Archive Result

Soundfile 2050830GYTGR5P02

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche/Geshe Yeshe Thabke

Location Garrison

Topic The Five Paths

Transcriber Helen Breault

Date September 24, 2015

Welcome everybody for this session. I have been introducing Geshe Rimpoche, Geshe Yeshe Thabke, ever since we came here. He really doesn’t need introduction; sort of really known among the Tibetans, particularly among the learned scholars, and very particularly among the people of Drepung, Sera, Ganden, and all Upper Tantric College and Lower Tantric College. All really know him as outstanding. And I’ve been fortunate enough to be with Geshe Rimpoche as a class fellow for many years, almost ten years as a young Loseling. We have outstanding members of our class, really outstanding. And when we think about it, we have one of our group leaders called Ami from Minyu area (?01:40.30). Ami and Geshe Thabke were the two top in our classes. Ami is no longer, he was sent for home visit or something and finally and went into a terrible labor camp and nobody knows beyond that. We have a lot of other outstanding persons, just to name a few, there is one from Minyu also Sandhak [2:06:01] and also another fellow called Kyabje Dorje [2:22.6], they’re all really outstanding ones.

These are all people serious and learned. And we are the people who are fooling around, and just passing time and all that. That way they’re great. As I mentioned to you some of you may even think, “Well if he’s so great why isn’t he an abbot?” Well, he doesn’t want to be an abbot. He’s totally tried to avoid it. Ten years ago I mentioned it. I said, “Maybe a lhoba khenpo [?3:01.6] is coming (an abbot from khenpo). He said, “No way.” So, “No way.” And he tried his best to avoid being Abbot of Loseling or any other. So he really wanted to be what he is. And he turned out to be good, great. We’re very fortunate to have him.

Without further delay, I’ll ask Joshua (Cutler) to come up here (to do the translating) and I’ll go down. As I introduced Joshua earlier too, he is one of those earlier Buddhist teachers, along with Bob Thurman. Who’s older you or Joshua? (Asks Thurman). (Answer inaudible). Oh there you are. They’re all from Geshe Ongay’s (?04:04.6) monastery. You know what we had done, you can now see those outstanding teachers that are available are from there. I’m also looking for Diana Cutler. Where is she?

Answer: She’s on her way.

Okay, she’s on her way. I wanted to talk to Joshua saying, “Would you give a talk?” And he said, “You mean translate Geshe Rimpoche?” I said, “No, you on your own you have to speak.” You know, in his own right he is an outstanding teacher. So we’re lucky to have all of them. Without further delay I’ll disappear.

[05:03.4] [Geshe Thabke begins speaking (with Joshua Cutler Translating)]

Good afternoon to everyone.

(Geshe-la was saying that if it’s difficult for Rimpoche to stay here he doesn’t have to).

From this perspective of the mind, the Buddha is not like ourselves because we have to think about what we’re going to say, and how we’re going to teach each person. We have to come up with it conceptually, individually. But the Buddha is not like that. Otherwise, the Buddha’s like us. He accumulated merit or positive potential for many countless eons and as a result of this, everything that happens with the Buddha is spontaneous and unfolds according to the needs of the disciples; their needs, dispositions and so forth. So then it’s said to be very much like the sun shining on the earth. It can be reflected in some pools of water, and any place where it’s suitable to be reflected. But it won’t be reflected where the sun is hidden from that pool of water or whatever. Then the Buddha doesn’t have to make any kind of effort. It all unfolds spontaneously. And in this way the Buddha can address the needs of a limitless number of living beings.

[16:33 Geshe Thabke talks]

[17:37.3 Translation resumes]

Once the Buddha doesn’t have to rely on concepts, coming and having a motivation and intention and concepts to carry them out, then he can…(I forget one part there)…then he can teach in any form. He can use smoke, or smell or odor, different media, in order to teach the dharma to living beings. When he teaches he has an unusual ability in his speech that he can utter one voice or one sound and then from this sound all the disciples assembled there will understand each in their own way, each in their language, and reach a deep self-transforming understanding. Just from one sound of his speech. And he has an unusual knowledge or mind in that he understands everything at once. This is a unique tenet of the Mahayana as well: his body can then transform, and his mind and his body can be present anywhere at any time.

[19:53.9 Geshe Thabke]

[21:57.2 Translation resumes]

Boddhisattvas in this sutra, then, have reached to that level of the ten bhumis, the ten bhumis. They’ve reached to the first level. And they have unusual abilities, like I was saying about the Buddha. It begins there. So then this Boddhisattva, Vimalakirti [22:29.4] appeared as a layperson Siddhi Vasili [22:33.4]. He had a wife and children, a family and he was a merchant. He was very successful in his position, in the society. And at the same time, he was never attached to the business that he was doing. He would go anywhere. He would show up in brothels. He would show up in taverns. And he’d be in the poorer sections of the city. He would go anywhere. And he was highly respected by the people there. Because he was such a successful merchant he was able to gather followers, gather disciples. He helped his followers by the practice of the Six Perfections. He had the means, the resources, to give away his wealth to everyone. Because he had such a pure practice of ethical discipline, wherever he went he led people into the practice of avoiding the Ten Non-Virtues, karmic actions.

[24:23]

Then when he met with people who were irritable and angry and hostile, because he was patient then they learned from him how to control their negative emotions and be patient and tolerant. Because of his prowess in meditation, when he met with people whose minds were always wandering because of their alcoholism and so forth, he was able to lead them into the way of mindfulness and introspection and teach them how to focus their mind. They learned this based upon him, in relationship to him. Also, because of his deep wisdom those whose wisdom or if they were using their intelligence in a faulty way then he was able to help them to direct their mind in genuine wisdom and so forth.

[26:49.1 Geshe Thabke]

[26:58 Translation resumes]

He was also able to, though he was staying as a layperson, and normally for meditation you would need some kind of isolation or a very quiet place, because he had such a prowess in meditation then he was always in a state of concentration, cultivating love, compassion and so forth. And in spite of all the distractions that were going on around him he was always in a very focused state.

[27:16 Geshe Thabke]

[27:36 Translation resumes]

He was always meeting with people who were involved in entertaining themselves and playing around and distracting themselves. In spite of that, because of his presence he was always able to give them proper advice about how to live their lives in a more constructive way.

[28:08.5 Geshe Thabke]

[28.22 Translation resumes]

Although he would associate with people of many different philosophical perspectives, he always kept a pure Buddhist philosophical perspective. He had an unbreakable confidence and faith in the Buddha.

[28:46.9 Geshe Thabke]

[29:05 Translation]

He had an unperturbable wisdom, a correct view, correct philosophical view. But also he had an unbreakable, unperturbable deep faith in the Buddha and his teachings.

[29:34.7 Geshe Thabke]

[29:52 Translation]

He never had any self-interest. His preoccupation was always with others. He was totally preoccupied with others. So wherever he went everyone was happy to see him. He pleased everyone.

[30:14 Geshe Thabke]

[31:18 Translation]

At one point then Vimalakirti grew very ill. And because he had become so popular he had thousands of visitors coming to wish him well. When they assembled there, then Vimalakirti would teach them. He would teach them about impermanence and the nature of suffering and selflessness. He would say, “Oh, this body, it’s something that’s constantly changing and it will not stay.” And he taught impermanence in that way. And also, “This body is a source of great suffering for us and not reliable.” And in that way he taught them the nature of suffering. And as far as selflessness goes, he taught that within this body and mind there’s no self that exists from its own side. There’s no intrinsically existent self.

[32:56.4 Geshe Thabke]

[36:04.6 Translation resumes]

Many people, thousands of people were coming to wish him well. And then he was thinking to himself, “Well, this is a lot of people coming to visit me, but none of the Buddha’s followers. I never see them.” And then Buddha Shakyamuni telepathically understood this thought of Vimalakirti. He began to ask his disciples if they would go and inquire after the health of the layman Vimalakirti. And when he did this, each of them had a different story about how it really wouldn’t be possible for them. They were really reluctant to go because they had had these interchanges with Vimalakirti in different situations and it had given them some difficulty.

[37:15]

For instance, while one was cultivating the view of how there’s no self that exists in a self-sufficient way, then Vimalakirti would show up and he would say something like, “Why aren’t you meditating on emptiness? Why are you satisfied with this kind of meditation?” And when they went out begging alms, this is to the shravakas, the disciples of the Buddha, he’d say to them, “Why are you begging alms to the poor people? You should be going only to the wealthy persons’ houses. Why are you giving the poor people so much trouble?” Each of them had their own stories.

The Buddha would say, “Well, will you go?” And then they’d explain what their reluctance was. Finally, the Buddha was asking Ananda. And Ananda said, “Oh, please, I couldn’t. The other day when I was out”—Geshe-la was saying ‘Your Holiness’ but the Buddha came to his mind, he was laughing about that— he said, “Venerable Teacher I can’t go out, because the other day when you were showing some kind of disposition or illness, I went out early in the morning according to your instructions. I went looking for some milk to help you, begging for some milk to help you with your illness. I ran into this householder Vimalakirti, and he said, ‘What are you doing out here at this time of day? You’re not supposed to be out here begging alms in the early morning.’” There was a custom not to be out begging alms in the early morning.

[40:03]

And Ananda said, “Well, Buddha had some kind of indisposition and he’s feeling a little ill.” And Vimalakirti said, “What are you talking about? You can’t say things like that. Buddha can’t get sick. That’s not possible. The Chakravartin universal rulers, they never get sick and compared to a Buddha they have very little merit. What are you saying? What if the non-Buddhists hear you’re talking like this, ‘The Buddha gets sick.’ They’ll say, ‘Well, the Buddha can’t even protect himself against disease. How is he going to help all the living beings to be free of their suffering?’ And what if the bodhisattvas hear about this. They are trying their best to accumulate merit and it will dishearten them. You can’t say such a thing. Just go back, go back.”

[41:23]

And then Ananda said, “Oh, okay.” And so he went back. And as he was going back a voice came from the sky and said, “Okay, you can follow what the Buddha said. The Buddha’s just coming to this world where they are so many defilements and difficulties and he’s showing a certain way. So it’s fine. Just go and get the milk like the Buddha said.” And so then Ananda went. And he said [to the Buddha], “This is the reason I’m very reluctant to go and inquire after Vimalakirti’s health.”

[42:06 Geshe Thabke talks]

[44:03.1 Translation continues]

The same was true of the many bodhisattva disciples of the Buddha. They also shared this reluctance that the shravakas had. Of the bodhisattva disciples, amongst them one was named

Jagatandhara [44:29] and he was asked by the Buddha to go visit Vimalakirti. But he said, “Oh, please, Venerable Buddha, I can’t. The other day I ran into this layman Vimalakirti. I was visited by Indra. And at the time I didn’t know that it was actually not Indra but it was Mara, the demon Mara manifesting as Indra. Indra appeared then with many thousands of celestial goddesses and they all bowed to me and paid me deep respect. And then I gave them teachings on how they should reduce their enjoyment of the various attachments that they have in their heavenly realm. And then in gratitude Indra offered me all these celestial goddesses. I tried to tell him that it’s not really appropriate to make me such an offering.

And then this layman Vimalakirti showed up and he said, ‘Well, you can give them to me.’ [laughter] And, ‘By the way this is not Indra, this is Mara manifesting as Indra the king of the gods.’” And Jagatandhara said, “Oh, now I’ve really made a mistake.” But then when Vimalakirti said, “Give them to me,” then Mara said, “Oh this guy’s onto me. I’ve got to do something, I’ve gotta get out of here.” But he couldn’t move. Vimalakirti had somehow made it so that he was frozen in place.

[47:27]

And so then he said, “Okay, here are all my celestial goddesses.” And then Vimalakirti taught them really all the pleasures of giving up desire for one’s own enjoyment and the joy of working to help for the sake of others, on behalf of other beings. In this way he set them into the generation of the altruistic spirit of enlightenment, bodhichitta. So all of them were transformed in this way.

[48:23.7 Geshe Thabke talks]

[48:51 Translation continues]

He was teaching them instead of the pleasures of your own enjoyments to take pleasure in the enjoyment of the dharma where you’re enjoying the practices of the Six Perfections—giving, ethical discipline, patience, wisdom and so forth. Then he was saying that it’s not appropriate to be into your own physical enjoyments. Your bodies are really a great source of suffering for you and impermanent and so forth. He taught them the great drawbacks of having a physical body.

[49:44. Geshe Thabke Talks]

[50:17 Translation continues]

In general when we talk about the body and the faults of the body, it’s that we can use the body for accumulating much virtue. But when you’re talking about the faults of the body we’re talking about giving up strong attachment to the body.

[50:46 Geshe Thabke Talks]

[51:31.8 Translation continues]

Finally he gave them a teaching about the limitlessness of the dharma where when you teach somebody and lead them into the practice of altruism and so forth, then that person will then, based on their own experience, teach somebody else. And in this way, he was giving them advice, that you can convey the limitlessness of the teaching, a limitless teaching. And so then he said, “Then go and practice the teachings in this way.” And he returned them to Mara and they left.

[52:43.4 Geshe Thabke]

[ 53:25 Translation continues]

Then finally the Buddha asked Manjushri to go and Manjushri accepted. Because he accepted to go and inquire after the health of Vimalakirti many beings wanted to go and see what had transpired. So then they all followed Manjushri to Vimalakirti’s house. And then once he was there with Vimalakirti there was this normal-abnormal kind of discussion where Manjushri would ask him, “Well, how was your illness?” And he would say, “I am sick with these kind of illnesses because I can’t be well while all living beings have the illness of suffering. So I have this as long as all beings have this.” The discussion went on like this.

[54:51.7 Geshe Thabke]

[ 56:03 Translation continues]

Then he was asked, “How do you deal with this illness?” And Vimalakirti answered that he would meditate on the emptiness of this illness. And focusing on this emptiness, it seems that focusing on emptiness is a way to not have any illness; a way of dealing with your illness. What you’re doing, is you’re trying to find where is the illness? And you can’t find any illness. And you focus on the emptiness of the illness. Instead of just thinking, “Oh, I’m sick and this is so difficult for me” and increasing your illness, it seems that by focusing on the emptiness of the illness you don’t feel very ill.

[57:17 Geshe Thabke]

[1:00:21Translation continues]

There was a goddess in the assembly at that time who loved the teaching that was transpiring. She took the form of a human and then started strewing flowers in appreciation. She was just throwing flowers everywhere. And the flowers were sticking to the robes of the disciples, the shravakas, and they were getting very uncomfortable with the fact that these flowers were sticking to their robes. Then Vimalakirti noticed this and he said, “What’s your problem? Why are you all upset about these flowers sticking to you?” And then one of them answered and said, “It’s not appropriate for us shravakas to have flowers on our robes.” And Vimalakirti said, “The only reason they’re sticking to you is you have this kind of preconception. How can you have this kind of thought? Look at the bodhisattvas, they’re not sticking to them. They’re free of these kinds of preconceptions.”

[1:02]

“It’s really true, you know, preconceptions are like this. You can see it in the various cultural customs. Like, over in India, for instance, when people get very old and they die, at the funeral the people are celebrating their life because they were really able to live their life to the fullest extent that would be expected of a human being at this time. So, then, why not feel elated that this transpired? It’s a wonderful thing.” So they were really elated and were beating drums and so forth.

Then it’s also, like, there’s a story about how one regent…everybody had goiters. All the people had large swelling of the neck. And then a person who had no goiter showed up and everyone was, like, “Oh, what’s wrong with this person?” The idea is really that our preconceptions are really a good way to translate a thought or a concept that’s giving us trouble.

[1:03:27 Geshe Thabke]

[1:04:22 Translation continues]

The preconceptions are what give us a lot of trouble in our lives, whereas the bodhisattvas can enter into cyclic existence, samsara, and not have these kinds of troubles because they don’t have the preconceptions that we suffer. It’s similar to the idea if you have some preconception that there’s spirits or evil spirits in the area, then you get harmed. Whereas somebody who doesn’t have that preconception doesn’t get harmed. And so then the bodhisattvas, because we have a lot of thoughts about all the different sense objects and preconceptions about them and how anger and hostility and all the problems that we have that we preconceive, then they come to us. Whereas bodhisattvas enter into cyclic existence without these preconceptions and are not at all harmed.

[1:05:38 Geshe Thabke]

[1:8:11 Translation continues]

Then this goddess entered into a conversation with Shariputra. At this time, then, there was a discrimination against women. Men felt that women were very inferior. So Shariputra had a lot of discussion and many questions and answers back and forth and Shariputra was very impressed by this goddess and her knowledge. And he said, “How is it that you got reborn as a woman?” And then the goddess said, “Why are you asking this kind of question? Would you ask this question to a magician’s illusion?” What she’s indicating that there are these preconceptions again. So how can you have preconceptions about something that exists in an illusory way?

[1:09:43]

Then the goddess switched her situation with Shariputra where she became Shariputra and Shariputra became the goddess. “Now that you’ve found yourself in this body…”

[1:10:24 Geshe Thabke talks]

[1:12:11 Translation continues]

Then Shariputra in that way came to understand the emptiness of these kinds of preconceptions. Shariputra was thinking, “Oh, it’s about noontime now. We have everybody assembled here. There are so many people. How are we ever going to get the food to feed everyone here?”

Then Vimalakirti understood this and he said to Shariputra, “Oh you don’t have to worry about this kind of problem. There’s a universe where there’s no food like this in the universe, and if we obtain some of that then there will be no problem.” Then he asked the bodhisattvas if they would go there to get this food, but nobody would go. So then he emanated, he created his own emanation to go there and ask for some food. Then the emanation appeared in this Buddha universe that was very distant. At that time, the bodhisattvas were interested in, “Well, where did you come from? What kind of place are you emanating from?” He was describing the Saha universe of Shakyamuni Buddha. Then they became very interested in going there.

[1:14:28]

But the people there have these immense bodies, the bodhisattvas had these huge bodies. And so the emanation bodhisattva said, “If you go there everybody will feel little. So you have to change your appearance when you go there so that you have a body that’s more like the size of mine.” Then the bodhisattvas went to this house of Vimalakirti in that way.

[1:15:06 Geshe Thabke]

[1:15:47 Translation continues]

In this land, when they arrived where the Buddha was living, the Buddha was residing in our

Sigh universe??[inaud 1:16:04], at that time they were asked, “How is it that the Buddha teaches in your universe?” They explained that the Buddha taught through odor, through smell I guess you’d say.

[1:16:32 Geshe Thabke]

[1:18:42 Translation continues]

It’s through this odor that the mind was transformed through the dharma. The bodhisattvas said then, “How does Shakyamuni Buddha teach in this region? What does he do?” Then it was explained that he teaches through words and terms. In that way he reaches his disciples. But then how does he teach? He teaches that through doing these actions you’ll be born in the hell; and through these actions you’ll be born as a hungry ghost and an animal; and through doing these actions you’ll be reborn into a higher rebirth. This is because of the thousand Buddhas of this fortunate eon Shakyamuni Buddha took form.

All the other buddhas didn’t want to teach in this particular time period because the sentient beings at this time period are all very difficult to control themselves and subdue their minds. The beings in this time, it’s known as a degenerate age, they’re subject to all kinds of degenerations of view, and afflictions and so forth. You have to teach them, to get through to them you have to talk about the difficulties and the suffering that you undergo if you do such and such. It’s just like how a horse is trained with a bridle. You have to put the bridle in the mouth, and then the horse, through the pain of the bridle, responds to the rider. The same happens if you see the elephants in the circus. Elephants in the circus are all very well trained to do many different things. But this doesn’t come about just by giving them treats. They are given certain treats if they perform, but also they’re beaten if they don’t respond properly. So it’s the same idea, that beings at this time period need this kind of approach.

[1:21:57 Geshe Thabke]

[1:23:03 Translation continues]

Then the bodhisattvas from that distant universe were just so impressed that the bodhisattvas come to this kind of place where there’s so much degeneration, there’s so much poverty and the people are so rough and difficult. They were saying to Vimalakirti, “Ah, the bodhisattvas of this Buddha universe they have such great compassion, such stable minds. Usually bodhisattvas, if they don’t have this kind of firm, great universal compassion and a very firm mind, they’re at a very great risk of losing their altruistic commitment to all beings and seeking their own liberation.” These bodhisattvas were expressing great admiration for the bodhisattvas in this Buddha universe. Then Vimalakirti said, “That’s true. The bodhisattvas in this universe have an unusually great compassion. And they’re able, in this region, to form a very stable, very firm mind.”

[1:25:03 Geshe Thabke]

[1:26:54 Translation continues]

Then Vimalkirti said if you’re in a very pure realm, then it’s very hard to attain certain virtues. In this particular Buddha universe there are ten different features of this realm that allow bodhisattvas to accumulate an unusually great amount of merit. For instance, one of them is that there is so much poverty and lack of resources. If you’re in a universe with a lot of resources then there’s no opportunity to benefit others through a practice of generosity. But the bodhisattvas in this universe are able to practice very freely their generosity. Also they are able, because people are involved in so many improper activities and mean activities, they’re able to create a lot of merit through leading them into the practice of avoiding the ten non-virtues and karmic deeds.

[1:28:42 Geshe Thabke]

[1:29:24 Translation continues]

In your universe, because it’s a purer universe, you don’t have, like people here, where they’re undergoing so much difficulty all the time and they’re always frustrated and unhappy. Because of that, unhappiness is the food of anger and hostility. And so they are constantly in a kind of irritable hostile state. Then a bodhisattva has a great opportunity to show them that if you’re angry and always hostile and always feeling unhappy, it only brings trouble to yourself. But if you practice patience and tolerance and forbearance and forgiveness, these kinds of virtues will allow you to be happy yourself and also you will bring happiness to others. And also bringing others to this accumulation of merit is a great practice for the bodhisattva.

[1:30:50 Geshe Thabke]

[1:31:55 Translation continues]

In this universe there’s a lot of people who feel a laziness of being discouraged that, “Oh, I couldn’t possible develop generosity. I couldn’t possibly be an ethically disciplined person.” They don’t make any effort to cultivate these virtues. But then the bodhisattvas in this region have the opportunity to create great virtue because they can teach others that they have this ability, and if you get used to these kinds of virtuous practices you can accumulate a great deal of virtue itself. In this way then the bodhisattvas lead them to the practice of virtue.

[1:33:10 Geshe Thabke]

[1:33:46 Translation continues]

In terms of meditative stabilization, there are so many beings in this universe, they are unable to stay focused when they try to do something. When they try to do something, some kind of work, and they try to focus the attention wanders. Then they make mistakes. But the bodhisattvas have the opportunity to teach them the benefits of mindfulness and introspection. And in this way they are able to keep their minds focused on any undertaking that they choose.

[1:34:37 Geshe Thabke]

[1:35:03 Translation continues]

They also are able to direct people who have faulty wisdom—that they’re using their intelligence in the wrong way; they don’t believe in the cause and effect of karmic actions, and also that they don’t believe in former and future lives, and they don’t see that through doing something virtuous they can have happiness and through doing non-virtue they can have suffering. The bodhisattva has the opportunity then to lead people in the correct understanding and having a correct view or correct wisdom.

[1:36:01 Geshe Thabke]

[1:36:45 Translation continues]

Also not having the time, people in this universe feel they don’t have the time to do things. In that way they don’t spend their time practicing the dharma. And then through not practicing the dharma they will be reborn into situations where they never have the opportunities to practice the dharma. So the bodhisattvas have the opportunity in this universe to lead them into understanding of how they can be practicing the dharma in any situation and to make use of the time that they have now to practice the dharma, practice the Buddha’s teachings.

[1:37:45 Geshe Thabke]

[1:38:50 Translation continues]

Also in this universe, there’s an opportunity to lead others out of just thinking about their own liberation, freedom from their own suffering, focusing on their own freedom, and to think in the way of the Mahayana where you’re thinking of others, starting with those close to you, your own family members and radiating that concern for others, that care for others, out from those close to you to those outside of your family and so forth.

[1:39:52 Geshe Thabke]

[1:40:42 Translation continues]

Bodhisattvas have the opportunity in this region to practice the different arts or sciences, like medicine and craftsmanship. Whatever career that you choose, you have the opportunity to approach it with an attitude that it is helpful to others. Instead of just thinking about money, you can focus your attention on how this is benefitting others.

[1:41:37 Geshe Thabke]

[1:42:06 Translation continues]

In this universe you also have the opportunity to lead others with the four ways of gathering disciples, where you gather them by giving them gifts—material gifts, and then in that way when you teach them, it’s called “pleasant speech” where you’re giving them useful advice. You’re enjoining them to put that advice into practice. Then you’re practicing that advice, you’re following your own advice. You’re practicing what you preach, as we’d say. So you have that opportunity as well in this universe.

[1:43:08 Geshe Thabke]

[1:44:40 Translation continues]

You can also see how from our own experience, from my own experience I have seen how, I was in this area and people would come, they were very poor at that time and they would come in the evening and ask me to give them something. This was the custom in the area because everybody was so poor. When you could give what you had to them you felt good yourself. And they also were very happy to receive things. It was a very pleasant experience, for both the giver and the receiver. And also when people learn something about the teaching in the area that I was living in, it wasn’t just the householders in that region learned about the dharma. And when they met with the monks, they had this conception that every bikshu, every Buddhist monk, was somehow learned. They would ask them questions and it would give the monks difficulty. Like, when they were riding in the bus and people would ask them dharma questions. Not every monk necessarily is learned, a lot of them just say prayers for instance. So then the monks were even reluctant to take rides in the busses. They were thinking, “Do you think there’s anybody in there that knows, that’s been to the dharma teachings in the area?” Then they’d be reluctant to get on the bus and be asked questions. It’s like the stories here in Vimalakirti’s sutra.

[1:47:17 Geshe Thabke]

[1:49:41 Translation continues]

Then it’s really true in our own situation what is being taught here: that we have an opportunity, when we’re interacting with other persons, if they’re angry, for instance, a person is giving us the opportunity to be patient at that time and to cultivate tolerance and forgiveness. So it’s very true what’s said, there’s a verse of the Eight Verses of Mind Training, where it says that, “May I hold others very dearly with an altruistic mind that is like a wish-fulfilling jewel.” It’s just like what is being said here: that if we view others as like a teacher, then instead of our natural response, when somebody’s getting hostile towards us and says something, we want to return the anger and beat them at what they’re doing. Instead, if we view them as giving us the opportunity to cultivate some virtuous practice in response, then all our interactions with others are giving us a a great opportunity to cultivate large amounts of merit in response to any kind of…if we can control ourselves and respond with generosity and with patience and with care for others.

[1:52:26 Geshe Thabke]

[1:53:27 Translation continues]

When this gathering was about to break up it was a custom to ask the Buddha for some parting advice, we could say. There is the exhaustible and inexhaustible. Exhaustible means that Buddha is advising not to be lost in a kind of meditative absorption where you’re just absorbed into meditation and you’re not entering into…That this is an extreme and to avoid that and to practice generosity and ethical discipline and so forth.

[1:54:32 Geshe Thabke]

[1:55:28 Translation continues]

He gave the advice to take pleasure in isolation, where you’re withdrawing your mind from involvement in all these preconceptions. But then don’t be attached to that kind of isolation, where you think, “Oh, I’m practicing the teachings. And I’m being withdrawn from these preconceptions.” You can’t be attached to it.

[1:57:07 Geshe Thabke]

[1:56:20 Translation continues]

Don’t be attached to your own happiness, be attached to the happiness of others. By being attached to your own happiness you will not be happy. By being attached to others’ happiness you will be happy.

[1:56:38 Geshe Thabke]

[1:57:33 Translation continues]

So he said that meditative concentration, meditative absorption, this is like hell. You should practice generosity and ethical discipline and patience and so forth. What is meant here is that you can get very absorbed in meditation and high states of concentration. The consciousness elevates in such a way you’ll be reborn into these realms of these deities where you’re then in a kind of state where it’s just pleasure and a very blissful state, where you don’t have the ability to think, really, to use your intelligence. You’re just in this blissful state for many eons. It’s to be avoided. And one has to take up the practices of these six perfections and benefit others.

[1:59:08 Geshe Thabke]

[2:01:15 Translation continues]

In general in Buddhism it’s important to cultivate meditative concentration of course. But then when you have some stability, you turn your attention, your concentrative attention to cultivating and understanding impermanence, suffering, selflessness and then cultivate love and compassion and the altruistic spirit of enlightenment and these kinds of virtues. So it’s not felt like the non-Buddhists that you enter into these meditative states and then you go into higher and higher levels of consciousness. From their perspective they see this as liberation. But that’s not the way we Buddhists see it. It’s kind of the like the story of Manjushri and Shariputra where Shariputra was teaching his disciples how to reach to liberation. Many disciples were reaching these higher levels. Whereas Manjushri was teaching and his disciples were being reborn in hells and so forth. It was then asked of the Buddha, “What’s going on here?” And Buddha said, “Well, the people who are following Shariputra will be in these states of liberation for a very long time, whereas Manjushri’s followers will be reborn from these lower rebirths into situations where then they cultivate…He’s very skilled in his means and his method and they can be born into situations where they can then practice altruism, the altruistic spirit of enlightenment and other virtues and reach to the state of enlightenment much sooner than the others.”

[2:04:14]

The teaching here for Buddhists is not really to be cultivating these states where you’re following you’re own interest. But really to be in situations where the emphasis is on helping, generating concern and care for others

[2:04:42 Geshe Thabke]

[2:05:30 Translation continues]

Then the Buddha is advising that you take pleasure in being reborn into cyclic existence, just like the bodhisattvas do, where out of great pleasure they’re born into cyclic existence to work for the welfare of all beings. Instead of that, don’t become involved in reaching these higher states of consciousness through meditative concentration.

[2;06:21 Geshe Thabke]

[2:06:40 Translation continues]

Bodhisattvas do not take pleasure in being born into cyclic existence. They’re not like ourselves who really don’t know about the suffering of cyclic existence and not recognizing the suffering situation in cyclic existence and just enjoying cyclic existence in that way. What they’re talking about is that the bodhisattva is happy to take rebirth into cyclic existence in order to work for the welfare of all beings.

[2:07:15 Geshe Thabke]

[2:09:00 Translation continues]

So what can we take out of this? We have to understand not to be taking the worldly person’s perspective. The worldly person’s perspective is that the worldly person is involved in pursuing his or her own happiness and pleasures. A worldly person makes this discrimination that respecting a Buddha is more important than respecting all living beings. This is basically an error. We should respect all living beings greater than we respect the Buddhas. And why is that? The Buddhas have made this complete change where they’ve abandoned being preoccupied with themselves and they’re only preoccupied with others. They feel towards each living being like a mother feels for her own dear child. She has only one child. If anybody does something to help that child then she’s extremely happy. When we turn attention then to helping others and instead of getting involved…It’s difficult for us, this is talking about a bodhisattva practice. We get involved in quarreling and wanting things from people and having difficulties in our relationships with others. But a bodhisattva sees all beings as an opportunity. They take great pleasure in being able to work for the welfare of others, in whatever way, with a deep sense of concern and care.

[2:11:56 Geshe Thabke]

[2:12:35 Translation continues]

In “Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way” Shantideva says that both a Buddha and a sentient being are the same, in the way that both of them are causes for us to attain enlightenment. The Buddhas of course teach the ways of enlightenment. And it’s through our relationship to living beings that we attain enlightenment. So then why is it that we don’t respect all living beings in the same way that we respect the Buddhas? Really we should cherish and respect living beings more than the Buddhas.

[2:13:37 Geshe Thabke]

[2:13:48 Translation continues]

(I gave Rimpoche a lot of trouble here. It is difficult for him to stay so long.)

So thank you all.

[2:14:03 Tape ends]