Archive Result

;;Soundfile 19950902GRSR1

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Summer Retreat

Topic White Tara

Transcriber Carol Shuford

Date 1-15-2022

0:00:00.0 [Begins with Rimpoche spelling a word; speaking with audience; laughter; question]

0:02:41.8 I thought you were going to say the more you know more you don’t know. And that’s exactly what’s happening isn’t it. So so that’s that’s what really happens. So more you know more you don’t know. So I believe that is the process. And ah doing a psychoanalysis on that is very helpful because it makes you really think. And makes you really analyze and makes you really get down to the ah to it. And ah I’m certainly not going to say there is no down point. When you get down to it there is something you can pick up. And some people will say well if you really go down to it there is no down to it because it is emptiness. That is their taking shelter. So here you can really get down to it. The down to it it is become a very subtle to be able to to be able to hold it is an extremely difficulty but it is there. And it is there is functioning and it is you. And to be able to find and pin point is difficult because it is intangible. Colorless formless shapeless intangible. Not only now intangible and it is also now discontinuity. So it even makes it far more complicated and difficult. But it’s there. Think about it. Keep on analyzing. And ah and ah you get some kind of point of satisfaction. And when you get in the point of satisfaction that’s where you hold on. Say it is the seeing point. And it is the psychoanalysts and what do you call it? Psychoanalyzing is very very helpful in this to understand better. Any other questions anybody for anything doesn’t have to be particularly related. Yes?

0:04:59.3 [audience question]

0:05:15.5 Anyone who has maha anuyoga tantra initiations are authorized to ah have to generate yourself in the form of Tara. Tara initiation is not enough for Tara because there is no full at least for the White Tara there is no full fledge initiation. Ah the word what we use in Tibetan is tung or abeshika or the ahhh is not for Tara it is only jenang. What does jenang in Sanskrit?

0:06:02.4 [ audience]

0:06:10.3 Yeah. We use two languages in English. We use initiation empowerment blessing all this. That is different translators using for different things and make more confused. There’s no ahh what you call it? Consistent. One uses you know if you try to tell one translator let’s say initiation wangs are called initiation and let’s say if one translator says let’s call wang or wangsa initiation and call all jenangs are empowerment. The other translator will use just opposite direction so both books will be printed by the same publisher and made available by the same book seller on same shelf. And so so that’s that’s enough confusion there. So let’s go back to the Tibetan what they use wang as w a n g wang and if you have a full fledge wang of any higher tantra it covers the lower tantras. And Tara being the Activity Tantra which we call it what? Kriya or something. So anything above that will cover that.

0:07:38.9 [audience]

0:07:40.6 For all monks it’s true. To generate yourself for empowerment initiation and what are you empowering? Empowering you to be able to meditate your body as ah that of a particular yidam and so that’s that’s the authorization you’re getting through the full fledge initiation. So it’s true to all deities in that manner. Any initiation in the within the maha anuyoga tantra if you have initiation of a particular deity you’re authorized to carry out activities including self-generating in the form of that particular tantra not the others. However higher tantra covers the lower tantra. So all maha anuyoga tantra within themself doesn’t cover each other.

0:08:51.0 [audience]

0:09:23.4 Yep. Even experiencing every experience in that we thought we had we definitely have experience. We have a glimpse of a lot of external experience. The other day Robert was sharing that he went to the Rolex farm and ah did you use the word Rolex? You didn’t?

0:09:52.9 [audience]

0:09:55.4 That’s Rolex. Ha ha right that’s Rolex. It’s called Rolex. So I just added that Rolex watch on your words. Anyway and ah telling that story and he said he’s not high and he has no drugs around at all. So saying that sort of thing is an ah is an ah experience. And ah I sort of I sort of recall these are sort of a glimpse of ah glimpse of ah glimpse. What you call it Sandy? You give you give long talk on that to [someone] in New York I remember. Called glimpse. Just glimpse and experience. And is that real genuine true experience ah experience at that time. But the faith followed by that experience is not necessarily intelligent faith to me. Ah intelligent faith to me is a little more logical ah very logical. I sort of maybe I’m come from the background of the logic ah logical thing. But a little more logical. A little more systematic follow up. And you begin to see it within the system. You know you may not see it with the eye or perhaps if you if somehow we can get that systematic way of following if you can put it on the computer from the mathematical point of view probably it can show up now. You know it’s quite soon I’m sure it will show up sort of systematically which you can follow what and which can lead to what. And that sort of understanding I try to it’s more stable ah more stable intelligent faith. And ah leap off you call it right leap of faith.

0:12:12.6 [audience]

0:12:16.1 Leap of faith okay. Leap of faith. Ah is also very useful faith. I even what does that do anyway? Can you give me a little more because I’m lack lacking.

0:12:34.2 [audience explains leap of faith]

0:12:47.0 That is there that is getting towards there. So it is a like a …[talks with audience about language]

0:14:02.8 So they’re all very useful and not to be discarded and follow it. Particularly personal experiences are are for individual person it’s more powerful than that of in certain cases it’s more powerful than that of intelligent faith too because it is your own personal experience. So so this the you take it you don’t discard it. Ah will that be useful for others is a question. To some yes to some no. But sort of the systematalogical systematical thing is genuinely useful when get it by for everybody. It is more scientific. In other words everybody can do it if you know if you have the knowhow. So it’s more scientific and more stable. And ah experience is experience is powerful and true genuine. However might not be scientific and everybody can’t do it. Everybody try and do the same thing won’t get it. So therefore I say it’s not scientific. So that’s the difference. I’m nowhere and it’s already after what? Twelve. Sorry we should do this the Tara especially when you are doing the fire puja tonight. We must do it okay? So you do have ah those those who are new today in that is there anybody who doesn’t aware of this Tara meditation? Anybody new. Hey I can talk to you you’re an Ann Arbor local you don’t mind okay. You’re the only one ha ha ha.

0:15:59.7 [talking about puja; joking with audience]

0:20:42.8 I remember a funny story. You have to forgive me excuse me. Since he’s a monk it’s a little difficult to talk. There was a story ah there was a naughty monk in the Drepung Monastery. And probably he spent night in one of those red light area in the Lhasa town. So then he go back to the monastery and sat there and somehow he was caught. And ah so naturally they will terminate him from the monastery. So he said well I thought I washed it properly. But he didn’t clean it enough ha ha ha. Did you hear me? So that’s the answer to your question.

0:21:30.4 [audience about puja]

0:21:58.9 The Tibetan Buddhism and the Vajrayana Buddhism is a very relaxed one. So I’m going to follow that tradition so you have it those who are vegetarian they have no problem. But those who are not vegetarian those who would like to have ah whatever they apparently I believe it’s going to be some kind of generosity feast today. And I will not make more elaborate on that. So we appreciate that we enjoy that. And a so so ah do that and make sure you take a shower. And come back here and we sit and have a session and ah session of the White Tara actually. And then we move together down with the chanting of the Tara mantra in the normal same tune what we use here. This tune what we use in here is very it’s very funny for me. It’s interesting for me. And nobody else sing in that manner before I started. I’m not seen anybody who sing in that manner in Tara mantra. So the first year when I ask in Omega to do Omega Omega Institute up in the ah Rhinebeck upstate New York. Ah so the first year and ah so so I thought a number of people who are not familiar with this and if I keep on saying [whispers: OM TARE.. mantra] probably it’s not going to be good for them. So what should I do? I keep on thinking for a couple of days and it didn’t really work very well. And one day I was helping to clean Chunden -La. Chunden is she here yet? I don’t see okay. Chunden’s garage and I was in the middle of the garage and started to sweeping in the analow. I was sweeping the garage. Suddenly that thing popped up in my head [sings Tara mantra tune] it came up. Ah funny. Sort of and I have a terrible voice you know I’m never could sing in the tune. If you go in tune I will go out of the tune. That’s my that’s my ah creator gifted ha ha ha thing. So somehow that worked out and since then people are singing. And people are enjoying and it seems to be having some kind of effect too to the individual. And now the number of different places I see I been seeing the same tune everywhere. So almost every group whoever that touched Tara they started singing this tunes. They have different tunes but still they pick up this tune too. So I noticed that. So so in follow that and probably ah what you do okay maybe I have opportunity. It’s twelve ten what should I do . Tell me.

0:25:27.0 [audience and Rimpoche talking logistics]

0:26:52.6 I take refuge in Buddha dharma and sangha until enlightenment. By practicing generosity and the other perfections may all beings …[audience recited 4 Immeasurables. White Tara sadhana. Mantra]

0:29:31.7 Oh the visualization over here ah today I did all other things and today I would like to tell you to concentrate on the sound. When you want to concentrate on the sound of the mantra you don’t like it’s not that your next person is talking listening to that one. Know you’re listening and sound you produced from your own mouth but the sound of the mantra inside you within you inside you your body. The humming sound of TAM. The TAM-ing sound that’s what you focus on. OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA..

0:35:33.9 [PADMASATTVA purification]

0:35:59.3 By this virtue may I accumulate the essence of the Noble Tara and secure every being without exception in that state. When the interruption to the life of..[audience recites dedication]

0:36:25.9 Okay and those who are leaving after lunch and ah I like to thank to them for being here. I am very happy to have you here. And ah do continuously do practice. And if you don’t have a formal practice whatever in the morning we do this little ah that little booklet here. Whether it’s page three not that one the other page three or whatever it is. I think it’s page three the refuge invocation and seven limb. Is it page three? Page three whether you include mandala offering or not that will be basic practice something useful for people who don’t have a formal practice. And ah we wish you all the best. And those who are here and ah we will continue always. And we do have fire puja tonight. And we do have tsoh offering tomorrow. But we will be here until day after tomorrow.

0:37:42.4 [audience logistics about puja and wedding and Manjushri initiation]

0:40:01.2 [Geshe Ngawang Sherab speaks about functions of the mind]

1:28:03.9 [Q & A]

1:41:02.5 [end]