Archive Result

Sound file:19940726GRLR

Speaker:Gelek Rimpoche

Location:Ann Arbor

Topic:Lam Rim

Transcriber:Jayapushpa

Date:23rd,December,2023

Last Tuesday we covered one outline. Basically for Lam Rim it is also very important to recognize the qualities. So in traditional teachings every time they will repeat qualities of Lam Rim itself, which we probably should not do. Or, normally what they called it ..’essence of all the buddha’s teaching.’ The reason why they give the qualities as essence of all the buddhas’ teaching ,they give this for two reasons. Number 1, the Lam Rim has all the different teachings whatever wherever the Buddha has given teaching ..maybe it is not connected but piece here, piece there, all of them. So if you picked it up, it will be properly organized and have benefit for one individual to obtain enlightenment. And that’s why one of the reasons. ..and called ‘essence of Buddha’s teaching’. Another reason is also like a key for the individual . Once you sort of set up, properly organized within the individual, the Lam Rim stage, so wherever you read whether it is sutra, tantra, mahayana , hinayana…whatever may be , it is the teachings of the Buddha or Buddha’s message or suggestion, wherever you look you can not only understand the message but somehow you recognize it is meant for one individual , for me..that is like me. So anything whatever you see , whatever you do, read teachings about the Buddha, somehow by knowing the Lam Rim , but when you have the Lam Rim organized within the individual, you do have both the purposes from both angle, looking from the individual to the vast teachings of the Buddha, it would be like a key. 0:03:01.9 And also from the individual…from the practical point of view, it is whatever maybe, it is somehow giving you a message.so, it organize the I individual spiritual path .And earlier tibetan teachers give you example here, the traditional old examples. The tibetans keep the dried teas, and sugar, and the salt, all of them in a little leather bag, the old way. They keep them in a little leather bag. So, if you have a leather bag of each one of those, and whenever you get anything additional things, you can bring them and put. All the teas you collect and put in the tea bag, whatever you got outside.. the salt in the salt bag, the sugar in the sugar and the chilli in the chilli bag. And so, whatever you can gt outside you do have a place where you can put them. You sort of foodstuff is organized. That’s what they give you example. And if you don’t have that, you get a little handful of salt, handful of chilli and handful of chilli and handful of sugar, you don’t know what you are going to do with them. You can’t mix them, so what are you going to do? So, that was the old example. So try to…another words, that examples giving as message our spiritual path will be organized within us, which is of course very …appropriate for America today. And most of us, our spiritual path is definitely not organized. And number one, we raised question of whatever we have one or don’t have one. And then if you have one, you don’t really know every single thing .You bring them together and try to put them together and see which is what, where to go, what? We don’t really know. And so what will happen is , you ended up with whatever, very strange thing, love and light or…I don’t mean it is bad. But you know, all these types of things, you know. And something is looks like totally not connected…this is this, that is that, this is that, and all separate. So, individual left to here and all different spiritual paths, left there. So.. to some people it is compartmentalized…this is this, this is this, this is that. And somehow there is no relation and individuals, somebody else, sitting outside , there is no connection. That is a problem. 0:06:18.3

To some people it is completely mixed together and they may become like what the Chinese sells, American chop suey. And so every single little thing all jammed them together … there is noddle, there is a veggie, there is vegetable, there is egg , there’s meat, there is chicken…every thing put them together, sort of stir fry them, and give you and then called ‘ American chop suey’. I was actually told the American chop suey started in Hong Kong, the dish itself. The friend of some Chinese guy who had a kitchen and some Americans went there and they enjoyed the food, brought some more friends there the next day, and he was closed ,the kitchen. And they say, ‘Why? We really liked to have it,” and say “whatever leftover you have, put them together, make some thing” And then he said, “okay” He opened the refrigerator and whatever leftovers are, made that this, become good dish later, it becomes American chop suey. I was told that’s what happened. So.. I mean who knows whether it is true or not. But anyway, that was what I was told. The Chinese in South East Asia told me that. So, anyway, in order not to become that, the spiritual path has to be organized within the individual. Now, I can only talk from the background of the Buddhism and that of the tibetan Buddhism, just because that’s all I know. Maybe I don’t get American chop suey or something, but whatever it is . Even among that there is a Vajrayana, there is Sutrayana, there is Common with the lower level, there is common with the medium level and mahayana level…all of them there. There is Method path, there is Wisdom path, all of them .so somehow each one of them are relevant for individual to practise what level , where, how it goes, which follows what. All of them has to be organized and put them. If you are organized then it works perfect. Right, even if you are carpenter or something, Even though you can put quite number of them together, but if you have to have longer (?) and shorter (?) and everything, if you have a package separately, it is very easy for you to pick up whatever you want. 0:09:09.3 Otherwise you have to pick up things and (?), ‘Oh, it is not right”, take it down and put another one. So, anyway, Lam Rim helps to organize. That’s why it says, ‘essence of the teaching’.

And also it helps you, the second quality…the different teachings will not contradict each other. Not contradict. And I have to talk from the tibetan buddhist point of view. In some places they will tell you , you can eat meat; in some places, you have to be vegetarian. I mean there are so simple examples like that. In some places they will tell you , you should not eat garlic. And in some places they tell you, you should eat garlic. So, that sort of give you example. And so, it is one Buddha who says ‘Ya”here and one Buddha who says ‘Nay’ there. And what is this? It is contradicting. And so it is not. In certain levels, some thing, certain levels, some thing else. And the tibetan earlier masters will give example here is…again the tibetan medical treatment, even the example going to be difficult to explain. So what they do, the tibetan medical doctors, whom is giving the tibetan medicine, and what they do when they have in certain problems, with individual, even in one illness, during certain period, they will say “You should not eat meat at all because it is bad ; you temperature is going to go up and this thing is going to get into trouble and that and that and that..So, they will stop the meat. And after some time when the fevers gone down completely not like nowadays you can take the aspirin and gone down. Those days they took some different pills and take couple of days. When it is down and then some place they will tell you now you should have some iron, take some meat and this and that. So, like that they say one doctor for one illness and one treatment, they give you two different things. Likewise Buddha for individual to overcome delusion, in certain level they do this, certain level they don’t do this. These sort of teachings are there in order to know they are not contradicting, and it help for one individual in different level what to do. It is also help if you know the Lam Rim. If you don’t know the Lam Rim, where and what to apply. That is one of the qualities. The most important thing is, (Rimpoche quotes in Tibetan) nyi chuk champa…(?)So the most important quality here …the third one in between, better jump, Better not jump.

So, the third one is to understand the intentions of the buddhas. Whenever they give you different messages, whatever the intention is, and that is the third quality. The most important quality is the fourth one, (Rimpoche quotes in tibetan….nyi chuk ….cha wa)(?) By practising Lam Rim, automatically you will notice, that our automatic addictions to anger, attachment, etc..Automatically changing and it becomes softer, automatically the individual person becomes better without putting too much efforts , “Well, I am going to change my habitual pattern ,therefore I am here to conquer my anger! Boom boom boom. You don’t have to do that. Don’t have to be so seriously going you know. Without that, just normal relaxing manner, sort of automatically shifting the individual way of dealing with the things, with people, with your daily life and particularly dealing with those anger , attachment and hatred. That will make gradually shift with or without recognizing. It will make big drastic change. Might not be great, either is really coming by itself or you artificially try to make it. And it might not be very useful. It has to come as a gradual process and without the individual much realizing , it is sort of gradually shifting and Lam Rim gives you that quality. Lam Rim has that quality; that’s what happens. If you look it back gradually you have shifted and that is a very important point. And that …I mean that is the fourth quality they give you but what I am staying is that is the most important thing once in spiritual practice. Basically to me the spiritual means improving the individual. ‘Improving’ means moving away from those negative habitual or negative habit or that negative addictions , which we always have it. Our mind if you look at it, we always have that. It is very hard for us to become a genuine compassion person. It is very easy and always we like to talk about Love Compassion. And we do have limited love and compassion ,but very genuine deeply really deep love and compassion is very difficult for us. Simple reason, 1, because we always have attitude of competition , so we like to compete with the person rather than having love and compassion. And that is one reason Automatically we will sort of competing attitude rather than loving, straightaway. Another thing is ‘suspicious’. Anybody.. if some body tries to do something nice, we become very suspicious. And ‘Why, why why why why?” and sort of you know, all these. That’s simply tell you our attitude. And if there is no danger for whatsoever, from whatever, from that person or something, and then you may generate little love and compassion. You may feel comfortable because you can. Otherwise you will be doubtful, suspicious, point of competing, all the time. And it becomes very difficult, to be even a genuine love and compassion. We all talked about it, love and compassion, all really go in the…so much so they set up organizations, and compassion in action, love in this, loving that..all of them is almost become …(pause)..I don’t know, maybe it is good. On the other hand, it does not… you lose the genuineness of it. It is not coming from the bottom of the heart. I don’t mean the organization who set up is not set up that way. But it becomes almost cheap stuff everyday you do. So thus it loses the quality of it. So, anyway, these are the basically our habitual patterns functions that way. 0:18:58.9

So, Lam Rim will automatically change the individual. The person will become more kinder ; the person will really become more caring person. Without making a big deal of saying, “I am a buddhist practitioner; I am this.., I am that..” “I am you know..” “I have to carry my mala” and all this and that. And that big thing really doesn’t do that great. On the contrary, it gives you different thing. You try to make look different and alienate yourself.So, anyway, Lam Rim has this particular quality and (Rimpoche quotes ..ni che…(?) ) So, I think basically that much . I don’t think I should be talking too much of the quality now.

And so, how does one individual really get this quality? When you think about it, when you sort of pick up these points and think and meditate, and when you apply to your attitude. One most important thing here, we have to remember this spiritual thing what we are doing is not meant to certain period in your daily life. It is not meant to be sitting in front of some images and close your eyes and fold your hands in different directions, and it is not meant for this. It is not meant for that at all. It is meant for this very individual who are sitting in that particular what we called that ‘sacred place’. Whatever attitude you have there and that very attitude you take it outside in the street, at your workplace, dealing with your friends, whether it is individually or group wise, or whatever it is. And that is most important part. This particular spiritual path is not meant to have a few minutes whenever you can sit like this or that or that or whatever you do anyway. So, in that manner close your eyes and become very great thing and then you walked out and finish it. And not meant for that. And that’s why it changes your life; it gives you the change way you look and how you approach. You bring..you do have get..sort of joy bring in there sometimes ; sometimes you will be extremely sad. And true, both of these ups and downs of emotional things will come in. This is not anti emotional thing. Actually really true.This is actually work with emotion and it works okay. It influences the individual and gradually it works okay. It is not anti emotion. It is not antidote for emotional problems. No, it is not. It is basically make the individual person better, slowly it works. And that’s what you have to remember.

Anyway, better go through what we are doing. Basically there three things we mentioned outline, right? Preliminary, actual and …conclusion. So, for ‘preliminary’ basically we mentioned six preliminaries. Out of six, we have covered the first one, the last Tuesday, and that is, the cleansing..is cleansing the right language? Somebody said this is wrong language. What is it? (Audience: ..cleanliness..) It is written there. Is it right language or wrong language? I think it is called ‘cleansing’ or something. Somebody said..o knows, that’s not my mother tongue anyway. So, basically we talked about cleansing or cleaning or (Audience: Purify) purifying, whatever you called it. Outer and inner, we mentioned, right? Outer, actually the place where you are going to meditate, actually where you are going to sit and where you spend your time. And we mentioned that you have to be aware of your place. Basically if you cannot organize …I am sorry, I don’t mean to be a mother here…but (laughs) basically if you cannot organize your own little life, little room,then it is very difficult to organize your spiritual path. And so, the place where you meditate has to be clean and vacuumed, sweep it or whatever you have to do., and have to be done. Two reasons, a) that’s also helps to purify. Remember I told you the story of the guy who Buddha took at and forgets and by only cleaning the shoes , his negativities of ignorance was reduced. ‘Ignorance negativity’..doesn’t sound good. The ignorance itself has reduced and become intelligent and learned that little two words. Not only learn, its picked the meaning and all these.. so, that is only by cleaning the shoes and cleaning the place. So, with that attitude if you do it, it helps individual, particularly (Rimpoche laughs) if you see the things in the street, the bottles and… You know, (?) things should not be there. The person like me is littering and then you picked them up (Rimpoche laughs) … littering, right? (Laughs) And picked them up, and that helps. And also remember I talked on that and not only those, but environment is very important. So, all of those are the first outline in this preliminary in this Lam Rim practice, in that cleansing or cleaning or whatever that is. In that you have looking into the environment ..individual environment and general environment, and all of those. And now, I talked last Tuesday, I am not going to come to talk to you this today. 0:27:09.7

Actually protecting the air is one of the most important thing. Because the air outside and energy within the individual is corresponds and works together. And when it is polluted and then naturally the energy what we is also get polluted. I don’t think I can spend time on that but…think about it. So when you have the first outline of the first preliminary, and not only don’t think about the cleaning your room alone and your body alone, but also the environment completely. The world environment and the environment where you are and all of those, particularly important where you are. Because that is the place just under your own nose, and where you can make a difference and in that way contributes. The buddhist way of contributing to world…whether you want to called it ‘World Peace’ or world environment, is a really to take care of place where you are, under your own nose where you are living., starting from there and then goes out.Very few people can jump into the big thing and forget about the peace where you are and try to make world peace some where up from the sky somewhere down. Very few people could do that; there maybe one or tow persons can do it. But the rest of them, we begin where we are., like normally American say, ‘Charity begins at your backyard or something..(Audience: home) ..home. Likewise the both cleansing and looking after environment, and the peace, all begins here. And that makes difference. And the traditional Tibetan buddhism will give the example..rin chen…(?). If you yourself can become like gold, and then surrounding area will also become will have the effect. If it is gold mountain, gold mine, there’s a big mountain of gold mine, and nearest area will also have a lot of gold. But if this mountain is poison mountain, and anything nearby will have a lot of poison. Just because this one makes lots of difference. So, that is exactly how we contribute to the society. And whenever we want to contribute to the society for peace, for environment, for whatever, you do from here. If you want to contribute poison, you also from here. If you want to do something good, it is also from here. So that is the first point is point where we are and sort of take care of yourself and then under your own nose. That’s how it goes. That is number one preliminary. Number 2 prelim…and also we mentioned ‘outer’ that day , right? It comes part of it. And I am not going to repeat again.0:31:09.5

Basically ,I should say, Buddhism is one of the religions that do keep altar, do keep images, …does keep images.’ Does’ or ‘do’…what do I say? (Audiences: *various answers) Okay, then I will say both of them. Keep images. I did mentioned to you the image is not…it is representation. It is not really piece paper or the thangkas where the drawings or poster or the picture. That is not the altar. The real altar is the pure…in the pure space you created in that pure beings you generated. And that is the real altar. Externally you have those pictures and things like that. And you don’t worship the picture . You don’t pray to the picture but you do pray to the wisdom being behind that. So, I did mentioned to you earlier last week. It is sort of meeting place, it is the connecting place where the enlightened beings come and contact you in certain way and form. And here we are, we look at particular different looking …and that’s why even the physical shape of the Buddha is a;so slightly different from normal human beings. I believe for that purpose they do it. I don’t believe that the Buddha has this long ….that additional thing on head, they called it ‘usnisha’ or something in Sanskrit. And the ears are so long, going this much. And all these, I don’t think so. I don’t know the artist tries to exaggerate whatever but somehow try to give you a slightly different from the ordinary human beings. If actually Buddha comes and walks in that way, probably we run away, right because it looks very strange. But gives you that picture so that we can sort of think that they are different slightly. But it is conducting…connecting point and representing enlightenment, enlightened beings. So altar is the one way is the meeting ground. Another way is the ,normally what the traditional Tibetan teachings tell you, is the ‘Supreme field of merit’, where you can collect lots of merits. These are the two reasons. To have a simple altar is important. Anyway, the next is, if you have altar, and you do have supreme field of merit , so then how do you collect merit? What do you do with this? And it is not you have another companion here, or it is not that you have another attendant or something.The supreme field of merit is there to make …when it is there, you have to make best use of it.; how best way we can benefit out of this. What best way we can benefit out of that. And that’s why the supreme field of merit to have that, reason is that. So one of the way of benefiting you find object to whom you can make offerings. That’s why the second preliminary here is making pure offerings., okay? And this very offering is pure offering. ‘Pure’ in the sense… Well the word ‘pure’ you can really look in lot of different ways. Truly pure offerings is offering which is not contaminated. Not to be contaminated by anger, by attachment, by hatred. That’s what they are talking about ‘contaminating’ and ‘not contaminating’, particularly in this level , at this point. So, something pure . so, the pure offerings. The recommended offerings are pure water, flower, music, incense,light, food …what else. All these, these type of thing.Then, it is not limited to that. Offering is also act of generosity. The act of generosity is very important point. One of the most important, easy practise which we could do. Important.(Rimpoche quotes in tibetan) ..So the joy or the comfort in people’s lives is mostly the result of generosity. You spend more, you get more (Rimpoche laughs) That’s what it is. So the result of generosity. 0:38:01.9

So, the generosity is also ..is very important to be generous and to whom you give is also lot of difference. So, when you give to the enlightened beings, making offerings to the enlightened beings, creates tremendous amount of merit. So, you be generous and make offerings. And that also, good quality. Do not giveaway which is something useless for yourself. If it is not good for you, it is not good for somebody else also. Number of reasons. I don’t think I can talk over here but I can talk to you when we talk the subject of generosity at that period rather than now. So, anyway, traditionally tibetan masters will tell one should not be giving from the yellow part of the vegetable and blue part of the butter. When the butter is getting bad, it becomes blue. Blue part of the butter and the yellow part of the vegetable, should not be a object of generosity. We can share it,sure. But..anyway, that’s that. On the other hand if you don’t have it, so you don’t have to feel bad either. So,” Well I like to be generous, but I don’t have anything to give.” Don’t have to feel bad at all ( Rimpoche quotes..no sum…..tsultrim…so) So the things whether you have owned it or earned by yourself or somebody else owned it, wherever you find nice environment area, beautiful flowers , waterfalls, anything which gives you joy when you see it by your own eyes, when you feel ,”Ah, it is nice!:. Take that and make offerings to all the enlightened beings. Not by signing(?) , you get into trouble. (Rimpoche laughs) I am just joking. But you know , you take it up, and sort of give it away and sort of making offerings out of that. That is one thing you can do. Another thing is, no matter how poor one might be, they can always make offerings of a glass of water. There is a.. no matter how poor you might be. You can definitely make offerings of a glass of water. That is important. Atisha , on of those earlier pandit saint and scholar, who came to Tibet in the 1100s, and so he told the tibetans make the water offerings. Tibetans are poor,so ‘pre ta’ ‘Tibet; is the word ‘Tibet’, comes from the word ‘preta’ which means ;hungry ghost land; actually. I mean there is ghosts around those who you know the Indo European language, if you look from there, you will probably know it there. But the word ‘preta’ , Tibet, is comes ‘pre be’(?). You know what happens ,you know, ‘pri’ is some where spelling it becomes ‘ta’; that’s why Ti be come in; also it is border, bodhi, all these different language, different ways of doing. Anyway, it is a poor place. So Atisha told everybody make water offerings. That’s why you see tibetans they will always put their six or seven bowls of water offerings over there; that’s why. And well it is uncontaminated water in Tibet actually. And Atisha said there are 8 qualities in water. That’s why if you make one glass of water offering, you get benefit of offering eight because there are eight qualities. (Rimpoche quotes..tang si..me …) (Rimpoche converse in tibetan ) That’s right, it is light, soft , smooth, pure, has no dirt or no mushy moody, not contaminated, it doesn’t harm the throat, it doesn’t harm the stomach . Anyway, like that, sort of eight qualities Atisha went on and make every tibetans to make water offerings. Things like that, the water, incense, all these water offerings, you can do it. That also, even you give a glass of water , you don’t have to think , ‘I am giving you one glass of water; here you go”. No, for the benefit of all sentient beings …really, for the benefit of all sentient beings , I am offering to all the enlightened beings’. One glass over here physically placed it, but mentally I sort of multiply by millions and the space been filled up by glass of waters. The whole space been filled up by different kinds of offerings. The flowers been filled up the whole space. All of those. In that way, so, when you do it, it is sort of mental exercise but however with good motivation when you do it that way, you get much benefit. So, that is how… this sort of thing is funny techniques or tricks, even you may called it. That’s how you learn, how you do it. You may actually have one glass of water, but you visualized it is multi million glass of water, filled up the whole space , and purest of the pure , the highest number. There is no open space left , it’s all filled up. And then make offerings to all enlightened beings, it becomes worthwhile. Otherwise we think we give just a glass of water, ‘ Here, you go’. So, that probably do no good.(Laughter) You know what I mean. That’s what it is. Likewise incense, likewise every offerings. So, anyway, that is basically …what offerings to be made. 0:45:38.5

And offerings should made from the pure ..there are two kinds of purity. One, it is clean and all these, normally environmentally fit. That sort of pure part of it. The second more important one ,what I am going to say here, whatever it might be, one should not collect these by doing wrong things.So, ‘I need to make offerings something here, so, I needed something. So let me go and steal some thing’and you know, it doesn’t do any good. Or, cheat somebody else and be generous. You know we used to say ‘You can’t be very generous to a dog by feeding a fish’ Did you get it? You want to be very generous to a dog, but what you are feeding them is a fish. So, you have to kill the fish to feed the dog. So, it has become impure. I mean here you have accumulated negative, killing a fish and then you wanted to be generous to dog. It is an old example. I don’t know how it works. One should not collect wrong ways of doing something right. That’s what we called it ‘ impure offering’. Impure offerings here, two ways. You can’t make dirty glass of water, that’s another way. And another way is to collect at that by funny ways, by cheating people, by doing this and doing that. There is lots of detail how you cheat other people in that. So I am not going in that , we know I think we better than they know. That is that way. (Rimpoche quotes te la che pa…) Third one, (*Rimpoche talked to someone) is the …now we can go on to third one. Rimpoche quotes ten cha wa….gesem …gon pa) Okay. So now, the third is , you need a cushion where you want to sit meditation, making talking about the arrangement of the cushion . You know Allen Ginsberg had a ‘Do the meditation’ tells you that in there, ‘sit on the cushion , cushion on the rock’ something, you know. If there is no cushion, sit on the chair. Anybody remember that? Anyway, that’s what it is. (Audience: Sit where you are..) Sit where you are, right. So, anyway, let me tell you what recommended tom be,,okay? You do need a comfortable cushion. There is number of reasons. If you are sitting a retreat, and then it is recommended…traditionally recommended you have kusha grass lay under your cushion. Kusha grass, I am not sure how many are familiar with kusha grass. Kusha grass if you bring to India, it is Indian broom; the Indians use to sweep the floor. It is broom in India.That particular grass is considered some kind of material which purifies. That’s why they sweep the floor, I think. But traditionally the Brahmins, you know the Indian brahmins, the Hindu caste system is a big thing, and the brahmins think they are superior and more clean than anybody else. It is normally the brahmins way, especially in Kashi, the Benares , the centre of India, they do that. So when they … they have the caste system the Untouchable caste, if the come and touch their glasses or something, the brahmin what they do, they have to run to the kusha grass , where the kusha field is, and they sleep there that night. And the next day they come back home and they think they been purified. (Rimpoche laughs) That’s what they been doing for thousand years. So, that’s their way. So, anyway, it is Indian influence or whatever it is, and buddhist also recommends to put kusha grass under your seat . and two reasons, and that is the Hindu mythological whatever it is or traditional historical reasons, that’s why they do. The second reason , if you look in the kusha grass, each one of the branch sits separately, doesn’t really go and entangled and mix like other grasses. You know lots of other grasses grow tangles. But kusha grass, each and every tiny little thing stand by its own. And that’s the reason why the …just sort of corresponds good omens for the individual to remain their mind pure and even their negativities… we do have a lot of negativities within us; some times negativities grow strong, sometimes it becomes weak.But we try to maintain each one of them their own places, so that they don’t overcome our consciousness . We don’t overcome our consciousness. And to correspond that, that is the reason , one of the reason… the main reason is that.Just good omens or something. And that is the reason why, if you are doing long retreat. It is not like retreat what we have, summer retreat, winter retreat. ..not those retreat. But say, if you are doing you know very serious retreat… I don’t mean that what we do is not serious…but when you do a very serious real retreat, that’s why you put under your seat. And that also, make sure doesn’t mix . That is the reason why. Otherwise, if negativities overpower our mind, then it becomes very bad. Like normally I give example, right, like mind look like lampshade. And all the negativities is like a bulb, red and yellow and green bulb. And you change the bulb and go from distance, ‘Oh, that’s a red light , that’s a red lampshade. And it is not red, but it looks like red because there is red bulb and its influences. And happens with individual. Actually all these are like anger, attachment, hatred all of them are what we called it ‘mental faculties’. It is not mind itself,mental faculties. Whenever one of these faculties becomes powerful, they overtake the total mind. So, it looks like red lampshade, blue lampshade, green lampshade, yellow lampshade .You hardly see a clean clear lampshade until there is a clear bulb or there’s no light, then you see it. Because it sort of influences and overtakes. So, one of the reasons most important point what do we do is leave them alone, don’t let them overtake. So leave each on their own places. So, that's why the kusha grass is. Anyway, comfortable cushion and if you like, normal they recommend the back slightly higher than front is slightly low. In my case I could never sit that way. If you put those little cushions, I have to throw it away, I can’t sit. So, that’s not comfortable for me, so, it is not recommended for me. But those who are comfortable, they recommended for them. And whatever that is comfortable. At this level, beginning level, you don’t have to sit cross leg, you don’t have to do that because it is unnecessarily additional pain. Don’t have to. Just stretch your leg or whatever you have to do, but make comfortable. Don’t make too comfortable, lie down, then you go to sleep. So, don’t do that. But be comfortable. 0:45:38.5

So there are Seven Postures of Vairochana. You have seven different way of sitting. Not seven different ways…seven postures where you hold…cross legged, put hands together. The buddhist way put hands together, the Hindus will do this way (Rimpoche gestures) I think, I have seen it anyway, doing that way. The buddhist text will tell you, you sit this way. Either you put left hand on top of the right or the right on top of the left, doesn’t matter. If you have more attachment problem , then put the left hand down, put the right on top; if you have more anger problem, other way round, you can do that. And so, that is how you …they put the two thumbs together. Sit straight, the backbone…what do you called that ..(Audience: spine) vertebrae or spine, make them straight. And you know, they give you example, if you quarters on top of another, like that manner; like quarter upon quarter . and what else? Oh, the head slightly down and not up like this. (Rimpoche demonstrates) You know why? You do like this unnecessarily it helps to grow your pride and also goes wandering mind, both problems. That’s why, slightly down. The eyes should not be closed. I mean it is always easy to visualize or to meditate something if you close your eyes, it is easy. But you don’t. It looks easy but in the long run it makes difficult. So, recommended is eyes slightly down., almost look don on your nose tip and then straight like whatever, like five feet, five and the half, six feet whatever it may be.; straight that much. Not too high, not too low, sort of that level you are looking at it. You can leave your tongue and tooth..whatever …not tongue, lips..you don’t have to close all,or open, just as it is, whatever you comfortable and used to it. And recommended tip of tongue should be touching gum at the back of the ..(Audience: roof of the mouth) Roof the mouth, thank you. The tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. The reason is, it helps you not to become so much thirst. You can’t sit too long because you need water to drink or something. And so, there’s lots of reasons behind that.Just now, that’s the main point. And later, when your meditation level change, there has more reason to change. Em, what is it?I guess that’s all about it. Cross legged or whatever that is comfortable. And even if you can’t sit cross leg, if you want to sit on the chair, that also looks okay now. Just make sure you touch your feet to the ground. And so, that’s it, become solid and stable. 0:55:47.7

Now, most important thing is, generating pure thoughts. Rimpoche reads ‘cho lam ge sem…’So, you have to really generate good virtuous thought. And it is recommended by the traditional teaching is called ‘generate special thought’. and special thought here will be, what is recommended here we called it ‘bodhimind’or the ultimate Love and Compassion; so altruistic mind. Does that make sense to anybody? Anyway, whatever I am doing here , I am doing for benefit of everybody. To benefit everybody. For me to have quickly to have development , so that I can serve and help all other beings. At least that much attitude correction for the motivation here. It is very important. Actually word ‘Dharma’ in tibetan means ‘cho’. That does not mean phenomena; it means ‘correction’. Correcting from the wrong or from negative addictions to a positive way. So, the first over here what you are correcting is the motivation which makes a hell of difference, thereafter, really. Which makes hell of difference thereafter. So, generating bodhimind and take refuge to Buddha, dharma and Sangha together. That’s why we have here, ‘Namo Gurubhya, Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya’ So, I am not to talk refuge taking here because in the Lam Rim much later stage,’Refuge’ will come. I am simply mention here as preliminary. Taking refuge and generating Love and Compassion, goes together. Generating Love and Compassion here also you can do, you can wish everybody joy. You can wish everybody..those people who are suffering , those of beings who are suffering, to be separated from the pains what they are experiencing. Pain what they are experiencing. And wishing them may not be separated from the joy that never known pain. And wishing everybody equanimity, not close to some people, not distant from you know ,no enemy, not do much of black and white. But sort of equanimity. And these are just wish it, just by thought wishing. I mean you can extend it you know like radiating light from your body and doing all these. Normal mediation teachers will teach you every time …those things you can also do. And just by the pure thought, real wish from the bottom of your heart, if you could generate that, that also fine. So, sitting in comfortable cushion, taking refuge because it is Buddhist background, that’s why you have taking refuge, and generating Love Compassion , is the third preliminary. Okay. The next will be again ‘Supreme field’, so I have to talk next Tuesday. I better stop here because it is after 9, so then the …it is clear that it is difficult to those people who have the kids at home. So, that’s it and I do suggest you last time to write. So, then if you have questions, it will come up if you started expressing it, then you get problem. If you don’t try to express it, then you don’t have a problem. Because it sort of look like you have mastered., sort of you being master of it. But when you want to express, you have problem. So, if you write your journal or something, so what we talked today, and what is relevant to you out of that, to your life. Is there something , you can pick up, or maybe not. If you write a journal it will help to organize within you.And I don’t think I have time for question and answer today. (*Rimpoche asking regarding announcements) Looks like nothing more. I guess that’s it. (*Rimpoche in conversation with a couple of people) The Thursday nights from this Thursday onwards, you will have the meditation sessions . Chodak Rimpoche is going to start the meditation. Not so much of talking but practical meditation .It is going to be exact one hour, from 7.30 to 8.30 , one hour.And I think he can briefly give you the Lam Rim meditation or something but he is going to teach you how to develop concentrated meditation, what we called it ‘samatha’ or ‘zhi ne’. and that’s going to be on Thursdays. Those of you who are interested or can make kit, you are welcomed. That’s it. Starting this Thursday, here. Thank you. 1:07:56.8

(Dedication)1:10:24.4