Archive Result

Soundfile 19930824GRSRLRC_03

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location LRC

Topic Summer Retreat

Transcriber Glenn Powers

Date 2020-10-27

We’ll have some problem or another problem to relay. Each one of us, we have that. We have that. That is caused by what? Those negativities and delusions, nothing else. You know, when I first came here, I had problem to understand when they talk about emotional problems, Aura can be witness, I have problem to understand what they talking about it. What is the matter with them? They have this long face, sitting over there in the corner of the house, almost like what I call wounded, wild animal. When the wild animals wounded they find little place and hide somewhere. They do all this. I think, what the hell is going on? Do you have headache? Are you sick? All this sort of thing. I went through all this.

It’s not that we don’t have emotional problems in the East. But, in the East, the suffering of suffering is too strong and many of them don’t have the opportunity to experience the lot of those emotional problems. True. Look at the Indian koolies at the Indian railway station, you’ll see them, you know, whether it is winter or summer, they will have simple little red piece of cloth, like what Tony’s wearing, maybe they have a little slip that goes down below your t-shirt, below that and have a big piece of cloth on the head and spend their night, day and night on the railway station. In the middle of the night when the train goes, they wake up and just have to grab all the heavy luggage they could grab it, virtually. They carry a tremendous amount of load. And then, you have to run after them because they run so fast you’ll loose your luggage, if you can’t go along with them. So, you really have to and they go that much. How much will they make out of that? Virtually nothing. At most they make, what, ten rupees. If you want to give ten, you give five and then argue a little bit, otherwise if you give ten, they will argue with you. So, give five, argue a little bit, give a few more, something like that and then you settle that way. That is just simple example when you just go in India, you will see it, every train station. They don’t have the opportunity to experience what we call it, emotional problems. They don’t have the opportunity. We do. 0:03:04.6

We do have the opportunity, so we experienced. Our suffering suffering, the physical suffering is less. So, these things come up. So, everybody, no matter wherever you are, no matter you rich or poor, whether you are healthy or sick, whether you are old or young, whatever we are may be. Each and every one of us has an experience of pain to share. Even you don’t want to say it. Even you want to hide it. The things come out of our face, through the eye. When you look at the eye, see the pain. You read it.

Of course, we are good at hiding. So, we have to hide. We put a lot of makeup on the face and so and forth. Actually, it is hiding the suffering. Excuse me, ladies. But, it’s true. If you like the way you look, why you put on makeup? (laughter) [..] The simply we put on the makeup just because way you look you don’t like it. I was talking the other day, remember? The disliking to yourself is one of the pains that we experience. We dislike ourself, way and how we look it. That’s why we try to change all the time. When you make a change, it is temporarily, you look in the mirror and you look yourself good and others will say, “Oh! Great!” and this and that. It give you temporary relief. Within next two days, you don’t like it anyway. 0:05:24.7

Another point, a sign of disliking yourself is people like to change your name. You don’t like your name. That is another sign of disliking yourself. All of this, from the beginning, when it comes up, if you sort of challenge it, look at it, why you don’t like it? And, when you begin to look at it very carefully, there is not really a valid reason in it, but simply making ourself a little more miserable. That’s the true situation we are in, no matter whatever we are, wherever we are, whatever it is, we have all this, three pains. Not the traditional suffering of suffering, changing suffering, pervasive suffering, my three pains will be physical, mental, emotional pains. We have those. They are everywhere. 0:06:30.9

The question really rises, when I was telling you earlier, when you’re sitting at the corner, crying, like wounded animal, I was wondering what that coming from. I over carried the other side. When you begin to look at it, it is nothing then that of after effects of delusions. It is the after effects of either anger, or hatred, or jealous, or one of them. It is all coming out of ignorance. Ignorance is of course root. But, it is directly result of anger, attachment, or hatred or jealous or one of those six root delusions that we spend last fall talking for how many weeks? [..] Ten, twelve weeks we talk about that. That is the effect of those six root delusions. It’s mostly after effects. Nothing else. So simple if you look at yourself, you know it. How? (I need to get some kind of example with each individual in mind.) 0:08:20.0

Let’s say you have one nice, good night sleep, once up on time we get. Right? Sometimes. When you wake up in the morning, you feel nice and great and good and looking forward for the day. Right? You get excited or high, whatever you call it, and started moving out and certainly , I don’t think you reach to the work, when you’re driving, on the way, probably, you get irritated. Right? Maybe the car before you is not moving, whatever the reason could be. Or, maybe somebody impatient behind you and giving horn, whatever it is. Somehow, you get irritated. The moment you irritated, what had happened to you? You have lost something. What you have lost is that joy mood, that happy mood, the mood of looking forward, has been somehow gone. It slipped away. 0:09:41.4

I give the example, if you have clear mind like glass of water, clean, clear. But, suddenly that thing happened. It looks like you touch mud and put your hand in here. Then, it becomes some mushy, dirty water. So, you have lost clean and clarity. Is that true? If you think in your daily life, you think about that, you get that. What had happened? It’s nothing but one of those delusions. That irritation. Might not be anger, but irritation. Swept away that... More powerful than that if you get anger, get that problem. And if you uncontrolled that, you think almost to the point, “everybody is against me.” You go to that point, we always do, right? “Everybody’s against me. So and so is bullying me, so and so is saying that, it may be me. But, I don’t know. But, everybody seems to be against me.” To that point, we drive by anger. So, all of those are delusions, result of delusion. Okay? That we know. What we don’t know, is... Sometimes we do know. But, most of our illnesses and problems are result of those delusions. Those person who know is fully enlightened one, like Buddha and so and forth. All the enlightened ones tells us, we have the suffering. But, sufferings not coming from nowhere. It is coming from our own karma, the negative karma. The negative karmas are coming out of negative actions.

So, even you look at the second noble truth, we divide second noble truth into two. Don’t we? Truth of cause of suffering, you do divide into two? Right? Karmic cause and [..] delusion cause. Which is the cause? Is it the karmic cause the result of the delusion cause? Or, delusion is result of karmic? [..] It sounded like egg comes first or the chicken comes first. Actually, really true is the... if you don’t have the delusion and then karmic can be finished. But, if you work against bad karma and you don’t work against the delusion, I used to say that, remember, we say, “Well, it has been good learning experience.” That’s great. You keep on learning as long as you live. There will be no end of learning. A lot of people do that. One of the excuses or whatever it is, they say, “Well, it’s good learning experience.” Yeah, great. Keep on building the experience till you die. That’s not right. The problem here is if you work with the delusion and then you don’t have to learn the lesson all the time. Because, the delusion causes the karmic causes. Out of these two noble truths, that is what it is. 0:13:40.6

Who is experiencing all this continuous problem and creating a continuous cause of the problem? Who is the person? Me. I am the actor. I am the center of all this. That’s me. When you really meditate on that, that’s me. That’s my situation. I don’t care who you are, but this is my situation. When you think about that, then, if you don’t realize, “Oh! Is this a problem?” Then, we are really in problem. When we don’t realize our problem, then we are in problem. As long as you realize problem, then you can do something with that. Whether you call it compassion or not compassion, it’s nice word. When you recognize the problems that we face, as me the individual faces, the difficulties we have. When you can felt that, when you have the heart felt, heart felt feeling. When you have that and then you can begin to move to the next person, person that you care the most, person you love the most. Whether it is your girlfriend or boyfriend or children or father or mother or whatever it may be. It is the point is the person you care the most at that moment, at that point. Because, you are willing to do everything. So, you have to put that focus on that. 0:15:46.0

You meditate until it is heart felt, heart felt feelings. Then, you extend it more. Then, you keep on extending more. One or two or three or four. That’s how you meditate on compassion for the others. [..] What we normally do, is we do close our eyes and we meditate “all sentient beings.” I teach that. Our tradition teach you that. I will show you that too, right? You say, “all your father and all the male side in front and the right hand is the mother and all this, left hand and all this, back and you’re the leader and all the sentient beings surrounded you. Then, you take refuge and you do all this, we show you all the time. But, at the same time, I also has to point it out, problem what you face is when you really concentrating the love and compassion, it is very important to meditate compassion on the person with the name, with the face. Remember, when you meditate, close your eyes, there is a sea of people, which is nameless, faceless dots. We do that. Right? We meditate on that. The problem rises when the dots started answering you back, then you freak out. We do that. We freak out. You say, “You’re not supposed to answer back. You are the object of my compassion. You sit there, quiet.” You can’t do that. That is a problem. The problems faces by lot of our senior practitioners. Because the nameless, faceless object of compassion started answering you back and disagreeing with you and arguing with you. So, then you get freak out. It is because the problem lies here. You must try develop love-compassion first on you, second person you care the most. That’s how you expand. Any problems with that? 0:18:14.5

No matter whoever, whatever told you, you can do certain portion, every sentient being, nameless, faceless dot okay. But, don’t focus too much on that. When you really meditating, you may focus on that. One, two, three, four... Then, keep on expanding it. Don’t try on the enemies at the beginning. Because, instead of you getting encourage, you get discourage. 0:18:52.4

Compassion is nothing more than that of wishing to separate those people or this person, separate from the pains, from the pain that you are experiencing, the wishing to separate, like somebody who is having some kind of piece of nail gone through. Remember, there is Supa’s friend who shoot the gun through here, you know through the thing. So, it’s like when you see that, we really want to go and pull that out. But, you can’t. Sort of really wishing to pull that out. That much feeling of the wanted to separate from the pains [..], people you care. People you care, you really want to pull that out. That sort of feeling is the wishing, is the compassion. 0:20:08.2

Kaybje Ling Rimpoche used to say, love-compassion is one piece of cloth, whether you fold this way, or fold that way. So, the love is folding the other way round, wishing them to be happy and joyful. Whatever you wanted to do, you make them happy and joyful. That is really love. Truly love. I do not know, normally when the Americans tells you, “I love you.” I do not know what you are saying it. But, truly, true love is, I want you to be happy and joyful. I will help you. I will do that. I will take responsible to be make you happy. That is message what I get. I’m not sure whether when people say, “I love you,” I do not know whether you mean I want to be possessive on you or you telling that or I don’t know what you’re telling. But, really, truly, true love is that. Love and compassion, it is one piece of cloth, folding this way or that way. It can go together easily. 0:21:24.4

That is the beginning of your Mahayana practice. If you want to know where it begin, you begin your Mahayana practice over here. Meditating love and compassion. The feelings you have to yourself, share with others. Try to share with others. Begin with share with others. Finally, take it to all sentient beings. But, begin with one, two, three, four. True. You have to bite what you can chew, normal American saying. It is applicable even here. (Audience: Don’t bite more than you can chew.) Okay, thanks. Don’t bite more than what you can chew. So, don’t bite the enemies. You won’t be able to chew it. Any questions? Yes, Candice... 0:22:45.2

Audience: [..] Is karma which allows us to become conscious of our delusions, habit?

Rimpoche: I don’t know if karma allows or not allowed. I don’t think that question rises. But, normally, our negative actions are coming out of our habit. Our habit, we create negativity habitually. Right? We create negative karma habitually. If mosquito is biting here, it is our habit, we will push it out or smack it out. That is our habit. We do not have to learn what to do with this. Right? It is our habit. So, habitually we create. Habitually, if someone push you, we don’t have to learn we have to get angry over there. Truly, if you have reduced your anger tremendously, then you have to learn it. You really have to learn it, what to do. What do I do with this? How do I handle that? You really have to take time to be able to handle that situation. But, otherwise, somebody pointed a finger at you and say, “Boo!” You really used the other word straight away without thinking, it is our habit. Most of our negativities are habitually we create. We really doesn’t have to be mean person to be able to create negativity. We habitually do it. So, when you work against that, what you really do, try to change the habit. Try to change the habit. That is the real positive you do. When you change your habitual patterns, instead of people saying something against you, instead of getting upset about it, you may generate compassion to that. But, then, don’t misunderstand me. There are a number of people who are deeply angry and then they don’t want to show their anger. So and so is saying things to me. I keep on laughing them. You know, some people deeply angry, but still they pretend not to be angry. That is even worse. You know why? You are giving the denial the opportunity to deny that you are angry. That is worse than showing your anger. You’re deeply angry, but pretend not to be, making the other person more suffer by laughing or something. But, on the other hand, if you really don’t get angry and that is great thing. So, that is what you have to do. That’s how you work with your habit. So, let me just say one more word. Because, I’m not sure whether I can be able to speak that point again or not. 0:26:37.3

How do you do this, changing the habit? By picking up the regret. If you’re angry, at the time of angry you will not be able to do it. When anger gone down, after a little while, no matter how late it might be, to regret it, it is never too late. As Alan says, “It is never too late.” It’s never too late. So, you pick up that. Maybe it is a week later, a month later, even year later. Pick it up. Pick up and regrets picks up. And then, that awareness, you know what Professor Thurman was telling the other day, sort of spy mental faculty which you create. That started functioning. That one started functioning. They beginning to observe that you are getting angry or you are getting this and that. The alertness of the mind will come up. The moment alertness of mind will come up, if maybe you regret a month later, you did something. But, the next time you will notice three weeks later, then two weeks later, then one week later, then day later, then hour later, then at the time what you are getting angry. Then, not only that, after some time, even before the anger arises, the alertness goes. The red flag will come up. The red light will show. Then, you are aware of it. That’s how you gradually change. For which, it is easy for me to say here. Right? For which you really have to put constant awareness, constant efforts, you have to pray for it, you have to accumulate merit for it, you also have to purify and putting all of them together, you will make it. If you try to do only single thing, you won’t make it. Unless, you are extremely lucky. Yes, Russel... 0:28:53.5

Audience: [..] Would you call that making friends with your habit?

Rimpoche: Making friends with habits? [..] At this moment, I call it making enemy with habit. [..] Ninety percent of our habit at this moment, if we look it, is mostly negative. All of us. Including me, of course. All of us. [..]

Audience: The denial of anger, for me, sometimes, I don’t know when I’m angry. It may be hours before I think, “That really made me mad.” [..] So, I don’t know if I’m denial or don’t have an automatic habit of anger. It’s really confusing.

Rimpoche: Maybe you are so slow to pick up what your mind really going through. That’s possible. Mostly, I think when people are angry, people are angry. Maybe you don’t realize that. Maybe the alertness is slightly behind.

Audience: As a woman, it’s not okay to be angry.

Rimpoche: Why?

Audience: That’s something I’ve been raised with.

Rimpoche: You mean to say anger belong to the man?

[..]

Rimpoche: So, that is... I’m sorry, I don’t know about the cultural background or religion’s background or anything. But, to me it seems to be suppressing the anger. If it’s suppressing, it won’t work. It will get bursted, one thing. If the mountain get bursted, I don’t think you can tie it with the ropes. That’s old Tibetan saying. Whether it makes sense or not. You know, we live in the mountains. If the mountains started bursting, you can’t take rope and tied it. Tim? 0:32:19.7

Audience: [..] If you haven’t worked through a certain set of delusions that are strong in your current life and then you die and go on to your next life, do you drag those delusions with you or are they cleared away and you develop a new set of delusions?

Rimpoche: Interesting question, really, Tim. If you work with delusion, and if you root it out, that delusion, it will not come back. But, if it’s only suppressed and reduced... There’s two kinds of suppressing, suppressing with alertness and suppressing it, just pushing it down without any alertness. Whatever the way you have suppressed, it can come back. Once you get root, rooted out, it doesn’t come back. The quality of the delusion, if you root it out once, it will not come back, that is the quality. Depends on the individual, really does. Some people are, even childhood, the young kid, the young baby, is so angry, some people may be. Some people are so soft and all this. It is only because of their habit, habitual pattern of their previous life. Or, life before that, whatever it is. As a matter of fact, habitual patterns that you set up in life, though you change your life, you forgot everything, everything new setup. However, the habitual patterns gradually started working within that individual. Some kind of trace of previous life comes back to the individual. Yes, Robert... 0:34:46.3

Audience: Is there an appropriate expression of injustice?

Rimpoche: Appropriate expression of injustice, what does that mean?

Audience: [..] Being social activist [..]

Rimpoche: Don’t we call it Ghandi’s action? The non-violence movement as sort of justice? And, Martin Luther King’s movement in this country. [..] Civil disobedience, I’m not sure I’m willing to go that much or not. But, nonviolence, I will go there. [..] Alan can tell you that better than me.

Audience: Any gesture taken in equanimity will lead to more equanimity. Any reaction to social injustice containing anger will lead to more anger. [..]

Audience: One of the people who comes to my bookstore is one of the major cops on the street of Detroit. Every night is a violent scene. Do they even look like their angry? They may be doing violence. How do you look at that? 0:36:58.1

Rimpoche: Well, if you are involved with violence, after some time, even the peaceful person will become violence person. We have saying in Tibetan [Tibetan] 0:37:18.0 “If you are near a great mountain of gold, nearby will become gold. But, if you are near a treasury of poisons, then nearby all become poison.” That, really, the environmental effect is very strong on the individual. That’s why we try to create a clean and nice environment for practitioners, becomes absolutely important. You’ve been raising hands... 0:37:56.5

Audience: [..]

Rimpoche: We had a number of questions. It’s almost that much, enough. I have a few more things to speak to you, to be addressed. [..] 0:39:35.2

I would like to talk to you about Jewel Heart a little bit. Most of you know how we have started Jewel Heart. I’ve been telling you, most of the time, how the Jewel Heart is started. So, most of you know. I’m not going to repeat. Also, when Aura talks, I think she will touch, little bit, on the foundation of Jewel Heart, as well. Right? So, I’m not going to go. But, what did we do since we had Jewel Heart established? When you look at back, the amount of the work that Jewel Heart been able to do, when you look at back, it sort of amazingly... It’s sort of amazing. Really. The amount of people who really working Jewel Heart is, until last year, mostly, even then, mostly everybody is volunteer. Everybody worked on the basis of volunteer. Everywhere. Each and everybody in the Jewel Heart put their efforts in it. When you look at back, we made quite a good success. First, we started dharma teachings. We’re sharing the dharma. We did that very well comparing to where we begin to start at Dexter, where Aura and Sandy used to live, in that house. From there to Brooke Street, to Cherry Street. When you looking back, we have done very well, as you all know. I’m saying it very well not because we have increased the number of people who are coming in Jewel Heart. I’m saying it because, when we started it during the break, the last Tuesday, and between the second Tuesday, we started looking at them and when you started looking at the people who will be able to share their knowledge and experience and learning and effect and change in their life, do to the dharma practice and when you started looking that, we can’t fit them. We put one male and one female every Thursday, when you put it, we can’t fit them. There are more people who will speak than we have Thursdays worked out. That makes me feel very good and as matter of fact, very proud. Very proud. Proud because, each one of them will affect at least couple more, couple more. Each one of us, we be able to able to affect a couple more, that affects a lot of people. That is how, whether you call it peace in the world, or you call it right view in the world, or whether you call it the spiritual development, all of them, will bring in that manner. That is one of our big achievement. So, I am very happy to be able to share that with all of you. Seeing that great we’ve done. 0:43:58.1

Quite a number of people are participating here. Hopefully, we do have some time those people will be able to share their thoughts with you people.

Secondly, we also have very happy announcement, that is His Holiness the Dali Lama will be visiting Jewel Heart in April, 1994. The date, so far, what they decided is, 21st. He arrives in Ann Arbor on Thursday night and staying Friday and Saturday and Sunday. He’s coming on the basis of invitation given bu University of Michigan and Jewel Heart invited him earlier. But, it really become materialized because the University jumped in and pushed through and we are, sort of, fortunate recipient along with the University. Under the shadow of the University, we are getting through. You know, I remember in India, there’s some kind of problem, then the cartoon guy wrote, problems are under the duties of VIPs. Similar to that, I say, the nice way, under the shadow of the University, we are getting the benefit as well. 0:45:47.1

Also, the activities that Jewel Heart did, I mean, we talked about it, what we have achieved. Activities what Jewel Heart really do, is we try to do quite a lot of things. But, since we really based everything, mostly on volunteer work. I might as well as mention even Kathy sort of works for Jewel Heart, but the amount of work she puts in is much more volunteer work than what she gets compensated, virtually nothing. It sort of work for totally volunteer basis. But, we also try to do lot of... if we have staff, if we have fund, we can do far more. There is much more we can do. But, with our limitations, what we have achieved is not so bad. We also had a number of great teachers visiting Jewel Heart. We been able to bring them in Jewel Heart. 0:47:08.1

[break in audio]

And Chodan Rimpoche, too. [..] Yes, Locho Rimpoche. All of them, we been able to bring to the Jewel Heart. And, we also ask the right teaching for the right person. If you remember, the right teaching for the right person. So, we ask the madyamika teachings or the emptiness teaching from Yeshe Topgal. We have asked right teaching, right moment, right point. The one thing is right for the persons experty and two, it is also what we need it. So, that is the... So far, we have done very well on that. We also been able to support Loseling twice, right? Or, three times. [..] Four, five times. We have raised quite a lot of money and each one of this, whatever the money, to the penny and even more. Even more, we have given to the monastery. We have done quite well one that. So, now what are we doing here? Because, you know, there was...

We had board meeting here. We must also say we are very fortunate to have really great persons in the board. They are all very, very nice. Most of you know, letterhead will show you who the board members are. We have Aura and Sandy, who are responsible to have have me come and visit in Midwest in mid-80s, 1984. They bought my ticket. I believe they put in American Express card. Later, I came to know that. Sandy tell through Indian traveler at airport, who they have no idea who they are, but I send it through and I got the ticket in Dehli and I came. That is how we begin. So, they are responsible for bringing me here. So, both of them are in the board. In addition that, from the beginning, we have Alan and Philip on the board. Then, we have Peggy Lipits, who is very nice, wonderful senior lady. How old is she now? (Audience: 85) 85. Senior lady. We have asked her to be on the board because she is the first person who brought Tibetan Buddhism in Ann Arbor area. We have to honor that and respect that. We have asked her to be on the board. Then we have Lex and Sheila and wonderful dharma friend and wonderful beings as you are. We are very fortunate to have all of you on the board. And, Franchesco Climity, who has not been able to come to meetings at all, so far. These are the board members.

Claire takes care of the functioning of the board, total volunteer basis and Jewel Heart account and financial responsibility, making sure the bills been paid and so and forth and making sure the money is here and all this. In addition to that, we have Carolyn Hastings keeping the books in order. She’d been carrying every single paper in her bag, up and down all the time. I have seen it for the last couple of years. She’d been carrying it everywhere. Wherever she go, she’s been doing that. Likewise, Barry does the same thing in Chicago. Yael does the same thing in Cleveland. We have Heidi and John Hurley. [..] Then, Nebraska, Mary Beth did. Now we have Cathy Chattle here somewhere. Terri Sorenson. For a number of years, Chris carried out a number of responsibilities by herself. After Aura and Sandy burned out, Chris, after Chris burned out... (laughter) And then, Steven. I might not be mentioning a lot of names here. But, if I did not mention it, it is totally my forgetness. Each and everybody had done tremendous work, we are very happy and thank you for everybody. We also like to urge you now, be involved much more. But, I really like to tell you, we do have branches of Jewel Heart everywhere. But, all Jewel Heart is one organization and that one organization belongs to those of you people who are part of Jewel Heart. That’s one of the reasons we don’t have dividing, this is member, that’s not member. Whoever practices Buddhist tradition, this tradition, whoever comes and works with is the Jewel Heart person. Each one of you is Jewel Heart. So, please do be involved a little more active. People are doing that. Like Jeff Lutz, take responsibility for taping. Danielle used to, we don’t have to worry about recording business. Tim’s doing it. Madonna and Brenda and Rochelle and all of them are taking care of Chicago. And Cleveland, everywhere. Now, all of them are wonderful. And, every wonderfulness is possible to be able to function, if you have money. So, if you don’t have money, you can’t do much. 0:55:23.2

We have saying in Tibetan, you know the silversmith and goldsmith, they can make wonderful silver and gold things, if they have charcoal available, then they can work with gold and silver. Because, they can produce the fire and they can work with gold and silver, they can make something wonderful things. If there’s no more charcoal, [..] they can’t do anything, even there is gold.

Likewise, it’s very much similar what’s happening with Jewel Heart. At the same time, if you really remember, we did not really ask money from the people, not so much before. I do not know if you remember or not. We used to have friend, in Ann Arbor, who used to come, it’s about two years ago now, a guy used to have a little pony tail, [..] he used to come on Tuesday nights and been constantly coming, become very comfortable and begin his practice. One day, he wanted to see me. He asked for appointment, I had time. He said, “It is funny here. I went to various different places, lot of religions and organizations and social and all this. I was looking for practice. I really did not find a suitable practice. But, every organization, wherever I went, whenever I turn around, they are asking for the money. I came here and I found very suitable practice and I’ve been waiting for somebody to ask for the money. Nobody did. I been carrying these two checks for the last three months in my pocket. I don’t know who to give it. Nobody is asking.” He gives me those checks for Jewel Heart. Unfortunately, a couple of months later. The first day of school... he happened to be a school teacher in Detroit, the first day of school, he had a car crash and he passed away. Unfortunately. We learned that when his wife came to one of our meeting, when we were meeting at Howard Johnson’s. I always remember him. Whenever we do those prayers, I always remember him. Even yesterday, I been seeing his face. 0:58:46.7

So, that is an example. We really didn’t ask much. We did ask something and then we seem to have so many things, asking for so many things, too. So, the Board has decided to go ahead and tell you exactly what we are asking, where we need it. Sort of give it to you, put everything on the table. Some people will like to do certain things. Some people would not like to do certain things. So, we decided, the Board has decided, to tell everything, openly, put on the table. This is the Jewel Heart needed fund. Whoever, whenever, whatever they want to... One should really give something. Everybody should really give. Doesn’t matter if you can afford to give one dollar or even a penny or nickle, whatever it is, that’s fine. Really, true. But, you must participate. Then you’ll have sense of belonging here. That is important. You should participate. If you can give a big, great. Even you can’t give big, you don’t have to feel bad at all. You don’t have to feel bad at all. This is also a part of offering, it’s generosity offering. So, remember the offerings we say. What do we say normally? “Actually arranged and mentally created.” Right? It is the way how we participate. Even you can afford to give only a penny, give the penny and think that you have given a lot. The penny is multiplied, filled the whole space. Along with that, wishing to do more. If you do this, it is generosity participation. That’s true. I’m not trying to raise fund... that is normal practice you do. If you can give, you should give. I normally tell you, the generosity should not be the yellow part of the vegetable and blue part of the butter. Remember that? Really true. Then, it not become generosity, it become something else. You know when the vegetables go, it becomes yellow. It’s going to go bad, better act generosity. That’s not good. If you try to give the blue part of the butter, you like to save the good part of the butter, give blue part of butter, that’s not generosity, at least not offering. 1:02:06.2

Another point I was remembering, but I forgot. Anyway. Whatever you do, this generosity thing is one should not have hope of returning something. “I’m going to give huge amount here so that I will have name, recognition, ‘I’m somebody.’” All this are not generosity. It is generosity become with conditions. That’s not generosity. When I was in the third world nations, they will seek aid from the U.S., but they also say if the U.S. give aid without string, they will appreciate more. Like this, generosity, too. That Buddha himself had very clearly said, if you have hope of returning, though generosity is the cause of wealth, [Tibetan] 1:03:23.2 In Chandrakitti’s commentary on the direct meaning of Prajnaparamita goes generosity and says, “the human joy depends on the wealth. The Buddha knows the wealth comes out of generosity.” So, Buddha recommended, first paramita, is paramita of generosity for boddhisattvas. So, that’s it. That paramita also, you don’t have those conditions. That’s what it is. 1:03:59.5

I’ve been talking too long. So, I like to say what funds we have. We have one fund called, “General Jewel Heart Fund.” “Operating fund,” she wrote. That is the pledges you have been giving. A number of you have been giving pledges. Some people don’t know anything about the pledges. But, it was raised yesterday or day before yesterday. So, I’m not going to repeat that again.

Two, we have “Rimpoche Fund.” That is just to support me and to be able to function and to be able to teach. You know the amount and everything. [..]

Then we have “Young Monks Fund.” The brochure is available over there. Kate Pierro is currently responsible, in the sense, she made those things are presentable. Really, truly. Otherwise, people have been giving some money before, about $1,600. We have distributed to the young monks in Manchord. We do have those receipts and everything account available. So, we do hope that will grow. That doesn’t really need a lot of money in that. Even a small little amount can go very far in India. This is important.

The young incarnate lamas have responsibilities. Not only dharma, learning, preserving and will have responsibility of teaching, carry on continuously doing all this and their responsibilities as well as social obligations in monastery to which you don’t understand. So, when you have name of incarnate lama, they will give you a seat before everybody else, the monks and monastery. They will also expect them to help more distribution of money from time to time for all the monks and giving them teas and foods and all this sort of thing. There is a lot of obligations which is not known for the other persons. They have that. In Tibet, each one of those incarnate lamas have it’s own labrang, which is sort of institution they have. Hanging there, they don’t. But, obligations still remains. So, that is why they also need help. In addition to that, they have to eat, live, have to have medicine and support. They have to have a teacher, tuition and all of them and needs some help. So, whatever we can do, we try to do that. That’s one fund available. Not only that, gradually, those young incarnate lamas will be able to pick up the western mental, emotional sufferings and also worked with them how to work better. Also, bring them for shorter period to pick up language and culture, return to their monastery and learn when they are perfect, then they be able to come and help. So, it is a good investment of the future Tibetan Buddhist teaching for the United States. Though, it is very small. That’s that fund.

Then, the next one I have here is “Land Fund.” We are not active just now on that. Though, Jewel Heart have in mind of having land of our own. It is absolutely necessary. Everyone of us knows. When we do this sort of retreat, we have to go here and there and everywhere because there’s none of availability of the areas. So, you have to go very far away and all this. If there is available, it is so expensive, certain places. They want $47 per head per day. Own cooking and all this done by ourself, even then like that. So, it take a lot of time. When we sit here, it’s not that comfortable. But, you can come in and do and function. But, the effort put behind that, before Nicolas took over, Kathy had been calling everywhere and a number of other people also looking everywhere. People in Cleveland have been looking for next year’s summer retreat place, in the last two months ago. That sort of efforts we have to put in that to make it possible to be able to do that. If you have our own land, how wonderful it will be. But, we don’t want a small land. We want land that will be useful, beneficial, we want clean air, clean environment, that is absolutely necessary. Enough for what we wanted to do.

I should tell you, what we wanted to do, is we would like to have a small community who can live there, with the Buddhist practice and who can die there with Buddhist practice at the time of the death. That’s what we wanted to create. So, that needs some little more thing we need it. So, at this moment, the land fund is not active. If land comes up all of the sudden, who knows? The possibility came earlier, but somehow we could not have enough fund to raise it. They period which they have it is so short. Then, other difficulties we found later. We’re also looking, if possible, that land should be in the mid-west, around here, this area. That’s what we are looking. [..]

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Now, what we have active fund raising for this. It is wonderful that His Holiness Dali Lama is coming to visit us. It’s great. A really great fortunate. It is opportunity for us, I hate to say once in a lifetime, but it is a great opportunity. That also requires quite a lot of money. That requires quite a lot of money. We have to have them by November. [..] Some people have said later, but you have to make the arrangement of the publicity and so and forth. By November, the money should come to the Jewel Heart. We are raising that fund. We are requesting you to donate generously on that. That is one time and one time it goes. You going to get followup letters and all this. As far as I’m concerned myself, personally, I would like to donate $1,000 for this purposes. Then, whatever people could donate, would you be kind enough to donate to generously on that? It will come to you later. 1:13:31.5

Then, I have the sixth one. Sixth, we are hoping to establish a business. A suitable business for Jewel Heart. Because, we know so far, the Jewel Heart really functioned a very small budget. All the account is available. Claire already put it up on the board. [..] Anybody who have any questions and any difficulties, please contact Claire. She will answer it. How much money, you got it, where it went and all of them are there. It is presented twice, in our newsletter, too. Right? Twice? It’s going to be put it up in there. So, that is going to be available. So, we hope to...

So, we can’t really depend on the pledges and donations and hope Jewel Heart will function. So, gradually, we wanted to be a self-sufficient. What does self-sufficient means? Not only we be able to pay our bills, by ourself, but the people who are with Jewel Heart will have opportunity to work in the same business. Then, you can take off and do retreat. Or, this is beginning, we do one week retreat. We should be able to do three month retreat. Then, gradually extend it to a year or so. People should be able to do that without fear of loosing job. Which is only possible if we have our own. So, that is what we really want to establish. There’s a number of different ideas will come. Whatever is possible, we will try to use it.

So, basically, there is 1) Jewel Heart Operating Fund, 2) Rimpoche Fund, 3) Young, incarnate lama fund, 4) Land Fund, 5) Dali Lama, 6) business fund. That’s all there. Claire going to put up that and going to come there. So, whichever you like to pick up and do participate and do kindly give with open heart. It is your own organization. It is your own Jewel Heart. Benefit is also dharma and lot of other people, particularly, future generations with the Buddhist path.

I’m sorry, I kept you too long. So, we going to have short dedication... [..] (p38) 1:17:20.0

Audience: There are three of the funds that are unavoidable. The General Jewel Heart Fund, the Rimpoche Fund and the Dali Lama Fund. There’s little choice in the those areas, I think.

Rimpoche: Thank you.

[..] 1:18:42.5

Well, what I learned today, Glenn Mullin did not have the fortune enough to participate in this great American Buddhist making. So, the excuse is, he is organizing the Loseling monk tours. They are supposed to be starting something in the next couple of days in Chicago. The monks, who were supposed to participate, still they haven’t got their Indian travel documents. So, therefore he has to be constantly on the telephone and talking old friends in India, trying to pull his strings and try to get their papers ready. So, out of a couple of monks who are coming, I don’t know how many, nine or ten, only four of them had the paper as for this morning is concerned, which is evening in India. So, he has to be constantly on telephone. That is a genuine difficulty he has. But, I also told him he doesn’t have the fortune enough to participant in this events. So, that’s how it goes. (laughter) So, in his place... Yeah, that’s true. In his place, we get more time to talk about what we are supposed to learn, meditate and think. All this. 1:20:48.7

I have brief talk with Lex this morning and Lex says I should talk more about the hidden meaning of the Prajnaparamita, which we basically just mentioned the other day. Even, wasn’t it last night we talked a little bit about it? Basically, what we really have is whole lamrim thing. It will be easier for me to speak that way to you. Rather than try to introduce you to the philosophical subject, that what we really learn. If I don’t tell the philosophical subject a little bit, it also be failure. I have to tell you philosophical, what the monks study for six or seven years and how it cooperate in lamrim, how the lamrim gives you all this. That part, I would like to take a little time, not so much time, little time on that.

So, what happens is the hidden meaning in that we have mentioned three knowledge. Knowledge in the sense of not... That’s not a problem in English, in Tibetan knowledge and quality go together. That’s not a problem in English. The knowledge and characteristic, basically the characteristic and qualities of the enlightened mind. That is goes number one. Characteristic and knowledge and the points of the practice. We are talking about Mahayana only. Mahayana are the second part of it. Knowledge and characteristic of normally what we call in common with the lower level and common with the medium level, but in others words, the Theravadan practices are like understanding of impermanent, etc. on this are the third knowledge, which is called base knowledge, path knowledge and result knowledge. So, base, path and result.

So, that are the three knowledges, which worked out by the four actions, actually. Four different actions. The first action is try to see whole path, the second knowledge, the whole path. Try to comprehends them and try to be able to concentrate, try to meditate, will be the first action. The second action will be four levels of the second path. That action path, the heat, [..] peak, best dharma, [..] patience. These are the four actions. There are four categories in the second path, out of five paths. That is the... and then, all of them. All of those paths are be able to go through thoroughly, comprehensively, thoroughly be able to meditate is the third level. The last level will be, you be able to meditate all the paths within the second, within one second. Be able to concentrate, meditate, everything in matter of one second. That is the last action. Result of that is actual enlightenment. So, that makes the three knowledge, four actions, and result. Which makes eight of them. So, that is the basically, I would like to just introduce you that way. 1:26:52.9

When you look at it, within all this, even the knowledge of the buddha mind, what will they know? They know everything, no doubt. But, particularly, we emphasize on ten qualities. I may get confused. So, I have to be a little careful not to get confused. The ten quantities are the quality of knowing, bodhimind, etc. I’d better stick to the etc. because I may not be remembering at all. Knowing, bodhimind, etc. are ten qualities which is again, the steps that we take, that’s what it is. So, knowing them thoroughly, that is is whole knowing. So, when you look at the essence, way it’s presented, in the Prajnaparamita text and it’s commentaries and particularly the commentary by... [..] I don’t remember the Sanskrit name. We call it Singa Sungpo 1:28:25.0, one of the great Indian scholar. He wrote a commentary on the Prajnaparamita text, it’s called [..] It’s also known as both. Known as small commentary as well as it’s called clear commentary. Clear commentary and small commentary, that is one of the most important commentaries, we considered among the Indian.

There also number of different commentaries and way they presented on that, and also the Maitreya Buddha’s, the root text of the Prajnaparamita. Again, not the Prajnaparamita itself, but Maitreya Buddha made short root text of Prajnaparamita, which he has given to Asanga. When Asanga was meditating for twelve years, try to find what is really happening, happened to the Mahayana practice. He was not fully satisfied, the teachings of the Buddha at that time available. So, he needed to find more or deeper, profound [..] dealing much more a broad way. He was looking for that much more. Nagajuna, on the other hand, looking for the wisdom part, much deeper. Asanga is looking for the other part, like love-compassion and all this part, looking much deeper. 1:30:29.5

So, finally... you remember the story I been sharing it all the time? That Asanga meditated twelve years and all this. Even four years, he leaves and something happens. Finally, Asanga be able to see the Maitreya. But, others be unable to see. Only one old lady saw that he’s carrying a dead body of a dog and running around street and saying, “Look at Buddha Maitreya!” They all thought Asanga gone crazy, after long meditating and all this. Remember that. 1:31:06.2

So, finally Maitreya took Asanga to one of these Maitreya pure land called Tushita, from where we practice the Ganden Lha Gyema. “From the heart of the protector of the land of joy...” “Land of Joy” is Tushita. Sanskrit name. So, Maitreya Buddha took Asanga over there and give five texts, teaching on that. One of them is Prajnaparamita text. So, which is really talking about those eight points which we have mentioned there just now.

Those way they presented in Prajnaparamita text, in old way means the order what they present it. Order, followed by those commentaries and even Asanga’s text is always give the result of fully enlightened level, first. Then, in order to receive that, you have to do this, in our to receive that, you have to do that. Sort of go backwards. 1:32:13.6

In the lamrim, it goes other way round. Like Tsongkhapa, himself, wrote to one of his teachers, said, “The way Atisha’s guiding the people, in the practice, actual path, I see an extraordinary quality in that.” Therefore, I choosing to lead people through the path, steps which Atisha presented. So, that’s why the lamrim the order is different. We talk about enlightenment level much later instead of the beginning. But, in that, the Maitreya system, they talk the enlightenment, the first knowledge, as first. So, the order is different. Otherwise, it’s the same thing. In other words, you can say, the total lamrim, except the wisdom part, is the hidden meaning of the Prajnaparamita text. Not only you can say it, but Tsongkhaka claimed to be. Atisha claimed to be. Atisha and Tsongkhaka, both, Tsongkhapa mentioned repeatedly, he said, “The essence of this practice is totally coming from Buddha. Therefore, I am not author of this, lamrim book. I simply cooperated in the order...

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