Archive Result

Soundfile 19990322GRCAWT4

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location A school, perhaps in San Francisco? Rimpoche mentions Powell Street

Topic White Tara Longevity Practice

Transcriber Mike Wong

Date 2021-Dec-11

0:00:00

Audience: ...at the same time as the sound, do you think of the meaning behind the sound? Or do you just focus on the sound? Rimpoche: OK, this is a good question. That’s what I tried to address earlier. What I’m trying to say is that you can focus on sound, that’s fine. The sound level should be sound that you hear, but others don’t hear. That should be the level of the sound, to there. You know, people chant Tara, “Om Tare Tuttare,” we always chant “Om Tare Tuttarre Ture Soha,” we chant that very much. All the time. That is very loud. But what you’re really focusing on is the sound that you hear, the others don’t hear. That level of the sound you focus. That’s not the only about it. You can do that. But what I’m trying to give you earlier, is try to say the mantra together, visualize the light going, collecting energy, all of them. And I’m trying to make them do together. Are you with me? You understand. So do together, the visualization and, not only the visualization of light going, but the visualization of Tara here, light going, collecting, getting yourself, all of them together, together doing is the very important point. So so far in this country, what really had been doing mostly, many people, when you say “meditate,” you have to give up everything else and just think about it. When you say mantra, you don’t think anything else just keep on saying the mantras. That doesn’t work that way. Works together. Meditating, saying mantra, goes together. Are you with me now? That’s important to remember. Somehow when it’s introduced in this country, somehow the meditation comes alone, or by itself. Mantra comes all by itself, so the people think when you say mantras you don’t meditate. When you meditate, you don’t say mantra. It’s not.

0:02:08.2

The Tibetan tradition particularly, everything what you supposed to think is write them down. They’re writing a lot. That’s why you have a lot of those prayers. The prayers is not just reading it. Whatever you’re reading it, the meaning of the message behind that, going through a process of the thought. So your mind, your consciousness, is almost becoming that. So you know like that is the main thing. And that makes a big difference. Otherwise, it doesn’t make much dent on our negativity. That’s the important point. So I’m glad you raised that question.

0:02:56.0

Audience: Did you say that if you’re not good at visualizing, when you do the mantra, can you focus on the feeling? I think you said that. Rimpoche: You need the feeling, you need the feeling and the sound, all of that. There are people who have difficulty to visualize. To have have difficult to have the color, and for them, you have to feel that way. The feeling of it. Feeling of Tara being there. Feeling and the mantra, and feeling, your mind must work. The sound alone cannot do. The mind must work. Mind work according to that, so even you cannot visually draw anything, but the feeling should substitute, step in, like that. You know, that’s what one should do. OK? Good.

0:03:47.0

So I’m not going to tell you very detailed about the thing, but AH-OH-EM together. Which represents the body, mind, and speech of subject and object both. OK? Body, mind, speech of Tara here, as well as me the individual, that means each and every one of us. Me the individual’s body, mind, and speech. What we are thinking is we are addressing our body, our mind, and our speech. Along with Tara’s body, Tara’s mind, and Tara’s speech. OK? That’s why letter OM. Combination of three letters, is the union of the body, mind, and speech of Tara, of ourself. OK? Now you go “Om Tare Tuttare Ture,” right? “Tare Tuttare Ture.” So it’s very simple, [0:04:52.1 Tibetan]. You know, the word Tara in Tibetan, they call it Drolma. Drolma. Actually it comes, Drolma Drolma Shindu Drolma. Tare Tuttare Ture. So the “liberating, liberating, quickly liberating.” OK? That’s what it is. Tare Tuttare Ture.

0:05:27.1

The first Tare is liberating from samsara. You know what samsara is? Circle of life. Continuation of the life. It is you know, death after rebirth, after death, it is the continuation of that. Actually it is very difficult to talk to you the samsara actually. You know, really, people say samsara, this is samsara that, samsara, people say that. But really truly, what it’s talking about, the continuation of the contaminated life itself is samsara. Really. Continuation of the contaminated life. That is samsara. It’s not in the physical outside. It is the continuation within ourself. That is the true samsara. And cutting of that is discontinuing the contaminated functioning life. That is called liberation. Discontinued contaminated functioning, together.

0:07:03.0

Even the life after life business, really truly, if you look at this reincarnate life after life business, it is the changing of identity. The physical look happens to be this time, it happens to have this type of face, this type of nose, this type of eyes, this physical shape, what we talk as identity. And next identity can look different. So the changing of this particular identity is actually changing of life. And then when you talk about reincarnation, death and all of those, the death is really a discontinuing the same identity, and disconnecting some dealings. The dealings what we have, the life what we’re used to it. We’re sort of living in that. It’s discontinuing that, picking up new identity, and functioning a new way there. It’s the change of life, truly. And when you don’t live, when you don’t think about reincarnation, what happens is death comes and you disappear. No more, nothing. Gone, with the wind or something. Whatever it is, wherever it’s gone. Gone business comes, right? So when you think about the incarnation, you don’t disappear. It’s not like the wax of the candle finished, so therefore candle light gone, because the wax is gone. It’s not. It happens, according to the Theravadan tradition, it happens when you reach to nirvana. [0:08:55.2 Tibetan] So according to the Theravadan Three Pepakas (?), they say you may become a liberated nirvana within this body, but still you have a little left over. You know in Theravadan tradition, they talk you like four different levels? Right? Stream, uh, one returning, no returning, and what is it? The one who had completely overpowered the enemy, is free of enemy, that’s a level. So that also the streamline, you talk eight different levels, so the seeing level you talk three different levels. And no return level, you talk nine different levels, and ultimately you have that no more learning or nirvana level, which also divided in two, and saying that with leftover and without leftover. With leftover means the body, physical body whatever you have, because it was thrown out of the samsara part, first noble truth, so that’s still there. So when you die out of that, then they say wax is gone, the candle light disappears.

0:10:19.6

But Mahayana Buddhism doesn’t buy that. Or I don’t know, buy or not buy, it’s different issue. The views are different. Mahayana Buddhism will say yeah, wax goes off, candle disappears, but the mind continues, and so therefore you go to the Buddha level. So that’s how the you know, the difference between Mahayana and—since this is school, I’m just talking a little bit—between the Mahayana and the Hina-, sorry, Theravadan level, this is terrible. You know, bad habit of mouth. Thervadan level is the ultimate yana. Mahayana will say ultimate one yana, Theravadan level will say ultimate three yanas, Shravakayanayana (?), Pratyekayana (?), and Buddhayana, so three different levels. So that doesn’t matter, whichever the nirvana of three different yanas you get it, you get it into nirvana. That is the difference between Theravadan view, and Mahayana view. Mahayana will say ultimate, everybody will become Buddha one day. The Theravadans will say, our job is to become arhat, arhat is the ultimate level, that’s what it is. So, that’s the difference. I’m not saying one is good, I’m not saying one is not good, these are the two points.

0:11:56.0

The Mahayana viewpoint of view, why did I talk that? I’m talking Tare Tuttare Ture Soha, from there. So Tare is the samsara. As long as you’re in the samsara, you are not liberated. You are not in nirvana, you are in samsara. The samsara/nirvana. Nirvana is peace, samsara is suffering. That’s how in principle it works. Even one of those Buddhist logos, or Buddhist seals, we say Nirvana is Peace. [0:12:34.8 Tibetan] Every created things are impermanent. Every contaminated things are suffering. Every phenomenon is empty in nature. Nirvana is peace. These are the four Buddhist seals, they call it. Right? Buddhist seals. So anyway, and so samsara, as long as you’re in samsara, you’re not in peace. You’re suffering. So Tare means liberate from samsara, which in other words, Tare Tuttare Ture. This four words were telling you four noble truths. The first noble truth, truth of suffering, both samsara suffering and lower realms suffering, and general samsara suffering, so the Tara who liberates from all the sufferings. So Tare.

0:12:34.8

Tuttare. [Tibetan] Tuttare, they say protects from the eight fears. Talk about eight fears. Bottom line, eight fears will come to eight different types of negative emotions. Though they talk like, you know, [0:14:05.2 Tibetan] ignorance like that of elephant, pride like that of lion, and there are those eight things there. But bottom line goes down to all eight different negative emotions, which are the causes of suffering. When you have the four noble truths, truth of suffering and truth of cause of suffering. Second, cause of suffering you say karmic cause and delusional cause (or emotional cause). So it is the bottom line is negative emotions are the more important cause than even that of karmic cause. It is you know, karma is the front portion. The real back-side culprit is the negative emotions. So Tuttare, freeing from the eight fears, really talking about it, freeing from the cause of suffering. So that’s why freeing from suffering, freeing from the cause of suffering. That’s our, the noble truths, four of them, divided into two categories: positive side and negative side. So the negative side is the suffering and the cause of suffering, so Tare Tuttare, so freeing from that.

0:15:29.5

And now, Ture. That also emphasize more out of all the sufferings, particularly illnesses. [Tibetan] That is, I bow to Buddha, uh the Buddha the Tara, Buddha Tara. That’s what it is. The verse what I’m saying, but. The really Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha, in that you really talking about the four noble truths. Truth of suffering, truth of cause of suffering, path, and cessation, all four you’re talking about it. What is the path? They will talk to you lot of paths. They tell you eight-fold path. Four noble truth. But really, the true, the bottom line path is from this level of ordinary being who has tremendous amount of negative emotions. From that level, how do I get free of all this, to the level of the Buddha? The whole passage. What are your involved? What steps do you involved? How do you think? How do you meditate? What will be your obstacles? How do you take care of all these obstacles? What to do, is the path. They can talk to you the five path, they can talk to you the eight-fold path, four noble truths, blah blah blah it doesn’t matter. This is the way, the true, really the bottom line again. The bottom line thing is how do I change myself, from this level to the buddha level? What steps do I involve? How do I do it? What should I do first? What should I do second? What should I do third? How do I know I’m on the second level? How do I know I am on the first level? How do I know I have done the first? How do I know I’m on the second? How do I know I’m doing right or wrong on the second level? All of those are the path.

0:17:40.3

And the most important path is boil down to two. The path of wisdom, and path of compassion. These are the two most important things. All are branches. The bottom line boil down to path of compassion, and path of wisdom. OK? The wisdom without compassion do no good. Compassion without wisdom, is stupid. Will do no good. All right? That’s what it is. So, [Tibetan]. They always, they talk, it’s the essence of the wisdom should be compassion. The essence of compassion should have wisdom. Without which, we cannot function rightly. They give you the example of the bird, [Tibetan]. When you look at those big birds, they will fly and cut across over the ocean. When they fly, they need two wings. And with two wings, they can have that, what you call that? The movement and it sort of goes like that and then they swing for a little while. So you need both of them. If you have to keep on swinging all the time, and you’re going to be too tired, you cannot cross even half a lake. Lake Michigan. You cannot cross half of Lake Michigan, so how can you cross the ocean of samsara? So you need that sort of swing level. So that means smooth functioning, you have to have both of them.

0:19:43.8

And number one you need both wings, otherwise you’ll be circling. Even you can fly, but you’ll be going around like that rather than cutting it straight. So that’s why wisdom and compassion is the real path. OK? The wisdom, in essence, compassionate. The compassion in essence giving wisdom. Otherwise: very witty, not compassionate... or very stupid compassionate one. So both will get you nowhere. So the really true path is that. Then also you can say, the three path are the... Truly speaking they are called three yanas, you know? Actually traditional buddhist three yana really means, shamakayana, parchikayana, and mahayana. These are the three yanas. The vajrayana is the path of mahayana. Mahayana is divided into two. Non-vajrayana, and vajrayana. But in this country, and every book you read in English, more or less, when they talk about the three yanas, they talk about theravadan yana, mahayana, vajrayana. From the individual development point of view, that is true. But from the theoretical/philosophical point of view, that’s not true.The truth really is, porchikayana, shabakayana, and mahayana. That’s how it used to work. And nowadays it is the mahayana, vajrayana, and theravadayana [mumble] I don’t know. From the development point of view, it’s true. It’s not that it doesn’t have a source. It does have a source. But still, it’s not officially counted that way.

0:21:54.1

Anyways. Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. The word soha really means, remember? Earlier I said Om. You had body, mind, and speech of Tara, of myself. Now the soha is lay a foundation. The foundation of perfect body that Tara has. The foundation of perfect speech that Tara has. The foundation of perfect mind that Tara has. That seed must lay in my body, in my mind, in my speech. So soha really means lay the foundation. Foundation to be able to develop to that level. OK? So Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. So when you say this Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha, when you think about it, you have the total benefit of meditating on four noble truths.

0:23:04.9

There are a few people who think mantra is mystery. Mystical. Nothing to explain, just have to say it. And wear it. Some kind of strange mala. If possible, get a bone mala. Carved with human face and all that type. And wear it. And make it look different. I have a big problem with it. Really big problem. Number one problem, why you want to make someone look like a stranger? And your own family will not be able to understand you and communicate with you. Why you want to do something strange? Right? I have no objection against mala. I have no objection against dress. But I do have objection when people not knowing anything what they’re doing, and wear a strange mala, and try to look like strange, act you are some kind of superior tantric yen police guy or something you know? And you don’t lie, I don’t know why people want to do that. You know, that combination of that, makes me very uncomfortable.

0:24:29.4

You know what? Traditional Tibetan buddhist teachers used to tell us, if you have good development, and you will be more humble. Or you’ll be more, what you call that, more human, more humble. If you know little bit about something, you don’t know much about it, and then your pride will go up instead. And you know the example they used to give? When you’re looking in the barley field, and the barley’s growing in autumn in Tibet, the stem, the stalk, which has the most barley, carrying most barley, doesn’t stand up, it always bows down. You know? Because it’s heavy, it comes down, right? And one that doesn’t have much, it always stands up in the middle of everybody, so you know it is empty in there. So this is the traditional teachers’ example of telling us, if you are doing like that, you know, you have problem. [0:26:05.1] They also tell you, if you are looking in the valley, and when the winter is getting over, and the spring is coming, and where it’s going to get green first. Is it going to be on the peak of the mountain? Or down in the valley? That is another example they give. Another example they give you is, when you have the quality, the water, the quality of the human quality or spiritual quality like water, when you have that, if you are like this, is the water going to remain over here, or remain under here? These are the traditional teachers used to give a lecture to us, when I was a kid in the monastery. And these are the examples they give you, these are the lectures they give you. So they’re very useful. It’s easy to remember. And it is very helpful when you recall that, seeing whether you’re doing that or not, that way you can correct yourself. Rather than somebody else will tell you, “Hey. You are very proud. You’re this, you’re that.” That is one.

0:27:38.9

They’re talking to you that, and I was a little intimidated last night, to say... You know, somebody else asked, I don’t think the person is here today, but, somebody else asked yesterday. And when the detachment comes up, and how do I do with my compassion, right? Detachment and compassion, how does that work together? So the detachment is, there’s an example here. Detachment is when you forcefully cut attachment, when you make yourself detached, that is called detachment, right? Am I right? In a way it is, but may not exactly, but I think more or less, many individuals face the problem, because when you have a strong attachment to something... Might be easier to talk, when the person is not here, but, I want to hesitate a bit with the [indistinct] but, I don’t mean anything against anybody, but we face that problem. And when we are in love with something, and somehow something’s not right, we have to forcefully cut it, the love. Then you have very difficult how to handle that. So you cannot let it go, and you really wanted to find any excuse to hold that in, you know? To hold that in. Any excuse to hold that in. Not letting it go, to keep it moving together. So you use anything, you use compassion, you use all of those type of things, you know? Even though the other side people: “Cut it out completely!” But still you cannot let it go, you know? They used to give you very interesting example in the, those Tibetan teachers. You know during end of autumn, at the fall, during the fall, right? So all the grasses, green grass are gone. You know, it’s in Tibet. It’s all gone grey and dry, right? It’s all gone. It’s not there. There’s no more green grass. It’s cold, and soon it’s going to be winter. It’s set up frozen, and all this, right? Yet, a little rabbit could not let it go, and running around smelling everywhere, hope of finding another little piece of green grass. Goes on digging everywhere, do that. They give you that as example of not letting it go. So it’s just the green pasture is completely gone grey and dry. The rabbit still hasn’t given up hope yet, digging around, that is the example. So this interesting examples sometimes are very helpful when you dealing with the difficulties in life.

0:31:02.2

What else? Any questions you have? Yes.

[Audience, inaudible] I don’t know what muru this red Tara, muru might have slipped out of my mouth, you know? And all these colors will come together, sort of you know. And so, red is actually power, that’s what I said. White is purification, but we’re using the white Tara today, for the healing and all this. It is healing also actually clearing the obstacles and then healing, so that’s why we have earlier focus on the blessing in general because of that, you know? Because of that. OK, what?

[Audience, inaudible] Oh yeah, I haven’t talked that, Yeah I will talk, can you remind me a little later? I let go uh you please call it.

[Audience, inaudible] The clinging attachment. It’s not pure love, clinging attachment. That’s right. The real love is not sticky stuff. Yes?

[Audience, inaudible] Oh I will come to that, when we go to close. Yeah. Yes?

0:33:00.5

[Audience, inaudible] Black Tara is, Tara is mostly gentle and all of those, and in the buddhism principle, love and compassion is very much principle. However, you know not only love and compassion is all in principle, but the lady over here is mentioning like lozong. And the level of lozong, you’re almost training yourself giving respect to everybody. Everybody as, looking them as something very important, more important than yourself. You yourself as looking a little more humble than anybody else. That was sort of important point we do. I think I mentioned day before yesterday here. It is interesting, his holiness the Dalai Lama. And when you go and see Dalai Lama, a private audience, I’m not talking about in public. In public too, but, in private audience. No matter whoever that person may be, whether it is big shot important guy, or it is you know somebody very simple, hippy or something, whoever it might be, you know, whoever it might be. His principle, he will almost come to the door, and receive the individual, you know, not only he will shake hand or hold from the hand, or you know or he’ll give hug, or whatever he does, depends on the atmosphere of the time. So he bring that person in will all great respect, make the person sit down, and then he’ll talk, and he’ll listen, and finally when the person is leaving, he will walk you up to the door. So no matter whoever that person might be. And there was an old private secretary of his holiness. The personal private secretary. Very nice old gentleman monk. And so, one day he told his holiness, and saying, “Your holiness, it’s great that you’re doing that. However don’t you think you have to do that to everybody? I mean some important people you may do that, but most of them, you really don’t have to get up and do all this and go up to the door and receiving it and then seeing them off. Up to that level, do you really have to do that for everybody else?” Actually, every Tom, Dick, and Harry, whoever comes there, he does that. So he said, “You don’t have to do that, do you your holiness?” And he also thought it is also not really a good fit for the dignity of his holiness too, as an important person. So when he talked that his holiness, his holiness told him, “You don’t get it, do you? You don’t get it.” So he said, “Get what?” He said, “In this lozong, treat yourself lower than everybody else, give respect to everybody else. So you don’t get it then, do you?” So he has nothing to say. So he said, “OK your holiness, you’re right. Do whatever you want to do.” So why did I raise this? What question? OK. Yet. That’s right, you do that. Yet you don’t submit yourself as a doormat to anybody else. You give a total respect but you be firm and strong for your principle. You don’t shirk. You’re strong. Give respect to everybody. Listen everybody’s advice. Decide what you want to do by your—these are the buddhist advice. Teach you how to be mean. Really true, that’s what you do. So yet, whenever you confirm your principle, you give respect to everybody, keep your principle, don’t let them run you. Don’t let them make you a doormat. Firm and strength. And even you cannot manage with firm and strength, some places where you may have to be little bit of wrathfulness. You may have to be there. So that’s why the black Tara comes in the picture. The white, the yellow, the red, they’re beautiful, wonderful, soft, gentle, you can almost bully them. But then comes black! OOoooo... You have to hold back. K, that’s what it is. Dark, blue, black, all of those color goes all in the same category anyway.

0:38:23.7

Yes. Any more questions, anybody? On anything. On refuge, on four noble truth, on Tara... Hi.

[Audience, inaudible] Om Ah Hung is a usual very famous vajrayana mantra. Almost everybody says that, Om I explained to you earlier. AH-OH-EM combination of three letter, but on the crown of white Tara, white Om represents the body of all enlightened beings. In other words, Tara is the symbol, symbolic of all enlightened beings. Their body, she carries within her, that’s why letter Om. Tara carries the, Tara is symbolic of all speech of all enlightened beings, that’s why she carries letter Ah. You know, [Tibetan] Anyways, Ah is the most important sound. If there is no Ah, you cannot produce any sound. It is the life of any sound. It’s the life of mantra, life of sound, right? If there is no Ah, you cannot say anything. You cannot say Ah. If there is no Ah you cannot say Oh. You cannot say uuuu. So it’s no vowels, no life. So it is very important. [Tibetan 0:40:13.9] Ah.

0:40:18.2

Hum is union. Union between wisdom and compassion. Union between body and mind. Union between the relative and absolute. Union between male and female. It’s all the union. Hum or Hung represents, you know it depends Hung how you say it. But it’s representing the union. Body/mind union. Relative/absolute union. Two truths union. Four noble truths, two truths. Two truths union. All this. Male/female union, all of those are the Hum represents that. So oneness. [Audience, inaudible] Hmmm, yeah. And also the mind of the Buddha, you’re right. Body, speech, and mind. It is the mind of the Buddha, it is not a separated one. It is the union. Oneness one. And that’s what Hum represents.

0:41:42.0

OK? [Audience: You mentioned that air, emerald green represents circulation] Rimpoche: Movement. The movement will make the circulation functioning in our body. [Audience: What does fire represent in our body?] Rimpoche: Heat, digestive power, all of those. [Audience: And water?] Rimpoche: The fluid in the body. [Audience: Earth.] Rimpoche: Bones and flesh and so and forth. You’re welcome.

0:42:22.7

Looks like I’m almost exhausting what I’m going to say. And if I start something else, then it won’t be...

Actually, this is not a thing. There is much more in that White Tara practice. There are so many different things. I just shared with you only one aspects of the healing today. There is so many different way of different healings. One thing I would like to share with you, is one very important in the tradition. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and all of those: We really do not cook up anything. You really, everything, whatever we share or do things, it has a traditionally it coming from unbroken lineage. It is somehow shared by Tara herself in one level or another. So we simply following its footstep and we do that. And one thing that we do very strongly object, from the tradition itself, is some good idea somewhere, picked it up from here, picked it up from there, and put them together, make in some kind of interesting thing. Which is very doubtful to be helpful or not to be helpful, it’s very doubtful. So that is a, that very strongly we cautious that, and we do.

0:44:06.4

And I begin to realize that because I have a friend who does a lot of those what you call it Kabbalah work, Kabbalah tradition. And he build up new temple in Ann Arbor, where he was living. Build up new temple, and the opening of the temple he invited me to be there, and [unintelligible, 0:44:36.4] very nice person. And then he had that ritual, he newly composed a ritual. And then in this ritual you have, you know, that archangel, right? Archangel of Raphael comes from here, and Archangel somebody else comes from there, and Archangel somebody comes from there. I happen to be one of the archangel bringing wisdom from Tibet, with a pot of water you know? A jar of water, it’s a beautiful jar, not the usual jar, but it has a very beautiful base, you know, and all colors, and all decorated, and wanted me to wear robes. And so I couldn’t get it. And then you know finally when we’re going through, there’s not so many people, but when we’re going through that he had that newly composed ritual, so then I have a name Archangel Somebody from North, which is supposed to be from Tibet, bringing wisdom in the jar, and pouring in there. And they have something to say, and all that type of thing, which made me think, and I did exactly what he wanted to do but... I’m not there to create trouble, but that made me think. And if you keep on doing that, some idea of this, some idea of that, and try to put up that, and compose new ritual... People do that, very often. And a new ritual. And I’m not very sure how it’s working with it, individual. How it’s affecting.

0:46:08.5

As far as we know, the Tara things really help. Really help. This is a personal experience I have. And not only I’m not talking about lineage. The personal experience it helps healing. It works very well. And also it protects, Tara protects tremendously. It protects from bad dreams. It protects from accidents. She been sharing with me, just before the session, she’s been sharing with me. And all this. It really helps tremendously. And then when you try to compose something new, which I hope it works. You know, I don’t mean don’t do it. I really hope it helps. It works and it’s helpful. Because if it doesn’t work, don’t do it. Because not only you’re doing something funny, but you are letting other people down. So that’s what I wanted to raise that. And say it is important. Otherwise, you know, we are very intelligent people today. And we can read all kind of things everywhere, and we can bring them together and make a beautiful ceremony, right? And we can bring any kind of music in there, we can bring any kind of dance in there. And if it’s some sort of mental physical exercise, it’s fine. But if you really wanted to get that something through spiritually, or protecting from some problems, or healing or something, then you better make sure it works before you do anything. Because this type of thing is a tradition, and the tradition strong objections there. I would like to share that with you, so that you know, people know what they’re doing. And that is important. That’s important, because there’s no place to fall back.

0:48:16.4

All this, whatever we’ve been sharing, it has a place to fall back. The whole lineage, it goes up to Tara, unbroken lineage. Goes up to Buddha, it is unbroken lineage. And it worked for thousand years. And there is no reason why it doesn’t work. The spiritual way and how it works is very much like a scientific. If you do the exactly right thing, no matter whoever is the person doing it, wherever you’re doing it, it doesn’t matter. When you do it the right way, exactly same way, and you get the same result. If not, something is wrong. That’s how we check. That is how we check. And we don’t go into the “Well, it is working somewhere behind, somewhere where I have not seen it, you know. It’s up there going on, hopefully by the time that I get there, it will be there.” And that’s not reliable. That’s not reliable for spiritual practice. Because we put too much time, too much energy in there. Time that we don’t have, we spent. The energy which we don’t have, we spent for this, with the hope we get something great, right? So that is important thing.

0:49:39.2

That’s why I say, don’t do anything which you don’t know what you’re doing. The all these things are behind the point of mind that’s what I wanted to share. And a little thing that I shared with you today, it is a simple little thing of Tara. There are a number of other, quite number of others, are there. Certain forms of Tara you can only share with people who have initiations. And certain point you can share with people who doesn’t have initiation, but I just shared with you this elemental healing business, and I may like to give you a little bit about the protection here. There is also very strong protection from the Tara you can do. And I don’t know whether I can do with meditation. Maybe, I’ll be able to do. If not I’ll just talk to you, and then you can meditate. Like for example, what I’m going to share with you is called “Six Light Shield.”

0:50:55.6

Six Light Shield is very special with White Tara. You don’t do that even with Green Tara. Even though it is Tara same, you don’t do that. So this sort of thing you have to be emphasized. That’s what I mean don’t bring them up and get them together. So this Six Light Shield you work with White Tara, you don’t do that with Green Tara, even though same Tara. So that’s why it is important, the traditions, lineages, a living tradition, functioning, working, and these are important points to do. OK? So maybe I talk too much. So let’s do the protection.

0:51:48.6

Again, going back to the same beautiful space-like place where Tara right in front of you. We’re not going to say the mantras, OK? But normally you can do the mantra. Light goes out, comes out from the Tara’s heart level. Oh! Sorry, before that, I forgot to the other people. The healing. So sorry about that. Sorry, sorry, excuse me.

0:52:26.7

Healing of other people, whether it’s your family member, or anybody who asks you to help. Or you want contribute to do that. There are number of categories, number of ways of doing it. Now for example, in this case, I think it will make it better/easier. In this case, the person whoever you wanted to be helped is sitting in front of you, along with Tara sitting there. You know, you have all sentient beings there, but, specifically that particular person, with the name, with the face, sitting right in front of your knee. Right by your knees. Right in front of you. That’s in other words, just sitting very close. And then you receiving the blessings, and light, and energy from Tara. Two ways of doing it: I think the first thing, when we do the general thing, so first thing along with you, that person (or persons) receiving the same thing just like you’re receiving. The blessings, the yellow light for earth element, white for water, red for power, I’m sorry, fire, and green for air, and all of those, and receiving together with you, and just by the touch of the light from the Tara’s body and Tara’s thing, just the touch of that purify all the negativities. Not only negativity in the sense of non-virtuous, but even the illnesses, disease, and all of those. Completely washed away just by the touch of the light, and touch by the nectar. It’s sort of really wash them away, clean them away, purify them. Or, the nectar comes, touch from the crown, wash every part of their body, push them away, down from the lower gateways, from the lower doors. And wash away completely away from their body. Their body is separated from that of illnesses, and that of all difficulties, whatever they have. And they become pure. You have to think it has become pure for a short period. If you don’t think that way, it never works. It become pure. And all of those, you can do one way.

0:55:33.7

Another way, is you get all of them. You become perfect. You generate light from your body, touch that person, purify, do exactly. But it’s better to do along with everybody because it’s directly from Tara rather than through you. So that is exactly how you do to your members of the family, or your close person. And you don’t really want too many of them, with too many names and too many faces there. Also it may be distracting. So how you manage, it depends on the individual. So that’s exactly what you do. OK? That’s that part of it.

0:56:25.2

Now let’s go back to the shield thing. Light comes from the body of the Tara, a white light. You can say Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha with that, if you want to. But you don’t have to. When you’re alone, it’s better meditating. And that beautiful indestructible light, transparent light, goes around you completely. It’s like you are put in some kind of eggshell type of thing. Completely around you. Round you. That white light, it is a pacifying light. It is purifying light. It purifies all undesirable things within you. And who else you be purified. If you want it to work for somebody else, through that light you can do it. Yet, right now, it’s a sort of a shield beyond your body, completely sealed. Light continuously coming the Tara’s heart. Yet it begins to pick up slightly orange type of light now. And that changes into more yellow, and it becomes golden orange light, representing for prosperity. And that light sets a shield outside the white light. Let’s say 6 foot apart. It’s completely another golden-yellow shield.

0:58:57.6

OK? In between these two shields, you have 6 foot around, completely, everywhere. And they’re kind of a floating nectar, going around. Sometimes you see during the Christmas, you know, you have that little ball with the light and stars going around, you can turn them around, and the bubbles and all. Huh? [Audience: Snow] Yeah, the snow effect and that type of thing. Just like that. The liquid floating. It’s almost like another lake or ocean or something. Liquid floating in between the two shields. Within those liquid, there are also the lotus floating. There are lot of lotus floating. Flowers. Actually somebody asked me, what is the Tara’s flower? I said it is the Utpala flower. It’s not really a lotus, it is utpala flower, that is a special flower grows over 11,000 feet high, among the rocky areas they grow. So it’s a very special flower. So it’s called utpala flower, not really lotus. Utpala flower. So flower floating around.

1:00:31.4

When you look at them, it’s a flower. It is wonderful. And when you are compassionate person, and love and compassion oriented person, if you touch this, it is a flower, it serves as a flower, it is great, it is a beautiful flower. Yet, if you have some problems, if you’re a mean person, do something, you wanted to harm somebody who wanted to harm you, and all this, these flowers are not really flower, they are weapons. Like the ninja people, they have things to throw. That type of thing is floating there. When you look back to the Tara, still the golden light coming, yet this golden light is now picking much more red color. Red. That is power.

1:01:50.8

That red light goes outside the yellow light, another six foot away. And builds up a red shield. Everything same as before. Then you’re looking at Tara’s heart level, and still the red light is coming, but they begin to pick up a dark blue color. And almost like smoky color. Smoke color. Picks up the fourth shield. So those we have covered: peaceful, prosperity, power, and wrathful. Yet we still need a multiple activities. Multi-activity is anything which really doesn’t mention in there, like such... Multi-activity is not miscellaneous. It is very important. Sometimes the ultimate achievement of the buddhahood etc. falls in that level, in that category. So multiple activity cannot be looked down as miscellaneous activities. [1:04:07.9 Are you trying to tell me something? OK.] So that green light, green light coming from the Tara’s heart, and building a green shield completely.

1:04:34.8

OK when you look at the green shield, when you look from the green shield directly the other side, and you find six foot away you find that wrathful shield. Whether it’s blue or smoky, whatever it is. You see that. You move yourself on that, and you begin to see the red shield. And when you are on the red shield, when you look back you see the blue, when you look this way, you see the yellow one. And you go over the yellow, look back you see the red, look there you see the white. Goes back from the white to the yellow, looks back, you see the white, you are on the yellow, you see the red. Move on the red shield. Look back, you see the yellow shield, you’re on the red, you see blue or smoky shield, the wrathful shield. You move over there, and you look back, you see the power shield, the red shield. You look that way, you are on the wrathful shield, you look that way, you have a multiple shield there. Multi-activity shield. You move once again to the multi-activity shield, oh, I did not do the sixth one, there you go. I don’t have anything to look there. So, that’s right.

1:06:13.7

And at the end of the sixth, the seventh shield is really a mustard, dark maroon mustard colored, it’s almost like the chairs over there, that color. Maroon mustard. Little bit more maroonish than that. Sort of, uh, you know what the traditional Tibetans, they used to say liver color. It must be the color of the liver, however it looks, you know. Liver color. So that liver color light comes out and put the liver-colored shield. This is the sort of toning down, it’s not bright emerald green, not that bright blue, not that red, not that yellow, not that white, sort of toning down, it’s sort of rusty, liver, mustard, maroonish, it’s a rustic color, it tones down, and you can flow it around without drawing much attention of anybody else, sort of you know, you can get that way. So that is the sixth shield, and when you’re on this, multi-activity green shield, when you look that side, you see this rusty-colored shield, this side you see the wrathful. So then you go inside, from the wrathful, from the rusty shield, into the multiple green shield, to the blue shield, to the red, to the yellow, to the white, and inside yourself alone with Tara and all of those. You can go back and forth and meditate, and it’s a nice little place to roam around, and see, have some nice beautiful views, things like that.

1:08:31.9

OK, so I’m almost drawing to the conclusion now. Now we have to say this praise to Tara, together. Oh yeah. We should say Om Tare Tuttare Ture 100 times, and then we read the prayers, and we just read it to the end. Then I will explain a little at the end of that. So, Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha... [recites and whispers mantra]

1:10:55.4

This vajrayana practice system is so interesting. We can generate all of them, and finally we dissolve too. We collect them back, dissolve to generate. So naturally, the rusty colored shield will dissolve to the green shield. And the green shield will dissolve to the blue or smoky shield. That dissolves to the power shield, that’s the red shield. That dissolves to the yellow shield, that is prosperity shield. That dissolves to the white shield, that dissolves to yourself, and Tara too. Tara also dissolves, from the upper part of the body down, and the lower part of the, even the lotus cushion to the moon disk, moon disk to Tara also dissolves upper and lower dissolve in the light form. And that light also dissolves to yourself, and you have obtained the blessing and become oneness with Tara.

1:12:13.4

OK? So now we can say this praise: Om I and all... [recites and whispers, audience recites] OK, so now what I did not explain. This praise to the Tara, or homage to the Tara is written... I don’t know who wrote it, but very long time ago, thousands of years ago. It’s sort of floating through the Buddha onwards, and it’s floating around there. This is called root mantra praise. Root mantra praise. So that’s that. Now, the if forseeing sign of premature death, in case if we think... One thing different between spiritually oriented people, and pure yuppies, the slightly different point is the spiritually-oriented people always observe certain signs, sudden signs, if you know, they are, you may or may not be able to see it, but in case if your life has some obstacles, there are signs, through dreams, through people tell you, and all sorts of things happening, you feel it. There are certain obstacles. So in case if you see a certain obstacles of premature death, so I’m saying simply may I have a vision of Yishin Korlo, which is the White Tara. White Tara’s name is wish-fulfilling wheel or something. Yishin Korlo, wish-fulfilling wheel. And achieve the realization of deathlessness. That is, it is healing. And postpone death. Postpone indefinitely if possible. Otherwise, temporarily, and that’s what you are simply praying and saying in case if I have those signs or those problems, may I have that vision, and may I have that and this and that.

1:15:29.1

OK, so then this dedication at the end. That’s you can see. So you can take this with you, and if you want to practice, do this. By yourself. And you can definitely do it, and it’s very helpful, and very useful. A number of people do that, and Tara is extremely important and effective and helpful, particularly for protection. And this, [name?] she was sharing me an incident. And she’s carrying that stone which is going to curb Tara and saying Tara mantra. Her car went off. Right? You better tell. [Audience: I was driving down Highway 1, north of Point Reyes. And I was taking a White Tara quartz crystal to have set, for a friend who lives in New York who is very ill. I was taking it down to the jeweler. It was very foggy, and I was saying the Tara mantra, and kind of saying it for this person. And in the fog I drove off the road, down a 20-foot embankment, missed the telegraph pole, missed the giant tree, landed in a grove of small trees and didn’t go into the bank. Completely destroyed my car, and was totally unharmed. Didn’t get whiplash, nothing happened to me. So...] Rimpoche: And to tell you the truth, this is not the first time I’m hearing. Number of times it happens. But then don’t let Tara drive you. You drive yourself, OK? Thank you for sharing that, it’s very helpful. There are many, really countless incidents like that, because I keep on, not writing, not keeping it in mind, many people tells me the same thing. So it’s very helpful. So that’s that. And can you say what it is? Closed. [Laughs]

1:17:44.4

No, I mean truly I’m very happy to be here. To be able to spend day with you, and share a little bit about Tara, and in principle Buddha’s idea, Buddha’s way, Buddha’s experience of helping himself. Sharing with you. I think that’s very important. I’m very happy about it. And I believe the spiritual practice, and each and every one of those, is to try to help ourself, to try to help all other beings. It definitely does not depend on formal functioning. It definitely depends on the individual, and the individual mental state. How you going to set up your mind. Remember, what you try to get rid of it: the negative emotions, anger, hatred, jealousy, ignorance. What you try to gain is positive emotions, love, compassion, wisdom, generosity, morality, patience, enthusiasm, concentration, all of those you try to get. [1:19:11.6 phone ringing and associated comments] So anyway, so these are the things you want to get rid of it, these are the things you wanted to get in. So that’s what it is. So the bottom line really comes down to, again, bottom line really comes down to, the Buddha’s real message, bottom line is try to help yourself, and try to be helpful for the others. But when you say you try to be helpful for the others, you must also know where to draw the line, you know? Some people will say “Well I don’t want your help.” But then you’ll say “But it’s my job, I have to help you.” Like the Jehovah Witness comes in, you know? So you don’t go that type of thing, you must draw the line. So the bottom line really comes down to, try to help, whatever you can. And whenever, wherever you cannot help, you must know where to withdraw. And yet you have no right to harm. Be helpful, if not, don’t harm. This is Buddha’s message.

1:20:32.6

An truly, Buddhist practice can be very simple in that way. Just love/compassion as a principle in your life, whether you’re dealing with yourself, or dealing with your friend, or children, or parents, or anybody else. It’s as a principle in your life, and try to be helpful whatever you can, but you must know where you have to stop, withdraw. When they don’t want you, you cannot force. This. Is. Not. Help. It is becoming something else. Something else, you know? So, and when you cannot help, then what you can do is don’t harm them. And if you keep that as a principle, and I’m sure everything will be OK. And hopefully we’ll see you again soon somewhere. And that’s it. And I say thank you so much, and that’s thank you. Thank you. Can you roll that thanka down? Thank you.