Archive Result

Sound file: 20070429GRJHNL06

Speaker: Gelek Rimpoche

Location: Netherlands

Topic: Ganden La Gyema

Transcriber: Steve Kelly

Date Finished: 12.2.21

Saved as: ODT

Highlighted areas had heavy edit to clear up meaning

Rimpoche: where we are is at the level of impermanence right?

Lu zoi….

That particular verse so out of that Luh soh…

the first two lines we are talking impermanent.

Impermanence

The life is impermanent everything whatever we see touch hear feel everything whatever we came in contact with is impermanent.

Not only is it impermanent but like a bubble out of water it doesn’t last long at all.

So no matter whatever we think, we plan, we make a lot of plans however our life us absolutely impermanent and we are definitely very very definitely absolutely going to be going away, we are going to die!

Not only are we going to die but when we are going to die there is no certainty.

Like Kuntanzaberra has said whether tomorrow’s going to come first or so-called future life going to come first you never know.000306

In short as the seventh Dalai Lama said no matter whoever we are, we will make such a fuss and show, however the moment we are born we are running towards death just like galloping horses.

So every minute every second every moment that we have in our life we are getting closer and closer to the time that we say so-and-so is dead.

So there is no certainty which comes first, the next minute or next life actually.

When that comes what can help me what cannot help me? Can I carry all this whatever we call it small amount of what we call wealth that we accumulated by working so hard day and night sweating doing everything to make what we call precious money precious wealth. Can we carry that with us when we go?

No, we cannot! Not only we cannot carry no matter whatever we have for this life whether you are a king or queen or whether you are just an ordinary human being homeless shelter-less street person whatever it may be the moment we cross the boundary called future life then it is equal. The king that dies in the palace and the dog that dies in the street, the moment they cross this life boundary they walk shoulder to shoulder equal.

In short the royals when they die, they leave royalty and business people when they die they leave their profit and business empire. The beggars that dies they leave their begging bowls. The dog when they die in the street leave their body. They are all equal once you go.

That’s what we call future planning. The future planning is the plan busted over there. Even our life insurance doesn’t go with us. The lawyers will take it.

It’s a joke but actually you know whatever we call something very big our quality future planning is also impermanent.

So in one way you have to realize that and enjoy your life. Yes you need reasonable savings but you know if you over save, it doesn’t do that good. We think we save for the children as I told you children don’t get it, the lawyers get it.

So in one way you should enjoy your life because it is your good karma your fortune that you had a good life and it is your right to enjoy and make the best use of it

On the other hand it will also show us what we call the future is not really a future because we separate you can clearly see it.

Nobody takes their wealth with them at all. We see today, we good jewelry and we say ah it is so-and-so’s and was given to so-and-so and that’s how we see, And if you go to the museums you see all this great historical figures and their wealth, their jewelry, their dress and their cups and bowls and everything what we see at the museum exhibition which is clearly a sign that it didn’t go with them. 001122

Even the impermanent car doesn’t go with us so and so’s car is driven by so and so, how many times do we that see every day.

And how many people say this is my late aunt’s car, this is my late uncle car, how many times do you see these youngsters telling you?

Our future begins when we die

Two purposes, one you should enjoy your life and two don’t waste your time. Because the future is much more than what we see today. Our future doesn’t end when we die our future begins when we die.

So this is extremely important to remember our future begins when we die. It doesn’t end. This is a wrong perception a wrong perception because we think life begins at the birth or conception and ends when you die. 001312

No you end this life but your future begins when you die. So the preparation for the future is entirely in our own hands as we play our so-called material worlds future we plan. Just like that we have to plan for our real future.

And that plan are these two second verses… Sher weh...

The moment you die nothing else goes except black and white karma. That goes with us just like the body and the shadow or the body and auto whatever you wanted to. The word in Tibetan is TEE and that Tara tata…

Which can be a smell or which is a shadow both, so people go this way or that way it doesn’t matter. But the idea is this.

Audience: Smell you said?

Rimpoche: Yes body and body smell, you can put on deodorants but deodorants temporarily cover but it doesn’t cover the smell. A couple of minute it’ll smell again. Or if you sweat it’ll smell again.

So it is temporary covering we do just like we paint our face and try to color out the wrinkles. But then you sweat a little bit all the wrinkles will come up more. So just like that.

You know what I thought just now? There is an advantage to being fat, you don’t see the wrinkles. No wrinkles.

Don’t you think so?

At least there is an advantage.

So anyway after that what goes with you is the karma, negative and positive karma or black-and-white karma or whatever you call it. So that’s it.

At death only Dharma helps you

So if you look in the Lam Rim, in the Lam Rim level they will say at the time dying nothing but Dharma helps you. So that is exactly what this is all about.

The Dharma here really means positive karma that you produce. Dharma also as Dharma doesn’t help you but the positive karma that you produce it makes a difference.

And it’s funny I think years ago about seven or eight years ago I was teaching at the Omega in upstate New York. Omega is a very interesting Institute you know nice beautiful lake.

So during the break we got into the little canoe and go into the lake. So Colleen and I was going in the lake and in the middle of the lake I saw Rabbi Zabinshaaktah. He is a very very good Jewish teacher, a great guy, Zaminshakah. So he was just sitting in the middle of the water and I think he was meditating or whatever he was saying his prayers like that. 001909

So he saw me coming, so he came nearby and then he started talking to me. While he was talking you know one of the oars from his boat had fallen into the water and was floating away. So I told him, Rabbi your oar is going away and at first he didn’t understand what I was saying or what I was talking about but then he realized what I’m talking about and he said oh, oh, oh then I am left with karma without Dharma, that is what he replied. I am only left with karma without Dharma. That’s what he said.

So it is very interesting karma without Dharma then you don’t have any positive advantage at all so whatever the negative will take you so that’s what it is.

So the true preparation for the future is avoiding negative activities and building positive karma as much as you can as powerful as you can as much as you can as strong as you can. That’s what it is.

Nevah tyempah…

So you may have always been mindfulness to create the positive karma as much as you can so I may be blessed to be able to do this and then the light and liquid coming from the Tsongkhapa supreme field of merit here which is inseparable from that of your own master purifying negativities in general and particularly non-believing of karma and wrong understanding of karma and negative doubts about karma and all of them washed away and become pure blessings of the guru that one will be able to follow this very teaching as follow in the sense in practice not just follow word and understanding but in practice.002259

Thus we guarantee positive future life. That’s how we guarantee ourselves the positive future life.

So this is how you do it. When you want to have a positive future life you should guarantee (Rimpoche has an aside) positive life will be guaranteed by yourself for you that’s how you do, okay?

And thus we completed common with the lower level.

And the refuge we already did before remember?

The next goes…Cheveh..

All right we will be able to find one life positive because of creating positive karma as much as possible and purifying negative karma as much as possible maintaining awareness in this life so we will be sure the future life is better however how do I know what my future life one will do?

As Buddha had said to his disciples you should be thankful to your previous lives for giving you such a wonderful life today. Thank you for today’s life however today’s follower of Buddha do not let me down in my future lives.

So you may get a future life a good life because of your positive deeds that future life may be very conservative yuppie. (Rimpoche has an aside)

And maybe very strange crazy hippie. Or maybe completely you know, a could not care less Harley-Davidson guy. This is very American Harley-Davidson guy.

Or maybe like George Bush. Or Dick Cheney or Saddam Hussein or something like that. So we have no guarantee here, you know.002821

Did I do wrong here?…Len kih nee

So… Right? Kah nah

Such a life if we get it, you have no satisfaction.

Which does not satisfy with the Afghanistan want to go to Iraq. Everybody look at all these people we mentioned all of them including ourselves we have no satisfaction what we have.

We want better everything, everything.

We want more money we want whatever everything more. Better girlfriend, better boyfriend.

Audience: Who are you looking at?

Rimpoche: Don’t worry I’m too old

Actually my answer should have been I’m looking at you. I’m kidding excuse me. I mean really because of dissatisfaction is the principal in life. I don’t mean you don’t satisfy your partner in this and that but everybody has a desire to be this and that and although you have the best partner available but certain side of mind will go here and there anyway. That is human nature don’t be surprised. If you act accordingly you’ll have a lot of problems.

Chev eh… Whatever you use, you are not satisfied… Tu meh

Means the doorway to bring suffering. Isn’t that true in our life? Dissatisfaction and then it opens all the doors of suffering.

Is there something reliable? Nothing…Yee deh..

The pleasure and joy whatever we experience within the circle of life, by nature it is suffering and therefore it’s is not lasting at all!

…Yee deh mer...

So not reliable. Samsara’s material is absolutely unreliable by the time when you really need it that day they will let you down. And that’s why learning meditating is so important…Tuh vah...

Learning and meditation is like a light for destroying the darkness of ignorance. It is the best wealth that the thieves cannot take it away. It is the best friend that you can rely on when you are down.

This is the contrast between the samsaric material world and the spiritual world this is really a very different contrast you know. 003435

And one is very reliable. I said learning meditation is the friend that will never let you down whenever you’re alone no matter what condition you may be in. In the material they will let you down because they will avoid you. 003458

And therefore we should not cheat ourselves by getting strong convince from the material so call joy which is suffering by nature.

That’s why Buddha says Samsara is suffering nirvana is peace.

And therefore we must develop the interest of liberating ourselves liberating from the samsara completely.

And I may be able to do that, I pray to do that light and liquid coming from the supreme field of merit purifying negativity in general and particularly attachment.

And develop the stage renunciation here and such a desire mind this is called Namdabasah such a desire the next verse Namdabasah such a desire mind influences us and then how do we do? What do we do? We maintain conscientiousness and mindfulness and then maintain our morality properly… Nam dah...

The root of Buddha’s teaching, the root of Buddhism, Buddhas way of liberating - the morality.

Importance of morality

Morality is extremely important you cannot ignore morality honestly this is a very important point.

Morality matters

If you lose the morality you lose the basic foundation of all your spiritual practice.

Ten nah shea… This morality is keeping your vows and commitments intact.

And the vows, such as the self liberation vow or bodhisattva vow or Vajrayana vow or lay or precep or whatever it is. Whatever one can do at least we will have a vow of not committing the ten negativities and such vows should really be maintained pure intact and that is very important.

So to bring to the second level of the spiritual achievement and then you have to have morality as a vow and then the wisdom and concentration like the three higher trainings of the mind. This is the key and the way to reach ourselves to complete common with the medium level.

When you can do that it’s a matter of time that you will be liberated from samsara. 004045

So it means you are free from all the sufferings and pains but…Ranyeh...

And as I suffer myself in this samsara problem, the persons that I care for my family my spouse my companion my teacher my students my monastery my company my colleagues my everything have the same problem as I do and did.

So I have to be taking responsibility and develop Bodhimind I may be able to do this because I’m going to make this short because of the time but you know also next week one of the mindfulness is bodhimind so there will be an opportunity to talk there to discuss there.

And Bodhimind is as we talked number of times you all have a brief rough idea but it is the altruistic mind that is a totally dedicated for the benefit of all beings seeking total enlightenment for self totally dedicated to helping others seeking enlightenment for self such a double pointed mind, two purposes of mind is called bodhimind.

I may be able develop that, I may be blessed to be able to develop that, light and liquid comes purifying negativity in general and particularly the self cherishing, selfishness all of them are purified and blessings of the Buddha Dharma Sangha in the form of bodhimind and we develop bodhimind.

Just developing bodhimind alone is that enough? Just wishing to become enlightened, is that enough? No… Sem jem jeh...

Right... so no if you don’t have the three moralities here even just becoming bodhisattva alone is not good enough. So three moralities that is morality of collection of all virtues, morality of committing and helping of the beings morality protecting oneself by avoiding creating negative karma. These are the basically the three moralities and the morality was mentioned but you have to understand four other paramitas. That is generosity, enthusiasm and patience.004602

I may be blessed to be able to put all the efforts to develop these four activities.

And light liquid visualization as usual.

That alone will not do you have to emphasize for concentration…. Loh bah yue...004729

So that alone will not do you need concentration of Shinay and Hartung especially seeing the wisdom that is the two last paramitas especially emphasized.

Concentration here is actually Gom. We have very good transcript on that. It is a little booklet and you read it and understand. I mean you’re not going to find anything better than that anyway honestly.

The other is the wisdom. We have one of the mindfulness is wisdom.

So what we are seeking here is the combination of concentration and wisdom together.

Why?…Shinay lam...

So without concentration wisdom alone will reach nowhere. Without wisdom concentration alone will get nowhere. And therefore what you need is horse-like concentration and a sharp weapon like wisdom. A combination of that one and get total victory over every negative emotional enemy whatever you can get. You can get total victory by maintaining two of these together. And that’s why the combination is what we really seek.

And that means here you have a complete path. By this time you now know what to do how to get to the enlightenment how to get - you have that. Now what you need how to get there faster not eons but faster. And that is… Tummo lung...

When the common Mahayana trainings and your vessel is fit to be the Vajrayana vessel, at that time, the best vehicle is Vajrayana.

Tess ah… Just initiation and entering Vajrayana is not enough… Tess ah...

Again it is morality, the basis of all achievement is maintaining vows and commitments. May I be able to do it well.

Peh meh… So then the essence of the Vajrayana is two-stage. The stage of development and the completion stage.

May I be able to understand it clearly and may I be able to do it. And may I be blessed to be able to do this perfectly. 005324

That is now you have not only the Sutrayana very detail but very brief even the Vajrayana parts are completed, in the blessing form

Then the foundation of perfection itself is dedication…Teh tar rah...

You have the English Dutch translation if you read it that’s good enough.

So now thus we have completed the actual practice of the Ganden Lah Gyema including obtaining blessings, blessing through mantra and through the path blessing both are completed now come to the conclusion

The conclusion is and now the two disciples throne dissolve to the Tsongkhapa’s throne.

And the two disciples dissolve from the right and left shoulder of the Tsongkhapa into Tsongkhapa,.

And finally Tsongkhapa comes to your crown, and sits on your crown Seh bah na …

Making requests to remain on your crown and blessing right the first one. The second one goes man zen…

This is now requesting to remain at my heart level. In Asian culture the heart is the main house where the consciousness and the individual maintains the home. So although the heart is sort of at the left side, it is sort of facing down but in your visualization you have to take the heart up and open and then make a request. J. Tsongkhapa, comes down and stays at your heart level. So it comes through the central channel, through the head chakra through the throat chakra and at the heart chakra level at the center inside the center channel the heart chakra level it’s like eight pedaled Lotus in reality your own heart is part of the Lotus then the throne comes down 005749

at the third time when you said … Bah dan….

So then the Tsongkhapa comes down and the heart pedal closes not only does it close, but you are making requests until I become fully enlightened Buddha remain here right? 005847

So when it’s closest not only closest but it is tight it is sort of tight by the mantra…Mi mi tsoh...

So as well as…Omarabaza nadi

That is enough but if you go more you can have Yamantaka mantras too but that’s how it closes or the essence mantra Om ah.… all of those.

Okay so then you know the tip the cloud tip, you know Tsongkhapa with that fresh yogurt like cloud so the tip of the cloud it still remains touch with the Tushita pure land it also has a common sort of omen to be able to take rebirth into the pure land of Tushita almost like having a phowa done, that sort of thing.

Okay so with this we have completed the Ganden Lah Gyema along with the foundation of perfections and I’m sorry you had to suffer past the coffee break. Do we have any questions that you have collected? How many do you have? Only one? Then good, I was thinking I will postpone the questions until the end of the initiation but maybe if it’s only two go ahead.

Audience: The first question is from yesterday left. Why is it that the male aspect is connected with compassion and the female aspect is connected with wisdom why this is associated with left and right?

Rimpoche: I don’t know. My answer is I don’t know, I’m sorry it is. Then it is sad I don’t know why, second question?

Audience: The second question is if you want to join in initiation and you are not willing to do everything alone can you stay and do you receive blessings?

Rimpoche: yes but it doesn’t serve the purpose of initiation. Initiation blessing form does not serve the purpose of initiation at all but the Tsongkhapa initiation I don’t think there’s any commitment at all. This is the Tsongkhapa longevity initiation, if you’re thinking of that I don’t think there’s any commitment.

But what we have is there is a vow, a refuge vow and I think there’s a bodhisattva vow too. So those of you who would like to take refuge and we said this is best way to do take refuge rather than separately one individual say repeat after me, I take refuge Buddha Dharma Sangha other than that this is a very good way. 010329

So I’m taking the opportunity for that too. And looks like we have to take a break but I’m really tempted to skip the break because there are number people who have to leave by 4:30 because of some reasons of family commitment and all that. So we try to finish as soon as possible so if you need to take a break I think you may need to because you have been sitting too long so let that be very short of just pee pee break not coffee break pee pee break.