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Soundfile 19930101GRARWT1

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location ?

Topic White Tara

Transcriber Constantijn Koopman

Date August 21 2021

Person introducing Rimpoche: ...into the family of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, and recognized at the age of four as a reincarnation of the abbot of Gyuto Monastery. From the age four, Rimpoche studied in the Drepung Loseling Monastery with Tibet’’s greatest living masters and later earned a very high degree, which is the equivalent of a master or doctorate of divinity. And this degree typically takes 25 years of study, but Rimpoche concluded it in half that time, due to his own outstanding insights and excellent memory.

In 1959 Rimpoche fled Tibet, seeking refuge in India, where he continued to work diligently to maintain and preserve the Tibetan tradition. He assisted the United States Library of Congress by cataloging Tibetan publications, and began editing and printing rare Tibetan manuscripts and oral teachings. There are now over 175 volumes in this series. Many of these would certainly have been lost had he not done this important work. So, we’’re very, very grateful to him doing it. In the late nineteen-seventies Rimpoche was requested by senior and junior tutors of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to become more active as a teacher. And since that time he has traveled extensively, and is known to his students for his practical application of Buddhist teachings, his vast knowledge and experience, and his warmth and humor. Please join me in welcoming him. Lama……

[applause, long pause]

Rimpoche: 0:03:44.6 Good morning, everybody. Okay. Now, before we go to meditation or practice or anything, I would like to say two things. One: if you have any difficulty to understand what I’’m trying to say, so please raise your hand and stop me, because I should try to clarify what I meant. One thing you please bear in mind: I never learned English. And I also did not born in the English speaking, and so I never learned the language. So, you will definitely have difficulties. So, please raise your hand. Two: if you feel…… Is it too long? It will come up right, thank you. Two: if you have difficulty to sitting down or anything, so please don’’t hesitate to pick up chair and sit on the chair. So, that is not an absolute requirement for the sitting down on the floor. And another thing is: if you have difficulty to sit with cross-legged, but sitting down but unable to sit cross-legged, so that feel free to stretch your leg whatever the way you want to. And however, if you don’’t have to lie down, it is better not to lie down because you may go to sleep. [laughs] And everybody have back problems or difficulties or something, you need to lean it and you don’’t get wall. You know, if you don’’t move anywhere, please feel free to do so. 0:06:11.9 And that’’s about it I like to say.

And things what I’’m going to present here for the next couple of days is going to be one of the part of Tibetan Buddhist practice. I’’m not going to be talking all the time, sort of doing that thing, but also give you a little practice to share together, and say some mantras and visualization. And things like that I’’m going to do. Did you understand that, everybody? No problem, right? And no problem of saying mantras. You know what mantras are? I’’m sure a lot of you here no. So basically, I have to say: how many of you are familiar with the Tibetan Buddhism? One? Quite a lot. But quite a number of people are not very much familiar with the Tibetan Buddhism. So, I will give you briefly what is all about it.

Tibetan Buddhism is very much like…… really, any other religion tradition. It carries a long history. And, of course, it come from Buddha, the historical Buddha, from India. Which is 2,500 years over, the period. In Buddhism, basically you see two different types of Buddhism these days. One, you see what we call it Theravadin tradition, which... the monks wear yellow robes and all this, which you see mostly in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and in those southern part of the Indian continent. And all this are the basically, what they call it, Theravadin. 0:09:01.4 I give you the difference of the practice as well, but just to give you an idea, geographically and from the customs point of view. So, those who wear the sort of yellow robe and sort of sit straight and walking without looking right and left, anywhere, just going straight, and these are the sort of Theravadin monks. And who are in the area which I mentioned to you, Thailand, Sri Lanka and maybe even in Burma and Cambodia and all this. Cambodia and Laos that in they sort of mixed two different ones anyway. So comes in that way.

Then, you have the Mahayana, specially what we call it the Chinese Mahayana. The Chinese Mahayana are the people wear the sleeves??? and the yellow robes and a big rosary hanging round the neck, and all this. If you’’ve seen it Chinese big monks, big in the sense…… you know what I mean. [lauhgs] And those who wear the big rosary and walks in that way. And that is China and somewhere in the Vietnam and Cambodia. Sort of half mixed, that’’s what ???. Half comes that way, half goes this way. It also goes through Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong and Taiwan, all this. These are the Mahayana sutra law???.

Then, you get the Tibetans, Mongolians, Northern Indian, and some parts of former Soviet Union and southern Chinese part, where you wear this red robe like the Dalai Lama wears. And that type of red robe and all this are the Vajrayana Buddhism. So, the Buddhism what we have in Tibet and all these areas are called Vajrayana Buddhism. Vajrayana is the Sanskrit word, actually. Vajra refers to indestructible. Is it indestructible or undestructible? Indestructible. Indestructible we refer as a diamond to. So, I never knew this till I got into Malaysia. And in Malaysia, one of those sutras called the Vajra Sutra. I was supposed to talk on that. 0:12:02.8 And when I went up into the hall, and I sudden saw there’’s a big letter??? saying, says: today he’’s going to teach on Diamond Sutra. And I didn’’t know exactly what that is meant for. So, there are a group of people who translate vajra as diamond by keeping in mind it is indestructible; diamond is supposed to be very strong or something, so... They cut all other glasses and they don’’t cut backwards. And that’’s what they told me, quickly. [laughs] So, that’’s how I know. So, indestructible.

So, it’’s Vajrayana. And I’’m sure a lot of you know the word tantra, right? Tantra and tantric. So, the Vajrayana and the tantric Buddhism is the same thing. So, in Vajrayana the difference between the Vajrayana, Mahayana and the Theravadin tradition, which in old terms they call it Hinayana. If you have heard that and if you are not hearing from me today, you must be wondering what. But the normally word hina is small, and maha is big. So, the smaller vehicle and the bigger vehicle and the indestructible vehicle. That makes the three vehicles in Buddhism, all of them. So, we don’’t use the word hina because a number of people to like it. They don’’t like to call it the smaller vehicle, so they call it self-liberating vehicle. So, that’’s why we call it Theravadin. And the reason why…… you know, that’’s why I am... So: self-liberating vehicle.

So, what does the self-liberating vehicle do? The self-liberating vehicle is no/all focused??? for the self, and how to improve self, and how to liberate the self. Self is the most important business for the self [laughs], for oneself. So, that is why they make that important and self-liberating. And the techniques what they use is mostly a strict discipline. Strict discipline. So, that’’s why earlier I told you…… I told you earlier that the monks who go straight and don’’t look round. 0:15:03.3 That is what I try to hint at that level, is a strict discipline. They have a sort of…… You know, the problem with the individual, whatever we face today, whether it is physical, mental or emotional, whatever it is. According to the Buddha, it is our own karmic result. Word karmic or karma, I’’m sure it is familiar. So: result. So, who create those karma? According to Buddha nobody else except ourselves. So, that makes ourselves responsible for ourselves, nobody else. So, karmic result –– whether we enjoy or we have a problem or it just goes on whatever it is: not so much pain, not so much joy, just going one –– so, all these three things are result of our own karma. That’’s why so Buddha makes oneself responsible for oneself. So, the problems that we have are the result of negativity, which I like to call as a delusion. So, the meaning referring really to anger, attachment and hatred. And these are the basically negative emotions that we have. So, we choose…… Buddha chose to call it negative. Simple reason: it gives us a little trouble, maybe sometimes a big trouble. And most important: the clear and the clean, beautiful self. Whatever we call it, human being deep inside. The clean, the clear, the wonderful is made rough, mushy, funny things by those emotions. 0:18:08.7 And that’’s why it’’s called negative.

Maybe, it’’s not very clear. I give you a simple example which I always choose, very often. The example is: let’’s say, if you have somehow a good modestly????? anyway. And have the feel relax and rest and sort of looking forward in the morning. So, you’’re really up and looking forward for the nice day. And that particular feeling of the wonderfulness within ourselves we don’’t get it very often. Right? Sometimes, we do. It’’s not that we don’’t have it, but we don’’t get it very often. So once we get it, we enjoy, we appreciate. It is nice and wonderful. And with that you go for work or whatever you do, or for shopping or whatever you do. You take your car, try to get out and somebody else horning you from the side and retire??? taking you. And you say, ““Hey, did you see that?”” You know, to that extent you go, right? We do that all the time. And some people get irritated. Right? We do get irritated, get upset. Sometimes, we maybe just express surprise in them, just let it go. And some people will go beyond that and get irritated, and say, ““Blah,blah, blah””. And some people to more extreme???, ““What number I must call then? [laughs], and goes beyond that anyway. So, that is how we act. But if you get upset, or this particularly the guy before you or the person before you is not moving, and you keep on banging horn, you’’re getting late. And all this you get upset.

With that little upset-ness, what does that do to you? And when you look at the back, that nice, clean and wonderful feeling in the morning what you had is about this time it’’s gone. It’’s just like in the morning you have beautiful clean…… ...his is not clear anyway. [laughter] ???? But then somehow all of a sudden you touch some mud, and wash your hand like the Indians do, you know [laughs] And if you wash your finger in there, and that glass of water will become a mushy. Right? And it’’s not clear, it’’s some kind of, you know, funny thing it looks, you know? 0:21:01.7 It looks cloudy or even worse sometimes. And exactly like that, the emotion do to the individual mind. Get it? The mind itself...

You see, it is my culture. I started referring heart??? instead of going on the head, when I say ““mind””. In the West people will think mind…… ……you meet in the West??? ends up here, right? So you think it’’s in the brain. And we are taught it is in the heart, at heart l……, earlier. So, the culture…… So, if you are in the Western culture, you talk mind, you started looking up, pointing up, thinking up. And with my background, we started looking at heart, pointing finger here. And that’’s what happens. Anyway, the mind itself, when I call it the beautiful nature human being, it is no color, no shape. It’’s not tangible, we cannot catch. It’’s there. So, it is examples that I give for this, is sort of clean, clear, lampshade. Not lampshade, lampshade. Clean, clear, no color, lampshade. And big, nice, clean, clear lampshade. There’’s no color or shape or anything. Just keep that idea: clean, clear, crystal lampshade.

Then, what you have under the lampshade, you have light balls, right? Light bulbs. And then you have different color light bulbs. The anger let’’s say, red light bulb; and attachment is green or cool blue light bulb. You know, nice that blue, emerald color radiating. That type of thing. All sort of different: you know, the yellow, green, red, blue, whatever. So, the moment you turn on the red light on, so when you look from a distance, that clean, clear, crystal lampshade it becomes red lampshade. And you may look from a distance. If you don’’t see the bulb in there, you may look from the distance, you may even say it, ““It is red lampshade.”” And that looks like that. And when you come here and when look at it, you say, ““Oh, it’’s unred, they have a red bulb in there. 0:24:02.4 Right, you say. So, that is exactly how it happens. Our emotions, such as anger pops up, from nowhere actually. Though somewhere there are some causes and conditions are there, but it’’s almost like from nowhere. Like a toast come out of toaster. It comes up, pops up suddenly. Right?

Actually, I turned on the television last night. And in that television I saw little ...ty?? young girl was doing nothing and just eating her soup. And sort of sitting…… I’’m sure some of you might have watched it. In the hotel. And taking her soup, and then she had toast and suddenly pop it went up, the toast. And then she got up and picked the toast up. I thought about that. So, that is how the emotions really comes up. Sort of, it is not the first time I noticed but sort of, when I saw that, I sort of thought. Because that is exactly how the emotions come up. It is almost: you forgot to put the toast, and then all of a sudden it pops, comes up, with the noise.

So, that’’s exactly how the emotions rise. So, that change, the clean, clear, beautiful nature has been changed. It changes from that clean, clear into red or whatever it is. And that is how it change. And that’’s why I call it ““delusion.”” It really makes that beautiful nature into something else. That’’s what happens.

So, the whole purpose of Buddhism or Buddha’’s teachings…… Teaching really meaning: it is the experience that the Buddha has experienced as a human being, and he is sharing with the other persons who did not have that experience. He is sharing that experience as the best communication through a word, and through a message. And that why how is sharing with the people, it is really called Buddhist teaching. I mean: ““teaching,”” when you call ““teaching”” and all this, it becomes technicality. But what really it meant is the message or the information that the Buddha shared with us, which is based on his personal experience. 0:27:13.2 And that’’s what really is Buddhism is all about it. There are a number of scholars and professors, particularly not religions professor…… But they are professors who are in the different field and who are very great and good, and who practice the Buddhism, and very often says, ““Buddhism is not a religion, it is a way of life and a way of thinking.”” A number of people do say that. Of course, the professor from the religions department will not agree because that is their subject. [Laughs] I’’m just kidding here. But at same time, it’’s really true. And if you really look in the Buddhism, it is basically the mental techniques that you to apply to how to reduce those negativities and how to build up and increase the positivenesss within the individual. And that is the all about it.

So, for that technique then it becomes a different ways and means. For example, the first Buddha said: If you cannot handle with the negativities, you better get out if it; better have nothing to do with it. As simple as that. Some people do things on top of that and it becomes very strict. Theravadin type of discipline, it is so strict that you’’re not supposed to look too much, even passage??? this way, passage??? that way. Because you try to avoid the conditions or objects which may rise you of those negative emotions. So, strict discipline: physical, mental, emotional discipline. And that’’s why they take people into the forest or into the caves or... Sort of you know…… What do you call it? Solitude, solitary, solitude. Isolated completely and there’’s nothing but tree or nothing but rock round you. So that is the true extreme of discipline. 0:30:03.7 That’’s how the whole purpose of discipline is, to avoid contact of a such thing may rise difficulties, you know? And that is the originally. You know I mean, later, of course, like every other religion Buddhism also had a tremendous amount of questioning so and forth. It changes whole thing. But that was the original intention of the Buddha, and the disciples of the Buddha, how they set up their things. Okay? That is what all celibacy and all these are: focused on that point, so that you are retreat from the object which may rise those emotions. That is the first/best?? way of doing it.

The second one is the Mahayana path. And that has tow more additional points. All right, you can do that. But if you know how to handle it, you can enjoy a little bit of that part. And don’’t let it overrun you, you may go along with that. You may go along with that and try to improve yourself. There are good qualities also in there. Some are enjoyable, some are pleasure, some are nice. You make use of those and don’’t let them overrun you. And at least even you don’’t overrun them, but you go along with that. You go along with that. And also don’’t only confront yourself alone. Care about other people ??? Sort of share and care. What about other people? What about others? What about your friend, your loved ones, your nearest, you dearest. And then somehow people are connected with that. So, sort of everybody is somebody’’s sombody. So that’’s how they will encourage you to go with the love, compassion, and all of them. It’’s not only to yourself but also to the others. And so go in that way.

So in that way a little relaxed in the discipline. The rules, yes, making sure you’’re not overrun by those emotions. And selfishness also. And just more love and compassion feelings not only to yourself but to the others as well. And that gives you this Mahayana path. So that is all these dresses and all these are made up later, you know? Particularly the Chinese used to wear big brocade [laughs], the huge brocade some kind of overcoat type of thing. 0:33:09.8 And with the coral malas, big and real coral, wear it around the neck. And all these are exaggerated and whatever it is. Originally, they may have a small mala or something to count. And which is sort of gradually, as I noticed, we all like to have bigger and bigger. I even a little coral mala, too. I noticed, noticed??? We always like to have better quality of malas all the time. So, that is exactly how it worked, right? And so obviously that we can see now from why they have these funny little things goes round. And they get???, also they look like different, better than the other ones. So goes on, and better quality of brocade and so and forth. That is obvious.

Then comes the Vajrayana. Now, I am Tibetan, so I belong to the Tibetan tradition. So I may have to give a little propaganda here. The thing is, if you look in the Vajrayana it’’s so simple! They tell you, ““Yeah, negativities: transform it. Transform it: use anger as a path, use attachment as a path. Transform that. Don’’t let it affect you as anger.”” In other words: cheat anger, make it best. Cheat attachment, make it best. And cheat the ignorance, if you can, and make it best. And that’’s how Vajrayana is all about it. That’’s why diamonds and indestructible blah, blah, blah, all of them is coming out because the technique is different. And I am not sure how many of your are familiar with the monks. The monks of the Tibetan monks as well as the Thai and all these monks. And if you look, you’’ll be surprised. And I noticed myself.

I like monk, I’’m not a monk now. So, I was?? a monk over twenty years and then out. So, what happened is when you look at it you really notice…… And you look at the Thai and all these monks still sit completely straight. It’’s really great. Whether it is from their mind is great or not, but it looks as great. ??? straight, walk straight, and all this. But they are very tough monks, too. If you have to deal with them! Sometimes they’’re very tough. Type??? in politics, and type??? in economics, and in everything. But.. And they’’re great too, a lot of them are very great. So, sit straight and move nowhere. 0:36:00.4 One walks behind the other like completely the one?? look round. And when you see the Tibetan monks, then they are looking everywhere and they are smiling and running here and there, and doing all sort of funny things. That’’s, except??? the road they’’re running round everywhere, even shouting and all whatever it is. All of them you find it. So, if you look at the background, then you know why so much strictness is not there. So, some people have so much strictness and some don’’t. True! Like that, anyway.

So, that is the basically Buddhism is focused to cut down or, if possible, totally remove those negativity. Actually, the mental part is more important than the physical part. The physical part is: one does and one will have its consequences a little bit. And it is over if you stop repeating it. The mental part it constantly goes on and on and on. And also the physical actions are pushed out by the mental emotions. And without that it will not. It will not, right? That’’s why the toys of, the children’’s toys, this teddy bear and all this: no matter how often you hit them, they will not hit you back. Right? Because there is no thing in there. Sort of say, ““Hey I’’ve been hit, so I must hit back.”” They don’’t have that. So they don’’t have that inside. That’’s why they don’’t hit back. So, that’’s why all these physical actions are influenced by the mental. So, the important point where we work is on the mental level, not the physical level. So, the mental emotions are try to either reduce or, possible, try to totally remove. So, the whole Buddhist practice is focused on... I’’m sorry. Whole Buddhist practice is focused on that. That is how it is.

So, the practice what I would like to introduce you here is a Vajrayana practice. Vajrayana practice, and that also…… I’’m not going to go in details: Vajrayana has this, this, this. I’’m not going to go in that 0:39:00.5 So basically, Vajrayana is: one works with a deity. Deity here is fully enlightened Buddha or fully enlightened being. And manifests in some different forms. And fully enlightened is absolute criteria. Because if you work with some kind of deity or spirit or anything which is not fully enlightened... Enlightened here really meaning…… We are really referring to the fully developed. Fully enlightened might only referring as knowledge part of it. But sort of fully developed, being the best of all. So it is fully enlightened. If you work with a spirit or anything which is not the best, or which themselves is not free from the problems that what we have. You know what I mean? The problems what we have, if they themselves is not free of those problems, and they may not be able to help us much to free our problems too. So instead, they may be able to help on certain point, but they may give you another problem along with that, like we see in those allopathic medicine or antibiotics or whatever it is. They are great in one point. Probably whatever joints?? you have, that is very easy to get out of it. And great on that. And simultaneously, they give you an other side-effect, which sometimes can be bigger problem than what you had earlier too. So, like that. And if you have not a fully enlightened, the person or the spirit or the ??? through which you are working is not a fully free from all these problems, you may have side-effect. You hear me?

So, that is why in Buddhism the Buddha repeatedly shared one of his experiences. He said, whatever you work with these powers, that power must be free from all those problems. And that is why we call it fully enlightened, fully liberated. 0:42:02.4 And that’’s made a basic criterion because, if the person is not free from those problems, and then you’’re bound to get the same problems. And that not only goes to the spirit that you work, that also goes to those of us who claims to be the teacher. And the teacher must be free from the negativities. Otherwise, how can you free the disciples from the free from the negativities? And whatever the teacher’’s problems you have, the disciples will pick up the same things, basically. So, those of us who claims to be the teacher, we also have to be very cutting through the negative as much as possible. Otherwise, you will teach the wrong thing; you will preach the wrong thing. Anyway, so that is the unnecessary remark I brought up –– I don’’t know why. But anyway…… Sorry.

So, the deity or spirit in which you work with it, it has to be fully enlightened one. So, we have chosen Tara. Number of reasons we have chosen Tara. Number of reasons. And reason number one is: Tara is female. It is the feminine principle in Buddhism, really. Because Buddhism entirely ??? comes from the tradition of Indian culture. It came in 2,500 years ago. At that time, is a male-dominated period. And all of those male-dominated period. Whenever there any religion come through that period, it has ??? as well. Because it is a human being who work with the thing. It’’s there. So, the Tara is female and feminine principle. So, it is very nice. And then, not only that, it is very, very easy, extremely simple and easy. And also it’’s very quick. I mean, you don’’t need a million years to practice to achieve something. So, you do it simply. And you do it, and you see the result. You get it. So that’’s why it is quick and simple and feminine principle, and is easy for me as well. [laughs] 0:45:10.1 So, with all these reasons and we choose to introduce Tara and Tara practice. And that’’s why we have a little thangka, what we call it. [0:45:23.3: sound falls away for about seven seconds]

...The center figure, the lady there is Tara. So, we like to use Tara as the symbolic representing the enlightened figure. ““Symbolic,”” I say. So, why I call ““symbolic?”” Because enlightened ones are enlightened ones. In family there is no difference between those enlightened ones. Once you become enlightened, you become sort of another complete oneness of all the enlightened beings, whether it is from east or west or north or south, blue or black or white or yellow or whatever it is. It becomes oneness, male or female, whatever it is. Oneness, it is there. But in the manifestation you have all this different because you have to look like one. You can’’t be look like both, then you get another name. Right? So, that’’s why. So, you have to do this. That’’s why the manifestations have to have those. And that is why. So, manifest in that, but in reality there is oneness. It is a big float???. Actually, what happens is: when the individuals totally cut off the negativity, when you become fully enlightened, andyou become part of that without losing your individuality. Without losing your individuality, but one big part of a big ocean or something. You know, like that: big space-like thing. And that’’s why it is symbolic. In reality, you can use anything. You can think the physical look-like. We’’re using the Tara as symbolic, but Tara is the medium, and we are channeling whatever you want to –– this and that. As long as it is a fully enlightened one. So, as long as they don’’t carry any side-baggage, side-effect or side-baggage. Then that is fine. So, that’’s why I call it as a symbolically we use Tara. 0:48:04.0

So using Tara and meeting?? Tara’’s ritual has two things. One is what we call it self-generating. Self-generating means you visualize yourself exactly in the same form and carry on the activity as though you are Tara. That is called self-generating: as though you are Tara. That is one way of doing it, but which is not really appropriate for group because that has some kind of three requirements of certain things. So, to generate oneself as Tara might not be appropriate at this moment for a group as large as this. So, what we do is front generation. So, you visualize the image and the picture, the figure in front of you, and use that, and then generate those activities. Activities whatever the activities we do, we do the activities.

Tara what we’’re doing, we’’re going to do is for basically the things to cut down the emotions. Negative emotions are basic Buddhist principle. However, there are different activities. So, through Tara what we are going to do is mostly healing activities. The healing: the physical, mental, emotional healing. Healing not necessarily strict to sort of…… not necessarily cut down to physical healing. There’’s mental healing, there’’s emotional healing. We do need all of them. Particularly, we need emotional healing. For sure. The physical is to certain people yes. But a lot of people are not that absolutely necessary, quite healthy. And then have a little problem in our physical form is nature. You don’’t have to ???? Little, little bit of problems is bound to have it. True! I’’m sorry, it is. You know why? Because this our physical body itself by nature, by nature it is…… You know, Buddha had basically divided every existence into two or three or four categories. 0:51:08.0 Basically, you probably heard Buddha has a big thing called ““Four Noble Truths.”” ““Noble Truths,”” it’’s called ““Noble Truths.”” And first things that he said the truth of suffering. So, in that category he put everything in that. Like all our physical thing and everything is in that category. As long as we have flesh and the bones, made thing??? is there, there are bound to be aches and pains here and there. It is a part of the nature. So, a little bit of things??? is…… everybody have it. And it is not worth to pay our mental attention on that so much. But as it becomes bigger one, bigger difficult, you have to heal it. That’’s also necessary. So, little bit of things are there, but most important thing is emotional. Emotional…… what do you call it? I can’’t say ““emotional sickness,”” but the emotional effects that what we have, one after the other. Constantly for our beauty??? nature of human being, being itself. It hurts so much by our own emotions. And that needs healing. That really needs healing, and that needs help. It’’s not necessarily…… I mean, the psychologically health. But I mean it……. It is wrong health given by yourself.

So, we try to focus more for the next couple of days on this. Healing ourselves: mental, physical, emotional. The emotional wounds that we have needs to be healed. So, we’’re going to focus on that. And way and how we focus is: we use... there is limitless powers. Basically, Buddha gives four limitless powers. Four: the power of meditation, power of mantra, power of enlightened beings, and power of human mind and material. That’’s what the Buddha gives, four limitless powers. Human mind and material, enlightened beings’’ power, power of mantra and power of meditation. 0:54:04.1 That’’s what the Buddha said 2,500 years before. And it’’s still true today. It didn’’t change. And it proved more: human mind and material power is limitless. We see it today, don’’t we? We call it scientific achievement or break-through or whatever you call it. But it is the human mind…… Now my finger went up! [laughs] Because I have been too long in America. So, the human mind and the material we use. That’’s what a scientific break-through is. That limitless power Buddha said from the beginning –– material. Three other powers are: power of concentration, the meditation power; mantra power; and enlightened power. So, we are using almost all four of them. The human mind??? they may not have any material. Otherwise it becomes laboratory, science laboratory or something. So, we’’re not using material, but we’’re using human mind, enlightened power, mantra and meditation. Okay?

The meditations I will try to guide you and share with you. And mantra, it’’s written there. All of you have a piece of paper given you. Yes, you do have it. I don’’t know If you don’’t get it, somewhere it’’s available. [little pause in which mantra apparently is searched for being made available to all of the audience] It’’s called White Tara or something. There you go, thank you. 0:57.01.2

Claire???, borrow your paper. You can share it, can you? Is it possible? I say in.., I normally do in Tibetan, ??? in English. [pause] So, that little paper ???, you got it. You got it right here, thank you. That little paper you have in your hand says ““White Tara longevity practice.”” So, if you look at the first word here, says OM SVABHAVA SHUDDA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDO ’’HAM. That is Sanskrit, for the Tibetan???, Sanskrit. Originally, all this type of practice, whatever you have, have Sanskrit word at the beginning. When the lot of Buddhism came from traditional Indian thing to Tibet, the translators has to prove the Tibetans that they’’re translating something, rather than they’’re composing by their own head. So that’’s why they always have a little Sanskrit word at the beginning. And some of those texts, older texts even say, ““In Indian language: gara gara, gara, guru, guru. In Tibetan: blah, blah, blah.”” They say that. That is how the translators prove that it is coming from there. Anyway, in this case, it’’s not that purpose.

However, OM, you know the word OM. It is very familiar with you. It is always like become a universal language. Everybody says OM. There’’s people chant with OM, and people have a restaurant called OM. You know, you do??? Carly had one??? in Detroit. She came with me. And in spite of Detroit, the restaurant, the ??? restaurant called OM. So, OM is very familiar with everybody. Okay, let me just say what is really OM. 1:00:01.5 OM is the beginning of mantra. And actually, OM really has three letters. Here you have OM, right? But OM really has three letters: A, O, and MA. M is MA, right? A-O-M: three letters. So, A is there because it is the life of letter. If letter has no A in that, you cannot say it. H has A, A has A, B has A, C has A –– because it is the life of the letter. Truly. If you don’’t have A, you can’’t say it. You loose sound if you loose A. So, A is the life’’s friend???, and the life of the letters, any mantra or letter or anything. So A-O-M combination is OM. Which has a representation: represents the body, mind and the speech of the individual, and the body, mind, speech of the enlightened beings, whatever you’’re working with it. So this side and that side: both body, both mind, both speech represents by OM. So, the OM is very, very important. Extremely important in terms of combination of the body-mind-speech. Oneness with that of what you’’re aiming and you’’re here. Oneness. It is important. So, people begin to chant with OM, anything. So, all the mantras are basically started with OM, like OM MANI PEME HUM. Which is familiar with you, Tibetans: OM MANI PEME HUM. That is the love-compassion mantra: OM MANI PEME HUM. And in this case, the short??? OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA. The shorter one. So, everywhere it is OM. So, if you really know how to focus and concentrate on OM, it itself is extremely powerful, itself.

Now, to share a funny story here. In the sixties, in the United States (over here) you have anti-Vietnam war demonstrations going on. 1:03:04.9 Allen Ginsberg led??? a demonstration, right? Or whatever it is called, we’’re starting with OM. So, I was talking in New York. I was talking about OM, and Allen was there. So, I said, ““If you know the meaning of OM perfectly at that time, you would have lifted Pentagon, that he wanted to lifted it up at that time by chanting OM. So, since he really didn’’t get the proper meaning of OM, the Pentagon has not moved. And during some question, Allen raised his finger, said, ““No, no, no. The physical Pentagon might not have moved, but actually it did move up. It did lifted up. It took reorganization within that. It did actually change,”” he said. So, anyway, so the point is, you know: the OM is so powerful and so well-known. And even, Allen Ginsberg, when he’’s testifying??? in Chicago, he kept on saying OM all the time. So, I went up to all that point. So, you know what OM is, right?

OM SVABHAVA SHUDDA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDO ’’HAM. Basically, it says: all is empty. Basically, that whole word here says: all is empty. Did you get it? That’’s the whole thing. OM SVABHAVA SHUDDA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDO ’’HAM. And that says, ““all is empty””. If you look in the English translation. It’’s there? Not everyone has that. I’’m sorry, we missed that. ““All is empty.”” ““From the sphere of emptiness,”” it should say. But instead of that, we missed ““All is empty””. Sorry about that! Just write it down there: ““All is empty.”” Yeah, yeah, thank you –– there. So, anyway, so ““all is empty”” here refers to…… that particular mantra, SVABHAVA SHUDDA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDO ’’HAM, is: OM referring to body, mind and speech. Body, mind and speech of my; and body, mind and speech of the object of refuge, or field of merit, or whatever you call it; and all other phenomena around are natural empty. 1:06:03.4

Emptiness is a big thing in Buddhism. Impermanent is a big thing in Buddhism. And it is very important. Because it is empty, you can move. Because it is impermanent, you can change. Do you hear me? If there’’s no empty available??? in the room, you’’re stuck. Not left to move. The space is empty, so you can be open. You can have freedom of movement because that’’s empty. You can have freedom of creation, you can have freedom of destroying –– if you like it. You can have freedom of everything because it is empty. And it is impermanent. It changes. If it is not, if it is permanent, it is stuck???: you stand there as it is like a big monster monument time. You’’re stuck there, standing. Right? But you are not. You are impermanent. So, we change. It has good qualities and bad qualities too. But it is impermanent. So, it is changeable. So, in Buddhism impermanent and emptiness is so important.

So, though in true nature it is impermanent and it is empty. No, empty of inherent of inherent existence, empty of permanent self-independent, inherent existence. That’’s why it is called emptiness. But not empty empty, it’’s empti-ness. Emptiness has a life, emptiness has a meaning. So, the SVABHAVA SHUDDA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDO ’’HAM is a reminding of the nature of reality, which is void and empty. Why do you do this? Because you want to generate something out of it. Out of empty you can make things. Because there’’s no room: if it is full and sta??? you have no room to move. So, that’’s why every vajrayana practice you get the first thing is: all is empty. That’’s what it is. 1:09:02.4 All is empty. So, the object where you’’re going to generate Tara…… You may have a picture here. The picture is a picture. It is piece of cloth, a piece paper. The piece of cloth, piece of paper or piece of metal, we might be able to have ??? at all. So, that is symbolic. What we do need is a mental projection of a living enlightened being. So, you may look like a picture, but you have to make your own Tara. You, each one of us has to make our own Tara. So, that will be free of paper, free of cloth, free of metal. It will be actually, mentally created. Mentally created action living being with a life spirit. That’’s what you have to do it. So, in order to do that, you need space. So, you generate, you say, ““All is empty.”” Reminding that I am going to create that Tara in front of me. So, I am the creator at this moment, so the reminding me: this creation, creating whatever you are going the create, creator and thing what you create all are…… there’’s no inherent existence. It is empty, like space. Get it?

So, the moment you say OM, so you think about body, mind, speech of me, and body, mind, speech in front of me that are??? object of refuge. Get it? Object of refuge. Then think, and think that is the nature of reality. It is all is empty. Then, ““From the sphere of emptiness”” you have here…… ““From the sphere of emptiness……”” That’’s what it is: in your visualization you just sort of simply visualize…… When you say, ““All is empty,”” so it becomes totally non-existent. Sort of total, big space, total openness. Open, free, nothing. There’’s no structure, nothing blocking, everything is a big space like empty. And suddenly, in front of you, suddenly from the emptiness appears…… suddenly pop appears…… Yeah, it’’s all our pop, you know? 1:12:06.1

This morning, when we are eating breakfast, when you’’re looking through that thing…… through the sort of the glass window, you see the ocean there. And suddenly, you see those true fish jumping round. Didn’’t you see any? You were there at that time. A dolphin? Yeah, you see them jumping, right?. So, like that, suddenly, in that open space suddenly appears, jumps out like a dolphin jumping, comes up a white lotus. Huge one. Suddenly appears what? White lotus, that’’s right. Suddenly, sort of you become empty and space like ???, there comes a little…… Suddenly, appears a huge white lotus. A huge one, I mean a huge one. Don’’t think of small! Don’’t subtle, small things, get it big! You know? Big open heart, big white lotus. Okay? Big white lotus. Five of these rooms is not big at all. For me it is small. Big you can think of as present United States, okay? Big one. So, big white lotus. Or, if you feel it’’s uncomfortable that big, so you can make proportionally how big heart??? of use is. So, according to that you go. And if you feel comfortable this much or that much, okay, get it that way. So, whatever there’’s no specific rule here. So, you can have the white lotus. I said comfortable, because you can generate Tara on top of that. So, that’’s why. It can’’t be very small because it will break. [laughs] So, it has to be strong, big one, right?. White lotus.

And OM it is moon disc. So, the lotus opens up like this, right? At the same size of the lotus you have a moon disc. Disc, you know, like CD disc. The round type of thing. But here in reality it is moon. The quality of moon here meaning…… the quality of moon is the coolness nature and watery nature. It is not dry, it has moisture, the quality of it. It is coolness in that. So, that’’s why the lotus. And then, above that you have that moon disc. Don’’t be so thing like??? CD-type of thing. Sort of comfortable cushion, comfortable moon cushion. Okay? Above which appears what? 1:15:14.2 So, here it says ““one’’s own mind.”” But when you are front-generating, you have to say, ““the mind of all enlightened beings,”” rather than your own mind. ““One’’s own mind”” is based on self-generating, so based on the enlightened beings’’ mind. All the enlightened beings, doesn’’t matter whether it is from the East or West. Everybody has enlightened beings. So, all the enlightened beings’’ mind takes the form of syllable TAM. So, the Tara and all this Vajrayana system works with the symbols and initials. It is an initial, the name initial. Tara’’s name is Ta-ra. Since being as a mother it becomes TAM, T-A-M. So, it is initial. You call initial, right? When you don’’t sign fully you sign some little short signature. It’’s called initial. That’’s the initial; it’’s the letter TAM. All the Vajrayana deities work with the symbols which is the hand implements. They are signs, they are signals. They are signs, the hand implements. Whatever they carry in their hand. Tara carries a lotus. So, that’’s why the lotus is the symbolic of Tara. And initial TAM, T-A-M, TAM. So, the white lotus, moon disc and the letter TAM on that. Get it?

There’’s another trouble which I thought I removed it. This paper still has that. I’’m sorry. The TAM again changes into another flower: TAM, which transformed in the utpala flower. Utpala flower is not available. I think it’’s some kind of mystical flower. 18:00.0 It is reality, it is not imaginative flower. It is reality. You get these flowers some time one or two flowers if you the height is above 15,000 or 16,000 feet high. In the midst of different rocks it grows. I have seen it once in my life. I have seen it at the back of Drepung Monastery. Drepung itself is a little higher than Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, which is about 11,500 feet. And Drepung is a little higher. And there’’s a huge mountain at the back, really tall one. At the roof, on the peak of that mountain sometimes you see one or two flowers in the midst of a rock. It’’s called utpala. It is bright blue color. I mean, very rich blue. Not very big, very small one –– this size. Sort of very small one you see, utpala flower. And a lot of people will explain this is mythological flower. But it is not really. The descriptions you get as mythological you get a huge one, like whatever. We’’re talking about a lotus making exaggerated. In that manner they give you. But the really utpala flower is a small one, a really small one. The whole thing is as big as…… smaller than the iris. You know, during the spring you get here the tulip and iris. [Audience, inaudible] Yeah, the size of the flower is a little bit about the crocus size, and a little smaller than iris. But it is like…… it has opened like a cone, ice-cream cone type of thing. Like that, you know? Opens that way, that way. Very small one, that is really utpala flower. You see very few in that 14,000-15,000 feet high in the ??? One or two occasions. It is not a mythological flower, it’’s there.

So, that becomes that you have this double thing here: the white transforms. And then that becomes Tara, the White Tara. 1:21:02.1 One face. Tara which has becomes…… That flower becomes Tara. You generate in front of you that big lotus, above which the moon disc. Above that, that flower becomes Tara. So, what you really need is White Tara, sitting very beautiful, young, youthful, as sixteen. And beautiful, but fully matured: mental, physical, emotional, sexual, everything –– fully matured. Okay? So when you say sixteen, you may think a little kid or something. Not that way, but fully matured. Tara. It says, ““the noble one granting long life.”” Then sort of a brief description it goes: Tara has one head and two arms, seven eyes. This White Tara has seven eyes: one, two, three, four, five, six and seven. Seven eyes: the eyes on the two feet and hands. Seven eyes, that’’s how it becomes seven eyes. ““...with the white moon disc at her back.”” So in other words: it is not a white moon disc, it has aura. You call it aura, right? White aura. It looks like moon disc, and at the back. And her right hand makes the mudra that confers??? realization, which means hand goes like this. [shows] ““You will be great,”” that’’s what it is. Tries to tell you something. And, realization……. ““Left hand holds white utpala flower, which looks like lotus. You can think lotus. They are quite big. So, here is all the qualities of beautiful, young woman. 1:24:05.2 So, that is basically generating the Tara.

I think it is 10:30 now. And so, we take a break and we come back and continue some work. Thank you.