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19940315GRFP

The foundation of perfections that we begin tonight at the same time we also try to introduce lineage prayers. The foundation of perfection is basically we tried to use as a fundamental basis of mind training and I have given a couple of times the explanation on that and we are repeating that again today before that we do have a lineage prayer is not a longer usual traditional Tibetan lineage prayer but it is shorter version and we do have the shorter version of lineage prayer and we would like to do that little practice because when his holiness comes I’’m not sure what prayer he wants to say we have announced last Tuesday so just to get a little familiarized and so I thought of switching between the two different prayers every Tuesday or maybe we should do the lineage prayer every Tuesday because actually it is proper here for this particular teaching. Traditionally you should be doing a very long one but we really like you know here we have how many verses do we have? About eight versus which is shortened of like forty stanzas shortened into 8 stanzas so it is easy to say but I did notice there is a mystical number suppose if you look at the last page can I borrow one of your page? if you started marking say the (Bendenzawa?Lama Rimpoche) the third one as number one then (Pouzo gele?) number 2 (Gashenja?) number 3 (Kanjenshen?) number 4 (tobenla) number 5 next should be (Jambadoche?) This too has to be on page 2 the page two stanza third and fourth has to be switched up an down as well as repetition of the last word what we did here is after the (? Ling rimpoche) instead of (?Rimpoche) we have put the Dalai Lama’’s name on it. Then all the general masters and that’’s what it is. The Dalai Lama one and the (?) sort of the last line and not repeated 538

Working out stanza orders

In this painting (he speaks at Tibetan name) goes twice right? Because all others are going twice yes so it should be repeated and turn upside down this you switching verses that is all otherwise it seems to be okay. Did you hear? Everybody lost okay let me get this straight okay give it to me once again if you look in the verse forget about the (he speaks at Tibetan word) okay that is our usual thing forgot the translation of (he speaks Tibetan word) that is usual thing next was you see all glories of of guru and precious root guru and mark that stanza as number one then the number two will be the next below that (he speaks Tibetan) that as number two get it then below that (he speaks Tibetan again) that is number three then below that (he speaks Tibetan again) that is number four then you have (he speaks at Tibetan word) that is number five right number five now you jump to the next stanza go to (he speaks Tibetan word) that is going to be number six. Okay? And also the last line (he speaks Tibetan) has to be repeated once more like the others get it? Okay then above that you see (he speaks Tibetan word) and that is can it be number seven now. Okay? Then below that in all future lives and that is going to be number eight okay? Is it clear now? About 50% of the people got it so I’’ll bail out okay? So when you goes through you’’ll understand. (He talks to the audience, a female speaker takes over and they discuss how to chant the prayers)

Rimpoche: Okay now the Foundation of Perfection we will be talking this is basically the Lam Rim tradition so we have really the lineage prayers have been said the Mandala offering has been made so we probably should do this (Rimpoche and audience as prayer) in the Lam Rim teachings normally you do this for generating a Bodhimind taking refuge and generating Bodhimind in Lam rim teachings normally you do that 1217.

And his holiness will almost probably not do this because it is sort of empowerment ceremony so that is that. For Lam Rim teachings like this the first thing we will request you is generate good motivation so the motivation what you have to do and we will tell you later what a good motivation really is but just now at least you have to think whatever we are doing here it is most probably sharing of the traditional Tibetan Buddhist masters who have received mental training for thousand years so I would like to hear about that not only for my own benefit but to help all other beings as well. By listening by learning and if there’’s some good things that I pick up I would like to meditate and practice and improve myself and that sort of little thought if you meditated for a minute when I say the meditated you don’’t have to sit and do sort of things like that but if you just put up that thought it is a meditation it is a correction of motivation if you have that it will benefit a lot of people so I request you to generate that thought. After generating that thought we are going to study the Foundation of Perfection I think almost everybody the new ones might not have it but most of the people have the Foundation of Perfection in your hand and those who have the copy please look in their copy and those who don’’t have copy you try to get copy next time next Tuesday. So more or less everybody has a copy so if you can share it with other people that would be good. It is always good in the Tibetan tradition if you have some kind of outline to think because if you have some sort of outline and then what this outline will do the outline will give you a basic structure of the practice so if you have some kind of an outline it would be great so I give you a very brief outline for this. Basically Lam Rim outline you can bring it in but in Lam Rim outline you have the quality of the master and the quality of the practice or teaching and then how to listen and how to teach and then actual practice so if you take out the third one so the actual practice here so this particular outline this particular practice if you say actual practice has basically two outlines one the root of all development the guru devotional practice and then in according to the teachings of the masters how one trains one’’s mind okay that’’s like two root of all development guru devotional practice and the second is with that how one trains one’’s mind okay that is basically two outlines. So the root of all development is the guru devotional practice that is the first outline let us pick that up that will be the first verse can somebody read the first verse of this Foundation of Perfection because a number of people don’’t have a copy so if you can read that they will hear it and read slowly and loudly and clearly so that they can hear it. Thank you. I can’’t read right?

Audience: Following a kind of master foundation of all perfection is the very root and basis of the path empower me to see this clearly and to make every effort to follow well. So the root of all development is the guru devotional practice that is the tradition where most of the Eastern religions where ever you look you have that tradition whether it is Hinduism or Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Vajrayana where ever it is and that is important. Following the kind of master that’’s what it says right? The question is before you follow the kind master you have to know what is the kind master and what is kind and what is unkind and what is a master and all of them is important before you even follow right its true if you don’’t know that you’’re not going to follow. Following the kind master so to that you have to see two again this is the one thing what the western people don’’t want it and what the Tibetan Buddhist insist is you know there is a AH two of this kind after this outline three of this, eight of that people don’’t like it and it is there all the time and that is the problem. But if you don’’t have that at all then you have no basis at all that is another problem 2053

The kind master

So let us we have to follow a kind master so what are we talking about what is a master and who is the master what are we talking what are the qualities of the master how does one know whether that person fits the definition of a kind master what quality do I look for. Is it okay is everybody who claims to be a kind master or who has been labeled as an enlightened one or a wise one (Rimpoche laughs) why I was laughing I’’m sorry it’’s a funny thing we went to the Kinko’’s today Kathy and myself and Rachel, right? The three of us and there was a nice lady there I have seen her a number of times I don’’t know started looking and she came up to me and she said does the Tibetan Buddhism believe does Tibetan Buddhism pray for does Buddhism pray for enlightened one and I said what you mean? and she said oh do you pray for an enlightened one to come do you like to have an enlightened one and I said yeah there’’s a number of enlightened ones. No but I mean one here and I said maybe. Do you know there is one I said I don’’t and she said here you go and give me some kind of a nice picture of a very nice gentleman So she said this is the enlightened one and I said thank you very kind of you so that’’s the thing. So anyway whether the person is enlightened or very important whether the person is enlightened or person is not enlightened it is not for us to judge we cannot judge unless our self is enlightened Buddha himself has very clearly repeatedly said (he speaks Tibetan) he said if they’’re like me or equals to me can make the judgment of how important that person is and how developed that person is whether they are enlightened or not enlightened but others should not judge because you may have a problem and that was Buddha’’s advice to Buddha’’s followers so whether that person is enlightened or not enlightened we cannot judge some enlightened beings behave like absolutely crazy so that’’s where you have that crazy wisdom business you have that and that is the true fact you cannot deny that. On the other hand there are real crazy people who pretend to be crazy wisdom and it is very difficult for us to judge. Anyway now the important point in Buddhist teachings in our own practice what do we do? we will not make comments on those people whether it is enlightened or not enlightened or proper or not proper or improper or what ever it is we don’’t have to make comments and nobody’’s going to chop our head by not saying anything and nobody can force us to say things that we don’’t want to say so if somebody tells you here is an enlightened one I say thank you and that’’s about it what else can I say I don’’t know whether the person is enlightened or not enlightened it is not for me to judge I just simply say thank you but the question rises if I have to have a master that I like to follow and how do I observe that master I don’’t want to follow a crazy guy nor would I like to miss an opportunity to follow if there really a crazy wisdom guy I don’’t want to miss the opportunity but these are not the only two choice either there are other choices too other choice too. So what you do you do how do I observe how do I find if I like to follow a person if I like to have a master what kind of quality that I looked for and that is a very important question that we have to ask ourselves always I ask myself what kind of quality do I look for should I follow the newspaper advertisements or should I follow some kind of articles written in the paper or should I follow what my friend says or should I follow one of my teacher’’s recommendations or what should I do. What I look for that is the question that is a big question an important question and one has to deal with it. Actually that is the first step in the spiritual path that I know of whether it is Buddhism or Hinduism I don’’t know Hinduism but that is how it is really and the first step actually in the spiritual if you are really seriously interested and seriously wanted to help our self or if you just want to go here or there and pick up a few knowledges a few informations here and there that is a different category that is a different way of doing it that is perfectly okay for themselves for the person who like to do there is no problem at all but those who really want to do seriously do something and the first and foremost step is the question of master what quality? What do I look for so basically Buddha says (he speaks Tibetan) 10 qualities 10 qualities of the master. Well behaved, well controlled their delusions one, well behaved second, well controlled their delusions, and well versed well educated in the subject or whatever they have to guide the student they should know very well well qualified well versed well educated whatever you may say on the subject and enthusiastic - a lazy master will do no good. So enthusiastic, rich in the tradition what ever the tradition and source and teaching tradition they’’re bringing it should be rich in the sense it should be very authentic, right? Authentic in the sense the spiritual thing is something very interesting particularly the path which we have to follow is actually an unknown path which is not known to us it is an unknown path. Unknown path if it is black and white like in a scientific thing which you can actually mix the yellow and the red and produce orange. Which you can look into it and measurement put in and then you can do it you can do it that way right? I learned that in Tibet when I was in the monastery if you mix red and yellow together you get orange 3110

Kind Master

I knew that I’’d learned that that you can see it you can look in it and as much as yellow as you want as much as red you want you measure it and you can pour it you can see that. But the path and the spiritual path you can’’t do that there is nothing to look and see it so actually we are traveling on unknown path there is no road map there is no road sign it is not on a highway right? No maps even if there is a highway and road signs if you don’’t have a map it is quite difficult sometimes particularly me like me I can’’t read maps so when I can’’t read maps if I go to drive I can get on the highway alright but I’’m not really sure just like that there’’s no road map and not even signs on the highway too. So that’’s why it’’s called the unknown path so unknown path when somebody will share that path with you it has to be real authentic one because there is somebody else let that be me it doesn’’t have to be me here each one of us can see me and point the finger to our nose and that me is going to spend tremendous amount of energy and time and everything in that it’’s going to be a very heavy investment going to put a lot of energy lot of time in that so don’’t want to go some wrong place right? You keep on thinking you are going somewhere but when you really reach if you reach the wrong place how sorry I am going to be and that is a big risk for me as well as for the person who tried to lead you. So it is so important the master to qualify to be a master at least you know where you’’re going and if you don’’t know that you keep on guessing yes I will go that way probably I will reach there if you’’re lucky you’’ll reach if you were not lucky if you want to go to 23 South you probably landed on 23 North that sort of thing will happen so in order to avoid that it is so important to have not only one person but a number of people who follow that path and who have achieved. Even though we don’’t see how they achieved but at least we know you can go and count the number of people who have achieved and that’’s why time like today even Buddha says not only Buddha but the Tibetan tradition the early Tibetan masters emphasized that you should follow some authentic so that people will really reach a proper place. At least you make sure you’’re not go to the wrong place and that is why one of the great Masters says (he speaks Tibetan) and those of you who are reading the Liberation in Palm it is there I don’’t know I think it’’s the 11th day or the 10th day or something the teaching started with that quotation 11th or 10th maybe I’’m wrong that date but it’’s there meaning (he speaks Tibetan again) it has to be the essence of the true teachings of Buddha and Buddha’’s disciples it should not be somebody’’s nice talk made up. Some good ideas collected them together made a path and that is example of path that should not be followed

Buddha give so the essence of the Buddha’’s teaching and a Buddha’’s disciples (I’’m talking with the ?) teaching are should be perfect because these people have experienced sharing their experience practiced this and achieved their result not the only one but thousands of them and that’’s why it is example of to be fit and made-up good idea of this good idea of that good idea of them put them together try to make it what we call it the day before the new moon day of the new year Day on the 29th day of the 12 th month Tibetans make a soup it is not a noodle soup it’’s a soup in which they have to put every single damn thing together whatever you see it it looks like what the Chinese call American chop Suey you know the American chop Suey? Do you know the idea I don’’t know whether it’’s true or not they told me where this American chop Suey comes from its like you know quite awhile ago some American people in Hong Kong they had a dinner and they thought it was a great dinner and they brought some American friends back together the next day they wanted and then the restaurant to finish the whole foods they said 3805

Teaching should not be American Chop Suey

And then he says whatever you have give it its alright. So he said okay so they started all the leftovers put together and made one big dish that is why you have the noodles and vegetables and all different meats and eggs and everything put them together and make Chop Suey right so it is called American chop Suey it is not the Chinese chow mein or the chow chow but it is the chop Suey the American chop Suey they even named this American chop Suey so all left overs put together and made nice and give it to this American people and they’’re very happy with that. So this is named American chop Suey so it is like chop Suey all leftovers 29 is the last day of the last month of the year so all leftovers they put together and make a soup and everybody sit together and drink and eat that and some get some nice little thing looks like Sun and Moon and that type of thing they say how great it is and some people get black charcoals in that and they said oh he is a mean person or she is a mean person charcoal signs (Rimpoche laughs) there are some threads threads sort of you know put together and twisted sort of clockwise and when you get that oh this person is quite a well reliable person and some people get thread anti-clockwise rolled and they said unreliable person sort of thing they go that is the Tibetan culture what they call it soup of the 29th so every single damn thing put together in that. So that was the example given of not to be followed. So the essence of the Buddha’’s teaching and the Buddhist masters teachings and yes but good ideas collected from everywhere is no (he speaks Tibetan) the second word verse says (he speaks Tibetan again) the teachings what you get is not only what Buddha taught but the great Indian earlier Indian masters who had put them on the test and proved to be authentic (except?) that (he speaks Tibetan again) some stupid person’’s whispering should not be followed (he speaks Tibetan again) it has to be the great experience of great learned and sage developed person should be experience of learned and developed person it should not be sort of half delusion and half seen half not seen of mixture it should not be that way it should be if they have a copy of the Liberation in Palm somewhere it should be in there better translation than this and did you read? That particular verse anybody mike? Okay (he speaks Tibetan again) in short the path should the lead the individual to total enlightenment the path should not lead the individual to suffering and misery. And that’’s what it is it is very important when you look at it you can laugh and funny. Can you open the door a little bit I think it’’s very hot here. Can you open a little bit. So one of the reasons. So the (reading?) during the Buddha’’s lifetime how does people know how does people check Buddha and say what the Buddha’’s teaching is right or wrong they did not check whether Buddha is right or wrong they did not do that I mean it is very interesting you should note that by proving the teachings of the Buddha is perfect and effective to the individual and makes a difference to the individual’’s life and that was the reason to prove the Buddha is right not the other way around did you get it? Because this is extra ordinary person therefore whatever thing that guy said is correct because he is the right person they never did that in the Buddhist tradition it’’s not that way the teaching is right because it makes a difference it improves one’’s life it makes a difference therefore teacher should be right because the words they share makes a difference not other way did you get me? 4544

10 qualities of the master continued

During the Buddha’’s life and that is how Buddha has been proved likewise today if you want a master so you have to test the word of the master see whether it is right or wrong but does it make sense or does it not make sense if it makes sense of how much does it make sense how much difference that makes to the individual’’s life from that way. Get it? Important. in addition to that the master should also have the quality should be able to present it properly present it to be able to understand to be able to comprehend to make a difference in one’’s life the way and how you present (?) And then compassionate one who has some kind of compassion so that they can feel it the sufferings that we go through that we experience that person have feelings for you (he speaks Tibetan) the person should also people to take a little hardship if the person cannot take hardship at all then we are in a difficulty we are in the soup so they should be able to take some hardship. So these are the 10 qualities of the master that the Buddha had recommended. (A long silence on tape) I was also told you can get a 50% discount that’’s true because in today’’s timing at the today’’s time I don’’t think people gets and that much of quality of all ten in one person it’’s almost impossible so you can get a 50% discount (crowd laughs) but which one? (Rimpoche and crowd laughs) anyway so basically these are the qualities of a master it also depends also a subject like for example in the Buddhist tradition like the Theravadan Mahayana and Vajrayana have a different sets of a quality for the individual. The Theravadan tradition is like a self liberated you know like that tradition then the master has to be a pure monk not only a pure monk but should be totally celibate and not only totally celibate but total perfect celibate for 10 years so that is the quality they say the quality of stable and quality that is the Theravadan. The Mahayana the 10 qualities what I have told you. In Vajrayana 10 plus 10 so 10 plus 10 I don’’t have to go in that there is 20 even if you get a 50% discount you still have to have 10 quality because it is 20 (crowd laughs) apparently the 10 qualities what I told you here is counted as one quality in Vajrayana plus nine more so that is how it works so basically and that is what the master we are talking about it. It is such a perfect Master if you can find it you can follow it and not only that we would also have to have that sort of qualified master we should also have a perfect tradition. Like the Tibetans have a saying in old Tibet if you want to drink a pure water the pure water the pure water quote unquote old Tibet pure water the water must come from the snow mountain that is old Tibet water coming in between they don’’t consider it pure the source of that water must come from a Himalayan snow mountain through there likewise if you want a perfect tradition it leads to a perfect Buddha not necessarily a Buddhist Buddha5425

Guru Devotional Practice

We are talking about the Buddhist point of view that’’s why they say Buddha and likewise any other thing it has to go a perfect lineage unbroken lineage is the backbone of a spiritual development and if you don’’t have the unbroken lineage, unbroken lineage do you understand what I mean that the teachings has to come from Buddha Buddha shares that with disciples and followed by somebody else continuously unbroken lineage and that is the backbone of a spiritual development. If you don’’t have that no matter how much efforts you put in your not going to get very far away you can get mental quiescence or you’’ll be able to fly little bit here and there or you may be able to walk over water it is not that and you may be able to sit under the ground for a while but then the earlier Tibetan masters have a remark for that

5601

It is nothing to be surprised to be able to fly in the air when we were birds we have flew thousands of years but we did not reach anywhere when we were a fish we remained under the water for a lifetime but did not reach anywhere when we were worms we remained under the ground under the mud for years but nothing have achieved we are still the same old person. So if you want to make a difference in our life if you want to improve we have to do better than that right? Those are the spiritual materialism. And if you wanted to be spiritual materialism you can totally devote yourself to develop how to fly in the air you will be able to fly little bit you will be able to levitate if you put a lot of efforts and time in that it’’s not that difficult to learn how to levitate. But then after levitating then what? Right?5728

So as long as you have the question after that then what then it is clearly shows it is not a perfect path. Anyway I’’m talking too much so it is basically very important for a spiritual practitioner so it depends very much depends on the spiritual guide or spiritual friend who will try to lead you to a perfect path and that’’s why that’’s why the root of all development is called guru devotional practice on the other hand once you select your master the master what you have selected may or may not have any faults but you should be able to look at that master should be able to treat that master as that of enlightened being. Why? It sounds very funny and very tricky and very suspicious statement but on the other hand it also has tremendous importantness in that 5920.

Earlier Tibetan masters used to give an example said if you want to utilize the solar energy to be able to make a fire over here in that dry grass over here if you want to use the solar energy and make a fire here what would you do. I would pick up a magnifying glass right so when you have the magnifying glass what does this magnifying glass will do it will collect the energy coming from the sun and sort of single pointedly focus on a particular point of wherever the grass where you’’re putting so that the heat will catch the fire we all know that likewise the linkage between the enlightened energy and me the dry grass over here and the enlightened energy like the solar energy over there the link between to be able to use this is the spiritual master. So the purpose of the spiritual master my spiritual master my masters the job and the duty of my master to me represents the enlightened beings so the spiritual master my spiritual master is the ambassador of the enlightened beings and when they come to me they will present their credential and they present that to me and I recognize and I acknowledge them as ambassador of enlightened beings or the enlightened state or the ambassador of the enlightened land get me?10145

Guru Devotional Practice

So that is the spiritual master’’s job so when you build the connection even in today in the diplomatic world here between the two nations they put one ambassador here and one ambassador there and that means they call it we have diplomatic relations right? What does that mean? We can be able to talk and communicate and do things for the benefit of each other through this channel. So the ambassador’’s job is to hold the channel properly so that is how the spiritual master work between the enlightened being and me. So it is called root of all development. So following a kind master foundation of all perfection is the very root and basis of the path. Very root and basis of the path very root actually the step after that whether any individual who is going to develop any other development thereafter is very much depends on this and that’’s why it’’s called the very root. And the root of a tree the tree grows the growing of the tree (Rimpoche stops to talk with a kind tone to a student who is having a hard time ““you can stretch your leg stretch out, there’’s no point in punishing yourself trying to sit crosslegged when you have pain - Hartmut I left this in because whether on purpose or not Rimpoche display his compassion here) whether the tree is growing well or not it depends on the root. We were watching Karate Two the other night Karate Kid Two the other night. I’’m sure a number of you watched it right he goes through that mountain and gets that little tree over there and these bad guys came and kicked them out and tree almost broke then the kid takes the bag to that master and he puts them in some seed and grows them up and then the tree started growing and giving the leaves again and he says when the root is correct and strong when you have a strong root and then things grow and that is the example.10513

And I’’d better stop here because time is 915 so I do understand a couple of announcements to be made so I better stop here today. And the next Tuesday we will do the next verse (he speaks Tibetan) okay the next Tuesday and the outline is going to be on the second outline the first is the root of all development guru devotional practice and that is throwing a very brief very basic guru devotional practice the next time I’’m going to throw how to train one’’s mind training the mind that is there will be a number of outlines again on that so anyway we will try to hopefully cover one verse actually there going to be like four points so anyway so we hope to be cover that so hopefully we will be able to start 730 sharp. And if I’’m not here on 730 please start with that prayers either one of you over here whoever is there start the prayers and so that we don’’t delay because you know if you are late and people have to go particularly those who have small kids they have difficulty so so that’’s that any announcements? I’’m sorry I didn’’t let you ask any questions but there’’ll be one day I will give totally devoted to questions anything to be announced I think we do (they discuss Jewel Heart business tape ends)