Washington. World peace, happiness and joy is not provided by the United Nations. Neither at the Paris, nor in Tokyo, or Beijing or anywhere else. It’s still you and yourself and your own sweet home, whatever it may be and that’s where happiness begins, that’s within you. This is my experience; this is Buddha’s message and that is 26 hundred years wisdom of Buddha. That’s what it is, so please take that home, keep it for yourself and remember any time, anywhere, whenever you need it think there is a Tibetan incarnated Lama, called Gelek Rimpoche, who was a couch potato, (hahah from audience) , who told me, told us that, one Sunday, in somewhere and that may serve you a little bit to ease your pain and thank you so much for coming here today. Thank you. Maybe there is question time, maybe, if there is any question, otherwise it’s a nice, beautiful Sunday, we can call a day by dedicating and you have something to take home, don’t forget that. Well, I’ve seen no hands, so why don’t we… (laughters in the audience). Ok. One more: one question. Who is making a question? Ah you, I’m sorry, so ok. (Question inaudible). Now for example, thank you for that question anyway. For example, when we have a tremendous problem today in the …(0:33:04 ) today, right? With this hurricane Katherina, it is very unfortunate. I mean it’s almost all the same thing, 9-11, the Tsunami, this Hurricane, this flood in the New Jersey and New Hampshire and all those areas and the latest earthquake in the Cashmere Area, Pakistan Cashmere or Indian Cashmere Area, all of them. The question rises what is it? And you know a lot of people use to ask why the God is looking to the other way round? My answer to them is leave God alone, what is it. I say this is what we call the truth of suffering, first noble truth. Buddha has four truths: how does this, what this Samsara works, first noble truth is truth of suffering, second is cause of suffering, third is, actually the forth is the cessation and the third is how to get there, to the cessation. That’s really the picture of our life, really is. This is a vivid example of first noble truth, it’s extremely unfortunate and terrible and horrible. At the same time there are given us tremendous opportunity, opportunity to be generous, opportunity to see this situation as a basis of developing compassion, as a basis of developing care and when it’s getting out there, what’s happening in Kashmir in Pakistan. Many of us don’t even know where it is; oh yeah there is some suffering somewhere, poor thing. There you say Tsunami, oh yes, it’s tremendous, we know, it’s more. Then we say Hurricane ….(0:36:03) oh, it’s getting too close and then you get your family affected, my cousins, my aunts, my mother’s friends, my father’s friends, my boyfriend’s friends, my girlfriend’s friend, someone who we know, then it becomes much more closer. And more closer it is, helps us to generate compassion more, to generate care, more, why? Because there is a mental objection of …(0:36:45) or mental objection of don’t care, it’s less because it’s too vivid and too close. Horrible as it is, yet one can take advantage of it, to develop compassion, love and caring and hopefully they will able to build a wonderful new home for them. And as Jewel Heart and we do little service and we have been able to put up, with the Salvation Army for helping the Hurricane victims. Actually I like to say this, we ….(0:37:46) a very small organization, 10’000 maybe, will be quite a difficult thing to reach, we have put up that and within 24 hours and we reach our goal and I like to thank all the members of the people and people who ……and that’s a sort of thing we do a little bit in here and there and that’s what we do in Jewel Heart and I thank you for your question, the real answer if you wanted to know, the pain becomes more closer it helps to bring compassion more stronger and the one thing you have to make sure: you are not overpowered by pain and don’t’ make yourself a numb by the pain. Remember the antidote of the pain is compassion and love, don’t forget. Thank you.

Ok. I’ve some good news for people ….Jewel Heart. Jewel Heart is a nonprofit organization and we are having a benefit concert between Philip Glass, …..various people and this concert is on november 9th and tickets are available, David Bur is in the back there, selling tickets and we are also looking for volunteers, take posters and post them up town. This is a wonderful opportunity for Jewel Heart to make some money, to support these wonderful programs we have here. And also afterwards Christine’s cookies in the lobby and there is a white Tara meditation on 11.30 today. Thank you. Singing