Archive Result

Soundfile 19960826GRSR3P01

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location

Topic Three Principles of the Path

Transcriber Xin Yan

Date 17.01.2021

And that is the after dinner. After dinner I’m going to share all of you came here for the some kind of feelings, love and wanted to share spiritual path, know something and how to help yourself and how to help others. And that is going to be, I’m sure you came with that intention. Did anybody else come with a different intention? Would you raise your hand, please? I rather I state here so I don’t see any hand. So therefore I think everybody came with that intention. So what we have, with the Tibetans. What do we have? We have great Tibetan Buddhist masters for thousand years they have the Buddhist practice and there’s mental development and that kindness and compassion what you have in you, you try to share that with others and be helpful. That’s what we Tibetans did have that. And that’s opportunity for us to share that the world, and particularly in the west, and particularly in United States thanks to the Chinese communist Mao Ze Dong. Otherwise we will not be going there. Right? Then we still in Tibet with some kind of old style probably. Thick, very thick, thick books, very very thick wool shawl or something. Because there you know??? (audio unclear ) [0:01:58.0 to 0:02:04.0] and that we’ll not be talking to you in the same dress that what you wear. Nothing different. I also have nose this way, mouth that way, not the other way. So but I did have opportunity to learn and to steadily develop from the greatest living masters. So among them, not among them. Form them, I had opportunity to learn and think the Tibet. And then we try to share that on the basis on a little text that wrote by one of the great Tibetan master call Tsongkapa, you all know - the founder of the Gelugpa tradition or yellow hat sect. Tsongkapa born in 1357 and passed away in 1419. [0:03:01.5]

And the wonderful quality of Tsongkapa’s teaching is really Tsongkapa really did uniqueness of Tsongkapa is Tsongkapa revolutionized the traditional teachings that available in Tibet from the 2nd century to 13th century. Whatever that is build up, he sort of revolutionized that and made in easy and comprehensible to individual people and whatever you say, whatever you preach, you practice. And that’s he made us principle. And the principle of affecting the individual, whatever you say, it will work with individual. And that is the uniqueness of the Tsongkapa teaching. We are very fortunate to be able to share that with you.

So in basic by doing that, by doing this Three Principles Path in evening, I wanted to give you, particularly those of you who can only make today of summer or winter retreat and cannot come many times round, yet somehow you like me or whatever or you hate me, whatever it is. Whatever may be love, hate combine together doesn’t matter. So anyway whatever it is, with that we deal with it, work with it and my hope is to benefit not you something. What benefit you can get is only the spiritual part which will really give you benefit. Nothing else. All other things you can do it. You can make money, you can buy house, you can build house, you can buy car, you can lease car – whatever. So all of them you can do it for what you really cannot do is the spiritual part. So I would like to give you some kind of comprehensive, easy dealing with everyday life and working with the principles of the spiritual path. Simply we call it Three Principles. [0:05:14.8]

Principle number one – to know what is our really situation is. What we are. I don’t care who we are – doesn’t matter. We’re somebody. Whoever might be, but what we are and what we want to be. We all know what we wanted but we needed to introduce and repeat that. What we want is what? What do you want?

Audience: Happiness

Rimpoche: Who said that? Happiness. Happiness. There’s a funny joke comes up my head. I’m not going to repeat, okay? ??? not here (didn’t get the name of this person Rimpoche mentioned) [0:05:58.2] so I’m going to repeat. Many of you remember the ???? joke? (Rimpoche once again mentioned the same name I didn’tcatch earlier) [0:06:05.0] For the former French president, there is a joke I will not share here. It is not proper yet.

So anyway, happiness. So the point is, we all want happiness. That we know. But we really don’t know exactly. No? We know what happiness is, we do. But we don’t know how to get it. We also do not know what we really having. We having problem, we are suffering. We have suffering. You know somebody told me on the plane between Amsterdam-New York, the guy sitting next to me. It happen to be all on my side, read my prayers and by the time when you realized that this fella, funny fella has some mala in hand comes out of his pocket and there’s a funny looking book came out of his hand, and then he said “what are you?” and I said I’m a Buddhist. Then “Oh, I know that religion of suffering!”, he said. Just because Buddha happens to be introducing the first Noble Truth as truth of suffering. Buddhism is not the religion of suffering. However, it makes you recognize, make you realize where we are, what we are, why do we have it. [0:07:39.4]

So that’s why once you recognize that, and once you really really re-emphasize to yourself, your really want happiness. I don’t want to put AP there anyway. Now you get the picture, don’t you? So you are stick to the edge. So *Rimpoche chuckles* so to really recognize that, and then how to get it, how to get it. And they will love talking about love and compassion. They will try to give you some idea of what love really is, what compassion really is and how it works with you and when you be able to do something beneficial for somebody else, how happy you can be. [0:08:37.5]

All of those, we try to share with you. Do not expect you going to get the great wisdom but we try to give you comprehensive, simple, easy way of dealing Buddhism within your everyday life. Somehow very close to the analyze Buddhism on your kitchen table. Something close to that we wanted to share that with you. So that is about the introduction of that. We don’t need introduction. We do not need introduction.

There are there, people. Phillip will be here on Thursday, right? Oh Wednesday or Thursday. But Phillip will be talking to you, play music or all this together on Friday and I think Phillip and Allen playing together, as well as John and Amy. Am I right? John and Amy. Okay, so John are you playing? Anyway, so the Phillip, Allen and all of them doing together on Friday as well as Saturday. I also hope Allen will join with me in the evenings. Poetary. Whatever you like to read in the evenings little bit. I think Sandy’s also going to talk, Sandy and Aura. Both of them are the first 2 women from the area came to India in the year 1980. Is that right? Or 79. 79, 80. And met me in Delhi and study with me and believe me, it is April in Delhi, it is extremely hot. The temperature is almost like 140 or something. We did the teaching in a place called Tibet House in New Delhi and oral literally walk everyday about 5 or 6 miles. She doesn’t have money to pay for the transportation. She walked in the heat in the afternoon for 4, 5 miles. The heat of 150 degrees. And that is extremely hot. And so how they studied with me at the beginning, both Sandy and Aura. So I was in Delhi I used to it, doesn’t really matter. And also I have a 30 years dying old car on New Delhi streets anyway so. It was okay but she really literally walked 5 miles every day in the month of April. Every day, whole month. For 2 months almost. That’s how she studied. And now, she’s been very good and so she’s been very to none Buddha people so she’s going to talk. And Sandy same thing. Both of them are teaching Lam Rim in Jewel Heart. [0:12:28.7]

So that part of it I think is the introduction part is done. Do I have anything else to say? Nothing. Do I have anything else? I would like to introduce Debbie. Debbie also (distruption in audio recording) [0:12:43.8 to 0:13:09.6] *Rimpoche laughs* And we thought we would share one of the easiest way to have a comprehensive Buddhist path. And so we choose, choose to have the Three Principles. Three Principle Path. In order to talk to you about Three Principle Path and in order for you people to practice Three Principle Path in your daily life, we need some kind of structure to which you follow. So there’s no other better, I could not find anything other than this, suitable for us. So we do have rule the Three Principle. Have I got the wrong…. That’s for what? Oh I see. Am I giving? Your hearing okay? Okay. [0:14:49.9]

The root of the Three Principles of the Path, the aspects of the path. Lama Je Tsongkapa. I do not have to talk much bout the Tongkapa. I mean actually I should, really. You know why? If you remember in Lam Rim, we look at the outline in the Lam Rim, always they talk to you, in order to show authenticity of the teaching, you talk about the teacher. So talking about the teacher is talking about Buddha’s life, Tsongkapa’s life and Atisha, Tsongkapa and all the great masters’ life. You should be supposed to talk. Some never have time to do all these, always. Always we are short of time, no matter whatever you do. Everything has to be rush, rush, rush like Geshe La mentioned in the afternoon. It is the running car on highway, even our dharma activities its zoom, zoom, zoom! Maybe 98 miles in an hour. In that manner we got to do because of the pressure that we have in our life. So therefore, it is so important, we don’t have much time to pick up everything, but whatever we pick up, we need to pick up the necessary, the important points. So the Buddha’s lifetime, actually we should really talk a lot. But however, it is available in English, you have all this Buddha’s life story, tales, dharma stories, all of them available in English. So we do not need to repeat here. However, I want you to remember that Buddha was an ordinary person, just like you and me, an ordinary human being. Nothing special. Buddha did not come out as a primodial Buddha. It’s not. He is an ordinary being who happens to have the path, who happens to be practicing the path and who found the state of the Buddhahood. I really do want you to remember that. [0:17:43.9]

I emphasize that, by knowing little bit of my knowledge, I have no knowledge of the Judiac Christian tradition, nothing. However, we have different viewpoints of you know like ‘the God is God right from beginning and if remain God, no one will become God and God does become God’ whatever it is. Maybe I’m wrong. So in that manner people have certain aspects that you hold in your perceiving mind. So to make that, I want you to look from different window, different window to the Buddha’s life. Look in as he was na ordinary human, an ordinary human being, nothing more than you and me. Not even so intelligent as you are. So such a person with this path, to be able to become fully enlightened, being Buddha and find the way, the Buddha was as stuck as we are. We all get stuck in our normal usual sticky spot! Don’t we? We get stuck we think there is no end to it.

2 years ago I remember Brenda (she was not here today). But anyway Brenda was talking, telling me she had a dream. She was telling me he said the dream she says she was stuck in some kind of huge pit, huge pit! And the pit has no sort of, no way that she can climb. No ladders or anything! But however, she said she found her way out through some kind of light and paper flying around. Something like that. Maybe no paper flying, my memory tells me, some kind of paper flying. Anyway, she find her way out. That is the dharma. Buddha was also stuck, just like you and me. And found the way out. And that very way what Buddha had found has made Buddha possible to share his experience with us. And that’s call the dharma. Do not go in some kind of, don’t try to be mystical or don’t try to be something very (what did I say? Give me a word, I’m not exactly looking for that). I’m sort of looking for deep, profound…..a profound, I’m not looking for some kind of profound thing but try to bring Buddhism no the ground, on every day life you and I can reach easily. So don’t look in that way, look very simple way. Don’t look in some kind of profound way! Very simple way. The simple way so when you say ‘dharma’ is experience that Buddha and disciples of the Buddha sharing with us – that’s the dharma. Don’t look somewhere some books or some kind of formless, nameless Holy something, you know. So anyway, that is the dharma, the Buddha’s best gift for the future generation. What the Buddha really left is experience. That’s called dharma. [0:21:55.8]

So Buddhism is not a religion in the sense, with the normal western understanding of religion. Buddhism is way of life, how Buddha can use that, how that using of the life helped him developed him. Sharing that and we try to copy it – that’s Buddhism. Get it? Alright. Do not look in Asian religion department in the US, you not going find Buddhism. I’m going to say that. Anyway that’s what it is. So when Buddha gave that teaching, that experience and that been followed continuously by a disciples, who one after another and one keep on sharing once personal experience with others, so that is how Buddhism came into continuing. And that’s how it is living tradition rather than some kind of Asian archive. You don’t have to go to ?? (didn’t get this word Rimpoche said) [0:23:23.4] It is the living tradition, meaning one gets his own experience, you share that with others and it continue. It is still living and it will continue. And it will continue in the west, it will continue in the east. It will continue everywhere for another century or so at least. So where and how it become a living tradition? You experience, you share that experience. That’s how it becomes. [0:23:59.8]

And also we’re talking about the living tradition. (You can come in, no no. You don’t have to sit there. There are a lot of seats available. Sit over there wherever you have those empty seats available. Don’t have to sit near the door. May be no so much up here but there okay)

I would like to touch a very sensitive subject in this. I repeat. I talked last year ago winter retreat. The permanent principle in Tibetan Buddhism. Women’s rights in Tibetan Buddhism. And I talked that earlier. And I like to repeat that again. The traditional way, the tradition when you look into 2500 years ago, with Indian culture at that time, and of cause there’s tremendous amount of male, chauvinist-oriented society in which they have function according to the society. If you’re in Rome, behave (how to say that?). When in Rome, do as the Romans there. So the Buddhism did that and there’s a lot of male chauvinist way of functioning in culture there. There’s no point of denying that because lots of people say: “No, no no. Its okay. We have Tara here. We have Vajrayogini here, we have this thing here, this female there, we have one female incarnated lama??? (didn’t get the name of the female Rimpoche Gelek Rimpoche mentioned) [0:25:55.5] ” It is for me, it is no use. It’s almost like eating salt on the wall. [0:26:05.6]

That excuse I don’t buy and I don’t use that at all. So but the true thing is, it is the cultural part of it. And what the reality is, the lineage is continuing, it is a living tradition. And if there is female teacher who actually teach well according to your own experience if you came pass that. Many of you going to come up. I’m very confident of that. [0:26:39.0] And when you come up, we will have full of lineage with the lot of ???? white in the green all this, all these females are going to be there. And that door is open. (please recheck this sentence, didn’t get the few words after lot of) [0:26:39.0 to 0:26:55.0] and there’s no closing. There is no rule where Buddha say women cannot teach. There’s no rule where Buddha say women cannot be teacher, there’s no rule where Buddha said women cannot be responsible to holding Buddhist teaching lineage. [0:27:15.6]

So its open. We have saying in Tibetan ‘Pho ran in jon nah, kan nin chi lo ???’ (please check this phrase Rimpoche said in Tibetan) [0:27:19.5 to 0:27:21.7] If you are capable, nobody is holding the Tsongkapa’s throne, anybody can sit on it. That’s the usual Tibetan saying in that. If you are capable, you can go and sit on that. And that’s how I look in Tibetan Buddhism. That’s how I look at lineage, that I look. That I look at Buddhism teaching lineage or feminine principle, all of them in that manner. This is true equal opportunity. And there is nobody who will really block the thing. In the case of ?? (didn’t get this word after of) [0:28:04.5], the different again. Again its different rule. It has its own rules. So that’s different. The culture became sort of religion subject. So there’re different rules. [0:28:18.9]

So having said that, why did I go that way? (what did I say?) Living tradition. Thank you. Living tradition. So this is very important. Living tradition. Which means you can have the experience, you can share that with others, you can still keep that in line, it is not as ??? property (didn’t get this word before property) [0:28:47.2] Okay? Remember that. So I’m still last. I’m not the living tradition. It’s beyond that.

(a few in the audience were having conversation, audio unclear) [0:28:59.6 to 0:29:14.0]

Rimpoche: What did you say?

Audience: instead of doing 98 miles per hour…??? (audio unclear) [0:29:14.4 to 0:29:17.1]

Rimpoche: Okay. There you go. So we have to ride in miles per hour because of time but I would like to give you a little bit of the essence of the Buddha’s life is gaining the experience. That’s where I lost. Most important activity of the Buddha is ……… ( Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan) [0:29:42.0 to 0:29:47.7]. So the most important activity of the Buddha is the teaching. Because that is the thing he shared to the others. That is the thing still living even after 2500 years ago. Its living, its continuously benefitting working and that is the most important activity of the Buddha. It is no the Buddha’s activity of the magical power competition with the entire Buddhist teachers like beginning of the years, all these activities are important but not so important as teaching is because that is countless number of beings were helped by this. And continuously work. That’s Buddha’s life story, that’s Buddha’s important activity. You can read Jala tales??, Twelve Principles?? Even bout the Buddha’s life (the few words after READ unclear) [0:30:49.3 to 0:30:52.8] All these different books are available and all of them are there. You can read, you can understand you can talk to each other you can get it. [0:31:02.2]

Then continuously going through the Buddha Atisha, is another important. Very important because Atisha is the very suitable, not only the Tibetans’ fortune but all theses future generations that coming contact with Buddhism and the connecting them, their fortune. All our fortunes combine together, impossible thing happens become possible – Atisha being able to go to Tibet. Despite all objections and difficult hardships and simply about time the Indian University teacher Nalanda as well as Belgram Sheela teachers have totally acknowledge the Tibetan request – some say ‘ya ya ya, we will look in the future, then year after year’ and all these years the Tibetans have persistently, continuously put their effort and even sacrifice the life of the ruler – the ?? Lama (didn’t get name of the Lama Rimpoche mentioned [0:32:21.5] has sacrificed his life for the sake of the future people to be able to bring Atisha who is the suitable teacher at that time. The reason why we said suitable - learnt and developed, both knowledge and the spiritual development become equal, unionized within that person. And young enough, adaptable enough who can take the harsh weather in Tibet with no facility. So they chose the person and finally they got it. They got it and Atisha came over Tibet and his best gift for the Tibetan king is the (what its called? The book). Path of lamp? (what is it?) Lamp of the Path through the Enlightenment.

Thank you. So ‘chen juk????’ (Rimpoche said something I didn’t get) [0:33:26.0] even that itself, ?????? (Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan I didn’t get) [0:33:29.5 to 0:33:36.7] *Rimpoche chuckles* Now it’s coming up. You know somebody called mental faculty call forgetness, it started chewing the bread from the back. [0:33:45.5]

So he called the ruler of Tibet – ?? Lama Yeshe (didn’t get the name of the ruler and a phrase Rimpoche said in Tibetan) [0:33:56.1 to 0:34:01.7] Chen Zhu was the ruler at that time and one his uncle and another is his nephew. The nephew spirit and he called that nephew and both disciple. And during the teachings, like his late Holiness ?? Rimpoche (didn’t get name of the late His Holiness [0:34:17.7] always emphasize (audio distruption) [0:34:19.3 to 0:34:25.8] because it’s the ruler because they give lots of gifts ut its called the goods because the request was perfect. The request was ‘I’m not interested on the mystical tradition but I really want essence of the Buddha’s practice and the essence of the practice of the Great Indian Sages and scholars. And easy for we, the stupid Tibetans to practice. And that request becomes perfect. So that’s why he labelled them, labelled this King as Good of Great Disciple. [0:35:05.7]

So the essence of all the Buddha’s teachings are made into a simple little few stances and by Atisha. Atisha. And that’s why one of the quality, you know the great teachers used to say “when you talk about Lam Rim or Three Pinciples of The Path or even all the path (what is it? The path light through the light or lamp or whatever that is), Lamp Through The Path of Enlightenment. And whenever you talk about this, they said all the books, you know these collected works of the Buddha, they traditional teachers used to say “canon started shaking”, saying that they taking our hearts away. Which means the essence is really really taking it out and making it very simply, easily available for us. Particularly like us. Busy for nothing or full of laziness, whatever it might be the case. Of year 2000, we not going to have much time to meditate, much time to read. Not going to have much time to do anything because our bills are going to be higher no matter whoever comes. Whether Al Gore comes in or Bill Clinton comes in, the bills are going to be higher and we’re bound to be busy for sure. For that, we need a very simple effective aking difference to our life. And here, the Atisha, the Tsongkapa had provided that for us, for 500 old, almost one thousand years. So we’re very fortunate to be able to take that and make use of it.

Why Atisha? Important. Before Atisha, between the 7th century to the 11th century, between that. Again, the greater number of Indian teachers will deliver magical power and little magical power here and there such as Pandit ??? (unsure what Rimpoche said after PANDIT) [0:37:41.2], etc. have a very strange atmosphere in Tibet. So the 7th century when the pure Buddhism was brought into Tibet, which is somehow becomes a little bit of query during the these 200 or 300 years period. So Atisha refined that and that’s the reason why they choose Atisha. That’s the reason why Atisha spent his rest of his life in Tibet doing that. Although we say rest of his life is only about 18 years he spent he travelled part of Tibet, taught everything, all of those, not going to go detail about Atisha. After Atisha between Atisha and Tsongkapa, again sort of Atisha thing started going dow, you know years go by, people interpret this way that way and we all like to interpret. How many times in 200 years of American history (200 years, right?) How many times we have different interpretation of our constitution. How many amendments we have? 5000 something right? Is it all 23 amendments? 10 amendments okay. 23? Ya. 23. Sorry, I messed up with the India Constitution, sorry. *Audience laugh* That’s right, sorry. [0:39:25.3]

So anyway, people interpret a lot. So again sort of going round and what happened is, Tsongkapa came in 1357, he’s born. And we believe, now this is could be a ?? talk, a propaganda (didn’t get the word Rimpoche said before TALK) [0:39:49.1], and that’s my opportunity. *Rimpoche laughs* Anyway, we believe Tsongkapa is actually Manjushri himself has remanifested in an ordinary, very poor Tibetan guy who has to carry his own load on his back, travel on foot, way from ?? to Central Tibet. (didn’t het the word before TO) [0:40:19.3 to 0:40:22.2] The variety of teachers from all the different schools available at that time and the revolutionized teaching and refine it, refine it, so much emphasize on 3 most important things – behavior, meditation, understanding of true nature. These 3 are the Tsongkapa’s essence. In another words, people normally call it the view. [0:41:01.9]

View really means the true understanding of the true nature, true reality. That is what they call it the view. But what really is, is the understanding of the true nature. And the behavior. How do you behave? How do you behave yourself? Another words, Tsongkapa emphasize so much, so much that you practice what you preach. And that is the really behavior. And the meditation. The meditation is the main key how we get to liberate ourself. Tsongkapa introduced not only the concentrated mediation but analytical meditation as well. “Ta Juk……..” (Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan) [0:42:00.1 to 0:42:06.5] - so both behavior and understanding have been helping each other. (somebody tell me what’s happening? Huh? Somebody talking oh I’m sorry. Okay) So and in essence, these scholars become well-behaved and well-behaved person also have the scholar quality. “Ta juk tsim jo soi…….” (Rimpoche said a Tibetan phrase) [0:42:41.0 to 0:42:46.6] – So all of them are totally dedicated for benefitting others.

That was the Tsongkapa. The Tsongkapa who clarify the perfect reality understanding through Nargajuna’s way of looking has been made in such a simple way to be able to see by ourself. It will come at the last principle. However, I would like to mention it here. If it’s the Tsongkapa who emphasize if you look for emptiness on zero point, you not going to find anything in zero. So look for existence, if you look for existence, how you exist, then you will see how you do not exist. [0:43:38.9]

(no audio) [0:43:39.0 to 0:44:28.0]

Are you with me or did I overshot again? Did I shot over your head? Huh? So anyway, the true nature what famous Buddhist call emptiness, the true reality. It is the Tsongkapa who said ‘when you look for emptiness, don’t look for zero, look how you exist. Then you will find true emptiness’. Okay? Is that clear to you? So that is one of the major point of how Tsongkapa revolutionized, how you really look in the wisdom part of it. Anyway, that is the Tsongkapa and from Tsongkapa onwards continuously to our late master His Holiness ??? Rimpoche, (didn’t the word after His Holiness) [0:45:24.8] Trijang Rimpoche and Ling Rimpoche through that level it has come as a living tradition.

So here we are and that’s what it is. The first one pays homage to the Guru. So when you talk about venerable Guru, when you read homage to the venerable Gurus. Why do we have to pay homage to Guru? Who are they? Why do we have to do? What’s in there for me? There are 3 questions? What’s in there for me? Who are are they? So I brought you up to the our late masters Trijang Rimpoche, Ling Rimpoche and many others anyway. Up to that level we have brought you. So now the question comes - Who is Guru? What is it? What do I have to do with the Guru? That’s the question. And what does Guru mean ayway? What does Guru mean anyway? (teacher) Teacher? Who told you that? I was joking. You’re right. If you look in the Indo-European linguistic language point of view, if you look at the word Guru, and when you look in that down, when you bring that around and bring it down, you would get meaning called ‘heavy’, not fat. *Rimpoche laughs* Heavy. Heavy in quality, heavy in quality. And that’s Guru. Guru is Sanskrit. I was told Guru comes down to heavy. I don’t know beyond that. You mean to say the Indonesian Airline? Anyway, *Rimpoche laughs* so Guru, okay. [0:48:09.3]

So now, Guru really refers to somebody who has very heavy good quality, who can pass those quality to you, who can give that living tradition to you – is the real Guru. Okay? Then now I’m not gonna talk too much. But I like to talk little bit, what is the criteria of being Guru? “Sin Yi Tu Re……” (Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan) [0:48:50.2 to 0:48:58.9] So basically 10 quality of Guru. I’m simply going to mention that I do not have count the 10 because I am 98 miles an hour speed on 23. Anyway. I’m trying to rhyme here, ya. So that’s why I say that because you can look it, you can read it, you can read my Lam Rim, I never promoted that before anyway. You can read my Lam Rim teachings, the big volumes available. You can read in that. You can read Geshe Kalsang’s Joyful Path. You can read that. You can read Geshe Kelsang’s Essential Nectar. All these you can read. You can read in the Three Principle booklet. I think it’s there too.

So these are the 10 qualities of the teacher. But you can give them a 50% discount today. I can tell you that. Otherwise you not going to find somebody who had total 10 quality. Give them a 50% discount and then it’s okay. Vajyarana masters - double the quality. “ Ten yi ju so….” (Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan) [0:50:20.0 to 0:50:23.9] So that’s the double. So these are 10 qualities counted as 1. There’s almost 20 of them there. So which I mentioned last 2 years during the Winter retreat in the Lama Chopa teachings, the scripts are going t be available very soon. As matter of fact it’s already available but I don’t think its here yet. So anyway, that is in that you’ll find. Even you look for Guru, if somebody telling you “I’m your Guru”, run away! 100 miles without looking. Maybe you should go 500 miles, 500 miles and 500 miles, okay? [0:51:10.4]

Audience: (someone said something but inaudible)

Rimpoche: Huh? What did you say? Anyway, that’s what you should do. You are the one who has every right to choose your own Guru. Nobody can appoint or impose Guru on you. Are you with me? Are you clear with me? Anybody. In this country lots of centers claim on these students “Hey, you took refuge to us so you are our disciples so your Guru is so and so.” They put on you. Don’t do it. It is been misused over a religion’s power over you. That is sort of abuse on you. So do not do it. You choose your own Guru. That is your God-given fundamental right. *Rimpoche laughs* [0:52:18.8]

So when and how you choose is *Rimpoche laughs* ???? (didn’t get what Rimpoche said after the laugh) [0:52:26.2 to 0:52:31.1] Hahahahhahahahhah or too much Texan influence. So anyway, so when and how you choose, through these criteria, not because you happened to be accidently going somewhere, some Lama who you don’t even know what the name of the person is, some Holy-looking guy sitting on the throne blowing trumpet happens to be there and say “Oh that’s my Guru.” Or someone else tell you that’s your Guru. No, it never work. Never work. Okay so you choose your own Guru. That’s how you do. [0:53:12.6]

And after choosing Guru, after choosing Guru, it’s also very important to have Guru devotional practice. We try to skip that, I didn’t talk bout the Guru devotional practice for years because we had number of Guru in the 60s and 70s, even 80s. So that’s why we try to avoid that talking to you. However, it is so important to tell you this is called Root of All Development Guru Devotional practice. The Guru is representing all the enlightened beings to you. Guru is the communication link between us and the enlightened society. Incidentally I remember I have opportunity to visit ??? Rimpoche (unsure about the name of the Rimpoche here) [0:54:12.4] in Milano ?? (didn’t get name of the place) [0:54:16.1] (why don’t you come up here. There’s no seat available in front.) In Milano, what year was it? January 92, okay thank you. (Some around there and on the cushion, sit on the cushion. Both of you can sit together. There’s no objection) so I had the opportunity to visit Rimpoche, RImpoche told me, talked about Foundation of the Perfection, remember? I think that’s what he said, right? Foundation of all Perfection, I think so. So about this Guru devotional practice, and I said “Guru is the ambassador of the enlightened society representing to you.” [0:55:14.5]

and that’s what I remember. I’m not the one I said “rejoice is a great investment”. I don’t know which one is it. But when I went to the Brazil in bout 2, 3 months later, I said …..??? (didn’t get what Rimpoche said here. please recheck this part) [0:55:19.9 to 0:55:37.3] So it is a nice slogan that you can remember “Guru is the ambassador of the enlightened society.” Okay? That is the communication link. So you don’t want insult ambassador of United State. If you do so, you get what the Saddam Hussein got it. Right? *Audience laughs* So that’s why Guru devotional practice is become important, and its opportunity for yourself. The Guru is the really opportunity for ourself to be able to connect to the enlightened beings.

It is the traditional teacher gives an example the Guru is the magnifying glass which will mobilized the solar energy and catch fire in your little hair or bush or whatever you have. Or maybe maybe a little grass that you have collected, incidentally all of you are sitting on grass, okay? The questions that you have all are made by hand.

Audience: (audio unclear) [0:57:07.9 to 0:57:32.8]

Rimpoche: Having said that. Please watch your next person, they are not using any other simple portable knives. *Rimpoche laughs* Just joking. So the traditionally they said Guru is like a magnifying glass where you can collect the solar energy, necessary solar energy to light your little collection of grass. Too small, of course. Anyway, you know why I making these jokes? You’ll remember it. Okay?

Audience: *laughs*

Rimpoche: The more funny you get it, you remember more. You remember more, it will help you. If you forget, you laugh. If you don’t, it remains with you. Anyway, so read those Lam Rim books, try to understand there are 8 qualities of having Guru devotional practice, 8 disadvantages of not having Guru and 8 disadvantages of wrong devotional practice. Learning is absolutely necessary. If you do not know, then you can’t do anything. Don’t do something which you don’t know what you’re doing. That is the sign of stupidity. Really true. Really true. Learning is very important, even Tsongkapa said “Kang Po Jai…….” (Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan) [0:59:21.5 to 0:59:25.7] So he said the first step is learning information and I don’t have to tell you they made it very clear we are all craving for informations that is like a way of life. It’s a great way of life but you should have the right information for right purposes. Don’t go too much right, is aid two right, right? *Rimpoche laughs* I don’t know I bring too much righteousness in me either.

Anyway, so that’s what it is. Learn and when you learn it, and you know what to do, then do it. “Kan Bo Jazi…….” (Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan) [1:00:04.0 to 1:00:08.7] So after learning, what you have to do is you really see it all the teachings of the Buddha are complementing each other, complementing each other. [1:00:20.1]

Looks like the contradicting some times, sometimes. Right? Looks like. At the beginning level if you look at. The attachment in such a terrible thing and its terrible thing you cannot have it and bla bla bla bla bla. And after little while when you look in Vajyrayana, all you can see and you can find combination of sexuality and spirituality combination you find in there. And all of them if you just look in the gross level, you will see them as contradicting each other. But in reality, it’s complementing each other. This if what you got to learn through a learning. Doesn’t really have to become a scholar but you have to have comprehensive information either through teaching or through reading or both or whatever. So that’s what you need a comprehensive information. If you don’t have comprehensive information, you don’t know what you doing, you will not be able to make any decision for yourself. It will be like flag. Flag of the house. Oh this is old Tibetan tradition, they put prayer flag on the house roof but it is the flag, the American (what you call it? What it is?) (someone in the audience said something but inaudible?) [1:01:54.6] the steps. Anyway, if you put the flag in the pole high up, wherever the will wind blow, right? If the wind blow from the East to the West, the flag will be flying towards the West like fla fla fla fla fla, right? If the wind direction changes and go this way, the flag will go here fla fla fla fla fla….make the biggest noise, right? Why? Because the flag cannot stand by it’s own. So we should not be that.

Where and how, you should not be there is the information, the correct information. And use your intelligence. Each one of you are educated person. Right? I’m not talking to bunch of Tibetan chauffeurs. I’m talking here and educated people. So you have good sense of understanding and beautiful mind. Use that. And when it’s making sense, when you feel right, when it’s not contradicting the teaching that you have and the books, the books that you read. Unfortunately in the West, everybody can write something on piece of paper and print it. And it becomes a book. So now it’s all in the books. So that will not do. It has to have authentic information, reliable book. [1:03:32.4]

And when you learn that, you get quality, you will not fly to the right or to the left. You can stand your own. This is the number one way how you ground yourself. Otherwise, anybody can tell you anything and you will fly here or there. So that should not be. So that’s why learning is important. And learning alone is incapable of delivering. So therefore, thinking, analyzing, use your intelligence. Think, analyze. You will know yourself – this is right, this is wrong. You can see it clearly and that’s what you need it. You are not dependent on somebody else. You know, “ni sum trot u nam tam su rai chi….” (Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan) [1:04:28.1 to 1:04:31.2] If you depend on the people’s message and normally the Brahmin’s, Indian tradition. I’m going to share that story with you, I’m not going to read anymore beyond that. So I’m going to share that story.

In the Brahmin tradition, the Brahmins will never take dog round??? “Tam shi Chik Ti???” ( didn’t get the word after TAKE. Rimpoche said a phrase in Tibetan in “ “) [1:04:53.9 to 1:04:55.8] Brahmin’s may take goat round. So so somebody, some 3 or 4 people, some kids they say “We must steal the goat of these Brahmin. Now he’s not gonna let the goat go. How do we” So how do we do? So he said: “let us divide to 3 different group and let us talk”. So the Brahmin came by with the goat. So this group said “what a funny Brahmin, taking a dog.” So they just talk among themselves. Funny Bahmin going here taking dove for them. So the Brahmin thought “what stupid people who couldn’t even people out what is, duck, couldn’t make different between dog and the goat. My goat they think its dog.” He goes away little farther where other group of people said “what a funny Brahmin. He’s taking dog. How can it be possible?” He look again, he look at his goat and says “this is goat. What they talking about it?” anyway, they even bump to the 3rd group and said “Funny Brahmin taking dog.” He look and said “My God, its dog, get away from me!” *Audience laughs* “Get away from me!” They got a goat and a nice meal. (please recheck this whole paragraph. Unsure if it will be confusing for the reader) [1:04:55.8 to 1:06:33.9]

So when you don’t have principle, when somebody tells you even the goat can become a dog. The Brahmin’s goat can become a dog. That’s the level of our mind. So we do have to use out intelligence. Intelligence over here is human right we have here and we have to use that. If you cannot use it, that’s the. I think I couldn’t cover much, this much. I’m going to stop here today and tomorrow I’m going to skip first 2 stances and going to go on the third level. There’s the 3rd level – there’s no way the boast stabilized mind??? (please recheck this ) [1:07:26.4 to 1:07:28.2] On that level I’m going to go. So if you want to read any commentaries, if you have time, read that level. And then before I stop here, I’d like to invite Allen up here and share couple of your thoughts or point. Couple of thoughts or whatever you can do will be very happy to……[1:08:02.3]