Archive Result

20060526GRGAR4MIND1

JH Spring Retreat

Four Mindfulnesses, Garrison 06

1st session

Gehlek Rimpoche: Welcome everybody. Thank you for being here for this retreat. Tonight I would like to point out a few important things. Number one important thing will be the motivation. The reasons why we are talking to ourself, talking to myself, the reasons why I wanted to be here. Why do I spend my good long nice weekend holiday here? What do I hope to gain, I mean this are when I am talking about the motivations. There are certain motivations that Buddha recommends that we should have. And certain motivations that we ourself will bring it in. It is sort of obvious why we do things. So whatever it may be. Individual reasons are we are here, whatever it may be. But I would like to present you what Buddha recommends. Buddha recommends for us the first step, whatever we do, is the purpose or the motivation why we are doing this. And that should be compassion. It is not only just an ordinary compassion, it should be very great compassion, what we call it greater compassion. Compassion that seeks the benefit to all living beings. Not just one or two. But all. And that also not just to serve, to help, or to make better and to change a life or mind or thought, just to give them a best whatever they are capable of achieving, which according to the Buddha totally, total knowledge, totally free of suffering, pain and the difficulties, and total embodiment of compassion, wisdom and knowledge.

So whether we can deliver it or not, but Buddha recommends us to carry that as our motivation, our purpose, our goal, and right from the beginning to make it clear, we are not here just for me or for ourself alone. We are here to benefit, not just benefit, to deliver the total enlightenment to all living beings however difficult, almost impossible, whatever it may be. So that is recommended the motivation by Buddha. Normally we call it bodhimind. Ultimate unconditioned unlimited compassion and love. That is really what we talk about. So recommending bodhimind as motivation. Not only the motivation of spending the weekend here, but also every day of our life, each and every day, the day when we get up in the morning, when we wake up in the morning, just dedicate your life, not just for me, but for everybody, I will make my life useful, not only useful, be instrumental that brings total enlightenment for all living beings. You know it is the big mind. Sort of not a narrow mind. Not the small skylight, but the big skylight. Not just between the two little joys, but really a big open, that sort of mind is sort of recommended, I am just making that skylight joke, it is a private joke that between one individual here and me. I am just using that. That is the recommended motivation by Buddha. Really open, sort of may or may not be able to deliver it by us, but today almost impossible, tomorrow it may be, but there will be time that we can do it. But that is why we want such a huge, great motivation to begin with that. And that is sort of number one motivation. It has a lot of reasons behind. For the benefiting others, benefiting ourself, I will not go in that detail, so what I would like to have is one that very big, huge motivation which also gives you a challenge, which also gives you the reasons why you need a spiritual path, what you are doing with the spiritual path, to what you hope to gain, all of them has been sort of slightly answered in that motivation itself. And that is number one.

Number two, I have to briefly introduce you the subject what we will be dealing with the next few days. I am happy to see this unedited transcripts of last year’s, same teaching, at the same time here. I am also happy to see the title here, called, “Four Mindfulnesses,” rather than the “Song of the Four Mindfulnesses.” I have been a little bit, I am giving a hard time to Hartmut and Kathy, and all of a sudden in the midst of talking about the four mindfulnesses, all of a sudden there comes the “Songs of Four Mindfulnesses.” This is a very western thing. It may not be they have done it, but whoever did it, it is very western thing. It is a very western thing, because they always have to have something different, because the idea of the four mindfulnesses is immediately hit the people with the mindfulness of body, mindfulness of feeling, and all these usual mindfulness, they will sort of hit in there, so naturally they have to make something different, what they call it, “Songs of Four Mindfulnesses.” Somehow it sneaked in, and I was giving Hartmut a hard time for a while, and he told me Jeffrey Hopkins did it. So whatever it may be.

So it is from the Manjushri from the Tsonghkhapa, and why we have to make the “Songs of Four Mindfulnesses,” you know. So it may be poetry, it may be song, it may be whatever it is. So but anyway, so I am happy to be here. And this year I am going to do slightly different because I did this last year on the basis of the Seventh Dalai Lama’s verses on the four mindfulnesses. The four mindfulnesses are not going to change. But the verses I am going to do this year is not the Seventh Dalai Lama’s verses, but the First Panchen Lama’s verses, Panchen Lobsang Chuchen’s verses. So First Panchen Lama is slightly earlier than the Seventh Dalai Lama so I am picking up the First Panchen Lama, the basis. But the four mindfulnesses are the same thing. That is based on Manjushri’s teaching to Tsonghkhapa. You know who Manjushri is. Maybe a few of you who do not know. I expected to have a peaceful Manjushri thankha here, but it came out to be wrathful Manjushri. So it is the peace and wrath, otherwise it is Manjushri here. But Manjushri in normal language, what we call it, simple way to say, this may be not correct, but simple way to say it better, we say “God of wisdom.” Isn’t there something called the Archangel Raphael? Anyway, just came up in my head when I said god of wisdom.

Anyway, it is the wisdom aspects of the total enlightened beings are taking physical form of an enlightened being, which is in Sanskrit called Manjushri. Tsongkhapa is sort of a later scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, 1357-1419, but Tsongkhapa’s way of looking, particularly important point, the wisdom aspects of it. Tsongkhapa was never happy with the interpretation and explanations of the earlier Tibetan masters, including his own teachers. So he has sort of been working on this, searching and working, and working, there is a long story, but the long story cut into short. He was actually looking to going to India to find a perfect teacher who can explain the basic existence of the phenomena, how things exist, what is happening, very scientific type of Buddha’s philosophy, sort of almost like scientific basis on what Buddha’s philosophy was found, and what is the ground. And he was never satisfied with the earlier Tibetan teachers, he wanted to go to India and look for a teacher who can teach him, taught him, and help him understand better, but somehow it become impossible for a number of reasons. So then finally they somehow decided that Tsongkhapa remains in Tibet, and do a purification retreat, then finally be able to contact Manjushri, like one living being to another living being, in that form. Not as a vision, not as a sort of semi-mirage type of thing. But very clear, one human being to another human being. So the Manjushri, one of the important points that Manjushri give Tsongkhapa is this four mindfulnesses. The most important thing that Manjushri give Tsongkhapa is the three principal aspects of the Buddhism. And for practical purposes it is very similar to the three principals but slightly different way, these four mindfulness. And sort of in the writing text form came much later. There was a teacher named Gela Lodrubeba (??), Lodrubeba’s basis on this four mindfulness, one statement available, I have not seen it, but I have read for the reference. Then earliest what I said and learned so far, is the first Panchen Lama, Panchen Lobsang Chuchen, Then the Seventh Dalai Lama. Seventh Dalai Lama I chose last year because Kyabje Ling Rimpoche gave teaching in New Delhi. So it was very easy for me just to sit and read it here. Do not have to do any hard work. So that is what we did last year.

We have big transcripts here, so you have the background to work with this, and this year I will be talking on the basis of the First Panchen Lama’s. Very similar to the Seventh Dalai Lama’s too, but on that basis I am talking. Whatever the text, we always, I must also tell you this, we must also give teaching on the basis of certain texts. That is the tradition where I belong to will emphasize, we do that, so that we are not just simply talking and cooking up things. Yes you must give a lot of information and things on the basis of individual experience. It is a must. But on the individual experience, whatever you are going to share, that also has to base on certain texts, so that whatever the information that we passed on to you will be authentic, otherwise someone can sit somewhere and have a fantastic vision, and talk to you about on the terms of vision, and that has no way of counterchecking and proving and challenging it. So that is considered where the tradition I belong to, it is considered disadvantage, so therefore must base on certain important textbook, however long or short it might be. But based on that.

When you base on that, whatever you say, it is going to be authentic. Because you know nowadays, the spiritual path, you can have a lot of, what can I say, I do not want to say fraud, but, a lot of those type of thing comes in because there is no way to check, there is no check and balance. Check and balance is extremely important in the spiritual path. If you do not have that, then anybody can say anything. We have a saying in Tibetan. There was somebody in a village, somewhere in a remote area of Tibet. A guy is telling a story about Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. No one has been there, so only one person, so he knew he can say whatever he wants to say, because no one can tell he is wrong, or anything. So this is normally part of teaching. I do not know how this is going to make sense to you. In old Tibet, in Lhasa city, there were big long sticks like totem pole types, much long, three or four story type of long sticks they put up, they put prayer flag on that, there are four or five different corners of Lhasa. One of them is Sha, which means Eastern banner, it is Sha—eastern banner. The word sha could be east or could be deer, too. So somebody asked somebody, what is shagarin, meaning the eastern banner, doing in Lhasa. How is he, and how are they doing. He said, “Oh this deer is just eating a little grass and drinking a little water and sitting around.” And that is what they tell. It is sort of one tells to the other. It becomes tale. So, so these are the part of teachings, normally. They say, if you do that, a lot of people may not know whether it is true or not true, however they think it is holy and wonderful and part of dharma and oh so great so that is how you mislead people and people are misinformed, very sort of mundane, vivid examples. Or teachings must be able to have checks and balance. So if it is based on authentic text, it is much easier to know. Based on challenge, checks, can all be there, that is the reason why we are always taught, based on certain texts, whatever it might be. Give all your personal experience on top of it. If you do not have personal experience giving in that, it will become dry academic studies. And that is not spiritual study. So personal experience must bring in. And that is also based on a text, so that it remains authentic. Anyway, so that is the reason why I would like to use this time, the First Panchen Lama’s.

So whatever text you may use, four mindfulnesses are four mindfulnesses. The number one mindfulness is mindfulness of guru. I will talk to you that in detail tomorrow. Number two mindfulness is mindfulness, maybe I am wrong, the orders may be changing, but number two mindfulness is mindfulness of love/compassion. Number three mindfulness is mindfulness of deity, or yidam, and this is very technical anyway. Yidam. I will explain when it comes to that point. And number four mindfulness is wisdom. So basically what we are talking here, we are going to talk about guru, we are going to talk about compassion, we are going to talk about wisdom, we are going to talk about deity here, not necessarily deity as the pure aspects of the individual body, that is mindfulness of deity, pure aspects of the individual mind, that is the mindfulness of wisdom and compassion, and we are going to talk about pure path. And that is going to be mindfulness of guru. Basically we are looking at, if you have not been here, if you have not read these, Ling Rimpoche’s text, or the teaching in, Kyabje Ling Rimpoche’s teaching in New Delhi, the Seventh Dalai Lama’s basic like one or two pages of thing, if you have seen it, even the one or two, even you have seen it, I am here to informing you, these are the four mindfulnesses, and we will be talking about that.

And I would like to call this retreat. Word retreat, I do not know what is English word retreat means, but I presume it is, if I am wrong, forgive me, but I am presuming it is withdraw. Withdrawing from the midst of all kinds of mundane, I do not know, every day activity. Not only simply withdraw from the city to the upstate, and then quiet and nice and beautiful wonderful facility. But it is more our mind retreating from so many activities that we always have. Which means giving our mind a little bit of rest, number one, the purpose of the rest is to recuperate our mind itself. And to recuperate our mind itself we have to give our mind a little quietness. Mind quietness means withdraw from the distractions. Whether whatever type of distractions it may be. All kinds of, not only the televisions and the radio, but little more than that, blackberries, and all kinds of things, wherever your mind is taking here and there, give yourself a little chance to recuperate your mind, not only the emails and the blackberries and the faxes and all of those. But also from the attractions, physical attractions, mental attractions, emotional attractions, and give yourself a little room, be yourself, be quiet. Not quiet as just not having no noise, but peace to the individual mind. Unless and until you have been able to give a little peace to your own mind, you may not be able to do anything that you wanted to do. So withdraw from all attractions a little bit. Be yourself. So that we can build something on that.

Even compassion, just saying compassion, compassion, compassion will not do very much. It really has to be compassion, caring, concerned, really. Everybody knows just to say compassion, everybody. But that just does not become compassion. Has to become caring. In order to become caring it has to be touched with the heart touch. In order to get with heart touch, it has to be yourself. If you are not yourself, if you are completely covered by all kinds of emotions, so really you are midst of cyclone of all the emotions swaying around, and try to be compassionate, it is not possible. Impossible. Similarly to never be mindfulness of compassion. Mindfulness of wisdom. It is never going to happen. So please give yourself a little quiet and a little bit of, a bit of a very short time, maybe, I do not know, forty-eight hours, or sixty hours, or something, whatever, please allow ourself to be ourself. Just be you. And just be me.

Compassion in motivation, and giving yourself, be yourself, is action. And then we add up a few more techniques on that. So hopefully we will have something to gain, something to take home when we go home. And that is I hope to bring there. And so I guess it is almost my time. And I think all practical orientations has already been done. Unless anybody has any questions or something, then I will be happy to answer, otherwise, we call it a day, and before we call a day we can meditate a little bit about our motivation that we talk, and keep yourself a commitment, or a promise, that just be yourself. Just be yourself. Just out of all those emotions, of yourself and other people together, mix them up, just get that free of that, just give yourself a promise, at least a few short time every day. In the morning, and in the evening. So that you get a little chance for yourself to recuperate. Every day is very important. If you are caught in that cyclone of emotions of yourself and others, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, or whatever, 365 days in a year, then naturally we all go crazy. If you do not go crazy, you must be crazy then. Really, that is what it is. So please give yourself a chance. I mean, at least a few minutes every day. But over here, you came for that purpose, so you should be doing that. And that is it. I have nothing more to say for tonight. So we do have schedules here, we follow with the schedules for the day after. Anything else? Anybody? And I hope you will be happy and comfortable. Facility is very good. Not like what we used to be, you know, what do you call it, racket area, or rustic area? But then we all came here to retreat, so just retreat and give yourself time and opportunity to recover ourself. Thank you. Any other questions? Nobody, right? So then we do the dedication. If you could give a few minutes silent, and meditate about our motivation that I talked, and see if I can shut my mouth for a few minutes. Thank you.

2006 Ngawang Gehlek Rimpoche