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20110807GRAAOpenHeart

Good morning and welcome everybody here today. I have to give you the greetings from the members of Jewel Heart in Malaysia and Singapore. Everybody sends their greetings and good wishes and prayers for the success of your spiritual practice. Also I like to inform you that the members of Jewel Heart in Malaysia and some of the Singapore members do something for Jewel Heart here to meet our mortgage of this place. They try to publish some books and try to sell DVDs and CDs and raise funds to pay for this building. I just want to inform you that they not only send their greetings and wishes, but they also do a lot to pay for this building. That is although they are thousands of miles away and only few of them are able to come here and attend retreats, such as this upcoming summer retreat and maybe the winter retreat. But they feel it is the same Jewel Heart and they try to do things.

Also they are doing quite good in their physical condition and are totally dedicated to doing practice. They look to Jewel Heart here for their guidance and help, such as giving and running courses. It is very good. I shouldn’t take all my time talking about Jewel Heart Malaysia and Singapore. But I spend the last month in that area. I did teachings on overcoming negativity or rather fear, but negativity, on the basis of the First Dalai Lama’s Praise, in which he talks about the 8 fears. I did that twice in Malaysia. They also requested the full Yamantaka initiation and teaching. I did the teaching, but fully, initiation and teaching. They also invited a group of monks from India, from Nyagre Khamtsen, which Jewel Heart is connected with. Unfortunately the monks couldn’t make it because of visa issues. So I had to do an extra dharma tour. I had to go to a couple of places. Some of them I have not been to since 1983. The day I arrived there a number of people showed up with photographs taken in 1983. It is a little interesting, but I went to places called Perak, Grik and Penang and I was supposed to go to Butterworth and another two or three places that I couldn’t cover, but most people from these places came either here or there. My short report is that it was successful and actually people are very dedicated and carry on their spiritual path in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism.

The Asian way of dedication and the western way of dedication is slightly different. They are more devotional, but they are doing good. Wherever I go I talk the same thing.

07:00 Today my subject is “Opening the Heart”. I think that is the surgeon’s job. That’s just a joke. It is interesting. The heart in Asian traditions and particular Tibetan Buddhism is where the consciousness, the being, the mind, the self is supposed to be remaining. It is in the midst of the heart. In the west we think that is the brain. We think that all thoughts are there. Maybe there is a relationship between heart and brain. I was brought up to think the mind is at the heart and that is the way Buddhism and any other Asian tradition and religion think and talk about. In other words, it is not necessarily opening the heart, but opening our mind. Be open-minded.

That is very important. If you have a closed mind you can never let any good information and good thing come in. I used to work in the Indian radio station. It is funny. There was just one radio station throughout the country. It is called “All India Radio”. I used to work there in the Tibetan language broadcasting. Every time I walked into the main gate I saw that big quote from Gandhi on the wall. Unfortuantely I don’t remember the exact quote, but the gist of it was: Let all the windows be open. Let all the air blow through. Let it freely flow, so that you don’t remain closed.

That was Gandhi’s idea. Open it up and let the air flow, so that there will be no stale air and fresh air can come in. That is important. All of us, no matter whatever say or deny, we have very strong selfish interest. That is almost our theme and our goal. Rightly we say that if we don’t help ourselves who else will help. However, the selfishness alone is not the way to spend our lives. Our life is extremely important, precious and very valuable. Even more so for us, because our open mind really opens to all kinds of things that human beings can achieve – other than material achievements. We can achieve a lot. We can achieve joy and happiness. We can achieve freedom from our negative thoughts and emotions. According to Buddha we can achieve buddhahood. That is important for us. All this opportunity will not be available for us if we close our heart and mind and try to be very narrow.

That is not a criticism, remember that, but some people would like to be very conservative, but almost extremist. That is not opening. Actually, what you are doing is closing the opportunities available to yourself. You are just cutting yourself out. That is the thing.

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0:14 (overlap dark red – blue – 0:22)

So generally there has to be openness, opening ourselves to the opportunity, whether it is spiritual, material or whatever – without losing your own principle. That is also important. Some people would like to be open, open, open and have no backbone. If you don’t have some backbone to hold then it is very hard on the spiritual path. It is just like even in our material world. You have to have a backbone to hold. Like here we have democracy. With the democratic ideas as backbone, we can be open to anything and that becomes the icing on the cake. Likewise, on the spiritual path you have to have your principles – whatever they are, one of the great traditions, whether it is the Judeo-Christian tradition or the Hindu-Buddhist tradition. These are well known and accepted traditions. On that basis, open yourself to any information. That is one way of looking at openness.

Another layer, a little deeper than that is not simply opening your heart to wisdom and compassion. I am going a little beyond that. To me sometimes, when you look at your spiritual path and the different steps and layers, you get some deeper meaning – not from the intellectual capacity alone. Internally you get something. I don’t know how to describe that in words. You may be saying the same prayers you have been saying – in my case it is 70 years. You may be reading the same book for the 70th time, but you have a different way of understanding. A different message gets in with that. The whole ritual or practice will follow on that particular line. It functions that way. It has something different. Although it may be the same book and the same page and the same words you are saying, but there is something other than the words and the obvious written message. There is something different, and it doesn’t just appear once, but stays throughout the whole two, three hours practice you have. It threads through. When that happens I think it is another little layer, making yourself available and accepting and entertaining compassion, love and this and that. It is a little deeper than that.

Then even deeper than that will be experience and knowledge. Not only the words give you imagination and ideas, but they actualize. Whatever the words say is sort of becoming. It happens not only with spiritual practitioners. I have a friend, a musician. I will not give the name, but all of you know. That person told me that every music that person composes, the words become images of Buddha figures. Every lyrics become dance steps on the piano. That person literally sees that happening. Maybe that example is not right for you, but that is another way of opening. Whatever you are thinking becomes actual, live, living. Not only thoughts, but it really becomes. It is not only sound, it actually becomes that.

0:22

So these are a number of ways of opening. The first step that we the individuals can do is just to get away from the narrow restrictions and making ourselves available for messages and things like that. In my personal case, occasionally, whether I like or am obligated, I go to church and attend the service. The words are all wonderful. Each one of them gives me different meaning than what everybody else in the church hears. Maybe I should leave it there, because I am making a fool of myself here.

So then it doesn’t become so different, whether it is Judeo-Christian or Hindu-Buddhist or whatever. Something goes beyond denominations of religious labels. All of them are possible, if you make yourself open, willing to… But the basic principle is important to keep, because the difference between virtue and non-virtue, hurting and not hurting people is important. If you don’t keep that as principle and experiment with everything, that will not be right. Sometimes people engage in miserable negativities, like traditionally there is the Hindu-Buddhist almost mythological story about somebody called Angulimala. That means “rosary of thumbs”. A wrong master told this seeker-disciple, “If you can kill 1000 human beings and cut their thumbs and wear them, come to me and I will liberate you.” There is a story like that. You should not fall into that type of thing due to being open-minded, thinking, “I am open to everybody and everything.” That would be very harmful. That is why to keep a background of principles like virtue versus non-virtue is important. There is no such religion in the world that accepts non-virtue as a means to liberations.

But there are those that claim to be spiritual paths, but which are violent by nature. They tell you to hurt yourself and others as much as possible and that much liberation you will get. Some extremist position you can see. You should not fall into these things. But all of you are intelligent, educated and wonderful persons. You are better than that. So keeping your common sense and your educational understanding as guideline and keeping alert while you are going through and then you can be open and let the information flow through. Then it is your choice to select and reject. After all, you have education and you are an intelligent person. You are not a robot. If you are robot you are programmed and act according to the program. If you are programmed to jump you jump. If you are programmed to dance you dance. But we are not. You are all intelligent, so use your mind and follow that path. In your case, fortunately or unfortunately, I am here and Jewel Heart is here and we give you a very good path, honestly, a very solid, wonderful path.

0:28

As I understand, the summer retreat is coming up very soon on August 25th. I understand we have way over 200 people. It will be very hard to fit in, even if you want to come last minute, but it is still available.

I have two more things to talk to you. There is a Buddhist conference in India in November. I have been asked to go – not only invited, but asked to go. So I have to go to India in November.

0:30

Along with that Jewel Heart here is organizing a Buddhist pilgrimage in India and Nepal. Let me tell you this: there are the 12 links of Buddhist teaching, the 12 principal events of Buddha’s activities and so on. But there are four very important things in Buddha’s life: Buddha’s birth, his obtaining enlightenment, his contemplation and his giving teachings, after experiencing enlightenment. These are known as the four great events of Buddha’s life. They all took place historically in India. For centuries Buddhists and non Buddhists people went over these events, following the foot steps of Buddha. In the Buddhist tradition itself it is said that if one travels to all these four places, every time you go once, your next life – if you believe in reincarnation – will not be in a lower realm, neither in the hell realms, nor the hungry ghosts realms, nor the animal realms. You will be either a human being or samsaric god or a demi-god – out of the 6 realms. That’s what the Buddhist tradition says.

So Jewel Heart is organizing that. Not only that. Those of you who are going with us on the tour will also be participating in the conference. This conference is addressed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness Shankacharya and His Holiness the Supreme Thai leader. So all these Holinesses will fill up this conference, as well as we have evenings during the conference where we invited many different teachers, including Samdong Rinpoche, who is now the former Prime Minister of His Holiness. He will give teachings one evening. On another day, the Ganden Tripa, the throne holder of Tsongkhapa, will come one evening. Also there will be Lodi Gyari Rinpoche, His Holiness’s representative to the United States. They will all come and address us. There could be many expected or unexpected people who may or may not materialize during the tour.

If you are interested, Ujjen-la is doing the job. You all received the flyers about that. So please contact him.

0:35 Another thing is that my grand daughter is doing the International Jewel Heart facebook. She says she needs help. She wants to have more friends on it. How is that done?

Audience: you just have to go onto that Jewel Heart International Facebook page and press “like”.

Rimpoche: So you heard that, right? Thank you. I should have given you time to ask questions, but I might not be able to today, because of the lack of time.

During this retreat, we will not be having the Sunday morning talk. There will be over 200 people, so there is no place to include other people. But on the following Sunday, September 4, we will be having the Amitayus longevity initiation as the conclusion of the retreat and all are welcome, even if you are not coming to the retreat.

But if you are not here physically, I don’t think the oral transmission of this retreat will be available. It will not do any good to put it on the website or anything. It doesn’t serve the purpose. There will be a lot of oral transmissions. I got a request from our directors and administration to make the retreat available on-line. I can make the teachings available on line, but the whole thing I cannot, because the oral transmissions may not work. Pretending that it works and then it doesn’t work is not good. We have no way of confirming whether it is right or wrong. So the best thing is not to pretend. So the teachings only will be available on line, as information aspect, but the transmissions might not be available. That is the slight difference. Those of you who are familiar will know.

With this I like to say thank you and I am so happy to be back – there is no place like home.

Thank you 38:53 Dedication – 39:56 - Thank you ------end of file

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