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Soundfile: 19910729GRSRCedarLake.mp3

Filemaker: 19910729GRSRCedarLake05

Duration: 1:31:32 [FM: 1.6]

Speaker: Gelek Rimpoche

Location: Cedar Lake

Transcriber: Kimba Levitt

Topic: Lines of Experience

story of Asanga meditating to see Maitreya

determination to be free (a/k/a renunciation)

doorway to mahayana

… two of this are the great Mahayana path. And which of course can develop with individual. Can practice on the basis of self. Right? You didn’t hear me. Because I said something — you heard the word but you didn’t understand me because I said something which you don’t understand, anyway. So what I meant is, you cannot develop love-compassion great to anybody — forget about to all sentient beings — to anybody, unless and until you develop love-compassion to yourself. That’s what I mean. If you are incapable of loving yourself, you’ll be totally incapable of loving others. Even you try to love, you create a lot of trouble. You create a lot of trouble because we have been – not we have been, but because it's ourself is incapable of loving ourself. So, so that’s why Tsongkhapa made a great emphasize saying,

[TIBETAN 0:01:29 – 0:01:41]

Right? When you think of ourself, deprived of happiness and suffering lot by those different sufferings, we don’t move our hair. We can’t move. It doesn’t feel it. And how do you expect to feel when other’s suffering? When you think of yourself suffering, if you have no feelings for yourself, how can you expect to have feeling for others? And that’s true. Lot of Americans would like to say, “I feel for others. I don’t care for myself.” People like to say. And they also believe they do that. They go to certain extent. But when you go deep down, you don’t. Everybody care for yourself. Right? They do. They do.

As I told you yesterday, if you want an open example, I told you yesterday, whether you have a life or the money. Similarly here, if somebody comes and bring a knife here and say, “I have to chop somebody’s head. You or the other?” Right? Who’s going to choose? So it shows you how much that we say, “Oh, I like to help others.” So our help will be, if it’s – if it’s convenient to ourself – I mean, fulfill whatever our individual needs are and on top of that if it’s convenient then we won’t mind helping. Actually that itself is great. There are lot of people who doesn’t even want to do that. But that is great, actually. But that is what we hear so that is what our love and compassion is more or less. Don’t take it blanket everywhere, 100%, because it differs to person to person.

[PAUSE 0:04:05 - 0:04:14]

Even our – I mean, I’m sorry. I better keep my mouth shut. OK, so, that’s why it’s important to develop the love-compassion to ourself first before we develop on the others. It’s also easy if we have – if you really develop love-compassion to ourself then it’s easy to develop on the others. It’s a matter of – the principle has been established. It’s a matter of focusing on, which makes easy. And if you try to develop love-compassion on others without bothering individual, it’s very hard. A lot of people somehow – I don’t know whether it’s misunderstanding or somehow they like to understand, “Oh love and compassion we have to experience on our enemies. Forget it!” Our minds not going to allow that at all. We’d rather strangle them rather than giving love and compassion, if you really have an enemy.

So, the truth lies we have to develop love-compassion to ourself. In order to develop a good love and compassion, we do need to have a true understanding of our situation where we are suffer – sufferings. And that’s why Buddha emphasized so much on the suffering is because it’s our true nature. Some people don’t like the word suffering so you call it pain. Everybody have pain. They understand that. Some people don’t like understand – don’t like to understand suffering. Suffering? Me? (Any news?)

[PAUSE 0:06:20 - 0:06:41]

So the — when you talk about the …

[PAUSE 0:06:45 - 0:06:54]

… the nature of life – I mean not only when you talk about it, when you think about it, when you meditate about it, it is really full of pain. People always say we do plan to live rather than plan to something else happen. So it happens like that. I mean, we seeing it, right? So that is the nature of this samsara, this life. And that’s why Buddha keep on yelling all the time: suffering, suffering, suffering. So some people try to tell me, “Oh, buddhists have a lot of sufferings.” As though others don’t have it. It’s not true. [LAUGHS] Yeah, they say that, you know. “Oh, buddhism. Yeah, they talk about suffering. That’s suffering.” It’s not. It is the true reality. The Buddha basically described as three sufferings: suffering of suffering, changing, and pervasive.

Suffering suffering we know. We see around. We had heard broke this, broke that, hurts here, hurt there and all this are – I mean it’s always. Whatever happens something happens. You get pain. This are the suffering suffering. We don’t need any more introduction. We already experiencing it.

So the changing suffering is the same thing again. When you open the window, when you, when you shut down the window, it’s hot and sweating. We need to open. When you open it up and then it’s cold. People started putting the sweater and all this. And that is the changing nature.

And the pervasive suffering. There’s two part of it. Pervasive and created, both. So that’s why pervasive suffering. It’s word in Tibetan is [TIBETAN 0:09:15]. Kyepa is the word, it's pervasive. It’s everywhere. And du che is creating it. Not only it’s everywhere, you’re creating another one more. So that’s sort of two parts put together. I mean, basic, very briefly. I’m jumping. So this is the [TIBETAN 0:09:39], or they call it pervasive but a little more than pervasive. It also creates the next one. The cause of continuing – making sure the continuation of the suffering is going on, so creating a cause. And that is the pervasive suffering. And some of the pervasive sufferings not necessarily a physical or mental pain. Like higher realms, like samsaric gods realm, formless realm, all this have pervasive sufferings but they don’t really have physical pain. So, and that’s about that. And you’ll not find any place in this samsara where this no pain at all. If there is no physical pain there is mental pain. It’s terrible. Worse sometimes. We like to say worse. And if you really experience physical pain, then it’s not necessarily worse either, you know. So, we like to say that. That’s what it is. It’s equally bad. And you know how much the emotional sufferings are. Probably most of us are the expert on it. We had fully developed emotional sufferings. So, that’s what it is.

And where all that comes from? And are they good? Do we like it? We don’t. Nobody would like it. Nobody. Nobody would like those pains. If you can be free, they would like to be free. Truly speaking, what Buddha have told us, said, we never experienced pleasure. We have never experienced pleasure. So something different we may like to label them as pleasure, happiness.

[PAUSE 0:12:14 - 0:12:23]

That’s what Buddha says. So, I don’t know because I never experienced happiness so maybe that’s what it is. Maybe that’s true. So we never experienced happiness. That’s what Buddha's happiness that never seen – never known pain. Right? Didn’t you say that? Right? What did you say?

AUDIENCE: Happiness that’s never known suffering.

RIMPOCHE: Happiness that never known pain. We never experienced that. So therefore, anything different feelings we get so we label them as pleasure. Right? So we do all sorts of things just to get different feelings. So we label them as pleasure. Truly, truly we have not experienced the happiness at all, which has no suffering.

So, it is necessary to meditate on suffering. Not – I mean it’s – we have to tell ourself, we have to acknowledge we don’t like pain. People – we have a problem of acknowledging that. We don’t like pain. Lot of – some people have problem to acknowledge that. Some people don’t want to get out of miserable condition. Some people don’t want to come out of jail. Right? They like it. They're used to it. They're getting like it. They don’t have to worry about paying their bills. They be – they be fed. Three meals be served, or two meals, whatever it is. So the blanket will be provided. The medical care’s been taking care of. You don't have to pay bill. So why go out if you think that way, right?

So similarly, we do have a problem. Some people feel, some people shed a crocodile tear after releasing certain things out. After releasing their pains or something gone out of it. After that they shed crocodile tear because they don’t like it. Something gone. They don’t like it. So we have to acknowledge we dislike pain. That’s why Buddha’s first noble truth: truth of suffering. One, to know. Two, to acknowledge I don’t like it.

[PAUSE 0:15:20 – 0:15:40]

So once we recognize we don’t like it, then we have to begin to see. We have to stop that. How do we stop? Then we look for the cause. What is causing it? What makes it going? What makes it keep on running continuously? What is cause? Then you see karma and delusion. The delusions come out of ignorance. Because of that influence, because of the ignorance we have the delusions. Because of the delusions, we created bad karma. Because of the bad karma, we continue. We make sure that suffering will continue. It’s like a watch. If you look, open watch, there’s little things goes around. One pushes the other, right? Tick, tick, tick, tick, all the time. And that’s the one. So these things moving. There’s battery there and sitting move this or you wind and then move. And one moves the other and then things move. So exactly the ignorance sit behind, delusions develop, created bad karma. Even with good intention we always do created bad karma. It's continually making sure it will run.

So the first two noble truths tells us how we been continuously developing the samsaric life and last two will tell you how to stop it. The fourth one is the path which we talked earlier. The wisdom part of it and uh, love-compassion part of it are the two paths which can stop the second one creation this thing. Delusion and root of delusion and creating a karma can only be stopped by practicing the fourth truth. And then you can achieve the third one which is (what you call it?)

AUDIENCE: Cessation.

RIMPOCHE: OK, cessation. That is possible to achieve. So for that Tsongkhapa continued here,

[TIBETAN 0:18:37 – 0:18:56]

AUDIENCE: If you do not make an effort to think about true sufferings and their drawbacks, you will not develop a keen interest to work for liberation. If you do not consider the stages whereby true origins of all suffering place and keep you in cyclical existence, you will not know the means for cutting the root of this vicious circle. Therefore, you should cherish exuding total disgust and renunciation of such an existence while knowing which factors bind you to its wheel. I the yogi have practiced just like that. If you would also seek liberation, please cultivate yourself in the same way.

RIMPOCHE: Thank you. With that we have completed common with the medium level practice. Essence of – no not exactly, but – essence of the common with medium level is covered. So the common with the medium level, common with the lower level, is the looking, sort of looking, guaranteeing that your future rebirth and the continuation of the life will remain as good and good and prosperous to — as far as the karma is considered, as far as our future benefit is concerned.

And common with the medium level we go beyond that. Not only the future immediate life is the taking care of, it’s not enough. We – once for all we have to make sure that we don’t have to repeat this again, and again, and again in the same condition. And even worse. So to making sure that. That’s why if you want that then they say the wherever we are, the samsaric structure, the environment of the samsara itself is terrible. Get out of it. So way to get out of it is through the four noble truths. And that tells you that covers the basically common with the medium level is that.

0:21:23

So I believe it’s lunchtime. C’s not here. Nobody is telling me anything. So is it? Or you would like to look for the cook’s ready or – huh? It is. All right. Thank you. Have good lunch.

0:21:43

This morning before the lunch break we have covered the basic principle of – principles of the common with the medium level. And when we say common with the medium level, you probably notice the word what we're using, ‘common.’ The common means something which you share together, right? Am I wrong? Yeah. The – oh.

[LAUGHS. SAYS SOMETHING INAUDIBLE.]

0:22:32

The common means something you share together. So what is it? What we talking about common of what? We’re talking the common with the mahayana path. The Tibetan tradition of the buddhism, or the buddhism that come through Tibet, whether you’re looking at the different sects, such as Sakya, Nyingma, Gelug, Kagyu – wherever you’re looking, they are all mahayana. They’re all mahayanas. We will say that. Mahayana. So, when you talk about mahayana, so and when you do the guiding the individual practitioners, going through the path of the – path to enlightenment, so the mahayana path is the basic – sort of basic path they will take it. So, which – when the mahayana path is following, so there are, you do need certain paths such as the hinayana path or the if you are not familiar with that terminology, the yana as I believe is Sanskrit word for vehicle. So the 'hina' is meaning small, smaller vehicle, a tiny little one. I’m joking. It’s joke, OK? Yana is big — oh, sorry. Yana is stage and maha is big. Like the Indian, old Indian language or the Indian Sanskrit language, maharaja and all this, are very common. So the maharaja is big king. So it’s called mahayana — big stage. It is.

The mahayana – the path, in order to use the mahayana path, there are certain important hinayana path is absolutely necessary to took. To take. And it’s not that when you say mahayana path and so you look the hinayana small path something which you’re not looking down. Lot of people do that and think that way, but it’s not the idea.

0:25:15

I was attending one of the buddhist conference that the early 70’s we had together with the Indian buddhist pandits and also the Tibetan geshes, and teachers, and rinpoches (some of them), and abbots, and all this. And we had this meeting was arranged in Drepung in the south India where the Drepung monastery is. We have arranged the meeting. It is sort of seminar we organized. A number of Indian scholars came. And among them there was one Kashi pandit that’s from Varanasi – that is the hardpcore of the Hindu belt. And Kashi pandit, who he himself I buddhist. I mean there’s a lot of common hindu-buddhists there. You can sort of — you get them there. He is one. His name is – perhaps many of you know, too, because he goes out and gives number of teaching. May not be so much. He's known in India very well. His name is Uppadeya. I forgot his first name. The last is Uppadeya, for sure.

So Uppadeya. He is a funny guy. He is M.A. He has a master’s degree in English language from Oxford or one of them. And he vowed not to speak English rest of his life, so he only speaks Hindi. And you find lot of them in India. You found lot of those. I mean, he was very much involved in the anti-British thing so the independent movement of India. So, he’s one of them. And he doesn’t speak – he doesn’t speak English. He only speaks in Hindi. He’s taken the vow of that.

So I remember when he started talking. He started saying, “oh yeah, you Tibetan people. You’re great and wonderful. I will not argue with you. But you are very proud that you're mahayana.” And then he started speaking,

[HINDI 0:27:45 — 0:27:50]

Means he says "I’m very proud my Himalaya is very high. Very high." And then he says, "but how do I know the Himalaya is high? So I have to measure the Himalaya how high it is in order to show that Himalaya is high. But if I don’t have the ground from where I can measure – from the sea-level ground where I can measure — how I'm going to know the Himalaya is high? So how do you know you’re mahayana is great if you ignore the hinayana?" That’s exactly what he says, you know? He’s speaking in Hindi.

[HINDI 0:28:33 – 0:28:44]

That’s my Hindi. I’m sorry. So anyway, that’s what he said. So it's true. It struck me at the time. I said – I think two persons after that I spoke – I said, "what Uppadaya said is really true," you know. It’s true. Lot of people have the tendency of ignoring hinayana because it is that name. It is small vehicle, narrow vehicle. People will go to the extent of narrow, selfish. Sort of looks down. But not. And so, in order to – it’s very true, in order to see how high the Himalaya is, you need the sea-level where you can count. So very true. In order to reach the practice of the Mahayana bodhisattva practice it is there are absolute importance of the lower level, the work you have to — the groundwork you have to do.

The such a groundwork is we have covered last two days. Like basic things. All this basic we talk about embracing the life, important, impermanent, refuge. And then not only the future life, one future life good is not enough, sort of overlooking the samsaric. And I did little quick job. I did not really go very detail about talking about sufferings in samsara in general. We only covered about human sufferings, not total samsara did not cover. But, it might not be bad idea because these days we do have some kind of misconcept. We think some – if we go beyond our – this universal structure, if you go out of that then it’s something fantastic, great. So we sort of – we have the intending that we like to look at – look at – I mean, this universe is bad but if you go outside it’s better. People have that sort of idea about it. Am I right or am I wrong or what? I think I notice people sort of think. Because they like to have you talk about Close Encounter with Third Kind ,and UFO, and this and that, and some sort of great thing they think. Always. So probably we sort of think our place is bad and full of suffering but if you go beyond that it is full of pleasure or something better than this. Basically, somewhere behind our back, head somewhere – at the back of our brain somewhere — we seems to be carrying that and sort of looking to that sort of thing. If I’m wrong, please tell me. Because that’s sort of my reading, my understanding of the sort of lot of people like to look that. We’re bad but out there is great.

0:32:32

According to the Buddha, out there is not great. According to the Buddha, there are equally suffering people like we are. Just like we are. Even at the buddhist point, if you look the Tibetan tradition buddhist, we have the six realms we talk. Chinese, ten realms they talk. There are different buddhist traditions talk different realms. And but whatever it is, even you talk six realms, I mean you have this god realm (it’s not capital 'G' god – it’s small 'g' god) and we sort of looks, they are great angels, and this and that, and supposed to be one of the best. Even buddhist tradition, it’s better than human realm where we are. Better than that. But that also have full of sufferings. Full of suffering. Pains. They have tremendous pain. And the buddha described those pains. Fantastic.

Number one, the time is different for them. It is much longer duration than where we are. Their 24-hours is something like close to maybe a year or so of our time. It’s funny. That’s what Buddha described.

Not only what Buddha described, but this Asanga. I do not know whether it is Hindu-Buddhist myth or whatever it is, the Asanga, one of the great teacher is not satisfied. There’s a long story behind that, but Asanga did not satisfy whatever he’s learning at that time in India and he started working hard and try to find out where is this really teachings of the Prajnaparamita, the wisdom, or how is it really. And he wanted to go much deeper, and deeper, and deeper. And he sort of exhausted human teacher, somebody human being who'll be able to talk to him, so he ,started looking for Maitreya, the future buddha. He started looking for Maitreya. So for twelve years he worked hard to get ahold of Maitreya. There’s an interesting story on that.

0:35:12

So, twelve years he tried to get hold of Maitreya and he couldn’t see Maitreya at all for twelve years, so every third year he started running out. I mean, he finally choose to remain in cave and meditate, and do a purification as well as accumulation of merit, and try to see Maitreya that way, so he lock himself up for a total of twelve years. So first three years he worked hard and he couldn’t see any more. He started running out. And he saw one very old gentleman. He’s tried to rub with small cotton cloth with big metal piece and he started rubbing it. And Asanga thought, what is this fellow doing? And he went nearby.

He says, “What are you doing with this?”

He said, “I’m trying to make needles.”

He said, “What? This huge metal and you’re rubbing with that little cotton cloth trying to make needle?"

"Yeah."

"Can you make it?”

He said, “Sure. That’s what I’m doing. You need patience. And then if you have that, even this big metal with little soft cloth like this can become a needle. Why not?”

So Asanga thought for a little while, "Wow, maybe I'm not — I didn’t work enough." So he went back. Sat another three years.

And finally he said, "no more now. I’m going." He came out. When he came out he saw near this – there must be some kind of rocks. He went in one of the caves. Coming out and then found some kind of cut in the – on this huge rock. Some kind of thing. He said, "I wonder how that made?" And so watching. The birds fly up and down. Their feather touch on that rock and made a big cut. A big cut because of the birds’ feathers they touched there. He thought about it for a little while. He says, "Wow. Tiny little like that bird. Their feather. Soft feather could make that big. Well, maybe I’m not – I did not put efforts enough." So he went back. So three years.

And then I don’t even remember. I think there's one drop of water went in the rock and making hole. The third one something like that. And I don’t even know. By fourth time, right? By third time. Fourth, three, three. You have to go four times, right? The fourth time actually he saw Maitreya. So I think that one of them is making water dripping and making big hole in the rock or something. So anyway, made him go back and three more years.

And at the end of third year — at the end of the 4th third year — and finally he’s giving up and going away. And he saw a dog, female dog, down there. It's — the lower part of the body is completely full of wound, but yet upper part is moving and sort of try to do. Very, very bad condition completely. So he looked down and he says, "that’s lot of worms." Completely full of worms, the lower part. Totally fworms.

So he thought little while and he said, "what do I do with this now? What do I do with this?" So he thought of it. He said, “well, if I don’t separate those worms out of this dog, the dog will die. And if I separate the worms, the worms will die. Now what do I do?” So by that time he developed great compassion, very strong compassion. He finally decided to cut piece of meat from his own thigh. Get knife and cut a piece of meat – flesh. And then he thought of picking those worms up and putting it on the little flesh that he cut off from his own thigh. So then he want to pick up. Then he thought, “If I pick up with my finger, they will squeeze the worms and they may die.” So then he had no alternative but he thought — he decided to lick the worms up by his tongue and then put it over. That was his final decision. He couldn’t really touch so he had to close his eyes and go and try to pick up the worms. He’s going closer, and closer, and closer and there’s no, no – he’s not reaching. So suddenly he’ says, "what happened?" He looked up. When he looked up and he saw the Maitreya standing there. There’s no trace of dog at all. It actually that dog is Maitreya. He sort of seeing – he saw it in that manner, but otherwise, it is Maitreya.

So he be able to see this dog because of the purification that he be able to do through the compassion, great compassion. So that’s why one of the best purification is not necessarily Vajrasattva recitation. It is the bodhimind. That’s why Shantideva, if you look in the Bodhisattvacharyavattara,

[TIBETAN 0:41:19 – 0:41:25]

Shantideva goes on, such a powerful non-virtuous. He says, except the bodhimind, altruistic mind, any other action can overcome this. Probably, I mean, bodhimind is one of the best purifications. Bodhimind. And encountering with the emptiness. If even you develop doubt in emptiness, even doubt, and started thinking in that direction,

[TIBETAN 0:42:03 - 0:42:06]

Even you have strong doubt on the emptiness point, just even developing doubt, they make the samsara torn cloth. Like you know, if you have lot of – if you have strong cloth where you have lot of bullets, it's becomes — bullet hit — it becomes some kind of – huh?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Lot of holes and torn. It becomes torn. So even a single doubt that you raising over emptiness could even torn – make the samsara in torn. So actually, true reality, these are the two (this morning I talked to you) are the two most important thing. Anyway, Asanga be able to see the Maitreya because of the great compassion he developed. And he even, without hesitation be be able to touch, cut, his piece of flesh from his thigh. (You call thigh, right?) And so that’s why they be able to see it.

And whenever, whenever, when we have the problem, when we have a problem with ourself, then we – we cannot see. Even Asanga, to that stage, unable to see Maitreya for twelve years. So the moment he saw Maitreya, the first thing he said, “How unkind you are!” And so this and that and you know, twelve years of this and that.

And Maitreya said, “The day when you decided to sit, since I’m standing nearby you, and you are unable to see me." One of them, he says, "I have proof." Even Maitreya says.

What is it? What is the proof, doctor?

AUDIENCE: [INDECIPHERABLE]

RIMPOCHE: So that’s that. So Asanga have that. And that’s sometimes it’s true. This is the thought very helpful to both level, the level of the guru devotional practice as well as the over here, in both. It is relevant. Guru devotional practice is also very relevant. Very relevant. We would like to project our own difficulties, problems, discomfort and things like that we would like to project on — on other. And so we make that that big problem. If you – there’s one Kadampa lama says,

[TIBETAN 0:45:35 – 0:46:58]

So, what happened is during the Buddha's – Buddha in lifetime — there are a number of people who sees always the fault of the Buddha. I mean, Buddha is buddha. Faultless, right? It is fully enlightened, faultless. But they see the fault Buddha. For his own cousin, Devadatta, everything whatever Buddha does is wrong because there is something he project on it and wrong. [TIBETAN 0:45:38] There are a number of people who always sees the – I mean, there’s quite a lot of people actually, sees whatever Buddha is doing is wrong. Everything. So your own – our own personal problems we project on that and so we make it big and this is one of our problems in the guru devotional practice.

Earlier what I – this is example of Maitreya standing in front of Asanga. Even then Asanga could not see Maitreya as Maitreya and finally be able to see as dog. Not only that, Asanga after saying how unkind you are, and he picked it – I have to show you. I have to shown every people in this town, everybody. I have to introduce you. So I insisted. And Maitreya said, “No, you’re not going to do it. You can’t do it.” He won’t listen. He picked Asanga up, put – no, Asanga picked Maitreya up, put around his neck, and Asanga is, believe me, the known, the known great scholar and saint in that area. I mean, the known, the person, at that time. The person. So he picked Maitreya up, started running through the street, shouting in the marketplace, you know, sort of downtown. Started shouting, “Everybody look. I brought Maitreya.” He’s going like this and shouting. Nobody saw anything. So they all thought he’s gone crazy. Sit too long after twelve years in a cave somewhere and gone now crazy. Totally crazy. But only one old lady saw he’s carrying a dead body of dog and shouting. She’s the only who have seen it. No other single human being in that town could see it.

And earlier quotation what I quote in Tibetan is (I forgot who is the author but anyway it is a very famous quotation),

[TIBETAN 0:49:05 – 0:49:11]

So the guru devotional practice, sometimes we have a problem of seeing the faults or – I mean, this is very common in this country. Seeing the faults on the gurus is all this. Always the thing. Always the thing. Not only in this country, but everywhere. So that great Kadampa lama says,

[TIBETAN 0:49:31 - 0:49:35]

If you compare with our obstacles and difficulties through our karma, we are lucky to be able to see as human being. We are fortunate we don’t see them as dogs and donkeys. [TIBETAN 0:49:48] So that’s what it is. Just came to that in my head is just because talking about Asanga’s story.

So anyway, one of the best – one of the best purification is compassion. One of the best purification is compassion. So, compassion is the — and emptiness — is the best purification. (Why did I quote Asanga here? Where did I go from? Oh, mahayana, that’s right.) So that’s the bodhimind’s quality. Quality of the bodhimind. All right. Thank you.

So, in order to reach that sort of stage of the mahayana level it's absolutely necessary to have the lower – out of hinayana practice, the essence of hinayana practice is the determination to be free yourself. And that is the important point. I mean, when I use the word ‘determination to free yourself,’ which normally you read as 'renunciation' somewhere. So sometimes people do have problem of misunderstanding the word 'renouncing,' so which immediately they sort of reconnect that you have to leave everything, and go somewhere, and shave your hair, and wear robes, and then go and remain in the caves or forest or something. So they have that understanding and sometimes people get frightened by that. So the determination to be free is the true word.

And Alex Berzin use that word. And I talked with Alex. I said, “how do you reach this?” He said, "with Tserkong Rinpoche." And I said, "Tserkong Rinpoche doesn’t speak English." [LAUGHS] He said, "Tserkong Rinpoche told me use that word." Says he doesn’t speak English. Said, "No. But I explained to him what this word means and then he explained to me what the essence of renunciation and we came to the conclusion it's not the renunciation, it is the determination to be free."

So I mean it is interesting and I begin to find – then he told me more than that. "Rinpoche, you say renunciation and then you explain hundred times I don’t mean renouncing. You remain in the house." He said, what does that mean?" He said, "first you said the renunciation. Such a powerful word you'll hit. And people get some understanding. They form their opinion already and they have some kind of understanding. Then you try to undo that by explaining hundred more times it doesn’t mean that." So anyway, he’s right.

So, it’s determination to be free. I mean, what you – what is the essence of that? I don’t like the suffering. This morning we talked, right? We don’t like suffering. I want to get out of it. I want freed. I want to be free. That’s what it is. Really. Determined to get free. So that is the essence of the, the hinayana practice, truly speaking.

0:53:37

Incidentally, I would like to say something here. I noticed among the, the Western Buddhists, particularly among the American Buddhists, they would like to call it hinayana, mahayana, vajrayana, and count these three and make that three yana. I can’t say it’s bullshit. I would almost like to that but it's not. [LAUGHS] It's not because number of people use it. But when you're — when Buddha talks about three yanas, Buddha is not talking about hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana at all. Buddha is talking about [TIBETAN 0:54:32], which is known as what?

AUDIENCE: Shravakayana, the hearers or listeners.

RIMPOCHE: Yeah. Huh? Somebody said something. Who said it?

AUDIENCE [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Hearers. That’s right. It's nyentö. Then the other’s called rang-gye which is?

AUDIENCE: Pratyekabuddha.

RIMPOCHE: Pratyekabuddha.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Yeah. So this yana, the hinayana is divided into two categories. One is called shravakabuddhayana and the other is called pratyekabuddhayana. These are the two lower yanas, plus mahayana, makes three yanas. And that is the really true. And people keep on hearing hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana. Somebody linked it up and said these are the three yanas. That’s a mistake I think. So when there are three wheel it’s not hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana wheel, but can be the first wheel of dharma which is turned, second wheel of dharma, and third wheel. Then if you make it two prongs, two truth, which all definitely make lot of sense. And people do that. That’s a misunderstanding. Actually the other day one professor here at the University of Michigan and he was telling me, "didn’t you notice people are talking about this, this, that? And this, this, that?" I said, “yeah.” He said, "That is — would you accept that?” I said, “No way.” Yeah, that’s what it is. And people talk about it.

0:56:51

There is a problem. If you look from the what is wrong with this. There is a big problem if you count it that way. If you count it that way then you have to say vajrayana is not mahayana. Right? You’re counting hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana and vajrayana is not going to be mahayana at all. And Buddha never said it’s not mahayana. Many great – all the great Tibetan teachers and all the vajrayana teachers, they have never said vajrayana is not mahayana. Unless we’re going to make that up in the, in the 19 (what is it?) 90’s in the United States saying that vajrayana is not mahayana. So normally vajra – mahayana is divided into two, right? Sutra part of the mahayana and tantra part of the mahayana.

[TIBETAN 0:57:53 – 0:57:58]

This should be in here. Somewhere around. That wording should be somewhere around here.

[PAUSE 0:58:04 - 0:58:23]

Maybe not this. Somewhere else.

[PAUSE 0:58:26 - 0:58:47]

Not in here. And there’s another one, Tsongkhapa’s Experience in Line. of Experience. This is not Lines of Experience. What they call it? This is the short lam rim. There’s another one very similar to this. OK, that one has.

[TIBETAN 0:59:06]

So whatever, whichever the book it is, but Tsongkhapa says,

[TIBETAN 0:59:10 – 0:59:19]

So in order to reach to the stage of the buddha, they have given two paths. That is, dorje thegpa, the vajrayana, and the parching thegpa, the gone beyond yana that’s called. Right? Gone beyond. Prajnaparamitayana is gone beyond. Yana and vajrayana. And all of – both of them are related. One cannot function without the other. Not even related, but dependent. So, I mean, that’s not true. The Prajnaparamita-yana can totally function without vajrayana. Vajrayana cannot function without that. So that is sort of dependent that way. Anyway.

So, when you count the three yanas, you really have to understand that. That is the big, to me it is big misinformation going around. And everybody will accept that. And if you try to tell it’s not and then they will give you a big look and that’s all. Because a lot of organizations named after that, so three yanas this thing, three yanas that thing, and then they think that is. So they set up organization, the big thing going on, so when you started touching on that root level it’s some people feel very uncomfortable too. But that’s what it is.

So out of this three yanas, only the mahayana is the one who give – who reach, who bring the people to ultimate enlightenment. Only mahayana. Not hinayana. Because the result of the hinayana is only up to the arhat level, nothing more. Nothing more. Anywhere you look in the hinayana teachings, they will tell you to reach up to arhat level, nothing more. Arhat is ultimate aim and goal. Mahayana also have five paths and hinayana also have five paths. All the paths are same name. And it's called — the first path is the path of what?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Huh?

AUDIENCE: Accumulation of merit.

RIMPOCHE: Accumulation of merit. And second path is?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Preparation or action. Uh huh. Third path?

AUDIENCE: Seeing.

RIMPOCHE: Seeing. Path of Seeing. Fourth path?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Path of – who said that? Meditation. And then fifth path?

AUDIENCE: No more learning.

RIMPOCHE: No more learning. So they all say this. Accumulation of merit, action, seeing, meditation, and?

AUDIENCE: No more learing.

RIMPOCHE: No more learning. OK. So they all say the same thing. But, when you say the no more learning here, the no more learning here is the — is the — is the point. No more learning is the, according to the hinayana, no more learning stage is only the arhat and they don’t talk about it whether all human beings eligible or not eligible to become a buddha, or should be, or should not be. They don’t talk about it. I mean, they do talk about it but they don’t say it is sort of point.

In buddhism there are two kind of points. One group of people, particularly hinayana and all this, they will say ultimate three yanas. Ultimate three yanas. The mahayana will say ultimate one yana. So that’s different is whether the ultimate is one yana or three yana. Don’t ask me if somebody’s wrong. I can’t say who’s wrong, who’s right. But according to, that’s why I say, according to mahayana, ultimate is one. That is the buddha stage. According to the other, it is the ultimate is three. So the no more learning of the shravakabuddha level or no more learning of pratyekabuddha level is that is two top stages and uh, the buddha level. That becomes three different no more learnings.

1:04:21

Now when you talk about it, the no more learning at the arhat level, you are totally out of samsara. You are free out of samsara. You are in nirvana. OK? So lot of people do understand. Again, the word ‘nirvana’ if you – lot of people think the word – that is buddhist normal usage word, right? Normally everywhere you read any non-buddhist book they talk about nirvana. So lot of — right? That’s a common word. I mean, they always use. You have to know that word. So the nirvana, to a lot of people they think nirvana means you have to die. Because somewhere in India somebody decided, not at this period, not earlier, but quite lately, somewhere early 1900’s, early, decided they don’t want Buddha’s death anniversary. So they’re looking for – they don’t want to use the word ‘death.’ So they want — they’re looking for some kind of word and they couldn’t find it so they choose – they like to call it mahaparinirvana death. Mahaparinirvana day. Maha is big; parinirvana – sort of the day when he was obtaining enlightenment. So they call that mahaparinirvana day. It becomes death anniversary. Somehow they linked up and people think in order to reach nirvana you have to die. Do you have that understanding, any one of you? Huh? No?

AUDIENCE: Mahaparinirvana is a 19th century addition?

RIMPOCHE: I think so. It could be 18th century. Not in – that not in deep early. Not deep early. I mean, the word is there. Using that as death anniversary, that is picked it up and that area somewhere.

So, if you have to die to obtain nirvana, it’s too bad. Really. It's really too bad. So the nirvana stage, or the stage of the buddhahood, is something which you have to experience. Unless you don’t experience in life, what a big deal about this? Nothing. So you don’t have to die to become a buddha. You don’t have to die to become arhat. You can become arhat. But there’s a problem – I’m not sure. Maybe is that too scholarly thing? It is too much technical? You sure? If it’s too technical I’ll keep my mouth shut. OK.

1:07:29

What happens is that nirvana, or the stage of no more learning (quote unquote) according to the hinayana system there are two kinds. Two kinds. One with leftover and one without leftover. That's the question. OK. lhag che and lhag me; one with leftover and one without any leftovers. With leftover, meaning, if you obtain the stage of the nirvana in your lifetime, you still have the body. This body is the result of samsaric manufacture, or samsaric creation. So therefore, as long as you have that body, you have something leftover. So they call it nirvana with leftover. So when you die, you leave the body, so no more leftover. So the no more leftover, that’s called lhag me – no more leftover. No more leftover nirvana. OK?

So maybe there is some misunderstanding on that. Whatever happened. So nowadays it's sort of developing nirvana has to be dying. That’s not right. That’s one thing.

Two, then there’s a big question. If there is no leftover body, quote unquote, according to the hinayana, if there is no leftover, what happens to that person then? The question rises, what happened to that person?

Incidentally, we had a seminar in the – up in Barre, Massachusetts and Joseph Goldstein’s about to talk that and I said,

[TIBETAN :09:29 - 1:09:33]

Says, "once when you die, the body, when you die, no more body left and all – no more feelings left. And it’s like the blow of the candlelight." And he look at me and said, “How do you know that? Where did you read that sutra? It is hinayana sutra, where did you get it from?” So that’s it.

So what really happens is — then the question rises – question rises, what happened to that body? To – no, no, no. Not the body. The person. What happened to the person? So according to hinayana, they say your body is stopped totally. The continuation of the body has been totally stopped. I’m talking to you very important point if you pay attention, really. The body has been stopped so therefore feelings, all this five skandhas, and all this five (what you call it?) five aggregates, or whatever that is, all stopped. Then say what happened to that person? He say, "oh it’s like candlelight." If you’re burning the candle.

[TIBETAN 1:10:46 – 1:10:56]

It says it’s like butter lamp ( I mean, according to the Tibetans). It’s like butter lamp and you keep on burning all the butter out and so no more butter left to be burned. So then what will happen to that light – the fire, burning fire, what happened? It dies.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Huh? It dies. It's finished. So they give that as an example. So all the aggregates been burned, all finished, no more. And that’s why no more leftover – no leftover nirvana. OK?

So the mahayana, according to the mahayana, they say what you left is the only five aggregate of the – five aggregate which has been produced by the karma and delusion. Karma and delusion is over but not person is over. Person continues. Not only it continue, according to the mahayana, nirvana is the point of suffering. Nirvana is suffering. Not samsaric suffering, but nirvana itself suffering. So therefore, you have – wherever you see lot of points. Nowadays don’t come up. Little bit that beginning to come up. Nowadays you begin to come up seeing that free from the samsara and nirvana. Do you came across such a thing? OK.

Why you have to be free from nirvana? The nirvana is boring, painful stage of the ordinary nirvana, according to the mahayana. So those of the people who reach at nirvana arhat stage level, they sort of have picnic for a while of free from the samsaric pains and remain for a while. And then buddhas and bodhisattvas will come, “Hey, wake up. You can’t remain there.” When they wake up from nirvana then they – then they sort of join the mahayana and ultimate reach up to the level of the buddha.

So then question comes – somebody asked me somewhere – so is there any – which whether the empty – understanding of emptiness comes or the bodhimind comes? Which comes first? Somebody asked me. So I said I can’t answer that. It’s not so easy. You can’t say. Because in some level those of the people who have developed in the hinayana up to the arhat level, even at the hinayana third path, seeing path, they have developed understanding of emptiness. Yet they have never developed bodhimind at all. So, for them the emptiness came before and bodhimind will be later.

And there are some people from the beginning they try to join in the mahayana path. For them, the bodhimind will be first and emptiness will be later. So therefore, there is no sort of fixed thing saying, yep this first, yep this is second. You can’t because it depends on each individual. Even people who are not gone through the hinayana path but first going through the mahayana path alone, even for them there are both. Some people will develop emptiness earlier than bodhimind; some people will develop bodhimind earlier than emptiness.

And I forgot – I don’t’ remember. There’s a word in that Nagarjuna’s book, Precious Garland, there is one word it says,

[TIBETAN 1:15:43 – 1:15:55]

I mean, there’s a long, long, long, anyway. So, it looks like it’s blowing my own trumpet today, but I worked in the University of Michigan here for a couple of – two years ago, two or three years. Two semesters. There’s one Japanese professor. Really good, great scholar. You know, really great scholar. And he’s doing the translation of this. He did translation from the Sanskrit, the Tibetan, Chinese version into a Japanese. He did translate. He’s working on. He’s teaching a big class in the University. So I passed through. And he was telling there’s no mahayana person who develops emptiness before bodhimind because, he says, emptiness is the path of the third stage, path of seeing, and bodhimind developed before that. And he’s saying that he’s translating that very book. And so I heard that. I said, “Wow! What? That’s funny.” He – I mean he himself is known for the big scholar. That is, the University itself even put up some big show on that, too. Because the class is over, everybody left, and then I said, “I heard something like that. Did you say?” He says “Oh, yeah, that is because that is…“ He’s giving lot of explanation. I said, the book what you translated doesn’t say that. I quoted. And he immediately grabbed me, went up. You know, these Western scholars and – they can have immediately look up the books there. They pull it out. He says, “Oh!” [LAUGHTER] So I’m blowing my own trumpet. I'm sorry, but. But anyway, that’s true. Because I mentioned now a lot of senior students around here and you need to know, too.

So, that’s that.

1:17:56

It’s true the emptiness comes as the third path, path of seeing. However, there are people can develop the emptiness before. There is. There is. Two ways. So anyway, the recommendation from the mahayana, and from the buddha stage, and those who are seeking a stage of the buddha level, is the recommendation is instead of going through the all five paths of first yana, then the second yana, and ultimately mahayana, instead of, they say, they give you example, instead of cutting a one river twice, instead of cutting across one river twice, why don’t you from the beginning follow the mahayana path? So they will guide you – so the mahayana teachings are geared towards – every mahayana teaching that you get are geared towards the mahayana path. Even we are talking about hinayana or anywhere, it's geared towards that.

So the basic necessary principle of the hinayana teachings, where they are, the related part of the determination to be free as well as the 37 what?

AUDIENCE: wings of enlightenment

RIMPOCHE: 37 Wings of Enlightened Beings. What are the 37 Wings?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE UNTIL MIC PICKS UP] … four mindfulness and …

RIMPOCHE: four mindfulness.

AUDIENCE: eight-fold noble path,

RIMPOCHE: eight-fold — huh?

AUDIENCE: eight-fold …

RIMPOCHE: … eight-fold noble path. You have covered quite good. Eight-fold become twelve already.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Huh?

AUDIENCE: INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: What did you say?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: four mindfulness. What are they?

[TIBETAN 1:20:06 – 1:20:11]

[BACKGROUND CONVERSATION INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Huh? What did you say? Actually, this afternoon’s teaching will – the, according to the original plan what was supposed to be happening?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: What?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: And then?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: And what was supposed to be today?

AUDIENCE: We changed the schedule at the last moment. It was supposed to be [INDECIPHERABLE].

RIMPOCHE: No, no, no. Something else was supposed to be happening.

AUDIENCE: You mean the teachings?

[BACKGROUND CONVERSATION INDECIPHERABLE]

AUDIENCE: Rimpoche was going to ask some of the senior students to give the teachings this afternoon.

RIMPOCHE: They’re supposed to be doing that. Anyway, at least you count the four – the 30 (what is it?) the 37 [LAUGHS] … 37 Wings. Yeah, this.

[TIBETAN 1:21:17 – 1:21:28]

Did you hear me? So, OK? [TIBETAN 1:21:36] Four mindful. [TIBETAN 1:21:40] What are this? What they call it? How do you call it in English?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Yeah, four abandonments. [TIBETAN 1:29:49 - 1:21:51] Four legs of magical power or something. [TIBETAN 1:21:59]

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Five faculties. [TIBETAN 1:22:05]

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Five powers. [TIBETAN 1:22:09 - 1:22:13] 37 – no, no, no. The seven buddhadharma or something. Seven branch of enlightenment. [TIBETAN 1:22:25] eight-fold noble path. There should be 37 now. Is it? [LAUGHS] Don’t let me count everything because I don’t know, OK?

So anyway, so these are the principles in the hinayana tradition. Though, they talk about the qualities here. So you have four mindfulness. The four mindful. What are the four mindful anyway? Do any of you – any one of you know? D?

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Bread did you say?

AUDIENCE: Breathing. Mindfulness of breathing?

RIMPOCHE: No.

AUDIENCE: Mindfulness of the [INDECIPHERABLE]

RIMPOCHE: Four mindful: body, mind, feeling, verbal. OK. That’s right. So then don’t let me count others because I don’t know, OK?

[BACKGROUND CONVERSATION INDECIPHERABLE 1:23:36 – 1:24:03]

RIMPOCHE: Now is that 37? Thank you. [LAUGHS] So anyway, these are the – so the reason why the common with is used it, because it is gearing towards. When they lead the practitioner to the path, they are leading towards buddha stage. It’s gearing towards that but necessary, absolutely necessary, part of the hinayana paths are picked it up and that’s why common with the lower level, comon with the medium level. The word common has been used it. (What happened?)

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Oh, I’m sorry. The noise with the burned – what is it? [INDECIPHERABLE] is common too. I was told. I was told. [LAUGHS]

So anyway, what else? So gearing towards the buddha stage. Seeking the stage of the buddha. So that is the mahayana path. And what is the doorway? What is the gate of the mahayana? Now I should ask this question to D. What is the gate of the mahayana? Where is the gate of mahayana? What is it? What it’s called? The doorway. The gate. The door.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Who said what?

AUDIENCE: Entrance.

RIMPOCHE: Yeah, entrance. Entrance. Thank you.

AUDIENCE: Entrance to the mahayana? I would have to guess and say hinayana. I don't know.

RIMPOCHE: [LAUGHS] That’s fine. Let me ask G.

[TAPE SILENT 1:26:14 - 1:26:27]

1:26:27

AUDIENCE: Um …

RIMPOCHE: If not, pass the buck.

AUDIENCE: I would – my guess would be the taking refuge and the …

RIMPOCHE: Do you agree or?

AUDIENCE: No.

RIMPOCHE: They don’t agree with you. So what about you, K?

AUDIENCE: I think it’s um, about bodhimind.

RIMPOCHE: Do you all agree? OK, all heads are agreeing with you. All heads are going like this.

AUDIENCE: Bodhimind.

RIMPOCHE: [INDECIPHERABLE]

[TIBETAN 1:27:05 — 1:27:12]

What is bodhimind? A. Give me very good, short definition of bodhimind. Loud. Short and loud.

AUDIENCE: The aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.

RIMPOCHE: Aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings. Do you agree?

AUDIENCE: 50%

RIMPOCHE: 50% B?

AUDIENCE: It’s the definition that I’ve read, but that's not the way you said it.

RIMPOCHE: Which 50% you don’t agree?

AUDIENCE: Well that’s, that’s only half of it. Only the aspiring mind is only half of it. Bodhimind is venturing mind. So there’s aspiration mind and venturing mind.

RIMPOCHE: What is – I didn’t get you.

AUDIENCE: The venturing mind …

RIMPOCHE: What is venturing mind?

AUDIENCE: I mean, the one mind that says may, you know, may all beings, may all beings be, enlightened and so forth. May I obtain enlightenment to benefit all sentient beings. Definitely engaging in, you know, I will liberate all beings from samsara.

[BACKGROUND CONVERSATION INDECIPHERABLE]

RIMPOCHE): All, all, all, all, all, all. Aren’t we seeing some problem in that? Do any of you see any problem in that?

[BACKGROUND CONVERSATION INDECIPHERABLE]

RIMPOCHE: What?

AUDIENCE: Initially you were just asking what is the doorway, the entrance.

RIMPOCHE: No, no. I’ve gone on to the second question, and what is bodhimind? The definition. And A give that. His comment on that.

AUDIENCE: So if I generate bodhicitta, so then that includes that aspiring mind and bodhicitta is something I can also, I mean the bodhisattva who actually possesses the bodhimind – I mean that is also bodhimind. So I mean you cannot, the aspiration you cannot say it’s not bodhicitta. I mean it’s, I mean when you’re talking about the word bodhicitta. Yeah. Because if, I mean, if bodhicitta is also the entrance to mahayana then that cannot just be the fully developed one because then we all would not be mahayana practitioners so you must include …

RIMPOCHE: We’d all be buddhas, right?

AUDIENCE: Yeah. So it must also include the aspirational mind.

RIMPOCHE: You still miss the problem what he’s saying.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Well you don’t. I do. [LAUGHTER] Yes, you did.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: You missed the problem. If I were you, I will not say that. I will say what causes to develop bodhimind? What is the cause of developing bodhimind? How bodhimind? What is the direct, immediate cause before the development of bodhimind?

AUDIENCE: Great compassion.

RIMPOCHE: Are you try to answer me that?

AUDIENCE: Great compassion you already have it.

RIMPOCHE: Great compassion might be the root of it. Like Maitreya said,

[TIBETAN 1:31:00 - 1:31:02]

The root of bodhimind is the great compassion. But then, what else there in-between?

AUDIENCE: There's a special thought. Immediate preceding stage.

RIMPOCHE: That’s right. What is that?

AUDIENCE: It’s just being determined to make oneself efforts to solve all the problems for the sentient beings.

RIMPOCHE: That’s the point. [TIBETAN 1:31:9] That what we call it special mind.

[TAPE ENDS 1:31:32]