Archive Result

Soundfile 20150623GRAASR06

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Ann Arbor

Topic Vajrayana lecture

Transcriber Steve Kelly

Date Finished 9.4.15

Saved as RTF

Prayers up to 001733

Rimpoche: Thank you so much and to continue where we left off this morning we have done this meditation on love and before we go onto the meditation on compassion I would like to say and again and remind you Lama Hlavala which is actually the total collection of objects of refuge and to whom you offer the first prostration.

Then making offerings and purifying all of our misdeeds rejoicing in all great activities done by everybody and request to remain and request for a timely shower of teaching and dedication. That is completes the seven lamp and then single pointed focus and focus request that I may be able to develop as I am supposed to have developed love to all living beings and now when I look at them they are actually suffering.

Suffering

There is a tremendous amount of the suffering of suffering. The traditional teaching in the Delim since you are reading the translation so you know it. In that it said about a sheep that had been slaughtered by the butcher.

Then looking at that very particular sheep whose front and back legs are tied by ropes and the chest was cut into two pieces. And for the butcher, this is a very old way of slaughtering. It is a very primitive way of slaughtering by putting the hands inside the chest. 002054

and taking out the internal organs and particularly the heart an easy way to die. However this is very primitive and by that time before the life is over the sheep knows that he or she is going to be slaughtered. And looking in the eye to the eye of the butcher himself it may be making some noise but you can do nothing. You can do nothing you are totally left there to suffer. So this is a very brief example of the suffering of suffering.

Today people who slaughter don’t do that anymore it is a little more civilized. But still it is a tremendous amount of suffering. As well as the people that we know that we are close to, we have friends, we care, our family members everyone is. Though literally no one’s cutting the chest into two pieces. However the torture of different suffering particularly mental emotional suffering are really so great.

There is no shortage of pain that our loved ones dear ones including ourselves experience there is no shortage there is no limit. It is tremendous. So similarly there are friends who have created so much negativities such as negativities that misusing the Sangha fund. Misusing the Sangha fund. And also wrong morality I don’t know I have to use the word wrong particularly Sucheh the word Sucheh in Tibetan I love to use wild crazy morality but I don’t think it makes any sense. 002424

My editor is looking at me - are you crazy? Do you say that Binda? You don’t say that okay. Amy will say it. (Rimpoche has an aside)

Morality

Anyway so Chell in Tibetan means it is not in the proper order it is gone it is wild it is crazy. Honestly that’s what it is the morality. Morality as I told you earlier a number of times is very important really really important and it is very easy for us to get it.

Because you know the moral issue is very important a lot of people ignore that. A lot of people ignore that. Particularly a lot of I don’t know whether it is proper yet for me to say among those full-fledged Bikchus here there is another Bargo. To say that Bargo means a person who has fallen from the monkhood.

To say that is right or wrong. But the thing is there are a number of not only teachers but the practitioners who under the pretext of crazy wisdom. Under the pretext of a wise way of handling and there is sort of a lot of difficulties.

You know in this country we experience so much. There’s so much wildness from the guru’s. Particularly that of Hindu gurus a lot of Buddhist gurus too. A lot of American gurus I mean the Western Judeo Christian teachers. I mean all of those not necessarily has to be… There are a lot of sexual wild craziness. But there is more than that, more than that. The sexual is some sort of funny giggling everybody wants to talk about it but if you look at the scandals there is such a huge things like Jim Jones. Those are the moral issues and losing number of people’s lives committing suicide is absolutely immoral. It is not right and I do not know exactly what happened about David Koresh. I don’t know who killed whom who knows? (Rimpoche laughs) All the marshals walked in right? And I don’t think they walked in without guns. So they blamed everything to David Koresh but who knows who shot whom but Jim Jones is a clear example. He was really totally immoral and Heaven’s Gate. You remember Heaven’s Gate? The vehicle is waiting behind that star that we see at night. So we all have to reach there before the vehicle leaves so we all have to commit suicide otherwise we are not going to get it.

That was Heaven’s Gate remember? These are big immoral things honestly very big immoral things. I mean you cannot do more than that almost. There is no difference between that crazy guy who shot those nine people in church just a couple of days ago and what had happened with all these there is almost no difference. But there is much more people than that. So these are really big scandals also you know. Of course when people talk about the Osho - I don’t know whether Osho really wanted to kill all these little towns in Florida or California? Oregon yes yes it was in Oregon that is exactly right so I don’t think he really wanted to kill or not. But if it is so this is absolutely immoral activity anyway. So all this and then of course within the Tibetan Buddhism also Trunkpa Rimpoche was not that well behaved either. 003043

Though he has done a lot of good contributions as we know but not necessarily well behaved either you know that point. Bill Mowen yes sort of treatment of that imparted with that point is a little crazy. Not big crazy anyway so it is all there. So the moral issue is very important. 003120

Then some people who claim to be Vajrayana practitioners and try to behave in a funny way with an excuse of… I don’t know. You know the excuse is…. There is not limit (Rimpoche has an aside)

Giving up dharma

Anyway so the moral issue is important because this is the fundamental basis in which we will obtain human life. It is based on which karma you obtain human life is based on perfect morality. Honestly perfect morality. Perfect morality. So the moral issue is very very important. That is something that is never to be ignored. It is never to be ignored. And the negativities is also very heavy. Very heavy. Even if you read your Delim and Penchen Losang Tujen counted here those who have immoral activities. Those who would give up Dharma. Those who have the wrong view and who hurt’s living beings and who are creating variety of the negativities. So that is literally mentioned by point. So to be able to develop compassion on them so with that much importance. You know why? If you are morally wrong you can never have proper human life which has the quality and advantages and opportunities that we have.

The traditional teachings will (found?) you 8 different qualities and 10 different endowments and all that plus tremendous opportunity as we saw and we see ourselves. That is the reason why it is a rich life remember? But whether you count 18 in the way it is traditionally counted or not our life is really full of opportunities and full of chances and full of every possible ways and means to find the truth and get to it.

So that is nowhere anywhere it is never possible. This is the only opportunity in life that we have interestingly when I was coming in one of our great scientists met me at the door and he said I thought about this mother sentient beings and he said what I calculated ever since human life existed until today how many thousand you say got? 20,000 generations so when you’re looking at 20,000 generations and rebirth there is not enough mothers.

There’s enough mothers but not enough people to be giving birth so he asked me what you going to count other things. But if you count the mammals and then what did you give me the number? Okay if you count the mammals and birds that’s really true but I don’t think it is limited to this world alone limited to the human beings but these human beings have this very special opportunity this very special quality which may not be in the other places the mammals don’t have that we know. Birds don’t have that though there is a story called Deh mun dah wah teaching birds or something that is not a biblical story but it is sort of I don’t know you don’t buy that 100 percent but you don’t deny it 100% either so that is a different story. Other than that the birds does not really have that much opportunity chances that we have.

But ours is great. Honestly not just great it is excellent it cannot be better so that is what we have. This is the result of morality. So when we are ignoring the morality you are shaking the foundation of your life. Honestly you are shaking the foundation of your life. I am not denying the crazy wisdom yes, yes Dilopah behaved like crazy and it is living near the river (Rimpoche has an aside) the beach make it nice. Dilopah a lives on a beach and picking up the living fish and shaking it and roasting or not roasting and eating it. 003933

Honoring vows

Yes this is the crazy wisdom and yes there’s only one Delopah, only one Naropa right? Only one Mitabah so naturally when there’s two or three probably not right. But many of them many of us should not think we are Delopah or we are Naropa because are not. We’re fooling ourselves we would be better off to look after our morality honestly. Morality is commitment commitment whatever a commitment you give - you honor it. Honoring your vows each one of us thinks we’re not monk. They are the monks we are not monks but we have refuge vows. Many of you have Uber saber vow many of you, most of you have a refuge vow, most of you have Mahayana bodhisattva vow. Many of you have a Vajrayana vow. So when you add up all this you have much more than… really you know you have a huge amount of commitment vows. So honoring this vow is your morality issue. The talk of morality here is not so much whether your sexual orientation is whatever it is. We’re not talking about that. We are talking about keeping your commitment of morality. Remember there are three types of morality. Geshe Ton doo….

So restraining from the wrongdoing and accumulation of virtue and helping living beings these are our basic Mahayana point of view three moralities. Sotarah sah….

In the Lama Chopa if you look at the perfection of morality point exactly they said this right? 004227

Looking down on others

So that is your basic structure, the bottom line of your morality issue honestly okay? Then the next what Penchen Losang Chuchen mentioned here is those who give up Dharma. This is another danger it is very dangerous for us. Many of us we think we are Vajrayana practitioners and therefore we are superior to the Theravadan practitioners. We are superior to even Mahayana practitioners forgetting that Vajrayana is part of a Mahayana. Mahayana is divided into two - causal Mahayana and the result Mahayana. The causal Mahayana is the Sutra part of the Mahayana. Whatever we have been talking about here this is the causal Mahayana. Then the Vajrayana is the result Mahayana. So without knowing that, we say I am a Vajrayana practitioner and therefore I am superior.

There are some people who say I am a Nahbah which means Vajrayana practitioner so I can break the rules because I can fix them up by saying mantras. I am joking. They must be thinking that. I am a Nahbah so I can break the rules so I can fix the rules back by blowing mantras. Nahwah…..

Anyway these are giving up Dharma. Actually giving up Dharma looking down by claiming Mahayana and looking down on the Theravadan’s. By claiming Vajrayana and looking down on the others. These are giving up Dharma too without knowing we create. Then some people when I was talking somewhere else I don’t know whether it’s here or the Netherlands I don’t remember. Someone else asked me, in that case why do we have recitation Nyen duu nah….

Why can’t we remain for seven days in the Theravadan home? Somebody raised that question. And that is not looking down on the Theravadan path because making sure that you are not instead of you’re not influencing that and they may influence you so you may lose the opportunity of practice in Mahayana.

For that reason they have mentioned that. It is not looking down on Theravadan. Looking down on Theravadan’s is really giving up Dharma and looking down on Vajrayana by claiming you are pure Buddha disciple - it goes both ways. 004634

Vajrayana practitioners are looking down on the others saying we are Vajrayana. These are actually giving up Dharma.

Wrong view

Then of course, the wrong view you know. This is a little more dogma than anything else but still wrong view is the wrong view. Sort of deciding there is no previous life, there will be no future life. You know I admire Reagan not the president Reagan the other Reagan.

What is his name Kimba? Tell me Reagan Junior. Ronald Reagan Junior I like him however when he is advertising you know what he says? He’s doing a commercial for atheists and agnostics. And then you know what he says I’m the one who is not afraid of burning in hell. It is very good statement I like it but I’m not so sure what confidence he has.

So I am the one who’s not afraid of burning in hell. So maybe you’re going against too much pushing from the religion side. But still I hope he’s right. He’s a very nice person I like him I don’t know him but I like him very nice.

But I hope he’s right. So that is one of these wrong views deciding. I don’t know. Either he has decided there is no future life or he is decided there is no hell realm or he’s brave and not afraid of burning.

So anyway these are the very specially mentioned and then any other non-virtuous activities there are so many. If you review yourself you know better than anybody else so how much negativities that I personally engaged in although I didn’t kill any human beings I did not steal anybody else’s wealth I did not create sexual misconduct as such we counted but also all that is not there.

However we have done so much knowingly or unknowingly. How much negativities I as a person have committed? So looking at this knowing the karmic system what cause you created the result is bound to be. It is never missed no matter how much time how much thing it happens. Remember karma has four qualities: Karma is definite, fast-growing, never missed the result no the matter how long, no matter how many lives it took, and if you created positive karma the result will be positively used. So knowing that and knowing what we did you should really develop compassion on yourself without any doubt or question 005126

Because you yourself right now because of our previous life and karma we have a reasonably good happy enjoyable life. You are born in the United States you enjoy the facility of the American people. That includes education and living life - everything

So it is reasonably a very comfortable life no matter whatever you may think. Even if you are simply living on Social Security alone even then compared with the people who are living in the developing nations it is fairly good. So you don’t really visibly see the suffering of suffering you don’t acknowledge. It is not that you’re free but you do have a lot of mental physical emotional suffering of suffering changing suffering and there is pervasive suffering which is definitely there because we do have this ego influence in every action that we have taken, in everything that we do.

If you look at me by me, for me, looking at it carefully you’ll see all this wrong things that I have done, ever since I can remember. Ever since I can remember always we wanted to do things that made me win over my competition.

I said the other day a Tibetan boy said when my father was fighting with the others I want him to win but when I am fighting with him I want me to win because it’s me.

I want to win is always what we carry ever since we are born we remember and that automatically creates the non-virtuous activities before you get me - I get you. All of those remember? If you’re not one of us, you are against us. That is how the ego looks at the situation. There is no gray there is no neutral everybody was put into black or white.

That creates a tremendous amount of negativities. 005444

So we have done that. So you have to meditate that you are the subject that we meditated compassion the blind old mother who can’t walk straight shaking falling down and ready to fall in the fire pit and you can’t watch it.

Develop Compassion for yourself

But you yourself are in that situation and if you don’t care for yourself who else is going to care for you? If you don’t have compassion for yourself who else is going to have compassion for you? So develop compassion for yourself that is not looking down on you, that is not a feeling of pity, it is genuine compassion, genuine love. And like you all others are in the same situation.

So the meditation here is again remembering the Lama Hlavalah making a strong request and looking at yourself and others who are in a similar situation. Looking at our thinking looking at our behavior looking at our character looking at our addictions and when you’re looking at them and when you see the character addiction and all this that we are experiencing we don’t have any joy in this life.

The moment you die if you look at the karmic and our life it is almost certain we are going to fall into lower realms. In case we fall the lower realm, there are very long time strong suffering of suffering tremendous.

So therefore I’m included with all these living beings all these mother sentient being all these loved ones all these near ones all these dear ones. I would like to free them from their suffering and the cause of suffering how wonderful if they are free. I will pray that they are not only free from their suffering but also from the cause of suffering.

Manjushri Mantra

May I be blessed to be able to do this by you the great Lama Hlavalah. So et cetera so you have to meditate and any mantra that you want to say? Migsema is very important very good as I said this is the living Manjushri in the form of the mantra.

The J Tsongkhapa himself wrote this to praise his guru Lama Umagomabah. Then his Lama changed the wording and gave it back to J Tsongkhapa therefore both of those great Masters exchange to each other it is the living Manjushri in the words in the form of a mantra. Similarly Buddha’s mantra of Om Mani Pehmeh Hum and very specifically this is compassion. The Buddha of compassion Avalokiteshvara both the longer mantra and the shorter Om Mani Pemeh Hum both are very appropriate here but saying mantras alone will not do. Word mantra used by your speech but your meditation must put by your thoughts so both all this body speech and mind all three should work together so that efforts that you put in are not just by the way a casual effort but it is really full force. When you put full force efforts you will see the difference. (Rimpoche has an aside) 010328

So anyway I’m sorry that we were little distracted for this compassion meditation but that is what it is. So looking at that situation and that is really what it is. As I said traditionally as Pechen losang Chuchan himself said 010356

Butchering sheep

Penchen Losan Chuchan used this butcher as an example using the sheep for slaughter. It is a very vivid thing. I don’t know how it is making sense to the western people because you never had that culture. Actually you know the slaughtering was done in the corner somewhere but people don’t really see those. But I have been born and brought up in this little primitive culture so these things do happen. So it makes sense but I don’t know if it does for you people. But anyways looking at the causal level and knowing bound to be result level and all that which is very obvious. This word obvious - I always get a scolding. (Rimpoche has an aside)

So looking back and bringing back that subject including yourself and people who are bound to experience suffering looking at them develop feeling of care and compassion and these people are no strangers. These are the people from whom I’ve received so much kindness and compassion in my life often a number of times a day from such a person in many situations. So I wish if I can free them not only from whatever they’re experiencing but possibility to be experiencing sufferings and their cause how wonderful if I can free them. I’ll pray they’ll be free. I seek blessings to be able to pray that.

Greater compassion

So first it is recommended to develop compassion to yourself and to your nearest and dearest. And if you did develop that then the person who are neutral people and then finally even your enemies. At the end what we’re really seeking is greater compassion. Greater compassion is slightly different from normal compassion. Normal compassion is compassion. Greater compassion is focused on all sentient beings and the aspects of the mind desire to be free from the sufferings Nee pah…

That is the definition of greater compassion so the focus must be to all that is A L L all living beings. The aspects of the desire to be free that is called greater compassion more than just compassion. It is greater compassion in other words not a single person left out not a single human being living beings. You know in the Tibetan language living beings means non-enlightened ones. You can’t develop compassion on enlightened ones. You develop compassion on non-enlightened ones because they suffer. Enlightened ones don’t suffer. When they don’t suffer you cannot have compassion. So you take refuge that is the reason why even if you are purifying you get the basis of purification too. One is taking refuge the other is compassion! 011025

So the compensation what we’re paying to them if they are enlightened we take refuge if they are non-enlightened we give love and compassion. We develop compassion we develop compassion we develop love and compassion and that’s what it is.

So freedom from suffering is compassion putting with that joy is love. Sometimes when you say I love you sometimes it is appreciation. Sometimes it is an expression of desire I want you I want to catch you. But if you go to the later one I want you I want to catch you - that’s not love that is of obsession. That is even more than attachment. It is negative. If I love you I appreciate you you are wonderful that is a complement it is positive it is good deeds and appreciation and it is love.

So it is a little confusing but not impossible not that confusing so you have to make a distinction between. I used to tell you people I love you but I wish your hairstyle is slightly different a little longer a little shorter cut your hair go to the doctor fix your nose or go to the doctor and put your mouth crooked or something. When you’re having that love that is the sign of danger. It is not appreciation it is desire signal and even correcting you, controlling signal actually a controlling signal.

If I love you, I should appreciate you enjoy you - that is the love. When you want to control it is not love. It is a controlling issue if you can control by talking you control it. If you cannot control it by talking you cry, scream, do all kinds of tricks they do right?

So these are the controlling issues not necessarily love. I am half teasing but half telling you the truth anyway so love is such a thing that has to be known 011400

I love you as you are

The Jungatambah or the love compassion love is absolutely appreciation. The true Western phrase is I love you as you are and what you are. That is expression of true genuine love. It is true genuine appreciation. So both love and compassion according to the seven instructions of Bodhimind development I think we have covered roughly.

You have covered it but that does not mean you have learned it. It means you have to think and read and I’m using the word to think rather than meditate I mean meditate too. Nanzu amal….

What else? So this is about love and compassion according to the instruction of seven instructions. Now resolution - the resolution is again just like earlier while I was remembering the Lama Hlahvahlah seven lamp request mantra and then what you should think is the suffering people all of those my dear friends they are suffering they are lacking the joy. 011730

They are lacking the joy. How wonderful if they could be free from the suffering and the cause of suffering. How wonderful if they remained full of joy that joy that has never known suffering and the cause of the joy that has never known suffering.

Very specially all of these mother sentient beings be free from the obstruction of emotional delusional afflicted emotional obstacles all of them are the same right? Delusional afflicted emotional or negative emotional and its imprint not only free from the afflictive emotions but also its imprint including the imprint of the imprint.

If it will be how wonderful it is. I would like to make them have that. And thus I’m committed to bring them to the total enlightened Buddha state. I’m going to do it whether I can make it or not I’m going to do it and giving that resolution. This is a good resolution this is the American way.

The Americans would like to do it! Whether you can or cannot you would like to do it. When they want to do it they will do something. So that is how one should move. That is very special resolution you are resolving that you yourself are going to do it no matter what it takes.

That is special resolution with that resolution then the next question comes can I do it? The answer right now - no I cannot even bring a single person to that level. How can I make all living beings in that manner? But it is not impossible, it is possible so I need to become fully enlightened. If I become fully enlightened then I can do it! Until that it is difficult so I must work to develop that I may become fully enlightened for the benefiting all living beings, this is the double pronged mind. Semjay pam….

So totally altruistic for the benefit of all others yet you are seeking enlightenment for you so the one prong is totally altruistic Shandu shur… 012159

The other prong is Tsohbehchandudur seeking total enlightenment. That is called Bodhimind. You don’t have to develop that just seeking that the enlightenment you don’t have to get enlightenment just seeking the enlightenment it becomes your object. It becomes your challenge you are taking in that challenge just getting in there alone is developing Bodhimind.

And why can Buddha do it as a fully enlightened being? Because there’s a tremendous quality of the body, the quality of speech, the quality of mind.

If you are become a Buddha your Buddhahood is not the result for anybody it is open open absolutely open for every one of us.

Goal is to become a Buddha

it is only how we can get it or not everything is open for us it is accessible. Thus now the Buddhahood becomes our goal before here your goal is freedom. Liberation from the suffering and the cause of suffering. From now on your practice goal is to become a Buddha because of your resolution of liberating every living being you need this maximum capacity and minimum efforts. Maximum capacity because of the physical condition of the Buddha is such that it can physical condition of enlightened speech is such it can.

The mental condition of enlightened state is such that there is no limit. This is the stage where you can see simultaneously as it is and the absolute reality together Chita che nih

The mental state is such. Otherwise ordinary level when you see as it is you don’t see absolute. When you see absolute you don’t see as it is. 012544

In other words relative and absolute truths simultaneously see it function it manage it and work together. These are totally different level of capacity and compassion is so much so that each and every one of the single living beings looked at as a single child of single mother.

And the activities are always timely never missed and the activities are effortlessly functioning. it is stated generating a single light either from their body or speech or mind liberates a tremendous amount of living beings. So such a quality is available at that level so therefore that stage is open for me. So I must opt for it. I must go and get it. Otherwise I will be personally deprived of my opportunity.

So I must get it. Yet I’m getting that for benefiting all living beings not benefiting me. Total altruism - seeking enlightenment by me because if I don’t do it who will do it? It is me. That also should not be a goal a long time down the road somewhere. I must put efforts in to be as quickly and quickly as I can. That is why this Mahayana Vajrayana and J Tsongkhapa say refined gold-like teachings are absolutely necessary. We have a great opportunity. We have a great possibility. Opportunity possibilities are on the tray in front of you. Whether you’re going to eat or not it’s up to you.

I can take you to the river – whether you are going to drink it or not is up to the horse. I guess that almost there. And so again you have to conclude here that I may be blessed to be able to this by the great Lama Hlavalah. So then the Lama Hlavalah duplicate Lama appeared to you - a duplicate.

A duplicate appeared and came down and dissolved to you. Think yourself instantaneously become a Buddha sitting on the lion throne with all the decorations and ornaments all together.

Above that you have a Lotus and a moon and a sun cushion. Above that you are sitting like a Buddha. In other words, by dissolving that duplicate Lama in you, instantaneously you become a Buddha. Sitting cross legged in a meditative posture and touching the ground as you see the Buddha image. So while you become a Buddha while you are thinking you are a Buddha, while you’re visualizing your Buddha your body, your wealth, your virtue, all of them you want to give it away to all these living beings that you want to liberate.

You send them in the form of nectar in the form of nectar in the form of a rainbow colored light, in the form of nectar. The nectar follows the light, it reaches to every sentient being 013208

They received whatever they could receive. Some could receive a better life, some could receive a wonderful human life with such an opportunity. Some even could become fully enlightened. This is visualization. This has not actually happened. Thinking that it is happening and it’s going to happen is a great way of doing it.

Thus I completed seven instructions of developing Bodhimind and even during your break times and casual times read about the instructions on love and compassion Bodhimind and etc great Buddha’s teaching where ever you can get it.

And this is the completion of the seven instruction for developing love and compassion. 013342

Tomorrow I’ll be doing the exchange and then there are perfections. I was hoping to be able to touch the chapter 10 of the bodhisattvachayaavatara. I’m not so sure - it is already Tuesday so when is that Friday so maybe not. Anyway even if I don’t the six perfection including wisdom are the power of compassion anyway.

So thus we are fulfilling the title of development of love compassion and power. I guess that’s it anybody else want to announce anything?

Okay so I just wanted to say tonight we are having the Europeans and Asians in my house for dinner so if anybody did not hear you know you all are welcome. Europeans and Asians (audience laughs) not Americans!

But we will have a barbecue party on Saturday afternoon a smoke puja as well as a barbecue at my house. So everybody’s welcome there. I cannot fit everybody, so since they have come from a long way so that’s the only difference. Somebody jokingly told me it is discrimination (audience laughs).

Anyway I thank you so much and whatever we learned… oh I’m sorry we didn’t do that question-and-answer but tomorrow we will do the question-and-answer even before we do the exchange stage of development.

QA tomorrow. If you have any questions especially the webinar people, you might well send it tonight. I think Bethany will pick up tomorrow Bethany or Kimba or whoever is there. (Rimpoche discusses some more jewel heart business)

So thank you and whatever you learned try to put into practice (they close with prayers)