Archive Result

67

20121111GRAATB45

00:00

Good morning everybody and welcome to Tibetan Buddhism with Gelek Rimpoche. That’s me. As you recall, we basically are talking here about the essence of Buddha’s teaching which travelled through the Tibetan lineage. The reason why we talked this is as you remember, what does it mean to practice Tibetan Buddhism. We came to the answer that it is through three steps: learning, contemplating and meditating. Learning comes first. But there are so many ways of learning. There is so much, really. Many deep things. Can somebody learn everything? Not possible, until you become either fully enlightened or until you have developed some fantastic accomplishment of knowing almost everything. Until then it is not possible. That’s why we divide or rather specialize between those who are seeking liberation or freedom and those who want to know very specific things. Even in the normal, western non-spiritual learning it is not possible for one person to be expert in everything. People do specialize and pick up the subject.

Likewise the practitioners of the spiritual path do the same thing. There are those who seek liberation from suffering and those……….. who like to continue. That’s sounds a little funny, but it is like that. And there are those of us who just seek samsaric goodies. That’s a little nice of putting it. The essence or purpose of Buddha’s teaching is to bring up, to help, to bring people closer to – I didn’t say God – but to enlightenment or whatever. So that’s what we call liberation seekers. The Buddha’s teachings are totally focused on that purpose. Buddha doesn’t tell us how to make ourselves rich or even doesn’t even emphasize health that much, though it is important and is not ignored. But the major purpose is to liberate ourselves.

0:05

Particularly seeing the situation today, with our physical and mental capabilities, the combination of this human body and this human mind, there is so much we can do and there is so much opportunity. There is tremendous opportunity provided by the human life. It is almost like the sky is limit. Buddha emphasized that to us. This is the precious human life found but once.

It is not so easy. We know it is good. I do think we all know. But we may not realize until there is a threat to our life. Then we know how precious and important it is. Unfortunately some of us need that threat to wake up and realize. Many of our friends in the spiritual practice and Tibetan Buddhist practice in particular, we hear that all the time. We read about it all the time. It passes us and we still don’t realize until there is a challenge and a threat. Then you begin to wonder “wow” and the fear will come. It is not a new value developed in us but when there is a chance of losing it you realize how important it is.

You don’t need to meditate and put years of efforts in. We know it, however we pay no attention and don’t acknowledge and then the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening and the next day it will repeat and we keep ourselves absolutely busy with whatever thing it is. There is not even enough time to breathe. And that is how we are actually wasting our time. Sorry to say that. We do have the capability and capacity. It is the combination of this mind and physical body. It gives us tremendous opportunity and that is an opportunity that doesn’t come very often. I am talking about reincarnation, not the everyday life. In everyday life, the opportunity comes and goes. The Indians have that saying aya ram gee ya ram – Ram has come, Ram has gone. Ram is God, you know. That’s like saying the sun has come and gone and it will come and go again. So we don’t realize until we are told that “today you have to go.” When that threat comes we will be afraid and we will do everything and will leave no stone unturned. That means it is important. This is very valuable. Until then we don’t realize. There is no new life, it is the same old life we have had yesterday, last month, last year, the year before – the same old thing. So when you look back, those years are gone. From the pure spiritual point of view they were more or less wasted.

0:10

I am going to give you a little argument here. If it wasn’t wasted, then what did I achieve? That is the question you should raise. If you have achieved something that you can be proud of that is spiritually benefitting yourself, then you have not wasted your life. If you don’t have something solid to show that is a clear sign you have wasted your life. Whatever is gone before yesterday we can do nothing about it. We can regret and shake our head and be surprised. But that’s it. We can do nothing. But from today we can decide not to waste any more. From now on let’s not waste. Let’s do something that makes a difference.

Yes, we talk about all sentient beings, about love, kindness and care and all that. But first and foremost comes ourselves. Really truly, charity begins at home. Spiritual development begins with me, myself, inside me, not outside. Nothing. There is no angel called “spiritual development” that comes and flies and enters our forehead and gets in our body. It doesn’t work that way. It begins with me. The first and foremost is not looking outside. It is looking inside. That’s the point. Many of our friends put a lot of effort in to help and do all kinds of things. They are totally dedicated and put their life in it. That’s great and wonderful. But what did you get? But do you have to take home with you when you have to separate your body and mind? That is going to happen one day for sure. Remember the commercial of the guy from the Men’s Warehouse saying “I guarantee you that you will be happy”? Like that, I guarantee you that the day will come where you die. It is going to happen. So you can say “I guarantee.” Then when that happens what do you have to carry with you?

0:15

That is what we are looking for, something very solid, a lot of virtues, good work, a lot of care and compassion and many of us will think, “Well, I didn’t do anything really bad. I didn’t kill anyone, I didn’t steal anybody’s property, I didn’t cheat anyone. I am quite okay.”

And that maybe the mind that lets us down. “Yeah, I should be okay. I will be okay”. But that is not the real thing. That may sound like I am looking down, but it is not good enough for us. We have such a great opportunity, and luckiest of all we have met with the tradition of Buddha’s teaching which is alive, a living tradition and not only Buddha’s tradition, but specifically the teachings of Jamgön Lama Tsongkhapa. That is something very rare. A wonderful thing and normally we don’t emphasize that outside Tibet. That maybe Tibetan politics, some political reason. When I grew up in Tibet, every day the teachers would say that “you are so lucky to have met with the teachings of refined gold, the teachings of Jamgön Lama Tsongkhapa.” There were some historical incidents. One of the Panchen Lamas, I think according to the Tibetan way of counting it would be the 3rd Panchen Lama and according to the Chinese way of counting, it will be the 8th Panchen Lama. He gave a teaching in eastern Tibet and there were a number of Chinese disciples and benefactors attending.

The Panchen Rinpoche was telling them how previous this life is and how difficult to find. One of the Chinese benefactors told Panchen Rinpoche later, “The problem with you is that you have not been to China, so you don’t know how many people there are. You only see those few people in Tibet and you think human life is difficult to find.” The Panchen Rinpoche laughed and said, “Look, I am not talking about the number, I am talking about quality.”

One benefactor gave a tremendous amount of gifts and then asked the Panchen Rinpoche, “Can you please guarantee that I will be reborn as a human being.” The Panchen Rinpoche said, “Sure.” “Can you guarantee that I will meet with the Buddha’s teaching?” “Oh sure.” “Can you guarantee that I will meet with the teachings of Jamgön Lama Tsongkhapa?” The Panchen Rinpoche said, “That I cannot guarantee. I can pray for you.” So things like that show you it is really rare.

With such an opportunity, if you have nothing solid to carry by the time you go that is a real waste. That’s what you need, something solid. There is nothing more. In one way it is so simple, in another way so complicated. It is simple. Buddha himself had summed it up:

Avoid all negativities

Build all positives

Tame your mind

This is Buddhism

We used to say that we need a bus stop Buddhism. This is it – given by Buddha himself. When we say we need some solid to carry and not waste our life, look at this:

Avoid all negativities.

We do have tremendous negativities. Again, I can guarantee that, unless you are enlightened. Other than that we all have tremendous negativities. Don’t even doubt that. They are there. And we are continuously making more. So what can you do? Negativities are purifiable. You can purify them. Honestly. Negativities are impermanent. Even permanent monuments get bad. One time I saw the head dress of the Statue of Liberty sitting in someone’s back yard in New York for re-painting. That’s years ago. Why is that? Because although it is a permanent monument it needs repair, because it is actually impermanent. So negativities are also impermanent. The definition of impermanence is that it changes minute to minute, moment to moment, actually.

0:22

That goes for negativity as well as positivity, negative as well as positive karma. They are both impermanent. Purification cuts the negative karma. Anger/hatred burns positive karma. In the field of karma that is so simple. We can purify all these negativities. You keep on purifying. If you only say one time:” I purify all my negativities” that just doesn’t purify enough. Otherwise we can all just say that. In our culture we normally say “forgive me” or “I apologize”. That’s all good, but it doesn’t make the negativities go away. Keep on repeating the purification with sincere mind and the application of the four powers. It is important, so I have to say it. Constant repetition helps. If you put a drop of water in a bucket all the time there will be a time when the bucket is filled. Keep on purifying every day with sincere dedication, not simply just saying a few words – which we do all the time. So make sure it is not just a movement of the lips. That wouldn’t be good enough. The words must be backed by thoughts. Thought comes first. That produces the words. The words make the reality, it forms your character. So that’s what you do every day. By doing that every day it gets you somewhere. You cut the negativities out and you build the most profitable positives up. That will give you something to carry when you go. Preferably it will change and transform your life from negative into positive, becoming fully enlightened during the bardo or the next life. If not, then at least make sure that the next life will also be, if not better, but at least as good as this, with all opportunities, particularly to continue your work until you become a fully enlightened Buddha and be able to complete the path in that life.

0:27

When you have that then you have something solid, otherwise it is a gamble between the positive and negative karma. Most people do that. How does that work? Whichever you are more familiar with will materialize a little earlier, whichever is less familiar will materialize later - also the more powerful karma materializes earlier and the weaker karma materializes later. That is how it works, when it goes to the gamble. It is a like a common pool of karmas. When you make a difference to your life and lives, make sure you don’t have to go to that common pool – gambling business.

Then if possible, go solidly. If not possible, at least get closer to it and then you have something solid to carry. And we can do that – now. The important thing: avoid negativity, build positivity. What is building positive? For me – maybe technically that is not right – positive karma is virtuous karma. Wherever you can get more profitable virtuous karma you should try to get it. Otherwise, not killing or not stealing alone will build positive karma. Helping also builds positive karma. Making things more beneficial to a lot of people also builds positive karma, no doubt. But is that good enough? Very definitely not, particularly as we have such an opportunity.

0:30

We not only met with the teachings of Buddha, but we have this wonderful tradition of Jamgön Lama Tsongkhapa and all these great beings. So just being good alone is not good enough. You have to be extraordinarily good. And you can easily do it. I almost like to say it here: if you can’t do it, nobody else can do it. Honestly. We are in that situation. That’s not because of ourselves, but because of the opportunity we have. If we can’t do it, nobody else can. Also it is simple. It is not complicated. It is very simple.

The key is bodhimind, nothing else. That mind is what we have to search for. The bodhimind is already on your own pillow – if not already in your head or heart. But you need to pick it up. It is not far away. You don’t have to search far. It is on your pillow. You just need to pick it up. But before you pick it up to have recognize what it is. That’s why learning is the first step. Otherwise instead of picking up bodhimind you may be picking up bedbugs. Then you will be in trouble, right?

What is bodhimind? It is a thought that is totally dedicated to compassion and love plus the desire to seek full enlightenment. It’s as simple as that. You and I have the opportunity to develop it – whether it is a mentally created mind or naturally becomes your mind. We can do both. The first step is to mentally, imaginatively shape it and pick it up and hold it, trying to merge that with your mind. That is what it boils down to when you speak in layman’s terms. You create that mind, so make sure you create it right. Try to make that your mind. At least artificially you can think: for the benefit and service of all living beings I will do all the right things. I will not waste my day, my month, my week, my year, but particularly this day and this particular work. This is a sort of mentally fabricated thought that then is accepted by our own mind.

0:36

Then it is taken in and our mind is made into that nature, by merging with that thought, becoming oneness with that thought. That is at least the artificial bodhimind. If you can do that every day in the morning you make your day worthwhile. Everything you do during that day becomes double and triple the amount of virtue. If you can do that then in the words of the bodhisattvacharyavatara: whoever develops that mind I will prostrate to that person.

Whoever comes in contact to you and connects with you that life becomes worthwhile, even if it in the context of harm.

The last verse in the bodhisattvacharyavatara says

Ka la nö pa che ja de dra wa

De wa jung ne de la ta chab je

Whoever even harms that will create joy.

That’s because of the connection. The best connection is to have good relations. But if that is not possible, even a bad relationship will make a difference and create joy. That much benefit is in the bodhimind. Buddha praises it like a “gold solution that when applied makes every metal into gold.” I believe this is not talking about gold plating. The traditional Indian sorcery system was able to transform metals into gold. That is not available now, otherwise everybody would become wealthy, right? We would all become Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. That is not possible. But traditionally in India there was this magical sorcery. That is what this is referring to as a metaphor. Another name for gold is “essence of earth”. Now of course we have this “rare earth”. That’s different. Truly, essence of earth is gold. The ordinary mind transforms into that extraordinary state. That is the metaphor of metal changing into gold.

0:40

The ordinary, very common, contaminated, impure physical and mental body we have can be made into the extraordinary, pure buddha’s body. This is from the bodhisattvacharyavatara:

Mi tsang lu di lang ne gyel wei ku

Rin chen rin thang me par gyur we na

Jang chub sem she ja wa rab ten sung

For it transforms the unclean body we have taken

Into the priceless jewel of a Buddha form

Such a priceless jewel can be transformed by this mind. That’s why it is called bodhimind. Each and every one of us has the possibility and capability to pick that mind up. If you don’t, at least unconditionally, without putting extra force and effort, have it become part of our mind. If we don’t have that, we have wasted our life, after having all this opportunity.

So we realize that what happened before yesterday is gone, but what we can do from today onwards, that is what we should do.

What are you going to take home today? Compassion, love and the ultimate, unlimited, unconditional love and compassion, which is the bodhimind. It is something we can develop, at least create as an artificial thought. If we entertain that every day our life will be very worthwhile. That also clears a lot of our obstacles and difficulties. And whatever difficulties we face will go very far away. That is one of the easiest ways to make our day worthwhile.

But that doesn’t end the learning of Buddhism. It is one of the ways to do it. There is tremendous wisdom in Buddhism. The skillful Buddhist teachers select how much we can pick up and what we can do. You can be a great scholar and not only that, the true learning or scholarship in Tibetan is not about the knowledge alone, but that knowledge has to merge with the mind and develop the person.

0:45

That is a scholar. Being a scholar just based on information is a well-informed person, not really a scholar. The word in Tibetan is ke pa, learned one. But that doesn’t just refer to learning information, but whatever information has been learned becomes development within the individual person. It goes as an antidote to one of the multiple negative emotions. It becomes a force behind one of the positive emotions you develop. That is what we call “learned”. When you say learning, it is not only picking up information but whatever you are learning you are doing.

There is a little story: there was an old man who was not well. He sat in his house on a cushion made from animal skin. He was reading the Buddha’s teaching. The teaching says that one should not use the animal’s skin. So pulled the animal from under his cushion and sat on the floor and kept on reading. Days later he came to a passage that read “if you are sick you can be given an exception.”. So the pulled the cushion back. So learning is not only picking up information, but also making that your every day activity, merging with that information, making that a part of your life. That is the learning we are talking about. We are not learning in schools, just picking up information. Even learning in schools makes people do better, doesn’t it? So that’s what is it.

Thank you so much – I think I have to stop here today. As usual please pray with the Four Immeasurables

0:48 – chanting of Four Immeasuralbes – 0:50 end of file