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Garrison 10

(Chants) Good morning everybody and welcome. Before I forget I am going to make an announcement. You will find on the website and everywhere I will be in New York on the nineteenth and giving teachings. But I will not be there then giving teachings. They made a mistake. Just wanted to clear that up. I’m supposed to be in Canada then. I will be there on the twenty-fourth. (5:00 min.) that is the Jewel Heart fundraising dinner so I will be there on the twenty-fourth, and November second and seventh. Just wanted to clarify that because some people come from Pennsylvania. Sorry for that.

No what did we do? What did we do on the first day? Mark was not here. Hartmut, Kathy or whoever wants to say what did we do on the first day? Dennis? Somebody else there from that first day? David. ( Audience: We first talked about crazy monkey mind, five gateways and the five senses. Oops wrong page, wrong retreat! We talked about the seven practices!) Right, we explained each word, explained, what does the invocation mean, and we talked about the evil inner outer. We did not touch the secret. We tried to give you quality of what good we can be to overcoming all negativities and inner evil, outer evil and be helpful, service others, leader, server of all beings. We talked about the invocations and we talked the the seven limbs in that, prostration, purification, offering, rejoice and dedication. We talked briefly about how important is one’s life. When somebody wants to have a little practice, you can use this for your practice.

Invocation is just say the leader or protector. So it can be refer to Buddha or to anybody else (10:00 min.). But making sure it’s not just the spirits, or things like that. The only spirit is if you have non-enlightened thing as divine connection, it might not be helpful. On the contrary it could be harmful. Although temporarily certain things may work out. I wanted this thing happen, that thing happen, and a few things like that. They may be quick and fast, but for long run it’s not very helpful. On the contrary it could be harmful. For us when I say long run I’m not talking about long run for the life or life after life. But quick short thing is only like for a day or a week and thereafter for long run it’s going to be harmful. It’s not going to be helpful.That’s why it is very important.

Your connection to the divine beings has to be pure, wonderful and reliable. We cannot judge by ourself at this moment whether it is reliable or not reliable. Therefore, we look in those great beings or great traditions. They have been reliable. Like a little spiritual work here and there is very doubtful. That’s why I’m saying it. I don’t mean every spirit is bad. But however to make a judge by ourself; we better be avoid that completely. We will be better off. Although we may be able to do some good. Some save may go through. Or somebody else, you know if you get a ticket and you challenge and something happens, the police may not show up and you get away. Things like that may work. But that is just a little bit here or there. For long run it is harmful for us. So better avoid that.

Then the second limb is the best way to contemplate. Thereafter, we set up a wonderful motivation for our life. Motivation for the year, for the month, for the week, and especially for the day. Motivation is extremely important because motivation makes things different.

After the motivation then what we did in the second day. The importantness of our life, how wonderful it is. We all know it is important, but we need to remember ourself. We need to remember ourself. Not only remember, we have to have awareness all the time. So that you appreciate yourself, one. Two, you value yourself. Three, how important is yourself. How much you can make a difference, not only to yourself, but to all beings, to the society, to everything. I give you, we did talk about it, human life can make much more different than any other life.

We did talk about it, how harmful we can be if you wanted to. If you want to create a pollution, how much damage we can do. We all know. It’s nothing secret. Just like that if you want to be helpful you can do that much although we may not see it. Just like polluting. When you do a pollution, you can see it, you notice. (15:00. Min.) As much as you can be helping. You can do same thing, but we don’t see it. Sometimes we really see it. You see it, we see it, they see it. Everybody see it. We rejoice so happy that one could do that.

But sometimes many things you don’t even see it, but you made a huge difference. That’s why we are, each and every one of us, important, powerful, and we make a hell of a difference to our own life, to the society in general, particularly the people you are dealing with. If you are working in the spiritual path. If you try to share what little we know about it, then you realize how much you make a difference to the lives of the people. So that’s why every information you share with the people has to be carefully worked out. (By) Carefully worked out In the sense I don’t mean you have prepare your lecture. Carefully worked out in the sense that whatever information you are going to share that has been proven throughout the lineage helping to all sentient beings, again and again and again. That’s what you share. That’s what I mean carefully worked out.

Do not experiment information on the people. If you do that, not only you are doing disservice for the people who you are talking to, but also you are doing a disservice to yourself. You cannot get, I cannot imagine a more negativity than this. It is huge, huge. Buddha himself said it is easier to pick up all the sands on the bank of the river Ganges and throw them out in the river, but even then the misinformation that is given in the spiritual path is more worse than that. You can destroy all the stupas in every part of the world and yet, every part of the world, that negativity and the negativity of misguiding people on the spiritual path, if you compare it this is much more heavier. Buddha went to that extent. That’s why it is important.

Many of the great spiritual informations may not be entertaining. However, it is important. The reasons why it is not entertaining is it is not the major purpose of informing spiritual path. If that is the case we can have all kinds of show business, and that’s about it. That’s not the point. Because there is such a heavy negativities, so that’s why if you are in the service of the spiritual path you have to be careful. If you could serve the people how wonderful are the virtues you accumulate. It is fantastic. (20:00 min.).

One little thing I should say here. How do you know the information you are going to share, it’s going to be reliable? What we do is we rely on the spiritual teachers and what is accepted by the teachers, the authors, and their work. Within that is direct word interpretable and indirect word interpretable and all of them there. These are a little more deeper, but that’s what it is. Even the Buddha during his lifetime when he was giving teachings to normal people, he talks about how flat the world is and all the time the world is flat. When you go to Kalachakra same Buddha, same time and the world is round, which is really true. Now we know the world is round, and so at that moment if the Buddha kept on talking to that group of people the world is round they are never going to entertain. This Buddha is a crazy guy. So that’s why he told them the world is flat. That’s what they can adjust. They cannot adjust to the world is round. Kalachakra group for his teachings, very intelligent people, he told them the world is round. Today if you read the Kalachakra tantra if you read the tantra, almost the same time, sutra aspect of it one says the world is flat and the other says the world is round. So that’s how it is.

The reason why Buddha said that? Not only they are not going to believe it. It goes over the head of the people. If it goes over the head of the people, it’s very not helpful. That’s why every spiritual teachers will not pull out every information you can have it. You can’t even pull out. How can you pull out? Even you are teaching a month long, three month long, a year long retreat, how can you pull out all the information you have? If you have only that much information, then the quality of the spiritual teachers becomes questionable. So he much be a rich source and information. You can’t pull out everything, every information. You have to give information only suitable to the mind of the people. That’s why you are giving service to the spiritual path, that’s what you should do, number one.

The most important thing, unless you have your own little experience of practicing very specific information that you are giving. Not only you just do your usual practice and then pore the information. This will be dire, what you call it? Putting water in the milk, diluting. Every information you are giving you should be contemplating yourself, thought about it, understand and pore it. Thought about it means practice. Maybe you are not doing daily. Can’t do daily, at all. That’s what it should be. So I think that’s about it.

Then as I said the motivation is the most important. Motivation should never be selfish motivation. Selfish motivation will give you only very small result. Motivation to benefit all beings, (25:00 min.)this is what Buddha recommends from the Buddhism, particularly from the Mahayana Buddhism. Benefits to all living beings. So just the wish, just a little dedication in the morning is not going to hurt anyone. But that’s going to be a tremendous benefit to the individual when you are talking about the karmic point of view. When you are talking about the service point of view. I must tell you here even my own personal experience. Whenever I think this may be helpful to all beings and particularly those here. With this motivation whenever I talk to you, whatever I do it becomes effective and helpful to the people.

When I say I would like to prepare this. I would like to make it look nice. I would like to have correct language. I would like to have the good vocabulary here and I would like to make it impressive, it never works. It never works. This is my personal experience. It never works. It may look like okay, but it doesn’t touch people. Doesn’t affect, doesn’t do anything good at all, better shut up and sit down. So that is what really happens in my personal experience. Which means whatever the information pore out from your heart, and that also based on the perfect reliable information, reliable, you have in your heart. That is how one should do.

That applies to everyone, even facilitating dharma discussions as well as everybody. Everybody else, you know from here when you talk to your family member or somebody. What did you pick up in that retreat? You say, I picked it up: I should have good motivation whatever I do. That itself is good. Then they will say what is good motivation? You can say good motivation, what they recommend is, whatever I do will be beneficial for all living beings. That’s A-L-L living beings. Not a living being, all living beings. Even if you can have that, it will be a great gift to your family members and to your spouse, children, friends. That much.

Even a young child, not very young but hear it, all living beings, helping all living beings. Just the words hearing alone will have an impact in their life. Even though they don’t pay attention, seems no understanding, but down the road somewhere, some day, it pops up. Oh! Somebody said all living beings, helpful, I remember somewhere. Down the road it will be helpful. So don’t underestimate. Don’t keep on poring information and get them bored. A little bit here and there for children is great.

Second, benefit of all beings is actually the compassion, all beings including ourself. This is interesting. I have read so many, had the opportunity of reading so many Buddhist texts and practices. Wherever I look the first practice is “I and all sentient beings” do this do this and do this. I and all living beings (30:00) equal to the space doing this and doing that. They don’t say, “All beings except me.” They never say that. “I and all beings.”So benefitting, compassion is not only focus out. It’s also focus in. Buddhist does not use old time terminology of compassion to self. They use the terminology of renouncing this and that.

When you look at the three most important points in Buddha’s life, they call it renouncing, Bodhimind and wisdom, right? You call it the three principles. But renouncing here is not renouncing. It is compassion to yourself. If you don’t care for yourself, why you have to do anything? Might as well enjoy the life and do whatever it is you think is enjoyable. Just do it, you know? Like what is the name of that school, the non Buddhist school that does not accept life after life, and only within this life? Charvaka. In English they call it materialist, Charvaka. There is nothing else. There is only this life, nothing else. Therefore, you might as well do whatever you want to do. They call it materialist: whatever you want to do just do it. There’s no moral issue, there’s nothing of that sort. So that is the Charvaka. What did I bring that for? Oh yeah, so you can do that, but that’s not going to help. That’s not service for ourself. That’s not helping ourselves and that’s not helping to anybody. Our motivation should be really, this is not even renouncing.

So what is renouncing? It is not renouncing our material world. That’s what people misunderstand very often. In Buddhist culture, when you go to the monastery you go to the monastery. It is a wonderful culture. You have nothing to do with the material world. Simple living and all of those. With that understanding it with this understanding, when you use the word renouncing it means renouncing your family, renouncing your children, renouncing your livelihood and all of those. We get that idea because of that. But that tradition where I came from even you are, what they call it, “householders” who remain in the household, have the liberation in your hand. If you don’t have any examples look at Marpa, the great Marpa and earlier great kings like Debodi as well as many of the Mahasiddhas. If you look at them earlier they were Indian kings. They were the rulers. Many of the great Mahasiddhas were kings. Actually all of these, Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, as well as Yamantaka. If you look at all them, first and foremost in the lineage (35:00min.) of the Mahasiddhas, most all of them are kings. All three of them are kings. So is Herusamaja. So is all those. So they are the ones who know how to have family life as well as the renunciation.

So the renunciation is you renounce what is harmful to you, whatever it is. Honestly, truly renouncing is renouncing your ego, renouncing your hatred, renouncing your obsession. These are the true renunciations, rather than oh! I’m going to shave my hair. I didn’t go. Sometimes I have long hair and what I do is cut and it goes away and I feel like I shaved it. This happens to be short hair, anyway. I wanted to share with you sometimes have to shave, it’s naturally shaved. Shining. Sometimes you have to close your eyes you don’t see it.

So why should you renounce the ego, renounce hatred, renounce obsession? Because you love yourself, you care for yourself. You know your ego is imposter; your hatred is destroying with yourself. Your obsession is the drama which takes all your energy. That’s why you renounce. Renouncing here in the sense, is renouncing again and again and again. Your care and compassion. That’s an automatic bad habit. During my younger age you know they commonly use the word renouncing. It’s coming back.

If you care for yourself, the way you serve yourself is letting yourself not be controlled by those. You need both. You need the willingness and you need willpower too. If you don’t have the willpower, you will fall down on the same thing again and again and again because you have no willpower. If you don’t have willpower you know what it’s called, wimp! So that’s the wimp. No one would like to be wimp. Have some willpower. You know your willpower will support you. Your wisdom will make the best choice. Your willpower will support you. Your wisdom should know you have care for yourself. You care for yourself We do care yourself.

But then we have a funny thing here. We say oh, I don’t care for myself, I love serve, I love service. I care for everybody else. I don’t care for myself much. I care for others, The person think it’s caring true. If you really carefully check, it’s not true. You do care for yourself. You don’t want to say it. You don’t want to show it because you think caring for others is the best way so therefore I will not want to include myself in the group. I don’t want to say that. You know I want to say I don’t care for myself. That’s not true. There are many ways of taking that. (40:00 min.). I don’t think it’s called for here. It is not true. It is not true. Suppose if someone somehow walked through the door with a gun and started shooting. Who is going to hide behind whom? That will tell you true. That will tell you the truth. So we really care for ourself. Be honest. Be straightforward.

If you care for yourself, what you are supposed to care for ourself is removing the suffering and the cause of suffering. Why? Remove the suffering we understand. Why cause of suffering? If you don’t remove the cause of suffering, suffering will continue. You get rid on one? Another will come. Another will come. There will be no end. Sufferings will continue just like the waves of the ocean, boom, boom boom. It will continue one after another. Why? Because we have created the cause and the conditions. You have cause and conditions right, it always continues. So what we have to do is actually get rid of the cause.

Cutting the cause of suffering is the way of liberating ourself. There is no question about it. Buddha gives something called the four noble truths. Truth of suffering. Truth of cause of suffering. Truth of cessation. And truth of path. Path means road that leads to the cessation. So two positive aspects of the four noble truths and two negative aspects of the four noble truths. Basically the four noble truths, although it comes out of Buddhism, that is the wonderful way to live our normal life. It is absolutely relevant and true with what is happening in our lives. It was true 2600 years ago. It is true today. It will be true another 2000 years later. It is true all the time.

The sufferings are caused by the causes that is those negative emotions. They are the result of ego, ego-grasping and self-cherishing. Self-cherishing is not self-caring. Self-cherishing is me. Everything is me, nothing but me. If I’m happy, I’m safe. That’s okay, hundreds of people dying, that’s okay. That is self-cherishing. That is the ego. That is not impossible to have in our mind, although it looks like impossible, but it’s not impossible in our mind because fear will make it happen.

Can you ever ever imagine American people will be tolerating torturing people? Freedom lovers. You know we carry the banner of freedom throughout. Can you ever imagine torturing people? Killing people. But we do seems to be tolerating that to a certain extent...because of the fear. (45:00) See? Don’t we see that today? This is exactly. Can any American be willing to say you can detain me without any reason given? You can torture me and do anything you want to without charging me, without lawyer, without anything? Would any American be willing to do that? No way. But we just passed a law, including Mr. McCain. Everybody passed a law! That’s what it is. Can you ever imagine we would do it? Not possible! But the fear played a role, the fear. Fear plays a role. That’s it. You know the party-wise wanted it so the party who wanted it, they passed a law. They labeled it as the CIA activity, whatever the label is. When you look at any citizen, anywhere, they can retain, no reasons why, ask questions and torture you.

So anyway fear passed that …this is example. Fear plays a role, and that will make anything possible. Impossible, but it makes it possible. That’s what fear does. So what does fear…you know in absolute truth it is beyond fear. Truth transits fear. Lack of truth for us is we get controlled by fear. Then, you know, fear thinks we are protecting. In the name of protection destroying our own freedom, protection. If you, if the wisdom, ask anybody who knows something about it, it’s not going to be protection. It’s not going to be protection. It is actually harmful.

Anyway, I’m sorry. I’m not here to give you a political lecture. But you know there is not so much difference between our life and whatever is happening. You know the politics, the economics and the spiritual. They are all together. So it is us that has the guilt. It is really true. The good old Tibet, Tibetans were very proud of one system: combination of spiritual and temporal, joined together. Yes, I know, we have to have separation of church and state. It is very important. No doubt about it. But the combination of the spiritual and temporal is also important within ourself. Because our life, there’s a danger of a life without any spiritual at all. There’s a danger of a life without any spiritual at all, and if that happens we begin Carvaka, the materialist person. It is only the material, only the money; nothing else matters. (50:00)

What makes you non-materialistic? Your love, your care, your compassion. Okay? As much as you love, as much as you care for yourself. We do have that within us. But I think you know I think my suggestion here is let’s not shy to show that I care; I love; I care myself; I care my family; I care. Take this and use this not to boost the ego, but to boost yourself. That’s what we need. We have an idea, we said our ego needs to be pushed down. True! But at the same time we hammer our self down, and that’s not right. We have to hammer down our ego, fear, confusion, hatred, obsession. Hammer that down and uplift ourself, our caring, our compassion, our love to ourself. We have to understand that. As I said Thursday if we can’t care for ourself, you aren’t going to care for others. If you don’t love yourself, who else is going to do it? That’s exactly what it is. Keep that in mind, love yourself, care yourself. Everything whatever you do, you should do for yourself. Whatever you do, you should also do for your own benefit too because somehow we overlook our own benefit. It’s also the benefit of others. So that whatever I do is service, service, service only the other person that doesn’t except benefiting yourself. Actually it is. Buddha teaches that.

Finally when you go how do I become enlightened, how do I become a Buddha? The answer Buddha gives: Bodhimind. Bodhimind is total dedication to the service of all living beings, unconditioned, unlimited dedication. That the Buddha showed as the way for yourself to become yourself, to become fully enlightened. So when you really deep down, push down through from the teachings of the Buddha’s point of view, helping yourself is helping others, to become enlightened from the teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Repeated word after word the Buddha repeated.

Now we look in the karma. When you are looking from the karma point of view what positive karma do you give, not killing, serving everybody? That is helping others. So from the karmic point of view, servicing, helping, doing good things are creating good karma for ourselves. Good karma gives you good result. Essence of the karma is responsibility. That’s why we visited karma. Even you don’t buy word from great some spiritual leader such as Buddha, if you don’t buy that word, doesn’t matter. From the karmic point of reality you can see serving others, (55:00 min.) helping others, will benefit ourselves. Way it benefits exactly the way you help others, you experience same thing, remember? Looking at the result, looking at something called similar to the cause and that has action oriented result as well as experience oriented result. Experience oriented result is the same experience whatever you do to others. That itself, without depending on any quote, anybody’s information, any quotation, anything, but simply directly from the karmic point you see it. That’s why I brought in.

As well as what the karma is. Not only the karmic result, but that is the karma, especially experiential result.. As much as you give torture to someone else, you are going to have the same experience torture. As much as you help others, you are going to have the same experience. That’s why it is called experiential result. Forget about the spiritual, forget about the words of the enlightened beings. The direct from the reality karma point of view of serving others, helping others. That is quite clear, isn’t it? Thereby you have material now with in you…forget about Buddhism. From the reality point of view, karmic point of view helping others is helping yourself. However you treat that person you are going to have the same experience. That’s why I said you are giving service, giving, giving, giving. You always think I’m giving, giving, giving. You forget you are also receiving.

Perhaps one of the best ways you help yourself too. Because from the base point of view. Remember, we talked about base, motivation, action and result? From the base point of view this is a powerful base. One who has done so much, given so much to the people, to the family, to everyone now it is has reached the level, it is a very powerful base. Powerful base with the wonderful action makes karma very strong. It is opportunity, for those who have opportunity really to do great. You have the right conditions with yourself as a base. Motivation is in your hands. If you think, ah, I got to do this because I have have to get paid. That is a weaker motivation. That is a good motivation, but not a good motivation. I want to help the person, I care a lot myself. I want to benefit myself. I want to benefit myself through the way of helping and serving this person. That is good motivation. Because you have good motivation you will realize a powerful result.

It’s up to you, what kind of action you provide. Dedicated, gentle, kind, smooth, sweet, soft service, or not so dedicated, scolding, using harsh words, pushing them around. The result is in your hands. You have a choice how to do this and you know what’s going to be after seeing your karma. Now you know what is the result you are going to get. (1:00 min.)

Always think, if I were in this position, if someone does this to me, would I like it? I’m sure using harsh words, rough treatment, they would not like it. Put yourself that person’s shoes and I wouldn’t like it. Therefore, I’m going to change my methods. I’m going to be gentle, I’m going to be sweet, I’m going to be soft. You know if you look in the material world. The material world people can look and people can tell you. People will see which way you make more money. Then they will tell you the right service.

You know we have a sandwich shop in Ann Arbor, most people know, very successful sandwich shop, really. When I first came to Ann Arbor it was only a little, might have been an(?). Now it is a huge sandwich shop, multimillion dollar business. They provide great service, no doubt about it. Now they become a little smaller and all of that. They will rule. The person who gives you a sandwich, you have to smile. If an individual gets a complaint three times, and they are not family, there are no questions asked, they get fired. it’s a rule. It’s a family business. They carry on for twenty years. If they can alter people’s actions look like this and they do it for material purposes, for making money, why can’t we do this for our own benefit and for their benefit? Why can’t we do that?

It’s a little bit of change what you have to do. I know change is extremely difficult, extremely difficult. But if you look from the difficult point of view I won’t do that, it’s not like me, it’s not my character, blah, blah blah. On the other hand if you look at it from I’m changeable, I’m a good person. Why don’t I smile? Why don’t I show I can do that? It’s possible. If you look from that angle, mind is such a thing if you separate and look from that angle it will accept. The hard, harsh way thinking this is true, it is the reality and that’s how I’m going to go is German mode. That’s what it is.

I don’t mean a Hartmut, he doesn’t have that much any more. Maybe short one. In earlier times he had Gema La, a person from Australia. Gema La whatever he says he has to do. He won’t reason. He’s very nice and was a wonderful person, very devoted and helping everybody else. Really, completely. No self interest whatsoever. He passed away during a winter retreat in Ann Arbor. Attended a retreat, he passed away. Gema La whatever he wanted to do a lot of people comes in and doesn’t remember, he picks up the camera looks at you and says smile. People complain, doesn’t matter how much. Needless to complain, he never listen, and things like that. (1:05) As I started to read the other day.

So that is the thing reality, so we can change. We change our look. We change every minute. We change all the time and why can’t we change here too? We can for sure. And if you are doing nicely, soft. You know these business people sometimes they treat you so nice. They give you a little wonderful image they give you. If you don’t know look at those doctors, the senior doctor, the head of the department. When they come in they give you a gentle, no harsh, soft and caring. I’m sure in the heart of heart they are probably cursing, whatever. They give you the image of soft and gentle because the image of being the senior of the department. That is the change and it may be true completely. Never doubt it. By having that as a the patient will have more confidence in that person because that person is looking calm, caring, no rushing, nothing. Although if you are a patient of that person and if your heart is on the line you may probably come into see you once a week and probably doing that. However, the impression that he gives you is he’s just happy to see you.

Keep that experience, change yourself, use it with the person you are taking care of and if you have the right attitude and that sort of, I don’t want to say “show”. If you behave in that way how much confidence and comfort that person sees that you are taking care of them have it. That comfort in that patient that sort of joy and is satisfying to ourself. That alone we can help ourselves. So please think about that if you are in the service profession. And then if you are practitioner I told you earlier. If you are a teacher I told you earlier. If you are a practitioner, day in day out every time you maintain, how normally we lead our life. (Takes a break)

Okay, now welcome back. The changing of your treatment towards the other. That is important. We need to change, you know kindly and gently treating others makes others treat you better and gentle and kinder. That’s how it really works, gentler and kinder. That’s how it really works, and karma is all about that too(1:10).You change your dress, you change your looks. That is very simple, straight forward. So giving service is getting service later. Creating a positive karma. That is the best way one can do this. Actually, it is as a matter of fact the best way of actually living too. So you get all the benefits of it. I think I said enough for that.

Finally, whatever you do good and every positive thing you do, is you dedicate. Dedicate. Remember I told you a drop of water, it belongs to you, put in the ocean. It doesn’t exhaust in the ocean and goes where it’s needed. So dedicate whatever you do, positive things and for betterment of every living being. And particularly yourself for getting total enlightenment or whatever you think is appropriate. That doesn’t mean you can’t dedicate certain beings to the well-being of family, children, self. As well as any one for whom you want to specifically dedicate. It is always they can do, it is no problem, and way and whatever you want to say is your choice. That’s about it.

And another thing, most important thing is you always try to be kind all your life long. Try to be kind. If you are kind to yourself, be happy about it. If you are not kind to yourself, you are angry or sad, or dislike yourself, all of those, there must be a reason behind that. The reason is more or less it is invalid reason I tell you. Why? It is not true. It is false. Getting upset with yourself will be false. Saying oh I was angry with me because I did this, this, this. I should have done better. I should have done better than this. I should have known better. All this: should have been, should have been, should have been. So many.

But at this moment If you look carefully there are reasons why we did it. Should have been is also not necessarily true because if you did it, it may not last so it is not necessarily true. Getting upset with yourself is not a valid reason. Therefore, forgive yourself. Be kind to yourself. If you are not kind to yourself, no one is going to be kind to you. We don’t want that. Not only that. If you are hard on yourself, you give yourself a hard time, you develop such a personality and you will not get along well with others. When you don’t get along with others, you have a lot of social difficulties, and you have a lot of other inconveniences. You don’t want that.

Besides that, if you are kind to yourself, you are kind to the others. You speak to the others (1:15) kindly and gently and nicely. It will also make you, it also cause of your rebirth and your identity handsome. If you use harsh words and treating that way, it makes you ugly and funny-looking. So just remember that these consequences are at your disposal.

Always kind, gentle, kindness all begins at home. The first and foremost is the love and kindness you share with your companions. Sitting with you, with each other all the time, that’s where you begin you compassion and kindness. Even you are single, your family, your children, your friends that you associate with. That’s where it begins, although the traditions will tell you sit down by yourself, think all living beings around you, you begin with kindness. It is true to the tradition, but in practice, however, kindness begins at home, and at the world. If you are a caregiver, it begins with the person you are caring for.

I guess that’s it. At the same time in my tradition where I come from, it also tells you be happy in life. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Have discipline. Discipline should be in a relaxed way, rather than tight, screwing yourself. And in a very relaxed way. So you know you can go as much as you can push the curtain and don’t go over. Push the curtain as much as you can and be reliable and happy. If you are not happy, nothing works well. Your happiness depends on yourself, how you treat yourself, how you look at yourself. That is really the beginning. Be true to your spouse, true to your children, especially be kind to your mother-in-law. Honestly, that is the biggest difficulty. You know it’s the biggest obstacle. Oh my mother-in-law, you know. Poor thing is there to take all the blames. You know in the Buddhist teachings, they say all blames belong to one, which really means self. We thinks all blames belong to mother-in-law!

I guess that much. I don’t have much more to say, said it all unless anybody else has something to say.

(Diana, thank you’s).

Rimpoche: thank you.

(Other thank you’s, and question about politics.)

America really has, unlike any other country, still we have one thing, we the people. To a certain extent it is still true. It gives us opportunities, serving the environment, liberty freedom, compassion, all of those. That is the people’s right for the next couple of years. Then serving the environment, liberty, freedom, kindness, compassion, all of those. The world is crazy today. In the Middle East they are absolutely crazy. Everybody does everything. The savior and keeper of the world, that’s us, also goes crazy. How many suffering and pain, it’s crazy. Look at the North Koreans. They are all just crazy. Yet in the craziness, we can still see the good quality of human beings. That’s what we can do every day. No matter whatever happens, make sure you vote. Have to say vote, but I can’t say who to vote because of our non-partisan status.

We dedicate all our positive karma, whatever we have created the last couple of days, and whatever we have throughout our life, to the well-being of all sentient beings and to all of us. That’s it, thank you so much.