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20141130GRNLETB71

MAHAYANA – ALMOST INCOMPRENSIBLE

Good morning to you and welcome to today’s Sunday talk.

As we’ve been introducing Mahayana basically on Maitreya’s Prajnaparamita root text called Abhisamalayaankara and on the basis of 10 instructions, we basically introduced Mahayana.

Now essence of Mahayana, actually Buddhism throughout Tibet for over a thousand years is basically Mahayana Buddhism. That doesn’t mean the Theravadin principle was not maintained. It was maintained. Not only maintained - to be honest with you - the principles of Theravadin Buddhism is really the fundamental basis of Mahayana Buddhism.

In the Mahayana texts it did not specifically emphasize the principles mentioned in Theravadin Buddhism because it is the basis on which Buddha taught. So in Theravadin, maybe Theravadin or not, but what we Tibetan Buddhists call it – self liberation, or maybe even use the terminology of Hinayana. Really the basic normal truths, the four noble truths and all those principles of helping one individual to overcome our own neurosis – and addictions – these are kept as fundamental basis in Mahayana.

You talk about compassion, about greater compassion, absolutely almost beyond our capability, love and compassion to all living beings. And that much. But keeping the principle of helping yourself and do all those are the foundation we already being maintained.

In other words there will never be Mahayana without the principle of Hinayana. It’s not a question of one bigger and one smaller. Sort instead, interdepending on each other. That’s why without Hinayana principles, Mahayana alone not make sense. So Theravadin principles and Mahayana adds up compassion and precious mind of bodhimind. Which is the desire to become Buddha.

The incredible compassion – incredible because almost like impossible – even when looking at our self and having compassion to myself, is good.

However talking about Mahayana compassion is almost like unimaginable unthinkable, so it is that sort of important powerful compassion. Not only simply a compassion for a person, a compassion for all a-l-l.

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That means everyone, so that is almost like beyond imaginable in our normal common sense. However that’s what Buddha’s greater compassion is focused to – not a person, focused to all people, not just that but all beings. So can you imagine a single mind, so much powerfully focused on, not only a person but all persons? That in itself is almost impossible. I am using word almost, because it is supposed to be greater compassion, so it should be there. Therefore I don’t want to say it’s not there, but it almost is impossible.

And then aspects of that mind, well focusing on all people. And that mind desires to free all of them. Again whatever you are focused, freeing them, such a strong desire of freeing them from the sufferings they are going through because this compassion sees all of us are actually suffering.

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Not only suffering in the sense, not only we’ve been tortured or hurt - not only that –

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because the word suffering we understand someone is hurt, punished, tortured or something, sort of beaten up by some difficulties imposing on them and we consider that torturing as suffering. We may get that picture.

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EGO AND WISDOM

But here, suffering really is the essence – suffering is because we don’t have freedom , we are not controlled or managed by our self. Our mind, our self, our person is somehow controlled, managed by someone other than our self. And that is why suffering is – according to the really talking about all beings suffering.

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It is true, when you are controlled by other, then you are suffering. There is no doubt about it. No matter how good or great control may be That’s why not having independence, choice to do whatever you want to do and having to do something that you don’t want to do – is suffering. That’s why they talk about every being is suffering. There is a huge gap of suffering, what we are talking about. For us a good example is physical and mental and emotional tortures are giving suffering. But the really true suffering is not having independence. Controlled and commanded by someone else.

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So that situation, what we are in, is everybody. Those who think I am the controller, those making the decisions, those who are carrying them out. Those who are leading, those who are following. All of them have somebody else managing, controlling

And that is the reason why we are not so happy. That is the reason why, whatever we want to do, we don’t get it done. Whatever we don’t want to do we have to do it. Whatever we are wishing, we don’t get it. Whatever we are not wanting, we are meeting with it.

That is suffering and happening because someone else is managing it. Though there is no different person managing you. I am not saying there is some big boss out there who is directing. Some people may think yeah there is someone higher than us directing.

I am not talking about that. I am talking about our self, our own person, our own ego. Our own big boss is within ourself. This is the one that is controlling, dictating, actually using our self as almost like a slave.

That is not only me, you but everyone is being used by ourself. By me, for me, actually. Like you talk about the democracy – you say by the people, for the people. Just like that. By me, for me. Thinking this is the best way for me.

So even when we are engaged in activity like discipline, morality. We are engaged by our self in discipline, in morality, however we use the morality for what we think is best for us. But it might not be. As we see with so many what is happening in the world today.

Morality and discipline are not the same thing. I know, but it is very interrelated within the individual’s practice. Some people may think it is very difficult. They go through with great difficulty, thinking it is the best way. And yet many know it is not.

So, what is happening is, the boss inside, is the one who is really making the decisions. I am again not saying we are having a split personality. But somehow , I am the one who really wants to have everything best but every deeds of mine somehow doesn’t work with that. And that is because someone is controlling.

May not necessarily be another person but more than a person who really manages, really controls, really overpowers ourself. Who also sometimes lets you go. They drop you. For example, in the midst of some big public activity, suddenly someone accuses you of being a thief or liar. Calls you out loud – Liar or Thief – at that moment, the big boss drops you – so embarrassing – drops you and then me the real person picks up whatever has been shattered there. Try to save face, try to understand what is the meaning. Try to figure out what is going on. And all the dirty work, I do, me does that work.

But normally protecting dictating, all of them done by that ego.

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So that is why the wisdom comes in. because without that – wisdom refers to understanding that

also whatever you are understanding in that, - also seeing true self, true me, rather than this big one. True me. True self.

And true me, true self is pure, completely pure me. Which is not a faulty one. Which doesn’t have a fault. The beautiful person, the beautiful human being. The humble yet fully knowledgeable, that kind, compassionate true me which has no fault and no effects of negative emotions such as hatred or obsession . In that category. Really pure.

So the pure personality , pure being is somehow is that. But that doesn’t come out. Whenever it comes out it comes from influence of this negative emotions and comes out as a mean person or someone who wanted to overpower everybody and someone who is so suspicious person. And all of those is that delusion oriented person who is controlling.

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So with compassion in essence, this very wisdom, I just described only less than 1% - and that kind of incredible intelligent mental capacity to know the real truth is very simple basis of working Mahayana.

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Not only just Mahayana, the Mahayana tantra within the Mahayana itself. The tradition divides Sutra and Tantra. Sort of Mahayana sutra and tantra are both based on this.

So that’s why we have this terminology but when you talk in English it doesn’t work so well. In Tibetan it is thob she rab - method and wisdom. Method is the way of functioning. The real method here is love and compassion and all this. And wisdom I already mentioned.

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UNDERSTANDING EGO

We call it Wisdom and Compassion or Compassion and Wisdom. These are the two vehicles through which we function.

But again this very wisdom is extremely difficult to get it. It requires individuals little efforts. It is not impossible. It is possible and it can be. It is also the key to overcome all our problems. Honestly.

You know no matter how much compassion or love or caring you have. That definitely reduces negative emotions such as anger, hatred, obsession etc. No doubt it will reduce. It makes them almost invisible. However the root or seed of these negative emotions are never threatened or challenged by love, compassion no matter how strong it may be. So without challenging that it will never be eradicated.

So you meditate, meditate, meditate and try to think of your mind will not engage with any of those negatives, protecting, watching, protecting your mind, guiding it, holding it. All this will definitely block and reduce and make it difficult for the emotion to pop up yet the root source is never challenged. Which is the ego we talked earlier.

Though word ego when I say, I say very often, is a word produces by psychologists for a purpose of building it up. But in common usage when people talk about ego they say this is your ego talking, pushing. So people say that. And I am talking that point of ego rather than the ego psychologist use to build self-esteem.

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I am talking about ego that is controlling and dictating. Again, I am not trying to present split personality within the individual. But in reality me the simple good kind person and me the dictator from inside they are two different ones.

We see different behavior with the person. A different way of thinking, even the personality to certain extent. All of these because of this controlling thing functioning within us.

So seeing this, even hearing about it, seeing this and understanding it, pointing it out, catching it and beating it up and once and for all that I come up on top of my impersonator is really the fundamental basis of Mahayana functioning – compassion and wisdom, these two together.

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Mahayana vajrayana especially everything is built on top of that. So if you don’t have that and building Mahayana vajrayana will be building an ice castle. The ice melts and the base on which you built, they all go.

So

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VAJRAYANA – TAKING ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

In order to make the vajrayana genuine and real perfect the most wonderful vehicle claimed to be depends on both compassion and this very wisdom. So a lot of people do talk about vajrayana this and that about vajrayana in a very easy way but talking about that is one thing but really getting within an individual is another thing.

Although I would love to introduce vajrayana but it has certain restrictions so I can talk about vajrayana but not talk on a Sunday like this. So, talk about it.

So basically vajrayana is indestructible vehicle, like car or plane or truck, all that sort of vehicle which delivers you wherever you want to go. In the Mahayana case I introduced earlier, the purpose is to become Buddha. Buddha doesn’t think of a Buddhist Buddha. Some people may think Buddha means a Buddhist Buddha. Yeah, Buddhist talked about it , but for us Buddha means the best achievement whatever or whoever achieves it, and that is Buddha.

So when describing Buddha, we talked about Buddha means cleared both delusional obstacles and its imprints. So two obstacles, delusional obstacles are our negative emotions and imprints, again , are able to affect us if we don’t get rid of the root. So these are the two obstacles cleared. And accomplish complete merit means good karma type and wisdom merit – simple merit and wisdom merit, meaning the emptiness of that wisdom completely accomplished.

Meaning, everything completely purified and nothing more to gain, and that stage is referred to as ultimate enlightenment. It doesn’t have to be Buddhist and doesn’t belong only to Buddhists. It is a common value of all mankind. Such a state was obtained, example like Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha. So in Buddhist world it is referred as Buddha but situation really is that it is ultimate gain.

When we are talking about incredible mind, incredible precious mind is mind seeking that state of Buddha for all living beings – not for me alone but for all living beings. And such a mind, such a motivation, such an inspiration is driving the individual to an almost impossible thing to be able to manage.

Yet we don’t want to wait for so long to have that result. Yes, we want that quickly, as fast as possible. And knowing today’s human being our self, we don’t even wait a couple of seconds saying, “it ‘s too slow”. We are in such a period.

Yet this vehicle should be able to deliver. That is why the quickest ever possible vehicle to deliver is so far known to mankind - is the vajrayana. It is part of Mahayana, but it is indestructible vehicle, and it is based on the complete experience of Buddha who introduced this, as well as those thereafter - millions of spiritual great masters in all traditions.

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But the activity known to this person is through Tibetan Buddhism. Although the vajrayana, there are a lot of Hindu tantras, and they are all vajrayana. But the name vajrayana somehow carried with Tibetan Buddhism so that is very definitely, it is coming from there, so it is definitely part of it.

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Now in brief statement I would like to say, what do vajrayana people try to do?

Vajrayana tries to utilize the experience that every human being will go through, such as birth, death, and the intermediate state. Which we are going through, which we went through and which we will be going through. Using that as an example, and try to change, or rather transform, into extraordinary death, extraordinary intermediate state and extraordinary controlled birth.

The ordinary experience, in the sense of usual experience of these three most important events in one’s life, transforms them into extraordinary so that you can reach the state we are looking for without much struggling, without much trouble, without much taking time. So that in essence is what vajrayana is all about.

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And also, I am traveling in NL today and also at the end of the activities here so I am slightly tired. Sort of rather quite tired. So that is why whatever I have talked to you in this hour is not very good. Not satisfactory for myself and my apologies. And next Sunday I am still traveling so either I record and you have a recording, if I can manage will talk to you on the webinar. So please look at JH website for information on that. So either recorded message of usual old recording line or live via webinar.

All the best and my apologies. Thank you. 0:46:44.4