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Soundfile 19940401GRWT4

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

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Transcriber Wee Lin

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(The first 2:14 minutes of this audio file was a repeat of the first few minutes of the previous audio file)

0:02:14.0 Audience: I am wondering if you could clarify for us the difference in nature between the transmission, empowerment and initiation.

Rimpoche: It is a very difficult for me. You know why? Every different translator and interpreter use different terminologies for the equivalent in Tibetan. In Tibetan if you look, there are three words. One called wang, the other called the jenang and another called lung, so wang, lung and jenang. Some translators called wang as initiation, jenang, empowerment and lung oral transmission. But other translators called them in the opposite way. So every translator will have different usage so for him, that is the correct language. So we cannot say anything, we cannot say who is correct and who is not correct. That is not a new problem at all. These problems also took place in Tibet earlier from the 7th century onwards to 11th century. Just to be able to settle this terminologies, making sure they correspondence accordingly took 300 over years so I do not think these problems are going to be solved within next 10 or 15 years. Particularly when the translators do not agree with one another and they would like to use their own terminologies which they think are the best. That’s my straight forward answer.

0:04:30.7 Basically the difference is, if you would like to know, what is wang, what is jenang, what is lung, I can answer that. Wang here is letting the people enter into the mandala and introducing the individual to the principal of the mandala. When you have detailed initiations like Kalacakra, Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja or Cakrasamvara and all these, what the person really do, the Vajra master prepares the Vajra disciple to be able to enter into the mandala. So they open the gate of the mandala and bring that individual inside the mandala and introduce to the principal yidam of the mandala. And that is the real initiation.

0:05:45.6 Then what is jenang? They just give you power to be able to use the mantra or something and that is what the jenang gives you. That is the second category, the shorter one. People call it initiation, empowerment or whatever which is a shorter one that you can do in two, three, four or five hours.

Then the oral transmission is the backbone. The backbone is the oral transmission, the real thing is the oral transmission. The mantra of each individual deity had through their unbroken lineage, had come to one person through another by hearing that very sound. That very sound that is produced by human being rather than anything else. If you receive oral transmission from a vision or initiation from a vision, with exception of a few, you may not even count that because it is not unbroken lineage. It is a technical question. I am sorry but that is as detail as I can get. But I cannot say in English because different translators translate different ways so it depends on whatever you come across. But if you keep on watching translators like Professor Robert Thurman, Jeffry Hopkins or Glen Mullin they themselves use totally different terminologies but they themselves have been consistent. So when Thurman says initiation, he means that and when Glen Mullin says initiation he means that and there is another person, Stephen Bachelor. Some of them correspond. Alex Berzin used another different way. It is right, I can’t say it is wrong. a) I can’t say [it is wrong] because I don’t know English [well] b) they all have their own thoughts, they are very intelligent, learned persons, they have their own reasons. So in about a hundred years, I think [the English translation] will settled down. Really true. When you are talking about Buddhism you are talking about thousand years. You are not talking about 2 or 3 years. That’s nothing.

0:08:44.6 Audience: Could you say something about the mantra that was given and your wisdom were inside in that how we can use that and what it means that would lead us into a practice from the transmission from Dalai Lama.

Rimpoche: Thank you Robert.

That reminds me the time is going, I should go back to what I had planned to do today. So if you have that program, the commerative type of program that we had yesterday. That had been distributed to everybody yesterday and if you could look in that. I am sure everybody has it. How many people bring this back today? Quite a few. We purposedly did not announce yesterday, neither did we say to bring this back because we don’t want to be overcrowded. So that’s why. That’s the reason.

0:10:34.2 Those who have this booklet with you, you have a very little practice on the White Tara longevity practice. We made this available to you so that you can do it yourself. It is in English as well as in Tibetan. But the Tara card that you have which has the picture of Tara does not have the Tibetan at all. Probably you don’t need the Tibetan. So I think everybody got the card. If you look in there. Do they have refuge in the beginning? Yes. We do have Namo gurubya, Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya which is taking refuge at the beginning if you look at the back of the Tara card.

The reason why we have refuge. It is interesting. Earlier I told you that motivation makes a difference. If you have positive motivation it will become a positive activity. And to identify it as Buddhist activity, it is the taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Some people think that the Buddhist practice, dharma practice is the only positive [activity], others are not. That eliminates there. So motivation makes [the activity] positive or negative and taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha makes it a Buddhist practice. It is sort of Buddhist oriented practice. That’s why taking refuge.

0:12:45.0 Normally, when taking refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha we take refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, only three. But in Vajrayana you take refuge to Guru [in addition to] Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. That becomes Vajrayana practice oriented. Namo Gurubya is I take refuge to Guru. The translation in English beyond that. I am not going to talk about the refuge today.

0:13:14.5 Then you have the generating of the Tara. Yesterday his Holiness said you imagine Buddha in front of you whether it’s the historical Buddha or not historical Buddha. And at the heart of the Buddha you imagine a Tara. So likewise taking refuge to Guru, Buddha, Yidam, Dharma, Sangha all of them you can have a single image of the Buddha. And at the heart level of that Buddha is Guru, Buddha is Buddha, Buddha is Dharma and Buddha is Sangha. Actually deep [down] Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are inside. The external [object] is just a representation. The historical Buddha represents those who are enlightened. The real Buddha, the real Dharma and the real Sangha are within ourselves. We have to connect our own Buddha with the historical or external Buddha so that it sparks. We have to connect the external Dharma with the internal Dharma so that the internal Dharma can fully develop and we have to connect internal Sangha with the external Sangha so that it becomes real Sangha. That is how really, ultimately, in Tibetan it is called Day gyap, not du gyap but day gyap, sort of result oriented refuge. That is ultimately what it is.

0:15:02.8 The representation is the causal refuge. Whatever you are really connecting is the result oriented refuge with the causal refuge which is represented in front of you. If it is not easy [to think of] the Buddha and Tara at the heart, you can just think of Tara herself. You don’t have to think of Buddha. In reality Buddha and Tara there is no difference. One is in the female form, one is in male form. You can call it Buddha neeTara if you want to. Ha ha ha. There is no problem at all. 0:15:44.1 That’s what is called skillful means. [Some people refer to every act as] skillful means. Skillful means actually is a skillful way how the enlightened beings would like to touch with people. Some will come in the form of a monk, some will come in the form of a nun, some will come in form of just lay woman and some will come in the form of layman. Lay man, lay woman and in the form of monk, form of nun, so whatever they [think] you feel close to, you feel comfortable with, that is how they will manifest. That is really true skillful means. [It is] not that you can do any mischief and then call it skillful means. I don’t think that’s what it is.

0:17:04.3 So Tara in front of you and at the heart level you visualize Tara’s mantra which all of us received the transmission yesterday. It is OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA. Om has a tremendous number of meaning. I am not going to go into detail but I will like to [give just] one. What you hear today if somebody else tell you something else, don’t think it is wrong. Because there can be hundred different meanings. The beginning of all the mantras, Hindu Buddhist whatever it is, all mantras begin with OM. It is Ah O M together makes the OM. Ah is the most important sound. (Tibetan quote) It is essence, the real source of all sound of mantra is Ah. Then it becomes O and then adds up Ma with M on top so it becomes Ah O M. That is actually Ah O aM. That is how it becomes. Easily we say OM. So there are three [letters] combined together, Ah O M which have a lot of meanings. The meaning is we have a body, we have a mind, whether it is here or there, we have a mind and we have a sound, speech. Body, mind and speech that is what we have. So the mantra OM also has Ah O M together which corresponds to body, mind and speech. Ok?

When I say body, mind and speech again you have to think [about both]our body, mind and speech and the enlightened body, mind and speech. We are not enlightened beings yet. So unenlightened beings like ourselves’ body, mind and speech and the Tara who is already enlightened, her body, mind and speech. So OM is talking about two sets of three, one set which is our set of body, mind and speech and the other, the enlightened being’s body, mind and speech. So OM is that. Get it?

0:19:49.5 TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA (Tibetan). That is the meaning of TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA. Did you hear that? That is the meaning of OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA (laughter). TARE means one who helps to liberate from the samsara that is life after life without control, suffering after suffering without our control, relieving from that, helping us to relieve that. The word OM TARE means one who helps to relieve the sufferings. TUTTARE one who helps to relieve 8 fears etc, all the sufferings and particularly all the fears. The last word TURE means one who heals all the illnesses. So TARE one who relieves from all the sufferings including the samsara’s sufferings, TUTTARE one who relieves from all the fears in particular the 8 fears. They are called 8 fears. It is not really a fear in the Western sense of fear. It is sort of nightmares, 8 different nightmares of the spiritual practitioners. I am not going into detail. You can learn about that and you probably will be able learn that in our summer retreat and all these. The last word TURE is relieving and healing from the illnesses. Then SOHA is the same as the Hindu Buddhist SOHA. You can hear the Indian pundits go on saying Soha soha soha soha. That is the same thing. SOHA really comes down to. there are a lot of scholars here, if you look even into the Indo European language system, you will find that at the end it says lay the foundation. It comes down to lay foundation.

0:22:46.6 That set of the enlightened’s body mind and speech Om, who is doing these activities, TARE TUTTARE TURE, lay the foundation of her body mind and speech in our body mind and speech. What foundation are you are laying? You are laying the enlightened beings’ body mind and speech foundation in our body mind and speech so that our body mind and speech will become that [enlightened] body mind and speech ultimately. Did you get it?

I am glad you asked that question, really it is on the point and makes me go do whatever I am supposed to do today. That is OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA.

0:23:52.0 In Vajrayana, there is something else in addition to that. One particular quality in Vajrayana is that if you visualize it will materialize. Ok? Normally lots of spiritual paths will tell you, if you keep on thinking positive, it will become positive, if you keep on thinking negative it will be negative. Positive thoughts become, they normally say that. But in Vajrayana what they will really tell you is, one of the qualities of the Vajrayana is when you visualize, it will become that. It is the Vajrayana quality. That is why you make mandalas, you have a mandala drawings, you make sand mandala, you make three dimension mandala and you do all these because you will be able to visualize and when you visualize you will materialize that later. That is Vajrayana quality. As I told you earlier, when you keep on artificially correcting your emotions ultimately it will become strong nature from the guts. Likewise in Vajrayana when you visualize, it will materialize later. Ok?

0:25:35.0 So I would like to share a little bit of visualization. Before I do that maybe we should read that in English together as we did yesterday, the Bodhisattva vows read together. We will do the refuge and then go through this and stop before the mantra. You do about 20 mantras then stop and then I will give another visualization.

(The following highlighted part has been repeated subsequently )

0:26:31.8 (singing refuge)

0:28:17.1 Audience: I take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha until I obtain enlightenment. By practicing generosity and the other perfections May I be able to obtain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings ( 3x )

In the space before me appears a white lotus Upon it

a moon cushion and upon this the syllable TAM. TAM transforms into a Utpala flower which transforms and becomes White Tara the Noble one granting long life. Tara sits with a luminous moon halo at her back. Her right hand confers realization. Her left hand holds a Utpala flower. She is resplendent in exquisite beauty. Tara’s forehead , throat and heart are marked by OM AH HUM. Light emanates from the syllables inviting wisdom beings

0:30:00.0 ( singing refuge)

0:31:10.2 (Tara’s Sadhana) I take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha until I obtain enlightenment. By practicing generosity and the other perfections May I be able to obtain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings ( 3x ) Upon it a moon cushion and upon this the syllable TAM. TAM transforms into a Utpala flower which transforms and becomes White Tara the Noble one granting long life. Tara sits with a luminous moon halo at her back. Her right hand confers realization. Her left hand holds a Utpala flower. She is resplendent in exquisite beauty. Tara’s forehead , throat and heart are marked by OM AH HUM. Light emanates from the syllables inviting wisdom beings and empowering deities. The wisdom beings unite inseparably with Tara and the Empowering deities grant empowerment. Lama Amitayus appears at the crown of her head. Light emanates from the syllable TAM at her heart reaching infinite universes collecting the essence of inexhaustible vitality and powerful blessings of wisdom mind. This energy streams forth from Tara’s heart filling me completely, cleansing and revitalizing my body and mind.

0:33:24.8 Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

0:35:01.5 In your visualization, when you have Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha at the heart level of the Tara, you don’t visualize the mantra like it is a drawing or something someone have written, you have to think each word of these mantras, each syllable is in live. It is like living being in live, you can touch it and feel it. Even if you can’t visualize clearly, think that it is sort of somebody actually living and radiating light. OM in live, Ta in live Re in live Tu in live, like this in live. Light radiates from the heart of the Tara goes to all directions not only the house, but beyond the house, city, state, since there is shortage of time, I will go fast. City, state, country even the universe, even out of this universe, all multi existence wherever they are and collect energies of the earth element, water element, fire element, air element and space energy. All these different energies have been collected. I have again to clarify here. Some people will think, if I am to collect the essence of energy from earth, am I taking it away from earth? No you are not. It is inexhaustible energy there. So from various places you collect essence of those energies, collect back in multi coloured light form, dissolve to the Tara’s body and from the Tara’s body again multi coloured light comes and dissolve to your own body and those people who you would like to help them heal.

0:37:20.2 If you look carefully, our basic body’s structure is made up of four elements. Right? Flesh, bones are earth element, all the liquid is water element, the digestive power are heat elements and the movement are air element. If you look in that way, our structure is basic four elements. If one of them gives up we have to leave the apartment, go. So when you are healing, you heal your basic structure, the four elements. And how you heal is the enlightened beings have sort of inexhaustible supply of that energy so we collect that and heal us. Way you do is through Tara because sometimes some of the energy if hit you directly, you may have problem. So filter through the Tara’s body and Tara gives to you. That’s what you visualize.

0:38:28.0 Now we have done a couple of mantras. The second set of mantras you visualize from the body of the Tara, different nectars, white, yellow, red, green, blue, all of them different nectars falling through your body representing the five element powers and then just by the touch of the light and liquid from the body of the Tara heal all the problems that you have, physical, mental emotional. And rejuvenated. So can we [say some] rounds of Tara mantras. Saying the mantra and meditating together is a Tibetan Vajrayana technique which is not familiar in the West. Say mantra from mouth and meditate from the mind, you have to work them together.

0:39:29.0 Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

0:40:43.3 When you visualize that tremendous amount of multi coloured light and liquid coming from the body of the Tara and touch your body and those people around you who you would like to heal, at the end of this you have to think you have been healed. That is another important point. You have to at least sort of think you have been healed for at least a short period.

Next I would like to share with you a little protection. The light radiates from the heart of the Tara after healing you, the liquid stop coming so then light goes out of the Tara’s heart and sort of surround you and all the sentient beings around you who you would like to protect. Actually you can do yourself. Light comes and it becomes a Vajra roof, vajra ground, vajra fence and it is completely sealed with the Vajra form. So physically you are there, you are moving but you have been given Vajra protection. The word vajra means indestructible. So you have protection given by the Tara indestructible invisible light form. That is the common protection. So we will like to share that. You visualize that and we can do a number of mantras.

0:42:45.9 Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

0:43:56.5 You can think that you have an invisible protection with you, the vajra ground the vajra walls and vajra roof and all these and wherever you move the protection rim also goes with you, in that way you can function.

What we did here today is not an initiation, it is not an oral transmission, it is not an empowerment it is a simple practice of doing this together with a little explanation so that we have done a practice together.

We will say this dedication together. Thank you.

0:45:03.6 If foreseeing signs of premature death may I by a clear vision of White Tara subdue the Lord of Death, attaining the Siddhi of Immortality.

By this virtue may I quickly achieve the state of Noble

Tara and establish every being without exception in that

State.

0:45:25.6 Thank you. This little practice you can do every day if you want to. You can do like what we did today every day. If you don’t want to do it every day, you can do every week that’s also you can do. Every month you can do or you don’t want to do at all, that is also fine.

I don’t want to take a lot of time here I would like to take opportunity here express that our joy of the visit of HH. And I think it went on very well and has been very successful. HH himself is very happy with everything, a) he was very happy with teachings that I have been doing. He told me “ you should do more and go more different places try to reach more people” which is not my style. I would like to withdraw back and try to keep quiet, [do] a little less. But that’s what he told me. And b) he also told me “whatever you have been doing so far is very good, keep on doing it and cannot retire.” And c) he also told us that whatever the Jewel Heart if you need any activities whatever the support HH can give is available. That what he told me. And also he told me he is coming back here and do a teaching. I thought of Kalacakra, he said what about Bodhisattvacaryavatara. Either in Chicago or Cleveland or Ann Arbor in the Midwest. He said to talk with office and we can make the arrangement. So I would like share that with you.

0:47:49.4 And here I would like take the opportunity [to thank everyone]. It has been successful, it is not my doing it, it is all of you and particularly there are a number of people worked day and night, really month after month, week after week, day after day for months and months together, which you don’t see, Behind the scene a lot of people did lot of work. The planning people, executing people and we have tremendous number of coordinators , general coordinators , event coordinators , service coordinators and each one of those coordinators have staff volunteers. All of them are volunteers. Addition to that, staff volunteers. If you don’t have staff volunteer you have a lot of chiefs without soldiers. So you have soldiers and chiefs all of them work together, summer in Ann Arbor. Some are out-stationed, everywhere, all the Jewel Heart places, everybody put tremendous effort so please rejoice that. If you rejoice you will double the benefit again ( Tibetan quote ). Like Tsongkhapa said, if you rejoice in what you did you get double the benefit so from now on you can keep on rejoicing it. The effort what you put in so far you can keep on collecting benefits. So with this I would like to thank everybody and we will like to be on time which normally in Jewel Heart we always have little problem but I think we have corrected our habitual pattern this time. Thank you.

0:50:17.8 If you like you can do this practice so [the’s the] reason why we printed it at the back of the Tara picture, You can practice that in daily life which is much more important than coming here getting together. You know what makes the difference really is if you keep on doing with constant effort like if you put a drop of water in the bucket, bucket fills up; That is the example. That makes lot of sense. That way. If you would like to know a little more detail we do have Summer retreat this year. This year Summer retreat is going to be based on the White Tara practice. It will have a lot of additional speakers. Lots of our common friends , normally they share their thing. Allen and Phillip have been very very kind and they will come in the Summer retreat and share their experience and all this we practice together. Am I right? Thank you.

In addition to that we do have another Rimpoche coming. They called him HH Galwa Drikungpa who is head of the Drikung Kagyu sect. He will also be joining and doing his famous Drikung Powa . I hope he does not eject all our consciousness. Ha ha ha. Anyway ejection of consciousness. That is the famous about the Drikung. We have that also. The Summer retreat is starting Sep 2 to 9. So if you are interest you are welcome. And I would like to thank everybody being here. Thank you.