Archive Result

5

20140526GRGRWis07

00:00 4 immeasurables chanting

0:01:27.1

Thank you. So now we have to conclude. For the last two days we’ve been talking, thinking, meditating, practicing, as well as we quite clearly established for ourselves that all, most all negative karma and its consequences comes from the point they traditionally call ignorance.

Ignorance here is labeled by different names. Traditionally in Tibetan Buddhism or even in Sanskrit traditionally in India they call it ignorance. We call it marigpa in Tibetan. What do you call it in Sanskrit?

Audience: Avidya. Vidya is doubt or wisdom, knowing, and avidya would be not-knowing.

Rimpoche: Not knowing. Misknowing. Avidya. Vidya is wisdom and a-vidya is negative, right? So that is why not knowing. So that’s why Tibetans call it ignorance. The problem in English is that with ignorance, there is something there. We identify ignorance as something else rather than this. So that is why people like to call it “ego.” They don’t know really what it is, and sometimes people will say that you have to build your ego up. Sometimes people will say, “Well, it’s your ego talking. It’s not worth it. That’s why you ignore.”

But anyway, I’m not sure whether it is really ego, or just ignorance, or what, but it is the source of all misfortunes and difficulties in our life and there is something which is the target of wisdom; the opposite of wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge; clear knowledge. The opposite of that is unclear, muddy, mushy and that’s what it is.

(05:08)

We are all struggling to eliminate that, but you can’t do that without first knowing what you are going to eliminate, otherwise no matter how much you try to eliminate, since you are not clear what you are going to kick out, then every struggle is somehow, “Maybe this, maybe that.” Oh, then it turns out to be not [that]. “Maybe that one”. And so we are not going to get much.

So it is important to recognize that. It is very difficult to recognize truly, because it is not there. One thing we have to clearly understand is you cannot eliminate something that exists. So the wisdom’s object of negation has to be something which is not existing; however, we think it is there.

(06:52)

That is an important point. It is also interesting. Emptiness is not that important, it is more important to know empty of what. Sometimes we think emptiness is some kind of thing which will develop with us, like we struggle and develop or get it. Somebody gives it to you and you get it. But I think it is an understanding or realization that something is not there. So that is why the major struggle is figuring out, finding out really what is that object of negation. It is hard to catch because it is not there. It looks like it is there. You catch it; it’s not it. It looks like that; you catch it, it’s not that.

That is how it is. So the major struggle is that. I remember a funny thing. It was very difficult to officially find Saddam Hussein, difficult to find Osama bin Laden. Once they found them, it was easy to catch them – under the ground, or to shoot wherever they were hiding.

Like this; very similar. You have to have the target. So until you have it, everything is shooting in the forest. That’s, I believe, the major point.

(10:02)

So when you have brought your mind to such a level as we talked yesterday, you have almost a very deeply alert, but somehow totally focused, deeply lucid mind, but somehow it is not so absolutely crystal clear at that time. At that moment, actually it is absolutely crystal clear, but because it is very much settled, it looks somehow a little bit – I can’t use the wrong word – the word popping up in my head is “heavy”. But it is not heavy. If it is heavy, you have got this weak point of the alertness. The alertness should be very, very crystal sharp, yet very well settled. Probably I have to settle for that. Very well settled down. Settled. And at that moment, a part of your mind will say, “Normally, how do I perceive me?”

When you begin to see how you normally perceive “me,” there’s somebody, someone in there who we identify as “me.” The true reality is that it is something that I label some collection of something that I have labeled. But I don’t know that. I think there’s somebody called “me” in there. So it seems to be sort of standing on its own. That may be the appearance of that object of negation.

(12:59)

So that is what I perceive. That’s what I see. So as I saw, as I perceive, is this really true? Am I perceiving truth or am I making it up? Particularly we’re dealing with the mind. That very mind, is this the same as that “I?” Or is the “I” separate from the mind?

I think we all know that it’s not the body. That’s sort of quite clear to us. But still some people may think it is the body too. So, is it the body, or is it mind? Or is it a third entity there?

And then there is a lot of reasoning. If it’s the body, then when I die, or when I’ve been cremated, do they cremate me as well? So do I not continue? I do not go in future life? I become such a huge end, which many of us think is the truth. But in reality we don’t end there. We continue. So that means we are not the same. I am not the same as my body.

Alright, if the “I”is not the body, is it mind? Because we will say, “my mind.” When you say, “my mind,” it looks like “I” am the owner, “mind” is something that belongs to me. The relationship – “my mind” – somehow indicates there are two separate [entities]. “I” who owns “my mind” which “I” own. That’s why we call it “my mind.”

There are many other things that belong to me that we call “mine.” So that is the correct definition when you call it “my mind.” There’s nothing wrong with it.

So then maybe there is another separate, third entity there; not the body, not the mind. If that is the case, then we have to see it. That’s like if you see three different animals, a horse, a buffalo and an elephant. If you take the horse and the buffalo out, you say, “Ah, here is the elephant.”

(19:28)

Right? But when you take your body out, when you take your mind out, there’s no third thing there, no one. Nothing is left there. So that is sort of saying that when you begin searching within yourself and trying to identify, you don’t find.

But still I label them. But I do not know I’m labeling on something that is truly not there, simply not there.

So this is our challenge, this is our struggle. When you begin to realize it is not there, probably that is your emptiness, that is your Madhyamaka middle path, that is your Mahamudra, that is the Great Seal and that is your wisdom. (21:43)

Particularly, then you can’t completely leave it at nothing being there, you know. But everything there is functioning; it is appearance and empty together, working together, simultaneously, complementing each other.

The meaning of emptiness is the meaning of interdependence, because it is very much intertangled and interdependent. Because of that there is something you can point out, it comes out. But when you really search deeply, it’s not there.

And then the famous point that Jamgön Lama Tsongkapa pointed out, and most of you are familiar with that from the Three Principles of the Path.

Appearance eliminates extreme existence and empty eliminates nihilism. With this understanding it begins to make some sense for us. Otherwise it is just opposite, right?

You are not there, because I saw you; which doesn’t make sense. Now it begins to make sense.

So these are the important points to be thinking about and gain the realizations. Once you begin to see that void even a little bit, then ‘Ooh, what happened to that me? Where has it gone? Somehow I’ve been thrown out.’ Some people get a very big fear, they get frightened. Some people want to make sure they are still here.

So on that void itself you do concentrated meditation. When you are doing the concentrated meditation, then it becomes a little weak, weaker and then again you analyze: where is it? Which one is it? What is it? Is it mind? All those. And then you begin to see it is not there. Then again do concentrated meditation a little bit.

So the advice here is, combine these two; analyzing and concentrating. Analyzing means think, figure out, trace it. Concentration means that you sort stick to and think about the void. When the void begins to get loose, and things are popping up, then focus. Concentrate.

So that is called alternating the two types of meditation together.

By doing that, that analyzing power will naturally bring a very wonderful feeling, a physical feeling of joy, as well as mental happiness. A combination of that will help you to concentrate to make your meditative state stronger.

While it’s going there, then you also see there’s a checking point. The point of checking is this: sometimes your meditation becomes too over-involved, and you begin to ignore the normal norms of human society, the normal norms of goodness. Philosophically speaking, you begin to ignore karma and all that.

If you notice that, then it is a clear sign that something has gone wrong somewhere. If you think that is still the meditative state and let it continue, then that doesn’t help you. That does not cut your root of samsara. It does not give you anything great except help you to become crazy. You don’t want to go that [way]. Before it gets too late, see that you are maintaining your social etiquettes, social norms, which means good karma.

(31:07)

Though we don’t agree with everything that society does, but in society in principle, goodness is really very much there. So if we are beginning to ignore cause and effect and begin to ignore everything else, then it’s slightly not right.

So then find out where it’s wrong, what is wrong and go back and emphasize more on compassion, and then come back to wisdom, then compassion, then wisdom. Ultimately you have to join them together. The joining will be done by itself. The nature of compassion will become wisdom; the nature of wisdom will become compassion. That is how compassion and wisdom unions unite.

(32:22)

Now, uniting compassion and wisdom in mind, your mental nature is the clear indication you can unite your body and mind together, which is a clear indication you can unite the relative and absolute together.

So when you call it Buddha level, when you call it ultimate union, you are actually talking about 1) the union of relative and absolute truth nd 2) the union of body and mind - though they give you a beautiful name, such as: the clear light joins together with the illusion body. But actually it is the union of body and mind.

(33:33)

That’s what it is. In Pabongka’s Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand, somewhere toward the end, there is this quote,

We have shown you the path to the liberation; liberation doesn’t depend on others. It depends on yourself.

Along with this, there is a quotation,

Those of us who remain in the household, the liberation is with us.

That quotation gives the example of the great Marpa, and the earlier Dharma kings and so forth. Marpa is a great example. He was living in a home, being a farmer growing food, maintaining a household, maintaining a family, looking after children, and yet managing to be one of the most outstanding, great masters and developed persons.

That is the opportunity, everything is with us. Thank you, and thank you for coming here. We dedicate our virtue for the benefit of all living beings.

0:36:31.3 final dedication verses

That’s it. Thank you. Have a good journey. 0:37:47.9