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Soundfile 200409003GRGRLBMT05

Speaker Gelek Rimpoche

Location Garrison

Topic Lojong-Infinite Heart #5

Transcriber Helen Breault

Date February 2019

Good morning everybody. I hope you had a nice evening and a good sleep and not so cranky this morning, anyway. [laughter] People have difficulties, but, you know, normally the second and third day is the most cranky days when you have a retreat like this.

Anyway, last night I had been talking to you about this development of the boddhimind through Seven Stage. And we just introduced the Seven Stage and nothing has been… Just counted seven of them. Nothing has been presented. I mean, we cannot present in detail, you know. It is extremely long and detailed and all that.

But to make it short, I have to make one point here. I think I did mention to you—I’m not sure if I did—now, we’re talking about Mahayana path. At the level of the Mahayana path, the goal and the purpose and how you’re going to get to that goal are all changed, actually, from the beginning level, what I call “prerequisite level.” If I don’t use the traditional terminology you may get confused. The traditional terminology here is common with the lower level, common with the medium level, and Mahayana levels are three. But common with the lower level, is, as you all know, the purpose is, the goal is really to get, in case of emergency, to guarantee a proper, good future rebirth. After embracing human life and importance and karma and so and so forth, then introduce the refuge. Because why is refuge introduced? Because if you can’t help yourself—say there is emergency cases—you have no time to develop yourself and death comes, or something happens. Then you have to rely on, you have no alternative, but to rely on the second person. And the recommendation from the Buddhist point of you, is the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This is how the refuge comes in.

[3:25]

And the goal is to make sure the future life is, at least one future life, is right, not so bad. And that’s why there’s like eleven or twenty-one of how you set up your mind while you’re dying, if you’re going to die. And bottom line falls down to really a compassion or wisdom or compassion. And if not, then the refuge object, whomever you’re taking refuge to, any enlightened beings. From the Buddhist point of view, they recommend Buddha, dharma and sangha or gurus or yidams or whatever. Though they look all different, guru-yidams are the buddhas of Vajrayana. And buddhas are the buddhas. And then that’s exactly what it is. The sanghas are more than four, full-fledged Buddhist monks, traditionally. Now we add up the nuns too. That is trying to be politically correct so I think they begin to add up. But the whole purpose of it, it’s more than four, not one. More than four sangha. There are a lot of reasons. I don’t want to go into that detail.

But in absolute reality, the Buddha is the totally enlightened one. And dharma is the spiritual development of that Buddha, or ourself. And sangha is the one who realized or one who sees the true nature of existence. In this case, buddhists called it emptiness. But, again, empty is not empty, not hollow. So, emptiness.

[5:58]

One who sees the true reality, whether you’re man, woman or whatever you may be, even dogs and cats if they see it. And that is true sangha. They say always there’s a relative aspect and aspects of it because old Indian culture. And the relative aspects are that the Buddha is Buddha, the dharmas are represented by the teachings and the sangha are represented by four. That’s why some translations say, “best assembly” and all those.

In Mahayana, buddhas are buddhas and bodhisattvas are sangha, their spiritual developments are dharma. And in Vajrayana, yidams are the Buddha, their spiritual development is dharma, and dakas and dakinis are sangha. Just simply introducing you to that. That is for emergency measure. In case you didn’t have time to development yourself, you cannot help by you for yourself, then you have to rely on—hopefully rely on— hope they do right. So “rely on” is common with the lower level’s goal and purpose is number one, to realize what you have; and number two, if you can’t help it seek help from here. That is common with the lower level. And the goal changed.

Common with the medium level, the goal is to be free yourself from the samsara totally. That’s why we introduce nirvana and samsara and the contrast between these two. Nirvana is peace and samsara is suffering. You try to move yourself form this circle into that circle. That is the goal, obtaining nirvana is the goal. And methods are the Four Noble Truths, and there’s a lot of other things. Totally realizing how samsara works and how you cut through and the only cutting is cutting at the root level which is the ignorance-confusion oriented ignorance. Clearing that darkness with the light of wisdom is the only way, actually, to get out of that samsara. So the goal has been changed. Method has also been changed.

[9:13]

Now moves to the Mahayana. The goal has been changed. Goal is not just enough to be free of samsara or arhats. Remember I was talking to you last night and when you were in lunch the phone call and all that. So that way you’re shifting your goal. Goal is now to become fully enlightened. And the purpose is not for my own personal sake, but for benefitting others. Why? When you’re committed to help countless number of people, all living beings, you need best tool to help. The best tool is total knowledge. Knowing everything. There is nothing which is not known to all enlightened beings. Not only known, known of its past, present and future simultaneously. We may think the future has not yet shaped so how do you know it’s there? True, it’s not there yet. However, the idea of enlightened means should know exactly how it’s going to be shaped and what circumstances will be changed. How it’s going to happen, even at the end. That is the enlightened knowledge. Even psychics will know, to a certain extent, what’s going to happen in the future. Even though it will take up and down and turns around. But they know how it’s going to be shaped in the future. The enlightened beings definitely know. The reason why we need to be enlightened is not for me personally. Personally if we are free of suffering that’s good enough. But since we need to help all beings, what we call it, because of that reason you need all the best tools. So in Mahayana the goal of what you want to achieve is changed. Your purpose has been changed. And so method is also changed. I’d like to make that absolutely clear.

[12:32]

Now, as I said yesterday, to become fully enlightened ones you need two things which are necessary: compassion and wisdom. These are the two main, like Chandrakirti has used, it’s like “two wings of a bird which will fly through and cut the ocean.” So here you need compassion and wisdom both.

Our subject of what we’re talking about is the compassion side. Traditionally in India during the Buddha’s time and Buddha’s disciples’ time, they had this caste system. Even today, not only a traditional but even today. If you belong to the Harijan caste you are untouchable. If you belong to the Brahmin caste you’re superior. That is Indian culture. The Brahmins are the ones who don’t eat meat. Some Brahmins don’t even eat onions or eggs. These vegetarians are true vegetarians, not fishetarians—fish and chicken and eggatarians. They don’t. They are really truly vegetarians. Not so much for the health reasons but they consider that all are dirty. The meat is dirty. The egg is dirty. Fish is dirty. Chicken is dirty. Garlic is dirty. Onion is dirty. Sort of, you know, that is their culture. Anyway, that’s not my subject, sorry. [laughter]

[15:10]

What I wanted to talk to you is if your father is a Brahmin and you by nature or by virtue of you being the son of your father, you become a Brahmin. It doesn’t matter whatever your mother is. It doesn’t matter. Normally, they don’t mix caste anyway. But in absolute, the mother, whatever she is doesn’t matter. If the father is Brahmin, the children become Brahmin. I think the Jewish system is different, right? If your mother is Jewish then everybody will be Jewish, right? But in India it’s the other way around. If your father is Brahmin, all the children, man, woman, whatever—all become Brahmin. Traditional Indian culture has been used as an example here. Saying, “When your father is Brahmin you will become Brahmin. When your father is Harijan, whether your mother is Brahmin or Harijan it doesn’t matter.” That is Indian culture. That is used as an example here, saying when your compassion and love and boddhimind—we’ve been talking the last couple of days—if it is perfect you become bodhisattva. The wisdom is mother-like. So mother can give birth to a child who can be a Brahmin, who can be Harijan, who can be anything in that culture, according to what the father is. Here also what makes the individual Mahayana practitioner or non-Mahayana is the love-compassion and boddhimind, what we called method. Method really means way, how you work, way how you work.

[18:11]

There’s so many things popping up on my head that I shouldn’t be telling you. That’s also the reason why you have vajra and bell anyway. So all of those. Vajra is indestructible. That represents the compassion. Bell is representing emptiness. All of those are for that reason. Compassion, love and boddhimind is the real mark that makes you to be a Mahayana or maybe or maybe not. That is what the point of making a division, or point of making you to belong here or there—is the method aspects of love-compassion. And out of all of this, what is the real root of a Mahayana? It is the greater compassion. The compassion is the real root. Did you hear me? Compassion is the real root or seed. It is root. It is root. Without compassion nothing can happen. So compassion is the real root.

The compassion makes you feel the suffering of all sentient beings. And compassion makes you almost unbearable that people are suffering. I use the word “people” because that’s sort of commonly understood. But technically I should be using “all living beings” compassion. Compassion makes you commit. Compassion makes you commit to liberate, to help all the living beings. Compassion makes you to take personal responsibility to liberate all living beings. Remember, [21:45 Tibetan], “Those who are not liberated I shall liberate. Those who cannot breathe, I give them opportunity to breathe” and all of those, if you remember. They’re all getting down to compassion. Compassion gives us the total responsibility, total, total. Please underline total responsibility of liberating all (underline “all”), all living beings. And the moment you taking that responsibility you are in the Mahayana practice, whatever tradition you may be. And the moment you don’t have that, no matter whatever, whoever you may be—you may be great special arya, whatever—even then, you are no longer Mahayana.

[23:17]

Shariputra, the disciple of the Buddha, who supposed to be not a boddhisattva, though in reality he may be, he asked Buddha, “Why are you talking this”—I’m sort of paraphrasing a little bit—“this nonsense of responsible for every being? Why are you talking about this? And what is this?” So the Buddha replied to Shariputra, “The human beings can breathe in and breathe out because they have a life. If you have a life you breathe, if you don’t breathe you don’t have a life. Likewise, if you have compassion you can function. If you don’t have compassion, you’re dead.” The Buddha gave that example to Shariputra.

[24:40]

Now the question comes, “What is this greater compassion? What is this mind focused to? And what are the aspects of this mind?” The greater compassion focuses to all living beings. Compassion focuses to a living being or group of living beings. But greater compassion focuses on all living beings. That is what they’re looking at, that’s what their purpose is, right in front of the nose of compassion: what you see, what you look, what you do. What you see is all living beings. It sounds like President Bush’s slogan, “No child left behind.” If it’s true genuine “No child left behind” then there’s no living beings left out. In its real genuine sense. Right in front of your nose, what you’re focusing is on is all living beings. Remember all, A-L-L, underline it. That is the difference between compassion and greater compassion. Compassion can be to any thing, to anybody. Whenever you keep on seeing people are suffering, drawing the compassion is nature of human quality. Absolutely good quality of human beings, when people see suffering—unless you’ve been crazy and drunk and intoxicated by hatred—otherwise, it is the human nature that draws the compassion when you keep on seeing sufferings.

[27:20]

And that’s why we meditate sufferings for all the levels, from all the levels, all different realms. All, including ourself and in all the human, animal and all other realms, hell realm, and hungry ghost and even samsaric gods, demigods and the spirit world, all of those we meditate suffering. Because if you keep on seeing the reality of what they’re really suffering, then the human nature itself will bring the caring and feeling. That’s how you develop compassion. Compassion is developed on the basis of seeing suffering. You do not develop compassion by seeing people having a picnic, really true. You draw compassion when people are hurt, wounded and sick.

(Talking about sick, what happened to Allison? She’s okay? Is anybody in her room? Maybe she couldn’t get up or something. If she’s asleep that’s fine, but let’s make sure).

I’ve been talking compassion all the time…

You develop compassion by seeing a suffering. And that is the major reason why you meditate. Buddha recommends meditate a lot of suffering. That is not to bring depression but bring compassion. And we do the other way around. Because our ego plays a trick between ourself and compassion, so the ego switched. The moment you feel a difficulty, suffering—either ourself or others—the suffering is all kinds of things, physical, emotional, mental, financial. All kinds of suffering. There’s countless sufferings we have. If ourself is perfectly okay, the friends have the same problem. The friend’s friends have the problem. This person has the problem. All of them have continuously. But when you’re seeing this we have a great many opportunities to develop compassion. However, our ego plays a trick. Our ego plays a trick and that trick makes it, instead of bringing compassion, it brings depression. It is ego’s manifestations. It becomes very easy because people will be worrying, “What will I do next? How do I pay my bill? Where am I going to get my food from? How am I going to…” You know, all those and keep on thinking they will draw your thoughts and everything, internally. Not looking out. The more you draw internally your way of helping is reduced, reduced, reduced, reduced. And then you will finally almost reach to the conclusion, “I am helpless, hopeless situation.” In true reality, it is never helpless, hopeless, anybody. Everybody can help everybody. They can help themselves. In short, we have a saying in Tibetan. It is old Tibetan saying. Old Tibetan saying is coming out of dharma. So it is really very valuable. “No matter how bad the situation may be, I have two hands. Two hands can feed one mouth.” That’s what they say. It’s really true. If you look from that angle, it’s always true.

[33:02]

We are human beings. Even an animal, insects can get food and whatever, shelter, whatever they need. They can get it. Remember yesterday, we’ve been saying here, “Even the animals know how to eat a mouthful of grasses. And if you’re so thirsty, they will know how to drink water.” So why can’t human beings help themselves? It may not be exactly what we’re used to or what we’ve been spoiled, that might not be. And in it’s time it will change, it will go up and down. When you understand that there is no reason why you have to be unpleasant about it. And by being unpleasant and suffering and withdrawing yourself, you cut out your opportunities also. When you’re cutting the opportunity that means human capability has been cut out. This is off the subject that I’m talking again…Better come back to my point.

Now compassion is when you’re focusing on suffering of either self or the others. If you don’t want to submit to the ego tricks then your choice will be, “What can I do?” Try all kinds of methods. And if you submit to the ego tricks, then you say, “Oh I’m hopeless, helpless, blah, blah.” People do all kinds of things, obesity, whatever, all of those. And to some extent, people go too far, committing suicide. And all of them are coming out of ego tricks. The path to the compassion is twisted to your eyes, to your own mind. Twisted and instead of leading to the compassion, it leads to the depression.

[35:37]

So here you have to be careful. When you have the compassion, the compassion will ask you, “What can I do? What can I do?” The answer is, “Liberate them. Liberate from the sufferings, whatever they can.” Has to be suited to their desires and their willingness. You cannot push, force. You cannot. It has to be suited in their desire. Show the path or show everything that you know. But see what they like, how they’re suited in their mind. Some people will have a very very simple, nothing else. Simply praying. Fine. Provide it. Some people simply want to say nothing but one or two mantras. Fine. It will deliver the goods. Make sure to choose the right mantra for the right person. Some people would like to have slightly more sophisticated, a little more detail looking into it. Provide that. That goes to yourself as well. If you think, “I can do nothing to help me.”

Then the old Tibet, 90% of the people will probably just say OM MANI PADME HUM. Having no idea what they’re saying, going around. Even the teachings, you know. I saw myself when the Dalai Lama was giving a Kalachakra, the first and second time, in summer palace. A lot of people came with a thermos full of tea and chang and even the dice to play. [laughs] Even mahjong to play. And they sit in the corner somewhere in the picnic and having the mahjong games or the card games are going on. In that mahjong game you have something called “Smo” [38:45]. So they go and turn and around, “Smo!” and drinking chang. Which really shows how much public really is in the dharma. But they will say OM MANI PADME HUM no matter what they do. And burn a little incense here and there and OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM. That’s it. If you ask, “What does OM mean? What does MANI mean? What does PADME mean? What does HUM mean? How do you think about it?” probably 80% of them will have no idea. They will say, “Oh, Kyabsuchay, it’s great, great.” That’s what they will say. That’s it. But even then for them it’s a simple little praying, saying mantra. It is sort of good enough.

[38:49]

But then that doesn’t make you to become enlightened. Nor will it make you become bodhisattvas. But it will save you almost; it’s normal American language, maybe one life. Or it will give you some kind of compassionate key and if you’re hurting somebody, “Oh my god, I’m hurting people!” They have that awakened state of realizing, “I’m hurting someone.” Exactly like I said earlier, unless you are intoxicated with the hatred or obsession. When the obsession and hatred intoxicate the individual they don’t even know whom they’re hurting, how much they’re hurting and all of them because you are obsessed to achieve whatever your goal is. And if you’re drunk with hatred, normally both of them come together. One brings the other.

Anyway, so the compassion will say, “How can I help?” It’s not that “How can I help you” but “How can I help?” And if you have the answer, how you help yourself then that is your answer. If you don’t have that answer, then the answer lies at the level of total enlightenment. If I have total knowledge I will know what to do. But I don’t have the total knowledge, I cannot judge. I can guess. It may help to a certain extent. It may not. But I’ll make sure it should be harmless. That’s how we go about it.

The compassion seeks answer for how to help. So the answer lies if you are enlightened you will know. That is how compassion brings boddhimind.

[42:15]

Such a compassion, if I keep on meditating you are suffering can I have that greater compassion? Most probably no. Why? Look in our mind. Look in our mind when we see some of our friends and friends that are near and dear to me are suffering, then we see another person suffering over there, then we will see the third enemy suffering over here. Then you look. “How do I feel when I see my friend, my dear, my near is suffering? How much pain I feel. How much anxiety that brings to me.” Then look to here, it will be less. Then look there. “Oh good! You know, I’m glad he’s sick. I hope he’ll sleep a little more.”

[laughs] You may even think that. You may not wish they’d die, but a little more problem. This is how our mind works. And therefore, in order to make them all, you have to see the sufferings of all. The consequences of the suffering, pain, miserable, to see all. And if you keep on meditating that, if you keep on visualizing that, if you keep on thinking that, you begin to feel the pain of even your enemy. This might not be a good example. But, if you keep on looking at the George Bush, keep on looking at George Bush even if you hate him you may begin to think, “Ah, he’s okay.” Vice versa, if you keep on listening and looking at Kerrey, you begin to think, “Oh, he’s okay person. He may not be the most bright person but better than George Bush” you think. And if you keep on looking at George Bush you begin to think, “Oh he may be stupid but he’s okay. A usual person. He doesn’t know what he’s doing” and whatever. [laughter] So if you keep on looking at the person and seeing the suffering and the pain, you know, you begin to see this. This is true in our own mind. This is election year so I’m just giving the example.

[45:59]

Likewise, everywhere, everything, everybody. So that’s the reason why you meditate sufferings on the different people, so that you include them. You don’t exclude them. Include them, don’t exclude them. Feeling their pains. And when you sort of keep on looking at it, keep on looking at it, keep on looking at it, they draw your compassion, unless you’re crazy, unless you’re crazy. Crazy, in so many ways. Crazy crazy. And headless crazy. There are a lot of people headless crazy, a big headless mouth: keep on yacking, talking, not thinking. So a headless mouth a big one. [laughs] I’m joking. Anyways, it’s just a personal joke.

That’s the reason why you remember, you be grateful to people. You remember the kindness of the people. Recognize their kindness. And knowing them, try to recognize them as one of the best, closest friend. And all of them, why we’re doing that, because we’d like to love them. We like to bring the great love in order to bring greater compassion. Greater love brings greater compassion. Both mind—love and compassion—is one mind, two different aspects. Greater compassion or the greater love or love wishes person or persons well. And compassion brings action.

[48:33]

That’s why we say, “May all sentient beings be free from suffering.” This is simply wishing. And if you go detailed, it says, “How wonderful if all sentient living beings are free from suffering. They may be free from suffering. I will make them free from all the sufferings. I may be blessed to be able to do that.” If these Four Immeasurables, if you take another circle it will take you to the second step. “How wonderful it will be if all beings are free from suffering and cause of suffering. I shall do that. I may be blessed to be able to do that.” It is more than these Four Immeasurables we do because it circles three times. First is wishing. Second appreciate. (Actually four). Third, committing yourself to do it. Fourth, seek blessings to be able to do it. So it is sort of four, four, four, four. Four times, twelve rounds of these Immeasurables will bring those meditations.

You have seen it. If you like the people your compassion is more. If is it okay, neutral, compassion’s neutral. If you dislike the person there’s no compassion. You saw it, we saw it. So, knowing that, this is in our—the normal language is—in our blood. Knowing that, what we do is we bring everybody in our loving area. Try to develop love. And if you keep on thinking, “I’d like to develop love. I’d like to develop love. I like to develop love” blah blah blah. That will become “blah blah blah.” It doesn’t develop. Seeing sufferings. Acknowledging that and then we have, I have something to do with this. This one has been, even though it’s my enemy today, but he had been my friend before. And mostly enemies are friends before. That’s why it becomes enemy anyway. Otherwise you don’t become enemy, if you’re not friend before.

[52:55]

(The example getting on my head is not right. I don’t want to say it.) That very love and that very compassion, then automatically gives you birth of seeking enlightenment. What is a boddhimind? [53:34 Tibetan] Boddhimind is seeking a total knowledge, awakened state for benefitting others. Very simple. When you talk about it, you talk boddhimind, boddhimind, boddhimind. When you look at it is very, very simple aspects of mind. It requires total dedication for benefitting all beings. Seeking an enlightenment to helping all of them, not “a” person, not me alone, to all persons, and that is boddhimind. If you wish to have that and then it’s wishing boddhimind. Wishing boddhimind alone becomes wishy-washy boddhimind. So what you should have is action boddhimind. Boddhimind that acts, not simply wish and says. That becomes wishy-washy. So, act, action boddhimind. The boddhimind is two: [55:05 Tibetan].

Just simply wishing, even then it’s good enough. But action boddhimind, committing yourself, committing to do it. That should be enough for me to talk to you about the Seven Stage of Developing a Boddhimind.

And again, why they recommend mother? Because mother is considered, at that time, and even today, one of your most closest friend. And many of us have a problem with the mother. But if you look from the mother’s window, and those of you who have children to yourself you know how much you love your kid, how much you care no matter whatever the kids may or may not do. That shows you the mother’s love for child rather than looking at your own mother and saying, “My mother did this to me! My mother did that to me!” We remember all wrong things because it didn’t fulfill your desire so that’s why you remember that. And you do not remember how many times they saved your life even in one day. And baby crawling, poking a finger in electrical socket alone is good enough, you know, all this. From the sickness, from cold, from hot, from all this, they have protected 300 times a day. And we don’t want to remember that. We will not remember. But we will remember what they did not do. [laughs]

[57:20]

But if you are mother, and many of you are, and if you look from that angle, how much you care and love and how your child meant to you. And from that angle, with the exception of a few, all the mothers are the same way. Though you may not agree on so many points. Politics is one. Spiritual is another. You know, all of those, it doesn’t matter. The remembering the kindness. Kindness that saved life. Not only giving the life but saving the life. You know, some people will say, “They give me the life because they don’t want me to bring it. However, they’re forced to it.” And no one is forced to it, you know that. Giving the life, saving the life, nurturing, bringing out the best they could, etc., etc., etc., all the kindness. From the mother’s point of view.

But from all living beings’ point of view it’s different. Not only thinking of the mother but the kindness that what we survive today because there is people. If there is no people we will not survive. We will not have a house to live in. People build house. We have clothes to wear. People made clothes. We have food to eat because people provide food. We have money to spend because people make money. All of those. We have an opportunity to become enlightened because there is suffering people, we can meditate compassion. And we have a role model to be able to look up as enlightened ones. People provided that. The buddhas, Jesus, so and forth. That way, when you look from that angle, the kindness from the people is tremendous.

[1:00:1]

We should be ever grateful and do something to repay kindness. Look at them as loving beings and care for them. Think of them like your most closest, dearest and nearest. See their sufferings. And develop the thought of unbearable and do something. Wanted to do something, so seeking enlightenment. Whether you’re meditating that way, talking that way, reading that way. Doesn’t matter. The idea is to get the message and to make that become part of your life so that you will be a kind person. You will be gentle person. And you will be good to others.

[Break in the tape at 1:01:02]

[1:01:02.6 continues]

Welcome back here. Now, we’re almost sort of establishing the boddhimind. But also the boddhimind also has two important points. Point of developing to fulfill the benefit of others. And fulfill the benefit of self. Fulfilling the benefit of self is seeking boddhimind. And fulfilling the benefit of others is dedicating it. Not only dedicating it, why we need it to serve the other people. So that way [1:01:46 Tibetan] there are two desires. Desire to fulfill the purpose of others. And desire to fulfill obtaining enlightenment. Though they don’t call it “self-purposes.” But who obtains enlightenment? Self. So it is exactly like the oxygen example. Help yourself first and then help others, the oxygen example we gave yesterday. Developing these two desires and then practicing boddhimind and it is the boddhisatvas’ activity.

Now before we go to the Exchange and Lojong, I would like to go to the point where is the equanimity. Basis of all this, we have seen it. Our aspects of mind with the enemy and neutral and friend. Once we see this, we see this big black and white contrast. Where it is coming from? Because our mind, not the mind itself, our habitual pattern doesn’t make our mind smooth. There is a black, white; there is a rough surface in our mind. So we need the equal sort of smoothening. What we call equanimity. Equanimity is a language I understand, because I don’t know English, but it tells me it is very funny language. Equalizing something and what do we equalize, that is the question? And how do I meditate equanimity? When you look at the equanimity there is one equanimity we say in our practice daily, “May all beings be free from hatred and attachment.” Right? What do we say in English. (Asks audience). So you know what I mean. “Free from attachment and hatred.”

[1:04:45]

Is that right? Is that the exact words? Okay. So that is one equanimity we’re looking for. This is out of Four Immeasurables, equanimity. This Four Immeasurable equanimity we’re looking at all living beings are running into the samsara because of obsession and hatred. We’re seeing this

clearly and we’re wishing them free of hatred and obsession. Sort of, equalizing, neutralizing. That is because we see people creating suffering because of obsession and hatred. We wish them to be free of that. That is the part of Four Immeasurable, equanimity.

Now here when you’re developing this mind, when you’re developing compassion and this mind you’re not seeing the peoples’ suffering because of that but you’re looking in yourself. And looking in my mind and seeing I have a different look, different feelings towards people. That is because of my obsession, attachment and my hatred. To equalize that within me, to smoothen that within me, that is one layer deeper than Four Immeasurables. One layer deeper than this.

[1:07:33]

And that also has two: equalize people, that also has two. One will simply stop the hatred and attachment and just equalize. That is common not only with the Theravaden but very common with a lot of people everywhere. It is common. Stopping my hatred, stopping my attraction or obsession, just stopping that is one thing. Here what we talk about is this greater compassion, particularly Exchange Stage of Developing Greater Compassion. And here it’s not just stopping my hatred and my obsession but bringing joy, service, help to the people. And clearing, separating people from their suffering; which both are brought up together at an equal level of bringing joys and clearing the suffering. Both of them equally brought up and bringing equal at that level. That is the equanimity. Even deeper than just simply stopping the hatred and obsession.

When you’re meditating now you have the example of people that you love, you hate, and neutral people. And whomever you brought up, when you visualize in your meditation, when you visualize, when you see the people and immediately you have like and dislike and don’t care. All of them gradually changed, changed. For example, if you see whatever you see, let it see clearly. Then you see the disliking on the enemy. You begin to see why I have so much disliking when I see this face, when I think of this face, and when I think of this name. You have plenty of reasons. You know you’re right. That person hurt you, did this, did that. Bad, bad, bad news. True to a certain extent. It’s true, you cannot say it’s not true, it’s true. You have seen it. You have done it. But, on the other hand, what I don’t see, what I don’t remember is that person could have done so many good things to me as well. As a matter of fact, he surely did many times and he will do many times in the future. Simply one single reason, is it good enough for me to submit to have such a big decision of disliking? Most of the enemies have been friends, partners in business. And somehow you break out with certain points. Yes, the breaking out point is breaking out point. But before that how many good things you have done together? And in future, it will also be there.

[1:13]

It is also interesting, if you don’t like somebody you keep on going “rrrrrrrr,” you dislike that person, “rrrrrrr.” And then another person says, “Well I know that person too. He’s not that bad.” Ah, you’re stuck. You just keep quiet for a little while. Or you’ll be rather shameless, “Well, that’s not my experience. My experience is ‘drrrrr’ again.” You wanted to be stubborn in that way. But whatever it may be, if you’ve been directly contradicted by people you know and you respect particularly, and you say, “Ah.” You just withdraw a little bit. At least that’s a break point. These are clear indications that our reasons might not necessarily be absolute reasons. You can go ahead and say, “Whatever you may think, that’s my experience and that’s for me.” You can do that. Whether that is a good thing to do or not is a different issue.

So much of black is not necessarily true. There are different spots, different points. Bringing dark, enemy into some kind of gray level is not that difficult. It doesn’t change the position of the enemy. It doesn’t matter. We would like to help them and liberate them, but not yet. So right now, honestly, right now is the time for me to make a change here. Seeing those will be absolutely, if you think, what we call in the American expression, if “you take the higher road.” And you’ll have a better view. Begin to see it and begin to make a change.

And vice versa for the so much you obsess with someone. How wonderful that person is. Everything is great. So much so that even if they pass gas it’s smells beautiful. [laughter] Sorry. That’s how the obsession works. That also has to tone down, tone down. Moreover, there is not really black and white, written in carved on the stone saying “enemy” and “friend.” It’s all circumstantial. It’s all time. It’s all condition.

[1:17:35]

When the condition is such, conditioning is such, you know, it is a well known example in the Tibetan tradition. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Forget it. Even sometimes, you know, some prisoners they have developed, you know a person who’s torturing you, the prison keeper— it is the condition of our mind that really changes our look. We have to make sure that we provide the best, perfect, wise conditions for our mind. Mental outlook.

In short, in this particular equanimity, not only we’re looking equal between the enemy, friend and neutral person but also we’re bringing joy, clearing suffering equally to all living beings. And this needs much more than what I said. This needs more reasoning, more meditation, more visualizations. There are reasons relative to the point-of-view, there are reasons absolute truth point-of-view, and reasons of the relative truth point-of-view. One good thing is our dream state. In dream state we will see suffering, help, torture by people. And we develop that much like, dislike, in that dreaming state. However, when you wake up it was a dream. It was a dream which means the most unreliable, untruth example. It was a dream.

In absolute truth, all of our life is a dream. Whatever we’re doing here, functioning, doing, we’re dreaming. The changes are dreams. Functioning is a dream. Once you wake up from this sleep of ego-ignorance-confusion combined, they’re all not true. They’ve just been dreams.

Another point is, if there is helpless, hopeless, three people come to seek my help and if I’m in a position to help, let’s say these refugees, like I was; when three refugees come to you equally wounded, equally sick, equally have no food, tired, bound to die, can I with a true conscience, make a difference between these three poor refugees?

[1:22:37]

Am I going to say, “Well, I know your uncle, so it’s my time to torture you more.” You won’t say that, right? You won’t do that. If you do it you are shameless. I become a shameless person. In reality, all living beings are in that condition. And it is the time, this is the only time I am slightly better than these people. I have a little ways and means of helping myself a little bit. I have a little ways and means of, I opened my mind, I have something to share, something to help them. And this one chance, one opportunity happens to be this time. Can I make a difference between these people?

In short, all this hatred, affection, obsession, all of them are actually a dream, as I said earlier. It is a delusion, delusion in my mind, my perception. In absolute reality, they’re all good people seeking help, trying to do their best what they think. But it is my delusion playing with their delusion, we’re having this difficulty. If it’s true, the Buddha, the all-knowing people, all-knowing, total knowledge, should have accepted this. But Buddha doesn’t. [1:25:27 Tibetan] In Buddha’s perception to all people, he had no different feelings for those who give his body a massage with sandalwood oil or one who cuts his body to pieces with an ax. Buddha’s perception to these people are equal. The one’s chopping his body, the other is giving massage with the sandalwood oil. [1:26:13 Tibetan] Buddha said what is free of obsession, and to the answer, “free of obsession” means “The one who gives me the massage with the sandalwood and one cutting my legs and all this, so from my point of view I have no different feeling to these two individuals. Both are from being a people, it is the same to me whether they hurt me or help me.” If that is Buddha’s perception, that is the perception of the total knowledge, my perception has to be wrong perception. This is the point where I should help myself.

[1:27:17]

These are a couple of taste of meditation that I’d like to share with you, because time limits will not let me do this in detail anyway. Again, as I said last night, I have those transcripts. (I’m not sure whether they have the transcripts here or not. Oh, you have no more transcripts, it’s gone. Maybe you can ask them later.) Because in that transcript I have about six or seven months or a year I did, so it’s much more detailed than this. I just give you a little taste and taking out of my late master Kyabje Trijang Rimpoche, his work on this. And based on Tsongkhapa’s medium level Lam Rim. And in New York, I did this, I did at the end of a two-year Lam Rim teaching, so I don’t have to do all of those. In order to give you the Lojong talk a little bit, you have to have this Exchange Stage of Developing Boddhimind. Actually I did the Seven Stage okay. Maybe the Exchange Stage I will do very short. When I do very short, sometimes I’m afraid I do a disservice to you.

Anyway, I briefly tried to introduce the Exchange and then in the evening if I can do detail and then have done the Seven Point. We don’t have a very long time in the morning. I was thinking of doing something else in the morning. Maybe we’ll continuously do that in the morning. Depends on how much I can do today.

[1:30:20]

I did introduce to you the boddhimind. Actually, Tsongkhapa did introduce the boddhimind at this level. Seven Stage and then in between, Seven and Exchange he introduced boddhimind at this level. I already did this before. But what I did not do is action and praying. Example is [1:30:40 Tibetan]. Wishing boddhimind is one who would like to travel and go. And action boddhimind is one is actually traveling. It’s quite simple. [1:31:00 Tibetan] Action boddhimind means one who really enters and making act and traveling. And wishing boddhimind is simply wish and not really going. That’s about that.

How does one develop this? We have a saying, you know my father’s monastery is know as Tengaling, one of the biggest monasteries, one of the biggest and richest regency monasteries in Tibet. They have a big performance every year, three or four. Kyabje Trijang Rimpoche used to tell me all the time. People looked for their performance throughout the year and they will connect to our family and try to get a better seat, etc. They said a year-long activity for that. And it’s three days. By the end of the third day, he said all the musical tunes will completely change. Instead of going “tantantantantan” they will just go “zingza zingza zingzing zingzing zing.” So the people used to say [1:32:33 Tibetan], “How we go home, this way, that way” because the tune will be changing, zing zing zing. That’s what I’m doing, going zing zing zing. Going that way.

Anyway, the Exchange. Shantideva and the Nagarjuna, Shantideva and Manjushri, all of them have emphasized for the Exchange Way of Developing Boddhimind. Let me make it easy clear. Exchange does not really mean I change with you. Like very compassionate, caring, loving mother exchanges herself for, if her children had committed some crime the mother pretends to be the one who did it, saving her children. The mother goes to jail for them. I’m not talking about that type of exchange. I’m talking about exchange of perception of myself on me and perception of me on others. Manjushri, Nagarjuna and so many great Indian earlier masters and especially Shantideva, who sort of publicly talked this. Before Shantideva it was whispering teaching. One whispers to other’s ear. They don’t make a public statement. But Shantideva is the one, first, who made that statement. And Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharyaavatara…Maybe I’ll find this easily, because I did this very recently in Ann Arbor.

[1:35:31]

This is it. It is the Chapter… In the English book it’s good. There’s a chapter you can look for everything. In Tibetan you don’t have a glossary so it’s very difficult to find. Meditation chapter, that’s Chapter Eight. In the Chapter Eight, verse 120, it says, “Thus, whoever wishes to quickly afford protection to both himself and other beings, should practice the wholey secret, the exchanging of self for others.” That’s what Shantideva said, exchanging of self for the others. [1:36:50 Tibetan] “One who would like to liberate yourself and others, should practice this secret.” But if you don’t you’re not going to be quickly going. That’s what it is. And, how do I do it? And then Shantideva further goes and says, it’s Verse 129 [1:37:29 Tibetan]. Verse 129 says, “Whatever joy there is in this world, all comes from desiring the others to be happy. And whatever sufferings there is in this world, all comes from desiring myself to be happy.” It says exchange. Why? All sufferings come from self-cherishing. All joys comes from cherishing others. Is it true? It is! Because I want to be better than you, I must beat you and I’ll be better. And that invites enemy, hatred, suffering. I would like you to be better and no one’s going to hate you for that. Shantideva continues [1:38:50 Tibetan]. Jumping, jumping, jumping. I think it’s Verse 130 will tell you, “By what need is there to say much more? The childish work for their own benefit, the buddhas worked for the benefit of the others. Just look at the difference between them.” So he said, let’s not talk much about it. Buddhas have practiced and cherished, cherishing others. I, this stupid one, have been cherishing myself, striving, struggling everything for me, me and me. So where we are today? Why talk? Just look.

If you do not exchange, then it is very difficult to achieve total enlightenment. Shantideva continues [1:40:51 Tibetan], “If I do not actually exchange my happiness for the suffering of others, I shall not attain state of the Buddhahood and even in cyclic existence shall have no joy.” In other words, if I do not exchange this I will never become fully enlightened. Not only that, even in samsara I will not have joy. This tells us, if you do not exchange, you’re not going to achieve, fulfill your purposes.

[1:41:58]

So you say, “Well, it will be very difficult for me to think my enemies, very hard for me to give forgiveness.” This is the normal language. How many of us goes and says, “I cannot give forgiveness. No, no, no.” It is our culture. A) people necessarily or unnecessarily go and seek forgiveness from whom are not willing to give; and B) when you go there, and that person has the opportunity to say, “Yes” but they won’t say it. “I will not forgive you.” And your hatred will be further developed. In my opinion it is a little, well, if you really have regret, have regret and purify, purify it, do the best you can, be wise before you go and seek the forgiveness of that individual who refused to give you the forgiveness. And many of them, majority of people are kind people. They’ll say, “Yeah, yeah, it’s okay.” Even if it’s not okay, they’ll say, “Okay, okay, fine.” That’s good people. But some of them say, “I shall never forgive you and you will suffer. I’m glad you’re crying. I want you to cry more.” Then, even if you have a little bit of lightening idea, good ones, even then that light will blow out. So is there any use? Number one. Number two, you can definitely forgive. Why not? Shantideva says, “You had an enemy before. But the day he became a friend you can’t even stay for a short period without something like that.” I think it’s Verse 119. (When I have to look in the English it’s very difficult).

[1:45:15]

Verse 119 says, “I should not turn away from what is difficult, for by the power of familiarity I may be made unhappy even when someone whose name once frightened me is not around.” In other words, you have an enemy, when somebody even raises his name you get scared. But later, you become close friends and you cannot stay a minute away from him whose name even frightened you some time ago. And that is common, we know. Not so many, but there are a lot. People can change that much. Enemy who you not only dislike, you don’t even want to hear their name will become close friend and cannot separate. You become unhappy if you’re separated for a short period. And that’s what Shantideva tells you. Sure you can do it. [1:46:45 Tibetan]. Even if you say it’s difficult so I won’t do it, don’t do it. Don’t say that. Even if it’s difficult you can do it. The example is the enemy becomes so much friend and you cannot live without that person even a short period. It is clearly seen by everybody. So, why not can it change.

And also, our side, and your side, republican side and democratic side, this side, that side, in our common American language we say, “It’s relative.” It’s all relative. When I’m here, eastern point, “we” means “east.” When I go to the west point, “we” means “west point.” It’s relative. This side, that side, it’s relative. When zigzag Miller goes into Republican Party and that is his side. When zigzag Miller is in the Democratic Party then that is this side. So it is simply a matter of perception of the individual.

[1:48:41]

It doesn’t mean party views are not right and all this. And one statement I made yesterday, I said, “The democrats and republicans are all alike.” Some people asked me what I meant by that. I don’t mean party views are right or wrong, I’m not talking about that. I’m not a politician. I’m politically interested, a political student. So this is a perception. All enemy, friend, right, wrong, all perception. We know absolutely well, very well. I mean in my personal experience the Chairman Mao of the Chinese communism is terrible. And there are millions of Chinese who love Chairman Mao. This is true. They love Mao. We know Mao is terrible. But they do. They did love, they do. It’s perception of people. That’s why we’re dreaming. This is not true reality. True reality is zero. Empty. It is the perception that makes. Since we’re involved in the perception of self-cherishing, we have to change it. We just cannot say overnight, “I decided to change and I’m changing now.” You can’t do that. This is sort of years and lives of your addiction and perception that you’re addicted to. So, gradually you have to change. Way and how you do is the suggestion to your mind. Analyzing. Suggestion, analyzing and meditating. Suggestion, analyze and meditate. If you don’t analyze it becomes blind faith, stupid blind faith. If not a suggestion, and if it’s some kind of statement that you have to buy it is a dictatorial system. It is simply suggestion. And take the suggestion, analyze by yourself, give your best shot. Use those reasons as suggested. And then, with a open mind think and judge by yourself and draw your conclusions, draw your resolution and meditate on your resolution. And then it becomes your habitual pattern.

[1:52:9]

That’s how exchange is all about. Exchange how much I cherish myself, how much I’m willing to do to fulfill my desire. Why I can’t do that for everybody else? And, you say, “I cannot. I hate this person, I hate that one.” They’re all invalid reasons. Challenge each one of them with the valid reason and then if you’re not stupid—which you are not, all of you are educated, intelligent persons—make an intelligent decision. And follow it. And make it stable. Make it part of your life by meditating. And that is the ultimate secret of Buddha’s. Why it’s called “secret”? Not because there’s something to hide but because it’s hard to take it. Hard to swallow. That’s why it’s secret.

With this thing, and then perhaps we can do the Lojong now because Lojong really means enhancing the boddhimind, enhancing the boddhimind. (Before we go for lunch, I think I have ten minutes here). So I’ll just touch a little bit about this Seven Point Mind Training here. I’m not going to go in those preliminary detailed points here.

This was a great Kadampa geshe called Chekawa. Chekawa system of Seven Point Mind Training. You have the translation, (I think I have one here somewhere). Okay, let’s forget about the homage here. “These instructions are the essence of instruction…” “The preliminary supporting dharma practice…”

[1:55:37]

I probably begin here. [1:55:42 Tibetan] Those five degenerated points are transforming…If I try to look in this English translation I’m not going to get any where. So would you please find. I’m going to go on Tibetan. [1:56:07] Those five degenerated are transforming into the great practice. What are the five degenerated points: time, people, delusion, life, view. These are degenerated age. It is the degenerated age is the terminology introduced in Sanskrit. It’s called kaliyuga, bad time. Kaliyuga’s connected with Kalachakra anyway, but let’s not go for that. Bad time means life is short, more disease, more difficulties and more of those. People are not so honest, and cunning and all of that type. Delusion’s much more. Life is short. You see the wrong perception. All this type. And that moment… And also very difficult time. This is the moment where you should generate boddhimind. Actual generation of boddhimind, I think the third point.

That third point is… I’m going to pick up the second point and the third point.

[1:58;00]

Basically, outline if you look here. The first one will tell you have the preliminaries done. So we did more than enough. Actual development of boddhimind is second point, I think we touched that. Third point, all obstacles should be transferred into help. We will deal with this. Fourth, how does one individual practice in lifetime? We deal with this. And fifth, what makes me have, what is the measurement of me having a perfect training? We will deal with this. Sixth is commitment. Seventh is advice. We might not be able to deal with that.

The first one we’re not going to deal and we’re going to go to the second point. We’ll try to make it easier so it becomes more difficult, make it shorter. First point that I’d to raise is [1:59:50 Tibetan] “Put all the blames on the one.” Put all the blames in the one. Any difficulties we have, right now we do put blames in one, but that one is the other side person. So when you’re exchanging, say, “Hey, for a change. Did I see I did something wrong.” Open-minded people always are open for this, willing to look, “Did I do something wrong?” Even if you’re late, it doesn’t matter. Better late than never. It is our habit, culture, delusion. We will not do this on time. That’s for sure. But it doesn’t matter. Better late than never. After a little while say, “Did I do something wrong?” And you’re definitely going to find. Maybe it’s all your fault. But at least you have contributed for sure, any difficulties. That is the beginning of change. So ultimately you say, “Because of me I created. Because of I created the me and my and then they created they and theirs. So we clash. Every clash is on that point.” My view, my idea, my thoughts, my desire, my thing. And then both sides, everywhere, everybody has the same thing. It’s not only the me who has the idea. It’s not only me who can do. No, it’s not me, it’s everybody does. So if you’re open-minded person you should see the possibility of seeing, “Oh, same situation like me. They also.” You have a zillion of different superior reasons. But they are all valid or invalid is a different story here. You have to look from the equal footing of self and others.

[2:02:49]

Equal footing, self and others. All faults are actually everybody’s faults. Not one person’s fault. But this advice tells, “Blame one” not to everybody. Because you don’t want to blame people. Even the politicians will not blame people no matter how crooked they might be because they’re afraid of losing votes.

Actually, blame falls on everybody. And mostly me. So that’s the step you take. Mostly me because I wanted, my desire, my pushing, my thinking. Raises theirs too. And then too, true reason, absolutely true reason, why I suffer is because it’s my bad karma. That’s for sure. That’s for sure. Who’s fault is it? Who’s mistake is it is secondary. If I don’t have the bad karma of suffering I will not be in this situation. That karma I created because self-cherishing, selfishness, self-cherishing. I did hurt the other person in order to protect me. So from that point of view, when I hurt the other person I ignore karma. I have jealousy for the equal. I look down on the weaker person. I have competition with the equal. And because of that I hurt without knowing or knowingly. Because of that I created negative karma. It is consequences of that negative karma. I welcome this little suffering and I hope it will clear and purify all the negativities that I have done, once and for all. So substitute that thought. “I appreciate and repay, remember the kindness of the people.” [2:05:45 Tibetan]

[2:05:50]

Meditate on everyone as kind to substitute everyone as fault. Substitute that, kindness.

I guess we have to stop here. And I have tonight and tomorrow. We will do the Seven Points.

[2:06:20 Announcements; tape ends]