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Soundfile 20060415GRTRSpiritualChallenges2

Speaker Gehlek Rimpoche

Location Toronto

Topic Spiritual Challenges

Section 2

Transcribed April 25, 2006

We can blame the (?), we can blame the conditions, we can blame Bush, we can blame Tony Blair or whoever we want to blame, we can blame But at the same time, our own personal responsibility comes along, as our ego.

So to help our self, to protect our self, the Buddha gave us the idea to deal with your own ego. A lot of people will say, “Deal with your own mind.” That mind is there, mind is yours, but you make up your mind. But your mind has been influenced by ego, then you do the wrong thing. The biggest ego that we know (?) in our history is Hitler, and Chairman Mao, and all of those, to certain extent both Saddam Hussein and George Bush. They’re the ones biggest ego.

But that doesn’t mean we’re all ego-free. We’re not. We have our own big ego within us, a big dictator behind. I do remember I used to give a lecture called, ‘Queen Bee.’ Really I did, and that’s what it is!

So looking in that, and it is time for us to look within our self and see how my ego produced my hatred. It is time for me to look in, and look how my ego produced my obsession. Our addiction to our hatred, our addiction to our obsessions, these are our biggest direct problem today we face.

Small in the family, big in the nation, everywhere we have this. If it’s cause of right (?) we have happiness. If it’s cause of wrong, we have miserable life, and that is the ego within us.

Question is, how do we handle this? I would like to share what little I know about Buddha’s wisdom on that. But wisdom’s great, however, if we don’t have the recognition and acknowledgement, all wisdoms are useless. Denial. How do ego do? I’m not angry, but so and so can blame so and so this. We have so many blah, blah, blah, blah, I know they’re angry but, blah, blah, blah. Where does this blah, blah, blah come from? Do you deny, ‘I know they’re angry.’

So if you look back, almost said that, and look in yourself. You still maintain, I’m not angry, but…. It indicates a denial. Anything you deny, we deny, we can’t help our self. Or no one else can help, this true you know, I know, we all know this.

How many problem we have, people refuse to go see a doctor, saying, “I’m not sick.” Yeah, yeah, yeah, but you know you have to go, blah, blah, blah. And after a little while sometimes too late, isn’t it? Happens. So the denial is number one problem we have. How about between families? Denial. And sometimes, not only sometimes, many times person who denying person does not know. You think you’re making true statement, but you hear the other person say, you didn’t get it, did you? We hear that very often. And there is truth in that. Truth only realized when you realize, wow, it might have gone (?) something (?) by me, that level. And that is very hard to (?) when the right conditions right (?) as most fear comes. That gives us tremendous opportunity for us to come clean. We don’t get that all the time.

Normally when you have a problem introduced, we deny. First thing, “Oh that person’s crazy. I don’t know what he or she’s talking about.” And a sort of dissonance within us, especially when you think you’re somebody. I’m talking to you with my personal experience. You might have hurt people through you’re actions, gestures, words, anything. You don’t know. And we don’t want to look into it unless and until sometime, some condition’s right, and then it’s, “Oh, my god, I might have hurt that person.” You get it. That is very hard. And when you get that, it is tremendous opportunity for us to come clean.

That is how the denial deprives our self opportunity to help. And each and every one of us, when you started looking with our own personal experience, we see this. And when you see it, better late than never. Better late than never. No matter how much late it may be, you hack it, hack it and do whatever you need to do.

That’s how denial disturbs us. The teachings tell you denial is breeding ground for emotional problems like the mosquito breeding ground. But when you get within our personal experience, then we know how it really works.

Without recognition, no one can do anything, because you don’t want to, because you’re right, they’re wrong. Whoever says what, they’re crazy, this thing, that thing. You’re right, you know, you’re the faultless person in our own mind. Even you don’t think, “I’m faultless, I never think I’m faultless, and I see my mistakes,” with the (rare?) cases, when I see it, it is great opportunity. That is how they’re saying, “Don’t deny.”

Then the second question comes, when I recognize, what do I do? There’s countless methods given you, by every religious tradition, everywhere. Buddhism is not the only one. Every tradition, Judeo-Christian tradition, Hindu/Buddhist, all of them has given a tremendous amount of matter how to deal with it.

……Eastern problem, nor it’s only the western problem. All these traditions have ways and means of dealing it, whichever you like, pick it up and follow it. Requires energy, dedication, efforts. You don’t put that, then you can’t help yourself.

Today, I mean in the west, you know we have a lot of lack of spiritual problems. I said lack of because our spiritual practice becomes some kind of, you know, I don’t know, just going to the church. Going to church is great. Going to temple is fine. And that alone might not be enough. And then, in addition to that we do have a lot of problems between the traditions. Unfortunately these are the methods supposed to serve and help people but we fought lot of wars on the ground of religion and we’re still facing today the wars on the basis of religion, which is very, very unfortunate.

This is supposed to be method that overcomes suffering. This is supposed to be method that brings peace, joy and harmony within our self. And that is sort of turned table round, and using as method to bring hatred and war. It is unfortunate.

Whatever, unfortunate, in general, whatever it may be, but our personal responsibility is that unfortunate should not take over our own lives. Because each and every one of us are responsible for our self. No one is responsible. I’m responsible for me. You’re responsible for yourself. I never be responsible for you. You never be responsible for me. This is what it is.

So because of that, it is our duty to help our self, although we love to help everybody. But before we help anybody we must help our self. Love, compassion, is the way how we move. However, if we do not know how to have love and compassion on our self, how we can develop love compassion for others? I don’t know.

Buddha said if you do not know how to help yourself, you can never help others. That’s the reality. If you don’t help yourself, who else going to help you? No one. Our self is responsible. Good old American saying, ‘Charity begins at home.’ Love, compassion begins at home, with our self and our spouses, our children, our family, and extended family, fellow countrymen, fellow human beings. I think it begins from inside.

Dalai Lama said warm human heart, kindness, compassion is universal religion, or universal responsibility, both. This is our solution. Kindness and compassion overcome hatred, obsession, jealousy, all of them.

But it must begin with our self, with each and everyone of you here, wonderful human beings, well educated, wanting to help yourself. You have to begin with yourself. I have to begin with myself. We all begin with our self. And we move from here onwards.

I never when they talk about United Nations going to bring world peace, I never know how they going to bring it. I never seen it. But I don’t think I will see it, the United Nations bringing world peace. And it really begins with us.

I must share one thing with you. I had a very strange experience. And that is the year after 9/11, right after January, I went to India. And there was, the day when I landed in Delhi, and my good old friend Rimpoche called sondom (?) Rimpoche, who happens to be the Prime Minister of exiled Tibetan government, under His Holiness’ direction. So he called me and said, “Hey, I heard you came today.” There’s something like three in the morning I came. He probably called me like six or seven. So he said, “We have a conference here, I think you like to come, and I expect you there.” Okay, okay. So I said, well, I’ll put some water on my face and come.

When I went there, and that conference is called “Compassion as Antidote to Terrorism.” Now think my situation. I was living in United States for whole year, with all this bombardment of terrorism, this thing, that thing, this and that thing, nothing but the battle of gun, nothing else can be done, blah, blah, blah, blah. All this, day in and day out.

The moment I saw “Compassion as antidote to terrorism,” Oh, interesting! But in my mind, yeah, what you talking about it? Because you know, I must admit, I come in, where I’m coming from. And then I sat in the conference, and the participants in that conference are the people who worked for and with and under Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi. And each and every one of them, you know, the great Indian people, Indian, really, the great ones. Not necessarily the Prime Minister and Minister and all that, no. But great Gandhian people, one after the other. You begin to think, wow, it’s really true!

You cannot change people’s minds under a battle of gun. You can only change people’s minds within our self. Internal thing cannot be changed under gun. They may say, ‘yes, yes, yes.’ But the moment you are away from the gun they will say, ‘no, no, no!’ Nor we can buy that by green dollars. It is the only internal mind change that will make a difference.

And that is true, through all terrorism in general, and particularly our own terrorist of ego within us. And that also true here. It is the internal change that will make difference, not external. Nothing.

The earlier Tibetan master known as (?) Sadjipundita (?) has said, (?Tibetan quote?). Did you hear? You know when you have paperweight, you know paperweight, if you paint that like a jewel, but then you meet with liquid, it will show its true color. You can’t change it externally, no matter whatever you paint. You remember, I begin my talk with make-up. I’m going to conclude my talk with painting.

So what I, what did I say, what did we spend time here today? What you, what I want to take home? What do you have to take home? That’s what I’d like to give it to you first, and then we talk later. And what I wanted you to take home is, it is the ego within us is the source our difficulties. Our hatred, our obsession, all coming from there. And to handle that is change within our self. Whatever you do to change that, with devotion, with prayer, with meditation, with thinking, with analyzing, whatever you do, the change has to be begin within our self. Charity begins at home.

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Soundfile 20060415GRTRSpiritualChallenges3

Speaker Gehlek Rimpoche

Location Ann Arbor

Topic Spiritual Challenges

Section 3

Transcriber Janet Bourgon

Date May 7, 2006

Love, compassion begins within ourselves. Within the family. You cannot say “I love all living beings. You are not all livings. Get out of my way.” You know what I mean? You’re not all living beings. There must be somebody called All Living Beings somewhere else. So it is the family who lives, who shares everything with you. With ourselves. And our children, it begins there. Whether you meditate, whatever you do, doesn’t matter. They’re all great. But it’s deeply our own heart. And that’s the one we have to take care of. Buddha talks about it. Enlightenment. Each and every one of us are eligible to become Buddha. How do we become Buddha? By changing our negative addictions into positive. By replacing our hatred and obsession by love, true love, pure love, and compassion. That is what His Holiness called universal religion. And that’s what we should do. Whether you’re Buddhist, Christian, Atheist. Young, old, man, woman, whatever. Remember, we are responsible for our self. That’s how we can help our self. And with that I just wanted to say thank you. And if you have any questions, I do not know how much time I took. I completely forgot to look into time. Unfortunately, my, this automatic watch is slipping this last couple of days. Anyway, whatever. My friend’s accusing me because I’m not moving. Being a couch potato, myself. That is the problem. Whatever it may be, this is what I face. So, any questions? Anybody who like to raise a question, or urging to make some statement? Or something get out of your chest. Whatever you like to do, you’re welcome.

O.K., there’s two mics there. So if anyone wants to say something. In my normal talk, you know I also do a little meditation at the end. But this is the university, so I follow the university rules. So you meditate by yourself. Ha! Ha! Meditation’s not part of university activities. Ha! Ha! Yes, lady.

Aud. Thank you very much. I’ll just speak from here.

GR: That’s fine. We can all hear you.

Aud: Thanks for coming.

GR: Thank you. The question is?

Aud: About ten-thousand years ago or so, our people slipped three ways, sort of. One went down to the United States to become what, until 1986, was known as the Navaho Nation. But really they were ??????. Another grouping went over to Tibet???? and became the Red Caps. And a very few, just a very few, stayed up in the Chippewa area of the ??? First Nation. So I have some real respect from my elders teachings ???, about who you people are. So I’m asking you now a question on the migrational level, if you could help me. I’ve wondered sometime, as, I’ve been here for 63 years. I’m wondering, in this time, 2006, ok, what does happen, and forgive me, I have to ask this question, it’s going to sound silly. What happens if we don’t, as a species, as a collective consciousness, as a soul of human beings, what if we don’t manage to take on the responsibility of achieving universal religion? What happens to the individual consciousness, if it exists as an individual consciousness, but what happens to all this energy, what we all think of as our souls? Thank you for your patience.

GR: Thank you. My answer, I should love to say nothing! Just joking! Actually, I do really have a great respect to the Native American tradition. And Navaho. And there’s suppose to be a great link between the early, the Mexican Mayans and Tibetans, and Navaho people, but I’m not going to go in that detail. I sort of great respect and admire for the tradition, and we do whatever we could. Thank you.

Aud: So nothing happens?

GR: Well, let’s see! Thank you.

Aud: What does nothing mean?

GR: Nothing means emptiness. Nothing. Thank you.

Lady, I’m sorry. Yes.

Aud: Thank you for being here. I have one question. Part of the political ???? PRC standpoint. The past German ?????? had decided that Tibet should go back to China, mainland China. As you know ???? also a problem with Taiwan. But if that is suppose to be take place, that the original people will also want to get back, take back to their homes. Which is, as you know, which is just positional people from the highest Iraqi, to the level of the working class, how do we vote back to get it all, when nobody wants to give us back our original position? That is one strong point that we have to make at this point.

GR: Thank you. Well, political questions are normally, I’m not a politician, and I don’t like to deal with politics. But I’m very keen political student. I watch very carefully with all politics, that whatever comes across. And I love to accuse George Bush. And all that. But Tibet issue is totally different for me. Me, as a young Tibetan who live in Tibet, born in Tibet. But somehow, we could not manage with our culture, religion, tradition. And with this, when the Communist Chinese moved in, in Tibet, taking the Tibet by force, and forcing the people to do something which they don’t wanted to do. Forcefully. And whatever, what else can you do? You just rebel. And when you can no longer fight, you run away. That’s how I landed to India. By separating with own parents. With my own brothers and sisters. And my own teachers. With my own monastery. By leaving everything. Just running out, as penniless refugee in India. With the hope that we’ll be able to return one day. To be able to enjoy the traditional culture, religion, whatever system we had. And that hope we maintained for almost fifty years. Fortunately, we have a great leader. That is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Really. Fortunately. There is no such great leader—I’m not saying that because I’m Tibetan—but if you really look in the world today, the earlier great person like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Dr. Martin Luther King, and all these type of people, one generation is gone. Nelson Mandela still there, but getting very old. And that today’s ??? like world ruled by George Bush and this type of people. And when you really look in there today, who is there to help? Love, compassion. And caring for the people. Not necessarily Tibetan or Chinese, but people of the world, every living being. With the love, with the compassion, and to be able to lead people today. There’s no such leader like Dalai Lama today. We are very fortunate. We are very proud of it. Politically we going to gain back Tibet independent or not independent is not a big issue. The issue is people of Tibet have the right to choose what they want to. It is the principle of the democracy. The people must have right to choose what they want. I think the Tibetans are seeking simple human right. People choose whatever they want to. Political issue is different. And that’s what I’m saying for.

Soundfile 20060415GRTRSpiritualChallenges4

Speaker Gehlek Rimpoche

Location Toronto

Topic Spiritual Challenges

Section 4?

Transcriber Steve Kelly

Date 5/12/2006

Student: Thank you Rimpoche. In the introduction to your talk I just wanted to mention the Jewel heart organization has branches around the world. I am from Malaysia and I spent time in the US but I never liked it there. But now I am having some problems when the troops are in Afghanistan and with the killing of people. My question to you is more simple. You have been a teacher to creative writers like Allen Ginsberg and musicians like Philip Glass. I like them very much, in particular Philip Glass. The question is about how these people want to learn from you about Buddhism for their understanding. Is it about how to be more creative or how to have peace of mind to do their art? You know: make love not war.

Rimpoche: Thank you I happened to be in the right place at the right time (Rimpoche and audience laughs) A person like Allen Ginsberg has such an intelligence, a great American, and an exponent of the Beatnik viewpoint. A great person, he had a tremendous keen interest for the happiness of the people, happiness of himself, and happiness of the people. And that is why he was around. He even told me once, he said what is the point of my writing poetry? My answer to him was the purpose of art is to bring happiness, relaxation, and joy to the mind of the people. And that's not only Allen and Philip, but you know Jack Caraway begins with the Tibetan Buddhist interest with Tomo Rimpoche. And even in Colorado they have this Naropa University and they have this poetry department which Allen calls, oh I forgot the name, I'm sorry I don't remember the name, anyway that is because the art purpose is to bring happiness in life and that's what they teach. You know I believe artists are people who express their understanding, their insight through art forms whether it is poetry or music or art or drawing.

So they always want to have more expression and to get more expression they want more insight and that is why they're driven by their art to Tibetan Buddhism. And some of the Hollywood people are too but maybe many of them are just fashion I don't know. Thank you.

Student: I really like what you said about the whole analogy between the ego and the dictator and how the ego is the root of our problems and if we look at the situation in World War II when Hitler was terrorizing all of Europe and it looked like it was gonna get really out of hand, sometimes you ask people the question is violence really a good way to solve things and they say no. And you can ask if you think that's an absolute truth and to give them the case of World War II and what would we have done without the use of some kind of violence to stop Hitler. Word compassion and love be enough in a situation like that? I wonder when you take it on an internal level if you look at the dictator within and the suffering that can cause, sometimes in my experience it doesn't feel like opening up and trying to except what is, which is the usual instruction, is enough and sometimes it feels like you have to stand up and say no to the inner aggression. And I just wonder why, I never really understood, why is most of the basic practice to just observe what is happening. If when you're doing this you see all of this internal destruction and aggression, why is the practice just to observe? And what would you say about the whole situation in World War II in terms of aggression and love and compassion? (Audience laughs)

Rimpoche: Thank you (audience laughs more) I think it's a very, very important question and I'm not sure what I did say but what I thought I said was say no internally but the way you say no you really have to be very strong and nice with a good reason no, not just a Nancy Reagan no. Remember that, OK. It is internally you challenge your ego. That is very definite. We are not the doormat, the doormat, that everybody walks over, we're not the doormat of the emotions or anybody. We must say no to ego. When I say change it change means say no to ego. Question about World War II, well whatever it happened, it happened, and what is achieved is achieved. If I had been in there at that time, if I am Winston Churchill or Roosevelt, or one of them I would not go in this line. However whatever they did they achieved, we are grateful. However, that did not end the enemy in the world. Yes Hitler is gone, Hitler's aggression in the world is ended, it's a tremendous freedom and achievement for the people in the world in general, and in particular for the tremendous amount of people of the Jewish origin who suffered in the Holocaust and all of them is a great freedom. We all rejoice and we should really celebrate and praise. However that does not end the world's enemy at all, this was followed by communism, dictators and now terrorism and it is continuing because we did not change internally. (Rimpoche says quietly) We are looking outside only we're not looking internally. That is my belief that is my understanding and I hope such a bright person like you and a lot of the others here will lead slightly different from what we did earlier. Look outside and take care of, same time look inside and take care of, both this is what we would like to do today. Thank you sir.

Student: My English is sort of limit, so please forgive me and allow me to ask my question in my own language. (He asks this question in another language maybe Tibetan of Rimpoche, it is rather lengthy and he an Rimpoche laugh occasionally while the audience waits patiently)

Rimpoche: Briefly the question he was saying, I'll tried to translate he says get up in the morning, pray and try to have a good motivation, and go in our lives every day as best as I can, but then you have friends and colleagues who don't think the same way, who try to give you a hard time and push to, you try to be patient you try to be patient and try the patient (audience laughs) no matter how many times you to try to be patient we hope they'll change but nothing changes, how long do I have to be patient? (Audience laughs) A very good question thank you.

Basically you're right the Buddha has given us advice, you know our motivation should always be kindness and compassion not ego boosting or self cherishing. True you have to be patient, but I also said earlier you cannot be a doormat. Yes compassion is definitely important, necessary, but compassion must also have a strong firmness and a strong personality. If you don't have a strong personality thinking that this is compassion, you know sometimes you hear, if they slap you to your right cheek turn the left one if they slap you to the left turn the right one, I don't know how long you have to do this. (Audience laughs) honestly I don't. But all loving compassion is, is to bring goodness to yourself and the people around you. And sometimes for that when you can't help we must have the wisdom as to where to draw the line. If you don't have the wisdom of where to draw the line the problem of being a doormat will begin. No one should have hatred, no one should entertain anger, no one. However, compassion must have wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge, know how, and wisdom is wisdom. So that gives us the limit. Thank you for the question.

Student: I have a few questions, do you think it's possible for us to ever gain enough karma and conditions to destroy this earth?

Rimpoche: Well Hitler almost destroyed it, Stalin almost destroyed it, Chairman Mao almost succeeded. The Chinese culture is such a wonderful, old ancient culture - everything destroyed (by Mao ). Really! They did and sometimes some bad people can destroy particularly today with this tremendous scientific achievement. You know Einstein discovered atomic power. Einstein said the atom was meant for good use but we made a bomb out of it. But don't worry about it they can't destroy it, for sure they can't destroy because it is dependent arise, dependent arise.

Do you think it's possible for all these conditions to completely annihilate mankind?

Rimpoche: I don't know if they could completely annihilate mankind or not but tremendous damage can be done, I'm sure. There's a possibility but it's our duty our responsibility to make sure that is not happening.

Student: I have one more question how does Buddhism explain déjà vu because we have reincarnation we have karma we have cause and condition all of which looks to the past and déjà vu does happen so I want to know how it works.

Rimpoche: (he laughs) I don't know.

Student: I have a question, you mention your book and I've heard from other people as well we should remember when we deal with our ego that we depend on the kindness of others and you mention in your book as well that we should think of such simple things as say the bus driver that Baker all these people that the kindness we depend on. Some people though would not buy that argument because they say these people are paid for that kind of work so how would you answer that statement.

Rimpoche: Thank you. Pay is a different issue completely different issue. But however you now I'm sorry I have to make it a little shorter here I think in my book I said normally it is almost bottom line to the bare bone question, it is about ourselves so it is almost a self attitude how we take to ourselves as well is everywhere so that is I'll take kindness and compassion and love and that is the bottom line and that this different things comes in especially paid people do different things for money and all of those truly speaking they are the object of compassion. But am not sure if we're capable of using that object of compassion or not it is truly the object of compassion. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.