Archive Result

Soundfile 20090428GRJHNLEgo(2)

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location JH Netherlands

Topic Ego

Transcriber Gell

Date April 2021

Rimpoche: Welcome back. Simply [Similarly?] I just mentioned earlier how ego and mind and how our emotions work. If you wanted to know details, we’re going to do this wor— is it a workshop or what is it? What is it? Whatever it is. It’s a workshop. It’s not really formal teaching. It’s a workshop that we’re going to do this weekend, right? Friday, Saturday, and Sunday talking about the mind. How does mind function? And how does this…emotions function? How does the influenced mind? And how does the individual act? Out of the influence of emotion. And what is their consequences of positive, negative influence? So, that we’re going to do for this weekend. Almost the same thing what we did tonight, but maybe more little detailed form. So, anyway, it’ll try to understand, how does our mind work, how does addiction work within us, and how we can get independence from the addictions? And these are the important things, whether you call it the Buddhist or non-Buddhist, whatever you call it, but as a practitioner, Dharma practitioner. Or, you know, the Dharma practitioner doesn’t have to be Buddha Dharma. That’s what I am always trying to say. Dharma is phenomena, so that’s why. So, I think it works very well.

0:03:02.3

Rimpoche: During the break with coffee, a young gentleman came up and asked me a question. The question is, “My friends believe science isn’t religion.” And I said, “That’s great, because science proves truth, and that is important.” And then he said, “But they don’t think religion is right, and science is right.” I said, “Perhaps your friends don’t know that well about Buddhism.” Today, today, the scientists, many scientists, like you know, not…when I say scientist, who is interested in Buddhism, you may think psychologists or the psychotherapists’ talk, something like that. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about physicists. I’m talking about biochemists, and all these types of scientists are very much interested in the Buddhist rel— in the Buddhist, Buddhist teaching. Not interested in Buddhism. They don’t care a damned thing about Buddhism, honestly. They’re not. But they’re searching for truth. Truth. So, their mind, their truth results in leading them to look into Buddhism. That’s, that’s what they care. They don’t care because of Buddhism’s religion. No way. No way. You know, so, but they really, they do so much. And they’re looking for particularly mind. What is the relationship with the mind and individual person? And mind and people. Mind and the world. Mind and every existence. And they are looking extremely strongly with the Buddhism. Then today controlling [?] is the Dalai Lama. He’s in America. Today, he is in Minnesota.

0:06:02.9

Rimpoche: Minnesota, there’s a big hospital. What’s it called that? Mayo Clinic. So, every time his Holiness goes to America, those bunches of scientists join him wherever he comes, follows him throughout. And they all try to drag him to the Mayo Clinic. They sort of make a deal with him. “We’ll check you and give you a nice, physical check, but you tell us how things work.” So, that’s really what they do. And they do tremendous. And they were looking at the various universities and there was so much—

[Aside]

0:07:01.5

Rimpoche: So, you have a lot of departments in various big universities, including MIT, Harvard, Stanford. Everywhere, they, all the scientists are now looking for Buddhism. Not Buddhism as a religion. No, no, no. No, Buddhism as a solution for bringing happiness. And that is why today it is very different than five years ago. Even ten years ago. Even five years ago. Science is very much looking in the Buddhism. And if you look into, now go and Google, and do it. And you know, mindlife dot com or something. There are so many of them. And so many professors everywhere doing all kinds of things, and then you will begin to see how those scientists try to find what the Buddha said 2600 years ago. Is it 26 or 25? *laughter* Whatever. 2600 years ago. Whatever. In my opinion, some kind of dusty little Indian guy running in the dust with a little sarong or [?] and probably no shoes. I don’t think they have even little sandals, but whatever, you know. Maybe like, you know, Dutches have this…wooden shoe. What do call that?

0:09:01.3

Rimpoche: And the Indians probably have some kind of wooden or grass knitted sandal. Walk around and have that idea. And today 21st century, all this famous, very famous physicists and biochemists and medical science, all are looking for this. Not only that, even in your own Holland, you have that doctor. What is his name? Pim? Yeah, and looking at this book that Endless Consciousness, and that really tells you. He’s not a Buddhist. He’s not a religious person. He’s a scientist. He’s a medical doctor. He’s a cardiologist. So, as a cardiologist he sees, you know, a brain that is not dead. As a cardiologist, he sees, he sees a void and emptiness. It’s not empty. It is full of information. So, when you talk about science and religion doesn’t go together, you’re talking about twenty years ago. Thirty years ago. Maybe even a hundred years ago. And then today it’s totally different. I just mention it, because the young, nice guy raised that question. 0:10:57.0

[Interpreter]

0:13:10.1

Rimpoche: Anyway, so, so the most important thing is whether you call it a consciousness or mind, or even I began the talk with, you know, self or ego. For us, it is the same thing. So especially when you talk about the consciousness. And when we really say “me, me, me,” that “I” have to be this, that “me” is, you have nothing more than your own consciousness to go inside you. The consciousness is sort of Buddhist terminology, rather than telling yourself “I” or even “me.” Crisis, a sort of awareness. Awareness. And who is knowing what. And what, to what known by whom and what is a totally different story. However, when we are talking about consciousness or self or mind, and it is sort of really reference to one thing. Leads to one thing right now for us.

0:15:22.0

Rimpoche: And when Buddha says, we are all possible to be, to become either fully liberated from the suffering, what we call Nirvana. Or even way beyond that and become a fully enlightened Buddha. That is the ultimate goal from the Buddhist point of view for your spiritual practice. And that is the consciousness is the one who is going to reach that level, not the physical body.

0:16:17.9

Rimpoche: When we try to be a good person. Who’s going to be good? It is the consciousness, not the physical body. Physical body can do so much good, animals, they can pet you. Or hit you. When you try to be a mean person, it also the consciousness. Consciousness picks up opportunity to pick on somebody. To choose somebody up. Right? And to say something hurt person. And so, everything is consciousness. Not the physical body so much. No. At the most, the physical body can hit and pet. And that also pushes by the consciousness in mind, the mind inside. Otherwise, the physical body won’t move. It’s the same as a robot. Without engine, it won’t work. Right? It’ll fall down.

0:18:05.3

Rimpoche: So, when you are dealing with yourself, try to be a good person. Try to close to God. Try to close to be kind. You know. To be try to close to God, try to close to be Buddha, and all this. We are talking about the mind and consciousness. Not talking about the physical body at all. Honestly. Physical body is the physical body. If it pains you, you have to bear it. Other than that, there is not that much. I’m sorry. I can’t say that, because I am a big fat one, think so [?]. It is not nice for me to say that, because…. But honestly, it is the mind. And as you know, all of you are educated, intelligent persons, so you know. Now what makes a difference to you? To your life? And your lives? And your mind? Not the physical body. Physical body, you know, this Muhammed Ali also had a huge great physical body, right? And I just saw him on the television, but you know that man is no longer. You know, it’s a bad condition. It’s really sad. So, that’s the sort of consequences of physical bodies. You know, I mean it’s not so many years ago, Muhammed Ali was up. It was about, it was what 15 years ago?

0:20:09.7

Rimpoche: Longer? 20 years ago? I mean, I remember seeing him on television, bumping like this, you know? Like going here and there, you know. And the other day is so much contrast. And that is what the physical body is all about. But all of us, and physically we are all cute earlier. Each and every one of us. Beautiful, young, cute, people, right? And the more you become older, the more you become not so cute. *laughter* So, that’s that. But the mind is a totally different story. Totally different story. The knowledge point of view. Spiritual development point of view. From the overcoming the negative emotional point of view. From all the anger, the mind is different. The in my case, I am a believer in reincarnation. And so, reincarnation is, you know, I don’t carry my body to my next life. No. I can’t carry. It’s too heavy. *laughter* Now there’s, if you have extra luggage, the airlines charge you more money. Now, there’s even if extra luggage, the airlines charge you more money. So, it would be very hard to carry the body now.

0:22:46.7

Rimpoche: So, the mind is the one who goes, who has a [?] lying in today and functioning today as me. And working, positive and the negative. And going in the future, experiencing what we did today, is right or wrong, will be experiencing in future life. So, that is the mind. So, therefore our mind is much more important than our physical body. Though, you all know, that we have to look after our body. You have to eat right. Be vegetarian. Eat grass. And you know, do whatever you have to do. *laughter*

0:23:34.1

Rimpoche: You know. Do whatever you have to do. And do good. And it is good if you are well, if you are healthy, and you know whatever I said. How young, how beautiful, youthful look, we have people around here, you know. Even you are not age-wise. Maybe you are not twenties, but still, you look like twenty. So, I am not saying you don’t have to look after your physical body. No. But the mind is one who really goes beyond that. In the past to here, here to there. This is the mind. And it’s all positive dealing, negative dealing. We said addiction. positive addiction, negative addiction. And mind is the one who carries. Body? Probably addictions, probably on your pillow or something. Not that much.

0:25:50.1

Rimpoche: So, in other words, I guess if you want to help yourself and the way and how you should help yourself is dealing with mind. As much as we do by helping physically, eating right, doing the right exercise, … Listen, who’s talking? Honestly. I feel I am comfortable, because I am not fit to say that. You know, really. And eat right and do the right exercise, I heard a million times, a million times. Right? But that right is the truth, but I can’t do, because I am addicted to be sitting on comfortable chair. That’s my addiction. Not really a chair. I also like to have my legs going up. Honestly. I don’t want to lie down, but that’s what I like to do. I’m addicted for that. I’m not fit to say, but you all know, you have to take care of your physical body. Likewise, now I can say that, likewise you have to take care of your mind. Because mind is the one who really makes a difference. So, each and every one of us are capable of handling our mind. Our mind is very open minded. No really, really, it is open minded. So, that’s why I normally say, it has no color, no shape. It is like a lampshade, a clean, clear, crystal lampshade. I am not going to forget about the bulbs today, OK. Clean, clear lampshade. And so, it is open minded. It is neutral. It is totally neutral. Neutral. But then these mental faculties are like a lampshade: red or green or blue or yellow or whatever. And when you turn the green or red or blue lampshade, the bulbs and the lampshade is reflected by that bulb so much that it looks like a yellow lampshade, green lampshade, and red lampshade.

0:28:53.7

Rimpoche: That is how mental faculty meaning emotions, such as faith, and faith, hatred, love, compassion, and anger or jealousy or something. You know, like that, how it changes. And that is how mind influences. Because of the influence on mind, person functions. The body, speech, and the mind ultimately [?] functions due to the push of the mind. Mind. And that mind is pushed by the mental faculties. So that when the person wants to help yourself, try to discount [?] the negative emotions, as much as you can. And bring the positive emotions, as much as you can. So that you be good person. You be kind person. You be compassionate person. When you are there, you will act according to that. When you act according to that, the other persons will receive your actions in that manner. When they receive them in that manner, they’ll be happy. You’ll be happy. When you make another person happy, it makes yourself very happy. And that is the true Dharma. That is the truth in any tradition. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Hindu-Buddhist tradition. The tradition doesn’t matter. That may be different to the people. That is how you keep yourself happy. That is how you make others happy. That is how you spend your life. That is how you spend your day.

0:32:07.2

Rimpoche: Scientists today experimenting seasoned meditators and letting them meditate, all love and compassion, and putting them through MRI machines for five hours. Two hours you get stuck anyway, but even when you do, it is very difficult, right? So, they put them in five hours there. And then they see what that affecting to your mind. They don’t see mind. They see brain. And then they say, when they meditate in love and compassion, they set some kind of brain--[?], which is a move towards a happy pool or something. I don’t know. But I do know, the meditators come out five hours later with a big smile. It doesn’t have to be Tibetan. It’s westerners, too. So, that’s why they are saying meditation of love and compassion makes the individual happy. I mean, that’s what the Buddha told us 2600 years ago. Scientists are saying today, “Big news.” So, to sum up, honestly, if you make another person happy, that makes you happy. That’s truth. Can you imagine, if you could save a life of someone who is meeting with an accident on the roadside. If you see how happy you’ll be. And that tells you that compassion and love make you happy.

0:35:02.3

Rimpoche: So, our old understanding: if you want to make yourself happy, you have to be moody and rude and angry and protective, macho, [it] has to be changed into love, compassionate, relaxed, kind and sweet person. And that is how makes yourself happy. And happiness is the one only we are all seeking anyway. That’s how you get it. Experiment that. Even your child will hate [hit?] you. Don’t hate [hit?] back. It is important. Even the dogs and cats know. If you love and are compassionate, they will come around. And if you are a little short tempered, beat up, they’ll run away. With the dogs, when somebody really loves a dog, and the person is coming out from the work, the dog is busy running near the door, wagging the tail.

0:37:04.3

Rimpoche: And then someone who beats the dog, not so kind, you are coming home, the dog will run under the chair or table or wherever, as far as they can go and hide. So, that’s a clear example we see. So, that is the message for us. To see how you can make yourself happy. And I said earlier, the Dharma practitioners are a little bit happier than normal people. I hope I am correct. But they are provided the material to be happy. Honestly. And I thank you. And I don’t think you have any questions. Do you? *laughter* No questions. *laughter*

Interpreter: They’re afraid now. They don’t dare to ask a question

Rimpoche: No, no, nobody afraid. When somebody has to ask, it's a little bit difficult sometimes. That’s fine. So, really thank you so much for coming. And very, very kind to me. Year after year I come here and talk to you. I hope it will contribute something to bring a little joy and happiness within you. And that makes me happy. Elise [?]. thank you. I thank you so much. Anybody have anything to say? OK. Thank you. Thank you so much.