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19941018GRLR

[The below transcription is related to “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand” by Pabongka Rinpoche]

[0:0024]

You need to open this side of the door. Can you keep eyes on the kids?

[0:01:15]

We had to slightly change things last week because of Roshom’s visit. We have done a workshop with Roshom one week earlier than expected. It was okay, and hope it will have some impact. It was okay during a retreat far better because we spent much more time. I think she spent like almost three hours in Laurence, be working seated. When you try to meet all three in one hour it impacts little bit less, but I think it is okay.

The essence of today’s talk is the” Part four: the small scope” in “Liberation in the palm of your hand”. Previously, we have covered the preliminaries, the preparatory rites and the foundations of the path. We have talked about the root of all Guru development and practices to develop Guru devotion. We also covered Guru devotion in the present human life and how to take benefit of the precious human life. We discussed how difficult it is to obtain this precious present human life. We have also introduced qualities of good rebirth, and traditional ways of utilizing your rebirth like a leisure, opportunity, time and importance of looking far way into the future, the sort of symbol state of forwardness. I think we have covered almost all those parts.

The second question comes is how to take the best benefits of this life, or the basis of this precious life.

[0:04:01]

How can we take benefits of this life? I think we will do outlines here. I will talk about it a little bit. Now we are talking about the spiritual part of what Buddha had experienced and explained as developments and benefits. We will come back to what Buddha had written here, but first we will focus on the point of the benefit. Normally, when we talk about a benefit, we think about some kind of gain. It could be physical, emotional or financial gain.

The English word “benefit” has been introduced to me when I came here and we started to do benefits for Jewel Heart. That was the word I have learned. Alex Ginsberg does benefits for the Jewel Heart, that is what I have learned first. At that time, the word “benefit” was associated with someone doing something and making money for the Jewel Heart. Originally, I didn’t know about different meanings.

Basically, we need to ask ourself a serious question, right to the point, “What am I looking for, what do I want, what is my spiritual gain?” It is something very serious everyone has to think about.

[0:07:13]

[Question to the audience] What is your name?

[Answer] James

[Question] How old are you?

[James] 16

[Question] And you?

[Answer] Ian, I am 12.

This age is very important for a question, “What am I looking for, what do I want?”

In the ancient India they had different presentations, Buddhist and non-Buddhists, where each teaching presented its own philosophical ideas. According to the Buddhists literature, one of the questions was “What do I want and need that will benefit me in this lifetime before I die?” We have five different treaties we call it, right? Non-Buddhist viewpoints were presented, and one of them called Denhenma?. It is considered the lowest path in the books, because its followers didn’t think about anything beyond death. They were only interested in two things in this lifetime. First, anything that helps to gain material benefits and second, anything that affects individual in this life.

We could say it is bad and blah-blah-blah. However, if we really ask ourselves, what is the difference between that particular viewpoint and ours?

[0:10:28]

Most of you will say, that you are not looking for any material benefits. You know how to make money, but you don’t look at material benefits as a main goal. At the same time, we are looking for better things, not so much material, but mental and emotional improvements in this lifetime.

If you just give yourself some time when you are along, tonight or tomorrow, when you are taking a shower, for example, and ask yourself a question, “What am I really seeking?” You don’t have to tell it to anyone, just look inside yourself. How much are you seeking for this life and how much are you looking beyond this lifetime, into your future reincarnations?

Somehow, we will make assumptions or give it a benefit of a doubt, saying it is a big mystery and a big question. Here, Buddha tries to give you a suggestion. This suggestion is going to make a big difference if accepted in one’s life. The Buddha said that a next life is much more important than the current life. This life is very important, but the future life is even more important.

[0:13:44]

All Buddha’s spiritual paths advice to shift focus to the long-term benefits of the future lives, and to give less attention to short-lived benefits of this lifetime. To Buddha, the future life is more important than this life. In this life we somehow manage to handle our financial and emotional well-being, with some exceptions. The question is, how will this life make a difference for our long-term existence in the future lives? What kind of changes do we need to make now for our long-term benefits, rather than for short-term benefits? Buddha said that if you are looking to gain something now and it will reap rewards for a long time, it is great. However, if results will last only for a short-period in this lifetime and will have no effects on the future lives, then this benefit has no value. To recap, Buddha said, “Get it now, sure, why not? But make sure it will benefit you for a long time”.

Buddha had refused to accept anything that didn’t fall into this category as Dharma or spiritual work. The main difference between Buddha’s spiritual path and other normally known spiritual paths is rooted here.

[0:16:39]

That is why I say, Buddha even insists to be a spiritual person means to seek long term benefits in other lifetimes. Anything that is done to gain benefit for this lifetime along is not considered a spiritual path in Buddha’s view. It is a big deal, really big deal. If you could carefully look at it, it will open a path very far ahead of you. If you can’t carefully look, the moment is gone. That what it is.

When, look at how Buddha presents the paths. This is why when you look into Buddha’s teaching, Buddha’s paths really lead you to the importance of this life and thereafter teachings will switch you straight into looking for benefits of lives beyond this one. Instead of paying too much attention on how to have this or that material item, or how to deal with variety of instantaneous emotions, or go into long details in the wrong way, teachers begin to switch you to benefits of the future lives because they consider it the major path.

[0:19:23]

This is the main message: if you are careful, you can handle material, physical and mental things within this lifetime. Anybody can handle it, but there is more to it. That is your spiritual path, the life you are seeking as an individual. Your existence doesn’t end at this lifetime. You are going beyond and have much more things to be concerned with. There is more to think about and prepare for than you are facing in the current life along. That is the point.

The teaching tells us how this life is important, very valuable and difficult to find. The second question is, how can you get the most benefits out of this precious, wonderful opportunity?

Then, here is a normal American question, “What is there for me?”. The answer is, “You have to get a message across. The important thing is a future, not now”. Doesn’t it sound terrible? Anybody? Many people condemn it by saying, “If I can’t get it now, forget about it”. [They want instantaneous gratification.] The issue is to take interest not only in this life, but also in future lives.

Think about it, take an effort to think about it, because it is one person, you, who will go through different lives. It is going to be your life, you … You may not look the same, have the same name, but you will be the person who is responsible at the time, you who will be feeling good or bad.

[0:22:27]

Because it is me, I must have some inclination and interest to see beyond this lifetime. For that reason, teachers tell you that you have to balance [your short-term and long-term benefits]. You have time now until the end of this lifetime [to make a difference for yourself in the future].

How much time do we have now versus how much time will have in the future life? Compare it. Teachers tell us, whatever you have left, the rest of this life, it could be long or could be very sort, and it is not permanent. We take this life as granted, but it is not permanent. It ends.

Are you with me? Am I making any sense to you people? This his basically the foundation, explanation on why we must pay attention for the future life. Remember, it will be you who will have to experience, not somebody else. Maybe you will be looking differently, but it is still you. There is no limit to all, you are not limited to your physical condition today. The future mental conditions, however, maybe limited. There is more closeness to our mental condition than our physical condition.

[0:25:17]

That will give you something to think about. I want you to remember that Buddha views the disciple as the spiritual person if he/she considers benefits beyond this life. In another words, our aim is limited.

That is the question you have to ask yourself. You don’t have to answer it here. Do it when you are along. If our goals directed to obtain material or other benefits, or to gain social status like a great teacher, a fortune teller or a sacred healer, or to become a money maker, then I believe Buddha was trying to tell you that it is not a long-term benefit.

Please don’t misunderstand me here. Buddha is not trying to tell you that you have to stop worrying about paying your bills or forget about making ends meet. This is not what he is telling at all. You all have diverse professions, educations and qualifications, different trainings and things to do. This is not a Buddha’s job and not his point, Buddha doesn’t object to it. The point is how to balance mundane tasks and spiritual path together.

The Tibetans were very proud to tell you about this balance prior to Chinese invasion.

[0:28:28]

We used to be very proud by saying we could handle mundane and spiritual tasks together, in other words, politics and Dharma together. Some people now say that His Holiness Dalai Lama is the head of the state, and the Dharma is mixed. No, it doesn’t mean it at all. Since 700 AC, long time before Dalai Lamas came into power in Tibet in 1642, the Tibetans handled Dharma and political power.

We called it a political power today. When you look at those periods, I don’t think you are talking about political power. It is really an economical and spiritual powers; they are handled together. That is why they called it two systems joined together. Another words, they tried to develop some kind of fused spiritual and economic prosperity for an individual.

I think that is a key to mundane and spiritual combination. I don’t think Buddha ever demanded from anybody anything more. It is totally different in case of monks and nuns. Otherwise, Buddha had never demanded from lay people a vow of poverty, nor a vow of obedience.

[man from the audience confirms that Buddha did not demand people to stay in poverty or be obedient]

[0:31:22]

The Buddha demanded a vow of chastity from monks and nuns, and even from laypeople who took lay vows. The word chastity in normal Western understanding means abstaining from sex. I don’t think so. Here is a vow, here are the rules, don’t break them. That is the meaning of a vow, and it is different [from Western understanding]. Maybe it is a language usage or different meaning. It means the heart of handling the benefits of material items or the benefits of unreasonable comfort and building future life benefits as a part of the real path here. Remember this, Buddha had never demanded a vow of poverty or a vow of obedience.

Now, ask a Buddha about the benefits and obstacles he had seen as a Buddha. He will point to the bigger problems in the future lives rather than in current one. The current life’s lifespan is shorter as well.

[0:33:28]

True, we have reasons [opportunities] and means to handle problems in this lifetime, but we might encounter difficulties handling issues in the future lives. [Even now we could observe how], delusions and ignorance affect and overpower our normal day to day functioning. Delusions and ignorance cause unnecessary sufferings and changes that are not beneficial to individual.

For example, when we experience anger, we know that it is a problem, right? In our normal sense we will say yes, it is. I don’t like it when I have it, I feel miserable and I know it is a problem. It almost ends here for us. Here Buddha gives us an additional message. This emotion not only makes us miserable in the short period of time, it will also go beyond into the future lives.

It will give us terrible results in the future for the anger that we experience now. It won’t end here. If you are angry, very angry, it might take months or even years for some people to get over it. Then, you won’t be preoccupied by the anger and your life will go on, but somehow the imprint of this emotion will stay in your mind.

[0:36:06]

The result of this emotion in the future will be far worse than the original issue we have encountered. That is why Buddha said that future is more important, it is longer and harder. It is longer, much longer that our lifetime now. We need to learn to look beyond our current delusions. So, we need to look beyond the things we experience in this life, to prepare for similar type of the experiences in the longer period. It is called “rise into awareness of the future life” and it is a key to Buddha’s awareness in Buddha’s spiritual path. The life doesn’t end here, that what it means. It almost begins here.

Let’s do traditional way outlines. The first one, don’t turn to me, what do you see?

[Answer from audience]: one’s precious human life, and three spiritual skulls [scopes?]

Now Buddha shows you a way to make a best use of precious human life, [by offering] three different levels. The levels are the Small Way, the Medium Way and the Big (Great) Way. They call it scopes, like ice scream scoops: the Small Scope, the Medium Scope and the Great Scope. [audience laughs]. Whatever you can chew, then bite it off. If you think you can chew the small one, try the Small Way. If you think you can chew the medium level, then try the Medium Way and if you think you can chew the big way, then give bite on that one.

[0:39:03]

However, if you can’t chew the Small Way, there is now way you are ready for the Medium Way. Moreover, if you can’t chew the medium level, you are not ready for the high level. This is the reason why most teachings begin at the Small Way.

That is an explanation of three different scopes. But do you know the difference between Tibetan Buddhism and other Buddhist teachings? We have different ways. Let’s take Theravada tradition, for example. Its total teaching is based on the Small Scope. The Tibetan Buddhism, on the other hand, doesn’t put emphasis on the Small Scope, and instead calls it “Common good” Small Scope. There are always “Common Good Small”, “Common Good Medium” and Mahayana.

It is named “Common Good” because the main teaching is not geared towards it. If you are inclined to certain Common Good level, teachers will probably give you a discipline-oriented teaching, like “Eightfold Path” or sixteen different impermanence. Things like that will be the major focus, but not a main goal. Here they will give you absolute necessary knowledge to establish your foundation, to be able to gain or digest and be ready to move to the Medium Level. The basic essential fundamentals will be taught, so the foundation is laid perfectly for the individual practitioner.

Out of that all Small Scope the certain must-have portions will be brought and provided here. That is why this level is called “Common” because actual practices are geared towards love, compassion-oriented Mahayana practice.

[0:42:12]

Basically, think of The Small Scope, The Medium Scope and Mahayana as of three kings, where one leads to another. The Common Good Small Scope will lead and push you toward the Common Good Medium Scope. This way you will never be hanging in here, wondering what will be next. They will never leave you hanging. There is always something next, no moment to sink into the level. The moment you are ready, and you will be pushed into the medium level, and that will push you to the Mahayana level. The teaching will systematically guide you, even without you realizing it. Again, you will never be left wondering without direction.

The Common Good Small and Common Good Medium Scopes are older teachings. What are the main things they tell you, what are the main goals, what do they try to achieve for an individual? They try to achieve freedom from the cycle of birth, death, bardo and rebirth. They try to break the circle, release and give freedom to a person. This is a goal for both levels. The Common Good Small and Common Good Medium scopes don’t aim for you to become a Buddha, there is no way. They simply tell you, “Get a freedom, get a protection and make sure that you don’t have to face undesirable problems in the future, get yourself prepared”.

[0:45:31]

The question is, what kind of freedom? The political and economic freedom is different from spiritual freedom. We have two different departments [aspects], remember? The spiritual freedom aspect makes sure that you are free from undesirable problems for a long time. That includes, for example, taking wrong rebirths at the wrong places, or having health issues, like being handicapped, even if you are born at the right place.

Now, you might ask, how can I make it happen? The answer is two-fold, depending on the level. On the Medium Scope level, you are responsible and need to handle it yourself. We will teach you how to do it. However, if you can’t do it for yourself yet, we will assist you to seek the help first. That is what they will tell you at the Small Scope level. Even seeking help from Buddha, Dharma and Sanga, taking refuge, is considered a lower level here. It is nothing great, but better than nothing. [Nevertheless, always take refuge from your heart. “When you take refuge, therefore, don’t merely repeat the same words as other people, or take refuge only verbally – take refuge from your heart”, from “Liberation in the Palm of your hand” p.376]

On the second level you handle it all yourself, because other people can’t do it for you. You have to do it. This is how it works. [In order to make a progress on this level, you need to realize and convince your mind of long-view strategy related to continuation of lives in overall.] It is important to recognize and accept the fact that this life is shorter compared to your future lives, even if you live for one hundred years in this lifetime. Besides that, you will never know if you would actually live up to one hundred years. The chances are unlikely.

[0:48:32]

The whole idea is to remind you of inevitability of death. This remembrance will help us to overcome laziness and bring awareness to [the value of this lifetime]. If you are still thinking that our existence is limited to this lifetime only, that is a totally different issue. Then, you don’t want to see it, you don’t want death to happen. It is a miserable, terrible doomsday. This is the end!

[However, if you accept reincarnation], then death is a part of a whole process. This process will continue a day after [death]. It is natural process and has its own beauty. It is sort of recycling. It recycles a human being, not a body. A body is also being recycled, but this is a different type of recycling. Nevertheless, a human being recycles [from lifetime to lifetime]. Maybe it is not called recycling, but whatever it is, it is like that.

The beauty is that it is a natural process, a process without an end. An end could mean a doomsday, and if you totally end it, then it is not a cycle anymore.

Yet, where and how we are dealing with our lives now is also transitory. For example, we spend our days and time dodging deadline after deadline, handling pressure after pressure. It tells you that present is not great, but it is going to change, it doesn’t remain here.

[0:51:11]

That is what it means. [says in Tibetan]. I don’t know if this book says it or not, but actually if you look into “Liberation in the Palm of your Hand” by Pabongka Rinpoche, it should say here something like, “Life in this is not that long and remember, the impermanence or death or something”

[Audience]: the flash of lighting in the sky…

[Person from the audience quotes Tsongkhapa from the “Liberation in the Palm of your hand”

This opportune physical form

Is worth more than a wish-granting gem.

You only gain its like the once.

So hard to get, so easily destroyed,

It’s like a lightning bolt in the sky.

Contemplate this, and you will realize

All worldly actions are but winnowed chaff,

And night and day you must

Extract some essence from your life.

I, the yogi, practiced this way;

You, wanting liberation, do the same! ]

That is the “foundation of the perfection”. Yes, it is in the Tsonkapa’s Lamrim teaching there, but I am looking in “Liberation in the Palm of your hand”. The outline should really say here [quotes Tibetan].

“This life is not that long. We have to remember we have to die and in the future lives both joy and suffering will happen. That what it means, existence is not that long, the person has to remember death. “

[might be referring to “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand”, Remembering Death. The drawback that you will not remember Dharma (123) p.295

If you do not recollect death, you will think about only this life, get caught up in its many demands—food, clothes, and so on—and thus not practice Dharma. If you recollect death well, you will work hard to prepare for your next lives, just as a Khampa about to go on a journey would work only at preparing and packing. Your enormous craving for food, fashion, reputation, and so on, can be blamed on your not remembering impermanence. Every day that passes without your recalling impermanence is a day of your life wasted.]

Basically, that is the important point that I would like to raise. Three things happen. First, the focus of the spiritual person in this lifetime [matters]. Second, the life whatever we have, is precious and should not be ignored. [Finally], remember that mundane and spiritual aspects of life affect everyone. You need to take care of both and be able to balance.

[silence in recording]

[0:53:47]

This last week I went to Boston and had a breakfast with Ram Dass.

He is attending a conference there called something like “Six hundred business establishments”. It is sort of business housing, and he will be [giving a speech] called “Service spiritual name here”. Anyway, the goal is to bring business and spirituality together. This is a very important point, because many spiritual people think that business is something very filthy, meant for only some individuals to handle it. In their line of thought, the spiritual people should run away form it as far as possible and have to live life of poverty. The vow of poverty and obedience.

Ram Dass tries to establish something that it is not [present] in Eastern religion tradition and is not common in 1990s. It is funny, the conference is also held at Marriott Cambridge with six hundred business people present. Everybody is a certain type of person, except for Ram Dass. That is what is going on.

So mundane and spirituality are two things you can’t lose [balance in between]. I mean Tibetans were very proud of the [spiritual part] until Chinese invasion. They are very reluctant to temporal [mundane] part completely.

[0:56:39]

Tibetans think the way they perceive it [reality] is probably the best way. I was laughing myself, you know, at what one of the rules says [tells it in Tibetan]. “We don’t poke, we don’t create any trouble for anybody else”. It is a system of the Dharma rule. On the other hand, the system of the temporal, mundane rule states, “Anybody attacks us, we will not let them go easily”. So, when Chinese came, we ran away. The temporal rule is broken. That is the normal way Tibetans will tell you, teacher and everybody [speaks Tibetan].

Anyway, that is the true point that has to be paid attention to. You need to recognize the role of the spiritual part. The mundane, temporal part ends here [in this lifetime], but the spiritual path looks beyond this life. It is sort of long mo? And they try to bring both benefits together into the future life. The spiritual person wants to bring benefits and joy into future life. That joy will also bring comfort in the future life. Buddha said [speaks Tibetan]. That is why in Bodhistattva’s vow the number one vow is generosity, because the joy of some limited happiness depends on the wealth. Without the wealth, you can’t have it. That is why in order to build wealth, Buddha recommended generosity as a first most important attribute for a Bodhisattva.

[0:59:23]

To recap, those are the three important points. Suddenly, Buddha is not going to create a county full of beggar buddhas, definitely not. That is a first point, [practice generosity to attain a better rebirth]. The second point, you need to recognize a future value of mundane and spiritual matters in the upcoming lives. It is more important that we have now. Now you can somehow deal with it, but in the future, there is no way you could handle it. That is why you have to take a vow now. [The third point], in order to remember and convince yourself in that, remind yourself about incoming death. The death is definite, but the time of death is uncertain. At the time of death, what else can help you?

Death is definite, because nobody before you had lived forever, and you are not going to be the first one either. So spiritually, militarily, financially nothing could offer you everlasting life.

I would like you to read the “Part 4. The Small Scope. Day 10” carefully, especially about six advantages of remembering death, [and in overall] about advantages and drawbacks. Please reflect on the points that I raised about death is being definite. Next week I will be back from San Francisco and then I will talk to you about that particular quote.

I want you read that chapter carefully. Also, the book has been translated in a little bit traditional way. Translators do make difference. I was looking into “The three principles of the path” by Tsongkhapa, and one translation says “interesting future life is in to individual something” [interest in future life is to an individual’s advantage], but somebody’s else translation says “turn off interest to this life”. That sort of language is present there, but remember the basics and the way I was trying to present it to you: the purpose, idea and why [it is important]. Here it will make a big difference on your outlook on this life and your future lives.

Also, couple of us talked.

[end]