Archive Result

12

Soundfile 20141129GRJHNLIMP01

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location The Netherlands

Topic Four Noble Truth

Transcriber Lay Tin Ng Elsie

Date 8 November 2021

Translator: And we will do this in Dutch. (Continues in Dutch)

(Transcriber’s note: Prayers in Dutch)

0:03:58.3

Rimpoche: Welcome for this weekend.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: You people put your energy, your money, your time to spend weekend with me.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And thank you for coming. The reasons why you have, have put your effort in it, I don’t exactly know what each and every one of your reasons are, but most probably, I presuming, that you would like to see a certain way of helping yourself and helping your family and helping all humanitarian, as well as Buddhist terminology, all living beings. (Rimpoche laughs.)

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: I have been in Holland over 25 years, beginning it’s about once a year, and then for some period, I never show up. And, afterwards, twice a year.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: The reason why I show up here, there was a woman from this area although she is not from Nijmegen but she is from a place called Molten right, Molten, ya, and, anyway, this area. And she was in India and encountered, actually she was a great, very great socialistic, intellect, great intelligent person, with a group of, of those brilliant people together. She encountered with Tibetan Buddhism in India, and, and she found, she thought, this is a great way to, to solve the social problem, individual problems and improving people’s life and understanding.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:08:50.2

Rimpoche: So, she brought me here.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And, so I met the first group of people, like Marian van der Horst, Marianne Matte-see, and the Anika, little few years later, but she is there, Ron, Piet, Marianne Soeters, and Marianne De Cock, and all those, all these Mariannes I met. (Rimpoche laughs.)

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, for me, to distinguish between Mariannes, are Marianne Meditator, Marianne Delhi, Marianne Sutra, doesn’t even know how to, sutra tantra, the sutra, (Rimpoche and audience laughing.) and all that. And so, that is how, how we begin. And of course, Ed was there, Marianne came in, and all of you, anyway, thereafter came in.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: The reason why she brought me here is what a little I know about the, about the dealing with life. To share with you people.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:11:19.1

Rimpoche: Which I try to do, try to do for a number of years. And then, I try to, to see that you people manage by yourself because ultimately, you have to manage by yourself, not as, not as Dutch in Holland, but as each individual has to manage on his own life. And that is important.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:12:04.7

Rimpoche: So, for a while I didn’t show up. Some excuse this or that. You remember that, ah, you do?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Then, she got sick and she died.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And, in the last conversation that I had with her, on the telephone is, she knew where she is going, what she is doing, however, she told me, you didn’t come here, you doesn’t move, it almost like you don’t want to move your big fat ass. Almost like it. (Rimpoche and audience laughing.) Almost like that. She didn’t say that exactly way, but I did hear that. (Audience laughing.) So,

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:13:38.0

Audience: Laughing.

Rimpoche: So, she, sort of think she is going to pure land of Tushita, rather than pure land, I mean, sort of she has couple of choice, but she thinks she is going to Tushita, rather than Vajrayogini pure land, or something like that.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:14:08.3

Rimpoche: Reasons I don’t know. Anyway, so, thereafter I have been coming twice a year for sure, move my big fat ass.

Audience: Laughing

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So is not that you don’t have many great teachers around here, and you have so many great teachers, we have been very fortunate to have Dagyab Rinpoche here last couple of days, and then you have Dagpo Rinpoche also in Holland, and you also have, I don’t know whether people like or not, you also have Lama Gangchen, the bearded one, also in Holland. And so, you don’t have, is not that you don’t have great teachers, you do. But however, I am also connected with my karma and the Dutch karma, and so, so, I have been coming around here, and try to talk to you and you people always come to spend time with me. So, the reason and the purpose, is to help, to improve, and to make our life better.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:16:32.0

Rimpoche: So, the question really is, you know, actually observing our own life, our own life, and see what do we do? How do we live our life? And, how do we function? So, you in the west, I mean, I don’t mean you, we, I am included now the 20, whatever, maybe about 40 years now altogether, is it, something like that. I have been in the west too. So, we in the west, somehow blessed, compare with the people who are spending their life in miserable, in the war zones. And underdeveloped economic situation. And terrible disease, I mean, very recently, we have very scary, of this, what is it, Ebola, etc. So, when you are in that war zone, you see how miserable it is, compare with that, we are quite blessed, if we appreciate.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:19:22.8

Rimpoche: Yet we are not absolutely satisfied and happy, not happy, more than that, we have a lot of dissatisfaction in our life, disappointment, dissatisfaction.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:19:58.8

Rimpoche: Those disappointment is driving the individual to do something.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, people look in economics, people look in scientific development, people look into political and the spiritual, and the religion.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:20:42.3

Rimpoche: And your tradition is such that somehow you people look tremendously in religion whether you agree or not agree, somehow you really look in very strongly in religion as general.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, somehow, the idea of religion that will help us, is quite a strong within all of us. Yet, we also have a huge disappointment of religion institutions letting us down.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:22:07.1

Rimpoche: And perhaps, these are one of the important reasons why we started looking for eastern religion.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: I am sort of guessing. You people know yourself more clear than I do. I do know about you.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, disappointment in life, dissatisfaction for, for the way to helping ourself, and that make you to looking in the eastern religion. And within that, you have a lot of those Hindus, Buddhists, and, and, and identify activity, and many of them there, as you know very well.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:23:55.5

Rimpoche: But among them, the Buddha’s way of dealing, way of dealing, we find it is much lesser disappointing than many of them.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And perhaps, that’s why Buddhism, the moment you use the word Buddha, or Buddhism, it is not so much, much threatening, although it is table worship.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:25:04.8

Rimpoche: Lesser threatening because in principle of the Buddha’s deeds, has a lot of compassion, is the major effort to improve self, to improve others, to improve everything. It is the love, compassion is the major effort that Buddha himself put in, and make his disciples, followers to put in and the consequences of that, is also much less trouble in the world.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:26:31.2

Rimpoche: Right. When you are, when you are, when you are teaching people, when you yourself engage in love, in compassion and in service, it doesn’t really become horrible consequences, little help you get it. No horrible consequences. On the contrary, if you engage in violent, if you engaging to hatred, if you engaging in obsession, then it has its own terrible consequences. As we see, and that’s why I said, little less threatening.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:28:04.7

Rimpoche: Then, the Tibetan Buddhism, is, in my opinion, it is two reasons. Number one, it is associated with the mystical.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: A thousand years land lock, nothing connected outside, it is land lock.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And, the, somehow, thanks to the Chinese, it came out. It is squeezed out.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Then, this wonderfulness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and his popularity, and make people interested I think, these are two reasons, why Tibetan Buddhism, you know.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Anyway, whatever the reason might be, so, somehow you are connected with it, because that’s why you came way, both ways, you came here, so you are connected, and you are connected, so you came way, so anyway, it is sort of interdependent way.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:30:04.3

Rimpoche: So, the reasons, whatever you are interested, whatever the reasons why you took interest or not, but the whole purpose is to improve ourself, lesser disappointment, and better result, that is what we are looking for. Of course, you know, I didn’t mention, but don’t have to, you know. The purpose of the mankind, is to make better themselves, it’s really, it is mankind. And that’s why we have such a great scientific technological development. Because mankind has been putting its effort to find a betterment. And so, most of the people go in the material world, and look for improvement, so, we have tremendous development today, social, economic, technological, medical, and scientific, all of those, because mankind knows how to look after, how to improve, how to make better. That’s why we do. And the similarly, also they are, there are faults, every material development, every technology, every, everything, also everything including social media, everything has its fault too. Honestly. And, it becomes such a terrible, it becomes such a terrible, and if something goes wrong, whole world can collapse, because it is built up so much on the, on the technology as well as whatever you call it, social media all these, if something goes wrong, can everything can be collapsed, so it is easy, more advanced it is, it is easy to, to have a disaster, much, much, easier to have a disaster, and that is the fault of, of external developments. Did I say too long? It’s okay.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:34:26.3

Rimpoche: Thinking about the danger. It is, it is such a danger. Such a danger, you know, if you make one mistake today, the consequences are such huge. Most of them, many of them are based on the mathematics, and if you make one mistake on dot or zero, where do we get it. So, it is just one dot mistake, so these are the, our situation really is today. Though we don’t worry. Leaders are supposed to worry. I don’t know whether they worry or not. But, so, that is how we are just passing our time. We are just simply waiting for somebody to make a mistake on little dot somewhere, right? Put your dot or zero somewhere else, and then what, consequences, the whole world will collapse. These are the problems. And then individual problem, tremendous individual problem. So, oh sorry, go ahead. I am sorry.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:37:02.9

Rimpoche: These are based on improving me, mine and me. That is all development build up to make me better. To make ours better, to make mine better. Somebody is knocking there, when you were here. So, one already gone, so it’s okay. (Rimpoche laughs.) We all wanted me happy. We all wanted I have to be comfortable. And, everything is focused to make me better.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: That goes to individual, that goes to group, society, nation, everybody is me, and that’s why we are fighting.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: We did that all our life. WW1, WW2, everything, everything we wanted to make me better than you. Your idea is better than mine, I want to prove my idea is better than you. And then, I wanted to prove my idea is better than you. That’s how we fought all.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:40:08.8

Rimpoche: Even today, all these terrible things are, you know, all of those are worked for me, me, my idea is best, and I wanted you to do. I mean, look at. If you don’t follow my idea, you have to be killed. So, that tells us, tells us, although it is supposed to be religion but whatever the principle was put on me and mine, and that is the, that’s why we are having such a miserable time today.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:41:13.2

Rimpoche: Buddha said not me, you, not me, you. And that’s why is lesser threatening.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, Buddha tells us don’t follow me, don’t listen to me, just don’t buy because I said so, so.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, anyway, and that idea of where our problem is coming, what is really, you know, let’s put that way, who am I, what am I? What for I am here? All of them, these questions are not new question, that question has been, been within mankind for millions of years, honestly.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:42:48.6

Rimpoche: The reason why we would like to know who am I, what am I, all these are, because if you know it you may be able to help yourself. And that was the reason, there is no other reason except to help yourself, there is no other reason why.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, the question becomes, question became, what am I, how can I help myself, it is the purpose of mankind.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So many different early, from the eastern religion point of view, early, I don’t know other religion or philosopher or whatever, you know, you know, they are almost same thing anyway, view point itself come up, right?

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:44:59.0

Rimpoche: And then, Buddha’s way of handling, these are through the four, what we called Four Noble Truth.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, known as, truth of suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Truth of cause of suffering

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Truth of cessation and truth of cause to the cessation.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, when you looking at this, what you see? We are seeing suffering, what makes it suffer, is there a way out, what it is, and how? Sort of, basically give you a, basically give you, really, what am I and how did, I became like this, and now what I can do, is there something better to do? So, that’s really comes to that point.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:47:11.7

Rimpoche: And all of these are, again, basis of me, basis of me. We talk about suffering, who is suffering?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: We talk about cause of suffering, whose cause, is it?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: We talk about cessation, whose cessation, is it?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: We talk about the path, whose path, is it?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: These is, are totally dealing with the individual.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, now if you looking in your life, you do have all these four things, not four things, but first two things, suffering and cause of suffering continuing, that you know better that, ourselves know better than anybody else.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:48:41.5

Rimpoche: We talk earlier, earlier, dissatisfaction, disappointment, these are the actual suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Aging and sicknesses also suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Death is definitely suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, talking about life, that’s what is it, isn’t it?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Do we have a break here or not today? No break. The schedule like yesterday. Okay. So, so, that principle of the truth, noble truth, is absolutely relevant in our life, even today. This is 26 hundred years ago, Buddha shared, Buddha’s discovery of the reality and shared with us and it is absolutely true today.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:50:36.2

Rimpoche: And this suffering and cause of suffering is the actually creating system of, creating system of our life according to the Buddha’s discovery. That’s how we came in, being what we are today.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:51:25.4

Rimpoche: So, it tells us two things, tell us two things. 1., 1. Sort of us how we being came developed, I don’t want to use the word evolution, but it sort of tells you how we came in. While telling how do we came in, it also tells us, it is, also tells us, a tremendous clear and, and tremendous production from each and every individual almost everything whatever had had happening or have happening or has happening whatever, all of those are, are individual, individual production rather than generalize like, like, you know, somebody made and put you there.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:54:00.4

Rimpoche: It is funny. When you are talking about like this. So, in other words, it is the individual person who, when you talk about cause and result, cause of suffering and suffering and all that, cause and result, it really tells us, the individual who are responsible, who are creating either joy or suffering, rather than, you know, I have a little difficult to say earlier, straightforward, but rather than, somebody make, like some of our history stories tell us, let there be light, so the light came, let there be man, the man came, apple came whatever it is. And all that. In other words, this cause and effect talking about it. Pointing to the individual and seeking, looking at the individual as responsible, that’s what I have been dancing around, because don’t want to pointed out, dancing around, that’s what it is.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:56:07.4

Rimpoche: Whether Buddha said or not said it, whether it is Buddhism or not Buddhism, it is reality today. Wherever you look, whatever you do, cause and effect is absolute reality. Absolute reality.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Creation and result is absolute reality today.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: People produce the everything.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Everything whatever you have today is produced, right? The machines are produced. Aeroplanes are produced. Medicines are produced. Everything is produced. And when there is no production, the result is not there. It is dependent on the cause and effect is whether Buddha said or not, it is absolute reality of our life today is that. Honestly. War is the result of that, peace is the result of that, sickness is the result of that, death is the result of that, destruction is the result of that, development is the result of that. Isn’t it? Is there something other than that, can anyone of us pointed out? No way.

Translator: (In Dutch)

0:59:21.0

Rimpoche: That is what it meant life is governed by suffering and the cause of suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: You may be thinking why suffering only? Because I do have a good life. Sometime I enjoy, there is something this and that. We think that.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And that is slightly different story. We may talk about in the afternoon little bit. But right now, we are talking about suffering. (Rimpoche laughs.)

1:00:15.9

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:00:15.7

Rimpoche: So, that also tell us individual is responsible. Individual is responsible. Honestly. Nobody else is responsible. Individual is responsible.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, that responsibility of my happiness, my joy, became lies on me rather than on somebody else.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Our culture, our character is such that we will not take the responsibility. We will rely on, it is much easier to rely on somebody, say God or somebody we rely on. And so, we tell God, that give me good, don’t give me misery, give me better. That is what we do. When we pray, what do we praying for. We pray that we do all this. This is our culture our character is such we do that. So, it is the idea of rely on somebody else to do our job rather than I take the responsibility. And that is the, I think that is the point of some differences.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:03:01.8

Rimpoche: It is much easier to rely on somebody. You can go to sleep.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, in one way, in one way, when we can’t do much and that is easy way to handle.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: It is such easy, ah, okay, whatever, that is over. That is over, it is easy. However, the question is, does it really work? Does it really work and that is, maybe I am raising a terrible idea within you people. But the true reality is, is, true reality is, our pain, our joy, are somebody else make it or our own deeds. And that is the question. And I think any intellect, intelligent person will settle on that self-responsibility, self-thing are considered it is more important. Honestly.

Transltaor: (In Dutch)

1:05:39.6

Rimpoche: And also, if I can do something for myself, I like to do it. Because I am not that hopeless, helpless either.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, there is two ways of looking in this. I am not very sure which direction I am going here. Because in one hand I would like to go a little more deeper in there. But on the other hand, if I go deeper, I don’t know where I going to get it and where you going to get it. So, that’s why. So, maybe I touch a little bit, little bit. Is that alright? I am responsible. That me and rely on somebody else. So, it means self and somebody else. Right? Two. Either the self, individual or somebody. Whatever. Let’s use Buddha. Self or Buddha. So here we are talking about Buddha talking, and I am talking about me, I am thinking about me, Buddha talking, so the question of self and others come. I don’t mean other multiple, here I think one. We are talking about the first noble truth.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:07:54.5

Rimpoche: Now the question, who is me, self? I am sorry. We just had a one-week Mahamudra, that’s why, so my mind still lingering on that. So, anyway, question is really, really who is me. We talked about that from the beginning right? Who is me?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So that me who are responsible is, many of us will see as something solid, continuing, although we know it is impermanent, but still in our deep mind is a continuation. Joyful, jolly, full of matters and that what we see ourself as. Do you see yourself something different than that?

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:09:55.8

Rimpoche: Also, we see the truth, truth of suffering is also just like that, just like me, just like that.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And so almost we wish for the best we can do nothing.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: But Buddha discovered differently. Buddha discovered differently. What did he discover? All the suffering, all the sufferer, that me and everybody else, wherever, whatever, whoever, whatever it is, in nature of impermanent. Not solid, static, always remaining but it is impermanent.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:11:33.7

Rimpoche: Not only Buddha discovered, but if we ourselves think, meditate, we going to find that me and the suffering, all are nature of impermanent.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:12:08.3

Rimpoche: And if it is permanent, we can’t do anything. Because it is permanent, no one can change. What does permanent means? Unchangeable, right, unchangeable, static.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And if it is permanent and static, and, nobody can do anything. You cannot do. Buddha cannot do. No one can do anything.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So luckily, it is impermanent.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: We know ourselves is impermanent because we change.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: We even change our physical appearance, we get older, we get more beauty, we get more slim, we get more fat. Physically we change. Mentally we change, we get kinder, we get meaner, we get, we get more intelligent, we get more dull. So, this shows changing.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:14:31.4

Rimpoche: Because you change, so we know you are not permanent.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Because we die, so we are not permanent.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: As matter of fact, the death is inevitable.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: I know in the western culture you don’t want to talk about death at all.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Yet, everybody is interested.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: You know, you like to close your eyes and side eye open, what is it?

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, so that is the, that, I would like to establish, yes, we are suffering, but suffering is impermanent. Yet I am, yes, I am here, I am experiencing, yet I am impermanent.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, this, the criteria of first noble truth as a suffering. I am sorry. Criteria of first noble truth is impermanent. That is point one. We have to establish, ??? through those suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:17:07.8

Rimpoche: Point number two, we need establish here is suffering itself.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Because many things are, we consider great joy, not necessarily suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And many of them been changed, a lot of people think it is joy.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Do I make myself clear, many of them are changed, what I mean is what we experience is go on changing, not necessary from joy to misery or misery to joy, but change from different joy, different misery, it is always changing. So, when it is changed, many people think change is a joy.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:18:50.7

Rimpoche: Like changing suffering, you know, I am so hot, and cold, nice, so cold, warm, great, so we think it is joy but it is suffering. That is what I am talking about it. Because of the change, sometimes, we consider it is joy.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:19:37.2

Rimpoche: Because of certain change in physical, mental condition. You release different chemical like Seratonin, you think it is great joy, that’s why people have sex all the time.

Audience: Laughing.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:20:05.5

Rimpoche: That is what I am talking about it because of change we consider it is joy.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: But in reality, it becomes suffering rather than true joy.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: That is the point criteria two, the truth of suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And, the criteria three over here, it is truth of suffering has been attached to a ownership. You know, I have my truth of suffering, I am the owner, I am the one, sort of attached, who owns, there somebody who existing call ownership.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Because nobody owns. There is no ownership or something, that’s why it is empty.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And then since there is no ownership and then become selfless.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, four criteria for the first noble truth alone.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, perhaps, this has been the difference between other early Indian teachers and Buddha’s point.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: The criteria of truth of suffering is empty, suffering, impermanent, and the selfless, four points.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:22:57.4

Rimpoche: So, the point is, the basis on which we label ourself or I which is the contaminated body what we have, and the consciousness, what we have combined together, that, that is the contaminated physical body on which we call ourself, self.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:23:38.3

Rimpoche: And Buddha said that is empty. Because, because there is no ownership, there is no-self there, because that is empty, that is what criteria of being empty, not Buddhist wisdom of emptiness empty, but it is really empty, because nobody there, that really empty, that is what they really talking about.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:24:19.3

Rimpoche: Now the second point, it is suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Suffering, why? Because I don’t control it. Control by somebody else. It is not independent. It is others’ control. The really truly point of suffering, if you, if you, if you sort of bottom down look it in, and you find lack of independent. You don’t have independent. You don’t control it. Somebody else controls. Somebody else dictates. And that’s why it is suffer.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:25:35.3

Rimpoche: So, the suffering really if you look down in that, not necessary ache and pain. Or dissatisfaction and unhappiness alone. When you look down on suffering, lack of independent. Control by somebody else. Something else. It is true meaning of suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:26:24.3

Rimpoche: Today, we can see all these misery people have created because it is lack of self-control. Lack of, that is what it is.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:26:52.8

Rimpoche: So, since it is somebody else’s decision, control. So, it is suffering.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Likewise, it is impermanent. Why? Sometimes grow, sometimes disappear, sometimes appear, changing and that is why it is impermanent.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:27:37.8

Rimpoche: It is also selfless. Because it is naturally not controlled by independent self. Self is selfless because naturally it doesn’t control by independent self.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, that is the reality of first noble truth or ourself, really that is what it is. Okay. So, we have all these dissatisfaction, disappointment, happy, unhappy, up, down, all of them in our life, because of all these reasons. All these. It is one way to go, so it is the cause of karma and the, and the negative, and all that. But another way of looking deeply in the, in the first noble truth which is our life. Honestly. We talk about first noble truth that Buddha said, is way over there in this, on this painting. And the second noble truth is way over way in this painting. Is one way of looking it. Another way of looking it, looking in, the first noble truth, our life is here, what we are experiencing, what we are having, what we are enjoying, sinking, whatever, all these. That is what it is. And when you look in there, you see the four different ways, points.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:30:28.4

Rimpoche: Now the second noble truth here, the second noble truth is now the question comes, if that is the situation, where does that come from, how did it happen to be like this, is this ever since ever like that or you say it is impermanent, it is changeable, what it is?

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:31:20.9

Rimpoche: Again, it is very simple. Very simple. Very simple. Whatever is happening, good, bad, it is because we created. If we did not create it, it won’t be there for sure. But we created. The question is, did we created knowingly what we are doing or did we created unknowingly what you are doing, in this case both.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:32:21.9

Rimpoche: For example, if I have a stomach problem, why should I have a stomach problem? Because I ate something wrong. Or I was cold. Or something like that. Without cause, it won’t be.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:32:55.9

Rimpoche: Everything. Cause and effect, is reality. Honestly. Wherever you look in the world today, even look your own happiness and sadness. Everything is followed by its cause. There is nothing which is doesn’t caused by the cause at all. Nothing. You look yourself you look your life you look your own look. Or whatever you look, you find a cause.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:33:46.9

Rimpoche: If you pay no attention, pay attention, you may not notice.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: But if you pay attention, we do notice, we knew it from our own fact, knowledge. Because for a number of us, we say, we have to reduce eating food because I am putting up so much weight.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:34:23.6

Rimpoche: You eating too much so you putting on more weight. People said that, people think that, people knew that has fat. And, that is why people go on diet, and exercise, and all of those, you do for what? Lose your weight. Because we know loss the weight is the result, and cause is reducing intake.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:35:05.9

Rimpoche: Likewise, every other dietary restriction, every other activity restrictions that we will follow, because we know it creates a problem.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: So, in my case, I, for years, I took, and for years I enjoyed sugar tremendously, tremendously. I used to eat doughnuts about 24 a day. (Audience laughing.) So, naturally, even as a kid, I used to sleep with the sugar in mouth. And in the morning, my, you know, blanket is stuck against my face, because of the sugar stuck there, you know. And that is how I used to be. And later, beginning in America, I have been eating 24 doughnuts a day, literally, regularly, like religion, for years. And result, I got diabetic, result, I got organ failure, so it is cause and effect, it is absolutely how it is.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:37:15.6

Rimpoche: Have I been reversed, not so much taking the sugar as a kid, not so much taking the Amy Joy’s doughnut, John’s doughnut, not sure so much, so then I would not have become type 2 diabetes, and if I not become type 2 diabetes, it is the consequences of organ failure might not have been, kidney failure might not have been. Sort of, sort of, this ongoing cause running this way and reversing in this way, they both are vividly in our eyes, at least in my eyes, I can vividly see that.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:38:39.7

Rimpoche: Again, one thing. I see it vividly. But can I reverse? No. Too late. Can I reverse, no, cannot, too late. So, so, if you have done earlier, would have been okay. But can you reverse? No. This is the cause of result.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:39:23.7

Rimpoche: And this is one example. But in reality, everything is, everything is. Mental, physical, emotional, everything is cause and effect. Honestly. Cause and effect, is the principal management of our life is that.

Translator: (In Dutch)

1:40:06.1

Rimpoche: So, are we going to manage ourselves or let it go, whatever happens, sun raises, sun sets, sun, keep on going it until you die, you want to do that way? Or you want to manage? That is our question.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: And I suppose, when you come back in the afternoon and we will talk about it, and how do we manage, what is it and two others, you know. Thank you.

Translator: (In Dutch)

Rimpoche: Okay.

1:41:12.7

(Sound ended)