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Thank you for coming today. Today is the 10th of March. It is a unique day for us, especially for me, it is exactly 50 years that I left Tibet - or got kicked out of Tibet. In those 50 years we remained outside as - I don't know.....- strangers. The first few years were very hard. In India we didn't know the language, were not adjusting to the climate. It was too hot and very difficult. Gradually it was okay and it is now the 50th anniversary. Within Tibet, those who couldn't come out went through a great deal of difficulty. All kinds of change took place. Year after year, some kind of new thing happened. Especially in the Cultural Revolution so many people got killed and within my own family, my mother was one of the victims. It is very sad, these things happened one after another.

Today, on this anniversay, everywhere, wherever the Tibetans are, whether in a dharma center or wherever, we mostly do religious activities. The recommendations from Dharamsala for prayers we should do, particularly on behalf of Tibetans who died in these not usual circumstances over the last 50 years, especially last year, around the Olympic Games, people started demonstrating everywhere and had even more of a hard time in Tibet. More people got killed and I am sure that many of you have heard that His Holiness is saying that it is like living hell on earth. That is the situation in Tibet. We have been recommended to say as many as possible OM MANI PADME HUM mantras. Then we do the protector prayers and then we do the Dalai Lama's long life prayer. I hope we can do that tonight. The Dalai Lama's long life prayer that we have is only one verse, so let's chant that slowly with the usual long life puja tune time for 7 times. Then we say 100x OM MANI.. and then the protector prayers. I know we are here to do the lam rim teachings, but at the same time this is also part of it.

0:06 chanting

(0:24.51):Aimee reads:

March 10th Statement of H.H. the Dalai Lama

Published: Monday, 9 March, 2009

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the Tibetan people’s peaceful uprising against Communist China’s repression in Tibet. Since last March widespread peaceful protests have erupted across the whole of Tibet. Most of the participants were youths born and brought up after 1959, who have not seen or experienced a free Tibet. However, the fact that they were driven by a firm conviction to serve the cause of Tibet that has continued from generation to generation is indeed a matter of pride. It will serve as a source of inspiration for those in the international community who take keen interest in the issue of Tibet. We pay tribute and offer our prayers for all those who died, were tortured and suffered tremendous hardships, including during the crisis last year, for the cause of Tibet since our struggle began.

Around 1949, Communist forces began to enter north-eastern and eastern Tibet (Kham and Amdo) and by 1950, more than 5000 Tibetan soldiers had been killed. Taking the prevailing situation into account, the Chinese government chose a policy of peaceful liberation, which in 1951 led to the signing of the 17-point Agreement and its annexure. Since then, Tibet has come under the control of the People’s Republic of China. However, the Agreement clearly mentions that Tibet’s distinct religion, culture and traditional values would be protected.

Between 1954 and 1955, I met with most of the senior Chinese leaders in the Communist Party, government and military, led by Chairman Mao Zedong, in Beijing. When we discussed ways of achieving the social and economic development of Tibet, as well as maintaining Tibet’s religious and cultural heritage, Mao Zedong and all the other leaders agreed to establish a preparatory committee to pave the way for the implementation of the autonomous region, as stipulated in the Agreement, rather than establishing a military administrative commission. From about 1956 onwards, however, the situation took a turn for the worse with the imposition of ultra-leftist policies in Tibet. Consequently, the assurances given by higher authorities were not implemented on the ground. The forceful implementation of the so-called “democratic” reforms in the Kham and Amdo regions of Tibet, which did not accord with prevailing conditions, resulted in immense chaos and destruction. In Central Tibet, Chinese officials forcibly and deliberately violated the terms of the 17-point Agreement, and their heavy-handed tactics increased day by day. These desperate developments left the Tibetan people with no alternative but to launch a peaceful uprising on 10 March 1959. The Chinese authorities responded with unprecedented force that led to the killing, arrests and imprisonment of tens of thousands of Tibetans in the following months. Consequently, accompanied by a small party of Tibetan government officials including some Kalons (Cabinet Ministers), I escaped into exile in India. Thereafter, nearly a hundred thousand Tibetans fled into exile in India, Nepal and Bhutan. During the escape and the months that followed they faced unimaginable hardship, which is still fresh in Tibetan memory.

Having occupied Tibet, the Chinese Communist government carried out a series of repressive and violent campaigns that have included “democratic” reform, class struggle, communes, the Cultural Revolution, the imposition of martial law, and more recently the patriotic re-education and the strike hard campaigns. These thrust Tibetans into such depths of suffering and hardship that they literally experienced hell on earth. The immediate result of these campaigns was the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans. The lineage of the Buddha Dharma was severed. Thousands of religious and cultural centres such as monasteries, nunneries and temples were razed to the ground. Historical buildings and monuments were demolished. Natural resources have been indiscriminately exploited. Today, Tibet’s fragile environment has been polluted, massive deforestation has been carried out and wildlife, such as wild yaks and Tibetan antelopes, are being driven to extinction.

These 50 years have brought untold suffering and destruction to the land and people of Tibet. Even today, Tibetans in Tibet live in constant fear and the Chinese authorities remain constantly suspicious of them. Today, the religion, culture, language and identity, which successive generations of Tibetans have considered more precious than their lives, are nearing extinction; in short, the Tibetan people are regarded like criminals deserving to be put to death. The Tibetan people's tragedy was set out in the late Panchen Rinpoche's 70,000-character petition to the Chinese government in 1962. He raised it again in his speech in Shigatse in 1989 shortly before he died, when he said that what we have lost under Chinese communist rule far outweighs what we have gained. Many concerned and unbiased Tibetans have also spoken out about the hardships faced by the Tibetan people. Even Hu Yaobang, the Communist Party Secretary, when he arrived in Lhasa in 1980, clearly acknowledged these mistakes and asked the Tibetans for their forgiveness. Many infrastructural developments such as roads, airports, railways, and so forth, which seem to have brought progress to Tibetan areas, were really done with the political objective of sinicising Tibet at the huge cost of devastating the Tibetan environment and way of life.

As for the Tibetan refugees, although we initially faced many problems such as great differences of climate and language and difficulties earning our livelihood, we have been successful in re-establishing ourselves in exile. Due to the great generosity of our host countries, especially India, Tibetans have been able to live in freedom without fear. We have been able to earn a livelihood and uphold our religion and culture. We have been able to provide our children with both traditional and modern education, as well as engaging in efforts to resolve the Tibet issue. There have been other positive results too. Greater understanding of Tibetan Buddhism with its emphasis on compassion has made a positive contribution in many parts of the world.

Immediately after our arrival in exile we began to work on the promotion of democracy in the Tibetan community with the establishment of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in 1960. Since then, we have taken gradual steps on the path to democracy and today our exile administration has evolved into a fully functioning democracy with a written charter of its own and a legislative body. This is indeed something we can all be proud of.

Since 2001, we have instituted a system by which the political leadership of Tibetan exiles is directly elected through procedures similar to those in other democratic systems. Currently, the directly-elected Kalon Tripa's (Cabinet Chairperson) second term is underway.Consequently, my daily administrative responsibilities have reduced and today I am in a state of semi-retirement. However, to work for the just cause of Tibet is the responsibility of every Tibetan, and I will uphold this responsibility.

As a human being my main commitment is in the promotion of human values; this is what I consider the key factor for a happy life at the individual level, family level and community level. As a religious practitioner, my second commitment is the promotion of inter-religious harmony. My third commitment is of course the issue of Tibet due to my being a Tibetan with the name of the ‘Dalai Lama’, but more importantly it is due to the trust that Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet have placed in me. These are the three important commitments, which I always keep in mind.

In addition to looking after the well being of the exiled Tibetan community, which they have done quite well, the principal task of the Central Tibetan Administration has been to work towards the resolution of the issue of Tibet. Having laid out the mutually beneficial Middle-Way policy in 1974, we were ready to respond to Deng Xiaoping when he proposed talks in 1979. Many talks were conducted and fact-finding delegations dispatched. These, however, did not bear any concrete results and formal contacts eventually broke off in 1993.

Subsequently, in 1996-97, we conducted an opinion poll of the Tibetans in exile, and collected suggestions from Tibet wherever possible, on a proposed referendum, by which the Tibetan people were to determine the future course of our freedom struggle to their full satisfaction. Based on the outcome of the poll and the suggestions from Tibet, we decided to continue the policy of the Middle-Way.

Since the re-establishment of contacts in 2002, we have followed a policy of one official channel and one agenda and have held eight rounds of talks with the Chinese authorities. As a consequence, we presented a Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People, explaining how the conditions for national regional autonomy as set forth in the Chinese constitution would be met by the full implementation of its laws on autonomy. The Chinese insistence that we accept Tibet as having been a part of China since ancient times is not only inaccurate but also unreasonable. We cannot change the past no matter whether it was good or bad. Distorting history for political purposes is incorrect.

We need to look to the future and work for our mutual benefit. We Tibetans are looking for a legitimate and meaningful autonomy, an arrangement that would enable Tibetans to live within the framework of the People’s Republic of China. Fulfilling the aspirations of the Tibetan people will enable China to achieve stability and unity. From our side, we are not making any demands based on history. Looking back at history, there is no country in the world today, including China, whose territorial status has remained forever unchanged, nor can it remain unchanged.

Our aspiration that all Tibetans be brought under a single autonomous administration is in keeping with the very objective of the principle of national regional autonomy. It also fulfils the fundamental requirements of the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. The Chinese constitution and other related laws and regulations do not pose any obstacle to this and many leaders of the Chinese Central Government have accepted this genuine aspiration. When signing the 17-point Agreement, Premier Zhou Enlai acknowledged it as a reasonable demand. In 1956, when establishing the Preparatory Committee for the “Tibet Autonomous Region”, Vice-Premier Chen Yi pointing at a map said, if Lhasa could be made the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, which included the Tibetan areas within the other provinces, it would contribute to the development of Tibet and friendship between the Tibetan and Chinese nationalities, a view shared by the late Panchen Rinpoche and many educated Tibetans, cadres among them. If Chinese leaders had any objections to our proposals, they could have provided reasons for them and suggested alternatives for our consideration, but they did not. I am disappointed that the Chinese authorities have not responded appropriately to our sincere efforts to implement the principle of meaningful national regional autonomy for all Tibetans, as set forth in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China.

Quite apart from the current process of Sino-Tibetan dialogue having achieved no concrete results, there has been a brutal crackdown on the Tibetan protests that have shaken the whole of Tibet since March last year. Therefore, in order to solicit public opinion as to what future course of action we should take, the Special Meeting of Tibetan exiles was convened in November 2008. Efforts were made to collect suggestions, as far as possible, from the Tibetans in Tibet as well. The outcome of this whole process was that a majority of Tibetans strongly supported the continuation of the Middle-Way policy. Therefore, we are now pursuing this policy with greater confidence and will continue our efforts towards achieving a meaningful national regional autonomy for all Tibetans.

From time immemorial, the Tibetan and Chinese peoples have been neighbours. In future too, we will have to live together. Therefore, it is most important for us to co-exist in friendship with each other.

Since the occupation of Tibet, Communist China has been publishing distorted propaganda about Tibet and its people. Consequently, there are, among the Chinese populace, not many who have a true understanding about Tibet. It is, in fact, very difficult for them to find the truth. There are also ultra-leftist Chinese leaders who have, since last March, been undertaking a huge propaganda effort with the intention of setting the Tibetan and Chinese peoples apart and creating animosity between them. Sadly, as a result, a negative impression of Tibetans has arisen in the minds of some of our Chinese brothers and sisters. Therefore, as I have repeatedly appealed before, I would like once again to urge our Chinese brothers and sisters not to be swayed by such propaganda, but, instead, to try to discover the facts about Tibet impartially, so as to prevent divisions among us. Tibetans should also continue to work for friendship with the Chinese people.

Looking back on 50 years in exile, we have witnessed many ups and downs. However, the fact that the Tibet issue is alive and the international community is taking growing interest in it is indeed an achievement. Seen from this perspective, I have no doubt that the justice of Tibet's cause will prevail, if we continue to tread the path of truth and non-violence.

As we commemorate 50 years in exile, it is most important that we express our deep gratitude to the governments and peoples of the various host countries in which we live. Not only do we abide by the laws of these host countries, but we also conduct ourselves in a way that we become an asset to these countries. Similarly, in our efforts to realise the cause of Tibet and uphold its religion and culture, we should craft our future vision and strategy by learning from our past experience.

I always say that we should hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Whether we look at it from the global perspective or in the context of events in China, there are reasons for us to hope for a quick resolution of the issue of Tibet. However, we must also prepare ourselves well in case the Tibetan struggle goes on for a long time. For this, we must focus primarily on the education of our children and the nurturing of professionals in various fields. We should also raise awareness about the environment and health, and improve understanding and practice of non-violent methods among the general Tibetan population.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the leaders and people of India, as well as its Central and State Governments, who despite whatever problems and obstacles they face, have provided invaluable support and assistance over the past 50 years to Tibetans in exile. Their kindness and generosity are immeasurable. I would also like to express my gratitude to the leaders, governments and peoples of the international community, as well as the various Tibet Support Groups, for their unstinting support.

May all sentient beings live in peace and happiness!

The Dalai Lama

10 March 2009

0:43:10 Rimpoche continues: This is a rather unusual message of His Holiness and sums up the last 50 years' history. We are studying Tibetan Buddhism and it comes from that tradition. So we seek the sympathetic support for Tibet and Tibetans.

With this we now go back to our lam rim. Because of the other prayers we already did we may not do the lineage prayer now, but simply say:

KYAB NE KUN DU LA MA LHAK PEI LHA

THUB WANG DOR JE CHANG LA SÖL WA DEB (3x)

Lama Lhak pai Lha, the collection of all refuge,

Thubwang Dorje Chang, to you I make supplications

That is the prayer to the Lama Lhak pai Lha that we do at the beginning of every meditation. Then we say the 7 limbed prayer: prostration, making offerings, purification, rejoice, request to remain, request for teaching and dedicating our positive deeds to give the result of obtaining total enlightenment.

While remembering Lama Thubwang Dorje Chang Lhak pai Lha on your crown, think about the lam rim - the road map to buddhahood. We begin with the three scopes: 'common with the lower', 'common with the medium' and mahayana. The 'common with the lowel' begins with the root of all development, guru devotional practice and thereafter, developing ourselves. The root of all development, guru devotional practice is now over.

We are now on the second outline

II: Developing Ourselves

That has two outlines:

1. Reminding ourselves of the importance of our life

2. How to take best advantage of this important life

1. Reminding ourselves of the importance of our life

a) actual session

b) in between session

a) actual session

1) beginning

2) actual

3) conclusion

1) beginning (pre-meditation)

Here you say again:

KYAB NE KUN DU LA MA LHAK PEI LHA

THUB WANG DOR JE CHANG LA SÖL WA DEB (3x)

Somehow you should remember that. I am not asking you people to memorize the whole sequence:

Ku zhi dag ni lama lhag pai lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

The collection of all lamas....

drib trel chö ku dag ni lama lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all dharmakayas....

de chen lun ku dag ni la ma lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all sambogakayas....

dam chö kun du lama lhak pai lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all nirmanakayas

dam chö kun du lama lhak pai lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all dharmas....

gen dun kun du la ma lhag pai lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all sanghas....

yidam kun du la ma lhag pai lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all yidams...

kandro kun du la ma lhag pai lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all dakas and dakinis....

chö kyong kun du la ma lhag pai lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all dharma protectors.....

kyab ne kun du la ma lhak pei lha

thub wang dor je chang la söl wa deb

the collection of all refuge, Thubwang Dorje Chang

I am only asking for the last verse. So looking at the Lama Lhak pai Lha on your crown, he is also Buddha, also Buddha Vajradharma.

Then you go on focusing, "I and all mother sentient beings have taken rebirth after rebirth within samsara, so many ups and downs, particularly lots of various sufferings. Why do we experience so much suffering? It is because we have never clearly understood the life and the importance of it and the difficulty to find. 0:50:36. The day comes in, the day goes out, the week comes in, the week goes out, the month comes in, the month goes out, the year comes in, the year goes out, and the life we have also goes out. We have not been able to utilize his special birth or life we have. That is our fault. So now I and all mother sentient beings must gain the realization of this life, the difficulty to find it. Lama Lhak pai Lha, please bless us."

Then five-colored light and liquid are coming from the Lama Lhak pai Lha, reaches to all of us and purifies all our negativities in general, particularly obstacles the understanding of life and the importance of life and the difficulty to find it. All these may be purified. Our bodies become clear - clean and pure like light nature. Our life, fortune and quality of spiritual development and knowledge all develop. Especially we are able to develop these points: recognizing the life, understanding the importance and the difficulty to find. This may develop in all living beings.

So that is the pre-meditation.

Actual Meditation:

According to the nuyr lam, this has 2 parts:

1. importance

2. difficulty to find

So here it is cut into two, rather than the usual three: recognizing, importance and difficulty to find.

In order to recognize how important the life is, this is divided into two:

1. The 8 leisures - the qualities in our life

2. The 10 endowments

These are traditional lam rim topics. Maybe I should talk to you a little more before I read this out:

In our case, usually, we don't think much about life. We only think about it when it is threatened, either through illnesses or unfortunate incidents. Then we get afraid and feel threatened and are willing to do anything we can do to save our life. This life provides the base for us to live and function. Normally we ignore that on an everyday basis. We take it for granted. No one is thinking or worrying about it. We think, "We are going to get up and we are going to go to sleep." In a way you are right. It is very true, but somehow our focus is not on the life but on something else. Whatever our profession is, whatever our job is, that is what we focus on. Sometimes we become experts, sometimes we become very famous. Sometimes we are not so expert and famous, we are just so so, sometimes even worse. But whether we become expert and famous and own something, or whether we become nothing, we never pay attention to our life.

Therefore our spiritual work is almost completely being neglected. Somehow we interpret that spirituality is something non-material, non-chemical, some simple little thing and try to satisfy ourselves. You know what I am talking about? Something very simple and easy and we try to settle for that. Sometimes we are really going strongly into that. For example some people are vegetarian. That has qualities, no doubt, but they can get very rigid about it, so much so that being vegetarian is not enough - you want to be vegan. Then even that is not enough and you have to go an extreme. If you are doing that for health reasons, that is fine. But some people think that it is spiritual. Maybe, I am not saying it is not. But if you use this important life to serve just that much, then at the end of the life all our efforts will have been wasted. The life will have been wasted. For sure.

Yes, you may get healthy and you may get happy or you may not. And I am not saying you shouldn't do it. But it is not the only thing you should do. If you do, then at the end of your life, no matter how healthy and strong you may be, the day when you die that healthy, strong, happy or unhappy life ends. Then the purpose of our whole life has gone. It becomes past tense. So it is important for us to look at our life. That is why Buddha gave this to us as the first step in the spiritual practice.

People may think, "I know that life is important", but Buddha is reminding us that there are 8 leisures and 10 endowments.

The nyur lam says that one should focus first on the 8 leisures. 1:02:17

We have the Lama Lhak pai La on our crown. Leisure here does not mean that you have nothing to do, but that you have the opportunity to practice dharma. The opposite of leisure is not having time. Buddha introduces the opposites of the 8 leisures and there is a quote from the short prajnaparamita sutra (do du):

trim kyi dü dro'i dro wa du mai ngo wo dang

mi kom gyä pong de yi dal wa ta tu nye

trim here refers to tsul trim - morality. That provides you a life with leisure, not like animals.

Sutras are very hard to read, not in these sense of reading the words but to explain it. When Thurman translated the Vimalakirti Sutra and came to the University of Michigan to talk, Luis Gomez said, "At least he translated the sutra in a way that one can read it." So those who know, they know.

So morality will give you the leisure of life, unlike the life of animals.

What is wrong with the life of animals? Nothing, they may have more time than we do. Especially if you are one of those lucky pets. Isn't there a dog who inherited some eight or nine million dollars? Then, a year or two later, they said: the millions are finished! (laughs) That dog has probably more time than anybody else. But that is not what this is talking about. By nature of being a dog, there is great difficulty in communicating. Yes, dogs do communicate among themselves. We all know. One dog barks and the others will all bark. That is true. One female dog is in heat and all other male dogs follow. That is how they communicate, right? Honestly. But the lack is to understand difficult points and to express that.

They don't have that ability. They can bark and that will send some message like: here is food, here is an enemy, and so forth. That is limited communication and limited understanding. I am not looking down on dogs, please don't think that. I used to have 13 little dogs myself. So I don't look down on them, but that is what this sutra says.

We are not a dog at this moment. We could be very much a dog. Really, just by chance we happen to not be a dog, not a pig, not a cat. By chance we happen to be human beings. We can hear, understand, think and decide. That is a big difference. When the sutra talks about dal wa it means time or leisure. But not like we have nothing to do. Actually, the dogs have more leisure and time than we do. But they don't have the opportunities that we have.

Similarly, there are 8 of those leisures. The nyur lam quotes a verse by Nagarjuna that makes it more clear. It is from the she tring (Letter to a Friend)

(English translation: Liberation in the Palm of your Hands, p. 73)

log pa ta wa dzin dang dü dro dang

yi dag nyi dang nyal war kye wa dang

gyal wai ka me pa dang thar gob du

la lor kye dang len zhing kug pa nye

tse ring lha nyi gang yang rung war ni

kye wa zhe gyi mi gom kyön gyä po

de dag dang drel gom pa nye ne ni

kye wa dog pai le du bä par dzö

To be born as a person with false views

an animal, a ghost, or in the hells,

in a land lacking the Conqueror's word,

as a barbarian in some remote land,

and imbecile or a mute, or a long-lived god;

these are the eight inopportune conditions.

Yet by their absence you have found leisure,

so strive now to bring an end to rebirth.

The first is: to be born as a person with false views. If you are a person with wrong understanding is considered much more difficult than not knowing anything.

False views are things like: there is no such thing as karma or karmic results, there is no such thing called liberation and so on. These views are almost - I shouldn't say it - pure yuppie views or extreme hippie views. 1:12:46. It could be even worse. With the yuppie-hippie views I am just making a little statement. But if you are misled by a wrong spiritual guide or if you think you are the most clever person and you think you are doing right, then you might say things like:

"If karma is really true, prove it to me. I don't see anything. If there is true Buddha, where is it? Show me. All right, Buddha was born in India. In the history of 2600 years ago, who knows what is true? All these are made-up stories. Nagarjuna, Asanga, Guru Padmasambhava, Tsong Khapa, these Tibetans made up all kinds of stories. Who really knows?"

Similarly, it happens on our western spiritual path as well:

"Who knows what it really is? The church made up all kinds of stories to make us suffer more."

This is happening with us. I am not saying this is wrong. It could be right or wrong. But we should always give the benefit of doubt and never buy that completely. If you do, you shut yourself out. There are only very limited true, reliable spiritual paths available to us, western or eastern traditional ones. And there are so many funny, little things in between. So many.

Like I said: you could take being vegetarian as a spiritual path. Being vegetarian is great. You don't kill, you don't eat meat, it is good for your heath, it doesn't harm anybody. You don't take others' life. If there is no demand, there won't be supply. That way it is great. But if that only is your spiritual path then it is a little weak. We are far better than that. We are far more capable. Buddha keeps on telling us that we are capable of becoming buddhas. We have every opportunity and possibility.

Tonight I won't be able to go through all the 8 leisures and 10 endowments, but in the next 2, 3 teaching days you are going to hear it and think and meditate and realize. This is not so difficult to develop. Recognizing the life, seeing the opportunity is not so hard. You only have to look at other life forms. See the cute animals, the beautiful birds. All of them are wonderful, cute and beautiful, but when you really compare them with your life, you will be happy that you are a human being. Then recognizing that you have this is not difficult. You can develop that in just one or two sitting meditations. You can do it.

But you have to be true to yourself. You can't have these mental prefabricated ideas, trying to fit them into this and they won't fit. Then you may say, "Hey, this is uneducated, illiterate people trying to tell us, the educated people how to fit things in." That is not how it is. You have to think within that limit and then it will click with you. Once you click with it, that will help you not to waste your time. You will not settle for less than the best. These are the two purposes you can achieve out of this:

not to waste your time

not to settle for less than best

We will be able to do that. Finally, recognize Lama Lhak pai Lha on your crown and do the 7 limbed offering, a mandala offering and then request: "I and all mother sentient beings may develop this spiritual development of understanding the importance of life." Light and liquid come from the Lama Lhak pai Lha, purify all negativities in general and particular these obstacles. Thin, "I and all mother sentient beings have obtained the blessings of Lama Lhak pai Lha" and then Lama Lhak pai Lha dissolves to me and I become a buddha. I radiate light to all living beings and environments. With the touch of the light all environments are purified and all living beings are made pure beings. Within your heart is the OM MUNI MUNI MAHA MUNIYE SOHA mantra. Say that a number of times. Then everything becomes pure. Then you say:

ge wa di yi nyur du dag

la ma sang gye drub gyur ne

dro wa chi kyang ma lu pa

chö kyi sa la gö par shog

By this virtue may I obtain the stage of Lama Buddha and thereafter lead all living beings to the Lama Buddha stage.

Then conclude with a short mandala: sa zhi pökyi...1:21:09

Announcements:..........

Rimpoche:

Anne Waldman coming here will be very nice. Anne Waldman was one of Allen Ginsberg's proteges. Anne has done a lot of readings in Jewel Heart with and without Allen. So I think it is special for Jewel Heart. That is nice. We should give her a nice welcome. I hope everybody will try to participate.

Thank you. It was a little too long tonight, but we tried to fit all events in. Thank you and good night.

©2009, Ngawang Gelek, All Rights Reserved