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Soundfile 20070908GRSymAsiaSociety

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Sym Asia Society

Topic Death and Dying

Transcriber Michael Hoffman

Date: 11/08/21 – 12/09/21

Rachel Cooper: Welcome all of you. I’m Rachel Cooper. I’m the director of cultural programs here. And I’m really honored to be able to host a program here where we’re talking about…. Death. The ultimate journey. Or maybe it’s not the ultimate. Because it goes ‘round. And, to be able to do this as part of the Soul of Asia program here at Asia Society, which really seeks to look at wisdom teachings that are very old and very current at the same time, and have a lot to speak to all of us, I think about how we be. Whether we are alive, whether we’re dead, whether we see that as a cycle or however we interpret that, I think there are so many teachings that reach us in so many deep ways. And I feel really honored to be able have the speakers we have here today. All of this is a part of a larger program, and I mentioned it, the Soul of Asia, a description of which is on the back of the bio sheet, so you get a sense of that. This is also a part of the program we’re doing, we’re commissioning a new work that is called The Tibetan Book of the Dead -- Live. So what is the live part. The live part is both that it is a performance in real time that will be happening on a stage. The live part when we finally create the whole piece will also be that, we are working with digital imagery, and that digital imagery has a real “VJ” in other words there is someone who is manipulating it in real time, just like a DJ would. So it plays with those ideas. Again the intent is here is a very profound teaching that has a lot to offer, what are new ways we might try to reach new audiences to really spark that thinking. We’re just starting that process, have an incredible group of people who are working on it, including – and we are working on that with the Golden Sun Foundation of World Culture in Boulder, Colorado, we’re commissioning Ken -- well Ken Green is my co-producer on this, Philip Glass is working on this, Karl Skelton and the polytechnic institute in Brooklyn and a remarkable group of young programmers who are creating new digital imagery. Unfortunately or fortunately, it is sold out tonight. Some people I think here saw it last night, some people may be seeing it tonight.

0:02:57.3 Rachel Cooper: But today’s symposium is really about the notion of death and life and the sense of journeys. We’re really honored to start today’s program with Gelek Rimpoche. He is one of the foremost thinkers, and I’ll just speak, since all of you have his bio here, that I, we’re just meeting for the first time. But I have been had the privilege to hear you speak many times, and really enjoyed and taken away so much those moments, and they’ve sparked so many thoughts, so many new directions and I guess I would say so many journeys. And today again I think to start this journey we’re really honored to have you here, thank you so much, And again without further adieu I would like to introduce Gelek Rimpoche, again the founder of Jewel Heart, and we’ll also have his books available after the program, Good Life Good Death, and without further adieu, Gelek Rimpoche. (Applause.)

0:04:36.8 And thank you for having me here, thank you for the beautiful program that you are doing. And good morning everybody. Okay, now, I’m supposed to talk to you about, ah, it’s funny, life and death. (Laughs.) And I’m going to sort of base on what I wrote a book, few years ago, Good Life Good Death, and on that. Ah, I don’t know exactly where to begin, what to say. Death is such a thing that we all sooner or later encounter and no one really could escape. It is interesting, you know. And I have been very fortunate, to be able to study under great masters in Tibet and maybe one of those old greatest monastery and by the time when I was there, this largest monastery in Tibet is Drepung, that was way about thirteen thousand monks. That was the period…Unfortunately it happens to be the last, the rope, you know, end of the rope. After ’59 then the communist Chinese took over and it’s all gone, almost. I had the opportunity to go back last year and saw Drepung monastery and where there used to be thirteen thousand monks, have now about seven hundred now official monks, and another seven hundred unofficial monks, so about thirteen thousand changed into about thirteen hundred. So that is how it went.

0:07:07.1 And in that monastery were the greatest teachers, the greatest students available and when you are learning there, what we were learning is the twenty-six hundred years wisdom of Buddha. And really somehow, it really kept very pure in Tibet, as you know. I don’t want to really spend time talking about this, but Tibetans have sacrificed. It is all political economic developments completely for a thousand years in order to preserve the Buddha’s teaching. So when I’m there, and they said, the teachings normally say, no matter whoever whatever you may be whether you are spiritually developed person like Buddha or you may be great ruler of many, king, or general, or whatever it may be, death is a definite and they will catch you and you cannot escape. And also it also says, when one goes through the death, when you cross that road, whether you are a multibillionaire or just homeless person, again, when you cross the other side you go equally, shore to shore, a great equality. (Chuckles.) Maybe it’s a little too late but that’s what happens, that’s what happens. So no matter whatever we do and ultimately we all will go through with this, and death will be there.

0:09:58.9 Even [as] we look back in our life so many people that we know, many of them are gone. Although we talk about it as though it was just months or about a year ago or something, but when you start counting many of them go long time [ago]. That is the reality we will all go through, sooner or later. Question now rises, what happens then? What can you do? Is there any way to escape or avoid? So this probably is people think that. We all think about that. I will wish honestly, honestly we wish there is a way to escape this. Probably we look through, earlier I said in the teachings in the monastery whether you are king or minister or general or whatever you may be, so the power, we’re looking at the power, the power may be able to render us going through death. Military power, material power and spiritual power, too. So most probably we have a better hope with the spiritual rather than military or… money power. We all know that. But, on the other hand, when we talk about Buddha and we as though, I mean I say Buddha’s wisdom, and then at the same word, I’m saying twenty-six-hundred-years-old Buddhist wisdom, so, which in other words as though we are talking about Buddha right now somewhere around here, but at the same time we see twenty six hundred years ago. So even Buddha went through…likewise Jesus. Everyone. We now say what, 2007, what we are talking about. So that tells us even spiritually it is very very hard to escape.

0:13:08.7 Now the question arises, what happens when we die? What happens? And that is very controversial now. From the Buddha’s teachings point of view, we all, like I been told, there’s reincarnation. But, number of us we’re really not sure, we haven’t seen it. Nor we haven’t met anyone what has come back from there and saying ‘Hey, I’m back.’ No one calls you, like right, no. So that’s why it is very very questionable. I mean somehow we have to rely on some logical reasoning. Or the words of some[one] like Buddha or something like that, but there’s no scientific proof that there is reincarnation, as far as I know. Also I know no scientist has ever proved there is no reincarnation either. So from scientific point of view, simply didn’t look, or didn’t find it. So I have to talk to you from the spiritual background that I have come, brought in. And from that angle, from that angle, the question really rises to me. And saying, I’m always wondering, what is death? You know I know we go and think. But what is really death. What is death, what does death mean to me? I’m talking about myself, so you can think about yourself. So what does death mean to me? To me, death really means a separation of our mental consciousness and the physical identity. The physical identity. Our physical body, is our physical identity. And to me, it is the separation of these two. We’ve been together, this identity and this mind, ever since we were born. But then when the death comes, it separates. Separation. So to me, death means really separating our consciousness or mind if you want it to, mind or consciousness or whatever you call it, so, whatever you call it, it doesn’t matter. So separating that, that is death, to me.

0:16:36.2 We talk about the death process, yeah it is a process of separation of a physical identity and mental, the mind. And the mind is such a thing. It is, it is not tangible. Mind is empty. And it is clear. And it is lucid. And so, the physical body is physical. I mean, you can catch it, you can have a shape, and you can recognize it, we all know that, right? But the mind is other one, which has no shape, no color, no tangible, nothing. So it is almost like empty. Almost like empty. Yet, that empty mind, or – I should make it a little mystical, and a little more attractive, we can call it ‘clear light.’ (Chuckles.) Sounds better, isn’t it? So the language is such and actually, actually it is the nature of the mind is light nature. 0:18:08.5 (Tibetan.) In reality it is like light, empty. So that very mind when it is separated, the word what I use is separating from the physical body, when it separates, where it goes? The physical body, we know where it goes, right? So we don’t have to talk about it, everybody knows. But then you know why the physical body takes such shape? Because the mind is gone. It’s separated. We know that. So that we don’t need any sort of great thinking, we don’t have to do that. We know.

0:18:58.4 Any why we separate? Also we know, I used to say, our body is like a rented apartment. I always said that to our friends. It’ a rented apartment. As long as apartment works, and we live in there, when there’s roof, there’s water running, there’s heat, and you know when there’s air in there circulating, we live in there. And when the apartment becomes unserviceable, what else do you – get out of it, right? Just get out of it. So that’s what I mean, separation of the mind and the physical body. So when you get out, where would you go? What happens to it? How do you get out [of] it? So these are the questions, and we like to talk a little bit if you can. So again, as I said, there is no scientific proof, which makes it very difficult for me. You know, even if it is Buddhism, when I’m talking about Buddhism I always like to talk about very grounded Buddhism. Honestly, completely grounded. Not, you know, love and light flying in the air. Or, or, mystical thing. You know. I mean it is great what it is, mystical is great, love and light is great. Let that be. But what we do we have to be grounded ourselves. Very grounded. So but you know when you talk about death and other death, what will happen is, we have to rely – I have to rely on – the teachings that Buddha gave. Other than that, I can’t say I don’t have experience – we all have experience – but we forgot about it. We completely forgot. So we cannot really recall our memory. And say, really truly this is what happens.

0:21:20.8 But on the other hand, on the other hand, lot of people like to say that death is wonderful, and this and this, and natural process, and all of those and they’re also fine. Some deaths are absolutely wonderful, I’m sure of it. But then, everyone is not necessarily [going to] have that kind of wonderful death. People go through with a lot of pains, mind you, it is separating your mind and body. Body and mind separating. When it separates, the basis of the physical body that is working for the, the tenant, the mind, is based on the four or five elements. The element of the earth, element of water, element of fire, and element of air. So these are the physical, how we work. If you look at in our body, our bones and flesh and all this are earth element. The liquid in our body are the water element. The heat and digestive power and all of them are fire element. Our circulations are our air element. I better say it clearly – a-i-r, air. So because I have very… I never learned English, so my English is terrible. So sometimes the people misunderstand ‘air’ into ‘hair’. (Everyone laughs.) It just reminded me, you know one time we have some kind of conference in Washington, whatever it is, talking about dying process. And I was with Ram Dass, Baba Ram Dass, Ram Dass was sitting next to me, that was before his stroke, and sitting next to me, and I been saying all air are collected in central channel. All right? So they say somebody who is typing everything, you know somebody taking every word typing up. So Ram Dass moved a little bit and look at that and started giggling. And I said what happened? He said, said ‘The lady over here wrote what you said, is all hair are collected in central channel.’ (Laughs.) So I don’t want that. So I said, a-i-r, air.

0:24:28.9 And that is, these are the basis on which we, you know, we, we live. And when you do healing, like a life, like good life, when you [are] doing healing. Physical healing, the rituals as well as meditations and different healings are also done on the basis of five elements, or four, four or five, whatever. If you make it five, it is space, open space. If you make if four, that’s four that’s it. So basis on that, you do healing too. As well as, when you’re going the procedure through which you go is also so what we call it, dissolving. I don’t think it is dissolving. But it is each one of them becomes unserviceable. Unserviceable. So when it becomes unserviceable, and then the, you know, next one picks up next one picks up, next one picks up, finally, goodbye. That’s what happens. So each one of those elements are giving up. And there are signs. Signals. For the individual to observe. As well, internally, by the individual. To observe. (Pause.) The first, I was told, the element to give up is our earth element within our physical body. Disconnecting. You know, I mean I say give up, dissolve, all this. Actually earth element is disconnecting with our you know central consciousness which is really sort of recognize, and all, sees and understands. You know. Disconnecting. The first is supposed to be the earth element disconnects. And since the earth element, when the earth element disconnects, and then the next is the water element. So water element sort of picks up the responsibility, looks like when somebody give up somebody else comes and picks that up. So the water element picks up more sort of more responsibility, so what we see, or what we recognize or what we feel is more water thing. Water thing.

0:27:27.6 So traditional teachings will tell you, you see like a mirage, you know the mirage, when you’re driving in the desert in the middle of the day or something you see water look like, right, called mirage. So very strong mirage feelings are perceiving even seeing it, perceiving, and it is sort of clearly telling the individual that earth element is going. And when the water goes away, when water is disconnecting then next one is the fire element. So the fire, you know sign of the fire is smoke. Smoke. Nothing but smoke. Because when we see in distance on the hilltop or the mountain or somewhere, when we see the smoke we know there is fire, right? So that is clear sign, sign of having it, the fire is smoke. So the person sees a lot of smoke. Smoky thing. You know the waterish mirage, and then smoke. (Pause.) And then you also see the you know, a little bit of light, it’s almost, the example given here is not bright light like this, but somewhere you’re burning a little candle light at the back somewhere, flickering candle light, burning, so that means your perception will be some kind of light coming, darkness coming, light sort of flickering type of thing you will get it. And um, these are the… then this last element is also going.

0:29:51.7 And I always have a sort of hope that someone will be able to confirm, and these… these are not so difficult. Especially when my late good friend Allen Ginsberg, when he was going, I was really hoping that Allen could you know acknowledge, you know that makes a lot of difference for a lot of people. You know, anybody else says, but when Allen Ginsberg says something, makes difference. So I’m really thinking for the benefit of people if he could say something yes or no was going through. But unfortunately, he had a stroke before he go so he couldn’t confirm or anything of that sort. However, I’ve got a number of other people who have been telling me, telling me, when my grandfather was going, and he was complaining smoke and he got the doctors in and complaining there is a lot of smoke in the room, and he said this is one well-known guy, and so he said the doctors stand there say, yes sir, yes sir, yes sir and nothing else. And that little boy -- he was a young guy, so he was asking the doctors, you know my grandfather’s complaining about this smoke, what are you going to do? So the doctors took the kid outside and – not kid, but young man – outside and said, we call these hallucinations. So that explains. It is hallucination. So we will see. You know, I mean we sort of perceive them as hallucination. It’s not that doctors or, the …does not know, it does know. Sometimes. Sometimes dying person is saying, communicating them as well. And yet we dismiss them as a hallucination. It may be it’s called hallucination. I don’t know. But it is for me, it is a sign that the person is going. Why I am talking that to you? Because each and every one of us are bound to go through with death. And when we are going through that, and then can we do anything to help ourself? You now, this is just out of eight, I just told you four, these are simple external signs.

0:32:51.4 The question is, what can we do to ourself? It is absolutely depend on the individual person. Honestly. I mean this is one thing I can very strongly tell you. It very definitely depends on the individual person, and not, it is not something pre-decided. And anybody who like to help, him or herself, one can, provided if you know what you’re doing and provided if you’re conscious enough. So that is the point. So for us, for us, like me, I had an opportunity of studying Tibetan Buddhism for 67years. Maybe two less. I don’t know what I studied at one or two have no idea. For 65 years, and for us, there a variety of things, provided, if you know what to do. Really a variety of things. But the most easiest thing for everybody else is thinking about positiveness. Anger, hatred, obsession, are the wrong thoughts to be entertained at that time. Especially that time. Because those are the negative emotions, these negative emotions bring negative consequences, negative result. And if you think about the positiveness at that time, the positive thoughts bring positive result. Positive, such as faith. Compassion. Generosity. Morality. Concentration. Wisdom. These are the good thoughts, you know I’m simply saying this on the basis of Buddha’s teaching, okay? So don’t ask me what scientific proof do you have it, so I don’t.

0:35:49.1 So these are the good thoughts. And it is true. Even though I don’t have scientific proof here, but if you think within ourself the good thoughts bring happiness. Compassion brings happiness. Generosity brings happiness. If we could save somebody’s life, how happy we are going to be. That is fact. So the good positive thoughts bring joy and positiveness and negative thoughts bring negative. Hatred brings hatred. Violence brings continuation of violence. We don’t have to look very far. We know what’s happening in Iraq and elsewhere. That is a clear example: hatred brings hatred, violence. And compassion brings goodness, kindness. I mean even in normal life if you just look at it, just look at it, if you’re using compassion and no matter even you have a very strange enemy with you and that enemy try to hurt you all the time, yet you are still constantly using compassion, after a little while it is human being it will change its mind. You see the different face. I mean this is reality we see almost every day. You don’t need rocket science to figure out that, honestly, that is what happens. But when you’re being in violence and you’re being mean, even a dog will turn against you, right? I mean simply, simply if you are nice and kind to your pet dog, when you’re coming in the door the dog will be wagging the tails and doing all kinds of things, right, to welcome you. And, if you be mean, the dog will run away and hide himself under the bed or whatever, wherever they could go. That itself simply tells you that how the person, I shouldn’t say person, but how someone with consciousness acts.

0:38:48.1 So compassion brings joy and happiness. Hatred brings violence and hate. So at the time when you are going, the mind not should be entertaining hatred as well as obsession too. Obsession brings suffering. We all know that. Appreciation. I mean it doesn’t matter. If you are a Buddhist, if you are thinking about Buddha, then that is good enough. And if you are following Judeo-Christian tradition just think about Jesus or God or something. These are okay, great. It will bring good result. It is simple and easy. If you read traditional teachings and books, they will tell you meditate on wisdom, emptiness, and this and that, selflessness, and you know, egolessness and all that type of thing. They will tell you it is great! But we have to really bite what we can chew. If you try to bite something which we cannot chew, may not serve much purposes. Sounds good. Wonderful. But might not serve much purposes.

0:40:38.0 So for Buddhist, like old Buddhist like me, I’m very simple. Thinking about Buddha is easy way for me to make a transition. If you are capable, yes you can transfer your consciousness, you can cheat death, you can do all kinds of things according to the teachings they are there. Perhaps one of the largest and most variety of things the Tibetan Buddhism, particularly talks to you about the death and dying and during that period what can you do? The Tibetan Book of Dead itself if you look at it, you will see, everything. Even you are hearing, seeing, sound, everything will, does help. And it does. It does help. No doubt about it. But the best thing is, for ourself to do, think about it. I must share with you a story. Years ago, one day I was having lunch and my phone rang. It happens to be Allen Ginsberg that time. And I had wine with lunch too I was a little bit, you know I normally those days I normally don’t drink. So when you have a little glass you get a little crazy right? So Allen was telling me, telling me my good friend Timothy Leary is dying so I told him to call you or somebody, to call you, so would you just talk to him. I said, okay, and I was you know saying, don’t even know what to say. Phone ring immediately, phone ring, and then some lady talked to me and then they’re giving phone a very little heavy voice. You know what I did, I started saying mantras. I say, om om muni muni maha muniye soha, you know I started saying mantra. And then on the other end of the thing, it says, why? I heard this why. And I thought you know that’s what in the traditional Tibetan either you do phowa or you do say prayers or you say mantras or something, so I just said mantra. And I heard this voice saying why, very heavy.

0:43:35.5 And then, my thought suddenly change. I said that’s not right, this guy is not understanding whatever I’m saying, why am I mumbling jumbling this mantra. So I thought well I have to get some kind of little positive thinking. So a few days before that, I saw a Ford motors commercial, that Henry Ford when he first produced car, he said if you have a job the spirit, the space is the limit you can do everyone can get the car and drive in the beautiful space that God created and all that. So that thought came up on my head. So I immediately om muni muni maha muniye soha and then switching to the space, the open wonderful God and all that, I talked about the beautiful space and things like that. And the other end of the voice says, why not? (Everyone laughs.) Why not? Why not? Then, nothing happened. There is nobody who is saying anything, whatever, whatever happening. So somehow, later Allen told me, you did it right, because he always have interest of going to space. (Audience laughs.) So somehow the last minute I been able to you know talk about something that positive for him. I don’t mean he is an ordinary person I don’t know if he is an extraordinary person or ordinary person, but this is incident what happened. So the mental connection, the mind, whatever is putting at that time, makes a tremendous difference to that individual. At least for next one life. I’ll say next one life because I’m from the background of reincarnation. If I don’t accept reincarnation I lose my job. (Chuckles.) The word rimpoche means incarnate lama, so if don’t have incarnation then I lose my job, my title at least.

0:46:22.7 Then what I’d like to say more about this to you is… I don’t want to go into, you know I mean we say, there is death, there is bardo, there is rebirth. Bardo is intermediate state. And rebirth. I don’t want to go in that detail how it is. It is. But that’s not so much important. Positive thought at the time of death is very important to each and every individual. But what will happen to the individual day after. Is actually absolutely depend on us and right this moment, what do we do. I’m not here to throw the Buddhist doctrine on you. However, it is the principle of the karma, principle of the karma, good deeds bring good result. Bad deeds bring bad result. This is absolutely true whoever whatever it is, it is true. So what’s going to happen in our future lives, it depends now, what we do. So that’s why I said here, Good Life, Good Death. Good life is the cause of good death. So what do we do now it matters tremendously what will be in future. Someone who can do everything in most horrible way in life and then you think somebody else going to save you at the last minute. I doubt it very much. Really, really doubt it. Because it is karma. I mean that, you know, maybe I am what the Chinese call it green, green brain. The brain is so old and doesn’t change it, it all become green. So that’s what the Chinese told us. Maybe I’m green brain. But my understanding and my realization I can almost say, is this. The karmic thing. When good deeds bring good result. Bad deeds bring bad result. Sure about it. Sure about it. And that is in our own hand. In our own hand. It is nobody else’s hand. Ourself.

0:49:18.8 And we are responsible for ourself. Responsible here meaning whatever we do, make a difference to our life. Not only self, but everybody else. I mean, each and every individual person whatever we do will make a difference to the society. Right, isn’t it? The reason is simple. Society is nothing but a collection of individuals. And we make a difference. And when we can make a difference to society we can certainly make a difference to ourself. So when you wanted to be nice and kind and caring for yourself, it is the deeds what we engage now. The thoughts, the ideas. If we spend our life with the influence of hatred all the time, it will be very hard for us to hope to get some good future. If we spend our thoughts with caring, loving and compassion the result is bound to be good. In one way our future life, our death process, bardo, rebirth, are seems to be very far away and doesn’t know anything about it. But on the other hand it is just within our reach. And the key is within ourself. Nobody else. Mister A’s deeds could not suffer or give joy to Mister B. A is responsible for A, B is responsible for B. Each and every one of us are responsible for us. Having a good life here is the key to have a good death, and if there is future life, it is the cause to have a good future life.

0:52:02.0 So it is really depends on the individual. That also in our everyday life. Not that very you know short period we spend toward saying, oh I’m praying or I’m going to church, I’m going to go to synagogue or I’m going to go to temple or I’m going to go to dharma center and I am meditating. And that is very short period. It is good, no doubt about it. Good. But the most important thing is our everyday life. Every day of our life. Every day of our life, that is the most important. That life, what little I knew, you know whatever is taught to me I’m going to share that with you, and that is – nothing. I mean honestly, nothing but be kind. Be compassionate. Be kind, be compassionate for ourself first, and others. The moment I say compassionate sometimes people think well I ignore myself and be compassionate for others. No, I didn’t say that. It is funny, people think that way, it is so almost look that way, but my understanding, you know, as I told you sixty years I studied Tibetan Buddhism. Whenever you say prayers or anything, everything begins ‘I and all sentient beings take refuge, do this and that. I and all sentient beings generate kindness and compassion.’ It doesn’t say all sentient beings generate compassion except me. Never said that. So it is really caring, kindness and compassion to self, is important. I’m not here to try to produce you narrow, selfish person. But however, if you don’t care for yourself, who else going to care for you? And particularly we as a wonderful human being with this great life that we have, with this great mind we have. This mind is tremendously valuable and great, can do anything you want to, that what we have it. That mind give Buddha the enlightenment. That mind give everyone, you look at it, the great scientists, give this mind. Einstein, this mind. No extra thirteen hands or something, no. Just this mind. And fortunately we all have it. You have it. Each and every one of us have it and make best use of this. And if you don’t, it’s a tremendous waste.

0:55:38.6 Capacity of mind is what people say, sky is the limit. The interest is the individual person, and the enthusiasm is the individual person. If you apply that, you will make it. And if you don’t…if you don’t then you 0:56:06.5. The sun rises, sun set, sun rises, sun set, week comes in, Monday comes in, Sunday goes out and first month comes in, the last 31st comes in, and 2007 goes out and 2008 comes in, goes out, and that’s … and suddenly there’s a knock on the door say, hey, time for you to go. So then that’s what we call a wasted life. I don’t mean you have to be Buddhist. You don’t to have to be Buddhist to become good person. You can’t, you got to be good person. Kind person, compassionate, caring. We can’t spend our life with hatred all the time. Every day the news will give you the hatred. Hatred hatred hatred hatred. All sadness sadness sadness. When you woke up in the morning, you know I woke up in the morning sometimes with NPR. Maybe it’s a sign of a liberal, (chuckles) I don’t know, whatever. Anyway so when I woke up with NPR and the first thing you hear you know, three of our troops died, and four of them killed and seven of them killed, every day. Is that fun? No certainly not. It brings sadness. And it brings anger. And it brings hatred. So you must, you know what we have to do is keep our own key with ourself. Look after your own mind. Be your own guidance. Help yourself. Otherwise no one will be able to help you. So simply helping yourself is kindness, compassion, caring. If you can help, help. If you can’t help, you can’t harm. These are the great messages that Buddha gave.

0:58:39.7 If you can help, help. But you don’t go all the way, you know I’m here to help you when they don’t want you. (Laughs.) When I first came in the United States I have a Jehova’s witness come in to visit me all the time. I enjoyed them, they’re great people, honestly. They’re very nice. They really care, you know. They care. And sometimes they have answers, sometimes they don’t. But then they say I’ll come back. And then you know after a little while they show up again. So vey nice people. But you know you can’t push yourself. That’s interesting. So, helping yourself is the key. And helping is, again, I told you, the negative emotions are the bad ones, anger, hatred, the bad ones. Positive emotions are the good ones. And there you have to select that by yourself. You are all wonderful, educated, intelligent persons. You know that. And that is very simple for us to do. Which you can do. But sometimes, the anger, hatred, pops up, all the time. It is hard to get rid of it. Why? Because we have tremendous addiction in that. Tremendous addiction. It is very hard to get rid of it. This is mental addiction, not chemical addiction. Mental addiction.

1:00:42.7 Again I must, again I again I tell you a story it just pop up on my head. One time, I received a call from William Burroughs, you know the poet from Kansas. William Burroughs. And Burroughs says ‘Do you think my addiction to dope is going to hurt me when I’m dying?’ And I said no, that’s your physical addiction, but anger, hatred will hurt you at the time when you die. Because that’s your mental addiction. So Allen Ginsberg bursted in laughing saying, you hit him on the head. Says maybe he’s a, must be very short-tempered guy. So that’s exactly what happens. So anger, hatred, obsessions are mental addictions. It’s very hard to get. That will hurt you because what is going, who is going is me, in the mind form. Not the physical. Physical addictions are bad in our lifetime. But when you leave our body that physical addiction is left, doesn’t go with you. Mental addictions goes. And they’re harmful. Mental addictions are worse than physical addictions, to our spiritual life. Anyway I’m talking too much, I don’t even know what the time is. I think I have to stop. So I have to stop. And if you wanted to handle how to control anger, and how to handle your negative emotions I think I have a nice chapter here in this, dealing with anger though its life and death and meditations and all of them there but there is a chapter on anger how you deal with your anger. I don’t even know where it is gone now. Yes that is quite helpful on that anger thing.

1:03:41.6 Chapter three. Chapter three. If you read chapter three, and I really put in very practical forms, rather than theoretical points and it may be helpful to some people. And our purpose is, if you can get a little help to ease our pain now and the future, that is our purpose. And with that I better shut up because the time is over. And that’s it, right?

1:04:16.8 Audience: (unintelligible)

1:04:18.4 Questions, yeah all right Maybe some people have questions or something, right, you, okay?

1:04:25.2 Rachel Cooper: Yes I. Okay. I then I also told them you can take some questions and maybe if you wanted to have a short sitting of some type that’s okay too

1:04:32.7 Okay right. I take some questions if you have it. Yes lady over here over here?

1:04:37.9 (Difficult to hear.)

1:04:43.1 I think we are, we are, the question is can you say something about jealousy. So we are the expert of jealousy. Honestly, jealousy is such a thing that pops up on our head all the time. Especially if you are… I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t say. If you are newly loved with somebody, how the jealousy pops up. And very very simple with us. And jealousy is you know it is the by nature it falls under the category of hatred. Because the moment you have jealousy the thought of the jealousy say, wants to straight away hurt you. It’s not, you’re not going to say I’m jealous and so I’m going to walk away. It’s what very few people will do. So I’m jealous, so I must challenge, I must challenge. So it falls in the category of hatred. You know the best way to handle jealousy is appreciation. Appreciation handles. As a matter of fact jealousy is, says something terrible. Jealousy leads you to hatred. Jealousy leads you to the obsession. They are all working together, very unfortunate, these negative emotions they know how to cooperate among themselves. And we don’t know how to cooperate among ourselves. So really they do. So the direct dealing with the jealousy is try to see the quality of even though you are jealous with that person but try to see certain good qualities, certain good quality of the person, and appreciate the person. Maybe he or she is terrible on that, but they’re good at this and that. Some kind of little relief. The whole idea is remove ourself our thought engaging on the subject of jealousy itself, try to remove this, separate slightly, even you going you know every negative emotions, even you have to go out to some nice places, sit quietly. You know, go up to the top of the mountain and look down. That’s what my teachers used to do. Take me occasionally on the mountain top and look down on the plain and the beautiful little breeze that comes in, somehow gives you the different feelings, and that will relieve you from those addiction to the negative emotions, jealousy included.

1:08:07.9 And simple way is disconnecting yourself, that is easiest way, if you cannot transform the jealousy then don’t entertain. And then the time will heal each and every one of them, the time will heal. The direct antidote is appreciation. Okay? Thank you. Yes?

1:08:36.3 Audience member: We knew a particular very compassionate person who lived his life very beautifully and generously. At the moment of his death he was surrounded by loved ones. But the few months leading up to it were the most torturous, hard, in hospitals. So I’m just wondering what you think about that.

1:08:57.9 Well the karmic principle is such 1:09:03.1 (Tibetan.) One of those early Indian pandits known as Vasabandu as said in abidharma, metaphysical text, it tells you how karma works. Whichever is heavy, good or bad, whichever is heavier, heavy one gives the result first. And whichever is equal, whenever you get used to it, that gives you the result. Meaning, if your life, whole life is engaged in compassion and good deeds but at the time of death there are little difficulties or even surrounding few months a little harder time, the chances are normally that person is very much engaged with the positive, so the positive should be stronger than the negative which happens to be at that time. That should be able to take. However, it depends on the terms and conditions, sounds like lawyer, sorry, terms and conditions. The conditions. Conditions where you are able to, to somehow reduce the negative feelings and bring some positive feelings within the individual, make a hell of a difference. Traditionally in Tibet, when people are dying, they bring image of the Buddha or the Buddha’s picture, thangka, their teachers, gurus, and all of them and saying prayers as I told you, reading book of death or whatever, and all of those, those reading scriptures, whatever it is, that provides the condition for the positive. That’s why positive karma will link to the positive because it is a dependent arise. This is not a solid independent, it is a dependent arise. So when it is a dependent arise when the conditions are positive it rises positive. So the condition is the most important thing at that time. Yes?

1:11:37.6 Audience member 2: Is there a difference in the kinds of reincarnation between Buddhism and Hinduism?

1:11:44.6 I don’t think so. (Laughs.) Reincarnation is… theoretically it may be different, that is theory. That is dogma. But the reality subject the individual person, when it takes rebirth it takes rebirth. If it’s a human rebirth it’s a human rebirth. Negative rebirth is negative rebirth. I don’t think there is a difference at all. That’s my understanding, sorry. Yes sir?

1:12:14.6 Audience member 3: Thank you for 1:12:16.2 extraordinary teaching. My question is, can you give us an example of two or three things that you like to do to the best to prepare for death.

1:12:28.2 One, be kind and compassionate all the time. And two, the negative emotions pop up. But don’t let it control you. And you have tried to get your positive thoughts up, controlling. This will be the best way to prepare. And at the time of the death as you say, as I told you, this is interesting. Sometimes when the people are dying, people are dying, even though the condition is such nothing is happening, but something, sometimes it happens. I give you one example. I have a friend of mine, former Tibetan official, called, his name is Tudeng Sunchow (?). And he was married to a lady from Bhutan called Tessala, Asi Tessala. So when he was dying and I was in Delhi in the hospital. In the hospital there was nothing, except me saying some prayers. But the time when he was actually dying, he said where are those monks from? And I said what? And he said, these monks are saying prayers. There is like hundreds of them. And then he started reciting, reciting, there, their prayers that what he is hearing, is one little yidam Chakrasamvara, or Heruka, so he is reciting the Heruka root tantra. He said those monks are reciting. And that is in the hospital in the Delhi, there is not, there are two or three other persons. No one is saying Heruka root tantra. He recites that. So sometimes, and that thing also happens. That is personal experience I had. Yes?

1:15:01.8 Audience member 4: What would be the Buddhist view of Alzheimer’s? Your analogy at death that the mind will bring…you know the tenant leaves the apartment. You know with Alzheimer’s it seems like the apartment is still working, but the tenant [isn’t]. (Audience laughs and drowns out words.)

1:15:23.8 True! (Laughs.) Very good thought. I don’t know. I don’t know. I really don’t know. Logically thinking, when the person cannot think, when the person has no…I mean, maybe if the whole lifetime that person is doing something good, maybe something kicked out at that time, that a possibility. Other than that, when your mind is not in your control, then it is very difficult to think about it. But like, when Allen Ginsberg’s going, he had a stroke, and yet, his death was beautiful, wonderfully processed. Clear signals. Or how he is going through. But only thing he can’t tell back, and other than that it was great. So even though you with a stroke you’ll have a lot of limitations. Even then that happens. Alzheimer also, probably, as I said this guy is hearing the prayer even though there is not a single person he is saying hundreds of monks are saying prayers. You know. Where are they? Where did they come from? So these things happens. And not only this one, there are a number of them there. A number of them there. So don’t let me give you a lot of examples. Sir? You!

1:17:08.6 Yeah I’m just following up on similar questions that you’re using the metaphor of renting the apartment. My question to you is, what is the best is broken up by someone unilaterally determining to leave by himself or herself in the case of suicide and what’s the path 1:17:27.5 according to Buddhism.

1:17:29.3 Suicide is horrible. It is definitely, even you taking your own life, according to the Buddha it is a very very heavy negative. Almost like killing a human being. Even though you kill yourself. It is a tremendous negative. And the consequent negative gives you terrible consequences. And it’s not that good at all. Suicide is not good, not good, not good. You have no right to kill yourself for sure in the spiritual path. And I don’t think legally also you have the right to kill. I don’t know. Legally I have no idea.

1:18:18.5 Audience member: It’s illegal.

1:18:19.7 It’s illegal. Thank you. (Laughs.) Yes, lady up here.

1:18:25.9 Following up to previous questions, about the human consciousness 1:18:34.6. Are they two separate things, or when the human life is 1:18:42.7 (unintelligible) body is separated.

1:18:52.7 Yes, yes. Mind and body is two separate. Remain together. But two separate. For sure. I don’t know whether the mind is born or not I don’t know. According to the Buddha there is no new consciousness. Every consciousness is old consciousness. Just like sometimes in the Christian, Judeo-Christian tradition, I know nothing about it. But you know you hear, all souls are old souls. Very similar to that. No newborn consciousness. But physical body is everything new at the time of conception, so you develop those. And then gradually it is developed, age of 25 then begin to go down. That’s what it is. Okay. I got a lot of hands.

1:19:45.3 Rachel Cooper: Now I think we do have to stop…

1:19:46.6 All right thank you.

1:19:48.7 Audience: (Applause, etc., some cross-talk)

1:20:09.7 Rachel Cooper: I’m really sorry, I think we could have stayed here all day and perhaps had a little bit more of a… We originally thought we’d have a guided meditation and in fact I think we did have a guided meditation. (Rimpoche and audience laugh.) It strikes me how many of the things we’ve been talking about are the questions that all religions try to address, whether Islam, Judaism, Jainism, I think the whole notion of love, death, compassion and in essence trying to figure out what it means to be a good person is in fact the striving. And I feel we’ve had a wonderful start to today’s symposium to be really thinking together about this very very profound series of questions about how we all live together. And what we’re trying to do. I’d like to take three minutes…to in case you need to go to the restroom and then come back we’ll have Dr. Ramon Pratz here to talk a little bit more specifically about understanding the Tibetan Book of the Dead. And then we’ll have a book signing after that with Rimpoche and a chance for you to perhaps talk a little bit more. So, three minutes.

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