Archive Result

199801022GRNY 20th Sept 2022

Fruit, like a plum or something. Very like overripe and if you press any corner, it is ready to burst. You know what I am talking about? When the fruit is too much overripe and is almost getting rotten and if you touch anywhere, the skin is going to burst. Right? We almost in that manner. That’s what we are, in the conditions with our delusions today. And Buddha, I can’t say is even worse than that. But nothing better before. The same condition that we are today and even worse to some people. And that level, and he has worked and he managed, or he gain victory over those gross delusions that is very gross delusions, strong heavy anger, mind that you cannot let it go. You have to catch either this way or that way because beginning to pick up some kind of hatred, and the jealousies and everything. Everything at very gross level and Buddha been able to manage that or have victory over that gross delusions. Or conquer those gross delusions. That , the first Muni is on that level. Are you with me? When you say OM. I talked about body, mind, speech and birth, death bardo, everything, remember? And then now saying Muni. During that period of life, during that period of death, during that period of bardo, one who managed those gross delusions, we are talking about. Gross anger, gross attachment, gross this, gross that. First Muni is really the gross level we are talking about. You understand me? Muni.

Now comes the second Muni. Second Muni repeats again. Second Muni. Muni, Muni, right? The second Muni, is now is not only the gross level, he has managed to conquered. Or he had victory over that. But also the subtle level. Subtle delusions. He has managed even the subtle delusions. And he has managed the subtle attachment, subtle all these. So Muni, Muni. Is it easy to handle, the gross delusions? For us, it is very difficult. But when you getting, when you are dealing with it. The subtle delusions are more difficult to handle than the gross delusions. We know that. That is the reason when we think, we thought we have managed our anger and suddenly you noticed it pops up again. And it is still there. You don’t know where it is coming from and suddenly pops up and it is there. It is disturbing ourselves. We see that. And that shows the subtle delusions not gone out of our system. So number of people tells me. I am managing very well but suddenly I can no longer handle it. (0.04: 15.5) I noticed it is as large as life over there, again popped up. That because there is subtle delusions still remain. Subtle delusion really is like a seed and is possible even if you cut down the gross delusions it comes back, it pops up because sort of seeds is over there and easy to get collected and raised. That’s what the subtle delusions do. So when you are not saying just the one Muni, you are saying the second Muni, you are talking Buddha not only managed the gross delusions but also managed the subtle delusions.

Okay? Now let me talk to you a little more in the path level. When you talk about the five paths. In Buddhism, normally you talk about the five paths, whether it is Theravada level or Mahayana level , whatever it maybe. Five paths. Always five. The path number one, whatever we call that is, whenever we get there, that called path of accumulation. I think somebody walked and you can let people in. Path of accumulation. Accumulation here is the level where you have to, it is the contemplating level. You have to work, you have to contemplate and that level is called the path of accumulation. What do you accumulate. You accumulate merit, right? Am I right? Accumulation is the we call in bsod namsTibet. What does bsod nams means? It is period where you are building bsod. That is the merit. Where you are building merit. There are two types of merit. Relative and absolute. So relative is normal level where people are doing prostrations or circumambulations or people doing good work or behaving positive attitude, just try to bring love, compassion actions and all of those are categorized as relative merit. Not as absolute merit. Relative merit. And when you have understanding of the nature of the reality, then it becomes absolute merit. Buddhism normally call emptiness. So emptiness. When you have understanding of that emptiness, every work that you through compassion, love, good work, service. Anything you can, meditation. All of them becomes absolute until that, it becomes relative. Are you with me. That is called path of accumulation because here you are accumulating. That is path number one. You have very strong delusions there. You are not even challenging the delusions. You are even challenging the. You are indirectly challenging anger. You are indirectly challenging attachment. You are not directly challenging at all. At that level. That is path number one.

And when you get into the number two level, it is called path of action. Actually this will correspond at the beginning of TADYATHA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA. And that , there are five of them. GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BOHDI SVAHA. That corresponds with these the five paths. The first Gate is the accumulation level. That is where we are talking with the gross delusions at that is the first Muni level. Muni actually manage. So we have not manage yet. So Gate, Gate. The second Gate is the action level. You begin to take some action, so you begin to challenge. The first one you keep on building the merit. Second level, you begin to take some action , begin to challenge with our delusions. Like what we do, we straight away would like to face our anger, our attachment and try to fight with that. We do that. We love to do that. Because as an American, we like to do everything like a boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Rather than go slow and do nicely . I mean you do nicely but you like to boom, boom, boom, hit everything in one time. And we do that. And then we do we get? We get , you know, like burnt out. And we get problem. You get fall back . You disappointed and all of those because we took the , I mean, actually we bite something that we cannot chew. And that’s the problem. Then what you do? We throw it out. So that’s the problem. So, what Buddha really does. Taught us. First , build up your merits. Even your daily prayers or whatever it is. Or even meditation. Just keep on doing it, building it up. Normally in our daily life, what suggest you is do not try to challenge your delusions straight away. Say your sadhanas, say your mantras or do your meditations or whatever you do. Keep on collecting it and keep on building it up. Doesn’t looks like you are doing anything. Looks like you just read a piece of paper that you read everyday, or you do something everyday which you seat everyday and meditated. Doesn’t look like you taking so much action but whatever you doing is actually you are building a tremendous force within you. So when you have a strong force , you can challenge those delusions that you have to challenge. When you don’t have the force and if you try to challenge, it is like some young little kid try to challenge Mike Tyson or something and if you hit once, you are going to lose, right? So, not to have that , not to have that and that’s why just say your prayers and do your regular meditation and doesn’t deal directly with the delusions too much. It is the time you build up yourself. Building up your strength. It is almost like those boxers. You know, people who do the boxing. They keep on training , you know. They run round and they beat that little thing. That black thing is. (0.12:35.0) Punching bag, there you go. And all of those. And you keep on training. Nobody going to punch you back but if you are not careful they hit you. Somebody holding it. You keep on , punching bag. And all these types of things, you are training yourself, right? And this is the same thing. That’s why you do your daily meditation. Daily prayers and seven limbs. Everyday, you come here. Or maybe, some of you doing in your own places. And all of them is actually building strength within yourself. You really in accumulation level. You accumulating the strength. Directly you have to say merit. And this and that. Maybe you say luck and these. But really what you are building you are building your strength. Once you have the strength and enough, then you begin to take action. Then you begin to challenge. But if you challenge too early, then people lose. You get a set back. Or people say I get burnt up. Or I am fed up. Or you know, all those familiar words we know, right. So all of those , we have, we could not really, couldn’t have the force to challenge the delusions, truly speaking. Don’t have the force to challenge anger, you don’t have the force to challenge attachment, you don’t have the force to challenge the jealousy. When jealousy, anger, attachment sleeps, we try to do our best , we think we are doing fine. When they woke up you realize, oh my god, I thought I have manage it but it come back. You get disappointed. That is because you don’t have the force. Maybe it is the American way. We going straight ahead and do it, whether you have the capability or not. Maybe. But not bad. Even if you do it. Fine, somehow fine, fine, try to manage that they don’t knock you out completely. Some of you get a few hits here and there but you turn your cheek round, right and left and try to do it and manage. That’s what we do. As a matter of fact, that’s what practice is all about. Practice is not really necessarily saying mantras or reading your sadhanas. The practice is actually practicing, training yourself how to handle. It is training. Right? You with me? Okay. So that’s it. That is the first Muni level or first Gate level. And then the second Gate level and second Gate level , is the still at the first Muni level. You begin to deal with it. You begin to deal with it. Basically second level is, I mean, I don’t want to. One thing I don’t want to talk to you is three of these, four of these and three of these and under that. That get people completely confused and worried. So, but still, but still, sometimes you can’t help it. Sort of, even at the action level you have like four different stages. Four different stages. It is interesting if you look at the metaphor they used for these. It is very interesting. It is like old fashion. Very very old fashion. Very very old fashion where you try to catch a fire out of wood, when you don’t have matches. When you don’t have match lock , you know match lock thing. Even before that. So, before that. What they really do is they rub the wood together. Keep on rubbing the wood together and pick up heat, right? When you keep on rubbing the wood together and it will pick up some heat. So, number one stage is also call the heat, in that action level because it is like rubbing of the wood. For it is beginning of saying, hey anger is not good. Doesn’t do any good for me at all. It may hit me, but I don’t like it. So that is the heat level. And when you pick up the heat and it becomes more hot, then you getting on the top. So the second level is called top or peak. That’s maybe Tibetans like mountain’s peaks. Maybe they want say peaks. Really getting a top level. And when you getting top level mean you been able to manage. You see the angle there , ya, you know it is not good. It is there, it is challenging you, it is fighting with you. It is pushing back and forth, but still it is there. But yet, you not lost. You still there. And you have a little upper hand . What you call it, peak. You might not have gone to peak level. But it is called peak. So you really have a little upper hand. Then how to maintain the upper hand over the delusions. Then becomes the third level. It is called patience, right? Every delusions we lose because we don’t have patience. The laziness will help us to lose but patience helps us protect. So you really have to wait. Be patient till the cows come home. You may ask how long you have to wait. You have to wait till the cows come home, okay. Don’t tell me cows never come home. They do come, sometimes. Really true. When you look at the patience. The patience have to go till the cows come home. And that sort of patience. So that sort of patience will help you maintain upper hand. We are ill talking about the second level, right? Gate , Gate. Within the Muni, it is within the first Muni. Gate, second gate but within the first Muni. I am talking two different mantras together, don’t confuse. If you are confuse , I am sure you are confuse because the way I said it, you know, is not very good. But I ma talking about two different mantras at the beginning, GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE and the Muni Muni together. For the first Muni, Gate Gate both together, I am talking here, okay? So, where and how you maintain the upper hand is really the patience. In that level itself. In that level is labelled as a patience. There are four stages. That stage is labelled as patience. So, Buddha goes on and said, there is no such difficulty word like that of patience. If you have to be patient, it is so difficult. It is not your fault. Everybody has such a tremendous difficulty. Buddha goes on and said there is no heavy negativity like anger. But there is no difficult to work like that of patience. Patience is very difficult to achieve. But patience gives you the upper hand over the delusions. This is we are talking about the delusions. But anything, on anything you dealing with your life. Whether it is political matter or economical planning or whatever it may be . But patience will make you perfect. Don’t you said that? Practice makes you perfect. What does patience do? Helps you to maintain the practice, right? That’s what it is. If you look in the material, spiritual point of view, it gives you strength for your spiritual practice. But if you look at the material point of view, patience makes you success. That’s that. If you don’t have patience and then you can’t do much. If you are lucky, and if it really some sort of miracle thing happen, things may happen boom, boom, boom. But chances are not likely. And then if you lose patience , it becomes end up. That level is called patient level. ( 0.24: 01.4) Still at the second Muni. Oh sorry. First Muni and second Gate. I am confused myself. So, what is it now? After that, fourth stage. The fourth one is the best of dharma. The best. Not the Best Western Hotel but the best. The best of dharma. So, the best of dharma is the consequence of patience. So, not only you can maintain upper hand against your delusions, but you doing, you are the best. That’s why they called it the best of dharma. That also , the consequences of patience. When you can, maintain patience , you get there. Best of dharma. Still at the second Gate and the first Muni.

After that, you transfer from path number two to path number three. And that’s called seeing path. Seeing. You see it. So what do you see? I saw you. You see me. The see. You understand now? Good. We are talking about path, like passage through the mountains. That is my fault. Okay, you can blame yourself and I can blame myself. So, what do you really see at that level. You not only have the upper hand on the gross delusions but the source of the delusions, which is ignorance. You are really cutting down the ignorance and you begin to see the total reality. That’s the Buddhist call it emptiness. You begin to see emptiness. So it is called path of seeing. And now you have completely over powered the gross delusions so you have the victory over the gross delusions, so you have the Muni over there. That’s the Muni. You really gained power and control over the gross delusions. So first Muni really materialize here. Okay? (0.27:45.9)

So once you see the path. What do you have to do? You have to meditate on the path. So, path of seeing , you move to the path of meditation. That is the fourth one. Forth level. So, you have to meditate. It’s called path of meditation. Meditate is nothing than that of actually, training yourself again. The meditation is really training. Training how you can focus. Training how you can think. Training how you can analyze. Meditation is not only a concentration. The concentrated meditation is called samatha or zhin nay in Tibetan. Samatha in Sanskrit which is really focusing. That’s one half of the meditation. That doesn’t complete total meditation. It is meditation but it is one half, right? You say one half? It does say half. Okay, half of it. It is meditation but to be able to control, to be able to manage our negative emotions, this half. Samatha or concentration or focusing is only half because what they trying to do is the direct power of the negativity to reduce. It is half because this has no capacity to eradicate the negative emotions at all. That’s why it is half. So the purpose of samatha or focusing meditation is to reduce the power of the negative emotions. Another words, you trying not to entertain the negative emotions. You try to focus on something else. On whatever it might be. Truly speaking. If you are learning how to meditate . How to meditate, it is actually how to focus. In order to focus you have to get point what you want to focus. That point can be anything. Earlier Tibetan teachers, not only the Kadampa Lamas, but way before like Marpa and Milarepa and all that. They used to say. From the Yak’s horn, to the cow dung is fine. It is the learning how to focus. Does not recommended point. Recommended point is Buddha’s image or meditate on your mind or meditate , you know, part of your body or whatever, they may tell you. But what you can do, you can ask questions. They used to ask a lot of questions, on what you can meditate , on what you cannot meditate. And They said from the cow’s dung to Yak’s horn, you can do anything you want on that. That basically training how to focus. So you can focus on anything. Anything. So that’s the reason why it is training how to focus and that will reduce your gross delusion’s power. Delusional power because you are not relating your mind, occupied by those delusional thoughts. That’s why you are reducing the delusional power. Very simple, straight forward. (0.32:40.1). Some people spent years and years together just seating and focusing on whatever, empty, or blank mind, or thinking nothing or whatever it may be. As long as it is a not a strange things. You know, can be very strange things. Can help to grow more attachment. And then it may be not right. Otherwise anything. If you keep on thinking a pebble, you know like a little stone, pebble. If you keep on focusing on a pebble, if you like, if you train yourself , think nothing but a pebble, and if it cut down on the anger. It cut down the power of your anger and if it cut down the power of your attachment, it is no question because you are not relating your mind to entertain the attachment or anger. Does that make sense to you? So when you train your mind , focusing on nothing or focusing on your mind, focusing on anything and if it loses delusional power, sure. (0.34:07.3) Because you simply do not let your mind entertain. That does not eradicate your delusions at all. It reduces power. Whenever conditions arise, it pops up again.

So when you say Muni, it gives you another message. The message, did not, now this is going to be Buddhist propaganda okay? If you don’t mind because I have to deal with the traditional Buddhism, as a traditional thing in India. So, Buddhists versus non Buddhists in India. So this level, what does tells you. The difference between the Buddhist’s path and the other paths. The other paths will cut down your negatives, delusional power does not eradicate. So, they give you example. You keep on meditating and it reduces all the delusional power completely. Reduce. And you sat so long, your hair grow and started touching the ground, right? So you don’t have any anger or attachment and is wonderful, peace and harmony. Suddenly you find a rat, or mice. If you don’t like rat. Mice comes up and chew the hair. You see the rat is chewing the hair there and suddenly you get disturbed. And suddenly you get disturbed , you get upset. And with that upset suddenly pops up after so many years and you smash that mice. Okay? So what happens. You have a fall back. So Buddha says , Buddha’s experience has no fall back. (0.36:57.4) Are you with me? There is no fall back. These negative emotional things, not only they are reduced all their power, they are eradicated. And that’s why there is no fall back. And what’s make the difference here and is now here. Buddha does not recommend you to seat and seat and seat. And they introduce you now. Once you gain power to focus your mind, then they introduce you to analyzing. Analytical meditation, they introduce you. So the analytical meditation, analyzing each and every delusion and analyzing the root of delusion, analyzing the antidote of the root of delusion, finding yourself, what the natural reality is. And that eradicates the , even the subtle delusions. That’s why Muni, Muni, the second Muni. Paramsamgate. And path of seeing. That’s how it works. Muni, Muni. Are you with me? Path of Meditation transfer you to the Path of Seeing. Path of meditation is arranging you to move from the one Muni to the second Muni. Path of seeing level is not only, oh, I am sorry. I am getting mix up. Truly mix up. The subtle delusions are path of meditation will leads you to the eradication of the subtle delusions completely which is actually no more learning. In case of Theravadian level. The subtle delusions completely removed. It is impossible to come back. And there is no. Actually you are free from the negative emotions. This is the level of the freedom really you have maintained. And in Theravada level they call this Arhat level. In Mahayana, it doesn’t call Arhat level. In Thervada , it is Arhat level. Arhat means no more learning. You don’t have to learn anymore. You know exactly how you have to free yourself. No more learning. Free of the subtle delusions. Muni, Muni.

Now the third one, Maha Muni. It is not only the subtle delusions but the imprint of the subtle delusions. Imprint. You know what imprint is. Example given in traditional Tibetan teachings is the garlic. Garlic and garlic smell. If you have a utensil where. If you have a utensil where you smashing garlic or you cutting garlic and chopping garlic. You remove the garlic, it looks like the. You removed the garlic but the smell still remains. (0.41:20.7) Even the garlic is gone, smell still remains. So the subtle delusions also gone but the smell still there. So this is again the Buddha, to become a Buddha , to become a fully enlightened , is the smell part of it. That’s what you call it, imprint of those negative emotions. Imprint of negative emotions. At the Buddha level, you have even totally free yourself even the imprint is no longer there. So Muni Muni Maha Muni. Are you with me? Maha is big Muni. Big, big victory over the imprint of delusions. Imprint of subtle delusions. That’s the garlic smell, okay? Maha Muni. Some people may say Sakyamuni. That doesn’t matter. A lot of people say, a lot of people don’t say. And according to the proper explanation it is not there. But some Lamas like to say it. They are not wrong. They may have extra explanation to do on that. According to this. But I don’t. So I don’t say Maha Muni. Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha. I don’t say Muni Muni Maha Muni Saykamuni Ye Svaha. Because there is no additional explanation. Sakyamuni is because Buddha belongs to the Sakya caste. So Sakya Tuba according to the Tibetan, for they adds up. And caste says nothing to do here, Muni Muni business. But still some people likes to add that. That’s their choice. I have no criticism against that but according to this explanation. According to the cutting down delusions, it doesn’t work. If you add up Sakyamuni there. That’s that.

So now Svaha. The word svaha. Svaha , you see everywhere. Lots of mantras ends with svaha. Lot’s of mantras begins with Om. And a lot of people say Om is the universal sound and the beginning of a mantra. And a lot of people will say svaha is the conclusion of the universe and the end of a mantra. But basically, svaha is really saying is lay down the foundation. Put down the foundation. So what you talking now. Om , body, mind, speech of the Buddha who managed gross delusion, subtle delusions and the imprints of delusions lay the foundation of your gain in my body, mind and speech. So Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha. Lay the foundation of your body, your mind and your speech in me. In my body, my mind, my speech. So Om works in both levels, me as the practitioner and Buddha as object of refuge. Meaning body, mind, speech of my body, mind, speech may have the foundation of Buddha’s body, mind and speech. That’s what Svaha is. Even in the Hindu tradition, will go and all the Hindus saw me and say Om, blah, blah, blah Svaha. Om, blah, blah, blah Svaha all these. If you watch Indian Sadhus ? What . So immediately refers to Om. The AUM, combination of the body, mind, speech of object of refuge to lay on the basis my base. That’s my body, my mind, my speech or my birth, my death and my bardo. As AUM combined together becomes OM. So when you say Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha, actually what you are saying are total practice of Buddhism. Buddha’s experience based on which how he had handled gross delusions, how he had handled subtle delusions, how he managed to get rid of even the imprints of the delusions. That’s what we are referring. That’s why if you know this. If you understand that. If you can think that. Even a single mantra is so powerful. That is with the knowledge, with the understanding, with the good motivation and when you say it. It works. Otherwise Om Muni Muni Maha Muni is the Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha. Doesn’t do very good. Truly speaking, that’s what it is. So the mantras are so important because it is so profound. So profound it deals from the beginning to the end of how we manage our lives. So from this ordinary full of attachment and anger to totally free of attachment and anger, even imprints. And that’s why it is so profound. Only what you have three words or maybe more. Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha. Four, five, six words anyway. And that’s why these mantras are so profound because it has such deep meanings. And it has not only a meaning as a presentation but meaning as experience of Buddha that expressed in the form of sound, in the form of short sound. And the form of short sound that we can repeat and we can meditate and focus. We can make our body, mind and speech work together towards cutting down and eradicate all our negative emotions. And that’s why it is important. That’s why it is profound. And that’s it is sacred. That’s why it is sacred. Are you with me? But this is not Vajrayana but more than Vajrayana. Because it is mantra. Mantra of the essence of Vajrayana, anyway. What does Vajrayana do? Deals with our life, death and bardo. That’s what Vajrayana is all about. What does mantras do. Deals with our life, death and bardo. Deals with our paths. Deals with how we can handle our negative emotions. How we can bring the power of the enlightened beings through a sound, work within us. And that’s why mantras are important. Whether you chant or you don’t chant. Keep on saying Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha. Or whatever you do. That’s what they do. So Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha. I forgot Gate, Gate up there. So, anyway Gate Gate Paramgate. Gate Gate slightly different from Muni Muni. The difference is the last level. The Muni Muni is dealing with the enlightened level. Gate Gate only deals with only the five paths. Path of seeing, path of meditation and no more learning. Bodhi Svaha is the no more learning. Parasamgate is meditation. Paramgate is seeing. Then the second Gate is path of action and first Gate is path of accumulation. So the Muni Muni level, Maha Muni is gone beyond, Bodhi Svaha. Gone beyond the imprints of delusions. The difference between Theravada Arhat and Mahayana Arhat, which is the Buddha is the imprint of the delusions , whether you have eradicate or not. That’s where they draw the line, difference. So the Theravada level, the total enlightenment level is the Arahat level which we call Nirvana. So when you go in the Mahayana , they say Nirvana is boring. So don’t stuck there , it is boring. Get out of it. Get out of, have a lot of action. Have compassion. Have greater compassion, have more action. And that the way that level of the difference between Hinayana and Mahayana is drawn on that. It does not drawn on simple compassion. It is drawn on greater compassion. It definitely on wisdom because both have the same wisdom. But commitment. Bodhisattvas and Mahayana has a total commitment to all sentient beings without exception. Bodhisattvas don’t say I have compassion for all beings except me. They don’t say that. Though a lot of people like to say there selfless person. They ignore themselves. Excuse me , they don’t. Bodhimind itself is two prong mind. One mind is totally dedicated for the service of others and the other prong is totally , one self would like to become a Buddha. It is a desire, commitment, both together. Desire, one would like to become a Buddha. Commitment, that you are committed all your actions for benefit of others. So the Bodhisattvas don’t throw themselves out. They don’t say, I would like. They don’t say everybody would like, well, they do say that. What they don’t say everybody would like to be a Buddha except me. On the other hand they say, I would like to become Buddha for the sake of everybody else. So that means they are electing themselves. (0.54:30.4) They nominating themselves to be the representative of all sentient beings. So Bodhisattvas are taken the place of tomato. Tomato. You know what I thought? I thought that is a tomato and the other is shoes. So, normally shoes hit the tomatoes. Smashed the tomatoes. Sorry. I don’t think I hit the Om Mani Padme Hum. It is after 9. I was hoping to do the Om Mani Padme Hum today. But Muni Muni took so long. And unnecessarily I drop down that Gate Gate too. But I treated Gate Gate explanation. Oh my god, it. I think it was whole summer in Ann Arbor and over here you watched the videos, didn’t you? Only six of you. Only six of you watched the videos without the heat in the building, right? And called to Ann Arbor at the end of it. Did you call Michael today? You didn’t? What happened? Phone didn’t work or this? Otherwise he could be waiting and couldn’t get back here. He may seating on the phone and waiting. It has dial tone? Maybe didn’t plug properly. So we probably. There you go. We probably has to give him a copy , whatever we talked tonight. Copy of the tape. So, that’s what happen. Ya, you go ahead and ask your question.

Audience 1 : The fifth path.

Rimpoche : No more learning. No more learning in the Theravada level. I am so bad of saying Hinayana. Theravada level is Arhat, or they call Nirvana. Nirvana. And no more learning in Mahayana is the Buddha level. That’s the difference.

Yes?

Audience 2: Is it Ye Svaha in the Muni Muni Maha Muni Ye Svaha.

Rimpoche : Ya, I think there is. I think it is what you call it, semantic in the Sanskrit word. Grammatical thing. To join them together or something.

Audience 3: I was wondering the path to Arhat. Before that the path of meditation. The meditator and Arhat?

Rimpoche : They call it a Golampa in Tibetan. Gom is meditation, Lam is the path, Pa indicates the person. Person who is meditating on the path which is only the fourth level is called Meditator. Gomlampa. From meditator , it becomes no more learning. Is that okay? (0.59:27.1) Thank you . So any more questions, anybody.

Audience 4 : Isn’t Soha a Tibetan translation for Svaha ?

Rimpoche : I don’t know. The Tibetans don’t know how pronounce Sanskrit. No good. Really true. It is really terrible. According to the Sanskrit scholars , Tibetans Sanskrit is terrible. Like Vajra , they say benza. Or Sattva , they say sato. That’s what according to the Sanskrit scholars, quote and unquote. You know, Tibetan teachers will say. The Tibetan is right. Not necessary all mantras are Sanskrit. Certain mantras are Bow? language. You know there was a group of Indians Sadhus called Bow Sadhus. A lot of Kalachakras Chakra Sambaraja things and are come out of Bows. It is even different from Sanskrit. Like mantras in Kalachakra used ? These are not Sanskrit. This is a totally different language. The Tibetans says even before the Sanskrit comes. I am talking about in the late 40’s and early fifties, that I remember, like Khabje Ling Rimpoche, the senior tutor to His Holiness is an expert on those. He is an expert. They call Da . It is sound. It is not the Sanskrit. It is combination of Bow language and Sanskrit. There is a lot of local, Indian ancient Das and they all combine together and be able to read together in one language and that’s called Da. According to that Da, the way Tibetan read the mantras is correct. Rather than today’s Sanskrit scholars read it. I don’t want to pick up with that argument otherwise I will be fighting with all Sanskrit scholars. And the Tibetans who pick up Sanskrit in the western universities and also even the Karsi panditas and in Varanassi where the Sanskrit ,scholars and Sanskrit in the Universities. So don’t want to pick up that fight, I surrender here. But then if you really look in deeply, so it might necessarily benza is wrong against vajra. (1.02:42.2) You might not be able to say that completely if you consider four different early Indian languages plus a lot of local mantras, if you pick up together, benza might not be wrong against vajra. Might not even be the same. Might not even be the same at all when you explain vajra. Benza, and you have more explanation than the vajra. But the, so who has the time and energy to argue with that. Might as well surrender without knowing it be there anyway. Yes, Dimitri

Audience 4 : In the path of accumulation, normally do we confront the delusions head on? Let’s say something comes up and we feel very strong , anger, jealousy or whatever it is. Attachment. You know you have not cultivated the strength really to deal with it.

Rimpoche : Avoid. What to do. Avoid.

Audience 4 : Are those the recommendations?

Rimpoche : Avoid. That’s what it is. Really. That’s why Buddha’s recommendation is avoid. And that’s why they build so much rules and regulations for monks and nuns. They can’t look five feet this way, five feet that way. You have to go like an elephant and things like that. It is on that basis. Really true. Ya. If you cannot handle the delusions, avoid. If you can handle it, enjoy. Really true. That’s what it is.

Audience 5 : How do we know?

Rimpoche : That you know. Very easily. If you don’t, if you are not losing it, you are handling. If you are lose it, you are not handling . That’s what it is. It is simple. Dimitri was very much aware of that. But then you know, sometimes the time make a difference. Some times the way you think, make a difference. Sometimes, the understanding will make a difference. They will all add up. And comes to help. That’s great. So you have to enjoy. Any other questions?

Audience 6 : If you have anger towards a person or situation and you are unable to control your thoughts about it. You tried for months and months. Is it better to keep on thinking the negative thoughts or is it better to get it out and stop thinking about it.

Rimpoche : Have a pillow fight.

Audience 6 : My pillow is not

Rimpoche : That’s okay. You can vacuum them.

Audience 7 : You vacuum your anger

Rimpoche : Well, first you have to vacuum the feathers. And hopefully some anger pick up from that. Actually I don’t recommend. I don’t recommend at all suppressing anger. Puttin down. It is not very good, suppressing. Putting it down. Don’t . Sometimes it create a lot of troubles. But don’t punch anybody else. And don’t the sharpest weapon that we have. You know what that is? The tongue. The sharpest weapon which cuts the heart into two pieces. The sharpest weapon. Don’t use that too much. Don’t punch any body else. But don’t hold it, don’t suppress. That’s why I said have a pillow fight. Anger is not dealt when you are angry. When your anger is very strong, when you are extremely angry at that moment, the recommendation is divert the attention. Because we are not strong enough. We don’t have the path of accumulation built up yet. So for us, is divert, right. Think something else, go somewhere else. Traditional teachers in Tibet, they will tell you go on top of the mountain and enjoy the view. Or go to the bank of the river and enjoy the water. Go to a beautiful landscape and enjoy the flowers. That’s what they will tell you. (1.08:21.6) And that is method of , what you call, divert your attention. That’s what it is. And sometimes it is very nice. Now pay attention to this. Sometimes it is very nice to watch the sunset, when the sun goes down. Stand, stand up and maybe you lean towards toe a little bit. Lift you’re the, what you call that, heal a little bit and keep on watching the sun going down and breathing out. And letting all these anger that you have been holding and all these things, letting them going, let them go down. Let them go down. Let them go down. And stand up breathing out. And that is actually. It is one of the Vajrayana practice but it was shared very commonly. You can do that and letting it go. But you really have to have a nice view and stand up. Doesn’t matter if you are in an office, somewhere in Manhattan. Or even your offices in Battery? Park or whatever, doesn’t matter, wherever it is. If you see the sunset, but if you don’t you can’t help it. Can’t do it because you don’t see the sunset. So watch the sunset, letting it go down and breathing out. And when you breathing out or in, it is recommended to do it very gently, don’t do it hard. Do gentle breathing. Some people may think, you know, he said breathe out. So keep on breathe out till you fell down. Don’t do that.

Audience : Rimpoche, you said stand on toes?

Rimpoche : Yes. But if you can’t stand on toes and, then your heals down, still fall back. Every delusion. It works with better with anger. You can do with attachment, I don’t know how it works. Hatred. It is very good for hatred. Jealousy as well. But don’t think the sun rise tomorrow, the sun will not bring them back. Okay? Well, there is no more questions. I am sorry I didn’t do Om Mani Padme Hum today. That means next Thursday when I am here. That will be , what day is it? Do somebody has a calender? November 3rd, we will do Om Mani Padme Hum. And Om Tare Tutare Ture Soha is going to be with Tara workshop. That will be coming on Saturday, day after tomorrow. November 3rd is Tuesday, that means November 5th. Not November 3rd but November 5th. Oh ya, tomorrow. Now you know, we have been working here. It is beautiful place here but officially it is not open. So we try to make this officially open. This is emptiness, remember. We label. When there is emptiness, you can do anything. When there is no emptiness, you can’t do nothing, because it is fixed. So, not officially open, but we have been meeting here unofficially. So now we can call, we can label it is going to open, so three days, like tonight. Tomorrow night we will be doing Lama Chopa. Tsoh offerings. Those of you who would like to come, it will be simply reading and saying prayers and things like that. There is no teaching, no talk. But those of you who knows what to meditate will be great. But those, if you just like to come and join, you are welcome. Same time, 7.30, we hope to start and hope to finish, I am sorry, we hope to start by 7.30 and be able to finish by 9.30 latest. But few people, if they can stay a little longer to help up to put up the things for day after tomorrow. The big day. And here, basically as you know we going to do the White Tara, Long Life Initiation combine with the practice. So we are making like workshop form. Actually it is true to the tradition . Traditional Initiation and I am working together with the people participating. So, what happen is the traditional initiations, the Lama who gives the initiation with say all the rituals and do everything and tell you visualize this thing happen , that thing happen. So, you say, now you have obtained blessings , you have obtained this thing, you have obtained that thing. So keep on visualizing. So the story goes, there was a Lama who was actually on fund raising mission and goes around giving initiations. Like we do have in the States these days. All the monks going round and dancing and doing this and that. It is fund raising activity. We had a bunch of Loseling monks and stayed in my house last couple of days. So, they do everything, whatever they asked and do everything. Whether it is a really fully initiation or not , who knows. But whatever it may be, they do everything. So, tells you everything, visualize this way, visualize that way. So there was earlier, a Lama who was going, in Tibet, who is going to Northern Tibet, nomads area, for fund raising. What they do is they collect a huge amount of butter, they collect. There was one very interesting fellow. So he brought a big bundle of butter and covered to the, you know, in Tibet , they cover with the animal’s stomach. So the butter maintained , so there is no baggage. So they do that. (1.16:13.1) So he had that. So he seating there, this Lama go and said oh, visualize you have obtained that blessings, visualize this, visualize this and that. He rang the bell and goes. So then everybody go and see him afterwards, taking the blessings. So everybody gives something. So this guy has the big butter in his pocket. So, he comes in front of the Lama, he took out the butter . Now you visualize that I have given you this big butter and put it back into his pocket. So, to avoid that. It is a joke. So, we do the traditional thing, visualize this and that happened. Instead of saying me, the mantra alone, we can conduct the meditation, guided meditation, say the mantra together. So, we work together. So it is true to the tradition, yet adapted to the modern methods so togetherness we can function. So together we do rather than I do all the whole work and you keep on doing visualization. So, at the end , whatever that the cheques and , you visualize Jewel Heart got that. To avoid that, we do together. I am just joking. That’s what we plan to do the whole day, from 10 to 12. And 1.30 to 5. At 1.30 we make the official opening and I requested that Thurman, Robert Thurman to do that. Two reasons, he is a very good American Buddhist scholar and Professor. Number two, he is the Director of the Tibet House. Tibet House is suppose to be Tibetan culture centre. And this is part of Tibetan culture. So to synchronize them and to function together. Again togetherness we will be able to serve Tibetan culture and Buddhism better. Buddhism better. That’s why for two reasons and he is going to cut the ribbon and we have interesting, little interesting prayers that I worked up this during the initiation. Big initiations. There are auspicious of the five Buddhas. So I worked out these five Buddhas auspiciousness for opening. So, we do this five Buddhas prayer, and this opening will be done. And at the end of that we have the seven limb which we normally say here. After the invocation, we say , we make offerings. What do we say, what is the first thing. I bow down, at that moment we make the , we bow down and we offer scarf. We make offerings at that time . We make offerings. Diana going to light the candles light at that time. Big, nice, red candle with good smell. One of those, she’s going to light candle. And the people bring the offerings and that time, together. And the we purify negativities and we rejoice and we remain, request remain and we dedicate. We stop there. And few rhetoric, some people may say a few words, that is rhetoric. And after that, after that, we have a general protector, we cannot do specifically Mahakala, Kalarupa , Pelma Lhamo and all these. For general not specifically for anybody but for general, a simple little , general protector’s prayer. A little bit. And at that, this is America, so we have a wonderful singer who will sing “ Amazing Grace” and that’s how we going to close that part of the opening. And we continue with Tara, maybe a little bit more than 5. So, just those of you who are coming, plan it to be here till 5.30. Just don’t, because you know , funny thing is if it is 5, don’t everybody leave by 5. So plan it to leave by 5.30 if you done before, you can leave earlier. Actually everything up to 5. So, just plan it, okay? So, you want. (1.22:16.0)