Meditation One: Part II: Impermanence and Death (conclusion)

Day Eighteen
Saturday, 23rd November
Precepts

Before taking the ordination it is necessary that the action of taking ordination be possessed by the pure thought that makes the mind go in the Dharma. Generally to take any ordination it is necessary that it be possessed by the renouncing mind of samsara, otherwise, if there is no thought wanting to renounce samsara, there is no perfect reason and also there is no foundation to receive the ordination. Besides that, to become a Dharma action it has to become the cause of enlightenment, so it necessary to be possessed by the Mahayana thought, the pure thought of bodhicitta. Therefore try to think briefly like this. “The attachment that is attached to the happiness of this life and the wrong conception of the self-”I,” the self-cherishing thought, these negative minds have been obliging me and sentient beings to suffer in samsara, particularly in the suffering realms, in the evil destinies, numberless times from beginningless samsaric lifetimes. Myself and all sentient beings will have to experience the suffering in samsara by circling around in the six different realms endlessly, as long as myself and all sentient beings follow the wrong conceptions, the attachment attached to the happiness of this life, the wrong conception of self-”I,” the self-cherishing thought. As long as I am in samsara in any realm that I take rebirth, no matter which, it is always like sitting on a thorn. It is like sitting on a hole whose foundation is made of thorns. As the example, there is no possibility to relax there without pain. Just like this, in any realm of samsara, wherever we are born there is no possibility to experience true happiness. Even a slight true happiness.

“Guru Shakyamuni Buddha received enlightenment and enlightened numberless other sentient beings by having met the Mahayana guru and the teaching, by renouncing and completely purifying the attachment attached to this life and the wrong conception of the self-”I” and the self-cherishing though through the fundamental method of observing precepts, such as taking the eight Mahayana precepts. When Guru Shakyamuni was an ordinary person, trying like this he achieved enlightenment. Therefore, the same thing is possible for me.

“Just myself releasing from samsara, receiving the boundless state of nirvana is not sufficient, not enough. Just being satisfied with this realization is very ungenerous—not worrying, not being concerned with other sentient beings. Not being concerned, not being worried, not thinking of other mother sentient beings who are the field from which I receive all my past, present, and future happiness, including enlightenment. Also they are the utmost need and help at the beginning of the Dharma practice, and in the middle, and at the end.

“At the moment sentient beings are extremely suffering, such those in the narak, preta, and animal realms and then suffering also in the human realm, the sura, and asura realms. Most of them suffer incredibly, creating the cause of suffering continuously without having the Dharma wisdom eye knowing which is the cause of suffering and which is the cause of happiness, without knowing anything about karma, and not having met the leader leading in the path to enlightenment, and not having met the teacher. This time I have met all these chances, so therefore at this time, as I am responsible for repaying them, I have the possibility to release from suffering and lead them into enlightenment. At the moment I don’t have the ability to do this because I can’t even guide myself from samsara. So who has the perfect power, the perfect knowledge, and infinite compassion? Only the Buddha has. Each ray of the Buddha can enlighten numberless other sentient beings—they have that much knowledge, power, and compassion. Therefore I have to achieve enlightenment. In order to achieve all this knowledge I have to achieve enlightenment, to know all these methods. In order to achieve enlightenment, the fundamental thing that creates, that brings enlightenment, is disciplining the speech and body and mind. Disciplining the speech and body depends on disciplining the mind. Without disciplining the mind it is difficult to discipline the speech and body. However, the essence of disciplining the mind is the individual himself trying to keep his mind, trying to look after his mind, taking care of his own mind. Taking care from what danger? From the hindrance, the danger of the negative mind. From the wrong conceptions. Totally, disciplining the mind is like that. So therefore in order to discipline speech, body, and mind, I am going to take this Mahayana ordination until tomorrow morning.”

Visualize the person granting the ordination as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha surrounded by numberless Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and that you are taking the ordination.

At the end of the third repetition of the prayer think as you are visualizing the holy object, “I have perfectly received the ordination,” and think that the ordination is in the form of light, and from the head down to the feet each atom of your body is full of light. It is necessary to make the decision thinking that, “I have received ordination.”

PRAYER

Repeat also the prayer of the precepts, thinking, “I am going to observe the precepts for one day as the Tathagatas observed the precepts.”

PRAYER OF PRECEPTS

MANTRA

DEDICATION

Think, “Due to the merits may whatever meaning the prayer contains be successful!” Think that the three circles of yourself, the creator of the merit, the merit, and enlightenment, and also sentient beings, are empty of self- existence. Think, “Due to the merits, past merits, present merits, of taking ordination, and also future merits, may I achieve enlightenment by receiving the three principal paths, the fully renounced mind of samsara, bodhicitta, and fully realizing the absolute true nature in order to enlighten sentient beings quickly.” Whether we desire to receive enlightenment, even if we don’t have any plans like that, even if we desire to escape from samsara, from the state of the suffering, even if there are no plans like this, even if we do not desire to be born in the evil destinies, the suffering realms, even if there are no plans like that, first we desire this life to be completely released from all suffering. However, our desire is quite funny—it is funny, it is very strange, it is very strange. How is our desire very strange and funny? We like to create the cause of suffering but we don’t like to experience the suffering result. This is funny. This is what is funny. Just like this, you want to sleep in the fireplace but you don’t want to feel pain. Just like that, exactly like that example. So nothing happens, what happens is this, now simple. What happens is, that person doesn’t stop the continuity of the pain and not being out of the fireplace—the person gets nothing done that way. Just like this example, exactly like this. This is just exactly what we do usually in our daily life—how our desire is, the ignorant mind’s desire, the ignorant or the negative mind’s attachment that we always listen to, always obey. It is exactly like this. So what I mean by desire—we desire to escape from suffering means, for instance, like this. Just one way of talking. We do not desire the result of suffering—when we experience that we don’t like it, we don’t want it, so that means if you don’t want that, for instance, headache, if you don’t want to experience the suffering result of the headache, actually that means also not wanting to create the cause of the headache. The person just ignorantly doesn’t know, but if the person understands, he doesn’t like the cause of the headache. If the person understands karma he doesn’t like the cause of the headache. So as we are ignorant, even though we do not desire the suffering result of the headache, we don’t have the same feeling toward the inner cause of the headache, the karma. That is because we are ignorant, not because we are intelligent, enlightened, free—this is because we are not free. Just like this, actually it is just because of ignorance, but if you have understanding it is same thing. As you do not desire the suffering result, you do not desire the cause, same thing. The cause is the nonvirtuous karma, the cause of samsara. If we desire this life to be completely released from suffering, from all problems and all confusion, what I am saying is that the whole thing depends on purifying the negative mind. Without purifying the negative mind there is no way—whether the person believes in Buddhism or not, it doesn’t matter, as long as the person wants to release this life from all the suffering and confusion—he has to purify the negative mind that is the cause of suffering. The main thing, the essential method by which to purify is the seven limbs.

1. Prostration
2. Offering
3. Confession
4. Rejoicing
5. Requesting to give continual Dharma, requesting to continuously circle the Dharma wheel—meaning to give, teach Dharma.
6. Requesting to lead beings until samsara ends
7. Dedication. Dedicating the merits for achieving enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings.

The last one is this.

There are about seven. This is very important. Even though you don’t know other things, just knowing these seven things, how to practice, is extremely useful, the one method that purifies all negative karma no mater how much has been collected, how much you have created in this life or previous lifetimes. All the living beings who receive enlightenment, numberless sentient beings who received enlightenment in the past did so also through this purification. Also, those in the present who are receiving enlightenment also do so through this purification. Also those who will receive enlightenment in the future—the fundamental method is this. Through these seven different methods.

I think I stop here.

9 am

It is necessary to think, “I must achieve enlightenment for the sake of all those mother sentient beings, therefore I must complete the whole realization of the graduated path. Therefore I am going to listen to the teachings on the graduated path. It is necessary to listen with such a pure motivation that makes the action of listening to the Dharma a Mahayana action—a Mahayana action or a Mahayana Dharma.

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching that leads the fortunate person to enlightenment. It was well expounded by the great philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is a profound teaching, the essence of the great pandits Atisha and Guru Tsongkhapa’s understanding. It includes 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and all these teachings are set up for the practice of one person’s achievement of enlightenment.

This commentary on the graduated path has four outlines. In order to show the reference, the knowledge of the authors. In order to bring up devotion, the knowledge of the teaching. The way of listening and explaining the teachings, and the way of leading the disciple on the path to enlightenment. The last one has two—the way of following the guru who is the root of the path and the way of training the mind in the graduated path. The last one has two—persuading the mind to take the essence with the perfect human rebirth and the way of taking the essence with the perfect human rebirth. The way of taking the essence with the perfect human rebirth is divided into three—the graduated path of the lower being, the graduated path of the middle being, and the graduated path of the higher being. The graduated path of the lower being has two outlines—the first is bringing up the thought seeking better future life and the second is following the method that brings happiness in the future life. Bringing up the thought seeking a better future life has two outlines—remembering the shortness of human life and death, and thinking of the suffering or happiness that comes after death. By doing meditation on the shortness of human life and death, besides the person not daring to create negative karma, like the followers of Guru Tsongkhapa, who, when they achieved this realization, didn’t even want to take the time to take a thorn from their flesh. They did not even dare to spend such a short time as that not practicing Dharma, doing a meaningless action. They could not stand just living life without practicing Dharma. In those times the person had the achievement of the realization of this meditation on the shortness of human life and death.

For instance, I think it was one of the followers of Atisha—when he was in retreat there was a thorn bush growing outside his cave, so every time he went out or went in, his robes got stuck on the thorn. When he went out for peepee his robes got stuck on the thorn and he thought he should cut it, but then he thought, “I may not have time to come back to the cave.” So he didn’t cut it and he went on. When he went inside again, his clothes got stuck on the thorn again, and again he thought he should cut it, but then he thought, “I may not have time to come out again.” Just like this, he kept thinking like this, and he dared not spend even a short time to cut off the thorn to take care his clothes. Just thinking like this, his life finished without cutting the thorn, his life finished living purely in Dharma practice, doing meditation, without needing to cut the thorn. These yogis have the realization of these meditations. When there a feeling like this, when the mind is at such a level, that is the definition of having this realization.

By doing meditation on death, that death is definite, what one has to realize is that the practice of Dharma is necessary—it is definitely necessary. This is what one has to realize by doing meditation on death, that death is definite. Especially it is useful to think this.

There are three outlines on how to do meditation on death, how death is definite. After that, it is also very useful to think that, firstly, at death time nothing helps—even this body that we have been together with for a long time, that has been taken in most care, even our relatives, possessions—none of this helps at death time. Nothing can stop death or help at death time—nothing can stop death. It is very useful to think this after the meditation on death is definite. Very useful. In this way you can see, discover what is useful. Nothing can help you to not have to worry, to suffer at death time. Nothing can help to make death happy, to have a happy death, a pleasant death. So is there a method that can help at death time? To have a pleasant, happy trip at death time? Is there any method? There is one. What is that method? That is Dharma, that is the only method that can definitely benefit at death time, to stop the suffering of death, to stop the worries at death time. Dharma is the only one that always can benefit. As this is the only method like this, it is definite that this will happen. Since the Dharma is the only method, it definitely has to be practiced—this method has to be definitely practiced. Question yourself. If some other mind says it is not necessary even though it is the only method that can help at death time, it doesn’t matter. Some part of the mind explains, says, talks to you, “It’s not necessary, it doesn’t matter, something will happen in the future, the death is the future, something will happen, it doesn’t matter even though Dharma is the only method that can help.” Some part of the mind may say like this. Part of mind. However, that is the negative mind that is produced by the wrong conception of the self “I,” that thinks the self “I” is the King and many other negative minds are like servants around—many other negative minds such as attachment, pride, jealousy—so many things, like servants. So the ignorant mind says, “This is not necessary, you don’t have to practice Dharma even though it is the only method, it doesn’t matter.”

Then you think, “Do I desire a suffering death or a happy death?” Death has to happen, this is easy to accept. But then he question is whether it is a happy or a suffering death—this question you have to ask yourself, question yourself. Of course whether it is in the present or future, of course I don’t desire a suffering death, never at any time, never—only a happy death. This is the answer that comes if you check up. If you check up this is the answer that comes. Do I know for sure if I will have a happy death? Not sure. Question yourself as I am telling you, right away you think. Instead of looking at my face, look at your mind. Not sure, cannot tell. What comes in the mind is darkness, complete darkness just like the night time, no moon, no light, just like that in the mind, just like that. Not sure, there is no full confidence, it is not definite. If it were definite the mind could be relaxed without worry. If there was full confidence with understanding. But definitely seeing that you will have a happy death is not sure.

For instance, when we think this, we think after thirty, forty years—after a long time, sort of like after one hundred years, after a long time, many years. But think now, if that situation occurs right away, right this time, am I happy or suffering? How is it? If it happens right away, the future situation, am I happy with it or worried? It is necessary to check up like this. What is your present feeling with death? There is worry in the mind, there is worry and fear if it happened right away. So just this proves that if you meditate right away, if you think right at this moment, you can see that you have fear—you don’t even want to visualize that you have fear, not to mention the actual situation happening. Feeling scared. Even just this proves that you don’t have full confidence that you will for sure have a happy and free death. It clearly proves this.

Questioning like this, oneself knows, “I have fear, I do not desire a suffering death. So therefore I have to do something. Since it is definite I have to do something, and since Dharma is the only method, it has to be practiced. It has to be done. It has to be definitely done. At that time, the body, relatives, and possessions, besides not helping, just cause attachment to arise, and as attachment rises there is fear. Due to this attachment that strongly rises at death time, this causes one to be born in the suffering realm, to be born in samsara continuously. Besides causing one to be born in the suffering realm, it causes one to be born in samsara continuously. This is the thing, this is attachment—besides helping it disturbs, like this. This is very useful to think.

Then there is the thought that Dharma has to be definitely practiced, but doesn’t have to be practiced now, in these days—it can be done after some time. When I find time, when I am more relaxed, or when I finish my job. I am a little joking. But thinking like this, that it can be done after some time, after several years. Question to yourself. If it is definite death will happen after several years, is it really sure that this will happen after a long time as I plan? That is not sure, not definite at all. My mind doesn’t see when it will happen. Just as Shantideva, the great bodhisattva, said in his teaching, “By thinking that I am not going to die today it is not worth enjoying samsaric happiness.” This means with the careless mind, the lazy mind. As Shantideva said, it is true, check up. Besides tomorrow and tonight, just after two or three minutes, what is more definite—existing in this place, on this bed, or the future, when death occurs. What is more definite? Death is more definite than me existing on this bed. Death is more definite than existing after two or three minutes. Also it is very useful to think like this. Death comes in a time—there is a time one day after two or three minutes, dying, there is a time, even if we don’t believe it logically, there is such a time after two or three minutes dying, logically we can see. It is not sure whether it will happen this time, this day, this specific hour. But there is such a time like this that will definitely happen, whether it will happen today or not. This is more certain to happen today, in this hour, than existence. It is more certain that the suffering death will happen after two or three minutes.

So therefore, first of all it is definite, more sure that the suffering death will happen after a short time—two or three minutes—so therefore the method is like this. After death, taking rebirth in the suffering realms is more definite. So all these things are more definite to happen after two or three minutes, so therefore, besides the fact that Dharma definitely has to be practiced, it is necessary to practice Dharma right away. It is necessary to start right away, right this moment.

As Guru Shakyamuni Buddha said in his sutra teaching, and as Shantideva said in his teaching, I think it is here (Page 47), this is very useful. It is not certain which will come first—the future life or tomorrow. So it is more worthwhile to work for the future life, rather than making arrangements for tomorrow. We can see even right at this moment, it is more worthwhile, just like this, like the quotation, it is more worthwhile that you work for the future life than work for this life, even for this short time. Then the last thing, it is very useful to think like this in order to control attachment. It is more definite that this will happen right after two or three minutes, more definite that we will leave the body, the possessions, everything after two or three minutes. Therefore, why I should be attached to my body, possessions, or relatives? You don’t find any reason, after checking like this you don’t find any reason. Your negative mind, the conception of the self-”I,” this ignorant mind, doesn’t find any reason to continue to bring up attachment. Same thing, the attachment doesn’t find any reason to rise. This is very good, this part is very good to train the mind in order to control your attachment, even though you are always living with a family and possessions. The main thing is not possessions, the main suffering is not possessions or relatives, and those things. The main suffering is your mind, the attachment in one’s own uncontrolled mind.

(BREAK)

Student: Could you give the definition of the difference between the gross and subtle mind?
Rinpoche: The gross negative mind such as anger, attachment, all those minds, pride—the visible negative mind can be an example of the gross mind, and also the mind that sees the gross object is a gross superstition. When the subtle mind arises there is no vehicle for the gross mind, so there is no way to see the gross mind. The gross mind becomes temporarily invisible. Because according to karma—this is nothing to do with the person’s practice or control, it is just a karmic thing. If it is not purified, the seed always continues in the subtle mind, so the gross mind again comes back after the subtle mind takes an intermediate stage rebirth. Also the clear light vision is the object of the subtle mind. It is sort of a subtle object, so at that time the gross mind cannot see. Usually having the negative mind visible, all kinds of thoughts coming during meditation time, the mind that discriminates this and that—all these are the gross superstitions and this is not the subtle mind. This is the gross mind.
Student: The mind that discriminates your actions, whether what you just did was good or bad?
Rinpoche: That is the gross mind.
Student: Even discriminating your own thought and action?
Rinpoche: Now it is the gross mind.
Student: When a meditator reaches shunyata is that beyond subtle mind. I am not sure about my understanding of shunyata, but ...
Rinpoche: Looks very good. Something like that, when you realize something like that.
Student: When the meditator goes into shunyata, is that beyond gross mind is that still subtle mind?
Rinpoche: That doesn’t have to be subtle mind at that time, not necessary.
Student: If the negative mind exists relative to the object of ignorance, if during the clear light vision you experience the subtle mind, why does the ignorant mind arise again? If you break the continuity can ignorance cause the next moment of ignorance, if you experience the subtle mind?
Rinpoche: That’s the continuation of ignorance.
Student: The subtle mind?
Rinpoche: Yes, that is ignorant. As long as the person’s mind is not purified of ignorance there is always the continuity of ignorance. We human beings, animals, all beings have the subtle mind. Sentient beings and enlightened beings, all beings have the subtle mind, but sentient beings’ subtle mind is different from the enlightened beings’ subtle mind, because it is not completely purified of all the subtle obscurations, not completely purified from all the subtle illusive minds. So especially the subtle mind does not recognize the clear light vision. The subtle mind becomes visible at that time but it doesn’t recognize the clear light vision for most of the ordinary beings. They don’t recognize this at death time. If there is no ignorance there is no problem like that. If there is gross superstition there is also subtle superstition, but if all superstitions all purified, when all subtle superstitions are purified, that is the time of receiving enlightenment.
Student: Could you give an example of subtle superstition?
Rinpoche: The mind that has the view of existence as being self-existent. That’s one way of saying. That is the mind that sees duality, in duality.

(Page 69)
She.drib

So as we briefly talked about the evolution of the death, one thing—in order to have complete consciousness in the death evolution when it actually happens and also to be capable of using the profound Vajrayana meditation at that time depends on training in the life. That yogi, that meditator using the profound techniques of the teachings depends on using this method during his life. He should especially be capable of using this in the sleeping time. He should be capable of using this between dreaming and sleeping and between dreaming and waking up. He has to be capable of using the profound Vajrayana method that has to be practiced with this evolution at that time. As long as he is powerful enough, capable enough to train, definitely he can use it in that time. This evolution happens very quickly. It happens in just a very short time, just a few seconds, very quickly. From sleeping to dreaming and from dreaming until waking up. Also things happen in a very short time. Also when the person does sexual intercourse this evolution happens in a very quick time. The person can hardly recognize it. It is extremely difficult to recognize because these visions happen in such a short time.

However, it is always worthwhile to know that this part of the meditation, somehow doing meditation, especially at the part of the clear light vision, doing meditation there is always useful. Somehow training the mind in this meditation, the clear light vision, what is explained there is the fundamental thing. That is just like water if you want to make tea. That is like the water, the fundamental thing. Then if you want to make tea, delicious tea to quench the suffering of thirst, in order to make the delicious tea you mix it with milk and sugar, things like this, including the liquid. Of course tea has to be mixed like this. So just like this, with the ordinary clear light vision there are other things to mix it with. To practice being oneness with the clear light vision there are other things, just like sugar, milk, and tea. Just like this, there are other methods to use on the basis of the clear light vision. However, the Vajrayana teaching is a very profound technique and there is so much to explain. These techniques that are used on the basis of ordinary evolution are extremely profound.

So one thing is like this. The purpose for which we meditate these days on Guru Shakyamuni Buddha—after Guru Shakyamuni Buddha absorbs into oneself and all the wrong conceptions, delusions, and all wrong views, the way you see things, all completely become emptiness. The mind is oneness with blissful Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s omniscient mind in the form of emptiness like space. Somehow this is also a profound technique or method. Actually it is a very profound technique. There are many reasons to do meditation like this, as it is a very profound technique. One thing is to be able to help the clear light vision, to be able to help the mind be conscious during this time, at death. If you train from now like this, every day, as the mind is well trained you are not only doing this meditation but also doing continual purification, creating merits. Due to the actual thing, the meditation, training the mind in this and due to this support of purification, when this actual evolution happens, the person has somehow a fine chance, has quite the power to remember the meditation, to remember Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and the meditation. So if the person remembers and recognizes that, the person finds the chance to meditate there. However much the person can do, it is very easy to be born in the pure realms where it is impossible for the visible negative mind, the gross negative mind, to arise. Also by going to the pure realms there is the chance to directly receive teachings from different aspects of buddhas, and it is very easy to receive the realization of the graduated path. Why it is so easy? Because there are less hindrances, not so many problems of the gross negative mind.

Student: Is there subtle superstition mind in the pure realm?
Rinpoche: Yes.

So in that way the person, the meditator receives enlightenment very quickly. This is recognized as one method. If one cannot achieve enlightenment in this lifetime, then being born in the pure realm one receives enlightenment like this. This is one of the quicker ways of receiving enlightenment. So this has great importance. Also this meditation has so many benefits. It is not a simple method. Just even the mind, one’s own mind, meditating on becoming oneness with Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s blissful mind is a very profound technique, a technique that makes you receive enlightenment quickly, and purify the obscurations quickly. Also this meditation helps very much for one to realize the mind nature. As this is a profound method, there is a very deep way to explain this also. However the meditation concentrating on one object, trying to cut off all thoughts, like sleeping, trying to have no object, nothing, trying to be unconscious, no thought, that means trying to be unconscious. That kind of meditation is just wasting time, life—nothing benefiting oneself or other beings, nothing becoming the remedy of the delusions or attachment. However there are all kinds and types of other meditations, but whatever the benefits of this meditation, this specific meditation with Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, this meditation or any other of those types of meditations, even the benefits of this meditation cannot be compared to those meditations. There are many reasons. So however like this.

Also doing this meditation continuously, thinking, “If I cannot live life in Dharma purely, if I cannot practice Dharma all the time, day and night like the ascetic yogis and meditators, then what should I do? What will help at death time even though I can’t have a life like that?” Even though we cannot practice Dharma, or cannot study much. This little understanding, the understanding of this meditation, of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s yoga, this yoga meditation of purifying and receiving knowledge, if you do this frequently, if possible every day, this meditation, which is very simplified, not complicated, and also very interesting if you can see it, if you understand. If you don’t understand, afterwards as you study Dharma longer, as you understand more deeply, as you practice Vajrayana, then you can really see the meditation that you try at the beginning, that this is really the profound technique. There are so many benefits, and you can really see them, and then you have a deep understanding of the different aspects of the teachings, then you can really see how it is precious. Now we don’t have that much wide extensive understanding of different teachings, so therefore we don’t see that many benefits, that many profound methods. However, even though we don’t understand the benefits, the reasons, so far as we have been doing, practicing this, it has been always meaningful, worthwhile, meaningful. Even if we do it just one time in life, that much somehow it blesses, purifies the mind. Somehow just doing this one meditation has made contact with Guru Shakyamuni Buddha or with enlightenment. What I mean is this, I emphasize this. If you can do this, if it is possible, the best thing, if you can do this meditation every day, even though you can’t do the other meditations in the book, if you can do this purifying meditation every day, frequently, although the best thing is every day, if not then frequently, somehow at death time, when the greatest danger to life comes, the person’s mind is conscious. Somehow due to this purification and mind training in this meditation, the person’s mind becomes conscious and remembers this meditation. When he sees the danger of death coming, he remembers the method, that person has a definite method to use that can definitely help at death time for sure. Even if the person can’t make exactly, cannot really concentrate on being oneness with Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s blissful omniscient mind in the form of emptiness, like empty space, even if the person can’t make up the meditation, around the time when the death evolution starts, even just at the time when the elements begin to absorb, even if at that time the person remembers Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, just even this even remembering this at death time, no question, no doubt, that person can never be born in the suffering realm, impossible. It is definite that that person will be born in the happy realm. Even just remembering that helps a great deal.

One thing is this. Even though during your lifetime you have created so many negative karmas, somehow if you know, if you are very careful, very wise at death time, if you are very careful at that time when you are near that danger, and at that time make very strong purification and create merits, there are many other techniques to use at that time if you are very wise and capable, really careful. Even though your early life has been very evil, and at that time even if you created so much negative karma that makes you continuously take suffering rebirths in the evil destinies, as an animal, preta, or narak for a long time, even though there is also karma that was created before but in your later life you lead a more positive life, which mean making more purification and creating merits and making less negative karma, somehow that is different from the early life—this also helps a great deal to change your life, whatever comes later, especially around death time. There is a method that you can confess, a profound method that you can purify and also do at that time, strong purification, such a profound technique to do at death time even though you created that much heavy negative karma in your early life. Because of the strong purification you do at the death time, because of that, without needing to be reborn in the suffering realms and experience suffering for many eons, you take higher rebirth. It is possible to be reborn in a pure realm or again to receive a perfect human rebirth. So in each part of the death time it is very important to be careful—very important, very important in the last part of the life. But we don’t know when this time will happen. Generally it is like this.

There were so many people, other than meditators even just lay people in Tibet or in other places who live in a family, who don’t know much about Dharma but have certain mantras, methods that they receive from their Guru and devotion to the teaching. What they have received, they are continuously doing, even though they don’t know much about meditation on the graduated path. There have been many people also whose life was evil in the early part but later at death time because of the profound methods and teachings they used, being careful, amazing things happened at death time, and they had a happy death, many things.

Generally it is like this. We are not sure when this time will happen so therefore it is wise to do something, to train the mind as much as possible in Dharma, trying to do Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s yoga purification meditation as much as possible. The best thing is every day either in the morning or at night time, whenever the person finds time. However, the total thing that is your mind has to be guided by yourself; it is your responsibility. The husband’s mind cannot be guided, the wife’s mind cannot be guided by the husband. Each of us here taking care of our mind from problems and suffering is the responsibility of ourselves. The negative karmas that were created in early life, try to confess. If you do this Guru Shakyamuni Buddha yoga meditation with the repetition of the mantras you can definitely purify. Also even though the negative karma is done again, there is a big difference. Even though the negative karma is done again, for example if you cheat another person or if you somehow create certain negative karmas, there is a big difference between feeling relaxed, feeling rejoicefulness, doing it ignorantly without knowing, or doing it and then feeling repentance, “Oh, I shouldn’t have done that.” Actually you didn’t have the desire or wish to do it. That feeling of upset, repentance, just even this makes a big difference—having the feeling of repentance after negative karma has been created makes a big difference afterwards in regards result. The other negative karma that was created without a feeling of repentance is heavier, and the suffering result of that karma is heavier. Right after you created the negative karma, if you feel strong repentance, stronger repentance, the karma becomes light, the negative karma becomes light, the suffering result becomes light, not that heavy. So those who want to do something with life, to make it a little bit better, to do something with life—how to take care of the life. Even though you can’t continuously do meditation on the graduated path, generally it is like this. The actual method, the tool, the axe, to cut the poisonous big tree, the main method to cut off all the problems is the meditation on the graduated path.

Student: Could you repeat the last sentence. It seemed you were going to say if you didn’t have time ... then you said to meditate on graduated path.
Rinpoche: Actually long silence. By the actual method, generally what I mean is that first of all as you just briefly explained, at least what you can do even though you cannot do meditation every day, even though you can’t meditate routinely every day on this, on the different subjects like this, making a mind of schedule, there are things at least that you can do in order to take care of the life, in order to take care of the mind. This is a way of taking care of the mind and not only taking care of the mind for one day and a few years, but this way of taking care of mind is for many lifetimes. Generally what I am saying, generally the actual tool is like the axe to cut the big huge poisonous tree that has so many branches growing, covering many places, the axe, the main tool, is doing meditation on the graduated path, actualizing the graduated path. What I mean is that this is the method to completely destroy the whole root of suffering. Death time is not an easy time because even though we know the meditation techniques intellectually, if we don’t make enough continual purification, then even if we know the techniques, even if we know the techniques, if we expect to use them without making continual purification it is difficult at death time, when the actual time comes, and there is so much fear. Also, as the elements change the whole inside thing becomes decayed and gradually changes, and also the gross superstitions are absorbed—this evolution happens so due to this the person has so much fear, so it is extremely difficult to meditate on the actual time of death, extremely difficult to find the chance.

For instance, if you try to meditate in the street in New York, even just to relax your mind is so difficult, isn’t it? Just to relax, to be able to start the meditation, is difficult. Without relaxing the mind it is difficult to do meditation. I am talking generally about how our level of mind is. During our lifetime when we are not sick, when everything is okay, when we are not sick physically, when we are healthy, when we try to concentrate we can’t concentrate—there are so many other problems, hindrances to bringing the mind into meditation. Even though we know the meditation, it may take half an hour to bring the mind to the meditation. So it is difficult to bring. During such dangerous times, when there is so much fear and lots of things happening, it is difficult, so we need training even from now.

(Page 52)

During this time if the person is conscious, if the person has the capability, then try to ignore all the other doors and try to be conscious as much as possible of the door that is in the center chakra. Try to concentrate on being conscious of that. Just like trying to go through a pipe that has only one way. At that time the person can make the choice to go the mind through the head chakra, like going through a pipe, and ignore all the other holes. Again, to do this we need training during the lifetime. During the intermediate stage there is much fear, much suffering. There is much suffering, such as feeling pressed down by the earth or stuck in big cracks, or strongly taken by karmically created visions. The being suffers because of not recognizing this as the vision of the illusive mind. If he recognized it then there would be less fear, because that suffering being, that intermediate stage being doesn’t recognize these things as projections of the illusive mind. The person believes them to be true so there is extreme suffering. Sometimes it is like being taken by a sea wave. I am not sure whether at that time you can ride on the waves! You can play! You can expect it but I am not sure! Anyway, like this. Like a whirlpool. Also those suffering beings have a karmic vision like this, getting inside the whirlpool, with much suffering. There are karmic visions like this. Also, being involved in a great fire, a big fire, with such big flames, wide flames, the fire burning. The being is in that and there is such suffering, all kinds of noises, sparkling like this. Also there is much suffering during the intermediate rebirth.

There is no need to read page 53.

The last prayer ... “Guru Shakyamuni, surrounded by Vajradhara ...” Here, if the person finds it easy to visualize it is okay. The best thing, if the person doesn’t know how to visualize, they don’t have to make their mind complicated. Whether we visualize, if we don’t know how to visualize all these different lineages and holy objects, just thinking that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is the embodiment of all the infinite buddhas, just like this. This guru is Shakyamuni Buddha and he is the embodiment of all the buddhas. Just like this. This is one way of visualizing, instead of spreading around like this in different manifestations. Instead, there is just that one totality, but the entire essence is there. Both visualizations have great meaning. Perhaps maybe you can repeat this prayer.

The meaning—without being distracted by the meaningless work of this life—meaningless work means that which is only done for this life and doesn’t benefit other lives.

Student: You said to pay attention to the chakras.
Rinpoche: The head chakras.
Student: Do you hold the vision of Guru Shakyamuni in this place? What do you mean?
Rinpoche: What you said is just right, okay, that’s perfect, the best thing, that is better than just visualizing a tube. If you can visualize Guru Shakyamuni this is one technique, then visualize Guru Shakyamuni Buddha on the top of the head chakra. Then you go through this tube which is like a pipe. Visualizing this somehow helps to not go into any other holes or doors. Anyway there are many techniques about how to visualize the tube. This is one method of visualizing Guru Shakyamuni Buddha. On top of the head chakra is an upside down trumpet. On top of the bell of the trumpet visualize Guru Shakyamuni. This is one of the most profound methods but there are certain techniques involved in this; this is not something that can be explained, it is something that can be only explained when our mind ... I think that’s all right.

In the afternoon just before refuge if you can quickly read or think of the suffering of the evil destinies it will be very beneficial. It helps if you think of this before refuge. Somehow it helps very much the second time when you do meditation on refuge, somehow it makes the refuge pure. That will be very useful. Do checking meditation on refuge and karma. Just read slowly and check. Then when the explanation comes you have a fundamental understanding, some understanding in your mind, some idea so when I talk a little bit differently, not just exactly what is in the book, you have less confusion, it is easy to understand. Somehow you have some basic understanding, so it is easy to understand, easy to grasp. In relation to the subjects there will be things that are sometimes maybe a little big ... sometimes there are simple things that are necessary for beginners, or sometimes a little bit abstract things that are quite difficult to figure out and understand. So as we have different levels, different listeners, this is necessary. The other person who doesn’t understand, who doesn’t hear this before, however, should not depress himself because of not understanding. Sort of thinking, “Oh, it is very deep, it is not clear to me, I don’t understand,” and then because of this instead of trying to understand that which is not clear and that which you don’t understand, instead trying to understand, making more ignorant, instead of growing to be able to understand with patience. Depressing down, making oneself more ignorant. That doesn’t help. That is not a beneficial method. Also, understanding is not easy, it takes time.

Day Nineteen
Sunday, 24th November
Precepts

Before taking ordination it is necessary to be possessed by the pure Mahayana thought that makes the action of taking the ordination a Mahayana action, and also becomes the cause of enlightenment. Therefore, it is necessary that the action of taking ordination be possessed by the pure thought of bodhicitta. Therefore it is necessary to briefly think like this, “Myself and all other sentient beings have been suffering in samsara, particularly in the evil destinies, numberless times from beginningless previous lifetimes. Any suffering there is, any pleasure there is in samsara, from any pleasure that is recognized as pleasure and any suffering that is recognized as suffering, nothing is left. Each different pleasure, each different suffering—everything has been experienced by me numberless times from beginningless samsaric lifetimes. As long as I follow ignorance I will continuously create karma, so that’s how I will continuously experience suffering endlessly. According to the situation that we have been experiencing, any suffering of samsara and suffering rebirths that have occurred numberless times, just once we recognize this evolution, and that it has been like this from beginningless time. According to this, it is unbearable to do nothing to stop this continuity of suffering, to stop the continuity of the experience of this samsaric suffering. It is time that we get fed up or tired of the experience of samsaric suffering, continuously circling around from death to rebirth, death to rebirth. Also, besides understanding the beginningless experience of samsaric suffering, also understanding the endless experience of suffering, as we follow ignorance. Understanding this, when we think, check like this, we dare not create even one extra negative karma. We can no longer create, we dare not, we can no longer create even one extra negative action. Many negative actions have been created from beginningless samsaric lifetimes. After that much collection of negative karma we are again collecting negative karma, even in this particular time, having received a perfect human rebirth where there is the chance to avoid negative karma and avoid the creator of the karma, delusions and ignorance. Instead of avoiding the karma, we practice delusions and negative karma, using the precious human rebirth to follow the delusions and to create negative karma. The precious perfect human rebirth is used again for suffering.

Guru Shakyamuni Buddha received enlightenment and enlightened numberless other sentient beings by avoiding delusions and ignorance that produces karma, the karma that keeps one in samsara. Guru Shakyamuni Buddha did all these things by avoiding ignorance, avoiding creating negative karma. We still live in samsara because we follow ignorance and karma. Also, Guru Shakyamuni observed the eight Mahayana precepts. Therefore, just like he did, it is possible also for us to do. However, myself releasing from samsara is not sufficient, is not enough. All sentient beings are the field from which I receive all the small pleasures and the greater pleasures, the happiness in the past Also any happiness that I receive in the present, and all the happiness that I will receive in the future. Totally, starting from the small happiness of feeling cool, feeling hot, starting from that small pleasure up to the most sublime happiness of enlightenment—all this happiness has to be received by depending on the kindness of each sentient beings The sentient beings are also the field from which I receive all my three diamonds, perfection. They are of utmost need, relative to the beginning of Dharma practice, and even in the middle and the end of Dharma practice. So I am responsible to enlighten all mother sentient beings by releasing them from all suffering. Therefore I must achieve enlightenment. In order to achieve enlightenment I must discipline my speech and body and mind. Therefore I am going to take Mahayana ordination until tomorrow morning.”

At the end of the third repetition of the prayer, think that you have perfectly received the ordination in the presence of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha surrounded by numberless other buddhas and bodhisattvas.

PRAYER

Also repeat the prayer of the precepts, thinking, “I am going to observe these precepts for one day as the previous tathagatas observed the precepts.”

PRAYER OF PRECEPTS

MANTRA

DEDICATION

Think, “May it be successful as the meaning of the prayer contains.” While concentrating on the three circles, oneself and the merit, enlightenment, and also sentient beings, in the emptiness of self-existence, concentrate on the absolute nature and dedicate the merits. Think, “May I receive enlightenment soon by receiving the fundamental realization of bodhicitta, the full realization of the absolute true nature, and the fully renouncing mind of samsara in order to enlighten all mother sentient beings by releasing them from all suffering.

It is very useful and beneficial to understand the brief prayer on the seven limb written in the book, and it is very useful, extremely useful to know how to think of each one. How to make prostrations, make confession, how to rejoice, how to dedicate, each of these things. Also how to make offerings. It is very useful because this is the essential method of creating merits and purification, which means the same thing. Especially, the practice of the seven limbs is very necessary. Without depending on such purification, it is difficult to receive any other realizations of the graduated path. Receiving realizations on the graduated path requires the support of this purifying method, the seven limbs. Without depending on this method it doesn’t become successful, even though the person knows the meditation, and tries to practice. It doesn’t become successful, it takes much time and always the person cannot continue the practice; there are so many hindrances. This practice of the seven limbs is the best, essential method to stop all the hindrances of the meditation. It is an extremely useful, beneficial method that can be done by anybody—lay people, celebrates, anybody. Also it is not that difficult to understand. Enlightenment cannot be received without depending on this purifying method. So each of them has incredible benefits, generally, if one is going to talk, incredible benefits.

For prostration we can do like this. First, the object to whom you make the prostration should be visualized. If you just make the physical exercise without any reason, without a Dharma reason, without any object to whom you make prostrations, the enlightened beings, it is just a physical exercise and doesn’t have benefits. But prostrations have benefits. How? One thing is this. It is mainly the power of the object of the prostration, the perfect being. Because of that the prostration has incredible benefits and becomes such a big purification. Also at the prostration time if you can meditate like this it is very useful. Visualize Guru Shakyamuni Buddha surrounded by numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas. Think as the number of atoms there are in this universe, there are that many holy objects—Guru Shakyamuni Buddha in the middle surrounded by as many holy objects as there are numbers of atoms in the universe. You are in the presence of these numberless holy objects. The continuity of all of your beginningless previous lives is in the form of a human being and you prostrations at the same time. This is one extraordinary method, a special technique, a method to quickly purify, because negative karma is not only created by this life. There are so many collections of negative karma created by different previous lives, from beginningless previous lifetimes, so therefore it is necessary to purify all this. Therefore if you can visualize this it is very effective and useful. Visualize all your previous lives in the human form and make prostrations together in the presence of the holy objects. First of all think of one group, then think of each of the holy objects equal to the number of atoms, and you are in the presence of each of these holy objects, from numberless beginningless lifetimes, and make prostrations like this. As much you can think, make prostrations.

When you make prostrations first of all, the hand and the feet have to be kept together like this. If the feet split then this becomes disrespectful, so the feet are together and the hands are like this. This one prostration with the hand like this [thumbs out], this kind of mudra means you have wrong realization. If you put the hands like this then also it becomes disrespectful, and makes the karma to be born in a period or place where there is no Buddha, such as in the dark eons. The thumbs inside signifies the making offering jewel. According to Buddhadharma the prostration is like this. First of all you have to put your hand on top of your head, in the center of the head like this. Prostrate like this with the devotion that comes by thinking of the enlightened beings’ infinite knowledge, power, and compassion. Prostrating like this creates the karma to receive the holy signs of the holy body such as the double head, the hair knot on the top like Guru Shakyamuni Buddha has when we become enlightened. There are many holy signs of the enlightened beings. Perhaps the person may be thinking, “Without doing that, can’t the person receive enlightenment?” However like this. For instance, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s holy body has all kinds of different holy signs. He has many holy signs signifying the realizations he has achieved—such as the chakras and feet and hands and many other things. However that is because in his previous lifetime when he was following the path in many lifetimes he created good karma, merit that brings the result of each of these holy signs. Just like this, in order to achieve enlightenment, in order to achieve the enlightened holy body that has that much knowledge, such as the thirty-two holy signs like this. This is the knowledge of the enlightened beings’ holy body. Just one part of the knowledge of the enlightened beings’ holy body. In order to achieve the enlightened beings’ holy body that has infinite knowledge, besides this there are many other knowledges, powers that it has. Therefore, in order to achieve the enlightened beings holy body with infinite knowledge we have to create the karma, the cause. Before receiving enlightenment we have to create the cause, the karma that brings the merit, that brings each of these knowledges of the holy body. For instance, the cause that brings each of the holy signs of his holy body. Without creating the merit, the cause, if one thing is missing, such as, for instance, the cause of the double hair knot, there is no way to achieve enlightenment. So all the causes have to be created. The purpose is to be able to receive the hair knot when we receive enlightenment.

Then to the forehead like this. Prostrating at the forehead creates the merit to be able to receive the hair curl in the center of the forehead. That also signifies the realization that Guru Shakyamuni Buddha has achieved. Even just to achieve this so much incredible merit has to be created.

Then the third time, at the throat prostrating like this.

The fourth time at the heart. Prostrating like this, one purifies the negative karma of the body. Prostrating at the throat purifies all the negativities of speech and prostrating at the forehead purifies all the negative karma of the mind. Generally the benefits are like this. This is purifying any negative karma of speech, body, and mind and attaining the Buddha’s holy speech, body, and mind. These are the total benefits of making prostrations.

Each time when you prostrate think that the light coming from the holy objects purifies negativities.

Then you put the two knees—the five limb prostration means the forehead, the two hands, and the two knees have to touch the ground, no matter how dirty the place is, the forehead has to touch the ground, otherwise doesn’t become a five limb prostration. You can’t have the hands folded in [fist clenched]—this is disrespectful, and also becomes the karma for having animal’s feet. Not like this, but in a gentle way, a respectful way.

Also you should not lie down that much—just touch the ground and again get up quickly. That signifies your getting out of samsara, releasing from samsara. When you get up without dragging on the ground you get up.

I think I stop there.

9 am

Think, “I must lead all mother sentient beings into enlightenment by releasing them from all suffering. Therefore I must achieve enlightenment. Therefore I have to complete the realization of the graduated path to enlightenment. Therefore I am going to listen to the teaching on the graduated path.”

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching that leads the fortunate person to enlightenment. It is well expounded by the great philosophers Nagarjuna and Asanga. “Well expounded” means without mistakes and clearly. Then, it is a profound teaching according to the understanding of Atisha and the great yogi Guru Tsongkhapa. It includes the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, and all these teachings are set up for the practice of one person’s achievement of enlightenment.

This teaching, this commentary on the graduated path has four topics for the outlines. In order to show the reference, the knowledge of the authors. In order to bring up devotion, the knowledge of the teachings. The way of listening and explaining the teachings, and the way of leading the disciple in the path to enlightenment. The last one has two outlines—the way of following the guru who is the root of the path and the way of training the mind in the graduated path. This last one has two outlines also—persuading the mind to take the essence with the perfect human rebirth and the way of taking essence with the perfect human rebirth. This last outline is divided into three—the graduated path of the lower being, the graduated path of the middle being and the graduated path of the higher being. The graduated path of the lower being has two outlines—bringing up the thought seeking a better future life and following the method that brings happiness in the future life. The first one, bringing up thought seeking a better future life has two outlines—thinking of death and the shortness of the human life and thinking of happiness or suffering that comes after death. The first part is briefly finished.

After that, what comes is the explanation on suffering, the explanation on the suffering of the evil destinies. When you meditate, do checking meditation on whether you have created negative karma or not. If you don’t check up then you don’t remember. If you don’t check up you don’t recognize. If you don’t recognize and if you don’t check up always there is a feeling in the depth of your mind that, “I am good, okay, all right, perfect, nothing is wrong, I didn’t make any mistakes, I am always perfect, always right.” There is this spontaneous intuitive thought always happening there. Like this. This only disturbs one from realizing oneself or one’s life or actions. In this way also you don’t change because you don’t check up, you don’t recognize what is negative karma. In this way also, not checking, not recognizing, it is so difficult to do the practice of avoiding the negative actions as much as possible and creating positive actions as much as possible. It is difficult to do this practice if there is no wisdom.

Therefore, first there is the need for the wisdom understanding karma. It is necessary to have this wider, as much as possible. Actually it is not easy to know every single action and to know what is right and what is wrong. It is not easy but there is always the possibility to bring up the wisdom in order to realize what’s right and wrong. This is done mainly by understanding the mind, the different function of mind, and by recognizing different negative thoughts. What I mean is that if the person has no examples, there is nothing to point out, and then even if the person checks up, “I have created negative karma, how many negative karmas have I created today, in this life,” when the person checks and doesn’t have the wisdom to recognize, then the person can find nothing. Then he thinks he is perfect, all right, pure. He thinks he is not ignorant. Many people think, “I have no anger, no attachment.” Just in that moment they think that having anger means they are always getting angry, spontaneously, all hours of the day and night, all the time, and that the mind is violent. So they say, “I have no attachment, anger, or ignorance; I am completely perfect.” They just close their wisdom, their understanding wisdom. I meet many young people who say this. Also they say, “This example can be talked about later on, I am not interested now!” This is wrong. In the present time not strongly getting angry doesn’t mean that one is released from anger; it doesn’t mean that. In the present time the person not having attachment to another person doesn’t mean the person is completely released from that attachment. He doesn’t have physical strong attachment to that person momentarily, in a short time. This we can easily understand because after some time, in different times, he gets angry or attached to that object, and it is just a matter of time. However that means he has anger, it is always there. It is just a matter of becoming visible in different times. Only when the person is completely released from ignorance which is the cause of anger and attachment, when the person is completely free from ignorance, and that time the person is completely free also from attachment and anger and also other negative minds. Somehow like this is very good, checking through attachment with the evil thought of the worldly dharmas, how many actions we did—this is one of the most useful things to check, to be always conscious of. Then checking more details and also checking how many of the ten immoralities I have created. Those are the examples of the negative karmas. Whether we talk about ten immoralities, whether we give them this name or not, the actions are done with negative minds, with different negative minds. About the brief explanation on different negative minds, this is in the part of the meditation on general samsaric suffering. There is a little definition of each negative mind. Also you read, recognizing the different negative minds is very important. In that way you can recognize whether an action is pure or not. From there you can judge, otherwise it is difficult to judge. Because you can’t judge just the mere action you have to judge through the mind, the creator the mind, whatever is there, and through that you have to judge. The definition comes by checking the creator, the mind. Just the mere action, even though it looks like a good generous action, it can be negative, and even though it looks like a negative action, it can be positive. The action itself doesn’t make it definite—by checking the creator the mind, by checking that, then you know the difference. The purpose of why I told you to meditate on the ten immoralities checking like this, attachment, the action done with the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, checking—this is just a method, just an example. It doesn’t mean that everything we do in life, all the actions, the negative karmas we create in our life are included in the ten immoralities. The ten immoralities are just an example in order for ordinary people, for beginners to recognize the negative karma. For that reason some simple examples are given, and those are the ten immoralities explained by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha in his teachings. By understanding the fundamental things such as these negative karmas, from this we can figure out the other negative actions. However the meditation that we have been doing, checking like this, is very, very useful. By checking like this, for instance, the ten immoralities, each of the actions has a different suffering result. So by checking the karma like this, we know the actions done with the evil thought of the worldly Dharmas, the ten immoralities—through this then we understand whether we have created karma, negative karma, to be born in the suffering realm, the evil destinies or not. Through this we can discover and also discover whether we are going to be born there or not after this life—whether it is more sure that we will suffer there or be born in an upper realm. Which is more sure. By understanding karma, your mind, somehow if there is not so much negative karma created, or if you do much purification, somehow the mind finds some confidence, trust, feeling relaxed. Generally it is very useful to do meditation on the suffering of the evil destinies, very useful. However all these sufferings are karmically created things, individual karmic creations just like I talked about yesterday—how the intermediate stage beings are suffering with their karmically created visions, the illusive visions that are projected by the ill mind and are not recognized as just illusion, and there is so much suffering with wrong conception. Just like this, simple, very simple.

For instance, in the dream we fight each other, kill each other. Sometimes in the dream you get dreams of horrible wars, fighting, somebody killing you, so many fighting things happen. Also in the dream you are so scared, so worried and scared, and in the dream you are trying to escape from suffering. That is also a karmically created vision. The other things such as the narak sufferings, the intermediate state—those sufferings are actually experienced. The little difference between the dream and that is that in the dream even though your body is cut into pieces actually it is not cut into pieces; your body is there without wound. However, that fighting vision was a karmically created vision. In the dream the person is suffering so much, worrying so much, all kinds of horrible things, seeing, fighting. All kinds of frightening things are happening. That is the experience of that individual. That is that person’s karmic experience. So whatever he dreams I don’t see, even though we slept together in the room. I don’t see that thing happening, many things going on, war, I don’t see. I don’t have that dream; I don’t feel or see anything like this in my dream, so this is contradicting others experience. There is only one reason for which I don’t get that dream. Only one reason. That is wrong, that cannot be proven because I didn’t dream such things. The other person’s particular karmic vision cannot be experienced by me, and what I experience is my own karmic creation.

As the example is given here, we cannot say that there is no such thing, no such suffering, like this. We cannot say this. Just like we cannot say for sure by seeing. For instance, in Kathmandu Valley at the moment we see houses and beautiful places and we believe it will always be like this. We don’t see flames or water, lakes. But because we don’t see this now, we cannot say this will never happen; we cannot contradict completely. Just with ignorance without knowing.

Student: I have had the experience of waking up in the morning and remembering being in a dream with the lady I lived with and talking to her and she had the same experience. How is that possible?
Rinpoche: Sometimes it is possible. Those things happen because there is some karmic contact and also the minds of both persons mind are involved in the same thing. That kind of thing is possible. Generally there are all kinds of different dreams. Many times things come due to the relationship, due to the attachment, many times. There are different types of dreams. Anyway, it is not necessary to talk about at this time.

So we cannot really say, we cannot completely negate that no-one will see Kathmandu Valley like this, full of fire or lakes. So that’s how we cannot contradict other people’s experience of seeing different things—even the object that is experienced by other people and not experienced by us, we cannot contradict. Because it is a karmic thing, because the cause of the visions or experience that the individual himself has was created by the individual himself. The cause was created by himself, and the result cannot be experienced by another person.

For instance, when one friend is in trouble, having pain, making much noise, so much moving, making much noise, terrible pain, as much as you wish to share that pain, to experience his pain, as much as you wish it, there is no choice. As much you like him, as much as you are attached to him, wanting to suffer for him, there is no choice to take his suffering. Why? Why doesn’t the other person have the capability to share, to give his suffering to his friend in order to make it less? Why does he have an uncontrolled experience? Because at that time he has to experience the suffering result the cause of which was only created by him. There are also people who see certain mountains, places full of fire, so many flames coming around, and then their other friends, other people, do not see anything, no mountains, no flames, but this person sees flames around, from all sides flames come and they are so scared. But his karmic vision is not seen by other people, that’s why they are not worried. However it is like this. Just only because we don’t fully see, only because of this reason, we cannot contradict these experiences of suffering explained by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha as he fully understands them. Even though there are beings who experience suffering like this, we don’t see them suffering. Just like this example, just like that dream. The two people slept in the same room, and this person doesn’t see the other person’s dream and whatever he is doing during the dream.

(BREAK)

Student: Because each of our karmic creations is reality, how is it that within certain limits our realities are consistent? How is that?
Rinpoche: Because there is similar karma created in previous times to be together like this, with each person like this, together in such a tent. There was similar karma created before.
Student: If I die while sleeping how do I recognize I am really dead and not dreaming?
Rinpoche: If you died in a dream—many times it happened, you die in dream. Actually your dreaming that is not the actual death, not actual death, you dreaming death is not the actual death.
Student: Sometimes, particularly at the course where I am more aware of my dreams, it seems as if I receive teachings either during or in between dreams. How can I understand these experience?
Rinpoche: You mean you dreaming while receiving teaching!
Student: Are those karmically created?
Rinpoche: Yes.
Student: It makes no sense to try and learn from them?
Rinpoche: Yes, even receiving dreams comes from karma.
Student: If all experiences in dreams are from karma, is it possible through dream telepathy to program another human being’s mind so when they go to dreams for understanding of what’s happening in their life, they come in contact with what you telepathed in the mind and you are actually being the force?
Rinpoche: You are leading them to certain dreams you mean?
Student: Yes. [Dennis used the example of programming world leaders to think more peacefully.]
Rinpoche: It is possible to do that with certain powers, show things through dreams. Through certain powers that is definitely possible.
Student: Do Tibetans ever do that with world leaders?
Rinpoche: [Gave no reply]
Student: When we wake after sleeping is there anything we can do to remember our dreams or before we go to sleep or during the day?
Rinpoche: It depends on you, it is possible. Through Vajrayana practice it is possible to have conscious dreams, besides remembering the whole dream. Like that you can do as you do in the day, you can do also in the dream time. Like this, mainly the same thing, basically the same thing. Not remembering dreams is also due to unconsciousness, just like we don’t remember the previous life, don’t remember many things we have done in this life. This is mainly caused by ignorance, forgetting dreams. Therefore as it is mainly caused by the pollution of ignorance, there is a way through purification to make the mind more conscious. Besides that there are many other methods to get predictions in the dream. If you have plans to do in the future just to check up whether it will be successful or not, things like that. You can check in the dreams. There is a technique through which the person can check in the dreams. Like how long the life will exist—anything can be checked in the dream through certain deities, by making meditation on certain deities. In the day making very hard, very strong purification and reciting mantra, making strong purification and concentrating on that deity in order to get the prediction in the dream. According to the person’s practice, how pure, how strong purification he has made during the day, then pray to this deity, then go to sleep in the night time by completely relying on this different manifestation of Buddha, whatever you meditated on. Then you sleep, then either maybe you see a similar form of the deity or the deity manifested in the form of a monk or a certain aspect, and then it predicts, tells you how it will be. There are things like this. Also before the dream the mind is planning, the mind is completely planning, trying to remember, trying to not forget, making strong energy like this. This is mainly due to the purification, so the person can remember. There are many techniques like this. Many of the lamas check things through dreams. There are many other ways to check up, but also through dreams they check up with their own specific deities.

There are different examples like this, such as the person’s specific karmic visions, what he sees cannot be seen by others no matter how much the person suffering, things like this, just simple examples. Another simple example is, for instance, in a hot country, terribly hot but some people really enjoy, while some people find much suffering being in the hot place. They feel different, even though they are at the same place. Both are karmic things, both are decided, fixed up, by the individual karma. Such a person’s experience and feeling does not depend on the condition that is there. It doesn’t mainly depend on the outer condition, it mainly depends on the mind. One person’s mind is not happy, and the other person’s mind is happy. It is not up to the condition, it is up to the mind. Different karma mind. In this way we can see how the different situation is created by mind. In this way it is easy to understand how it came from karma, how each person’s experience and views are karmic view. Individual karmic views. However this person cannot contradict his experience. Like this. So therefore even though we don’t actually see this suffering realm, we cannot contradict it saying, “There is no such thing existing.”

One thing is this. In all of existence, the definition whether something exists or not is not up to our understanding. Generally the definition of whether it exists or not—anything, any existence, phenomena, any existence—is not up to my mind or understanding. For instance, even just thinking this way. There are infinite numberless objects that I didn’t discover, I don’t see, but they are experienced, fully discovered, and seen by other sentient beings, other enlightened beings. Just because they are not an object of my present understanding mind I cannot say they do not exist at all. How can I contradict completely like this? Just like this. Anyway, if you are born in the narak suffering, even the lightest, smallest suffering there, in certain stages where there is lighter suffering and a shorter period of experiencing suffering, for instance, for the time of one day here in the human realm, three hundred and sixty spears are put on all over the body. Comparing this experience that we experience in the human realm and the smallest suffering of the lighter stage of the narak realm, the human experience of this suffering is still nothing compared to even the smallest suffering. So this is just only talking about the lighter stages of the narak where there are lighter and shorter periods of suffering. This is just an example in order to have some idea, understanding how it is. According to the individual’s karma there are all kinds of different sufferings, some greater experiences, and difference between experiences like this. Generally it is like this. You see, for instance, now when we understand the teachings, as we go through the teachings, as we start to understand a little bit, we feel very happy in the mind when we hear teachings, sort of carrying very heavy luggage. Because of the problem with attachment ... you see somehow this that this teaching explains is something that has to be done. It is a good thing, what the teaching says, it is a good thing if it is possible to be able to do what the teaching says. You see some kind of profit but find it very heavy. What makes the person feel heavy is attachment, because attachment wants the person to follow him, to work for him, to do whatever works attachment wants. So you find it difficult to put in action, even though you think it is good. You see it is a good thing to be done but somehow to put in action is difficult, still very heavy, difficult. However the main thing is attachment, its cause is attachment, and the most useful thing in order to cut off that which makes you feel heavy or makes you think it is so difficult to practice, almost impossible, is the attachment, ignorance. So what can control and destroy that attachment? One profound method to destroy and control that which makes you feel tired, saying Dharma is so difficult to practice, is the energy or the understanding that comes through meditation on karma and especially on the suffering realms, the suffering of the evil destinies. The deeper you understand that the more strongly you feel. Besides intellectually, that much more you strongly feel the suffering of the evil destinies, and as you can that much strongly feel it, understand or feel it, and not want to experience suffering, that much you can make the decision. That much energy comes. As that much energy comes, it is that easy to avoid negative karma. It is that easy to avoid negative karma. As this energy that comes through understanding these meditations or these sufferings is seen more and more clearly, and you strongly feel the suffering of the evil destinies through the meditation, as your energy that comes through the understanding and meditation increases, the person has less and less difficulties and problems avoiding negative karma, avoiding the actions of attachment that we always find difficult at the beginning, that we think are almost impossible to give up that. Like this. Afterwards through continual meditation on this, it changes. That which you found almost an impossible thing at the beginning, afterwards becomes so easy, so simple. Afterwards as this energy is received through your meditation by clearly understanding the suffering of the evil destinies, the strong feeling of that, as this increases, there is less and less difficulty in the practice. There is less difficulty in regards to avoiding the negative karma, and not so much problem in your mind because easy and difficult are only created by the mind. Easy and difficult are not something that are there without depending on your mind’s creation. They are just mind creation. They are just a way of thinking. However this meditation is the most useful profound technique, extremely useful to stop negative karma, to give understanding and energy, to stop creating negative karma. It is like an atomic bomb that explodes the attachment, very useful. Especially for ordinary beginners it is very useful. Without having such an understanding result of negative karma, without this, it is very difficult for any action to become pure, and difficult to avoid negative karma.

For instance, in certain situation when there is strong attachment arising, or such strong anger coming, think like this, “Now I am creating negative karma. By the negative mind arising I am creating negative karma.” Then think, “This is negative karma but why should I worry about this negative karma? It doesn’t matter even though it is negative karma.” Just thinking, “This is negative karma,” doesn’t give much feeling to you. It is just saying, it doesn’t move the mind. Just that doesn’t make mind understand, because the mind has no experience, no deep understanding. Thinking that doesn’t move the mind to lose the attachment, to cut off the negative action. First of all thinking, “This is negative karma; even though it is negative karma, it doesn’t matter,” perhaps it is possible to think like this. But it is not easy, negative karma is not easy. Thinking, “Why am I getting angry now?” is very useful. Because I don’t want this difficulty or suffering. In order to stop that I get angry. In order to stop the difficulty of that suffering I get angry. If you check up, when you have attachment, anger, when you check up, it is all to get pleasure for oneself. The whole thing, the whole point is that. So think like this. “For what reason am I getting angry? I am getting angry because I want this pleasure by having something, receiving something, many things, and to stop that suffering, difficulty, I get angry.” Then think, “If I do not desire that suffering, difficulty, same thing, for the same reason I don’t want to experience the suffering result of this negative karma, I am getting angry. For the same reason.” So now you see, now you remember the suffering result, the suffering in the evil destinies, you remember as you have been making meditation, you remember this dangerous situation. It is incredibly unbearable. Because of the mind being conscious of the result of this karma, there is energy in the mind. As that understanding the energy to give up this negative action, to renounce this negative action arises. So all of a sudden when you think of the result of the suffering negative karma, when you think of that, when you strongly feel the suffering result, the anger just goes, disappears, is lost. Besides losing the anger losing the person feels repentance, “Oh, I shouldn’t have gotten angry,” repentance rises, which is beneficial, which always makes the karma less powerful. Checking, your mind being conscious of the suffering result of this negative action, that’s how it is useful right away. It is the same thing with attachment—also you can think, check like this. Also the reason I am now creating negative karma, the purpose of that attachment arising is to receive pleasure and stop suffering, to stop some problem. There is always something like that there to stop suffering, some suffering, a certain difficulty. Then think, “If I cannot bear this” ... also you can question like this, it is very useful. “Which should I choose, experiencing this suffering, this temporal suffering and the suffering of the result of this negative karma that has to be experienced in the evil destinies, that suffering result and this temporal problem, suffering—which can’t I bear, which is worse? Which can’t I bear, which is more terrible?” You check like this. The suffering result of this negative karma, of this attachment arising is much more unbearable, more terrible, much greater so when you think and see in this way, all of a sudden you stop creating negative karma with attachment. At the same time, when you think of the suffering result like this, the greater suffering, more unbearable, you lose the attachment, like the anger the attachment is lost. As the attachment is lost you stop creating negative karma. Also besides stopping negative karma, as the attachment goes down, you don’t have that suffering, that is lost. That suffering that you had before, not having that possession, not having that friend, something, that difficulty, that problem before, as the attachment goes down also that other problem that you are raising as suffering, that also disappears, is lost. So it helps in so many ways, and it is very useful in daily life. Totally talking, emphasizing, it is very useful to stop creating negative karma, one of the best methods, especially for those who don’t have much deep understanding, for beginners, this is very useful. In this way you can change the action to a positive one very easily, even though it was negative before. All of a sudden it can be changed very easily, as your mind changes.

The benefits are as Shantideva said in his teaching, by remembering the suffering of the evil destinies, anger, pride, these things, by remembering these, it destroys pride and jealousy, many other negative minds. For instance, a person has so much knowledge and thinks, “I am so important, I am the most wise person,” building up so much pride, so much unpeaceful mind. Then when the person thinks of the negative karma created by the pride arising and checks up the result of that, the suffering of the evil destinies, when he checks that, all of a sudden his pride goes down—when he sees his future suffering, his pride goes down. It is all a psychological method, very practical, that helps right away. Also in this way, the more we understand suffering beings, their unbearable suffering, the more we understand, the more we feel, in that way it is easy to rise, to build compassion. So this helps very much, understanding this, doing meditation on this helps very much to bring up compassion and by bringing up compassion we receive bodhicitta quicker. So, so many benefits.

Sometimes also Tibetan Lamas do this. When they come to sit on the throne, also they think of impermanence, they think all causative things are impermanent. Like a star ... I don’t know how to say. Sometimes we see things not clearly in the eyes, flickering like a star. Stars are very impermanent, they disappear in a short time. Like the light, like the phantom, like water dew, very impermanent, a little drop of water that stays on flowers and grass, which doesn’t last, like a dream, like lightening, like a cloud, like this. Generally however it is up to the person, but generally thinking like this. That is to control the pride, by sitting on a high throne there is the danger of pride arising and other negative minds as well, so therefore just before sitting there, the mind has to concentrate causative things which are like this. In this way there is no attachment, no problem comes in the mind. However impermanent sometimes just becomes a word, even though you think it, it just becomes words, it doesn’t give a feeling. So it is very effective to remember the narak suffering of the evil destinies. All of a sudden that keeps you away from negative mind, away from problems like this. The purpose of making three prostrations is this. It is the practice through certain lineages of lamas that prostrations have to be made to the merit field, the holy object with which we usually create merit. So visualize that and visualize the guru in a different manifestation of the buddhas, then after making prostrations, as the person sit on the throne, all these holy objects have to be absorbed into the center and then become oneness. In this way there are many importances, many purposes to losing the negative mind, pride, attachment, and many other things—there are also other purposes. It is useful to talk like this. It makes the meditation more practical. This is not just something to use at a time, at a certain hour, like this. Not just like this. This is not just to use at a certain time and for the rest of the day sort of completely unconscious, in another world, not like this.

Actually, lamrim meditation, for instance, some people do meditation just like emptiness, trying to stop thoughts, things like that. Trying to concentrate on one object like those simple meditations at a certain time in the morning, maybe they do this then the rest of the day there is no method, the mind is just crazy, the person doesn’t have a method when the mind is violent, the body, speech, and all actions are violent—no method. The person’s short meditation that he does in the morning doesn’t make much sense, doesn’t really benefit his life. That kind of meditation doesn’t really benefit, doesn’t really stop the problem, doesn’t make one understand the nature of life, of oneself and others. Actually lamrim meditation, meditation on the graduated path, is something that doesn’t need a certain specific time, or a specific schedule, no matter what the person is doing—outside, working, traveling, at the job, all the time, day and night, but lamrim is something, is a method that makes the way you live, the daily life, peaceful, happy or peaceful, happy and peaceful, avoiding negative actions, by avoiding negative action. It is really happy and peaceful. It is something that the person can continuously live in it, no matter what work the person does.

Student: Would you say that the dream state was just like the after death state?
Rinpoche: The dream state is just like after death state.
Student: But I thought you started by making a comparison between the dream state and the after death state of the narak and preta.
Rinpoche: The dream is explained for two reasons. One thing is to talk about karma, the other person. Karma cannot be experienced by another person and that suffering is not exactly like a dream. It is not a dream—what I mean is, it is not just dreaming, not just dreaming. For that reason I mentioned the example, for instance, in a dream your body is cut in pieces but actually your body is lying there, actually not cut in pieces, it doesn’t have even one wound. So these sufferings are not just dreaming.

The lamrim is the teaching on how to talk, how to eat, how to sleep, what should be done, what shouldn’t be done, the whole thing, what to do when there is this problem, what to do when there is this problem—just like different types of medicine. So by talking about the specific subject, how the meditation can help in daily life, how it is practical, what can be used right away, this is useful to talk about and to think about. It is useful to know. In our minds, even though we see the Dharma is good, enlightenment has so much incredible benefit, even though our understanding has some knowledge, from the person’s side we think it is good to be able to attain this, but then when the person comes to the action, close to the action, what should be done, they find it difficult, very difficult. I am talking about that kind of mind, and for that kind of mind it is more useful to think of suffering, otherwise there is no energy for that kind of mind.

Student: Isn’t this rather like a trick to persuade the dualistic mind to become energetic, because the conception of the hell state is a dualistic conception, so aren’t you encouraging us to think in a relative way in order to work towards absolute truth?
Rinpoche: The beginning I understood, but the last one was a little bit like mud.
Student: For instance, meditation on the suffering states is training, encouraging us to think in a dualistic way because the description of suffering, burning, cold, hot, a dualistic conception, so this is encouraging us to meditate on a relative conception in order to approach absolute truth.
Rinpoche: How you are going to stop the dualistic, what method to stop dualistic mind? Do you know? I am joking. This you check up, this one question, okay, right. For instance, a room full of kaka, in order to clean and live in it and use it as a room, does it need a different method to clean, a different method than washing with water, first you take the kaka—does it need different method or not? This you check up. Then same thing, the patients. For the patients, for instance, the doctors know well that to cure that sickness there is the need to take different medicines, not just to take one type of medicine, it doesn’t completely stop, you need to take different types of medicine, as the patient has different sicknesses. Also even to cure just one sickness you have to take different medicines at one time.
Student: First you have to make the patient realize he is sick.
Rinpoche: In a Dharma way or what way?
Student: The patient doesn’t go to the hospital if he doesn’t think he is sick.
Student: So you tell us to be afraid of suffering to make us feel sick.
Rinpoche: You think you are not in suffering?
Student: I am starting to believe it.
Rinpoche: You don’t have suffering, you have suffering or you don’t?
Student: Suffering arises from the dualistic mind.
Rinpoche: However, both believing, even though you think you don’t have suffering, that is also believing. If you think all beliefs are not true, that is also believing. You think you exist here, talking, that is also believing. One thing is that you think nothing exists?
Student: Are you asking me?
Rinpoche: Do you think that what everyone experiences, what he sees, doesn’t exist?
Student: It exists according to his own experience of it.
Rinpoche: So it exists according to the person, it exists as the person sees it. I see.
Student: It also exists in the absolute sense.
Rinpoche: Whatever the person sees exists. That is the definition of this existence?
Student: Part of the definition of existence is because you have relative and absolute.
Rinpoche: What is your complete definition of existence?
Student: Beginningless mind and all that stems from it. With beginningless mind you have absolute true nature and the samsaric world of relative truth.
Rinpoche: Then, what’s left?
Student: Is that not a fair definition of existence?
Rinpoche: Yes, but how does that exist. What is the definition of that existence. Why is there absolute true nature and relative nature existing?
Student: Because of ignorance.
Rinpoche: I see, I see. Ignorance exists, doesn’t it? You are living in ignorance, you have ignorance.
Student: Most of the time.
Rinpoche: Anyway, so just one thing. When ignorance finishes, there is no relative, no absolute nature, no absolute nature existing, nothing existing?
Student: Absolute nature exists.
Rinpoche: Why. You said absolute nature—whenever your relative nature finishes your absolute nature finishes.
Student: No, I said relative nature, samsara is created by ignorance. I appeal to the secretary!
Rinpoche: Good, you check up. Are you existing, relative or absolute?
Student: Both.
Rinpoche: You are absolutely existing. Existing absolute truth, you are absolutely existing?
Student: Yeah? The nature of my absolute existence is not the nature of me, itself. Not the nature of the self, the “I” doesn’t exist absolutely, but on the absolute nature of no self-”I.”
Rinpoche: That’s only one good word. What do you mean by your relative existence?
Student: That is the self-”I.”
Rinpoche: There is a self-”I” existing, that self-”I” exists.
Student: Relatively.
Rinpoche: Is that the definition of your relatively existing. Your absolutely existing is another discussion, okay. Your relatively existing is that, isn’t that the definition of your existence?
Student: Part of it.
Rinpoche: Is the life because you are relatively existing?
Student: That’s why I exist.
Rinpoche: It doesn’t matter whether it is you or I. So it exists doesn’t it. Relatively existing is the definition of existence isn’t it? So anything people experience, people say it is relatively existent isn’t it?
Student: That’s where we started.
Rinpoche: You are saying the “me” is also relatively existing isn’t it?
Student: I am experiencing it.
Rinpoche: So that is the same thing. My experience of the narak suffering, is that existing or not?
Student: Yes, if you have experienced it, it exists for you in a relative sense. It doesn’t exist in a relative sense for me. It exists for you in a relative way.
Rinpoche: So it is existing. For instance, is your mother existing?
Student: It depends on whether rebirth exists. My mother is dead.
Rinpoche: Did your mother exist?
Student: Yes.
Rinpoche: Your mother exists, your mother didn’t exist?
Student: She existed for me in a relative way, she didn’t exist for you.
Rinpoche: You are saying that she existed?
Student: In relation to my experience, yes.
Rinpoche: In the depth of your mind whether you use lip or not, you think your mother exists because you see the picture of your mother. Okay. Right. Better to release the suffering of the stomach.

Day Twenty
Monday, 25th November

Precepts

Before taking the ordination it is necessary to be possessed by the pure thought in the Dharma and also it is necessary to be possessed by the pure thought of bodhicitta in order for the action of taking ordination to become a cause of enlightenment. Therefore briefly think, “Myself and all sentient beings have been experiencing suffering numberless times in samsara, particularly the suffering of the lower realms. No suffering is left that was never experienced, no pleasure is left that was never experienced. There is no new experience left in samsara. Still, as long as I follow the wrong conceptions believing the non self-existent things to be self-existent and the impermanent things to be permanent and the impure things to be pure, again in the future we will have to experience suffering in samsara continuously.” Checking like this, what was experienced before, how we experienced it, how we lived in samsara before, and again how we are going to live in samsara, by thinking that all this is an unbearable thing, information that causes the tears to come out, which makes a great upset, even the hair of the body is rising up, something like this, such information.

“Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was also an ordinary man like us. By following the eight Mahayana precepts, taking teachings, and having met the guru, he received enlightenment and he enlightened numberless sentient beings. Therefore there is no question that we can do this. But just releasing ourselves from samsara is not sufficient because all sentient beings are the field of all my past, present, and future happiness and perfection. The sentient beings are of utmost need, they are the helper, the relatives at the beginning of the Dharma practice, and even in the middle and at the end of the Dharma practice. At all times we have to depend on sentient beings’ kindness, as we depended on them in the past times, so it is the same thing in the present and future time. At the moment most of the sentient beings are extremely suffering, worse than myself, not having met the Mahayana Guru leading them on the path to enlightenment and not having met the teaching, being blind of Dharma wisdom, knowing what is wrong and what is right, what is practice and what is avoidance, therefore how the sentient beings are extremely suffering, always creating negative karma without knowing. Myself having met all these things and having a little bit of wisdom knowing what is practice and what is avoidance, for all these reasons, as I have the chance, I am responsible to look after all sentient beings, that is, to repay all sentient beings’ kindness, that is, to make them release from suffering and enlighten them. In order to enlighten them I must enlighten myself. Even the arhats have that much knowledge, psychic powers, and understanding, but they can’t help sentient beings as the buddhas do. Therefore I must achieve enlightenment first. In order to achieve enlightenment I must subdue or discipline my speech, body and mind. Therefore I am going to take the Mahayana ordination until tomorrow morning.”

Visualize the person granting the ordination surrounded by numberless Buddhas and bodhisattvas and you are taking ordination in their presence.

At the end of the third repetition of the prayer think that you have perfectly received the Mahayana ordination in the presence of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and all the infinite buddhas and bodhisattvas.

PRAYER

PRAYER OF PRECEPTS

MANTRA

DEDICATION

Think, “Due to the merits may all the meaning that the prayer contains be successful.” Also while you are concentrating on the emptiness of the three circles, dedicate the merits thinking like this. “May I quickly receive enlightenment by receiving realizations, the fully renounced mind of samsara, bodhicitta, and the full realization of the absolute nature in order to lead all sentient beings to enlightenment by releasing them from suffering.”

So yesterday we talked about benefits of prostrations. Generally just even making them without any motivation, just bringing up devotion with the pure object of the merit field, remembering Buddha, the perfected being, and making prostrations to him even thought there is no particular motivation, somehow even just that has incredible benefits, even though during the prostration time one doesn’t make any meditation.

Also as much ground as is covered by the body, there are that many incredible benefits. For instance like this. Starting from the surface of the ground where the person makes prostrations, by going down the very end, by measuring down, measuring through starting from the surface of the ground to the end, as it is explained in the mandala, there are eight circles like this. As many atoms that end the body of the person making one prostration, they create benefits such as to be born as a universal king that many times. Like a king of the universe—that means a being who has created so much merit before, who has all the possessions, who controls one continent, two continents, three continents like this. So as the person’s body covers the ground, that much the person’s body covers wider or longer, that much there is incredible benefit.

Yesterday I talked about how prostrating on the head brings the result of the hair knot when we receive enlightenment, and prostrating at the forehead brings the result of the curled hair on the forehead when you achieve enlightenment, and prostrating at the throat signifies purifying negatives. Prostrating on the head or forehead signifies purifying negative karma created by the body and also makes the cause to attain an enlightened being’s holy body. Just like this, prostrating at the throat purifies all the negativities made by the speech and also causes one to obtain the holy speech of the enlightened beings. Prostrating at the heart signifies, besides purifying all negativities created by the mind, causes one to receive the enlightened being’s holy mind. Besides this, also prostrations are the opposite of pride. It is a method that is opposite to pride; it helps a great deal to lose pride, to not bring up pride. So it is a remedy for pride. When you make prostrations you can visualize as I explained before, yesterday, if you can. Visualize the object as numberless as the atoms of the universe and in the presence of each of the holy objects, are your numberless previous lifetimes in the form of human beings making prostrations. If it is not possible then the most simple thing is also this. Whatever different manifestation of Buddha to whom you are making prostrations, instead of thinking of one body making prostrations, visualize your numberless previous lives bodies making prostrations, purifying the negative karmas created in those times, created by each previous life. This is very simple. Each time as you are prostrating you can visualize also light coming and purifying. After each prostration one most useful thing is thinking, “Now I have purified the negativities of body, now I have purified the negativities of speech, and completely purified the negativities of mind”. Also the prostration can be practiced in the six paramita way. That’s how, for instance, with you visualizing other sentient beings and making prostrations, making purification, you are leading them to try to practice this without being involved in the self-cherishing thought. Charity is thought of renouncing, the thought giving charity and morality is the thought of protecting, the thought of keeping, the thought of protecting the person himself away from the self-cherishing thought during the prostration time. That is how the prostration becomes the paramita of morality.

Then how the prostration practice becomes the paramita of patience. For instance, no matter how difficult it is during the prostration time, the physical body getting tired, however the difficulties during that time, you accept or bear the difficulties during the prostration time. However even though you find it uncomfortable or difficult, in spite of that you are making prostrations, accepting the suffering or bearing the trouble. That is how the prostration becomes the paramita of patience.

Then how the prostration becomes the paramita of energy. Generally the meaning of energy is the thought of pleasing. The energy we need to practice Dharma, to meditate is the thought of being pleased in that action, in that work. So during the prostration time the mind is pleased in the action of the prostration, in that purifying method. That is the energy. That’s how prostration becomes the paramita of energy.

The paramita of concentration is the mind being mindful, being conscious in regards the disciplines of the prostration, what is right. For instance, continuously being mindful in the way of making prostration or on the meditation of the prostration. Visualizing the holy object, purifying. The mind not being distracted, not like this—the body making prostrations but the mind doing some other things, going somewhere. That’s how prostration becomes the paramita of concentration.

How prostration becomes the paramita of wisdom. The person’s wisdom knows the right way to make prostrations, what is the disrespectful thing, the wrong method—knowing these things with wisdom. Also during the prostration time, making prostrations concentrating on the emptiness of yourself, the way you see, and the emptiness of the prostration. The emptiness of the way you think of the prostration, the emptiness of the object, the way you see, making the prostration is also concentrating like this. This is the wisdom that is checking the absolute nature of the objects. So that’s how the prostration becomes also the practice of the paramita of wisdom. Like this.

According to how much understanding the person has, he can make the prostration that rich, that high purification.

Then prostrations can be whole body prostrations and even hands like this. For instance, when you see the holy object of the merit field, the symbol of the merit field such as statues and stupas, even two hands prostrating making prostration is also making prostration. Also there are mind prostrations and prostrations of speech, besides prostrations of body. Mind prostration is devotion for that holy object, that perfected being, knowing the knowledge of the enlightened being. Prostration of speech is saying the knowledge of the holy object, such as orally admiring the knowledge of the holy object. That is prostration of speech. There are prayers chanted many times containing the knowledge of the enlightened beings, and these become prostration of speech.

In regards offerings, this is one, concentrating on making offerings for purification. This second one is from the seven limb prayer. You can think yourself as the bodhisattva Kuntu Zangpo. He is a bodhisattva who made incredible, infinite offerings, transforming the body in great numbers in different realms to great numbers of buddhas. Visualizing yourself as bodhisattva Kuntu Zangpo prostrate like this, and in the hand visualize that you are offering a jewel, and from the jewel rays radiate. They bring different offerings—the rays come and on the top of rays come different offerings, different objects for the different senses, like this. There is nectar to bring beautiful scented flowers, a very scented blissful nature, and scented sweet incense. There is light, blissful nature light, and blissful nature music, different types of music. Each different offering is made, such as beautiful divine robes, and all these are in a blissful nature. Just by seeing, just by listening, just by touching, just by tasting—there are also blissful offering cakes. Then as you have visualized the rays coming from the jewel, a great number of them, then again from each of those offerings again there are more offerings, like from the music, more music increasing, from that increasing more, more, and more music. Also from the flowers, light rays come and more flower offerings. Like this from each offering, increasing more and more like this. You can think visually this is like infinite space, infinite sky and all is a blissful nature, an offering to the merit field, the holy object that you are visualizing, such as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha surrounded by numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas, surrounded by all holy beings. You can also think like this. These are mentally transformed offerings. Besides the actual material offerings these are mentally transforming offerings that create so many benefits and merits, equal to the number you visualize.

I think I stop there.

9 am

So the quotation on bodhicitta takes time also, because it doesn’t make the subject go quickly, so then after some time only it gets to the part of the Mahayana meditations. Then maybe as it comes to the meditation there is a little bit on the benefits of bodhicitta again.

Generally the purpose of beginning the subject with bodhicitta is that even if the person doesn’t know any other methods, any other meditation, having some understanding of the benefits of bodhicitta and knowing that this thought is a really pure thought and thinking that with this thought is impossible to give harm and that it only causes peace and happiness for other beings and oneself, besides not just creating negative karma. Is a pure thought that is useful to have. Also the nature of that thought is well contained, and it is the thought always dedicating, always working for other sentient beings, always dedicating and using everything that one has for other sentient beings. Always using oneself, always dedicating oneself for other sentient beings, always trying to gain the method for other beings to receive happiness and to receive peace. Totally the nature of this thought is like this. So if a person has a little bit of understanding like this, bodhicitta, this pure thought, is based on the mind being well contained. That mind being well contained cuts off so many problems. Almost half of the life problems. So the person knowing just a little bit of the benefits of bodhicitta is fortunate. Even just bringing up the thought of bodhicitta, this realization, is a good thing, a good mind, seeing it as beneficial. Even having a little understanding of that, the person is lucky, fortunate. He is more fortunate than the person maybe who has been doing some other meditation for years and years, but has no understanding of bodhicitta or the benefits of bodhicitta, nothing. This person who knows a little bit about the benefits of bodhicitta, who thinks bodhicitta is a pure thought, is a good thing, he is more fortunate, I think, than the other person.

Then especially besides just thinking it is good, by understanding and hearing the benefits of the knowledge of bodhicitta, bringing up the thought, the wish to receive bodhicitta. Through this understanding, wishing to receive bodhicitta, thinking, “Oh, I would like to receive this realization, this bodhicitta.” That person is incredibly lucky, an extremely fortunate person. The person just wishing it creates infinite benefits. I think the person may get tired.

As I said before, in Shantideva’s teaching and in Guru Shakyamuni Buddha’s sutra teaching, the person prostrating, with the hands prostrating like this, thinking always to cultivate bodhicitta for all other sentient beings, even just this creates infinite benefits as infinite as space, because the object for whom you generate bodhicitta is sentient beings and the number of sentient beings is infinite. Comparing those benefits and the number of grains of sand of the Pacific, that number of jewels in the universe, that number of Buddhas, that number of eons. That’s what I mean. Just even wishing, even bringing up the thought to achieve bodhicitta, even wishing it, the person is incredibly fortunate. As it has that much benefit, the person receives that much higher understanding, creates that much benefit. Therefore, concerning many of these details at the beginning of the quotation on bodhicitta, a little bit I will try to explain as much as possible. I can’t really explain, it is impossible—I can’t really explain but I know one or two words due to the blessings of the gurus, so with these one or two words, I try to make noise! Like a chicken ... not a chicken ... baby chicks! I think that is a good example.

Even if the person doesn’t know how to practice bodhicitta, doesn’t know the method, just even within a few days, two or three days, even if the person receives even just that thought, the person is that lucky. The merits that the person creates within two or three days of the course, that is something that, even though he lives two hundred years in the West, his whole life studying, perhaps he may not create even a small part of that merit in all his life.

Therefore all this rest of the meditations starting from the meditation on way of following the guru and the perfect human rebirth, all this part of the meditation, and also emphasizing that part of the suffering meditation, particularly the suffering of the evil destinies, the suffering of samsara—all these are methods if you want to receive bodhicitta. By practicing these following meditations, each of these, actually what we are doing is that we are actually trying to understand the method that makes us receive bodhicitta. Before we talked much about the benefits, now we are really going through the method, we are practicing those following meditations. This is like hearing so much about New York, for example, so many things are there, and then afterwards you understand more and more and your mind cannot stand it any more, you want to go to New York right away, you cannot wait. Anyway then you take the actual path, make the actual trip, and then try to make money to get the tickets, then go by taxi to the airport, and take the airplane to India—like this gradually. Without making the money for the ticket, without having a ticket, without all this, one cannot get there—just by wishing you can’t get there. So just like the person who is making arrangements for that trip, just to go to New York, just like that, you are practicing these following meditations to be able to achieve the infinitely beneficial, pure thought of bodhicitta.

As we discussed yesterday, in order to achieve enlightenment the dualistic mind has to be purified. In order to purify the dualistic mind it is necessary to achieve bodhicitta. In order to achieve bodhicitta it is necessary to train the mind in all these following meditations, so therefore, starting from beginningless mind, from the perfect human rebirth, all these are methods, as is bodhicitta, to purify and cut off the dualistic mind. Just a simple example. When a person’s leg is bitten by a snake, wherever there is poison, that place has to be taken out through surgery. For instance, this is one way of saying—as we get confusion in the mind when we meditate on suffering, one day meditating on suffering, how it works, then not really understanding the point of the meditation, and the mind gets confused, conflicted. A simple example is surgery. For instance, in surgery cutting the skin where there is poison—that is done in order to bring peace, in order to cure it. So even if there is a little pain, even though there is a little pain that has to be experienced in order to cure and stop the bigger danger, the heavy sickness or death that comes afterward, due to the poison. There are many other heavy sicknesses that can be caused by the poison. For instance, if the person cares about the little pain of the injection, if the person doesn’t understand that the injection is to cure, to stop the bigger danger that comes afterwards, if the person doesn’t understand this and cares about temporal things, there is no way to be cured. So the wise person doesn’t care about that; even though there is pain he doesn’t care, because he thinks it is a method to cure and stop the bigger problem, such as the danger of death, and many other heavy problems. Therefore he bears it. This is recognized as clever; this person is wise.

It is important to know how all these meditations are the method to cut off the dualistic mind. People use dualistic mind, I don’t think dualistic ... There are many different types of dualistic.

Therefore before listening to the actual subject, it is necessary to be possessed by the pure thought of bodhicitta, thinking that, “I must lead all sentient beings into enlightenment by releasing them from all suffering. Therefore I must achieve enlightenment. In order to achieve enlightenment I must complete the realization of the whole graduated path, therefore I am going to listen to the teaching on the graduated path.”

The listening subject is the Mahayana teaching that leads the fortunate person to enlightenment and it is a teaching that is well expounded by the two great philosophers, Nagarjuna and Asanga. It is a profound teaching, the essence of the great yogis Atisha and Guru Tsongkhapa’s understanding of the teaching. This teaching includes the 84,000 teachings shown by Guru Shakyamuni Buddha and all these teachings are set up for the practice of one person’s achievement of enlightenment.

This commentary on the graduated path has four outlines. In order to show reference, the knowledge of the authors. In order to bring up devotion, the knowledge of the teachings. The way of listening and explaining the teachings and the way of leading the disciple in the path to enlightenment. The last one has two outlines—the way of following the guru who is the root of the path and the way of training the mind in the graduated path. The way of training the mind in the graduated path has two outlines—persuading the mind to take the essence with the perfect human rebirth and the way of taking the essence with the perfect human rebirth. The last one is divided into three—the graduated path of the lower being, the graduated path of the middle being, and the graduated path of the higher being. The graduated path of the lower being has two outlines—bringing up the thought seeking better a future life and following the method that brings happiness in the future life. Now the last one, following the method to gain happiness in the future life, has two outlines—refuge, which is the holy door of the teaching and bringing up the understanding belief in the karma that is the root of all perfection and all happiness.

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Refuge

Milarepa quotation. This is the essence of his teaching. Also we think that being scared, having fear of samsaric suffering, having fear of the impermanent life, having fear of the eight restless stages—we think telling and emphasizing that we should have fear is ridiculous, crazy. Like this. If we are not in samsara, there is no need to fear. If you are not in samsara then you are correct, if you are not living in ignorance you are correct, you don’t need fear for samsara, you don’t need to develop fear of samsaric suffering, you are correct. In regards you, you are correct. If you are not living in attachment and anger, you are correct. Even the person who tells you this should have the fear of samsaric suffering, that’s crazy because he doesn’t have samsara, he’s not living in samsara where he needs the fear of samsara because his samsara doesn’t exist. If that were so then you are correct, then the other person who tells you is really crazy.

Milarepa was not that silly, not that crazy. Of course, I mean, it takes time—understanding takes time and I understand this, that it takes time. Everything takes time.