Archive Result

Soundfile: 20060124GRAA3poisons

Speaker : Gelek Rimpoche

Location: Ann Arbor

Topic: Attaining Lasting Satisfaction: Three Poisons

Transcriber: Matt Hannah

Date finished:

[0:00:00]

Welcome here tonight. Tonight we're going to have a little short talk. As you know, we have the tsoh offering little later. I explained that later why, but subject what I'd like to talk tonight is, the continue from what we talked earlier, last Tuesday. That is: three object, three subject, and three resolutions.

The object being I think I already talked so you know, the people or person that we get encounter with us, and when you're looking at them we'll see three different categories. Categories of near, dear friends. Categories of distance and almost dislike. Not only dislike, but object of hatred. And then there's indifference, in between. Indifference, in one way, indifference doesn't mean much for our normal thing. It's very common, very usual, but when you're coming from the background of love/compassion, and then indifference is very strong and really couldn't care less. Couldn't care less. And no feelings.

So it becomes much more meaning than simply just indifference. So these are the three objects that we encounter when we encounter with the living beings. Not only a human beings, but anything that's living, breathing, and anything. So we do have that. And because of that we get three different thoughts within us. Three different emotions, such as obsession, hatred and traditionally they like to call it ignorance. [0:05:32.6]

So obsession you know, when we see something that we like, we really want it, not only develop attachment, but you become obsessed with whatever that may be. Whether it is a person or article or subject, whatever. Sort of becoming completely obsessed in the sense, and under any circumstances, I have to get it. It has to belong to me, it has to be mine. And that is more obsessed than appreciation.

And looking at the beautiful thing and appreciate, rejoice, and wonderful it is and wonderful to have it, whoever it might be. That is, along with that wishing to continue as wonderful as it is, and that is really love. And but the moment you take one more step and “it has to be mine,” and belonging to me and my control, and my influence, and because the moment we bring my, my and me, me in, and then it becomes attachment. And not only attachment, when that goes more, and then I must have it. [0:07:53.0]

Then it even goes beyond that, and say: “if I don't get it, I'll make sure nobody else gets it.” Then the obsession joins with the anger and hatred and becomes destructive. Although at the beginning it is cooling, soothing, and sort of nice, but however it changed its color gradually. And then it becomes destructive. And that is how these negative emotions, what traditionally Buddhism they call this, three poisons. And they're very much interlinked. Very much interlinked, interlinking in the sense one emotion brings the other. The other emotion makes sure that one sustained, and that one they’re sort of going round and making sure it’s been further developed, becomes sure, making sure it becomes stronger, and that’s how these three emotions are functioning within us.

And that influences every action that we take. All of them are coming out of confusion, fear and very egoistic thought. And that's what really ignorance is all about it. It's not just not knowing it but completely miss, just miss the point. Completely. And confused. And how does the confusion come? Confusion comes lot of places, but very simply this obsession has become, where the confusion is, instead of appreciation, appreciating and rejoice, admire, and wonderful, and look. Rather than that, taking one more step: I must get it you, you know it has to be belonging to me. Whatever the reason may be: to make money, to make famous, to become wealthy, whatever reason may be. And that leads to all kinds of difficulties and troubles. [0:11:04.3]

I don't know whether it is going to be appropriate example or not. I almost like to thinking out loud here and when you look at the thieves that steals the beautiful paintings out of museums, or the beautiful objects out of museums, the first it started with appreciation. I was not thinking somebody else commissioned you through stealing [laughs], but otherwise you know.

I would like see the object, appreciate, look around, appreciate and then becomes more and more obsessed and then finally it has to be yours. At least you have to gain something out of it, so then it leads to the individual to the point of stealing. Stealing the objects, so that we see very often in real life as well as the movies and everywhere else. And that is exactly how these three emotions are connected with the three objects.

What I'm talking about thieves stealing out of museum, that might not be relevant to us. Because we're not going to steal it; we're not thieves. But this is example I’m showing, however we do very similar things, don't let me spell it out. We all know, we do all that. [laughs] Don't have to spell it.

Either obsession or hatred, whichever pushes us, the individual self is almost helpless and hopeless. That's really what happens to us, and we suffer ourselves tremendously under that. [0:13:52.0] We've been tortured, almost tormented, not almost really tormented with those. And that is in every day in our life. It's not the thieves stealing out of museum, but it happens between two individuals.

Within family, within whatever within circle. And it's not only a romantic in sense, but ait lso happens between parents and children. It happens throughout our life all the time. And that is because of these. three emotions, three objects. To overcome that three objects, three emotions. To overcome that, way how to overcome that: three resolutions, or three virtues they call it.

These are the free of obsession, free of hatred, free of that ignorance. Ignorance here again, fear-oriented, confusion dominated. Mind, ego-boosting, ego-protecting our mind. I don't want to talk very detailed here because during the wisdom period we really talk a lot about object of that particular mind which is not only a cherishing, but strongly grasping self. And object of that mind becomes nothing more than perishable aggregates. And because it's perishable, it is impermanent, it is losing nature, naturally it doesn't lasts, loses. And that's why the fears really born? strong within us, because it threatens basic fundamental self or me or I. [0:17:08.9] So it is really dominated with the fear tremendously, and confused. And then we think where we protect our self is through obsessing, possessing as well as hatred. [0:17:37.8]

And hurting the other people, and that is another very strong confusion. Because one of the key, what Buddha shared to us about 2,600 years ago is the way to bring joy and happiness to the self, is caring others and having compassion. Compassion brings happiness.

And we don't know that, we don’t know that, we thought compassion, we sort of thought compassion sort of good thing we have it. But it is sort of luxury item, when everything’s fine, when there's extra time, the sun is shining, everything's warm nice wonderful, then think about compassion. It sort of becomes a luxury utility.

But when it is emergency, when there's a difficulty, well put that compassion at the back burners and bring the hatred up and let's have a preemptive actions taking. And let us ignore the rules and laws and everything, and torture the people and do all this coming the front burner, because the self is confused and thinks the way to protect our self is that way.

I mentioned to you a number of times. I don't know whether you remember or not. I think it is about January 2002 I went to India. [0:20:08.7] The day when I landed in New Delhi, my good friend Samdhong Rimpoche, who happens to be the Prime Minister of the exile Tibetan government with His Holiness, found out that I was there maybe [someone’s name] informed him or whatever. The moment I land there my phone rang and Samdhong Rimpoche said: "we're having some conference would you like to come over?" And I say “okay, I'll take a shower and then come over.” I landed something like 6, 7 in the morning, no maybe 4, 5 in the morning or something. So it's about 7 or 8. So I took some shower, change clothes, and went over.

And the conference called “Compassion as Antidote for Terrorism.” And I must say it's little surprise to me, you know, because you I've been there one year; the terrorism, the terrorism, kill them kill them, kill them, bombard them you know and all this going on, and suddenly compassion is antidote of terrorism.

It's rather uneasy for me, a little shocking. How? Sort of thing you know. And then I keep on listening to the conference and the great Indian leaders, leaders who worked with Mahatma Gandhi and along with that you know, like the earlier Gandhians like Acharya Kripalani, and all these people who are working with them. The one after another and they're speaking there, they're the speakers. And it is completely different than what we've been hearing here. [0:22:14.3]

And that time the international campaign for Tibet, I think ""? Rimopche was there, as well as ?? there, one or two those ??? are sitting near me. So I told them: “what do you think, do you think it's the same as what we've been hearing back home?” And she said: “oh, it's totally different.” I said: “surprised?” “Yeah very surprised.” I don't know whether the positive way or negative way surprised, I couldn’t ask too many questions. So I had to leave it there but you know really it's amazing and it’s really making sense.

And that show Gandhi utilized nonviolence to achieve such a great goal, such as becoming India independent from the powerful, the British. You know those British rajas they call it. The, during that time the British completely control almost all the world. So such a powerful nation with so much power with Gandhi's no weapon at all, little sort of stick that he hold his body and little dhoti that wraps around his body. And old-fashioned round glassm and maybe a little goat to get some milk. [laughs] So almost that could really prevail. Such impossible goal through non-violence and that's because human mind can change only with love, affection and care and concerned.

Human mind, human beings can be forced for the time being, temporarily overpower completely. And make it look like they want us, however in reality no one really likes stick. The stick that will hit you, everybody likes carrot not the stick. I don' t mean the steak meat you eat, you know.

So that is reality, no matter how powerful may be, the stories of even little ants beating the elephant’s foot. And these are the reasons no matter how small, how weak, whatever it may be, by force by torture, by showdown, no mind can be changed. Can be forced with economic power and military power and just to make sure, yeah yeah yeah.

I have old, I wish I have western story to tell you it make sense, but I don’t. I have an old Tibetan story. That is in 1930s, late 30s, and maybe 40-41 around about that. There was a great Tibetan scholar, scholar. Not usual old-fashioned very respectable religions person. Sort of that scholar did not come out as a sort of holy person. A great scholar who really happens, who really is a great scholar, tremendous, wonderful poet. And historian and a perfect Buddhist scholar, but very wild, crazy life. He runs into India and spend the whole night in the red light areas and studying the sexuality and its effect to the human mind. [0:27:57.5]

It is effect to compassion, but no one really know and that and sort of everybody think he's wild, crazy scholar. No one can dispute how great scholar this guy is. And so much so that he dressed up like the Indian Buddhist monk in the yellow dress, and accompanied by two other Buddhist monks went to Sri Lanka, and this guy actually composed the national anthem of Sri Lanka at that time.

And because he's a great scholar and he worked with George Roerich the earlier Tibetologist of--not the painter Roerich. The painter Roerich’s brother, Nicholas Roerich. And, um...so now I'm confused. George Roerich is the painter or Nicholas Roerich is the painter? I think George Roerich is the Tibetologist and Nicholas Roerich is the painter who has a museum in New York City, even today for his paintings.

So anyway, and he worked with George Roerich and that's why he's also very well-versed in Sanskrit as well as Hindi and English, it's perfectly. Guy is almost first person who really translate between English and Tibetan things and he also, I mean he’s great scholar. However, the British India somehow become little suspicious of couple of those people who are, who are working in northern Indian town called Kalumpang.

And British India is suspicious of two things. One, there are interlinked up with, this guy is a scholar he doesn't really care he goes everywhere. So he mixed up with a lot of congressmen. Congressmen in India doesn't mean the house representatives. The congressman means there's a political party called congress party. So the members of that political party was the major party where the Gandhi is rebuilding. So they're afraid, British India is afraid of they are mixing with that and influence and that number one.

Number two I think they are also worried about Chinese influence. And that is not communist Chinese at that time. It's the national Chinese, the Chang Kai-Shek government. Maybe I'm talking you lot of funny stories, just you doesn't need it (laughs). There's two political parties in that time in China called Kuomintang and ?? so that is National party and communist party. So they're afraid these people are involved in the communist party.

And he happens to be the person who walks through the Himalaya. Walks through and saying how many territories have been really properly mapped by the McMahon line or how many gaps there? And so I mean, really great guy.

And they went into Tibet. The British government told the Tibetans: “you have to be very careful, they're very danger to overthrow your government.” They say: “well, in that case you like to take care of…who is the person? who is the person? Is it the Chinese or the Nepalis or the Indians? What is it?”

And so they say: “no, no, no, within you.” You know how the British works with them, “within you,” they "?"[inaudible] And then they one day they told them: “among your scholars, among your great learned peoples. [0:32:55.0] And then they started looking in Drepung and Sera and Ganden and no, no, no, no, you know.

Anyway the British sort of lead the Tibetans in circle round and around and finally they said this guy. So what the Tibetans did, they immediately arrest him and lash him, started old-fashioned, started lashing him two, three hundred lashes, you know. And they say: “explain what happened, what happened?” Then he is so hot, it was too hot, right? He says: “yes yes I have something to explain,” they stop lashing. They say: “all right, explain.” “Nothing I have to say,” oh lash again, you know so lash again--so “oh I have something to say” you know. But he becomes helpless and try to say: “stop, stop, I have something to say.”

That is example for me. If you use violence, people forced to say yes, yes, yes for everything. But that doesn't mean, that's not coming from the heart. So the people’s mind can only change through love, through compassion only. If I care your well-being, you will like me. [0:34:18.7]

This is why I started the Jewel Heart. If you look in every Tibetan Buddhist centers, when the teacher or Rinpoche, or lama comes in, everybody gets up, bow down lay their body completely on the ground and do whatever. Crazy things. And stand up do all these things. And right from the beginning, I said: “please don't do that in Jewel Heart.” We don't do that in Jewel Heart. Simply because, you know whatever my spot, whatever I can serve you, help you and give you information. Or serve whatever, and if you appreciate, you gain respect. And that respect will become love and that becomes affection. That will become the guru devotion root, rather than making it a culture, make up, stand up, carrying scarf, bow down, and three, four times down and turn around, and other way around. And three, four times your bottom up, if you bow down this way, if you turn round the bottom up right, what else? So anyway that's not a point for anything. So the mind, people's mind will only change with the compassion and love and caring, and that's why His Holiness is right. Really to say compassion is antidote of terrorism. [0:36:05.4] Those Indian great Gandhians are right. Using that language, compassion as antidote.

Really because nothing can change if something, let's say, if we walked out of Iraq today, tomorrow it will be totally different for sure. Than today because half of them, they like to gain some monetary gain, half of them afraid, so they say: “yeah, yeah, yeah, and blah, blah, blah,” but nothing really works. I mean I shouldn't say that, but that is the example how fear cannot dominate, how fear cannot change human mind. It can force do something, but that force is not lasting, it's not real. It is fake. The real comes within the individual person. I'm using Iraq as big example, but think that in small within our self. By our self, for our self, individual level.

So that virtue is really free of those three emotions, perhaps it could be true spiritual path, one or one? Truly. Well having said that, we have to move because it is my time is rushing. So by why I said this, why I spend two days in there? So recognize true spiritual is not love and light, not just you know, not just by talk mouthpiece. It is deep within the individual. Not holy things, it's not rituals. It is not. It is really deep within our self. Deep thinking. It doesn't have to be even worshipping.

Worshipping is actually spiritual or not, it really depends on the individual thoughts and minds. [0:39:28.1] So recognize that and when you really want to have your own true spiritual thing in your life, I believe it begins there. So doesn't matter whether your learned or not learned, just watch your mind and see why you're doing this. Try to be spiritual. If you think I like to be spiritual because so and so is doing spiritual, so and so is doing spiritual than that’s not spiritual at all. Well I like to be there, it's cool, that's not spiritual, that’s not. I like to be there because I want myself to be independent of my negative emotions, and there you're getting something. So that's what I like to conclude for this, today's for Tuesdays actually.

And keep that in your mind every day. And this is becomes sort of guiding sort of, how you're going to guide yourself. And if you do this, it will be extremely helpful to you. But while you're doing it many times it goes back, goes back, goes back, goes back. Doesn't matter. It's like little baby. If it start getting up it will fall down, get up again, fall down, get up again, fall down, three hundred times get up, three hundred times and that's how we move. And don't get disheartened.

Some people say: “well I spent twenty years doing this, I still fall down”. So what? I've been there sixty years I still fall down. Sixty-five years to be exact. To be exact sixty-six years, right, that's it. So still fall down you know? So that's it . That's because we are following the Buddha's path; we’re not Buddha yet.

K now I like to move to the tsoh business. Those of you who don't want to stay for the tsoh--oh you have announcement. You can do now but I have few words to say. Those of you who do not want to sit in the tsoh, you don't have to sit. Those of us who have commitment for today, that's two days in year, this Tuesday, and Tuesday, February 6, 7th okay? Are the two commitments in a year. This is very particular vajrayana practice, have commitment of tsoh offering. The word tsoh really means accumulation of merit and purification combined together. And what we do is we set up little food offerings and we offer the food to all enlightened beings, that includes, include lama, yidam, buddha, bodhisattvas, dharmapalas, dharma protectors, dakas, dakinis, and everybody.

And there’s a number of different ways of doing it, tsohs. We used to do very elaborate way, singing, chanting doing all this. And sometimes we do very short way, but whether you sing and make chant and feel good or wonderful that's also fine. Whether you just say and do it, that also fine.

So today I intend, my intention was to say as short as we can, and I always feel comfortable saying in Tibetan, ignoring it is one against whatever how many you there, ninety or 100 or whatever you have here so one against all this, so I do this but that's ok. Before you go away, there's some announcements, because I think the people who are not staying in tsoh started leaving. So and that's what we do and if you don't want stay, you're welcome to leave. Those of you who commit having commitments, you just have to sit through, even you properly did not say in Tibetan, we all say it together, that will do. And I did not bring my bells and the vajras. Bell and vajra, and I didn't know whether anybody would like to play make noise or hat, but if you don't want to, we're not going to break for that. Then I think Kathy has a little announcement and I thought Karla and I sort of, I may say it in Tibetan and may go fast. I’m taking your "?" away but. [0:45:55.2]