Archive Result

20050513GRNLPA 39 min

Fear is something that dominates us completely and sometimes and sometimes we become frozen by the power of fear. Actually, fear and confusion combined together is what I like to call “ego”, though ego is the terminology made by psychologists for different purposes. I like to use this because of people use that as in “that’s your ego talking”, so you are looking down. And I like to use that term. It is ego that really controls us tremendously. Ego, looked at as our physical and mental body and tries to identify as self, as me. By nature, our physical body is perishable, like perishable vegetables, therefore there is always a fear to protect this identity that we are focusing on.

0:01:39.6 That’s where the fear comes in, because we are always afraid of losing the point of identity. I am sorry to make it a short statement. Sometimes, when you do that there is the danger of doing a disservice. However, I can see that all of you are great, intelligent person. Honestly, please don’t laugh, it’s a true fact. Therefore taking that for granted it is not going to be a disservice.

0:02:14.3 Dutch translation

0:03:34.5 Since ego is afraid of losing, it provided some kind of mechanism to protect. So they are throwing this hatred, obsession and all of those that make the individual, like you and me, into a state of a porcupine, that animal that stands there with arrows, ready to shoot anywhere. The ego makes us into that state. So what we have to shoot is the hatred and obsession as mechanisms to protect that perishable identity of ours. The bottom line is that.

0:04:24.0 DT

0:05:05.3 So wisdom really comes in [when you look at] what you are protecting and the way you are protecting it. Ego right now, is throwing hatred and obsession out. It is just like George Bush’s pre-emptive strikes. He said, “Before the terrorists hit us I am going to hit them”, “No matter whatever the other nations say I am going to roll over everything.” That’s exactly what the ego is doing within ourselves. So we are having Bush inside us.

0:05:49.3 DT

0:06:05.2 Let us not submit to Bush, the ego. Wisdom really tells us – the 2600 year’s old wisdom I told you about – what we are protecting. How are you protecting? Is that mechanism you apply, the violence, the hatred, the real way to protect yourself or would you rather change it and see that what you are really protecting is not the physical identity or mental identity, but really yourself, the true you, the true me. That has to be protected. And the actual way to protect ourselves is the way of giving love and compassion, rather than hatred and jealousy and obsession.

0:07:35.2 As we see, everybody, person to person, from one human being to another, when you are exchanging love there is a kind, gentle feeling. When you exchange hatred, there is harshness, separation and doubt and fear that controls us. So look at these and see with your method of dealing, with your own problems, maybe there is another way. The alternative is love and compassion.

0:08:16.2 DT

0:09:36.4 It also calls for understanding. We should not be such short-tempered persons. We should not show our temper tantrum so much, but you also have to understand where the other person is coming from. Just like us who have been dominated by fear, threatened by violence, the other person is also in that same situation. And where is that coming from? Show our better understanding, don’t try to behave like a porcupine. In other words, don’t be like George Bush.

0:10:24.6 DT

0:11:00.9 And is also calls for, when you try to do something, when you try to help, it doesn’t work immediately. It is not instant. There is instant coffee, which is not very good. So it is not instant. Therefore, there needs to be a little endurance. When it doesn’t work like this you have to be a little more patient, have a little more understanding and a little more endurance. That is helping yourself as well as helping others, both need a little bit of patience.

0:11:50.6 DT

0:12:13.5 In a short time like that it doesn’t work. Bush thought it will work. He thought he would go into Iraq and kill everybody and kill everybody and get out and put in a puppet government and control the strings from behind. But he couldn’t. He could in but he can’t get out. So he is stuck.

0:12:45.2 DT

0:12:53.4 Nor could he put in his puppet so well. That is the joke side, but the reality really is that when you are helping yourself you not only need the wisdom but a little bit of patience as well. And what really makes a difference to us is the constant continuation of helping yourself. That makes a big difference. Instant anything does not work that well. Remember, when a bucket is filled drop by drop, then even a drop a day makes the bucket full. This is known.

0:14:13.9 So it is in the spiritual field too. It is the constant continuation of your help for yourself. That is what we need. We in Jewel Heart try to provide that as a service. It is the information of how we deal with our negative emotions, how we overcome our hatred, how we overcome our obsession, and how we bring happiness within ourselves and in that way also we bring happiness to others. And that is our purpose here.

0:15:17.0 DT

0:15:30.8 We present this information through courses, seminars, retreats, through lectures and all this. That’s what we do. We want to be helpful as much as possible, to as many people as possible. That’s the reason why we are here. This is not a financial business.

0:16:10.1 DT

0:16:14.5 You know very well, this is not a financial business. So there are a number of senior people here and they are leading the groups, courses and studies. They are not able to do that overnight. I have been here for over 20 years. These people have put in so much effort for over 20 years, for two decades. These are the people who lead you.

0:17:22.2 We also give the spiritual support behind this. I stand behind and behind me stands my lineage. So that’s our purpose of Jewel Heart and I would like to say: please join hands with us and try to help as many people as possible. Help yourself, help others. That’s what I would like to say

0:18:09.2 DT

0:18:13.5 Every year we start study groups in September. This year too. If anybody is interested, please read whatever literature is available and if you want to help yourself and others, when you help others is begins with the person who is with you. Tibetan Buddhism tells you it is for all living beings. That’s great. But actually, it really begins with you.

0:19:15.3 The good western saying is: Charity begins at home. That’s where you begin. If you talk about compassion and you are looking at your spouse or companion and say, “This is not all sentient beings, move out” and you want to look for compassion for all that doesn’t work.

0:19:52.9 DT

0:20:04.1 So compassion begins at home. Love begins at home. The eradication of negative emotions begin within yourself. That’s what I know, but you will find more details in all the different groups and programs. If you any questions I can entertain one, or three at the most.

Well, I see no hands, so it’s great. Thank you. So I would like to lead a short meditation. We talk a lot and before I even do that I like to conclude what we said. What did we talk today? What are you going to take home tonight?

0:21:38.2 The true enemy within ourselves, the one that makes us unhappy, miserable, difficult, that brings depression and all of them, is not something external, but it is within ourselves. That is our fear, our hatred, our obsession. Therefore, these are our target of spiritual practice, of helping ourselves, making ourselves better; getting away from those, replacing those with love, with compassion, with caring. That is basically what we talked about and what you are going to take home.

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GUIDED MEDITATION

[interspersed with short Dutch translations]

0:23:27.8 Now, before we mediate anything, first and foremost, relax. Let your mind be relaxed. Let it be loose. Let our body and our mind be loose, completely relax and make yourself comfortable in your own skin. First and foremost, watch inside, watch your mind.

0:24:31.6 See your mind, is it relaxed or agitated or upset or afraid? Let us withdraw our attention from that mind into our breathing at the nostrils’ level and start counting your breaths in and out. Breathe deeply from the stomach. Don’t have shallow breathing…….pause…... Just count the breaths, don’t focus on anything else, …..pause……notice the breath…..pause…..now let us change the focus from nostrils to the open space before us. There is this beautiful, spacious, open space. In the midst of that, in reality all totally enlightened beings, in the form of whatever you feel comfortable with: Buddha, Jesus or even nothing, but just energy, whatever you feel comfortable with, focus on that for a second….pause…..we request them to bestow joy and happiness on all living beings. That dissolves to us and blesses us, making us capable of delivering our goods. We radiate light from our heart and body, wishing ourselves joy and happiness. We also wish that for others, beginning with our own companions and family and thereafter everybody. We wish them joy and happiness

0:30:56.5 The wishing light fills up the room, and just by the touch of the light everybody has obtained joy. Light goes beyond the room, fills up the city, going beyond the city, the whole country, going beyond the country, the whole European continent, going beyond that, to the Middle East – just the light from our heart touching to the sufferings of the war of people losing life, limbs, etc, just by the touch of the heart their sufferings are cleared.

0:32:34.1 Light goes beyond that to the Asian continent and just the touch of the light removes all the sufferings and everyone meets with joy. The light goes through Australia, New Zealand and the African continent and North and South America. Finally the whole world has now become such a wonderful place, full of joy, a joy that has never known suffering. Now rejoice in your activity. Wish and pray that it will all be true, everlasting true.

0:34:35.0 Okay, thank you and before I conclude I was talking last night in Utrecht and I did say there will be a Medicine Buddha blessing on Sunday here at 10.30 and since I said that in Utrecht I should say it here too. It is in blessing form. You don’t have to be Buddhist, you don’t have to be committed, there is no commitment, but it is sort of a ceremonial visualization and blessing. If you like to come all are invited on Sunday morning at 10.30. It will last about an hour and a half, two at the most.

0:36:01.5 DT

0:36:29.0 I did this without talking to the Jewel Heart people or Dharma Coordinators. They have their own little policy. I am sorry about it, but…(laughs). Crazy Tibetan lamas do that sometimes, not following the flow of the policies. Forgive me. Then I really want to thank all of you for coming here tonight. It is really a pleasure and privilege for me to be able to speak to you in this beautiful Jewel Heart home.

0:37:35.7 Thank you and thank you to the translator and to the organizers.

0:38:40.9 Closing words by organizer in Dutch