These Are Raw Transcripts That Have Not Been Edited in Any Way, and May Contain Errors Introduced by the Volunteer Transcribers
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
These are raw transcripts that have not been edited in any way, and may contain errors introduced by the volunteer transcribers. Please refer to the audio on The Knowledge Base website (http://www.theknowledgebase.com) for the original teachings. ACI Course 6 The Diamond Cutter Sutra (RAW TRANSCRIPT) presented by Geshe Michael Roach Vajrapani Institute, CA August 1996 NOTE: TAPE TWO MISSING Diamond Cutter Sutra Vajrapani Institute - 8/24/96 Class One Let you and me get the mind down and let other people get here. [pause] Ah, yeah, there some prayers that...in your notebook and uh, we'll start with the one that says {kyabdro semkye} and we'll do that three times. That's sorta to set the tone that you're here because...Yes? [student: something about the mike] Is that better? How about I just do it. I'll just talk loud, okay? [laughs] We're gonna to do a prayer. It's in your notebook. We gonna to do {kyabdro semkye} and that's mainly to set the tone of the teachings. Hum, it to say why you came here and what you're going to do. And ideally you're here because, uh, you want to become a good person yourself and you want to help other people. And you want to... the best way to help others, according to Buddhism, is to become good yourself. And so you have a double goal. One is to become good yourself and the other is to help other people by doing that. So you kill two birds with one stone. In Tibetan they say {Digay shi goden di shey}, it means to shoot two deer with one bow...and uh, this is setting the tone. And that's the purpose of this prayer. Okay, and after that we do a mandala offering. Um. That again has two purposes. First of all it's requesting the teachings...because we're not supposed to teach unless people want it. And secondly, uh, ..during the mandala offering you try to imagine the whole planet earth, uh, as the perfect place. You know, everyone in the planet has reached some kind of happiness and and joy and permanent contentment..and then you offer that...and that's how we...that's the correct payment for this teaching cause that's the only way thing that would be appropriate for this. There's no amount of money or uh, jewels or uh, diamonds or anything else that would be worth this teaching . So...actually offering the whole world in exchange for the teachings... the whole world perfect and everyone in it happy. And that's sorta appropriate payment for this teaching, okay? [laughs] So we'll do that prayer. I think that Drimay will be the chanting master. [prayer: refuge] [student, Drimay: it's on page that says {mandel} at the top] [prayer: short mandala] [pause] Okay..okay..this complete? Welcome. We're going to study, uh, Diamond Cutter Sutra and it was taught by Lord Buddha, uh, 500 bc And, there's an interesting part right in the middle of the Diamond Cutter Sutra that says, uh, "anyone who starts studying this, uh, sutra well will start to have disasters happening in their life". [laughs]. Eh, because it's some kind of purification. You know, to study this sutra which is so precious ..uh..that all the bad karmas that you have collected up inside of you already ..they'll start to come out in a better way than if you had left them there. But the profits of them coming out causes some problems. And I have no doubt that...and you should have no doubt that during the course of this week there will be some problems. Like the microphone not working and [laughs] uh, and you have to be ready for those. Okay, so there will be..uh, things will go wrong..uh.. it will probably rain the whole week ...uh... it will be too hot or too cold..uh... there will bugs flying around...uh, right in the middle of the important part you'll start to get a {klesha}. You know, you'll start to get jealous of somebody or you'll start to think something bad or your foot will start to hurt or something like that. And I just want to say..hum...you know, we're very lucky. I mean to have a thing like this here, uh, is is incredibly rare. First of all, we're all healthy, fairly...I mean, we're healthy enough to have this class. Huh, we've been blessed by many great Lamas who have come here..hum, they have taught us and past things on to us. Many great Lamas here before. [voice chokes] so we're lucky from that point of view. Hum, and we're lucky that ,uh, people have worked so hard to arrange all this thing here. Hum, Buddhism is is always against the idea of self- existence. And this place didn't come here self-existently, you know. Lots of people worked here. There's lot of people behind the scenes who are really doing a lot of work and pulling their hair out and usually they don't even get to come to the teachings. First time the Dalai Lama came to our temple...when they announced it...people asked me, "Well, won't it be wonderful ?" And I said, "Not really because I'll be in the kitchen making mo-mos." you know, [laughs] [laughter] I won't be able to see him and all the people who never come will be able to meet him, you know, and that's exactly what happened. Hum, and so all the people who worked to make this possible are still over there washing dishes or something and you have to be grateful to them . They really worked hard. Hum, this place is beautiful and it's ,uh, very hard to keep it up. And it's very hard to keep it here. So, you know, try to express your gratitude to those people and be grateful to them. So.. [student: Now that you mentioned that, there a list from the kitchen] [laughs] Okay, there is a guy making mo-mos. [laughter] [student: [unclear]] Okay, so it's very very lucky , very unusual to have this happen...and uh, it will be unusual if we get through the week without some problems. So just be a top ass and uh, and put up with them. Don't be wimpy, you know. If your legs hurt or something, just do it...okay... and it's very lucky, it's very fortunate. We don't know if we'll have a chance like this again. So, take advantage of it and and and do it. Hum, I'm asking people.. this course normally takes about two to three months and this is sort of an experiment to try to do it in one week. It's going to be very hard for you. Huh, there will be lot of material. It will be going on very long each day ...and it will be hard for you to ,huh, keep up with it... and it will be little uncomfortable for you physically. So you have to try to be tough and try to try to hang it out and try to finish it. Hum, I'm asking people not to miss more than ,uh, two classes. I mean, normally in the course in New York we kick you out, but uh, I think, here, they're being more wimpy or something, I don't know. Uh, but try to, try to come to all ten. The idea is that this is a transmission. This is a lineage. Uh, this is a lineage really just starting in America of the Diamond Cutter Sutra and and really not many people have heard it. The book you're going to study was just found again. It was lost. Um, it's the whole start of what I hope would be a long lineage in this country of the Diamond Cutter. It's extremely important. So, you know, if you only come to half the classes, then from the very first day the lineage is, like, fifty percent and after... we gotta to go five thousand..twenty five hundred more years with it. So it's no good if from the first day there's only half. After a few hundred years it will get down to ,huh, you know, people doing it as a little prayer in the temple or something...and people won't understand what it means, at all. So it's very important, if it's at all possible, that you don't miss any of these classes, okay? Huh, otherwise you won't be able to pass it on to other people.. And you should be in the mode or the mood of thinking..huh.. as you go through this class you won't get this again..we won't have time to do this again. You won't get these conditions again. Huh, imagine that you are like the last person in America who's hearing it and it's up to you to hand it on to other people. And it really is. You have to think of it that way. Making notes very nice...huh, try to pay attention to everything...try to catch everything...in the state of mind that one day you can pass it on to other people.