Archive Result

Soundfile 20061112GRCH6P3

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Chicago

Topic Six Keys to the Bodhisattva’s Life

Transcriber Jill Neuwirth

Date 4/27/2022

(Speaks to Audience about schedule) [0:00:28.1] Okay, so this morning what we did is introduce the goal and sort of road map what it is, talk about the challenge, and talk about ways and means of handling. And that was this morning. Now today’s main subject. One of those ways and means of helping ourself and helping others is the Six Keys. And key of- oh yeah, I said this morning why we need a six or more. Perhaps we talk about two more this morning, two more keys we talked this morning including vajrayana. Why we need so many? Because enlightenment is not just simple and it’s just not one single little simple thing. It is very, I mean, just totally different culture, different atmosphere and it is completely life of its own. Completely a life of its own. So therefore, it’s not just simple, saying, oh- meditate, you get there. Or it’s not. It is very, very much we need it. For example, at the level of enlightened. At the level of enlightenment you need to be very rich. No enlightened beings are poor. Very rich. Rich in the spiritual. Rich in material, rich in everything. Quality. You can’t be poor. Poor in quality, poor in wealth, and poor in- that’s not enlightenment. Because it’s a total knowledge, totally based whatever, and that has to be very rich and very wealthy. And where does the wealth and richness comes out of it? And that is we have to work and gain. And doesn’t come out from nowhere. The richness its comes out of work that we do. Why? In the East or West tradition, everybody likes generosity. Why? Because it brings wealth.

[0:03:57.1] You brings wealth, quality, richness, out of generosity. And that’s why generosity’s important. And what is generosity, I mean I don’t want to take a lot of time, so but what is generosity? Generosity is mind that willing to give and share your qualities. Material as well as spiritual and especially protection from fear and willingness to give. Yeah, that is the generosity. When you’re engaging in that generosity, and that brings the richness in life in all different terms. In terms of quality, in terms of wealth, in terms of virtue, in terms of good karma and everything. It becomes, brings by the generosity. The Buddhism gives this as a key and as a bodhisattva. Bodhisattva means person who are committed to going to become buddha. And for them, this is recommended as one of the most important thing to do. These are called paramitas, we call it key. Paramitas. And that is true because way beyond, paramitas going beyond. And you know that Allen Ginsberg always gone, gone, gone beyond. So beyond going and going beyond, and beyond means going beyond ordinary level and reaching to extraordinary level. And what is ordinary level? The ordinary level is usual our birth, usual our, you know, wealth, and all of those are ordinary level. No matter how wealthy you may be, and it is an ordinary level. Whoever, Bill Gates or Rockefellers are ordinary, ordinary level. Nothing extraordinary. For Buddha, what is extraordinary means? Extraordinary going beyond is going beyond the circle of suffering, continuation of the suffering, samsara, and all of those. And that’s why it’s going beyond. And when you go beyond where you reach, where you’re going to reach, you’re going to reach is the sangye, we told you earlier morning, sang is clear and gye is total development. So gone, gone, gone, beyond, the beyond where you reach is you reach to the level of the enlightenment.

[0:08:05.5] Okay. What is it? What is generosity, for example. Just need a definition of generosity. This is going to be a little surprising for you because every bodhisattva way is big surprise to us anyway, all the time. For us, what does generosity mean? Each and every one of us has to ask question for our self. What is generosity mean to me? Everybody will say give, share, all that. No doubt about it. But what would you give? What would you share? That is the question one has to ask everybody. More or less number of people will say share when I have extra. If I have extra shared, I’ll be happy to share. But if I have only seven, one day a week I may or may not be able to share. Right? And why not? Why not? Because we have that, I’ll be needing it. That’s- you know, needing when my needs, my I’ll be needing it, and that makes us to file up all the garbages. And we don’t let our garbage go. Because I’ll be needing it one day. And will be needing this one day. Some people are okay, but some people have so much accumulation and don’t even have place to live, stay in your living room because all filed up old junk. Because we need them, one day or another. You know that’s what it is. So that is what we call it attachment. Attached to these, not because it’s great or wonderful, but because I’ll be needing it. That is the attachment. And not only attachment, attachment alone won’t be able to do it, and but accepting the perception given by the attachment. And that makes even harder to let it go. We keep two things, accumulate junk because I’ll be needing it, or because it’s expensive. And good one. And these are the reasons. So that it is easy for us to see on the junk because we see little old lady has collected all kind of junk over the years and there’s no place to walk even in the bathrooms and living rooms and bedrooms are all filled up by junk because cannot let it go because need it. Sometime, somewhere. If you don’t need it, the children will be needing it. Grandchildren will be needing it.

[0:12:14.5] All these reasons, and so and here the definition of the generosity here is not only the materials, but even your body. And without having any attachment to our body or wealth and whatever it may be, a mind of giving it. Mind of letting it go. Mind of giving it. And we try to be sometimes very wise. And yes, I’d like to give it, but I like to give it to, you know, with this conditions. Conditions attached because we think it is very wise way. But it’s not. It’s not. Definitely it’s not. And you know, number of times we say, then it’s wasted. So what? It is not waste enlightenment. You did not waste- you might have wasted attachment. So what? What a big deal? Honestly. This is against our culture. This is against our education. But that’s the truth. If you’re giving it, you’re giving it. It’s no longer yours. Let it go. You know, we always have mind of managing things even after death. We do that. All the time. Our culture tells us we thought it’s wise way we did it. Old times, we don’t have that system of managing, you know? Nowadays we can manage, but old times we don’t have the system, so you rely on somebody you trust. And so the Milarepa’s life story is very, very interesting because Milarepa’s father refused to- father thought, not refuse, father thought the mother cannot manage because she’s a woman. So cannot manage, the child cannot manage because kid. So who can only manage? My brother. So just before he died he been able to bring the brother and his family and told him look after and take care, and they said yes, yes, we will definitely look after, and they did look after. And they did took it, and poor Milarepa and mother become the beggar of beggar. The wealthiest family in the village become the poor and nothing. And that is how they happened. So because of the attachment, because of the managing idea, even after death and makes people suffer tremendously. Make your children, make your kids suffer.

[0:15:58.3] If you’re generous. Generosity is generosity. If you give it, give it. If you don’t want to give it, don’t give it. Who’s forcing you? Just keep it. Or don’t give it. Okay? So anyway, the idea, the definition of generosity is without having any attachment of even body. You know, you hear a lot of stories the bodhisattvas giving their life, and body. Eyes, eyeballs, and when people sick. And these are in one way it looks silly. In one way it is tremendous amount of deeds. That’s cuts ego. That hurts ego. That really does tremendous good to the individuals. So basically, generosity is mind. Mind that letting need go. So the Buddhist teachings will tell you every day you meditate, you give everything to all beings for their good. And that’s why we meditate. Just even we cannot let it go, but by meditating every day, it helps tremendously, people who are meditating generosity not going to hang all our junks in the house without even place to walk. And not going to do it. Because it’s generosity. And one thing truly you have to remember, the wealth is impermanent. It’s truly impermanent. You have it now, you don’t have it next moment. Saddam Hussein is example. We see today. I mean, at least we say how rich he was and yet taking every money of Iraq and put it here and there and whatever it is we say. But now he’s penniless. So everybody took his money, right? So it is, we don’t want to think about that. But that is not his money, that’s- he took it away from the people of Iraq. Or whatever. Whatever you say, whatever we think, that’s fine. Nothing’s wrong with that, it’s fine. But he was rich, and he’s no longer there today. And that’s happens. And we saw what’s happening to him, and it is similarly it happens, all the time happens to us. For him, the revolution or whatever, invasion. For us, it is death.

[0:19:42.0] Or, or something wrong. Look those chairmen of the Enron. All these are each and every examples we have. So that is how impermanent it is. And Tibetan teaching traditions teach you, teach you means give you material to meditate and that is when the death comes, the king who claims to own whole universe and the beggar who claims to own only begging bowl is the same and equal when they die. We say ge she (Speaks in Tibetan) [0:20:48.0] The kings will leave universe and the beggars will leave begging bowls. That’s how it goes. So when that way it's gone, we don’t get anything. No good virtue, no positiveness. Plus, we worry. I’m sure Saddam is thinking a lot. Not only his death sentence, but all the wealth and money and the dollars that he’s been hiding here and there and this bank and that bank, and the truckload here and there and I’m sure he’s thinking all of them. But then he’s only left as a memory, nothing more. For him, it happens in his lifetime. For many of us, if we have it, it will be after death. So sooner or later it’s going to go. Why not take better advantage of it right now if you can give it? Mind of giving it. It is actually training of mind. In reality that is true. But our mind will not accept that because need, I’ll be needing it, I’ll be needing it. When we look at that little old lady who had saved every junk and cannot let it go, we all look at it and we say, we giggle, or I don’t know what we do. It’s funny or, she had point, or whatever we say. But we all we know that’s not worth for the trouble and that’s not worth at all. The same thing, when the wise and enlightened ones looking at us, and we are struggling and struggling and struggling and at the end it goes without any value and they probably giggling, too, on us.

[0:23:27.5] So the mind of giving doesn’t mean you have to throw and give everything away. But mind of giving. Mind of giving is the generosity. And you have a mind of giving, but then when you actually give it, don’t give, that’s not good. That means, what you call it, hypocrisy. So that’s briefly the generosity’s all about it. And if you- that’s within that little divisions. Buddhist teachings will tell you three kind of generosity. First is food, clothing, shelter for needed. Second is dharma or the spiritual path what people needed. And third is the protection from fear. These are the three kinds of generosities. Number one is the actually dharma, giving dharma is one of the most important, important, one of the most important generosity we can. Which means we should not have or that is for me and for us only. You know, we call it pe kyu [0:25:07.1] which means it’s unwilling to make it to everybody. Something exclusiveness, I’d like to keep it for me. Or my friends, or my group. And this are the worst stinginess. And when certain people, when we cannot share certain things because of the conditions and that’s not necessarily stinginess, but because of exclusiveness on the self and the friend reasoning, not giving, this is worst stinginess. And also the generosity of the dharma has to be with the pure motivation. Motivation of really serving, helping others and also the humbleness of the individual it is so important, humility. Humility is the most, very important because if you’re thinking of well, I know everything, I have to give teaching. I, I, I, I, I, and that’s not generosity of dharma, that becomes ego service. And therefore not only the pure motivation of helping, but humility within the individual. It’s always necessary. Traditional teachings Tibetan Buddhism teachings will tell you, if you watch it, any lama, or Dalai Lama, or somebody sitting on the throne, while they’re climbing on the throne they will go like this, (Snaps fingers) couple of times. Maybe you don’t obviously realize but that is reminding the individual, impermanent. Impermanent. So I’m nobody. Remember, I may be sitting on the throne today and looking down on everybody, but I’m nobody. I’m impermanent. Just now I’m here, just now I can die. I’m no one, nobody. (Snaps)

[0:27:41.9] So that’s why people have not only arrogance but also have respect to the others. When you have respect to others, they respect you back. And then I respect you, you respect me, we’re on good terms. And I don’t respect you, you don’t respect me, we’re in the tuggling (?) [0:28:08.1] times. That’s why we get into problems and lot of sangha get into problem, because of lack of respect to each other. The lack of respect comes out of self ego, me, me, me. I’ve not been noticed. I worked so hard, I’ve not been noticed. I know a lot, but not been noticed. I did this, I not been noticed. Or, I’m very learned, but I’m not noticed. These are the ego. Unable to let it go. So even you give dharma, it doesn’t become pure generosity because even you the pure motivation, benefitting for others, you have that, even then if you don’t have the humility, the ego comes in picture. When the ego comes in the picture, everything whatever you do will completely get spoiled. So that’s why giving dharma, protection from fear because fear really think we’re afraid. Afraid of all kinds of things, but mostly afraid of losing. Losing what? Losing life. Losing a life. Losing a name, fame. And these are the very big torturing within the individuals. Most of our pains are coming out of that. So helping from that, protecting from that has been tremendous benefit to the individual. So I basically, I think that much is enough. There’s much more.

[0:30:38.3] You know we ran the courses and all the teachings and all of them there, and then you have the books, you have everything available. Basically, I would like to say and that much for the, the out of six, the number one key. Key of generosity, and that much. Number two. Morality. Everybody knows morality, everybody has it understanding of morality. What is morality, honestly? What is the definition of morality? Out of body, mind, and speech, I think the morality really- of course, mind is important on that, but is also, it also very much applicable to the body and speech, both. And to me, morality really means protecting oneself from the negative actions that indulging oneself either physically or verbally through speech. True morality is anything that wrong, whatever we’re doing, and once we recognize, when we realize, try to correct that. And that is morality. For which we would take vows, protecting your vows, and all of those because it's difficult to draw the line right and wrong actions to the eyes of people, some are wrong, some are right but it’s difficult to say, really. And that’s why very hard to say what is right or wrong. So whatever the wrong thing that’s we’re engaging our self, are protecting self from that. Try to almost, almost like try to force yourself to do the right thing. Maybe it’s very conservative. The honesty is one of the most important things. If you are hypocrite, right? Hypocrite. Then that’s not morality. The recent example of Haggard. He’s coming so strong, severe against gay, and then he happens he himself happens to be gay. (Laughs) So that is the, that’s not morality. It is totally wrong morality. And then truly, you know, old saying, mean what you say. Practice what you preach. Right? Or the other way around. Practice what you preach. And that is morality.

[0:35:58.6] Okay, if they have a divisions within the morality, three. One of them morality is a protecting yourself from wrongdoing. That’s number one. How does one do, how does one do protect yourself? By mindfulness, by awareness, and by alertness. These three mental faculties or three aspects of the mind always has to be aware of it. Knowing what you’re doing. And when you realize you’re doing wrong and then immediately correct. Don’t try to hide. Nothing hiding in closet. And the moment you know it is something wrong, tell straightforward, don’t hide. That is the part of the morality. I mean it’s funny, if you look in this politics in this country, always they want to tell you truth. Give you little bit, little bit, little bit, day by day and finally they have to tell, but they don’t tell you truth. Why? Because they’re afraid. Afraid of rejection. Clinton did the same thing. Bits by bits, bits by bits, you know? (Laughs) Remember? The finger going on like that and all this sort of thing, and gradually bits by bits. Even this Haggard guy also did bits by bits. Number one, denied completely. Number two, I had massage. (Audience laughs) Number three, I bought a drug. So did you eat? No, I throw it away. (Laughs) So and all this bits by bits, why people do that? People may say this is politics. Politics or no politics, it is the fear that make you afraid that people will reject me, dislike me, whatever it is. That fear did not come out openly and plus, so-called management, or political management, or whatever, economic management, and they will lawyers and everybody else will worked out stamps and all that, and actually it destroy your morality. Completely.

[0:39:35.2] Late Allen Ginsberg used to come over Ann Arbor and does a lot of workshops, he does attend the Jewel Heart meetings and then also he does sort of workshops for the students and for everybody else. And one of the workshops he called it Spontaneous Workshop. I was trying not to go attend poetry workshop because I don’t know English, how can I know poetry? That’s my understanding. Because in the Tibetan language, the poetry, if you’re a poet, you really must be great in the language, otherwise you can’t be a good poet. Everyone who can write something does not become poet in Tibet. It’s a very sophisticated complicated language. So I sort of disqualified myself and straightaway. But Allen forced me to go, and then all of a suddenly he had everybody look through the window, Brenda must be there, Rochelle, you must be there, right? And maybe anybody else there at that time? Oh Gloria, yeah. So he had make everybody look through the window and come back and say whatever they see or remember. So finally, Allen turned around and turned to me, Rimpoche what do you think? And I said, no, I don’t know anything. He said, no, no, no, whatever you thinking just say it. You’re thinking something, you’re not empty-headed. So thinking something, just say it. So I said, that time there was a problem with Jimmy and Tammy Bakker, you know those priests. So I don’t want landed in their shoe. And so that was what I was thinking, honestly. And I said the same thing and Allen turn around and way you protect yourself from that is nothing hiding in closet. Whatever it may be, he said, everybody has a neurosis. Everybody has a delusions. We do wrong things, don’t try to hide it. Let it go. Let it open. Don’t hide. And that’s what he did in his life, and even his death is absolutely open for everybody, so that’s what he did.

[0:42:24.6] So that protects from this, sort of whatever is hypocrite. And that is the- that means protecting yourself from the whatever the wrongdoing and you’re applying three mental faculties. Remembrance, alertness, and awareness. And that help us to protect, to have good morality. Physical aspects of it. Second morality is accumulating positive deeds. That is moral issue. Positive deeds accumulating. Positive deeds. In other words, avoiding negative deeds and accumulating positive deeds. And these are the divisions of the morality. And having all this six keys are within one of the- like take this morality. Having the morality with all six keys. For example, helping, not only helping yourself to have good morality, but helping others to get good morality. Remind them, remembrance. Alertness, awareness, bringing them to them. And that is generosity of morality. And protecting others doing wrong things is the generosity- the morality of morality. And patience of the morality is, sometimes when you are engaging, indulging and engaging in the wrong thing and have patience and don’t draw quick, not so quick. Don’t draw quick conclusion and don’t jump quickly, and have patience. And that is the patience of the morality. Did you get me? No. Most of people didn’t get it, right? Well, if there is a chance to kill somebody, and don’t try to be quick and think about it. Don’t go so fast and think about it. Develop patience on that. So don’t indulge quickly. The patience will give opportunity for you to think twice and have the opportunity to not to engage in such a wrongful act. And that is patience is all about it. Remember I used to tell you, well maybe you can tell your patience during the patience period. But simply bearing suffering is not patience. Patience here is protecting individual to the action that creating negativities. And that is the patience we are talking about it.

[0:46:47.3] Anyway, here I’m talking about patience of morality. So anything that something one should not be doing is doing it, if you have the remembrance, awareness, alertness, then don’t jump quickly. Give yourself time to consider. And that time to consider you delay the action that you’re going to take. That is how you protect yourself from doing. That’s called patience of morality. And enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is again, enthusiasm of morality as whatever you doing good things, do it with enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is, again, it is great interest. A wonderful interest. And happy, and joy of doing it. But not emotional. Not emotionally doing it. Emotional interest is, has emotional involving. Enthusiasm always have a consequences and that is number one, you get burned out. Number two, you get, you know, lot of suffering and difficulties. Enthusiasm is not emotional involved. Happy, enjoying, good reasons, steady, but not emotionally engaged. We get mixed up very often with emotional involvement and enthusiasm. We get very, very often mixed up with that. Emotionally becomes a individualized, personalized. When it’s personalized, then anything whatever you wanted you don’t become or don’t get it, you get hurt, upset, suffer, torture, all that we get it. [0:49:32.2] When you are not personalized, a true genuine love, true genuine affection we also give the room to all other things to be happening. And that’s enthusiasm is important, remember not involved with the emotional. That can be confusing. And concentration on morality. What is the purpose of morality? Why? What is the benefit of having a perfect morality? What is disadvantage of not having a perfect morality? And focusing that, and knowing advantage, disadvantage is the sixth wisdom. Even each one of them, I did not go through the generosity about six of them, but we did the morality here, so that you have to understand with all other keys. Each one of these keys must have quality of each six of each. And then that’s how we engage our life in it. Our life we engage in our life. That is what I’m talking about everyday life. I’m not talking about life that when you sit on the meditation cushion or when you sit when you’re engaged in action whether you’re teaching, or coaching, or giving a massage, or I’m not talking only along that. I’m only talking about everyday life.

[0:51:58.0] Particularly when you yourself alone. When yourself all by yourself alone. At that moment that is how our life should be conducted. That is the morality aspects of it. I still have time? Okay. (Laughs) Next is, did I do the division? No, I didn’t do it. The first one is accumulation of merit. That’s- accumulation of merit we talked about it. Morality. Second is the morality of servicing others. Okay. Ne chu (Speaks in Tibetan) [0:52:55.6] Third one is, sem ja (Speaks in Tibetan) And it’s becomes once moral issue to helping others. Harming others are against, the wrong morality. Helping others are the right morality. But then it’s a question, where would you draw the line? How much you go helping and how much you don’t go. These are big issues, big issues. For example, how far do you go? I’m here to help you. How far do you go? Say, oh, helping others is my morality and therefore I must help you, no. It’s wrong. If you want to help others, it is most important things the others want you to help. If the other doesn’t want your help, and you volunteer to going there and helping, that doesn’t do that good. When I first came to the United States and when I saw this advertising, you know this thing is, you know all this commercial, this thing does wonderful thing, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Call 1-800 blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, we always see that. So I first keep on thinking the call 1-800 is they’re asking invitation to be able to help, not knowing the commercial is not necessarily help you, but they wanted to get your money. So not knowing that I thought, well, call 1-800 is the idea of invitation. What a naïve I was. But you know, when you wanted help, the number one is the person who you’re going to help do want you to help. Jehovah’s Witnesses are great, however, that’s not the way.

[0:55:49.9] They do great work, they’re very dedicated. However, that’s not the way. That’s not the way. Always we have to consider others. We had a conference in New York with The Dalai Lama for the philanthropists arranged by Tibet Fund. And the night before the symposium and the questions, who’s going to ask what questions and everybody have questions, and everybody came for the dinner with the questions. And they’re all good. I was surprised the Steven Rockefeller’s question is so good. And really good. I mean there’s great intelligent person, but later I came to know he had two dinners with Thurman to prepare that question. (Laughs) But anyway, but it’s a really good question. And each and every person who have questions, Larry Brilliant who is the head of the Google now, Executive Vice President, beautiful questions. And each and every one of them has, what should give, what should not give, how should give, how much should give, if not giving, what happens and all this very, very honest wonderful idea. But at the end, when everything’s over, one question is missing. What about the viewpoint of the person who’s receiving? Everybody has a detailed question of how should give? What should give? Is it right or wrong? Going through the committees, and committee approves, does the individual person whoever put their money applied get the benefits, or not benefit, and all this and that. And everything’s very, very good question. And however, missing is the receiving person. Does that person really want it? And what about person, and what about respect to the person who receive? So I raise that question. And everybody, tomorrow everybody’s talking about the receiving persons. (Laughs) Whether there’s to be benefit, or not benefit, or the respect and not respect, or you just throw it away and give it to them, or we have the benefit, or they really wanted need it, and they need it, but who makes the decision, you do, or they do, and what they want, you know, all this big question. And I don’t know who makes the decision, but you must have respect to the people who get. Because otherwise, the whole your purpose is giving for them, but that becomes small. That becomes small and you’re there just give, give, give, and then they just say thank you, thank you, thank you. That doesn’t do any good. So one must, there must be mutual respect and with the respect, and they can help better.

[0:59:44.7] Without respect, they just throw it away, they grab it and go. So what is that? There’s nothing there. So all of them are extremely important I thought. Why did I have that for? We’re talking about morality, right? Still. Oh, that is morality of respect to whom, whatever you’re giving. It’s not just a dumping ground. I think that’s enough for the number two key. Number three key we just talked a little bit earlier already, but that is patience. Patience really means if you’re sitting idle waiting for something happened, that’s not patience at all. Patience here is protecting yourself from the wrongdoing. Suppose if someone make you mad. Someone creating hatred for you. And there you don’t get mad. You don’t get hatred. And understanding. Understanding where that person is coming from. Not getting mad is important. And whatever that person is doing something for you, you’re understanding will protect you not to get mad, not to hate the person, and thereby not to take revenge. Or even justice. For me, the justice is big question. Justice people say must do. Especially we talk about the terrorists and we say either we bring them to justice or justice bring to them. That is not patience. That is revenge to me. Revenge to me. And this is socially controversial, no doubt about it. But when you’re taking revenge, that is not a patience at all. And we do have that in our blood, somehow. Whenever there is some social issues and there group of people will say, insist punishment. Insist revenge. And to some people even say, on the behalf of the God I have to punish that person. Oh my God. If the God cannot manage and if one individual person like stupid person like me has to be- do things on behalf of the God then God becomes very pathetic. Really. So people do that. And I think these are the lack of patience. And then sometimes some people think I’m not reacting his or her anger, but I kept my coolness and he last more and more and then we giggle. And that is not patience at all. Actually that is violence.

[1:05:06.2] That is violence, they have name for this, what you call it? Passive aggressive. Passive aggressive, it may be passive but it violence for sure. It is a type of hatred. A type of revenge. Type of ego service in putting your ego more superior than his or her ego. It’s better somebody hit you, you hit back, that’s better than try to be passive aggressive. At least somebody hit you, you hit back, it’s straightforward, so what a big deal. It’s a big deal, but what big deal. But you know, try to be passive aggressive is worse than that. Number one, it’s not honest. Number two, it is sort of hypocrite, really. And you pretend that you are not angry and great, superior, better than the other. It is way of taking revenge to the other person. That’s your way, there’s my way of taking revenge to the other person by behaving I am superior than you. So the true patience means protecting yourself from the wrongdoing and that is if someone hurts you make sure you don’t get hurt. If you get hurt you’re going to take revenge. So make sure you don’t get hurt. Even someone hits you physically, physically you’re going to get hurt a little bit. But it is in your hand whether your mind going to be hurt or not going to be hurt, it is in your own hand. Some people always try to be, you know, always try to be try to, you know, oh, I’ve been wounded and this and that and I have difficulties, I’ve been unable to square that up yet and all of them are the word of hurting, hurting yourself. You’re letting yourself hurt. Mentally, emotionally. That means lack of patience.

[1:08:11.0] How much pain you’re going to take it? It’s in your hand. How much they wanted to give you pain, it is their choice and in their hand when you don’t take it, don’t take it, they can do nothing. That’s the best way to protect yourself. And there was an old monk which is known to His Holiness when he was young. When Dalai Lama left and he was arrested by the Chinese and suffered tremendously physically, suffered tremendously, arrested and under all that, you know physically suffered tremendous. And later he was released and he came out of Tibet and into India and he died in Dharamsala, India. He told His Holiness, he says, oh, couple of times I was very danger. And his Holiness says, he thought danger means they’re going to kill him or something. And he asked him, what they’re doing, they try kill you or what? And he, no, no, no, no. The danger because I’m developing, I’m almost developing anger against them, hatred. That was danger for me. Then they’re going to really hurt me mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Until then, no matter whatever they do, they slap me, they hit me, they put me down and (Inaudible) [1:10:09.2] and take me out and beating, and whatever they’re doing is fine. He said, they hit me, fine. It’s over, it’s done. But I’m not hurt, mentally or emotionally. But when I’m really developing anger and hatred, then is beginning of danger for me. I’m really going to get hurt. Even His Holiness felt a little humble in that statement. That’s what he repeats many teachings. Many times, repeat many times. And that is a patience is all about it.

[1:10:53.3] I normally say, when you’ve been dumped by your girlfriend or boyfriend or something, you try your best, try to get back and you call, they don’t call you back and one day she calls you and said meet me middle of nowhere tomorrow at two o’clock in the desert somewhere. So you’ll be happy to go by twelve o’clock to be there and wait till six, or even ten, and she doesn’t show up, still you’re waiting. You think it’s patience, it’s not. It is unnecessary suffering for yourself. That’s not patience. That’s not protecting you from any wrongdoing. It’s not patience. I couldn’t get equivalent word in that, the Tibetans we say dok gyung (?) [1:11:51.6] If you suffer that it’s your dok gyure (?). I mean it’s, that’s your fault and you deserve it, so sort of thing, you know, really it’s not patience at all. I should close sooner now. And the patience also has accepting sufferings. Accepting sufferings. And putting efforts to understand the real spiritual way, or dharma way, to handle our negative emotions. Able to take hardship and so sort of, that way it is like three again divisions. The first one is whether people hurting you, you don’t take it personally. Don’t let yourself suffer and don’t let yourself torture by you and that is the first one. Second one is, for the benefit of beings sufferings can be accepted, and third one to gain your own spiritual development what difficulties you may have to go through and be able to bear it. That’s a difference between your deed you deserve it and you’re doing for benefit of yourself. And that’s a big difference. Milarepa’s hard work of building a thirteen story building by one individual person- a useless thirteen story building, you know, honestly, first square, second round, third triangular, finally round or something, something, not only a thirteen story building, and halfway through take it down completely, restarted, all of those are the, those are the acceptance of hardship for a purification of killing so many human beings in his young age. And that is considered really good example of patience for developing spiritual development. The enthusiasm next, the true definition of enthusiasm is whatever you started from the beginning to end making sure it’s complete. And that is enthusiasm.

[1:15:19.8] Steady, careful, constant, continuously, slowly work and making sure it’s complete. And that is enthusiasm. Not emotionally involved. I said earlier, remember? Emotionally involved is not enthusiasm, it is hot air. The balloon is going to be bursted. When it’s bursted we call it burned out. Because it is emotionally involved. Not steady. Careful, steady, continue, making sure it goes and accomplishes. That is enthusiasm. Buddhism recommends enthusiasm must be like good running river. The bad rivers, sometimes it’s very big, sometimes it’s completely dry. The good river are continue the flow, it’s constant, continuous. And that is example of good enthusiasm. Dun du (Speaks in Tibetan) [1:16:53.2] The always advice is giving have the enthusiasm like that of good river’s stream flow. Flow of river stream, right? So. And if you have that constant flow of river stream of enthusiasm and that brings all the qualities to the individual whatever you wanted to achieve, you will achieve it. If you work hard for two three days with hot air, or two three years, then after that you go off the (Inaudible) [1:17:47.0] and completely dead, it’s not going to achieve anything for your quality. So that’s why this one important key. And there in division within that you have three different types of enthusiasm. Armor-like, armory. You know? Armory, right? When you have old time when you have the war people wear the things to protect yourself from the other weapons hitting you. Armory. The armor-like enthusiasm. Accumulation of virtue enthusiasm. Enthusiastically helping and serving all people. Sort of very three. Armor-like is- the lack of enthusiasm will unable to do complete your work. Let’s say if you’re giving guidance to someone to do right. Or dharma giving, dharma guidance. And lack of enthusiasm will, lack of enthusiasm comes out of laziness. And laziness, and laziness also-