Archive Result

19900731GRAATNT01

Speaker: Gelek Rimpoche

Location: Ann Arbor

Topic: Four noble truths

Transcriber: Vincent Wuisman

Date: July 31, 1990

0:00:00.0

GR: Good evening, everybody. I have to apologize that I am a little bit late. As you can already see we have some new faces here in this Tuesday group. Already some of them. I think about six months ago we said we begin to open the Tuesdays by the beginning of August/September. […interaction about sound]

0:01:36.3

The Tuesday-people have been trying to see what kind of thing it is and whether it has any individual benefit by doing this practice, or not. We sort of have that, more or less experimental. Then we have open talk and after that we close the Tuesdays, but people who like to leave, they can leave but who loves to continue they can. But we did not let anybody open, new, for a while. The whole idea is to feel the practice and see whether that practice can benefit the individual. When I talk about benefit here, we’re not talking a very simple benefit of, say calming your mind. We’re not talking about even a single benefit like lesser angry person. We’re not talking of benefit of that kind. They’re all beneficial, no doubt, but then what the Tibetan buddhism is offered here sort of general solution to improve the overall standard of the individual and solid laying of foundation. Not flying around and bringing all the information and benefits, all the information of the spiritual, bring them together and being able to work the basic individual problems like anger, hatred, attachment, jealousy and so forth. Bring a person in better. When we talk about a person in better, probably you see what does that mean, a person getting better? To me, it is very difficult when you make good and bad judgement even. However, we all know there are certain [longs] where we can see these are the good…For instance if you lose a tremendous temper, it is bad. If you are full of anger, it is bad. And jealousy, hatred all bad. That’s sort of normally taken. And if you are loving compassionate and caring for other people, they are good. So simply when you judge between that and see yourself. How used to be your anger, how used to be impatience, how much I used to be jealous, how much I used to be hating people. And from that anger, today you see if you have improvement on this. Overall improvement. Tibetan buddhism should be able to offer overall improvement to the individual. So now, when you see a new face in the Tuesday-group, means it is time for you to look back: Is there any improvement for me for the last months, six months. You should be able to judge that and look at that. That is the thing.

0:06:30.7

And then also how does that improvement come? It doesn’t really come as a surprise, when you go to sleep at night and the next morning when you get up: Hah! I notice all my angers are gone. It doesn’t work that way at all. I don’t think that ever works that way on anybody. If you expect that to happen, probably you’re wasting your time totally. So then, what is it? How much your habitual patterns been changing. That’s where you look. Normally people’s qualities of the individual people: If somebody tries to hit you. No matter whoever you might be, how good you might be, you’re going to be angry. No doubt. And if you look at that anger: Oh, I lost my temper again and I’m not good. That’s not right. All together angry under circumstances. However, what you have to observe is the general habitual patterns. In that, whether you are getting improvement or not. That is where you have to judge, in this habitual pattern the individual improvement is what you look for. Nobody knows what spiritual development you obtained, besides you. And even if it is questionable whether you know yourself or not. But how you judge yourself is just on your habitual patterns of dealing with things.

0:08:32.9

Why I call habitual patterns is because the delusions, the conditions deriving for the delusions will always be surprising. More or less, they come as a surprise. When you are not focused, not aware, not alert, at that time it happens. When that’s happening, when you are not aware of it when certain conditions take over, then what takes over the individual? Habitual patterns will take over. Because we are so used to it. So, when you’re changing in that, that means there is induvial improvement. When there’s no change there is not individual improvement. So, who’s fault is it? What fault is it. You have to go back and check. The whole purpose of you people not taking time out of your busy schedule and life pressure and all these conditions. And all these things you have to do: This is important that’s important. Make a choice and out of that you pick this up and try to spend a very important amount of time. When you look at it, maybe one hour a week, maybe doesn’t mean anything. But on the other hand, when you have to put effort to put one hour a week in that, that’s a hell of a job. So, you have to see whether this is benefitting you or not. That only you can do. If you want to talk to me or [Clara] you can also call and fix time and do it and try to review it. That’s very important. When you don’t review it, you just sit there and sometimes go sometimes not go, I make it, I don’t make it…It is a waste of time. For you and a waste of time for all. Not for me, because I have to do it anyway, right hèhèhè. But individually it is a waste of time

0:11:15.0

So very often you have to review. Not too often but every six months, see what has been. Has it benefitted you or not? If it benefitted, you it is time to move further. If it has not benefitted you, you go back and see what is wrong. Maybe the tradition doesn’t suit you, maybe the presentation doesn’t suit you. Maybe the way you’re meditating is not right. Maybe the way…wherever the fault lies, we’re not joking, we’re not playing, we’re not having a dharma-show here, we’re trying to get the individual…Really, it is not entertainment, we try to benefit the individual. Whether it is benefitting or not, only you will know. In discussion with us privately or whatever, maybe we can help to see. This is eh… really demanding time for that.

0:12:38.0

And then if you’re finding benefit of this I intend to move, these six months or whatever the time you have been her before, is the time for you to figure out. Those of you who are continuing, like to move up a little bit more. Where? I think we already made an announcement, right?

[…]

The where of moving here is now you put in serious practice. We’re going to put once a month, one day in the month. Preferably any Sunday. Beginning with […]

And those of you who are newly come, you have six months to feel around and come in and out, whatever you like to do. Be free and see what it is all about.

0:13:52.7

So, what is all about it here? Is what we try to do is really try to change our habitual patterns, that’s what we try to do. When you say dharma-practice, improve individual, which I really meant. I’m straightforward here. It is very nice when you see somebody meditating. It is wonderful. It is good. That’s why one of these days we make a meditation, right. It helps you to calm down your mind. Americans need it definitely. It is good.

On the other hand, is this alone enough? No, it is not. You all know what spiritual development is. More or less I’m sure you all know. However, few of you definitely have a misunderstanding. Few people may think the spiritual is something out there and I’m trying to get a little closer and closer. You know what I mean?

Some may think it is some kind of god given blessing which will come all of a sudden, hit on my head and I’ll be shining. It sometimes happens, doesn’t it. External thing comes across, which is an indication. Why do you get that? Why do you get that? We try to tell you that each one of you has e lot of good karmic, good opportunity, some very important karmic relation, link, a lot of people have that. So, you see something beyond that is there, you will definitely either have a dream, either experience, you have that. A lot of people have that. A lot of you have it. If you did not have earlier, you will have it later. All of them indicating that …This is not only. The material is not the only, we all know that.

So, everybody sort of grasps for the spiritual, which somehow you don’t have a clear picture. Many people don’t have a clear picture. It is something there. So, you use a lot of terminology: Higher development, higher soul, higher self. Whatever. Anyway, I’m not going to say they are not true. They are true. But the point is, is this spiritual development to me? And what I understand out of it and how is it possible for me to achieve…

I have to talk to you on the basis of me, rather than the basis of you, for you can copy that, after. So, to me each one of those experiences outside, whether through dream or half-dream or half not, it is some sort of a clear indication that there is beyond, something else there. However, I know, you know, we cannot stay there. We cannot remain in there. It changes, because it is simple glimpse of a sudden external thing we’re seeing. It is not we’re developed. If you are developed, you remain there. You don’t have to put effort. It is not going to go away from our body, our feeling, experience. It is not going to go away because it is developed. If it is not developed, when it is sort of external forces of your5 karmic power or blessings when you see that, you see a glimpse and it disappears.

0:19:13.0

It is a clear indication to the individual: Yes, it is there, but you cannot have it because you did not develop. You have a short experience, you can feel it and see it, beyond that you cannot have it because it is not yours. How can I make this mine? It is very simple: Individual…What is blocking me to remain over there. I’m blocked there, I cannot remain there because I have obstacles. What are the obstacles? It is nothing strange: My delusions, my own delusions. My ignorance, my attachment, my hatred, my jealousy. All of them are the obstacles. Now, what is our job? How to remain in there is trying to remove these obstacles. Can we remove these obstacles instantaneously like that? No. It cannot. To many difficulties. You cannot. You may say: Oh, I’ll cut it. But you cannot because it is too difficult. Whatever it is, we know that, right? It's the same thing to this anger, hatred delusion. It’s not only rooted in our short life, whatever the past life… but many, many, past lives it is rooted. Much deeper rooted… So, instantaneously you cannot unroot it. You have to work it.

0:21:23.2

So, people are very fond of doing purifications this and that. They’re also nice, great, but also, I’m not very much for it. Yes, you can purify. A lot of Western followers of the dharma …particular talking to me: I like to do the vajrasattva-recitation blahblahblah, wonderful…. They have heard the name of Vajrasattva they have heard the 100-syllable… I like to do that. It is good. You do it. Wonderful. However: It is not that the individual is dirty or filthy or something we have to purify. If you’re impure you have to make it pure. No. It is not. Not at all. Actual, the individual is…if you look at the deeper individual nature, it is wonderful. Human nature. You call it buddha-nature. There is a perfect individual nature within each of us. However, we cannot experience it, have that functional, because we are premature. That individual is very much premature. That good, wonderful individual is premature. I always use the word seed-level. It is not a functional level. It is at seed-level. We have to improve that. It needs care. Improve that is one side and clearing obstacles is the other side.

These are the two major words in the spiritual development. Clearing the obstacles in one direction and building up the individual, these are the two works. These are the real major things. Meditation will give you calmness, quietness, wonderful, stable mind, great. That’s needed. Absolutely necessary. But then, that alone won’t do. Individual improvement and clearing obstacles and building individual, these are the …

0:24:09.6

How do we clear the obstacles? Saying Vajrasattva recitations and doing things like that. Great, wonderful. But it is not… really non-virtuous, this unwanted karma or the bad karma we created, jealousy hatred, every time, whenever we act, do something, whether it is mental, physical or emotional, every time we do something we’re creating a karma. Whether that is good or bad karma it depends on the nature. When it becomes bad karma then we call that non-virtuous. That’s a label. We try to communicate ourselves to each other, so we use that. It is non-virtuous…whatever you call it. That is the bad one.

0:25:16.7

And then, on the other hand: When you have love, compassion, altruistic, devotion, all these sorts of things, when you do it you also have good karma. OK? Every good karma builds the individual better way. Every bad karma becomes obstacle. Bad karmas are natural, Buddha himself mentioned very clearly: You cannot wash your bad karma by water. Buddhas cannot remove it by hand the suffering or the cause of suffering. These obstacles become cause of suffering. The sufferings and the causes of suffering cannot be removed by hand. Cannot be washed away by water. And buddhas cannot transfer their spiritual development to others. That’s why the buddha himself mentioned. The spiritual development is more than American Express card. American Express cards are not transferable…Hahah.

0:26:44.3

But the spiritual development is much more non-transferable. It is individual. Now the question arises: How do I clear my bad karma? When you work for the spiritual, this is one of the major […] of working. Clearing the obstacles, building the individual. Okay. Clearing it out and building it up. It is very simple, right? So, how do you do that? A lot of people think I have to purify, purify, purify. I have to say Vajrasattva. OK, that’s a good thing. Wonderful. But, to me you may say one million of Vajrasattva recitations, if you have the same anger, same hatred, same … it doesn’t matter. Even if you clear today it will build up tomorrow. How do you deal with that? Buddha recommended us, based on his personal experience, he said: Don’t try to clear the result, but try to clear the cause. People overlook that very often. The result doesn’t matter. If you experience once, that’s enough. Doesn’t matter. But you have to clear the cause. If you don’t clear the cause, no matter how much you clean the result, it will repeat again.

0:28:32.1

So, what is the cause? The cause is only two: The delusions and the karma. The delusions make the bad karma, right? So out of delusions and karma you should work with the delusions, because the delusions are the cause of the karma. Because of the delusions, you create karma. Am I communicating with everybody?

Audience: […delusion…]

GR: Delusion here I’m referring to hatred, anger, jealousy, ignorance. These types of delusions. Why is it called delusion? I must give you that little clear: Why it is called delusion I don’t know. We label them as delusion. I don’t know English properly. We label them delusion. Why? It makes the mind unclear. When it grows within an individual it destroys the clearness and the peace of the individual mind. I very often give the example: Once in a blue moon we have very nice moments, right? We are very happy, looking forward, clear mind, happy. Whatever the reason might be. And then suddenly, you go to the office, the traffic, or somebody on the way or something happens what you did not want to, creates anger. And immediately after that the clean clear mind has been destroyed. It is the effect of delusion. This anger will do, attachment will do, jealousy will do, but in a different way. The hatred will do… All produced by ignorance. That is really true.

0:31:16.1

That destroys the individual peace and clarity of the individual mind. So, we call that delusion. Because it destroys it, that’s why it’s a delusion. When you have to work with that. You work with that. And then also not so much individually, as it depends on individual some have to work more with anger and lesser with attachment. Some people may have to work more with attachment and not so much anger. That is individual life. However, you deal with ignorance. Because all of them are created from ignorance. Ignorance is the root of all, where it comes from. So many methods are given to control that. If you have very gross delusion, then some people will introduce so much discipline and so much morality. Basic discipline that is to control the gross delusions. Then when you have to control the subtle delusion, you need concentration. There comes the meditation, concentration and all this. That will control the subtle delusions. In order to control both you need wisdom. That’s why training of mind here. The buddhas three trainings of mind: Morality, meditation and wisdom is to challenge the, or to work with gross, subtle and both of those delusions. When you clear those delusions automatically, you’re building this positivity within the individual. These are called spiritual development. And that is drop of water in the bucket. Keep on saving it, saving it. Building it, building it, that’s how you go. Gradual development. Is that a bit clear now?

0:34:05.2

Again, when you say ‘purifying’, it is not so much washing and clearing of the old deeds or mud, but it is the changing… it is more important not to create new. It’s much more important. If you do not create new, whatever we have of old ones we can finish it off. Like if you have a little water dam and there’s no additional water flowing in, whatever left in there will go and dry out and one day it will be finished out, right? But if you have constant refilling and reinforcement, no matter how much you take out from there, it is not going to finish. That is the example here. You don’t work on the result, but work on the cause. And if there is no reinforcement then it is good. The reinforcement comes from the delusions. When you handle that, that is the way. And that also through changing of habitual patterns. That’s truly, you look: You can go and worship in temple, you can sit and meditate, all that will help you, but the most important thing is you have to build up your habitual pattern. You watch, habitually, with or without realizing, how you create those delusions […]. And watch that carefully and try to change that. Try to change that make into your habit. So that effortlessly you work with the spiritual path. Effortlessly you do whatever you do. It becomes positive. That’s when it becomes habit. Until it becomes habit it is difficult. But when it becomes a habit then effortlessly. That’s what it is.

0:36:38.5

Really judging yourself, improving or not improving, you judge at habits changing or not. So, in order to change that habit, you have to steady yourself. How are my delusions coming up? Doesn’t matter, it may take long time. Ans especially if you want to recognize when you are overpowered by the delusion. Particularly when you’re over… anger, you won’t know you’re angry. Even if somebody tries to tell you: ‘hey, you’re angry. Let’s forget about it. When you’re not angry we can deal with it. ‘You’re going to be angry with that person. How dare he tell me I’m angry…hey, hey, hey. Because the angry person he cannot except your anger. So that is the delusions biggest [hide]. Because not acknowledging this. You try not to acknowledge. You try to say I’m not angry. Though I was hurt…blahblahblah. Actually, I was hurt because of blahblahblah. But in order to avoid that. It is the ego against. Ego because you don’t [want to say] I’m angry. Or sometimes you don’t even know you’re angry, because you don’t want to be angry. You want to be a good person. You protect yourself that way and you deny your anger completely. So, the first effort you have to put in is not denying. Watching it carefully. And to come acknowledging our anger is a hell of a job. A lot of people could do it. It’s great. But many people cannot do it. Notice. Listen to people generally. Just go outside, for a picknick or whatever, and talking to people. They say I’m not angry blahblahblah. But actually, you’re angry. That’s what I hear: I am angry because some person did that. Some of them like to say that way: I was not really angry, but I felt it. That’s also a good acknowledgment. But the most important thing is trying to see how delusions work within you.

0:39:24.6

Once you see how the delusions work within you then you can change. Until you see that it is not going to be easy. You may talk ‘I have to change; I have to change.’ You may say it a hundred times a day, but I tell you: Until you see how it develops in you, it is very hard. Observe it, make a note, make a record, whatever you have to do, and then when you’re not angry, then apply the antidote. Try to change it. Then when it comes up it becomes weaker and weaker. Don’t expect it’s going to cut it overnight. Today we talk about delusions and how it is functioning, so tomorrow there’s no more of my delusions. No way! It is too difficult, too well developed. We are at the peak of development of delusion. The higher enlightened on the delusions. Really. So, we can’t change it. We can only change by observing it. That is the whole work we’re going to do. That’s what we do here. That’s how you look into it. Feel with the experience. That’s how you do. And then you see it, when it becomes longer, the person becomes more stable and much more… We have noticed a number of friends that have come first time here with all sorts of different categories and all sorts of interesting ways. Also, interesting ways…they have come. But then through the years you see a hell of a difference on the individual people. And I also tell you it is very hard. I’m not going to tell you it is easy. We will all make it. No, no, no, it is very hard. And not only very hard, but you can also tell for yourself: When you talk about these delusions. You look about it. You look that delusions over there and you yourself over here. Projecting the delusions like watching a movie or television. Very easy. When that is becoming over here, within the individual. When you start doing it, it is very hard. Especially when you try to apply antidote to it. Let us say love/compassion and bodhimind all these…it stings! I really refute it. It stings, because you’re dealing with those delusions. And that is the time it is very hard. The individual will probably withdraw, do all sorts of things, avoiding. Not completely withdraw but sort of avoiding. All these sorts of thing will come up. These are obstacles. You will see it and at that time you can break it. You will break it. And that comes at various different levels.

0:43:45.9

Some people will come higher, a little more level, advanced level, some people will become beginning level, some people will become a different level. So especially avoiding business, whatever the reason might be, it is an obstacle. You have to cut that through. Things like that will work.

I’m over one hour. I’m able to tell you what we do. Those of you who are familiar with dealing with different levels, different things and that’s what we do. Oh, and on the Tuesdays, one Tuesday we give the information, one Tuesday we will give meditations, so that way information/meditation may be able to combine together within the individual. It may be helpful. That’s how we do. How we handle. Any questions?

Audience: You mentioned ignorance as a cause.

GR: You want to push the button on wisdom.

Audience: No, l my question…

GR: If you do not push the button of wisdom, I’m happy. If you push the button of wisdom, you’ll have to wait a little while.

Audience: I wondered if you could say something about ignorance of what?

GR: Well, ignorance here is not the ignorance of not knowing it, but more or less the ignorance of a wrong mind. Everything, it deals from everywhere around. From the nature of the delusions, how it affects individuals and what controls what. What is antidote of what? It is all of them not knowing, and wrong knowing is even worse. That’s why not knowing and wrong knowing both are ignorance. We have to try to clear that. Clearing that is by building up information. By building information that we try to share, experience based, that’s all these talks and things are contributing. Actually, it is a wisdom contribution.…You do a wisdom contribution…? Concentration to wisdom, yeah…

[silence]

0:47:04.5

Audience: …where wisdom is a continuation of enlightening a person or a condition. I am trying to think of the word… But, in a like fashion, some religions refer to it as a condition as sin. In buddhism we don’t talk like that at all do we?

GR: Well, it does mention non-virtuous, right? And I don’t think we call it that big way like ‘you’re a sinner’. Buddha never referred to it that way. Every individual by true nature is the wonderful individual being that is eligible to be fully developed. Every non-virtuous, or sin, is impermanent. Everything is impermanent, so subject of change. When it is subject to change, it can be cleared. The whole reason is impermanence. It is impermanent so therefore it changes. If it is permanent, you can’t do anything. But when you deal with a person’s being, it is impermanent. It can change. So, we don’t make it…Even if you make a mistake. Who doesn’t make a mistake? Mistakes might be what you call a sin. But then it can be subject of clearing. It can definitely become a subject of purify. It doesn’t remain there as a sort of big patch of darkness over there. No.

0:49:16.0

Audience: …human being. Is there ever a time when a human being is less than a perfect image and therefore, they cannot get another opportunity to grow, gain…

GR: Does not have another opportunity…. Hahhh. I think human beings are more or less subject to have opportunity. But then so much depends on the conditions and number one is willingness. Every opportunity will cut out if you’re not willing or open. If you are closed every opportunity is cut out. Otherwise, it is subject of having opportunity, sure.

0:50:15.1

It’s getting hotter and hotter here… So, that’s what it is. Those who have been on the Tuesday for a while and who would like to go beyond, please make sure to put your name… downstairs. And try to put one Sunday aside a month. Try not to miss it. It is so important. Even if you miss one Sunday, somehow the transmission you receive tries to cover it up. How do I say this? What I used to do…The Lamrim teachings I’ve had over thirty times. No problem with that. Based on different texts. Some question I missed. I go back to the teacher or somebody who attended: Try to fill me up. That’s why the transmissions are being filled up. It becomes important. It becomes more organized and improved. It is important not to miss the transmission. That is sort of the whole lineage and the transmissions become the backbone of the individual development. That’s where you get it from. So, the transmission becomes important.

0:52:30.4

[Interaction/announcements]