Archive Result

20000831GRSROTF09

Soundfile 20000831GRSROTF01

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location SR

Topic Odyssey to Freedom

Transcriber Helen Breault

Date August 28, 2020

Good morning everybody. And I hope nobody’s bothered badly about the smell last night. Whatever it is, it came and gone. So that’s what it is.

Okay, so now before I go and start talking, I do have quite a tight schedule today. (Can you give a signal to Kathy too, please?) There’s a number of things to be done so it’s going to be a little tight schedule today. Immediately after this, that is 12:30, we have, those who have asked to meet privately with me, we’re going to put that immediately after that. Otherwise it’s quite a long time. We’ll probably think of using the Chief’s Lodge. (Talking to Kathy: You can use the Chief’s Lodge for the Chapters Coordinators meeting and I will meet the individuals in the Room 109 over here. And they’re going to be how many people? You can just read the names so they know and don’t have to go and search them.) (Kathy reads names.) And then immediately after that I will be saying sadhanas for the Vajrayogini because there’s the Vajrayogini fire puja today. The majority of the people will go and do in your own usual schedules. But those who have done the Vajrayogini retreat already, if they want to join in the fire puja, you have to find a time for yourself to say the sadhana during that period, or somewhere. And then after you finish your sadhana we’ll be starting the fire puja at 2:30. (Kathy [3:36] talks about details).

[3:44]

Those who are facilitators who have done the retreat, please facilitate rather than joining in fire puja. So that’s what it is. And I don’t want you people to join in with me for the sadhana because then we try to read in English. And then instead of hopefully taking forty-five minutes or one hour it’s going to take two hours. So I don’t want you to come around. So please don’t come. (laughs)

If you want to join for the fire puja you have to say your sadhana by yourself. Those of you who are joining should do the medium [sadhana].

And then, what is after the fire puja?

Kathy: After the fire puja, then it’s the teachings from 4:30 to 6:00. Dinner 6:00-8:00.

And then when are you going to fit that marriage?

Kathy: I was thinking tomorrow night after the teaching. John and Diane are getting married. (applause)

Okay let’s not touch tomorrow. I’m sorry I asked that question. But I’m glad anyway.

What else do we have today? There’s something more.

Kathy: Just that we’re doing the fire puja tomorrow morning for White Tara.

White Tara fire puja tomorrow morning 10:30-12:30. Why don’t we move that White Tara fire puja Sunday morning?

Kathy: Because you’re doing the White Tara initiation Sunday morning.

Okay, so...

[6:00]

We’ll worry about tomorrow’s schedule later. So today’s that much. I think it is…What’s going to happen to those five people who are meeting with me, you’re going to miss your lunch. Either you’re going to take it earlier and bring it with you or else you have someone else keep it with you. Whatever you do it’s fine. Just make some arrangement so that you don’t go hungry.

[7:00 Teaching begins]

Today we should reach the Bodhisattva level. We did not. Tomorrow I really hope we will reach to the Bodhisattva level at least; even by afternoon today, maybe.

Please look in your folder and there’s additional mantra for Avalokiteshvara. It is in the Tara book. There’s one page just put it in. The longer Tara… If you see it, that’s fine. That’s the one. And we’re going to recite that from tomorrow onwards. Because Avalokiteshvara being more or less, they call it the Buddha of Compassion. We’re hoping to touch the love and compassion part at least by tomorrow. We may be able to recite the Avalokiteshvara mantra about twenty-one times. We should do at least about eight, it should be good enough.

[8:33]

You do eight or seven? (Asks audience) Twenty-one maybe would take a long time. So, seven or eight, whatever. We may be able to do that. But love and compassion effects of the compassion Buddha may be effected for us. And simultaneously if you get time for the wisdom part we should be doing the Manjushri too. There is a longer Manjushri mantra but we have not made the preparation. Very similar to the Avalokiteshvara. So Manjushri long mantra. But we have not made the preparation, so hopefully we do later. And can do OM ARA PAT SA NA DHIH. And all this. That’s at the wisdom level if we get time to talk about wisdom.

[9:36]

So don’t want to repeat and go straight way down.

“Thus all created phenomena are impermanent.” That’s number 21. This number 21, you know you see this in italics. Italics is not part of the Lam Rim, however it is very important Buddhist—some people all it “Buddhist logo,” some people call it “Buddhist slogan,” some people call it “Buddhist seal.” Anyway, it is something very unique and very specific for Buddhism. One of these, “All created phenomena are impermanent.” Here, you don’t have to meditate, you don’t have to do anything. But you have to realize. Really draw the conclusion because you see the impermanent everything. So that’s why it’s important.

[11:04]

I would also like to move to the number 22. “Realize death time is uncertain.” That is we went to the part of the impermanent so I’m not going to repeat. It’s already included in the impermanent yesterday.

“Wonder what happens after death.” That also we talked yesterday. If you really want to… I’d like to say we talked yesterday, we mentioned after death you’re not going to disappear. You’re not going to evaporate. Even you evaporate it’s come back as rain in the stream. [laughs]. So you don’t evaporate. Somehow, when you look very carefully the human intuition will even give to quite a lot of people at the time of dying they have an idea of going some where. They don’t have the idea of “I’m going to be ended and disappear.” They do have some idea and saying, “What’s going to happen?” All that. They do have intuition.

[12:48]

Just before I went to Europe, just immediately after this World Bank incident, World Bank giving loan for Chinese to move in the population to Tibet. Just after that incident, one of the guys, the Tibetan guy who’s in New York and the person in charge of—some Tibet Fund— there’s Dalai Lama’s Office and then there’s something else. There’s another one in New York. It used to be a very old society. It’s called…Tibet Society or something? Anyway, I forgot their name. Anyway, the guy who runs that is Chekaba’s son-in-law [?14:08]. The famous Chekaba who wrote the history of Tibet and former finance minister. You know they used to work for that before they moved for the…

[14:32]

It’s from New York. I think it’s called Tibet Society or Tibet Airlines or something? Anyway, so many of them. So the guy called me and there’s a women who’s a lawyer and who gave up all her total work for the last year-and-a-half. Quit the big law firm and put total energy and everything to challenge World Bank. And her brother was dying, so will I go there? So I said, “Okay, by all means.” So I went somewhere in New Jersey. The guy wanted to become a Buddhist and at the last minute I did not even encourage for him to become a Buddhist. But I talked to him for a while. And they were very happy. And then he doesn’t have any idea of Buddhism but I think he think he read Sugdyen Rimpoche’s [?15:48] book on living and dying and Tibetan Book of the Dead and all that. But he’s very concerned about where he’s going and what he’s going to do. And he was very nervous. And everybody thought if I don’t go that day it would be too late tomorrow and everybody was saying that.

[16:17]

But when I went there I noticed he’s not going to go anywhere for at least a few days. [laughs] So after that they moved him out of the hospital and he went to his home and all this. And then one day, luckily I happened to be somewhere and this woman, the lawyer, her name is Diana Clark, she called me and she said, “Rimpoche would you please speak with him a little bit because he’s not letting it go.” Then he said, “Hello.” And then I didn’t hear anything. And she got the phone back and she said, “Well, he’s listening. He can’t talk back to you.” How stupid…[17:07 inaudible]. So I keep on talking to him and saying, “Whatever you have done you did. And you’re going to go to a nice beautiful place, and all that type of thing.” And then she said, “Two minutes after I hung up he died.” Literally, two minutes after, he died.

So people do have intuition that they’re going somewhere. But they’re not sure where they’re going. And that is the situation.

What happens thereafter is: at that moment it’s almost we have to rely on positive thoughts, people saying prayers, and people who are supporting. And you yourself will sort of look for, really look for, when I say positive thoughts I mean virtuous thoughts. I hate to use the word virtue, non-virtue—it is really strong word.

[18:24]

But sometimes people misunderstand. The positive is positive, everything is wonderful, positive. So I really mean very positive things.

(Rimpoche talks to audience: Is Sandy coming today? She was planning to come every morning. So you have to find…I keep thinking Robert sits on Sandy’s chair. Did you go smell everybody last night?

Inaudible audience answer.

It’s great to hear good report. What did Kevin do?

Inaudible answer

Did you get a skunk smell? So good Kevin.)

[19:33]

The real virtuous thought. Even sort of like rely on trust to Buddha, dharma and sangha. Or think about the positive things that you have done in your life, good things, good dharmic things. Think about your own practice. Think about the sadhanas that you have said. Actually if you can think, think about “Om shunyata jhanavajra sapariwara emah ho hung.” I’m trying to be non-Tibetan. Tibetans will not say “shunyata.” They will say“shunayta benza soppawa emah oh hung.” So it is supposed to be “Om shunyata vajra soppawa emah ho hung.” So anyway, whatever it is.

(20:35)

You know, somebody was telling me yesterday, Tibetans will say, if it’s “Vajrasatva” they will say “Benza Sattwa.” It’s true. [laughs]

So that’s what you’re really supposed to think if you can. If you cannot think, refuge is good enough. And we have a story to tell you.

This Dr. Yatt in Holland was sick for a while. And luckily she’s still doing very good. It’s wonderful, for years now. And she was supposed to go a long time ago. When she first got sick she fainted. I don’t know if Marianne was there when I was talking to her. She told me, “I can’t

think of anything else except refuge. So I don’t have enough thing to do.” That’s what she told me. And I said,

“You’re lucky enough to think about the refuge. Alone, it’s really good enough.”

It doesn’t really have to be very high, sophisticated

complicated thing. If you are in that level everyday, wonderful. If you’re not don’t try to do something which you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s your last chance. The only chance at that moment. Don’t waste it by biting something which you cannot chew.

[22:26]

Even a name of a buddha. Even a name of a guru. Bodhimind, love, compassion. Be careful with the love. Love is great but sometimes love has a lot of attachment mixed in it. So you don’t want that part of sticky stuff. Then you stick. You don’t want to touch the sticky stuff at that moment because you can really get stuck there, you know. Like sometimes they put those little things, little red colored sticky stuff for mice to catch or bees or ants to catch. They get stuck in there. So the attachment could do that too. I mean if you’re really sure your love is pure love then it’s fine. Otherwise you’d be better off with refuge or compassion. Again, compassion has a tendency to be influenced by the sticky stuff, if you know what I mean. Sticky stuff. And that one has to be very careful of at that level because I shared a number of times that Gomo Rimpoche’s—one of my teachers, Gomo Rimpoche—one of Gomo Rimpoche’s disciples was supposed to be really packing and going easily with the Vajrayogini practice of uncommon inconceivable

practice.

(Actually I have to give that for three people, right? Still painting. [24:22?] You know who these three are? You do. I wanted to make a joke, I don’t want to make a joke now. The three people that I see most, almost all the time. That is Kathy, Colleen and Carla. [laughs] Three “K’s” I don’t know what’s wrong with them. Almost everybody else did get it, for those who had done the retreat. Right? Those who did not do the retreat and even now want to, I can’t do it. So, I did only one exception, no two exceptional cases. One was Allen Ginsberg. There was no way he can do the retreat. [laughs]. So I did it for him and I’m glad I did. I probably have a couple of downfalls which I have to purify. But I think it’s a good trade anyway. [laughs])

[25:50]

Even then, that level who are capable of doing that, have a tiny little attachment to a new shirt. And that’s why he couldn’t go. He landed in the hospital and Gomo Rimpoche has to go and in the emergency unit. And they would not allow [him in]. Gomo Rimpoche’s very simple. You know, just looked like a Tibetan sweater-seller guy or something. And so they would not allow him and he pushed the cleaner and he went himself in there with the broom in hand somewhere in there. And then he said, “What happened?” “All the signs are coming and then suddenly I wake up in the hospital.” So people carried the guy into the hospital and he was trying to find out what’s happened. He was wearing a new shirt. Rimpoche said, “Where did you get that shirt from?” And he said, “Isn’t that nice?” And Rimpoche said, “Yes. But I want it. Would you give it to me?” And he was sort of a little hesitating. And then Rimpoche insisted. And then finally he gave it to him and Rimpoche tore off the shirt. Then the fellow was gone.

[27:13]

That happens. Sticky stuff. And also, it can work opposite direction. Remember, I shared with you the story that there was an old monk in the Amdo area. It was Kumbum monastery in Changhai province. There was a great teacher. Many learned scholars come from that area. And Kundun Jampay’s (? 27:44) period there was an old monk with a very strong attachment for cha. (27:53). Cha means butter out of tea, you know we mix the butter with the tea. And then the tea comes out and we take that. It looks like another inferior quality of butter they make. Which, by the way, when I was a kid, I don’t know my age—about seven or eight, maybe a little less—I saw them making Tibetan tea. When everybody went out and I was locked in. So I went to the kitchen and wanted to make tea. I saw people were making the fire by using the bellow. You know they used the bellow and then fire comes. I wanted to make tea. So I started blowing the bellow. And no fire was coming. Every dust was going everywhere. [laughs] After a little while I decided that the water was boiled enough, hot enough. So I poured the water in those tea-makers. You know Tibetans have a funny tea-maker. It looks like a milk shaker type of thing, a huge one. Not that huge… The monasteries have huge ones, like eight or twelve people shake. But in each home there were small little things, one individual does. So I brought that out, poured that water that I decided was hot enough. I poured it in there and went into the storeroom and found this butter-look-like. I cut a huge one and threw it in there. It happened to be that cha. I did not know. (laughs) I poured it in there and started shaking it. I couldn’t shake much because it was the same size as me more or less. I did a couple things. And then I decided exactly what they do: I picked it up by the bottom and tried to pour it into the tea kettle. And the whole thing fell down, the kettle broke and everything! [Rimpoche laughs]

[30:19]

Before I could settle anything they came back. [laughs]

And I don’t remember exactly, but I think they said, “We make you sit here to memorize. And look at you. What are you doing?” And I think I got a couple of beatings out of it. Oh yeah, they’re saying in Tibetan, “If we leave shorter one upstairs on the roof, the shorter will be blowed by air. If the shorter one’s left inside, they will make a mess. If the shorter one’s left near the door, he will dismantle all the brooms. If the shorter one is left inside the house, the shorter one will start showering the power tsampas all over.” Something like that they said.

And then I got a couple of beatings. And I do remember—the memory just came back here—what they have said.

Anyway, what did I say that for? (Audience responds-inaudible). Ah yeah, that’s right. So, he likes that and he was very sick. But then he goes in the morning meeting every day because you can collect that cha, the butter out of the butter tea. So he goes there. He’s very sick. They carry a little utensil, monks, to put that thing in there and it’s got a cup on top of it. He’s so sick that he wears that because he can’t carry it. He wears it around his neck like the Zen people. He wears that around the neck and got two other monks to help him to carry. But still he goes every morning. They say, finally he couldn’t even put his foot down and he sort of literally has to be dragged there and dragged back. But he wouldn’t give up because of his attachment to the cha. So, everybody was saying, “He should die. Why didn’t he die, you know?” Finally, Kundun Jampay (33:22) was there. He was very famous. Everybody respected him. Kundun Jampay heard about it. So Kundun Jampay said, “I have to go and see him.” But then everybody said, “No. You’re not going to see him. You know you’re big and you know he’s just a poor monk.” And he said, “No, no, no, I’m going to see him.” So Kundun Jampay went there and they said, “Kundun Jampay is coming to see you.”

[33:46]

And he said, “Me? What for?” A big shout of surprise. And then Kundun Jampay came in and sat near his bed and talked to him. And then he said, “Oh, did you know the Pure Land of Tushita—they call Yiga Chungsing— (34:00), Pure Land of Tushita has so much better quality cha. And quality and quantity both, so much.” And he woke up and said, “Are you sure? They have cha?” And he said, “Yes, yes, they have so much, much better than ours. And I was told this.” “Well, you won’t tell lies, so it may be true.”

And then the guy died the next day. Aiming at the Tushita for collecting cha. [laughs] Sometimes that sticky attachment for cha has done some good things as well.

That’s why this attachment is not necessarily all of them are that bad. There are better use of it too. Okay.

[35:04]

If you think there is Prince Charming and Cinderella in the Pure Land it might not be a bad idea. Though it’s attachment. [laughs]

Audience comment [inaudible]

Yeah, but along with the cha you’re going to go to the place. Here you are sick and in bed and you get two people to drag your body because they don’t have the facility of wheelchair and all this. They literally dragged the body through the road, drub-drub-drub-drub-drub. And goes there and collects the cha and comes back with the cha, drub-drub-drub-drub-drub. So if you can do that much, no question that person will think about going to the Pure Land to collect the cha. (laughs)

Audience comment (inaudible)

I think it is at the time of the death it is a strong about the Pure Land they will think rather than the cha. Because you’re going to get there to get the cha. So I think there’ll be Pure Land thoughts there and I think it will effect, definitely. Even though it’s not the best thing to do but it may serve the purpose.

[36:46]

I don’t know what I’m talking about anyway, so… So that’s about that.

What happens thereafter? Wonder what happens thereafter, isn’t it? Contemplative…

Those of you who have heard before, or those who have attended workshop that I do sometimes about the death and dying, or call it “Art of Dying” or something, and all of those you have attended, you know. All the Vajrayana practitioners know what steps are involved, how it happens, the eight steps, what are the perceptions of the individual at that time, how it corresponds with physically with the individual at that time—all of them you know. And if you don’t know it, you can read the transcripts available for, I think there’s a transcript for “Art of Dying” too, isn’t it? No— okay. I saw it somewhere. Where did I see it? (Asks audience).

[38:17]

It will be in the book. That’s where I saw it, okay. No, but whatever I did in “Art of Dying,” it’s word by words, it’s there. The one thing that friend who’s helping me. The note’s so much. Every single damn thing that happens appears in black and white. Everything. Nothing is missed. From the shirt to shoes to the socks to the colors, sloppy or not sloppy, tied in a knot. From everything to who called and said what and all very, every single word is not missed. You can ever imagine. I mean, really, it’s fantastic. It’s all there. That we don’t want in the book. But it’s there, my god. I was a little shocked. I’m in the habit of wearing the tee shirts like two days. So it’s all there. The same tee shirts. Color red, v-neck. (laughs) It’s the second day. (laughter)

Audience: (Inaudible)

Yeah, it’s possible. It’s very easy to do it. Yeah.

[40:25]

So that’s probably available very soon. Talking about this and one thing I would like to do, because I also, you know, I think we have a little ambiguity where the winter retreat’s going to be. Because last year it was almost maximum we can hold in Jewel Heart. We try to do that this year. But my guess is there’s another initiation coming up for October 27th and 28th. The Vajrayana people are going to be much more. So we may not be able to hold it in Jewel Heart. Date is December 27th through January 5th. It’s ten days. That’s going to be a month— January 5th. Hopefully we’ll be able to have a month-long winter retreat. We may have a difficulty of finding the place. Unless we know a little bit earlier. Why I’m saying this, among here if people are thinking of coming you can cancel it later. But, if you’re thinking of coming would you let Debbie know or Debbie may provide some kind of piece of paper where they can put their names or something.

Audience: (inaudible)

[43:02]

Oh yeah, people who have been here last summer and this summer together we hope you’ll be eligible to obtain the initiations. The door’s going to open for you more and more. All of those who are thinking of joining Vajrayana, October 27th and 28th for the initiation. It’s three days, should be, how come? It’s a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Audience: (inaudible)

Yeah, but thing’s how it’s going here it almost looks the same anyway. Because originally I was going to skip the whole at the beginning but there’s a lot of new people and I shouldn’t skip because it’s not fair for them. It’s always the senior ones sacrifice the most and that is the system anyway. You know, you people are getting almost a whole Lam Rim teaching here within seven days. And there are a number of people who have attended the Lam Rim teaching five, six, years. Every week driving from Cleveland to here or Chicago to here for years. So they’ve been able to come. Even then, at the end of that did not complete that much. So you can see from the transcripts. That’s what it is. You people, you are having an instant TV dinner available. That’s not a good example. Kathy’s saying, “Rimpoche, that’s not a good example.”

(Kathy: No, Rimpoche, I’m saying none of us feel like we’re having TV dinners.)

Compare with those people who have attended five, six years, every year driving from Cleveland and Chicago to Ann Arbor. Compare it. You know, so it’s been very easy for you people. Really, that’s what happened.

Anyway, so you’re really getting like one dosage of everything. So that’s what it is.

[45:34]

Ok, now I’d like you to look at number 24: bardo. I’m going to encourage something which I never do. Read “Tibetan Book of Death.” Is there a difference between Thurman’s translation and Lobsang Lalumpa’s [?46:23]?

I think Thurman’s will be a lot of commentaries. (Amy’s saying something. What did you say?) She’s the editor, she knows. It’s helpful no doubt. But Lobsang Lalumpa’s might be a little easier to read, perhaps. I haven’t heard any comments. I’m sure it’s good. Has to be good, because it’s Trungpa [?47:15] and it’s Rimpoche. [laughter] So, to read about then you get that transcript also. I’ve been permitted to certain people to read, out of the Vajrayogini text, what I did this winter. That particular version and I even permitted people to read about it. And then you’ll get the message of the primordial mind in there too. That version, that particular version, don’t read up or down— but that particular points. Is it in book form or the tape form? Okay is it available, can people get it? (asks audience)

[48:29]

So if that transcript—Kathleen says that transcript is available. And so you have to beg, borrow, and steal from Kathleen. Or grab it, whatever. [laughs] Three or four pages available. Beg, borrow or steal so you will know. And I know it doesn’t have it here. It’s in the office, somebody has to go there and get it. Okay. That’s good you brought your computer here, that’s good then makes it easier.

So beg, borrow and steal. Though I did not talk bardo in there, I must tell you. I did not talk bardo in there. But I talked the death stage in quite a detail—not a detail, but on the points. If I talked detail it’s going to be—I can write a book on that, honestly speaking. But it is very precise point—like one, two, three, four. Like one punch, two punch, three punch, in that way. And that is useful. Then if you look at the (number) 25th: Avoid a hell rebirth. We read that Heartspoon yesterday. Okay? So that is the hell realm talk there, yesterday. Two verses, three verses underneath. Three lower realms. If you look back I think it’s like fourth or fifth number from backwards.

[50:47]

So, avoid a hell rebirth. Avoid a hungry ghost rebirth. Avoid animal rebirth. Okay, up to here, how do you avoid? Two things: short way—short plan— and long plan.

The long plan, during your lifetime. Every day, today, yesterday, tomorrow, day after, next month, next year, during that period: two things. One, the previously accumulated merit activities have to be purified. We have provided opportunity for you in that seven limbs. purification. Two, accumulation of merit. And within the purification it includes not creating additional unnecessary negativities. And if you did so by accident or by unavoidable circumstances, then what you do is purify again and try not to do it. Actually, the heavy negativities do generate the rebirth for the hell realm. Heavy. What does “heavy” mean? Heavy means heavy, like me. Big fat. Heavy negativities are, you look in three ways: motivation. Very mean, really wanted to hurt, hurt not only the person but even the family, generations, children, everything. You really want to hurt the person badly. And that is a heavy motivation. Then heavy action. Like killing human being or poisoning or pushing disease such as Aids, tuberculosis. You know, there are quite crazy people who push those diseases. They are heavy negativities.

[53:49]

Even you didn’t kill with a gun or knife or something. With a heavy motivation of poisoning people, whether it is insecticides or whatever it is, with bad motivation of killing a human being, harming. You know, all these are the heavy, that type. Even if you’re killing a mosquito or bed bug or ants that bite you, you know, in your pants somewhere. A), you shouldn’t kill. But if you just smacked and killed it’s a little better. But instead, “Yeah, you’re the one. Here I got you! I’m not going to let you go easily. So here you go.” So you rob that fellow. As much as you can, torture the person. Torture the being. As much as you can break every bone if there is a bone to be broken. Normally, they don’t have bones. So break whatever. Break their legs, wings, whatever.

You know, really, and break them and finally you kill them and get a little drop of blood out of them. And then, “Now, here you go!! That’s what you deserve!” All right, that is example of heavy, because heavy motivation, heavy action, very heavy satisfaction. Even if it’s not killing, it’s giving a hard time to people. Okay, you really want to improve that person, which is a true improvement. If it’s a true improvement. Normally we want people to improve, but we want people to improve the way I think it’s the right thing. That’s not right. That’s not improvement. That’s not improvement. If you really want the people to make improvement and you know it, it’s the right thing— not because you think you know it—but you know it and other people agree with you. That means what you think you’re right. You must remember, one has to remember, no matter whomever you may be, one has to remember people—in sense of people, not Miss A or Miss B—but people in the sense definitely knows better than I do. We have to remember that. If you think, “I know better than people do,” then you are in the pride land. You are wearing sky as a hat. And you’re having the cloud as chin strap. You’re wearing the sky on your head and putting the cloud as a chin strap. So you’re really way out there. Which means you’re out, you’re not in. You’re out.

[58:33]

But it’s very difficult for people like me, particularly like me, who… Why are you here? So you’re looking at me and I talk to you. You think I know a little bit better than I do. And I think, “Yeah, I’m the one today.” You know, for people like me it’s very difficult to watch that.

But you have to remember, you know, tradition Tibetan teachers tell you always you’re stepping up here, you say

[59:04 Tibetan]. Meaning, every single thing, whatever, wherever you see, it is like that of magician’s show. It is like that of candlelight which will blow out. It is like that of morning dews. And it’s like that of a dream. It’s like that of lightening. It’s like that of cloud—the wind will come and blow any minute. Zzzzzp, it will go. All created phenomena are like that. That’s compulsory for people who teach, when you’re looking out. You have to think that way. So it’s not that simply just say whatever you wanted to say. Right? [laughs]

[1:00:35]

You’re making funny jokes. It’s not like John Madison who announces in the White Tara that I dreamed of kissing Rimpoche. That’s what he wanted to say, but I didn’t let him say. But other people say, “We all know. We all know.” But I didn’t know he had announced in the White Tara morning.

I had a very funny incident, two of these dreams. The one is I’m having dinner and Nick walked in and he said, “I had a dream.” And I said, “What is it?” And he’s using F-word. And he said, “I dreamed that we two are using F-word instead of [inaudible].” I looked around and a couple of ladies are at the next table. And he was very loud [inaudible]. But Nick’s Nick, he just says, “Ahh…”

[Rimpoche laughs]

[1:1:01]

In normal, I would have said, “Is it good?” But you know, a lot of those people are there. A lot of people, and I couldn’t say it. I was a little embarrassed.

That idea is that idea of impermanence. And that impermanent idea will cut the pride down. The pride is extremely some funny thing. You don’t know you have it, pride. And you think you know better than anybody else does. Which is not necessarily true. Not only not necessarily true, it is sure the people know more than you do. Sangha knows more than you do. Mind you, it is a collective of two hundred people here and their knowledge. And going against the tiny little information that I have. You definitely know, for sure, no doubt, know better than I do. So when the other people think what you’re saying is not right, which means not confirmation. And knowledge needs confirmation. If you don’t have confirmation it could be wrong. Knowledge needs confirmation. If you don’t have confirmation it could be wrong. That is important point to be remembered.

[1:04:14]

What did I say that for anyway? Oh, heavy downfalls, that’s right. When you think it’s right and when there’s no confirmation you don’t push on people because you could be pushing on negativity or you could be pushing on positivity. So everything we know, there’s a cross-check, cross-reference, it’s extremely important in our life. Whether it’s material life or spiritual life, both, it is very important. The confirmation. You know, this Dharmakirti presents authenticity. Dharmakirti presents authenticity. One of the criteria of the authenticity is cross-reference and confirmation from the right mind. The wrong mind can give wrong confirmation. It’s right mind. When you look at the people or look at the sangha, they have right mind. They have a correct mind. The confirmation from the others is so important. Otherwise it can be, you know, up there somewhere.

[1:05:45]

I’m not addressing this to any individual. Don’t think about it. Any individual I’m addressing it’s to everybody, honestly. Because that pride can let you down at your time of death, at the conclusion of your life. Pride.

Clinton would not have been so much in trouble with that corrector issue if he doesn’t have the pride. It’s the pride that pushes, you know. Even a president of the United States on a finger point. So it goes throughout your life. That’s what it is. It’s the pride. We think, I think our sangha is quite matured now. We don’t have to worry too much about anger and attachment. [audience laughs]

They started laughing. I think, you know, we at least know these are not right things. That should not be done. This is harmful.

But now is the time we have to focus on pride and jealousy, goes together. Pride, jealousy, they complement each other so much. So much. I don’t mean jealousy— you’re looking at my girlfriend or you’re looking my boyfriend. I’m not talking that jealousy. I’m talking a spiritual jealousy. Pride and jealousy, these go together. You have to be very aware of it.

[1:08:04]

These are the long-term goal.

And then short-term goal is taking refuge. Remember, when you visualize, like the verse here yesterday said, “This is going to happen to you, then what to do?” Right? So what to do is to take refuge to Buddha, dharma, and sangha. And I mean encountered with the problem in general and particularly falling into the hot hell realm. I take refuge in you the Buddha, you the dharma, you the sangha. I encounter falling… Then you can say, “NAMO GURUBHYA, NAMO DHARMAYA, NAMO SANGHAYA. NAMO GURUBHYA, NAMO DHARMAYA, NAMO SANGHAYA.” The word is not that important. Thought is important. That’s how you take. That really is the cause of refuge. Cause of refuge is, you encounter with that problem and how do I avoid? I can do it if I have time. Right now, I cannot do it. It happens right now. So I take refuge in you.

[1:09:39]

Refuge in you, the Buddha. Refuge in you, the dharma. Refuge in you, the sangha. That’s why “rely on,” putting trust. And that’s I believe the word “refuge” really means that, right?

That’s the short-term goal. And even remembering, the Buddha himself has said if you’re Buddhist, or if you have interest in Buddhism, or if you are admirer of Buddhism or Buddha, so then think about Buddha. And that is good enough, good enough. There are like, you know, eight different ways of thinking and twenty-one different different ways of putting thoughts. And all of them, and the most easiest way, most easiest way to do is…Actually I have a very interesting little note on this. I just completely forgot. I have note on this. That is in Tibetan, I took a note for myself years ago. And I think it’s somewhere around here. I’ll look for it and maybe we’ll put it in English. At least draft way.

[1:11:38]

There are eight different ways, ten different ways. I thought of putting in a book. Then I thought, “Better not.” Because there are so many of those, you know, so many. I think may be better useful for the sangha. I will make it available at least by the winter retreat. That’s not restricted to vajrayana alone. It’s just open thing.

Okay that is how you avoid taking rebirth in lower realms. Short plan. Long plan. We have two plans. It’s almost the same. Not only you have to avoid—did somebody say it last night? “Are you trying to pray that all the animal realms will be emptied?” Yes. Not only that. We remember limitations of human rebirth. As long as there is samsara we pray to end the samsara. So even the human realm is in samsara. Limitations. We have the opportunity. Many human beings did not have the opportunity. Not only many, the most of them. 99.9% of the human beings did not have the opportunity. They did not have those qualities we talk about in our life. They don’t. We have the same life. But they don’t have the opportunity because they don’t have interest. They don’t have any interest at all.

[1:13:44]

They have much more interest to be yuppy or hippy. They don’t have interest. They do have a general interest in spirituality which can be anything. Which can be anything from walking from the fire, remember? Remember early in New York. Early, early times, maybe ten years ago, maybe twenty years ago. Walking on the fire and what else? All that type of thing. About fifteen years ago there was a workshop. You had to pay $100 per day. And at the end of that you may be able to walk on the fire, across the street! Once; you can’t walk back. So that’s also called spiritual. Why? Because people have no idea what spiritual really is. Somehow you have the counterculture idea of not going to church. Really, it is there but it is full of problem so you don’t want to go there. You’re still looking for some kind of spiritual thing. So you get all these things popping up, everywhere, everything. That’s because people don’t know. That’s because they don’t have any idea what really spiritual is all about. Then people look in Buddhism, in religion, Hinduism, Tibetan, Thai, Chinese. All of those. Even all those physical things. All those physical things such as martial arts, chi gong. All of them come as a spiritual path. It is spiritual. I’m not even saying it’s not. Yoga is definitely spiritual. I forgot the brown rice and wheat grass juice, miso.

[1:16:20]

Donuts. How come that is spiritual? [laughter] That is Amy Hertz Joy donuts. Amy Joy donuts. Right, isn’t it? Well it did accumulate merit for me because when I was in Cleveland the first year I worked for Goldstein, for the Tibetan history. And after working for Goldstein, I drove across from the Case Western campus to the little Italy. Up a hill and there’s an Amy Joy’s donut shop. I go there and have a coffee, eat almost twelve of them, buy another twelve, carried over to share with Mrs. Uthawk [1.17.45]

and she may eat one or two. But the rest of them I ate. So, the accumulation of that merit developed a diabetic. I mean at least the condition. [laughs] That is the merit development. [laughs] I did that for a whole year. Like a religion, almost, every working day. The results I achieved. You know why? The donuts are a delicacy in India. You can buy only in five-star hotel. Only in the Operitze [1:18.:30?]. And you can get a couple of them. And they are very expensive too. But it’s great.

So when I came to Cleveland. My god! There’s all of those there. [laughter] Doesn’t cost that much. It’s affordable! Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble. [laughter] When I accumulated sugar merit it was too late to do anything. Likewise, if you take rebirth in those lower realms it’s too late to do anything. Only you can help yourself by injecting insulin or taking pills or something. Then another thing that you have to do is exercise, which I can’t do. I don’t do it. I don’t want to do it. That’s about it. [laughter]

[1:19:33]

I did not do the long-term plan. I did not have the short-term plan. So that’s why I’m suffering here. But there’s no ache or pain or anything, so what?

My problem is not knowing. It’s number 31: not knowing what can help and harm in the life and death of diabetics. [laughs] That’s my problem. You should avoid it. Picking up those problems. Know what can help and harm in the life and the death. Do you know what helps? And do you know what harms? You do. Good. Negative emotions harm you. The virtuous emotions will help you. I mean I don’t want to say the negative. But the bottom line, bare bones is negative emotions and positive emotions. Emotions. Ten of them or eleven of them. Both. Ten non-virtuous. Opposite of that, ten virtuous. Three by body. Four by speech. Three by mind. That’s what it is. At this level, there’s not so much difference even than that of Judeo-Christian tradition. It’s almost the same. I’ve been wondering maybe Buddha had a telephone conference with Jesus from India to Jerusalem. Maybe. Maybe not.

[1:21:50]

So, take refuge. It’s not a heavy dosage at all. Take refuge. And when you take refuge you remember the most important refuge you’re taking is that you’re taking refuge within your own future Buddha. The historical Buddha is a representation. The true refuge is your dharma not my dharma. It’s your dharma. When I’m talking to you. But if I’m talking to me, I’m talking to myself. The true refuge is not the dharma within the Buddha but dharma within me. What is dharma? It is Sanskrit language. So what is it? What does dharma mean to me? Please think and ask that question to yourself. What does dharma mean to me? I like to touch bare bones, bottom line. I don’t want those additional zigzags because we don’t have time. What does dharma mean to me?

(What do you think, Steve? [Asks audience] You want to say it. If you don’t want to say it, don’t feel obligated.

Who is Buddha? There’s two: historical Buddha and your own future Buddha. He’s thinking…Do you want to say anything more?

Audience: Inaudible)

Historical Buddha is—should I say—creator of dharma. It’s not right. But the source of dharma. But I’d like to say my own spiritual development is my dharma. It’s important not to look out. I mean, you can, you should look out everything, no doubt about it. But I also want you to remember the true dharma to help me is my own spiritual development. Okay?

[1:25:10]

Okay with you? [asks audience]. Yes, I heard the “yes.”

Alright, that’s the real one. You know why? That goes against our negative emotions. When we stopped a negative emotion and then you gain a positivity within yourself and that is your spiritual development. Like it or not. Really, true, the spiritual development you must build from the very lower ground. You’re never going to be up there before you build here. It’s always from here, from the ground. The simplicity, straightforwardness and very simple way is the fundamental for many arts. For spiritual arts, yes, this is definitely a strong solid foundation without which you get nowhere. Fancy, clancy, hot sauce, cold sauce, sweet sauce, won’t help. Really. Nice, wonderful show biz, all of those. But it must be very grounded. It is sort of really you must get at the bare bones. Spiritual thing you have to really bring it down, simple, on the ground, solid. And if you don’t have that, you fly. You’re like a kite, up there.

[1:27:50]

The solid. That is necessary. Absolutely. So the solid foundation, the spiritual development within the individual is when you cut the negativity. You get the positivity. That’s what you build up. And that’s how it is. That is dharma. That is correction, correction of your addiction. That is dharma. So that’s happening within you. That is how the change is taking place within the individual. That is how the personality was brought in and uplifting.

If you begin to look in somewhere, trumpets blowing, incense burning, drum is beating, gong’s banging, candlelight is burning, it’s a good thing to do. But you’re not going to get anything solid at all. That’s why earlier Kadampa lamas said, “Oh, it’s nice you’re saying mantras. I wish you do a good dharma practice.” Drom Rinpoche, “Oh, it’s nice you’re doing this mandala offering. I wish you’d do a dharma practice.” “Oh, it’s wonderful you’re doing prostrations, hundreds of thousands. It’s wonderful. But I wish you’d do dharma practice.” “Oh, it’s wonderful that’s you’re doing circumambulations to the monastery. But I wish you’d do dharma practice.” So Drom Rinpoche did that, so it indicates…

On the other hand, you know, it’s a problem with the Americans, you have to bring everything together. It’s not a problem with the traditional Tibetans, you don’t have to bring them together. On the other hand, [1:30:10 Tibetan] the great meditator who was meditating and forgot to do his mandala offering. Drom Rinpoche came by and saw his mandala was left on the table and dusty and picked it up. And he said, “What are you doing? Why is it dusty?” Drom Rinpoche said to him. “Well, I’m sorry, I’ve been meditating and I forgot to do the mandala.” And Drom Rinpoche, said, “Ha ha. Atisha’s has much better meditation than you do, but he never forgets to do his mandala offerings every day.” So you see there’s discouragement and encouragement both together. You know, I mean, the Americans will probably say, “Oh, yeah, that’s not true because it says here. So it contradicts.” That’s what you do. It doesn’t contradict. Actually, encourage to do both. But when there’s emphasis to do a certain thing even you push that other one down, even though other one’s been encouraged. So that is one of the qualities of the disciples. Without prefabricated mind and open-mindedness and to have intelligence to pick up. Intelligence to pick up is not to contradict.

[1:31:45]

There are number of people who would like to look for contradictions only. And we do get that very often. And it’s not a mean thing to do. It’s not a wrong thing doing it. But purposely you’ll try to learn more, you’ll search for the contradiction. But every contradiction you think is there is not. And each and everywhere there is always an explanation.

I learned one thing such as this: by one person in two different times and I have to bring them together. Otherwise you’ll see, “Oh, that may be. But I’ve seen it that way.” So that’s what you do. That’s why you have to see these two together. But not to confuse you. To a certain level confusion is good. And to a certain level you have to draw from the confusion. Question is good to certain level. After a little while, you have to satisfy many of them and you have to draw conclusion soon. Otherwise you’ll be confused until you die. It doesn’t do any good for you. It’s always tough time [?1:33:08]. That’s the thing.

Where are we now? Oh this is the last page. So taking refuge we talked already.

This number 33: Consider positive actions bring positive results. Consider negative actions bring negative consequence.

Number 34, number 35 together.

And I’d like to conclude here number 35: Recognize suffering. It is the first Noble Truth, truth of suffering. But consider positive actions bring positive results. Consider negative actions bring negative consequences. Which is karma we’re talking about. Karma. Karma is something very interesting. Powerful, strong, unshakeable, solid.

[1:34:43]

Perhaps more solid than Merrill Lynch. The bull. But four criteria I want you to remember. Karma is definite. That is the solidness of it. Fast growing. One never meets a result if one did not create a cause. Whatever the cause you created is never wasted. That makes how solid it is. It is more solid than character cholesterol. [laughs]

That’s a private joke, between two people.

Anyway, credibility and I must get my thought back.

Okay, fast growing. One never meets with the result one did not create. And result never wastes. And that makes it very solid. However, karma is not a dictator. Karma is not permanent. Certainly karma does not replace God in Buddhism. You know, in Christianity you have God. When you come to Buddhism the karma does not replace the God. You have to remember that. A lot of people think, “Oh, now I went out of Catholic tradition. So now I’m out of God. Oh my god, now I’ve got this karma thing.” People sort of really got that. Some people get that. It’s certainly not. Karma does not replace God at all. Perhaps karma doesn’t even make any judgment at all. Karma is blind, just like justice. It’s blind. No neo-Buddhism [1:38:07?]. No corruption. No political pressure. No economic pressure. Blind. Perhaps deaf too. Don’t hear anything. Hear no evil, see no evil.

[1:38:34]

But they don’t shut the mouth. They make cover the ears, cover the eyes, but doesn’t cover the mouth. So karma speaks. Not a dictator. Not a god. Just a simple blind, deaf mechanism. Who makes a karma machine now? It’s sort of a mechanism. It works. That is karma. I want to think karma as really some kind of mechanism. It works within the life. Not as God. Not even as a justice really. Just a simple mechanism system, works with the individual as well as collectiveness together. That karma knows is what is what the right is doing the left hand knows. And karma doesn’t have that confusion. Exactly what the mind does, what the body does, what the speech does. Information is recorded. It’s there. So that is karma. Simple, straightforward, solid. It’s a mechanism that we’re in. We go within that. Whatever it is we’re already in this. If you look in the life, in samsara in general it is just like those machines that cut the wood. Sawmill. That treadmill that works. That machine that pushes ‘round is the karma. That rubber thing going around is the karma.

[1:41:38]

That chopping down, cutting down, powdering down there is the hell realms, lower realms. And we are over here. Upper end of the conveyor belt. The belt is the karma. We are the upper end of it. What we’re trying to do is we’re struggling not to go down, try to get up. You see in the movies, you know. Try to get up. We have to be heroes and heroines. Heroines and heroes we have to be in order to get out of that. And that’s why Trungpa Rimpoche calls this thing— what do you call that?—warriors. That’s the reason why. And that is a very important point. Without thinking very carefully, if you first look at it, a warrior, sort of like a military set-up or with an Indian police with khaki uniforms and it looks funny. But when you really think about it the metaphor really gives you very strong message: that’s what we’re in. So we have to be heroes to get out of there. And if you relax completely you’re going to go down there.

Taking refuge is like finding some kind of wheels near by, catching them and pulling yourself a little bit. At least making sure you’re not going down, sort of climbing up. We’re not going to be powdered down there, climbing up. And a long-term goal is get out of it, jump out of it. And that is exactly how one avoids. It’s a very brief statement. But a lot to think about. A lot to meditate. A lot to learn. A lot to think about it. But it is every part of our life. Day and night, every minute, every thought, every action, every sound, everything whatever you do; even you go and pee you make that same thing. It’s creating something there. Whatever you do.

[1:44:46]

Every activity, whatever you can think of: sleeping, getting up, taking shower, saying prayer, going to the bathroom, chit-chatting with the people, making joke, playing music, meditating, eating, drinking, sitting, walking, sleeping, everywhere it’s pervasive. It’s pervasive. It’s everywhere. It’s not somebody’s watching you but you are recording it. You are recording it, you’re adding up. sThat’s how it is. Basically, that’s our life. And that’s why you can make difference to your life and the lives there. Each and every one of us is capable of making a difference not only to ourself but to the others as well. Good and bad, both. It’s like a cigarette. The smokers not only harm for themselves but also effect second and third person and everybody—unless it’s some kind of open air. Even if it’s open air, you’re contributing towards the pollution that destroys the mother earth and air that everybody breathes in. But you don’t contribute so much as the factories or somebody else does. Don’t pollute that much but you make your own enough contribution. Likewise the karma is the same thing even though it’s sounded like my own karma and my responsibility and my concern and it’s only me that’s in question.

[1:47:40]

But it effects to everybody connected with you. That’s why great teachers say [1:47:53 Tibetan]… Whoops, I better stop it’s quarter to.

[1:48:01 tape ends]