Archive Result

Soundfile 1988GROMCOMTalk08B

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Ann Arbor

Topic Meditations ontheTibetan Path of Love

Transcriber Jill Neuwirth

Date 1/4/2023

… Little over a year that I’ve been living in- as a matter of fact, it was first September last year. Yeah. It was first September last year that- was it twenty-first September? Yeah, that’s right. The first September last year I moved in and settled in Ann Arbor. That’s a year now. (Laughs) Though, I’ve been going and coming and going and coming, and before that, prior to that, two years before that I’ve been sort of traveling from all over the place, through asking people to come here and to come here there and talk, you know like, from the Malaysia, Singapore, and in that area through India and Europe. And being in the United States, sort of going up and down and different centers in different areas and so that’s why, before I settled in Ann Arbor, I’ve been in Ann Arbor like twice or three times? Like a short period a month or two. Aura: You’ve been there for the majority of the year for the last couple years, but part of it was because you couldn’t- Rimpoche just got his green card. (Audience laughs and claps) He’s now an official permanent resident of The United States. So before, for the last year, or year and a half, he couldn’t leave the country. For two years. (Rimpoche laughs) Before that, he was, you know, two months in Malaysia, one month in Holland, three months in Ann Arbor, one month here, two months in Ann Arbor, one month in India, two months in Ann Arbor. It would be like that. He was constantly traveling. And then when, you know, when he started application for his green card, he couldn’t leave the country. So for two years he hasn’t been, and his students were getting like, piles of complaint mail because he hasn’t been to any of these places. He hasn’t been able to leave the country.

[0:02:10.7] So now he’s got those places that he’s also going to have to return to. But that’s one of the reasons you weren’t doing as much- Rimpoche: (Inaudible) Yeah what happened is, we made this application and they said, you can’t leave. That’s what it is. (Laughs) They make decision. And, then I’ve been working in Cleveland before that, with a friend of mine professor, and working on some Tibetan history and grammar and so and forth. But within the United States I’ve been going up and down, and up and down all the time. I’ve been down all the time, as a matter of fact, as we’ve been saying, and I do not believe to propagate, you know, say, oh, this is best you come here and do this, this, this, this. I sort of see people when they’re interested they gradually themselves will sort of pick up. And wherever their needs are, I try to make myself available. And when I realize it’s no longer useful, or cannot help, I back off. So, that’s way of my doing. I try to make myself available all the time, wherever. So I’ve been traveling up and down all the time, and been going on a New York quite often. As a matter of fact, we have a small study group found in New York, too, and which I leave it to Lulu to explain it. And also about Loseling and all this. Lulu: Can I say a little bit about Tibet House, too? Rimpoche: Go ahead and say whatever you want to. The floor is in your hand. (Laughs) Lulu: Rimpoche has been very kind in coming to us in New York about once a month, or once every six weeks, to speak with us over a weekend. And I think the best thing is if anyone is interested in knowing more about this, knowing when he’s coming, maybe we should leave paper over there, you can put your name down, and address, and we can let you know the next time he’s coming. When he’s coming. Rather than giving you addresses and telephone numbers that might get confusing and lost, and one thing or another. The other thing- well, I have two things to tell everyone that are on the horizon.

[0:04:55.6] Lulu: One, is a tour of the Loseling monks from India. That is Rimpoche’s college. And these are eight monks who will be performing sacred music and dance and chants, and the tour is going to be in the west coast this fall, going across Canada, will be in Toronto and Montreal in December, and in February, we’re hoping- we’re planning on them being in the New York area. They may be a few other places- Rochester, Buffalo, Vermont, maybe in Boston. I don’t know where all of you are from, but anyway. If you keep your ears, you know, open, you will hear about them. It’s the Loseling monks. We’re going to be doing publicity. Also, maybe if you write down, if you’re interested in the New York schedules of Rimpoche’s teaching you can make a little “L” maybe and we’ll let you know about the Loseling monks and when they’ll be in your area. There’s one more thing I’d like to tell you about, just for a minute, if you can sit one more minute. And that is about Tibet House which is helping to sponsor the Loseling monks. Tibet House is a institution, I hate that word, but anyway, for practicality’s sake, a group of people have been working on and trying to put together for a long time this past year, it been really been getting going. It will be, I believe, in New York City, that’s what we’re thinking of right now. It will be like a cultural embassy for things Tibetan to preserve the heritage and the culture and the art, and religion of Tibet. We’re hoping to have a six- I’ll give you our dream for the moment, a six-story house, building, with a museum, gallery, for a permanent collection. A library for Tibetan books for researching. There will be research facilities. There will be an auditorium for performances and films and lectures, and conferences, conference rooms. There will be apartment series for His Holiness to stay at when he’s in New York, and for visiting Rimpoches and lamas to stay at. And so we’ll be a general source of information and study center and home for Tibet in this country. And I have, unfortunately, I’ve run out of all my brochures, but I have one left and I can leave it over there on the table if anyone wants to look further and see more, and see what it’s going to be about. We’re going to be having lots of programs. We’re hoping to have a Year of Tibet, a Tibetan festival in ’90, ’91, and this will be nationwide.

[0:08:41.4] We’re starting off with a major exhibition of Tibetan art. And it will start off at the Asian Museum in San Francisco. Rand Castile (?) [0:08:54.0] will be the curator. It will travel to the Sackler in Washington, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. And we’re working on a New York location right now, possibly the IBM Gallery in midtown. And then it might go to London and Tokyo and Moscow. We want it to be a real worldwide show. We’re also- there’s a plan to have an opera on the life of Milarepa which will be done by Philip Glass. And maybe Peter Brook will be the director, he’s very interested in it. And so, there’s lots of ongoing projects and it’s a something that you all I hope will be hearing more about, and maybe coming to and joining up and becoming a friend of. Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know about that. Thank you. Rimpoche: That’s very nice, thank you. Well, so I think, anything else now? Yes? Audience: (Inaudible) [0:10:10.4] I wanted to ask- if it’s appropriate at this time, I wanted to ask about initiation. You suggested that I, ask about it. Rimpoche: You’re talking about initiation that we talked yesterday, right? Okay. So this is very funny, very tricky question. But I will tell you my true opinion, okay?

[0:10:50.5] The initiation, normally, what we call initiation, you know, I made this people call all sorts of things, okay? So, with the sort of, full initiation is actually introduction, or admission of individual in certain important, certain deities of mandala. So there are lot of, you know- did you hear what I say? Is there any problem? Inclusion, no you don’t- you know, these deities is individual enlightened beings taking separate forms, right? Yidams I try to call it. Each one of them has a mandala. A mandala is a technical word. It means their own household. I mean, make it simple, their household, what else there. So there’s one principle, whether it’s male or female and then there’s some retinue-ities, or sometimes we’ll call it solitary, so it is single, male or female. So now initiating means letting the individual entering into it. Allowed it in there. In there. Sort of made a part of a family. Not only entered to- it’s two different things. When you pray to somebody, I give this example. When you’re praying to somebody, so it sort of means you’re shouting from outside and say, hey, there’s something need, and help, help, help, or something like that. When the person is initiated, he doesn’t have to shout from the outside, ring the bell and come in, and maybe have a cup of tea or coffee, and then talk over what the need is. Then that’s not the only the answer, but still you’re introduced so you can be there, but you, you are sort of a new in the house. You have not really gained the confidence of the principle of the house yet. So you do certain amount of retreat, you sit and practice, you do certain things, and then you develop. And when you develop you begin to gain the confidence of the person.

[0:13:24.2] And when you gain the confidence of the person, you begin to make decisions, too. So he will not reject, right? He or she will not reject. So this is that sort of thing. So, initiation is very important if you have decided to practice certain particular deities through particular means for particular purposes. Very, very important, no doubt. However, if you try have the initiation very early level, there’s a problem. A stranger, total stranger, who comes out and opens door and come in and started pouring tea, and when the owner comes back, he’s going to call the police and said, well, there’s a thief in my house. (Laughs) So its early initiation is that much, just like that. So, it needs to be pre-prepared and at an appropriate time, should be able to take it. It’s totally depends on the person who introduced you. And how he or she could manage to do it. That’s what it is. And these days, the initiations become so, I don’t know… very popular. Very popular. And every lama that you hear around is giving this initiation and this initiation and there’s a hundred of this, and a hundred of that together and all this. And I tell you truth, I don’t think in the west it’s really, few individuals and slowly yes, but this big business is, I don’t mean business, money business, but I mean, this work of the biggest scale of the initiation is my personal feeling is, it is not that great helpful. It’s strange if you look at it, but couple of years ago, His Holiness, The Dalai Lama has given a Kalachakra initiation in Wisconsin. And what he did, I mean he started whole initiation, at the middle of that, at about half, middle of just over Monday, he just finished it. Just finished. Did not give the whole initiation. Just finished it. People are aware or not, I think he announced it’s not completed, but, that’s that. That’s what he did.

[0:16:24.5] In the middle of that, he just finishes, it’s not full Kalachakra initiation. He just finished it, middle of that, he closed. So what happened is, though Kalachakra is exceptional, I mean in Tibet Kalachakra is given very seldom, maybe one lama will give one, or at most three in their lifetime, at the most. Not more. So what happened, is everybody goes in one, sort of one Kalachakra, everybody goes. It’s more or less, it’s sort of in a blessing form, rather than proper initiation in Tibet. For example, this, where His Holiness The Dalai Lama has taken the Kalachakra is from Kyabje Ling Rimpoche, his senior tutor. Kyabje Ling Rimpoche has taken this Kalachakra initiation from Kyabje Khensur Rimpoche. It was almost I think in 19, about 30- 1930 something. At that time there’s no loudspeaker available in Tibet. So they Kyabje Khensur Rimpoche, when he’s giving the initiation, he give in a hollow (?) [0:17:41.6] it is a, those who have been in Tibet, it’s at the back of Potala, there’s a big field. Now it’s filled out, right? Is it filled up now with houses? Yeah, but that used to be big open field. There’s one big house belong for one noble family. So Kyabje Khensur Rimpoche give initiation in that. And what they say is from the distance people who are from- forget about the last row, but almost middle row, they hear nothing. Even when he play the bell and drum, they said drum, the white little thing going around, you know, they see little bit white, white, white, going, so nothing more than that, you hear nothing.

[0:18:24.8] So, it is you know, this sort of thing. People do take in as a blessing form rather than actual initiation. Some people it might have worked as a total initiation, but mostly it’s been a blessing form. So in blessing form, if you take I think there’s no objection. But as proper initiation, one has to be very careful with that. But you have to be prepared. Prepared. The preparation is initiation is vajrayana. Vajrayana practice is based on the emptiness. The first thing what they’ll say, om (Quotes opening line of prayer) [0:19:18.2] All is empty. Okay, when the moment you hear that word, and if you think all is blank, then it’s gone. It’s no longer work. So all is empty means, emptiness has to be there. So even you don’t see emptiness clearly as eye to eye, however, you have to have some understanding of emptiness. That’s one preparation. Then the other side preparation is the bodhimind. Bodhimind. The jewel mind. The bodhisattva stage. And these two are the pre-preparations that one really should be doing and at that level, if you get good initiation from a good person, and there is really a very, very meaningful. And now there’s another phase on this. There’s a shorter one. It’s sort of come, what we call in Tibetan, jenang. I try to call it empowerment. A lot of people use it, lot of different words, doesn’t matter. This is become more or less blessing form. That is a lot of people do it, lot of people take it, that’s okay. And particularly when you go to a Chinese community, they will not be happy unless you bump something on their head (Laughs) and something to drink and some bells to ring, they’re not satisfied at all, they just keep on looking at you. (Audience laughs) So, I used to joke in a Singapore. You know, there’s so much interest, the Chinese, so much devotion and interest, you know it’s traditional, I mean, there been generations and Buddhist and all this. They really have tremendous interest in all this. But they have very little understanding. And I have been very helpful to them. Particularly in the Malaysia and Singapore and this sort of, you know, Chinese community. What happened is, what I helped is what happened is the parents is very strict and stubborn, they always wanted to do a sort of, you know, they wanted a child to become a Buddhist. And they will light a lamp and they’ll make offerings on the altar, they will burn the incense there, they will do the three (Inaudible) [0:22:04.5] and all this sort of things, doesn’t know what is it. No idea for whatsoever.

[0:22:09.1] What they’re doing. They say, we’re praying. That’s all. They may say something. They say all this, but they don’t know anything. Now when you have younger generation who’s educated, they want to know what mom doing here? What’s all this about it? I didn’t hear in school anything about it. I never read anything which says what it is. What is it, mom? Okay, I’ll do it for you, because you want me to do it, I’ll do it. But just tell me, what is it? What’s going on? And they say, oh, it is prayer, that’s all. So, what I’ve been able to do is be able to explain it little more. And then what happens, there’s another problem. And then we have this Buddhist bhikkshus coming from, the monks coming from like, Thailand, and like all this, Sri Lanka area where there’s no vajrayana practice at all. So they come in that area, and they say now, my parents are unable to explain to me but however now there is a monk Buddhist monk coming, so I’m sure he knows. So they go and ask him, what is all this? And some of them say, well, yeah, it’s your traditional practice. Some of them say, oh no, I don’t think it’s Buddhist at all, I don’t know anything about it, and it is must be your Taoist mixed in here or whatever it is, is not Buddhist. And they created more confusion on that. So I been able to- I think I filled, I have served my purpose. I’ve been really, I did a lot of explanations, and wherever I go in this area Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand area, sometimes you know, it’s most of the time you get, even in talks you get like eight, nine hundred, one thousand people every evening comes around. So I think I’ve been able to service them a little bit in that way.

[0:24:09.0] But, on the other hand, the elder ladies will not leave unless you hit something on the head. So I used to joke in Singapore, I said let’s make an electronic thing which the some one vase you put it up there, it comes down (Makes knocking sound, Audience laughs) So, that’s so mostly we have to do the empowerment type of thing. So this is more sort of blessing form, and I think there is no, any problems at all. If you’re really- but on the other hand if you go somewhere and get initiation as blessing form, that’s fine. But when you really get it, proper initiation, you study with proper one person, and go through it, and let it go through and whatever the practice coming. And that will serve the purpose. Is that okay, Minnie (?) [0:25:09.4] Thank you. Is it time to stop, I think? So I think we will- (Audio cuts)

[0:25:18.5] Audience (Matt):… is that every being has been our mother, or that every being has been someone’s most precious in this life. So for that reason, we should treat every being as our mother, as the one who has been most precious to us. And through remembering the kindness that they’ve shown us, we then have natural feelings to repay that kindness. We have to do something to make up for what they’ve done to us, or for the kindness that they’ve shown someone else. We have to try to be kind to them. And we have to do our best, have to make the best effort possible. So that means going through whatever it takes to bring them kindness- to bring them happiness. And, but within that, we see that we don’t really have the potential to bring them permanent happiness. We can only- we can help them small, little ways. So then, our goal must be, or my goal must be to reach Buddhahood as quickly as possible, cause that’s the position that I can, I’m sure that that is the position where I’ll be able to help the beings, all the beings, that have been kind to me. However, there’s not that much time. Any life is so uncertain, I could at any moment, it could be over. And it will be too late for me. And where will I end up next? I don’t- since I don’t know that, the only thing I can do at this point with such unlimited- with such undeveloped potential, I only have potential at this point, I don’t really have the ability to help people permanently, I have to- and also I can’t even help myself. Whenever my life ends, I don’t know where I’m going, I may become in totally worse shape where I won’t be able to help anyone. So I have to- so the first thing to do, is to take refuge. Not only because I’m not sure where I’m going, or you know, that I need the protection, while I’m trying to develop my stage of buddhahood, not only that, for that reason, but also because taking refuge is remembering the qualities of the Buddha, and the dharma, and the sangha, which are the qualities that I’m striving to find in myself, to develop in myself, so that I will be able to help beings. So briefly, that’s the reason we’re going to take refuge first after a minute of generating the pure thought.

[0:28:26.6] So with that, we’ll have a quick meditation on pure thought and then I’ll start the refuge. (Bell rings) Rimpoche: It is very valuable point. I’ve been looking, we’ve been looking on those question handouts and one of them it’s a m- (?) [0:29:24.2] recommended Tibetan Buddhist practice in America. And, few of us yesterday we have been talking to each other and saying that it had been great. The Chinese have come, the communist Chinese have taken over Tibet. Otherwise, the Tibetan Buddhism would not have come here. In a way, it’s true. In a way, it’s true. Well, thank you, welcome, David. This is my old friend, David Lewis from, we met really early, I was not expecting you till late in the evening. Come in and join, and sit somewhere around here. Wherever you want to put. In Buddhism, spiritual development is definitely going to take in America for sure. And it’s coming up and it’s taking it and it’s going to take show (?) [0:30:52.4] And that’s no doubt. But as we’ve been saying, like Tibetan Buddhism as sort of like a really what’s happening with the Tibetan, with the Tibetan culture and everything together, I don’t know whether that’s going to take place here or not. And also there’s a question that’s going to be necessary or not, also. So as far as my feeling is concerned the Tibetan Buddhism, there is the Buddhism practice, the Tibetan way of practicing will definitely grow. Especially when we have a lot of beautiful people like you are taking interest a lot, and try to- not interest- just to want to save the Buddhism, to some, maybe. But mostly, because we want to develop. We want to be better person, to improve our self. And seeing a person like Matt, who is young (Laughs) who is going to school and learning things together and been about little over a year, or two years. It’s over two years, okay. Well, I thought it’s a little over a year, okay. Anyway, sort of, you know, will have some sort of compacting to go and will be sort of pick up gradually, will become good, no doubt. So it sort of clear indication, a little bit there. So do have a number of people at the Jewel Heart back in Ann Arbor who are seriously trying to develop and picking up well. As well as people other areas. There are a number of them. And there a lot of centers I’m not going to go through the which center what, and all this. Then we’ll take our time.

[0:33:05.3] So, as we were, if you’re interested, there way and mean, nearby places to teach in order to look in and all this. One of the best information I thought, maybe is Snow Lion, the newspaper may be a very good information to see where, what, and what’s going on. It’s comes from Ithaca. Here is David. (Laughs) You want to give the Snow Lion’s- do you want to advertise your Snow Lion? David? You want to advertise your Snow Lion? (Laughs) David: (Inaudible) [0:33:46.9] Rimpoche: (Laughs) I’m just joking. Well, anyway, Snow Lion publication comes from Ithaca, it’s quite good to look in for informations like that. And then, most important is the individual feeling and individual’s connections, individual contact, so what, well, if you want anybody around, if you want to contact me, or us, you have everything now available with you. But, I repeat once again, the practice, it depends on your practice, the first thing is motivation, second thing is taking refuge, third thing is going through a seven limbed prayer that I have given you, Ganden Lha Gyema, and fourth is the saying mantras and meditating it together. Or separately, whatever is convenient for you. Some people have asked me, is there a difference number of mantras? There is no difference as long as, I mean you don’t want to say one, say two, three, seven, whatever according to the time you have, you do it. And as long as you don’t have a commitment. Some people have a commitment to say a certain mantra, I say a hundred times a day. And I’m sure Aura will tell you when they have first commitments, I’m the one saying, hey, don’t be very brave, come down, come down, come the number down. Because they say, well, yeah, seven, I can easily say it. Oh, twenty-one, oh a hundred is much easier, you know sort of thing. So commitment always has to be kept low as possible and then fulfill it. If you don’t have a commitment, three, seven, twenty-one, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, whatever you can.

[0:35:48.9] So but most important thing is to think what you say. And not- the you know why the Tibetan pujas, or this prayers, they made the word so you say so long, sometime people don’t think. So they made the word to say it, when you say from the mouth, you know what to think. The words will tell you what to think. But sometimes it becomes so habit, the words go from the mouth, and mind goes somewhere else. And that will do no good. So again, if you want to continue to do something and that is the way to do. Get up in the morning, take refuge, say the seven limbed prayer to Tsong Khapa, and then say the mantras, and then conclusion. We haven’t done yet. We will do tomorrow the concluding business, we’ll do that. That’s what you do. That take about, oh, I don’t know, forty minutes? And don’t have to chant if you don’t want to. You can say, om mani peme hung, om mani peme hung, rather than om mani peme hung, or whatever the way it is. I mean, if you want to chant, wonderful. Fine. Go ahead. If you have the time. If you don’t, don’t have to feel bad at all. Okay? Okay, that’s about it. And there’s one more thing, what is it? Where’s Paul gone? Yeah Paul, what is the other one? One is it Buddhism in America, and there’s one more. I wrote it down and lost the paper. That’s my problem. (Laughs) I found it. Oh, mantra… Well? (Reads in Tibetan) [0:38:09.7] You know, we have saying in Tibetan. When you write something, immediately after you finish writing, nobody can read. When it went three days, you yourself cannot read it. And that’s what’s happening with me my English here. (Laughs) It says, “mantra R.” Now I don’t know what that mean. (Laughs) Oh- pronunciation, that’s right, “mantra P.” Alright, pronunciation. Okay, thank you. (Laughs)

[0:38:50.6] Pronunciation. Not at all important. Not at all important. If you say in a certain direction, wherever you want to. There’s a reason behind why I say it’s not too important. You may think, of course it’s important, otherwise you should have been, you know, there’s no reason. It is not important. It’s about twelve, now I forgot the year, somewhere around twelve hundred, I think. There was a great Tibetan learned person called Sakyapandita. Intellectually learned. And there’s a person who- I don’t mean Sakyapandita doesn’t have a highly development. There’s another one who’s not learned at all, but not learned at all, but he has his own solid short practice and obtained a very high stage of development and have a tremendous mystical power. So the last entire Buddhist debate, that’s two or three scholars from India have come up to Tibet, this is the last one, had come up to Tibet to debate on Buddhist, anti-Buddhist debate in Tibet. The Tibetans have chosen two people, chose two. One is learned scholar who can do scholarly, and another is a highly developed saint, though might not be learned. Because when they do go on debating argument, he has nothing to say. But in case of power comes, there’s another fellow, so they sent two of them together. So they old debate system, it’s not like Presidential debate here. I mean, somebody makes one statement and another make another statement, no. The old debate system you say something and I challenge immediately and pointed you out and make you see how your fault is. And where you went wrong, and until that, they go till the end. And the system was, when the anti-Buddhism Buddhist debate comes, whoever loses, they give up and surrender, and if the Buddhist lose, they lose he give up his practice and have to go and follow the other one. And the other one loses, and they cut off their hair or whatever and follow the other one. This is the old system in India, early during the Buddha period and afterwards.

[0:41:32.5] So two of them sent, and they debate with the Sakyapandita. And Sakyapandita’s a very learned chap. So the other one lost the debate. So he said, now you have lost, I’m going to cut your hair and going to make you a monk or something. So he ran and flew, and flew in the air. And Sakyapandita started looking around and the other fellow, oh, he’s flying, I get him down. He got a little dagger here and he said, om benza cha le cha le (?) [0:41:58.6] So put it down the dagger on the shadow and he dropped, fell down, you know. He’s flying, the shadow goes, and he put the dagger there, and said, om vajra cha le cha le. Sakyapandita said, wow, such a terrible pronunciation of mantra. (Audience laughs) And works! So he thought, oh, I should tell him. So he said, look. Look, if you have such a tremendous power by saying terrible way, but if you say correctly, how good it’s going to be? So he got a little bit suspicious and he said, what? Anyway, so what is the correct pronunciation? So Sakyapandita said, om vajra kla le kla le. And he said, om benza cha le cha le. (Laughs) So he’s getting a little suspicious and when he says these mantras and develop, and whenever he put his daggers through rocks or air it goes through all the time. With a little suspicious, then he says, om benza kla le kla le, try to put through the rock. Doesn’t go. It stuck. And he look at Sakyapandita give one big look and said, up till now I have said cha le cha le, from now on I will say cha le cha le, and gets where it goes through. So mantra is this. Yes, you have to say the best way you can. As close as possible. But it is very important, again, think you’re doing the right thing and go ahead. Do it. So don’t worry about pronunciation. You have to learn language first, not yours. No point. Just do it. That’s it. Yes?