Archive Result

20060624GRSR10

JH 1996 Summer Retreat

Session 10

Gehlek Rimpoche: Good morning, and welcome everybody for today. I think it is our fifth day today, here. Now one thing I forgot last night, because when you are saying the mantras, and I explained the meaning of the mantra, when you are saying the mantra, and when I am started thinking myself, then I realized I did not mention last night. Like an example, when you say om muni muni maha muniye soha, and you talk about the quality of theBuddha who had completely overcome, overcame the delusions and imprints of delusions and everything. And then just saying that you have overcome your delusion, you have overcome your imprints of delusion alone does not do anything. I mean it is good to admire, appreciate, however then you know when with the soha, lay the foundation within the body, and that includes this body, mind, speech blessing of yours may be given to my body, mind, speech. And may I receive your quality. The blessing is a blessing, and your quality, and may I receive all your qualities. That is what we are talking about. May we receive all your qualities within me. And that is the essence of the mantra here. Not only realizing, acknowledging the quality of the object of refuge, appreciate, admire, express the desire that I would like to have the quality. And that part I forgot. You know, for me it is automatic, like somebody said last night, if your prayer has been completely automatic and you are numbed, and then for me, I am not numbed. For me, I am not numbed, but it is automatic. But for me I am thinking, I did not mention that last night. So that is when we are saying the mantras.

You may be wondering what is going on, everybody is going up and down and talking, what is going on here? Because you know we do have the fire puja today, and so immediately after this we are going to start my own sadhana, I mean after lunch, starting my own sadhana and immediately starting the fire puja thereafter. And so things are not ready. Neither the offerings are not ready, nor the tsoh, has to be followed, is ready, and nor the, I do not know whether the fire puja things are ready or not. Dennis, is it ready? Dennis says it is ready. Try to chase. Hartmut did not buy the tsoh so we chase him out, get the tsoh now. He said afterwards, “No.” After the teaching, “No, go down.” So that is what has been going on, if you are wondering what is happening. So that is that. Another thing also last night I forgot. The same question. If you are numbed and say the words, what do we do. And same conversation what I had with the Kyabje Ling Rimpoche, that senior master to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Kyabje Ling Rimpoche. And it is regarding somebody else. And somebody elsewhere, somebody else says, somebody asked Kyabje Rimpoche, I can literally go over without saying words, completely I can literally go over with the whole sadhana, so do I need to say the words. And I do not know what Kyabje Rimpoche give answer to that. And afterwards gone, I was there, so he was talking to me. Say, at least we had a word to say, that helps tremendously. But if you put the word away, and you think you know everything but, then you miss here and there, so neither you have the visualization and the thought running, and you lose even the words which protect you, that also lost, so what is the worth for that? No worth. So Kyabje Ling Rimpoche seems to be emphasizing so much that you say the words. Even though it is numbed and go, even then, because of the words it builds up everything in there, so it is somehow serve the purpose, may not be enhancing yourself, but it does help. Even you look, and that is how the mantras are, actually. And that is not only to the Buddhism. Even in the Hindu tradition, people will go, keep on saying, ram, ram, ram, all the time, whether you think or not think, you say the ram, ram, all the time. Even in the Catholic tradition, don’t you say hail Mary, hail Mary, you do say that. So, that is the how it is. So the sound and word, that make a difference. So that I forgot to mention last night. So these are the two add up two things last night.

Now I am going to do the, you know, still we have the question of how. So that is going to be like we said, very straightforward, grounding level, we talk about the karmic system, and on the basis of the karmic system, the positive actions, negative actions, and quite clearly expressed whatever we have, created action, the result is bound to be, when there is no action at all no matter whatever you do, the result will never come. Not only when there is no action, and there is no action, the results never come, but even there is action, but there is no conditions, the conditions not right, the results never come. Although karmic rule is, once you create it, you are bound to have the result. However, that also depends on the conditions. When the conditions not right, no matter whatever the result,you may have it, that is not going to be materialized at all. No matter whatever. And that is why you have room for miracles, room for purifications. And I do remember, one time I was talking in Jewel Heart when we are on the garage top where John Madison’s place is, 508 Cherry. We are talking in the garage top, and we have this nice garden at the right hand side, now John made a very beautiful one. Now you know Barry Clark? Remember Barry Clark? Barry Clark bought a truck, a pickup truck, brought five or six or seven louds of soil over there and put it in. And he keep on digging and turn over that lawn for days, you know. I mean completely volunteer. He come right from Chicago to do that. And he lost his wedding ring in there too. Do you people remember that too? He lost his wedding ring in there, somewhere around there, garden there now. If you found it, keep it. So he lost the ring and everything together. OK, all right. Well, it is unfortunate anyway.

So that time I was remembering I bought the, I bought grass seed,but there is so much weed, and Barry turned over completely, and one year I could not put the grass seed down, so I kept the seed in the garage, so I was talking at that time, I was saying, I have the seed downstairs. But there is no grass. Because seed is sitting on the dry cement slab. So grass is not growing. Because could not put them down. So seed is there, but conditions is not right. So in order to grow the grass or flower or whatever, seed alone will not do anything. That is why we have strangers in the night, the other side of the story that Amy was telling me that time. Anyway. You do not need to clarify that. You remember that clearly.

Amy: I do not know what you are talking about.

GR: OK. Anyway. Some people do. Some people does remember.

Amy: Somebody tell me later please.

GR: What do they exchange? That is why if the conditions are not right, if the seed is there, it does not work. So, likewise, when you have karma there, when your karma there, but when the conditions not right, it does not materialize. And that is why purification. That is why, all this miracle, all works. All works.

OK. I have reasons to say this, brought here, somehow making these jokes, I forgot. This is the second time I forgot what I wanted to say on that particular account. So the action alone, the karmic seed alone does not work. And it has to have conditions right in order to materialized. So in one way it looks so simple and John, next to Jeff, I do not think anybody is sitting on that chair here, in the front. So just having the action alone, what happens is, the moment you created the karma, the moment you act anything, the moment you completed your action, that positive or negative karma, whatever it may be, it is actually completed. And then the seed has been produced. It is ready to sow. So what happens is, then it goes, the word what we use in Tibetan language is the “palanyel.” Means the sort of unconsciously, consciously sleep. Which really meaning, I think very close to, what do you call it, quantum leap, you coming in, you disappears, and then you pop up other side. That, what do you call it psychologists, what is it? Physicists. Quantum leap. And that is exactly similar to that. What happened is action has been formed, and seed has been produced, then it becomes invisible. Invisible. Not to be traced anywhere. Imprint was left on the consciousness. And when it is going to pop up, the moment the condition is right, it is ready to pop up.

Since this is a very intelligent group, I do not think I have much hesitation to talk here about the dependent arise. Dependent-arise. Dependent-arising means actually when it is materialized, when materialized, when the conditions are right, which means in order to become, or in order to be what it is, and it has to be right conditions. It depends on the right, I am sorry, somebody told me do not use this language, it sounds like lawyer. Terms and conditions. And really depends on terms and conditions. But, when one single tiny one is not right, it will not work. When everything is right, I mean, you can see it. Sophisticated, tiny, little gadgets, when you look in there, some kind of tiny little joint or screw, something is missing, because it is small, the gadget is small, so everything is miniature, much more miniature. So tiny little thing is missing in there, makes the gadget does not work. Right? So in other words, the working of the gadget is dependent-arise. Depends on its part, parcel, and that is like conditions. And the power, or the electricity or power, whatever it is, and that is like the original karma. Original karma is like the power. When there is no power, no matter whatever the condition is right, it never works. Unless you have magical power, that is a different story we are talking about. Never works. Likewise, every condition is right, when there is not the karma, original karma, nothing works. As I was telling you about the story, about the grass seed, I got maybe about ten bags over there that time, it was left in the garage, so I do have a lot of seeds there, but this seeds does not work, because it is the wrong condition. It is just packed in the back, put on the cement slab, so it is never going to grow. If I through them in the winter, then when it is all done, throw them in the winter, then it is not going to work. Although there is a seed, but the condition is not right, you need heat, you need heat, you need moisture, you may have the moisture but there is no heat. There is no heat at all, so it is not going to work. So just like that, every karma functions that way. Millions of them at a time, together in our life. That is why we have this, good and bad, joy and suffering and sometimes together, we have a lot of sweet-sour chop suey in our life,together, and that is why it is.

Knowing that, having that understanding within you, within you, and accordingly, you function your life, is the very practical, very grounded, straightforwardness of working with your life. Or lives, for me. I do not want to impose my view on you, but I like to say this, it is true, do not kid yourself, OK? It is true. Do not kid yourself. If it is not true, the moment you died, the moment you are died, the moment you are brain-dead, you are no longer existing, become a void, is it possible? Would you be void? No. We have not seen it. We have no experience. We have not met anyone who has come back and said, “I’m back!” No. No one says that. Only the Tibetan incarnate lamas, which is also become extremely questionable, one by one, there is two, there three, there is four, there is double, there is single, all kind of things which makes it even more unreliable in our common mind. It is unfortunate. It happens that way, anyway. And that is our problem. Other than that, we have, if you look in yourself, certain things for you, for easy to pick up, certain things for you, difficult to pick up. It is everything. Everything that you learn, you have that. And that has nothing to do with, because same intelligence level you have, whether you are looking at anything.

Now scientists say the right brain, the left brain, and all of those type of thing, but whatever it is, it is your brain, it is your mind, your intelligence capacity level, but it works on one level better and works less on another subject. Why, because of your previous connections, in previous experience, and previous, the past lives thing. And that is why you have some very genius guy, what is it twelve, thirteen year old, at the college level, and all of those, and that is because of his previous somehow the transition of the past to the future life, the shock was not strong enough, or, you know, whatever it is, and that is how they maintain the memory. And also it has something to do with the condition and many of them remembers as kids, but by seven or eight they forget mostly, but this one might have some conditions, somehow connected, and subjects are easy to pick up. All of those are for clear indication that there is past and there is future. And we are all travelers. We happen to have got together at this moment at this time in this place called world. Other than that, we are all, all souls are old souls. So that is why we have tremendous amount of good and bad karma in the space of palanyel. We do not see it, but it is there, asleep. Any conditions that we provided, and right, it wake up, and it functions automatically. You know, sometimes we see in movie, some kind of huge monster or something, and it was put to sleep, or frozen, whatever, some hero come in and turn on the plug, and everybody works, you know. So just like that, when there is, you know, here when in these movies, what they do, and all the conditions are right, stop the power, so does not function, so when they turn the power in, everything functions, but in the karmic, other way around, the power remains, the karma remains, it is the condition that controls. Not the power controls. Not the power controls, but condition controls. Just opposite way. It is right, it functions. That is why, when we have positive actions, that will help us. Because it provides the condition, and it clicks from one better karma to another. So that is why, how we be able to function better way in our life.

And the other thing what I have to do today is creating positive merit, not just like that, but from the spiritual, or from the usage of mental, spiritual power, from that way. That is what we are supposed to do today. That is our Jewel Heart prayer. And mantras we did talk. But what we did not talk. [Tibetan] Where is Jewel Heart prayer, on what page? Eleven. OK. This one. You who destroyed all evil forces, and who know all things perfectly, for the sake of all beings, please come to us. So in our translation, the second line in Tibetan was made into the first line. You who destroy all evil forces, meaning the second line in Tibetan. And who knows all things perfectly. Third line is correct. And then, for the sake of all beings is the first line in Tibetan. Because when you translate into English, I do not know, you have to turn upside down all the time. No wonder why, but some language trick which I do not understand. So that is my fault. So that is why this invocation, this particular invocation, [Tibetan], it is very important invocation, it is really like almost king of invocations. There is an important story behind during the Buddha’s lifetime. I just said somewhere recently, I forgot. Was it New York? I just said somewhere, I do not remember. Anyway. During the Buddha’s time it is the, huh? Oh, did I say it at Garrison recently? I did say somewhere, anyway.

It is called [Tibetan] story. During the Buddha’s lifetime, this Indian principalities,a lot of the principalities have prayers and they work with Buddha. And one of the princes of a big Buddha’s supporter or disciple, a king, his daughter was sent to very far away, I mean, this, in the southern, somewhere in some kind of island south, I do not know where nowadays, but sent somewhere, and she is very devoted to Buddha and Buddhist practice and all that, and when they are in the center area, and she is the one who is always serving Buddha and this and that, all the time. And when she has to go for marriage, that far, so she is always longing for Buddha and all his disciples are near her, so she actually said this words by her, when on the top of her palace, turned and looked towards the direction where the Buddha is living. And then with tears she sound this, [Tibetan]. Buddha knew the day before, thinking that they all have to go to visit here. But there is no way, there is no airplane, nothing, so there is no way they can go. The Buddhist system, whoever is going, wherever, they send little piece of wood, twigs out, whoever picks up the twig, that means they take action, they are joining in that group, or they are volunteering, anyway. So here we raise hand. The little wooden twigs they pick up. And I am not sure whether the wooden sticks are numbered, if they are numbered they know exactly how many are gone. But I do not know. Anyway. So the day before Buddha said, “Tomorrow we have to go. Going for lunch at the Madampa Sango’s [?] place. So only those who can fly can go. So you are permitted to fly.” So passed on the wood stick. So whoever can fly, they passed on the wooden stick. So, then, early in the morning, Buddha with lots, hundreds of disciples started flying in the air, while Madampa Sango is praying, they all landed on her palace. And that is the prayer, and since that generation, it is continued in many languages. Up to now into English. So that is why we choose to have this invocation over so many other invocations. It is actually inviting. When you are inviting, enlightened beings are everywhere. One of the qualities of enlightenment is this. It is pervasive. It is everywhere. You know, in the Christian tradition you say God is everywhere. Do you say God knows everything? You do say that. God is everywhere. That is the case here. Enlightened beings are everywhere.

Why everywhere? Because their knowledge is everywhere. Not quality, but real knowledge. Their knowing is everywhere, because they are all-knowing. If there is something to be known, they know. They are there. Their mind and body are same frequency, just opposite of us. Our mind goes everywhere, can go anywhere. No limit. No wall, no distance, nothing. We just jump. Sitting here, and our mind can suddenly jump in downtown Tokyo. Straightaway without any difficulty. Or New York, California, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. We are there, you know. As long as you can move, think. It is there. That is non-block. It is beyond the rule of the physics, law of the physics. So the enlightened ones are same frequency. Our body cannot go, drag the whole thing, it is not easy to drag anywhere, not even easy to walk, so it has to be dragged, literally, dragged, even you go somewhere you have to put that in little box, locked, and little piece of iron cage, and locked in there, and then you still have to drag, dry and drag that, and drag really. But that is exactly what we have got to do. But mind we do not. But enlightened level, mind and body becomes same. It becomes same union. It becomes same. Therefore there is no separate function. Functions together. As mind functions, body functions the same way. That is the quality of enlightened.

You say what is the difference between me and enlightened ones. Here is one of them. Physically. Mentally, enlightened means know everything. We do not. These are the difference. Mental difference, physical difference. Since they are mind and body work together, physically it is same, so it is everywhere, everywhere. Pervasive everywhere. Everywhere. So you do not have to invite. It is everywhere. However, our rational mind is such, a lot of people raise question on this, however, anyway, rational mind is such, to satisfy ourself, or to complete our action, we invite. We do not do it, but if you are really doing properly, when you say this, “You who destroy all evil forces,” actually you should be with folded hands, you should do it, or in traditional Tibetan, ritual cases, sometimes you even hold burning incense, burning in the hands, and this is started from the Madampa Sambo, that daughter of that Madampa king. And from that time it is Buddhist culture, and it is religious culture. Nowadays we do not do it. But if you want to do it, that is what it is. Now, when you invoke, what do you mean by invoking. There are a couple of difference. Enlightened beings are in the dharmakaya nature too. Dharmakaya nature too. Invoking from the dharmakaya nature into rupakaya nature, that is one way of invoking. I am sure many of you have not heard because I used Greek here. Dharmakaya and rupakaya. They are Greek, right? Then another one is, from rupakaya into rupakaya. So whatever it is, it does not matter. When I say dharmakaya into rupakaya, meaning from the mental state into the physical state, or the second one is from physical state into physical state. Meaning, presuming it is in their natural abode, or pure land, or somewhere. So we invoke, and they come in, so you say, for the sake of all beings please come to us. So we say, “come to us.” Which means we are invoking from two physical. Physically from pure land to natural abode to physically in the presence of our wherever we are. So that is the invocation is all about it. I am going to delay this “I take refuge in guru, I take refuge in buddha, I take refuge in dharma, I take refuge in sangha,” because that I probably I should have to explain on Sunday morning a little bit because there is some people who like to take refuge at that time, so that is why if I get an opportunity, if there is time, I would like to explain a little at that time. Here now.

So today our job is seven limb. So I am looking at the time. I think it is break time, Maybe. Please do not be very long, we try to be quick. Because I want to, as much as I can finish, seven limb today. I like to finish that. Then whatever I could not finish today, at the morning will be in the evening. And then today there is fire puja and all that, so I do not know how the groups are functioning, I have no idea. Just now what Hartmut informed me, there are about 75-80 people attending the fire puja. So I do not know, so whatever it is then. Actually needed was 25 or 30. But 75 of them are coming, which makes what happens to the group. We talked during the break and before we finish, we can announce. So please take break now, little quicker than usual, I think.

Welcome back. And thank you for coming a little bit quicker. Thank you so much for screaming. I do not have my Bodhisattvacharyavatara book with me, otherwise I would like to refer you for that. But then, since I do not have the English translation, so I have to say that in Tibetan. [Tibetan] Buddhas have thought for eons how easy, how best way, easy way we can make people to work contemplating through spiritual path. Contemplation. What best way we can do. So buddhas have actually, it is poetry, so buddhas have thought eons the conclusion. Whether the buddhas need eons to think about it or not is a different story. But since it is poetry, poetry is normally exaggerated, and it is permitted. Anyway. In any language, poetry can do anything you want to. So that is why. The buddhas have thought for eons, and have resolutions come out for the best way to do, and they have seven resolutions, and these seven resolutions are known as seven limb or seven branches. And this is for us to accumulate merit. Much easy way. As I told you, commonly known as within the Buddhist world, commonly known as [Tibetan], accumulate merit and purify negativities. Accumulation of positive and discarding the wrongdoing is the two most important thing in the Buddhist world. Not only the Buddhist world alone, it is almost everywhere you can see it, every great traditions, just simple, strange, some little shamanism here and there, I have no idea. But every respectable traditions, wherever you look, you have that.

So even in all the Buddhist traditions, everywhere, I am not talking about the Tibetan alone, everywhere. You go to the Chinese community, you have a huge singing of invocation and seven limb, they do not call it seven limb, they call it prostration and offering, and even puja, the word puja in Indian language, or Sanskrit language, is actually service, service to the enlightened ones. So they are all in every tradition you have that. So out of those seven, first comes in. “I bow down in body, speech and mind.” We have one line here. You should be really grateful. Where I was brought in, this “I bow down in body, speech and mind,” has pages and pages and pages, and even you look in the Lama Chopa, usually after the invocation, and then the bow down business comes in, praising the quality of the guru, from the nirmanakaya point of view, samboghakaya point of view, dharmakaya point of view, activity point of view, worldy activity point of view, divine activity point of view, goes on pages, couple of them, but that is also not too long, compared with what we did.

And also there is a king of prayer, called sambomulamugam, or the Samtabadhra prayer, and that also thirty, forty pages are also seven limb, nothing else. It is everywhere throughout every Tibetan Buddhist world, and they say that all the time, especially great monasteries, it is always a part, especially they do that for the devout. It is also translated into English, too, it is available. And shorter than Lama Chopa, if you look into the Ganden Lha Ghyema, at least one of them has a four line, a shaloka (?) each. But here you have half line. Really half line. So made so simple and easy to say. But complicated to meditate and think. Because saying a word must have a strong support behind your thoughts. And incidentally, when you say this seven limb, even if you have record available, if you have record, just listening to the record alone may not be enough. You have to engage yourself in body, mind and sound. So therefore you must say the word, whether you chant or you or you do not chant, does not matter, you have to say it. So I like to use this. “I bow down in body speech and mind.” Bow down is, we use this word because we failed to find another suitable substitute. That is why we used it. Bow down it is very nice and good in Chinese culture, everybody bows, Japanese especially, bows everybody, and everywhere, even behind your bus and behind your train, the conductor comes out and train goes and bow behind, keep on bowing. Bowing is very good for Japanese culture, and Chinese it is OK, it is Tibetans have much better word for that, in the western culture I do not think you like to bow down.

That is probably, my point is, the spiritual practice, whatever you do, you must like it, what you do, if you have it, something, you have to do it, you dislike something you have to do it, it is torture. Believe me it is torture. So it does not help anything, does not serve any purposes. In old culture, yes, it does, you know, in old culture if you do not do it, you get beat up and do all this and push it in, and that is an old culture. Even in the west you get beat up. You do beat. Asian culture of course, people who learn kung fu, where is Dimitri? Will probably tell you so many times, before you learn anything else you have to learn to make fire out of nothing, without matches or anything, for years. So one should be able to do all that gradually you get it. And it is very similar to the west, you go to the cooking class, they probably, even the universities, the probably make you to peel the, make you to peel the potatoes for years. And then they teach you later, right? So the bowing down is not so bad for that culture that way, but we could not find any suitable word to substitute this.

The word in Tibetan is phyag and tsel, so together we say phyag tsel. The word is P-H-Y-A-G, that is “chak” it is not ‘pchag.” It is not cha – it is not C-H cha but P-H cha. But that is two meanings, two meanings here. Understand? Recognizing, appreciating, and acknowledging the quality of the individual whoever you are, bowing down. Understanding of the quality, appreciating it, and acknowledging how great you have this, this, this body quality. This, this, this this mind quality. Da, da, da, da speech quality. How wonderful it is! I appreciate, I admire, and then comes tsel, means I seek, I want it, I want what you have it, your quality of body, your quality of mind, your quality of mind, your quality of speech. So then through that you show respect through body prostration, or through speech, singing, through mind, appreciation, all of them together, that word “bows down” supposed to show you that message, it does not. You know the language. But since we could not find anything so far better substitute than that, and we do have, believe me we do have brilliant people in Jewel Heart. Really a lot of brilliant people. One time ago we counted, we had thirteen or fourteen editors alone. And we have so many, really, all those. But still we did not find very suitable word, we say “yep, that’s the one,” we could not find it, so we just temporarily taking refuge in bow down. So that is what it is. Phyag tsel. You ask somebody what that is, they say, “Oh, that means prostration.” No, it does not. Does not. It is the P-H-Y cha, not the C-H-A-G cha. So that P-H-Y-G cha is almost indicating that one can fold hands, and one who fit to fold hand and seek quality,that is the PHYAG indicates that. It is quality of body, quality of speech, quality of mind, quality of person, admiring, acknowledging, appreciating, and seeking it for me, together.

And that expression physically expressed by bowing down. Bowing down is not just for exercise. I mean it may be good exercise, but bowing down, there is a message behind that, that is all of those, appreciate its wonderfulness and greatness, and then, that is what “I bow down” means. And prostration we have systems, there is a shorter version of Naropa style and longer version of Naropa style, and all of those we are not going to talk here, no point, number one, number two no time. Number three, you have transcripts available, lot of them. And number four, talk to each other, and they know, that is why sangha is there for. That is it. That is the first. I have to say something here, when you are prostrating, they say that any amount of the items that you cover under your body, and that much equivalent of positive karma or merit accumulates each one of them, each one of the prostrations, even one single prostration probably have millions of positive karma accumulation is there. And that is why if you look in the Tibet, or in the Tibetan culture, a lot of people are doing a lot of prostrations a lot of the time. If you go to central temple in Lhasa, there is always packed with people who is doing prostrations outside the temple courtyard. Or there are people who they are from native land, and walk all the way to central Tibet, Lhasa, by prostration only, you know, by three, four months road, covered by prostration only and reach to the Lhasa by, I am also started saying like westerns “lassa,” it is Lhasa [with first “a” like apple], reach to Lhasa by four, five six months later. And some that is not enough, some they do prostration vertically, because the whole body covered, so it is stepped vertically, they reach to Lhasa, so that much devotion and that much purification, and that much accumulation of merit, and for me, you have not seen it, some of you have seen it, some of you have not seen it, and for me, it is look back and rejoice, their great work, which they worked very hard, sweating through, months and years, and I sit here rejoice them, and get my benefit, by rejoicing, just sitting in the comfortable office chair, roving office chair, and rejoicing, and that works very well for me. So it should work well for you too.

So that is the first of the seven limb. And that is first resolution. Buddhas found if practitioners do this, that will be very strong uplift and wonderful. Even you cannot do it physically, even then you appreciate their quality, admire, seek through sound. Or through mind. And even body gesture of folding hand alone is also enough. Good enough. Can definitely do better, but it is good enough. Even you just do mind, sitting straight and holding hand, is also good enough. And one thing what you do not do is lie down, and then do this I bow down in body, mind and speech, along with passing gas will not work. Maybe it is little too much taking granted, maybe it is little to much, at least sit up and do nicely. Even you do cross leg or not cross leg, your legs touch, that is fine. But some gesture, physical, mental, and sound gesture together. You have got to say the word. You have got to say the word just to make it. I do not want to say today. You have got to say the word just to make it. OK? If you do not say it, just put it on the record, thinking alone, then you do not have the proper physical action, you do not have the proper sound action, and you only have mind, which is like if you have three wheels, and you are using only one, and two are left out, so that much power you lose. This goes for everything.

Second is, I offer the best I have to give. Remember, the long ones have pages and pages and pages. But it is offering. Offering is an extremely important for us. Especially what we want is material, spiritual wealth All the wealths are the result of generosity. We all say, we all know, especially the great western traditions help us to understand the generosity is something extremely important for our life. It is in our culture, it is in our blood, it is in our genes. We know that. That is the great western culture. No one raises question rather the generosity is something good to do or not. No one raises. Everybody knows that. And the reason why buddha comes out, and saying, why you should be generous, because you want to be rich. Rich in both material and spiritual. Not only material rich. Material rich alone is not good enough for us. You know it, I know it, we all know it, Howard Hugh? Isn’t there some guy named Howard Hugh?

Audience: Hughes

GR: Hughes. Howard Hughes. OK. Howard Hughes is example. My apologies, but you know, have wealthy, but you know, have to live in the bubbles and somebody has to go and spray everybody else before and all of that, we know, right? And so the material world does not give you peace of mind wealth. Spiritual wealth give you peace of mind. Material wealth, you know, whatever it gives, you know. Spiritual wealth is what gives you comfort in mind. So we need both. So we need generosity. Both the generosity is the one that brings. Like Allen says, “Yah! Generosity!” So it is generosity. That is the really important. Again, generosity also has to be with the again, those, all these, I have to talk to you generosity either here or a little later, but since offering business comes in, might well as talk here. The generosity, anything, whatever it may be, giving is great. Even the wrong one, even then it is great, it is generosity. Honestly a lot of people will not like this, a lot of people will raise a lot of questions, but here we are developing self compassion level. And in this self compassion level, compassion for others level will differ here, if you pay attention, generating self compassion level, anything whatever it may be, giving is giving. Giving is giving. Self compassion level. Giving is giving. Do not let me go so detail, you know you might. You probably say, well, what about giving sugar to diabetic, and it is the problem of diabetic person, not your person. Mind your business.

Audience: Not on your life!

GR: That is because you have compassion for others. So when you are developing compassion for self, that is mind your business, that is what it is. That is for that person to look out. For you to give. Anything. This is I am talking about only developing self compassion. I am not talking about in general. Do not take it in general and come back and say Rimpoche says it is good to give a gun to suicidal people. Do not come back and tell me that. It is not. But for self developing compassion, yes it is. It is. Just giving is giving. Just give. That’s a gift. That is fine. So generosity. Whatever it may be, three important generosity. That is the generosity of spiritual path, or we call it dharma. Generosity of spiritual path and dharma. That is important point. Generosity of material needs. It is wonderful to give medicine for sick, shelter for homeless, food for hungry, and so and forth. Everything. And then most important here, is the generosity of giving protection for fear. That is very important. Saving a life, who are afraid of losing life, saving a life. The giving, gift of life. I do not mean producing more babies. Again, do not misunderstand me again. You think Catholics are here. [laughter] That also, of Irish Catholics. Anyway.

So giving a life. It means saving a life. Giving protection from fear. That is most important gift you can give. Most important generosity you can have. That also has lot of deeper in this. Lot of layers. Layers. First you are giving protection for children, who is afraid of, that is fantastic. Protection for the weaker section of people. Protection from, you know, giving protection to the victims. All of those are fantastic gift against fear. If you take one layer deeper than that, giving protection against fear is the fear of suffering that caused by negative actions. Giving a protection against negative actions is even one layer deeper than normal gift of sugar bags, or all this usual gift. One layer deeper. Even you go one layer deeper than that, all this negative emotions, all the negative karmas are caused by negative actions. All the negative actions are made my ourself. Who are made by me to do that, is my negative emotions. Where does my negative emotions come from. My negative emotiosn come from my ego. Ego the confused one. Ego the fear creator. Ego the negativity creator. Negative action creator. Negative thought creator. All of them are created in the name of protecting myself. Total completely a lie and under which spell I was put for all those lives. So giving freedom from that is the outstanding generosity. So you have seen three or four different layers of generosity. And then, among the generosity is also the offering. The word offering, rather than give, refers to offer to higher beings. Higher, give me that word here. Higher what? I realize what, I want something else. There is something another word. Anyway we normally we say there is a higher life, or a higher power. OK, sort of, by using word offering, rather than gift, it indicates something more than ordinary object to whom you offer.

Can you sit down and hold baby OK? Joe? Is Joe doing OK? We have two beautiful babies here he says. Do they know each other? Do they talk to each other? Do they aaaaah!

So offer indicates to the higher power, than just ordinary equal level. So the higher power is now, this is a spiritually, this is absolutely true, and it happens, people do that all the time. And there is disadvantage here socially. And that is, disadvantage in socially, sometimes it has, it backfires. So I will come back to that. So offer object to whom you offer is considered more important than ordinary giving. And that also that of our own object of refuge, our own buddha, or our sangha, is considered much more important and effective and to ourself then in general. So it is very important, especially when you offer to the object of refuge,that is total enlightened beings. That has a tremendous amount of merit. So that is what it is. Now I tell you want is the disadvantage on this. I do not know, nobody said it, but in my opinion it is. What is happening is in Asian culture, whether it is Hindu culture or Buddhist culture or whatever it is, you find people generously even you do not have for yourself you go completely out of the way to the object of refuge, that is the gurus and Rimpoches and lamas and monks and pandits and temples and monasteries, they give tremendously. The richest whatever, organization or individual or whatever it is, there is one or two temples in India, I mean the richest of all, so the millions of dollars are every day literally thrown in, yet on the other hand, you do have huge poverty, no hospital, no school, no this, but people will just put them in cash and throw them in, no check, nothing, Just throw them in. Literally. But one of those, the great pandits, if he tells somebody, “Put here eleven million, put here twelve million, put here twenty million,” without any hesitation they immediately catch them and put them in there. That is how it works in Indian culture and Chinese culture and Tibetan culture. Everywhere. That is drawback, Drawback is you neglect the poor ones. Completely. No hospital, no school, nothing. The child is not taken care of, so many of them are left out. That is in my opinion drawback. To me, in my opinion some people are very kind, very generous. And they give me. Some of them do not. Think about it. Some of them told me, “Oh, you give to much,” some of them tell me, “Whatever I give you I get ten times more.” Maybe it is generosity. I am not fishing, OK? I am not sending invitation, OK? Please do not think that way. Honestly.

So that shows how the mind works, and that shows the drawback side of it. Anyway, that is how the generosity is really cause for wealth, as well as it is cause for spiritual wealth together, within the individual. That is what it is. In India the temples are, not every temple, there is certain temples, it is common. Every day, the millions they collect, no account, no cash, nothing. It is supposed to be that way. No government will ask, they will never do anything. So every babu in the government will be afraid of asking questions, because if they do they will be afraid of having terrible consequences. So they will never, never ask. So therefore that is how it goes. So anyway, that is the drawback. But advantages, that is how it works. That is why I offer, offering to the object of refuge, that is what it is. And that also, body, mind and speech. Not just the material. Body, mind and speech. Without any hesitation, without return, without hope of return, that is true generosity, whoever, whatever you give, it goes to giving a nickel to a beggar in the street to thousands of dollars in your tax money, both if you give without hope of return. And it is most beneficial. I always say, we got to pay tax, if we do not pay, the feds will chase you. You have got to pay tax. So pay that tax as a generosity. Give from you to the whole people of the United States and people of the world. Normally the American money goes throughout the world, anyway. Anyway. So do not think of it. It is going for war and this and that, but think of it, it is going for you give, from your angle, if you have compassion for yourself, you give form your angle, from your tax, the benefit for the service of the people of the United States, for the service of the people of the world, to saving a life, and helping the poor, and benefiting living beings, from your angle you give it, and that is how you gain your merit. That is how you gain your generosity merit. You have to give any way. And you give with all kinds of cursing and all this and that, and saying, oh it goes, and blah, blah blah blah blah. Maybe it is true. You have every right to say, you can make a change, one make a difference, you can do all of them, but it also does not give you benefit of generosity there, because it has all kinds of strings you are putting in. So even though it is right, even though it is absolutely right and correct, even though you put strings in there, that is not really good gift, good generosity at all. I learned when I was in India, we keep on saying we prefer, Nehru keeps on saying all the time, we prefer trade over aid. I never understood what that means because I never knew the language or anything at that time. But then I realize, when the aid comes in there are strings been attached, so that is why it is not very helpful, when you come trade, there are strings to put in, because it is business, straightforward business, so that means from that angle you see this. So take advantage of paying a tax. When you are paying a tax, think that this is my gift, my offering to the people of the United States, and people of, thereby the people of the world. With this you give. And you have got to pay the tax anyway, and it benefited you spiritually, and a big chunk of money goes in there, and that is a big chunk of usefulness for us. So you can do that, so if you make that as another condition, you know, you may change you may not change, whatever happened is your generosity has been contaminated. So take advantage if you love yourself. So it is quarter to twelve, we have children coming in today. Children coming in today. So, it is now, right?

Kathy: They will be here at five to twelve.

GR: Five to twelve. OK. They will be here five to twelve. So I do not have to rush that much. What is the next. And then, yeah, I finished this offering. I offer the best I have to give. Both real and imagined. How much real we can give? During the Buddha’s lifetime, one of the king told Buddha, since I realize, since I gain realization after you teaching through my meditation that generosity brings both material and spiritual wealth, so I would like to have great wealth for my kingdom, so all my property I am going to put outside somewhere, in all my kingdom’s wealth, somewhere in my crossroad, main street somewhere. And give away to everybody. I am going to do this. So Buddha give me advice. So Buddha smiled and say, “How much you can give?” He said, “Everything, whatever our kingdom has.” He says, “Well, if you think that, in my opinion it is like one little sand of whole dunes near the Ganga River, Ganges of the Ganga.” If you give everything you have, even it is worth, equals to one little sand. One little sand out of those huge sand dune of the Ganges. So Ganga is water. Ganga nemona, water. So then what to do. And Buddha said, “Think. Multiply.” Then comes out the whole story of Samantabadhra, the bodhisattva named Samtabadahra, who manifested from one body, from two, two to four, four to eight, eight to sixteen, sixteen into thirty-four, thirty-four into sixty-eight, that way, multiplied by double, triple, not only that, not only one multiply in that, but also you know, even the praise, “I bow down,” praise alone, one body manifested two mouth, each mouth manifested double, triple, so there is not only the body multiplied, the head multiplied, the head multiplied, and all this, in short, between this, not only between, whole space been filled up by your offering, and whole sky is filled up for object of refuge, and then you offer, so that is what is mentally, is it provcated or what? Both real and imagined. That is what you imagine.

You do not imagine one cup of coffee, oh, there is one more here. Two cups of coffee. There is nothing. Not even sand. Not even half sand. Of Ganga. Everything has to be multiplied. And pure. Pure. Pure is the most important. Earlier Tibetan masters give us advice here. Do not make offerings of the blue part of the butter, and yellow part of vegetables. You know what that means. When the butter is getting bad, it becomes blue, when the vegetables is getting old, it becomes yellow. So not blue part of the butter and the yellow part of the vegetables. Some people think, oh, I am going to waste it, so I am going to give. Not wasting, giving, that is fine. But I do not consider that as generosity at all. You just do not want to waste it so you are giving it. Fine. That is fine. But not generosity.

Generosity here means the great maha pandit, Aryadeva. Aryadeva is the Nagarjuna’s most important disciple. Aryadeva was traveling from South India to Central India to debate anti-Buddhist master who is challenging Buddhist monasteries there. When he is doing that. When he is doing that, The kids are here so Kathy you manage. When he is doing that, when he is doing that, on the road, somebody came up and said Aryadeva, please give me your eyeball, please give me your eyeball. Completely. So Aryadeva thought for a while, and took it out and give it, and that is why we call professor Thurman Aryadeva. Aryadeva. He give away his one eyeball on the car, what do we call it? Jack? Anyway. So Aryadeva give it away on the way to debate. So what we are going to with eyeball, and he look back with one eye, and he found that guy had two piece of stone, and he pushed the eyeball on that and smashed. That is what he did. So Aryadeva said, “Oh my god I am sorry.” Uh oh, that was a problem. If he did not look back, he beggar, it is Brahmin, Indra and Brahmin, appeared as a beggar, and “Oh, I am sorry, you should not have been thinking that way, because eye was going to be reborn. Because of your regret, even after you give, look back and regret, and that is why it is wasted.” So the generosity has to be, once you are giving, it is giving, it is no longer yours. Buddha said, the moment you dedicate it, it is no longer yours, it belongs to that person. The ownership changes in the spiritual path, at the time when you dedicate it. OK? So the generosity must be pure. Generosity must have morality. Generosity must have patience. Generosity must have enthusiasm. Generosity must be concentrated. Generosity must have wisdom. So the generosity must have one each, within, that is generosity is all about it. And that is offerings is all about it. And that is where the spiritual and material wealth is coming from. And also you know, I have one more, Kathy do you have announcement?

And tonight, today, after the lunch, we have the I am immediately going to say my sadhanas here. I purposely did not say my Vajrayogini sadhana this morning because I want to do it here. And those of you coming to the fire puja you already told you do your sadhana before. I hope you did it. Even you have not done it, even you have not done it, you can do it once again, two sadhanas is nothing wrong, it is always better. After we go down to the fire puja place, we are supposed to, I plan to do that yesterday, the weather was perfect, but to some reason, due to a very important gentleman, I postponed it today, so we are going to suffer a little more, due to the heat. Maybe. Maybe it is worthwhile for doing it. So those who have to do the fire puja, is about 25-30 people, so a lot of people would like to watch it I am told, so you can watch. However we also have a lot of other programs running here, and I am not sure how big the group going to be, I think, who is in charge of group, you or Hartmut? He is going to make adjustment how the group is going to be, maybe he make it into one group or two group, or no group meeting or whatever is going to happened, and that way happens. And after the fire puja, we are coming back here, and making Vajrayogini tsoh offering. We are going to go very quickly, not so much singing or chanting and all that, going to go over there quickly, and hope to be done that. And as I said tonight, originally we planned to have Aura here, but her mother’s condition does not permit her to be here today, you know, we have a number of great teachers in Jewel Heart here, we can pick and choose anyone we want to. A lot of them here. I am thinking because it is the responsibility of Hartmut to have the groups and the programs here and all that, so I am going to pick Hartmut tonight to do the answer, each and every question detailed. If not enough, then bring back yesterday and day before questions too. And then when there is time, follow two more actually I regret and purify all transgressions, and that is purification with application of four powers, and antidote actions emphasizing all of them, will be your job tonight.

2006 Ngawang Gehlek Rimpoche