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20000901GRSROTF12

Soundfile 20000901GRSROTF01

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location SR

Topic Odyssey to Freedom

Transcriber Helen Breault

Date October 1, 2020

Good morning, everybody. Today we sort of add the Avalokiteshvara, both the long and short mantra in, because the love-compassion will be reaching to that level. When I was looking here, we’re…

(Audience discussion to 1:00:)

When we’re looking here we talk about the “Seek liberation,” we also talked about “Nirvana is peace.” And I was not looking here yesterday carefully, but number thirty-nine, “Thus all phenomena are empty.” Normally, in Lam Rim traditions we will talk emptiness at the end of it, at the end of the wisdom level. But when you’re putting this four logos or the four slogans of the Buddhism in here, then also we say “Seek liberation” but “Nirvana is peace.” But how do you get to nirvana? How do you get to the Buddha level?

[1:53]

And all this are the question. It’s always you have to remember this: Nagarjuna has a little verse called [Tibetan 02:04]. Especially in the Kagyu tradition, Kagyu centers, it’s printed everywhere and they will chant that and sing that and say at the part of dedication and part of prayer and everywhere. But actually this particular verse tells you [Tibetan 02:30] “By the virtue of this work all living beings.” [Tibetan 2:40] “They may complete the merit of both merit merit and wisdom merit.” Merit merit and wisdom merit. [3:00 Tibetan] “From these two merits— the merit merit and wisdom merit” [03:08 Tibetan] “the great two kayas—two forms—may be obtained.”

Now two forms are talking about the mental form and physical form. Every human being, every living being, every buddha being, has two forms: the physical form and the mental form. Each and every one of these are, both of these are, did not come out of nowhere, nor it came out of the woods, nor it landed from the sky, nor it was presented or given or granted by anybody. It is our own creation and our own efforts. We create. We earn it. We have to work for it. We earn it.

[04:09]

(Rimpoche talks to audience. I thought I saw Greg Holden here yesterday…)

[4:42]

Anyway, so that’s what we have to do: to create the body of enlightenment and to create the mind of enlightenment. And that’s what we work for. And that’s what we’re striving for. That’s what we’re building up for. So, to work for the body of the enlightenment, we accumulate merit merit. That is developing compassion or love for yourself, developing boddhimind and all this non-wisdom category. But both are moved together. Both are together. But the non-wisdom part of it, it really goes towards creating an enlightened physical form. Even saying mantras and chanting mantras and chanting the rituals, etc., will go for the direct cause of creating enlightened speech.

Then the wisdom part of it it goes directly to create enlightened mind. Whether it’s arhat level or whether it’s the enlightened buddha level, that’s how it works. And way and how one gets to the nirvana is this two things. Remember, this Chandrakirti very famous verse. [6:56 Tibetan] The Chandrakirti refers to spiritual practitioners as the King of Bird. When the King of Bird tries to cross the ocean, the other side, going beyond, trying to get across the ocean, the King of the Bird needs two wings. If you don’t have two wings, if you have one wing, then you have the same thing that the Australians throw. Boomerang. Whoo hoo whoo hoo, it will go around and come back, you know. So two wings make you cut across. The two wings happen to be the relative part of merit merit and the absolute part of the wisdom merit. This happens to be the two wings. These two wings makes you cut across.

So far, most of the Lam Rim teachings or the Odyssey to Freedom is mostly devoted towards the merit merit part because that’s where we have to put more efforts, and we have to do it, and it’s visible. But the absolute wisdom part of merit is not a really very visible for us and it takes tremendous amount of effort and tremendous amounts of analyzing. And there are tremendous amounts of confusion and wrong understanding and all this. Even among the great teachers and scholars and even [?inaudible 09:15]. Even during the Buddha’s period. These four buddhist schools have developed traditionally in India. I don’t think they have any disagreement on those four schools through the merit of merit, relative merit. Like develop love-compassion to yourself, generating boddhimind. I mean maybe two of them doesn’t even accept generating the boddhimind because they are the Theravaden schools. They only accept the person can reach to only to an arhat level and they don’t go beyond that. But still, this is very tricky and very funny.

[10:13]

But still the difference is on the wisdom part. However, this is funny. However, the wisdom that is presented in Theravaden teaching traditions, like three yanas. I hate to call it—you’re not supposed to call it Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana. You’re not supposed to. I mean not supposed to today. Politically insensitive. Let me put it that way. We used to call Theravaden yana, and Mahayana and Vajrayana. But I remember Jack Kornfield asked me. “Please don’t call it “Theravaden yana.” Please call it “Elder’s Way.” (laughs) So it doesn’t matter, whatever it is. But that is Jack’s thing. Anyway, so whatever you call it, normally, you know, I mean, this is funny. In the Tibetan tradition if you really look at three yanas you don’t call it that way. You call it Shravakayana, Pratekeyana, and Buddhayana. That’s the traditional way. But in America everybody knows it’s Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. It might be the way Trungpa Rimpoche presented or whatever happened. But that’s not wrong. But that’s not the official “line.” But from the practical individual practice point of view, they’re correct what he called it. I think it must be Trungpa Rimpoche who made that popular: Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. It must be.

[12:04]

Otherwise, why is it so popular in America where it’s called. And you know American’s influence almost everywhere anyway, even Europe and even in Asia it goes the same way. But still if you call it, that’s fine. I have no objection because from the practical point-of-view it is right. Even in the traditional teachings it will say that is the official line. But however, from the practice point-of-view, from the individual point-of-view you can look at it this way.

[12:40]

So that’s perfectly fine.

It is different on the wisdom viewpoint. However, the emptiness which is presented in the Hinayana level is the same thing in the Mahayana and the Vajrayana. It is the same thing. Same emptiness. However, there is a little difference of how much refined it is. It is within that. There is a slightly thing. I don’t want to touch that at all because actually that’s how refined that emptiness makes a difference of cutting the gross level of negative emotions or subtle level of negative emotions and even imprint of the negative emotions. Imprint, we say in English language “imprint” so you get some kind of print, some idea. However, the example given to us, when I was a kid, what I learned is garlic and garlic smell. And when you have garlic, they are chopping on your chopping board and then you remove the garlic. The garlic is gone however the smell remains along with the chopper as well as the board, especially if it’s a wood one it remains there. Right? So the smell part of the garlic is the imprint of negative emotions and real garlic is the real negativity. I mean, we all love garlic. Don’t think garlic’s bad. We’re using garlic here as an example.

[15:09]

That was the example given. So you see it. There’s a very subtle difference here. Garlic’s gone completely somehow. Maybe already cooked. Maybe already you have eaten that food. However, the smell still remains on the chopping board until you wash it. Even after you wash it I’m not sure whether the smell goes or not. I don’t believe we spray the board do we? Like a bug spray. [laughs] That was supposed to be a joke but nobody liked it. Might not be funny, eh? That’s why refined—maybe the “refined” might not even be a good word. Refined might not be a good word. Because immediately the picture that we get is that we’ll get refined sugar, refined wheat. So then you get to the bad side rather than good side. I’m not sure. A subtle, more sharper. Subtle but sharper. You know, this is funny. Normally when it becomes subtle it is less sharpened and less obvious. But it works the other way around: more sharpened but subtler.

[17:19]

It makes the imprint removed.

(Talks to audience:Ah, here you are. We were looking for you. I thought I saw you yesterday but didn’t see you today. I’ve been saying to everybody, “Is he still asleep or what?” Oh, kids were asleep, that’s what it is. Okay.)

That’s why these two things are the same wisdom, same shunyata but it becomes more refined, more subtle, more sharper. You know, our idea, sometimes we have the idea if it’s strong and huge then it is more powerful. Perhaps that’s not right. There’s some subtle thing can be very powerful and very subtle and I think the science told us that very clearly. It’s not the quantity it’s the quality that makes the difference. I think we know that quite well. Again, we have to thank to the science. Unless and until the science tells that we don’t notice. We know about it but we don’t notice it. We don’t acknowledge. We always think the bigger the better it is.

[19:10]

(Talks to audience: Jim didn’t like very much. You’re big.)

Anyway, that is that level. So subtle and less obvious and more powerful. But it is the same emptiness. It’s just more perfection.

If you look even in Vajrayana, at the time of the completion stage or wherever you look, the object of the meditation goes much subtler than that of gross. At the gross level we may be generating your body in the form of yidam and you may be focusing on that. Then you produce subtler and subtler, smaller and smaller yidam, within the yidam, then goes down and down and down and down and down and finally little dots everywhere. The most subtle it brings down and becomes more powerful. That is more or less we know. Not from the spiritual point-of-view but from the scientific point-of-view.

Even the smaller computers not only work equally to that of huge big computers, but even better; more efficient, more fast and can do much more. And even, you know, remember that Clinton was giving one of those addresses and he sort of hesitated a little bit. And he said, “I guess I can say this. A teardrop computer can replace total computers in the Pentagon.” And he wasn’t sure if we was supposed to say that or not. He was a little hesitant. A teardrop sized computer can replace the total computer in Pentagon. He was hesitating a little bit. “I guess I can say it or something.” Maybe it was one of those top U.S. secrets, who knows? [laughs] Anyway it gives us an idea what it is. It helps tremendously.

[22:15]

The subtle things work and become much more powerful.

Anyway, so I’d like to touch this number thirty-nine. We told you, have an interest in nirvana, go over there, get over there. (laughs) Like John says, “Get over it!” (Talks to audience: Remember you said that one time. You don’t remember? Anybody else remember? John, you see a lot of hands up in the air. Look around.)

[23:21]

So I don’t want to be that way. “Thus all phenomena are empty.” This Buddhist calls it “emptiness.” Sort of I’ve talked to you a number of you, but a number of you have not heard. Emptiness is something that’s supposed to be very famous in Buddhism. And I really think the language is totally wrong. Absolutely. After knowing what empty really means to the American mind, particularly after watching the whole show of “Never-ending Story.”

You know, I was so busy doing so many things and that “Never-ending Story” came up on television. And I was not moving and Colleen was pushing me, “Move, move, move,” because I was late and a couple of schedules were behind. And then I didn’t move. I watched the whole show. At the end of the show she said, “You watched the whole thing!” So I’m sure many of you have seen that “Never-ending Story.” (Talks to audience: You did not?) It’s a children’s story and so I behaved like children. That’s what exactly what she said. I behaved like a little kid and watched the whole thing. No matter the sky’s falling down. [laughs] Ground is turning upside down, whatever may be, I sat there and watched it. And it is children’s story. But it gives the understanding of emptiness.

[25:22]

Emptiness is total destruction, total void. Nothing is left. Everything’s going, everything’s falling apart except that little tree where that little kid is holding until—it looks like a dog—flies by and picks the kids up. Until that, you know, every single, the world is falling apart, the earth is breaking with the little lumps here and there flying in the open air, nowhere. That’s called emptiness in the American culture, if I understand correctly.

(Audience: Inaudible)

Is that correct? At the end we’re nothing?

Anyway, it becomes nothing. It becomes totally nothing. Everything’s going to disappear and go and it becomes nothing. So from that angle, when we try to present that emptiness no wonder why people have so much difficulty to understand what it is. There’s no question about it. Though, a number of us think when you die you’re going to go to emptiness and you’re going to disappear. We think that. A number of people do think that way. But still that becomes nothingness.

[26:57]

I don’t think nothingness can get you. Neither to the arhat level nor, forget about the enlightenment level. Nothingness will not get you there at all. And it’s also not true. There is something there. Though we say, “No nose, no ear, no tongue, no taste, no smell, no touch of smell, no form, no phone.” [laughs] You know how it goes. “No ear, no phone, no smell, no nose, no face, no eyes.” [laughs] Though we said that, it’s not true. It’s not true. There is a form. There is a phone. There is an eye, there is a face. There is sand. There is a smell, because we run around with a cup of everything. [?28:27]

[laughs] So that’s the reality.

What are we talking about? What is the really, the gist, again it is very hard to tell you in the bare bones and bottom line language. However, our time is such I have to do it. But I only hope I’m not doing disservice. But don’t take it. Just get the idea. Don’t buy it totally. Read yourself more. Meditate more. And accumulation of merit is absolutely necessary. If you’re not lucky enough you’ll never understand that. Lucky in the sense not to make money lucky, but in terms of spiritual luck you need it. That is merit. So both are very strong. And also purification. All of them put together and then you really get the idea of shunyata without going to extreme of nihilistic viewpoint or existentialistic points. Free of that. At the center. That’s why Nagarjuna’s “Middle Path.” That’s what it is.

[30:01]

So what are we talking about? What is it? What it is? We have to, of course, it is the Buddha. It is the Manjushri. And it is the Tsongkhapa who make it very clear and much better. We also still deserve to give three prostrations to Einstein as well, very definitely, no question. It makes it very easy. You know, computer made us easy to talk to people like you. Talk to you, because in tiny little place you can fit so many things. And before computer we had no idea what we were talking about. You probably just think, “Oh, maybe the Buddhists just think that way.” Or, “Buddha said that way.” Or, “Buddha taught that way.” But with the computer now you know how much you can store in almost virtually no place. How much you can put in storage. You can see that. So computer made it very simple.

Now, let’s go back to what Tsongkhapa says.

[31:37]

What Buddha says. What Nagarjuna says. You know, Tsongkhapa says [31:55 Tibetan]. He said, “Among the teachings, the best teaching is the teaching of wisdom. Among the sherabs or the rigpas or the knowledge or wisdom, the best knowledge is the shunyata knowledge.”

[32:40 Tibetan] “It’s like the outstanding leader of the world, universal king.” [32:50 Tibetan]. “Buddha, you are the one who really understood that. No one did. Therefore I bow to you.” [32:57 Tibetan] So, you know I was telling you yesterday, the Chandrakirti says [33:14 Tibetan] first it’s me, then my and all this. Tsongkhapa says, [33:21 Tibetan]. Wherever we have trouble, difficulty, pain, suffering, sorrow, wherever, whatever we experience any part of any existence, root of all this goes to the ignorance. One who sees this, one who understands that, and one who could reverse that, then you have understood interdependent nature of it.

[34:01]

Interdependent nature. This is very powerful statement that Tsongkhapa’s making. Interdependent. Ignorance produces something else. That produces something else. That produces something else. Happens to be the negative emotions that make you to do something wrong. And that produces all this. It builds up that interdependent system. That is exactly how we exist. When you reverse that, you also have to reverse the system of dependent-ness on the ignorance, has to be totally shifted. [34:49 Tibetan] So one who sees that and reverses that, it makes things turn around. Normal common language: things turn around.

So why it’s not empty? Because it’s dependent nature. Because it’s dependent nature. What does “dependent” mean? I depend on. Traditional example is walking stick. Right? You depend, or somebody who depends on walking stick is depending on walking stick. If you don’t have the walking stick you can’t walk. Even, nowadays you don’t think stick, whatever that it is—rolley trolley… walker. [laughs] I’m sorry. So when depends on that without which you can’t walk that means… What does that mean? You don’t have independent-ness of walking. So does the same thing, sufferings and joys does not come up independently. It comes out dependently. So every existence is dependent. Even our own mind, thought, ideas are dependent. Why some people are more clever? Why some people are less clever? Why the educated person has a better understanding of their subject? Why the less educated person has less understanding of the subject? Because of the conditions that you put in. Educational informations that you put in and that’s there, when that person reads a piece of paper, that person says, “Oh, yeah, this is there but chapter something, law says this, that, that. So it’s probably not right.” If you show it to the lawyers they will say that, right? Carol? Mimi too. And there’s more lawyers here too. Don’t worry about it, there are plenty of lawyers.

[37:39]

They do that. That’s why you go to lawyers. Right? Because they have better information. The condition’s put in there. It’s not that they’re a better person necessarily. Could be a worse person but…[laughs] Don’t take it personally.

(Talks to audience. You mean the Allen Ginsberg joke. Your family’s all lawyers, everybody.)

That’s what it is. It’s better conditions. And it’s better information building in so that’s why it’s available right there. That is dependently they have better understanding, better process, or they know it more on one particular subject? It’s not only lawyers. All specialized persons are like that, whether you’re a doctor or what. All like that. So that is dependent arise. Baby and mother depend on each other. Everything is dependent arise. There is no independent existence at all.

[39:34]

All conditions. The Einstein’s now Theory of Relativity really gives us at least easy way of understanding what we’re talking about. And we have to have a point of reference somewhere. If you don’t have the point of reference, we cannot measure anything. All measurement depends on the point of reference. That’s the reason why the Einstein wrote on a piece of stick and said backwards and turned everything around. Right? That’s exactly, that gives you the idea of dependent arise and which depends on the point of reference. That is how we exist.

Then also Stephen Hawkins added on top of that. Right? I don’t have much time to go. Then you add up the string theories on top of that. And we’re getting much more better information of shunyata from the scientific circle then even our usual source where we think we’re going to get it. But you know the point is, it’s not that they don’t have the information but there’s no meeting of language. But scientists find a way of how it is to present somehow. So it really complements each other tremendously. Particularly this theory of relativity.

[41:46]

It’s the dependent rise. And theory of indivisibility will add up on top of that. Though Stephen Hawkins said there will be an end to Russian dolls, on that White House lecture during the Christmas Millennium lecture. He said, “Mr. President and Mrs. Clinton, there will be the end of Russian doll.” I watched it. So you know, indivisibility will be there. I’m afraid he may have goose-chasing, wild goose chase. He may have that. But you never know. But indivisibility, that’s what we can see and he presents. Though he thinks there may be end of Russian doll. However, indivisibility is the most important. Remember how many times we have settled, “This is the end of it.” We even labeled them “atom,” right? Then comes what? Yeah, electrons and protons and neutrons, and what else? And all of those. And even going to the end of vibration. Even that vibration you’re going to go down. So it’s definitely east never touches the west. I don’t mean this east and that west of the world. I’m talking this east will never touch this west. There will always be a division. There will not be, “This is it!” There will never be, “This is me!” There will never be, “This is a table!” I mean there is a table, this is a table. But when you really go down you won’t have it.

[44:10]

That is shunyata. Very simple, very straight-forward, very bottom line. So take our suffering. Take it. Put it on the table, operate, cut them into pieces, chop them here and there. And keep on cutting it. Find out which is the suffering? Where is it? You’re not going to find it. Never. There’ll always be division. Then what’s happening? Why am I suffering? Sure you’re suffering because you’re taking it collectively, you’re helping each other. Your mind helps. Your doubts help. The worries help. The fear helps. Builds them up. The fear, the doubts, worry and physical wrong things adds up there and becomes a huge monster which you should have seen as a little smoosh. [laughter] Jewish word, right? I thought it’s Hebrew, they call that. Shmuck. [laughter] Tiny little one. Okay…

[46:20]

It’s fun to talk about that. So, though we feel it, we experience, it’s real to us. However, if you really look at them and put them on the table and operate, you won’t see it. You won’t have it. It’s all collectively created. So does the samsara. So does the nirvana. But we have to work for it because it’s real. So a lot of people say, “Oh, my pain is real.” True, it’s real. Though it’s nothing. It’s real. You have to work because it makes you suffer, like samsara, like nirvana. That’s what it is. “Thus all phenomena are empty.” Somebody asked me, “Did you think Einstein understood the emptiness?” I don’t know whether he understood emptiness or not. He got quite close.

That’s what I mean. We’re all looking for truth. Truth could be found through spiritual meditatively. Or truth could be found out scientific ways and means. Or truth can be found through mantra. And the power—people are interested— power comes along with the truth. Whether it’s scientifically or meditatively or mantra or even karma, the power comes along with that. So if you begin to look, everything, every existence around, very carefully, it’s all collective, collectiveness. It’s all. Even table, even walls. Why can’t we go through the walls? Why can’t my hand get through the table? Because collectiveness are in here. What do they have? Particles, and there’s something more in that. What do you call them? Molecules. And the more faster they’re moving the harder it is. The oak woods have a faster molecule moving than pine. Is that correct? Maybe not. More density, yeah, more density. So that’s the reason why. It’s again collectiveness of it. Not an independentness of it.

[50:11]

When you begin to see this, you begin to get an idea of what it is. So that is naturally we have to look everything what’s happening with us: the suffering, the joy, high times, low times. I mean high up there. And I mean low down there. All of them because of that condition. See it. You will make… You know what will block you not to see it? Anger. And also, it will block you, the hatred will block you. Any one of those negative emotions block you. Why? I mean this is, you get more angry sometimes when you talk about that. You get more upset. That is anger putting all its force to try to block it. You know why? If they go through, the lie of the anger’s going to be busted red-handed right there. And that’s why it blocks. That’s the reality.

Then you might think, “Well if that’s so, there’s no such thing called ‘you’ or ‘me.’ I mean we’re all some kind of jelly in the bottle or something.” I don’t mean Genie out of bottle. I mean the jelly, some kind of funny thing. It’s got smooshed. There you go.

[Audience talks. Inaudible]

[52:34]

That should be our mental worries rather than a huge monster that you cannot even challenge. It’s a little smoosh down there. And you may think there is no such a thing called “me” or “you” or everything is the same. And you have to control that. If you don’t control that then it becomes there is no difference between everything, good and bad. You know a number of people told me,

“Yeah, but at the end they will all be the same, right? At the end it will be all zero so it doesn’t matter.” Absolutely wrong. It does matter. To that person, when the individual tells I have to say, “Yeah, eh” sort of thing. You can’t say you’re absolutely wrong. “Ehh, oh” sort of you entertain in that way. But when you talk about collectively here then it’s absolutely wrong! Then you’ve gone too extreme. That’s why the middle path is like a very, very subtle, something like that of more subtle than a hair, a single hair out of horse’s tail. It’s very thin. It’s more subtle than that. So it’s so important not to go too extreme. Then everything becomes a little jelly. Nothing’s there. You’re not you, I’m not me. That’s no positive, no negative, nothing. And at the end it’s all going to be zero. That’s not right.

[54:47]

It is still part and parcel. It’s there. It’s coming from somewhere. It’s going somewhere. It still exists. Independently, no. Dependently, yes. So everything real. And that’s why people who have emotional problems, depression problems, person who’s watching that, and particularly person who has a lack of understanding, when you watch that you may think it’s a crazy person. You may even think to that extent. There’s nothing to be worried about. But there’s worrying, what can I do? I tried to talk to him or her and won’t listen. What to do? We said that. Many people. That’s a lack of understanding because to that person whatever they’re going through is absolutely real, reality. The pain is not a joke. It is on their mind. It is on their body. It is real. It is painful. It hurts. Though it’s not there. But that person is not crazy. It is real because it dependently materialized to that person and it tortures. To a certain extent we can help. To a certain extent we can’t help until that person made a shift somewhere in the deep down, in their own mind; looking different, looking from the point of impermanent if you can’t look from the point of emptiness. And I believe that is what we’re talking about shunyata. And when you have that understanding that understanding’s going to burst all negative emotions. All. That’s A-l-l. Really, underline it three times. Key of transformation.

[57:27]

Key. Key. Key. That’s it. Not the key bank. (Debbie’s there at the other side.) So that’s what’s supposed to be. When we say, “Thus all phenomena are empty.” Nirvana’s peace, yes.

Now I would like for you to pay attention to number forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, perhaps forty-four together. I’d like to add up one more thing here. There may be books that tell you if you understood the emptiness you become enlightened. Perhaps those informations are wrong. The emptiness is a method that you use to, I mean the shunyata, the understanding of shunyata is method for you to use to get rid of negative emotions and it’s imprints. So the moment you get that emptiness, I don’t think you have become enlightened. You have become… You know, in the Buddhist tradition there are five paths, remember? Path of Accumulation of Merit, Path of Action, Path of Seeing, Path of Meditation and Path of No More Learning. These are the five paths. The shunyata you encounter with the third path, called the Path of Seeing.

[59:31]

What you see is you see the shunyata. That’s the third path. I think we did that teaching along with GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODDHI-SOHA combination together, I think I did it. GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODDHI-SOHA and Path of Accumulation, Action, Seeing, Meditation, and No More Learning. That’s exactly what it is. And that’s why the Heart Sutra is so important. And since we don’t have the opportunity or time to do the Heart Sutra, that’s why we go to GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODDHI-SOHA. That is the essence of the Heart Sutra again. That’s that’s what we do. We did that teaching.

Then there’s another one. The Four Results. Streamlined. And then once returning, no more returning, yeah, Four Results. Stream-enterer they call it. And once returned. No more return. And victor, one who destroyed the enemy. That is the Four Result level they give you. The same for Mahayana, Hinayana, everywhere.

The streamliner also has a lot of divisions and all that, you know. Let’s forget about that. And no returner is almost equal to the second path, divided into four. What is it? Heat, peak, patience and best of dharma. The four of them. And at the level of no return comes at the level of patience because [1:02: Tibetan] once you have obtained the patience level of the second path it is the level of no more returning. This goes to like that. [1:02:18]. That’s also divided into stream-entering level and the result. All these are very big divisions in the Buddhist tradition. You have all of those. And they all correspond perfectly with the Five Paths that correspond perfectly with the Lam Rim. And even the Vajrayana level, they all correspond. It goes together. If someone who know how to guide on that, when they guide you, they will be perfectly and make sense and all in one and it works perfectly. And when you don’t know that, then that’s this system, that’s this system, that’s that system, that’s this system. So it looks like totally all one system has nothing to do with the others. It’s not true. It works that way.

[1:03:14]

Let us move from that. Okay, now the key to get nirvana is the shunyata. Period. Finished. [laughs] No shunyata, no nirvana. They’re not apples and oranges. They all work together.

Now expand your scope. How? Why? How, why, is very simple. There you go. (Talks to audience. Did anybody leave this on my table? You did, okay. I’m sorry I asked. I thought it might have independently appeared here. I guess it’s not independent existence. [laughs])

[1:04:33]

Scope, so far what we’ve been worrying about it: me, how do I get out from here? How do I get out from here, that’s what we’ve been worrying about so far. Now, when you expand your scope. What to do with my friend? What to do with my companion? What to do with my associate? What to do with my members of my circle, my family? That means expanding your scope. So far you’ve been worrying about me. And that’s nothing wrong. That is different than that of me, me, me. Thinking about it, how I’m going to get out of this mess is different than that of thinking me, me, me. I want you to remember that. Again, we have a tendency to swift [?1:05:55] differently. We say, sort of shift, swift totally differently than everything but thinking me is bad because it’s me. And if you don’t think about you, who else is going to think about you? You think the whole world’s going to serve you, forget it. You have to worry about you by yourself. If you don’t, who’s going to care of you? No one. It’s you.

[1:06:39]

Thinking of the me, me, me: to be creator, to be protected, to be the King of the World, is wrong. But thinking about me, how I’m going to solve my problem, how am I going to get out of this mess, is nothing wrong, though you may think, “Me, me, me.” This is our nature. We have to think about me. And you have to think about “my.” We do. We criticize it in one direction because it is ego way of going. Here you really think the truly “me.” I’ve been completely dominated by my ego. I’ve never been able to function myself. I never had the freedom to function myself because always this ego interference. And how many of us in natural habit of withdrawing. It is in our nature. As long as nobody pinches your butt or as long as no one picks your pocket you sort of withdraw everything. That’s our tendency. That’s called laziness. (Not your sneeze (talking to the audience)). That tendency is called laziness. Just don’t want to deal about it! It’s too much to do! Forget it! Whatever it may be. That’s laziness.

You don’t want me, me, me, as ego service. But you do want me, me, me, to help myself—separate than that of ego. We don’t know at this moment what is my ego and what’s me. Do you? You don’t. I know you don’t. I’m glad you heard me.

[1:09:06]

That’s not only you. 99% in here too, including myself. You throw yourself in there, you throw your friends in there. And 99.9% we don’t know the difference. We even begin to hear about the ego. In addition to that we have a lot of people using the same language and creating more confusion, particularly in the psychology and psychoanalysis and psychologies and psychotherapies.

Audience: Psychologists came up with the word first.

Rimpoche: All right, then we don’t use this. We’ll use ignorance. That’s okay, right? Greek word from me. There you go.

So then we’d better use Sanskrit word called atma, maybe. Atma. That’s right, every language you don’t have to translate anyway. Nobody translated karma. The dictionary uses karma now, so. The same thing.

Anyway, we don’t even recognize. Whatever language you may use, we don’t even recognize the difference between that object of negation of the self and subject of the projection, self. We don’t know the difference. I, that to be negated, and I that has to be protected. I’m not suggesting you to have a split personality with the two “I’s.” I’m not suggesting that. But we don’t know that yet. But it is a beginning. You begin to think, begin to pay attention. We begin to know there is something two different; one dominates the other. Who’s the one who’s dominating whom? Actually the real me, the real I, the real good natured person, wonderful natured person; person who is going to become a Buddha within me. Don’t think word called “Buddha nature” immediately. Some people have that word popping up. Don’t think that. I’m not saying it’s wrong. Did you think that too? See. So I saw you. (Talking to audience). You know how? He started shaming here. [?1:12:48] [laughter] Right? Yeah, immediately. Goes on language. That’s a problem. You’re never going to find it because your going to have a label, you’re going to search that, you’re going to identify with that. It’s not going to find it.

[1:13:21]

So that’s a problem. But anyway, what am I talking? (I sort of get side-tracked because I noticed that. (talks to audience) The moment you said Rimpoche I have to look at the office. [laughs])

So begin to think at least there is a distinction. Maybe you’re right, using the ego is a wrong language. However, a lot of people do use ego and a lot of people do say it’s not that good.

Audience: There are a lot of definitions of ego. But basically, it comes down to being self-centered or having the view that everything comes from yourself. So it really is the opposite of the emptiness point-of-view.

Rimpoche: So it is the right word. It can be used. If we can avoid confusions in between. Self-centered ego. Very good. Maybe we’re saying ego ego. But whatever.

Anyway, when we find that within ourself, when we make a distinction, when we separate our negative emotions and ourself then we have to say “Hallelujah!”

[1:15:14]

[laughter] Somebody else told me yesterday, “Hallelujah.” And that is what, then what to do with my friends, what to do with my circle, what to do with my family and my friends, persons who know, who depend on me, you’re extending your scope gradually. Though the Tibetan Buddhist tradition tries to teach you right from the beginning all sentient beings, all mother sentient beings, blah, blah, blah. But that is long shot. Reality, I always say, good old American saying, “Charity begins at home.” Right? Charity begins at home. Practice of love, compassion, caring, all of them begin with the person right in front of you. Your companion. Your partner. Your family. Your children. Your parents. So and forth. That’s how it works. If you try to work something called “all sentient beings” then what Steven Bachelor says, “There is no such person called ‘all sentient beings’.” So you tell anyone, “You’re not all sentient beings, get out of my way.” That’s not going to work. There is no one called, no such a person called “all sentient beings.” All sentient beings is last goal. Charity begins at home.

[1:17:50]

Your children. Your companion. Your family. That’s how it expands. You cannot ignore your family and say I’m going to worry about all sentient beings. Remember there were some questions earlier in the week. Wasn’t that here? I may lose my family, and all that type of thing. I think it was here. (To audience: It must be from your group, is it, Gloria? You see she learned from you too. She got annoyed. But at the same time I must tell you did a great job for those organizing groups and things. And my teasing doesn’t mean anything, so you know that.)

What else now? That’s what it is. And if you ignore that immediate concern and try to find another “all sentient beings” you’re not going to find it. There’s none. That’s how a number of people become very arrogant. After meditating so many years, learning much more and then don’t care with anybody. And only care with the “Mr. All Sentient Beings.” So that’s a problem. The love-compassion must be connected with the beings, people. People that are with you, near you, every day you deal with. People that irritate you. People that make trouble for you. People that give you comfort. People that support you. People that help you. All of those, love-compassion is dealing. It is really being in touch with. If you’re out of touch, when you’re dealing with Mr. All Sentient Beings you’re out of touch.

[1:21:02]

Remember during the last eight years ago, during the election, the difference between Clinton and President Bush, at that time, is the grocery store. He went to the grocery store and he was so surprised. And that really shows, the other side used it politically saying, “He’s out of touch.” And everybody bought it because he was so surprised to see the grocery store has all these things. Scanners in the grocery store… That was out of touch. I mean everybody bought that as out of touch and that’s one of the main factors of how he got defeated. So that’s what it is.

So, should not be out of touch. Out of touch is wrong. A personal touch, personal deal is right. And that makes a difference to the person with whom you’re dealing and makes a difference to you for your own development of love and compassion. That makes the difference. It has to be personal. It should not be out of touch. When you are reaching a Mr. Sentient Being you are out of touch. Though you have to think about it, but your touch is you really touch with the people you deal with. That mother-in-law who irritates you. That naughty child who makes you worry all the time. These are the good subjects for you to develop actual compassion, actual love.

[1:23:31]

That love will not have the sticky stuff. It’s free of sticky stuff. The other love may have sticky stuff mixed in it. And that one doesn’t because that person irritates you. That mother-in-law, right? That bad companion of my children. That bad boy over there who takes my child all the time and gives all the bad habits. That’s how you expand your scope.

And of course you have to care. The care is the first. Did you notice it’s easier to develop care for those people you don’t know rather than that bad boy? Or rather than my mother-in-law? What does that tell you? The projected negative emotions get in the way. The projected negative emotions getting in the way. The projected negative emotion. Not necessarily mother-in-law’s bad. But we have projected so many things on the mother-in-law, particularly your own frustrations with your wife or husband you project them on the mother-in-law, very strongly. And that’s why these negative emotions get in the way of caring. That’s why it’s easy to develop care for the stranger than for the own mother-in-law or that bad boy. It is the projected negative emotions. That’s how the negative emotions comes in the way to develop anything. This is a clear example. Many people have that irritating mother-in-law. (Talking to audience: Maybe you don’t, do you? Tim? You’re a lucky one.

Audience: Inaudible.

Oooh, do you want a microphone? Just joking.

[1:27:05]

It is good old to be thrown in there. Just joking.)

So I guess that’s quite clear. Now when you have to make a break-through, you have to make a break-through with those projected negative emotions. To make a break-through it is much better if you hold for a minute, think about it and realize how you have projected. If you can think that very carefully some times you have a big surprise. You find a new mother-in-law free of that projections. Another good example is your husband’s ex-wife or ex-girlfriend, whatever. So does ex-boyfriend. It goes both ways. [laughs] Really. Both ways. Right?

[1:28:30 Teaching ends]

I think we are hungry better go and eat.

What are we doing today?

Kathy gives announcements.

[1:32:10 Tape ends]