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Audio file

19941220GRLR.mp3

Notations:

[…]: inaudible or could not hear it clearly

[???]: not sure what it means

[Tibetan]: Rinpoche was reading Tibetan

(…): response or question from the audience that is either inaudible or could not hear clearly

[ XXX ]: XXX are additions suggested by the transliterator

[*** XXXX ***]: Notation by the transliterator

Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker 1

Last Tuesday of the year. 1994, right? So, what did we do all these Tuesdays?

00:00:17 Speaker 1

What we did? You people came every day after day, every Tuesday.

00:00:29 Speaker 1

We sat down together.

00:00:33 Speaker 1

And we tried to talk and how to give some information.

00:00:39 Speaker 1

Basically, our information is on the tradition of Lamrim development.

00:00:57 Speaker 1

This period, what we had was we've been doing Lamrim, but what did we do before that?

[*** Conversation with the audience ***]

00:01:16 Speaker 1

I don't think we did that here this year, did we do it?

00:01:20 Speaker 1

Conditional and provision and then line by line, and this is also supposed to be line by line.

00:01:29 Speaker 1

And then what else did we do?

00:01:34 Speaker 1

Three principles. We did it here too?

00:01:36 Speaker 1

And that's interesting.

00:01:37 Speaker 1

We really did it. So, that means basically three principles of the path, which is a little more elaborated in the foundation of the perfection, which is a further more elaborated in the lines of experience of the Tsongkhapa.

00:01:59 Speaker 1

So that's what we did during this whole year.

00:02:04 Speaker 1

So, what did you get?

00:02:06 Speaker 1

That is the question we have to raise to ourselves.

00:02:11 Speaker 1

And what did we get?

00:02:16 Speaker 1

What did we get? So, that question we have to raise.

00:02:22 Speaker 1

Hopefully what did get is some kind of basic part.

00:02:31 Speaker 1

Those of you who have worked hard.

00:02:35 Speaker 1

And I'm quite sure you have grounded quite a while in that part.

00:02:44 Speaker 1

It lives commonly at the lower level or the beginning of the path.

00:02:56 Speaker 1

And if you have not done that, and those who have not put so much effort, at least you get some idea where we are trying to go and what we are trying to achieve.

00:03:13 Speaker 1

And what are the involvements? At least at the lowest level, it means we should get some idea of basic three principles - the principle of compassion to yourself, the principle of compassion and love for others and some wisdom.

00:03:42 Speaker 1

So, that's what we hope to get. So, you will have to check with yourself to see how much you have gotten it? What did you get [from this teaching]?

00:04:05 Speaker 1

So, now, let's move back. I think this is a little important. Let's focus and look back.

00:04:15 Speaker 1

OK, basically.

00:04:18 Speaker 1

Let’s review a little bit. What is really the spiritual path brought to me and what is involved. The first and foremost of your involvement should be guru devotional practices.

00:04:45 Speaker 1

And that is very questionable. Guru devotional practice is the one thing [that is] very important.

00:04:53 Speaker 1

Because it is the foundation of all the qualities we build, we build on the guru devotional practice. And that is a very important point.

00:05:28 Speaker 1

At least from this background point of view, the guru devotional practice is the sole source of all spiritual developments grouped within an individual.

00:05:47 Speaker 1

But we did not just blindly give you a guru devotional practice as a blank and we give you the quality of a master, quality of a disciple and the quality of a relationship, all of them, quite elaborately [that] we discussed.

00:06:04 Speaker 1

So, you do have a basic idea about a guru devotional practice.

00:06:13 Speaker 1

Actually, in essence, recognizing the spiritual link between the enlightened beings and ourselves, and the passage, which leads you to the enlightened level or to make you an enlightened being.

00:07:05 Speaker 1

And remember the example of giving the solar energy in order to catch a fire on the ground and you need the magnifying glass to be able to focus all their energies together to make something different or to make it difference in one's life. So over here I think the guru devotional practice is the real main thing. Once that begins to work, almost everything will work within the individual.

00:07:48 Speaker 1

What is everything?

00:07:50 Speaker 1

The common with lower-level practice. [???] Actually commonly with the low level, we call that liberation, seeking freedom, determination to be free or even sometimes people call it renunciations and all of those.

00:08:09 Speaker 1

But what essence really is at developing compassion to yourself.

00:08:17 Speaker 1

Knowing my own situation, it is not so important who I am and what I am.

00:08:24 Speaker 1

That's not important.

00:08:25 Speaker 1

What is important is what is my situation.

00:08:32 Speaker 1

How do I fit in the whole thing?

00:08:36 Speaker 1

And where do I go?

00:08:38 Speaker 1

What do I do?

00:08:39 Speaker 1

What is my relationship with the spiritual path?

00:08:46 Speaker 1

And even those people who think they don't have anything to do with the spiritual path have something to do with spiritual path, unfortunately.

00:08:56 Speaker 1

because what happened is whether you're going to be getting better or worse, whether you're going to be happy or miserable, whether you are going to enjoy or you are going to suffer, and that is the spiritual part is there and just the total […] is governed by that.

00:09:22 Speaker 1

So, we freak out when we can't control our lives.

00:09:27 Speaker 1

But the true reality is no one really controls your life, we presume.

00:09:33 Speaker 1

And we’d like to say the situation is under control.

00:09:38 Speaker 1

But in reality it is not. It is controlled by karma. Our own karma.

00:09:46 Speaker 1

So even those people who think I have nothing to do with the spiritual path have very much to do with spiritual path, because that was what their lives are governed.

00:10:01 Speaker 1

Very materialistic, totally yuppie.

00:10:06 Speaker 1

And can get into a tremendous amount of miserable difficulties.

00:10:10 Speaker 1

All of a sudden, unexpected difficulty in life.

00:10:15 Speaker 1

And then make 180 degree turn.

00:10:21 Speaker 1

Or the […]

00:10:23 Speaker 1

But the life is governed.

00:10:25 Speaker 1

So that is the spiritual path, which is playing there.

00:10:30 Speaker 1

Simply, people do not acknowledge or refuse to acknowledge, or don't even want to think about it.

00:10:40 Speaker 1

And that is basically a general problem that might not be our particular problem.

00:10:47 Speaker 1

Our particular problem is we do have interests on the spiritual path, but we really don't know exactly what we're doing, what we're supposed to do and what is all about it.

00:11:00 Speaker 1

And that is our particular problem and not a general problem, but those of us who have [an] interest in [the] spirits path yet sort of half-hearted or maybe 60% hearted or 75% hearted. But that's our basic problem.

00:11:23 Speaker 1

So, one has to remember the experience that the Buddha shared with everybody.

00:11:34 Speaker 1

Two very important things. Nothing materializes other than nothing.

00:11:43 Speaker 1

Right? So, everything comes out of cause, not a single solid cause, but multiple causes.

00:11:53 Speaker 1

So, this is a very important point.

00:11:57 Speaker 1

Nothing came out with nothing from nothing.

00:12:02 Speaker 1

Everything came out with cause and that is also not a single cause, but a lot of different causes.

00:12:14 Speaker 1

And who created those classes?

00:12:18 Speaker 1

Nobody else [other than] ourselves.

00:12:27 Speaker 1

Is it karma, or is some kind of big lord we have to follow?

00:12:31 Speaker 1

We have no control. No, that's not true.

00:12:35 Speaker 1

We do have control over our karma if we are on time.

00:12:42 Speaker 1

If it is too late, they take control. If we are on time, we control.

00:12:49 Speaker 1

So that means we're responsible for ourselves.

00:12:53 Speaker 1

We govern our own future.

00:12:56 Speaker 1

We don't depend on anybody.

00:12:59 Speaker 1

That was what the Buddha learned the hard way.

00:13:03 Speaker 1

And he shared that experience with us.

00:13:10 Speaker 1

We are our own bosses.

00:13:12 Speaker 1

We are responsible for our deeds.

00:13:16 Speaker 1

Whether it's going to be good or bad, it depends on ourselves, nobody else.

00:13:22 Speaker 1

That is basically the whole idea of karma.

00:13:31 Speaker 1

Who controls karma? We control if it was on time.

00:13:36 Speaker 1

If it was too late, they have control. That's what it is.

00:13:45 Speaker 1

So, then we can help ourselves. We do. Then when we can help ourselves, we seek help.

00:13:54 Speaker 1

We should get help from someone who can really help.

00:14:00 Speaker 1

So, in the case of Buddhism, we introduced Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha because the Buddha had the experience. Dharma is the actual refuge and the Sangha is the companion.

00:14:19 Speaker 1

Dharma is the actual refuge because our problems are based on negativities, nothing else.

00:14:27 Speaker 1

Anger, attachment, hatred and above all ignorance.

00:14:35 Speaker 1

That is the samsaric problem.

00:14:37 Speaker 1

How you control them, how you help them, bringing antidote application of it.

00:14:43 Speaker 1

That's why we call it changing your habitual pattern.

00:14:47 Speaker 1

Do this. Do that and all these are. That's what it is. It is as simple as that?

00:15:02 Speaker 1

So, whatever we could do, we do whatever we can do to seek help.

00:15:07 Speaker 1

And it's the same thing again.

00:15:09 Speaker 1

Even you seek help.

00:15:11 Speaker 1

Buddha cannot remove sufferings [Tibetan]

00:15:20 Speaker 1

Buddha cannot wash our problems, and negativities. Pains cannot be removed.

00:15:28 Speaker 1

But they cannot transfer their spiritual development. So, the only thing they can do is again by sharing the experience.

00:15:38 Speaker 1

And that is the ultimate help.

00:15:40 Speaker 1

They can make things happen here and there.

00:15:43 Speaker 1

I don't mean there's no miracle. There is, but that miracle doesn't help too much.

00:15:48 Speaker 1

Miracle will help occasionally and when that occasion is over, then that's over. That won't do any good. So, the long-term help to the individual and sort of the long-term benefit to the individuals is actually sharing the experience.

00:16:11 Speaker 1

That’s why among the activities of the Buddha, [the activity that] is also considered the most important is the activity of speech. [Tibetan]

00:16:28 Speaker 1

Just what a speech. The speech, the teachings, the message that the Buddha gave is the based on his personal experience. So, therefore, it is important that is sort of a light for us to follow. That is part for us to follow because somebody went through that and they're sharing their experience.

00:16:59 Speaker 1

That is the total liberalism.

00:17:05 Speaker 1

Looking deeply in our negativities.

00:17:12 Speaker 1

And seeing their problems, correcting it by ourselves within ourselves. That is the essence of the Buddhist practice.

00:17:30 Speaker 1

Nothing more, nothing less.

00:17:43 Speaker 1

So, see looking into our own situation,

00:17:53 Speaker 1

And when we don't have our own freedom.

00:17:58 Speaker 1

And then try our best to develop that and that is as you know a part of the common root [???] lower level practice.

00:18:12 Speaker 1

And the common […] the low and medium level, and Mahayana level, when you go and then we talk about love, compassion here.

00:18:27 Speaker 1

Love, compassion is one of the most important things in one's life. Things make a difference. Things make something a little bit better than being materialistic is the love compassion business.

00:18:51 Speaker 1

And the love, compassion to self and love and compassion to others is the essence of the ...

00:19:12 Speaker 1

Love & compassion to ourselves and love & compassion to the others is the essence of our practice but love & compassion to others cannot be strongly developed within us unless we have love and compassion to ourselves.

00:19:31 Speaker 1

Because if we are not capable of loving ourselves, we cannot be capable of loving others, period.

00:19:46 Speaker 1

Basically, we have talked a number of times about “What is love?” and “What is compassion?” since February.

00:19:55 Speaker 1

Until February, I used to say love and compassion. People just shook their heads and I thought I communicated.

00:20:04 Speaker 1

And in February.

00:20:07 Speaker 1

And some questions in the Hill Auditorium with Alan and something about Love and compassion, Alan replied that that's a buzzword.

00:20:18 Speaker 1

I didn't even get what a buzzword is. You know, since there were 4000 people watching live, I just smiled a little bit and kept quiet.

00:20:30 Speaker 1

But the real essence is … when you really think very carefully, the love, compassion, sometimes it becomes meaningless, really meaningless.

00:20:45 Speaker 1

It only becomes words, and that is [the reason why] one has to take care of that love and compassion [so that they] do not become only buzzwords. That is really important.

00:21:03 Speaker 1

Otherwise, all become artificial.

00:21:08 Speaker 1

And what makes it meaningless is because we talk too much about love, compassion, everybody.

00:21:16 Speaker 1

And once I even heard those talks, whether it was here or somewhere else ...

00:21:24 Speaker 1

I mean actually after that Alan’s [mentioning of] buzzword, I began to think a lot about the love and compassion business.

00:21:32 Speaker 1

I turn on the television and you hear the love and compassion on television.

00:21:37 Speaker 1

And everybody talks about it, so I said it's so much so, so much used, right extreme from the Pat Robertson to the loved extreme […] everybody talking about love and compassion.

00:21:56 Speaker 1

But I don't know who's moving with love compassion.

00:21:59 Speaker 1

I do not know.

00:22:01 Speaker 1

So, the the point really is love-compassion without feeling.

00:22:10 Speaker 1

And that was the problem.

00:22:12 Speaker 1

People talk about a lot about love, a lot about compassion, But you don't feel it.

00:22:19 Speaker 1

It all begins over here and that's why it becomes a buzzword.

00:22:24 Speaker 1

As I learned later that's what buzzword is all about.

00:22:31 Speaker 1

So, I think that probably even better than you know the same thing that I should not repeat then.

00:22:38 Speaker 1

But still when we're talking about love and compassion, actually, compassion is the result of love.

00:22:48 Speaker 1

Love brings compassion.

00:22:51 Speaker 1

A little bit of compassion, you can grow here and there, but without caring and loving it would not bring compassion.

00:23:10 Speaker 1

Compassion will come out of love.

00:23:12 Speaker 1

The object of love is being, and the object of the mind is wishing to be joyful.

00:23:28 Speaker 1

Wishing them to be happy and wishing them to be joyful.

00:23:34 Speaker 1

Not a simple distant wish, but sort of involved totally from the bottom of the heart.

00:23:42 Speaker 1

How can I really make these beings a little happier, a little more joyful, sort of really hard felt moment on that is really love.

00:23:58 Speaker 1

And if you have that, that brings compassion.

00:24:03 Speaker 1

Otherwise, the [kind of] compassion will be simply talk, and if you really care.

00:24:11 Speaker 1

Again, you know the the feeling of love is the closeness, the tightness and the feeling of “How can I help”. The example given by earlier Tibetan masters is the newly married couple.

00:24:34 Speaker 1

I don't know why they have to have “newly”, but maybe there's a reason for it.

00:24:40 Speaker 1

So anyway, when you have the close feelings, closeness and sort of you know one is totally dedicated for the other and I'm really there for you, that sort of level and that feeling of the tightness and closeness is the feeling of love.

00:25:05 Speaker 1

And if you don't have that feeling and just keep on saying love, love, love, love and maybe it is love I don't know.

00:25:13 Speaker 1

So, so that is that thing and a lot of us will say I love you a lot, right?

00:25:20 Speaker 1

Everybody will tell somebody I love you.

00:25:23 Speaker 1

I don't know whatever that means, you only care for it or you want to control it?

00:25:29 Speaker 1

I don't know the words “I love you” means I like to control you or I care for you, whatever it is.

00:25:36 Speaker 1

So, we do that. So, we really have to think carefully.

00:25:39 Speaker 1

The real love is caring, really caring and feeling of that.

00:25:51 Speaker 1

And that example is sort of [like] the new couple and that feeling we know we have experienced, all of us.

00:26:02 Speaker 1

When you first fall in love in that period, that feeling we know.

00:26:08 Speaker 1

And the keeping of that feeling sort of intact and then expanding it.

00:26:16 Speaker 1

And that's what meditation on love should be.

00:26:20 Speaker 1

Rather than closing eyes and throwing light and [think] I love you all.

00:26:26 Speaker 1

That will be a total artificial love.

00:26:29 Speaker 1

But you do have to have that feeling, the feeling of closeness and tightness and expanding that for one person and then expanding that and that will be really love.

00:26:42 Speaker 1

Meditation on love and how long you have to meditate.

00:26:46 Speaker 1

Second question, till you get the result.

00:26:52 Speaker 1

The ultimate result of meditation on love is when it actualizes and it becomes the total protection. Protection like the Buddha can become a Buddha when the evil forces attacked Buddha by force, by peaceful means and by wrathful ways.

00:27:13 Speaker 1

And [it] does not affect to the Buddha. The weapons that threw at the Buddha became flowers.

00:27:24 Speaker 1

The meditation of love has been materialized and actualized. That's why it is the best protection.

00:27:36 Speaker 1

You know, there is a rare prayer they give you during an Initiation. The prayer you put on the arm, the protection thread, it all worked out with the Buddha Maitreya’s mantra.

00:27:50 Speaker 1

[***Chanting mantras***] Whatever it is now, I don't even remember the mantra.

00:27:58 Speaker 1

So, Buddha Maitreya is the buddha of love. That’s why love is the best protection. You know, the stories of Pabongkha Kenpo, who was going to meditate up there and the ghosts in that area said hey, there's a guy up there. If we do not disturb him and get him off, he will make us miserable. So, they decided to disturb him and some volunteers came to go and try to harm him.

00:28:38 Speaker 1

The ghosts see him all the time and he's crying all the time. So, the ghosts ask what he's crying for. He's crying for compassion to all these, in particularly the ghosts here, so they can't harm him.

00:28:54 Speaker 1

Now he is worrying for us. How can we harm him. In the second meeting there, what had happened?

00:28:58 Speaker 1

They said we went there a couple of times.

00:29:00 Speaker 1

He's always crying, so he's crying for us so he couldn't do anything.

00:29:05 Speaker 1

So that's what it is at the beginning level that love protects that much.

00:29:11 Speaker 1

And the last level for the Buddha that the whole thing of transforming the weapons threw at him became flowers and so forth has a totally result of love.

00:29:26 Speaker 1

The love has been become materialized.

00:29:29 Speaker 1

That's what happened.

00:29:31 Speaker 1

The wrathful deities in the sadhanas for the protection are also the result of your meditation of love, and that's what the meditation of love will bring best protection when it is materialized.

00:29:47 Speaker 1

That is what it is.

00:30:03 Speaker 1

And the second is compassion. Compassion is also the same thing.

00:30:17 Speaker 1

The feeling is important.

00:30:20 Speaker 1

If there is no feeling, … if you are in love and then your feeling of the compassion is different [between] somebody who you really love and somebody who you don't know.

00:30:34 Speaker 1

And if you look at the compassion of these two, it makes a whole lot of difference, right?

00:30:39 Speaker 1

Right, and if you see somebody, a dog, run over by a cat. Ha, ha, what did I say?

00:30:46 Speaker 1

Sorry, a dog run over by a car and you saw it in the street, we all will feel.

00:31:01 Speaker 1

But if you see a human being run over by a car, our feelings will be different.

00:31:09 Speaker 1

And if that human being also is somebody who you know, the feelings will be [even] more different.

00:31:17 Speaker 1

If the human being is some of the family within us, so there will be even more different. That's because of the closeness and tightness of the love and caring that what we have makes the difference of the feeling of the comparison.

00:31:37 Speaker 1

So, when we say unlimited, unconditioned love and compassion means and that has to go to that extent.

00:31:47 Speaker 1

That sort of closeness, that sort of close feeling, that sort of closeness, tightness, and the better caring is the actual compassion.

00:31:59 Speaker 1

Otherwise, compassion, compassion, compassion, compassion.

00:32:03 Speaker 1

And after a little while the feelings of the compassion and the individual getting bigger and the bigger gap.

00:32:10 Speaker 1

And then if it becomes a buzzword.

00:32:16 Speaker 1

Or even worse than buzzword and it's sort of become some kind of over usage.

00:32:23 Speaker 1

So, then you have compassion in action and compassion construction company, you know, all sorts of compassion laundry service.

00:32:36 Speaker 1

Or whatever, you know, and that sort of thing is then it really becomes not only meaningless, but it also gives it's sort of.... they rob us with something, we lose a value of it because of over usage.

00:32:58 Speaker 1

So ,to protect that and you have the attached feeling.

00:33:03 Speaker 1

So, when you don't have the feeling, that is the problem. It becomes a buzzword.

00:33:10 Speaker 1

So, the love, compassion, one has to feel it. Feel [???] to only one person [who are] actually present that are close to you that you care and then expanded that to two, then three, then four, then five, and then finally expand to all sentient beings.

00:33:29 Speaker 1

We can say from the beginning, all sentient beings for the benefit of all sending beings Blah blah blah.

00:33:37 Speaker 1

But they actually [have] to make it really happen within oneself.

00:33:45 Speaker 1

Feelings attach. Caring for one person. Trying to expand that without loosing that. They will not be going to think if I have to expand that to all beings and then do I have to be lukewarm for everybody?

00:34:02 Speaker 1

And now lukewarm is here bringing the value down.

00:34:08 Speaker 1

So equal to all. Equanimity if you have to bring [it to the] lukewarm level, you bring in the value of the love and the compassion down and then equalizing here.

00:34:20 Speaker 1

And that's not what it's called for.

00:34:21 Speaker 1

For bringing everybody up here and try to equalize. So, that's not the lukewarm, OK?

00:34:29 Speaker 1

So basically that is the Mahayana foundation, the fundamental.

00:34:37 Speaker 1

That's what it is.

00:34:38 Speaker 1

So, the love and the compassion to yourself and to others or taking refuge or all of them … do I have to do it daily? Sure, you have to do it daily, but that's not the point.

00:34:54 Speaker 1

The point of the practice is it should influence our lives, our attitude towards everything, whatever we do, our daily lives, all daily chores, right from the beginning when we wake up the first thing in the morning till when you fall to sleep at night.

00:35:19 Speaker 1

Even during this sleeping period, try to have the influence of that and that is called no separation between the practice and everyday action.

00:35:31 Speaker 1

A lot of people think practice is something that you do when you're sitting down.

00:35:38 Speaker 1

And when you go outside and do something else, no.

00:35:44 Speaker 1

No, I think the practice whatever you do here try to influence your life go out and deal with that with what we call that big world out there.

00:35:59 Speaker 1

Now what it is?

00:36:03 Speaker 1

But then.

00:36:05 Speaker 1

The question arises or do I have to be compassionate all the time?

00:36:11 Speaker 1

Yeah, you do have to be compassionate. Does that mean I have to be weak and let believe other people? [???] No, you don't.

00:36:22 Speaker 1

The more compassion you have, the stronger you are.

00:36:27 Speaker 1

That's what it is.

00:36:29 Speaker 1

The real power should be stronger.

00:36:31 Speaker 1

The purpose of what we're doing should be stronger.

00:36:34 Speaker 1

Because you're doing something that you wanted to do for a reason that you need to do. So, you should have the strong willpower and the good wisdom and be able to apply and don't fool yourself and that's what it really is.

00:36:55 Speaker 1

I don't want you to fool yourself.

00:36:57 Speaker 1

You pretend to be a practitioner.

00:37:01 Speaker 1

So, therefore I have to be compassionate, and then let them take advantage of me or something. You are fooling yourself.

00:37:06 Speaker 1

what that taking advantage by somebody. What person is going to gain? Nothing.

00:37:14 Speaker 1

And when they get extra negativity. If you stop that, you gain positivity.

00:37:21 Speaker 1

Think both lines.

00:37:27 Speaker 1

That's what it takes.

00:37:29 Speaker 1

And that's how you become bodhisattvas because all bodhisattvas are not cowards.

00:37:36 Speaker 1

No, yeah, they're kind and compassionate.

00:37:41 Speaker 1

Very strong, very strong personality, extremely strong.

00:37:48 Speaker 1

They don't get beat up at all.

00:37:50 Speaker 1

They get beat up, they get up, they get beat up, they get up, they get beat up, they get up all the time.

00:37:56 Speaker 1

And that's the bodhisattvas’ way.

00:38:02 Speaker 1

People may think you have to be compassionate, you are bodhisattvas and you have this thing.

00:38:08 Speaker 1

And yes, you have to be compassionate.

00:38:14 Speaker 1

But compassion does not mean you have to be intimidated or you have to be bullied.

00:38:20 Speaker 1

You have to be very strong.

00:38:25 Speaker 1

I believe that is how bodhisattvas deal with the material world anywhere.

00:38:36 Speaker 1

Gandhi, look at Gandhi.

00:38:40 Speaker 1

Extremely strong.

00:38:45 Speaker 1

[…] OK?

00:38:53 Speaker 1

They think he's crazy to […] stop.

00:38:57 Speaker 1

This guy is crazy so he knows.

00:38:59 Speaker 1

I let them think I'm crazy doesn't matter and he does always something funny with the British will never think of it. We are not going to pick up salt.

00:39:08 Speaker 1

We're not going to pay tax.

00:39:10 Speaker 1

Not going to this.

00:39:11 Speaker 1

We are not going to do that.

00:39:14 Speaker 1

All those things he does and the whole thing is crazy first and he doesn't think I'm crazy.

00:39:20 Speaker 1

But then he's very strong.

00:39:22 Speaker 1

He ultimately brought the independence of India and Pakistan both. It is because of Gandhi, the Pakistan was free too, not because of […], Pakistan got free.

00:39:38 Speaker 1

Anyway, so I mean, that's the reason he started in South Africa, the first movement.

00:39:44 Speaker 1

But in India even and that was the bringing down of the British Empire, Sun never set on the crown of the Queen of England.

00:39:55 Speaker 1

That was that period to control the whole world and Gandhi with one person with nonviolence, love, compassion oriented movement and brought England to the level of today.

00:40:11 Speaker 1

I'm sorry ...

00:40:13 Speaker 1

And it is a tiny little place, not even a part of the European or not ...

00:40:21 Speaker 1

So that's what it is.

00:40:28 Speaker 1

So that is not a weakness. That's not intimidating.

00:40:34 Speaker 1

Ah, this is versatile in principle.

00:40:40 Speaker 1

One thing bodhisattvas have is principal.

00:40:44 Speaker 1

Whatever the principle is, you should not be shaky.

00:40:49 Speaker 1

That is very important.

00:40:51 Speaker 1

The bodhisattvas set their goals, they make a little bit of change here and there and then there.

00:40:58 Speaker 1

But the basic principle, whatever you have, they never compromise that.

00:41:04 Speaker 1

That is how the bodhisattva works.

00:41:08 Speaker 1

One thing today, helping others, bringing benefits to other beings is their principle, and they never shake that.

00:41:29 Speaker 1

So, then I have touched here the activity of bodhisattvas of six paramitas. I think we will stop at that level. In the other lines of experience, I think we were stopped at that level.

00:41:48 Speaker 1

The first paramita is the paramita of generosity, right?

00:41:55 Speaker 1

I think we were stopped at that level.

00:41:58 Speaker 1

I just wanted to touch the paramita of generosity today. [Tibetan]

00:42:24 Speaker 1

No, I don't remember that word.

00:42:26 Speaker 1

Can you read the English portion?

00:42:28 Speaker 4

Generosity is the wish granting gem by which you can fulfill the hopes of sentient beings.

00:42:34 Speaker 4

It is the best weapon for cutting.

00:42:35 Speaker 4

The knot of miserly.

00:42:37 Speaker 4

It is the altruistic conduct which enhances your self confidence.

00:42:40 Speaker 4

And undaunted courage to help everyone towards enlightenment, it is the basis for your good reputation to be proclaimed in the ten directions.

00:42:49 Speaker 4

Knowing this, the wise have devoted themselves to the excellent path to up completely, giving away their body possessions and merit.

00:42:56 Speaker 4

I, the Yogi, have practiced just that. If you would also seek liberation, please cultivate yourself in the same way.

00:43:04 Speaker 1

But generosity is the first paramita over the six parimitas. The Buddha choose to introduce generosity as a first, the reason is [Tibetan]

00:43:25 Speaker 1

The reason the Buddha chose generosity is in our world, in our life, in this sort of thing, the joy of human beings is dependent on the wealth.

00:43:43 Speaker 1

It will not depend on the poverty, but [it] depends on the wealth.

00:43:56 Speaker 1

You may not like it, many of you when you [first] hear that. But you have to remember the Buddhism does not take [a] vow on poverty at all.

00:44:07 Speaker 1

So, that's what it is.

00:44:14 Speaker 1

But Buddhism acts like it is taking vows on poverty in the West particularly, not in the East, modern Southeast Asia or Asia. No, no.

00:44:27 Speaker 1

But is only West only, not anywhere else.

00:44:32 Speaker 1

So the Buddha said [Tibetan]

00:44:37 Speaker 1

So because […] that's what I'm talking.

00:44:44

Yeah, yeah.

00:44:45 Speaker 1

What happened? [Tibetan]

00:44:56 Speaker 1

So, the the comfort and the pleasure and respect and all of those are dependent [*** audio became silent ***] be able to be functioning there depends on the wealth. So, the cause of the world is the generosity, not the miserliness. The miserliness loses the wealth the generosity brings the wealth.

00:45:31 Speaker 1

And that's why Buddha chose generosity as the first activity of the bodhisattva.

00:45:39 Speaker 1

So, what kind of generosity are we talking about?

00:45:44 Speaker 1

I will talk more kinds of generosity.

00:45:47 Speaker 1

There are three kinds of generosity: generosity of Dharma, generosity of protection, generosity of material needs.

00:45:59 Speaker 1

So, these are the three kinds of generosity.

00:46:11 Speaker 1

Generosity of Dharma is to overcome the difficulty of delusions. People have to be very generous to share their experiences, to give Dharma, to give information, to help people to overcome anger, attachment, hatred, and ignorance.

00:46:30 Speaker 1

That is the generosity of dharma.

00:46:34 Speaker 1

Generosity of protection is to give the protection from fears that, all kinds of different fears that we have, number of different fears.

00:46:48 Speaker 1

And [as for] the protection from fear, actually the most important protection from fear is emptiness. [Tibetan]

00:47:05 Speaker 1

I mean equivalent-less protection [???] is emptiness, the wisdom.

00:47:17 Speaker 1

All the fears are influenced by ignorance.

00:47:22 Speaker 1

Either not knowing, or wrong knowing, or wrong perception of it.

00:47:30 Speaker 1

Almost all the fears come out of that.

00:47:34 Speaker 1

So, the wisdom part of it, the emptiness wisdom is the best protection from fears.

00:47:42 Speaker 1

So, the two generosity means, the generosity of Dharma, and generosity toward the fear, overcoming the fear. And we need shelter for the homeless.

00:47:59 Speaker 1

A food for the hungry persons.

00:48:07 Speaker 1

A medicine for the sick people. That is the material help. [Tibetan]

00:48:23 Speaker 1

[That] is the material generosity.

00:48:26 Speaker 1

So that is basically the three kinds of generosity there, and you can be and you should be very generous [in] all three.

00:48:41 Speaker 1

And there are few people saying that I am poor, and I have nothing to give.

00:48:48 Speaker 1

And to some people, if it's true.

00:48:51 Speaker 1

But to most people it's not even true.

00:48:57 Speaker 1

You always have something to give.

00:49:06 Speaker 1

I'm not going to use an example, but I thought the example comes out of my head.

00:49:12 Speaker 1

But I'm not going to use it today, OK?

00:49:19 Speaker 1

But even you don't have anything.

00:49:23 Speaker 1

Not at all.

00:49:24 Speaker 1

You don't have anything even you can have a glass of water.

00:49:28 Speaker 1

You can give that, give a glass of water to the object of refuge.

00:49:34 Speaker 1

And that's why on the outside, you put a glass of water or water offered on flower incense and so forth is a part of generosity.

00:49:45 Speaker 1

And the part of the generosity is also a contribution that we will make.

00:49:53 Speaker 1

Through a Buddha Dhamma and a sangha.

00:49:59 Speaker 1

And to your own sangha group, spiritual master, and so on is one of the very strongly recommended generosity activities and that's why we try to write you letters.

00:50:16 Speaker 1

We've had appeal for pledges and so on.

00:50:20 Speaker 1

It not because the amount does not matter, but it's some kind of commitment of being part of the Sangha and that's why we did that. That is important, right?

00:50:58 Speaker 1

Now let me see this little bit.

00:51:07 Speaker 3

OK.

00:51:09 Speaker 1

And that is the the sort of generosity that way.

00:51:31 Speaker 1

And those of you, those are people who don’t have anything [Tibetan]

00:51:45 Speaker 1

Even though of you who sit in six sessions of yoga, those who are earned, or not earned … How does it go in English? How does that go?

00:51:55 Speaker 1

Huh huh yeah.

00:52:02 Speaker 2

Yeah, a long one. [*** audience responded ***]

00:52:12 Speaker 1

Do you have it?

00:52:15 Speaker 1

Looks like no one sits in the long sessions of yoga at all.

00:52:22 Speaker 2

[*** audience responded ***]

00:52:30 Speaker 1

Can you read a little louder and slowly so that everybody can hear it, right?

00:52:34

All things I possess … […]

00:52:45 Speaker 1

Yeah, so, anyway, so anything better in this world partly you have an ownership in that because it's a collective karma and partly even you don't own that but you can sort of take it and give offerings.

00:53:04 Speaker 1

And so, by your power you may take this way.

00:53:08 Speaker 1

And you may use that or somewhere or that in that way, and so we can make a generosity offer. So, like one of the earlier Tibetan master who virtually have nothing earlier, so only one bowl, so you have to put the water in the morning, make water offering.

00:53:34 Speaker 1

Otherwise, you cannot borrow it.

00:53:35 Speaker 1

Take it down and take his own food. Then he will wash it and put it up. He doesn’t have incense. So, he has to put some grass here and burn it and make use of that as incense.

00:53:53 Speaker 1

And later, he became so wealthy and he made millions of dollars worth of incense.

00:53:59 Speaker 1

And even then it is his habitual pattern and he said I'm so poor that I have nothing else to offer but the $1,000,000.

00:54:10 Speaker 1

You know, and that sort of thing, but the main point is.

00:54:15 Speaker 1

If you don't have it, you don't have to worry about it.

00:54:18 Speaker 1

That doesn't block your generosity.

00:54:21 Speaker 1

The generosity is not a number.

00:54:25 Speaker 1

It is the thought, the idea and the idea of caring & sharing and the idea of openness.

00:54:34 Speaker 1

And that's what really counts for material and the protection of health and the others.

00:54:48 Speaker 1

And that's what it is.

00:54:51 Speaker 1

OK with this and I'll probably […] to wish you all very happy holidays.

00:54:59 Speaker 1

And the next Tuesday we are not meeting because we will be at the Tsongkhapa celebration. Those of you who are not coming to the retreat, please do come to the Tsongkhapa celebration. That is Tuesday, right?

00:55:18 Speaker 1

It's Tuesday.

00:55:21 Speaker 3

You mentioned that we should bring candles […]

00:55:27

Oh.