2. Buddha Nature

November 26, 1999

THE LINEAGE LAMA PRAYER IS TANTRA

[Rinpoche chants praise before teachings to Shakyamuni Buddha]

Since you have done the Heart Sutra, the Essence of Wisdom, already this morning, I’m not going to go over that, just to recite the mantra.

[Rinpoche chants the Heart Sutra mantra]

Yesterday, when I was explaining about the visualization that goes with the requesting prayer to the lineage lamas, I think I left out one! With the second visualization, the lineage lamas of the profundity, the lineage lamas of the profound path, what is to be actualized after the merit field. After each merit field, the lineage lamas of the profound path are absorbed into you. Then, think you have received all the realizations of the path of wisdom, realizing emptiness, from the sutra [path]. Then, from the tantra [path], there is the subtle wisdom, the clear light mind, which is explained in Vajrayana but not in Sutrayana.

In Vajrayana, it is explained that there are three types of mind: the gross mind, the subtle mind and the extremely subtle mind. There are three types, like that. Similarly, there are three types of body: the gross body, the subtle body and the extremely subtle body.

It is mentioned and we can understand from our own experiences that, after having heard some basic teachings of Sutrayana, we will only learn the total education of mind, the complete understanding of all the details about what the mind is, when we learn highest tantra. Not until we then understand the Highest Yoga Tantra will we have a much more extensive knowledge of the mind based on the understanding of Sutrayana. To understand all the details about mind, we have to study tantra and especially Highest Yoga Tantra. Even by having the realization of the whole Sutrayana, the Paramitayana, we can only learn about the gross mind.

OUR DELUSIONS ARE NOT ONE WITH OUR BUDDHA NATURE

Of course, the complete education of mind only happens when we become enlightened. Then we complete the education of mind with our own experiences, when we achieve an omniscient mind, which means after having ceased all the gross and subtle defilements that are left on the mental continuum by the delusions, by the concept of inherent existence, which is called simultaneously born. It is the ignorance that has been there even from birth, when conception took place, when our consciousness took place in the mother’s womb on the fertilized egg. When we were born, we were born with this ignorance of not knowing: not knowing the ultimate nature of the I and the aggregates such as the mind. We were born with this ignorance and the continuity of that ignorance existed before this life. From time without beginning, our mental continuum has never separated from it, not for even a second.

Problems or suffering did not end in the past. That is why from the time we were born until now we have never been separated from problems and suffering. That is how the life has been, up to this second.

You have already heard about the nature of the mind, buddha nature, the nature of the mind that is clear light, which is buddha nature. You have already heard quite a bit about that.

Like a mirror, it has potential to reflect the whole city, with all its billions and billions of objects—all the things in a shop, like in a department store. Something, even a small mirror, can reflect a whole city. The mirror itself has potential to do that. It can do that anytime that the dust that covers the mirror is cleared away. It’s a question of that.

Dust interferes with the mirror reflecting the whole city or all the millions of billions of objects in the shop. But because the mirror is in that nature, the more we clean away the dust, the more clarity comes. Just by taking the action of cleaning away the dust, the mirror can reflect back everything perfectly because it already has that potential there. The more we clean, the brighter the reflection, and when it’s completely cleaned, it can give a very clear reflection.

Just like that example, our mind has buddha nature, the clear light, which is not oneness with the mistakes, with defilements; it’s not mixed.

In the past, when we did the [Kopan] course, it wasn’t in this place. I’m a little bit confused, but it was certainly outside. There is a three- or four-story building, so we did the course at the side of that.

It was on this side of the hill, just covered with simple cloth, some ancient cloth, and then surrounded by, I think, bamboo, around the wall. I think it was bamboo, then pieces of cloth, patched, and there was a small door on one side and another door on the other side. Anyway, in the past I was a little bit less lazy, so I used to teach in both the morning and the afternoon! I think I did most of the course then. Maybe, for a few days at the beginning it was done by one of the senior Sangha, a nun or monk, and occasionally there was also an elder lay student who guided it.

I’m not going to make the story long again. Then it goes on and on.

So anyway, I don’t remember exactly but I think I used to start the course with a discussion on the mind. Whenever it was possible, for quite a number of years, we spent about five days, especially the beginning five days, discussing the mind and reincarnation, including this part, the nature of the mind. 

In the early courses, even up to the sixth or seventh meditation courses, as well as the discourses I also guided meditations. Not every session on meditation, but I think some of the sessions were on guided meditation besides the discourse, along with the many coughs. Sometimes there was more coughing than discourse! Then I collected more and more medicine from students, then more coughing and I collected more medicines as a result of that! I was doing fundraising for medicine by coughing during the teaching.

Anyway, during those days I had quite a bit of energy, but I think since then my energy has gone to bed or left for somewhere else! Compared to before, I have become much lazier. It’s supposed to be less lazy, but I think it went the other way around.

Anyway, what I was going to talk about was this, sorry. It’s probably the same because it has now been a long time since I have come in the morning, but during the morning discussion, around eleven o’clock or something, an airplane came. Sometimes [as it flew over] the noise was intense, and it became a little bit kind of irritating. We were discussing something important, and then the airplane came!

But it is recognized that it is a very good opportunity for patience! So I have to thank the pilot, in fact all the pilots.

WE CAN DEVELOP THE INFINITE QUALITIES OF A BUDDHA

Anyway, what I wanted to say, like that example of the mirror, the nature of the mind itself is not oneness with the defilements; it’s not oneness with attachment, anger, ignorance, the self-cherishing thought, all these. Because it is unstained by inherent existence, its own nature is pure.

Therefore, this clear light nature of the mind, the buddha nature, has all the potential to give rise to all these realizations from guru devotion all the way up to enlightenment. The mind can attain all the realizations, becoming more and more profound, bringing more and more benefit, finally achieving the infinite qualities that the Buddha’s holy body has. Even one atom of the Buddha’s holy body, even one pore of the Buddha’s holy body, has infinite qualities. Even one pore of the Buddha’s holy body can do the function of the Buddha’s holy speech, holy mind and holy body. Even one pore can do all these activities.

Our body is greatly limited. It cannot do the function of the mind; and the mind cannot do the function of the body. But when we become enlightened, there is no limitation in the capacity [of the enlightened body/mind]. When we achieve the path of unification in the highest tantric path, when we become a buddha, there’s no limitation. Each pore of the holy body itself can function as the holy mind and holy speech. Each beam that comes from a buddha’s holy body is something beyond our imagination. Each beam can benefit sentient beings. We ordinary people can’t imagine the many buddha fields and how a buddha’s holy body covers every existence without limitation and, because of that, a buddha’s holy mind covers all the existence. A buddha sees all of existence, not like looking down on a city from the top of a high mountain, not in that way, but because a buddha’s holy body covers the whole existence, his holy mind covers the whole existence; there is no place where there is no buddha.

All these inconceivable, infinite qualities that a buddha’s holy body, holy speech and holy mind has, all these are in our nature. There is all this potential within our mind now, including the realizations of the whole path from guru devotion up to enlightenment, everything.

What blocks us from realizing all this are the defilements. But by meeting the external conditions, the virtuous friend who reveals the unmistaken path to us, by showing us the light, the path of method and wisdom, and by us listening, reflecting and meditating from our own side, we can purify these defilements, or reduce or make them thinner. As we do, the realizations come; they manifest from within our mind.

It’s like the seed already planted under the ground that becomes the stem sprouting above ground when the conditions of water and everything are put together. Like that, as more of the defilements are purified, more realizations come from within, all the way up to enlightenment, including all those infinite qualities that a buddha’s holy body, holy speech and holy mind has. It all manifests out or comes out from within our mind, from that buddha nature.

It’s like how a bell has the power to make a sound, this nice sound, ting. There is the potential in the bell. To come out, it just needs to meet the right condition, such as somebody hitting it with what is called the tang. What do you call this thing inside? [Student: Donger.] Somebody shaking it so the “donger” hits the side of the bell. That’s all that is needed.

Similarly, a gong, like the gong the monastery has, has the potential to produce this nice sound. It’s just a question of a person striking it with a stick. It’s just a question of the gong meeting the stick. If the gong meets the stick, there is that nice sound. The potential is there, so then it just comes out.

Similarly, with enlightenment, for our mind to become fully awakened or enlightened it is a question of meeting this external condition, meeting the virtuous friend who shows the path of method and wisdom, and then, by doing the practice, as the defilements become less and less, the realizations manifest out, just as the mirror can reflect more and more as it is being cleaned, until, when there is finally no dust, it can give the complete reflection. In the same way, this mind is able to become fully awakened or enlightened; it is able to see directly. While it is seeing the past, it can see the present and it can also see the future. It can see everything—this mind can see directly all the past, present and future phenomena without any resistance, without any obstacles. There is no knowledge that it does not have; there is no phenomenon that the mind cannot see, that it does not see.

This is one meditation that is very helpful to overcome our depression. This meditation is a very useful psychological technique. Thinking of our buddha nature inspires us, encouraging us to think more of our potential, how the nature of our mind is clear light and how it has all the potential.

Generally, depression is thinking that we are hopeless, looking at ourselves as totally black and our life as dark. We don’t look at all at our good side, at all our good qualities, only at our negative side. Then, only thinking of our negative side, our mistakes, we only think how we are unable to succeed in anything. Because we think only of that, in our view our life appears completely black. We see ourselves full of mistakes, without any qualities. We can’t see any qualities. With that way of thinking, our mind never wakes up. We never give any freedom to ourselves. It only brings depression.

Also, when our mind is not opened, we have no method to use the antidotes. Without that education, the mind is not open to look for new methods, to learn new things in life, new methods so that we can be free from this sickness, this depression that brings us down every day. Because of that, we are unable to do a job, we are unable to do anything, unable to make and eat food. We are even unable to get up from bed. Anyway, general depression is that, thinking we are so bad, that we are only negative and hopeless, the main thing is a feeling of hopelessness.

We don’t have to think like this. Whatever problem we have in life—relationship problems, having been heavily abused or tortured by somebody, living in a prison or whatever—thinking in this way helps. It can also help [to know that] the problem is temporary: “This problem that I’m going through is not forever. It is just for a short while; it’s just temporary.” We can then think, “This has an end, this is temporary. It can be eliminated.” Thinking like that eases our mind; it gives it a rest, making our life more relaxed or easier. It gives more peace.

So, going back to what I was saying, we can only learn the extensive detailed explanation when we learn highest tantra, especially Highest Yoga Tantra. In the second request [to the lineage masters], the wisdom is the wisdom realizing emptiness, which is a gross mind, whereas the wisdom from the highest tantra is the extremely subtle mind, which is the clear light. I forgot to mention yesterday about the extremely subtle mind, the clear light. In the visualization, when the lineage lamas absorb from above, the realization that is achieved is the wisdom from highest tantra, the clear light, the extremely subtle mind. Then, the result is the dharmakaya.

So, I thought to do the oral transmission of two things. One is the Thirty-five Buddhas, which is extremely powerful for purification practice. I will do the oral transmission of that and maybe go over the benefits. The other thing is the Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, this yoga meditation. So, maybe I’ll do the oral transmission of that too.

ATTACHMENT TO THIS LIFE BRINGS DISSATISFACTION

The purpose of having put this book together is to have the subjects for people who want to meditate every day, who really want to do something every day. It is for people who want something simple, more condensed, and yet which has the essential practice. It becomes a guideline for how to meditate, making it possible to have realizations by having the essential points of the practice. It is for those who want to begin meditation, who want to practice something in everyday life.

The other thing is, at the end of the course, whether for a month or a week, after having done the course, having learned some teachings and felt it has proved beneficial in your life, that it’s something extremely worthwhile to practice, the other thing is to dedicate your life to that which is really needed in your life. How to continue after the course, what to do with your life after the course, how to continue the practice, is a very common question.

So, this [book was written] as an answer for those beginners who have those questions. After feeling that this is a very worthwhile thing to do in the life, these Buddha’s teachings, how do you go on to practice in daily life? This is to answer that question.

There can be other books, there are other books, meditation texts, that you can use in your daily life to practice, to continue the inspiration, to continue awakening that you started during this course. You can discover others that give you the inspiration, the courage to continue.

If you think of the definition of negative karma—that action which only results in suffering—that is sufficient. In short, that covers everything. Every negative karmic action only results in suffering, never in happiness.

Now, to make it clearer, on the basis of that, there are actions motivated by ignorance, anger or attachment, and of attachment there are two types: attachment to this life and attachment to future lives’ samsaric happiness. From those two attachments, with attachment to this life, with that motivation, any action results only in suffering.

To make that clearer, the emphasis is the motivation, then any action done with ignorance, anger or attachment to this life is nonvirtuous.

While, for some people, anger may arise many times, even in one day, the main thing here that we should analyze is the attachment clinging to this life’s comfort, happiness, how that attitude is nonvirtuous, how the effect we get on our mental continuum from that attitude is not peace; it is disturbing, unpeaceful. It is the opposite of satisfaction. What it does is it makes us dissatisfied. That is the main suffering we have to recognize.

I heard a song from the famous singer, Elvis Presley, who sang for his guitar, “I don’t get satisfaction.” He made that song. What? [Student: The Rolling Stones.] Oh, sorry, I made a big mistake! Not Elvis Presley, those guys, the Rolling Stones, rolling the heavy stone. Anyway, I’m joking.

“I tried but I can’t get satisfaction,” which is very true. There are many lamrims in the West. The Beatles? In many Beatles’ songs, there are many lamrims!

I saw on video or on TV, when Elvis Presley was singing his very last song, when he came in the theater, the young people there were in ecstasy. This was his last song in his life. While he was singing, tears were flowing out at that time. I don’t remember, but maybe he mentioned in the song that he wouldn’t live long. I think within him there might have been some feeling like that, and that is why his tears were flowing during his last song.

Even though he had achieved everything that worldly, common people think of as a successful life, having money and reputation, well-known by the people in the world, and I guess having friends, adding one more, having friends, anyway he had everything common people thought of as a successful of life, he had everything, but I guess he didn’t find satisfaction in his heart. So, near the end of his life, he saw his heart was empty and maybe he also felt that he was not going to live long. That might have been what was causing his crying. Anyway, that was why he was so sad.

There would have been no cause of sadness if his mind had been free from this emotion, if his mind had not been attached to this life. Even though he had obtained all the things that common people in the world think of as success, if his mind had been detached from them, there would have been nothing to be upset or sad about. Emotional minds like this sadness are caused by attachment. If there is attachment, grasping, clinging to this life, to friends, reputation, comfort, wealth and so forth, if the mind grasps onto these things, clinging, then when we feel separation from them, because our attachment doesn’t want this, we feel sad.

While attachment doesn’t want to separate from them, when we have to leave, sadness comes, and it comes from this attachment. Therefore, being detached from all this makes the mind free. Whether we have all these things or we don’t, if the mind is detached from this life, we make our mind free, free from this obscuring emotion, from this attachment, this disturbing emotional thought. Then, we have satisfaction in our heart, we have peace in our heart. There’s nothing that makes us upset. Nothing bothers us.

In other words, when we free our mind from these emotions, from desire, there’s nothing in our life that bothers us, that causes us pain in our heart, because there is no clinging. We have freed ourselves from all that. Then, whether we have all those friends, all this wealth, all these things around us or we don’t have them, there’s nothing that bothers us, that hurts us, because we have freed ourselves from the emotional mind, the attachment, the desire that clings to these things.

WITH ATTACHMENT TO THIS LIFE EVERYTHING IS NONVIRTUE

So to go back. For example, if we examine what kind of mind we had this morning when we got up, what was our motivation? I mean, being here, because we’re doing a meditation course, maybe it’s not the same as in normal life. Maybe this time’s it’s different, not exactly the same as a whole day in our normal life. But normally, what motivation do we have when we get up in the morning? Is it with the motivation to benefit others every morning?

Some people have that motivation. There are people who live their lives constantly, twenty-four hours a day, with a very pure mind, without ego, without self-centeredness, only thinking of benefiting others, while they are doing their job, eating, walking, sitting, sleeping—doing everything only with the thought of benefiting others. Not only in the East, definitely there are people in the West too, living a life with the purest mind, with bodhicitta.

But for ordinary common people, like me, every morning we get up with the motivation not only thinking of our own happiness but with attachment to this life, with worldly concern, with the thought of the eight worldly dharmas. We get up with this clinging, grasping mind. Then, that attitude creates nonvirtuous actions, negative karma.

When we are getting dressed, what is the motivation? Normally, again, besides the self-cherishing thought, there is the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, worldly concern, attachment clinging to this life. The motivation is that. So, we get dressed with that mind, with that nonvirtuous thought. In that way, the action of dressing becomes nonvirtue.

Then drinking coffee the first thing in the morning, or eating chocolate, it’s usually with the same attitude, with ego, and not only that, if we are seeking happiness for ourselves, then there’s the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life, and so that becomes another nonvirtuous action. And the same when we eat breakfast; it becomes another nonvirtuous action, a negative karma.

Then, when we go to work, what’s the motivation? What motivation is there in the heart when we go to work? Again, it’s normally the self-centered mind, the self-cherishing thought, the thought of working for our own happiness, even if it’s meant to be serving others. Even if it’s called a public service, still the motivation is the self-centered mind, seeking happiness for ourselves, and then, besides that, the nonvirtuous thought, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life. Going for a job and working for many hours, all those eight hours or however many hours we work, day or night, where so much of our life goes—I guess almost half our life goes—all those actions of working become nonvirtuous.

And the same thing, having lunch, having dinner, eating, drinking, usually because of that same attitude, all those actions, all that twenty-four hours of drinking and eating, become nonvirtuous, negative karma. And it’s the same with walking, sitting and talking. With the same attitude, all those activities become nonvirtuous because they are done with a nonvirtuous motivation.

The last thing is sleeping at the end of the day. It’s even more difficult for sleeping to become virtuous, Dharma. It’s more difficult to think, “I’m going to sleep to benefit for other sentient beings,” with the purest attitude. That’s even more difficult because, at that time of night we are usually exhausted. With that same attitude, with the self-cherishing thought, seeking only our own happiness, then the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to our own comfort, to this life’s happiness, however many hours we sleep, even though sleep can be transformed into virtue, because we did not make the motivation for sleeping virtuous, because we didn’t transform it into Dharma, but we fell asleep with no thought of benefiting others, just the opposite, with ego, with the self-cherishing thought, all those hours of sleeping—however many there were, eight, ten, twelve or even twenty-four hours—all become nonvirtuous.

Even if we are studying in a school, a college, a university and so forth, if much of our life is spent there, again, if we analyze what is the motivation we have every day while we are studying, usually it’s the same, the self-cherishing thought seeking happiness for ourselves, and then after that, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life’s happiness, to reputation, to the comforts of this life. Therefore, it all becomes nonvirtuous.

When we do business, again because the attitude is the same, doing business does not become the cause of happiness. Even though the business might have made a profit, that doesn’t mean the actions we do transacting that business necessarily become the cause of happiness if our attitude is the same. With this attitude, it all becomes nonvirtuous.

Even if we are doing a retreat, saying prayers, if the attitude is the self-cherishing thought seeking happiness for ourselves, the thought of the eight worldly dharmas, the attachment clinging to this life, even though the subject of the prayers is Buddhism, the Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma, our actions do not become the Dharma but become nonvirtuous because the motivation is nonvirtuous. Then, the retreat becomes nonvirtuous because our motivation is nonvirtuous.

This is the way to analyze; this is how to define negative karma, which actions become negative karma. But here, during this course, most of the emphasis is on the motivation, and especially on bodhicitta, therefore even though some actions become negative during these days, there will still be many good karmic actions, because our emphasis here, our practice, is to pay attention to our mind, to guard our mind, to be careful of the motivation. That’s the main subject of the course.

Even though there are so many things to explain, that’s the essence, that’s the foundation, that’s what Dharma is and how to practice Dharma, how to create the cause of happiness and to abandon the cause of the suffering. That’s the main topic, how to ensure our actions do not become the cause of suffering but only become the cause of happiness.

If we think about our life during just one day, by analyzing the motivation for our actions during those twenty-four hours, what we discover is this. And this has been happening, not just for this one day, or for one week, one month, one year, but, if you are somebody like me, from the time we were born.

But now here, we are only talking about this life, and because there is a continuation of mind before this—as you already discussed with reincarnation at the beginning of the course—this is how our mind has been habituated from beginningless rebirths. This is the way it normally has been.

This tells us why it’s not easy to have realizations on the path to enlightenment, why it takes time, why we need to put so much effort from our side. The realizations don’t come from outside, so we need to put so much effort into trying to attain them. We have to be so strong, we have to be very strong. We have to continuously put so much effort to practice the Dharma, to continuously keep our mind in virtue—positive, peaceful, happy, it’s all the same. A peaceful mind, then a happy mind; it comes together. 

ATTAINING REALIZATIONS TAKES A LONG TIME

That’s why we should put so much effort into practicing the Dharma, not just for a few months, not just for a few years, but from life to life. We have to plan to put effort from our own side, to overcome and defeat the delusions. Even though we might [sometimes] miss and our mind becomes nonvirtuous, we must still put effort into our everyday life for it to become virtuous, to become the Dharma, the cause of happiness as much as possible.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama often emphasizes to Western students to plan to practice for many eons, for hundreds and hundreds, to collect merit, to purify, to actualize the path.

It is said in lamrim teachings that, if we practice correctly and all the conditions are gathered, after having found the guru, the guru devotion practice keeps our mind pure. With devotion, we can see the guru from our own side as a buddha. That is guru devotion and that is what causes us to receive blessings in our heart. And the blessing that we receive causes us to gain realizations on the path to enlightenment. That’s the mechanism of the mind. That’s how the mind works, how the realizations happen.

There are external mechanisms, different machines that depend on other machines, even a simple watch. Many machines work only by relating to each other, by depending on each other. Similarly, this is the inner scientific mechanism, that [depends on] all the numberless buddhas. The numberless sentient beings practice the path by following what the Buddha explained, experiencing how to achieve realizations. All the yogis, the pandits, those who have completed the path, have had realizations by practicing correctly as the Buddha explained, under that guidance.

For those who do the practice, there is scientific proof that all the realizations [are possible]. Those who don’t practice won’t have scientific proof experience because they haven’t done the practice, they haven’t done the experiment. When we talk about scientists, it doesn’t only have to be Western scientists. There are Buddhist scientists as well. The great yogis are scientists of the mind, having realizations that are basically about the mind. Scientists don’t only have to be Western scientists or Einstein!

Anyway, Einstein said what? After he made the atomic bomb? He was the founder of the atomic power, right? He made a bomb or somebody else made a bomb? Somebody else? 

Student: It was his theory, but he banned the bomb.

Rinpoche: Oh, I see, that’s right. So, what was the question that somebody asked Einstein?

Student: How do you think humanity will survive now that the atomic bomb has been created? 

Rinpoche: Then what did he say?

Student: He said the only way humanity will survive is if everybody became a Buddhist. 

Rinpoche: Boo-dhist! That’s a special one. 

Anyway, I did have his book, which I have kept for many years. Like many of my Dharma books, I haven’t read it completely! I did have his book but somehow I am also interested in reading it, just turning some pages and reading, but not completely. But I would say I have interest somehow.

KARMA: THE FOUR SUFFERING RESULTS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

Anyway, to go back. For example, that one negative karma, for example, sexual misconduct, becomes negative karma due to the motivation, the self-cherishing thought seeking only happiness for ourselves, and then, besides that, the attachment clinging to this life, the nonvirtuous thought. Due to the motivation, that action becomes nonvirtuous. That complete action has four suffering results.

The ripening aspect result is rebirth in one of the lower realms, the realms of the hell being, the hungry ghost or the animal.

Then there are three suffering results, three problems, we have to experience if, after some time, we are reborn in the human realm due to another good karma ripening. The cause to be born as a human being is good karma, having lived in pure morality, having lived in a pure vow, not just living in a vow but having kept it purely. And that is just to be born as a human being, the cause has to be pure morality. If we then attain another human birth, because of not having purified the previous negative karma, such as sexual misconduct, in that life we experience many problems.

With experiencing the result similar to the cause, the way of thinking, the wishes of our husband or wife, or another companion, are completely contradictory to our wishes. The family and those surrounding us are all against us; they become our enemy. Other friends or companions become competitive. They don’t have the same attitude, the same wishes; they don’t listen to us. That is experiencing the result similar to the cause for the previous negative karma of committing sexual misconduct in another life.

Then there is the possessed result, which is to do with the place. In that human life, we have to experience places that are filthy dirty, very smelly, very muddy places, very unhygienic. Even though we might not have to live our whole life in such a place, there are some people that somehow have to.

For example, even for us, if at some time we have to experience being in a dirty, filthy place, one which has a very bad smell and is very muddy, if we have to experience a rough time, why these things happen at that time is the result of having committed that particular karma in the past.

The fourth one is creating the result similar to the cause. Because of the negative imprint left by past negative karma of sexual misconduct, in this life we want to do that again, we want to repeat the same thing, we want to engage in the same negative karma again and again and again.

Even if we make a vow to not engage in it again, even if we make a decision to not commit it again, the past negative imprint left by sexual misconduct is so strong, the mind becomes so uncontrolled. Due to sexual misconduct done in the past, our mind is habituated to it, and then we do it again and again, even though because of it we have to experience so many relationship problems, disharmony in the family, and so many things such as court cases, but it happens again and again.

Here I’m talking about one negative karma, one negative karmic action of sexual misconduct, how it harms our life and our lives, from life to life, what effect it has on us. I’ve just explained these four suffering results, but this fourth one, engaging again in sexual misconduct, this completed negative karma again produces four suffering results.

Now this part is very important to understand. That which is a result, engaging again in sexual misconduct, now this complete karma produces four suffering results again, and one of them is creating the result similar to the cause, engaging in the same negative karma again. And that complete negative karma produces four suffering results again. So, like this, it goes on and on and on and on, from life to life. It goes on and on, with no end.

This is the result of one negative karma, such as the example of sexual misconduct, that is done once, because it is not purified, because we haven’t managed to change our mind to not commit the action again. So, there are these two things. The first is because we have not purified the past seed, the imprint, and the second one because we have not changed our mind, therefore we cannot stop engaging in the same negative karma. By living in the vow, however, we can stop engaging again in this negative karma.

When these two things have not been done—purifying and changing our attitude and actions such as when we take the eight Mahayana precepts, living in the vow to not commit these things again—when those two Dharma practices are not done, the suffering result from one negative karma goes on and on and on, without end.

Just as fruit comes from the trees, from which come seeds that then go in the ground and again produce trees and fruit, which produce more seeds and more trees, just like that, one negative karma that is done and not purified, when we don’t make vows, controls our mind and action, then there is suffering that goes on from life to life without end.

And here we are just talking about one negative karma, just one negative karma.

HOW OFTEN EACH DAY DO WE COMMIT THE TEN NONVIRTUES?

On the basis of the definition of these particular negative karmas that I explained, on top of that, how many times do we engage in the negative karma of killing? Even if it’s not killing a human being, but other animals, how many times have we taken lives with intention? How many times have we stolen in this life, engaging in the negative karma of stealing? How many times have we engaged in sexual misconduct? How many times have we told lies? How many times have we hurt others with words, creating negative karma? Whether we speak in a sweet or a harsh way, that can still hurt others when our motivation is nonvirtuous. It’s the same negative karma [whether we say it sweetly or harshly].

How many times have we done that? And how many times have we slandered, causing disunity in others, disharmony? How many times have we committed the negative karma of slandering? And gossiping, talking in a way that leaves no positive imprint in the mind, that results only in suffering? Besides being motivated by the self-centered mind, doing it with attachment clinging to this life, with the thought of worldly dharma. How many times have we engaged in the negative karma of gossiping, one of the ten nonvirtuous actions, in this life?

And then the three negative karmas of the mind, like covetousness, such as when we go shopping. If our motivation is not in the lamrim—either without renunciation, the detached mind, or without bodhicitta, the thought of benefiting others—when we are shopping we have no thought of benefiting others. “I will buy these clothes or this food so that I can serve other sentient beings, so that I can make my life useful to serve others.” In that way we are going shopping for others, what we are buying is for others. In that case, there is no ego, no self-centered mind. We are shopping just to survive, just for health, so that we can serve others. With this pure mind, there is also no attachment clinging to this life, to our own happiness of this life. The main motivation is for others. Buying this food, clothing and all these things, our main aim is not for ourselves but for others, not for our own happiness, but for others.

Without that thought of benefiting others, without that right view, as I mentioned yesterday, without the right view of looking at the subject, ourselves, the buyer, at the things we are buying and at the action, by looking at these three spheres as merely labeled by the mind, without that, all these things appear to us as something not merely labeled by the mind, as something inherently existent. [We need to] look at these things like a dream, but they all appear as inherently existing—a real me, a real shopper, real things and the real action of buying. They all appear inherently existent. These phenomena appear to our mind as something totally the opposite of how they exist.

With that awareness at that time, [we need to] look at all these phenomena as a hallucination, as they are hallucinations. From our side, we look at them as hallucinations as they are hallucinations. They are not true, so we look at these things that are not true as being not true.

[We need to] see them as like a dream or think that all these things are merely imputed so all these things are empty. With either awareness, we go shopping and this protects the mind from attachment. Attachment cannot overwhelm us. We are protected by practicing awareness, emptiness, dependent arising. It protects our mind from attachment taking us over, invading our mind, overwhelming us.

However, if we go for shopping without this awareness, if we are not practicing lamrim at that time, we don’t have any protection for our mind. That means we don’t have any protection in our life. What happens then is all these negative emotional minds arise, completely covering us, completely controlling us. That includes the self-cherishing thought. Everything we do, including shopping, we do for them, for attachment, for the self-cherishing thought. We become a slave to them. All our shopping is done for them, all the clothes we buy is for attachment, for the lord of attachment, for the self-cherishing thought. Everything we buy is for them. 

Therefore, without the lamrim, when we go shopping, covetousness and the other ten nonvirtuous actions come. As Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo explained, by going shopping in this way, when we return home, we come back with a huge load of the negative karma of covetousness. If it could materialize, there would be incredibly large trucks full of the huge negative karma of covetousness. How many times every day does the negative karma of covetousness arise?

And the same with ill-will and heresy? It depends on the individual person. For some people there is so much of one and less of the other; for others there is everything.

Now, even from these ten nonvirtues, we have to think about some basis examples that are recognized as negative karma.

We have done this so many times in this life. So, what about the results? Each of these has four suffering results and it goes on and on and on.

Before we were just talking about one negative karma, now there are so many. If we don’t do purification, if we don’t change our attitude and our actions at all, stopping them, if we don’t live in the vows—and that doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a monk or nun but living in a lay person’s vows—if no change comes about, what happens is endless suffering, suffering that goes on and on. 

We can’t really say that karma has to be only like this. It can manifest as all sorts of problems. Negative karma manifests in all kinds of ways, in ways we cannot imagine.

This is one way to meditate on karma. First of all, define negative karma, then examining these examples of negative karma, we should be aware of the suffering results and how they go on and on, endlessly.

LIVING IN THE VOWS WE COLLECT MERIT CONTINUOUSLY

Then, I would like to make this comment. A person who is living in the vows, whether they are the vows of a layperson or an ordained person, whatever number of vows they have taken and they are living within, even if they don’t do any other practice—whether it’s as an ordained or a layperson—if they do no other practices, not even preliminary practices or reciting mantras and prayers or the many other meditations to do, even if the person doesn’t do anything, [from the time of taking the vows, they continuously collect merit.]

There are the five vows, the three vows or whatever for a layperson. And, of course, for an ordained person living in ordination, there are many different vows. But even a person living in one vow, abstaining from one negative karma, it is said in a sutra—I don’t remember now clearly which. I’ve got mixed up with the two texts. One is called Piles of Jewels and the other is called Sutra of Piles of Flowers—but anyway, this sutra says from the time the vow is taken, the person collects merit every day, continuously, even living only in one vow. While eating, they continuously collect good karma, merit; while sleeping, no matter how many hours they sleep, eight hours, twenty-four hours, they are continuously collecting merit, making life meaningful, worthwhile.

That means there is no question that the more vows a person is living in, the more benefit, the more merit they collect, continuously, all the time until death, because that person has made a vow to keep this vow until death. Therefore, the benefit, the merit, is collected continuously. That much merit is received all the time. That is what makes life meaningful. And this is what is happening while we are walking, while we are eating, sleeping. Even if we are not doing any other practices, by just living in the vow, we collect merit continuously.

THE MERIT OF KEEPING ONE VOW IS GREATER THAN MAKING OFFERINGS TO ALL THE BUDDHAS

The other thing is, in everyday life whenever we collect virtue, our virtue increases so much—hundreds, thousands, even millions of times it increases. The higher vows we take, any virtue we collect in everyday life increases so much. It increases so much due to living in that number of vows, in the precepts, in the ordination.

We should understand the two great advantages [of living in the vows]. It is said in the sutra that if all sentient beings of the three realms—the desire, form and formless realm—were to become a wheel-turning king—the wealthiest king with incomparable wealth and power [there would still be no comparison]. These kings manifest especially when the human age is I think 80,000. The human lifespan decreases, getting shorter, shorter, shorter, until it becomes ten years. Then, by changing the mind and creating merit with a positive mind, the lifespan increases again, becoming longer, longer, longer, longer, until I think it reaches 80,000 years. This is not talking about the same person, don’t think that! So, I think this happens during those times when the human lifespan [is at its longest].

So, anyway, were all the numberless beings of the three realms to become wheel-turning kings, and then make oceans of butter and Mt. Merus of wax, to make light offerings to the Buddha, and if one person living in ordination were to make offerings to the Buddha using butter the size of a mustard seed and wax the size of a hair, because of living in the ordination, the merit that that person collected would be much greater than all those beings of the three realms becoming wheel-turning kings and making such huge light offerings to the Buddha, with oceans of butter and Mt. Merus of wax.

There is a huge difference. The merit is not by the amount we offer; it’s by the power of living in the ordination. Even by number, that one person is only one, whereas all those other beings are numberless and powerful wheel-turning kings but they are not living in the ordination.

So, there are huge differences in our daily life when we create merit, virtue. It increases the cause of happiness unbelievably. This is the advantage of just living in the vow, even if we don’t do any other practice, even if all we do is eat, sleep and make kaka and pipi, just these three things. Even if we just do these three things, doing no other practice, because we are living in the vow, it makes life unbelievably meaningful all the time, like the difference between sky and earth.

The other very important thing to understand is this. We should also relate this to the eight Mahayana precepts that we are taking during the course, during these weeks. We should relate those benefits to the eight Mahayana precepts as well as the vow we are now taking.

That’s what’s happening for us [here at Kopan]. So many more merits are increasing during these days rather than at other times. Even though you might do good things at other times, now, at this time by taking the eight Mahayana precepts, the merit is far greater for the virtuous action you do during these days. It’s the difference between the sky and the earth, like atoms and the rest of the earth, compared to the other times without living in the vows. 

Now the other thing to understand is that this lay person or ordained monk or nun living in the higher ordination has vowed not to harm others in ways that are against the vows. That means that all other sentient beings, including human beings of course, don’t receive those harms from that person who is living in the vows. That means all other sentient beings receive so much peace and happiness from this person. In other words, other sentient beings receive less harm because this one sentient being living in the vows has stopped giving those five harms to others. The harm they receive becomes less because this one person took vows.

Then, what this person does—this lay person living in the five vows or eight vows or the monk or nun living in the higher ordination—having stopped that many negative karmas that harm numberless other sentient beings, directly or indirectly, besides not harming them, that person also stops giving harm to him or herself.

You can now understand that these people living in the vows give the most practical contribution to world peace. This is something we can do right now, we can offer. So, during these weeks, taking eight Mahayana precepts, this is what you have been doing, benefiting to the world, all sentient beings. 

This is the most practical contribution you can give as a lay person living in the vows or those people who are taking high ordination living in the vows. You are giving most practical, you are contribub…. Now my lips have become like drunk on wine or taking drugs or LSD! Anyway, this is the best contribution to world peace, the most practical benefit from your own side.

I can say some words, but this is much better than billions of words. I’m talking about peace but blah, blah, blah, and then not doing anything. I’m talking just words, blah, blah, blah, peace.

This is the real, the best contribution! OK, I think I’d better stop here. My advertisement is finished!

ORAL TRANSMISSION OF THE THIRTY-FIVE BUDDHAS AND THE SEVEN MEDICINE BUDDHAS

I think I’ll just read the oral transmission of Thirty-five Buddhas today. What to do with all these negative karmas? One method. Remember, the other method is, if you can, as a lay person, take the lay vows, and for those who are living in higher ordination, there are a number of precepts. But the other solution is to purify. Therefore, I thought to give the lung today and maybe tomorrow I’ll go over the benefits. Maybe, if you haven’t gone through the prostrations, how to do them and all the benefits, maybe I’ll also do that tomorrow.

So, think: “The purpose of my life is not just to achieve happiness for myself, the purpose of my life is to free all other living beings from all the sufferings and to bring them from happiness to happiness to enlightenment. That is the purpose of my life, and therefore, to do this perfectly, I need to achieve full enlightenment. First, for that, I need to actualize the path, for that I need to purify all the defilements. Therefore, I’m going to take the oral transmission of the Confessing the Downfalls, this prayer.”

So, take the oral transmission, the blessing, the lineage of this blessing with a good heart, with the thought to benefit to all sentient beings.

[Rinpoche gives the oral transmission of the Thirty-five Buddhas]

So here I’m going to also to give the oral transmission of the Seven Medicine Buddhas. This is extremely precious. 

By just reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas once, each of those Buddhas’ names just once [it purifies so much.] For example, if you recite the first buddha’s name, Shakyamuni Buddha’s name, it has power to purify 80,000 eons of negative karma, just reciting one time. It has so much power to purify.

And like that, it’s the same with the other Thirty-five Buddhas. Reciting those names once has the power to purify so many eons—not just so many days of negative karma, not just so many years of negative karma, not just so many lifetimes of negative karma, so many eons of negative karma are purified by reciting these names once. In essence, the benefit is that. 

Even animals benefit from hearing the Medicine Buddhas’ names and mantra. The Buddha himself asked his attendant, Ananda, “Do you believe in the Buddha’s explanation, talking about the benefits of such mantras as the Medicine Buddha and so forth, by reciting the name mantra? Do you believe?” Ananda said, “Yes, I believe because the Buddha has inconceivable qualities, so many skies of qualities, therefore I believe what the Buddha says.” That includes not only the omniscient mind knowing everything, but also having compassion toward other sentient beings. Because the Buddha has the complete mind training in compassion, it is impossible to tell a lie. His compassion doesn’t allow him to cheat sentient beings, only to benefit. Therefore, this contains these reasons.

Then Buddha explained to Ananda, his attendant, that even animals who hear the name of the Medicine Buddha or his mantra, from that time on won’t get reborn in the lower realms, in the hell, hungry ghost or animal realms. The Buddha himself promised this to his attendant Ananda.

This is by even hearing the mantra, so if you actually recite it, there is no question. It’s guaranteed that if you recite Medicine Buddha’s name and mantra every day you won’t get reborn in the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm or the animal realm.

This is not only for healing. Normally people think it’s for healing, but it’s also for all the success, for all your wishes for happiness to be achieved. It’s very, very powerful to pray to Medicine Buddha, especially in times such as these degenerated times.

So I’m going to do the lung of that.

[Rinpoche does lung of Medicine Buddha mantra]

Then the rest of the prayer is here.

[Rinpoche continues the oral transmission]

Then, the Vajrasattva mantra, another extremely powerful mantra for purification.

[Rinpoche gives the oral transmission]

Maybe tomorrow I’ll go into more detail about the benefits of practicing the Thirty-five Buddhas, and maybe also Vajrasattva.

The conclusion is that we have an incredible, unbelievable opportunity at this time. We are fortunate to have met the Buddhadharma, the whole path, not only the opportunity to create the unmistaken cause of happiness. To know how to create the unmistaken cause of happiness, even just that one is unbelievable.

Then next one is how to achieve liberation from samsara. That means how to cease all the suffering and its cause.

Studying and meditating on the path, that’s just unbelievable. That is the unbelievable thing that has happened at this time. And the other one is the complete path to enlightenment. We are able to study and to meditate and we are able to turn our life toward enlightenment at this time. To be able to direct our life to enlightenment at this time, by listening, reflecting and doing meditation practice on the lamrim, that is like a dream. It’s the unbelievable thing that has happened. 

But this life doesn’t last long because death is definite and death can happen at any moment. We have collected so much negative karma—not only today, not only in this life but from beginningless past lives. And death can happen at any moment. That means changing from this life. What we have now is a human body like this, living with other human beings around us, with family and whatever, with wealth. From that we will change into another unimaginable realm. If it’s a hell realm, there will be nothing other than fire or weapons, or ice, utterly terrifying. The body will be in a whole mountain, the whole thing stuck in ice, like a nail under the shoe. 

Or we might be an animal or a mosquito, or a very fragile spider with all those long, tiny legs or a tiger or a crocodile living in the mud. If we were born as a crocodile, a lion or a worm, we would have so many enemies around that eat us, and, on top of that, there are also human beings who would eat us. There are many enemies who would eat us wherever we go. Besides other problems, we would be unable to find food. Wherever we had to live, life would be completely filled with fear, no matter how long we lived.

Anyway, that’s just one story!

I saw on TV, there was this huge animal, I forgot the name, that comes from the water and climbs the mountain to lay eggs. It’s a kind of lizard. I’ve forgotten the name.

[Students come up with some names]

Iguana, I think that might be the one. That sounds a little bit familiar. [Student: They’re very big.] Yeah, that’s right. Anyway, one made contact with another animal to mate—not to meditate, to mate! What happened, she became pregnant, so to lay the egg, she went from the water and climbed a huge cliff. The person who was showing it on TV said it took fifteen days to climb the mountain. That’s what he said. She was going up this cliff to lay the egg on the top of the mountain, going like this. Even just that was so difficult. Finally she reached the top. When she reached the top, she had to choose a very specific place to lay the egg. I think they go to lay eggs in the same place, so that’s a problem. I don’t know how they know that. The answer is of course karma!

So, when she finally reached the top, there was some kind of dry spot but there were many other similar animals who had laid their eggs and were protecting them. She tried to lay the egg but the others attacked her because she was on their territory or maybe they were trying to protect their eggs, I’m not sure. She fought so much.

Then, as she was coming down, the volcano erupted and rocks came down. Along with the rocks she came down. Then she went to another place where again there were animals, and again she was attacked. Then, after some time, from this one who wanted to lay the egg, blood came. I think she managed to lay the egg somewhere after coming down, with the stones coming down. It is unbelievable how much they have to suffer just to lay their eggs.

I mean, that’s just this one type of animal, how much they suffer just to lay eggs, so there’s no question about other types of life. That stayed in my mind for a few days but didn’t last! It got stuck in my mind. It was very helpful to see.

Death can happen at any moment; at any moment this life can stop. Then, we can change from this realm to the animal realm and be like those animals. That’s because there are so many karmas from this life and past lives piled up, so many negative karmas not purified, that we have not finished experiencing. At any minute, life can change from this into that. Karma manifests into that world, and what we are and what our surroundings are become totally something else, something where there is only fear. Once the karma is experienced, there is nothing we can do, and this can happen at any moment.

Therefore, the immediate solution is to purify, to change our mind and actions. That is the solution. Therefore, we must practice Dharma and practice Dharma right now. That’s what it means. That’s why we must practice Dharma, practice the lamrim, right now.

The best Dharma, especially, is bodhicitta. That is the one we should practice all the time. It’s the best to allow us to achieve enlightenment quickly. Then we are able to enlighten all sentient beings quickly. The stronger we can generate compassion for others, the quicker we can become enlightened and the quicker we can enlighten others. That’s how it’s the best one.

DEDICATION

So I’ll stop here and we’ll dedicate.

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, may loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta, which results in all the happiness and success for myself and all the happiness and success for all the sentient beings, be generated within my own mind, and in the minds of my family members, all of us here and all sentient beings, without delay of even a second. May that which have been generated be increased.”

[Rinpoche and the students chant in Tibetan]

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, may all father and mother sentient beings have happiness; may the three lower realms be emptied forever; may all the bodhisattvas’ prayers succeed immediately; and may I be able to cause all this to happen by myself alone.

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, may the Buddha of Compassion, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the only object of refuge for all of us sentient beings, the source of happiness for all of us sentient beings, have a stable life; may all his holy wishes succeed immediately as well as those of other holy beings, and may all my virtuous friends have stable lives and all their holy wishes succeed immediately.”

[Long-life prayer to His Holiness the Dalai Lama]

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, may I be able to offer infinite benefit to all sentient beings, like Lama Tsongkhapa, by having the same qualities within me as Lama Tsongkhapa has, from now on in all my future lifetimes.”

“Due to all the past, present and future merits collected by me, the three-time merits collected by the buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the rest of the sentient beings, which are totally nonexistent from their own side, may the I, who is totally nonexistent from its own side, achieve Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, which is totally empty, totally nonexistent, empty from its own side, and lead all sentient beings, who are also totally nonexistent, empty from their own side—they exist, but they’re empty from their own side—to that enlightenment. May I lead them to that enlightenment, which exists but is totally nonexistent from its own side, by myself alone, who exists but is totally nonexistent from its own side.

“I dedicate all my merits to follow the extensive holy deeds of the bodhisattvas Manjugosha, Samantabhadra, Ksitigarbha and so forth, and dedicate the merits that the three-time buddhas and bodhisattvas admire the most. In that way I dedicate all my merits.

“May the Buddha’s teachings, may Lama Tsongkhapa’s pure teaching exist and spread in this world for a long time, in the minds of all the sentient beings. And due to that, may nobody experience war, famine, disease, earthquakes, the dangers of fire, water, air, earth. May nobody experience any problems but have perfect peace and happiness. May everyone live their life only benefiting each other with the bodhicitta.”

So, goodnight.