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I did mention briefly yesterday about the Lam-rim and its benefits. Basically I did mention yesterday about lamrim and its benefit, what is really lamrim meaning here, we have to say some like qualities here first, so the quality will be: reading text in Tibetan… ahm, it is the part which really leads the really fortunate people to the ultimate enlightenment, that’s one. Ultimate, it’s the Battriana, no sorry Mahayana part which leads fortunate people to the ultimate Buddha level, that is quality one. This is also a system which is followed in India earlier by the great Maha….such as Nagarjuna and Asanga (0:01:55) , so why we talk about Nagarjuna and Asanga is, what happened in India, after the death of, according to the Buddhist practitioners, after the death of the Buddha the Mahayana is completely disappeared in India, so the part of the Mahayana has been reopened by the two great masters known as Asanga and Nagarjuna. That’s what Buddhist practitioners will tell you. But Buddha will not tell you that. The academic Buddha learners will say Mahayana has been developed in India after 110 years of death of Buddha. Some kind of years. So the Buddha learners and scholars will tell you Mahayana has been somehow discovered by these two great masters and they owe a lot to them? (0:03:32) but according to the Buddhist practitioners it’s a different story. ….(.inaudible) that’s why the ….text is important. ….text has been disciplined and ……………..not ………………(very bad sound quality). Asanga went to Tusita heaven and according to the teachings of the tangibarameda? from ….the …Buddha and brought down to earth. Today you see the difference what the practitioners say and what the scholars say on that. So that’s that, we cannot say who is right and who is wrong, but I’m telling both. Neither the scholars have proved that Nagarjuna and Asanga did not discover, nor the Buddhist practitioners have proved that they went to heaven, hahaha, anyway what they discovered, …(0:05:58) ….or heaven or whatever it is, what they discovered is ……..the text. Prajnaparamita has two explanations, one is called direct explanation on the base of the words, another is called the hidden explanation. So, the direct explanation of the Prajnaparamita? (0:06:36) is actually eight plus seven, seven points, seventy points. So, the total of 78, so out of these 78 points the most important thing are 8 of them. Out of these eight, three are known as three knowledges, four are known as action. So, the four points are meant to receive three points of knowledge, so the important thing are the three points. The first point is the knowledge and quality of the Buddha level, second point the knowledge is method how to achieve this, the third point is the base of our level, so these are the three major points plus four actions. Four actions are the same action, same efforts but due to a development, faster or shorter and all this according to that roughly, according to that sort of four different actions can be divided. So, if you do not explain this properly and if you try to talk about the Prajnaparamita, it becomes very dry and sort of, can be like a theological subject and become very dry. And also, the order, the system order how to explain is not how do we get it, but let’s explain at first the ultimate level they will explain first. So, it becomes backwards the explanation, this is what we wanted, how do we get it, this is who will get it and what shall we do and what level, how increase level and then what do you do and that’s is how it is taught, in Prajnaparamita. So what we now accept as an outstanding master who has no unquestionable except what the Prajnaparamita is Nagarjuna and Asanga so in the Lamrim teaching quality we say it’s essence of the Nagarjuna and Asanga’s explanation. Then the next quality is the …..(reading in Tibetan), so it says it’s like the essence of the heart, or essence of the mind of Atisha and Tsongkapha. Why do we say that? Because as I told you earlier Nagarjuna’s and Asanga’s way of explaining the Prajnaparamita texts are from the …(0:12:04) level …., sort of reverse level, but what Atisha did is to reverse that, so what we are today, from our level what can we do, how can we take, the steps you know completely reversed in sort of coming from high level to down but make it from the low level how to go up, so that’s why you call it the heart essence or essence of the mind of Atisha and Tsongkapa anyway. So why are we talking about this before anything else? We are talking about this because we try to proof, to show the people that it is an authentic Buddha’s teaching, not only it is an authentic Buddha’s teaching but Buddha sharing his own, personal developments. Now the only proof of Buddha’s sharing his own personal developments, but all these great masters in between that, they have also gained experience on the base of this particular practice, so therefore it is fully proved, a) Buddha’s experience, b) other persons have followed and gained development, c) it’s valuable for us today as a living tradition. So now, I don’t know how we are going to do this. We have to think the outlines, if you lose the outlines, you lose lamrim, why? Because lamrim is steps and if you lose outline, you lose the steps. So if you draw a picture, you draw a chart, can you do a chart? Do you have some blackboard or slide or something? We can make tomorrow some big sheet you can to draw or something, so anyway, if you draw, sort of outlines draw, and there you get the picture complete, what to follow. Today we are not going to cover, only the most important ones, but so basically you have to think three or four outlines, four I think: ….reading in Tibetan (0:16:08) hahaha. (audience laughing). I want to try to be careful, make sure that I count first. Hahah. Anyway the first one is: …(reading in Tibetan) in order to show it is authenticity, we have to talk about qualities of masters, so the qualities of the masters, so if you …(0:17:30) the world and if you like old Tibet, we have to tell the life stories of the old legendary masters. That is from Buddha tell my late masters. So anyway, briefly, Buddha’s life story, what we know and the books are available in English,…(0:18:24) ……..and all of t them are valuable, so basically you know however we have to say something here, in want to be brief, Buddha has been born in India, not in Nepal, but in India, hahaha. …..Today it has become part of Nepal, but he was born in India as one of the big princes of one of the big kingdoms, some of the big Marathas and you can tell in dutch. But today we learnt it’s in the part of Nepal, you did say that. Ok? Good. Before Buddha was born, the Queen is expecting so the whole kingdom, they say whole kingdom I’m not sure what it means, for sure the royal family and the ministers and everybody is very exited, so in those days they said the whole country is excited, hahaha. So, when they excited they consult sooth sayers and brahmins and sooth sayers during that period. And most of them said: oh this is going to be extraordinary somebody, something extraordinary. So, they became even more excited, naturally, so then they called almost every sooth sayer available, and consulting anybody they could and doing all this sort of thing. So, most of them have told commonly it’s going to be very extraordinary person and if you can keep this person in the palace it’s going to be great for the kingdom. So, they mentioned that there is the possibility this guy runs away. So the…(0:22:09), the duty of the kingdom becomes how to keep the guy in the palace. So, the one solution what they got: let him not see any difficulty at all. So they give him artificial life in the palace, a total artificial life where all young people were around, like 500 women and so and all young people and anybody got a sick……(0:22:57)…..out, so that beautiful artificial life and if you look today in the old, Indian palaces and you see how beautiful they were built, and they do have these swimming pools inside the room with fresh water running from somewhere else, going through and all this very beautifully built, and giving nice music and all things going on beautiful hours and giving total artificial life. So, he’s enjoying artificial life and sometimes he’s wondering what is outside. It is out of bound for him; he cannot go out. You remember when I was here, he was reading poetry he write here:…. (0:24:39) I think, so, when I was young, I was wandering there is a tree in my house and I was always wondering what was beyond that tree. When I was eleven, I walked across I found a glue factory. Just like that, young Buddha was wondering what was outside there. So one day he called his driver and settled his horse cart and forced the driver to drive east. When he came out of the boundary, he saw suffering. And that happened to the four directions: illness, aging, death and meditator. So, the first question he asked to the driver: what is that? So, the driver says, this is known as death, or this is known as illness, or this is known as aging. So, the first question he asked is: will I be subject to this? So, the driver had to say: yes, you will be subject to that. So, he drove back, so then finally he find what’s outside, he found a glue factory? So, he has a desire to get out, I think, something like five hundred queens they put in, I don’t’ remember, I forget the number, it’s 500 queens? 500 queens they put in, hahahah. So by that time whenever your hear travelling outside if you look at some young girl a little bit (0:28:00) I think the king, the government (inaudible) …to that point. So, 500 or 5000 whatever they might be, but he made up his mind to go. So he left, he left and went to the forest, cut his hair, sent his royal clothes back. And he meditated and by eating very little food, if granted they may say, I don’t know, but, very little food, he doesn’t have available any thing whatever, so six long years they say he’s eating one green d…? So that time he had other 4-5 companions, meditating with him and finally, when he …(0:29:47) to obtain enlightenment and then they saw women are looking after cows. And he had brought a lot of milk and give to the Buddha and according to the text valuable today, there were 5000, no 500 cows, milked together and make some kind of …(0:30:34) vitamin, that is what they tell you in textes. I don’t know whether there were 500 or not but anyway she has offered the milk and he took the milk. And I think she kept on bringing it. So, his companions thought oh my god, this guy made so much effort and he now gives up totally, so they left him. So, he lived alone. Then finally he moved to the Bodhgaya where the Buddha obtained enlightenment under the tree and he had meditated, symbolically, why I say symbolically? Because Buddha had fully obtained enlightenment long before, but the same time he meditated in the evening, there were Maras who have disturbed him. The first what they tried to disturb him is try to pick up his attachment. So the Maras have manifested…(0:32.33)……….hahah, so when the attachment can not been picked up you know what the Buddha really did is, these are symbolic, indicating the disciples you have to do that. It doesn’t mean don’t’ follow the ruling but car cross the attachment, whatever it might be. The second step what they took is. Then the (0:33:25) ones, they attacked with the weapons and so on and terrifying and devils appeared and attacked Buddha with the weapons and all sort of things. So, what Buddha did: (…reading in Tibetan, so when the Tsongkapa …(0:34:10) the Buddha one of the present verse says: …reading. He said without picking up the weapons, knives and guns and all these weapons, by yourself alone defeated hundreds and thousands of evil forces. How else will know this mattered defeating the evil beside you. So, the weapon the Buddha has is the only, the weapon compassion. So, the picture is what we get today, sometimes you say they are terrifying people come in and train the weapons at the Buddha and changing into flower. I’m glad, gun but did not changing into flower, hahaha …(inaudible) so this is another story we told yesterday. So, they couldn’t harm Buddha at all. So, then they suddenly the last they did they debated. So Mara appeared to Buddha and said how can I couldn’t do anything to you? Buddha said: you have a great capacity, karming power, because you have accumulated lot of great karma, good karma, however you are using them in bad way. Then Mara says, well you are my witness that I have great karma but what do you have? And Buddha said I have million times more than you have and I’m using it in positive way and then Mara said who is beside you, you are my witness, where is your witness? So, by that time Buddha touched the ground, the posture of touching the ground had come up now, Buddha touched the ground. He does the meditation and touching the two postures come. So, when he touches the ground the mother earth, the goddess of mother earth appeared out of that and she said I’m the witness. Hahaha. So, and today the mother earth also enjoys a great deal of privilege within Buddhist system. A lot of people say yeah earth bla bla bla, are only shamanism and not Buddhism and all this, is think is mistaking. Anyway, so finally Buddha obtained total enlightenment, at that experience he changes his look, no longer that clumsy, old, little chopped guy? (0:39:48) and become a very bright, goldenish,………..,(inaudible) and light radiating. So ,then Buddha said: (reading in Tibetan) He said I found Dharma like a nectar, it is deep, profound and clear. So, like that of a nectar. (reading verse: whoever I try to talk to they will not understand so therefore I better keep quite. So, Buddha decided to keep silent completely. And then those Hindu Buddhist ideological deities such as Brahmins and Indara and all these, they can, they don’t give this will to Buddha, and that’s their hand implement. In the other hand they keep conch shell, so that’s why the conch shell and particularly willies? become important in Buddhism symbolically, because it’s called Dharmachakra. And said you have to share your experience otherwise your purposes (0:42:55) defeat it, so please do here. So, whom might I talk, to those 5 guys with you before, who left you alone? Ad you know they are in Sarnath, so you go out there and talk to them. So Buddha walked to Sarnath, and so he left Bodhgaya to Sarnath, I don’t know how long it took it, they take 1 night in train these days, it it? almost? A bit less, ok. So, anyway they saw Buddha coming from distance, so they talked among themselves and they said oh, …*(0:44:12) is coming, now we left him and now he’s become helpless and now he’s coming to us. So let us not get up. And let us not to go him and tell him come in. And let us not talk to him also, so they decided that. So, the Buddha walked to them and when the Buddha came near, they all got up. And they decided to offer the best seat and say …*…please come. So the Buddha told them: don’t call me …*….anymore. I’m fully enlightened Buddha. So, you have to address me as Buddha, haha. So, that is how Buddha begin to teach to those people. To the five of them. And then the first what the Buddha taught are the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths is actually, really a sort of unlocked mystery of life. What life really is and how it’s happening? How the process is within us, and what do we experience, and what makes this process go? ……the Four Noble Truths. So that is what the Buddha taught. So, he says I found this and find and applied that and this changes this. That’s what the basic Buddha’s experience of the as Buddhism is basically Buddha’s experience. So, then the teachings continues from Buddha to today. So, imagine like the Nagarjuna and Asanga in India and actually it’s 2005, 2000 some years ago, so the real true account is not that really accurate. The Tibetan tradition will say Nagarjuna tradition is 600 years. The Indian tradition would see there are three Nagarjuna within that period, hahaha. And these are the reality, these are the reality. Whether there is three Nagarjuna or one Nagarjuna, whatever it is, whether 600 or 60 years, so even zero or extra day, you know who knows. So if you ……..600 right? (0:48:40). The essence of the Nagarjuna’s teaching is the hidden meaning of the Penkeparameda? which is continuing. So then among the Indian masters we should mention a little bit about Atisha, 11 hundred somewhere is Atisha, in the 11th century. Again Atisha is also a prince, ……….(reflecting) the Kingdom is known as Jahor and he was very rich: reading verses….. They said they want and the power of that kingdom is almost like that dynasties in China, so very great one, and a similar story like the Buddha, Atisha also run away. Doesn’t want to be a prince, do not want doing those things. So, Atisha went to the different masters but somehow he was not given the permission to leave the kingdom at all. The parents totally forbidden him, he ran away but parents had never given him permission. So finally, one of his teacher called Rahulagubta? (0:52:57). He sent Atisha with several of his disciples with a ….yogis completely naked and carrying big drums and trumpets and blowing and nakedly dancing in the capital city. So, then coming, start, become totally crazy now. So, if he can be ok, then that’s good enough for them, so that’s how he left the palace. Atisha became one of the outstanding masters of a young age in the great university, sort of institute called Vikramashila and those days there were two outstanding institute in India who had the Buddhist knowledge and qualities; one is Malanda, the other is Vikramashila. Do you know whether they have some Buddha institute Malanda in France? So probably they named after that. So anyway, Atisha was one of the top teachers, not top teachers, top learned persons of the Vikramshila and the Buddhism in Tibet came in the 7th century, however the Buddhism in Tibet has been doubted by lot of magical, mystical power trip, misinformation, all sort of things, the actual essence of the Buddhas’ teaching somehow slightly shifted by different Indian and Tibetan teachers who somehow misinterpreted a little bit here, a little bit there and diverting it into a power trip, magical competition etc., etc., etc. So, the Tibetan rulers at that time are looking at the real essence of the Buddha’s teaching, something on the ground rather than flying in the air. So, they have sent about 21 young boys to learn Buddhism from Indian great institute from Vikramshila alone and also find a suitable teacher to bring back to Tibet. And most of these 21 people died, and not many came back, one of two, but they all taught, they all have sent messages saying that that there is a chap called Atisha, maybe that is the best. So, the Tibetans tried to get Atisha to Tibet and then sacrifice tremendously, including the life of King and finally Atisha agreed to come to Tibet, just for three years. However, due to fortunate luck or something, but what happened is there was some kind of law between Tibet and India, in the Nepal area there was a kind of war and that war prevented Atisha going back to India after three years. So, finally Atisha stayed in Tibet 18 years. So when Atisha first came to Tibet, then the King of Tibet requested him I’m not interested in magic things, flying in the air, I’m not interested going under the ground or remaining under the water, but what I’m interested is the essence of the Buddhas experience which has been practiced by the great Indian, sageant scholars so we do want essence of it. So, Atisha wrote that little book called Atisha’s Lamp for the path of enlightenment. So, then Atisha had great many disciples, and out of them is outstanding disciple called Drom Rimpoche? (1:01:40) It was a …lay person? And we consider Drom Rimpoche as the founder of Kadam Tradition, so Drom Rimpoche accompanied Atisha throughout his life, even before Atisha had left India, the Tara had told Atisha if you go to Tibet your life will be shortened by ten years, but you’ll be useful for a lot of people in the future, specially you’ll find one Ubseka and through that Ubseka you’ll be very helpful. So, when Atisha first came Drom Rimpoche was not there, but a number of different Tibetan masters have come to see and learn from Atisha. I believe that they had a very strange way of putting the dress, like the monks now, the red robes and put up the bucket and wear funny hats, and all this, the Tibetans. And each one of those masters had I don’t know twenty or thirty of them, hahah, so all of them coming on horseback, so Atisha saw from distance that they were coming. So, Atisha run away, went to his bedroom and covered his head and all this, and the attendants told him the great masters are coming, and he said what? I thought Tibetan ghosts are coming here. So anyway, there is a number of different great disciples and out of them, Drom Rimpoche came a little bit later, and the day ..(1:05) the King, Atisha was invited to somewhere else for feast, and Drom Rimpoche didn’t show up. So, Atisha demanded, sort of I had my guests, Rimpoche not coming, I wanted him to share. So, he took bread and butter and all sort of things and when he got back to his place Drom Rimpoche is there waiting. So, he said I brought you food here. So that butter, Atisha brought for Drom Rimpoche that period and Drom Rimpoche made a Butterlamp that night und put it near to Atisha’s bed, since that night till Atisha died Drom Rimpoche never missed making that light to Atisha every night. Whether it was during the travelling period or during station, whatever it is, for 18 years. So, I think I cut short there. Then it comes to the true devotion a little bit more, that’s good enough. So, after Atisha passed away and Drom Rimpoche became the head of the Kadam tradition. And then also Kadam tradition had some like three divisions, Kadam…., Kadam (1:08:21) Kadam maybe should not. If you heard these………… it’s a big tanga for me and if you look in those you find that three different Kadam lineages coming, this side and that side, that was after Drum Rimpoche’s death? yeah after of Rimpoche’s death, all of them are sort of following the Drum Rimpoche and Atisha but still some of them love to go for philosophically explaining, some love to go meditatively, some love to do some sort of different, in the middle somewhere, so like three different styles of Kadam, but also follow Drom Rimpoche and Atisha. Among the Atisha’s disciples one called …..the great meditator. The great meditator has nothing to do else than meditation. He sits in the mountain and meditates, takes teaching from Atisha and goes back to the mountain and meditates. And there is one guy called …he is a very old guy, which’s reincarnation is the ….Rimpoche…junior (1:10:369) one,……….who is the hand and fund supporting, right? You don’t give the money, hahaha. So that is the …..of. So, ……….and Drom Rimpoche and Atisha and….brothers and sisters, I don’t’ know, three founders of Kadam tradition. This old guy, Drom Rimpoche and Atisha are the three most important. So, the meditator thought one day, the old guy is too old, and Drom Rimpoche is busy working with Atisha all the time, going everywhere with him, doing, work and service and translating, had no time. And there is another guy called Emie, Emi was cooking all day, three meals a day, so the meditator thought the old guy is too old, Drom Rimpoche is too busy and Emie doing nothing but cooking all day, so I must be the best one. Hahaha, so Atisha wondered and said so we have to do some competition of development, so he called the three of them. The Drom Rimpoche, the cook and the great meditator. So, Atisha told the meditator: you have been meditating so long and Emi has been busy cooking and Drom is busy working so what kind of development do you have? Would you repeat to me? So, his development cannot challenge Drom, forget about Drom and he couldn’t even challenge the cook, hahah, so sometimes when you do work for a Dharma, for a Dharma institute or Dharma master sometimes you need think I’ve been unable to do anything, I’m not developed, that’s the example here. Hahah. Now that’s enough in the Kadam tradition, the original Kadam tradition. The new Kadamba is the Jetso ….and Kedrup and continue living or ……..Rimpoche.(cannot understand: 1:15:24) That’s the new Kadam tradition. Because there is a gap between Atisha and Tsongkapa was about 300-400 years. So again, during that 400 years or so the teaching which has just been probably corrected by Atisha has begun to degenerate. Begin to degenerate and so again that magical, mysterious business was coming up. And the problem with that is people started flowing in the air not grounding it. And when you don’t ground yourself you cannot start to develop at all. So, first grounding is absolutely necessary. And also, during that period, many of Tibetan masters also doing little bit funny things too. Under the form of crazy wisdom. They getting married, they …(1:17) to the line women and everything and still pretend to be great monks and so on forth. And the life of the celibacy, right? Life of the celibacy, the celibacy continuation has really gone down so badly, so not so that almost every monk had wife and that sort of thing, haha, sometimes they even said the monks are get together, the wives are waiting down there to collect, hahaha, so Tsongkapa refound it, all of them, emphasizes so much to the ethics and begin the services ..(1:18:56)…. properly, haha, and particularly Tsongkapa’s condivision is wisdom. Tsongkapa did not satified with the explanation and development shared including his own masters, he did not be satisfied at all. So he had asked one of his teachers called Lama Umaba…(1:19:49) and he’s asking questions to Lama Umaba, the Lama Umaba brings the answer the next day, but all his questions, the Lama Umaba’s answers are making more sense. He asked lot of questions to lot of people, but Lama Umabas’ answers are making more sense. So what Lama Umaba really doing is pick up the Tsongkapa’s questions and ………(1:20:37) So he is doing the messenger in between. So, one day the Atisha told Umaba you can’t do that anymore because you don’t understand what he is talking about, you don’t understand what I’m talking about, your are simply carrying the words back and you then you miss it. So, by that time Tsongkapa wanted to go to India to find out, to find for himself the perfect wisdom points. So Tsongkapa had thousands of followers at that time all the day and what happended is when Tsongkapa goes from one place to the other with his talking the people move. Actually the later ones, when they arrived Tsongkapa only …(1:21.59), hahah, and then follow again, so everybody urged Tsongkapa not go to India, including a great Maha… called……(hahahah). So, that Ma…. was greatly respected so Tsongkapa asked him: what should I do? So that Mah… asked …..what to do. he has a vision of …..all the time. And Bajabani tells him go back to Lama Umaba and ask ……what to do. So the M……says Tsongkapa should go to retreat, alone. So Umaba started protesting and say please don’t tell that, so finally he said hallo, you never know, so he begged again and then ……said is ….better than me? So they cannot …..anymore, but then Atisha? said he should go to retreat and I’ll alone aid people and I will pick them up. So the M….picked up 8 people out from the Tsongkapa’s disciples. And they are known as the 8 pure followers. ..(1:.24:49) are not part of them at all, hahah, so anyway , so then finally Tsongkapa had a direct vision of Manjushi? himself and the teachings that Tsongkapa obtained from Manjushi? are the three principles of the path. And later the letters that Tsongkapa wrote to his teachers and some of them even say after learning from Rimpoche the three principle part then it becomes all understanding, become, sort of perfect fits together, all the jigsaw puzzle fits together. And also the hidden meaning of the Pathadrabipa and the direct meaning of the Pathadradiba also fits. And also, the tradition of way of presenting the 8 point of Pathadrabipa from this way and Atisha’s system of presenting that way, both fits. So, he says the Atisha’s way of guiding the disciples I found most useful. So, guiding disciples I do this way. The philosophical presentation I ‘m doing the other way. That is how Tsongkapa started. So, this Lam-rim teaching that’s why we say the essence of the Tsongkapa’s and Atisha’s mind. And then it is a continue from Tsongkapa till :..(1:27:41) and ….. liberation of palms, is now available in English and you can read it and understand and that very teaching we have all obtained from …..(1:28:13) a number of times. And that’s why I say it’s living tradition. ……not only heard and learnt but they meditated and developed. So that much the quality of the masters, that is the first outline. The second outline is the qualities of the teachings itself. So, the quality of the teaching here is tremendous and mostly looking by your experience, so your own experience will gradually grow and the surprise how beneficial it is. And all the activities are virtues, peace, great helpful, I’m going to cut there, not going to talk too much because that you should experience yourself. Ok, …(reading verse) so the next is how to teach and how to listen. So how to listen, how to teach first. The teacher must have experience. And before that teacher must have unbroken lineage of teaching from his or her masters. And not only they have received teaching from their masters, but they have themselves practiced and meditated. So not only that, their experience and guide people on that. In the case of me, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive the lessons, day after I had no quality nothing. So, during the rest I can say what I ever want to. Hahah, I’m just joking. So anyway, and the most important thing is that the teacher should not be teaching it to make big good name, in other words, building name, building money, building anything material should not be the intention at all. Teacher must go beyond worldly dharmas.