Archive Result

Standaard;

Soundfile 19980424GRJHNLBOA05

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Nijmegen

Topic On the Border of Awakening

Transcriber Constantijn Koopman

Date January 14, 2022

Rimpoche: Good morning, everybody. Okay, I hope you have nice sleep last night.

Okay, so, we continue where we left it out yesterday. What we’’re really doing is we’’re looking at our negative emotions. And I call these negative emotions because these thoughts creates the individual to do things that wrong. As I said yesterday, thoughts pop up in our head countlessly. I mean, number of times, even in minute, pops up. And when we have a sort of direct connection between the head and heart and you have no filter in between, so then, according to the negative emotions we act negatively, according to the positive emotions we act positively. That’’s how we actually create karma. This is the way.

So, the negative emotions make you do negative things. And that is basically how almost all of our problems are, that’’s how it’’s functioning. Because, you know, the karmic system: when there is no cause, then there is no result. When there is a cause, the result is bound to happen.

Translator: 0:03:22.2 I think I missed the last thing about the karmic system. If you create……

Rimpoche: If you have the cause of karma, you’’re bound to have the result; if you don’’t, no matter whatever you do, it won’’t happen.

So, the bottom line, whether we are talking in emotions or minds or thoughts or actions, whatever we talk, whatever we act, but the bottom line is the karmic system. Karma is the bottom line. And looking in those emotions and how it arise and function, is not a modern method. It is the traditional Tibetan-Indian Buddhist practice. And if you remember, in lamrim if you look, in the lamrim there is an outline says, ““How does the negative emotions grow with you and how they create negative karma.”” There is even an outline on that. So, this is not a new thing, it is an old, thousand-years. People have practiced and looked in detail. What we did is: we did not get the whole lamrim together but sort of took of out, this particular portion, and we’’re sharing. That is what it is all about it.

And some people may be thinking, ““Well, it’’s sort of talking about the psychology type of thing, because it has to be y..?? because I’’m not psychologist. So, I won’’t know what to say.”” 0:06:01.8 So psychology type of thing you may think that way, but no. It may be, you know? I can’’t say no, but it may be. But what I’’m bringing is from the traditional teachings these are the points I’’m bringing you. And it is very relevant to our life today. Everything we’’re talking here.

I don’’t have to tell you, you know it: it’’s all within our mind. Okay, when I say, ““It’’s all within your mind,”” you may think, ““Ah, ya, it’’s only mine.”” I’’m not talking about that. All these emotions we raise; we have those emotions. Those emotions rises, and then we have difficulties. So, this is the... I’’m trying to make point to you.

So, we wanted to talk about ten most important negative emotions. Because it’’s according to this teaching tradition; we pointed ten out. Some are very relevant, some are so-so. So out of the ten which we done yesterday is attachment, hatred, pride, ignorance. First thing what we have to do today is doubt.

Now the questions arises: is doubt good or bad? Yeah, really. Annelies, is doubts good or bad?

Annelies: It should be bad because you name them in the ???

Rimpoche: [laughs] Very clever, right? 0:09:02.0 I can’’t have doubt, I believe it’’s counting here. Not all doubts. Basically, there are four different thoughts. Four thoughts, four period and ideas and thoughts, you know? Like the sleeping period, then sleep itself. Let’’s say it’’s thought. It’’s not thought, but let’’s say it’’s period that occupies you. So, sleep is one, and doubt is another one, and understanding is another one, and investigation is another one. These four type of mental activity can be positive or can be negative. From the spiritual point of view.

So, it is not only neutral but it is changeable. So, the Tibetans have an idea of dividing thoughts like 51 different ways. Thoughts they will divide, 51 different ways. That’’s not the Tibetan, that is Tibetan Buddhism, I’’m sorry. And out of which these four are changeable completely. 0:12:03.6 So when you say doubt, and then you really have to think two different types of doubt. And basically the doubt is good to me. ““Good to me,”” I don’’t mean it’’s to me, but for me the doubt is very good. And doubt will protect you to follow Jim Jones. So, we don’’t have to explain Jim Jones, because now we all now. Right? [laughs] So, and it’’ss also the basis on which you do investigation. So, there is a good quality in that. And there is a bad quality in that too. You already made up your mind, this should be that way, and then coming in and starting doing investigating and trying to find a way you wanted to do.

Translator: You have made up your mind and then you start to investigate, and then……?

Rimpoche: Try to find the……. No, no, let me give it example. Just like the cigarette companies, you know Philip Morris. Cigarette company they have sponsored whether the cigarette is harmful to the health of the people or not in the sixties and seventies and even in eighties. And they made research after research, and research after research, and the report came out: it’’s not harmful. Now, like a week ago and they’’re coming: the research is not directed by scientists but by lawyers. 0:15:10.5 And same way, if we do it, there is no such a thing called reincarnation, there is no such thing called enlightenment. And if so, I need to see it. How is it? Doing research it is prefabricated??? mind, and using the doubt as a tool to establish there is no reincarnation, there is no enlightenment. And that way is a negative way. But in open mind, if you try to find out really if there is such a thing called enlightenment or not, is there are??? such a thing called reincarnation or not.

If you carry this doubt genuine, with an open mind, without any prefabricated agenda, then these doubts can be good. And not only it is good, it is almost necessary. Otherwise, you will be landed up??? blind faith. And the blind faith is not necessarily good at all. Definitely, blind faith is not good for in the West, completely no. Specially in the West, because people are very intelligent, educated. They have a great brain. [laughs] No longer... it’’s not the green brain the Chinese call us. 0:18:00.4 You know, the Chinese have told the Tibetans, specially Buddhists, they said their brain has completely soaked in color and that also very stone-dark green color. So, it’’s very hard to change. They call us green brain.

So, since you don’’t have a green brain, you can definitely use your common sense, you can use your intellectual capacity. And that is very important. If you don’’t use it, then what is great fun to having a good education and intellectual capacity? You’’ve got to use it. And by using that, if you understand, if you develop faith, and that I call is intelligent faith. It’’s not that blind faith, but it is faith with understanding, intelligence. And that faith is necessary for us to make a spiritual advance.

DE PA MON DRU MA DRE KYE WA DI……

So, even Buddha tells that type of intelligent faith is like mother who can give birth to children. And no matter how capable the father may be, if there is no mother you cannot give birth, right? [laughs] So, just like that. No matter how much wisdom and compassion and all this you have, and if you don’’t have the intelligent faith, then you cannot grow much. So Buddha says this is like a mother. 0:21:01.6 Not only it gives you birth, it will also nurture you and brought you up. And it is true in our life, if you deal with your life. You know, day after day we have to do our practice or whatever we are doing. Sometimes we feel very lazy and difficulty and ““can’’t do it.”” And when you have that intelligent faith, and that will help you to support you and do it, and to bring you up. That’’s we’’ve seen it every day in our life. So, that faith not only gives birth to your qualities, it also protects and it develops. And when we are talking about the doubt as negative emotions here, it is the prefabricated doubt. I mean, you have decided completely: there is no such thing called Four Noble Truths. So, let me find out how not there, like sort of Philip Morris business.

So, that particular part of those doubts are negative. Truly, you’’re not even doubting. You made up you mind, you try to establish, you try to prove what you think is right. And then the same question even in positive side. So, the Buddhism does not encourage you to go in the positive mind, saying, ““Oh, there is Four Noble Truths, let me find out how it is.”” But they will urge you to look to find out by yourself whether these Four Noble Truths make sense to you or not. See what does this karma business, whether it’’s there or not there, whether is it okay or not okay. And sort of really very open way of examining is very important point how we proceed in our spiritual practice. 0:24:12.8

So, let be that much enough for the doubt part of it.

Audience 1: He has a question.

Rimpoche: Where? You? Go ahead. You go ahead, that’’s okay.

Audience 2: With the Dharma, isn’’t it true that you can only establish probability and not certainty until you have a direct experience?

Rimpoche: It is true, without doubt. You cannot really find actually what really is. But I don’’t think you have to have experience. There are three or four ways of understanding and getting the message across. One may be experience, but other one is logically you can understand and make sense and fits everything. And when you do the other way around it doesn’’t fit at all. And that is good enough to be able to hold it until it is proven to be wrong. So, that is good thing, and I think we more or less has to hold on that understanding, rather than so much experience. And when you say experience, experiences can be hallucination. 0:27:05.1 Experience can be anything, you know? Can be anything, and most of the time we look in experience as some kind of physical, mental syndrome which most unreliable than that of direct understanding through logical means.

And if I have choice, I will not put doubt here. But then, they already made these ten of them there, so I cannot take one out. [laughs] If I turn that out, I will be short by one, so it become nine. [laughs]

Good, now next is the most difficult…… Next two, three are pure Buddhist viewpoint. It’’s a little difficult one. It is the most important debate between the Buddhist teachers and the Hindu teachers had for centuries and in India. 0:30:15.4 And the idea is whether there is a self or there is no self. How do we project self? And let’’s say our mind, when we’’re looking at self. And what picture do we get? We get the picture neither on body nor on mind. It is sort of combination of something saying, ““Me, me, me, in here. It’’s me. Hello, I’’m here, me””You get that.

So we get that picture, do we? And sometimes you even get... I get a lot of times that little Tibetan character called ““nga””. You know, it’’s me and I. [laughs] I get that character sometimes when you try to think that way. I don’’t know whether that’’s good or bad, I have no idea. But somehow there’’s a response when you call it self. ““Hey where are you, self?”” And they say, ““Hey, I’’m here, me.”” You know, we get that response. And such a response when you get it, and what we are perceiving... we are perceiving that who is responding is another sort of solid being there. A solid being there, just like, ““???, here I am,”” and that sort of big solid thing, we will see it. 0:33:06.4

That solidness, and if you don’’t check anything, where it is, what is it, is it body or mind, or if you don’’t check anything... usually I’’m going, I’’m sitting, I’’m eating. And that is fine, nothing wrong with that. That is okay. A lot of people think that that has to be negated. No, it is okay. This is the base on which we function. This is the base on which we create karma. This is the person who comes from previous life, who lives here and who is going to go into the future. Yet, if you look carefully, we will see the solid me, independent of my body, my mind, anything. Sort of, when you’’re looking deeply, yeah, it’’s there. It is permanent, it is independent. It is there, you know.

And that sort of feeling and understanding, if you get it, and this is called self-existing being. Likewise, look in my table. If we proceed…… This is table, nothing wrong. This is table, this table has wheel and run around everywhere. And that is okay, that’’s true. 0:35:00.5 That’’s okay, nothing wrong with this. But if I keep on thinking how this table become, well, that is this a table but does not depend on anything. You know, to make it table, you need a top, you need two sides, at least, if not three sides. So, that’’s what you call it table, right? Otherwise it will be slab of wood. If you only have the top, you don’’t have, it is a slab of wood. If you only have these two legs and you don’’t have this, it won’’t be table; it will be little piece of wood. So, when you put them together, it is thing called table. So, when you see a table and acknowledge table, there is nothing wrong. But wen you see it table and when you see it independent table, then that is wrong. That is called phenomena self-existing.

So, when you understand that it is dependent, so then you begin to see the selfless on phenomena. And when you see as a person depends on the conditions and you begin to see the selflessness on beings.

Okay, now what we are talking here as negative emotions is again this stubborn mind. Stubborn mind that will say, ““It is permanent, it is solid and it is there all the time, it’’s not changeable. It is me, it was yesterday’’s me, it is today’’s me, it is tomorrow’’s me.”” When you have that stubbornness solid holding so that’’s called ““fearful view”” by Buddha. He said ““fearful view”” 0:39:22.8 because you have to be afraid of that. Because that can get you completely wrong. So, they would like to count that ““fearful view”” as one.

It is the easiest way I try to explain. You can warn??? for week and months on that and probably get no understanding for whatsoever, or you can take two minutes here and try to get some idea. So, I adopted the latter one.

Now, the next one is end view. Actually, it is extremist view. And earlier I mentioned as ““me”” and ““self.”” And somehow, your mind is totally refused to look in exactly what it is, but you’’ve frozen yourself, you’’re believing yourself, pushing yourself, saying that this is me, it’’s always here, it has been always here, it is here, it will be here forever. That is one extreme point.

0:42:03.4 The other extreme is: there is nothing. There is no me, there is no reincarnation, there is no karmic condition, there is nothing called such a thing called birth or rebirth, or nothing. That is other extreme: too wide/right?? too left. I count it as one, saying that extreme views.

[Answering question in Dutch about the name of the view:] No, ““end view.”” Now, end view is extremist view. E-n-d, end. You know why this is important? I must as well as tell you, because we talked every time yesterday also. Why it is important? Because it is the cause of love and hate business coming out of this. And push and pull, all of them are coming out of this. And that’’s why it’’s counted here.

The next one, to make as fast as I can, I’’m sorry…… Now, next they label this, traditionally, this book label this as ““wrong view.”” And it’’s not going to be very easy to speak in the West. In the Buddha’’s understanding and Buddha’’s view, we always sees??? we are responsible, each and everyone of us are responsible for ourselves. And it’’s not without reason, with a very strong reason. Even in our life we know it, how we behaved, how we act, how we treated ourselves, we will see the consequences of what it happens. You know? 0:45:04.1

I mean, to me it’’s very clear…… I’’m a diabetic today. And I have no doubt why I became a diabetic. I was amazed I did not become diabetic for so long, but I had not doubt. At the childhood, almost every day I used to eat this raw sugar so much. And so they stopped me, and I go and steal them and keeping in my bed and keep on chewing every night. And next morning, the whole things are, you know, whole blankets are stuck here because of the raw sugar. And that is sort of everyday life for me for almost fourteen or fifteen years. Believe me, this is not the first sugar stuck here. I had a number of them already. And I do remember sometimes I used to get sugar-sugar, you know? Sugar-sugar and a spoon full in the mouth like this. And drink it??? and then up again. [laughter] Like that, I used to do that.

Then there’’s orange skosh??? That’’s not so many. So, what I used to do, I used to go and steal the orange skosh and put more water in the bottle, so that ??? [laughs]. So, people around me may not notice because the water…… [laughs] Anyway, so at the consequences of that, if you did not become diabetic, then what else? Right? So same way when you get upset, 0:48:00.1 you will not enjoy the day or the hour. Everything, you know? You eat medicine, you feel better. All of those. All of those, the cause and effect we really see in our life. Okay, you set a good example for your children, and the children will grow in that manner. And if you set bad example for the children, children will be in that manner. So, all this is cause and effects.

I can’’t help it but thinking it might be not the cause and effects, but most the people from Europe, and if you look at them, look at their eating food, they will always eat nicely with a knife and fork and all this. And everywhere they do, right? Mostly. And if you see the Indians, and they will smash all the food in that way and put in the mouth like that. And it is habitually they do it. And that also cause and effects, how the example set up as a childhood and onwards. So, naturally, it becomes habit. That doesn’’t mean no Europeans will eat with hand, lot of them do. They like to do where the other way does. But a lot of Indians like to eat with the fork and knife and all this, and always there. But generally set-up is coming because of the cause: they have seen it, they’’re brought up, they came in that culture. In that way, it’’s there within that. And the other one is also, you know, all this thing is also in their culture. So, they came in in that way. And that also sort of cause and effect. 0:51:11.6

Are you with me? So, cause and effects is very much we will see in our life. That’’s my main point. Well, if you go to school you get education; if you don’’t go to school you do not get that much education. You know, you can see that too. So, almost everyday life, whatever we have, it proves the cause and effects functioning, everywhere. So, when you try to stubbornly say, ““There is no cause and effects,”” and when you stubbornly say that, ““I am not responsible for me; it is only somebody else is responsible,”” and when you try to stubbornly say, ““I become a human being, not because of me but because of something else,”” so these are, they call it ““wrong view.”” Wrong view. I mean, you look in that way, you perceive in that way, you accept in that way, so it becomes wrong. Wrong because everyday our life will contradict that. Everything, right? Even you’’re sick, and people will find out why you’’re sick, what is the cause. Right? And even you die, they find out why this person died, what is the cause. Right?

So, all of those shows you the cause and effects is very much everywhere. 0:54:06.4 It is simply matter that we will acknowledge or…… You know, not even, don’’t have to be acknowledged, just recognized. And when you see it, when you know it, even then you reject. That is called wrong view. Okay, why is this a problem here? Now, why is this counted as a source of problem? Because, once you do not accept cause and effects, and there is no reason why you have to restrain from wrongdoing. Because it doesn’’t matter: there is no cause, there is no effect. So, whatever is supposed to be pop up it will pop up, or whatever is supposed to be handed over is supposed to be coming. So, you loose the responsibility. And that’’s why it counted as negative emotions.

So, I think I just got enough of the wrong view.

Audience 3: Is everything dependent on the cause and result. 0:57:07.1 There is no creation at all or God or higher power or something like that? Just the world, and a lot of creations, everything cause and result?

Rimpoche: Yeah, true. Buddhist point is...

Audience 3: So, there is also no creation coming?? up from a higher power?

Rimpoche: What do you mean, liberation?

Audience 3: Liberation from your sins, you go??? to heaven and so on.

Rimpoche: Very good question. Should I give you a political answer or a straightforward answer? Alright? And first, let me give you the political answer. And that is: of course, there is a divine intervention. Yet, the most important points is our responsibility. Divine cannot remove our suffering by their hand, nor it can wash our negativities by whatever means. If so, everybody would have been pure. That is the first part of it, political part of it.

Audience 3: ……[inaudible] by divine power?

Rimpoche: 1:00:00.7 Higher power, you said. Okay? So, that’’s I’’m looking at a divine power, higher power. Now, forgive me and if I give you straightforward answer on that: Buddhism does not accept monotheistic type of God. And they accept multiple enlightened beings, multi-enlightened beings. And each and everyone of these enlightened beings are just like ourselves before. And they worked and they earned state of enlightenment, and just like Buddha. Buddha came and born as a human being and worked through and finally become a buddha. So, the principle in this is: I’’m responsible for me, not anybody else. So, that is the direct answer. There may be divine help, yes, enlightened help. There is a lot of different Gods with the capital G god. And they help, they help. But way and how the Buddhists accept god and way and how the monotheistic God been accepted is different.

Audience 3: The help of the enlightened beings, that is the divine power, the divine help?

Rimpoche: Yeah, if that’’s not divine, where else divine? I mean, divine is language. Even using the name God is language. Tibetans say Kunchog, they don’’t say Buddha. They say Kunchog, this most precious, best of all. They refer and sort of give you project something like a god. And not exactly the monotheistic point of God, but that’’s how it does. So, the point really…… I don’’t know whether this is the right time to talk or not, maybe some people get offended. 1:03:11.5 But the really thing is: are you responsible to yourself and everything good and bad had happened within me is it my deed, or somebody else made and shifted it and gave it to you? That’’s the question. So, I think that’’s the different point. And if somebody else shifted in that and like a ready-made suit or something, and you can do a little tailory here and there but you can’’t do that much…… You know what I mean? And it is sort of name design we talk Giorgio Armani instead/isn’’t it???, So that type of suit, when it comes you cannot change the design completely but you maybe fit a little bit better. That sort, that sort of alteration you can do. So, you cannot do much, so it is the name it is the Giorgio Armani. It is Giorgio Armani’’s made suit, but you are wearing. And so, they’’re sort of food/suit??? giving to, and you wear it. It’’s not because you wanted in such a style or something. So like that, there is a little bit room there, but actually it is manufactured already, and so you try to fit in. In other words, normal idea is: it is the ready-made Volvo car. It is ready-made, whether you can change Volvo. And whether you change, whether you want four-door or two-door, you know? You can do that difference. But when you are responsible to yourself, it is Rolls Royce, and they made according to your design, each and every one of them made by hand. And it is yours and your design and you wanted to shift. That’’s the sort of, maybe wrong, example, but anyway.

Translator: 1:0610.5 You like Volvos, Rimpoche.

Rimpoche: I’’m sorry.

Translator: Do you like Volvos?

Rimpoche: What?

Translator: Do you like the Volvo car?

Rimpoche: It’’s a very strong car, it will save your life.

Marianne Mattijsen……

Audience 4 [Marianne] When we have been talking about cause and effects, when people try to figure out why someone died, what was the real source, for me it’’s a little bit ridiculous, and maybe it’’s for you too. Because you cannot find the real source, it is my creation. And when doctors do abduction to try to figure out why I died, and the reason is I was dying, they never figure out the real reason, because the real reason of my dying in this samsaric world is my creation. Do you agree that, in fact, it is a little bit ridiculous to figure out what the reason is of dying?

Rimpoche: No, I’’m sorry. I don’’t 100 percent agree with you, but halfway through yes.

Everywhere, you have reasons why you are dying, there are physical reasons and physical condition. According to that, there is some physical reasons. And that physical reason is what the doctors look for. And it makes sense. And I think that’’s okay because you cannot ignore what the scientific explanation of a decaying body or decaying unable to function. And I always use to refer our body as rented apartment. And even the rented apartment, when there is no heat, when there is no roof, when there is no running water, and then it becomes impossible. 1:09:06.9 So, there are reasons why the people have to leave the apartment: because there is no roof, or roof is collapsed, or there is no water, there is no heat. So, there are reasons, and that causes that. And on the other hand, whatever you say is also true. Whatever your original karmic cause and conditions might be, and that is the definitely of major factor. But in addition to that, you also have physical factors. So, I will not say it is completely ridiculous. I mean, that is my view, you don’’t have to buy it.

Audience 5: They can help the people…… [inaudible[

Rimpoche: Yes, they can help the people, that’’s right. Very helpful, some very helpful, you know. That’’s right, very helpful. That’’s right.

Audience 4: But I meant…… I used the word ““ridiculous”” to make it more extremely…… I agree with you, it’’s not really ridiculous. But on the other hand, the individual is the real source of……

Rimpoche: Yeah, sure, definitely. Sure, but still there is a cause the doctor can point it out physically. Something wrong: kidney failed or liver stopped or heart stopped or something, you know? Brain didn’’t work. Something they can point it out, which is also good.

Audience 4: It can help some people?

Rimpoche: Ah well, yeah, not only that but when they know it is already helping a lot of other people because they can prevent those causes. When they are preventing those causes it is working very well with the karmic. You know why? When you’’re preventing these causes you’’re not having the condition. When you don’’t have the condition, your karma cannot function. You have to remember: karma is dependent rise. Karma is not an independent, another monster. For sure, it is not a monster; it is dependent, depend on the conditions. And when the doctors treating you, they are preventing to make the conditions not right to have whatever. You know? They give you twenty pills to eat. You know, it sets/says??? one will prevent you blood pressure, the other will prevent your glastro???, the other will prevent your something else, something else. When the blood pressure is low, there is no cluster 1:12.05.3 and there is no tieroy??? problem, and your proper chances of getting heart attack or stroke is much less. So, that is how they be able to work with the condition, which not been able to provide. And that because the scientific study they done on the physical level. And this is very very well match with the karma. Very well.

Lady over there.

Translator: [translating Audience 6]: 1:15.08.2 Len talked about God and help from got etcetera. And that lady says, ““My experience from the Christianity and from Catholicism: there is a saying which says that, ‘‘Help in order to be helped.’’”” For her, there is an almighty one who is everywhere. And she doesn’’t know where, but he’’s everywhere. If I can accept that I have to say, ‘‘Help me in order to be helped,”” then it can become, as it were, active in her. She can open up to and then she creates in fact the cause-and-effect mechanism in this way.

[further clarification by Audience 6] The lady says, ““If I can accept that, then on the way... then something starts to dissolve within me which creates it all.”” That’’s what I understand, but it’’s difficult to translate.

Rimpoche: But can you give me a gist.

Translator: The point is: if I can accept that there is help. Thu,s I call out, ““Help!”” If there is help it creates something I open up by which I can on the way to dissolve all the problems in me. I think that’’s the point. 1:18.05.7

Rimpoche: I have no quarrel with that at all. Yeah, there’’s no quarrel with that. No quarrel, no fight in that, no argument. And that’’s true, and it works that way. I want you to remember: it is not the issue whether there is a God or no God. Whether it is issue, it is not the issue. The issue here is: what can I do for me? And that is the question here. So, that’’s what we are dealing with it. And there are group, there certain traditions who say, ““There is a god,”” certain traditions will say, ““There is no god.”” Certain traditions say, ““There’’s one god,”” certain traditions will say,““There is multi-god.”” And they go on, and then for the centuries before they will continue for the centuries after. So, it’’s not a very big issue for individual. So, our issue, I mean at least for me, my issue is: what can I do for me? And that is my question.

And within that question and what we’’ve been talking sort of intellectual way of doing…… Well, I don’’t think it’’s intellectual way. Within the way we’’re really learning and going through is one way. Another way is simply, as you say, asking for help. Accept help, and intervention comes, and things make different. That also there. There is no limit of this or that.

The only difference is: the Buddhist point of view they say, ““It is enlightened beings’’ intervention.”” [laughs] So, that’’s it.

Okay, so now the next one. What number are we on? 1:21.00.0

Audience 7: Eight.

Rimpoche: Okay. One, two, three, four, five, seven.

Translator: Seven, I thought.

Rimpoche: Seven we’’ve done. Now, we can do eight. We can do eight. Now, this eight is very simple, you know, very simple. And we had that wrong view before, right? And the reinforced wrong view say, ““It is, it is, it is! No matter whatever you say, it is, it is, it is.”” [laughs] And they say, ““This is the best view. Everything is wrong, and this is it.”” So, that’’s for all, it’’s not necessarily wrong view alone. And even you’’re been told…… You know, I’’ve been saying yesterday, when someone says, ““This is east,”” you just cannot go and say, ““east!”” And it is the same thing when this wrong view was imposed, and they say, ““This is the best view.”” And that is the number eight or nine, I think number eight. Yeah. Number nine, yes. Number nine, you’’re right.

Okay, now let me give you number ten. It’’s easy. I’’m sure we can finish it off, and we can close the shop early. [laughs] Now, the number ten is the all solution now: how to solve the problem; and wrong way of solving problem. There are certain traditions, even in India during the Buddha’’s period, certain traditions will teach the people, ““If you can burn yourself by putting five fires”” (two hands, two legs and head) and you put fire and sacrifice yourself, and that’’s how you purify your negativities. 1:24.06.1 And they think this is the best moral way of behaving and purifying. And that is the one thing. And there are certain people during that period…… There were teachings that you stand on one leg, and look at the sun, and keep on standing as long as you can, and when you have so difficulties on that, they said this is a method where how you liberate.

So, there are that type of things, that type of method, which sort of gives you a hardship. And however, there is nothing really affecting on our mind, on nothing really effecting for emotions, negative or positive. Nothing is happening. There is many of that type, and consider them as a best moral way of delivering liberation.