Archive Result

Soundfile 20050723GRNEOmaha

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Omaha

Topic good life good death

Transcriber Vivian Obermeier

Date

Thank you for the introduction… great now I’m here today to talk about the book. I’m not here to promote the book, first of all, I’m here to talk about the book.

So about have you heard what I said? I’m not here to sell my book, and I’m not here even to promote the book, but I wanted to talk to you about the book. Because the book I wrote here is that Good Life Good Death. It’s not that I wanted to write a book, and I made a proposal and sent it to the publishers, I did not do that at all, so number of publishers approached me and asked me to write the book. And whoever’s giving me the biggest advance, I took it. (Audience laughs) And I don’t have a book for years and they been chasing me and at the end I don’t have money to give back.

Not only that, I thought whatever I have to say may be helpful for some people, for some people. Maybe it will help to ease a little bit of sufferings that will be carried all the time; and the title of the book becomes Good Life Good Death. A good life is really extremely important, we all have a good life, to a certain extent we have a great human life, wonderful mind, tremendous capability, and our human mind is such that there is no limit for the human mind what you can do, and what you cannot do, no limit.

0:03:13.4 Just to be straightforward, even a hot day like today - real hot, I don’t know whatever - when I was landing on the plane they said it was going to be 98. I think maybe it’s 100, whatever it is today. So really hot. But you can get in the cool air from different room. You know? It is the human mind that made it. We may call it – we make take for granted – particularly in the US we will definitely take for granted. If it’s too hot get in the air-conditioned, too cold put the heat on. We take it for granted. A lot of lives, lot of people do not have that extremity at all. I was in India, though I’ve been fortunate enough very soon I got air conditioning, but still, you know it is India with heat and all this, it’s there, and that’s people have no -- rich people yes -- but the majority of the people don’t have the things which we take for granted. So, we need to recognize because we are taking it for granted. It’s obvious, you’re hot, get in cold air, put it on. Oh, it’s too cold turn that heat on. It’s obvious to us. And that obviousness it also comes out of – although we say the science did it – but it’s the human mind. Human mind beings able to make that. And if it’s like say about two hundred years or three hundred years before we could have said it’s a miracle, but it is the human mind that made it. So, the human mind has no limit.

0:05:36.8 When I’m talking about the human mind, I’m talking about the mind that you and I and we all have. I’m talking about that mind I’m not talking something out there, up there; I’m talking about this one. 0:06:00.9 As we have no – almost no limit - in the material world. We also have no limit in the spiritual world. Human mind is capable of achieving all of those. I am a Buddhist, I came from the background of Buddhism, so we talk about Buddha. We talk about how great Buddha is and this and that. But we cannot forget: The Buddha was a human being. So does all the great religious tradition leaders are human beings. No matter whatever - they may be coming from Heaven, they may be Son of God, whatever they may be – but they are human beings. As a human being they been able to achieve from that level. And that is the capacity of human life. Human mind can do, really make a miracle. And that is the mind what you and I and we all have it.

So, if you don’t utilize that opportunity of having that mind, and then you just pass the day - you know the day - sun rises sun sets, go to bed, get up and do your daily chores and go to bed and get up do your daily chores, yes human mind goes over yes human life has limitations - time limited - we all will have that. …use the most wonderful tool that we have can we put them to use to help our self and to help others.

0:08:38.8 So with that reason, if I can contribute something where I come from where I was fortunate enough to be born in that land at that period with that opportunity. So just to relay a little bit of my gratitude to the people of the United States I thought I would write few words on that. Few words. And basically, the message what I try to bring in that book is the mind what we have which has a tremendous capacity and it is for us to utilize this mind the best way we can. Otherwise, you don’t go. You don’t go, the days go, you know? Sun rises every morning sun sets every night. So, since we all when we were kids, since then - sun rises sun sets. Even after we’re gone, sun rises, sun sets. That’s what will happen. So why I am saying that funny thing here? It’s time to point it out that our own personal opportunity may slip away. So, let’s not – how do I say this? (Audience member): “Don’t let that happen”

Don’t let that happen! There you go, thank you. Don’t let that happen. And it’s in our own hands, and nobody else’s hands. Whether you want to use your mind and make best use of it, or you just want to waste it -- and that’s entirely in our own hands, nobody else’s. No power in the world can do that.

I know for a fact… because I came from the Tibet, which was under the Communist Chinese domination and occupation. And they tried their best, whatever the way, to dominate your mind. They can take over everything. They can take over the material world, and they can make you say – they can do anything. But they cannot control your mind. Even though they try to bring lot of mental torture and mental domination and all of this. So, no power in the world can control this except our self.

0:12:18.6 So that makes us, our self, our own boss. The boss is inside, not on outside. Not the guy with suit and tie. So, it’s inside. So, the inside boss -- which probably is inside yourself, not an imposed one, hopefully yourself. But that self has to be right and straight. And we’re not. We know we have the great mind. We know we are our own boss. Truth truth truth, we are our own boss no matter whatever. President Bush may be President, but not my boss. Sorry to say that haha. I hope you don’t mind. Well, this is Nebraska anyway. I came from a blue state. So anyway, I’m not saying, because I come from a blue state, he is not the boss. I’m saying because he is not. It is you you’re your own boss. So, then you can do right or wrong, whatever you want to do you can do. Actually, no power in the world can make you do something which you don’t want to do.

0:15:35.8 Ok. So, we should do right thing for our own good and good of others. But we don’t. And that’s not your fault. Nebraska is a red state, right? That’s not your fault. (Audience laughs)

That’s not your fault. But you know why we do that wrong thing? Because we are addicted. Addicted to our negative emotions. Such as anger, hatred, fear, jealousy.

And even “justice”. You may not like this in Nebraska. Even justice for me, it is a problem. If it’s a true justice, it is fine. But our justice is justice because somebody did something wrong, so he or she should be punished. And that reason will bring justice. And even that, for me it’s a problem. That’s only me, I’m not bringing Buddhism. I’m not, it’s only me. It’s me only. It’s my reality, there is a problem with that as well.

So anyway the real problem is anger, hatred, obsession. Jealousy, all of them control our self completely. We have become, we are completely confused because of those emotions. Our mind, as I said earlier, it is an excellent mind. Wonderful thing. But mind itself is such a thing – there is no color or shape or any tangible in mind at all.

0:18:35.8 So I always give example of mind like clean crystal lampshade. Clean crystal lampshade. You look from outside and you see a clean clear crystal lampshade. But the light bulbs you have in there, sometimes it’s red, sometimes it’s green, sometimes it’s yellow. So then, that influences the clean clear crystal lampshade – looks like a red lampshade, or a blue lampshade, or a green lampshade. Or whatever the color of the lightbulb, the shade is affected. Likewise, the wonderful mind, pure nature, clean clear mind is influenced by hatred like red color. Obsession is a cool green color, whatever that’s up to you. So it changes, right? When you change light bulb, lampshade looks different, right? Just like that, our mind influences by the emotions of ours, and that changes.

A changing influencing mind by emotions is not so bad, but because of that influence we’ll act differently. We function differently. Sometimes, even we see almost like an animal out of wonderful human beings. It is not the nature of a wonderful human being. It is the influence of those very negative emotions.

0:21:24.0 So who is responsible for this? Our wonderful mind. That changing into these undesirable emotions influence. Who is responsible? Certainly not a god. As a matter of fact, one gets to leave God alone. Really. Like you know, the incident, the tsunami incident. And then when is it, the end of last year, the beginning of this year. The tsunami incident. Horrible. And people have been calling on me – the journalists – keep on calling me, they say: can you explain why the Good Lord allowed this to happen? Can you explain to me why the Good Lord is moving the other way, other side? Other way. And I said: Let God be alone. Leave God alone, please. It Is not God who’s responsible. And what is it? So, I said: It is the personal truth, the statement of the Buddha said all we are suffering.

Truth of suffering. Truth of suffering, that’s what it is. It is the suffering, not only those who lost their lives and loved ones, but those of us who are watching through television. Listening through radio, watching through various media, we all feel that pain. Is there anybody who does not feel the pain? When you see 9/11, when you saw the tsunami or when we saw it 7/7. Even yesterday – this morning even. When we hear them or see them is there anybody who doesn’t feel? Everybody felt the pain. We all did. That is – we are suffering, it’s our suffering too. That’s our suffering. So, it is suffering of everybody, not necessarily the victims. We all suffer. It’s the truth of suffering.

0:24:30.4 Truth of suffering is coming from truth of cause of suffering -- according to Buddha. Truth of the cause of suffering. Truth of the cause of suffering is negative actions that we enact, negative things we do, wrong things we do. We hurt people. We all try to hurt each other. We are wonderful human beings, no doubt about it, but each and every one of us try to hurt our equal level within our families within the civilians within everything, everybody --- we try to compete with our close friends, workers in the office. Even two tiny babies together -- even though they are twins, they try to push each other, don’t they? That is the addiction what I’m talking about it. Even at the baby level. And more we grow up, we have the same things. It is the addiction. That is the problem. That’s why I said it’s not your fault.

So, when I’m talking about the good life, I’m talking about life that is free of those negativities -- negative thoughts, negative emotions. Can we do it? Sure you can do it. We Have seen people. You have been, a lot of times, free of those negative emotions. Even yourself. Everybody here Is not completely controlled by hatred or obsession all the time. No, they’re not. Occasionally, maybe.

0:27:07.6 The fear is another one. The fear is a big problem. Extremely big problem, because the fear drives you to all this. I speak of this, sometimes even in the blue states. Although George Bush chose to have preemptive – and it’s not his fault – it is the fear that drove a nation. Not only him, but the nation. He’d never seen such a thing like 9/11. Never imagined. So, when we say we have to protect our self, so naturally the fear turned us. To cut even our liberty, our rights, for the sake of protecting our self. You know liberty – the dignity and the right are a great issue for the people of the United States. Don’t let me tell you that, it is yours. Although I’m American, I’m a new American. I’m proud to be American. And that’s because the people love the freedom, the liberty and the right and the self-determination. But sometimes, even now, we have to cut it here and there. We know we don’t like it, but we better keep our mouths shut because we are afraid of number 9/11. That is the fear, not us. So, the fear is another one.

0:29:49.6 So, the cause of the suffering that we experience is coming out of negative actions that we did. I been saying that for decades. The anger -- if you don’t take care of it -- becomes hatred. Hatred brings the individual into violence, and violence brings violence. I’ve been saying that for ten years. The violence cannot be cut by violence. To me.

We went through tremendous amount of war in the last century and centuries before that. Unfortunately, a lot of the wars we fought were on the basis of religion. Was supposed to be the anti-war, for peace and helping people on the account of religion, Buddhism included. We did that. And we’re nowhere -- yes it’s true we defeated Hitler, all those are great, no doubt about it, but that doesn’t defeat the enemies of human freedom and the human at all, it will continue. It’s good the Nazis are gone -- then the Communism came up. The Communism. We were able to defeat Hitler and the people are free and wonderful like we end there. Stalin came. Mao came. Chairman Mao. Everyone else, small little ones here and there Saddam Hussein included. They all came. The enemy does not finish. That’s because we did not deal with the source. That is the negative emotions – that hatred, that anger, that miserable feeling people generate, and that is the one. And I even can tell you no one would like to have a war and violence today. Even today, no one. But the fear is driving them there: if I don’t do this I will be crushed, if I don’t do this and that… that’s what’s going on.

0:33:23.7 So truly, when we want to help our self we should help our self by helping our self: cutting down the negativities, negative emotions within our self. It is true, we should look outside to the world and everything. But the good old American saying: charity begins at home – peace, love, compassion, helping our self -- begins within our self. In our own home with our own family, with our own spouse, with our own companion, with our own children and with our own parents – and including our mothers-in-law too – really true. You cannot leave it out you know? Is it: I love every human being except my mother-in-law -- can you say that? No, you can’t. You can’t, people may do it, may say, may think it, but that’s not right. So it really begins at our self. So it begins within individual. So, the most important thing what I wrote is: watch your mind. Where is your mind? What is your mind doing? Whether the mind is influenced by the positive emotions such as joy, happiness, compassion, faith. Or, our mind is totally influenced by hatred, obsession, jealousy, all of those. Our own mind is no secret to our self. You are the only one who knows about your mind. At least, what you are thinking. I don’t think anybody else will know. They can guess – that doesn’t mean they know it.

0:36:13.8 So since our own mind is known to our self, we have to watch it. And watch it and make yourself observe. A non-biased observer, watching over your mind. Do not try to justify every thought that we entertain. That’s what we normally do. We always do, we always justify. Some are so positive; I call Madame Positive. some are so negative; I call them Mr. Negative. Don’t be Mr. Negative, don’t be Madame Positive. Be non-violent and watch your own mind. Do not try to justify. I don’t mean outside, I don’t mean in court of law, I don’t mean society, I mean when you are alone by yourself within your own four walls. Let it be the bathroom or bedroom or house or apartment, whatever. And watch yourself and think. And, if it’s negative influence, try to find out what, what, and all your justifications will come prrrrrr and one after the other dadadadadada. All will come. When you find a little bit of good, it is oh, I am so great wonderful oh yadayadayada will come, right? So, see how much is really valued. How much you just made up. And think it very carefully. You have already taken your first step to helping yourself – just by watching your mind.

0:38:58.6 Purpose of watching your own mind by yourself, what does that do to you? Even if you are totally influenced by powerful negative emotions such as hatred, when you face by yourself to your own mind, face to face, watching the hatred, we’re shy -- and power reduces, it shrinks. These negative emotions cannot really face the truth. It is true between human beings, it is true within our family, it is true within everybody. When somebody is exaggerated tremendously and someone is really truly watching, that person cannot look in your eyes. They will be down, even though they will insist to continue statement in court of law or whatever, but they cannot look in your eyes and tell you. They will shrink.

I know somebody, I won’t name it because you people know that person. Somebody who had trouble with ex-husband, and for the benefit of money and property, the ex-husband lied tremendously in court. And, the woman, she said – she couldn’t believe what she was seeing – she said she looked at him he came down under the table and he hid himself under the table, statements continuing. He is a trained lawyer but he puts his head down under the table and the statement continued. So that’s it! So when the truth faces false, the false cannot really face the truth. So within you, by yourself -- only for yourself. Not for outside. Don’t create additional trouble – so, within yourself – let it face the negative emotions within you. You will notice the power of negative emotions shrink. So, you have broken the ice. You begin to work now. You have found a way to deal with yourself.

0:42:32.7 Anyway to have good life is a life that is free of negative emotions’ influence. If you have a lot of money, wealthy -- wonderful, be happy about it. Nothing is wrong, nothing to be ashamed of – great! If you’re poor, have nothing – nothing to be ashamed of. Honestly straightforwardness -- the human dignity you maintain -- that’s great! I’m not talking about good life whether you have money or not have money, I’m talking about true wonderful human being who is free of negative emotions. And it is …. the person that family can respect, the person that society can respect. I don’t mean politicians; I don’t mean money-wise. As a true person. And that comes out of the positive-ness, the kindness, the compassion and caring. And that makes the person wonderful. Not only wonderful for this life. I’m from the background of reincarnation. And that, for me, the reincarnation is real. This is not fairytale story. By the way – I think I can say it. When I was writing the book about this reincarnation, and I wrote a lot of stories of a different -- like between the present Dalai Lama, he’s the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, so between First and Second and Second and Third, Third and Fourth, there’s a different account – where they went to this paradise that paradise meet this guy, taught this guy, this thing happened they have these difficulties they have the – I put all this account in there and my editor look at it then said: Rimpoche are you going to write a novel? Are you going to write fairytale story? All these pages are gone. Haha with one stroke of a pen it went off, that’s it.

0:45:46.0 So it’s not fairytale story. Honestly. The reincarnation is true. At least for me, you don’t have to believe it. I’m not here to sell reincarnation to you. A lot of people tell me: Well, if there’s true reincarnation, the science by now would have known. Sure, science by now would have known. Did any scientist say there is no reincarnation? Did you find any single statement from any scientist who said: there is no reincarnation? No! No science ever said no, no scientist ever said there is no reincarnation. Every spiritual tradition tells you about reincarnation including Judeo-Christian – Judeo, I have to be aware of a little Judaism, but in the Christian tradition -- though they don’t mean reincarnation. They tell you, afterwards you’re going to the right place or to the wrong place. The question is: who?

So really, I come from the background of the reincarnation. So I do not believe the life ends when you die. That for me is a transition. Transition and a cut – closing of one chapter of a life which begins at the beginning – haha – whether it begins at birth or womb, I don’t know -- transition. It begins when it begins and ends when it dies. Death is the closing of one chapter and opening for another chapter of life. If it is a totally disappearing, complete annihilation, nothing left, then what we worried today? Why do we worry today? There is no reason why we have to be good here. People talk about Karma – true, but Karma is not going to be able to get us out with one lifetime – no, impossible! Can’t with millions of Karma that we put to every day. And you’ll never be able to fill it and be done dealing with it within one lifetime. Not even possible. So it is not possible. We’re not going to be completely disappeared, it’s never going to happen.

0:49:40.4 So what happens thereafter? It is a big question for us. It is our problem because we our self is the one who’s going to go through it. My good old friend, late Allen Ginsberg, told me one day: Rimpoche, I did not see the reincarnation, I have not seen anyone who has come back, but I don’t want to take a chance, if it’s true then I don’t want to face the problem by the time that I’m gone. That is his statement. It’s very hard to prove future life for us, and because we’re in this life, and not to be able to come back and say: I’m back! (Audience laughs) That is our problem. But that doesn’t mean, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. As much as we have today’s life, there is a future life. The person who’s going in the future life is our self, not second or third or new person. Otherwise why should we bother – in that case, why should we bother?

0:51:28.4 So it is the continuation of this mind imprinted. So to make that life little better, to make that life little easier, to make that life less suffering, it depends on us now. As long as we let our negative emotions and negative addictions continue, that much difficulty we’re building in our future. As much as we can reduce negative emotions now, and if you build up positive emotions -- not only will it affect our life now, it will also tremendously affect in our future life. If future life is there. It is interesting to share with you, a Tibetan woman to whom I was married – and it’s a very good Tibetan family – she is not a religious person at all, almost non-believer, at all. So by the time when she was dying, I was talking to her, I’m saying: Well, in this life you have done the best you could. You’ve been honest, you’ve been kind, you helped others, you yourself was never a priority over others. You have done great, you have done great service for the community and to everybody, for Tibet and Tibetans. And your future life will be good. And I said: the goodness doing makes good, said by Buddha – she believed that. But I said: Also the Buddha’s the one who said even there is a future life and if it’s true he also said your goodness makes your future life different. One statement is in truth, the other has to be true. She bought that. Honestly. And it’s been helpful, I think.

0:54:47.3 So whether you buy the statement or not, whether you develop faith in Buddha or not, that’s not an issue. The issue really is -- you have to be good, true to yourself and to others. If that is done, it is as good as being a great religious person. So, good life, I’m talking about that. Sometimes even great religious person can be interesting. It is very interesting example earlier Tibetan teachers give. Tibetan teachers give you a story. There were three animals, a goat, a buffalo, and a sheep – three of them. And kept by a religious person who was always saying mantras and praying and rolling and going round. And one day the goat talked to the person – talked to one person: Hey he’s going to kill us. He looks like he’s going to kill us. And the buffalo said: No no no, no way (it’s a kids’ story). And the sheep said: Never. He’s got a mala in hand and praying, he’s saying OM MANI PADME HUNG, how can he kill us? No way. So, one day, a butcher came by. So the goat says: See, look, now the butcher came. They said: No, no no, he’s a religious person. So then the butcher said: You don’t need three of them, one is enough, I don’t have time, I’m busy, and this and that. And he’s giving reasons why he needs all meat from all three of them with mala in hand and saying OM MANI PADME HUNG and using argument of killing them. So, the animals got shot, supposed to be, but not killed. Even religious person sometimes looks like religious – meditates, says mantra, claims to be. But very eager to have the need of all killing animals, actually wanting to slaughter them. And that happens. So what is it? The real person, the being inside, the self, the person, has to be good. If that is good, and it’s religious, that’s right. If that’s not good, doesn’t matter whatever you do right, whatever you pray. So good life is good heart.

0:58:47.7 His Holiness the Dalai Lama calls it Warm Heart. I don’t know if anybody has a cold heart, hehe. I’m kidding. I’m not joking, but you know, I mean, what he meant is kind, compassion, and warm person to person. Not cold, not giving the cold shoulder. But we all have the wonderful human nature inside, but we always keep cold shoulder because of those negative emotions and we […].0:59:31.4 To be a good person means to take care of those negative emotions. Wherever -- it becomes powerful, whenever it is controlling you, make sure that you work out. You don’t let the negative emotions control you. You control your negative emotions. When you do this, you have good life. Good death follows good life. Whole life you’ve been a horrible person, and at the time of the death have to do something good, doesn’t get you far, at all. Every day, every day of our life counts. Honestly. Every day of our life counts, and when we have the positive Karmic positiveness built up so much and the negative within our self goes away, disappears. So the suffering and the pain and difficulties are result of the negative Karma, and good, happy, joyful, nice ones are the result of positive Karma. And we are, we our self is responsible for our self, for our deeds, for our function, for our Karma, for everything. We’re responsible. We cannot escape it. Even the police did not catch you -- or even they caught you, you get a good lawyer and get out of it. But, in the reality, the responsibility you cannot escape. It’s there.

1:02:21.4 So that’s why good life brings good death. Good death brings good reincarnation. That’s me – I don’t mean that’s me – that’s my thoughts. Good death brings good reincarnation. That is the beginning of really a good life in our journey of life. It is no one else can do it except yourself. It is important for you to know. I mean this, this is what I offer is the information that what I learned with my background. I really thought that that’s a little bit of a contribution from me to society who have been so kind, so generous, so open-armed, sharing everything including me in that, sharing everything. Just a little bit of contribution, sort of a token of appreciation and kindness -- I thought that’s what I want. And then of course, as I told you, the advance gets you. That’s how the book ended. My story of the book is over. Ok anybody have any questions? Yes.

Audience member: So I read a little about your past and I have a question about how you comprehended your mission or your job was to leave the monastery and go out and teach. How did you come to that?

1:04:50.4 Rimpoche: Well, honestly speaking, I was a young kid, about three or four, recognized as a Reincarnate Lama and put in a monastery, and um, locked in. (Chuckles) Locked in, you know what I mean? You cannot roam around, you cannot play around, and you have sort of very strong restrictions. Then 1959 came – Chinese call it “Liberation”. Whether they have liberated Tibetan people or not, they liberated me, hehe, from the monastery. (Audience laughs) So throw me into India. I taught in the book: it looks like, by looking back, it looks like they picked me up in the middle of eighteenth century by helicopter, carried over the Himalayas and then dropped into the twentieth century. So that much drastic change for me. Forget about culture, sure ok, this and that, not even a question. Such a drastic change. And yet, within that drastic change – three, four, five years -- I still continued because it is a very traumatic period. And what’s going to happen to the future of all the spiritual path, and everything else.

1:07:11.4 I continued three, four years, then by the time when I was 23-24, and it was in middle of the Sixties in the United States -- and you know what’s happening. So I was also looking for opportunity. Opportunity to explore – what else out there? Opportunity to see… I think it’s something called joy, something called pleasure, something called harmony – wonderful life. So I begin to explore some usual stuff. When you begin to drink, you begin to smoke cigarettes, and uh, sex. And that’s how I become – that’s how I broke from the order of monk – that’s how I fall. I don’t consider this as greatness, I consider this as a fall -- yet, a normal human experience. It’s mid-sixties. I tried everything. I tried a joint, I throw up. I smoked cigarettes, for a long time. Tried to find something in there, in the beginning, you know. Tried to find what’s happening. Nothing happens! (Laughs) You start choking. I smoked for thirteen years -- terrible Indian cigarettes which don’t even have a filter, so I smoked three packs in two days. I tried everything and nothing else there. So gradually where did I land? I landed back in the good old spiritual path. The true joy, true happiness is there. It’s not the monastery, it’s not the church, it's not the temple – it is the mind. Mind within individual, and mind that deals with the negative emotions. In other words, when you try to become -- you are your own boss, you reach home. That’s what happened to me, thank you for asking.

1:10:42.2 Audience member: Thank you

Rimpoche: Because of that, I thought I can contribute a little bit here, in people’s lives. I try to lead a normal human life, human being’s life, so it makes a lot of difference.

Rimpoche: Yes, sir?

Audience member: In the mid-sixties when you experienced that and free love, flower power, and so forth, the negativity of the Vietnam war was going on, but the again there seemed to be a raise of consciousness with the flower children and love and peace and everybody professed love at that time. Can you explain the rise in consciousness?

Rimpoche: True, it’s true, true. That’s why I said violence included Buddhism because remember those periods, those monks started burning themselves. That is violence. That is violence. Buddha never ever ever -- if Buddha were alive he would hate to see that. For sure. Although a lot of people thought it was a great thing they did, but I personally disagree. If Buddha were alive he would hate to see it. For sure. Yes it seems to be, you know, the circle. The pendulum swings, they see this all the time. Swings to the right extreme, then swings to the left extreme – unfortunately doesn’t stay in the middle. Not necessarily dualism, the human consciousness, human awareness, everything, that’s what happens. And it happens with everything in our life, it’s not as straight. With our politics, with our society, with our everything. It swings – right, then left, and you know, all this. Even in the religion it swings too much.

1:12:59.4 Sometimes it’s too extreme, everything goes – if you do this you go to hell, if you do this you go to hell – everything is hell. Then it swings too much to the left and New Age comes – there is no bad, nothing bad ever exists, what is bad? So it is too much extreme even in the name of religion that took place. This is the culture, society and the movement of the air and energy of the people -- I think that swings. And of course, people play tremendously within that. Naturally it swings, there’s a lot of people playing, sometimes the right wing people put the right wing, left wing people put the left, and you know that affects a little bit too. But that’s what happens. Sixties – swing, to extreme in the eighties. Nineties try to swing a little bit that way, and 2000s swings other way and you know…. I’m sorry, it’s my opinion, maybe I’m wrong. I’m not here to defend my own, you know, opinion.

Audience member: You said that some people don’t believe in reincarnation, but no one ever said there is no reincarnation…

Rimpoche: I said the scientists

Audience member: The scientists…

Rimpoche: No scientist ever said

Audience member: But, what about the psychiatrists that say past life regression and future life progression, when people actually believe that past life…

1:15:04.5 Rimpoche: That type of – I mean, I’m talking about generally within our commonly acceptable scientific findings. I’m not talking about one little pocket here, one little pocket there. Ah, you know, the psychologist, psychiatrist says something, the physicist says something and biological biochemical, all of those who says something they’re all going -- extremely. But one thing commonly that scientists today are really finding is a tremendous capability within the mind. It is the beginning of the Western science looking into the mind, in the last couple of years. Of course it begins with Einstein. Very definitely. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity really proved The Buddha’s statement of interdependent-ness. Interdependent nature is really scientifically Einstein too. And Buddha came 2600 years ago. And he was not a Caucasian man – he was a man, but not a Caucasian. So, Einstein did. And that is the beginning of science looking into the mind. And the incidents: true.

1:17:02.1 That professor here… Massachusetts, liberal state -- just joking. Um – what is his name? But I’m thinking of Ray Kurzweil -- he’s sort of the number one person thinking about artificial intelligence. So artificial intelligence. So now he’s talking about, he’s going to catch a consciousness and going to lock it into a computer and make an artificial intelligence. I had a conference with him a couple of times and they have asked His Holiness to send somebody. And first time they sent for some big Lama with big name. Didn’t work… so then they asked me to go, so I went there. And I talked and he went up after me and he said this is exactly what’s happening now. The statement this guy is giving you just now is the… what did he say? Eastern Asian philosophy or something and religion is a philosophy which we have rejected and we followed the facts. We separated from that, we followed the facts and now the facts made us bend 190 degrees and follow this one now. And because it’s talking about the consciousness, is talking about this, and the question is whether there will be artificial intelligence or not, my answer is yes there will be. Had to give zillion different reasons why. His sort of shortcut is: “I’m going to catch a consciousness, going to lock in my computer, then I’m going to make it” (laughs). I don’t know – I almost wanted to joke “You may reincarnate yourself in there”. (Audience laughs) But, they accept consciousness and they see the unlimited power of mind. Today’s scientist sees that. And they’re spending tremendous amount of money and looking into this now.

1:20:16.2 So, anyway. So that’s all we have is this precious mind, there’s no limit whatsoever. No limit for – it only has to be developed. We’re not developed. If it is developed, going to be total knowledge. Our brain capacity, human mind capacity is to know everything whatever there’s to be known – when our mind functions perfectly. And that from the Buddhist religion point of view is called enlightenment. Or Buddhahood, for that matter. But it is the total capacity, the base is the human life. And the total capacity or the human life functioning properly is the mind. You can achieve this through spiritually, you can achieve this through, to certain extent, through scientific ways. You definitely can. You cannot deny it. Somebody asked me, do you think Einstein is enlightened Bodhisattva? I don’t know whether Einstein was a Bodhisattva or not but he did achieve tremendously through scientific work. The point is, if you achieve the result, whether you achieve it spiritually or whether you achieve scientifically, whether you achieve through anything whatever -- when you achieve it comes. It doesn’t matter where it comes from: east or west or south side of the mountain, or the north side of the mountain, or you can fly a helicopter and land it on top. But the point is, you have to be on the peak of the mountain. Whichever the way you get there doesn’t matter to me, you get there. And that is the human potential and that is ultimately what Buddha experienced and shared and gave as his gift to mankind. That’s what it is. I’m not talking about “ism”.

We have one more question.

Audience member: Yes, are there any notable people in the world today that you feel are living at that level? And using their mind effectively?

1:23:22.3 Rimpoche: Well we have a lot of good examples. We can look at Mother Theresa. And you have Dr. Martin Luther King. And even living Nelson Mandela. The Dalai Lama. And um, there are a lot of good – Allen Ginsberg. Really, really, great guy, no doubt about it. And there’re great many good persons who don’t blow their own horn. Their personal horns. Good, good many. Wonderful, kind, compassionate, caring, having the wisdom – great many. Ram Dass asked me once: can you find me one example of who is really looking there – among the Westerners? And he was talking among the Westerners – who is committed through the spiritual path, among our contemporaries. So I said: Allen, he said: I agree. Before I said Allen, he told me, don’t give professors – couple of names he told me, don’t give those professors. (Laughs) Real person who get it. I said Allen. That is after he had stopped me.

Rimpoche: Oh there’s one question? Again, lady?

Audience member: Within the Teachings of the Buddha, is there any requirement that one have a faith or belief in reincarnation, or would it be presumed if Mother Theresa would be reincarnated even if she might not believe, because of her good works?

1:26:26.0 Rimpoche: Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, why does that make difference? Buddha was asked by some people: what is this Buddhism of yours? And Buddha replied: Avoid all negativity, build all positivity, and watch your own mind. This is Buddhism. That is Buddha’s reply. So as I said the whole day, the whole time here, whole evening here, it is the mind that is reincarnate, and it is the deeds that count. If you believe in the reincarnation it may be helpful, if you don’t believe in reincarnation, that doesn’t mean your chances of liberation is cut out. No way. And I think I will call it a day, and better go home. I tried to get here this morning by 5:30 from New York…

Audience member: I was going to ask you about, uh, if reincarnation… you state sexual preferences –uh, you see, you think gay people come in – let’s say, uh a man is a homosexual because he’s been in a woman’s body several times… or do you have an opinion on it?

Rimpoche: Uh I don’t know, but uh – I really don’t know I’m sorry. I’m sorry I don’t know.

Thank you.