Archive Result

Soundfile 20060429GRNL3Poisons1

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Netherlands

Topic 3 Poisons part one

Transcriber Michelle J. Sorensen

Date when completed

0:00:25.5 Rimpoche: So, today’s workshop is—we’re dealing with the problems of the beginning of the solutions, and of the idea of having three poisons, three objects, and three virtues, the ancient Buddha’s wisdom that Buddha shared 2600 years ago. What’s happening in our life today, as you all know, and we have a tremendous amount of difficulties, we have a tremendous amount of problems. And umm, and also, simultaneously, we also have some nice, comfortable, joyful aspects of our life as a functioning together. And we also have individual difficulties. But also we have society difficulties. Especially the society difficulties are affecting our life: environmental issues, wars, and diseases. Everything. It is society issues and that affecting us. And uhh, sometimes the society problems seems more urgent than the individual problems. True—although we don’t see it, it is true. It is absolutely reality. But we don’t see it sometimes. But even sometimes it seems more urgent and more concern than individual problems. It is so, I don’t know, so sad to look in our life: every time when we look to anyone, we will see them as either enemy or, I don’t want to say, friend, I want to say ours, or no concerned.

0:03:25.1 And when you are looking in general, we look at, umm, we call that terrorist, right? Whether we look at all Muslims or not—hopefully not—but we see them—conservative ones—we see them as terrorists and enemy. We look ourself, we see friend—that’s a good thing—our side, ours. And then we look at Africa: they are suffering so much. Almost facing a total—you know I mean, dying out completely. And as it becomes careless. Poor things, bad. You know, sort of becomes, becomes, no concerned. So, this is how basically we devise our mind—generally speaking—in general society point of view. Likewise, this is the society, general; likewise, individual, within the family, within ourself. And we have a division among the people: ours, theirs; friend, enemy. And uh, I don’t know who that person is. So, all of those are they in our natural. That’s what Buddha says. Almost like we’re born with this. (0:05:28.2 inaudible) Yeah, almost like we’re born with it. When we see, when we say we’re born with it, we probably think, oh yeah, we’re born with it, so we can’t do nothing. And that might not be true. But we have to, sort of really have to see it. See it ourself. Why? This is happening. Why you say, maybe somebody made that way. You say, God made that way or Buddha made that way. Or somebody else made that way. So, the Buddha tells us that’s not true. It is not. God didn’t make that way. Buddha didn’t make that way.

0:06:21.9 And that is somehow, you know, it’s what we call it, it becomes our, umm, sort of, addiction. Sort of automatically we learned and we pick up and it happens within us. It sort of somehow we are—it’s automatically happening within us. I don’t want to say addiction, but it’s almost like addiction. We have that. Then the question comes, why? why? why? This is very important. Normally when you look directly, when you see why, we are unable to see it clearly. So, when we can’t see it, we sort of say, natural, or karma, or God-made, or whatever. Some excuse. This is what really true excuse is. We use this because we are unable to see it clearly. Why? why? We are unable to see it clearly. What is it? Why? And that’s, you know, what we call it, a mystery of life. Mystery of life is all about this. Why this happening? Why its come from. Why? It is not clear to us. This is our struggle. Those of us who are interested in the spiritual path, this is our struggle. Those of some people who are not interested in spiritual, this is also their struggle. This is the struggle in which, you know, everybody is involved: the business people involved, science, scientists are involved. Everybody is try to looking this. Although no one says, I’m looking this. They’ve been denied. But what they’re really looking for, they say, is point of happiness. And, uh, making it easy in life, making it better in life. And that’s what they admit. And they do it, they say it. But it making it better and point of being happiness is all key lies there and almost all the very well-educated people knows that. I mean, doesn’t have to be spiritualist.

0:09:12.1 So, what I know is the Buddha’s Buddhism. That’s my background. That’s all I know. So have to speak to you from that background, otherwise I’m not doing service to you. But I’m not, umm, Buddhism missionary or Buddhist—one who propagates Buddhism or not. That’s not my job. My job is to share the truth with you whatever little I know. So, what little I know is coming from the Buddhist background. If there is no Buddhist background, I don’t think I will know it. Because probably I’ve been looking for, you know, something, whatever: he did it, she did it, this did it, that did it, and that mistake I did it, and this and that. And now this spending almost my life searching for what mistakes I made it. So, the guidance that comes out of Buddhism is not that what mistake you made it. It’s not what we’re talking about. It’s not concerned. But it is more than that. You know it’s always we say, we make mistake we say, well, I made that mistake. Well, that is good for learning. But learning never ends. It’s always repeat. And our excuse we say why, it’s good for learning. So, what the Buddhism tells us: it is because of our confusion, we are confused, the confusion we have. And when you’re looking for the confusion, what is it? Then you find nothing but the ego itself. That is deeply inside ourself. I don’t, you know, most of you know what I’m talking about it, but I’m not talking about ego in terms of psychologists try to make ego a self-esteem. To build a self-esteem. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the ego that everybody says, why it’s your ego that’s getting in the way. I’m talking about that ego. That ego is thick, confused in natural, and feel dominated. It is the combination of fear and confusion together.

0:12:17.1 And when you looking yourself, all our problems, particularly our fear, and all of them, when you trace, look, look inside, or, rather romantic way, meditate, meditate, meditate inside, and you’re going to find all this fears and confusion is coming from there. And that, for that, you have to put a little effort—not easy to see it—yet, you don’t have to be rocket scientist to find that. If you meditate, or if you think and look inside, where is our fear coming from? Where is our hatred coming from? Where is our obsession coming from? Where is our jealousy coming from? When you look in there, it looks like it’s growing like mushroom inside. From inside. So, when you’re looking in, where is this growing? And it looks like inside, but if you started looking inside, in your internal organs, that not coming out of that. Not even our heart. Not even from our brain. It’s coming somewhere beyond that. Then (inaudible 0:14:37.0), then maybe little bit of influence of brain chemistry maybe there, but it’s coming beyond that. With that beyondness which we are talking about is the ego. That’s our poison number one. Poison number one because its poison: root of all. And we are very much in love with it. We can, you know, we are willing to sacrifice ourself, and but, we never let that down.

0:15:15.5 What we try to know is non-self, but we think it is self. We think it is me. ,So because of that, exactly, me and then mine: my friend, my lover, my beauty, whatever. All then we get this obsessions. Obsessions sometimes seems to be simple, OK, but it is a very, very, deep. It is like putting a drop of oil on paper. Although it is a little drop of oil, and how much paper that oil going to soak. And, uh, the most beautiful, wonderful paper almost become useless because of that oil soaked in there. Maybe the same thing: if I drop oil on my tie today, and I bought that yesterday, to be today (chuckling) if I got oil on that it is going to soak, and that tie can no longer be useful. And that is how obsession works in our mind. Although it looks like it is not bad—I am not hurting anybody—and, umm, it is nice to be in sometimes, nice little cool thing we may think sometimes. But that is how deep it is. That is poison number two. And that’s true it’s coming out of one, because I want it. It is my desire. It is my wish. And I am not willing to compromise anything. It is me, that what I wanted. Then the same time, I don’t care what you wanted or what you think, but that’s what I wanted. So, I will make sure I get it. From this small, small, small point of individual being stubborn, and insisting, and then going up blocking other people, and finally controlling everything, and finally even destroy when you cannot control.

0:18:19.5 All of them coming from that obsesssion. It is easy that we don’t notice ourself when I have a problems. This is easy to notice when you have a problem, that because I have obsession to me to be a perfect. I’m never wrong. You are always wrong. See it? Do you come that in your life sometimes? That’s coming from there. And, also, we hurt people. Although we don’t physically hit anybody. But we hurt people by our action. Without knowing and most of the time, we hurt other people truly not knowing by ourself. I mean, it is true: sometimes we realize we hurt people by certain incident. Something happens. Then you begin to realize, oh my god, I might have hurt this and this person by my action. It requires incident. If there is no incident, and you don’t realize that, you are always right. The other person is wrong. If they complain, “oh that is crazy.” And then, when incident take place and you take a step back and begin to think, “oh my god, I might have hurt that person.” By me, for not acknowledging, or for dismissing, or for saying “are you crazy,” or being stubborn and refuse to look our own actions. And normal expression, when people says “you didn’t get it, did you?”, and we think, ah that person is crazy, but in reality, we didn’t get it.

0:21:09.5 Honestly, we didn’t get it. And even we realize this, we’re like, we’re fortunate. Even though it is late, still we are lucky, we are fortunate, because it keeps a tremendous opportunity to make yourself come out clean. So, this is a point in our life, maybe recognize your problem, and there’s begins remedy. Or solution. What do you call it? And this is, unless you see this personally, I’m telling you truth, we don’t see it. But we’re very good at dismissing other people’s complaint, no matter wherever we are. We’re very good: ahh, that doesn’t matter. That person’s crazy. This and that, and this and that thing. And ah, and we don’t really realize some of our actions do make people get hurt. Meditation alone doesn’t help this. Saying prayer alone doesn’t help. Saying mantra doesn’t help. Need to think, need to look inside, and think again and again and again, that you may be begin to see—Ooooh, this might have hurt them. And that personal realization of that and this again, that realization when you can cross with it, you’r4e lucky, but it is important not to sweep under the carpet. Or don’t hush,hush. Take the opportunity, whatever, to pay, whatever you have to do—remedy—make it right. And that is great opportunity to the individual to come out clean. And that’s how poison one and two works with us. How it becomes poison within us. We won’t even know had it been not a good spiritual paths like Buddhism or Judeo-Christian tradition or something to told us. If it didn’t tell us— obsession is a problem—we wouldn’t know.

0:24:15.8 We’ll probably enjoy obsession. We took it’s a great pride of it. And we probably take this, eh, some kind of wonderful thing in life. And whole life may go within that. We gonna look for somebody else to blame. (inaudible 0:24:35.7) So, really, look at our normal, natural habit is me, perfect, it is all your fault. Not necessarily you, but this fault, that fault, somebody. This and that. And everybody else in the world’s problem, except me. This is our normal habit. This is the true denial. That’s how we deny everything. And denial protects the obsession. Denial protects the hatred. Denial protects the ego. Basically, that is how this three poisons working within us. Because of way how it work, and we’re, we’re ourself completely put under the control of all this obsession or hatred. And the way and how we put ourself under that control is just like I told you: drop of oil, oil soak through the paper. Nothing is wrong with the three objects: enemy, friend, neutral. Nothing wrong. Actually, truly speaking, there is no enemy: everything is a friend. Everybody is friend. There is not even a neutral person for us. But that is a little beyond our level, too, of today’s talk. This is a little bit of a, little bit of a Buddhist doctrine of love and compassion. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it’s a truth, reality, but maybe people would look that as Buddhist doctrine little bit. But in our usual life, every day, we do have enemy. We do have a friend. And we do have a neutral. But nothing is wrong with those people. What is wrong is this three poisons and their influence of not only mine, yours, too.

00:27:16.2 So, can you imagine, when each and every one of us bringing such a huge ego, with such a huge obsession and hatred. When we try to fit in this room: how difficult to fit. It is not a problem. Nothing wrong with individual as a good human beings. You are wonderful human being. You are great, kind, and each and every one of you. So, I also think I’m wonderful human being. I’m kind person. I’m good person. I think it is reality. Nothing is wrong with you or with anybody. But our ego and our obsession and our hatred make into this so-called enemy. Its endless—the enemy—endless. Looking at one’s life, at your child level, and when you are young person, and when your today: how many enemies we’ve created in our ego-level. We have like-dislike. We have competitiveness. And we want to go all out the way to make my way. Remember few years ago I’m (unclear 00:29:00.5) problem in my head—I’m just giving you that—that problem in my head. Few years ago, you know those ice-skating players—two girls—from America. (Audience speaks.) That’s right, Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. And they’re competing and, you know, then (chuckles) the ego once (unclear 00:29:26.9) name, but you remember, right. One’s ego is so much so, so much so, that her boyfriend had to go and try to break the leg of the other’s. You know (unclear 00:29:40.9). It is obsession. Not necessarily hatred, but obsession does not only desire to get, but to cut and hurt.

0:29:54.9 We also see, um, some individuals who don’t get along well sometimes—in family, in society, and in, in whatever, in everything. And that’s because of nothing wrong with that person, nothing. Wonderful, beautiful, good person. But they now have a number of egos (chuckles) and a number of obsessions and all of those comes together in one room—you see the difficulties. I mean this is human nature with them. And nothing to be surprised. It is human nature. Now what we have to do is not deny—acknowledge—don’t you ever forget there is a great opportunity for the individual to come out clean. As I said earlier, there’s always there. We don’t recognize. And then we have to talk about hatred. What does hatred do today? We have to talk about it. We know very well what’s going today in the world. Bush and Iraq is a perfect example of what hatred does. Although, of course, uhh, although there’s said there’s the obsession of oil, too, and so much so that no matter how many people die, doesn’t matter. My point is right. I am right. Right. Being stubborn. Completely stubborn, plus naive, stupid, and all of them—no really, all of them—brings together, and the suffering of mankind. Forget about negativities of individual. You know, karma and negativities—forget about it. But how much suffering, how many people die, that’s the hatred does. Not only a Bush and Saddam, but it also does within the friends, families, some families are so you know when they break families, sometimes so bad. I know a case. You know, you people may think old Tibet is wonderful, great things, but I do know a case. I do know a case of a family—very horrible fight. Actually, two noble families, very rich ones, and, uh, one from that family and one from this family and they got married and has established a completely new estate and everything. And then they didn’t get along well, so didn’t get along well, and so they have to divorce.

0:33:03.3 And uh, something happened. I was a little, not very clear. They have a child. They don’t know whether the child is a daughter or son. If it’s a son, this is going to happen. If it’s a daughter, that’s going to happen. Something. Anyway, it happens to be daughter. So, then the case went to—both a very powerful family—case went to the highest rule. There’s no court in old Tibet: the government is court. The case went to the highest level, and it came out with the decision saying divide it, divide it. 50-50. So, when, how they divide it, you know, let’s say if there is two type of clothes, it means you have to take one, and I take one: 50-50. No, they cut it in between. Carpets cut in between. The books cut in between. And the houses cut in between. Everything. Just in the middle: cut it. So made it impossible, made it sure that no one can use it. This side, the ideas is that they cannot use it. That side’s idea is they cannot use it, so with the destruction idea, everything, even the carpets are cut (particularly? Politically? Unclear 0:34:40.5) Making this way, but, you know, cut them. The books—the collected, the kind you collect, the kind—Buddha’s work. Everything cut in the middle, you know, instead of just taking it, everything cut in the middle. Images—Buddha’s image—cut in the middle, like that. So, made it completely useless for both sides. So, that’s how it works. It worked in old Tibet. I saw it. You may think it is a great paradise and wonderful thing: good old Tibet. But that hatred, obsession, even played in that holy society. (Rimpoche chuckles and the audience laughs.) Two, three hundred years old antique Chinese porcelains: break, then broke, then take out, take out. That’s what they did. So, at that time, those people thought they achieve something. They said, Oh, good, I did good. Both of them did it. But all intelligence people at that time, and today, when we look back, that the most stupid thing.

0:36:06.2 So, sometimes we do have that sort of difficulties—of hatred, obsession—influence activities comes up, but making sure it’s not become destruction is our responsibility. So, what’s going to happen today with these, uh, three things. It is, and we’ll introduce you just now, just now briefly, we introduce you these three poisons and three objects. And then we introduce you three virtues. And we will conclude in the evening with a little meditations of how do we handle those. And that’s what’s going to happen today, if you probably you wanted to know what’s going to happen today. Right? And I think it is coffee break time, right. 11:30, yup. ‘K, welcome back. And I’m try to look at this particular Tibetan book here. It’s a Tibetan book I have here, honestly. (Audience laughter.) I’m not joking—it is here. (More laughter.) It is a Tibetan book. (Audience and Rimpoche laugh.) And I’m trying to see any, any reference for the three terms, three, three, what about this three, three, three things, whatever it is. (More laughter.) The beauty is, you know, in the Tibetan thing is the beauty is, like, you know, three of objects, three poisons, and three virtues. And then you, when you look in the different books, they have different definitions, different identifications, and um, that’s endless. You know, one, one book tell you one thing. Then another one doesn’t contradict, but complements. So really, so it something very funny which is not in the other language, and that’s why it sometimes it becomes deep, sometimes it even becomes confusing, too. So, I just looked at in it and, uh, they just counted, they just counted, and saying, three poisons, and three objects, and three virtues, and nothing more detail. (Chuckles.) OK. So, the point what we already talked earlier, umm, without, though we said talk, but the material what we talk, talked, is the material what we spoke, the material is the material for meditation.

0:39:08.8 That is something different between the spiritual way and the normal way. Spiritual way—whatever is the talks, whatever we do, talking—it is material for individual to meditate. And this, if you are new, you may not know. We have to tell you that. Um, general public talk or whatever, presentation, or political talk, or whatever it is, it is not necessarily the material, it just introduction and convincing people to do whatever you, whatever the person wants to do. The spiritual path, for me, is not convincing you what to do, because that, you have to make a decision what you want to do. We cannot, should not, even make a decision. We have to give you information and idea, as I said this morning. If we don’t, then I won’t know the problems are coming from ego. I’ll be looking problem maybe he did it, he did it, he and this and that, always looking out, never look in. So, the information to take in and how you use it, it is up to the individual. Individual. Unless it is some like, something like a committed teachings, like, you know, like sadhanas or something, you know. Committed teachings. It is different. Other than that, it is the whole idea is to suggest, give you information, and make you rich with information, so that you can make your decision what you wanted to do. What you can do. And that is the whole idea of dharma presentations. And, uh, the no, no one, like myself, have no right to interfere or intervene what you wanted to do. That is yours and yours only. And we can provide you the information. And, um, you know, information is power. If you don’t have information, you have a great deal of difficulties.

0:42:03.9 But information is power, and we are here to provide you the informations. What you’re going to do with this information, we can suggest you, but it’s entirely up to you. I have no right to tell you what to do with that information. Honestly. And that is a big difference. Lot of spiritual teachers think they have to tell you what to do. Umm, in my opinion that’s not right. Spiritual teachers are guide. Guide can only guide you. Guide cannot do the complete job of yours. And specially guide cannot force you to go this way or that way. That’s your decision. A lot of spiritual teachers do that—tell you what not to do and what to do. There’s a truth in that—what not to do, what to do—there’s truth in it, but the choice has to be yours. Honestly, because what I hope to see you, you see, is the three poisons and see that’s coming from the ego. But not very clear yet. But there, but probably see it. Little bit idea in it. And then it is up to you whether you are going to take care of or you let it go. No one can tell you, you got to take care of. You know, that is the difference between the, excuse me to say, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they have to tell you, they say, well, that’s my job to protect you from going to hell or something. I had a Jehovah Witness come and visit me when I was in America—beginning. And they’re very nice people, I really like them. They’re very good people. So good, and they’re all worried so much that I’m going to go to hell, you know. (Audience laughter.) Really worried and they want, their job is to protect me, too (unclear 0:44:38.2). And I appreciate it, very much, and their motivations and sincerity. And, however, they have no right to tell me, uh, you have to worship good Lord otherwise you’re going to go to hell. I mean, they told me, but you know, uh, so also me not going to listen anyway, so.

0:45:05.6 But the Tibetan, but, you know, that’s difference here. So, it is always you provide information. We don’t tell you what to do. We provide information and you’re intelligent person, you’re educated person, you have to be able to make your own decision. Not somebody else tell you what to do. That is very important for your practice. Everything. Although traditions will tell you, well, listen to the teachers and the teacher will guide you—they’ll guide you, but did not say teacher will dictate you. The spiritual masters are spiritual masters, not spiritual dictators. And, uh, yeah, there is a misunderstanding in the west. There is a huge misunderstanding in the west. When I look back at what happened, a lot of great things happened in 60s. But a lot of, people don’t remember that—a lot of bad things people do remember. And what the problem really is, because they dictated. They did not give choice to the people. They dictated. The Hindu masters came and dictate everybody—and do this, do that. And don’t do this, don’t do that. And um, so the Buddhist masters, they come and told them: do this, do that, don’t do this, don’t do this. And so that has, whatever good thing they have done, taking two or three steps in front, but one or two big steps backwards has been, umm, a problem. And that is because you don’t dictate people. You give suggestion. You give informations, and you say, this is what I do. And we’re in the habit of saying “you have to do this, you have to do this.” But it is wrong. You can say, this is what I do. And then whether that person does or doesn’t do, provided information, and choice is yours. You have to remember that, because, very often, we won’t be able to say it, because there is so much information to pour in (unclear 0:47:39.6). Traditional Buddhist teachings will say all our sufferings—mental, physical, emotional sufferings—are coming out of these three poisons. And I’m sure it is true. But on the other hand, you know, physical, I don’t know, when you are not healthy, you get all kinds of physical pains anyway.

0:48:06.6 And indirectly, yes, it has something to do, but directly it may not be. But, mental, emotional cause sufferings are very definitely, very clearly, we can see it, there is no other reason, no other cause, than that. Uh, to have mental, emotional sufferings, except those three poisons. Honestly. Every unhappiness is coming because ego got hurt. You don’t have to really spell it. You see every difficult that each and every one of us went through, or going through, or will be going through, has something to do with this. In reality, in truly—I’m not talking about in terms of Buddhist Absolute Reality, but I’m talking about normal little sense—in reality, they whatever have happened might not be that much bad, might not be that much, that much unbearable, but we make it such a thing that it becomes so difficult for the individuals. I have seen people who get so angry and literally shaking, couldn’t speak, lucky they didn’t hit me, but what I’m talking about, literally shaking, and getting angry and literally shaking and couldn’t even speak for weeks is a sort of quarrel between the two people. The subject is whether you want a child or you want to take the child out, and that was quarrel. And so, I saw three weeks, and they literally shaking, can’t speak, that much anger does. And it’s not so much the love for the child, but not the way I wanted is not getting. That is exactly, one wants the other way, one wants this way, and they try to, sort of, you know, have who has control over.

0:50:54.7 So, so that’s, if it’s for the love of the kids, it is different story. But it’s not. It’s really truly, it should be done my way. And the other one says no it should be done my way, its my body. The other one says no I have contributed in that I have a right to speak and this and that. That’s how it goes. And so, so in reality there is no love for the fetuses or whatever. Nothing. But it is really, it is so much ego, and say not my way is not getting. And that is the suffering. I saw it. Literally. So, if you want happiness, if we want happiness, it is only ourself can give happiness to ourself. No one else can. That also our mind only. And nothing else. People go for meditation and sit down and meditate and we say, ohh, I got happiness. People goes to listen music and why? Because we find happiness in there. And all these different things. Spiritually, materially, whatever, we bring joy, happiness, whatever it is and all of them is the mind. Not so much about the meditation. Not so much about the meditation. Not so much about the music or anything. Any other entertainment or anything. Art or anything. It provides the condition to the mind to be able to set in a certain way.

0:53:11.7 And I’m sure if you don’t think mind, if you’re only thinking chemical level, I’m quite sure there’s an explanation of—this thing brings traces, that chemical, that chemical does this and that—I’m quite sure there is, I don’t know, but there is, I’m quite sure. And, however, you know, the rising of different chemicals, or whatever, it is the mind that make different to the individual. Some of the traditional Buddhist teachers says it is only the mind and nothing else. The mind make difference. The mind make difference is absolutely true. But only the mind is the one right or wrong, I don’t know. But they will tell you, it’s only the mind, uh, mind. I mean it’s almost true. And that is a changing of the mind. The perception of the mind, projection of the mind, and umm, attitude of the mind, and uhh, even function of the mind, and uhh, to changing it makes difference. Suppose if you are a person who enjoys going to church every Sunday, and you enjoy the music there, you enjoy the worship there, and when you keep on repeating that, and along with the energy of so many people together when you sing, and chant together, what happens to your mind? And that changes the mind, that is, sort of, sort of, sort of a worrying, doubting, hopeless feeling has somehow changed into hope, faith, and, um, even enjoying. I don’t know. It happens. I said church, but it don’t have to be church. That is what I think, music, concert, all of that does this. And that relaxation of mind and gives you a little relaxing in the mind.

0:56:01.1 I mean, sorry, (giggling) relaxation of mind gives you relaxation of mind, sorry, but that’s what it is. And that makes you change your, you know, mental attitude, and the way you’re looking, the way you’re thinking, the way you’re perceiving your life: that changes. And that change gives you relief and joy and, um, sort of happiness. You know, when I use church, some, sometimes, people don’t like it. Sometimes when I use um, sometimes when I use music, some people may not like it. But whatever, the change is the one which makes difference. And that change is not just change, if you make a positive change—a positive change, profitable change—if you can make that, it will make a hell of a difference to the rest of not only our life, but lives. So that positive change, what the Buddha suggested, is what we call in Buddhism three higher training of mind, or sometimes, it’s called Three Basket teachings. And number one out of that, number one is morality, believe it or not. Number two is concentration. Number three is wisdom. And these are the Three Virtues. So, you got those three, three, three, you know: Three Objects, Three Poisons, Three Virtues. OK? Let’s talk the morality a little bit. There’s a big misunderstanding in the western society. The moment we use morality, some people think morality is not necessary. Some people think morality is something what you project it. You know, you project something. I’m sure it is something in Europe, more or less. I’ve seen it in America, what’s happening, what happened, you know. Morality is issue, issue that everybody would like to talk about it, and no one would like to be immoral. Everybody would like to be perfect morality. No one would like to be immoral. But the definition of the moral is a huge difference. The conservative Christians complain and dictate how to dictate the society of their own version of morality.

0:59:07.9 The liberal hippies comes in and uh give you their version of morality (chuckles). (Someone interjects something about morality in Dutch [I assume].) And the new age people will come in and give you their version of morality. You know, the conservatives will tell you, you cannot do this, you cannot do this, you cannot do this, you’re going to hell, you go to hell, you go to hell. It’s bad, bad, hell, hell, hell, bad, hell, bad. The liberal new age people will come, there’s nothing called bad, everything’s good, everything’s wonderful, no hell (chuckling), no hell, no heaven. Nothing. And everything’s good, no, no bad doesn’t even exist. I mean, you see this. Reality, truth and they’re all very good people, too. And uhh, yeah, really true. And I have tremendous respect to Ram Dass. Really great guy (chuckling). But Ram Dass, in his, I don’t know, whatever, tradition, I don’t know, whatever, what you call it that, new age system, no bad ever exist. Hah! When he got sick, you know, we used to, I tried to help, help him or whatever. (unclear 1:00:30.0) (Chuckles). I tried to substitute him to a number of his retreats and workshops because that’s how he makes his living. And um, I substituted for a couple of years. And then, afterwards, you know, afterwards we did together. And one day, somehow, something escaped out of my mouth, something bad. And after a little while, he says you said bad, what was that? (Rimpoche and the audience laugh.) And I had forgot that you know, that he is in that principle. Um, and later I told him, you know, your stroke is bad. He had stroke, right? And he said no, it’s my guru’s grace (chuckles). Guru’s grace. And that’s a good way of looking, no doubt about it. Whether, I don’t know whether I have the capability of looking that as guru’s grace or not. But for him, it’s very good way of looking, no doubt. But for me that’s too far. Both of them: everything’s bad, good, go to hell. And no bad ever exists, everything’s good and wonderful. Both are too extreme for me. I don’t blame, you know why? Because you know it’s so much say bad, bad, bad, hell, hell, hell.

1:02:03.0 And the pendulum swings so far, so naturally they have to move the pendulum to, to the true extreme, saying nothing of certain things, of certain things of vocabulary called bad never existing. It will move. So, when you swing too far, you swing too far back. That’s what happened actually. And, and to some of them is you know morality means only sexual cases. Nothing else, nothing else matters. Only sexual things are the moralities. Nothing else matters. Look at what had happened to Clinton. And look how what’s happening with Bush. And, uh, you know really, which is really worse, but Bush is OK because it is nothing to do with sex. Clinton’s everything wrong because of Lewinski. (Audience laughter.) And Bush is everything is right because of conservative. (Chuckles.) Morally. They think morally right and morally wrong, because they think of nothing but sexuality and sex is the only concern for morality, nothing else. The true morality, if you really want to talk about the truth, and whatever Clinton has something to do, it is sort of, really, I mean, it’s (unclear 1:03:30:09) not right, it is not right, it’s wrong, but it’s wrong on a very limited level. What Bush thing is, you know, how many people died? Forgot about Iraqs, but even the Americans there 2200. Since he declared the war is over. 2200 died. And that’s not, not a moral issue? (Chuckles.) So then, I don’t know what kind of morality we’re talking about it. Some people think that morality means, as long as you’re not gay or lesbian, and you’re morally OK. As long as you’re gay or lesbian, you’re morally wrong. And that’s also too extreme. I don’t think Buddha’s talking about that morality at all. And, then, you know, that is a different, totally different. (Audience member speaks in Dutch.) It’s a little surprising to me. Beside that, you know, I mean, this is sexual issue of talking morality, to me, it is really the last century problem. Today there is much more moral problem than all, I mean, tremendous. The Chernobyl accident, right? It’s Chernobyl, that’s, just now during the tea break, somebody telling me something. That’s you?

1:05:04.0 (Audience member says Jonas.) Jonas? OK, anyway. And hush, hushing it, and have millions of people suffering today: it’s a moral issue. And Bush is running over to Iraq and killing people: it’s a moral issue. President Putin threatening to turn his oil towards China and cutting the Europe is a moral issue. The Europeans only paying eight dollars for gallon. Americans, you know, screaming you know we’re now living three dollars per gallon and everybody’s screaming. And Bush popularity goes down, like, overnight, zoom, (chuckles) because the dollar gas goes up. But the Europeans been paying eight dollars for years, actually, per gallon. Almost, yeah, right. You pay how much per liter? (Audience member: Too much.) Huh? OK, two euro for a liter and five liters for gallon, what? Ten dollars? Can’t be! Can’t be ten dollars per gallon. (1:06:18.0 Inaudible discussion among audience members; one person says one-forty, then more inaudible discussion. Rimpoche and audience members laugh and there is more inaudible discussion by audience.) I mean, it’s like eight dollars you’ve been paying. I mean really, honestly. That’s, uhh, taking advantage of the poor people, and, you know, the oil companies are making so much money, whether it is this side of the ocean or that side of the ocean, is immoral to me. People produce clones, harvesting their organs, is definitely immoral. You know, I’ve been talking that for years. A number of times. And the first time nobody ever bothered, and now it’s becoming reality. Not necessarily over here, in this, in this state, as well as in Asia, everywhere I talked. And that is becomes reality. It is almost time that people producing human beings in bottle. And that is immoral. Not because we’re putting, not because we’re making (unclear 1:07:33.5) or so busy. But, you know, the purpose of producing people in bottle will make two different classes of human beings. That’s going to be immoral. And talking about moral: there’s so many. These are the general and particularly individuals. Human beings. Families. Children. Within the family. Between husband and wife. Between children and husband, there’s a lot of moral issues involved.

1:08:09.1 I’ve been saying earlier today, remember? We hurt people. We hurt our own companions. We hurt our family. We hurt our children. We hurt our parents. We hurt our, you know, fellow countrymen, our fellow sangha members. All of those are moral issues. We may not be realizing we hurt the person. By not realizing, it does not become, umm, not a moral issue. In short, the moral issue really becomes you’re hurting: that is the moral issue. The more you hurt, it becomes more bigger moral issue. Sexual misconduct is also a moral issue. The traditional Buddhist definition of sexual misconduct according to the vinaya rules, there is some strange things—interesting things—how about, in absolute reality when you hurt sexually even it is concerns sex, even then, when you hurt, it is—or consent or no consent—if you hurt, it is moral issue. In other words, the rape is definitely moral issue and it is definitely sexual misconduct. And sometimes whether you are sexing formal or normal or something (chuckling), I think it is a little bit, you know, I mean it’s true, but it’s not so much like rape or that type, you know. And what happened, traditional textbooks, they come out so detailed in that way, but perhaps rape doesn’t even exist at that time, so it doesn’t mention it. So, some people will say, well, rape is not sexual misconduct, but having sex on a full moon is a sexual misconduct. So, it doesn’t work that way anymore. I’ve seen sometime—maybe I’m too old now—but I’ve seen so many things, I’ve seen some teacher who looks through the list and read through and said, no, the rape’s not mentioned here, you know (chuckles), not mentioned in the book. (Laughs.) And then there’s another one, you know, who says smuggling, smuggling, you know anything, including intoxication things, smuggling, and they look through and, there’s no smuggling is mentioned anywhere, so that’s not negativity. (Laughs.)

1:11:18.4 So, in short, morality is, I think, to me, where I draw the line. That’s me talking about it. Where I draw the line is when you hurt. When you hurt someone, and then that is a moral issue. No matter whatever the way. How high, how big, how small it may be. There’s a tremendous amount of moral issue today, particularly with scientific developments. Tremendous moral—I just mentioned to you, about produce people in bottles. So really, I mean, people who produce in bottles is not an issue moral issue; but using them as harvesting basis will be very much issue; even then it’s a retarded person, but it’s another person. You cannot go on and make harvesting their organs for your own benefit. You know, what they’re doing today, they’re trying to make this, you know, they’re trying to take your DNA and started building someone and when your liver goes bad and take that liver and put it here, and, you know, they’re sort of, you know. So, that is a big moral issue. I mean, way beyond whether you’re a lesbian or whatever, it’s a big difference. That’s why I said, looking into sexuality only is the last century issue, and this century there is a tremendous (war? unclear 1:13:01.05) in that. Anyway, out of those three virtues, the fundamental basis, fundamental important is morality. Then comes the concentration and wisdom. When you come back from lunch, we’ll talk about it. And, then, that’s how we’re going to do today.