Archive Result

20140410GRAAETB47

0:00:00.0

Good morning and welcome everybody. Today we are meeting in Ann Arbor and we are having surprise visitors, rather unexpected and unplanned. They will be joining us soon. Right now I don’t know what happened to them. Anyway, the talk we are doing here is about Tibetan Buddhism. Basically we talked the last whole year about the basic Buddhist teachings and in particular, the Four Noble Truth and we went from that principle.

0:01:36.0

This year we probably want to talk more about the Mahayana. Before we go into detail, be talked about the difference of these yanas or vehicles, the Theravada as well as the Mahayana. We said that the difference is compassion. That doesn’t mean that the Theravadan tradition doesn’t carry compassion. They do. They have tremendous compassion. The Mahayana is supposed to have more of the compassion-oriented practices, the strongest ones. Then compassion is not the only thing that makes a difference.

0:03:03.1

In Tibetan language we talk about thab dang she rab. Thab really means ‘method’. That refers to the way and how people do things. The other one is wisdom. So if you say wisdom and method, in English sometimes it doesn’t make much sense. It is more commonly known as wisdom and compassion. So we started using compassion as language for people to understand better, which works better than method and wisdom. Wisdom is one important point. Then the way and how you do things [is method or compassion].

In the Mahayana, as we said, the goal is to achieve Buddhahood, total enlightenment. In the Theravada, the goal is liberation, liberating yourself from the suffering in samsara. We talked about what samsara is a few weeks before. Normally, when people refer to samsara, they refer to suffering in this world. We easily say, “Oh, this is samsara, right?” However, that’s not what we are talking about. Basically, as we said, samsara is really the continuation of contaminated identity – whatever identity we may take. Ourselves as entity and identifying ourselves – in this case - through the physical body. So identity is continuing. According to Buddhist understanding, when a person dies, that is just the ending of this life, but not the ending of that person.

0:06:34.3

It will continue thereafter. The entity will continue. Whatever identity they may take depends on their karma. Karma, again, is not like some people think, similar to God deciding what your future life will be. Some people think that karma decides whatever their life may be. It’s not that way. Karma is the creation of the individual. We do good things and receive good karma with good results. If we do bad things, we have bad karma and bad results. Karma is our own creation. However, we don’t control it. That’s what karma is all about. Karma will connect us. My karma will connect me with another identity. If I am lucky enough it could be a human being or even better, a samsaric god. If I am not lucky enough, it could be an animal, like a yak up in the plateau of Tibet or a lion in the snow mountains or maybe a little puppy that looks like a snow lion. It can be anything. That continuation of contaminated identity is what samsara is really all about.

0:09:05.6

As long as we take that identity that identity will have certain pains, difficulties and sufferings. As human beings we do have suffering by nature, like ageing, birth, death and illnesses. These are natural for human beings. If we get another identity as animal that has its own suffering. That’s what we see and we know. So the continuation of contaminated identity is the real samsara. When we get rid of samsara we don’t simply try to get rid of suffering, but the contaminated identity. Sometimes people may think, “I suffer so much, so I better commit suicide. But then committing suicide cannot end contaminated identity. Another contaminated identity will continue. When that happens, the sufferings becomes even more intense rather than easier.

0:11:11.8

That’s the problem with samsara. That was the major subject we talked about last year. This year I want to focus more on Mahayana. Last week we talked about how the Mahayana path came into being. We talked about Nagarjuna and Asanga and Asanga’s life story. I am trying to make clear what Mahayana is all about, because we all are Mahayana practitioners. So if we don’t know what Mahayana is, it will be a huge problem. We talked about the difference between Mahayana and Theravada, which is compassion. With that we are really referring to way and how we handle things, rather than compassion itself. In the old Tibetan, we call it wisdom and method. If we say this in English people won’t get it. What’s ‘method’ all about? So if you say wisdom and compassion you get it.

0:13:44.1

So compassion here is not only compassion itself, but it is compassion connected to everything. That means compassion and related efforts. I might as well say it. When we are looking for the fully enlightened buddha state, that has two parts: mental and physical aspect. When all of you become buddha you will have those. As a matter of fact, all living beings are eligible to become a buddha – according to Buddhism. They don’t call it “God”, but “Buddha”, anyway, it’s total enlightenment. That doesn’t have to be just one person. A lot of them can attain that. So Buddhahood is the future of everybody. When you become buddha you don’t become buddha looking like buddha. Whatever physical condition you may have, you also have the mind level, which is becoming total knowledge. These two things need two different causes. Wisdom creates the mental aspect and compassion and related matters create the physical aspect.

0:17:32.1

Our visitors have just arrived. They are monks from Drepung Loseling. Monks, as you know represent sangha, out of the Three Jewels, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The genuine, true sangha is a group of more than four full-fledged monks. That’s the relative sangha. The absolute sangha is those of us – I am not counting myself – so those of you who truly understand the wisdom of emptiness. Our Loseling monks are really connected with us and particularly Jewel Heart. We are very much connected with Loseling, because I was originally a Loseling kid.

0:19:50.3

The Rinpoche here is Gyalrong Khentrul Rinpoche. I met Rinpoche a couple of times and he speaks perfect English and he has done his studies and he is great. I know his previous incarnation, Gen Gyalron Khen Rinpoche or Khen sur Rinpoche. I had the privilege of being with him and a lot of my class fellows are his students, particularly Minya Ami Yeshe Thapke. Also he was Samdong Rinpoche’s personal teacher too. Now we have his present incarnation here and I think last time we met in Mundgod Dratsang. Last week, Ujjen-la told me that he received a phone call from Rinpoche and his group of monks will be going to Traverse City and stopping over in Ann Arbor. I said it’s our privilege. Last night they stayed in my house and I was out. I was in Minnesota because Kyabje Ling Rinpoche’s reincarnation was there for his third operation in the Mayo Clinic. So I went to pay my respects there yesterday and this morning flew directly from Denver to here and came straight from the airport here and monks came from my house. But there was a little trouble on I 94. When I came from the airport I just passed State Street and I saw the traffic jamming up and then Ujjen-la called me on the phone, saying that Jamyang and you people are coming later. I thought Ujjen-la was already here. I was on I 94 and asked him to have my scooter ready and he said, “You may get there before me.”

0:23:29.2

So I said, “Yeah, I am getting onto State Street” and then I saw that the traffic was held back. Then we started here and now we have 10 monks here and it is a real privilege and I understand that when their program is over in Traverse City they will be coming back here, probably next Sunday in the afternoon. But I hope they will stay a few days, because a couple of people may like to do individual prayers and blessings and we would like to do a little bit in Jewel Heart, preferably, ever since we came here we have never been able to open the Kangyur. We won’t be able to read it, but can do kangyur she gyi – open them and that will be very good for everybody. So we are hoping to do that next week.

0:25:09.2

Today, Rinpoche, I am doing the Sunday talk. As you can see, quite a number of people come here on Sunday mornings, and there are a number of people listening on the internet, including Europeans and lots of Asians and lots of Malaysians, Singaporeans and Chinese, quite a lot. Also Brazilians and others. So these Sunday talks are hopefully becoming a little service for a number of people.

0:26:15.3

Last year I spent time talking about the Theravadan tradition, based on the Four Noble Truths. This year I was hoping more on Mahayana. But this year’s theme has not yet started. So I am sort of floating around a little bit. I was thinking about what to say today but the Four Noble Truths have already been talked before and I was debating with myself a little bit, so basically we talked a bit about the differences between Theravada and Mahayana. We noticed the difference on the basis of compassion. Here we call it compassion and wisdom, but in Tibetan it is thab dang she rab, method and wisdom. If you say method and wisdom in English a number of people may not get it. So compassion and wisdom is commonly known, so I am borrowing that terminology, yet also explaining that compassion is not only compassion itself, but we are talking about compassion-related materials, such as the Six Perfections, generosity, morality, patience, enthusiasm, etc.

0:28:20.5

So compassion here is not only tse wa or nying je alone, but all others. The reason why we have to have two is because we have two results.

Nagarjuna said,

Gye wa di yi kye bo kun

So nam ye she so sor shak

So nam ye she lä jung wä

Dam pa ku nyi thog par shog

By this virtue, people may achieve both, merit and wisdom

And get the result of the two kayas, (the mental and physical aspects of Buddha).

The physical aspects of the Buddha are the compassion-related activities that produce the buddha’s physical appearance. We may think that the 32 major and 80 minor signs of the Buddha come from his parents’ genes. Maybe. However, the Buddha’s qualities of physical condition is the result of the good efforts put by the Buddha himself during the contemplation period. Similarly, we put our own efforts today and when we become buddha we will have those qualities.

0:30:25.3

So the 32 major and 80 minor extraordinary physical qualities will come as result of the contemplation work we do today. So the compassion-related materials will become those things. Even in Vajrayana we have mandalas. A mandala has four doors or gates. What are they made of? We may think they are made of metal or wood or electronic gates. However, they are made from the four mindfulnesses, mindfulness of mind, feeling mindfulness, etc, and mindfulness has become the gate.

0:31:28.7

Likewise, our fully enlightened buddha. When you become a fully enlightened buddha your physical things are those. That’s why we have wisdom and compassion now. The difference between Theravada and Mahayana is on the compassion-related matters. Wisdom is the same wisdom. Even Theravadan wisdom cuts samsara. It may not cut the imprints of samsara, but it cuts samsara.

0:32:34.6

That’s what we have been talking about. I am just introducing to Rinpoche and the venerable monks what we are talking about, rather than just talking and talking. So we are hoping this year on the Mahayana and when we do that I am still floating on how to do that. Two weeks ago we talked about the two truths and last weeks we talked about Nagarjuna and Asanga. What did I talk today? Nothing. Just sort of floating. We do have Rinpoche here, so do you want to say something?

0:34:19.6

Gyalrong Rinpoche: Hello everyone. It is a great honor, not only to be here at the Jewel Heart Center, but then to take part in Rimpoche’s teaching. I became a monk when I was nine. And I am also a Rinpoche. Rinpoches do enjoy a privileged position in the monastery.

Gelek Rimpoche: A little bit, not so much.

Gyalrong Rinpoche: Yes, not so much. In the late 1980s things were pretty basic and the monks had to make do with bread and tea for lunch. The Rinpoches, because of our position, would get some vegetables with that. Gelek Rimpoche used to send some money for the Rinpoches in our monastery. There were a few more Rinpoches, around 30 – 40 and they would come together to picnic every year. That was a very eagerly awaited occasion. In my childhood I used to imagine Gelek Rimpoche as some Santa Claus – like figure. But then, later, when I met him, when I saw him in person, I wasn’t that much off the mark!

Jokes apart, we have started our tour two months ago. We have been to several universities and interacted with the students. It is very educative, a great learning process, to be here, to be exposed to a different culture and different mindset. We will be going around America till the year’s end. So there is still quite a long way to go. We have enjoyed it so far. We had a great run. We hope that this will keep on going till the year ends, but then when we go back we will be enriched by our exposure. Especially in the universities we get to see so many students from different backgrounds. We have just come from Beria College and Beria College is known for its very generous scholarships to the Tibetan exile community. We met a few Tibetan students there, but not only that, our interactions were not confined to that. We also interacted with students from places as diverse as Yemen, Afghanistan and those kinds of areas. I don’t think, living in the monastery in India we would be able to do that. So not only have been sharing our own unique culture with the public in America but we are also taking a lot from the diverse community that you have in America. And I think that’s it. Thank you.

0:38:15.2

Gelek Rimpoche: Not only that, as you know, Loseling is really collaborating very strongly with Emory University and they are teaching the Americans who are interested in deeper Buddhist studies, as a university course, as well as the monks who are interested in learning about science and all that, they go from here to the monasteries and teach the monks. They even produced a number of text books in Tibetan. So Loseling is really doing great to contribute Loseling’s knowledge and qualities of Buddhism to the American society, and not only American society, but the world. The monk tours are also part of that. The whole reason is to show the unique Tibetan culture to the world. We try to give the message that we are slightly different than you are, but we are the same people, but a unique culture. Also, it is a dying culture. Tibetan culture, language, etc, is a dying culture. We know that very well. If you don’t think about it, it’s not, but when you do think about it, it is a dying culture. So when you lose this, then not only Tibetans lose, but the world loses a very unique culture.

0:40:34.4

By doing this tour it helps to preserve this culture. That’s one way. Also, by collecting a little money, that will support the thousands of monks who are studying. So that’s the dual purpose. The monastery has been doing that for a long time – decades. So that’s what it is all about. It is not just performing, it is sort of a little exhibition of living culture, as well as help each other and the proceeds help the monks to continue their studies, the monasteries to continue. That’s the reason why there are two groups touring the United States. They are criss-crossing all over the United States.

0:41:56.3

Loseling is the most important – as far as I am concerned (laughs) – because I am part of Loseling, but each and every monastery is equally important. But those who are connected with Sera Je – and many of you who are listening, are – will say that Sera Je is the most important. And I will say Loseling. Loseling and Sera Je were the two top colleges back in Tibet and even today it is almost the same thing. They have the most monks and most knowledge and wisdom comes from there.

0:43:02.8

As far as Jewel Heart is concerned we are very much connected to Loseling through Nyare Khamtsen. This is funny. Human nature is such that for example when we talk about Tibet, we will say “We Tibetans.” You people will sympathize and feel good about Tibetans because you know some Tibetans. That’s how. Then among us we will see, “We are the monks” or “we are the lay people”. Then among monks we say, “We are the Drepung monks and you are other monks”. Among Drepung monks we are Loseling monks and you are Gomang or somebody else. Then among Loseling monks we say: We are Nyare. So that’s why I am saying: I am Nyare, not Gyalrong. So Rinpoche is Gyalrong Khentrul and I am Nyare Khentrul. Both are Khentruls. Anyway, that shows the human mentality. That’s how racism works. You look at some different color and say: they are yellow people and we are white. You are black and all these different racisms feel that way if we let our mind do whatever it wants to do.

0:44:50.7

That’s what happens. But if you have understanding, education and knowledge, you overcome that. Then it becomes multi-racial, multi-national and really becomes the United States. It depends on how we think. I just gave you the example. Just between the two of us we come from Nyare and from Gyalrong. There are two Nyare Khampas here with us, right?

0:45:42.8

That’s how we are connected and we are so glad you could make it and we normally do say a little prayer here, so today I thought it may be nice if the venerable monks could say some prayers. Stay here and we will listen.

0:46:28.2 Loseling monks chanting dedication prayers

0:54:18.3 end