Archive Result

Soundfile: 19950225GRAV1_01.mp3

Duration: 116:51 (1h 56:51m)

Speaker: Gelek Rimpoche

Location: Ann Arbor

Transcriber: Kimba Levitt

Topics: Avalokiteshvara

death and dying

three kaya process

… and um — I would like to, to sort of briefly go over what I plan to do today and tomorrow. First of all, I think we’re going to go from (five minutes late, but) we’re going to go from 10:00 - 12:00 and 2:00 - 5:00. And not necessarily going up to 5:30. I hope you don’t mind. And that’s number one.

And, two, what we’re going to (are you OK?). What are we going to focus on today. I tell you how this came up about it. Last summer we did a workshop with Professor Thurman. I been upstate New York somewhere. It’s called Phoenicia something? Phoenicia. And we did a workshop there and which was based on his — the newest translation of Tibetan Book of Dead. And so he wanted me to join there together and we did workshop there, actually dealing with death and dying stage. What I did, brought in at that moment is simple practice dealing with Avalokiteshvara. And somehow, both Professor Thurman and Nena thought this will be great way to do and great helpful. So that’s taking shape. That’s exactly what it is.

So, what we are doing is absolutely traditional practice what the Tibetan — in Tibet they used to do. They did it for over a thousand years.

[SIDE CONVERSATION 0:02:55 - 0:03:02]

So, it did for over a thousand year. And uh,

[PAUSE 0:03:10 - 0:03:27]

[SIDE CONVERSATION AND PAUSE 0:03:27 - 0:03:45]

So that is how it becomes the Avalokiteshvara practice that we been — we’re going to do that. And the reason, it’s very simple. The question really rises, what can you do? And what happens? And what can you do when you die? And that is the question.

I do know a lot of people in the West don’t want to think about the dying. They don’t want to talk about it. And there’s a very strong notion people say be very positive and be very positive and sort of you won’t die. That’s not true. You’ll die. But, you know. That has definitely important meaning and purpose of being very positive and having overcome obstacles are very important, particularly if you are facing one of them. And if you are facing one of those (what you call it?) fatal disease or something and if you’re facing one of them, the positiveness and wanted to be overcoming that is absolutely essential. But you got to have it. And there are a lot of ways and means of doing it through meditation, through a practice, and through a medication, healing, and all of them, one must do whatever needs to be done. And like, you know, normal Western saying: you should not leave a stone unturned. And that’s the — there’s no question that.

0:06:30

And side-by-side, side-by-side, and particularly if you’re healthy and all this, and it’s very important to prepare when death comes how you handle. Of course there’s ways and maybe people will tell you death is beautiful. It is natural, natural process and all this. And that’s also true. It is natural process. It is also beautiful, no doubt. And it also can be difficult too. And that also true.

And so what we’re doing here is we’re going to focus and the positiveness is people could do it. And the beautifulness is also people could do it. I mean, it’s beautiful, it is easy, it’s good. It's good. No problem. So that’s part of it is there. I’m not denying and take it care. But what I — what we would like to deal today is rather difficult way because in case if there is difficult part comes and one has to be able to handle it. And also, I would like to express the possibility of the difficult process that one has to go through because it is easy to dismiss, saying that it is beautiful nature and you’ll go through. You’ll go through. You go through whether you make it with difficulty or — go through with difficulty or you go through with easiness. Whatever it is you go through, no doubt.

There’s nobody who had ever lived. Look at Buddha. Right? We talk about the Buddha and we say great and high spiritually where else we can look who had developed higher and greater than Buddha, or for that matter, any great teachers? And we talk today Buddha said this, and Buddha did this, and Buddha shared this, and this and that, as though Buddha had gone to the bathroom to have change and coming out. We talk in that manner. But if you really look carefully and raise the question, say, when did Buddha say that and where did Buddha do this? It is 2,500 years ago. So does all other great masters that you talk — we talk, whatever the tradition it may be we talk. All of them. Most of all of them, anyway. It’s gone. We talk about this. We talk about that. We talk about this great [INDECIPHERABLE] from the Tibetan point of view. We talk about this great master, that great master, this and this and that. And so, if you look it today, most of them are gone. Any other tradition, swami this, swami that, even this in this country, any of them, they’re not here today.

0:10:20

So, it is such a thing, the death is such a thing, spiritually highly developed persons will go through. I mean, it has to. Basically, our body on which we are living is based on sort of five elements. And any one of those elements become unserviceable. Then the combination of the elements somehow is not there. Like earth elements goes away or doesn’t work. Or the water doesn’t work. Or the air doesn’t work. Or fire doesn’t work. So then the collectiveness of the elements gone.

Once the collectiveness of the elements doesn’t function, then the basis of the conscious to be remain cannot function. And this is interesting. If you look at it from one angle, Buddha keeps on telling everybody, everybody, exist collectively. It does not exist independently. This is the dependent origination. Or even emptiness you can call it. So basically it is all collectiveness is the one. So for life, for living, the basis of the consciousness is the five elements within us. The fifth one is space, anyway. And one of those elements is gone. One of those elements gone, we cannot function. The basis of the function is gone. And that’s — this is the body which was made. The substance what you get in this basis of this body has it’s own limitations. And that’s why, even you are spiritually developed like Buddha, even then has to go through with thing. Because the basically the material on which our body is not good enough to live forever, you know, that’s why everybody go through.

0:13:24

So it is unavoidable whether you are spiritually highly developed or forget about the material things. And so, everybody, whether you are healthy or whether you are sick, and whether you are told you have fatal disease, or you are not told you have fatal disease, whatever it may be, everybody is confirmed in that category. And sometimes people who are told you have only very short life to live, say six, seven months to say five, six years or something may last much longer than those who called — those people called healthy ones. You know? You never know. This is the actually true reality we all face.

And that’s why Buddha made one thing very important point. He says: death is definite. There is no certainty when it’s going to come. In certain areas, I think — I don’t know whether it is Hindu-Buddhist mythological or whatever it is — in certain areas you’re supposed to live a thousand years. No matter whatever may happen, you live a thousand years. And you don’t die before a thousand years. Certain area. Maybe a pure land. I don’t know whatever it is. But we don’t see it. But as far as we’re concerned, the — there’s no certainty. So if you are, if you have been labelled as dying person or whatever you call it, say you have AIDS, you’re going to go, or you have cancer, you’re going to go, you have this, you’re going to go, you have that, you’re going to go. Whatever the level people may put or may not put, but we are all in that category. And there is no question about it. And when it’s going to come and what happens is also definitely there’s no certainty at all.

Basically we say the younger one and healthy one lives longer. The elder one and the weak one and sick one goes earlier, but a lot of times the grandparents attend the funeral of their grandchildren. We see that. We see that every day. There’s no certainty. That's basically one has to be absolutely clear about it.

Then, of course, if you have a choice made, you definitely choose to live rather than choose to die. But when it comes on you, and after some time, you begin to know that you got to go. You’re going to go this time, whatever it is. I don’t know how it works in the West. In the Tibetan traditional teachings they will tell you and when you are sick, and when you are on the bed, the doctor will come and the doctor will tell you — doctor will speak two different things. You know, you know what I mean? You know, they say you're going to — well, we hope for the best and blah, blah. Sure, sure, sure. Blah, blah, blah. You know. Sort of all sorts of those doctors will start talking to you two different ways like.

And also you’re friends and families will also tell you one thing and but at the same time you notice them look in their face as well as, as well as they’re sitting in one corner, saying something else and doing something else, preparing. And all this sort of things will give you a clear signal.

[PAUSE 0:18:07 - 0:18:19]

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, the guy used to work for the old Tibetan government. He was the governor of southern Tibet for a while and also the Commander of the Khampa resistance who fought against the Chinese in the late 50’s. And he was married in India to a widow of late Prime Minister of Bhutan. So, he’s a friend of mine. And I was in [PAUSE 0:19:09 - 0:19:17] — it’s interesting. OK, maybe not. I was, [LAUGHTER] — I was in America and on a visit that time and then went to Europe and went to then back to India. I got the message in the United States, as well as in Europe, that he’s very sick.

So, when I reached Delhi and he’s in one of those expensive, very expensive nursing homes. And he told me, “I was told I’m going to be staying in the nursing home but my treatment will be Tibetan medicine and not Western medication.” And he said — for Tibetan medicine that you have to take at least three or four times a day. And you make sure that you get them with hot water and all this. He said, “I got a bunch of medicine here. However, nobody’s really giving me the medicine. Even the family comes and give me the medicine, but they’re not really consistent. Doesn’t seems to be paying too much attention. So I got the message,” he said, “I got the message I’m going.” So, so that’s what you get the message. And, "I got the message," he said.

So then he said, “well, I don’t have," he said, "my number one obstacle that I have to worry about it is, I do not have any attachment now left for anything.” I said, “That’s great!” He said, “Is that right? Number one step?” I said, “That’s fine. And make sure that no attachment will come up, disturb you at any level.” He said, “Well, I’m aware of that and I’m going to do my best.”

[PAUSE 0:21:37 - 0:21:50]

And somehow he got the message. And he was preparing. And finally he did die. And the day, the day when he actually dying, the day when he actually died and I was there. I was there. And he said, “will you be around?” I said, “I’ll try to.” I was there. And I thought sort of I have to contact and tell him you’re going through this and this and that and these are your feelings. That’s what we do sometimes. So, so now you should think this way, think that way. I thought I’m going to do that. But apparently, I don’t have to. The very funny thing is, just before he — just before the actual death stage sort of thing comes to him, he started saying that, “Is there tantric monastery monks are here?” I said, “No.” “But I’m hearing their chanting: this tantra and that tantra.” He started saying the words and saying, “I’m hearing chanting. It next to me. Maybe I’m dying and you people have invited the whole tantric monastery and they’re chanting for me.” There’s nobody. He could hear them. He said, “Oh now I hear the music,” he says.

And then he went through the sort of death process. And then I asked him before, I said, “What practices do you do?” Though I’m friend and almost his family relation and all this, but still I don’t know what he does. So I asked him what does he do? And he said — I asked him, “Do you do Vajrayogini practice?” He said, “No.” I said, “What do you do?” He said, “I do Yamantaka.” OK. Then I started the Yamantaka sadhana. By that time, he’s dying. And the funny thing what happened, he revived back. [LAUGHS] He came back. He came back and he — the whole process been revered, you know? Reversed and he came back and then he started talking about it. But the funny thing, you know, when he was dying, when he was dying, he going through the process. He said, “I can hear the tantric monks are chanting this tantra, this tantra, that tantra.” And his wife’s name is Tess-la. Tess. So he says, “Where’s Tess-la?” I said, “What you got to do?” He said, “I have to go. We’re going. She’s not ready yet so we’re going to miss the plane,” he said. You know, and when you’re dying you see the sort of little confusion that comes in. Sort of, he had the feeling of going. Going somewhere. He has to catch the plane. But his wife’s not ready and he thinks he’s going to get late, and goes through that process. And so he said earlier he said there’s no attachment but you know, things like that is obvious. It’s easy to say no attachment but things come up.

0:25:15

And I’m sharing these things with you people because of reasons. And then also, after a little while the whole process been reversed and then he’s OK for three more days. Perfect. He ate food and talking and doing everything. And then the third — fourth day early in the morning he passed away. And at that time I was not there because I was asleep and the telephone rang and then by the time when I quickly rushed but he’s already passed away. So there’s no doubt these people, that people will go through a good thing because the way the process went through earlier I’ve seen it. Anyway I share that with sort of reasons because that sort of thing goes with everybody. Anyway. So the question rises, what can you do?

[PAUSE AND SIDE CONVERSATION 0:26:30 - 0:28:12]

So, when the actual death comes, what can you do? Now, this is the question. I’m going to stick to this. I’m not going to talk so many things. I believe it is absolutely depends on — I’m going to talk on the basis of this traditional Tibetan teaching. Sometime in the 14th century recorded. And so I’m going to talk on this basis. And absolutely depends on the individual. Basically, greatly highly developed, highly spiritually developed persons normally do not go through with death process. They substitute it. They change the body without going through the death process. They substitute it.

And way and how you do substitute that is through a practice which normally what they do is fully enlightened beings have three bases, three bodies. They call it body, but three bases. The mental base, the physical base, a manifestation base. Sort of three things they based on. Manifestation means you manifest; be able to see and all this sort of three things. The mental base is technically — since there’s quite a number of buddhist practitioners there so I like to use both ways. The mental basis we normally refer as dharmakaya. That is Sanskrit meaning the mental state of the enlightenment. What their mind state what it is. That is what we call the dharmakaya. It is the mental state of enlightened beings.

So, what they do is the dying process, during the dying process and how they look at it is some kind of great freedom. The freedom which made the limitation of our movement and travel, movement, functioning has to be limited because of the physical body. We keep on — whatever, wherever we want to go, whatever we want to do, we have to drag the baggage of the body. We can’t get it. If you have astral body or mental body or something, you can definitely get it without thinking. I mean, sorry — with thinking. Without traveling you can get it. So, for those people, it is more sort of body that you have to drag around and it is a problemsome. It has pain. It has difficulty. It has limitations. So what they do is sort of looking for a big freedom, the freedom of completely merging your consciousness on a big wave. Something like that manner. So what will they do is they do this dying process, the process that you go through, which I will talk later, process that go through and they take that as developing towards freedom. Sort of detachment, freedom. And so before the actual death comes and you yourself already in that big wavelength of the freedom. So that is actually truly saying transformation of the death as dharmakaya (or big wavelength, whatever that is. Anyway.) The mental basis. That’s what they’re talking about it.

0:33:05

Can that happen? Sure. It can happen. Can that happen within — can you achieve that sort of level within your lifetime? It is possible. It is possible. And it is not only possible, it is almost 80-90% you could do it. 100% you never know. It depends a lot of luck, fortune, dedication, and willingness, and particularly focus and willingness. And in the West, we do have a problem with that. I tell you true. I try to be very polite all the time, but tell you truth, we do have that big problem in the West because people will never make their mind. People will — those of us who are interested in spiritual path, we will know it. We know it intellectually. We also even know it completely in black and white. But you always have suspicions. You always think this is better than that. You always have, “Oh, maybe I should do that. Maybe I should do this. Maybe I should it. Maybe is should do this.” And so, as a result of that and you’re neither perfect in any path and you do have a lot of hats, different hats, to wear. That’s the Tibetan way of saying, you have different hats to wear. And sometimes you’re hat been multi-colored, like the Uncle Sam’s hat type of thing, you know.

OK, so that will be our biggest problem. And if you overcome, those people who had overcome that, that problem, for them, the chances of happening is much more, 60% more than those people who think maybe this, maybe that, maybe this, maybe. Really true. I’m sorry to say that but it is not a nice way of saying it but that is the reality. Because when you’re not focused and then you can’t.

So those who are committed, who are focused, and how will they achieve? The first what they do is they do have those practice, what we normally call sadhanas. And people look them, some people look them, some people do them with delightfulness. Some people enjoy doing that. And some people look them as though you have to — as paying your tax. Yeah! And some people just cannot get it but still they’re committed and just keep on reading it. So whatever the level you do, but those what we call it sadhanas, they do have training of mind within that. And since you’re — if you keep on training the mind. You know, just by reading the sadhana will not break your commitment.

So the basis, the fundamental basis of functioning on that is to have a perfect vow. Vow in the sense it is the commitments that you have to give, which we call it morality, by the way. From the buddhist point of view the perfect morality means you are maintaining your commitments and vows. Vows, particularly the vajrayana vows, or sutra vow, or [INDECIPHERABLE] vow — whatever the vows the individual may have taken it. Maintaining your own vows and commitments are pure is what we call it morality. We don’t talk about it. I don’t think you talk concerned whether you are the morality in this country (maybe I’m wrong) seems to me people look at it as on the basis of whether you’re straight or crooked, whatever it is, on those basis. And I don’t think that is the issue at all. And issue here is the commitments that you have given vow, whatever vow you may have it. Depends on the vow. So you’re keeping your vow perfect which basically establishes the fundamental basis to have perfect future rebirth.

0:37:58

Buddhist traditions will tell you, the Buddha, Buddha tells everybody to find perfect human rebirth, forget about it better and higher than human, but pure land and all this, but even for perfect human rebirth, Buddha said it’s very difficult to find. He says basic fundamental basis to have perfect vows, perfect morality they said. Morality here in the sense it is keeping a perfect vow.

So, (what did I lost here? How did I get here? Oh yeah, that’s it. Thank you.)

So, by reading the sadhana, thank you, even you don’t think, just by reading it sadhana we don’t break the commitment. So even then, even though you think nothing, just read it, and maybe you’re doing some kind of calculation, even using the calculator at side, bbbbb, maybe you do that, even you do that, even you do that, you’re not breaking commitment. So, it serve its purposes. Those who have commitment. That's only refer to those. OK?

So but those who think a little bit in it, and the process, you’re going to think a little bit in it, it is mind training. Giving a training to your mind. And when you keep on thinking that, keep on doing that, you know what they say?

[TIBETAN 0:39:35 - 0:39:39]

In the vajrayana there’s an extraordinary quality in the vajrayana is if you keep on visualizing and it will — it will become actualized. By visualizing, it become actualized. You know, vajrayana is extremely a positive practice. Extremely positive. I mean there's no — I never seen, I never know anything more positive than that of vajrayana practice. Really. Even those who — even those who talk about positiveness, do workshop and teach you how to be positive and all this, it’s vajrayana’s gone beyond that. You keep on thinking that you’re fully enlightened being and every beings that you see are pure, every environment you encounter that are pure, everything’s perfect. There’s nothing wrong. You keep on visualizing, and thinking, and perceiving that way. Have you seen any other more positive than that? Yeah, really, true. That is extremely think talking about the positive that is extremely positive.

So it gives you training in the mind of every day going through the process of death and dying and at the same time what do you think about that? And that’s what you keep on doing it every day. And one day it will become actualized. And if it’s actualized before the death comes to you, and you reach another stage and where you can skip the death as a normal process and you have that special process and change your body. And by the time when you change your body, the new body what you pick up, is called illusion body. It is totally free of elements than the light-nature body. Light — not heavy and light, but light like light. You know. My English is big problem, so. Light like light body. And body one who is union.

0:42:08

You know, just now in our level what’s happening is as I told you, the five element bases, the body is the base and the consciousness combined and sits on that. But when that becomes light body, light body, illusion body, it is unionized — not sit on — unionized with consciousness. Union. Unioned. (You don’t say unionized do you? Huh?)

AUDIENCE: United.

RIMPOCHE: United. Thank you. United with consciousness mind together. The united in the sense, not like our level. Our level it is separate. The body can feel it. Feeling can give the message to us and we can understand. But when you’re united, when you’re united, the body becomes mind; the mind becomes body. There is no separation and that is the big union. That’s what it is. You see the big Tibetan paintings where the male and female, wrathful/peaceful together. The message behind that is the union of body and mind together. Means there’s no separation. Your consort is within you; within yourself. That's your body; that's your mind. Sort of that is united in that way so no separation. Whatever the body is, the mind is. Whatever the mind is, the body is. Wherever the mind is, there is the body. Wherever the body is, there is the mind.

And wherever — so the mind at that level become fully enlightened. Becomes all-knowing. So that means you become pervasive. You become pervasive for everywhere. Even in our normal American English we say God’s everywhere. Don’t we say that? People say that. And that’s how it really becomes because mind and union — mind becomes union with the, mind united with, body united with mind. So wherever the mind is, the body is. That’s how it’s become pervasive. And that is the skipping the death and going over it. Going over it. So you don't have to — you may go through the process a little bit but what you get is totally different. And that’s are the people who we are talking about to highly developed. People who can manage. And actually that is the reincarnation, what we call reincarnate.

0:45:03

Everybody is reincarnated in one way, but on the other hand, you know this traditional Tibetan custom you are the reincarnated lama and this and that. This is supposed to be on that level. That is the true reincarnation because then there you have total choice, and total control, and total freedom of what you wanted to do. The — in ordinary level we lost the control at the time of the death. Our consciousness will become such a subtle consciousness and it’s like a feather that’s carried in the storm. That storm will carry. You have no control. You lost driving control completely. It is the storm that will take you, wherever they’re going to carry, wherever they’re going to drop it, wherever you’re going to fall it, that’s there. So that is the karma and delusion is the storm. That’s how it function. And those who have control and then you know, those who skipping that you can think. You can make choice. That is the difference. Are you get it? And that’s why in traditional Tibetan — old Tibet, they call reincarnated lama. So-and-so has come. So-and-so business is on this basis they have done it.

But a person like me there's nothing. Just who happens to be a lucky boy. Happens to be picked it up by great kind people and put some label and you go with that kind of thing. And so that is my case.

So, here I would like to share a little bit. It may be a little bit out of secrecy, but maybe it’s OK. We do have a lot of vajrayana confidentialities, lot of things. And if you lose, you lose that, you get downfalls and things like that. But however, if you become too much confidential of everything, then nobody really gets anything. So, I like to share a little bit to the extent. And this, whatever you’re going to hear at this moment, you can pick up as information. You may not be able to do as practice unless you’re authorized. But what I’m going to talk about it here, and those of the people who had a proper initiation and who do maintaining the either reading or whatever it is, so basic commitment perfect, and saying few mantras, and trying to bite something whether you can chew or you cannot — you try to chew something whether you can bite or not. So, for those purposes, for those people. And so, I’m going to give you a different sort of (what you call when you go to the hotel they give you something which you can choose food? Menu.) Menu. So I’m going to give you a couple of menus. Maybe seven or eight different things what you can choose. And out of which whatever is possible for you, you pick up. And that's what you do. And I’m here. You know, I have a shop. I put down the things and then you pick up what you want it, OK?

0:48:49

So the first one is I’m going to focus on (can you keep the time? Can you be the timekeeper and tell me when I have to stop, OK? Thanks.) I’m not going to have any break before 12:00. Is it OK? Thank you. But if you have to get up and go to obvious place, please do so. By yourself, OK?

[PAUSE 0:49:22 - 0:49:33]

OK. I don’t know what I’m going to do. All right. How many vajrayana practitioners here? Would you raise your hands please? Vajrayana practitioners. Quite a lot. Quite a lot. Yep. OK. There’s a majority is non-vajrayana practitioners but I’m going to talk here. Whatever the deity you may be practicing, let’s say whether it is Guhyasamaja or Chakrasamvara, or Yamantaka, or Vajrayogini, or Tara, or Avalokiteshvara, whatever may be.

[PAUSE 0:50:22 - 0:50:39]

Oh, before that I have to see. The first and foremost important point here, before that, first and foremost important thing is try to cut the attachment. That is easy for me to say but it’s very difficult for people to do it. But the attachment is the biggest problem. If you been held back, you been held back by attachment. Nothing else can hold you back. Only the attachment. Hold back — I don’t mean you’re not going to die. You’re going to die, for sure. That’s they cannot hold you back. But your life will get stuck again and again. You know, the earlier Tibetan teachers will tell you attachment is glue for samsara. Samsara, the circle of life, repetition, has a glue of its own which is the attachment. So the cutting through the attachment is very important.

0:51:45

I must share one story here with you all. That is, one of my late masters, called Kyabje Gomo Rinpoche, he died in the late 1980’s. A great person. And not so well-known like that of Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche, or Ling Rinpoche, or Khyentse Rinpoche, or this Song Rinpoche. No, not that type. And when I first decided to take teaching from him, myself having a lot of debate whether I can really have perfect — whether I could really have a profound respect and perfect connection with Gomo Rinpoche or not. I have a big question in my mind because he is recognized, well-known sort of incarnate lama in that way. But what he functioned, way and how he functioned is very strange way. And he — he did work as one of the orphanage house parents. Like — so he’s sort of known as Father #15 in Mussoorie. So he got this Tibetan childrens’ homes. The homes are numbered. So he is the foster parent, right, called Home #15. So people normally referred him as 15th Father or something like that.

So I consulted Kyabje Ling Rinpoche. I mean, actually Kyabje Ling Rinpoche encouraged me to take teachings from him. And I consulted Kyabje Ling Rinpoche. And he said, bottom-down can you look him as one of your gurus and fully enlightened beings? And says, “I don’t know.” He said, “Well, you have to train your mind and look in that way. And if you can, you will gain tremendous. And if you don't, you better not deal with it.” That’s what it is.

So I looked. And Rinpoche also had very strange characters. Extremely funny, unnecessary things he does all the time. I give you one example. Once he went to Nepal and he called me from Kathmandu to New Delhi. He telephoned me. And he said, “Is this Rinpoche?” I said, “Is this Gomo Rinpoche?” He said, “I’m coming day after tomorrow to New Delhi by plane from Kathmandu." And he says, "I’m bringing turquoise so you make sure that I get through the customs?” [LAUGHTER] And that’s true. And I said, “Why you’re bringing turquoise?” And then he said, “Oh, somebody told me if I take turquoise from Nepal to India I get a lot of profit.” OK. So, OK. So I said, “OK.”

And I tried some — couple of friends and friends and through. And he got through OK. And they give me a little piece of paper which I can walk up to the plane. So, in India you can do that anyway, so. So he got through OK. And he come back. I said, “Rinpoche, where’s your turquoise?” “Oh, I got my turquoise here.” He got a little bag. And big turquoise bag, you know? And all these packages are addressed to be handed over to somebody. You know, he had told everybody in Nepal he’s going to go to India with turquoise. Everybody give him a little package of turquoise to carry to be given to their family or somebody. So the whole bag is full of turquoise sent by different people for different persons throughout New Delhi. And actually his own turquoise maybe this much. [LAUGHS] So that’s what — and that sort of annoying thing he does. [LAUGHS] Really, you know, that’s what he does. You know? And that’s way how he goes. Anyway.

0:56:24

So he had a small group of 60-80 disciples — 80-90 disciples. Very small group, very solid. And they almost stay around with him. And you know, he — when he goes around, you will not even think he is a rinpoche or anything. He carries a little backpack, all sorts of funny things. Walks around and that’s what he does. Almost behaving a little bit of slightly crazy type of thing he does, so.

He had two disciples, earlier, who happens, again, to be old Tibetan government former officials and been practicing with him 15, 20 years of the Vajrayogini practice. And somehow Rinpoche and they have decided it is time for the different occasions. One of them went without any difficulty. Decided time they’re supposed to die and all sorts of things and they made a decision. The second one has a problem. That’s what I wanted to get. Second one has a problem because they made a decision. These people are staying in Mussoorie. These people have attendant. They have hired somebody from Kalimpong, which is north India. And the attendant is working, a Nepalian guy, working for him; cooking for him. And they even bought his train ticket for going back. Train ticket going back because they’re sure the death was fixed when he’s going to die. It is perfect. Everything work done. He’s been paid. The attendant’s been paid and he’s going to go back like ten days later when he died and they got the ticket for him to go. And that Rinpoche knows, they know, he’s going to die. And then Rinpoche went home the day he’s supposed to die. Rinpoche went home and waiting for somebody will come and running saying so-and-so died, you know?

And he said he waited, waited, and nobody showed up. And after a little while he doesn’t know what had happened. He says he can no longer wait and so went around and see to his house what had happened. And when he went there he said a couple of neighbors and everybody is a little bit busy. And he said, "what’s going on? What happened?" They said, "oh he got sick this morning very badly and we took him to hospital."

0:59:07

So they took him to hospital. And he said which hospital? And there’s in Mussoorie there’s a hospital called American Hospital. So they told him he went to American Hospital. So Rinpoche thought by hook or crook he has to get to him. So he went to the hospital and they told him he’s in intensive care unit. He can’t go in. So whatever might be. So he did some things. Anyway, he got through to him. And when he saw him he said, "oh Rinpoche has come." The sick people tried to get up. And he said, “What happened?” He said, “Nothing happened.” [LAUGHS] He said, “All this death, dying process started coming up.” He began to see it. And after a little while something happened and then, you know, the process stops. Not going. And he got a lot of pains everywhere. And so they brought him here and he got some injections. He doesn’t feel pain anymore. And that’s what he said.

And the he said, “What happened?” He said, “I don’t know what happened.” Rinpoche looked through and everywhere. Couldn’t figure out. He’s wearing a quite new, nice shirt. So he couldn’t figure out what is happened. So he said, “Where did you get this shirt?” He said, “Rinpoche, this nice shirt,” he said. “So-and-so came in last night and give me.” So he said, “It’s very nice. I thought I'm going to wear it today.” And then Rinpoche, “You must give me the shirt. I want the shirt. Would you please give me the shirt?” And he sort of looking through. “This one you want it?” With a little hesitation he give. And when finally he give, Rinpoche tear it off the shirt immediately in his presence. So then he died. So this is true reality what had happened in 1970’s in India. OK? That’s what happened.

Then in 16th — no, 17th century in Amdo area there’s one old monk who’s supposed to die. He should have died long time ago. But he doesn’t die because the monks go in the monks’ gathering and they collect this butter tea. And the butter tea — they got a lot of big, thick butter comes on the butter tea. The Tibetans make butter tea. You know, they make …

[AUDIO CUTS OFF 1:01:30 - 1:01:52]

… and when he was very sick, even though he’s very sick, he get two people to help him go to the — go to collect the butter tea. You know, butter tea. To make the butter. So at this moment that time there was a very famous Tibetan master called [TIBETAN 1:02:14]. He’s called Kuntangza. So Kutangza, people talked and Kutangza heard about it. And Kutangza is not only famous, learned, but also very high ranking. Tibetans have those high ranking business. He’s almost like Pope in that area, Kutangza, at that time. So Kutangza said, “I must go and see him.” So then people said, “Kutangza is going to see this guy? This Geshe who is very strongly attached to butter tea. And Kutangza is going to see him?” And people get little bit sarcastic about it. But Kutangza went and saw him in his house. He’s lying down. He can’t even sit up. He’s lying. But then, you know, in the morning he’s almost literally carried by two or three people to collect the butter tea.

So he walked in. And Kutangza said, “Well, I came to pay my respect to you. How are you? I heard you’re sick for a while," and this. He said, “Yeah, I think this illness is not getting better but it’s very kind of you to see — come and see me,” blah, blah, blah. So then he said, “What a new?” The Geshe, “what is new now?” He said, “Oh! The news. Do you know there’s a tremendous amount of butter tea in the Pure Land of Tushita?“ [LAUGHTER] That’s true, you know. I mean, it’s true reality. It’s recorded at that moment and it is in the Kutangza’s biography and I re-published that in Delhi. So that’s why I know very clearly. So he said, “There’s a tremendous amount of butter tea in Pure Land of Tushita. You know that?” He said, “True? Is it true?” He gets up. Kutangza says, “Yes! It’s true.” “Oh, even you say that’s true, it must be true. OK.” He said, “Thank you. OK. Thank you.” He died the next morning.

So that’s how attachment can makes difference. OK? So the first and foremost process to recommend what you do is cut out attachment. It’s not necessarily attachment to people. Can be funny things like shirt. Can be funny things like — whatever. Maybe a funny little plastic toy. Who knows? Right? Our mind is such a funny thing. It’s not …

[AUDIO CUTS OFF 1:04:47]

… so you know, basically it’s recommended if any things, articles, or things like that, give it away. Give it away. Give it away to some beneficiary purposes. So give it away if you can’t cut it. And if you have attachment to people, family, children, relations, commpanions, and all this, try to gain a good understanding. And you do have a better time if you are well-controlled in life. And if you come back with choice, you can have more time and more better opportunity to be with them. And opportunity to help each other is much more. So try to gain understanding and transform or change that attachment to compassion and pure love, rather than remaining as attachment or sticky attachment: I want it and I control it. Which is very much in our normal attachment to people. Sometimes people you can you almost have to hear it, when they say I love you, meaning I would like to control you. So, you know, have to think in that way. Yeah, really true. Sometimes it happens. Love/hate goes together very strongly. It’s very hard to make separation. It always like that. Anyway, so cutting through the attachment, whatever it is.

1:06:33

Purification of nega — these are the preliminary things you do. Purification of negativities through application of four powers. If I have time, I will talk to you four powers. It is important. If I don’t have time, there are a lot of books now available in English who describes the four powers. I can recommend a couple of them but most strongly at this moment I can think of is there’s a book called, Liberation in Palms of your Hand (or hands of your palms or something?)

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: In the palm of your hand. It’s a Wisdom Publications book. And on that there is quite a long explanation on the six preliminaries and within that there is quite good thing on purification. Application of four powers and all this are there. So you can read that and you can understand very well. I’m sure you can borrow, or buy, or whatever it is. That’s there. In case if I don’t get time to talk to.

And then dedication is important. And dedication is also there. Also there in that particular book. The dedication is also there. OK? Purification, dedication is also there. In almost all the lam rim books should talk to you the purification and dedication. Almost all the lam rim books should talk to you. But most detail and useful will be this Liberation in Palm of Your Hand. OK. (I always get confused — palms of your hand; hands of palm; whatever.) These are the preliminaries: cutting through attachment as much as you can, purification, and dedication.

1:09:10

If you die in the pure state with the purification, no matter whatever you might have done it, no matter whatever you might have done it, you cannot go lower realms. You are sure to get better future life. This is a strange statement. People will raise a lot of questions. I almost — I’m tempted to say — I’m going to say it. It’s controversial and a lot of people will raise question, but if somebody who have been doing horrible things throughout your lifetime but at the time of the death if you can do pure you probably have good future life at that moment because the power of dying mind is such a powerful. And if it goes in positive and pure nature which is almost bound to give you a pure life. This is very controversial statement. It should not come from a person like me who talks dharma all the time. It shouldn’t come, but I believe it’s reality. So the pure state is very important.

1:10:28

Then whatever the normal practice of you’re doing, you visualize yourself in that particular yidam’s form. Don’t have to be complicated many heads and hands, but you can be like one face, two hands even if it’s Yamantaka with nine face and all this, but even then you can be have one face, two hands. And I’m going to speak to you like traditional way now. And within that, if you have union with consort, the light radiates from the union point, which means from the joining of the sexual organs. Light radiates and fills light. Light fills whole universe. Just by the touch of the light from your body, for all environment become pure; all inhabitants become pure beings. This is meditative practice. Whether they become pure or not, it’s a different issue but you have to think it had become.

And light what you generate, it also not an ordinary light but that of great bliss nature of light. Then gradually …

[PAUSE 1:12:21 - 1:12:33]

… gradually all the environment that you made pure will melt into light nature and dissolve to the inhabitants, beings in that, pure beings. So all these pure beings dissolve to yourself. Actually, this has to correspond with the signing of the signal the signing of earth element within your body. I'll tell you the signals later, OK? So, this is what you do.

After dissolving it to you, then your earth element is dissolved. Actually, when the earth element’s not working well, you get feeling of mirage. You see mirage, you feel mirage — you know, mirage? Mirage signing seen. Encountering the feeling of mirage is the signing, the signal of earth element switching off. We will — traditionally the Tibetan tradition calls dissolving the earth element to water element. That’s nice way of putting. Actually, the earth element is no longer becomes serviceable. That’s what it is. At that moment, when earth doesn’t work, then you get — the water comes up, which is mirage. The waterish mirage type of thing.

1:14:32

Then the water element will give up, naturally, so water element will give up. Then the next element go is the fire element. The sign what you encounter with the smoky, like your room is filled up smoke. Where is that smoke coming from? What is it? That sort of thing. It is the sign of fire. At that moment, if you can synchronize yourself in the form of yidam, started dissolving from the top to bottom, bottom to top. Like if you bring a piece of mirror and you say, “Hah,” and you get something out. Then when it’s cleared, it comes from the ends, right? And so just like that it begin to go that way.

So your body — you can visualize your body in the deity’s form will begin to dissolve to your heart level letter HUM. Those of you familiar you will know. Those of you are not familiar, you just hear it but then if you may have opportunity to study and practice later but you do get plenty of different things to do. I’m going to give you seven or eight different things. OK. So. That’s why you’ll have a lot of those.

So when the next is, when the fire will dissolve to the air (that is a-i-r, air, not hair. OK? [LAUGHS] That’s my problem so you have to go through with that. A-i-r, air.) And when the air element is coming, you know, within the smoke, within the smoke filled up room or whatever it is, you begin to see the spark, fire spark, as though in a dark room if somebody bring a handful of lit cigarette and throw in the air, you will see the flame all over, right? In that manner. Maybe not that much flame. But maybe numbers are never certain. It depends to the individual to individual. But if you keep on watching yourself you will know it. Within that smoky thing you begin to pick up the fire sparks. Spark of fire. And quite a lot of them. And that was the time then the fire element’s also going and the air elements is the element only left. Because space you don’t dissolve so the air dissolve to the space, right? Emptiness.

[PAUSE 1:17:39 - 1:17:47]

So. Then finally the air element will also dissolve to — we call it consciousness. At that moment what will happen to you: the signal what you encounter is …

[PAUSE 1:18:12 - 1:18:27]

… if you have like candlelight burning in dark room, you’re not looking at the candlelight but the reflection of the candlelight on the wall like this, like sort of this colored wall over here. If you don’t have those electricity lights, you don’t have the light coming through the window. It’s a dark room. If you have one candlelight burning here, not looking at the candle but looking at the reflection of the candle on the wall. You know what I’m talking about it? If you look here you see the burning candle but the reflection of that one. That sort of, I mean, probably the individual thinks, “I’m seeing that. I’m sort of in the room where some kind of distant, there’s some light but it’s not completely dark.” So that sort of feeling you get.

And that is the time the — that is the time when the air element dissolves to the consciousness. Basically out of gross five element is now completely signing off, dissolve, whatever you may call it. Actually, you’re detaching it. You’re disconnecting it. You’re disconnecting your earth element. You’re disconnecting your water element. You’re disconnecting your fire element. You’re disconnecting your air element within you. Air element is the actually movement within your body. You know, this circulation and all this are on the basis of the air element. The water elements is the liquid within your body is your water element. The fire element within you is the heat, the power to digest food, power to digest whatever, medicine, whatever it is. Digestive powers are the heat power. These are the five elements within ourselves. Flesh, bone, etc. is earth element. That we all know. The space also. If there’s no space everything’s crushed so it won’t work. So there’s space also. So that’s what it is. So, some people may be thinking what is that space element is.

1:21:07

OK. So this up to here, there’s external sign. There’s internal sign. You can walk with it. You can — if somebody’s dying, if you are quite good at it, you can walk with individual. You can perhaps communicate and walk with this up to that level. Beyond this, there is no sign. No sign. So you have to be almost presuming. If you try to walk somebody, you almost has to presume.

Anyway, what the individual, the person who’s dying through, what will that person get? Within that feeling of reflection of the light and suddenly you get some kind of whitish, as though moonlight comes up. Something like whitish feeling will come. I don’t think it is very long period the individual have it. Actually, according to the vajrayana buddhism, what happens is when you take the, when you first enter your consciousness on the seed of this body, the — a portion of semen that you get from the father and egg from the mother joined together. And we call that indestructible drop. Indestructible until you die. So this is — and this is the moment where it separates. So the whitish feeling you get, your consciousness has now become such a subtle consciousness. It is deep inside you somewhere right deep because you’re completely disconnected external bodies. You’re still inside. You’re still inside so you see the indestructible drop opening so the first you get whitish feeling then you get reddish feeling because the egg is supposed to be red and the semen’s supposed to be white, right? I presume it remains that way. Who knows? But anyway, that’s why it reddish and whitish come — and reddish. And that red — whitishness will follow by reddishness; reddishness will follow in darkness. And in that moment it opens and closes once again so you feel suffocated. You feel locked in. You feel dark. You want to get out. You want to breathe out. And that is actually the cause of the consciousness to leave the body because you want to go out. You want to breathe. You feel suffocated. You feel darkness because you don’t see anything.

So, the moment you get out of the darkness you get sort of, sort of light nature, whitish as though — the Tibetan masters will give you clear, autumn light. Why they say autumn? Because during the summer a lot of rains. The dust will settle down. The weather is clear. The air is clean. So that sort of autumn moon is example for crystal clean. So that’s why they give you.

1:25:04

So the eight process when you die through, the individual will go through: first, mirage; then smoky; then spark; and then the light reflection; then whitish; reddish; black; and the light. A lot of people call that is clear light and this and that. Whether it is real, true clear light or not is totally different issue. You can call it. Doesn’t matter. It's not necessarily it is clear light. It is clear, it is light, may not be clear light. So, that’s it.

And at that moment, at that moment, when you’re going through, the individual is recommended, recommended, to focus on the level where you are. If you have a good understanding of the nature of reality looking through your own recognizing of your own mind or looking through emptiness (I’m not sure whether this is the right place to mention or not), but some people will say recognition of your own mind is ultimate achievement. Tsongkhapa says no. The recognition of your own mind can be any level. Can be any done. Does not necessarily mean you have been free yourself. No. It helps but not necessarily. But recognition of emptiness or true reality is the, of course, the one of the best thing. If not, you can focus on the compassion, love, compassion. Compassion with feeling.

Compassion has to be felt. The pain that people go through, you have to feel it. You feel the pain and then you have to have feeling of compassion, not the lip service of compassion. What’s happening is the compassion become a terrible lip service.

1:27:50

Last year, in February, Allen Ginsberg. Allen came to Ann Arbor and he — Allen does — Allen and Philip does very kindly some does the benefit for Jewel Heart sometimes out of all their busy schedule and all this. We’re grateful for that too. [LAUGHS] Really, true. And Allen did benefit for Jewel Heart in Ann Arbor and reading. There are about four thousand people. And it has been a while that Allen calls me up on the stage and started asking all of a suddenly funny question, whatever comes up in his head. Or sometimes he asks the audience if you have questions or something, you know? I think it was audience question. Something came up. I forgot the question. The answer what I give is love and compassion. I said that’s love and compassion. And people, when I look in front, they all went like this. And I thought it’s OK. Then Allen said it is buzzword something. I couldn’t even get it what he said. But you know, you’re under the spotlight. There’s four thousand people watching. So I sort of smile a little bit and get my way out. [LAUGHS] I managed out. I didn’t get it exactly what he said. He said buzz, buzz, something, you know.

Later I asked Allen, “What did you say?” He said, “I thought you didn’t get it. I said ‘buzzword,’” he said. I said, “What does that mean?” He said, “It’s meaningless.” “Oh!” That helped me a lot. You know, I kept on thinking, “what do you mean love/compassion meaningless?” Really, that’s at that moment I thought, “Love/compassion buzzword. Meaningless. What you mean?” So later I thought about it. I can think a lot when I’m in the shower. Nice shower. Yeah. And thought about it. And I really begin to realize people talk a lot of compassion, love and compassion this, and love that, and this. And really the word does not associate. You know, it almost become like a …

[TIBETAN 1:30:11 - 1:30:112

Tibetans, you know, the great masters so great. They made such a short word saying, “I take refuge to buddha, dharma, and sangha until I obtain enlightenment. By practicing generosity and other perfections may I be able to obtain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.” So, it becomes so much so in Tibet in the early, in the like 1800 and 1900 and 1700. So much so that everybody will say, “for the benefit of all sentient beings.” For the benefit of all sentient beings is almost become a technicality. Nothing is perfect. You just do it because way of doing it. You know? It become buzzword. Meaningless.

And it is happening in the West. Everybody talks about the love/compassion, love/compassion. Everybody likes to acknowledge. Everybody would like to be associated with that and not have much feelings about it. You know, don’t feel much about it and it’s almost become a business. And so soon we’ll have Compassion Construction Company or something. You know, really. So in becoming that way. And that’s why I begin to understand. That's why I begin to understand what when Allen saying that it’s buzzword.

So since then I begin to stop, one stop here, and just don’t end in the love and compassion just by the word of love/compassion alone, but little meaning of love and compassion. And feelings you associate. You get the meanings intellectually. You have to felt it. If you don’t have the feelings then it’s either left at the intellectual level or buzzword. So you got to feel it. Love, you have to feel it. Compassion, you have to feel it. If you don’t feel, it’s become like the parrot. Parrot can say “I love you” if you give nice nuts. Right? So that will have no meaning. So we must take care of ourself. Make sure, no matter how many people says love/compassion, but when we, when you, or when me, when I say 'love and compassion., I must make sure I have the feeling.

1:32:53

Actually, love is the most important protection. If you want protection against evil spirit, right, or any ghost or any of that, your best protection is love.

There are a group of Tibetan ghosts who had a meeting and decided to harm some new practitioner who had come up the mountain. And they had a meeting and there are a number of volunteers and among them one lady ghost, most powerful one, who she volunteered to go and destroy the guy. So he went over there and whenever she visited to destroy him, he was meditating on compassion and on love to all beings and crying and feeling all the pains of the people and shedding tear. And she goes there and want to harm him and this guy is crying. And she thinks, what is he crying about it? Crying about the sufferings of those ghosts who are having sufferings! And she said, “I can’t harm this person. He’s caring and loving me and us. How can I harm?”

So she goes back and repeatedly next meeting comes, what had happend to this guy? They’re afraid this guy will destroy them later. So she said, “I went there and he’s worrying about us. I cannot destroy.” Another person said, “I’ll go.” So it happened same thing. Same thing happened and never destroyed. It’s best protection. One.

Even the Buddha, if you have seen the movie called Little Buddha, which actually Rudy is a friend of ours who wrote this script. Anyway, whether it’s good or bad, whatever it may be, in that movie, the best thing what I saw is the life story of Buddha. And all these different evils comes and attacks the Buddha. And every attack becomes flower, remember? Those of you who have seen it. Where does these flowers coming from? How it happened? What power the Buddha — what power of the Buddha made these weapons into flower is the power of love.

[TIBETAN 1:35:20 - 1:35:26]

Tsongkhapa wrote a great poem praising Buddha, sayin, that without holding weapons and arrows (what you call those?) — spears, all this, by yourself single-handedly overpowered the Mara forces (that evil forces).

[TIBETAN 1:35:47 - 1:35:49]

The millions of the evils, their attacks have been transformed and overpowered, subdued them by the power of love. Who else will know how to fight such war besides you? That’s how Tsongkhapa praised the Buddha. It is the love/compassion. You’re meditating love and compassion, feeling of the pain of yourself and others, and your own future and past and present pains on which you are meditating compassion. And when it’s become perfect, when it become actualized, as I told you earlier, vajrayana if you visualize it become actualized. So when it’s become actualized, any attack that you get will become offerings: flowers, garlands, and beautiful this and that. It’s becomes better for that person. This has become actualized. And even you cannot actualized, you can become it doesn’t harm you. It skipped. It doesn’t get to you. Somehow dropped in-between. Even that does not becomes, even it comes to you, you won’t get wounded. These are the levels of the protections you get. These are the result of compassion and love how much you can actualize. That’s how you are responsible for your own protection. That is how you develop. That’s what Tibetan earlier masters have shared and that is the living message that we carry and pass on you people. If you people do it, you can do. If you don’t do it, you don’t do it. That’s about it. OK? That’s what it is. So that is how it works. OK?

1:37:49

So, then if you cannot concentrate on the wisdom of emptiness, concentrate on love and compassion. If you cannot do that, even you cannot do that, you have — you fixed up your mind strongly for seeking a total freedom. Total freedom. Free — we are not free. You know that. You are American. We are American. I’m American too, now. Very proudly to say. Yeah, we’re American, but we’re not free. Nobody will tell you that. America is a symbol of freedom. However, we’re not free of delusion. We are not free of anger. We’re not free of attachment. We’re not free of rebirth. We’re not free of taking different birth in different level. We’re not free. We don’t have the choice. We don’t know yet whether we’re going go choice-wise or whether you going to caught in that storm like feather, or dry leaf in autumn in the storm. Whatever. So long as as you’re in that condition, we’re not free yet. We may have political freedom. I’m not sure whether you still have that or not with the Republican [LAUGHTER] —with the Republican majority in the Congress and Democratic President in the White House. Whoever comes really doesn’t matter, whether it’s Republican or Democrat or whatever it is. I don’t know whether we really have the political freedom or not what we’re supposed to have it. But we don't — when we say we don’t have spiritual freedom or — that’s really what it is. As long as we’re free from anger, attachment, hatred and especially ignorance, if we’re free from that, we do have total freedom. And until that we seek freedom. So if you set up your mind of seeking freedom at that moment, and all the —

1:40:15

I have different menus will come, but that’s what you have. You can do. These are the signs. More or less everybody will go through. Even those who died in accident or falling — the traditional Tibetans, Tibet have very little accident. There are no automobiles so therefore there’s much less accident. That is not advantage, OK, but anyway, there’s less accident. So the accident what they give you, the examples they give you is if you fall through a huge cliff, or if you fall from the Potala down to the hill down, or something, from the mountain cliff or something, that is accident died. Even that person, you may or may not recognize very short period of such a things will go through. But the shock is such a thing, you may or may not be able to recognize. But, it’s there. So the practice what we do every day, sadhana practice, makes this one perfect. Right? You say practice make perfect, anyway. So that’s what it is. That's how it works. That is one of the reasons why reading sadhana is not a paying a tax. IRS does not come after you by not saying sadhanas. But what you lose is you lose the practice of this. That’s what you could do.

And before I go to the second, and third, and fourth menu, I think this is about ten minutes. It's a little bit eary. If you have any questions, I’d like to give you ten minutes on this.

[PAUSE 1:42:07 - 1:42:15]

OK, this — OK yeah. You go.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Good question. What will happen is, when you become fully enlightened, the first body what you take is the exclusive body. Exclusive in the sense, there are like five different points. It is totally exclusive to high level people. In other words, you — others don't able to — won't be able to see you. It’s not your formless, but you are not be able to see by others. And seeing is restricted. Hearing is restricted. The retinue is restricted. The teaching, the message is restricted. The time is restricted. So, I mean, this is bad way of saying restricted. I should say time is exclusive. The retinue is exclusive. That’s better, you know. The body is exclusive. The teaching is exclusive. The place is exclusive. So it’s not publicly available. So the manifestation is another re-manifested body will be, will be, will have no exclusiveness. It will be open to everybody. And that’s what I said, double body business. Thank you paying attention.

Yes sir?

1:43:59

AUDIENCE: How do you make the choice between attachment and enjoyment, or joy? You know, as a Westerner, it’s difficult to determine if I’m enjoying what I — whether I'm enjoying something, whether or not that intensifies the attachment.

RIMPOCHE: I believe if you’re building an addiction, and if it’s becoming stickiness, I believe it is attachment. And if you don’t have addiction or you just enjoying it, it’s enjoying it. But, people do deny the addiction for quite a while, so you have to be careful with that. But as long as — I will really say as long as you’re not building addiction and not becoming stickiness, it is enjoyment, it is OK. The moment you’re building addiction on it, it is not OK. The broad way.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Difficult. Very difficult.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Yes.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Thank you. It’s easy to say. True.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: I will broadly say selfishless, self-interest-less, pure desire of making happy and joy of person will be good attachment. Like Tara or Vajrayogini is full of attachment, but that’s not bad attachment. Even every desire is not bad desire. Every bodhisattva has the desire to become a buddha, but that’s not bad. So the attachment that would like to bring absolute freedom, attachment that would like to give absolute joy, give or take both, I don’t think it's bad attachment. The attachment that would like to have some kind of unworthy, unfounded, short-lived different feeling might not necessarily be great attachment at all. Think about it. It is very difficult to make distinction. The love without attachment and love with attachment is very, very — the difference is very subtle but there is strong distinction once you get through. OK. Yes, lady.

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

1:48:02

RIMPOCHE: Not necessarily in the West. You know why? In the Tibetan tradition, if something written in the book, it’s not granted that we take it. We will debate. We will argue. We will ask teacher question. We will use our intelligence and we do that. In the West you do have critics and this and that, however, if somebody's printed something and people do take it. Because they will say, “It is in here. It is written in here.” They really take it that way. And then most of the critics, particularly in the spiritual path, I don’t think they know what they’re talking about it. And many of them will keep quiet when they don’t know and leave it just nicely there. You have to write something because you are a critic so you have to write something, but they will write something very controversial or non-controversial, whatever it is, let something and passed out. And particularly in the spiritual path. And it’s very risky. Very risky. On the other hand, the teacher is also very risky too. Everybody in the West can claim teacher. You don’t really need anything. Even the schools, the school teachers have teacher's training and they carry a little piece of certificate and qualification and all this. And spiritual path is wide open just now. And [LAUGHS] …

AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]

RIMPOCHE: Well, in the case of buddhism, it has a number of things. You can — basically, you know, Buddha was asked, “What is Buddhism?” And Buddha replied,

[TIBETAN 1:50:00 - 1:50:05]

He said, “Avoid all negativities. Have the positive built up as much as you can. Always be kind, loving, and watch your mind. That’s what you can do without a teacher. And if you read a book, you read different books too. And unless somebody you trust can recommend you something. In the case of here, I’m telling you to read this Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand. The teaching tradition of this are tested, and it is out of experience, tested. People who practiced that a lot had obtained enlightenment. I've given you a couple of examples here. They have done that.

But the translation is questionable, again, for that, too. We see the two different translations of this printed. One in the Wisdom Publications and another is Sutra and Tantra Publications — something called Mahayana Sutra Tantra Publications, yes. And quite different if you’re looking from the — I don’t read English. But those who are reading they said it is quite different. It depends on the translator. You know, you cannot directly translate the Tibetan word-for-word. No way. So what we really do is translator put that in his head and get understand and then throw it back in his own language. So then how you’re perceiving, how you throw it back, and in that process it has been diluted. Diluted, right? Diluted. You get it? But still, you get quite good information in it. That is — now, this is the time problem. What can we do? That’s what it is.

This is not unique to the West. This has happened to the Tibet, too. When tibetans took the original thing from Sanskrit to Tibet, there’s hundred different translations by hundred different lotsawas (we call it). Lotsawas. And it took hundred years to settle down the terminology, to settle down the perfect translation. Took hundred years. Here it’s only 20 or 30 years. We have a couple of different well-known translators, couple of different not very well-known translators, and couple of people who translate very quietly, very well. And in 40-50 years I think it will settle down, hopefully. That’s what’s going to happen.

OK. So, let’s get something to eat and we meet back 2:00. Thank you.

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