Archive Result

20110312GRNYSE2

Start date: 03-19-2011

Name of transcriber: Sally Boyer

Finish date: 04-14-2011

Welcome back. We will continue where we stopped earlier. Earlier we talked about the qualities of the teacher and seeing them sort of a challenge for ourselves to be able to bring to that level as well as qualities of practitioner, we call disciple. Disciple or not disciple, student or not student but what they are really talking about is the qualities of practitioners. Practitioner has to be open-minded, open-minded and when I said earlier you don’t have either this side or that side sort or you know, being open-minded is very important because I am this group or that group and this sect and that sect and not open-minded, you know, this is not that great. Although whatever you choose to be following your tradition and until it’s proved does not working for you but until then you’d better stick to it rather than try to be everything. But still it has to be very open-minded because if you are not open-minded sometimes you get unnecessary negativities and negativities. Back in Tibet when I was young, back in Tibet we did not have… may be I’m so much…now that I think that way honestly we don’t have so much of sectarian issues in Tibet. May be I was so much wrapped in the Gelupa tradition I didn’t see anything else. May be that is why I think there is no sectarian issues, could be. Whatever the reason is, there is not that much. In the West you do have very strong particularly those of you the Western people are more sectarian between the Tibetan traditions and then actual those Tibetan themselves, so that is not open-minded and the good qualities you may get from any tradition.

It is funny, you know, when you are looking at the Gelupa tradition, we are very proud, being very proud for 500 years, scholar after scholar thinking this is perfect view point of perfect wisdom. And on the other hand, you cannot say before Tsongkhapa there was nobody understood the perfect view. You can’t say that and that is also not right. And I mean Gelupa are very proud of the Tsongkhapa’s teachings and refined gold. It is true, it is absolutely refined gold but you cannot say nobody else knows because otherwise before Tsongkhapa nobody ever got enlightened. So that won’t work, right? So people have to be open-minded. Open-minded that’s what I was talking earlier you know, I left that in a little sort of interesting way, you know, prefabricated and I left it there, but then I thought well the Tibetans, when we say prefabricated mind so we understand that but then I thought about it, in the West you don’t because prefabricated mind you will translate it that something else which you read yesterday or somebody else told you or know something and you say you are going to get that and that is what I thought you are going to translate that way, so that’s why I thought sometimes it’s better to say it although it is risk, risk of people misunderstanding, risk of some people get upset, risk of the base on criticism and all that and maybe it helps some people, maybe it hurts some people so that is why instead of we sort of traditionally teaching we leave it there.

So not prefabricated-minded, that’s it. In other word, if you spell it don’t think of the sectarian so much and pushing that way and this way because good quality comes from everything. That doesn’t mean again you have to make soup of everything mixed you know either. So that is some of you called intelligent decision and that is what criteria of disciples comes in that way. I think that should be enough and so that is very basic qualities of the master, qualities of the practitioners and both are challenges for us. First, challenge of the qualities if disciple; second, challenge of spiritual masters. Many of you I’m sure would like to be, like it or not, will be forced to be guidance for somebody later just because you have the opportunity. So these are the qualities will be challenged to you. And then it begin to practice, I have to go a little bit briefly here because the second Dalai Lama’s Lamrim commentary point. We talked about altar already, we talked about ancestors altar, we talked about it; actual altar and all that. Briefly I should have to talk about offerings. Offerings are always the word in the Tibetan, the sentence is already attached you know, cherpa yermapa, that is offerings are not created by the wrong livelihood. That’s sort of attached the word, it means done by the wrong livelihood. Some people will go out of the way to various ways to make money by excuse saying that, “Well I can make offerings, I can be generosity and this and that”. The end does not justify the means. A lot of people do that, a lot of people say. Maybe it is used as excuse, it happens that way so use as an excuse. So, “Yeah, I’ve been generous, I can make offerings.” And in the Western culture they do too. A lot of people do wrong things and then they say, “Well, the money is donated for charity”, and that justifies it, right? Many people do, especially politicians got their money from the wrong place, either return it or donate it to charity and that’s justification.

If you created the negativities you do get positive karma of donating to charity as well as you do get negative karma of creating that wrong way. Both of them come in. One doesn’t cancel the other and that is why the teachings always say offerings does not involve in wrong livelihood because people do use that as justification. Justification, they do. Anyway, so offerings have to be pure. It doesn’t matter, even a glass of water is great. Atisha recommended Tibetans to make water offerings. I think mostly Tibetans are the only one who make a lot of water offerings and others I’m not sure. Because Tibet, the word Tibet is… Tibet is, I think it’s Sanskrit word, isn’t it? Whatever it is, Tibet is Prata. ActuallyTibet Pra, Tibetan read as ta but Indian Sanskrit people will read as pri, pri pra,whatever. Prata, Tibetan read it as Teta which means hungry ghost, Land of hungry ghost, that’s what Tibet is all about, honestly. Today we made it into very romantic and wonderful Tibetan and you get this beautiful picture of mountain and beautiful building and also physically and all that. They forget that, but actually make it very romantic but actually it means Land of hungry ghost. So offering must be very rare. In Indian there are a lot of flowers, Tibet did not have flowers even in those earlier days so they had scarves to substitute flower garland, so little white piece of cloth substituting the flower garlands and that’s why we have that scarf- giving culture developed out of those. And because there are no flowers available. During the initiations and they have this little dry flower which is out of some tree thing and because there are no fresh flowers available. So today some people think this flower more important than fresh flower because that’s just culture thing you know.

So all these are reasons. So Tibetans don’t have much to give, so Atisha came from Bengali recommended to give glass of water, that’s why Tibetans lay these water thing and I don’t think anybody else does that water thing, I don’t know. I don’t think Chinese do the water th3ing, I don’t think the Japanese do the water offering, I don’t think even Indian do the water offering. It just became unique in Tibet, maybe I’m wrong, that’s my guessing but Tibetan introduced by Atisha because there was nothing else to give, honestly. And not only Atisha’s so kind, so he said, “Not only you have benefit of giving water but it is eight qualities of water so you get eight different benefits and all that.” So that is why, but most important thing what is really happening is purity, representing the purity of pure, sincere pure, that is the really what it is. So then this not only the water the only one you can offer, water is not the only one you can offer. You can offer incense and all kinds of things. It was about fifteen, twenty years ago when His Holiness went first to Europe and I was for some people came with the scarf and envelope offering. So HH looked at that guy, the geshe, very straight forward geshe, so HH talked to the geshe saying in Tibetan, “Who taught these people to give scarf and envelope?” And the geshe must be very straight forward. He looked at HH, he said, “Because you are here, they started giving you envelope. Normally I get only incense and flowers.”

His Holiness not so sure what to say. So anyway, so the Tibetans that’s why recommended to give and then you know why? Atisha really careful not to engage Tibetans to do something wrong to give for the offerings because you have to take the negative karma of doing wrong. So that is why the end should not justify means. And that really true for everything because karma is such a funny thing. Whatever you do, the positive and negative together, you get the positive karma, you get the negative karma, you get both. So you get loaded with karma and that is why one has to be very careful because that’s why this tradition here it says pure offering. Pure here in the sense there is no hanky- panky created offerings and you know the hanky-panky created offering is the person who’s doing that has both karma and depends which one is heavier, that’s why it is important. And also it is important to have offerings and also important to have art of presentation. If you don’t have the art of presentation, then again it is not that good so…I’m going to say because I got into trouble one time I started talking about Japanese way of putting the carrot and the health food, and people are putting the carrot, they put more carrot in health food thing but you know I don’t want to go in there anymore.

Not only that, if you have too many altar things and then there is altar. The altar, you don’t have to make decision if you look at the Field of Merit, whether it is Lama Chopa or Lam rim or whatever it is, the Field of Merit will tell you if you look at that picture that will tell you who goes where. But then you have to remember that Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha must be taken as the most important guru of yours. Buddha will not live among the buddhas, you have to get up among the gurus and that also most important guru. Thereafter, that is how it is done. And then after that, I’m sort of going rather quickly, if you don’t mind, after that you have to have comfortable sitting. Again, we’ve talked about it- comfortable-earlier, remember what comfortable is. Same thing here, when you sit or you are sitting on the chair doesn’t matter, sitting on the ground or sitting on the chair, unless you are doing completion stage meditation. If you are doing completion stage meditation then you have to sit cross-legged as much as cross-legged you can do. You can’t sit on a chair and do completion stage meditation or exercise or whatever, you can’t. Just like you know Six Yoga of Naropa cannot be done on chair, so just like that. So it has to be sitting on the cushion. Other than that, wherever you sit, whatever is comfortable you can sit and chair is fine.

But if you are sitting it is recommended to have your back slightly higher and the frame slightly lower so that you’ll be sort of you know, what you call it, little bit of up, elevated, by doing elevation of the back you mind will be a little more up and sort of a little more active not so much lazy if you are lying down on that way, you feel lazy and your physical way of sitting will make you feel lazy too and that’s why it is slightly thing. And I also recommend you automatically not to be too soft cushion, nobody says that but if you look at your own experience, if the cushion is really soft then it becomes difficult and then the person physically becomes lazy too, sort of slightly harder cushion. And then I don’t have the problem because I have a lot of personal cushions available so it doesn’t matter whether that is hard but most of you don’t have personal cushion so have maybe…but don’t be so soft because like this cushion you know, it is so soft and it is going down and down and that’s what it is so then you feel lazy. The reason why slightly packed is the hard cushion is not enough to keep you up so that is slightly put it up but then that doesn’t mean you put two, three, four cushions on top of other cushion and then sit like another artificial chair. You don’t want to sit on chair, you want to sit on cushion yet you want to put three or four of them up this small one and then sitting, that is may be not right. But then you can’t very long anyway. So whatever is comfortable and plus sort of upkeep yourself up there, sort of up, not slouch down. And then first and foremost is being a Buddhist, taking refuge. And second, being Mahayana practice generating bodhimind.

Third, being Mahayana Buddhist so then actions which means four immeasurables. Like that little verse: I take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha until I become fully enlightened; by practicing generosity etc, may I be able to obtain enlightenment for the benefit of all. And that sort of words have covered all of them, directly taking refuge and generating bodhimind, indirectly you have the four immeasurables and all of them in there. So you think and practice like that would have been important. And I was thinking and talking with people, many of us, so you know, it is important to have streamline, simplify, also one after another, a practice is necessary for all of us, honestly. There are many, I noticed maybe a little bit too late to notice that. But you know, a lot of people have commitment to this, commitment of that, this sadhana, that sadhana, this and that, there is no streamlined, simplified and all together practice, we have likened that. The best one is Lama Chopa. That maybe too long for so many people, may be too long. Lama Chopa is the one of the best streamline, but however if it is too long because it is called Lama Chopa guru yoga, Lama guru puja, Puja to guru, so that is why, praise, praise, praise, praise, so many praise because of dharmakaya, so many praise because of sambogakaya, so many praise because of nirmanakaya, because of the lineage, because of this and all that, and then offering, offering. Actually, it is seven limb but then offering, offering, offering, too many outer, inner, secret, suchness, and mandala, medicine, servant and all that maybe it becomes a little too long, but simplified, streamlined practice is absolutely necessary.

Tibetan Buddhist practitioners are by virtue they knew because of childhood, from the childhood onwards they sort of brought in that. Then what we do the teachings we do the teachings exactly same as we do in Tibet. If you want to do Lamrim teaching, if they ask to do Lamrim teaching you do Lamrim teaching, you talk about Lamrim qualities and that’s it. And you want to do Yamataka teaching, they talk about Yamantaka, that’s it. So does Vajrayogini, so does Guhyasamaja, so does Kalachakra, so does Hevajra, so does Vajradhara Cittamani, so it is all that is done in Tibet because Tibetans have a basic practice, so they know where to combine and the Western never got that. So it is streamlined practice is important, absolutely. Foundation of the Perfections is another one which has a streamlined practice. The Lamrim blessing from in the Lama Chopa, within the Lama Chopa, the other half of the Lama Chopa, that is another one, streamlined. Because, you know…it reminds me, because some people will ask me, “What do I do? Should I do the Lojong only and Lojong.” Every Tibetan lama you ask, reasonable lama, will say, “Oh very good, do Lojong”. You are going to get answer, “It’s very good, do Lojong.” You’re going to get, no one will say, “Don’t do Lojong”.

No one will say it but what they don’t understand, what I don’t understand is that person is asking, “Should I do Lojong only?”. Then if you say, “Should I do Lojong only?” everybody will say no. “Should I do Lojong?” Everybody will say, “Yes, very good.” But if you say, “Should I do Lojong only?” and then everybody will say no. So I think it is important to know that yes, Lojong is important, necessary, but if you streamlined and you know where Lojong falls in. If you are not streamlined, then Lojong comes out by itself, although some Lojong have little streamlining there, so that is why this three scope is basic, absolutely necessary. One cannot do without, no matter, whatever you may be. You may be simply following Dzogchen and nothing else or you may be simply following Juorim(?) and nothing else and nothing else, even then this streamlines are necessary otherwise you have imcomplete practice, it gets you nowhere and the Lojong will make you soft and gentle and kind but cannot bring you to the level because prerequisites of them is not gone, so that’s why streamlining your practice is basically the first and foremost thing. What you have to take is the basic Four Noble Truths. That is in one way it is absolutely basic, on the other hand, it is the progressive, and then finally this is very big advance practice-the Four Nobel Truths. So simply knowing simple point of view, simply knowing the Four Noble Truths in two segments: positive and negative, cause and the result, negative side is the negative emotions, negative karma, as a cause of suffering; cause of suffering has the results; vice versa, the path causes cessation, cessation means exhaustion of negativities.

That is cause and result, that is basic simple line of looking in the Four Noble Truths and then Four Noble Truths as contemplating, looking in and then knowing the suffering, knowing the sufferings caused by the cause of sufferings, challenging them, working against them. Actually working with path, the result. The path is challenging both the cause of the suffering and suffering itself. Antidote, opposite achievement of the suffering is the cessation. So that is where when you look at it, it is little more than basic looking at it. So that as basis and then working through with all that the Lamrim stages of importantness of the guru devotional practice, human life, suffering and streamlining them, line up, organize them and make it simple little practice for the individual. Once you have established that simple little practice for the individual then using analytical and concentrated meditation on top of that will be a practice and that will lead you to the different steps, finally lead you to the total enlightenment. Until you have that streamline with you, and then everything becomes bits and pieces, here and there and it doesn’t become together.

Until you get them together, you don’t have the basis of practice, basis of strong foundation of practice and that’s really it is and if you sit there like that, you can sit for thirty years, forty years, fifty years, seventy years and then the time will go. It is important to make the practice streamlined, and that’s what we do, that’s why we have all these causes and supposed to be people talk to each other and that’s why we do have even during our retreats we have discussion groups. So they are supposed to be not only what we talk that day but in general practice, general conversation, not as particularly subject that somebody has asked you to talk but subject, something you need to clarify for your own needs, so doing that is very important thing. Otherwise if you don’t have streamlined your practice, maybe only White Tara practice or only Vajrayogini practice or only Yamantaka practice, very high, no doubt, that is where this the teachings always insist to say the Yamantaka practitioner who died during the retreat come out to his companion appeared as Yamantaka, so the companion thought he is having the vision of Yamantaka and started praying and he said, “Wait, I’m so and so not Yamantaka.”

So Yamantaka look alike ghost, remember that, we always talked. Not only me but ever since Ra Lotsawa onwards every teaching in the Yamantaka will repeat that. Simple reason because if you don’t streamline your practice, Yamantaka practice may be very high practice, however it doesn’t become high for individual, that’s why I said it. This old Mrs. Charin used to say, daughter of Tibet, always used to say, “Guhyasamaja not profound but the three words of refuge is profound.” She always used to say that. The other day I saw it in one of those old books traditional Tibetan Buddhist teaching, that very particular word, until then I only heard from her. But the other day, somewhere, whether it was during the Winter retreat or somewhere I saw it, that very word is, “the Guhyasamaja not profound but three words of refuge very profound”. So that’s became that way because when you are not really streamlined and if the practice becomes single branch of that that is not right although each and every sadhana will have bits and pieces of accumulating positive merit as well as accumulating wisdom merit, pre three kaya practice, always they have at least give you bits and pieces, so that’s because of the Buddhist teaching quality because everyone tried to be, even if it’s a branch of that practice is trying to be complete.

And that’s why sadhana becomes so long and that’s why if you are doing two or three sessions a day, you don’t need to do this twice you know, sort of half way cut, so that is the reason why. Because it is already done, streamlined, so anything that’s streamlined you cannot chop up, chop down, that’s the reason why. So it is important to have a streamlined practice for yourself and that you have to create it. You have to create it so there is nothing better streamlined than Lamrim but that doesn’t mean you have to read Lamrim, reading Lamrim is your practice. No. But you can read Lamrim and meditate it everyday, you may be able to read a few pages everyday but that doesn’t work. So what you have to do is you have to really line up, that’s why I insist so much on Lama Chopa for everybody because that streamlines everything. Even you don’t think the word will make you… the words will say it and then if you have opportunity to think one day, “What am I saying?” and you may say, “Oh, that’s what it is! That’s what it is!” you may get it then. Sometimes you begin to see, “Yea, yea, yea”. It’s going to make some sense but exactly I don’t know what it is, may be sort of you know and then it provides you a basis of analytical meditation a little bit on the points.

Then if you ask people or read or something and then you may get answers for what you are inquiring. That answers may sort of answer the curiosity that you build on different level and that line up becomes streamline of your practice. When you have that then it’s called solid practice. If you don’t have solid practice, then if you have a lot of mantra saying here and there may be not that much except Vajrayogini which says saying the mantra alone will do, right? So that is the only one, Vajrayogini, saying the mantra only and as a matter of fact saying the mantra is the direct cause of taking rebirth in the Pure Land of Dakini, so that is very exceptional case, other than that the word alone may not deliver so much. But then the wider words are there because you begin to think if you keep on saying something, something, something you know life long and then you begin to think, “Oh, that’s what it is.” So that’s what happens. And so the words are not only work in that way also the commitments. Even you don’t think you just say the words it’s supposed to fulfill your commitment, at least not breaking it even you don’t think you said the words and that’s what Tibetans are mostly saying are words and you may call it praying or whatever. They are not or may be serving. They are not servicing, they are not praying, they are simply these words are the streamlined practice that you’ve been saying it.

There is no richer than Lama Chopa, again but Lama Chopa is very…a little too long for us today because you know how much we really spend on really, truly practice? Five minutes, ten minutes, that’s what we do, rest of the time everybody engage is about an hour, an hour and a half for practice every day. However, truly, honestly we are putting five to ten minutes but not put in more, the rest of them we thinking hundred different things and doesn’t even know you reach to this particular word where it is ending. So the mouth will move if you memorized, if you have not memorized your eyes will move and read it but your mind and the word not working together, solidly started, like a lot of people will say Tara mantra, let’s say Tara, or any one Tara mantra, and then within Tara mantra…somebody asked me today, “Within Tara mantra, Tara practice, then you have purification. So I’m supposed to be Tara, what am I purifying?” Very good question because the person is thinking.

Honestly, many people don’t even think about that. Thinking itself is great, it is wonderful quality. And then also that’s not a new question, this question has been asked since 1100s. Same thing, honestly, some of the earlier Kadampa lamas used to say, “Tara may have nothing to purify but you and I have a lot to purify.” They said that but what really happening is the practice they probably throwing in the seven limb and the purification down, but if you are saying the mantra and you keep on thinking those that is good thing no doubt but it is also much simpler and easier, more beneficial I think to use them as sort of request and calling and request rather than self generate although you are supposed to. But even then make it in the form of request rather than form of I’m doing it. In one way in the West people like it because “I am doing it” but on the other hand, it is better, more beneficial for us to make it as a request, request for Tara to achieve this, request to Tara to achieve purifying my negativities, request to Tara to obtain the fully refuge, request for Tara to achieve the rejoicing. Like Lama Chopa practice, if you look at Lamrim practice (he spoke in Tibetan), every four line is JIN GYI LOP. I seek your blessing to become this, to become that, so you have that every practice you are thinking but also you are seeking the blessing to be able to achieve that in each level.

Similarly, OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOH. So by the way I have to do oral transmission of Tara and Medicine Buddha today and so while I’m talking with this and I may take the opportunity to do this and if you don’t want oral transmission then don’t listen. If you do just give me a few minutes and so… it is the request of Ngwang Churgijogaya so I’ll do that too, so very short mandala offering. So maybe I’ll do this very short Tara practice. (He spoke in Tibetan). So I think that is in complete of oral transmission for Tara and Chiwan long the MAMA AYUR PUNYE and OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA , OM BEKHANZA BEKHANZA MAHA BEKHANZA…is the Medicine Buddha’s mantra but Tibetan say BEKHANZA BEKHANZA the rest of the world will say BEISHAJA BEISHAJA MAHA BEISHAJA, Tibetan say BEKHANZA BEKHANZA, I don’t know why but… so that is may be Tibetan mispronounced Sanskrit or may be other way of reading, I don’t know, we have to go back a thousand years how it happened, so… so that is completed. And then talking continuously whatever you say, mantra, using as prayer form, request form and yet any subject that you want to meditate you meditate in this way or that way sort of obtaining blessing for that for this will be much beneficial and also you will see the result even better rather than you your normal description of being yourself in Tara and being this and that, rather than that.

Keep that as basis, nothing to deny and then using more time for requesting and every subject that you’re meditating, blessing for receiving that maybe much…particularly of that of Krya and Charya tantra because there is both self basis and basis of other work together so that is why it is easier. Mahayana yoya tantra, you don’t have that basis however you can use as request, may be you visualizing you are this and that but you know we all know very well we are not that. We are not Vajrayogini, we are not Yamantaka, we are simply visualize for a little while because it is result oriented, result yana because we function as though you are in the result level but at the same time we can request and working will be good, I don’t mean don’t do your visualization, you do your visualization as taught but however most of the time saying mantra spend them as a request, it is much, much better, more beneficial for us. So now this is really what I wanted to say today, you need to have streamlined practice so each and everyone of you should work out…some of you definitely have it, streamlined practice.

Even you’re saying the Lama Chopa every day, even then try to pick out that particular point that you are doing because you know the beginning it is you know self generation, then refuge and all that, generating Field of Merit and then begin with the seven limb immediately, the praises are long, very long praises, praises are long, very long praises and then other remaining of seven limb, from purification onwards one verse each and then you have this extra prayer on all that but streamlined practice of the lamrim stage, development in blessing form, spend more time on that and focus and that no one can do better streamline than that at all. The Foundation of All Perfections does have some streamlining in that, even then it is a little too short, a little abbreviated and a lot of things are in between. Lama Chopa is very good, so on that basis and if you want to have your own meditative practice and that will be very good. Even outline to outline, even then that is enough but use them in receiving blessing form and that is important. If you have streamlined practice, that is your basic practice and then on top of that focusing on particular points so then comes the Lamrim practice. Lamrim is very big streamlined, but it is huge, huge, so then that will become particular focusing but you have particular focusing but if you don’t have the basic streamline then you are missing something. Based on what you built is the basic streamline and on top of that you build on that. That is how practitioners should do, that way you will not waste your life, that way you have something solid that you can take it with you, that’s what it is. We all look for something to take but what we look is we look is something to take home for tonight but you know we don’t look for something to take when you really go, so that is what I think is important.

But also I have to go through here and here it says taking refuge and generating bodhimind and four immeasurable etc. It says: Is it really you have to do it with mixing with your mind? In another word, just don’t read it. If you are just reading it is like parrot saying something, doesn’t mean it. Your mind is really involved in it, strongly focused and push it. Then here in this particular Lamrim here and then it is slightly mixed with Vajrayana so after that then dissolving everything in nature of emptiness, usual OM SVABHAVA SHUDDAH SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDOH HAM. From the emptiness right in front of you, with the lion throne in the space, this is Tibetan culture, Indian culture, Chinese culture, mixed them together, throne, lion, all of them are the culture thing. Throne, not necessarily culture but lion throne, peacock throne, all of them are Indian, Tibetan culture, elephant throne, all of them. So, Tibetan may have lion, snow lion but I don’t think they have elephant and peacock. Elephant and peacock, they are you know, like six different animals with six different thrones and all that , these are the Indian cultlure mixed. Anyway, thrones and above that you have lotus, above that you have moon cushion and then generating Buddha, in reality your own root master who is giving you guidance of this particular practice and then in the physical form of Buddha.

Seeing the difference between the Lama Chopa tree and the Lamrim tree. Lamrim tree, Field of Merit tree, Lamrim tree has Buddha in center. Lama Chopa tree has Lama Tsongkhapa in the center, that is the difference, there is no other difference. So these trees are almost the same even almost all those…okay may be that I should stop here, I don’t want…I’m talking too much. And then Buddha surrounded by the lineage masters of the wisdom and the compassion lineage. They are surrounded by buddhas and bodhisattvas, Buddha’s disciples, shravakas and pratyekayanas, dakas, dakinis, dharmapalas and then invocation. This is a little elaborate, invocation. And then offering bath. First is offering bath which we normally don’t talk much so here they have this, offering bath. Offering bath is very interesting, it is part of Lamrim practice and it is part of Lama Chopa practice. I remember I taught Lama Chopa a couple of times but every time I skipped the bath part offering so I never talked about it. But here, very brief one so may be I should do that. So what really happens is you invite the Field of Merit, sit them on their respective places, then when the time comes for bath, not that they smell but you know, I think it will come a little later, so visualization you visualize bath house, it is probably like old fashion thing you know, old fashion thing even in Europe you have those bath houses. When I go to Holland, always when I drive to the hotel there is a little old house it is called bath house, that’s where people used to go to take a bath so it is old culture they have them.

But anyway, nowadays we have bathroom so don’t have to have bathhouse somewhere, but on the other hand what we called those fitness centers are the bigger bathroom, anyway, so in your visualization, this is interesting (he read in Tibetan)… they said bathhouse beautiful smell, right? May be a lot of Samsara’s been thrown in there, I mean the perfume Samsara I don’t mean samsara samsara. And then this is supposed to be glasshouse, mirror house. The ground is mirror, the walls are mirrors, everything is mirror and then with all the decorations of jewels and all that so then you invite Buddha first, take Buddha’s clothes off and then offer bath. When Buddha was born all these tathagatas had come and poured the pure water and washed you, and likewise, I’m offering water, water offering to you today. When Buddha was born, supposed to be given wash by all the enlightened beings before he took the seven steps. After the bath, after dressing, took the seven steps, right? Seven steps became seven flowers, this and that. And then Buddha and then the lineage masters of wisdom, compassion and then all of those, gurus, yidams, buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas, dakinis and then also you give the …your body is pure, your body is faultless, pure, nothing to wear but I’m going to dry your body by this beautiful whatever it is, so I’ giving the thing and then offer new clothes, new ornaments and all that in your visualization. In your gesture, what you do take your mirror and show to your altar and then thinking when you invite them their reflection have been invited in the mirror and then you pour the water on top of the mirror because you can’t wash the images so mirror and then cleansing everything and then finally offering new dress, new ornaments and replace them on their respected places within the Field of Merit.

That is very, very briefly talking about the bath offering. Shortest version of either offering bath or food or whatever, sort Buddha the peerless master, Dharma the peerless protector and sangha the peerless helper, may we make offerings of bath, may we make offerings of food, may be make offerings of tea, may we make offerings of coffee, may we make offerings of wine, whatever, so that’s probably is the very, very shortest way, Buddha the peerless master, Dharma the peerless protector, sangha the peerless helper may we make offerings to the three precious jewels, so whatever the offerings may be. So that is very short way for food, for tea, for coffee for anything you drink. Making the first offering is a lot of benefits too, it goes well with the advices of refuge, it also takes benefit people who are engaged their labor to creating the food not only cooking in the kitchen but producing the food and processing and transporting, selling, buying and everything else, it’s supposed to be benefiting them, so does every other. That sort of very simple way of doing that, it will go well with the anything you do, we do, anything we eat, you know, one of the advices of refuge, so the refuge advises whatever you eat, whatever you drink, first make offerings, that’s what it is. So whether you do it gesture of showing off, doing it like this and that or simply from your mind you do make. If you are all the same practitioners you may even say it loud otherwise others may think you are crazy, you know, you are crazy. Some people may think you are practitioner, many people may think you are crazy. And then followed by brief seven limb.

Brief seven limb, we have the Jewel Heart practice is based on seven limb and some seven limb are very detailed and some are short so very brief seven limb. It’s almost three thirty some people have to go. Some people have to go half an hour ago and so very brief practice then focusing on, single pointed focusing , single pointed focusing here, like it says here for Lamrim practice, first guru devotional practice and if you are picking that up we talked to you earlier criteria of guru and now it is the analytical meditation first. Analytical meditation. Actually, what the Lamrim tradition teaches you, to do the analytical meditation is saying you do analyzing on your guru and take the guru and see whether that person, he or she, fit to be guru or not fit to be guru. Analyze the quality of the person and analyze it and also find out whether this master is source of completion of siddhihood or not. Whether it is the source of good qualities for this and future lives or not, whether it is fit as Buddha taught about medicine and the doctor and curing illness, whether that fits or not. And all these analyzing. And when you do the analyzing it is definitely our mind will tell you, you are not, mostly no because we think everything is I did it, nobody else did anything else; everything is I did it, it is my achievement, it is me and my and me and me, nothing else. That is our blood, this is our culture, it’s how we think. So, and then where is guru devotional practice going to come? There is no room because everything is me. I did it.

So the question comes, “Why we are stuck here till even today? Why we are stuck here even today? Honestly, even today?” We are stuck here even today because A: we did not know the path, me, B: nobody told me, C: even somebody told me I did not listen. That’s the A,B,C answer, honestly. In short, you know the normal Lamrim teachings will have the outline of benefit of having a master, guru; disadvantage of not having, disadvantage of having wrong connection. All of them have eight, eight, eight, remember? So bring them in and try to meditate, try to draw the conclusion, draw the conclusion is root of all developing profound faith. Faith here is not stupid faith, intelligent faith. Stupid faith is easy to develop but easy to destroy. It may give you artificial help but will not give you good, strong, solid basis. So intelligent faith, you need it. You do develop intelligent faith by using those reasons, benefit, disadvantage, why and all these will finally bring you a) whatever little profound or not so profound respect, those respect will provide you the basis of profound guru devotional practice. So developing faith, profound faith is the main thing actually, the branch of that, the secondary of that, remembering the kindness and gaining profound respect, that is secondary but profound faith is the really requirement and not only just simple faith but inseparable that of Buddha, oneness with Buddha, inseparable that of Buddha.

These are … looks like brainwashing but on the other hand, it is very important because many of you have been in this Cittamani Tara practice and that’s quite clear over there. At the end of guru devotional practice, dissolving the guru in your heart level and then becoming your own consciousness, primordial or very subtle, original, pure consciousness of yourself, and that of yidam and that of lama, becomes oneness. Sort of one of Vajrayana’s profound points of lama yidam and your subtle consciousness become oneness. So this devotional practice provides that base, working basis of this. When you don’t have that, over at the Vajrayana level, no matter how many times you say subtle consciousness, yidam and lama become one, you may yell it, scream it, shout it, and do whatever you do, it doesn’t become that, all of a sudden happening here, it doesn’t become. And also if you look at it, this is very interesting. Our ordinary five aggregates transforming them into the five dhyani buddhas, our ordinary five emotions changing into five wisdom like the ignorance becomes mirror like, stinginess becomes equanimity or the jealousy becomes equanimity.

All of those are rooted at the guru devotional practice level. Guru devotional practice level actually you are providing basis of yourself becoming fully enlightened Buddha especially when you are working with Vajrayana, that is where the transformation has to take place, that is where the skandhas or the aggregates changing, that is where emotions are transforming, all of them. So when you take the guru devotional without that, throwing out by itself, when we do that, we do that because we don’t want to bring the Vajrayana qualities here that’s why you throw them out and then it looks like something very strange and some people may say that is Tibetan Buddhism or some people may say that’s this and that but it is important, it’s not that it makes difference to the guru whoever whether alive or not alive, will not make any difference to that person, not make any difference even a penny’s worth to that person but to the practitioners it makes a huge difference. But I’m thinking today, most of my spiritual masters passed away but I’m thinking they are actual reality, fully enlightened Buddha, Buddha Yamantaka, Buddha Tara, Buddha Vajrayogini, Buddha this that, or I’m thinking, yeah that is he’s a little more silly, a little this, a little that make no difference to that person at all, but makes a hell of a difference to me.

So I’m telling you on my base experience basis. Keeping that in mind and looking into guru devotional practice make difference to yourself. And it is important even at the Lamrim level it is called root of all development and then when you look at the result level, since most of us are in Vajrayana anyway, so when you look at the Vajrayana level transforming and changing and all of these, it is very much interconnected. Over here we are building the basis, over there we are looking at what we achieve, that is the difference. So then when you are thinking of these faults of individual, you get a lot of them. Or this master of mine is short-tempered; this master of mine is holy horror, this master of mine is simply very attached for this, for that; this master of mine is so jealous and this and that this and that; we get all of those, definitely and this master of mine is so silly, you know, and all that we definitely are going to get it. And in short, bottom line, underline bottom line, whatever we think we make no difference to that master whatsoever; it’s not him, it’s not her; it’s me, that’s really what it is.

Kyabje Ling Rinpoche told me, he said, “Final conclusion reason is that it’s because I seek advantage I don’t seek disadvantage, that’s how you close”, which means it’s me not him. We are not checking whether he is Buddha or not. Actually I’m checking whether can I take that as a Buddha, that’s what I’m checking. So because if you look as Buddha makes no difference to that person but we get benefit of a Buddha. We look at as bodhisattava, we get benefit of bodhisattva. If we look at as Shravakabuddha, Pratyekabuddha, a good person, we get according to that benefit. If you look at as bad person, you get benefit of bad person. So it’s not him or her, it’s me, that’s why. Because I do not want any disadvantage, I want total benefit; that is how. This is not brainwashing; some people may think when you don’t see all that picture together. And then not only that, every sadhana you open you have that praise: lama whose kindness giving the total enlightenment like matter of second and then I bow to your vajra feet, that is tantra word. Everywhere, every tradition of Tibetan: sakya, nying ma, kagyu, gelug, everybody, every sadhana do open, male, female tantra; male, female deities; highest tantra, lower tantra, medium tantra, everywhere, you have that, that is the reason why. Why is it there? Because when you become fully enlightened you become within that, that is why even the guru yoga, some of the profound guru yoga have, Six Session Guru Yoga also has this. My lama dissolves in me and something I become same taste or something, that is exactly what it means. So it is important, it is must, yet it is very dangerous; very dangerous of misunderstanding, mismanaging it but you have to remember it makes no difference to that person, it is only me. Not him or her, only me. That’s it, thank you. I’m going to stop here today.