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Soundfile 19980424GRJHNLBOA01

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Nijmegen

Topic On the Border of Awakening

Transcriber Constantijn Koopman

Date October 30, 2021

[The file starts with the Dutch translation of the first sentences Rimpoche has said. So, these sentences are missing. I have translated back into English what the Dutch translator says.]

Translator: Thank you very much everyone for coming here. Rimpoche hopes we will be able to gather something useful from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Rimpoche: And I have been requested to work with the integrating spiritual practice and the daily life in the form of a Dharma talk as well as a workshop continuously days after. For next two days or whatever.

And I’’m sure it’’s my wrong perception: when I look in the West, sometimes people would look as a spiritual path as not so much to do with ourselves, but maybe something to do with a ceremony. Or maybe just simply making sure that you are making sure you’’ll be regularly going on church on Sundays. Maybe sometimes you would like to make sure that you’’re simply doing a certain good cause. And all this people look as a spiritual practice. And that sometimes I noticed. And I hope I’’m wrong.

And I said, ““I hope I’’m wrong,”” not because I don’’t like people going to the church on Sundays, not because people will do work for good cause of work. But what I don’’t like is the separation of the people and your work and your dedication. That’’s what I don’’t like. And that’’s why I said, ““I hope not.”” 0:03:05.8

What little I know of spiritual path, we try to integrate the spiritual whatever you’’re doing, along with our daily life, whatever we do. We try to integrate them, bring them together because, if we cannot bring them together, it’’s very hard for us to have the effect of the spiritual path to us.

Now, the integrating is a word which we hide behind. You know, we use the word integrating. So, people say integrating, mixing them together, becoming oneness. And all sorts of things. We sort of, you know, we have the habit of hiding behind the words. So, I like to make it a little more clear. What do we mean by integrating?

The true integration of the spiritual path (or whatever you say, the spiritual thing truly integrating) is really become completely an absolute habit. 0:05:57.0 Absolute habit. Now, let me tell you clearly: are we integrated it with anger? Are we integrated with attachment? Are we integrated with jealousy? So, each one of them will have answer, ““Yes.”” And how? Because, if we get upset and we immediately knows how to get angry. And if we see something wonderful, beautiful things, we almost wanted the desire to want to have it.

Right? So, we don’’t need to put any efforts to try to get angry. We don’’t have to put any efforts to get jealousy. We don’’t have to put any efforts to get attachment.

It’’s there. It think I said last night, ““We don’’t go to school to learn how to get angry or how to get attached.”” We are naturally expert. So, that’’s what we did is: we integrated. And part of our life.

And people think anger, attachment and all this nature and naturally grow. I don’’t think so. Why? Because we have the wonderful nature of a wonderful human being: the kind, compassionate, caring nature within us. Which is human nature. That’’s not bad at all. 0:09:00. So, the anger, jealousy, attachment is not part of our self. It is not our nature. It is addiction. Same thing we get addicted to coffee, we get addicted to cigarette, we get addicted to alcohol. It is the same thing, same addiction.

Coffee and alcohol addiction and drug addiction, or whatever, it has been brought up in our this life. And the anger, attachment and hatred, we brought in our lives, many lives before together. So, if you have to cut it, addiction to alcohol or cigarette or dopes, how difficult it is –– even though it is a very short addiction within the life-time. You know I mean, you’’re not going to smoke cigarette all those when you’’re seven. So, it must be after, whatever: fourteen, fifteen, seventeen, eighteen, twenty to now. So twenty, thirty years of addiction is extremely difficult to cut it. We know it, right?

And that is very short addiction and difficult to cut. Even you try to cut it, you have withdraw symptoms and all sorts of difficulties. We all know that. Now, you’’re dealing with the bigger addiction than that. That is the addiction of life after life. I’’m sorry, I’’m coming from the background of reincarnation. So, I’’m going to talk to you from the reincarnation point of view because otherwise I won’’t have job left. I will not be rimpoche, cannot be reincarnated lama if there is no reincarnations. So, I will be out of my job. So, I must save my job. 0:12:97.1

Okay, so that addiction of life-after-life addiction. And to cut that is difficult. And cutting those addictions and replace them with the kindness, compassion, caring, love, all of those replacing, say, anger, hatred is the true way of integrate spiritual path within our life. I mean, sort of very simple bottom line I’’m talking to you. Now, for example. You know, a number of people will think, ““Well, I have to be meditating, I have to be saying mantras, I have to be doing this, I have to be doing that. And if I’’m not doing that, I’’m not good. Some Buddhist, you know? For those who have been those of like us. 0:15:03.9 Those like me, who have been doing long-term Buddhist. I’’m not born-again Buddhist but sort of, you know, almost close to that. So, we keep on thinking you have to say mantras, you have to, say, meditate, you have to do this, you have to do that. And it is very often we think that way.

And the same way, I was visiting some friends who was not being well for a while today. And they’’re telling me by the one??? they think they’’re going to die, so I can think nothing but the refuge. And because I’’m bad in meditation. And so, I said, ““You’’re an excellent!”” Right? A lot of people who meditate and saying mantras, who knows what we’’re going to think when we die?

The essence of …… because we misunderstood essence of the Buddhism. The essence of the Buddhism is not to be Buddhist. Essence to the Buddhism is not to say mantras. Not even the meditation. It is to make yourself a good person. And what is good and what is bad? It’’s a difficult point where you really can make a difference. It’’s a difficult point!

I was talking to somebody…… is that you or you? You, okay! So, I was??? saying this morning, so…… saying it is difficult to ??? that: the good for the Chinese is bad for the Tibetans. [laughs] Good for the Tibetans, bad for Chinese, right? (I mean, this case.) Good for Saddam Hussain is bad for Kuwait. 0:18:05.2 Or America, even for that matter. So, where do we draw the line? This is a big question, everybody thinks about it.

But Buddha has a general guideline, very general guideline. The guideline is: if you’’re hurting somebody, that is bad. And if you’’re helping somebody, this is good.

RAB TU JUNG WA SHE LA NYE WA…… Buddha himself said, ““If you’’re following me, you cannot harm anybody. If anybody is hurting anybody, it’’s not my friend.”” I mean, doesn’’t say friend, but it’’s an easier way to put it that way. [laughs]

So, but there are exceptional cases will come. Now for example, somebody raised question last night, and saying that, ““Well, there is some times you have to use violence to stop violence. For example, if you have not stopped Hitler, whole Europe would have been gone under his control. Or Saddam: if we have not stopped Saddam, the whole Kuwait would have gone. Or if you did not stop Mao, the whole Cultural Revolution would have taken throughout Asia. Mao is not really killed, but it’’s the same way. Under circumstances, there may be exceptional things for exceptional purposes. I’’m so glad the gentleman who raised the question last night. And really it is good because everybody will have to think and you will have to put your thoughts on it. Because we’’re all human beings. You know, the thoughts make... give us the opportunity. 0:21:03.7 And then we, as a natural being select out of the thoughts, and then we act out. So, this is definitely important point where you have to think. I said last night, ““I call?? is from head to heart.”” There’’s a difference between head to heart. What the head is head, and the heart is heart. But…… not that point. But from the thoughts to the mind and then action coming out of that mental attitude, I think there’’s a big difference between that wish to see this clearly.

Even you think in our normal work, right? If you think in our normal work, your thoughts will give you all sorts of thoughts, or some ideas. And you don’’t act according to every thought that comes up. We analyze, right? Let’’s say, if you’’re an editor: you get also of words pops up on your thought. But everything whatever you get in here you’’re not going to write it. You make a distinction between, you select. You use discrimination wisdom, which is better, which is not better. Don’’t we? Right? Whatever your profession may be, each and every one of us in our profession, we have that: discriminating between the thoughts, and what we take or we not take in. 23:59.4

It is interesting: just look the drivers. You know when somebody is driving to somebody. And the moment you sit in the car and you say you’’re going to whatever, Utrecht or something, you’’re going to go to Utrecht. And when you go to Utrecht, you just don’’t sit, just sit there and without thinking you don’’t drive –– number one. Number two, you’’re going to think, ““Which route should I take?”” How it is, what is the traffic will be. And all this you think and you decide you go. I hope you just don’’t sit there and cast like oohm……???, don’’t go, I hope. Right?

But the problem with anger and attachment etcetera: the moment it pops up with bide???, without thinking. It’’s just like sitting in the car and let the car go. For it means no control. Instead of you are using them, they are using you. That’’s how addiction works, right?

So, when you’’re integrating Dharma…… Oh, I’’m sorry. Okay, let’’s be Dharma, so I should say ““spiritual path,”” but…… When you’’re integrating Dharma, the true Dharma is when you cut down the anger. The positivity you gain out of cutting the anger is true Dharma. The positivity cutting out of the attachment, of all these negative emotions, one by one, all collectively, whatever it may be, when you cut down that, the positive replacement which comes in is the true Dharma. 0:27:23.4

And this my way of talking directly, you know. If it is officially, I should have said, ““Dharma is relative and positive”” and teachings and that much blah, blah, blah. I’’m not criticizing saying, ““blah, blah, blah.”” But the bottom line, the true Dharma comes the positivity within you, which is the object that we take refuge because it is within you. So, it makes a difference within yourself. And that’’s why even Buddha said, ““Dharma is the real medicine.”” Buddha is like a doctor. So, that’’s here you see it how it is working within you. And why Buddha meant the Dharma is medicine. That is really what is working within ourselves is the Dharma itself. Nothing else will work. I’’m sorry to say, but really: nothing else will work.

So, the true Dharma is the free of negative emotions. So, when you’’re dealing with that, when you’’re working against negative emotions, you are really a true Buddhist, I’’m sorry from my point of view. [laughs] 0:29:57.0 Like the Dalai Lama makes a big deal, sort of calling universal compassion, or something. He says the good person has to be universal, universal compassion is the criterion of good person or something.

And you cannot have good compassion unless you cutted down the hatred or attachment. Just forget about those jealousy business for the time being, but. [laughs] I said, unless you cutted down the hatred and attachment you cannot have good compassion at all.

You know what? What is really compassion? Then you will know. What is really compassion? What does compassion really mean? How you feel with compassion and what sort of perceptions do you have? What picture do you do when you’’re thinking of compassion. And these are the important questions because, when you use the love and compassion, the word is so much. Sort of it is completely overused. I mean, it’’s using from all the directions. From the right extreme, the televangelists??? such as Peter Robinson and all this, through left extreme the new age gurus, all of them are using love and compassion. It’’s been completely over-usage of the word.

And the compassion is the language which is used from Rome to Lhasa. 0:33:04.1 So, it is completely over-usage by everybody. And after a little while, I found there’’s a compassion construction company in Australia.

So, that’’s it. So, when it becomes so much overgrown by words and when you don’’t have any feeling, everybody would like to know…… Everybody will say, ““Compassion? Yes, it is very good. I have no problem with compassion. And I have no problem with love. And nice.”” But however, what do we feel when you’’re talking about compassion? What are you focused on? What is your projection is, what your perception is? So, when you don’’t think those, then everything can be just a simple word.

So, we must think, ““How do I know what is mind of compassion? What makes me sure that my mind is compassionate?”” So, we have to know a little bit about compassion and we have to know a little bit about love. My understanding is: it is one mind. Compassion and love is one mind with two different aspects. We separate them not from the mind point of view, but we separate them from the aspects point of view.

So, what does compassion feel? That is the aspects we’’re looking. The compassion will feel, ““Oh, how can I help? How can I remove the pain this person is experiencing? What can I do? How can I help?”” Really feeling from your bottom of the heart, saying, ““What can I do? Can I remove it, if possible by hand or something? What can I do?”” 0:36:09.4 Well, that much hard-felt feeling is the perception of compassion.

And love, on the other hand, same mind, really truly wishing. ““How can…… I wish, they will remain in joy.”” I mean, I’’m talking about one person. I’’m not talking about all sentient beings. According to the Buddha, you should say ““all sentient beings.”” But practically, let’’s start with one person, say your companion or your boy-friend or whatever. Whoever, your children, or whatever. So, looking with one person and totally wishing, ““How can I make that person happy? How can I make that person free of all sufferings? How can I maintain that person in the joy and happiness what they have?”” And that is true love.

And a lot of people will think, ““Attachment is the basis of love.”” Don’’t you think that? Do you? Well, last night somebody said, ““If there is no attachment, how do I maintain my relationship?”” Well, in a way, it looks that way. But my answer last night was, if I remember correctly, if I’’m wrong correct me. My answer last night was, I think I said, ““The relationship was built on the basis of love and trust, rather than attachment.”” Did I say? Am I right? Okay then. [laughs] 0:38.59.2

You know, why? Because attachment exaggerates. And when the attachment is growing, you make that person more beautiful than that person really is. And you make that person more kinder and nicer than that what really is. You name it. Even a big, fat person you make it thing??? and wonderful looking. That’’s what attachment does, anyway.

And suddenly, you realize it’’s not, that’’s only your projection. You get disappointed. And then you want to correct. And then, first thing they’’ll say, ““Change your hair style.”” Or, ““Change your make-up.”” Or, ““Change your dress.”” That’’s a joke. But the reality really is: the person try to control you to shape that person in the projection in which you built attachment. That’’s exactly what it is. And that’’s not only man to woman, but woman to man as well. And man to man or woman to woman. Whatever, you know, the case may be.

So, the attachment is coming out of attraction. The attraction is our own desire. You know, attraction brings the desire, desire brings the attachment. This is how I think it works. 0:41:58.0 And in my opinion, the love is a simple dedicated mind, have no desire in that. Right? Appreciation brings the love. And when you have the appreciation, and your love works. I don’’t think there is so many family who goes in divorce when the husband appreciates the wife and the wife appreciates the husband. I don’’t think there’’s so many getting divorced.

These problems come up because there is no appreciation. You don’’t appreciate the person: the person’’s look, the person’’s quality, the person’’s mind, way of thinking and even way of living and way of functioning. So, when you have no appreciation, then this attachment become control issue. And I don’’t have to explain to you because I believe we’’re all expert on that.

So, when you’’re integrating your life with the spiritual and getting out of that circle, and try to get into good circle, have good addictions. [laughs] We should get addiction of love. That’’s not a bad idea, really. Yeah, we should get addiction of love, why not? Instead of attachment. So you know, the love is the basis on which we can really function well together. 0:45:04.3

[short interruption in the recording, I filled in the words on the basis of the Dutch translation]

[When you’’re in love with]...somebody, you’’ll be willing to tolerate all nonsense of that person, don’’t you? And that’’s going down, you cannot tolerate anymore. So clearly, the love is the basis of everything can function. And that’’s why Dalai Lama calls the universal love, universal compassion. That was my understanding.

Now, that is wonderful, the love. Wonderful, we all can have it. But I don’’t have it, I have attachment. What do I do? I have mint. So what do I do? Mint is not enough. You know what I thought? The Tibetans, from Tibet in 1947, a group of Tibetans went to India, and they went and saw Mahatma Gandhi. And they’’re in old style Tibetan. And they did not know they have to make an appointment. And they did not know how long they can stay. And when the first arrived in Delhi, they said they want go and see Mahatma Gandhi. And then they’’re told, ““Gandhi is not in Delhi, he’’s somewhere else.”” So two days later somebody saw a picture of Gandhi in newspaper in Delhi. 0:48.00.5 And then they knew he’’s in Delhi. So, they went straightaway. And Gandhi saw them. And Gandhi talked to them and they went with all this funny dresses as you see in the movie Kundun –– is going round here, right? So, all these funny dresses, Gandhi saw them. And Gandhi had a lot of questions. And the Tibetans did not leave. They keep on sitting there and talking to him. So, then it becomes lunch time. And still the people are not going. So, they served lunch to Gandhi. And what I heard from one of the Tibetans who went there: and he said a glass of milk with a lot of dry fruit soak in there. So, then Gandhi looked it and kindly said, ““If I divide this between you people, and neither you people will have enough, nor I have enough. So, better I eat it. [laughter]

So, I was looking at the mint here. If we try to divide…… [laughter] That thought came up to me. So, better I eat it. And that may be attachment to the mint. Or is it appreciation? Or is it nothing? What kind of thought is that? So, these are the questions, how you ask questions to yourself. And there are some people who are totally attached. They cannot stop eating, you know? Not necessarily attachment to the mint but anything put in the mouth. So, that’’s probably attachment. And then, attachment has disappointment. Along with that there’’s a disappointment. Because you exaggerate. And actually, when you are feeling, you don’’t have that projected, exaggerated feeling. Then, we get disappointment. See, the lack of appreciation. Because of that we get disappointed. 0:52:03.2 And that over??-exaggerated and disappointment make us suffer tremendously. Am I right or wrong? I’’m right? Thank you! There is really?? one person who agrees with me at least. [laughs]

So, integrating spiritual path within the life, you have to make sure you don’’t get that much disappointed. Because disappointment…… truly speaking, disappointment brings depression. Otherwise, where is the depression coming from? And everybody thinks, ““What can I do? What can I do, what can I do?? I’’m hopeless, I’’m helpless. What can I do, what can I do??”” Drive yourself crazy.

And that’’s for everything, including your spiritual path. 0:54:01.3 Those who are dedicated, those who would like to have some quick result and would like to do something…… ““I like to do something and what can I do?”” Even in spiritual path, not necessarily anything else. Even in spiritual path, when you try to drive yourself crazy, ““What can I do?,”” that can bring you to depression level.

Buddha has been telling us for 2,500 years: love, compassion is help. But I, this fellow, never understood. I read, I heard, I sort of believe it, but I never know. And it took a neurological surgeon to explain me. [laughs] Isn’’t that shameful? A neurological surgeon, a doctor, Western medical doctor. A neurological surgeon explained to me how compassion helps. [laughs] And I was talking to him. I’’ve tried to find out how the mind works and how does the neurological points and how they connects. And I was talking to him. So though the neurological people are not psychologists, but still they are working very closely with that. And then he said, ““Well, the best thing is love-compassion. You know it yourself.”” That’’s what he said. 0:57:09.5

And I said, ““How? I heard that, but how? And tell me how it works?”” And he said, ““So simple! You don’’t know? So simple.”” He said, depression is a focus on self. ““What will happen to me?”” Or, ““I’’m afraid.”” ““I may be left alone.”” ““I may die.”” ““I may get sick.”” ““I may become terrible.”” It’’s I, I, I, I, I, I, I. And the moment you think of compassion, you focus your mind concentration from I to the others. And he said that’’s how you pull the red carpet under the feet of depression. And that is well I need to learn from the neurological surgeons??. So, what’’s happening is: the causes of bringing disappointment and depression has been now relieved, removed and replaced by compassion and caring. And so as the anger and irritations should be able to [be] replaced by love and caring. So, as the jealousy should be able to [be] replaced by appreciation.

So, what do you do in your daily life? What do you do when you feel…… I mean, we are bound to be having jealousy, anger, hatred. Pops up on our brain all the time. 1:00:08.6 So, we put a filter in there. We do not internalized. The filter works not to internalized. You know, internalization is the worst part of it. If you internalize, it almost becomes your nature, your act. So, a number of the people told me, ““Oh, I got angry, I got upset again. I saw my anger still there.”” Of course, it’’s going to be there because we are so many... millions of years we’’ve been having it. If you want it washed by overnight, it’’s not possible. It will be there. But however, as a human being with our understanding, these thoughts are not to be internalized. And that’’s where your spiritual path really begins –– like it or not.

At the beginning I talked to you, I said, ““We just the anger, hatred, all this thoughts pops up. We straightaway act, without thinking. So, that is because it has become automatic. So, we now try to break that automatic system and try to put a break. 1:03:08.6 And that, when you try to do that, that is the beginning of going in the right direction. You know, the funny thoughts came up my head. That is, at the beginning of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara, there is:

MON CHE MA JUNG MA YONG DE SHUN…….

Shantideva said, ““I have nothing new that which has not mentioned before.”” Likewise here, I have nothing new to tell you. So, what we did is try to point it out within our mind, how it is functioning. It is nothing new, we all have it. But the point here is recognition. So when we point it out to you, hopefully you realize and recognize. And when you recognized, you begin to think twice. That recognition will cut the automatic gear that going through.

So once, you’’s be able to put break, then you may be able to replace them. Clean them up and replace them.

Anyway, we will take a little break here. And if your not so bored and if you’’re not so fed up, then come back and we will continue the talk a little more.

Not be so bored, but…… I don’’t know. But the main point here now I would like to make is: 1:06:01.1 When you want to put your thoughts in the direction whichever I have been telling you earlier, and try to change our sort of negative habitual thing to a positive thing, and the question is: how do we do? So naturally, nothing can help you except your own internal reflection within your mind. In other words, let me make this simple because I’’ve got these words together twisted here. But let me make it simple: no one can help ourselves except ourselves. Nobody! Nobody!

I mean, really: nobody can do or undo thing that except ourselves. Nobody else. The total responsibility is within ourselves. So in other words: according to the Buddha, and absolutely true within our life, I am responsible for my deeds. We cannot blame anybody, anything. We cannot blame to God, and we cannot blame to the other person. 1:09:08.7 And good or bad, whatever it is, I am responsible to my deeds. So when I want to undo, I do it by myself. And nobody else will do it or can do it. Even Buddha himself said, ““I cannot wash the sins of the people by water. Nor I can remove the suffering of the people by hand. And neither I can transfer my spiritual development to you. So, only I can do is share my experience with you.”” So that’’s it. So, it is sharing experience of the Buddha is teaching of Buddhism. Whether it is Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, Burmese, Ceylonese, European, American, whatever it may be –– Japanese.

Essence of that is, again, it is so important, that’’s called Four Noble Truths. The knowing the suffering. Mind you, the Buddha said the Buddha said this Four Noble Truths, the First Noble Truth, the truth of suffering, 2,500 years ago. It is absolutely true and relevant today in our life. 1:12:03.5 We have mental, physical, emotional sufferings. How much we have! It is absolutely true. [Laughter about Dutch translation] I remember a story. I try to share tomorrow or something. Better not, it’’s a long story, you know. It came up my head.

Then second question what the Buddha raises: can I find a way out? Is this the true, is by nature? Do I have to live and die with that or can I do something? So, the Buddha found a way out. The way out is: not to deal with the symptom but deal with the cause. Maybe, Buddha was Indian, right? So maybe, he likes the homeopathic doctors are better than the allopathic doctors [laughs] I’’m joking, I’’m sorry. But dealing with the cause really means the real cause of the pains are the negative emotions. And that’’s why we are talking about the negative emotions the whole time since we got together. And getting rid of the negative emotions, getting free of the negative emotions, is the true path. Which is the Fourth Noble Truth. 1:15:12.6 And when you go, when you’’re doing that, after a little while you get freedom. Freedom from those neuroses. Which is the Third Noble Truth, the truth of cessation. Which is absolutely relevant in our life now if you look it very carefully. Everything. Everything is cause and effect. If there’’s no cause, you cannot have effect. No matter whatever you do. And if there is a cause, no matter whatever you do, it is difficult to avoid it.

So, this is our life. So, do I handle? Just yourself, just look yesterday. What did you do yesterday when you woke up? What do you think? And when you’’re having breakfast. When you’’re going out? When you’’re outside? When you’’re coming back? When you sleep? What do you think? And if you started looking through, you’’ll find some places so much influenced by anger, sometimes hatred, sometimes jealousy, sometimes attachment, sometimes nothing. And when you have those anger, attachment and all this, I believe we’’re calling??? that action is negative action. Why is negative? Because it is hurting somebody. Or even thought of hurting. And when there is nothing, it becomes neutral: neither positive nor negative. So in any case, from the spiritual point of view, those are waste of time. For what else can you do? Well, have a positive motivation. And do the same thing whatever you’’re doing. You’’ve got to work the same job because you cannot pay your bill. Do the job, but not with anger or jealousy or attachment. But do the job with a good motivation: kindness, compassion, and caring. At least, when you wake up, make your mind and saying: Look???, I’’m going to make every work or whatever I do, I will wanted to help. Help myself, help others. And if you do that, even you do the same old job, their chances to be it’’s become a positive. It is the motivation that make difference. This is the key.

When I was kid, I was taught by my teachers to say in the morning when you open your eyes, you have to say: SHE RAB RIG PA KOI CHE WA TSON DRU……

You understand that? [laughter] Meaning: the wisdom may be opened to me. And I may be helpful to all beings. And my practice may be complete. These are the three things that they taught me to say it as when I was four years old too. And I did say it, like a religion, till twenty or twenty-five. Then I forgot. 1:21:02.6 So, now we are thinking back. And what they taught me is the motivation. Motivation of helping.

So, the motivation is the very like??? a driver in the car. As long as by nature it is action is not negative, then the motivation makes it positive or negative. Really, the steering wheel is the motivation. In our life today, if we cannot use those time period…… Like going to buy food in the grocery store, standing and waiting for the parking lot, doing your laundries, doing your daily chores –– if we cannot make them a positive, when do we have another time? Our life is getting more and more busy. The more and more you have economic growth, you have more and more bills coming. It is true! And then you have to work more, because you have to pay the bills. So, we really have to utilize every opportunity that is available.

And personally, I do not believe, when you practice a spiritual practice, mean you have to sit with the crossed legs even you have pains on your knees, and sit down and try and do something…… I don’’t think you have to do that. That’’s not only the spiritual path. No! 1:24:14.3 So, to be a good person and to collect goodness. I mentioned last night: Tina Turner??? said... You know this Tina Turner? She said, ““What is Buddhism. Oh, it’’s so simple: keep on collecting goodness. And it is true. The essence of the Buddhism, really, is: you have a responsibility to yourself. What we call it karma. So, I said that’’s very good bus-stop [buzz stop???] Buddhism. Bus-stop Buddhism.

So, the essence of this is your mind. And your mind only takes suggestions from your thoughts. So, you suggest the best way you could to your mind. Hopefully, it will accept. Whether it accepts or not accepts, you have to investigate idea. And by investigating, you can understand. When you understand, you can internalize. Like the great Tsongkhapa said:

DANG PO GYA CHO TO PA MAN TO…….

What he says, ““First I picked the information as a way how I integrate spiritual path in my life. 1:27:01.8 First, I pick up the information. And second, I investigate the information that I what I’’ve got, whether it’’s right or wrong. Finally, I meditate on it and internalize and personalize it.”” So, that’’s how we do it.

So well, I’’m thinking I’’m running out of time here already. So, I should stop here. And I should allow you have some questions. It’’s already ten after. Is it okay? Okay, well: three questions. If there is.

Audience 1: [translated] She has a question about collecting goodness. She says, ““Good and bad are two sides of one thing. So, if you try to cut down the bad and develop the good, how is that possible. Could you say something about that?””

Rimpoche: If you stop killing, then the good side of the not killing goes up, and the killing becomes weaker and weaker and won’’t be there.

Translator: So, it’’s a matter of balance?

Rimpoche: Not a matter of balance, but everything is building up in one side.

Translator: So, the moment you cut down on the bad, the good will develop automatically?

Rimpoche: Automatically, isn’’t it? It’’s like a children’’s play and see so???. When this side is having the good, it goes up. 1:30:08.9 And it is important. The good and bad is not part of ourselves at all. It’’s: we have it. [Recording breaks off for about two seconds].

It’’s important to notice. That is according to Buddha. Yeah, I mean…… What do I know? That’’s according to the Buddha. So, I do not say that’’s mine, you know. Really!

Audience 2: If you cannot help others, what is the use of developing compassion?

Rimpoche: Ah, it’’s a good question. What is the use of developing companion? Is that right?

Audience 2: No.

Rimpoche: Then, what is it?

Audience: 2: If the compassion is the desire to help others…… What/when you usually develop compassion???, you can only help yourself.

Translator: If you can only help yourself and the compassion is wanting to help others, what is the use of developing compassion?

Rimpoche: Very good question. I did not say the purpose is only help yourself –– number one. I did not say the purpose is only help yourself. I talked about helping ourselves only. Even helping others is a way of helping ourselves. Having said that, but the compassion should be able to willing to help everybody. And helping everybody, that includes myself. 1:33:02.9

And besides that, we have something called bodhimind. Which is perfection of love and compassion, which has no limitations, no conditions. And that cannot grow without compassion. Even it itself alone, even it is for helping self. And without bodhimind, there’’s no way we can free ourselves. I mean, we can free ourselves but in no way we can get enlightened.

Did that make sense or……? You’’re looking at the east, I’’m looking at the west. What happened?

Audience 2: I think…… I still have a problem: it is a smart way to be egoistic.

Audience: Spiritual path is always a smart way of functioning. [laughter] Yeah, really! Dealing with life, dealing with negative emotions. And playing with love, playing with compassion. It is one way smart way of dealing. But not necessarily smack as???, you know? [laughs] So, better not said that.

You. One more.

Audience 3: ??? to ask…… you just said that it’’s very important that compassion is for others but it’’s also compassion for yourself. But where does it start? Is it firstly you have compassion for others or is it firstly you have compassion for yourself? So, you give it ??? but that always the other way around. What’’s checking, what……?

Rimpoche: 1:36:20.8 Well, it is as you said: a chicken and egg question. I think it deals with the person who’’s living with you. And it deals with the person who you’’re living with. You know this old saying: charity begins at home. It is at least a good old saying: charity begins at home. So, the compassion begins at home. And whether you’’re going to develop compassion to yourself or you’’re going to develop compassion to your companion, it is up to you.

If you look the situation, you’’ll find both persons in same situation. And if you look at the desire, both people will have the same desire. So, where it begins is up to you, doesn’’t make a difference. Though, when you’’re focusing on the others it’’s called compassion. And when you’’re focusing to yourself, so it might not be labeled as compassion, but it is true compassion to self. So it really doesn’’t matter. But if you don’’t understand your own situation, then it’’s difficult to develop compassion to yourself or the other –– both.

So, I might not be with your question so much but talking with this gentleman’’s question. If you look at it, you cannot help anybody unless you can help yourself. So, the first step to help yourself. And when you know it, when you have the know-how, when you understand, then you can say something to the others and try to help. 1:39:06.2. So, that’’s my understanding

Okay, now we may have to close the shop if you don’’t mind. Thank you. I saw a couple of hands there but…… thank you.