SHANTIDEVA’S Guide to the ’s Way of Life An oral explanation of Chapter 3: Full Acceptance of the Awakening Mind

Kyabje Gelek Rimpoche

Teachings 1997 - 1998 Ann Arbor, Michigan

Jewel Heart Transcript

Gelek Rimpoche, Bodhisattva’s Way of Life Chapter 3 – Extensive Commentary

© 2002 Ngawang Gelek. All rights reserved. Cover design: Piet Soeters

Jewel Heart Transcripts are lightly to moderately edited transcriptions of the teachings of Kyabje Gelek Rimpoche and others teachers who have taught at Jewel Heart. Their purpose is to provide Rimpoche’s students, as well as all others who are interested, with these extremely valuable teachings in a way that gives one the feeling of being present at the teachings.

JEWEL HEART 1129 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA

Phone (1) 734.994.3387

Fax (1) 734.994.5577 www.jewelheart.org

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book is a moderately edited transcript of oral explanations given by Kyabje Gelek Rimpoche on Chapter Three of ’s Bodhisattvacharyavatara, A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Rimpoche gave these teachings on Tuesday nights in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from July 1997 to April 1998. Rimpoche’s teachings on Shantideva’s text have continued to the present; he has now reached Chapter 6. Transcripts of Chapters Four through Ten will be issued in separate volumes as they are completed. The transcripts on Chapters One and Two are already available.

Throughout this transcript, Rimpoche uses the English translation by Stephen Batchelor, published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Since frequently makes reference to Tibetan words and phrasing, the Tibetan translation of the original is included in Wylie transliteration.

Rimpoche did not introduce a traditional extensive outline in giving this teaching. For those interested, an outline of this sort may be found in ’s Meaningful to Behold. The headings and subheadings in this present volume have been added by the editor for ease of reference, and to help delineate changes of topic. Footnotes and a glossary provide some background information.

The transcription of these teachings from tapes was done by Hartmut Sagolla, who has spent countless hours transcribing a great number of Rinpoche’s teachings. Marianne Soeters provided the glossaries from which most of the entries in the glossary in this volume were drawn. Jewel Heart owes a debt of gratitude for the efforts she has put in as editor to make transcripts of Rinpoche’s teachings available in useful form. It has been my great good fortune to be able to work on this volume. Errors in this transcript are solely due to my carelessness or lack of knowledge. Please let me know about any you may find in order that we may improve future editions. May this work be of great benefit to all who read it or even hear about it!

Jang chub sem chog rin po che May the precious bodhimind Ma kye pa nam kye gyur chig Not yet born arise and grow. Kye pa nyam pa may pa yang May that born have no decline, Gong nay gong du pel war shog But increase forever more.

Anne Warren, Cleveland, Ohio, December 9, 2001, Ganden Nga Chö

CONTENTS

Introduction ...... 1

Preparation for Developing Bodhimind ...... 13 Verse 1: Rejoicing ...... 20 Verses 2 and 3 ...... 21 Verse 4 ...... 23 Questions and Answers ...... 26 Verses 5 & 6: Requesting Teachings,Request to Remain ... 31 The Preliminaries for Bodhimind ...... 36 Questions and Answers ...... 50 Dedicating ...... 54 Verse 7: General Dedication ...... 64 Verse 8: Dedicating for Healing ...... 72 Questions and Answers ...... 83 The Essence of our Practice ...... 91 Verse 10: Dedicating to Eliminate Poverty ...... 104 Verse 11: Dedicating one’s Body and Virtues ...... 104 Questions and Answers ...... 115 Verse 12 ...... 117 Verses 13 and 14 ...... 126 Questions and Answers ...... 129 Verse 15 ...... 136

Verse 16 ...... 139 Verse 17 ...... 143 Meditating on These Points ...... 152 Questions and Answers...... 170 Spiritual Development is Mind Development ...... 172 Questions and Answers...... 187 Verses 18 to 22 ...... 200 Taking the ...... 202 Verses 23 and 24: the Bodhisattva Vow ...... 202 Questions and Answers...... 224 Nothing Here is Separate From Your Practice ...... 230 Concluding Actions ...... 245 Verses 25 to 27 ...... 245 Working with the Mind: Developing Ultimate Love And Compassion ...... 249 Verse 28 ...... 271 Questions and Answers...... 273 Verse 29 ...... 293 verse 30 ...... 295 Questions and Answers...... 297 Verse 31 ...... 303 Overcoming our Addictions ...... 304 Verse 32 ...... 317 Questions and Answers...... 322 The bottom Line ...... 338 Verse 33 ...... 346 Verse 34 ...... 347 Tibetan Text ...... 352

Glossary ...... 359

Selected Bibliography ...... 384 On The Bodhisattva Vow ...... 387

Gelek Rimpoche

INTRODUCTION 1

We are actually now on Chapter Three. I thought we would never finish the second chapter! So this third chapter is about accepting, holding and recognizing the bodhimind. The translation calls it Full Acceptance of the Awakening Mind.2 What is a Bodhisattva? What does the word Bodhisattva mean to us? How does a person become a Bodhisattva? I would like to hear your statements on this. Student: A Bodhisattva is somebody who through love and compassion is dedicated to helping all sentient beings. It is a person who has the bodhimind. Rimpoche: Let me ask you a question. Is bodhimind a mind of desire? Student: I think there is a desire to help and benefit, if that is technically called desire. Rimpoche: If there is desire it means that they want something. What do they want? Student: They want to become Buddhas.

1

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Rimpoche: So the mind of a Bodhisattva is not necessarily free of desire. They may not have attachment-oriented desire, or they may have attachment, too. They may be very attached to becoming Buddhas! What is bodhimind? On the one hand they are totally dedicated to altruistic service, and, at the same time, they have the very strong desire to become fully enlightened. Both of these minds combined together become one piece of mind. That is bodhimind. Is such a mind possible? Don’t these two aspects of the same mind contradict each other? Apparently they don’t. They don’t contradict each other, because the reason why the want to attain enlightenment is not just so that they can become Buddhas for their own sake, but because they need the best tools available in order to help those who need help. The best help for them is the ability to communicate. That is the best way. Magic may work sometimes, but at other times it does not. That is why it is magic; it is not scientific. You have to be able to communicate with people, not just show them magic tricks. With the bodhimind you are really committing yourself. You don’t just say, “I may do it.” You are taking the total responsibility to liberate all beings. It is way beyond our imagination. In normal American language, you would have to say it is totally crazy! It is almost impossible. When Bodhisattvas have committed themselves to do that, they will look for the best way. What are the best tools, the best spiritual path, the best spiritual technology? No other tool is better than the enlightened level. The Bodhisattvas think, “Oh, that is what I need. I need it to do this and this to help.”

2

Gelek Rimpoche

You can find a lot of people who have all sorts of computer equipment in their home. They have the justification, “I have all these computers not for myself, but because my work requires me to have them.” In the same way, Bodhisattvas do desire enlightenment, because their work requires them to become enlightened, so that they can communicate better with people. The best tool for helping others Enlightenment means knowing everything, knowing everybody’s mind, knowing whatever they need, and being able to talk to them. We non- enlightened persons have to talk to you the best way we can. We have to worry, “You are not going to like this - maybe you will hate this - it is probably not making sense to you - this may go against American culture.” Sometimes you may have to consider that, “This may go against .” But enlightened beings can do everything freely without having to worry. They understand people’s needs as well as the capability of their minds to accept or reject. They know everything, if people will reject it, how much can they accept, how helpful will that be. That is why that state is called enlightenment. It is very difficult to communicate with people when you don’t know what they are thinking and doing. Here in Michigan it is hard enough to get into the head of Governor Engler about Social Security or about the homeless people, and this is just one person! When you are trying to liberate all beings, you have zillions of people that you want to communicate with! So Bodhisattvas are handicapped in that way. We cannot read people’s minds; we do not understand what they want. We may have two or three possibilities that we can suggest, but we are not sure which is going to be the best. These are the defects that Bodhisattvas have. They want to go beyond these defects and make sure that what they

3

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

communicate is perfect and helps people, and they want to find the best way to apply it. That is the reason why they seek the enlightened state. Bodhimind or awakening mind is born out of compassion. It totally comes from love and compassion. Care brings love, love brings compassion and that brings dedication. Dedication brings bodhimind. Technically it is called the special mind or extraordinary commitment, but it is dedication.3 This dedication brings bodhimind. Bodhimind seeks enlightenment because that is the best way you can help others. There is no other way. On the one hand it is totally dedicated; it is nothing but ultimate love and compassion. This is half the mind. The other half is totally dedicated to do whatever needs to be done to become fully enlightened. Combined together this is one mind of focus, dedication, and desire. It becomes one consciousness and that is bodhimind. This may serve as a very brief introduction to what bodhimind is. Simple dedication alone will not do. Simply love and compassion will not do. The process of caring, love and compassion, dedication and seeking the best tools available - following all the steps combined together - that is bodhimind. Some translators call it bodhimind, some say awakening mind, some say altruistic mind. People put different labels on it. We have to know what they are talking about. Earlier I asked the question whether it is possible to combine love and compassion with seeking enlightenment, especially in an unselfish way. There should not be any self- interest. Being unselfish and having the desire to become a Buddha - how does that work together? On the one hand you care about yourself and on the other hand you have this huge desire. You are not satisfied being a Bodhisattva. You really

4

Gelek Rimpoche

want to become a Buddha. It is a great demand - especially when claiming no self-interest! The simple justification is that the reason why the Bodhisattvas desire is that it is the best tool they can get and their commitment is too big, too high and too long-term otherwise. The people you want to help cannot wait. Every minute more that they have to wait means another suffering that they have to go through! Therefore there is this sense of urgency. It is really very urgent. Because of that, the two aspects of the bodhimind don’t contradict each other. Wishing others to be enlightened first Having said that, some Bodhisattvas have the attitude of a shepherd.4 They think, “I want all the sheep to go first and after that, I will go.” In other words, “I want to make sure all sentient beings are enlightened, and only then will I become enlightened myself.” That actually never works. Such a shepherd-like Bodhisattva who generated that attitude during the Buddha’s lifetime would today still have to remain as a Bodhisattva, waiting for everybody else to go through! It would mean waiting forever! In a way it is a great mind, a great commitment, for sure! However, what help could you give? Without having the tools, it would be very limited. They could not do much. Especially in this country now, if you don’t have the right tools, you are completely out, right? So enlightenment is the tool for the Bodhisattvas to do their job. It is their job requirement! They have to become Buddhas. This is why tells us that our ultimate goal is to become fully enlightened. People accept that without questioning. I don’t know why, but they do! It is a little surprising to me. All the Western people who are interested in that part of spiritual practice are very well educated people. They have the background of Greek and 5

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Latin knowledge, so it amazes me why you people don’t raise questions like “Is enlightenment necessary?” or “Is it true that there is a future life and if so, how?” You people should think about things like that. Why don’t you come out with such questions? Just saying “Buddhism accepts future lives. I am a Buddhist, so I accept future lives,” that is a stupid statement! Buddhist or non-Buddhist, I must have reasons why I accept certain points. How we know things: direct perception and reasoning I don’t need reasons to accept that this piece of paper in front of me is white. I can see that. But I do need reasons to accept enlightenment and future lives. Without reasons, it is hard to accept - even for me! And I am the one with the Tibetan background! Recently, I mentioned to a friend that how I was brought up and educated in Tibet was definitely like the 16th or 17th century. It was like the Cowboy-and-Indian period in this country. I was brought up in that style, then suddenly I was picked up from the middle of the 17th century, carried over the Himalayas and dropped into the 21st century! That is a big change. Imagine your time suddenly shifting by two hundred or more years! I was talking with this friend of mine and I said, “I am a Midwestern American, but I am different. I am unique, because I have seen two different centuries together!” So even with that background of having grown up 16th century style, I have raised a lot of questions. I have questions coming up in my head all the time. I think a lot, whatever I do. That is important. So I am amazed that you people don’t question. You just go along, “Buddhists believe in reincarnation. I am a

6

Gelek Rimpoche

Buddhist, so I also believe in reincarnation.” That is just such a stupid statement. Really! It is worse than a hillbilly mentality. You are the ones who have to understand, or to reject, you have to make a difference to yourself and without having those thoughts it will be very hard for you to do anything. You definitely have to raise a lot of questions. Don’t ever think that if you raise such questions, it will go against the tradition! On the contrary, it helps the tradition to become clearer. You know it. When you have to learn something, if you don’t think and analyze, it is extremely difficult. Learning, thinking and meditating Without learning, you cannot meditate. People think that they can just sit down and meditate. If you do that, you can simply sit there. The ground you are meditating on will be a very shaky one, because you have not established it for yourself. When somebody else comes along, especially if they have a big name or title, and tells you something different, you will think that perhaps you were wrong or that the ideas you had subscribed to were wrong. This is because you don’t have the firm grounding of your own points. You can only get such a firm grounding if you think and analyze. If you want to, we can call it analytical meditation. That sounds a little more romantic. But what you have to do is think and find the truth by yourself, within your mind. You can ask questions, read, ask people, make your statements, re-examine these and see what your mind is really getting into. Then all the important points will be established. For example, let’s take . Many of us simply accept that straight away. But the questions should arise, “What are we seeking protection from? Why are we seeking it?” We don’t ask Buddha, and for protection against being mugged on the street! So what are we seeking refuge from? And why from Buddha, Dharma and Sangha

7

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

and not from the devil? You have to process these thoughts within you until you are convinced that this is the best thing to do. Then your decision will be strong and solid. What spiritual development is At the same time, you will be building up your spiritual development. This does not come with some kind of big bang. It is not that some huge rainbow comes down, saying, “I am your spiritual development!” It does not work that way at all! It has never worked that way in 2500 years of Buddhist tradition! Spiritual development is nothing but overcoming negativities within you. The moment you overcome negativity, your positive status is building up and up, getting better and better. Sometimes you will be able to see what other people are thinking about. Sometimes you know what is going to happen. It may accidentally slip out from your mouth and actually happen that way. All these are symptoms of spiritual development. You don’t spend any time to gain that. If you do, it is not spiritual practice, but simply self-interest-oriented power mongering. At the time of death, when you have to do the total calculation of how many positive and negative things you have done, you will have to find out that what you think was positive has been simply power mongering and therefore it is not true, perfect spiritual work. You don’t seek these things. Let them come up as symptoms. And they do; it is automatic. When you cut the negativities down, these symptoms will pick up. The negativities are called blocks. When you remove the blocks you can see. For example, if you have a wall in front of you, you cannot see what is on the other side. As soon as you remove that wall, you see what is happening on the other side. Just like that, the negativities are blocks. 8

Gelek Rimpoche

Some people are gifted by nature. They have much less of certain negativities. There are some cases where a ghost-type of person might have given some help here and there. But these are only very few people. That however is also not a spiritual development, but a gift received from somebody. The real true fact of spiritual development is the removal of negativity. That is how you can measure it. How good you are, how bad you are is measured on those grounds. Who can attain Bodhimind? Bodhimind is a very precious mind. We have read about the benefits of this mind in Chapter One, where it was said to be like an elixir that makes everything into gold.5 It has fantastic benefits! Can such a mind develop within me, living in downtown Ann Arbor or Detroit? The answer given by the enlightened beings is, “Sure, you can have it! Every sentient being has the capacity. Particularly, every human being has the possibility. Those who think about it and put efforts in, have a probability.” There is not a single human being who does not have positive karmic seeds. Once His Holiness the Dalai was talking about a similar point in Jerusalem. Somebody there asked, “Did Hitler have such a positive mind?” The said, “Sure, why not? He was also a human being.” He said that in Jerusalem. Luckily nobody reacted badly! That was nice. If you think from that angle, even Hitler had the possibility of developing bodhimind. However, he turned that around and - forget about bodhimind! - became some kind of monster. So it depends on the individual. The possibilities and probabilities are there, but it is up to you whether you bring that up or whether you don’t want to worry about it, and not

9

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

care, or whether you even want to go against that for the sake of conquering the world. Conquering the world was Hitler’s and also Mao’s agenda. With that agenda, whatever they touched became negative and brought horrifying results. It is so important, whatever you do, not to have a personal agenda. There is no room in bodhimind for a personal agenda. None at all! It is much better to be happy-go-lucky than to be an efficient person who is mean and has a personal agenda. You are better off being some happy-go-lucky guy than a mean, cruel CEO! If you are a happy-go-lucky person, you may not be that serious and that may be a problem. But it is better than having a personal agenda and stirring up society or other groups. If you have bodhimind, the totally altruistic mind, it is of course not only bread, but bread with butter and jam. What do I need to attain Bodhimind? If I have the possibility, what makes this mind grow with me? This mind is called precious mind or jewel mind. Bodhisattvas are called Sons of Buddha, because they are the heirs to the throne. Unless you are a very lucky6 person you cannot become such a prince of fully enlightened beings. Not everybody can become Prince Charles, right? Even if you are, you have to hand over Hong Kong to the Chinese! So I don’t know how lucky he is! Anyway, there has to be a tremendous amount of luck, of , a strong karmic backbone. Without this, no matter how much you try, you will not get it. You will get a lot of problems, you will get frustrated, etc., because you are not lucky enough. What brings luck? Positive deeds bring luck; negative deeds bring unlucky circumstances. What is the best way to gain positive ? We work hard, but how much are we able to put in? People are saying that they are saving for their 10

Gelek Rimpoche

retirement. They work their whole lives and how much can they save? Then there are some interesting people like Donald Trump who do some funny little things here and there a little bit and make zillions from that. Right? So on the one hand here we are, working so hard, doing three or four things at the same time just to make it through the day. At the end of the day, you will probably not have any savings anyway! On the other hand, some people, even if they don’t do anything, something comes up. Even when it looks like their fortunes are about to go down, to collapse, something pops up. What makes that difference? In one way, the normal American explanation is that you did not work hard enough, or that you have been stupid. But there are also people like inventors, entrepreneurs, like Einstein for example. I don’t think he had a PhD; maybe he even did not have a high school certificate. When you look at the people who made a huge difference, it did not necessarily depend on their level of education. The capacity which produced the result was the inquiring human mind. Without utilizing your inquiring mind, it is extremely difficult to understand your life. If you don’t inquire, you simply accept the words of whoever it maybe. Building good fortune through rejoicing Anyway, the lucky ones are those who have a great positive force within them. One of the best ways for us to link up with that positive force, that good karma, is rejoicing. The trick is to rejoice in whatever others have done rather than becoming jealous of them. You know what Buddha said? He said that if you are spiritually more highly developed than somebody else who has done some good work, and if you rejoice in that, you will get

11

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

double the benefit. If you are equally as developed as such a person, you get an equal benefit. If that person is more highly developed spiritually than you, you get half. Even fifty per cent is not bad, is it? So rejoicing is a powerful method of building merit within you. I believe we in Jewel Heart have to keep on rejoicing in everybody else’s money! That is a joke. We are not rejoicing in their money but in their positive karma.

12

Gelek Rimpoche

PREPARATION FOR DEVELOPING BODHIMIND

This chapter is about how to develop bodhimind, and is divided into a preparation part, the actual taking of the vows and a conclusion. We are now at the preparation part. The most important parts of the preparation are purification and developing luck. A lot of people get surprised and shocked when I say ‘luck’. They think that they are not supposed to be working for their luck. This is wrong. Even here in the text there are references to the fortunate who are lucky enough. You do need luck, for sure! What is luck? It is the positive karma you have. This gives you the fulfillment of your wishes. Positive karma is the cause for your wishes to come true! You can call that luck. If you don’t have positive karma, then no matter how much work you put in, you will still be the same old mole! You know

13

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

the mole goes under ground for the winter, and when it comes out in spring, it is still the same old mole. The importance of rejoicing What is the best method to gain a lot of merit and good karma? Rejoicing is the easiest way, yet very profitable, the great investment without risk of losing anything! Once I gave this explanation at Ganchen Rinpoche’s center in Milan. When I reached Brazil to give a talk to one of Ganchen Rinpoche’s groups there, they already had produced a T -shirt with Rejoice - the great risk-free investment printed on it! Rejoicing is one of the best methods to make yourself lucky. If you are competing with somebody and your competitor wins, then instead of getting jealous and angry, rejoice! There is tremendous profit in that. Rejoice in anything good that anybody does. Let them work, let them sweat! You take the profit! Our normal delusional mind will tell us, “That is not right. I have to fight for my success and I can’t rejoice in somebody else having it. How can I rejoice in such a terrible enemy’s achievement?” Our mind will always look down on other people. We always perceive ourselves as superior. We all deny that. But we do have this feeling of being something special. You will say, “I don’t get jealous!” But the truth is that you do. The reason is that we think we are something very special. It is always ME, ME, ME! We do have that feeling no matter how much we deny it. Because of that feeling we demand special recognition. Because of this we demand special acknowledgement. We think, “I am not like him or her, I am more important!” People do get that. It is a normal process.

14

Gelek Rimpoche

I talked about this with a number of people last weekend. It is a normal process we all go through. Actually, that happens particularly when certain powerful delusions such as hatred or attachment are beginning to balance a little bit in your system. At that moment pride comes up. The ego jumps in. Ego and pride want to be especially entertained. They will fight for that. If they don’t get it, they become uncomfortable. Recognizing pride and jealousy Again, I would like to remind you that this is the time where you are encountering with your ego’s projection of pride. If you watch your mind, it will tell you, “I am certainly not fighting for that.” But then you ask your mind, “So what do you really want then?” It will say, “Well, normal treatment as a human being!” Then when you look to your right and to your left you see that you enjoy conditions better than anybody else and still you think that you have been pushed out, ignored and treated like a doormat! So all these things come up when you are in the middle of the practice. It is important to recognize that it is the manifestation of ego in the form of pride. If you ask yourself inside if this is pride, your ego will say, “No.” But then you have to ask, “So what do you want then?” The sources of pride and the sources of joy are all within us. There is nothing external. It is very much internal. There are a lot of ways and means of bringing good fortune to ourselves. I am not talking about money here, although it is included. Both kinds of fortune, money as well as spiritual fortune, depend on positive karma. Without positive karma, no matter how hard you work, you will get nothing. Even if you get something right in your hands, it doesn’t last. If you have it today, tomorrow it is already spent. If it stays with you for twenty-four hours, you are lucky. 15

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Maitreya Buddha says, As a farmer you want good rainfall on time. The king of the gods comes down and gives you the perfect amount of rain fall that you need, not too much, not too little - right on time. But if the seeds are not right, if they are burnt or rotten, you are still not going to get any crops. Likewise, all the Buddhas will come to you and help you and support you, but if you don’t have the fortunate karma, nothing can work. If you don’t have the fortune you will not experience a great result at all. Therefore, to be lucky is extremely important. An unlucky person can never be a Bodhisattva. To grow bodhimind within you is extremely expensive from the karmic point of . You need a tremendous amount of merit. That is why they give you this tool. The easiest way to gain merit is to keep on rejoicing. Rejoice in Buddha, in the mind of Buddha, in the activities of Buddha, in Buddha’s compassion, his unlimited love. Keep on rejoicing: in the Bodhisattvas, and in those who have not obtained the Buddha state, but who are free from suffering. Verses 1 to 4 are telling you what to rejoice in. If you keep on rejoicing in that, you gain a tremendous amount of merit. Here we give you tremendous, vast things to rejoice in, and so it means that when something happens right in front of your nose, when somebody you know does something good, you cannot ignore that either; you have got to rejoice in that as well. Let’s say your neighbor or roommate is doing something good, your boyfriend is doing something good, your girlfriend is doing something good, or your husband or your wife is doing something good. Instead of getting jealous, you should rejoice. 16

Gelek Rimpoche

Rejoicing and respect as antidote Our natural habitual pattern would definitely lead us to become jealous. Again it is because of pride. Our pride will say, “I am the Chosen One!” - I am exaggerating a little bit – and “If something good is being done, I am the one who should be doing it! Why should he do it? Why would she do it? She is just poking her dirty nose in it!” We do have these sorts of thoughts and attitudes. It is our habitual pattern. We have to correct that by rejoicing and gaining respect for people. We are so cynical! We always want to look at people from a different window. We will say, “What they are doing looks good, but what is behind it?” We must learn to trust people. Maybe that is a little too much, but at least we must learn to respect people. Instead of that, we are very cynical. There may have been a few occasions where people have done something wrong. Sure, we are all human beings, we make mistakes. But people are not necessarily bad all the time either. No one will be bad forever. No one is perfect all the time. We are good at looking at other people in a cynical way. But if you look at yourself in just such a cynical way, you will get a big surprise. Of course, you will come up with a lot of explanations like “I had to do that, because of ....” If you start to go through all these reasons, they are all excuses. There are always different ways of doing that. When it concerns me, I would like to give myself all the benefit of doubt or any possible explanation. If it involves other people, I don’t want to give them even the benefit of doubt – nothing! That is the switch we make. Whether you have to trust other people is a different thing, but you cannot look through a different window and try to project everything through calculated, agenda-oriented movements. We must respect people and

17

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

then listen without being too quick to make judgments. When you move in that way you begin to get an idea about rejoicing. Right at this moment when I say to you, “Don’t get jealous, rejoice,” you will say, “Yeah, okay, I can rejoice.” But that rejoicing will be a sort of hollow rejoicing. Through language or reading you get the idea that you should rejoice. But it is hollow. All the rejoicing will come when you learn how to respect others. I don’t mean physical respect, but mental respect, how you treat people. That is extremely important. Giving respect instead of judging We put labels on each and every human being. When you discard those labels you are finally left with nobody. You especially put labels on people who are close to you, living with you, people whom you spend time with. You will say, “He is good, but he is short- tempered,” “He is good but lazy,” “He is good, but crazy.” When you apply those labels, you are passing judgment, whether you think so or not. You are not really regarding the person as a respectable human being. Sometimes it happens to me, too, that when somebody says something, I expect them to say certain specific things next but when they actually speak I get a big surprise. That is because we always want to make up our minds first. We make judgments and then are surprised if that does not turn out to be true. So we have to be open and respect the people that we deal with. When we can do that, we will find out how to rejoice meaningfully rather than in a hollow way. Here, the first four verses of this chapter present a lot of things that you can rejoice in. You can rejoice in the Buddhas’ activities of liberating beings. You can rejoice in the

18

Gelek Rimpoche

activities of Bodhisattvas specifically helping sentient beings. You rejoice in the bodhimind for its commitment. You rejoice in the activities of those who have obtained self-liberation, the Arhats. You rejoice in their recognition of suffering, of the cause of suffering, of their discovery that suffering depends on causes and that joy depends on causes. Results depend on causes Results totally depend on causes. If there are no causes and conditions nothing can happen. If I bring a handful of wheat grain and put that on this table, and then pray and even water these grains, while keeping them at a perfect temperature - even then I will not get any wheat at all, because there is no base on which the wheat can grow. There is no soil or any other equivalent base. The table is just a piece of dry wood. So it does not work. We can invite all the Buddhas to come down here and pray that the wheat may grow, but no wheat will grow. The conditions are not right, so nothing works. Anything that grows has to have causes and conditions. Without them nothing happens. So whatever we have, joy or sorrow, depends on the cause. To work on the level of the cause is the way of people like us who are looking for development. We don’t attempt to switch over to the result directly. We change the result through working on the cause. That is why in order to grow the bodhimind we rejoice. I think I have said enough about rejoicing.

19

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verse 1: Rejoicing

Gladly I do rejoice In the virtue that relieves the misery Of all those in unfortunate states And that gives happiness to the suffering. So that is why the first verse is about rejoicing. It says that we should rejoice in the virtue that can free all sentient beings from suffering and particularly from the lower realms or unfortunate states. They need to be freed from their physical, mental and emotional suffering, from the misery which they have had for a very, very, very long time. They are looking for somebody who can give them a break from that. We are rejoicing in anybody who can do that. My way of explaining does not correspond very well with this English translation here, but that is what is meant. I don’t have any jealousy nor even competitive feelings at all towards those who are able to bring people who are in the nature of suffering into the nature of joy, but I will totally, happily and joyfully rejoice. What sort of joy do you have? You should be extremely happy to see anybody relieved of their sufferings! You should be so happy that you cry, so happy that your body shakes, so happy that all the hairs on your body stand up! You should have such a strong, powerful emotional and physical joy rising within you. That is the way in which you really rejoice.

20

Gelek Rimpoche

Verses 2 and 3

I rejoice in that gathering of virtue That is the cause for (the ’s) Awakening, I rejoice in the definite freedom of embodied creatures From the miseries of cyclic existence.

I rejoice in the Awakening of the Buddhas, And also in the spiritual levels of their Children.7 The awakening mind, the (Arhat’s) Awakening, mentioned in this verse is not bodhimind, the mind that takes you to Buddhahood.8 So the use of the term Awakening Mind may be a problem. It is not bodhimind that is being talked about here, although the Tibetan term used is jang chub. Jang means when the practice has become perfect. Chub means that it is observed within you. So the one term jang chub is being used for Buddhas and also for Arhats. The reason is that both are the results of perfect practice. So here in verse 2, I rejoice in the positive karma and positive work, the gathering of virtue, which brings people to the level of Arhats. This is the level of ordinary liberation, not the extraordinary level of the Buddhas. The Arhats are sort of second-class citizens in enlightened society. What makes them second-class citizens? Their self-interest. They have not given up selfish thoughts and motivations. They do care about

21

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

others, but their own liberation is more important to them. Their motivation is like this, “I want to be free from all sufferings and then I will see what happens.” It is like when you ask people for help and they say, “Well, I will see what I can do.’ That means they may or may not do it. There is no dedication, no enthusiasm. That is why Arhats are second-class citizens in the enlightened society. They are not totally dedicated to liberating all beings. It is not that they don’t have compassion and kindness. They do, yet they are not so committed, not so dedicated. Shantideva here rejoices even in the achievements of those second-class citizens. So if we rejoice even in the second-class citizens, the Arhats, of course we also rejoice in the fully enlightened Buddhas, and those who will become Buddhas, their children, the Bodhisattvas. That is what verse 3 says.

22

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 4 And with gladness I rejoice In the ocean of virtue, for developing an Awakening Mind That wishes all beings to be happy, As well as in the deeds that bring them benefit. The English translation does not seem to tally well with the Tibetan. Let me explain it in greater detail from the Tibetan. Up to here we have been rejoicing in all these people who have themselves obtained good results. Now what is the cause for those results? It is the actions taken by Bodhisattvas in order to bring ultimate joy to people and even if they cannot bring them ultimate joy, they have the mind wishing to do that, an Awakening Mind that wishes all beings to be happy. So we also rejoice in that which makes people achieve such joy, in the cause. The two types of bodhimind Who makes people achieve that joy? Those who are working for them, taking action to help them develop, and also those who wish to take action without doing anything yet. You may get confused or a little lost when I say this. The bodhimind is divided into two categories: One is the action-oriented bodhimind; the other is the wishing bodhimind.9 In order to have action-oriented bodhimind, you must first have the wishing bodhimind. First, you have to have the wish, then you act. So in order to show this, traditional texts say,

23

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

I rejoice in the action-oriented mind, I rejoice in the wishing mind. I rejoice in the people who are taking action and in those who wish to take action. So actually you are not leaving anybody out. Up to here, with this verse, the rejoicing is completed. We learned something very important here. Rejoicing is a very, very good spiritual business. It is better than the stock exchange! There is no risk involved. You lose nothing, but your gains are tremendous! Yet we don’t do it, because of our jealousy-oriented ego-pride combination which is controlling us. The confusions of pride and jealousy We are so confused we don’t even know what we want. I mean, I can’t really say that to you, since you are all educated and wonderful beings. But truly speaking, you are completely confused as to what you want! This does not go for everybody but for a number of people. This is through the mixture of ego and pride and jealousy. This makes you totally confused. The mind of Western people is very sharp; it works. For the Asians, if they use their mind, it also works. But if they don’t use their minds, they can function very well like robots. They can take anything, and they won’t feel bad. But the Western mind is such an inquisitive mind. When you look around you always think, “Is this right? Should I do that?” So when you always think that way, but don’t have enough background to support you in doing the right things, you get all this confusion of pride. Pride appears to be safeguarding your self-interest. Jealousy seems to be protecting you. You don’t want to be anybody’s doormat! This is all jealousy, pride and ego. They manifest in such a way. That is why we get confused. We don’t 24

Gelek Rimpoche

know what we want. We like to go and listen, we like to read this or that. But what are we looking for? Enlightenment? That is just a word. Enlightenment is such an interesting word. From the Buddhist point of view, we are talking about being a Buddha, but many other people will not think that way. They probably think that Kojak is the most enlightened policeman! Many of us here have spent months listening to explanations about this bodhimind and about Bodhisattvas, but we have no idea what is being talked about. We just learn how to say ‘Bodhisattva’. Even with that the pronunciation is incorrect! There is a big confusion. This confusion comes from pride, jealousy and ego. Ego is the big manufacturer. It manufactures that little toy called jealousy, which goes on giving excuses. Then it manufactures another toy called pride, which goes ME, ME, ME, ME, all the time. That is the reason for our confusion. If you want to see clearly what you want and need, you have to go beyond pride and jealousy. Then you begin to see what you are doing. Because of pride, you want to have this and that in the spiritual path, not only one but three, four or five things in a material way. When you try to bring them together, it is extremely difficult. When you catch this one, you lose that one. When you catch that one, you lose this one. As a matter of fact, is supposed to solve that problem. You are supposed to catch both together and also maintain them together. I don’t know how that works for us right at this moment.

25

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Questions and Answers Student: Isn’t it the Arhat’s karma that he does not have compassion for all beings? Rimpoche: The spiritual path is mind training. It is not simply mind control but mind training. In order to become an Arhat, you don’t need bodhimind, you don’t have to become a Buddha. You don’t even want to become Buddha! Your only aim is to be liberated yourself. It is not the Arhats’ path to strive for Buddhahood. But can an Arhat remain on this level forever? Two different answers are given, one according to the and one according to the . The Theravada tradition says that the achievement of the Arhat is their ultimate level of achievement. It is the end of the path. It might not be the Big One, but they have done okay. The Mahayana tradition, on the other hand, says that Buddhas will eventually say to the Arhats, “This is not the end. Every sentient being has the potential to become a fully enlightened Buddha, so why are you sitting there being lazy?” Student: What is the capacity-difference between Arhats and Buddhas? Rimpoche: Interesting question. The of the Arhats is just free of suffering and the causes of suffering. That is all. It is a very cozy and perfect comfort zone for them. When they have to act for the benefit of others, they are very limited. Enlightened beings are said to be able to do everything that needs to be done without any effort. The Arhats cannot do that. Enlightened persons only have to think of something and things begin to function. Arhats cannot do that. Enlightened knowledge has no limitations. That is why it is

26

Gelek Rimpoche

called Awakened Mind. It is total knowledge. Arhats don’t have that. The difference is like between the sky and the ground. We heard in Chapter One that even the immature Bodhisattvas, the weak and tiny ones, are more important than this type of fully liberated Arhat. The example given is that no matter how small the diamond may be, it is still a diamond. It is more important than any other jewel. There are five paths of the level and five paths of the Mahayana level.10 If the Arhats join the Mahayana path, they can only join at the third level, the path of seeing. Anybody who does not go according to the principles of the Theravada path, but directly joins the Mahayana, develops faster. Mahayana gives quicker results There is an interesting example that happened during Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime. A monk called Ö sung11 was supposed to be teaching sixty people seeking liberation who were destined to become Arhats in their lifespan before death. However, before he could complete their teaching, came and taught them the Mahayana. His teachings made them very skeptical and so when they died they were going to fall into the lower realms. Ö sung got the biggest shock in his life and went to Buddha to complain. He said, “Look, I was working hard with these sixty people and they were going to be liberated for sure. Being the Buddha you would know that. Am I right or wrong?” Buddha said, “Yes, you are right.”

27

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Then Ö sung said, “Before I could complete my teachings, Manjushri sneaked in and taught them Mahayana and now the consequence is that they are going to go to the hell realms! Isn’t that terrible? How are you going to punish Manjushri for that?” Buddha sat there smiling for a while and then said, “How sad!” Ö sung said, “Of course this is sad!” But Buddha said, “No, I am feeling sad for you! You have such limited knowledge! You can only see them attaining liberation. If you had had your way, it would take these people millions of years to become fully enlightened. But Manjushri taught them the Mahayana path and they may go to the hell realms for a week or ten days or whatever short period, but then they will become totally liberated and fully enlightened. If on the other hand they had become Arhats with your teachings, they would not be able to join the Mahayana path for such a long time! You are complaining because you only have very limited knowledge. Manjushri is right. I praise the work of Manjushri!” That is what Buddha said.

Student You have said that any time you are reducing or eliminating negativities that is actual spiritual practice. On the other hand, in the lam rim it is said that whatever you do for the benefit of this lifetime is not real Dharma practice. Rimpoche: Technically, that is what the lam rim says. But I think the lam rim is not literally talking about anything benefiting this life spiritually. With ‘benefiting this life’ they mean things done for monetary gains and so on. Student: Like the eight worldly .12

28

Gelek Rimpoche

Rimpoche: Like the eight worldly dharmas, like when the monks in the monasteries do a lot of pujas so that their business will be successful. It really works, but that is what is meant by benefiting this life. So you have to adapt that quotation. Student: Also, the lower level motivation will say that the need for refuge arises from the fear of falling into the lower realms... Rimpoche: I would not say fear, but rather it is a sense of urgency and the confidence that Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are capable of delivering. Student: So this urgency is based on the existence of future lives. Rimpoche: Every time we wish something, what do we wish for? Mostly we wish for material things and wine, dance and song. That is because we don’t have a perfect role model. There are probably many people who, when it comes to this life, wish for health or wealth or other small little things. So there is a possibility that you may miss the opportunity. That is why it is so strongly objected to do something that benefits this life. That is the simple reason. That problem is not so big in America, but more so in Asia. There is a strong tendency to do things for money, because these countries are poor. The biggest aim for many people there is to do well materially. Therefore the strong objection. I don’t think that it is such a strong tendency here - not that many people strive for nothing but money here! As for the sense of urgency to practice Dharma for the benefit of future lives - if you don’t believe in future lives, you don’t need to seek protection for future lives at all. There is no need. These people could only seek refuge for purposes in this life. 29

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Student: But they could still seek refuge from the negative states of mind. Rimpoche: Yes, why not? And compassion is another thing. We have to talk about the Theravada level of motivation, but we have to lead people on to the Mahayana path. So there is more than one reason.

30

Gelek Rimpoche

Verses 5 and 6: Requesting teachings and request to remain

With folded hands I beseech The Buddhas of all directions, To shine the lamp of Dharma For all bewildered in misery’s gloom.

With folded hands I beseech The Conquerors who wish to pass away, To please remain for countless aeons And not to leave the world in darkness Bewildered means confused? Confused in misery’s gloom - that must be a very long face! This verse is addressed to those who are capable of making a difference not only for themselves but for others. Some people think, “My life is not worthwhile, I would like to go away, I want to disappear!” Similarly, there are those enlightened beings who say, “Well, I spent a lot of time working with these people. Whatever I could do, I have done. Whatever I could not do, I can try again later. Let me take a break.” So in front of those who have such ideas we fold our hands and say, “Hey, don’t let the world descend into darkness. Don’t let people down. Don’t die, live! Light the lamp of Dharma so that the people can see!” That is simple. It is asking the enlightened beings to remain. It is asking also others around us, even ourselves, not to give up. Each and every one of us is capable of making a difference for the better.

31

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Don’t be heavy handed But we should not act like the Jehovah’s Witnesses! When I was staying at 508 Cherry Street, I had two Jehovah’s witnesses coming round all the time. I sat with them and talked for half an hour or forty-five minutes at a time. They kept on talking to me and I always had something more to say to them. With all respect I listened, but then I had questions and they did not have answers. They used to say that they would bring the answer next time. They came for two or three months. Then, at the last meeting, they said, “Who are you? What are you? Where are your thoughts coming from?” So I told them that I am Buddhist. Then they said, “No wonder!” Thereafter they did not come any more. So we should not act like that. Neither should we go out of our way, running all over the place chanting Hare Krishna or things like that. Don’t do that! Yet, if there is an opportunity and the person is open and you think it could make a difference in their lives, then there is no harm in giving them a very gentle dose. Don’t give them a heavy dose! Then it is up to them. Never force, never push, never do that! That goes for your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, children, parents - all of them. Never try to push them or force them. Don’t push them into a corner. If you push a dog into a corner, it has no alternative but to turn around and bite you. That is the dog’s nature. Human beings are not the same as dogs but act similarly. If you push them into a corner, they will bite you back. Even if you have a good motivation, thinking it is for their own good, and there is nothing in it for you, not even a penny, even then you can’t force it. I think these are important things to remember. A lot of people, when they get excited, start pushing people. Don’t do that! Give them an

32

Gelek Rimpoche

opportunity; let them know - if they are open. If they don’t want to hear about it, shut up and don’t say anything. Value what you can do with your life In verse 6 we are urging not only the enlightened beings but also those of us who can make a big difference to us or others to have long and good lives. Only a very specific group of people are supposed to have control over their lives, when they are going to die, how they are going to die and so on. However, everybody who has a very strong will to live has some effect on their lives. If, at the last minute, when you are sick, when you have a chronic, incurable, fatal disease, when you think of living then, it is a little too late. When you are well, at this moment now, when you think of living, it makes a big difference. I recall Allen Ginsberg saying to me, when I said that his life span of seventy years was quite good, “I never thought that I would live that long. If I had known this earlier, I would have looked after myself a little better than I did!” This is true. So have a mind of living however long you want to right from the beginning, when you are young, onwards. Make up a strong motivation for how long you want to go, perhaps seventy, eighty or ninety - you can choose that yourself. Have a mind of living, pray for a life that is long and also healthy, otherwise it is no use. Even at this moment there is a Rinpoche from Tibet. He is not only one of the best scholars, but really a great being. He got sick with cancer. Jewel Heart was asked for help, and we worked and managed to get him and two others out of Tibet to Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. When he got there, it was much, much too late. The cancer had gone from the lungs into the bones, his legs and hips were broken and even his fingers were broken. It was at a very late stage. They 33

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

tried to clean his lungs, but one was completely gone and the other was completely filled up. They tried to drain it and operated four or five times, but nothing worked. Every doctor there was saying, “Well, tonight it will be his last night.” The next morning when the attending physician examined him, he was surprised and got a big shock that he was still alive! After that, the Rinpoche went to Israel for three weeks and came back and there is nothing there now. He didn’t eat anything for three weeks. The doctors can’t explain it. They openly admit it. Philip Glass went there yesterday and the doctors even said, “We will not even be surprised if he becomes the rainbow body now!” So that sort of thing happens. It is interesting. I am on stand-by to go to California to see him in the L.A. hospital if necessary. I have been on stand-by for more than four weeks. Anyway, that is the request to remain. It goes for every one of us. However, if there is no purpose, then there is no use remaining here. The purpose and the conditions should be there. Otherwise, there is no use hanging on. I will give you another example. Again it was a very senior Rinpoche, but this time in Kalimpong. I went there to see him, because I wanted to record something about Tibetan history with him. He gave me lunch and after some time he said, “I have to tell you something. Last year I was sitting here and I had three more visitors for the day. They are Indian officers and they are also my disciples. While I was talking to them, I suddenly had a stroke. The right side of my body started to tickle and then became completely numb. I kept my composure, continued talking to them and never let them know about my problem. Unfortunately they stayed too long, for another forty-five minutes. After they left, I picked up one of those Tibetan precious pills.” These are made up of gold,

34

Gelek Rimpoche

and a lot of different jewels and even mercury, which is poisonous. But they treat the mercury so it is not bad for you. These pills are very helpful for strokes, heart attacks, etc. The Rinpoche said, “I took that pill and kept on saying migstemas.” He said that he started saying migstemas mentally straight away as soon as he noticed while talking to his visitors and keeping himself physically straight. After taking the pill, he went to bed and woke up next morning and he was okay. Then he said, “Now, since it started happening, I will get it again sooner or later. As long as I can still speak, I would like to remain. But if I can’t speak, then there is no use for me to live.” A year later, Tomo Geshe Rinpoche, who is from Kalimpong and lives between New York and Kalimpong now, came back from there and told me, “Tandong Rinpoche passed away four, five months ago. He got an illness after which he could not speak and the next morning he died.” So naturally, I recollected what he had said. Obviously, after finding out that he had lost the ability to speak, he had decided to die. So when there is no purpose, there is no use of living longer. But when there is purpose, human value is such a thing that even a minute is precious and can make a big difference to yourself and to others. When I say there is no use in living under certain circumstances, that does not mean that you should commit suicide or hari kiri or something. Don’t do that! Karma has given us this opportunity, this precious life. To increase this opportunity further, we still need a lot of positive karma. The best way to collect that is to rejoice.

35

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

The preliminaries for Bodhimind We have been discussing the request to remain. We are talking about it here as a preliminary to developing bodhimind which is, as I very often say, the mind of unlimited, unconditioned love and compassion. This love and compassion is absolutely necessary for us to develop. We do need that. Why? I think most of us know that we need it. There are a lot of reasons. It is just a matter of recognizing these. Love and compassion for oneself If you don’t have love for yourself, what kind of person would you be? You would be a person who totally neglects himself or herself, not because of others, but just for the sake of laziness. We have already talked about how precious this human life is. Look at the capability of this human life, see it, feel it, recognize it! With all this, if you still don’t care for yourself, how stupid is that? Can one find anybody who is more stupid than that? Probably not. In short, if you don’t care for yourself, who is going to care for you? One has to care for oneself. You have to love yourself. We enjoy love, we appreciate it, we cherish it. We want the capability to love, yet if I don’t know how to love myself, I am not going to be capable of loving others. When the question of love comes up, I will not know what to do. How can I expect to love someone else? It is important to recognize that we need love and compassion. There is no question - we do! We need it for the sake of ourselves and for the sake of others. Can we develop it easily? This is not possible, although we do have a certain amount of love, a certain amount of compassion. We may be

36

Gelek Rimpoche

good-natured human beings. We don’t want to see violence. We don’t want to see people suffering or being tortured - not even in a movie. Challenging our neuroses with wisdom One reason is that we forget that it is only a movie. Another reason is that there are sparks of our own kindness coming out. We just don’t want to see violence. It is important to remind yourself that it is just a movie. It is not real. If you can develop that properly, you have a very important point. With every suffering you can say, “This is my deluded mind which is perceiving things in this distorted manner. In reality, it is pure nature.” If you can do that it is great, but it is a long shot. I will not recommend that to everybody at this moment, but that is one of the techniques. It is good to really know that the movie is a movie, that you are not in there, involved in the action, but rather just sitting there and watching and perceiving and acknowledging that nobody is really getting killed, that it is just a movie, that it is all made to entertain the individual. This is awareness. This is the development of wisdom. Wisdom actually functions in that manner. You know it is not real, although it sounds real, feels real, you get the pinch as if it was real, but if you remember that it is not real, you will not be completely overpowered by those sufferings. If you spend a little time on that, you will be able to do it. However, right at this moment, I will not recommend to do that. You know why? If you try and you are not able to handle it, it could backfire. Then you will say, “I have been defeated. I fought the neuroses and the neuroses won!” It is the other way round from Allen Ginsberg saying, “I fought the Dharma and the Dharma won!” So right at the beginning level you should not use that method. 37

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Challenging our neuroses with love and compassion What we really want to do is to challenge our neuroses by using our normal love and compassion. Again, you don’t have to look for something extraordinary outside. We always chase after something extraordinary outside, and, as a result, we get nothing. This is absolutely true. I have seen it in so many places, whether in the East or in the West. I have seen it with my own eyes. My life experience of sixty years tells me that many of us chase after some extraordinary thing. We are really running after that. If you do that, you get nothing. It is within ourselves. It is a matter of developing that within ourselves. There is nothing out there to grab. It is not like looking for a goldmine or an oil field, not at all. Each and every individual has to develop that within themselves through a gradual process, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, bit by bit. That is how you get it. And, if it works right, even enlightenment is not that far - even though we always say how far away it is. When you don’t get it right, you look everywhere and chase after something extraordinary. There is something with a different name, it looks and sounds different. You may think that you just need the right method to turn on some switch and the right light will pop up, but it is not very scientific. It is not just one method where you turn a switch or a key and everything fits. It does not work that way. Developing within ourselves The key will not fit at all in the beginning. They key is actually right in the middle of the neuroses which we all have. It has to make a dent, an impression, and then finally the key will fit and you can switch on whatever you want to switch on. But people always look for something extraordinary outside. They are fascinated by 38

Gelek Rimpoche

names and beautiful words like compassion, wisdom, love. They try to bring things in from all directions, love from here, compassion from there and wisdom comes flying in from somewhere. In reality, however, nothing comes from outside. We have to develop everything within ourselves. Now here we are talking about ultimate love and compassion. In order to develop that, first you have to develop ordinary love. Without that, you cannot develop unconditional, ultimate love. How can we build a house without preparing the ground and without a proper foundation? You can build an ice castle, but that is not going to last - at least these days. Preliminary requirements In order to build the base for the great love and compassion, there are a lot of preliminary requirements. I believe we are right now talking about those preliminary requirements. For example, we have already talked about rejoicing. We did talk about requesting dharma teachings, which refers to making available the information you need. I don’t know what kind of projections people get when I say dharma teachings. In the West, people get a funny notion. People here are not going to ask any questions about whether dharma is something superior or not. You take it for granted. You also perceive it as something separate from you out there somewhere. You may look at it as Buddha’s teaching, as a book or as something invisible. What does Dharma mean? Look at your own mind. The word Dharma is familiar to you. The moment you say Dharma, what kind of projection do you get in your own mind? My guess is that there could be two different projections. The ones that have some information on it will

39

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

say, “Yes, I know what that is.” The others are the ones who don’t know what that is at all. So what kind of projections do the ones who think they know what dharma is get? It is probably something external that you must try to reach out for. But that is wrong. If you have a projection that it is the teachings contained in books, messages, etc., again, that is something external. I cannot say that it is wrong, but it is not as relevant to the individual. The relevance to the individual is the Dharma within. It has to make our own , which is rough, unsettled, wavering, flickering and raw, into a mind stream which is stable. In that manner this becomes dharma within you. Leaving the information as something external out there is not going to be that helpful. We have an opportunity to do better than that. It is like going to a temple. If you know Buddhist temples, they are very rich in images, whether you go to Tibetan ones or Chinese or Japanese or Indian ones. Especially the Tibetan and Chinese are very rich, with a tremendous variety of images made of gold, silver, bronze, brass, wood, lacquer, etc. And all these paintings! We can go there and look at them and say, “Very nice!” But that is externalizing. Maybe it is helpful in some way. It brings some merit and good karma. But it does not affect the individual too much. At the most you can say, “It makes me feel good, I get some good vibrations, I feel very calm in there.” Perhaps, when they burn incense in there, they burn something else with that! Maybe that makes you feel calm! I am just joking. I am not suggesting anybody burns marijuana along with incense. But looking at images is an example of externalizing. These images are something separate from me over there and 40

Gelek Rimpoche

I can say, “That is Buddha, that is Tsongkhapa, that is Manjushri.” It is almost like going to the museum or zoo! That will not have much effect. Dharma should not be externalized You may think, “I am going to the temple, it is special, it has blessings.” You may also fold your hands, which is something you don’t do when you go to the zoo and look at some cute little monkey! That is our attitude. Otherwise we are doing the same thing. That is not the point. The point is that we should not externalize. Dharma should not be externalized. Try to internalize it. It is great to have a Buddha image and a Buddha thangka, but if you externalize it, it remains external. It is better to think, “I want the qualities of that Buddha, and whatever it takes, one by one I will get all of them!” When you go with that attitude, that is a vivid example of beginning to internalize, even just looking at a Buddha image or thangka. There should be a difference between looking at a Buddha image in the temple and looking at a chimpanzee at the Detroit zoo! The difference is that one is an external thing and, in the case of Buddha, you are trying to internalize. Likewise, when you perceive that Dharma is somewhere out there, you probably think that you can get some kind of blessing, some kind of shivering, cold shower type of feeling, and that is again just spiritual materialism. It is not spiritual. What is spirituality? What is really spirituality? It is when you internalize Dharma, being totally influenced by that Dharma. Then any neuroses that you have will be weakened, shaky. We will still pick them up, because that is our usual habit, but they will be weakened. This is not philosophy or history. This is just how people practice Dharma. This is a

41

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

very important point. I would like to make it as clear as possible. People always tend to project some external thing. They will like to look up to the clouds or in the water or on the ground. They watch television thinking that otherwise they miss some opportunity. People do that. A number of people that we know are even looking for UFOs. The reason why they like UFOs is that they think there is some extraordinary spiritual thing happening with the UFOs. People are willing to go out of their way and even risk going to jail just to go and chase UFOs. They are even prepared to get killed!13 With all that, the problem is not realizing that spiritual development is within ourselves. We make everything external, but we should not externalize. You have to begin to internalize everything. Distinguishing internal cause from external conditions We know that the neuroses are within ourselves, not something out there. Out there are just the conditions. When somebody tries to insult you, they provide the condition for your internal anger to come up. You say, “How dare that person say that to me!? How dare they boo!?” Your internal neuroses are making contact with external conditions. When anger rises, your pride and jealousy also rise. It is like when the lion rises. The lion roars and shows his fangs and claws. So these delusions rise together, because we have internalized them. When we try to develop some positivity, like appreciation or even intelligent understanding or faith, we have to push ourselves for each of them. We really don’t get it. We have to push ourselves, trying to appreciate. We have to talk ourselves into appreciating. We have to work hard, because we have not internalized that.

42

Gelek Rimpoche

When you have internalized something, you don’t need much effort. Any little outside condition will do. Right now, from the point of view of anger, you don’t even have to get booed. It is enough if somebody gives you a little different look. You are ready to get angry. That is how we have internalized anger. Dharma means that, in the same way as we have internalized the neuroses, we should now internalize positivity. When you get that done, you have a real spiritual development. It is nothing external. If you think it is spiritual to fly in the air, look at birds! They fly in the air all the time. If you think it is spiritual development to be able to remain under water, look at fish! They remain under the water. When we ourselves were fish, we remained under water for the whole of our life, however it made no difference to us or anyone else. The worms, groundhogs and moles remain under the ground during the winter, then in spring the same old mole comes out. That is not a spiritual achievement. Once again, spiritual achievement is when it makes a difference to your neuroses, when it reduces your attachment, your hatred, and your jealousy. If you find yourself a different person, kinder than before, more patient than before, more understanding than before, then it is affecting you. That is what Dharma really means. Obstacles to spiritual development Can we get that without efforts? No, we cannot. We have to put in efforts. Number one, you need the effort of understanding and number two, you also need various other supports in this. What prevents positive results from materializing is our obstacles. Again, the obstacles are not external, they are internal. Internally, when you have a really powerful anger and hatred, it is difficult to develop anything else positive, because 43

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

this powerful monster-hatred is standing there blocking it. Our job is to remove that. When you remove those obstacles, you can get through. Anger, hatred, jealousy, etc., all these are obstacles. Especially ignorance is the most important obstacle. You have to work against them. How do you do that? There are two ways. Clearing obstacles through internal work One is thinking; I should say meditation, but I really like to say thinking. This means understanding, analyzing and internalizing, developing it within you. First, you have to understand what you are doing. We really cannot change anything if we don’t understand what we are doing. You may sit like this or sit like that, but whatever you do is not going to do any good. You can spend all the time you don’t have on that. From sitting quietly you can get some mental relaxation; that is fine. That is also important, but you need more than that. First, you have to understand what you are up against, what you are trying to do. You have to ask, “What am I faced with? What is my purpose here and what am I doing? What is my problem?” You will find “My problem is my anger, my problem is my attachment, my problem is my jealousy, ignorance, hatred.” Then you will begin to think, “Can I live without attachment? I am enjoying it!” You have to think like that. Without thinking that you are not going to get anything done. It is easy to think about anger. Nobody likes to be angry. Nobody will acknowledge that they like to be angry. You know why? Because it is embarrassing. With the exception of a few people, there will be nobody who admits, “I like to be

44

Gelek Rimpoche

angry. I want to be angry all the time!” People will not be able to say it, because they feel embarrassed. This is an important point. You are embarrassed because you think, “Other people will think that I am terrible! How can I be an angry person - I can’t admit that!” So there are two aspects. You cannot admit it to yourself because you know it is a bad thing. The second reason is that you are embarrassed in front of other people who will look at you and say, “There is an angry person.” You don’t want that. Buddha’s experience is that it works to use these two reasons.14 You say, “If I do this, I will be ashamed of myself, and if other people come to know I will be embarrassed.” Use these two mental faculties when hatred, anger, jealousy arise. Think, “How embarrassing are the things I have done. It is so shameful that my ears become red!” These are the two mental faculties that we have to use to cut down the neuroses. Just now the neuroses themselves are using these two mental faculties. This is true Dharma practice. True Dharma practice is not a philosophy and not a ritual. It is dealing with your individual neuroses. We have to remove the obstacles. In order to do that, we have to know them. Knowing and handling them is the main thing. Can that alone do it? Buddha said that it can’t. You have to have a lot of support. The support again is not external. External support is good, but more important is the internal support. You need a lot of strong, powerful forces that are able to bring things together. We refer to that as positive karma. There is room for blessings, but positive karma is the most important. That is why rejoicing is recommended here as one of the quickest ways to develop positive karma.

45

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Clearing obstacles through requesting what you need The second one is requesting teachings. That is Buddhist terminology. What it really means is to make the resources available for the individual - whenever and whatever you need to help yourself, to challenge your neuroses. May whatever your needs are in that respect be provided for. That is what requesting teachings really is: making the needed tools available - that is the teaching. The teacher is like a guide. The guide can show you what to do and what not to do. If you are learning to be a carpenter, the teacher will teach you what instruments you can use for what purpose. He shows you the different kinds of wood, the two by two’s and four by four’s and tells you that you can cut it this way and that way, use this tool for cutting and that tool for making holes, this gun to put nails in, etc. Dharma works the same way. The Dharma teacher tells you that neuroses are not good. We are talking about anger, attachment, jealousy, etc. Then he tells you that against anger you have to use patience, against jealousy compassion, and so on. The actual work has to be done by you, nobody else. A professor is just talking about it; he gets paid anyway. Learning, thinking and meditating So internalizing the Dharma is the most important. In the beginning, you have to know what to do, then you have analyze and then you have to internalize. That is your spiritual development. It is not one short step but a long process. The way to measure your own spiritual development is by looking at how many steps you have taken, how much you have cut down your neuroses. I have two friends. I am not going to name them. They are very well known. In a recent conference they had a

46

Gelek Rimpoche

debate, and one of them got up and told the other one, “Shut up!” The other one said, “Wow, after fifteen years of meditation, that is you now. Just look at you!” When I was told about that, I thought that both of them are in a big soup. They are both in trouble. Again, the problem is externalizing. It has not been internalized. If you leave Dharma as a philosophy or story or history, then it does not work. It does not have to be done in a big way. Work on things one at a time. Deal with your anger for a while. Deal with your attachment for a while. Dealing with attachment, samsara’s flypaper Attachment is another big, painful thing. When it is there, it is exciting and wonderful. I don’t see it much here, but in India they have this sugar chemical which they apply to a little piece of paper and put outside. Then all the flies will come, because they like the taste and when they eat it they die. Over here, we use this sticky paper on which they stick and die. That is how samsara works, too. If there is such a thing called a devil inside of you, he needs something to hook you. That is why we are attracted to the sweet side of things. But if you compare that sweetness with the pain you have to go through afterwards or side by side together with the pleasure, it lasts much longer than the short moments of pleasure. If you remove yourself a little bit from the internalized neuroses and step out and watch, you will see how much pain you go through because of attachment. We go through a lot, yet we don’t recognize that. We think that we experienced something different, something better, but that then somebody did something and ruined it. We automatically try to blame somebody else and if there is

47

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

nobody to blame, we blame ourselves. This is just increasing our own suffering. So attachment is nothing great, it is not good, but we enjoy it very much. We all do, in the same way angry people actually enjoy being angry. People think that the pain is pleasure. We need to know that pain is pain. We don’t really know pleasure because we have never had it. So anything different that we feel, we consider that as pleasure. Know yourself and your neuroses Knowing is important. I don’t mean that you have to become a scholar, but you have to know yourself, know your own neuroses, know your own antidotes to these neuroses. Actually you have to be very much alert and ready to attack any neuroses that arise. One of the earlier Tibetan teachers said, “I am waiting with my spear near the door of my neuroses. When they come I am ready to hit them!”15 You have to bring in that sort of alertness within yourself. That is the true spiritual work you do. That is the true Dharma work. You are truly helping yourself. You will not find anything else. It is wonderful to go and seek blessings. It is nice and wonderful and makes you feel good. And that’s it - good-bye! But the day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute work is what you have to do. Nobody else can help you. The way you do it is by working against the neuroses. Try to internalize the antidotes to the neuroses, then, eventually, it will work effortlessly. Why the preliminaries are necessary Can you do it by understanding and meditating alone? No. That is why you have to have the supporting activities and that is why we talk here about rejoicing, requesting the information, requesting the teachers to remain forever and also the dedication.16 All these preliminaries are necessary. Without them, the actual

48

Gelek Rimpoche

thing17 does not work. If you have no preparation, you cannot expect the actual development to come. We would all like to have the real bottom line information, the real essence - whatever that is! Unfortunately there are no pills to develop that. Normally, you can go and get a prescription from the doctor, go to the drugstores, get the pills and feel different, hopefully better. Here it does not work that way. You have to collect any ingredients for this pill yourself, and not only that, you have to be the pharmacist, the collector of all the ingredients, the one who puts them all together and the one who eats that pill. That is why knowledge is necessary. That is why knowing how to handle it is necessary. That is why concentration is necessary. Otherwise you will not be able to internalize anything. Analyzing is necessary because otherwise you won’t know what is what. All of those combined together plus merit which pushes them, is necessary to make things work. This is why we also have the request to remain. Next, this particular text then has a lot of dedications. There is a general one, then a dedication for healing, one for clearing hunger and thirst, for eliminating poverty, and so on. There are quite a few verses of dedication. Then, after these verses, the actual training of the mind in love and compassion will come.

49

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Questions and Answers Student: When you only think of others, aren’t you ignoring your own needs? Rimpoche: Good question. I’d just like to make a very blanket sort of statement. If you are ignoring yourself and your own needs, whether spiritual or material, then you don’t love yourself. On the other hand, if you think, “I am the most important one, I need everything, I am more important than others,” then that is the other extreme. When you think, “I don’t need anything, I am fine, I can manage to ignore my needs,” that is one extreme. By pointing out the two extremes, you know that you have to go in the middle. Caring will develop into love. If you don’t care for yourself, you cannot expect to love yourself. It is not possible. How can you love if you don’t care? Really, it is not possible. Caring is the basis for developing love. Particularly, when you look at yourself, if you are completely ignoring yourself, you are completely crazy! On the other hand, if you think, “I am the center of the universe, I need everything for me!” then you are on the extreme to the other side. Both are crazy. I am sorry, I put that very bluntly, but sometimes it is good to hear that. Student: Is that a modern expression of what is known as the ? Rimpoche: Whatever it is, modern or ancient, it is the Middle Way.

50

Gelek Rimpoche

Student: You said that you stand guard at the door to keep the delusions out. Rimpoche: No, you are on guard to strike at the delusions. The delusions are already inside. It is like knowing that there is a thief in your house. You are sitting near the door, quietly waiting for the thief to make some noise so that you can go and catch him! Student: So then you fight with honor. But what can happen is that the person at the door can sometimes be overcome. Rimpoche: You are right. But I don’t think persons like us, at our level, in the beginning, will fight. You strike and the delusion will disappear, run away. You avoid them. I think that comes first. Engaging them in a fight - that comes a little later. That is for a person who is capable of fighting, of challenging. In the beginning you deliver a blow and then you run away - both sides will run away, you know. And then you meet again! Does that sound funny? People are giggling. But that is what it is. Yes, you can be overpowered and the neuroses can be overpowered. Who knows what is going to happen? We know that ultimately the truth will win, right? That is what we say. But who knows what really is the truth! One thing we do know is that the neuroses are giving us suffering and the antidotes to the neuroses clear the suffering. That much we know. Nobody really knows what is good and what is bad. But we know what is suffering and what stops the suffering. We can see and feel that.

Student: Did you mean to say that things can’t be extraordinary in terms of progress? I am not talking about flying in the air

51

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

and remaining under ground and things like that, but sometimes I like to think that some things are extraordinary in terms of the philosophy and so on. Rimpoche: There are extraordinary things. I am not saying that there is nothing extraordinary. But one should not run after the extraordinary experience alone. If something extraordinary appears to the individual, that is fine, no problem. But if you are chasing the extraordinary all the time, you get nowhere. It becomes a wild goose chase. I am not saying that it is bad to have extraordinary feelings. But if you only try to get such feelings back again and again, trying to make them longer, then that becomes a wild goose chase. It is a problem. We waste our time. Instead of grounding ourselves and perfecting ourselves, all our time, energy, life, opportunity, facilities and so on, is then spent on a wild goose chase.

Student: You often say that we have to start with ordinary love. But I always equate ordinary love with attachment, desire, wanting someone or something. Is it not a trap to concentrate on ordinary love? Rimpoche: It is extremely difficult to differentiate between attachment, desire and love - whether that love is ordinary or extraordinary. We hide between the words. We say that attachment is no good and love is wonderful, we say that pure love is great. However, you can watch your own mind, if you pay very good attention, and see how desire makes you feel and how something else can make you feel joyful and appreciative and how you don’t feel so much desire in there and it does not bring you any pain. You can feel that within you. Those feelings of happy appreciation - at whatever mental level you get them - are considered as the beginning of

52

Gelek Rimpoche

love. You consider the other feelings as desire for something, wanting, grasping - that is attachment. That is on the level of ordinary love. Let us not even talk about extraordinary love yet. We can deal with it later.

Student: Why is it that we have so much fear and confusion all the time? Rimpoche: Each of these is caused by a different neurosis. Actually that may not be the right expression. I have received a written request not to call it neuroses. All these negative emotions combined with ego and pride gives you different kinds of confusion. Fear is another thing. This comes from our past experience. We have been born a number of times. We have died a number of times. Every time we die we lose everything. We are very experienced in that! That is why fear is always there. It is the fear of losing. You may not even think about it, but it is the fear of losing.

53

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Dedicating The word Bodhisattva refers to someone who is committed to becoming an enlightened being. That is not literally the meaning of the word or the technical definition, but it is somebody who is committed to attain enlightenment, not necessarily for his own sake but for the benefit of all beings. When you are committed in that way, then how you function is the Bodhisattva’s way of life. Fortunately or unfortunately, it is presented to us in book form. I wish it was not in the form of a book, but in a practice format rather than just appearing as information. But in any case, this is the only choice left with us. That is why we are reading the Bodhisattvacharyavatara. Right now we have reached the dedication. Why is dedication important? Can you make it without dedication? These are the questions coming up in my head. We really have to think about whether dedication is necessary. It is almost the same question as “Is a bell necessary on a bike?” I think that is mainly a European expression. You need the bell so that you can ring it in order to warn people to get out of your way. Dedicating as insurance So is dedication necessary on the path? Yes, we do need it, because we lose a lot otherwise. It is the safeguard, the safety net. It is the insurance. We know how difficult it is without insurance. It is also important to recognize what kind of insurance is needed. I am not sure whether you really want an HMO18 or not! HMO’s have a lot of restrictions, but insurance is necessary and helpful. Similarly dedication is like an insurance company. With dedication, you don’t need separate flood and earthquake insurance, since it very generally covers everything! There is

54

Gelek Rimpoche

nothing which is not covered, so there is no technical fallback. There are also several options. For example, you can choose the option of total enlightenment or you can settle for less. The premium is the same. There is no incremental premium! So dedication is like insurance. Without dedication, we could lose a lot of our hard- earned positive karma. We lose that to anger and hatred. I need to explain this. We have worked hard, and tried to do the best we could. We try to apply all the possible ways and means to spend our time as positively as possible. Making neutral activities positive Look at your daily life. Look at your experience of today. Review what you have done from the since you have got up in the morning until now. You are going to find that there have not been so many big negativities. We did not cheat anybody, we did not kill anybody, we did not lie to anybody. We might have messed up a couple of lives here and there, but nothing serious. Don’t misunderstand! Messing somebody’s life up is bad, but it is not like killing somebody. When you look at how many positive things you did, there is also not that much. You might have said a few prayers here and there; you may have done your commitments, but you have not done something really great. Mostly it is neutral. This is quite natural. As human beings, we have a natural balancing nature, but then we also have terrible neuroses. There is a really big struggle going on in ourselves between good and bad. That is why we don’t have very strong negative and positive things. So if you watch it, about ninety per cent of our time is spent in a neutral state, neither positive nor negative - unless you get angry all the time. Now how can we make this ninety

55

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

per cent positive? That is very important. It is one of the most important ways of functioning in our lives. Liberation and success in the spiritual path does not depend on whether you become a monk or nun. You can definitely be successful in your spiritual practice in your own home. You don’t have to be Asian, Tibetan or Chinese. Every American is eligible to become a fully enlightened being, but it depends on how we function. There is no reservation for anybody, not for Tibetans and not for Indians. It is open to all. It is simply a matter of how we handle it. If we handle it properly, we can achieve it. The two important activities One of the best ways is to use these ninety per cent neutral states of mind and make them positive. It is very simple. It just depends on how we set up our motivation. There are two important activities, the beginning activities and the activities at the end. In the beginning is the motivation. Do not underestimate the power of motivation! This is very important. If you wake up in the morning and appreciate that you are alive and commit yourself not to waste time in general and particularly today, and then commit yourself to make the day as positive and helpful as much as possible, then due to the power of the motivation, everything you do during that day becomes positive, because it is influenced by that positive motivation - unless you are a slaughterer in which case you would have to change your job! When things are not by nature non-virtuous, they can be changed into positivity, like for example, sleep, regret and understanding.19 All these are changeable because the mind before that made a difference. I am not just saying that. Look at the people who taken vows, like the monks and nuns who take celibacy vows and so on. Why are they considered to be more important? I

56

Gelek Rimpoche

don’t know whether anybody has said that they are more important, but they consider themselves definitely as more important, whether in the Eastern or Western traditions. They all have the pride of beings monks or nuns - with the exception of Mother Theresa and a few others. The benefit of vows Actually the vows are a commitment not to engage in certain negativities. For example, consider the vow of not killing. Both Eastern and Western traditions have that vow, right? Now, if I just sit here without killing anybody, do I get the positive karma of not killing? No, I don’t, if there is no opportunity to kill. You know what I mean? You only get the virtue of not killing when there is an opportunity to do so and you decide that this is the wrong thing to do and you are not going to do it. Then you give it up and by that you get the solid karma of not killing. Otherwise, simply not killing does not give you the solid karma of not giving. The difference between people who have taken vows and those who have not lies there. The people with vows also just sit there without killing., but because they have the commitment of not killing, they get the positive karma. Because of the mental power of commitment, just sitting there without killing becomes the positive karma of not killing. They have that mind power in form of a vow. The rituals of taking the vows in the first place might have helped, but mainly it is the mental commitment. Likewise, if every morning when you get up, for the next twenty-four hours you commit yourself to be helpful, to not kill anybody, to be dedicated and to do whatever positive actions you can think of, then every day, even while you are waiting for somebody’s phone call, or doing the laundry, vacuuming the floor, etc, all of that can become positive. It is

57

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

in your hands. It is simply the application of mind power in the form of motivation in the morning. The importance of dedication Then, at the end of the day you dedicate. The motivation and the dedication – these are the nice slices of Zingerman semolina bread which make the sandwich work! You sandwich your whole day in between these two semolina slices of motivation and dedication! Then you can put roast beef or chicken salad in between! My subject tonight is the dedication, the second half of the semolina bread sandwich. If you don’t have that part of the sandwich, then all the other ingredients of the sandwich are going to fall down. If you turn it round without the second piece of bread, it is hard to eat and you are going to make a mess all over the place! Likewise, these two, motivation and dedication, insure that you keep the whole thing together and make the best use of it. If you don’t insure it, then, when you get angry or develop hatred, one minute of anger can consume hundreds of eons of positive karma! It is extremely expensive. It works equally for the positive and the negative. Remember, earlier on I talked to you about purification.20 Purification has the power to wipe out all the negativities that you have done. Hatred, on the other side, has all the power to wipe out your positive karma. It is equally powerful. It is like when you play chess. It is like a queen who can go in any direction and take away anything. Both sides have one. There is a queen on either side. If you don’t recognize the power of the queen on the other side while she takes all your pawns one after another, she will eventually come and checkmate you. So you have to know about the queen and take the necessary precautions.

58

Gelek Rimpoche

Likewise, in the spiritual path, you have to understand who has what powers on the positive and negative sides. It is like playing chess. The most important thing here is the most powerful force. Anger and purification - I am not sure whether they are like queens or castles, but they are definitely more powerful than a bishop or horse which can only go diagonally or in L-shape movements! They go straight. And they are very powerful tools on both sides. Once you have those powerful tools, you ensure that each pawn is being safeguarded by another figure. In exactly the same way, you ensure that the positive karma will not be destroyed by anger. You therefore adopt the insurance policy of dedication. A few years ago when I talked about karma, Greg Holden made this refrigerator magnet that says KARMIC INSURANCE.21 That is another insurance company. This one here, the dedication, will ensure that your positive don’t get wasted. It is like O. J. Simpson’s retirement fund! He is getting more than enough money to live on. No matter how much money he may have to pay to others, nobody can touch that money. He can get millions from that fund and neither the Goldman family nor the Brown family can touch that, although he owes them thirty or forty million dollars. It is pension money and nobody can touch it. This is insured by law. Here you do the same thing. Don’t risk your life savings! We drive ourselves hard to try to make every possible gain we can during our life, day by day. We put all our awareness to use and any time we have an opportunity we try to create as much positive karma as possible. If we lost all these savings, how sad it would be! If you save all your money and keep it in a cash register and somebody comes and steals that, then all the efforts you have made are wasted. In the end, you get nothing.

59

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Similarly, in Tibet, there is a certain bear-like animal called dremo. He goes and catches smaller animals like raccoons and groundhogs. He goes near their holes and tries to catch one of them as it comes out. He hits it once and puts it under his butt. But when he gets up to catch the next one, the one he has put under there escapes. So in the end, no matter how many he catches, he gets only one! If we function in that manner, we only get the benefit of the last effort we could put in. That leaves us very poor in our spiritual fund. So safeguarding is very important. Why dedication works Why does dedication ensure your positive karma? Because karma is definite. Remember, there are four basic characteristics of karma: it is definite, it is fast growing, one does not meet with results for which one has not created the cause, and one is bound to meet with the karma one has created, no matter how long it may take. So because karma is definite, you dedicate it for a certain purpose. Unless and until that certain purpose has materialized, it will never be wasted. This is the nature of karma. It is a really natural insurance. It is based on the natural karmic functioning. Karma is definite. That is why we dedicate it. When it is dedicated, it is earmarked, so somebody else cannot come and take it. Now the question is what should we dedicate our good karma to? Everybody will give you different suggestions. Here in Jewel Heart we often say, “We dedicate all our virtues for the teachings of Losang Drakpa to shine forever.” Or most noticeably, “The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the travel companions and guides, whatever they dedicate their merits to, I dedicate mine to that also.” That is the recommended way to do. There are zillions of reasons.

60

Gelek Rimpoche

The drop in the ocean Just one example. If you have a small bottle of water and you want to save that water, by itself it would soon evaporate. Even if you put it in the fridge, it would soon become rotten. It would be useless. Anyway, what use is a tiny, little bottle of water? On the other hand, if you take that water and mix it with a huge collection of water, you will find that it is now mixed with the bigger amount of water and until that bigger amount is finished yours is also continuously working. In the Bodhisattvacharyavatara22 it says, If you put a drop of water into the ocean, then until the ocean is completely dried up, your drop of water is also not going to finish. Likewise, if you dedicate your positive karma for enlightenment, it will not be exhausted or mismanaged or lost until you obtain enlightenment. The story of the two travelers This is one of the best forms of insurance. In Liberation in the Palms of Your Hand, there is an interesting story. Two travelers meet on the road to Lhasa. One is a little wealthier, the other is poor. Since old Tibet did not have any hotels or motels, travelers had to take all their food and blankets and so forth with them. The two travelers walked together, since they were going to the same place. The rich guy cooked his own food and so did the poor guy. The wealthy guy had pure white barley flour, while the poor guy only had pea flour, peas ground together with their skins, so in that tsampa23 there were a lot of black specks. The amount of the poor guy’s food was also less. However, he was much more clever than the rich guy. He thought, “My tsampa may not be enough, but if I mix mine with his, then until his is finished, mine won’t be finished either!”

61

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

So he said to him, “Hey, friend. Look, we are walking together to the same place. I carry my bag, and you carry yours. I cook my own food and you cook yours. You have a lot more to carry than I do. Why don’t we mix our tsampa flour together until we get to Lhasa?. I will carry it all for you.” That was the selling point he used. The rich guy thought, “That could be good. He carries all the tsampa and then we cook together. He is going to do a lot more work than I do.” So he agreed, and they mixed the tsampa together. As long as there was enough tsampa, nobody worried about it. But when it started to get less and less, the rich guy began to think, “Are we going to have enough to last us? I had a lot and he had very little. So I am the loser here. I should tell him that he should have some restrictions.” He hesitated a few days but then he could not help it. He asked the poor guy, “Hey, don’t you think your portion of the tsampa is finished now? When we mixed them together, I had a huge amount compared to yours.” The poor guy said, “Yes, that is true. Mine could be finished now. Let’s have a look.” When they looked in the bag, the poor guy said, “Oh, do you see? There are some black specks here and some there. So mine is not finished yet.” The rich guy could not do anything about that. Until all the tsampa was completely finished, the black specks would not finish either! Mixing our positive karma into the ocean In just the same way, we can mix our little bit of positive karma with the ocean-like accumulation of merit of the enlightened beings. Why not? If we could deposit our little bit of savings with the account of Rockefeller, why not? But they will not let you. They will impose restrictions. The enlightened beings, however, don’t have any restrictions. They are open to helping 62

Gelek Rimpoche

us. They want us to join them. That is why we can put our dedication together with theirs and until their positive karma finishes, ours will also be there. Through such a great way of ensuring that our positive karma will last, we can achieve anything we want. The recommended goal is enlightenment. But you can dedicate anything you want. It is yours. How you use it is up to you. No one has any right to make restrictions. They simply make the suggestion to dedicate it that way. If you accept that it is good, if not that is fine too. Do whatever you want to do. The books will give you a lot of recommendations. So far, in order to relieve the sufferings of all sentient beings, we have invited the Supreme Field of Merit, we have given them offerings, we have purified our negativities, and we have rejoiced, requested teachings and asked them to remain. In this way, we have done whatever the best we could and have thus accumulated a little bit of good karma. Now the question comes as to what you want to do with this. If you have saved a bit of money, you will start to wonder how to safeguard that. If you don’t have any, you don’t have to worry about it. Just like that, we now have a little bit of positive karma, so we have to make sure that it is managed well and does not go to waste. It did not come about without any effort. It is hard-earned positive karma. We need to look after it and take care of it. We have to make sure it gives us the best yield possible. The first one here is the general dedication.

63

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verse 7: General dedication

Thus by the virtue collected Through all that I have done, May the pain of every living creature Be completely cleared away. In general, we can either dedicate the merit to total enlightenment or we can dedicate it to the elimination of the suffering or pain of every living creature that ever existed. How do you feel about that? You may think, “It is probably a good idea, but why should I care for all of them?” Especially when the word creature is used here, you notice that all the cockroaches and dinosaurs and snakes and so on are included! To begin with, let us just think of all humanity or even of our own immediate family, our children, parents, our own companions. We start with those that we care about and extend that to the whole sangha fellowship that you care about. Then you include all the citizens of Ann Arbor. Then extend that to Michigan and then to the United States. That is better than immediately trying to think of all living creatures. We don’t even know who they all are! For trained Bodhisattvas who are used to it, the words all living beings work like magic. But from our own angle, the perspective of all living beings is a little too big. It may even turn us off. If I am the usual American person, I will ask, “What’s in it for me?” That is our usual cultural heritage, which we cherish and always follow. So let us think first about the people that we care about, like our family members. You first start with those and your lovers and so on. You gradually

64

Gelek Rimpoche

extend it. You need living beings with faces and names on an equal human level. You work on a level where they contribute and you contribute. Love and compassion on this level is a totally equal contribution from both sides. If you have some fantastic idea of wanting to benefit all living beings, what is going to happen? Probably nothing. You have to see that it is your responsibility to contribute. You have to put your wooden nickel in. We have to put it in with love, with a feeling for real people. That is how it works. Start your dedication close to home So this dedication for clearing the pains from every living being starts with your own living and dead family members, parents, children, lovers, etc. You look in that way, and then you have feelings for these persons, and then you act. As a matter of fact, you really do contribute that way. That is how we go. Then we go on to all friends, then to all citizens, then to all citizens of this world. Then we go on to include other beings like dogs, cats, monkeys, elephants and maybe even cockroaches and finally all living beings. That is how we train our minds. We pick up from the easy point and go from there. You may think, “I am dedicating for all living beings,” but you may do it only very superficially. That does not work. On the other hand, your own spouse may start to cry one day and accuse you, “You don’t care for me!” That is a bit of a joke but also serious. We know it from our children. They say that, “You don’t care for me, Mom!” “You don’t care for me, Dad!” Sometimes you have these very high, abstract ideas. Everybody is a living being, everybody has senses, everybody thinks, “I am more intelligent, I am wittier than So and So.” Really, most people think that way. You presume that you are

65

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

the most intelligent person and know everything. The next guy thinks, “I am the most intelligent person. Let him think what he wants. I will catch him later if necessary.” That is how things move. In true reality, human intelligence and our way of functioning is such that we each know how the other one functions very well. That is what we human beings are like within ourselves. Believe me, we know each other quite well. I am sorry, this just came out. So when you do your dedication or motivation for the removing of suffering and pain, don’t go to the big, abstract idea and then try to fit your own situation also into that. That is too late then. You start from your own situation, with things right under your own nose, right in your own face. Then extend it further and further. Finally, there will come a time when you really care for everybody, so much so that you are really totally dedicated and will be a really wonderful public servant. You will be rendering a very good public service. The politicians are supposed to do that. Maybe we should send a couple of copies of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara to our local senators and whoever needs it! Send it to our congressman! That is a joke. But that is how compassion functions. Your fuel that drives you is not jealousy, not partisan politics, but the cause of the people, their well-being. When you have that, you really become a great public servant. Are politicians public servants or only the bureaucrats? They should be public servants. In verse 7, the line the virtue collected through all that I have done is referring to the positive karma we have built through meditation, practice, the kindness and compassion that we have shown to people, the purification we have done, the accumulation of merit we have done.

66

Gelek Rimpoche

Then the next line is may the pain of every living creature be completely cleared away. All the good karma that you have created, you want to use that to relieve the suffering of all beings, the sufferings of samsara in general and particularly the suffering of the lower realms. When somebody you know is sick, you can dedicate all your positive merit so that the illnesses your friend is going through may be cured. You dedicate that the pain of every living being may be cleared without so much as a leftover imprint. That is how you can clearly dedicate. Once you have dedicated something, it belongs in that category. How dedication works Naturally, when you say that you own this and So and So owns that, where do you draw the line? If you dedicate something to somebody else, from that day on that somebody else owns that thing that you have dedicated. The , the teachings on the rules of ordination, defines what constitutes stealing. It tells you under what circumstances it is stealing, how much you have to steal and what kinds of things you have to steal and what mental attitude you have to have, what kind of motivation, action and conclusion are needed to make a negative karma of stealing complete. This is described in great detail in the Vinaya. One of the points raised in there is the dedication. It says, “The moment you have dedicated something, it no longer belongs to you, but to somebody else. If you misuse that, you are stealing.” The question of stealing is very important. Not only stealing; there is an absolutely clear-cut definition of every single thing in the Vinaya. For example, say you want to steal a shirt. You see that shirt hanging somewhere, you like it, you walk past, pick it up, walk home without anybody chasing you 67

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

and you say, “Ha, I got the shirt!” Now, but let’s say by mistake you have grabbed two shirts at the same time. In that case, you definitely have the perfect negative karma of stealing one shirt and a half-broken negative karma of stealing the second shirt. The positive and the negative is so clear-cut. I am quite sure there is no other tradition that explains things like stealing in such detail and clarity! If you don’t pay import duty on something which you are not supposed to bring into the country, do you get the karma of stealing for that? Sure you do. No question. You simply cheated the customs officer at the airport, so not only do you have the karma of stealing but also the karma of cheating the customs officer. When the preparation, the action and the final conclusion of a negative action are complete, you have a complete, strong karma. When that is not complete, the karma is weaker. That goes for positive and negative, both. So when you have dedicated something, it no longer belongs to you, because you have dedicated it. When we dedicate our positive karma to total enlightenment, then our karma belongs to total enlightenment and we have no way of making use of that, nor can somebody else take it away from us. It is insured. Do you get the picture now? Let us go briefly back to verse 7, where it says: Thus by the virtue collected through all that I have done. What does all that I have done mean? We have made prostrations, given offerings, done purification, requested the teachings, requested the teachers to remain forever, and we have done all these activities of setting up our motivation, setting up our lives in a very positive way, trying not to waste our life, but to make it worthwhile. Then we dedicate all these positive things each day in the evening.

68

Gelek Rimpoche

In other words, these are the seven branch activities24 plus all the other positive things, like saying , bringing awareness, meditating, helping others, etc. We recollect every single positive thing we have done, and all that we dedicate to clearing the pain from all living beings. We are using our positive actions as cause and dedicate that this cause may not be wasted on anything but may serve to clear the pain of all beings. Basically, this is the general dedication. Why we need to dedicate If we don’t dedicate our positive karma, it will be wasted by the power of anger. We talked about how important purification is in the explanations of Chapter Two, and so we may think that we are very well protected through purification, but that is not the case. We are very much exposed to negative forces. There is no difference at all in how much the negative forces and how much the positive forces affect us. Negative forces and positive forces are equally powerful in the way they affect me as an individual. How do we know this? We know it by how quickly we can change our mind when we are influenced by somebody else. Just by seeing something else we can change our minds. That shows us how positive and negative forces can influence us. On top of that, the negative forces even have a great advantage which the positive forces don’t have: our addiction to them. So often we know that it is not good to do something, but our addiction forces us to do it anyway. We may be very vigilant, trying not to do it, trying to have , but we can’t help it, we fall for the same old trick again and again! Cigarette smoking is a very good example. People tell me that they know how bad it is. They say, “I know it is not good. It is terrible, it makes me cough, not to mention the cancer risk and other long term effects. Even now I can’t 69

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

breathe properly.” And yet they cannot stop. That is exactly what addictions do to us. Alcohol addiction works in the same way. Actually, it does not even make you feel great to smoke cigarettes, but somehow you get addicted. You see somebody else smoking or you smell the cigarettes, so you want to go and do the same thing. Our problem is that we have a lot of addictions to the negative things and we are not addicted to doing positive things! We know we should not do certain things but we can’t help it. That is the additional power the negative forces have over us. Using mindfulness and awareness to cut through our addictions That is why awareness and mindfulness are so important. We have to know what we are doing. We should realize what we are doing. The moment you realize it, you should be able to stop it. If you are smoking another cigarette after you have decided you want to give up, even if you have already started smoking it, don’t take another puff - whether you inhale or not does not matter! Don’t take another puff. Throw it away! Addictions are such a thing that there is nothing to negotiate with them. If you try to negotiate, you are the loser. There can be no give and take; you have to cut it forcefully. Then you can maintain it. And even if you fail, it does not matter. The moment you realize it, cut it forcefully again! That goes for cigarettes and alcohol and also for anger, attachment, hatred, jealousy - all of those. This is exactly how it works. With these neuroses, you have even more problems. Not only does the addiction bring them back, but you also have some sense of loss, of defeat, of rejection. It is like a war between the positive and negative.

70

Gelek Rimpoche

Chögyam Trungpa Rimpoche always referred to that situation as war and he set up his whole group in that way. He appointed people to positions as different warriors and conducted military exercises. They even used Indian police uniforms! I think he was very deeply thinking about how the positive and the negative forces are working within the mind of the individual. This gives a very good idea and demonstration of the American mind. I am not saying that we in Jewel Heart should do it like that. I am not saying that at all! I am simply saying that it is a very good demonstration of the American mind. The war between positive and negative What is happening is almost like war, the war between positive and negative forces. That war is within ourselves. If you look at the negative forces, see how great are the advantages they have. Look at the positive side and see what kind of weaknesses we have there. The most important atom bomb type of advantage the negative forces have is the addictions. The negative forces have that. Addiction can also work both ways, but we don’t have positive addictions yet, we have negative addictions. So the negativity has a big, bombshell type of advantage here. On top of that, there is a lack of understanding, feeling lost, sad, and rejected. There is doubt about how genuine the teachings are. All these are the disadvantages for the positive side. Anything that can protect whatever little positive karma we might be able to produce through sheer coincidence or something like that is absolutely necessary. Therefore the dedication is like an insurance policy. It insures that the result you are seeking is really going to materialize. It does not matter how long it takes for your policy to mature, in the end it will be delivered! This is the general dedication.

71

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verse 8: Dedicating for healing

May I be the doctor and the medicine And may I be the nurse For all sick beings in the world Until everyone is healed. I will also read that to you in Tibetan. This is not only because I myself understand the text better in Tibetan, but you also get some kind of oral transmission side by side with it. Many of you might not be aware of that. There are a lot of detailed explanations on this. People get sick not only from the usual mental and physical illnesses. I should really not brush it off quickly, but explain it in more detail. The term illnesses of course does refer to physical and mental illnesses, but on top of that we also have spiritual illnesses. Anger, attachment, hatred, and so on, are diseases which weaken our spiritual life. These diseases kill our spiritual life, and destroy our spiritual path. Likewise, the environmental conditions show a need for healing. We live in the degenerate age, when the lifespan is getting shorter, and the environment is unclean, with a lot of toxins. There are toxic contaminations of the elements, the earth, the water, the air and even the fire. The raging fires in Indonesia this summer are a clear example. People burn down the original forests so that they can quickly grow palm oil plantations, make palm oil and sell it. Through that, they create a very unhealthy environment, not only in Indonesia itself, but also in Malaysia and Singapore as well.

72

Gelek Rimpoche

Friends from Malaysia called me yesterday and said, “You may have to cancel your visit to Malaysia. We cannot even see the sun during the day!” And this was two countries away from the fires! They said, “All the foreign embassies have moved their staffs away, because it is getting difficult to breathe.” It was also difficult to see. A plane with two hundred forty people in it crashed because of that and two ships have collided in the straits of Malacca in the thick smog. This is environmental degradation; it is sickness, it is illness. We should dedicate our positive karma to remove these. We say, May I be the nurse to cure them, until they are totally healed. May I be the doctor to guide them, to show them the way. May I be the medicine, let them take me, eat me, digest me and through that overcome their illnesses. That is how you dedicate. It is not enough to say, “I like you, so I will help you.” This is nice and kind, but it is not proper dedication. The differences between prayer and dedication I think I mentioned to you that prayer and dedication work similarly in the way you think and say the words. But the dedication has the advantage over praying. When you pray, you just simply wish. With dedication, you have something to dedicate. You are saying, “I wish this may happen because of this.” It is rather like somebody coming into a business with some of their own capital in contrast to somebody who just has a big mouth, nothing in their pockets and just keeps on talking between earth and sky without anything to put in. With dedication you are not just wishing; you have a down payment that you can put in. You can buy a horse or a car! Simply 73

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

praying is like trying to get around without any down payment. If you are lucky enough you may even get around, but chances are it is not very likely. Who knows? I don’t think I have to explain so much in this verse. It says May I be the doctor. We have medical doctors for physical illnesses and psychologists for psychological problems. For the delusion-oriented illnesses, we have the spiritual masters. All of them are referred to when you talk about the doctor here. This includes healers, people who heal through their hands or any other methods. You also dedicate to become the medicine, which refers as well to the teachings of the Dharma, the methods you can apply to remove pains. Musicians could also be regarded as doctors in this case and their music as medicine. The meaning of healing In a very general way, this does not just refer to conventional physical healing. Doctor, medicine and nurse can be regarded in a wider sense. The doctor is not necessarily only a medical doctor. The medicine is not only the chemical drugs. The nurse does not have to be a registered nurse! The sick beings are not just the ones with physical problems. When everyone is free of all pains, then they are healed. Until you are free of all sufferings, you are not totally healed. Look at the modern chemical healing methods. We already say, “It is not that good. You improve one problem here but it creates another one there. There are side effects.” This is true, but if you look anywhere in samsara, we have the same process. This is samsara’s unique quality: whatever you do, you have problems! Even if you use only natural methods you have them. For example, you may treat a cold by just balancing

74

Gelek Rimpoche

the body temperature between too hot and too cold, so there are no chemicals involved. They do that in Tibetan medicine, in Aryuvedic medicine, in Homoeopathic medicine, and in Chinese herbal medicine. They give you some extra heat in whatever form. But then you may overheat and for the next month they have to give you cooling medicine! After that, you are probably too cool and they have to give you medicine to increase your heat! That is the normal usual rhythm. Once you start seeing these Tibetan or Aryuvedic or Chinese doctors you have to be prepared to take medicines until you die. That is how they function. That is not the fault of the doctors or the medicine, it is the effect of samsara. The cause of the suffering is there. Until the cause of the suffering is totally eliminated, it will be very hard to balance the elements in our body. As long as we cannot balance the powers of the elements in the body, we get sick. That is why we say that the best healer is Buddha. Not just because he is Buddha, but because he knows through his experience and has shared his experience of healing. The suffering of illness In another way, the worst problems people face are illnesses, physical, mental and emotional illnesses. These are vivid sufferings we go through. You can become ill between morning and evening, day and night, or from hour to hour. That is why the dedication for healing is specifically mentioned here. Illness is one of the sufferings we all go through, whether we like it or not. Whether we are healthy or not, we always go through that. It is very familiar to us - we call it “I am under the weather.” It may go for two or three days. Then we may get better. This is what we get all the time. Then there are people

75

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

like me who are labeled as diabetics. This is true, I am. But there are people who are labeled as healthy, and yet they have all these pains and problems. People say, “I have a headache, I have this and that, my back is out, I could not sleep last night,” etc. Whether we are labeled as sick or not - we all have that. Sometimes the sick people may not even have as much suffering as the healthy ones! Last week I went to San Francisco. There I saw Ram Dass. He had a stroke. Actually, he speaks quite clearly and his mind is absolutely clear. There is no problem whatsoever with his mind, but the right hand side of his body is completely paralyzed. He can’t move his right leg or right arm. He said, “Last year was a bad year,” meaning that so many people of that category died, beginning with Timothy Leary, then Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs. Anyway, Ram Das was absolutely clear in his mind. He said one of his biggest problems was that he has no pain. The doctors try to give him painkillers all the time. He said that he is trying not to take them. The next time the doctors come they find out that he did not take the painkillers and start scolding the nurses. Then the nurses try to force them onto him. So he thought his biggest problem was trying to explain to the doctors that he did not have any pain. They did not accept that and then they said, “Give him the pills. Even if he does not have pain now, he is going to get it anyway.” Now he is changing doctors. Mind power and material power Illness is one thing and the individual’s perception of pain is another thing. Certain people experience a particular illness as very painful, yet others don’t. This is all because of the way the mind functions. Mind power versus material power - that also was a principal issue for me during my childhood in the 1950s. 76

Gelek Rimpoche

The Chinese communists would always emphasize how important the materialistic viewpoints are. Actually they did not emphasize money so much, because they did not have it in those days. The reason why they adopted communism in the first place is that they did not have any money. It is then easy to say, “Let’s share everything.” It is politically very convenient. So the Chinese always tried to impose materialistic viewpoints over the mental power. You can debate which is more important in your life, the materialistic power or the mental development. That was the issue all the time. Fortunately or unfortunately, in the area of material development there are some vivid demonstrations you can give. Mental development is very slow moving. It may be the everlasting cure and development, but you can’t say very much about it. It is interesting. I recently saw the film Seven Years in Tibet. On the whole it is a very nice picture. Could not be done better. There are very interesting examples in it. For example, Heinrich Harrer tried to go to Central Tibet and the guards did not want to let him in, saying that he did not have a permit. At that point he showed them a piece of paper which was a first aid instruction and said to them, “Here is my permit.” And they all bought that! It certainly could have happened. It definitely worked that way! I think it would even work today. You know why? We have a Tibetan here, Doctor Dorje, who works as an anesthesiologist at the University of Michigan. Last year he went back to his native home in a very remote area of Tibet. He had to use a number of jeeps - when one broke he had to use another one, and then ride for seven days on horseback. Anyway, he was able to go and see all his relatives in the village. Finally, he took a bus from his native area to a bigger

77

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

city. Suddenly, in the middle of the journey, the bus stopped. Everybody had Chinese-issued identity cards. Two women came on the bus and started checking the identity cards. For a moment he did not know what to do and then took from his briefcase his doctor’s card from the University of Michigan. He showed it to one of the persons who looked at the card for a while and then said, “It’s okay.” So it works! It shows you the simple mentality of Tibetans. If with such a simple mentality you are subjected to a well- designed, well planned huge propaganda machine trained on you for twenty-four hours a day, it is very strange. I remember in those days there was no television and although there was radio, we did not like to listen to it. So, in the end, the Chinese installed these big loudspeakers in every street corner. From there they kept on yelling and screaming and playing music round the clock. They kept on repeating the communist Chinese propaganda all the time, again and again and again for almost twenty-four hours a day. They only kept quiet for about two hours around midnight. The struggle was to demonstrate whether the materialistic power or the spiritual power was more important. They used to tell us that the materialist view was absolutely important. They told us that China used to be so poor and had so many difficulties and that now it was so great. Now they had so many factories, producing this and that, there were now so many soldiers with that many weapons. We would hear that every single day from the loudspeakers. So my struggle was to work out whether the spiritual path or the materialistic path was more important. Material development cannot eliminate suffering Once I got to the United States, I became convinced that the materialistic values are not the answer, they cannot fulfill the 78

Gelek Rimpoche

needs of the people. We can clearly see this now. The materialist development we had through the industrial revolution goes side by side and builds up equally with suffering! It cannot make you stop suffering. It may relieve you of some difficulties, yet will also create other difficulties, other pains. It is not free of pain. If you look at the pressure that people go through today, compared to how much people used to go through before, you will see it. Now we are trying to compete between human beings with human capabilities and human limitations and technological development. We have to keep up with the technological development. We have to answer phones, we have to answer e-mails, faxes, pagers, and cell phones. Think about it. How fast everything goes! It is a demand on the individual. Then on top of that you have your responsibilities. On top of that, the needs of people in terms of food, shelter, clothes, medicine, all of that is measured in terms of dollars. So you have to find those dollars in order to be able to use those things. In a way there has been great development, no question. But in another way it has equally brought sufferings with it. That does not mean that we should reverse and go back. That, again, is stupidity. Some people would like to step completely away from all that and go and sit somewhere on a mountaintop, like Mt. Everest! But there is no escape. It is samsara. I don’t think anybody can escape by climbing a mountain. Not only that, instead of suffering stopping, it is going to get worse. More and more is going to happen. No question. How are we going to handle all of that? It becomes very difficult. Forget ourselves, but how are our children going to handle that? How are Emma and Crystal going to handle it? 79

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

You have to start thinking about that. For our generation, somehow we are managing, like Allen Ginsberg said, “Sangha Death, we’ll work it out.” In our generation, we may be able to work it out. But in their generation, how is it going to work? It will fully develop and go on until it destroys itself. There is no question. But how are we going to handle it? Balancing spiritual and material We need the spiritual viewpoint to balance that. If you don’t have the spiritual viewpoints as balance, but only the material viewpoint, you get all these problems like people committing suicide, hurting others in various ways, hurting themselves, etc. This is because we just cannot manage any more, we cannot take it. There is no patience, there is no wisdom within the individual. That is why we are facing these problems. To me there seem to be many more people committing suicide, doing this and doing that, hurting themselves, hurting others, etc. This is absolute proof that materialistic development does not answer the human needs. You need spiritual development. Can spiritual development answer all our needs? The answer is no. When Buddha came 2500 years ago material needs were very limited. People’s desires were very small. It was easy to maintain their lives and their satisfaction. Today we cannot do it. Our needs are much more than those of the people 2500 years ago. We not only have the lack of developing ourselves spiritually, but on top of that we have material pressure, too. We must be able to maintain a balance between the spiritual need and the material need. If you lose your balance, you get nowhere today. In years to come, that will be even worse. When I say that, I mean that there will be more mental, physical and emotional sufferings. These will become worse and worse. Think about all those illnesses. Earlier there 80

Gelek Rimpoche

was malaria. A cure was found. There was tuberculosis. A cure was found. Now we have AIDS and cancer. Probably, there will be a cure for these, I am quite sure. There will be a vaccine. But then there will be other illnesses like Hepatitis C, D or E. All these sorts of things will come up because this is samsara. The bottom line is that until the individual is totally free from neuroses, we are not going to be free from illness. You may find the cure to one illness, but something else will come up. I am quite sure there will be a time when you can treat AIDS or cancer like we treat a cold now. But, by then, there will be other terminal illnesses. The question rises, “Should we stop searching for cures?” The answer is, “No, we must search.” It is the degenerate age. As much as possible we try to find the balance, try to find medicine and other solutions. In other words, the goal of spiritual development and scientific, material development is really one thing, to have joy and happiness for people. That is the basic goal. There is no difference in the motivation. But the methods we are using are totally different. Dealing with death No one can make you live forever - neither science nor religion. That is for sure! Our physical structure is simply not able to accommodate the occupying person forever, and. that is why eventually it collapses. Then what happens thereafter? From the materialist viewpoint, there is nothing thereafter, because it cannot be observed under microscopes, we cannot see or hear it, therefore it is not there. The spiritual people say, “That is no proof of non- existence. It does not end there. I can recall my previous life.” As member of the spiritual party I have to say, “That is right. There is a future life.” 81

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

There is a big difference in scope when considering life after life after life as opposed to just looking at what goes on between life and death. When you get a terminal illness, when you are dying, from a spiritual viewpoint, it is time to change the body, the physical suit. Your good old suit is getting torn and worn and it is time for you to get a new one. From the materialist point of view, it is not just the good old suit that is worn out, but you are going to disappear completely. You are going to be lost like scattered dust, never to be found again. You are going to be destroyed. Therefore hospitals and doctors try to keep you here as much as they can. Anyway, both viewpoints accept that illness is a big suffering. So we dedicate our positive karma to heal all the illnesses, physical, emotional or mental and spiritual.. The second vivid example of suffering is the lack of food and drink, covered in the next verse.

82

Gelek Rimpoche

Questions and Answers Student: If somebody does something positive without having a vow, is there a difference? Rimpoche: Vows have their own value, no question. But even the motivation alone has a very strong power and is able to carry you from a neutral to a positive mind state as you do your daily chores. If you are doing your laundry, you can think of that as purification. If you vacuum the floor, it is also a good way of purifying negativities. Remember the story of the Arhat Small Road.25 That works, definitely. If you are waiting for somebody in a parking lot, instead of becoming frustrated, you use that to train yourself to be patient for the benefit of all beings. If you are waiting for somebody to call you on the phone, you can do the same thing. Somebody told me once, “We need bus-stop Buddhism!” Here you have it. This is Bus- Stop Buddhism!

Student: Can you explain how I can develop equanimity for myself, not looking after myself too much and not too little? And can you explain how to get rid of the ego-grasping that upsets that equanimity? Rimpoche: I think if I want to answer that properly, we have to dedicate a whole Tuesday evening for that! First you mentioned equanimity. What is equanimity to you? Student: Sharing love and compassion equally. Rimpoche: You always think of sharing. Equal shares, right? Is it possible? What you have to do is get two apples and weigh them. If one is a little heavier, eat a little bit from it. Weigh

83

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

them again. Now the other one could be heavier. Eat some from that. That is how you do the equanimity sharing. Make it equal - and make sure that it does not remain equal so that you can have both apples. Don’t you think so? I think we are talking about equanimity on different levels. Equanimity is definitely not lukewarm. It does not mean not caring or putting off. Equanimity is very much about caring. As you have said, sharing love and compassion. But equanimity also means balancing between two things. It is not talking about equality of positive and negative. It is the equality of how you care for yourself and how you care for others. That takes care of the ego-grasping point that you have raised. You acknowledge, I am important. Likewise, he or she is also important. As I am myself the center of my universe, he or she is also the center of his or her universe. As much as I want joy, he or she also wants joy. As much I don’t want misery and suffering, they also don’t want it. So we are equal on the level of what we want and what we have. Neither is superior to the other. This is not great equanimity at all - not even close to it! But we begin from there and make a move.

Student: Once you told the story of a fly floating around a in the rain on a piece of dung. This was supposed to have been the base of the good karma that allowed this fly to become a monk in a later life. How could that be when this fly had no intention of doing anything positive? Rimpoche: Good point. But we do create positive and negative karma without intention all the time. We kill a number of ants

84

Gelek Rimpoche

under the wheels of our cars without any intention of killing. We do. That fortunate fly happened to have attachment to the smell of the cow-dung which was carried by a little current around a stupa. Through that, the fly generated some kind of karmic seed. The example is actually trying to tell us that every living being has a wonderful, pure nature within them. It is a seed which enables us to become Buddhas. Some of these seeds may be so subtle that even those who have attained the level of Arhats are not aware of them, but Buddha is. We do a lot of things, helping and harming, without intention. Do we let that go? People sometimes say, “He hurt me, but he did not mean it. I should just forget about it.” In other cases we say, “It was not him, but she is behind it. He is so weak and hopeless, he did it.” Whether he is hopeless or weak, with or without intention, that person did it. That is the point. People get hurt, whether it has been done intentionally or unintentionally.

Student: You said that anger can destroy a lot of positive karma. When I am angry I am unable to do positive things which I could otherwise have done. Is that what you are referring to? Rimpoche: I am not so much referring to temper tantrums or irritation. I am referring to real anger, when you really want to hurt the person, get back at them, not the small temper tantrums which we all go through all the time. I am talking about the real mean feeling that wants to hurt another person - not necessarily kill them - but bring some pain to that person’s awareness. It could be physically, mentally or emotionally. We want to make that person cry or make them feel that as they have done something bad to us now they are

85

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

going to get it! That sort of feeling, that sort of hatred is what I am talking about, not so much the type of anger where your partner does not keep a date with you and you go to their place and bang angrily at their door. Student: When you are the object of such anger, at what point do you cross the line and defend yourself? Rimpoche: Very good question. You have to defend yourself all the time. You don’t want to be other people’s doormat; you don’t want to be taken advantage of. You can do that without getting angry. You keep your principles intact. You know what you will do and what you will not do. It is absolutely clear-cut. To defend yourself you don’t have to get angry. One thing about dedication. We said that once a positive action is dedicated it is impossible to destroy it before it has achieved its purpose. This works both ways, for the positive things and the negative things. If there is such a thing as a devil, he dedicates all his energy to harm beings! That is therefore also very hard to wipe out. It pops up everywhere. The positive and the negative both function the same way. It is not that the positive is powerful and the negative is weaker. We would like to project it that way, but it functions equally. We say that ultimately truth will prevail. Let’s hope so! Let’s close shop now - with a nice little dedication!

86

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 9: Dedicating to eliminate hunger and thirst

May a rain of food and drink descend To clear away the pain of thirst and hunger And during the aeon of famine May I myself change into food and drink. This is about a Hindu - Buddhist mythological story which tells you that there will be a period of time when there is no food at all, an aeon of famine. If somebody finds a single grain, he will have to protect that as if it was a very precious jewel. Perhaps it will take five or six people to protect that grain. This could happen. If there is a nuclear holocaust or some other kind of trouble, it is possible. At this moment, it looks like Hindu- that illustrates the maximum suffering of hunger and thirst, experienced by society in general, not just by an individual alone. So even if something like that happens, you pray, May I become food for them. May I become drink for them. May I be able to relieve their pain by myself as food and drink. You should not think that you are encouraging them to become cannibals! It is not like that! Bodhisattvas always hope that they will become some kind of nourishing food, like that terrible, dangerous apple that Adam and Eve shared. I am sorry, I am just joking. Anyway, some very nourishing food that does not make those who eat it into cannibals! How Bodhisattva’s can give themselves as food In Buddha’s previous life stories, we learn that in one particular life, without hesitation, he fed himself to a family of dying 87

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

tigers. The mother was so weak that she could not feed her cubs any more, and was even thinking about eating them. Buddha, who happened to be a young prince, cut his wrists and let the mother tiger lick his blood. Through that, she built up her strength and then she was able to eat him up alive. The mother tiger and the cubs were saved. That is the way Bodhisattvas think and function. That is why they have no hesitation to pray that they may become food if there is such a thing as an aeon of famine. Can we do that at this moment? No, we would hesitate. If you hesitate, you should not do it. Your action of generosity will not become generosity. If you don’t have any hesitation whatsoever, if you can give your eyes, or limbs or any part of your body easily, as if you were giving away some yellow vegetables out of your fridge, then it is even recommended to do that. But until then it is even forbidden, because you cannot do it. There are also people who like to misinterpret that. They may say, “Oh, that is the Bodhisattva’s way. In that case I would like to commit hara kiri.” Some people may use that, particularly if you are a borderline personality and your cycle is low. You may think that it is a good enough excuse to utilize that aspect of the Bodhisattva’s way of life. But I would like to tell you here that no Bodhisattva will do such a thing as committing suicide at all! We have to remember how important our life is, how precious it is, how difficult to find this life is. This is the junction point. This life decides whether we are going to get better in our development or whether we are going down. So appreciate and rejoice in the great Bodhisattvas who have been able to give their lives. We are praying that eventually we will be

88

Gelek Rimpoche

able to do it just like them. But right at this moment, we are not supposed to do that. The eon of weapons There is another dedication which is not mentioned here. It has to do with the eon of weapons. Just like there is an eon of famine there is also the eon of weapons. That is the time when one side destroys the other by using the most powerful weapon available. We sort of know that. We have these powerful bombs and whoever uses them is going to cause destruction. That period is called the eon of weapons. Bodhisattvas pray that at that time, through their positive karma, they may be able to transform all these weapons into flowers. The example is Buddha’s life story.26 That is exactly how it works. The Bodhisattvas will also dedicate in this way. They think, “When people start throwing bombs at each other, may I have the power to transform all of these bombs into a shower of flowers.”27 That is why the Bodhisattva’s mind is so strong and powerful. It may even appear crazy. It is very unrealistic to our way of thinking, but that is how they think and how they act and that is how it materializes for them. Buddha had proven it. When Buddha was close to obtaining enlightenment, all the weapons thrown at him changed into flowers. It is possible. It all depends on the individual. It is a mind state, spiritual development, actually the power of love, the power of non-violence that changes weapons into flowers. You can figure that out. So love has a tremendous amount of power. At the end, if you balance violence and non-violence, non-violence is much more powerful. Violence only has power for a short time. In the long run, however, love has tremendous power and completely overpowers anger, hatred and violence. That is why love and compassion are important. 89

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

People like it. That is the power of love. We have to realize that and make it available for us. Spiritual practice, meditation, etc., is to gain that love, whatever it takes. You are trying to gain that love and compassion, whatever it may take. Spiritual practice does not have to be sitting on the floor with crossed legs. You can see all these statues sitting like this, but they don’t move. They are made of metal. Later verses in this chapter are going to be about the real practice of bodhimind development. Every other Tuesday, like today, I present material for analytical meditation to you. Next Tuesday you are going to practice concentrated meditation. What you need to learn is to put the analytical meditation and the concentrated meditation together and try to sell the goods to your mind. That is your job. Sell the information to yourself and make sure your mind will buy it.

90

Gelek Rimpoche

The Essence of our Practice We have been talking about the power of dedication. Bodhisattvas create a lot of positive energy, positive karma through all sorts of ways and means. They do a lot through their motivation, the way they set up the functioning of their mind. They get a lot of these neutral actions to become positive. I have told you that a number of times. Using motivation When you look back at today, since you woke up this morning until now, you don’t have anything which you could call a great virtuous action. I mean I can’t guarantee that - some people may have - but mostly we don’t. Nor have we done anything terrible. Most of the time we have been in between. I don’t want to use the word mediocre here which I do use very often, but here it would be the wrong usage. It is neither very positive nor very negative. Most of the time, from the viewpoint of negative and positive actions, you will find that ninety per cent of our actions are neither very positive nor negative. Even the few of us who are saying mantras will find that within reciting the mantras, within the meditation, you will suddenly realize that you are no longer concentrating on the , on the deity pride or on the tsoh offering that you are supposed to be doing. You are somewhere else and you suddenly shake yourself up and start again or continue. That shows you that we don’t have any great positive actions with us. These are clear signs. Nor do we have anything very negative. Occasionally, there is a little bit here and there. The majority of the time we spend, the majority of the efforts we put in is neither black, nor white, but sort of

91

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

grey. The way to change the color of that grey in and make it white, is through the power of the motivation. Don’t ever forget that! Use that motivation, think in the morning, “I am glad I am alive and I have wakened up. I am not going to waste my life; particularly today. I am going to make it beneficial to all beings, or at least to my family, my circle, my friends!” It depends on how big your heart is. If your heart is very big, make it for all sentient beings, if it is a little smaller, make it for all human beings. If it is even smaller, make it for your fellow countrymen. Nobody thinks like that in this country very much. It is very Tibetan, Japanese, Indian or Chinese. America is a very different society. We don’t usually say much about our fellow countrymen. In any case you can think of your family, your circle, friends, spouse, etc. Bringing that mind will bring continuous influence during the day, and at the end, before you go to sleep, you dedicate that. You think, “By the power of the virtues that I have built up, may we be able to become enlightened together. May I become enlightened for the others.” This is the very witty way of doing it. Shepherd-like bodhimind But there are some Bodhisattvas like Avalokitesvara, who is more important than anybody else, even more important than Manjushri and Vajrapani. This is because Avalokitesvara has the shepherd-like bodhimind. With this attitude you think, “May I wait until all my sheep have gone to safety, free of danger. I will remain and protect them and I will be the last one to go.” In other words, Avalokitesvara is saying, “I am willing to wait for eons and eons, until all sentient beings have become fully enlightened!” That is why Avalokitesvara is praised by Buddha as being like a white lotus, in the sense of being faultless. 92

Gelek Rimpoche

Most of the Bodhisattvas however will say, “I would like to become enlightened - for you!” You know what I mean? There are actually very strong reasons for that. You are able to serve others better, because if your capacity is limited, you cannot do anything. When your capacity is better you can do better things for others. So there is no question about the sincerity of their motivation. So there are two choices for your motivation. The great Hero Bodhisattvas are willing to stay behind until everybody else has gone off. In any case, with every positive thing we do, it is important to dedicate. If we don’t dedicate, there is no security. There is no insurance. Purifying and accumulating merit We talked about purification and the four powers,28 how the four powers work against the negative karma, how they wipe out the negativity. Purification is very important for every one of us throughout. Our practice does not just consist of sitting down cross- legged, meditating and saying prayers and mantras. Our practice actually is our mind working hard to purify negativities and gain merit. This is real, true practice. We accumulate two types of merit and purify two types of negativities. The two types of negativities are the neuroses, like anger, hatred, etc. and secondly the imprints of these neuroses.29 The two types of merit are relative merit and absolute merit.30 So accumulation of merit and purification is our major practice. The way we train ourselves to get closer to the enlightened level, the method we have to use, is purification and accumulating merits.

93

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Purification is possible Can we purify negativities? Buddha says yes. No matter how heavy the negativities might be, there is nothing that cannot be purified. No matter how heavy the clouds may be, how fearful and miserable the weather is, eventually it will be swept away and the sun will shine and the moon will shine and you will see the blue sky again. It is exactly the same with the negativities. They can be purified. There is no reason why we could not purify anything. Remember Angulimala who killed 999 human beings and was able to purify. If he could, why not you and me? Nothing has gone wrong in our nature. We can definitely purify. How do we do it? Do we have to go to somebody and tell him what we did? Buddha said that this is not necessary. The important thing is to remember and acknowledge the action. If you don’t acknowledge it, but then say that you want to purify, what is it that you are going to purify? You might as well spend time on doing your laundry: at least you purify the dirt out of your blue jeans! So we have to remember the negativities we have done. I am sure we remember some, like the bugs we killed, and the spiders which we put outside in the freezing cold. We do all that type of thing all the time. We have that crazy mind that wishes somebody to be dead, to be killed. If you watch your mind, there is no limit and no reason in it. Our mind projects all sorts of funny things. When you have that sort of mind trouble, that is negativity which needs to be purified. The four powers We have talked about the four powers which Buddha said will purify the negativities. First and foremost, we really need compensation.31 With most negativities we hurt somebody, either mentally, physically or emotionally. We hurt living beings. We hurt the bugs, we kill the spiders, we run over the snakes or hit the skunks. When

94

Gelek Rimpoche

you hurt somebody you have to compensate. It is absolutely necessary. Even in the Western tradition this is being done. I was watching a movie the other day on TV. There were some kinds of terrifying ghost activities. Somebody had done something bad to a young girl at a school and those ghosts came to punish him. Ultimately they found the person he had harmed and was still alive somewhere and so he apologized and after that he was okay. Then the ghost had become a ghost because somebody who was by now in the grave had some experiences and so on and finally that was okay, too. So even in the Western tradition the idea of compensation is there. Another way is to ask the person you have harmed for forgiveness. If that person forgives you it is fine. It has worked. But if that person refuses to forgive you and instead creates more trouble, what are you going to do? Therefore Buddha does not recommend making big announcements. Some people may prefer it, saying that they have got it off their chests by telling it to somebody. That may be true to a certain extent. On the other hand, it is not necessarily good to tell people everything you did. What you really have to do is to convince the harmed person. If you are wealthy, you can give them a million dollars! That will probably convince them! But it could also make them angrier. They may throw that million dollars in your face! Who knows! People’s minds function in such a funny way. There is really no blanket way of explaining. Each and every individual has an own very private way in which their mind functions. You are the only person who knows how your mind works. So if you apply such a method, you have to think what suits you and apply the method accordingly. Do not do something because So-and-So said so. So what? Even if Buddha said so, 95

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

so what? Buddha said many things. On one occasion he said that you should kill your father and mother and destroy your retinue and country as a way to obtain liberation!32 Did he mean that? Certainly not! There was an idea behind that and a purpose for saying it. You really have to use what suits you. What is generally recommended in terms of compensation is to have love and compassion for the person. But you never know whether that person is enlightened or not, so you also take refuge as a means of compensation. So you pray to him or her and for him or her. To enlightened beings, you take refuge, and for non-enlightened beings, you develop compassion. In that way, you are compensating them. Then you also need regret. As I have said before, if you don’t know what it is that you want to purify, you might as well go to Mr. Stadium! That is the name of a Laundromat around here. Then, when you have strong regret, you will probably think that you don’t want to repeat that action. Then, of course you need an antidote action. That is absolutely important. If you have killed somebody, save a life. If you have lied to somebody, try to tell the truth for once. If you have been angry, be patient. And particularly, as is the Bodhisattva’s way, develop love and compassion. This is great purification. Remember, we read that passage in the Bodhisattvacharyavatara saying that meditation on love and compassion can purify even the heaviest of negativities. There was something like that.33 Then the meditation on emptiness, the nature of reality is also very important. But for us, at this moment, trying to think about emptiness is too confusing. So let us leave it there for a while. When the time comes, we will pick it up. 96

Gelek Rimpoche

Actually, when you really see emptiness, you solve the whole mystery of life. The whole mystery comes out of ignorance. When you see emptiness, you clear the ignorance. This is called wisdom. In the Bodhisattvacharyavatara there is a whole chapter on wisdom but it comes much later.34 Then of course, it is recommended to do the recitations or read the dorje chöpa, which is translated as Diamond Cutter . There are countless activities. Even if you use your perfect motivation continuously for one week, two weeks or three weeks, you can use that as an antidote action to purify. That is how it works. Doing it once, will that purify? I don’t think so. It will help; it will make a dent. But when you put in constant efforts every day, that makes a big difference. That is why purification is part of the seven-limb practice. When you do it all the time, it makes a difference. It does not take that long. Even if you cannot say the 100 syllable mantra of Vajrasattva, you can simply say VAJRASATTVA AH35 three times or seven times. If the four powers have been built, it works. That is the best way to purify our negativities. The seven limb practice The best way to accumulate merit is to do the seven limb practice which we do in Jewel Heart all the time too. It starts with: I bow down in body, speech and mind. Shantideva himself has said The Buddhas have thought for aeons about the best and easiest way for people to practice and they have come to the conclusion that the seven limb practice is the best.36

97

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Traditionally, there are at least a couple of pages that you have to say in this practice. But these days, time is short for us and in our list of priorities the least important thing is our spiritual practice. The things we want, we cannot let go of, and therefore we have not much time left. So to our spiritual practice many of us give the last priority. There is no time. That is why I have made it shorter and shorter. Now we are down to one line for each of the seven limbs! If you make it even shorter than that and just put the words We practice the seven limbs, then, unless you can correspond those words with what you know about them, it does not work. I don’t think we can. So we need at least one line, so that when we say I bow down in body, speech and mind, we can at least bring in our admiration and the desire to seek the qualities of enlightened beings. Then you make offerings. At the third line, I purify all deluded actions, meaning that I purify all my negativities, you can think about the four powers. At the next line about rejoicing you can think of all great deeds performed by all people. Finally, you request teachings and for them to stay forever and dedicate everything. The essence of our practice So the essence of the practice here is purification and accumulation. You train your mind, since the mind is what makes all the difference. There is even a school of Buddhism which is called Mind Only School. For them nothing counts except mind. That may be a little extreme and is therefore not recommended as the final viewpoint, but the mind has that much importance. The mind is how we feel, perceive and project, what we understand. These are the activities of the mind. We have recognition; we have awareness.

98

Gelek Rimpoche

Some people say that everything is deception, illusion. They say that nothing matters, because in the end there is just zero. Sometimes people think that all of our experience is only a hallucination and in reality there is nothing. These people would probably not see a difference between gold dust and sand! This is a purely cultural, traditional Tibetan joke. When you want to illustrate how stupid somebody is you say, “His ears are like those of a donkey.” Why? If you take a handful of sand and put it in a donkey’s ear, it will flick its ear to get rid of it. If you put a handful of gold dust in the donkey’s ear, the ear will move too. The donkey cannot distinguish between sand and gold. It cannot distinguish between solid rock and gold, between turquoise and dollop. Actually, most of the turquoise found in Arizona is actually dollop. Accepting both relative and absolute You have to look at reality carefully. When you say that everything is illusion and hallucination, you are going too far.37 Buddha said that there are two truths. He never said that there is just one truth. We tend to think that truth is truth, that is has to be like this or else it is not true. But Buddha taught that there is absolute and relative truth. This view has tremendous value. Enlightened beings, spiritually perfected persons, who have defeated all negativities, who have attained victory over their negative karma and neuroses are telling us that there are always two truths. From one angle, you may say that everything is meaningless at the end, but from the other angle you say that everything has meaning and reason, everything has its function, makes a difference, gives you pain or pleasure - it is real. The gold is gold, the sand is sand, the rock is rock. There 99

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

is a big difference in value, in nature, in perception, in projection. There is a difference. That is why relative truth is necessary. Otherwise, gold is emptiness and rock is emptiness. Instead of gold, you could send someone with a couple of pebbles and buy out Ted Turner’s CNN! You cannot do it, because relative truth stands. Truth really means that you stand on your point which cannot be contradicted or defeated by reality, whether relative or absolute. That is the essence of truth, both truths combined together. In our mind we may think, “It is only mind. If I project well, I am all right, if I project wrongly, I will be wrong.” There is some truth in it, but it is not the total truth. But when you train the mind, you train it to accept reality, to accept both truths, relative and absolute. That is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. It is said: Enlightened beings know that there are two truths, but they never accept a third truth. You may say now, “What about the ?” But that is a different way of looking. There is absolute and relative, nothing else. The real bottom line truth is the combination of both absolute and relative together. Therefore the gold does not become pebbles, pebbles don’t become gold. These differences are there. That is why everything functions in society. That is why the stock market goes up and down. It is the relative truth. When somebody loses millions of dollars in one day, that is true. They did lose that. When somebody else gains a million dollars the next day, that is also truth. You may say that all this does not matter, because it is just about a piece of paper. That is also true, but a piece of paper can also make a hell of a difference!

100

Gelek Rimpoche

Dedication secures our positive karma The main point I started with is the dedication. It secures what we have got. It secures our positive karma. Just as our negative karma can be purified by using the four powers, our positive karmas can be wiped out by hatred. It can happen in a matter of seconds. Just like a fire is able to consume acres and acres of forest in a matter of seconds, anger and hatred can wipe out all the efforts which you have put in day after day, week after week, month after month. You can blow it through one little outburst. Actually, outbursts are also not necessarily that bad. I am trying to make a distinction between the temper tantrum and real anger. There is a big difference. There is a difference between praying and dedication. Praying is just wishing. You may be wishing that you may become enlightened, that you will not to have any more suffering, that you may be free of neuroses and attain nirvana. That is praying. When you dedicate, there is something more. It is like when you are buying a house and offer a down payment. When you try to buy something with a down payment in your hands, it is different than if you have nothing to put down and just wish to buy something. If you have nothing and go to the bank wanting a loan of two hundred thousand dollars, the chances of the bank giving you the loan are next to nothing. When you dedicate you say, “Look, I have done all this. I am using this as a down payment for becoming enlightened - and not only me but everybody. I am putting this down to get everybody free from sickness.” That is how you dedicate. Think about it. Whenever you have something to put down and then negotiate a loan you have a better bargaining power. Right or wrong? This is our American culture. It is the truth, too.

101

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Training our minds All this is actually to make ourselves fit to train our mind. Now comes the actual training of the mind. What do you train your mind in? First is the activity of generosity. People like to be the objects of generosity. They enjoy and appreciate that. But there are always limitations. We never do it free of limitations. We always have conditions attached. Indonesia is seeking a loan from the World Bank. There is big economic trouble. The International Monetary Fund is willing to give them a five billion dollar loan provided they do this and this. Singapore also comes up and offers a huge loan provided certain conditions are met. There is a big difference in how traditionally the Eastern societies and the Western societies look at generosity. People in the West are really generous. But along with that, there is something else, there are some strings attached. Somebody is promising to give ten billion dollars to the UN, one billion every year. That person said that there is still a billion there this year, even after yesterday’s crash - but there are strings attached. The person who gave it likes to be known and likes to have publicity. This kind of thing is helpful; they spend the money and we get the benefit. Don’t ever forget. That is what happened for Ted Turner. That is that part. But if it is me or you doing that, is it true generosity? True generosity should not have any hope of return. There should not even be the hope of good karma. The really true mind of giving never has any personal agenda attached to it. That is true generosity. The paramita of generosity [transcendental generosity] has gone beyond normal human expectations. As long as you are trying to pull strings, it is not genuine, because there is an agenda.

102

Gelek Rimpoche

Jiang Zemin is here today having coffee with Clinton unofficially. Officially it is tomorrow! [laughs]. So both try to give something to each other and try to control each other. These are the wonderful diplomatic games they play! It may look very nice, however there are so many personal agendas involved in that. With that mindset, whatever you give is not going to be pure generosity at all. I am not even sure whether from the spiritual point of view such giving is moral or whether it is even immoral. We can really think a lot about that. It is easier to do that exercise with Clinton than with ourselves. We can blame him. He can take all the blame and then he bounces back! Generosity should be without any hope of return, there should only be the true idea of giving and sharing. Can we do that? That is the big question. Will I be able to do it? Sure, all the enlightened beings have done it. What is wrong with me? I can definitely do it. But how? You have to train your mind in giving. Give anything. First, give your dirty old socks, then an extra shirt, then an extra coat and so forth. Ultimately, you will be able to give your life, body and virtues, everything, for the benefit of all beings. This is said in verses 10 and 11.

103

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verse 10: Dedicating to eliminate poverty

May I become an inexhausitble treasure For those who are poor and destitute; May I turn into all things they could need And be placed close beside them.

Verse 11: Dedicating one’s body and virtues

Without any sense of loss I shall give up my body and enjoyments As well as all my virtues of the three times For the sake of benefitting all. We should give without any hesitation, without any sense of having lost something, without any feeling of wanting to pull back, without any sense of loss. Ted Turner today made that announcement of giving one billion dollars a year to the UN until he has given ten billion. So they asked him on TV today whether that was guaranteed even if his stocks went down, and he said, “The stocks not going down is a condition for me to do that.” So after offering, he made the conditions! Generosity should have no conditions. If you don’t have anything to give, it is fine. Nobody can force you to give if you don’t have it. But true generosity has no hope of receiving anything. We can make a beautiful nice present for our companion with the hope that he or she will like us better.

104

Gelek Rimpoche

That is attachment-generosity, not a generous generosity. So you have to train your mind to be able to give. Try first with the yellow vegetables. You know - the vegetables in your fridge that are getting old and yellow, take them out and give them to somebody without any attachment! Or if you find in there some blue butter, do the same thing. We had a lot of blue butter in Tibet. Some of you will know that they put this very smelly, rancid butter into the tea that they give you! So start from there. Start with your dirty socks. Then go a little further, where you feel a little bit of a pinch and where you appreciate the things that you give. That is how you can train yourself. The Bodhisattvas will have no hesitation to give their lives - if the situation is fit to give it. They will give their eyeballs, heart or kidneys, if they are fit to be given. Not only do they have no hesitation, but they will rejoice, they will enjoy that. That is because of mind training. We ourselves should not do that, we cannot do that, we are not capable of doing that, but we can pray that we will be able to do it. Training through praying or aspiring Even praying will also train your mind and create an opening in your mind for the possibility of doing something very great in the near future. Your mind is beginning to open. Right now we don’t have that capacity, but it will bring that capacity quite close. Buddha calls those who can dedicate their positive actions intelligent and learned people. Those who can also dedicate their future positive karmas right now, even if they don’t have them, are called by Buddha the most learned and great intelligent persons. Training in generosity Through that we will begin to cut our stinginess. Normally we hold on to everything. Forget about our own body and mind, but even all our possessions.

105

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

If you move into a house and you are there for two months, how many things will build up! We just cannot let them go. Each of these things seem to have some usefulness at one time or another. When you look at something twice before throwing it away, you will put it back. Right? That is how our things build up. You look at these things and think, “It will have some use somewhere, I will be needing it.” You keep on filing things away. On the other hand what you are losing is a tremendous amount of space. You lose the tidiness, cleanliness. That will even invite mice and rats! All this because you can’t let things go. So we should train our mind. Let it go, be generous. Give it away, whatever it is. It is one of the great qualities in this country that if you want to give something away there are a lot of agencies which will utilize that the best way they can. There is the Salvation Army, Purple Heart, Save the Children, etc. There are many of them, especially Christian organizations who do a tremendous amount of that kind of work. When you are in a Third World country in some remote area you will know how much they give. You really have to appreciate that. There is no way you cannot appreciate it. Mother Theresa is one vivid example. But there are hundreds and thousands of people doing the same thing in every corner of the world who might not have received the kind of recognition Mother Theresa has. We have to appreciate that. If you wanted to give away an extra pair of pants or a sweater, you can either deliver it to the Purple Heart or even just call them. They will come and pick it up. It is made very easy to become generous. Don’t be like me who keeps all the old clothes for years and years and after four, five years starts to wear them again. That is my habit. When I wear something, people will comment, “Oh, is that

106

Gelek Rimpoche

new?” and then I have to say, “No, I have had that for four or five years. Maybe I am wearing it for the first time.” If you give things away in generosity, you have benefits. Ultimately, you will lose those things anyway, for sure! Everything, whatever you have, you will lose. You will lose even your body. You are going to die. None of is going to stay here forever. We are definitely going to die, and at that time will lose our body too. At least right now, from the prayer point of view, I think, “May I be able to give my body to whoever needs it. May I be blessed to be able to do that.” Thinking like that is a great training of the mind towards generosity. Working with the mind In the same way we can train our mind in morality. When I use the word morality, I am not talking about the sexual orientation of the individual. I am talking about people, their commitments and their vows. When you train the mind, you become perfect. I have said that mind makes all the difference. Our perception changes, our projections will change. After all, joy and misery is the perception and the projection of the mind. So the experience is there. And if you want to make a difference, you can make it there. Physical pain and pleasure is also very close to the perception and projection of the mind. Is that true? Some people are shaking their heads. But think really carefully. Just take sexual activity. How much of that is really pleasure and how much is really pain? Look how we project and perceive. When you feel something different, you label that pleasure. We can go as far as piercing our skin everywhere and pulling strings through that! Because you feel it you project that as pleasure, so you like it. You want to do it again and again. If

107

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

you look from the point of view of pain, you would not do it. Look into your own personal experience, see how much is pain and how much is pleasure. It very much goes according to how we project and how we perceive. Attachment exaggerates. When you fall in love with somebody, you will project that this person is a hundred times more beautiful inside and outside than they are in reality. When you are getting upset, you do the same. You think that that person is a hundred times worse than he or she actually is. This is the perception and projection of the mind. Learning not to go haywire Therefore you have to train the mind so that it will not go haywire. The mind should be treated like a horse trained for racing. When you train the racehorse it will know how far and how fast and which way to go. Likewise we train our mind in positive ways so that ultimately we are the winner. We will have fewer sufferings, more pleasure and joy and we will not have misery. A friend of mine called me last night a little after midnight, crying. She said that some old friend from whom she was separated has done some miserable things. That came out in some newspaper article. So she said, “I have been foolish and he cheated me.” I told her, “Forget it. You should be happy and joyful that you are no longer dealing with that person any more. You are lucky.” She was a little surprised and laughed a little bit. The real truth is in the perception and projection of the mind. When you are miserable, you can find out why it is not that bad. On the other hand, if you are living above the clouds and you don’t know how to perceive and project, it is not that great either. It is the mind which makes a big difference in

108

Gelek Rimpoche

everything. So let us work with the mind. The Bodhisattva’s way is to work with the mind. Buddhism as psychology, philosophy, religion I would like to say this to you: this is Buddhism, not psychology. I don’t know head nor tail about psychology. This is also not philosophy. It is practice. It is Buddhism. It is a way of living and functioning and thinking. If you want to call that philosophy, sure, in that way it is. It is actually philosophy with practice applied in your life. You may say, “But that is not religion!” If you think that religion has to be monotheistic, then it is not a religion. It is a way of life. But if you think of religion as a practice that makes the individual a better person, then, yes, it is a religion. So it is the combination of all of these. It then becomes very scientific. It is really and truly an inner science. You are dealing with the mind scientifically. That is how it can make a difference to your life. Otherwise, simply going through some rituals, saying a few prayers, doing beautiful chanting, lighting some candles, etc. may be great, but what is that going to do for me when I have to walk in downtown Detroit? The essence of the Buddha’s experience is something that we find in ourselves. No matter if it is a sunshiny day or a rainy day, or whether it is snowing or stormy, you move steadily. Don’t run. That is a joke for somebody but they did not get it, I think. You know I move very slowly, so I get the blame. Whether it is snowing or whether the sun is shining, the lama does not move, he does not go faster! Anyway, that is not what I mean. What I mean is that this mind training can be used in our lives whether the sun is shining or whether there is a snowstorm. You always have it with you.

109

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

You have heard statements from people in other parts of the country. One person said, “I noticed this thinking has crept into my life. When I am sitting at the table making my decision, I notice it is there and I hesitate, I am worried that somebody else may get hurt.” The magazine Vanity Fair interviewed a lady friend in New York. She is member of Jewel Heart. She was asked whether Buddhism made a difference to her work. She said, “No, except when I have to fire somebody I feel three times more for the person I am firing than for me, the person who is doing to the firing.” So something must have stuck somewhere. Besides that, it is one of the best ways of having a friend when we are down. When we perceive that we are being rejected by the whole world, there is somebody within you who tells you, “Hey, you are perceiving wrong. That is not true.” You know, we do that all the time. How many times have we thought, “I have been rejected by the whole world!” Most of us do. There may be nobody there to console you, but this understanding, this training of the mind is there, to stand with you, talk to you, “Hey, it is not true. It is what is called delusion, I am perceiving wrong here. I am projecting wrong. Maybe one person rejected me, but so what? Hundreds may accept me. What is wrong with that?” Anyway, I have talked too much. I am going to stop here. The importance of being able to give Giving is something extremely important in our practice. If we can’t give it away, we can’t let it go. I have been talking about that all day since this morning with various people. I did not dramatize it. If I did it would sound like here in the text in verse 11,

110

Gelek Rimpoche

Without any sense of loss, I shall give up my body and enjoyments.... The Bodhisattvas are training to give, without any sense of loss, even their body. That is where the story comes in from Buddha’s previous life times when he gave his blood to a tiger. Can we really do that right now? No, we cannot. But should we train ourselves to be able to do that? We should. What are most of our fears based on? They are based on the inability to give it away, to let it go. We are afraid of anything that happens. Am I going to die? What is going to happen to me? Am I losing my companion? Will I be lonely? All these questions and sufferings we have are there just because we cannot let it go. That is why Buddha kept on nagging the Bodhisattvas, “Train yourself to give your body away!” That means to give away your life. Buddha himself, during his previous lives, did that, and not just once. The story with the tigers is not the only one. There are hundreds. All the fears we have are built up because we cannot let go of the attachment to the self. We want to protect ourselves, but that might not really be self- protection. We project it as self-protection. When it says to give away our enjoyments, that is talking about our wealth, which means food, clothes, shelter, the necessary things. Traditionally, they would talk about horses and elephants. Today we can talk about cars and planes and so on. Not only that. Shantideva says, As well as my virtues of the three times

111

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Even if we give up our wealth and even our body, we may still have the motivation to get some greater benefit for ourselves from that. That is why you train yourself to let go of all your virtues also, the virtues of the past, present and future, the three times. Giving for temporary and ultimate benefit You think, “I am letting it go for the benefit of all sentient beings.” It is not just so that somebody may have a little less pain or a little more comfort. Basically, when we talk about benefits, we talk about the benefit of all beings. What kind of benefit? We are talking about temporary and permanent benefits. With regard to the temporary ones, I am not talking about aspirin for headaches. Here it means to have a good and peaceful, happy, wonderful life. That is a temporary benefit, not a permanent benefit. Buddha is telling the Bodhisattvas that permanent benefit means total freedom from all negativities and their consequences. Total enlightenment is a permanent benefit. We are not talking about today and tomorrow but about the long- term goals of the benefit of all living beings. The goal is to make all sentient beings free from all neuroses and all sufferings. It also means providing them with the total knowledge of the awakened state. For such a purpose we should let everything go. It is not that because somebody wants your body, you let go of it. That is why right now we should not try. You are really training your mind. Our biggest attachment In our mind, the biggest attachment is to ourselves. We think we are attached to our companions and to funny things, but the biggest attachment is to ourselves. Whatever we do, however we function, we see

112

Gelek Rimpoche

our mind automatically reacting in the way of “I am protecting myself!” It always works on that level, except in two cases. One is when you are in a happy-go-lucky situation where you don’t care about whatever is happening. The only other level where the mind does not operate that way is when the person has true understanding. These two can look very similar - you can make a lot of mistakes on that, so you have to be careful. Naturally, with no sense of understanding, there is just a happy-go-lucky state or worse than that, some kind of lukewarm state, no feeling, no caring. In that state, you also may not feel that pain or that pinch, but that is not the right point to be on. It is an example of an immature person, an immature mind that cannot take responsibility. It is different from true understanding that can really let go. In the Buddha says Those people who remember and dedicate the positive karmas that come from your mind and mental faculties to the benefit of all beings for the attainment of enlightenment are called wise persons. If you are wise you dedicate your positive karma for some positive result. How do we dedicate future positive karmas? We think that we dedicate whatever positive future karma we will be able to accumulate. So this is in the form of motivation. It is a nice way of dedicating. Stinginess and attachment Not letting go is not so much attachment, but more stinginess. It is part of attachment, but it is not really attachment. Many people think, “I have strong attachment, so I can’t let it go.” Talking about strong attachment, somebody lost a watch here last week. So the person who does not have strong attachment to their watch, 113

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

could you please come forward and collect your watch! Not letting go is stinginess. That appears in every part of our life. It goes for everything. We cannot let it go, so we hold on to it. We do that with our physical body, with our companions, our relationships, everything. It is very strong. The biggest attachment, of not letting go, is within ourselves. It involves our body and our name, our reputation. In this country you can sue for damage of your reputation. This is interesting. Any value is calculated on the basis of the green dollar. That is why we can sue for anything. But when you look at life, the things that are really good for us are not the green dollars. It is happiness and peace, freedom from suffering, freedom from pain. But people somehow measure everything in terms of dollars. They say, “You have damaged my reputation. Now I sue you for a million dollars!” Last Sunday I was with two teen-age boys. One of them said, “The other day I was slightly nudged by a delivery van. I wish he had knocked me down so that I could sue him for a million dollars!” Then the other one said, “Forget about it. No money in the world can buy you health.” Then the first one said, “Oh, yeah, maybe. I will think about it.” Even the kids think like that. So we really try to measure our happiness and success in terms of the green dollars. That is not good, but you cannot go against society either. If everybody is facing east, you cannot face west. That is a traditional, old Tibetan and Chinese saying. You have to go along with that. but you go with understanding.

114

Gelek Rimpoche

Questions and Answers Student: I was reading in the lam rim that when you have delusions you should let them develop so that you can see them and work with them. But how do you let them develop? Rimpoche: The question is what do you mean by delusions? Student: For example jealousy. Rimpoche: Okay, if you are jealous you should let that develop until you punch somebody’s lights out! [laughs]. Then when you have punched, you can throw out all your jealousy! Do you think that is good enough? Student: I am talking about when you want to develop wisdom. Rimpoche: And I am talking about when you are fighting! I am just joking. It depends on the individual to a certain extent. I am not sure whether you need to let the delusions rise. I don’t think so. But you have to be able to recognize them, to make sure that it is jealousy that is coming up. The recognition itself is a very important point. If you really have to let it rise, let it rise until you recognize it. I don’t recommend letting it rise beyond that. I don’t see any reason. That is only possible for somebody who is able to transform it - but that is a long shot. That is what I personally feel.

Student: When you said that the motivation influences what we do during the whole day, is it enough to develop that motivation first thing in the morning or do I have to recollect it repeatedly during the day?

115

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Rimpoche: If you have to remember your motivation every minute you will not be able to do anything else. Therefore have a strong motivation set up in the morning and, if you need an occasional reminder, remind yourself; if you don’t need it, that is fine. Let the mind have the influence of that motivation. As long as the influence is there, it will make a difference. When you lose the influence, then it is time for you to reset it.

Student: What is absolute merit? Rimpoche: That is the merit which is connected with emptiness. All other merits, including the bodhimind, are called relative merit. These are the two direct causes of creating the dharmakaya and the rupakaya, the perfect mind and perfect body of a Buddha.

116

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 12 By giving up all, sorrow is transcended And my mind will realize the sorrowless state. It is best that I (now) give everything to all beings In the same way as I shall (at death). The translator has put at death in brackets because it is not there in the Tibetan text. That is interesting. You are letting go the mind’s tightness of holding back. We really want to have things, we can’t let go and we really suffer. It is very common with us, particularly in our relationships - especially when it comes to relationships which are not working. Here we can see that people are suffering more and more because they just cannot let go. One person wants to go and the other will not let go. It is miserable, really miserable. There is a Tibetan street song which construction workers used to sing all the time. I can’t remember the details of the song, but it says that when somebody wants to go and the other will not let them go, that is the most miserable thing that could happen in your life. When you let go, you are cutting the hold of attachment and of stinginess. If you are letting go, you should do it for the benefit of all sentient beings, for their ultimate benefit, not just some little bit here and there. This is what the first two lines are saying:

By giving up all, sorrow is transcended And my mind will realize the sorrowless state.

117

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

This is the method of getting freedom, of cutting fear, of cutting the real source of contaminated suffering which we experience all the time. We simply cannot give. That is the reason why Buddha says, “Give your body away.” Buddha himself, in one of his previous lives, gave his body to keep a tiger family alive. was another one. It is a nickname. Translated from the Tibetan it means ‘The one-eyed guy’. We used to call Bob Thurman Aryadeva38. [because he has one artificial eye]! Really, if the Tibetans would refer to Thurman they would always say Aryadeva, never Thurman. They understood the meaning. I think even Thurman understands it now, too. Aryadeva became famous for giving away one of his eyes, just because somebody asked him for it. He just took it out and gave it to him. Thurman does the same, he sometimes takes his plastic eye out. That is exactly how Aryadeva did it. Initially Aryadeva was happy to give away his eye, but then he looked back to see what the guy was going to do with it and he saw that the person put it between two rocks and smash it! At that point, he felt sorry that he had given it away. For that reason, he did not get his eye back. Otherwise his eye would have been restored. That is why generosity should not have any hesitation or hope for return or any strings attached. That is what Buddha said. Giving without any strings attached In our case, if we give something, we want to make sure that it goes towards a good cause. We want to know what happens with it. This is the material way of looking at it. I am not criticizing it. It is good, nothing bad. But from a spiritual point of view, once I have given something away, it is no longer mine and I don’t care what you do with it. It is like if I give my shirt away. Once 118

Gelek Rimpoche

I have done that, I don’t care whether you wear it or whether you use it as a cleaning rag or as a blessed relic, whether you use it as a toilet paper substitute or whatever you do. It is yours. That is the important point of giving. Once you are at the level of giving your body, it does not matter what people do with your body. You have already given it. When you have such a mind, when you have trained your mind to be able to do that, you will be free of all the pains that you normally go through, particularly the pains of not letting go, what we call the strings of attachment. Even if we let something go, we want to know what is happening thereafter. Even if we die, we hope to return or we leave something that we can look back on. We leave institutions; we set up a memorial fund or some kind of continuation of work. Maybe it is great and wonderful to continue the work, but on the other hand I am thinking, “When the person dies, let them die.” Why must Elvis Presley be still alive? We all come into this world for a purpose. When you have fulfilled that purpose, you have completed your work. Then you should go. Why do you want to hang around? If you go, it also gives the next person an opportunity to come up. Otherwise you are occupying that spot. You are like a dictator or a king who wants to remain forever. So even when we are about to die, we plan to look back and revisit. In one way it is good. I am criticizing here, but you have to understand it does not mean that I don’t like it. I have to criticize it because I am trying to tell you here that we should let it go once and for all. From that angle, I do criticize. That does not mean however, that you should let all your work go to waste. If somebody can carry it on, it is great and wonderful. But our motivation is sometimes different. We 119

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

know that we are going to die, so we somehow plan to look back. Take advantage while you have the chance One of the important reasons to give your body away is that while you are here and have control over your body, you can dedicate it. When you die, you have to give up your body anyway. You cannot take your body around with you. There is no way you can take it. So you will have wasted that body without any dedication at all. So while you have it, why don’t you dedicate it - even if you don’t give it physically? You are not allowed to give it physically, you are not capable and it is wrong to give it physically. However, it you have the mind of giving it for the benefit of all, if you can pray that you want to give it without any hesitation at all, you get all the benefits. When death comes it will take your body away anyway, whether you like it or not. It will go. So we might as well take advantage of it now, while we still have it. That goes for everything. If you look in the traditional Buddhist sutras, Buddha does this dedication, “Without any hesitation I give my children, wife, horses, elephants, wealth and everything.” That does not mean that Buddha did not love his wife and children, but he did not let himself get tied up with the string of attachment. That is the important thing. The next verses make it even clearer. Verse 12 says, By giving up all, sorrow is transcended.39 This is talking about nirvana. It means that my mind will attain nirvana. Samsara is suffering, nirvana is peace. We always talk about it that way. So my mind obtains peace when I am able to let go. All the spiritual traditions, with or without knowing, have their teachers yelling and screaming, “Let go!” If you ask

120

Gelek Rimpoche

them what they mean by that, they may well give you a little explanation, but the main idea truly is not to have the string of stinginess, which is part of attachment, tie you up. You can’t have that even for your body or for your mind. The key to defeating fear As long as we have that, we cannot get rid of all our fears. We are afraid of something happening to us. Who knows what the mind can think? Just sit for five minutes and watch what comes up in your mind. There will be zillions of different things, unimaginable things will come up. Each one of them creates fear. And there is sadness. You feel that you lost something, that you could not hold it. That sadness of losing and the fear of what is going to happen next, all that makes us suffer. We cry and do all sorts of things and even go into depression. All of that is because of this. Everybody thinks that generosity is wonderful. Everybody thinks it is wonderful and nobody questions it. When we think about generosity, we think it only refers to being happy to get our checkbook out and write out checks. That is fine, but we are not talking about that. Here we are talking about letting go of your body, your life. Once you let it go, you don’t care. It does not mean that you don’t look after it. You have the responsibility of being the keeper. Yet you don’t really have to suffer. Can you see that? Think about it more. You cannot understand that in one lecture here or a talk here and there. You have to keep on thinking about it. The key to defeating your fears, the key to defuse the fears, is generosity, letting it go. What also happens is that even if you want to let go, a part of the mind may let go but another part of your mind is still holding on. This is the normal, natural process. There is nothing wrong with that. People may think, “I used to be 121

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

okay, but now I can’t let it go, because I am afraid of doing it.” You may think that this is a new fear, but that is not true. You are beginning to recognize your old fears. These points are very important - each and every one of them. Nirvana, the Sanskrit word, is translated into Tibetan as tharpa.40 It means that somebody got away. He made it and got away. From what? From suffering. In our normal language we would say it is freedom. Nirvana is freedom. You have got freedom from the sufferings of the contaminated body and the contaminated label. In one way, our body is great and wonderful. On the other hand it is contaminated, definitely. It is caused by the Second Noble Truth, is part of the First Noble Truth and provides the base for all our sufferings. In verse 12, it further says,

It is best that I (now) give everything to all beings In the same way as I shall (at death). You may say, “Maybe I could give away one finger and keep the other nine for myself.” There are certain traditions and teachings - even as part of the Buddhist teachings - who would do that. Chinese Buddhist traditions in particular do that. They will wrap cotton around one finger, dip it in oil and then burn it like a light, thinking that this is one of the best purifications. In the case of the Chinese nuns, they put fire on their heads and burn ten to fifteen holes in their heads as part of the ordination. All that is emphasizing the giving away of the body, but not all of it, not everything, just some. Mind is such that it cannot let go. So these ceremonies are not only training the mind but physically, you let go.

122

Gelek Rimpoche

Learning to let go In the Bodhisattvacharyavatara, it is recommended to give away everything at the same time. Don’t try to hold back anything. How much effect that would have on the individual! Right now we hold back. Just look at the things we tend to keep. Forget about the body Forget even about useful things. There are so many unnecessary things we keep. Look in your basement and you will know how much you have. Look in your storage rooms, even in your living room and dining room. Every little thing in there will have some use at some stage and then you keep it and cannot let it go. We should let it go. Look at the difference between how we think and the way Buddha wants the Bodhisattvas to think. We even call people who give away things irresponsible. Sometimes we may admire them. I am not criticizing anybody, but I have to talk that way so that you get the message. Naturally, at the time of death you lose everything, everything together, even if want to keep it. That is why we have to train our mind against that stinginess, that mind that ties you down with attachment to things. By the time we die, we will lose everything together, so why do we not right now give not just some but all? In the verse, it says that this is the best. It is the best because it can achieve a very good purpose. It can give us freedom. When you really look at it in detail, it is not so much anger and jealousy that are the real problem, although these are there. When you look down deeper it is the inability to let go, holding on. So letting go of all at the same time is the best. This can achieve the purpose. When we die we will lose everything anyway. So why don’t we give it away while we have it and make the best use of it? Making endowments I was talking yesterday with somebody about endowments. If you give things while you 123

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

are alive you achieve the purpose of whatever you are dedicating it to. So you are taking the advantage out of it. You make sure that you spend your wealth for the benefit of beings. With that, you give yourself a boost for enlightenment. In Buddhism you have that. Buddha keeps on telling that to people repeatedly. We have to find the best way of making our wealth and money benefit ourselves. It is not that we want your endowments for Jewel Heart, but really, honestly speaking, it is one of the ways you can help yourself. I am not waiting for you to leave your endowments to Jewel Heart. By the time you go, I will be gone already. I am the oldest one here anyway. But I am thinking that it will be of benefit to yourself if you can make use of it. I tried to tell that to people before but most did not get it. So here it is recommended to give your body while you still have it. That is why this is the key to freedom. The best is to give it for the benefit of all sentient beings - which includes ourselves. We will definitely get benefit. Generosity is also the cause of becoming wealthy. It is the best investment for your future lives. Many times when you look at it, those people who are spiritually developed get things that they need effortlessly. Perhaps not completely effortlessly, but without much hardship. Where does that come from? It is your previous lives’ efforts of generosity which you have put in. That is what you are cashing in. It is not your investment in Wall Street, a check you can cash in, but it is your previous life’s invested wealth of generosity which is coming back to you. In one of Buddha’s previous life stories it says Sometimes our wealth is like a blessing by a poisonous snake. Whatever it touches becomes the cause of suffering, of fighting for your next of kin, for your 124

Gelek Rimpoche

children. Why don’t you give it away while it is with you, while it is under your control. Why don’t you make it beneficial and free from becoming causes of suffering? By having the mind of giving, the Bodhisattvas accumulate a tremendous amount of luck and fortune. That is one of Buddha’s statements. In another one he says, Our body actually has no owner. There is no meaning, there is no essence. It is going to be destroyed. It is going to be the cause of suffering. Why don’t you make it useful and beneficial for yourself and others? One who cannot do that is not called a wise person. One who can give it away has no fear. One who does hold it has fear. These are Buddha’s statements here and there. Further, Shantideva now talks in the next verses about what happens after you give:

125

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verses 13 and 14

Having given this body up For the pleasure of all living beings, By killing, abusing and beating it May they always do as they please.

Although they may play with my body And make it a source of jest and blame, Because I have given it up to them, What is the use of holding it (dear)? That is right. Once I have given my body away to all living beings, let them use it or abuse it, even kill it or beat it. Let it be the subject of accusations, the basis of making fun, of jest and blame. So what? It is not mine. You can say, “Who are they talking about?” It is true, in giving it away, you are cutting the self-identity which is giving ourselves suffering. This is so important. Whatever they want to do, let them do it. Having given this body up, it is not mine. Why should I worry about it? Why should I get hurt when somebody is making fun of me, making jokes about me? Why should I get irritated if somebody is accusing me of being fat? There are two points to look. You can think, “I have given that body for the benefit of all sentient beings. So it is theirs. Let them say whatever they want to say.” It is wrong on the other hand to think, “Why are you calling me fat? What is that to you?” We don’t have to think about it that way. It will cause trouble. If they want to say that I am fat, let them say it. It is fine. As long as I am comfortable, it does not worry me.

126

Gelek Rimpoche

But if my fat body gives me diabetes, this causes me suffering, and then I have to worry about it. But just because somebody is saying that I am fat does not worry me. That is one way of looking at it. The other way of looking is, “I have already given my body, so let them do whatever they want to do. Let them make jokes or whatever they want to do. Anyway, who are they talking about?” So generosity gives you a shield against those pinches and those darts which Ram Dass was talking about that came out of his brother’s mouth. [Rimpoche refers to a story by Ram Dass when he was high on LSD and invited to an important family dinner which he could not skip. His brother attacked him verbally during the dinner, but Ram Dass saw the utterances coming in the form of darts out of his mouth towards him. He calmly picked them out of the air and put them on his plate in front of him.] How generosity gives you a shield So generosity gives you that shield. You can see how important generosity is when you look at it in detail. It is not that you should be able to share a little bit of money or old clothes or dirty socks, but we are talking about giving away the body, dedicating it to all sentient beings, so that it belongs to them. Let them play, let them accuse you, let them make jokes. Then you think, “I don’t own it any more, it is not mine.” So that is important. If it was not important Buddha would not emphasize it. It may sound a little bit shocking and surprising but we will see the difference to how we think and respond with that normal, little pinch which we feel all the time. The mind of generosity is important, including wishing

127

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

and praying that we may be able to give away our body. Those of us who say the Six Session say that every day:

Thus my body, life and wealth I forsake And ask for your aid to only please you. and Land, body, wealth and all virtues collected, For the sake of all mother sentient beings I gladly release. So now when you recite these verses you know what to think. But does that relieve you from any responsibilities for your body? No, you are the keeper. You have to look after it, you have to protect it and you have to make sure that you don’t hurt anybody else. You cannot let a driverless car drive around! So this is how you meditate. It is a deeper way of training your mind. It is the real essence of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara. Actually, this is Step One. Step Two will tell you how responsible you are, so that you avoid the problem of the driverless car.

128

Gelek Rimpoche

Questions and Answers Student: Would you say that the willingness to receive is also part of generosity? Rimpoche: How can that be generosity? From one angle, you could say that you are willing to listen to somebody when that benefits them. So from that point of view it maybe generosity. Otherwise, generosity is supposed to be giving, isn’t it? Student: But accepting somebody’s gift seems to be a form of giving, too. Rimpoche: I don’t know. I can only see it from the angle of listening to somebody. Somebody wants you to listen and you give them the opportunity to share the suffering. What they want to tell you is about the suffering they go through. Sometimes, when there is somebody to listen to you without making any judgment, so that you don’t have to be afraid that this person is misusing the information, then that can be very helpful. From that angle the receiving of that information may be an act of generosity. It is also an act of ethics. These things are all very much interconnected. From the point of the receiver of a gift, whether there are strings attached or not, you receive it. It is for you to untangle those strings. This is your job.

Student: When you were talking about giving away your body, for some reason the image of those Buddhists monks came to my mind who burned themselves in protest against the Vietnam war. Wasn’t that suicide though?

129

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Rimpoche: Well, there are two ways of looking at that. I am glad you raised that. Actually, I did not like that. I saw the footage on TV during the Vietnam War. There were some monks sitting there and they had kerosene oil around themselves. They put kerosene over their bodies and also in a circle around themselves. I was a skeptical person then and in particular I was a young monk. So two things went through my mind. One, the senior monks must have convinced that monk that it was a very important purpose and aimed at relieving the suffering of zillions of people. So that monk was convinced too. In a nice way of speaking you could say he believed in the cause. In a not so nice way you would say he was stubborn. He made the additional fire around himself, so that in case he wanted to run away he couldn’t. That is what I thought at that moment. I never liked that idea. Does that go according to Buddha’s teaching? No, certainly not. Student: These monks were burning themselves symbolically to show how destructive that whole war was. Rimpoche: Yes, but at the same time they were sacrificing a human being. It is true, it is symbolically telling you how you are destroying yourself. We don’t really know whose idea that was and what motivation they really had. Did they want to draw political attention, did they want to show the world that we are destroying ourselves, or did they just simply draw attention? We will never know all this. Student: I was impressed at the time with that monk’s non- attachment to his body. Whether he had real non-attachment or not, I don’t know. Rimpoche: I remember thinking when this was shown on television, ‘Was that to draw political attention or to show something to the world or just to draw attention, or is it even

130

Gelek Rimpoche

corruption?’ There are definitely some corrupt parts in Buddhism. That action also had some benefit. But did that really cause benefit enough to justify sacrificing a human life? I have no answer to these questions. Student: Thich Nhat Hanh actually explained in a book a lot of what went on at the time. He said that the first monk who did it was a senior monk and he did it in all sincerity, without any grandstanding. At the time, especially for the Buddhist community there seemed to be no hope, there was just despair. Everybody was at a loss of what to do. He said that subsequent younger monks who also burnt themselves probably did not know what they were doing. Rimpoche: I tend to agree with that. The first was sincere and thought it through and the others....I don’t know. I saw a picture of a young monk burning. I can still see that picture in my memory. You can never tell what goes on in other people’s minds. What we can do is learn from that. It might have served a purpose. In that we rejoice. It is wonderful. But we also have to acknowledge that there is corruption in Buddhism. Every good thing is not necessarily a hundred per cent good and every bad thing is not necessarily a hundred per cent bad. I have been accused earlier of being too much black and white. Now I begin to get accused of too much grey and not enough black or white. [laughs]. Let us look in a positive way. Those monks who burned themselves gave their lives for the benefit of all beings. Let us rejoice in that and get the benefit. In that way we can take advantage of it, no matter what the reality might have been. I don’t want to leave the subject with some funny notion of my critical mind. They definitely drew a lot of attention to the conflict and increased people’s awareness of it. We know it was not a great war. In 131

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

general, all wars are terrible, but this war was particularly terrible. So we can rejoice in these monks’ sacrifice. On the other hand, remember that the real true generosity is to be able to let it go, whatever it is, without strings attached. You may begin with small things like food and then some money, until finally, without hesitation, you can give anything. We have a lot of strings attached. They go everywhere. You never know what it is. They go between human beings and possessions, they include reputation, popularity and so on. The key is really to cut through all that.

Student: In a way, there are always strings attached, even when you wish to take somebody’s pain away. Your own pain of not being able to bear a child’s pain for example can be so great that you would be willing to do anything just to relieve it of that pain. But still, it is based on attachment. Rimpoche: Why do you say it is attachment? Student: Because there is something you cannot let go of. Rimpoche: But that is compassion. Student: I never thought of compassion having the quality of not letting to. Rimpoche: I am quite sure it has. You know we talk about compassion being important in the beginning, the middle and even in the end, after you have become fully enlightened. In that case, compassion does not allow you to let go. I don’t think it is attachment.

132

Gelek Rimpoche

In the case of you and your son there may be attachment involved, but that is not necessarily the case with all the children that you see. I don’t think we are talking here about the point of not letting go. Maybe that is where we begin to see the difference between the Mahayana and the Theravada. It is not that the Theravadins do not have compassion. They do. But maybe you begin to see something in there. I don’t know. Not every desire is necessarily a bad desire. I do consider the desire to free somebody from suffering as compassion, not as attachment. You have to experience that and find the answer for yourself. I don’t think you actually can give the answer in words.

Student: When you have the aspect of achieving nirvana there is the process of going towards selflessness. That experience is free. But at the same time, you can concomitantly have the experience of others’ suffering as your own. Rimpoche: I don’t think Bodhisattvas are without pain either. Student: Perhaps that is their capacity to take over the suffering of others. Rimpoche: I don’t think so either. I don’t think they have to take over others’ sufferings at all. They might love to take the pain of others on themselves, but they don’t have to. That is why becoming enlightened, not just for oneself but for all beings, becomes extremely important. That is why we always talk about enlightenment. It is just because of that. It is not like in that story of where he projected his suffering onto a door and that made the door crack.41 That is some kind of dramatized thing.

133

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

That is why the enlightenment is so important in the sense that not only you have to become enlightened, but everybody. With children, you have compassion because of their weakness. In my case - I don’t know whether that is good or bad - but I noticed within me that whenever there is somebody suffering, when there is an argument going on, I always like to take the side of the weaker person. When everybody thinks that there is something wrong with a certain person, I like to take the side of that person. I was the only one who was sticking up for O. J. Simpson the whole year of the trial. [laughs] Everybody was blaming him, so I took his side!

Student: I am surprised that Bodhisattvas still experience suffering. But in general I think that one’s own suffering helps in opening one’s heart to other people. Rimpoche: That is absolutely true. Suffering is useful for that. That is why Buddha discovered suffering first and why the First Noble Truth is the Truth of Suffering.

Summary of remaining verses This is the last meeting of the year and I was initially hoping to finish Chapter Three. There are however still quite a lot of verses left. I can quickly tell you what the following verses are about. The next five verses are related to the generosity of oneself, one’s body, dedicating oneself for the need of beings. The next three or four verses after that are about taking the commitment and thereafter you are rejoicing in what you did. I could have finished the Chapter in that way. However, we have been talking verse by verse and it might not be very good to finish the remaining ones by just mumble jumbling our way through 134

Gelek Rimpoche

them in a hurry. So we will just finish today whatever we can. We have just reached up to verse 15.

135

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verse 15 Therefore I shall let them do anything to it That does not cause them any harm, And when anyone encounters me May it never be meaningless for him. This continues in the same vein as the verse before, saying, “I have already given my body and life to all beings. Let them play with it. Let them insult or laugh at me. It belongs to them. Why should I let myself be bothered?” Cutting through attachment to our self Generosity is the point here. You can see how it cuts the ego-holding of the self. When we have self-cherishing, when we are holding on, the most important thing we are trying to protect is ourselves. The identity of that Me is my body. It does not matter whether we have a round or a long face or whether we are black or white or yellow or red. The combination of color and shape which we call our identity, this is what we are referring to as Me. When we try to hold onto that Me, and when we try to search for that, it is very hard to find that in ourselves. It cannot be found. So that is Me over here with complete physical, mental and physical doorways. Body, speech and mind together is what we call Me and we think that is the most important thing. Everything we do is centered around protecting this Me and its retinues and the things that belong to it. We do that automatically. We don’t have to think or to plan. It is our habitual pattern. If somebody dislikes you, there is the automatic response of disliking that person, because. “If you don’t like me, why should I like you? If you don’t like me,

136

Gelek Rimpoche

I am not going to bother with you. I don’t want to be a doormat!” These excuses are automatic. It is our habit. These habits have built up because of our strong attachment. People don’t like to hear that. They may call it ego-grasping or selfishness or ego-projection. They try to stick another label onto it, but actually it is attachment to self. We try to hold the self together as the object of attachment rather than as object of wisdom. Attachments give us the perception of overpowering enemies and helping friends. We have attachment for our friends and aversion to our enemies. Where is all that coming from? It is nothing but self- cherishing, self-protection, self-attachment. That’s it. Period! One of the strongest ways to cut self-attachment is the generosity of giving one’s body. We are not talking about the generosity of giving your checkbook, or giving your old clothes to the Salvation Army or Purple Heart! When we have given our body, then it does not matter what happens to it. People can insult it, draw pictures of it, abuse it, give it the finger. Whatever they do does not matter: let them do anything to it. You think, “It is not mine, I am not concerned. It is yours, you are doing it to yourself.” That is how Bodhisattvas try to train their minds. The most difficult thing we can give is our body. There should not be the slightest attachment to the body. When you are able to do that, you are cutting through the basis for the identity of the ego. That is why this is called Going Beyond. Remember when we talked about the Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Soha?42 It means Gone, Gone, Gone Beyond, ... What does to go beyond mean here? It means to go beyond the level of imagination. So this is a way to cut attachment, to cut anger, hatred. If I give away my body which is my identity, then whenever somebody does something bad to me it is not my 137

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

problem. Why should I let myself be bothered? That is how the Bodhisattvas train their minds. That is why the first lines of verse 15 say:

Therefore I shall let them do anything to it That does not cause them any harm. You are saying, “All right, I let you do anything with that body. But if that is not helping, but harming you, I should tell you not to do it.”

138

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 16 If in those who encounter me A faithful or angry thought arises, May that eternally become the source For fulfilling all their wishes. So if my body would cause them harm or misery, in this case I hope they will not take it. I also hope that they will never do anything wrong with my contribution. Combining generosity with wisdom As Bodhisattva it is easy enough to give your body, but is it going to help or is it going to harm? Here you have generosity combined with wisdom. If you don’t have the wisdom to understand whether your generosity is going to be useful or helpful, if you only give for the sake of giving, that is fine for you as the individual who is generating the generosity which goes beyond. There is no problem. The problem lies with the other person who receives your generosity. What are they going to do with it? Is it going to help or harm them? If it is going to harm them, we should not let them have it. It is like when we don’t want to give sugar to diabetics. It may be sweet but it is going to harm them, so we are not going to give it to them. In the same way, we would not give alcohol to those who are addicted to it and are trying to go through an AA program. We should not do it even as a tsoh offering. In this case a single drop on the tongue is good enough. It serves the purpose. The same goes for all other addictions. If, in the name of generosity, you contribute to strengthening the addictions, it does not help. It harms the person.

139

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

From the wisdom point of view, such generosity is not a good generosity. From the point of view of willingness to give you should be able to give. But is it good for the recipient? That is where the wisdom comes in. Verse 16 says that whatever reaction arises towards us in others, may that become a source of fulfilling their wishes. Remember the end of Chapter One, the very last verse, the very last sentence:

I bow down to the body of him In whom the sacred precious mind is born. I seek refuge in that source of joy Who brings to happiness even those who harm him. Even if somebody harms the Bodhisattvas, they pray that this may also become a source of joy. Normally, if you harm or hurt somebody, the result of that is bound to be suffering. But here the Bodhisattvas are praying that even if someone hurts or harms them, this may be the cause of joy for that person - just because of the connection! This is not necessarily materializing, but they are praying for it. Likewise, here it is the same thing. Whether it is anger or faith that is expressed towards us does not matter. We dedicate whatever it is that every connection may become a source of their wishes being fulfilled. You are praying that whatever somebody does to you, whoever it maybe, may their wishes not become useless, but may they become fulfilled in the sense of temporary happiness and joy and in the sense of a perfect . In the permanent sense, it means perfect enlightenment, so it includes both temporary and permanent wishes. The temporary ones are joy, freedom from suffering 140

Gelek Rimpoche

and freedom from samsara. The ultimate fulfillment of wishes is to become a fully enlightened being. It is very important how the Bodhisattvas set their mind. It is very important for us to pay attention and see if we can try to follow it, at least in the form of prayer, thinking “May I be able to do that. I want to set up my life in that manner.” Training ourselves not to take things personally While the Bodhisattvas can actually give their bodies away, you are just training your mind. In mind training, you think that you give away your body, that you don’t really care what happens to it. You think that you will happily give away your head, if anybody wants it, your ears or your limbs or anything. In reality, physically, you are not able to do that. You know it. But if you have that mind practice with you, wishing that some day you will be able to do it, then when somebody actually attacks you, you feel different than before. We get more abused by emotional and verbal attacks than physical ones. It is not that we don’t suffer from actual physical abuse. We do. But we get even more emotional and verbal abuse. So this is a way of protecting ourselves So, when somebody is screaming at you and giving you the finger and so on, you will sort of look at them, asking yourself, “Who is this person talking to?” It is almost in that manner. You don’t take it personally. You are not the target. No matter how much other people are jumping at you, you are not the target. You take it passively. But you don’t take it passive-aggressively. You know what I mean? Passive-aggressive behavior is like thinking, “Ha, ha, ha, he can do nothing more, he will just get more angry as I keep cool, ha ha ha!” You are actually hurting the other

141

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

person more by this type of aggressiveness. When you have found the key to hurt the other person like that, it can be more hurtful than a blow or a punch. To be passive-aggressive is not the Bodhisattva’s way. Bodhisattvas are truly passive. You are truly searching for whom this aggressive person is talking to. It becomes sort of your duty to hold this curtain up, but you know it is just a curtain which is going to go. If you can handle it in that manner, then the hurt you would experience is much less. Two ways of overcoming fear Also all our fears, the fear of losing, the fear of loneliness, and so on are connected with this particular thought. You can overcome these fears in two ways. The first is to trust the object of refuge and think that whatever needs to happen, whatever is helpful, may that take place. In the second approach you think, “Who is afraid of being hurt? Who is this Me? Why am I identifying with my physical appearance? I have already given that away anyway. It is now their dirty socks. Let them do whatever they want to do!” So you don’t have to worry about being a doormat and being pushed away. The fear of getting hurt goes down tremendously. Generosity cuts the fear. Don’t ever forget that! You may think that generosity is simply giving something that may be helpful. You may think that God wants you to do that and now you have done it. But that is not the end of it. Generosity can cut through fear, through attachment and through hatred. To come back to verse 16, you are praying that no matter what other people do to you, may that turn out to be a good result for them, and eternally become the source for fulfilling all their wishes. This theme is continued in the next verses.

142

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 17 May all who say bad things to me Or cause me any other harm, And those who mock and insult me Have the fortune to fully awaken. You are praying for action-oriented activity. Whatever they do, good or bad, may that become the cause for them to become enlightened, to fully awaken. You pray that from your point of view. There is a book written by His Holiness and Galen Rowell that features a lot of pictures.43 He went to Tibet and took all these pictures then showed them to His Holiness who commented on each picture. That is how the book came about. One picture shows an old lady praying in front of the central temple in Lhasa. In the same picture, on the other side you see a bicycle. When Galen showed that picture to His Holiness he probably said, “I would be happy to know that she is not praying for that bicycle! Maybe her son wants that bicycle. Maybe she is praying for that. But if not I will be very happy.” That is how we often pray. We pray, “May I have a bicycle. May I have a car. May I have a new job. May I have perfect health. May I have this girlfriend. May I have this boyfriend.” This is wrong. Don’t pray that way. There is no need for us to waste our great energy simply praying for that sort of thing. It is up to your karma and good fortune. If you have the mind of generosity, you will get everything. If you don’t have that mind, then, no matter how much you try, you are not going to get it. Even if you do get it, you will go

143

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

bankrupt. Even if you are the Yamaichi Securities Bank, the fourth largest Japanese bank in the world, you go bankrupt. of all material things It also shows you how impermanent the material world is. Look at what is happening in the Asian economies today! It happened almost overnight, just depending on certain individuals’ way of doing business. That caused the whole country of Thailand to go bankrupt. Next the recession hit Indonesia and Malaysia. Now it is hitting South Korea and even Japan. How long it took those countries to build everything up! In comparison to that, in a matter of seconds it was all destroyed. That shows you exactly how impermanent the material world is. Today we in America don’t have a problem as far as the economy and finances are concerned. But you never know, one day there could be problems. We have just come out of some kind of recession from the last administration - I am just joking - but who knows. The Asian crisis will definitely affect this country, too, because apparently one third of our exports go there. Anyway, all of that is impermanent and from the Dharma point of view meaningless material things. Yet, can we do without that? No, we cannot. We cannot swim against the current. I always say that. We have to swim together with the current, combining the material things with the understanding of what has value, what has meaning in life. That makes the difference between the pure yuppies and whatever we are. What are we? I don’t think we are hippies any longer either. The Dharma tells us how meaningless the material things are, but we don’t really know that. We think, “Oh yes, that is just the Dharma way of talking.” We either just accept

144

Gelek Rimpoche

that or forget it without paying any attention. But material things are meaningless and impermanent. If a bank like Yamaichi can go bankrupt and its president cries on television and keeps apologizing, it really shows you it is impermanent and does not have meaning. The whole Asian situation really shows how impermanent it is. We are not talking about a few hundreds or thousands of dollars. We are not even talking millions. We are talking about whole countries. So the individual person is bound to go through the same sorts of things. You only have to make one or two mistakes and that is good enough. Look at the United States. In one way it is a developed nation, a wonderful county, the land of opportunity, a land of joy and so on. I was in New York the other day and a taxi driver was talking to me about the meaning of life. He was a Middle Eastern guy. He kept on talking and then he suddenly turned around and said, “Hey, Mister. Where are you from? Are you Korean?” I said, “No.” Then he said, “Wherever you are from, let me tell you one thing. They say how great this country is. I don’t care if you make a million dollars a year or just twenty thousand a year. But if you don’t have work for three months, you will be homeless the day after, I guarantee you.” That is absolutely true. Whether you make a million or twenty thousand, if you don’t work for three months, chances are that you will become homeless. That even further confirms how impermanent material things are, and yet we cannot do without them. We have to have them. We have to pay our bills. If you don’t pay, they catch you and lock you up! We cannot pay our bills by cutting up our Dharma books into pieces! Dharma can help, if you think about it Sometimes Dharma helps though. A friend told me about a prisoner in

145

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Arkansas who has been an extremely difficult, terrible person. He killed his wife and her father. Then he was very difficult with the prison guards so that he ended up in solitary confinement. He asked the guards to leave a Bible with him. Finally they found a piece of a Buddhist text. The guards threw that at him shouting, “Here is your holy book.” They locked him in and he kept on reading that book. After some time he completely changed and by the time he was executed, all his guards were signing petitions saying, “Please don’t execute him.” They were seeking the governor’s pardon. Unfortunately the governor at the time had these difficulties with the Whitewater affair and was too busy with that. So unfortunately the guy did not get a pardon. But that is how Dharma can affect the individual’s life, that is if you think about it. If you don’t think and just keep on saying OM MANI PADME HUNG all the time, it does not do that much. You get the benefit of saying the mantra but that is about it. But if you think about just a single message of the Dharma it makes a big difference. Think about that verse 15 we have just talked about:

Therefore I shall let them do anything with it That does not cause them any harm And when anyone encounters me May it never be meaningless for him. If you can think about that, it will work. One of the results of guru yoga How can you make sure that it may never be meaningless for him? Those of you who are doing the Ganden Lha Gyama practice, those of you who are doing practices like the Six Session Yoga, Cittamani Guru 146

Gelek Rimpoche

Yoga, or Lama Chöpa, have in there the dissolving system. You dissolve the objects of refuge in the form of the guru or in the form of light into yourself and it functions from there. That is how you make sure that for anybody who encounters you it will not be meaningless, because what they encounter is not only you, that individual person, but the Supreme Field of Merit dissolved to you. You as an individual are then functioning as a source of joy, of information, of comfort, as well as a source of medicine for illnesses, a source of healing. So in all these ways it becomes worthwhile and therefore is never meaningless. That is how it works. So when you read a line in a text like that you have to be able to tell for example, how could it be meaningful. That is one of the reasons why the Ganden Lha Gyama, Six Session Yoga, etc, are important. Even for the insects that die under the wheels of your car, it becomes meaningful. They die anyway, but because of that reason it becomes meaningful for them. Further, anybody who receives gifts on behalf of the Supreme Field of Merit will not only avoid the negative karmic effects of accepting a gift, but it also becomes worthwhile and useful. The giver also collects a tremendous amount of benefit because the gift is received by the Supreme Field of Merit in form of light within your consciousness. That is how it works. Purifying on others’ behalf Further, since we have just done the purification chapter, it is not only that the negativities that I myself have done are being purified. Don’t just do it that way, but include all those who are connected with you. Bodhisattvas think, “May all beings’ negativities be purified.” Can you actually purify all beings’ negativities? That is a different question. Probably not. But it is the Bodhisattvas’

147

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

way of doing it. They make it much bigger and better, particularly for those who are connected with them. The connection could be through being related or beings friends, knowing each other, being classmates or having a teaching relationship, a physical relationship, or a spiritual relationship, being lovers, parents, children. If there is a relationship, there is a connection and when you try to purify on behalf of them it is much stronger and much better and it helps them. That is why when you purify you should not just do it for Me, Me, Me, but for your children, family, friends, spouse, and so on, plus for all sorts of people out there. Review of the four powers And don’t forget to do the purification with the four powers. The power of base is the compensation. When you are creating negativities you are hurting somebody. That is why Buddha said, I draw the line at those who are hurting other beings. Do not consider them to be my followers. That means that when somebody is hurting someone else, that is not a work of spirituality at all. That is what Buddha said. Any violence, whether active violence or passive- aggressive violence, becomes negativity, because you are hurting another person. How are you going to purify? You could simply call up and say, “Hey, I am sorry.” But you don’t know whether that person is going to get angrier or whether they will accept your apology. So instead of that, you have to convince that person that you are doing something to compensate them. There are two things you can do. If the person is an enlightened being, you take refuge and if the person is not an enlightened being, you develop bodhimind, you develop compassion for them. That is how you convince them.

148

Gelek Rimpoche

If you really feel from your heart that you are sorry, it is a different matter. But when you don’t have that, you need to convince them. So meditate on bodhimind. Remember that verse 6 in Chapter One;

Hence virtue is perpetually feeble, The great strength of evil being extremely intense, And except for a fully Awakening Mind By what other virtue will it be overcome? From your point of view, you try to convince those you have harmed by taking refuge and generating bodhimind. This goes particularly for those people you have hurt and who have perhaps already passed away, whom you cannot contact. For them, the only way is through refuge and bodhimind. Our options are limited to that in this case. This is the power of base. You provide the base on which you can purify. You try to convince the person you have hurt. Then you have the antidote action. Here again you can generate bodhimind, meditate on love and compassion, try to develop love and compassion within you - unlimited love and compassion. [The power of regret comes from knowing you have harmed someone, and if you regret strongly, you will also form the determination not to do it again, the power of not repeating.] Distinguishing between attachment and pure love/compassion Especially, when you talk about love you have to watch the very easy cross-over with attachment. A lot of what we think is love and which is so beautiful, is actually attachment, not pure love. So you also need wisdom, which helps you to identify and draw the line between attachment 149

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

and love. Really, these are the difficult points in life, but they are very important. You can develop compassion for your spouse, your family, friends, lovers. You can develop love and compassion for them. How wonderful it is that we can change attachment into pure love. Normally pure love does not have the usual baggage which we carry around with attachment. With this I mean the pinch you have to carry with you and the abuses that come in, the insults that come in, the wish to hurt the other person’s feelings, being afraid of losing, being afraid that you lose control. All these are the baggage of attachment. When you have those, then you should notice that what you think is pure love has a problem with it. You are aware that you are crossing the line. That is how you watch yourself. Then, if you go to the other extreme, you develop the attitude of carelessness. With that, you could not care less. That is extremely wrong. It is the extreme of nihilism. The other extreme of carrying the pinch with you is the extreme of existentialism or eternalism. The thing is that you have to have feelings, you have to have joy, yet you have to overcome the negativities. It is sort of a tightrope you have to walk on. Useful New Year’s resolutions This purification part is extremely important, especially now that we have the New Year coming in soon. People are in the habit of making New Year’s resolutions. Make the resolution that either you are going to purify a lot of negativities or the resolution to be compassionate and rich with love. Be helpful to yourself and to others. That is how you make your life worthwhile and meaningful, your life which is precious, which can make a big difference to our long journey of lives after lives. This life can bring total enlightenment in the short period of ten, fifteen,

150

Gelek Rimpoche

twenty or even five years - whatever we have left. That will be a good resolution. And try to keep up your commitments. That is your own resolution. If you don’t keep up your own commitment, who else is going to keep it? Try to keep it up as much as you can. With that I would like to close shop.

151

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Meditating on these points This is our first meeting after the New Year. We have been talking here about the Bodhicaryavatara. It is such a long text that it may not be finished for ten years! But we will continue with it. Since it is the first night, I do not intend to read the Bodhicaryavatara. I would like to share a couple of thoughts with you, particularly since when we always talk and discuss. I have to make a number of things absolutely clear to you. Number one, whatever we are talking about, here we always try to give material for each individual to meditate on. I want everybody to remember this! Otherwise, as we go through this big book and keep on talking, people may then begin to think this is a text study group, or they may think we are talking about philosophy. All other sorts of ideas may come up if people do not know exactly what we are doing. What we are doing here every time is giving you material to meditate on. Any talks that we do, even jokes, stories - all are material for you to meditate on. This is one thing I would like to make clear. Otherwise, if we keep on talking and we don't say that it is for your meditation, you may just think it is nice story telling, sort of polling day style or something. It is not that. True, we also have to make it clear: even though you may think it is absolutely clear to this group of people, but you still find it is really not. So I want to make it very clear to you that when we talk about spiritual development and spiritual practice, especially from the background of Buddha's way, it is whatever we have been sharing here.

152

Gelek Rimpoche

What the spiritual path really is In a sort of funny new brand way I have been looking back at what the spiritual path actually is. As a human being normally we have two types of activities, mental activities and physical activities. Normally people say mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, but if you really divide it down it is whether you are working mentally or physically. Even if it is spiritual or emotional, it is all mind. If I am thinking and training myself by analyzing, meditating, concentrating, these are mental activities. If I am doing something physically, those are physical activities. I can't find a third one there. Between the two, the mind and the body, spiritual activities definitely fall on the mind side, not so much on the body. There may be some physical activity such as doing prostrations and circumambulations for the benefit of something, but mostly it is mental activity. Therefore when you call spiritual development is nothing but mental development. The moment I say mental development, you may think it is education, wittiness, cleverness, or more information. You may get these ideas, but I am not talking about that. I am talking about improving your mind so that your mental activities become positive actions, activities that create positive karma. It is very easy for us to talk about the mystical part of it or crazy wisdom part of it, but what is really relevant to us today? Ninety per cent of the so-called spiritual people in United States or Europe are talking about being mystical, having certain feelings, and all of that sort of thing. I am sorry to say that virtually they don't know what they are talking about, and they don't even know what they are doing! They just like to sit there whether it is with big eyes or open eyes, and project certain ideas or thoughts. Then they begun to 153

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

perceive these projected ideas and thoughts, and say they got the message, they got the information, they got the clarity. I am not ruling out everybody but really ninety per cent of the people don't know what they are doing. This is my opinion. I am sorry. Is this sort of thing a good spiritual practice for our own benefit? Certainly not! It is sort of the blind leading the blind. If you follow it, you are cheating yourself, because you do not know exactly what you are doing. I am not talking about you, actually, but ninety percent of the people who are claiming to have spiritual insight. Is it worthwhile for us to follow something like that and try to hope that one fine day it will be right? I don't think so, because our life is so precious, so important, and so impermanent. I don't think we can really afford to do something like that. So then, what is left for us to do spiritually is to make sure that every effort we put in is right, that at least it will have a positive effect. I find no way other than through karmic activities. Making a difference to ourselves The karmic rule is such that it is very strong and absolutely clear. Buddha has shared with us the way karma functions and we also see it clearly within ourselves. This is a very grounded way of working. This is how we can make a difference to ourselves with our spiritual practice. I am sharing this with you, try to get out of my Rimpoche's suit and get in some kind of Joe Blow somewhere and try to look in how it is. A number of people say they would like to meditate, but when you look at the people who are meditating, truly speaking most of them are still trying to be blank, not thinking too much. Different people will do different things and call it meditation anyway. Try to see what difference that sort of meditation will make. Not very much. 154

Gelek Rimpoche

We have to make very clear. Most of us here are supposed to be committed to our spiritual practice. But what does that mean? A number of people will say I would like to be a better person; it is wonderful. A number of people will say I want to have spiritual guarantee or insurance. But they are thinking something. And they are looking for something. Do we really know what we are doing? That is the thought that I raised for myself. And that is something each and every one of us has to ask ourselves. You don't have to talk to anybody but if you want to you, doesn't matter. But what does matter is at least we need to know what is it that I am looking for? What really makes something spiritual? And what really insures that we are really doing something right? How do we know the right things to do? The importance of training our minds The karmic principles really insure us. What is this karma thing, how does it function, how does it work? Any action we do, whether mental, physical, emotional is somehow controlled by our thoughts, our ideas, our understanding of our mind. It is very clear to me when we are working with the spiritual we are definitely working with the mind. Though physical contributions are there, we are definitely working mainly with the mind. Working with the mind means you are training your mind. Why should we train our mind? Because we have very strong habitual patterns set up for number of generations, life after life, and these preset patterns automatically function in negative ways. This is not to say we are bad people! We are good people no doubt, but we do have those negative habit patterns that function automatically, without our putting any efforts in. These negative ways of functioning are very effective, very powerful and very addictive. 155

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

When we are addicted to a way of acting, we immediately follow it, like the addicted smoker. Everybody knows that smoking is bad and causes cancer and so forth and that even second-hand smoke is harmful to others. We all know these things. Yet sometimes, even if you have to go outside in the cold and the snow, still you have to smoke there, shivering! That is how addiction works with us. So our habitual attitudes just make us do negative actions straightaway, without putting any efforts. Training the mind is making sure that we don't follow those negative addictions. Try to pull back. You should train yourself to be able to pull away from any negative things that arise, and pull in a different direction. This is like training a horse, or training a child how to behave like an adult. All of them are the same. This is the spiritual training that we can do to make sure that every effort we put in is contributed towards the right direction. I think that understanding is necessary. If you don't understand that, then everything you do can be called spiritual and yet it doesn't mean anything to the individual. This doesn't make much difference, or maybe some, but not much improvement to the individual from the karmic point of view or from any point of view. Working with one’s karmic functioning This is the bottom line in Buddhism, if you look at Tibetan Buddhism, whether you call it Tibetan Buddhism or not: for spiritual development within individual, the first thing is to work with your individual karmic functioning. When I say working with karmic functioning, again people will have different ideas. Some people will say, “I work with my karma; I have bad karma; I am suffering, and I am

156

Gelek Rimpoche

working with my karma.” I am not talking about that. That is your suffering, and it is too bad. Your own deeds caused it and that is too bad. But what we are trying to do is not to have that in the future. Not to have suffering, not to have problems. Taking care of the karmic consequences we are going to face from this moment onwards is what I called it working with karmic functioning. Past karma is past karma, you can purify, you can do anything with that; that is not a big concern. What we are really concerned is the constant continual adding up of more negative karma. That is our problem. So no matter how much you suffer, you still have the continuation of suffering because we keep on pouring out additonal negative karma, making sure it will continue. That is the problem. When I am talking about what is spiritual, it is how to cut the continuation of negative experience constantly continuing. That is working with the karmic functioning. That is working with the mind. The mind is the real controller, the real me, the real software. If you make sure it is the right software functioning in your computer, you can do everything. If you have the wrong software, you cannot function, you know that. The spiritual path seems to me the same thing. How do we know we are doing what is right? What can make sure I am doing right? Cutting negative karma and building positive karma. This is the only guarantee that I am doing right. As I say, people like us have no clue or no idea when we talk about the great mystical point of spiritual something. Whatever we do, take for example healing, what do we do? We follow two things. Either somebody taught you how to

157

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

function physically or mentally, or you know some traditional rituals combined with praying. That is what we do. But do we really know? Is that going to work? Some people believe it works and some persuade others to believe it works. But we don't have any guarantee at all. This is true. I have my personal experience that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. It is not scientific. It depends on the person who is doing it, and the karmic connection of the person who is doing it the one for whom it is being done. It sort of depends on that. It is not because you are supposed to do it that way, it is necessarily right. It doesn't work that way. It is not scientific; it is personalized activity. When a person is dying, we will normally say we shall pray. We can also do an elaborate ritual together with prayers, or we can simply pray and dedicate our karma and hopefully that helps. That's what we do, and we don't know whether it works or not. We have no confirmation. That is what I am talking about. Spiritually ninety per cent will claim and do something but we have no idea. Yes, I can do something for you and you say you feel it, and you may have felt it for whatever the reason may be. Even when the air moves naturally something will feel it! The spiritual path is really something beyond that, making the individual solidly act in a way that it right and fine, constantly building positive karma, and therefore the person is becoming free of suffering. That is the main point, and that is only possible if you train your mind. If you don't train your mind, that is not possible. That's why the first step in the spiritual path is training your mind in positive way. How to train your mind The first is motivation - why we do such a thing, what for. And the second is awareness of

158

Gelek Rimpoche

what is it for, and what you are doing. Then third come wisdom and information, knowledge and all of them, to be able to judge which direction to follow, where that is leading to. Sometimes it is very much like a chess game. Before you make the next move, you anticipate what is going to happen. You see at least three or four moves, and then you move. You don't just pick up one of the pieces randomly and move it. Spiritual practice is the same. It is what Trungpa Rinpoche used to call it a war, and spiritual practitioners are warriors. In his group, practitioners are given khaki uniforms and called soldiers and or Vajradhatu Shambhala soldiers, or maybe Shambhala trainees. These are very good and wonderful ideas, but khaki uniforms look like Indian police to me! That may be Trungpa Rinpoche having too much saké, so he thought of Indian police uniforms! But the work what he did is great. There really is warfare between the positive and the negative; between right action and wrong action; between positive karma and negative karma. So you need information and wisdom because then you will know what the next step is and how to protect yourself. Knowledge and information is the beginning of wisdom In a chess game, you use the knights to attack, and if the queen comes, you can push the little knight and take the queen away. That is the sort of thing you have to do. You have to know exactly how to play that game within yourself. Knowledge and information is the beginning of wisdom. People may have this idea that wisdom is something that is going to hit on your head all of a sudden one day and you start to see the stars. It is not going to be; you may see the stars, but that is not wisdom. I want to make it absolutely clear

159

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

so that there is no misunderstanding about the efforts that we are putting in. There should not be any misunderstanding whatsoever. I am not criticizing people who like to do whatever they want to do. That is their right, their choice. I am just telling you exactly what I see. I am not saying that anyone who is talking about mystical energy is a fake. I am telling you how you can put your efforts on the right path. Concentration alone is not enough Let us take concentration meditation as an example. Let's say I can sit and meditate. It also depends whether you are thinking nothing, just sitting there. It is training of the mind how to focus. From that angle, I have no problem. The problem is when I spend so much time, of which I don't have enough, just sitting there. You could make better use of the time than just sitting and focusing, if you are focusing. If you are not focusing, that's nice, that's that. Just sitting and thinking nothing, that's good relaxation. But with that, even if learn how to focus, will that be enough to help yourself? No, definitely not! Sitting can reduce anger, hatred and attachment, definitely. The reduction happens because you are not engaged with them. You are purposely disengaging your thoughts from those points. But will this help eradicate those problems? No, it won't. What can really help is analyzing. You may think this is really strange, but it is not. Analytical meditation is one of the most important meditations. The traditional Tibetan teachers give the example of concentration meditation as being like the horseman riding a horse. The horse is the concentration meditation, which gives you a stable ground. The analyzing is the weapon you carry, whether it is a sword, or spear or gun or cannon or bomb or whatever it is. Without a weapon, even if you have a strong stable horse like a mountain, it is not going to affect much because these

160

Gelek Rimpoche

negativities are within. It is not coming from the external world and hitting you; it is within ourselves, already within ourselves. So therefore even your mind is very stable, it is of not much help. We must have knowledge on how to handle these negativities, so wisdom is absolutely necessary. How to analyze hatred The beginning of wisdom is actually analyzing, analyzing each point. Take for example, hatred. The way you analyze hatred is this. First, you notice that you are irritated, you are angry; you don't like it; you can’t take anymore. It builds up that way. Then you begin to see that this is anger or hatred arising. The anger gives rise to hatred, I believe. So, first, recognition. Second, notice what kind of mind you have at that moment, what kind of perception you have, what kind of sensation you develop even physically, what kind of feelings you develop before anger rises to its fullest, and what kind of physical and mental feelings you experience at the peak of anger. Notice also what happens thereafter. These are the points where we look, analyze, recognize, acknowledge and make sure we are not confused. Sometimes we make ourselves completely confused thinking maybe it is anger, or maybe it is hatred, or maybe it is jealousy - all of them are very bad, anyway. Analyze and recognize. The human mind is such, it does not like to associate with the bad; we always want to associate ourselves with good. When we keep on thinking that anger is not good repeatedly, then our mind will not want to associate with anger at all because it is bad. “So I am not going to associate with bad ones!” The human mind works that way, and that will help to give you strength to train your mind. That is what I call mental training. So the moment when you realize you are going in a negative direction, you divert; try to guide it to the right direction.

161

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Another thing, if you are very angry what do you do? Normally people will have the idea of “Let me transform my anger!” You will not be able to do it; at least for a while, it is not possible. When you are extremely angry, probably you won't know what you are doing. Although you scream at the top of your voice using f-word or whatever, still you don't know what you are doing. You are just like a drunk, who is not clear and does not know what he or she is doing, because of the alcohol influence, or you are like when you are smoking dope. Anger functions in the same way. It is mental alcohol or mental cocaine! Therefore, usually you don't know what you are doing. If you want to challenge anger when you are in that very angry state, unless your mind is extremely well trained, it doesn't work. Not only it doesn't work, sometimes it has setbacks. It is like you go to war, and get badly defeated. So it is not that easy to push back again. The wise way is to divert your attention, but not deny that you are angry. Diverting your attention and denial are two different things to me. When you try to deny and say, “I am not angry,” or, “I don't have anger in me” - that's denial. Whereas diverting is that you acknowledge, “I am angry and upset, and if I continue to be, it is not going to work well, and I am going to make a terrible mistake. So let me turn the music on or the movie on or let me go look at a nice view somewhere else” - that is diverting, not denying. If you deny, it is terrible, because you won’t recognize what is happening. If you divert a little bit, that will cool down the power of whatever negative emotions you have. Take a drive, it is fine, but don't hit anybody! Work with delusions when they are not at their peak How do you work against anger and all of them? Do it at the time when you don't have strong anger, or strong powerful

162

Gelek Rimpoche

attachment. That is the time you work against attachment, jealousy, or whatever. When that is at peak level, you can't work. So every day, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, you auto-suggest to yourself; you are training your mind in that way. Then the time will come when you really don't have any hatred at all. You may have an irritation here or there. It may last two, three, or four minutes, and before you do anything; it may go away. You may have some fears arising for five or ten minutes, but not longer. So this is possible because you train yourself. The bottom line is that that is spiritual, that is spiritual development, that is spiritual practice, whether you are Buddhist, non-Buddhist, atheist, communist or whatsoever. That is spiritual development; that is spiritual practice. All these Tibetan traditions have tremendous amounts of information, teachings and so forth. It is given to the individual through an unbroken for us to be able to use. The human mind is so sophisticated that we need a tremendous amount of information to be able to adjust our mind. A computer is nothing in comparison to our mind! I do not want to use scientific type of language, like.the pieces and parcels of mind, mental molecules or something. There are scientists who look into the material side only but not the mind level, which is just as sophisticated, just as complicated as the external things, or even more so. That is why tremendous amounts of information and methods have to be used. So the bottom line of practice and spiritual development is that adjusting your mind, lessening your delusions. Whatever methods you use get to that goal is fine. Just make sure you are doing it right. The only way to guarantee how to make sure we are doing it right is on the 163

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

basis of karmic principle; that is the basis on which you are functioning. Being a good human being In other words, a good spiritual person is the best human being. Making ourselves kind, compassionate, the best person possible whatever it may take. There are a number of people who are great meditators, who can say a great many mantras, but when the difficult time comes they are equally bad. So what is the use of it? There is no use whatsoever. We have wasted a tremendous amount of time and effort. Sometimes some people waste a whole life thinking that there is something up above there. And then you realize there is nothing up above there except little rocks. You are presuming there is a beautiful pasture with great medicinal grass growing and nectar flowing, but really when the time comes, you realize it is only a rock or dead tree or something else. That's what happens. When you base on your efforts on your karmic functioning, rather than some imagination, then you won't get that problem. Whether there is a paradise up there or dead rock, it doesn't matter. Whatever we have been building, it is solidly built. Whatever efforts we put in, whatever we have of our life, it is great life. The life we have today is an extremely important life. It is unlike anybody else's life. This is true. Everyone here has heard the traditional teachings regarding the recognition of human life, its rarity, its preciousness, and so forth; we have taught this a number of times. Actually the first training of the mind will tell you how wonderful our life is: recognize it, embrace it! If you look at the traditional old Tibetan books, they will tell you have the eight leisures and ten endowments44

164

Gelek Rimpoche

because of time and this and that. What is the bottom line in what they are talking about? They are telling you have the opportunity and your conditions are right. We have that, and you will be wasting your life if you are hoping there is nectar up there to drink. Eastern laziness and Western laziness Normally people will say you are wasting your life if you are doing nothing, just smoking and sleeping and doing nothing. I don't think that is the only way, especially with the active Americans who do not just sit idle. I normally talk about Eastern laziness and Western laziness. Eastern laziness is really we cannot move; we become a couch potato. The Western laziness is being busy for nothing - very active, and lots of deadlines; you are sort of expected to do eighteen different things in a time period when you can only do one. So you have to get from this place to that place, you have to go and see this court, and rush around. You try to accomplish eighteen different things in the time period of one of them. That is Western laziness. Normally people here are very active. You are not going to waste your time by not being active unless you are smoking dope or drunk! The danger of wasting is doing something that is not right; something which cannot deliver the goods. Just like what I said: you think there is a paradise up there whereas there is only a dead tree or rock. I am saying this, because the spiritual commitment, as many of you know, is not easy. It is not like you pick up your checkbook and write a check when you are asked for a donation, annually or whatever and then forget about it other times. As many of you know, spiritual practice is a big commitment. The commitment to help yourself requires time, energy, and the right material for you to use. So it is big commitment, a big thing. That is why if you waste time, you 165

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

waste a lot. It is terrible to waste anything. but if you waste the life of cat or dog, I don't mean to kill them, but if they spend their life doing virtually nothing, it is not really wasteful. If you waste a human life, it is very wasteful. And not only a human life, but human life with the right conditions, with opportunities available, it is a big waste. That is why we have to make sure we are doing the right thing. We have to make sure the path we follow is the right path. The only way to see for ourselves, the really grounded level is the karmic point. It is very important not to cheat ourselves, because many people, with or without knowing, cheat themselves a lot. We don't want that. As a rimpoche, I have a duty. It was in conference either in New York or Washington a few days ago, somebody asked me a strange question which sounded like, “What do you feel as a rimpoche?” or something. And my answer was that it is a big responsibility. The responsibility here is, I am bringing in here the traditional Tibetan culture, to do with the word rimpoche. What does that mean? Rimpoche means someone who protects the people; protecting them from falling to a lower life. The question arises then, how do I protect? I simply say I pray. There is nothing I can guarantee. But you have to say, “I shall pray,” because it is part of the culture, society function and duty. You can't just say, “I don't know what to do.” How much effect the prayers will have, I don't know. Nobody knows. Nobody comes back and tells me that my prayers work, though there are several incidents which worked. What comes to mind at this moment is an old Indian driver who worked at All India Radio. He used to help me with my car which broke down easily. I gave him ten rupees a month which is something like twenty cents, and he took care 166

Gelek Rimpoche

of my car. He made sure the oil was changed. Unless we are crazy, we don't change the oil which is Eastern laziness of I am not changing the car oil unless the car breaks down or till the metals are rubbing each other. So he drove around and even though he was an old guy, he knew what to change before there was any trouble. Anyway, he died and three days before that I went to see him because he was sick. That was the first time I saw him wear new clothes; otherwise, he was always in dirty, filthy pants and greasy jackets. When I saw him he was wearing brand new kurta pajama, and he looked good, too. I talked to him a little and then he died. When he died, I did not visit him though we lived in the same city. I did not see the necessity of it. After he died, they buried him. He was not a Roman Catholic, he was an Anglican, and they had him buried in a graveyard. A month or two later his son came and asked me to go with him to the graveyard. It was in the middle of hot summer in Delhi and when I got there, there was tremendous amount of dust flying. And in the midst of the dust, the moment I got near his grave suddenly there were a few drops of rain and the cloud changed. So I said, “You have been able to get up to the and you are telling me now you are there.” It was in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing and suddenly a few drops of rain came, and tried to tell me he was not hot but he was cool; he has enough, he is comfortable. Things like that happened a couple of times. That also is half imaginative, half projected, half perceived; it is not scientific, not even logical. Yet that happens sometime for us. Being grounded It is better for us to be grounded. Grounded means here what I say very often, “Don't fly in the air!” People could not figure out what I meant! What it means is to be grounded, basing your calculations on your karmic actions, your own actions; and function from there. Build 167

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

positive karma as much as you can, and cut down your negative karma. That is a safe point where you begin. As a matter of fact, that is the only point where you can begin. You cannot begin from a mystical level; it doesn't work. If you pretend you are doing something right, and pretend to lead others in that direction, you are not only cheating yourself, you are misleading other people. You know there is story of the monkey in the Buddha's story. Once a monkey king suddenly saw the moon reflected in a lake, and got a big shock. He felt they must help the moon get out. Being the king, he was first in line, and they held to each other’s tails and hung on to a branch. The monkey king went into the lake and the others held on. Then the branch broke and all were drowned in the lake. That sort of thing should not be. I think there is a reason for why the Buddha shared the story with us. Whatever we do, if we even spend five minutes which we do not have because we have too many things to do, it has to be worthwhile. The way to make sure is grounding it; don't fly! And that is very important and what I thought I’d like to share with you the first day. Thereafter, whatever comes. Know what you are doing Anything you hear, even the monkey story, is to remind you to meditate. Understand and think about what you have to do or are doing. Don't do something if you do not know what you are doing! You don't really think it through but just simply assume it is, just like the king of monkeys thought the moon was in the lake, and had to get it out. That is exactly what it is. The purpose of any efforts you put in is to get better not only from the society's point of view but from the karmic point of view. Use every

168

Gelek Rimpoche

minute in our life use to cut down your negativity; and use that to build positive karma. We have talked of Buddha’s activity being effortless. Where does this come from? Buddhas have done constant continuous contemplation, so that the negative karmas are completely reduced, and only positive karmas are left; therefore everything functions effortlessly. It is the same as a computer programmer who can do whatever they want to do with the computer, A person like me, no matter whatever I do, even if I hit the computer, nothing happens because I do not even know how to switch it on! So it is like that. Effortless is when you are trained, you are used to it, and you know exactly what you are doing. And when you don't know anything about it, you can sit in front of the computer and hit all the keys, nothing happens. The spiritual path is very important for us; that’s why we are here. But at the same time, you have to make sure you are doing the right thing, otherwise the wastage is tremendous. Do not rely on the paradise up there, remember? Up in the mountain in the Himalayas, there is one nice paradise where all the grass is medicine, all the waters are nectars, and the air and temperature are controlled, and when you get up there are only dead trees! It is terrible. Make sure that doesn't happen!

169

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Questions and Answers Student: [inaudible]. Rimpoche: Shame is very strong word. What I mean is a slight embarrassment at my action, by myself, within me, for me. And if I feel a little embarrassed, a little small, that is helpful. It helps to cut down my ego and my pride. Buddha recommends that we use this mental faculty to help ourselves.

But in the West, the moment you say shame or embarrassment, people have very different ideas from what it is used to mean in the East. In the East, shame or embarrassment cuts you down a little bit for a minute or two and that is it. In the West, shame is such a thing you carry on and on, and almost bury yourself under it. And that is not right thing. I don't think Buddhas use it that way at all!

Buddha meant it as a little bit of shyness, or little embarrassment, that gives you some kind of lesson that this way of thinking, this sort of attitude is embarrassing to yourself. Or, if somebody else comes to know, how am I going to face it? Hoping to put my head up and pretend I do not know it? That sometimes helps. But the way we use shame in Buddhism is different. We do not get ourselves buried in it. That sort of shame we don't need! But slightly telling ourselves, “Hey! I really did something funny, and not so good,” - that sort of note brings in your attention and shows what you did wrong. You have the feeling that if anybody comes to know, how are you going to face it? Looking forwards rather than backwards The actions you have already committed are not so important for the spiritual

170

Gelek Rimpoche

part but it is so for law and order. If you do something illegal, you are punished, whether you are crazy or not. Otherwise, for your own spiritual development, you always look forward. You cannot undo the past or do anything over again - I mean you can purify and do things like that, and you do. But more important is to look forwards rather than backwards. There will be time when you have to look back, when you have to give your grand total; there you have to look back completely.45 To make sure your grand total is right and positive, you continue to purify and always look forwards. Giving yourself a low mark or grade here and there will alert your mind so that you don't repeat. I think Buddha referred to that mental faculty as shame and embarrassment. These terms are used in that manner rather than getting yourself buried until you cannot move out of that. That is not the point at all! Again, it is taking advantage out of that emotion called embarrassment, not submitting yourself to that emotion.

171

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Spiritual development is mind development The other day we talked about what constitutes a spiritual path. What is the difference between the materialistic point and the spiritual path? We also discussed individual spiritual development, and whether it is physical or mental. We figured out it is not physical with the exception of some healing, kung fu, karate, and so forth. You can't say these are or are not spiritual, but spiritual development is basically mind development. Here we are not talking about mind control business, or anything of that sort. But the first effect that the individual has is on the mental level, and this affects even your physical life. At the end, it is both mental and physical levels. The physical level is affected through the mind level, rather than physical to physical level. That was what we talked about last Tuesday. So how to affect the mind is really training the mind because we have very strong habitual patterns. We get irritated easily; we develop hatred easily. When the mind gains positive awareness and positive command of the body, then body and mind both work together. This creates the positive cause which makes positive development. I also presented to you that the spiritual path should be a solid grounded one, not flying in the air. If you keep on flying in the air you get nowhere. We see this in a number of people who have tried this and that. Ten years later, you get back to the zero in the circle; you land right back where you started. That is a big waste of time and energy! That's why I said that whatever spiritual path we indulge in should be very grounded.

172

Gelek Rimpoche

Right now, how do we judge whether it is grounded or not? It is very hard to do so at this moment. But the karmic thing is such that our life is governed by karma at this moment. Good and bad whatever it might be, it is our karma circling round and that is getting us. Just before the session started, I was talking to somebody who mentioned that it was Clinton's karma to be impeached. That is true, but, on the other hand, karma depends on conditions. If there are no conditions whatsoever, then it won't happen at all. With the right conditions, whatever karma we create, we will have the result. So from the karmic point of view, we are able to figure out whether what we do is right or wrong. That is also very simple. If you do something bad, you get a bad result; something good, you get a good result. But still the question arises, how do you know? Good and bad are extremely difficult to figure out. How to distinguish good and bad actions Basically what the Buddhas or enlightened beings told us is that we can judge in a simple way whether an action is good or bad by seeing whether what we do hurts us or other people. If it hurts, what we are doing is wrong, it is bad. If it helps, then it is better. Sometimes there are grey areas; for example, if I want to help you but you do not want it, I have to push you in there. I don't know whether that is right or wrong. Probably wrong, because you are not respecting the individual. You think you are better than the other individual person, and you try to push your views on that person. I think even though your motivation is good and what you are picking up is fine, still you are not respecting the individual person. I just throw this out for you to consider. I have no authority to say this is right or wrong, or this is good or bad karma. You and only 173

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

you can make the decision for yourself. So this is when you come to the grey areas. This is like the biggest argument in the US, between the right to life, and women's right to choose. Both sides completely have very sincere devotion, and even dedication. Both have the mind of helping. I don't mean every single person there has it. But basically right to lifers want to help those who are helpless; they want to save lives. On the other hand, pro-choice people want to preserve women's rights to choose what they want. Both have good motivation originally, wherever it comes from. So there are lots of grey areas, and it is difficult to judge especially by ourselves, by our standards. But the respecting each individual really gives a tremendous amount of help to protect against hurting people. Sometimes you can't help it; even if it is wrong, people still want to do it. So you can't stop them doing it. Just let it go. Maybe I am saying too much, but that's what I am thinking. And if you have respect for the person's desire and their mind, that automatically reflects the actions you take. That is a great help. When it comes to the grey areas, that is the point. I like to emphasize that. Training the mind is the ultimate method When it comes to training of the mind, the real training of the mind, I think this is the ultimate method of building development within the person. When you don't train your mind, you cannot expect the positive consequences or result built by your mind. When you look at our mind and our habitual patterns we don’t have to make any effort for the negativities like anger, attachment, ignorance, fear, all of them, to arise. It may be a

174

Gelek Rimpoche

trickle, how little it might be, yet we automatically we click to that. But if you try to do something good, you really have to work so hard! Sometimes you can’t do it even though you want to. Even if you know it, you can't do it. A number of people here tell me, “I knew it in my head but I cannot get it in my heart.” It sort of contradicts, and this is a sort of negative habitual pattern taking place. You have the knowledge, understanding and knew it is right but you just can't do it. It is negative habitual pattern. You cannot coordinate between heart and head. Our habitual patterns take us over You know it in your head and even your heart but you just can't do it. What is happening is the habitual patterns are taking you over. Even if you look in the Buddha's teachings, the most important karmic consequence is not what we ordinarily think. Take, for example, killing. The karmic result of killing is not only losing our life; if you kill, you get killed, according to karma. You may not get killed this time, this life, but you will be next time. We think that is a big deal, but Buddha does not think so. It is one action against another. The big deal, the most important karmic consequence, is that you like to kill all the time. You develop the habit. That's why some kids, they like to hit the insects, whereas some people just love to protect. Kids are a very good example because their minds are not influenced by anything. They are just beginning to open their minds to pick up the old habitual patterns as well as whatever new patterns. They are innocent, fresh and pure in that level. Some kids just like to kill by nature, or rather by habitual pattern, whereas some like to save. I saw this a number of times. Some kids like to pick up worms and step on them, and some like to pick them up and put them in some 175

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

green area. Nobody tells them what to do, but you see them do this. These are examples of habitual patterns. When it comes to our level, it is more sophisticated with information put in. Lots of ideas will come up and you pretend certain things, you do it certain way, and hide your whisky bottle behind the books - all these sorts of tricks! That becomes sophisticated mind. No matter how sophisticated your mind is, still the habitual patterns, which are stronger, push you in that direction. Cutting negative patterns and building positive ones So when you are training the mind, it is actually cutting out those habitual patterns, and building positive ones. The positive habitual patterns will help you and others. They will help you in terms of freeing yourself from the negative actions which bring negative karma that results in suffering. That is how you train your mind. The most important point is, as I always say, not the time you spend meditating, or the time you spend on saying mantras and praying. It is important and a big deal to try and bring awareness within yourself all the time, day and night. Awareness of your mind, awareness of your situation. The moment you have awareness, it will detect any wrong thoughts that come to your head. Sometimes you don't recognize it until it is all a done deal. That is okay. Even then it is okay; better late than never! Somewhere down the road you detect, and recognize, and you tell yourself, “That was wrong.” You don't have to face the public like President Clinton is doing, it is only to yourself that you need to acknowledge. Therefore, tell yourself that was wrong. When you are getting that message by yourself and to

176

Gelek Rimpoche

yourself, one after another, you begin to bring awareness in that. Soon, instead of realizing when it is at the done deal level, you may be able to do so while in the middle of the action. Or, you may even begin to realize before you get to do the action physically, or verbally. Being aware of mental and physical actions I mentioned verbal action because people are often hurt through speech. Physical abuse is terrible, but people get abused verbally much more. No one hits you before they say a word, or rather very few people do, but heated words go on. We would say the worst thing to hurt another person either in an aggressive way or in a passive-aggressive way. It is the physical and verbal actions which hurt other people. Mental actions hurt yourself. If you have in your mind to kill but if you do not act physically, you will not affect the person. It is totally okay for as far as the person is concerned. When we first came to India in 1959, we did not speak much of either the Indian language or English. There were a couple of us together with ten or fifteen of my contemporaries in Dharamsala. During that time we would say funny things in Tibetan, as we smiled and bowed to the other person. The person had no idea what we were saying! This is an exact example how the mental action alone cannot hurt anyone. Out of the three actions, physical, verbal and mental, the physical and verbal actions hurt other people. Mental actions may not hurt the people directly but hurt yourself more. Because you are thinking negative thoughts, either as a joke or for real, the negative thought process is going on within your mind, so you have negative karma within you because you have your mental action within you. That mental action will not affect others. So you have to be aware of your 177

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

actions of mind, speech and physical action. Especially when you are dealing with other people, the two most important points you need awareness of are both physical and verbal actions. That is the way you train your mind. Lam rim is mind training One of the best ways to train your mind according to the Tibetan tradition is the lam rim way of it. To make it easy and clear we have the Odyssey To Freedom. We call it Odyssey To Freedom rather than lam rim, because people may think that lam rim is just some kind of . Whatever we do here, we talk and discuss and have questions and answers occasionally. We are giving you here material to think about, to change your habitual patterns. That is what the talk and discussion and study all about. All Buddha’s teachings are about that - how a person can change his or her habitual patterns; how to make yourself a perfect, positive, wonderful person. Just simply a person. If you want to say, you can say goodness. Right now, you are a person of goodness by nature, but not by action. We have a good nature. Every single being has a wonderful nature with kindness and compassion. We have these, but our actions speak louder than our good nature. That is why we know there is something wrong. Where does this wrongness come from? It comes from your habitual patterns – we are so used to getting angry, to getting jealous, to getting unnecessary pride - “I am the one who can change the whole world!” In a way, an individual can make a difference anywhere, but on the other hand, it is also collective functioning. Everybody will make a difference but all collectively functions; nothing functions independently.

178

Gelek Rimpoche

So, we are all very well trained in pride and jealousy and all of them. We have almost become experts of anger, attachment, jealousy, and can claim to be so! We really know the ins and outs of all of these, feelings and the consequences and what will happen. We know them perfectly well. On the contrary, we need to know patience.46 We know a little of patience, like we know it is good, it is hard to practice, but we really don't know it as much or as well as we know anger. We cannot yet have as much patience as we have anger because of our habitual patterns. The training of the mind should be focused on those points and should change your mind in the way and how you act and react. Those reactions are actually what it is. Spiritual practice means training your mind I would like to draw the conclusion that spiritual practice means training your mind. Training your mind from a negative to a positive way of functioning. Training your mind from hatred to compassion and love. People may call it transformation of negativities. This is a very catchy title! But it is not that hatred will become compassion; it doesn't. Hate is hate; compassion is compassion. But both are grown within one individual. Point your finger to your own nose. Both grow within one individual. What is the difference between them? Hatred focuses on somebody whom you dislike or hate, and then the aspect of the mind will say, “This is the person, what can I do, how can I get rid of that person,” “How can I hurt them in the worst way, what will be the most painful for that person?” That is the aspect of the hatred. The aspect of love and compassion is that you look at a person and think, “How can I help that person?” So, the aspect changes.

179

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

If you make it a big deal, it is big deal. If you make it simple, it is so simple. The hatred will focus on Mr. A, and say “How can I hurt that Mr. A?” The same person with the same mind focuses on Mr. A with the aspect of love and says, “How can I help? How can I make him happy?” It is the way the mind works. How to transform anger into love That is really transforming anger into love. It doesn't transform like flipping a hamburger. It changes the aspect of it. It doesn't change this person or that person, or your focus. It is only the aspect of the mind which says, “How can I hate or harm?” or “How can I help?” You should really look into it and make it simple for yourself. That is the bottom line difference between love- compassion and hatred. Who makes that? Each and every one of us. And whose mind? Each and every one of us. And who ordered that? Each and every one of us. Who is responsible? Each and every one of us. Nobody else out there somewhere. That is where we look, within ourselves, and that is where the spiritual path begins, no matter what tradition you follow. All the great religions will tell you the same thing all the time repeated here and there. Some are a little more conservative, some are a little more liberal, some are in between. It is always like that. The bottom line is to be a good person, and to have the goodness within the individual. That's where your spiritual path really lies. That’s where you begin and that's where you travel. That’s how you embrace the spiritual path. The solid grounded spiritual path is not Eleanor Roosevelt talking to Mrs. Clinton. You know what I mean? So any of those types of things, I like to call them ungrounded. It

180

Gelek Rimpoche

is not somebody lying, nor being mischievous, but it is not grounded. What is a real, grounded spiritual path? The real grounded spiritual path is making a difference for your own life and if possible for others. That is on our level. Let's not talk about crazy wisdom and things like that. That is a totally different level. On our level, what we can be sure of is karma. That we definitely know. Traditionally they would that say you have to rely on what the Buddha said for he never lied about karma. But today we don't have to; whatever karmic consequences we are getting we can see every day. The total melodrama of our life we see very clearly within our karmic consequences. Today it is much clearer than ever before, thanks to the media, computers and electronics. It cuts down tremendous amount of showing off and covering-up business, thinking one thing and doing something else, all because of communication. At the same time, we can see quite clearly that good deeds get good results and bad deeds get bad results, without taking one life to go round but within the life, and within even month, or a few years you can see it. There is no doubt, especially when you are educated, when you are thinking along those lines. We don't need the Buddha’s quotations and sayings. We can see it clearly. That is basic fundamental ground of our spiritual path. Different systems in different traditions Different traditions will come in with their own systems on how to train your mind. Certain traditions will say to pray; “You got to pray to make it today.” Certain traditions will say to meditate - just sit and meditate. That is also fine. No big deal.

181

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

I say, “Think”; think about what you think, and recognize what you do, recognize your actions. For me that works. Because by thinking, by analyzing your thoughts, by drawing conclusions you are teaching your mind how to function. Sitting is a good thing because you learn to focus. Praying is fine, and we can pray and hope that our prayers will be answered. Hope so, no guarantee! You pray to Buddha, you pray to Jesus or anybody, you only hope it will be answered. I am sure that from the karmic point of view because you pray you will get certain karma, there will be some answers or some consequences; they will be there. But what we rely is no solid point; we simply hope that will happen. I am not saying that is bad at all. I am saying that is what it is at least to me. So, when you think of the karmic point of view here, at least you have a logical ground for you to function in your life. I was thinking about my background, being born in good old Tibet, in Tibet before the Chinese occupation, also before so called modern civilization or the industrial revolution. I was going through some old Tibetan photos today this afternoon with Carla, and I noticed the strange old pictures. It reminds me again today that my life is so strange. I came out of Tibet in 1959, when I was twenty, it was like being picked up somewhere in the middle of the sixteenth century and dropped in the year 2000! Really, sort of picked up in the culture of the seventeenth century and dropped over here. That is exactly how I feel. Your spiritual path should have strong logical grounds There is no scientific validity. However there is very strong logical ground to each and every spiritual path that you take. You just do not simply follow because somebody else said it is good; you don't just simply follow because somebody else tells 182

Gelek Rimpoche

you to follow it. You follow because you think it makes difference to your life and to yourself, life after life. You feel and think that at least logically you can see it makes difference not only to my life but also the people associated with me; they will be affected. That is called solid spiritual ground. So even if you don't have scientific proof, you have strong logical proof. If you don't have that then everything is simply hoping. We hope something will happen. The chances are not likely. Don’t just wait for grapes to fall in your mouth When I was young, one of my relations built a movie theatre in Lhasa. That was the first public cinema hall. It is not the one which Heinrich Harrer in Seven Years In Tibet built in the Dalai Lama's palace. They built a big movie theatre in the city and had three shows per day, every day. Since I didn't have to pay, I went there very often and I saw one Indian movie called Anakari. It was a sort of love story almost like Romeo and Juliet. I must have seen this particular movie seventeen or eighteen times in Lhasa. There was not much choice. I got in the box without having to pay anything, and was able to bring a couple of friends, too. It was a funny Indian movie. There was one part in that movie that works as a good example. The actor was lying on the stage in a garden scene with lots of fresh grapes ready to drop down from the vine. The guy was lying down there singing, everybody was hoping the grapes would come down and fell in his mouth. But the grapes never did! That is a good example. I can keep on hoping and it could be very close to my mouth but unless I jump and pull it down it will never come down. The whole movie had this scene repeated a number of times but the grapes never fell

183

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

into his mouth! So when you hope something will happen it is like that. My mouth has to open, and the grapes fall down, and all again has to be synchronized in order for me to get the grapes. But it is difficult. That's why when you do something spiritual you mostly have to do it yourself, so you don't depend on hope alone. Depending on hope is better than nothing, but that is what it is. The way I was brought up on the spiritual path was at least there are logical reasons to back that up. Then, it works for me who spend my time, energy and even life, total life. That is important. You can't spend total life just hoping. You can simply hope it goes away. That is the material I am giving for you to think about. This is not a lecture. I am sharing, giving you material to think about; it is for you to judge, for you to make the decision and for you to know what it is. If you don't know, it is a problem. If you don't know, then you are ignorant, and then you become stupid. Because all of you are educated, I am not talking about that way. I am talking about the spiritual path. If you don't know anything about it, you are stupid, you are ignorant, and a stupid person cannot make decisions because you have no ground. It would be like the monkey example. The monkey leader would like to save the moon that has fallen in the lake, and calls other monkeys to join together, and climbs down a branch to pick out the moon. The branch broke and all the monkeys fell in the lake. It is the usual example. It happened because of their stupidity. Know what you are doing and why So it is really important to know what is in the spiritual thing you are looking for. What makes it, what constitutes it? That's why

184

Gelek Rimpoche

Buddha said picking up information on this sort of things is the light which will clear the darkness of ignorance. Knowledge and learning is also the best wealth you can have; no thieves can steal it. It is the best friend which will not let you down even when you are in the bottom of the pit. So it is important to pick up information. I don't mean you have to become a scholar or professor. I mean you have to know what you are doing and what for. If you don't know what you are doing, then you simply look to the person on your right and the person on your left and try to sit like them. I did that in my childhood. One of my jobs was to sit and meditate in the evening between two old people. I looked to my right and there was this old man sitting in meditation, and I looked left and there was the other old man sitting in meditation. After some time it was the same, and this went on for a long time every evening. That was where I learned to sit cross-legged for the whole day and it doesn't bother me. So when you don't know you only hope that the person will stop meditating, and you can run and play! Or, wonder who will stop first. But they always stopped together, unfortunately. So knowing is important. If you don't know you simply say I am meditating, and where will that lead you? Probably nowhere. It gives you lot of calm and rest but you can still have the same problems. You can really rest with positive thinking too. Anyway that's what I thought I would share with you. The Bodhicaryavatara, The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is actually how the Bodhisattvas train their minds in ultimate love and compassion, which we call bodhimind, the mind which is in principle so really soaked with love and compassion, and totally dedicated for the benefit of beings. Seeking the best result is bodhimind; that's why Mahayana

185

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

becomes so important. The book is entitled Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, from the first page to the last page it is totally talking about human behavior: how do you behave, how do you function, how do you think and how do you act. On the basis of love and compassion and total dedication, that's what it is, the Bodhisattva's way of life.

186

Gelek Rimpoche

Questions and Answers Student: I talked to Eric earlier and I said, ‘If I were Jesus Christ and I were to tell you if I die I'll go to heaven, would you shoot me?’ He said, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘Eric, if I were to tell you I am Buddha, would you shoot me?’ And he said, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘Eric, if I tell you I am John, would you shoot me?’ And he said, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘You really want to be a Bodhisattva, don't you?’ Rimpoche: A Bodhisattva doesn't shoot Bodhisattvas.

Student: I was thinking the other day you talked about habitual ways to negativities. I was wandering if that's the natural way of learning, that you go from negative action to negative result, and learn your lesson. If not, you continue to learn or you ignore and continue negligence. Rimpoche: You don’t necessarily learn, you know. If you go into the negativities with lots of ignorance, you may continue with ignorance. We have examples like Hitler. Negative patterns lead to negative thinking, but he did not come out of it. So you cannot think this is the natural way of going and then you will be bounced back. At least Hitler did not bounce back during that period. He might have bounced back after he died, who knows? Hope so.

Student: How accurate is the movie ? Rimpoche: Quite accurate compared with Seven Years In Tibet. It is quite accurate though certain portions are of course movie

187

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

things. It is not a documentary film; it is not historical thing. There are lots of spins from editors, writers and directors, but the basis is fairly accurate.

Student: Where does the negativity that you come with or are born with come from? Attachment or survival or what? Rimpoche: I don't think it is survival, or attachment alone. Actually, it comes from ignorance, the ignorance of really not knowing what it is. It comes from there. It is like somehow we habitually think if we get angry then people will not attack us. We think that if somebody attacks you, you have to respond with anger. This naturally comes up in our thoughts. That thought is born with us naturally because we did not know better. We don’t know better, because we are controlled by ignorance. Bodhisattvas know different, and they even tell you violence should be met with non-violence. Even if you lose your life, it is better to be non-violent than to indulge in violence. So Bodhisattvas really tell you it is worthwhile to lose your life against violence. We don't know that, so we really have to react with anger hoping it will go away, scaring other people hoping they will not repeat. That is ignorance functioning, following. That's what it is. So all of those negative habitual patterns actually come from ignorance. However, we have repeated these actions so many times that we have become used to doing this sort of thing. When we are so used to it, when it has become habitual, we do it automatically. We may call that natural, but it is not true nature at all. It is again knowledge, something that

188

Gelek Rimpoche

we have learned over many lives about how to act, how to function.

Student: What is the difference between not being angry and being passive? Rimpoche: If you are not angry, it is great. If you are simply passive, fine. But if you are angry deeply and you don't want to scream, you don't want to show your temper tantrum, you may instead become passive-aggressive and say, ‘Well, I was talking to him and he lost his temper like hell and I just stayed there laughing at him.’ This is a very normal thing people often say: ‘I am completely under control, I am cool and I am not upset, yet I said this and did this.’ I really look this as anger. It is anger coming in passive form. That's why I said passive aggressive, not simply passive. Lots of people do that, especially people like us. Those who have some practice of the spiritual path, who would like to maintain their cool – ‘I was not angry but I give him a piece of my mind.’ That sort of thing really hit on the target. Or, maybe people may say, ‘I taught him a lesson or gave him a good learning opportunity.’ I look at these things as anger.

Student: You were talking about karma being very logical and if we do something bad, something bad will happen. This is easy to understand. And you brought up the point that we have very difficult time making our mind break out of our bad habits. My question is whether there is a way to do this through meditation. Does meditation give you strength to break that body of habits that functions automatically?

189

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Rimpoche: That's right. But I am saying that sitting meditation alone is not enough. If you meditate on the material we have talked about, that is called analytical meditation, and that will give you a perfect weapon and tell you how to fight with those negative habits. If you keep on thinking about everything we talk about here, this is meditation material for you. So this is a meditation course, and what you receive is the material for you to meditate on. We do not tell you just to sit down, sit there, don't move, nor do we come around with a stick and hit you! It is hard for people to realize that the material is for you to meditate on. That type of meditation will help you to coordinate your heart and head. That type of meditation will break through with your mind knowledge which then send commands to your physical actions. That is the kind of meditation we have been talking about here; whatever we said up till now, every single word we used here is for you to meditate on. I think it is hard for people to understand this. I take it for granted because I was trained in that way, so I know exactly how every single bit of information that comes in is to be processed within you. I have been giving you selected information, and so you process that. That is meditation.

Student: We received an email question that comes back to the point that good karma or good action is acting so as to not cause suffering in others or self. Can causing suffering sometimes be a part of generating good karma? An analogy from medicine may help: I am an MD. When an abscess collection of infected material is walled off the deep under the skin, the only way to get rid of the abscess is to cut it out, which is a painful process that allows the tissues to heal slowly so as not to let the abscess reform. Does a process like cutting 190

Gelek Rimpoche

out an abscess exist in the mental realm as part of spiritual pursuits? Or, does one avoid the pain, suffering, and disruption and only deal such lives’ problems over an extended period of time? Excuse my ignorance and shyness, thank you. Rimpoche: It is a good question, very good question, and I would like to talk about that a little bit. It is true we said that every action we see is bad or good and we distinguish the two by whether it is causing suffering or not causing suffering. We made that point. And it is a very good example given by whoever this might be, that shows that they really thought about it. I am not sure I can do justice to the question you raise, but I will give a brief answer. Sometimes an action may cause some suffering yet still be necessary and helpful. When that happens, though it is causing pain and hurting somebody, still it might not be a negativity. There are a lot of exceptional cases. That is the reason why we need that wisdom to figure out cases like that. I will give you two examples. There are two collections of stories from the Buddha's previous lives; one is called Jataka and the other is called . So one of those, I think is one of the Avadana stories, says that at one time the Buddha was the captain of a ship taking five hundred people to an island somewhere where they were supposed to pick up jewels. People have that idea, it is funny. I was thinking about when I came to United States for a learning visit in 1964. When I went back to India. Sonam's mother met me in Delhi and said ‘How come?’ I asked, ‘What's wrong?’ She said ‘You went back to America, but you did not bring back any gold! I know for sure you don't care for anything but we are all

191

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

refugees here, you should have brought some gold.’ I asked her, ‘Where would I get gold?’ And she said, ‘I heard in America you can pick up gold from the ground wherever you are.’ So she had that sort of idea. But at the same time, if you look back two thousand years ago, traditionally from India they would sail to someplace, find lots of jewels and bring them back.47 At that time Buddha happened to be the captain of a ship and the lives of five hundred human beings were in danger if he couldn't get rid of one man there who was planning to murder them all. So for the sake of five hundred lives, he killed one person there and that did not become a negativity, but a positivity. Sometimes we have to give some pain in order to get rid of the pain. It is there. Definitely it is the surgeon's advantage over the internist; surgery has an advantage over medication. So people who treat with medicine only can work to a certain level. The surgeon can go over that cut out the problem and remove it. Of course you have to do that sometimes. The laser beam to cut sufferings I do not know whether I answered your question or not, but one more thing I thought, is there another surgical way to cut the sufferings? Or rather a laser pen or weapon cutting the suffering? Yes, there is but we are not capable of using it right now. The moment you get an understanding of emptiness, the nature of reality, that is like a laser beam cutting through cataracts or something. It is not emptiness alone. We can figure out what emptiness is and we try to guess, try to talk about it. To tell you the truth, the absolute truth, each and every conversation we have about emptiness helps to understand emptiness. However, no matter whoever is writing a book on emptiness, trying to describe emptiness in English today, I doubt it very 192

Gelek Rimpoche

much they are even getting near to emptiness. That is something you have to gain by yourself on the basis of your own practice and on the basis of your own understanding. Actually, by understanding impermanence itself extended going subtler and subtler, in that way you will reach the understanding of emptiness and that is very profound. So that is the surgical procedure, but somehow we get stuck there and can't really go through yet. It also depends how much the other side preparation we have.48 It is interesting the subject we are talking here if you read the last point, verse 22

And until they pass away from pain May I also be the source of life For all the realms of varied beings That reach unto the ends of space Anyway, what we are trying to tell you here is that when you try to get bodhimind and wisdom, it works the same way in everybody. What happens is that people who are not qualified, people who are not ready to have bodhimind and bodhi wisdom, they find very them difficult to handle. That is why there is so much preparation and so much praying and so many dedications before you take the vow of the bodhimind, the Bodhisattva vow. Verse 23 will be about taking the vow. Before you take the vow, there are many preparations you make; up to now, we have been talking about those preparations. Developing Bodhimind and wisdom Again that doesn't mean one cannot develop wisdom before love and compassion. There is no such set order. Normally bodhimind or love and compassion develop first, and then wisdom later, but in the case of an extremely brilliant person who is also 193

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

very lucky and fortunate, the understanding of emptiness can come before bodhimind. The reason I am talking about this is because what Buddhists called emptiness, the bodhi wisdom, is a very difficult to get, and it is the surgical point, the surgical cure. That’s why I try to say that we should be able to do all our spiritual practice at a very grounded level rather than flying in the air. I don't mean that emptiness is flying in the air, you know that clearly. However if we are at the stage where we do not understand and can’t make head or tail out of it, when you try to talk emptiness then, you are flying. Because we don't know head nor tail, and we simply say EMPTINESS! Wisdom is built little by little Wisdom is built up little by little, point by point, every point. For example, in this practice we do here, we build wisdom on every particular point by learning what it is. We build wisdom by discussing what it is. We build wisdom by practicing what it is. We build wisdom by finding out what happens when you follow it, and that's when you go up and can finally reach to the level of understanding emptiness. It is not the first layer, not the second layer nor the third layer. It goes deep down. You know sometimes you have this Chinese tofu dish with layer after layer. It is very interesting; you get to one layer, two layer, three layer, four layer, and five layer and inside when you really get right into it you got nothing; there is nothing there! That is exactly how you get wisdom. I didn’t realize that. When you pick up one skin, at the end you got nothing unless they put some mushrooms in there or something! So exactly it goes layer after layer. Vajrayana On the other hand, we have talked about Vajrayana practice. Vajrayana supposed to be surgical again. It

194

Gelek Rimpoche

is something where you either have it in this life or you don't have it. In Vajrayana, they are not talking about the normal non-Vajrayana way. The traditional presentation of Dharma is “Buddha generated his great motivation and then he accumulated merit and purification for three hundred eons and finally obtained enlightenment after eons of efforts, and then shared his path which we follow.” That is how the Dharma was presented traditionally in Tibet. They are telling you the Buddha took three hundred countless eons to cut through or to accumulate merit or to contemplate after he generated bodhimind. Vajrayana goes in an opposite direction. so whether you have it or you don't have it, you have life. If you make it, you make it; if you don't make it, you don't. So it is really cut through; I mean there are also ways which are much simpler and easier and very profound. They give you the example ‘like a diamond’. Once I was in Malaysia, they asked me to speak at this Muslim University called Zaki Hussein University or some other Muslim leader's name. They asked me to speak to the students about ‘diamond cutter’. I couldn't figure out what that meant. I talked to the person, and he said ‘Diamond’. And I said, “Yeah, I know diamond.” They heard that a Buddhist has a diamond-like practice; just as a diamond can cut glass and nothing else can cut the diamond. Then I begin to think it is also ‘Vajrayana’. Vajra is translated sometimes as thunderbolt; is the path. The thunderbolt is like a diamond which can cut other things. Later I saw some Chinese scholars have translated vajrayana as diamond yana. That is supposed to be very surgical with the diamond available at that time. I don't think they had laser beams those

195

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

two thousand years ago! They only had diamond head cutter. Vajrayana is supposed to be that, too. Why Vajrayana practice requires both relative and absolute Bodhimind Vajrayana depends on two things, first, ultimate love and compassion, and second, wisdom. This is absolutely true. Why? If you don't have either one of them, Vajrayana doesn't work. No matter what we do, without those two, it is not going to work very well. Why? Because the main point in Vajrayana is to become a fully enlightened being. That is the Vajrayana goal. A surgical type of practice is to make ourselves Buddhas right now. That's really what it is. So in order to be a Buddha right now, we have to have the physical aspects of the Buddha, as well as the mental aspect. If you have one and not the other, it doesn't work. Buddha without body will not work; Buddha without mind will not work. Buddha without mind will be like the statue on the altar and Buddha without body will not figure out where is it, what's happening. So when you become a Buddha, you have to be better than a statue, therefore you have to have mind and body, and there have to be coordination of both of them. All the wisdom aspects of the path are the main cause to have the Buddha’s mind, the mind of all knowing, so that every obstacle and every block will be cut. The body of the Buddha is mainly the result of a vast accumulation of merit through practice of generosity, compassion, love and especially bodhimind. Rupakaya and Dharmakaya 's famous dedication says, By the virtue of this may I complete the accumulation of merit and wisdom in order to obtain the two bodies of the enlightened. The two bodies are the mental and physical body. In Sanskrit, they are called rupakaya and dharmakaya - the body of form 196

Gelek Rimpoche

and the body of mind. The body of form and body of mind together is called union The wisdom within yourself is also called the consort within or the queen within; bodhimind is also one aspect of it. Actually, it becomes the union of wisdom and love and compassion; union of the physical aspect and the mental aspect. That is why it is called ‘union’. Representing those aspects you see those showing male and female together. These represent the union of compassion and wisdom. It means body and mind together. At the buddha's level, body and mind do not function separately, whereas for us, they do. As long as we have separate functioning of the body and mind, we have dual functioning. At the buddha's level, there is no duality; it becomes oneness. What makes Vajrayana work Basically there are surgical things called Vajrayana, totally based on love and compassion and wisdom that in essence is really compassion. That is a really important point. Without that, the practice of Vajrayana will not work very well because the components are incomplete within us. That's why the rainmakers cannot make rain; the person who tried to stop the hail could not stop it because the components of the individual are not combined together. If that's combined together, then Vajrayana works. When conditions are right, karma functions. It is basically a very very simple principle. But as long as we don't have the components right, then it don't work, because the essential part is missing. Healers have difficulty healing; all of them because of that. Generally for us, is it easier to develop love and compassion or to develop wisdom? We develop certain type of wisdom, but not ultimate wisdom. For us, it is much easier to develop love and compassion. On the basis of love and 197

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

compassion, if you develop wisdom, it works. Without love and compassion, there are very brilliant people who can develop wisdom. If you do develop that without love and compassion, then it becomes almost useless. Maybe I am wrong, and I hope I am; I keep on thinking people who play with black magic trying to harm each other, or kill, now or historically, probably they do the same thing. People who help and people who harm, both of them using some kind of spiritual power based on mantra or some spirit, or something like that. Both of them do pretty much the same things, but. one at least has the influence of love and compassion so they care for the person, and the other doesn't have that, neither the compassion nor the wisdom. So they are misusing whatever power or source or whatever it is, and that becomes harmful black magic. The other one who is influenced by compassion and cares, is protected by compassion, and uses wisdom for helping rather than harming or threatening. Here, if you look, what makes the difference is the mind, whether there is compassion or not. I hope I am wrong, but that is how I look at it at this moment. If I change my mind, I will let you know, but that's how I think it comes in. So it makes difference not only to yourself, but others. The foundation The foundation of all is love and compassion. If you don't have love and compassion, if you don't care for anybody, then it is no use. Well you may say it is life, even Hitler had a life, and Mao had a life. But today we look at them, we say they have a disgraceful life, and life that caused a holocaust and caused millions of people to suffer. That was also a life, but it is the mind that makes the difference, the mind of caring, that is why compassion is so important. 198

Gelek Rimpoche

The first chapter was totally devoted to telling you what the benefits of this mind are. It makes a difference to the person. It is caring not only for me, but for the others. After a little while, me and others almost have equal level. After a little while more, others become more important that me. That is the time you get towards bodhimind, though it is not bodhimind yet. After you get a little deeper where you are more concerned for others than for yourself, then you commit yourself to serving others. And by that time, you are getting bodhimind. Bodhimind can only come from total dedication and commitment. When you have total commitment and dedication, you have the responsibility of acting to benefit others. That's why in bodhimind level you always say, “I seek enlightenment stage for benefit of all beings”. That is the reason. It is not for me, but to be able to complete my commitment. It is the same thing if you are a doctor, in order to help others and you have to know all your techniques. The more techniques you know, the more you will be able to help. It is exactly the same thing. So if you become enlightened you have more tools to help everyone, not only others, but also yourself. That's why love and compassion is so important.

199

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verses 18 to 22

May I be a protector for those without one, A guide for all travellers on the way: May I be a bridge, a boat and a ship For all who wish to cross (the water).

May I be an island for those who seek one, And a lamp for those desiring light, May I be a bed for all who wish to rest And a slave for all who want a slave.

May I be a wishing jewel, a magic vase, Powerful mantras and great medicine, May I become a wish-fulfilling tree And a cow of plenty for the world.

Just like space And the great elements such as earth, May I always support the lives Of all the boundless creatures.

And until they pass away from pain, May I also be the source of life For all the realms of vaired beings That reach unto the ends of space. This complete book here is about nothing but developing bodhimind, love and compassion, and how you act when you have developed it. How do you function, and what should be 200

Gelek Rimpoche

your conduct of life as a Bodhisattva, as a committed spiritual practitioner who is seeking enlightenment? These verses tell you what you can do with this, like May I be an island, May I be a wishing jewel, Just like space, And until they pass away from pain May I also be the source of life. I would like to help all these people in whatever I can help or could possibly help. For those who are lost in the sea, may I become an island. For those who are wishing for something, may I become a wish fulfilling jewel. Or, just like space, and the great elements such as earth, may I always support the lives of all the boundless creatures.

201

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

TAKING THE BODHISATTVA VOW

Verses 23 and 24: The Bodhisattva vow

Just as the previous Sugatas Gave birth to an Awakening Mind, And just as they successively dwelt In the Bodhisattva practices;

Likewise, for the sake of all that lives Do I give birth to an Awakening Mind, And likewise shall I, too, Successively follow the practices. We have this particular verse in the Long Six-Session Yoga, which some people say six times a day. This is actually how you take the Bodhisattva Vow, and it is the commitment you take.

202

Gelek Rimpoche

Why do we take vows? When you have vows, you have a commitment, you have a stronger feeling that you have to work at it, to work with it. When you don't have a vow or commitment, then when you feel like it, you do it, or if you don't feel like it, you don't do it. That is why with in the Vajrayana part of Tibetan Buddhism you have lots of vows and commitments; a vow is actually a commitment. When we commit to do something, it helps us to do it. You just can't say yes and do nothing; that does not count. Since you have said yes, you have to act. That is why the vows are important. How do you take the vows? There are two ways. One, you can take them from a master. If possible, you take them from a master who has bodhimind within. You take the vow from that person according to the ritual which means you repeat the words three times after the master, and you do get the vow. The second way is to take the vows from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In Tibetan tradition, it used to be that you always took the vow from the living master rather than from the Buddha.49 The present Dalai Lama, the fourteenth one, really thought it is important to take the vows from the Buddha, and insists on that. He insists that the lineage of taking vows from the Buddha also must be living, and insists that one of this teachers, Kyabje Ling Rimpoche, had that lineage also. Kyabje Ling Rimpoche composed a vow-taking and took the vow from the Buddha image in Bodhgaya; he then gave this to the Dalai Lama and thereafter Dalai Lama gave them. So we have both ways today. Traditionally one of them stopped. Now we have both going round again, both lineages together. So the way you take it is with these words:

Just as theprevious Sugatas 203

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Gave birth to an Awakening Mind And just as they successively dwelt In the Bodhisattva practices;

Likewise for the sake of all that lives Do I give birth to an Awakening Mind, And likewise shall I too Successively follow the practices. These two verses are about drawing the attention of the enlightened beings. You are simply saying, “All enlightened beings, come and listen to me!”50 You are drawing their attention at this moment. At this moment you are imagining that they are here with Buddha in the center and all enlightened beings surrounding him. All space is filled with enlightened beings. Giving an opportunity It is not only my imagination that they are there. The whole purpose of becoming enlightened is to be able to help. When there is an opportunity to help us, they are there. Otherwise, they are failing in their duty! In one way, it looks like a very imaginative type of thing, but on the other hand it is real. It becomes real because they have their commitment and there is an opportunity. Therefore, if they don't act when opportunity is there, they are useless! That's why it is real, it is there, it has its effect. People who see different things such as some psychics can sometimes see enlightened beings. When I was in Malaysia ten years ago, a friend of mine who sees all these funny things came running to me when someone rang the doorbell. He said “The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are waiting near the door!” At first I thought he was crazy. He was excited and scared, and we went down to look, but there was nothing there. Sometimes the psychics are able to see that. He was not 204

Gelek Rimpoche

crazy and he was not lying. That happens, and that is true because they are there. There is even the good old American saying that God is everywhere. That is for the same reason. They are there because they know everything, and because there is an opportunity, so they are everywhere. For them, there is no limitation; it is limitless. That is why they are everywhere. If we try to project the way that we think and the things that we think and the limitations that we have to the enlightened beings we are making a big mistake! The difference between enlightened beings and us is the limitations. We have limitations, they don't. We have to depend on physical appearance, they don't. That is why I said earlier that their body and mind functions together, on one frequency, while we function separately. That is the difference. So here, when you take the vow, you imagine enlightened beings and it happens there. In reality, it is absolutely there. The story of and I can share one story with you. The Buddha Maitreya, the Buddha of compassion or love,51 was the teacher of an Indian saint and scholar called Asanga. Asanga could not understand some of the Buddha's teachings, particularly when he said that there is no nose, no tongue, no ear, no name, no form, nor formless. He became totally confused and tried to find the perfect teacher who was Maitreya. In order to that, he went to a cave, meditated and worked for twelve years! Every three years he would almost give up, but something funny would happen to inspire him, and he would go back saying, “My patience is not good enough”. Finally, at the end of the twelve years, it was compassion that really enabled him to meet Maitreya. He saw

205

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

a female dog whose lower parts were completely covered with wounds infested with worms. He looked at the dog and felt so much compassion and caring for it as well as for the worms! He thought if he left the worms there, the dog would die, and if he removed the worms, they would die. But what would the worms eat if he took them off the dog? That was his dilemma, and in the midst of it compassion arose in him and he cut his flesh from his thigh to feed to the worms. Next he had the thought that if he were to pick up the worms with his fingers, they would be squeezed or hurt. Finally with his eyes closed, he decided to lick the worms up and put them on the piece of flesh of his thigh. But he wasn’t able to touch the worms with his tongue and when he opened his eyes to see what was happening, he found Maitreya in front of him instead! He then said to Maitreya, “How unkind you have been all these years!” Maitreya told him that actually he was with Asanga from the moment he started meditating in the cave, but that Asanga had been unable to perceive or see him. It was only his compassion for the dog (actually Maitreya) that finally made him eligible to see Maitreya. At the end of their conversation, Asanga told Maitreya that he must show him to the whole city. Maitreya told him there is no way he could do it, but Asanga would not listen. He carried Maitreya over his shoulders and ran round the city shouting “Here is Maitreya Buddha!” No one saw anything except for an old woman who saw that Asanga was carrying a dead dog on his shoulders. They all thought that Asanga had gone crazy after being in meditation for twelve years!

206

Gelek Rimpoche

The importance of making a big commitment So what really happens is that the moment you project enlightened beings, they are there because of their commitment.52 They are looking for any opportunity to able to help. So it is important that we provide the opportunity. The moment you open and give them an opportunity, they are there. Tibetans are brought up in their culture, so they can accept this more easily. Even incredible wisdom actions of whatever magical physical power, are nothing magical, but reality. When you have the reality understanding you can change and switch every thing round. Let us imagine a few years ago before we had computers and compare what we can do with computers today. The difference is huge. It is also a matter of how you press certain keys, and know how it works. It is the same thing too when you know the reality of anything, it doesn't block anymore. And that's why wisdom is the weapon to cut ignorance. Compassion provides stable ground and wisdom is the weapon. So here what we are saying is that just as the previous Buddhas did go beyond everything with the commitment to help all sentient beings, with the commitment of being totally responsible for liberating all sentient beings, and they worked, they did everything, I will commit myself in the same way. Repeating the words three times In the ritual, you just repeat this three times with understanding, and at the end of the third time, you are supposed to have the Bodhisattva vow. The vow is there but have you actually become a Bodhisattva? No, you simply receive the name of Bodhisattva, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have the bodhimind with you. You can go on taking vows but if your mind doesn't change, then a vow is just a vow. It is like a certificate. It is a marriage 207

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

certificate. The certificate alone doesn't do it; people have to put efforts in to have a good marriage. If you don't, it doesn't work; and then the certificate is just a piece of paper. I don't know whether vow has a physical shape or not, but vow is a vow.53 A vow is a vow, it doesn't help you to work. Commitment and the efforts put by the individual is important. So what are you committing to here when you say this? By listening here, you are not taking Bodhisattva vows; we are simply discussing here. Sometimes people may wonder, but you do not become a Bodhisattva. We are just talking about it. So what you are really saying is, that just as the Buddhas committed themselves and developed that precious mind, or Awakening Mind, and just as they strictly followed the advices, I will also do the same for the benefit of all other beings. I will develop the mind, and I will successively follow the practices. Taking things a step at a time You have to do it successively or else it doesn't work. This I have to emphasize, because many times spiritual seekers jump here and there and get nowhere, and their life is gone. If you look back at the years you put in jumping here and there, there will be nothing solid being build up. You may build your knowledge or your information but beyond that it doesn't cut down anything. The purpose of the spiritual path is to cut down anger, hatred, jealousy and ignorance. Who cares whether you follow the Judeo-Christian tradition or the Hindu-Buddhist tradition? What matters is making the individual a better person. The goodness of the human being must shine out. To make that happen, you cut down those negative thoughts, negative ideas and negative

208

Gelek Rimpoche

effects. When you have that, it is helping. When you don't, nothing is helping. Even among Buddhists, sometimes people jump around, sometimes they are looking at seeking liberation, sometimes at bodhimind, and sometimes at wisdom, but they do not how to put together. When that happens, no result can develop. That is the reason why it says successively.54 That gives us the solid footprint of the Buddhas to follow. The Buddhas did not jump here and there; they gave us a very solid way. It is necessary according to this and that's why your commitment says I, too, will successively follow the practices.

We are on the Guide To The Bodhisattva's Way of Life which is about how Bodhisattvas function. Let me start at verse 24 again, because this is the point where we are taking the Bodhisattva vow. I am sure everybody is clear with the word Bodhisattva. It is a Sanskrit word referring to persons who has committed themselves to attain enlightenment. To be able to totally commit to the service of all beings, one needs the best available tools to help them, which you get by becoming an enlightened being. Such a committed person is called a Bodhisattva. You can take the Bodhisattva vow and be called a Bodhisattva but you do not really become one just by doing that. What makes a Bodhisattva That particular special mind which I call ultimate unlimited unconditioned love and compassion is really bodhimind. Once you have that within you, no matter what you may be, man or woman, child, dog, cat, cockroach, whatever you may be, you are a Bodhisattva. Even if you are a wild animal, or a strange insect in the 209

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

rainforest, whatever you might be, you are a Bodhisattva. If you don't have the mind within you, you may be in double or triple yellow robes, makes no difference. That is the point that determines whether you are a Bodhisattva. Once you are a Bodhisattva, you have the responsibility of a Bodhisattva, which is how you conduct your life, how you conduct your mind. That is what this book says: Bodhisattva's way of life. When this mind grows with you, that mind has certain responsibilities. It is not that you are volunteering, but it comes with it. Because you want to help sentient beings, you want to dedicate yourself to help others. So when you dedicate, lip service and just good thoughts alone will not do. Lots of people will normally say, “I send my good thoughts for you,” or “Poor little thing,” or, “I am sorry.” All these are lip service, if you don't mean it from the bottom of your heart. Lip service and good thoughts alone will not help; you have to have a way of functioning. This whole book will tell you how to think, how to deal with people, what are you going to do. That is why it is called Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. What is a vow? We are now at the level where we are taking the Bodhisattva vow. I will like to talk a little bit about vows. What is a vow? There are two points of view. If you look at Buddhist philosophical thought, some people say that a vow has a shape and appearance, while other Buddhist schools will say it has nothing, no physical shape whatsoever.55 But, in our usual way, looking from the grounded point of view, a vow is some kind of bonding commitment, not a physical thing that comes in. Actually, you are taking the vow from in this case Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, which means enlightened ones. You are making them your witness and you are taking the

210

Gelek Rimpoche

commitment. Keeping yourself bound to the commitment is the vow. If you break the commitment, you break the vow. Do you know what Buddha said? “Don't buy it, just because Buddha said so!” And Buddha also said that if you are buying gold, you should cut the gold, rub the gold, burn the gold, when you are satisfied that it is gold, then you buy, not just because anyone said so. That is a principle in Buddhism. Many people will say different things but don't buy just because Buddha said so, or the teacher said so or the master said so. Never buy just for that reason! What you have to do, when you hear something from them, is check it out yourself. Developing intelligent faith That is why we put so much emphasis on analytical meditation, rather than on concentration meditation. You analyze whether it is making sense or not, and, when you have finally analyzed and found it to be right, then you can buy because it is your own understanding. You have reasons, and even when you develop faith thereafter, it is the faith that follows intelligence, which I call intelligent faith, rather than blind stupid faith. If you just blindly believe what other people tell you, that sort of faith is stupid. I saw a movie last night called Resurrection or something. I did not see from the beginning but at the end they dug up a body, loosened up the nuts and bolts from the body and he rose up like a human being. There were a number of people hoping he would come back, and even knelt on broken glass happily and he did come alive. He said he had arisen from his grave and caught a woman to replace his position in the grave. Then some kind of clouds and rain came from the middle of his forehead and all the people

211

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

around him were completely cemented to the ground in their position, in this concrete building! So that really tells you that if you don't use and follow your intelligence, your mind, your understanding, if you don't analyze and just have blind faith, then you may get into that sort of trouble! It is true, and absolutely true, even more so in the United States. It is not that Americans are not intelligent; people are extremely intelligent, they are wonderful, they are learned, educated. However you have certain parts of your brains which simply like to believe and follow. That is the troublemaker within individual! Know what you are doing and why We are extremely well taught even in school, “Don't do something if you don’t know what you are doing and why you are doing it.” Learn it and experiment, and, when you are sure it is right, then you follow. Don't say simply, “Rimpoche Gehlek says so!” I am glad and grateful you have faith, or perhaps I should say thankful rather than grateful. But that is not a good reason. Never rely on anybody's words alone, never! Rely on your own understanding, for example with regard to Bodhimind. Here, take the bodhimind. What is it? What kind of mind are you talking about? How do I get that mind? When I get it, how do I maintain it? What helps to get that mind within me? This is the whole study and this is the whole practice. That is really what it is. Just because a nice book said so, just because Buddha said so, just because the Dalai Lama said so, just because somebody said so, doesn't work. Use your own mind! You are not stupid, and since you are not stupid, you have to be responsible, you have to be your own judge. I am not talking to any one of you alone, don't think that! It is meant to be for everybody in principle, and I am not giving any one of you a hard time. 212

Gelek Rimpoche

When you are studying the Buddha's message, that is the principle. Learning is necessary, otherwise we do not know how to make head or tail out of it. Learning is based on the Buddha's experience. When we study that, then we understand and we get it, we comprehend it and that becomes a part of our life. That is how the Buddha's message gets to people. That's how it works. It influences the way you think, the way you deal with people person to person. Checking one’s results It is not that how holy I look with or without a beard or shaven head, this is not the point at all! The point is how it affects my mind and how I deal with my everyday life, whether on one to one basis, or publicly. So, knowing that, look and see whether you find yourself closer and closer to love and compassion or to hatred, attachment and jealousy. Hatred, attachment and jealousy: all of these are on the wrong path. You all know that, even though you may not be following any particular religious tradition. Take, for example, hatred; if you are a mean person, then after a little while everybody will be mean to you, because they give you back what you gave to them. If you hate people, after a little while the whole world will be your enemy. If you are suspicious of everybody, then you will never have peace. That we know exactly. On the other hand, there is tolerance, patience, compassion, love; if you have patience, irritations don't bother you, so you are not going to develop any hatred for anybody. Hatred grows out of irritation. If you have patience, then you don’t get irritated. But you have to make sure you do not become Mr. or Madam Positive! So that is the way; that is life and how it goes.

213

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Bodhimind does not mean sacrificing oneself The ultimate love and compassion which we call Bodhimind is the mind totally dedicated for the benefit of others. It is not that I sacrifice myself for the benefit of others. Rather, I would like to become the best to serve all of them. It is not that I simply want to sacrifice myself for their benefit. That is not what we are talking about. That is not an intelligent way! If you sacrifice yourself, then you are limited, that is the end of it, you can do nothing more. Some people say, “I sacrificed my life when I went in front of the gun,” or something. That sacrifice is not right. It is the wrong way. You are sacrificing or actually wasting yourself by being lazy, or irritated, or attached. What you really need to sacrifice is your attachment, hatred, not yourself. As a Bodhisattva I would like to have the best method I could possibly learn in order to help everybody or at least those I can help. Here you have the special mind that commits yourself for the benefit of others. It is sort of an American commitment: “I don't know what to do but whatever it is, I will do it!” Bodhimind can only be developed by training your mind. To make it easier and faster to develop bodhimind, we take the vows too. The vows are also committing yourself. Maybe this is over our heads, however, it is one of the best ways to train ourselves.

To continue the discussion of verse 23: Just as the previous Sugatas Gave birth to an Awakening Mind,

214

Gelek Rimpoche

And just as they successively dwelt In the Bodhisattva practices; Sugatas is the Sanskrit word for Buddhas. Actually this verse is in the long Six Session Yoga, with different translation. Here it is like giving an example, as stated just as. Just as the previous Buddhas gave birth to an Awakening Mind. I think I have a problem with the translation Awakening Mind. I have a little question mark on that. What it is really telling us at this level is that just as the earlier Buddhas who committed themselves by the power of the special mind to help others, so they generated the mind which seeks the Buddha state. There are two types of Bodhimind, prayer form and action form. Here they are talking about the prayer form, because I may not be able to do much, or develop anything, I simply use this to pray that I may be able to do that. That's what this particular verse should say. Instead of Awakening mind, you should say giving birth to committed mind.56 And just as they successively dwelt in the Bodhisattva practices, likewise for the sake of all that lives do I give birth to an Awakening Mind; so, likewise I will follow the same footsteps and give the same commitment. Here you are taking the action Bodhisattva vow. Earlier was the prayer Bodhisattva vow. This is how the division should come in. The first one is mön sem, and the second one is juk sem, mön pa sem kye or jupa sem kyee.57 How to take the Bodhisattva vow So when you are taking that vow what you are really saying is, “I will follow the footsteps, I will restrain myself from any downfall whatsoever.” The way to take the vow is just to repeat the verse three times, and believe it. I don't know whether it works or not, but that is the way it is.

215

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

I was saying to a friend this afternoon that the Tibetan tradition is rather similar to Catholicism because there are so many rituals involved - vows, commitments, burning the frankincense, - so many similarities. We do have rituals, and it is done accordingly to the ritual system. We have to believe that the vows grow with you, and yet there is no black and white confirmation there at all. At least for an enquiring mind like mine, there is no black and white confirmation at the time, but when you check in the long run, it does make a difference because the events too are different. Almost all the rituals are like that. Almost all the vows are like that. Those we still have, in an unbroken lineage, all these are there, but for all of them there is no black and white scientific proof. However, it makes a difference because it works. It is very interesting. The last time I was in Los Angeles, the Dalai Lama was teaching on The Jewel Ornament, written by Nagarjuna, and more difficult than Bodhicaryavatara, and talking about wisdom alone. He explained that he had studied for a long time and learned from many teachers, and finally got the oral transmission from Serkong Rimpoche, a great person. He said, “After the oral transmission, I understood much better.” Those sorts of things give you some confirmation. When things work with you, and something happens, that sort of thing makes you think it may be because of the vows and unbroken lineage. Yet there is no direct evidence like if you mix red and yellow together, you get an orange color. They mostly work in that way. Rituals can help, but changing your mind is key Tibetan Buddhism has so many rituals! When you go from the ritual point of view, there are so many of them. That sort of thing helps, helps to set up your mind, helps you to trust yourself. But it doesn't really make a difference whether you take the

216

Gelek Rimpoche

vows in the ritual form, or you just simply give your commitment. What does make the difference is when the mind grows with you. It is not some kind of growing thing within your mind, but it is sort of like the color changing. I always say that the mind is like a clean crystal lampshade. Mind has no shape or tangibility. If you look at a clean, clear crystal lampshade and change the bulb in there to red, yellow or green, you will perceive it as a red, yellow or green lampshade. The same thing here, when the bodhimind grows within your mind, from a distance the mind becomes ultimate, unconditioned, unlimited love and compassion. That is what I mean by grow with you. It does not grow an extra thing there like an orchid growing an extra bud. It is the manner how it grows; it is the attitude, and way of functioning, how you set up your mind, how you change from yesterday to today. I try not to use words like ordinary to extraordinary. Allen Ginsberg always said that these are buzzwords which are very attractive but do not have any meaning, or have hundreds of different meanings. When you change the way you think and function, for example, look at an enemy if you have one, and look at your friend if you have one, look at the people whom you really don't care about, if your way of looking is not too attached, or filled with hatred, and you function in that way, you become a better person. Good or not good human being, that is the line we draw. It is not the Buddhist way, but the good human being’s way. I am not simply talking from the Buddhist point of view. What makes a good human being What makes a good human being, the good nature or goodness of people, is whether you let yourself run by your own neurosis, or you let yourself run with understanding, clarity, love, compassion. 217

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

That is the line you draw between whether you are a good person or a bad person. I don't think anybody had any quarrel with that. Once you draw the line, you are changing from the right to the left or left to the right, from badness to goodness. And how you figure out how you are progressing is the way you approach other people - your enemy, friends, those near to you, around you. Sometimes people are so hung up that they get suspicious of everyone, and get angry with everyone including themselves. Some are so attached they can't help themselves like Jennifer Flowers, followed by Paula Jones, and Monica Lewinsky,58 and more. Sometimes you can't help it. So that is being controlled by attachment, if all these stories are true. Attachment overpowers the person so they can't do much about it. Anger does the same thing. It builds hatred and you begin to hate everybody. You hate that person, and you hate his friends, and there is no end to it. This is how the mind tricks us and plays with us. That is why we don't act good-natured with each other but rub cold shoulders. We give people the cold shoulder because of these neuroses we have. You have the principle within your mind to recognize the division of good and bad and then see for yourself in which direction you are going. If you are going in the right direction, be happy about it, and let it grow more. If you are going in the wrong direction, question yourself and try to guide the other way. That is Dharma; that is Buddhism. Truly, vow or no vow, robe or no robe, yellow or white, green or pink, short or long hair, shaved or not, doesn't mean anything. Absolutely, if going in the right direction makes a difference to your life, and is relevant to you, that makes the difference in future lives if you believe there are future lives. Believe it or not, I think everybody will go 218

Gelek Rimpoche

through with that experience, because for me future lives are there. I don't have scientific proof and have not shaken hands with anyone who came back from their next life, but I think it is there. Anyway, that is all about the vows and how you develop the mind within you. Maintaining vows and bodhimind Developing alone will not do. You have to follow up. Once you have developed it, if you don't carry and maintain, it will go away, since it is all impermanent. Not only is our life impermanent, our development is impermanent. It is like a computer thing. I was talking to David. You can have all your data entered just fine, but you have to maintain it. If you cannot maintain it, after a short while, it will be no longer useful: addresses will be wrong, telephone numbers will be wrong, everything will go wrong because people move or whatever. It is the same thing with bodhimind. You develop, but if you don't maintain it, it will disappear. It is like orchids; if you don't give them water and food, they will die. If you maintain them, they will bloom. Just like that. Maintaining is so important. One is growing or developing and two is maintaining. Training ourselves is training how to maintain that bodhimind when we get it. Even with a building, you need to maintain it. Remember how when we first came here, we had this nice new carpet, and we had to maintain it in order for it to remain that way. As time goes, sometimes people clean sometimes don't clean, so it becomes dirty and filthy. Maintenance is so important! If you don't maintain it, the pipes will freeze and crack and so on! The same thing, if you have developed bodhimind, you have to maintain it. If you are unable to maintain it, it won't work; it will be useless.

219

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Again, it goes in the nature of impermanence. The training of the mind here really tells you how to maintain. Don’t just let events overtake you The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life will tell you how you should be generous, how you should protect your morality, how to be patient and not let the anger or hatred or jealousy take over, and how you should remain enthusiastic and not be taken over by laziness. It is very easy to be overtaken by laziness because the events in our life will follow one after another. The traditional Tibetan teachings will tell you it is like an old man's beard - if you keep plucking off it will grow more; if you shaved once you will have to do ten more times. So it is like that, it keeps on growing. They also give you example that you are standing near the ocean, and try to wait for the waves to stop coming in, they will never stop; it will continue day and night. So it is important not to let events take over your life: manage your events! Even in schools they will teach you, and parents will teach their children, “Don't let the events take over you, manage them!” To cut the laziness you have to manage your time. The time you need to work to pay your bills, and time for your spiritual practice in order to help you to become a perfect human being, or best human ever available - that is what you have to manage. If you don't manage but let events take over, you won’t get anywhere. I especially noticed this with myself, that is why I am sharing this with you - sometimes in the morning I receive phone calls one after another, and before I realize it is five or six, it goes on like that. So I cannot manage my time that way because everybody who calls is important because they have problems, they have sufferings. Very few call me when they are happy, it is true! It is when they have these problems and it is heavy because they feel it is something 220

Gelek Rimpoche

urgent, a matter of life and death, and it is all like that. So they take over my time, so I know and I can tell you don't let events take over your life; you must manage. That is really true. I look at this as laziness, because I did not manage my time. That is lazy busy, or busy-lazy as we call it. Enjoy what you are doing The Bodhisattva is supposed to know how to manage time, and the Bodhisattva should have enthusiasm. Anything you do, you should enjoy doing it. By seeing the benefit of it, you will enjoy it. If you don't enjoy, and you force yourself to do something, the traditional Tibetan teachers have a beautiful example here: it’s like a tired donkey being driven up a mountain. We do that sometimes to ourselves, forcing ourselves in certain spiritual way. You force yourself in, and drive yourself in. Actually you don't enjoy and you get a setback and it backfires. After a little while you get upset, and angry and all this sort of thing. You never get what you are trying to accomplish and gradually lose the things you have already accomplished. When you lose gradually, you lose one by one, one by one, and after a little while it is all gone. That is not a good thing to have happen. Enthusiasm is only available if you enjoy what you are doing. If don't enjoy it, there can't be enthusiasm, and then comes the question of forcing yourself. That is not good. Don't force, it won't be of any good to you! What is the use of it? Think of what benefits you have, what personal experience, see with your own eyes that you have benefited, and when you do, you appreciate it. When you begin to appreciate, you can have enthusiasm. But you must enjoy what you are doing. This is not a problem for beginners but it is so for those who have been in it for a while. We have this pull and push very strong a number of times. That is the beginning of laziness.

221

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Then you need wisdom, like the Bodhisattva's way. The wisdom of at least knowing what you are doing; forget about emptiness for the time being. At least know what you are doing, why you are doing it, and where it is leading you. Once you have that, you are not a person with blind faith. You are doing something with understanding. When you take vows, you are committing yourself to do all these things. The first verse is prayer form, and in the second verse it says, follow the practices, so that is practice or action form. Lizard meditation is not actually meditation Practice does not refer to how you sit down, or to sitting and looking in the air. There is this lizard that does just that – it sits on the rock with its mouth open for air. I had this retreat cave in Tibet where there were lots of these lizards. When the lizard sat on the rock in that position, that was not meditation! A number of people think that if they sit straight and think one thing, then they are meditating. But lizards sit for hours warming their stomachs on the rock, and taking the air in. That type of lizard fights with scorpions. I used to see them in the courtyard through the glass. Usually the lizards would chase each other and play, but they would fight with the scorpions. The lizards would end up eating the scorpions. On a warm summer day, the lizards would lie on their backs on the rock, and let the scorpion get digested in their stomach, while on a winter day, the scorpions would cut their way out instead. That was my daily visual exercise when I was a kid in that cave. Who won depended on whether it was sunny or not. That lizard sitting there is not meditating, and yet sometimes you are taught to sit like that. Then they tell you to

222

Gelek Rimpoche

peel your thoughts like peeling an orange. All right, keep on peeling, but when are you going to finish? You are not going to find it, and say, “This is it!” You won't. Again, I emphasize that I am not criticizing what certain traditions teach you, but on the other hand if you think that is the only path then it is a problem. That will not help us so much as analyzing, understanding and then concentrating. That will teach you how to concentrate. But we need to know what we should concentrate on rather than just sitting like a lizard. What are our limitations? Even when we teach bodhimind, we just say unlimited, unconditioned love and compassion. So what do we do? We have to find out what limitations we have. The limitations we have are so simple. Number one, the usual American slogan, “What’s in it for me?” That is the usual American first thought. Maybe it is best thought and maybe not. Maybe not all the first thoughts are best thoughts if you have to point out what's in it for me. Anyway, that's a limitation. And then there are restrictions – “I am happy to think good things about A, B, and C; and I am not comfortable thinking good of D, E, and F.” All these are restrictions. Think about Bodhimind and analyze it. Try to understand what is the aspect of that mind, what it is perceiving, what it is projecting, what is it. That is what analyzing does. Once you analyze, you understand, then you focus on that. You have found your real meditation point, the point on which you meditate. Otherwise sitting like a lizard doesn't do any good!

223

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Questions and Answers Student: You said there is a time where you go to work and earn your living and pay your bills, and there is another time you try to do your spiritual practice, expand yourself, orient yourself with the vows, and grow positivity. At some point, doesn’t it become less of a separation and doesn't everything become more your practice if you are trying to accomplish something with it? Rimpoche: I am glad you raised this important point. It is absolutely true ultimately and even possible now, that all the time we spend and everything what we do, we try to make it spiritual as much as possible through meditation. I have mentioned this a number of times. Even our daily chores - doing laundry, shopping, standing in the grocery line, waiting in the parking lot - we should try to make everything we do spiritual as much as possible. However, right now if you don't have a specific time which you totally dedicate for these purposes, then every single thing you have to deal with becomes urgent, and the urgent things will take over and actual practice, and even your commitments, will be left until about 12:30 at night. And then even if you try to spend five or ten minutes on that, you fall asleep! That should not be. That is why I mentioned the division. However, this division is just a safeguard to have that spiritual practice, or whatever you call it, when you are either saying a prayer or a mantra or your commitment. Is it clear to you? I am glad you raised that because people may think that the spiritual way of functioning and your daily life are two

224

Gelek Rimpoche

separate things. We don't mean that! We try to merge them as much as possible unless your job is something involving killing or you are Mr. Slaughterer. Otherwise it is possible. I thought this is definitely a need of the year 2000 because people are going to be busier.

Student: What can we do about situations like Iraq if there is a war? Rimpoche: We hope there will be no war. Really we hope there will be no war. And war, no matter what it is, it is not a question of who wins or who loses. Lots of innocent people are going to die, and I am quite sure they are not going to get Saddam Hussein. I was talking with someone two days ago who said “Why didn't Bush finish off Saddam Hussein?” I said, “Look how many days Bush took to find Noriega!” Saddam is going to be more difficult than Noriega. You can write to your senator, or your representative and say you don't want a war. Tell them, “If you back a war and run for re-election, I won't vote for you!” That is all we can do. And I am not supposed to be involved in politics! One great thing about America is that those representatives and elected officials do listen to public opinion. They cannot afford to not pay attention to public opinion. Student: If you object, will it be collective karma? Rimpoche: You object, you don't have collective karma, because you objected. If you don't, you do have collective karma because you let it go. That is my thinking, and maybe I am wrong. I hope I am wrong because ninety per cent of Americans will not say anything and let it be.

225

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Student: (Concerning faith and black and white proof) Rimpoche: The movie that I was talking about showed the problem,59 and Jim Jones showed the problem. These are the problems because you give them room. I don't think there will be problems if you are intelligent enough. It is not that you can't trust anybody! I am not pushing you from that angle at all, but I try to emphasize that at least people should know what they are doing, and not get themselves into a Jim Jones type of thing. That's what I am saying.

Student: A couple of weeks ago you said that we have nature of goodness, but in our actions we give way to negative habitual patterns. My question is if by nature we have goodness what initially causes us to initiate negative patterns? Rimpoche: What you call that pushing and pulling is attachment and aversion. That is true, attachment and aversion. Student: What initiated the attachment and aversion? Rimpoche: That is so simple. ‘I need to protect myself,’ ‘I have to protect myself so therefore I should not be this this this,’ ‘These people are here to get me!’ That is what you have. It is all what you call ‘ego service’. It is the ego that gets worried in there: ‘I have to be the best,’ ‘I have to be this or that,’ ‘Under any circumstances I will not let myself do this and that,’ ‘I will do everything.’ The mind will find any means to justify the end. That mind will label enemy more than friend. When you start looking at every single human being, after each and every name you have a little note to give. If you have a note that you don’t like, this is aversion. And then, on the other side, when you have a note you like and want, this is

226

Gelek Rimpoche

attachment Everybody has that. And the attachment and aversion will trigger the way of thinking and functioning. The origin comes more or less as protecting myself: ‘I really don't care what happens to others. It is not my concern.’ You really want to say, ‘I don't care. It is only me that I need to protect, so for my protection, then I dislike or like.’ All of those will come and take us over, I believe. And still I say human beings in particular are good in nature. If you don't have good nature you will not be a human being. You could be a tiger; and yet, even tigers have good nature. So the good nature is there, but it can’t function; it becomes like a seed or immature, overpowered by the habitual patterns. That's why I use Jennifer Flower and Paula Jones as examples.

Student: (Regarding forcing oneself to do something) Rimpoche: I didn't say that. What I said was that if you enjoy doing something, enthusiasm will come easily to you. You will like to do it again and again. When you lose the enthusiasm for doing something, let's say your commitment, naturally you have nothing else left except pushing yourself. When you are pushing yourself so much and there is not so much enthusiasm, it is not necessary that great. Sometimes it can backfire. When I say enthusiasm I mean that you are really enjoying things that you do.60 I am not saying forcing yourself without enthusiasm; doing something without enjoying it is not enthusiasm. You can try to gain your enthusiasm by forcing, but it probably won't be enjoyable, and not necessarily

227

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

that great. It can even backfire. That is what I am saying. That doesn't mean if you don't feel like doing it, you just drop it!

Student: Could we do some dedication prayers for Karla Fay Tucker,61 please? Rimpoche: Yes, I am sorry about that. I was watching and following that news. Actually, this country really should not have any capital punishment. It is true some that people feel they are not taking enough revenge, but I don't think there is some thing really called revenge. If you could bring the person who died, the victim, back, of course by all means, we'd all do it. But it is not going to happen, plus we create another negativity through capital punishment. And by being pro and against we also create mentally additional problems for everybody, so it is not very good. It is interesting that Texas has a funny law, but there are also so many people who support that law. How to make a difference: first, understand I think it will be helpful for each and every one of us to try and understand what it is, and what does that do. When you understand, then you try to influence your friends of their views. That is what will be helpful rather than taking to the streets yelling and screaming. But sometimes yelling and screaming helps! You may get more results, the more noise you make! But in a way, if you understand properly yourself, if you try to influence people with your own understanding, that is what I really think will work. We don’t need capital punishment. People are not that bad either. Look at each and every one of them: it is the

228

Gelek Rimpoche

conditions that made them bad. They are also human beings and happen to be in that situation. And definitely we will dedicate not for Karla Fay Tucker alone; a number of other sentient beings also died today. They are countless, so we will dedicate everything as we do always for the benefit of all sentient beings. That's what we should do with Migtsema.

229

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Nothing here is separate from your practice Basically, everything we are saying here is based on the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, a sort of traditional Indian textbook. I always like to remind people why we are doing this, since you may forget. Everything we talk about here relates to our practice. People may get the idea that what we are talking about is separate from what we are or will be doing; that never works. Traditionally, teachers would you that doing that is as if you trained a race horse not on the racetrack but somewhere else, so that when the actual race day came, it would be a totally different environment for the horse. Then all the training has been not that great or useful. Similarly if you specialize and earn a degree in medicine, and suddenly you get a job as a lawyer, it is not going to work. Or, if you trained and get your degree as a lawyer, and you tried to be a medical doctor, that is not going to work either. It is the same way if you think what we are talking about here is separate from our practice. A lot of people think what we are talking about here is philosophy that has nothing to do with practice. This is very wrong, because it shows that the person who says it really doesn't know what we are talking about. That is a clear sign. That's why I want you to know that everything we cover here is related to practice. Whatever we say here is about the practice that we do. We are not talking the , or philosophy of Buddhism. We are talking about how we should think, act and function. That is the bottom line here. Otherwise it would be training a doctor to be a lawyer, and a lawyer to be a doctor.

230

Gelek Rimpoche

Then you are going to make a complete mess of everything. If a doctor were to be made a lawyer, he would lose all the cases, and if the lawyer were to be the doctor, he would kill all the patients! So the best thing is not to do that. Traditional examples might not make as much sense to us, but when you think of modern times, it is the same thing. The steps to actualizing bodhimind Here we are in the middle of talking about bodhimind or ultimate love and compassion. How do we get over there actually? How to we get to the point that we really have that? This is very important. We can get over there only after we recognize and truly realize that we are seeking freedom from our negative emotions. That is actual the first step in Buddhism. The negative emotions bring us suffering, and because of them we create negative karma, and because of creating negative karma, we get negative results. Building the determination to free ourselves So the freedom we are seeking is from the chain created by negative emotions, the chain which is karma and consequences. We try to break that chain: that is our goal. To reach that level, to develop the determination to be free, is actually recognizing our current situation, and then understanding its causes, and disliking it and wanting to get out. That is the freedom we are talking about, the freedom to be able to function in your life as you want, and not to be governed by negative emotions. Right now our governor is inside including his old staff! We are all employed under the state of Michigan! Right now, the governor inside is our ignorance, and the assistants, all those working in his office, are anger, hatred, jealousy and all of them. What are they governing? They are governing us! We are made their subjects.

231

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

These are the chains we have. Recognizing that is very important. If you don't recognize it, you won't want to break out; you will enjoy it, and still hope to be promoted. You still hope to get a better posting, and may like to join as a State senator, or maybe a Representative! So you keep on having hope. As long as we have that sort of hope going on, we don't see the problem deeply enough. The real freedom is not there; but we don’t see this. That is why we are talking about freedom. Once I begin to realize that this is a problem, that this is what I am, then I want to break this chain and free myself; I want to be my own boss. Many people set up their own companies, even though if you work for somebody your income is guaranteed; but they decide to take up the challenge and set up their own organization or company, and try to make it through. People are willing to sacrifice the stable guaranteed income, and try to make it in business by themselves. It is a challenge, it is good but you can make it or fail. But you need the willingness to do, to try, and then you can be successful. If you look at all these big successful corporations, at the beginning there was usually one individual behind it all. When you really begin to make it, it is one individual who makes it. Even from the material, money point of the world wherever you look, that is what it is. At the same time, if you look in the spiritual path, it is the same thing: the individual who is willing to take the risk of giving up the governorship; giving up whatever promotion could come by remaining a subject over there. Please don't misunderstand me - I am not telling you literally to depose the governor! But within yourself, you are willing to give up everything and strive for the freedom to be

232

Gelek Rimpoche

your own boss. That's what you need to do. The spiritual path urges you to do that. Expanding the scope to include others Once you begin to recognize and understand, you begin to work, then you switch to thinking about people that you care about: what about this one, what about that one? This is the beginning of love and compassion, or the ultimate love and compassion of bodhimind, the Bodhisattva's way of functioning. All of them become relevant at this level and not before. Here we are talking within the second level. It may be over the heads of a lot of people, but for a lot of you it is not. It is very relevant for a lot of people's lives, and may not yet be for others. This is the situation. Whenever you have the opportunity of picking that up, you have to learn about it. You have to learn, you have to understand and you have to practice so that you can actualize it. Spiritual development is nothing other than actualizing the point we are talking about. It is very important to recognize that. I was talking with somebody this afternoon. That person told me “You are a Gelugpa, I am a Nyingmapa.” That is a Tibetan sectarian thing. So, I said, "Oh, we are not Buddhists, we are Gelugpa or Nyingmapa?” It is a very strange thing. Whether you are following the , , , or Kargyu (which has sixteen subdivision!) traditions, it is important to recognize that you are really learning the Buddha's presentation of his own experience, which he shares with us through his teachings. They are all at least following Buddha and they are all Buddhists. We are not talking just about Buddhists, either. I am not going to sit here and say that Jews, Christians, Hindus,

233

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Sikhs, or Muslims don't have spiritual practice. We all know they do. Each and every religion has its own way of leading people either through praying, or practicing, or working or through other various ways. Each one of them is capable of helping individuals. We can't say capable of making Buddhas, since these other traditions are not Buddhism. Buddhism is geared towards making everybody Buddhas; you can't say that about other traditions because they are not geared to making everybody become a Buddha. But these traditions are geared towards helping and developing people. I don't like it when people say, “I am Gelugpa,” or “I am Nyingmapa,” “I am Sakyapa,” “I am Karyupa.” Truly speaking, they are not Gelugpas, they are Americans! True, nothing is wrong, but I don’t think we should make a big deal out of it. Use your critical intelligence If you look at the Buddha's teaching and if you follow that, notice that the Buddha never says, “Don't follow this or that tradition.” He always says to look at his teaching with a critical mind: “Don't buy what I said just because I said so!” That is applicable to any tradition. You have to look with your critical mind at each point in turn, wherever you need to be working. If you don't, you might as well follow Jim Jones!62 The same thing, just follow Jim Jones, if you don't use your critical mind. I don't want to use David Koresh as example; his group might not necessarily be that bad.63 If you don't make use of your intelligence – and you do have great intelligence, and you have education which helps you think and analyze and make decisions - you are in big trouble! You can only find a real way to develop to a certain spiritual level if you think, look and see what your goal is and how you can get there. Some people may simply tell you just 234

Gelek Rimpoche

sit and wait and say your mantras. Probably you will be waiting until your next life! That is a very important point: you have to use your mind. You all have great minds with tremendous capacity; you have got to use that. If you cannot use that, then there is no difference between a dog and human being. Even dogs can figure out who is good to them, who gives them food, which is their own territory, who is a thief, who an intruder; they can bark and bite. Even the dogs can do that; I don't think the cats do that. Really, it is time for us to show the difference between animals and us. We don't just have to follow what somebody says. Don't become like an animal, be a human being! That is the bottom line. No matter how critical you may look, it will help you. If you are not critical enough, you will never get to the bottom line. You simply say, yes you believe it. The Tibetans used to say, wherever you point your finger, it is East. So that means, even if somebody points the finger to the West and says, “This is East,” you say, “I believe this is East.” So you are wrong, but you still say this is East. The mind is such a thing, you can just follow easily, so make sure you don't do it. If you do it, nobody is wasting their life except for you. So we are talking about seeking freedom from the chain of neuroses or negative emotions, from the actions they cause and the consequences. This freedom is called liberation. What are you being liberated from? You are liberating yourself from all these problems, nothing else. There is no such thing as going through a door and attaining liberation. Maybe you call attaining bodhimind the City of Joy, like in the Tibetan, and you think that you can enter the city through some kind of passport or visa! It doesn't work that way. It is all within ourselves; all procedures are within ourselves. Seeking freedom 235

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

means cutting these chains and developing the bodhimind is entering the City of Joy. These are all within ourselves. I want you to remember this clearly. Making progress a step at a time Did somebody ask a question the other day regarding why successively and not altogether? Successively is here for a very important reason in verse 24:

Likewise for the sake of all that lives Do I give birth to an Awakening Mind And likewise shall I too Successively follow the practices. The importance of successively is its gradualness. It is a very important point to remember. According to this commentary, I can explain something. It says that the action bodhimind follows from the prayer form of bodhimind. But more importantly for the individual practitioner, when you look at the Bodhisattva's life and things, they will tell you, “Give your life for the sake of one sentient being,” “Do not hesitate to give your eyeball if they ask you,” “Do not hesitate to chop your hand if someone asks you.” Can we do such things right now? No! Not only we cannot do it, we should not be doing it, because we are not at the level where we should be doing this. Until we get to that level, we practice first by admiring those who did such things. Second, we pray that we may be able to do that. Third, we actually do it. That is what is meant successively. Some will interpret as in the three moralities,64 one follows another. If they tell you that, that is wrong, whoever the teacher may be. That is really wrong.

236

Gelek Rimpoche

What the word successively really means is how you are to follow the practices yourself. You should not follow the example of those who can give their eyeball when you cannot. You should not give your eyeball if you have pain and can’t see without it. If you don't know what your future life will be, and cannot guarantee what it will be, you should not give your life. That is the rule; that is how it works. As long as you have pain, you cannot do it. So, the first step is to admire, then pray, and then to follow. In Buddhism, praying is not the same as seeking a favor The word pray may have different meanings for different people. When you really think carefully, where is the origin or root of the word pray? Let's forget about Tibetan Buddhism for the time being, and think of what it means for a normal American, a normal, usual mid Western, blue collar fellow. Normally, say with the Catholic background, it is something like asking a favor from God. You are simply asking for something, seeking something from a person who grants it to you, either gives you what you ask or punishes you; you have that kind of picture. When you use the same word in Buddhism, and particularly in Tibetan Buddhism, praying is not seeking. Praying is action you are taking in order for you to be able to do something. Your whole day is called prayer. The whole lam rim practice is also prayer for us. The whole thing we are talking, meditating and thinking about is also prayer. I think we are borrowing a dangerous word which has a very strong connotations, and which we don't pay much attention to and try to use in terms of Buddhist practice. There may be the danger of people having a misunderstanding here. So, when we say praying, it is actually the actions that we do to try to get liberated. You try to get yourself liberated; 237

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

you are not asking God to come down and liberate you. We have to remember that; it is important. Maybe we are using the wrong word here. At the same time, we also use ‘supplication’; supplication to Buddhas, supplication to enlightened beings. And that is also very similar to the normal English language message of the word pray. When you talk in the context of Buddhism, we say that the whole Lama Chöpa is prayer, but if you look into the Lama Chöpa, there are so many activities within it: the Seven Limbs, purification, accumulation of merit, admiration, rejoicing. You are not praying for purification, or admiration, or rejoice, or offerings, you are making offerings, purifying your negativities, rejoicing in good deeds and building merit. So it is a big difference. Here you can see you are acting, you are building and not asking somebody else to grant that to you. And we call that ‘pray’. So it is important to think: “We wish to be able to do like those great ones who give their lives or organs without any hesitation. We wish that we will be able to do it someday.” That is the wishing form of bodhimind. So we called it prayer form of bodhimind and action form. But actually successively means first, knowing; second, admiring, third, hoping and wishing to be able to do that, and then finally you are able to gain the capability of doing that. That's what successively follow the practices means. When the term Awakening Mind is used here, we are talking about commitment.65 Honest commitment, given from the bottom of your heart; dedicating yourself for the benefit of other beings because you know it is the right thing to do, because you see that helps, because you care for others. That mind is called Awakening Mind here. The knowledge oriented wisdom mind, is also called Awakening Mind. When you see the 238

Gelek Rimpoche

term Awakening Mind you have to read according to the context of the verse, or statement or book, or sentence or page. If you take out of context, then it creates confusion. That is what I want to emphasize there. Ritual practice Talking about rituals, Tibetan Buddhism has s tremendous number of rituals, definitely far. more than Catholic traditions. Each and every practice, each and every deity, each and every thing has its own ritual. And these rituals all look the same but all are different. The words that you say differ, the object differs, subject you are doing is different. There are zillions different rituals there, ceremonial rituals. If you compare with the Catholicism, I can bet the Tibetan tradition has much more complicated, sophisticated rituals! I am not sure whether they are much more dignified than the ceremonies in Rome. But we do have a rather similar type of dress! The Cardinals wear some kind of red toga. I used to wear my father's velvet robe, that looked just like what cardinals wear! Even this Bodhisattva vow is a ritual. You invite every enlightened being, set up the altar, and you meditate and give your commitment. In Tibetan Buddhism what does ‘ritual’ mean? Can anyone create or make up a ritual? Very definitely no. The rituals are all connected with the teachings of the Buddha; it all comes from Buddha. If not, if someone else in between creates a ritual, it becomes questionable, in the sense that some will accept and some will not. It will not be universally accepted among all the Tibetan Buddhists. Tibetans always say, “If you want good water, the source must be from the snow mountain.” In Tibet, we used to get pure water from the snow mountain. There was no pollution, no factories to pollute it between the snow mountains and Lhasa, though there may be some now. The 239

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

so-called development will bring all sorts of pollution. We went through with industrial revolution up to the acid rain. We did that here, so they will also do the same thing in Tibet, no doubt about it. It is not that we don't have a clean way of doing it, but people don't care enough. In other words in Tibet, you could definitely bypass the old-style industrial revolution and still have clean air, clean water with effective modern development. You could but I don't think people will care enough to do it. The people in power, the Chinese, will not care, and I don't think Tibetans will know, and the West will just watch. So it is going to go through unfortunately. So they say that to have good water, at least you should know it comes from the snow mountain, so it should be good and pure. Likewise for anything to be a perfect practice of Buddhism, ritual form or otherwise, it should come from Buddha. That makes it authentic. By proving that Buddha is right, what Buddha gave is helpful, and perfect, proves Buddhism is right. By proving Buddhism right, that proves Buddha is right. That's why Tibetan follows Buddhism because it comes from Buddha. Buddha has proved beyond doubt that whatever it was that he obtained, enlightenment, you reach to the end of it. How do we know there is enlightenment? I was talking to somebody yesterday who told me that he had a big doubt regarding Enlightenment. He said he felt ashamed to have asked. But I told him it is great that he brought it up and that he should be able to say that, do that and think that. Otherwise it is like simply buying what Jim Jones is selling. It should not be like that; you should really question, and think. All these are so important. It is a genuine question which never arose in me. I never was shocked if somebody raised it. It is genuine, from 240

Gelek Rimpoche

the bottom of the heart for the people who are working towards this goal. The thought that I had was, “How do we know there is Enlightenment? We don't, actually we don't. We don't have the direct knowledge of Enlightenment.” I mean we say, we think, and we almost believe it that Buddha was an enlightened person. And thereafter everybody is the same for the followers; for example, the Tibetans would say that the Dalai Lama is an enlightened being. Yes, sure, why not? But at the same time the underlying question remains with a number of people. A number of others have no problem. But everybody will think His Holiness is a nice person! I don't think that anybody has any doubts on that. It is true. So when you look at yourself, how do you know there is enlightenment? You don't. But what you do know is you can see improvement within you. Each and every one of us has improvement; we get better and our goodness is growing. By seeing that we do see there is a continuous process of getting better either due to age, or maturing or practice, or education or knowledge or whatever it may be. So there is a process which goes on. We have not reached the end of the process. The sky is the limit for us. At the end, you reach there and that is the total complete process. When you reach the end then you become all knowing, and all-knowing state is enlightenment. The progress we make hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, show we can do better and reach the ultimate level, because we are doing it and going through. We can see for ourselves the way we approached our problems last year and this year is different, whether we have become wiser or more knowledgeable or whatever. That shows that the level of the individual doesn't stay the same. It is not static; 241

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

it is improving. When you get to the goal, to the end, that is called Enlightenment. So therefore, I think there is enlightenment. I really think so. Whether there is , from that angle, I don't know, but I know there is enlightenment. But I like when people talk to me in that way, because these are very good points I like to share with you. Think, analyze and understand So both ‘pray’ and ‘enlightenment’ are points we have to clarify. I hope it is good enough for you to think and understand, and at least raise the thought and analyze. If you do not analyze, then you will be like that sheep, Dolly! There is a difference between yourself and animals as regards the spiritual path. You can use your intelligence. Think and analyze, what leads you where, and how. That much you need. You don't have to be a scholar. Otherwise, might as well follow Jim Jones! There is no shortage of Jim Jones and they will come for sure. If you cannot analyze, then you will have lots of problems. There are tremendous problems in this country right now. Look at the problems between the pro-life and pro- choice factions. If you don't analyze and are just adamant to save lives, you will find all kinds of means to achieve the end. That is a lack of analyzing, a lack of using your intelligent mind. You simply just want to stop killing, but you kill! All these sorts of problems arise because of a lack of thinking and analyzing. It is simple just to do what somebody else tells you to do, but that doesn't guarantee you will be okay, unless you are sure the person is reliable. As I told you, Buddhism is perfect because Buddha is perfect, and Buddha is perfect shows Buddhism is perfect. Traditionally in this country you say,

242

Gelek Rimpoche

“Practice what you preach.” So it has to be analyzed on both points. You analyze the preacher and what the preacher preaches. Actually, what you really care for is the preaching part rather than preacher. The same applies for Clinton. The job he does is for the security of the country and the future generations. It is not what he does in his personal life. So you have to think and analyze the things you are going to follow, the things you are going to do. If you think that you can kill a human being and that God will forgive you for doing so because killing that one human being blocks other killings, that thought is not really a wise analysis. This is an example of analysis based on blind faith that will give you wrong understanding. You have to have a very critical mind every time, everywhere and in every thing. It doesn't matter who said so, whether it is the Buddha, or God Himself! When I was in Malaysia, there was this guy who rushed down to open the door when the doorbell rang, and he told me the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were waiting at the door. I went to the door with him but there was no one there. So, it is very important to use your critical mind. Don't just believe anything you hear, you must think and analyze. If you do not think, then you get such problem. The blind leading the blind I am sure people working for pro-life are very sincere. There is no question with regards their sincerity. They really want to fulfill the wish of God, which means to save lives and so forth. At the same time, the pro-choice people are also sincere and motivated. But the methods they apply lack intelligence and analysis. That is the problem. If you follow the spiritual path without thinking, is called blind faith. If you follow a blind teacher, then it is blind leading the blind. It is really true. It is almost eighty or ninety per cent the same. 243

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Most of the teachers in this country do not exactly know where they are going, where they are leading. I can almost give that to you in writing. Maybe it is a big statement, but more or less it is so. Very few people do know. Therefore, it is so important to use your intelligence. It is yours, and if you don't use it, you are in trouble, especially in the spiritual path because that is unknown. Recently I was saying that the Tibetan tradition here is great and no problem, since nobody contradicts or criticizes. It is so because nobody knows so one to contradict or criticize! Tony King told me about 's interview with Newsweek on the topic of the protector, Shungden. The interviewer mentioned Shungden standing in boiling human blood wearing a human skull mala. This shows that the person knows nothing about Shungden who doesn't wear any human skull mala. Yamantaka and Vajrayogini do. The person tried to criticize without knowing about it and showed he did not know head or tail. He made a fool of himself by publishing it in the magazine. The interviewer made himself a fool in the eyes of those who know. Those who don’t know, don’t know, just like the donkey who does not know whether it has gold dust or sand on its ears, but moves its ears anyway! That is why we don't have critics in Tibetan Buddhism, because they really don't know enough to criticize. It is very complicated. The professors who claim to be experts will also have big questions in their heads, too.

244

Gelek Rimpoche

CONCLUDING ACTIONS

Verses 25 to 27 In order to further increase it from now on, Those with discenment who have lucidly seized An Awakening Mind in this way, Should highly praise it in the following manner:

Today my life has (borne) fruit; (Having) well obtained this human existence, I've been born in the family of Buddha And now am one of Buddha's Children.

Thus, whatever actions I do from now

245

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

on Must be in accord with the family. Never shall I disgrace or pollute This noble and unsullied race.

Now comes the concluding part. We have had the beginning stages of preparation, then the Bodhisattva vow taking, and now the conclusion. The conclusion is also extremely important.

There are several conclusions, but first and most important is rejoicing. It is a pep talk, saying, you really made yourself worthwhile! You have made your life meaningful with your purpose. Your life has borne fruit. It is actually telling you that an intelligent person like you, who obtained a human existence, really accomplished something great with your intelligence: you have been able to hold this special mind, bodhimind! After you take the vows or attain bodhimind, you have to give yourself a conclusion so that it will remain with you. If the conclusion is not good, it will not remain permanently. If you do something and at the end you regret or regret afterwards whatever you have done, the benefits will disappear. You don’t want that to happen, so you have to rejoice. Make yourself happy by rejoicing You have to make yourself happy by analyzing, by thinking you have achieved something. The purpose of life is to free yourself and to free others, and you are getting to it and able to hold that. You are achieving something, so make yourself happy! Get out of your depressions. Depressions are focused on yourself, thinking what you can do and how can you do. Here you are 246

Gelek Rimpoche

changing the focus to how you can help all beings rather than “What can I do for myself?” The focal point has shifted. I remember what President Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” I saw this for the first time last night in a documentary. That is what it is and that is exactly what the bodhimind does. It is not asking what you can do for yourself, but asking what you can do for others, for all beings. The moment you shift the focal point from self to others, the red carpet from underneath your foot will be removed, pulled out. The Buddha kept on telling this for two thousand years. This stupid fellow did not understand till he talked to a neurological surgeon who told him exactly how it works.66 So, rejoice and take it in that you really accomplished something. You really made it! I mean you did not make it all the way yet, but you really are on the way. You are really thinking; you are really moving. What you have accomplished is absolutely different from what any usual education will tell you. You are absolutely different from normal usual Americans whether you are blue collar, or white collar or CEO or whatever; you are absolutely different. You have come to that level. That difference is going to give you a different and better result, so you can really rejoice in that. It is true. You have seen for yourself the improvement within yourself, though you have not reached to the end. You can see by yourself and feel it. You see it within you as in black and white. It is big and large as life there. That's why it can make difference to you. That's why you can rejoice. Rejoice at this level, today I made it through all these. This will help you to continue and not to have regret later.

247

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

All sorts of things go on in life within spiritual practice. Some people will tell you that what you did is wrong. If the person has a convincing look as well as a convincing way of presenting, you will begin to doubt yourself. In order not to have that happen, you have to think and analyze now. Then you will know it for sure, so if somebody tells you something else, you will know that person is wrong. The same thing happened in the documentary on President Kennedy. Joe Kennedy wanted President Kennedy to help his brother to be the attorney general of United States and President Kennedy did not want to. He got an old lawyer friend from Boston to talk to his father and try to talk him out of it. The lawyer said he planned well how he was going to talk to Joe Kennedy. Joe Kennedy listened to him and did not interrupt at all and at the end told him, “Thank you for sharing your thoughts, but will be the Attorney General of United States.” Exactly like that, when you have learned with your analyzing mind, no matter whoever tries to convince you otherwise, at the end you will say, “Thank you very much for your thoughts.” That makes you grounded, stable and functioning. If you follow blind faith, than it is wrong. You are being wrongly led. That is why analyzing, learning and understanding is important. When you learn that way, when you pick up that way, when you develop that way, when you experience that way, then you are getting there. That is where you rejoice.

248

Gelek Rimpoche

Working with the mind: developing ultimate love and compassion We have been talking here every Tuesday here about what the spiritual path is, how the mind works, how the body coordinates, and which is more important. No matter what we say, think or do, the mind is definitely the most important where the spiritual path is concerned. Whatever physical action we do is led by the mind, whether it is a spiritual action or non-spiritual for that matter. There are always thoughts going in your head that lead to physical actions, unless you are crazy. If you don't have coordination between your mind and your body, you are crazy: you do not know anything and have no idea what you are doing. You will just do anything, and that's what we call crazy. Since we are not crazy, every action that we take definitely follows from the mind. The mind oversees all our actions. Therefore, whatever you do, you have to work with the mind rather than on the physical basis. Physically we can do certain things: for example we tell you to sit cross-legged, and if you have leg problem or pain, you have to get up. If you start from the physical and try to reach to the mind, there are a lot of difficulties, but from mind if you try to reach any physical action, that is much easier. Does that make sense? On any spiritual path you might want, you have to deal with the mind, and also in some part, with the physical body. But the most important thing is the mind. I keep on saying this but I am not sure whether I am communicating that to you or not. A number of people think that spiritual things are so secret that it is beyond our comprehension, and that you just sit there and meditate, and that will work. A lot of people buy 249

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

that, but just sitting there will not get you anywhere. It is like the lizard sitting on the rock. Some people get disappointed, offended or even irritated when I tell them this. It is because they somehow are banking on something sacred and somehow expecting it to materialize within them. This is because they think that if for a whole life they try to be sacred, then things will start to materialize by themselves. But whether you get disappointed or not, I think that this is reality: you make yourself, teaching yourself, learning, investigating and realizing. Without these, you cannot be on the perfect path at all. It sounds like I make Buddhism very complicated for you, but not really. Putting it simply About three or four days ago, I was watching Tina Turner's biography. She had a terrible life with her husband and agent beating her all the time until she left him. She said that Buddhism helped her to overcome all this and made her responsible for herself. And she said, “It is simple, you just go on collecting virtue.” Just one statement, and if you really look, it sounds very usual for American mind. Keep on collecting virtue, that's about it! It is true, absolutely true, because the essence of our practice is to make good karma, to have lots of good karma and not to have negative karma. When you have good karma, you are bound to have good results because you are responsible for yourself. Whatever you do, you are responsible. If you do something good, you will get a good result, and vice versa. That depends totally on ourselves. The way to be responsible for ourselves is by keeping our karma intact, because if you do have bad karma, you are bound to experience bad results. If you have good karma, that is bound to have a good result. So from that angle if you look at it, it is a simple statement, and it is to the point. 250

Gelek Rimpoche

That is why I was talking to you earlier about how the mind works and so forth. You might have thought I made Buddhism very complicated. So I thought of that movie that I saw and the statement was quite good. How we can develop bodhimind One of the mind trainings is training your mind in the principle of love and compassion. This is what we called the activity of the Bodhisattva. What we are talking today is the Bodhisattva's way of life. That is how Bodhisattvas function, what they do. We talked about how to take the Bodhisattva Vow through ritual. I am sure how to grow the bodhimind is covered in other chapters. If you are just told to develop the bodhimind through ritual alone, then it would not work. With the ritual, you can grow the vow, but that doesn't mean you can grow the mind. So growing bodhimind, or what we really call the precious mind, the mind that is totally dedicated for the benefit of others, is the mind that is not as concerned about ourselves as we are today. Whether you accept or not, no matter how deeply we pretend that we are the people who have love and compassion, no matter how much we try to project and pretend, how much we try to present ourselves in a good light, when push comes to shove, what I really care is about me. We all have that attitude within us, each and every one of us, unless you are a Bodhisattva. I won't know if you are or not. Otherwise, for everybody the bottom line is self-interest. Selfishness, maybe a little strong word, but we do have the selfishness within us, everybody does. Our bottom line is, “Am I going to get hurt? Am I going to be benefited? What's in it for me?” Recognizing our self orientation People like to pretend, people like to think of themselves, and present themselves as 251

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

compassionate persons, but ultimately it falls on me, whether it is going to be help me or harm me. What I am going to get out of it? The me has become so important. I think that is our nature. Some people like to pretend, “I don't care about myself,” but when you really have the points come, you will know it yourself. What you want is benefit to yourself, nothing else. That is the way we are. Talking about love and compassion, knowing that the U.S. is not going to attack Iraq, is great. I heard on television the national advisers have recommended President Clinton to bomb and not to entertain the diplomat deal but Clinton overruled them. I think it is great. I don't know whether it is compassion oriented or not, but it is definitely a compassionate act. It is a great thing. Is that bodhimind? I don't think so. Looking at that, you think as long as the United States interest is served, then we have no problem. That is our human nature. They are not bad persons by doing that. But that shows you the bottom line of the human being is “What I need,” and from I comes we, and so “What we need.” This is basically how human beings function. When you are talking about the bodhimind, love and compassion, you are changing that. You are changing your attitude, and you are going to change the way you function. We are going to change that from we to they. They, the others, become more important than we, than me and mine; you become more important than me, or at least equal, if not more. They and we, you and I are at least equal. That is what bodhimind is all about. You are not only changing your attitude and the way you function, but committing yourself, giving a big commitment. You are taking responsibility on your own shoulders that you will treat what others want and need and 252

Gelek Rimpoche

what you want and need equally. Our priority and their priority I will treat equally. That is the step we are taking. Can we really take that step? Yes, we can. We can develop that. We can have that as nature of our mind. We can learn to naturally function that way. We can do that. But is it possible right now at this moment? No, because I have such strong attachment to myself and not to you. I can't have that commitment, because to me, I am more important than all of you. That is the way we all perceive. As long as we perceive that, we can't even make it to that equal level, forget about making you more important than me. We are not able to bring them to the equal level because our mind will not accept this. Our mind will say, “Are you crazy? What are you trying to do?!” This is basically our problem. We all have some compassion Everybody has some love and compassion. We know that if they bomb Iraq, there will be a lot of innocent Iraqis affected and even some casualties even to our forces. And whoever dies is really going to lose their live. No matter whether you are educated or uneducated, you know that the most precious commodity we have is our life. Nobody has anything more precious than life even if it is million dollars, car, house, swimming pool or whatever else we have. Killing and dying means people are losing their lives. We may call the civilians ‘innocent’. But even if they is not innocent, maybe they are could be soldiers, republican guard, gang members, even then they don't come there to kill. They joined in the army, and they have their rules and regulations, they have been ordered and pushed. Even if he is a member of the republican guard, he is still innocent person and we are going to waste his life. You know the most precious thing we have is our life. That is not right. That is not compassionate.

253

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

From their point of view, whatever they are protecting, even food, clothes, shelter, medicine, all these are to protect life. I take medicine because I don't want to have my blood sugar go haywire here and there. I take medicine to prevent that. So I am protecting my life, the same as everybody does. But when comparing your life and my life, I will be happy to have your life to protect me. We all do that. As long as we have that conviction that me and my thing is the most important and precious for me, it is almost impossible to develop this ultimate love and compassion within us. Our compassion depends on our perceptions We do have some love and compassion: when we see these Iraqi children; everybody feels compassion. When we see that innocent people are going to die, and people feel that, it is compassion. But when you say, “The republican guards must be killed,” we don't feel that much because our perception is such that we think they are soldiers and meant to die. We forget that they have equally precious lives. That is the perception that we have and makes the difference to the feeling. Both are human beings. We also know that the members of the republican guard do not all have a part in the decision-making. They have been handed over something and ordered to go - either you go there and die, or we choose you. That is exactly how they function. It is equally same thing but we don't really feel that much because of the perception that we have. It is the same thing between you and me: when I have to make a choice between you and me, I would rather live and have you die. These are our minds’ perceptions. We have to change that; we have to train that. We may not be able to completely switch it around but at least recognize that both are

254

Gelek Rimpoche

equally life. Yours is a life and mine is a life. We have to train ourselves in that manner. We also have to know that normally we say that we don't know who the person is, so why should we care? When you think that way there is no way you can develop greater compassion. For this type of ultimate compassion, simple compassion alone will not do. You need greater compassion. It is the fundamental basis on which you grow the bodhimind. Greater compassion here means to perceive every sentient being as of equal importance to yourself. You know how important I am to me, I should be able to perceive each and every living being as equally important. This is a little hard for us. We will not be able to do that just by sitting or thinking alone. We have to investigate that mind because Buddha suggested that this is the mind which leads to the enlightened level. We have to investigate that mind and find out what it is. When you do so, you find there is nothing wrong with that mind; it is a perfect wonderful mind. What else is better than total dedication for the benefit of all beings? It is a wonderful thing, but is it possible for me to think and function that way? That is where the difficulty lies. I cannot at this point. I can't, but I would love to. I can't because I am important. I am more important than others. But you can change that without even going on a spiritual path. Even those bodyguards or security people, very often you see them jump between you and the bullet. They take the bullet for you. That is not the spiritual path, but in a material way, their mind is trained in such a way, they are willing to throw themselves between the person they are protecting and the bullet, and take the chance of dying. Mind can do that much. 255

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

So here you can also use your mind to treat everybody equally. We all say we treat everybody as equal because this is a democracy where everybody has equal rights, but when it comes to your actions, you are the most important. Each and every one of us has ‘I as more important’ and is willing to sacrifice anybody else to protect me. That may be going too far and if you talk to your mind, it will probably say, "No, I wouldn't do that". However, our actions speak louder than words. I am sure if some crazy guy walked in and started shooting, I am sure everybody will hide behind everybody else. We would be happy to sacrifice the other person for ourselves. We need to change that, and at least to treat others and ourselves equally. Seeing our connectedness How are we to treat them equally? First when we look in our minds, we project and label people differently. We call some people friends, some enemies, some our loved ones and some the ones we hate. Buddha suggested, “Let’s not have that. Let us put everybody in the category of loved ones.” There you will say, “No, I can't do that because I do not know who these people are;” or, “Why should I put them in the same category as my family? Why should I do that when I don't even know them. They did nothing for me so why should I do it?” Then Buddha tells us we are wrong. We ask, “How are we wrong? Because I know my life, I know how I deal with people, I know they have nothing to do with me!” Buddha then says, “Even they have nothing to do with you, they may have some connection with your wife, or children or father, or mother or your loved ones. So there is a connection.” You know how the extended families grow? We

256

Gelek Rimpoche

see how big an extended family can become - cousins and cousins, friends and friends got married and it extends. As the family extends our mind becomes capable of embracing those people equally as you embrace your spouse or children or in- laws. That shows us that if we perceive correctly, we are able to extend our love and compassion to any number of people that we want to, just as we can do so through marriage and extended family, through relation with friends of friends and so forth. That tells us it is possible to extend our love and compassion to an unlimited number of people. The human mind has that capacity, but at the same time we have the stubbornness that says, “No, no, no!” To work with ourselves means to try and overcome or overpower that mind. Try to look everybody as equal, and they are equal. Buddha tells us to look everybody as our mother. You know that this comes out in Buddhism all the time. The mother has been used as an example but that doesn't mean everybody is your mother right now but maybe at one time or another. When you look at the countless lives that we have had, and the countless future lives, it switches round. There is truth in that. Whether the other person is our mother or not, at least it is a human being, and it is a living being. We must treat them equally. Their priority is equally important as my priority. How much I care for myself is equal to how they care for themselves. There is no point to give number one attention to me just because it is my own priority. Treasuring others If you look at the mother's window at the children, a mother will be happy to give priority to the total needs of the children. Those of you who are mothers know it. From the mother's window you will see that. That's why Buddha recommended to treat everybody like a mother. What this really means is to look from the mother's window,

257

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

and treat everybody the same way as you treat your own children. Treat everybody the same way as you treat your own parents, unless you treat them badly. Care for everybody as much as you care for yourself. Appreciate everybody's life as we appreciate our own life. Treasure everybody's life as we treasure our own life. These are the thoughts that make you think, “I and others are equal.” These are the thoughts and ideas that you should investigate. You will realize these are true, and then you have the chance to develop actual love and compassion, greater love and greater compassion. Until then, we don't. Bodhimind, ultimate love, ultimate compassion becomes merely lip service. Even if you took vows through a ritual, that also becomes merely lip service. The mind has to be trained that way, just like the trained security people. This shows we can do it, and we have the capacity. It is only the willingness that we don't have because we are so attached to ourselves. The doorway to liberation Caring for other people or other beings is the doorway through which you can enter liberation. But we shut the door all the time because we have too much attachment to the self. So the step for us is try to open the door. We have to build attachment or love for others, equally towards everybody. These are the ideas I would like to throw out for you to think about. This is the first beginning of the opening of love and compassion. The first chapter talked about the benefits of bodhimind and how wonderful it is if you have it, but first, we have to have it. That is how you look, and that's how you think. That's how we accept. We have talked about a very important point and I would like you to think about that. I would like you to investigate and analyze, and see what you get out of it. 258

Gelek Rimpoche

************************************

Developing bodhimind through the seven stages You have to remember we are talking about the Bodhicaryavatara, the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Within that, we have talked about how the Bodhisattva vow is taken through ritual in verses 23 and 24, but we have not covered how we can develop the bodhimind within ourselves, the mind totally dedicated for the benefit of all beings. Bodhimind is ultimate love, ultimate compassion, which doesn't have any limitations. It is a true, genuine, dedicated mind. We wondered whether our mind which is full of selfish narrow thoughts and particularly choosing to be more important than anybody else. If you look in our mind, our mind may not tell us, “I am the most important!” but it will tell us, “My job is to protect myself and if I don't do it, who else will do it?” We really have a very strong feeling of selfishness. Generally people don't feel that if they have to sacrifice somebody else for me, it is okay. People will feel it is not okay. However when you really get to the point of making a decision, we try to shelter ourselves behind somebody else. That tells us that our mind functions in that manner. It is all how we perceive things With such a mind of this status considering yourself as the most important person ever existing, can such a person develop bodhimind? The answer is yes, definitely. Why? It is all how we perceive. It is not what is there or not there. It is all how we perceive things. Compassion is perception, love is perception, attachment is perception, even anger is perception. There is no such thing as permanent, independent anger. There is no such a thing as

259

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

inherent attachment. Everything is a collection of things. The objects on which you focus and the mind aspect which you perceive and the acknowledgement you take, all of these are functioning in that way. That is what makes the big difference between those who are spiritually oriented as to how they perceive things, and normal Western or Eastern business or scientific perception. The difference is the normal scientific Western and Eastern business kind of perception places importance on what is out there. It is always pointing the finger out, and saying, “That's it!” But, the spiritual path always looks from both sides: both the external thing and inner perception, a combination of that, makes us perceive what we perceive. No inherent, independent existence This is the base of the two truths that Buddha gave, the relative and absolute truth. It is really how we perceive. So all things are not only not independently existing, for example anger, there is no inherently independently existing thing called anger, but everything depends on the mind, perception, conditions and then it works. It is a combination of the internal mind and external cause. The internal mind is in the habit of getting irritated all the time, so we need time to work with it. If you don't let it go the direction it is going, then you have control over your anger, because anger is not an inherent existence. When conditions arise, it comes up. So it depends on the external conditions and internal mind perceiving the thing. Combine them together, you become a very angry person. That's how it works. The same thing with compassion and love, you need some external conditions and internal perceiving things, ways of seeing things. When I say perceiving things you may think, “Well, I can perceive a piece of stone or pebble as gold, but 260

Gelek Rimpoche

that doesn't work.” There is no reality in that at all. You are a human being but if I perceive you as an elephant, it is not going to work! The perception of mind and what it perceives makes a great deal of difference. That's why we have room for improvement. That is why we have room for training, and can make a difference. Just as I mentioned the other day when someone asked me how we know there is enlightenment, the answer is because we can see there is improvement. The process of improving ourselves grows better until we reach the end. When there is no more to improve, we reach to that level of enlightenment. So we do see the improvement within ourselves day by day, month by month, year by year. What helps is the knowledge and information and understanding, because that way we can perceive the difference. Training our perceptions Our mind is capable of functioning in any way we want it to, and is able to accept the perfect or the right perception. The mind is impermanent, is changing and can change to the positive manner because of the positive perception. That is why you can have bodhimind even though there is anger, jealousy and hatred in a person. It is possible to develop ultimate love, compassion as part of your life because of the right perception that you can train yourself in, but it will not possible if you do not train. You can pray or seek blessings for it, and sit and wait there, but nothing is going to happen. You may be a little bit gentler, kinder and calmer and that is all about it. You are not going to reach the total level of love and compassion. Buddha said to look at all sentient beings as mother beings. Can we do this with, say for example our companion, or family members, can we perceive them with kind nature, compassionate nature, and share our love with them? Sharing 261

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

love again depends on your perception. When you have a perception of irritation, try to leave that out. Try to see the poor fellow as having his or her own difficulties, not in the way as though looking down on them, not by deprecating, but by understanding the difficulties he or she is going through. When you see it from every angle, even though you may be irritated, it is different. When you do not appreciate the person and you get irritated, you can hit the ceiling! When you begin to understand where all these things are coming from, you understand the difficulties. In a normal usual American society you are able to sympathize with a person who was molested or abused in childhood, because you understand the difficulties the person had experienced. So we give the person room rather than getting angry with them. That perception will allow room for that. That is exactly how the mind works, I believe. If you perceive from the anger point of view, such as, “He or she is going to get me, or cut me down, or push me or insult me,” then you will see everything against you, the whole world will be against you! But we have to perceive truly. We cannot perceive brass as gold, or a human being as an elephant, because then we are crazy! You have to have the reality, and perceiving in the kind way, in the compassionate way is reality. When you do that, then it is possible for us to perceive everybody as your nearest and dearest. That is the reason why Buddha said he perceived every being as mother beings. Buddha found the mother as the closest dearest helper. Whenever we had difficulties as a child, we called for our mother. There is a natural inclination of closeness between the mother and child. The child automatically calls to the mother for safeguard, safety. So, looking from that angle, the Buddha

262

Gelek Rimpoche

has the mother as the closest or the dearest, as example. But what he's really telling you is to look all beings as your closest and dearest person, and he uses mother as example. Can we do it? Right now, we cannot. Why can’t we do it? Because we paint people with colors - my friend on my side, my enemy on their side. We paint that in our mind. Though most of us will feel we don't have enemies, but if you go through and review the persons you deal with, you will find all the different colors in there. Some are yellow, some white, some red, some black, some blue, some green. We have that because of our perception of individuals. Everyone is seeking happiness I am not trying to change the reality, but at the same time if you really see where the big difference is coming from, it comes from our projection and perception. From the angle of the different people, they all want the same thing, they are all seeking help, they all want joy, happiness. Nobody wants misery. If you look at human beings, we all run round like mice! Mice run around the house to get some food and warmth, and to find some place to hide between the walls. Human beings run around for happiness, to get some money to pay the bills and feel more comfortable, or, to find a spiritual practice and become a better person. Materially or spiritually, we are all running around to find happiness and joy, to be free of misery. We are better organized than mice because we are human beings, but every creature that lives whether on earth, under the earth or over the sky, all are looking for joy and happiness. Who is not? Nobody. Politicians, they are looking for their own success and happiness - from President Clinton to Governor Engle! That is what they are running for. Business people, the same thing. Individuals like us, the same thing. The aim is to make 263

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

ourselves happier, or to have a better life, whether from the material or spiritual angle. That is what our aim is. So we make the distinction between what we call enemy or friend; near or distant, but from their point of view, they are all looking for happiness. They do not necessarily know how to get it, and so on the way create more enemies. That is exactly what we have been doing. We hurt people while trying to make ourselves happier and in that process create more enemies; we create more harm than help. If you look within your mind, the way you perceive and the way you function, that is exactly how we are. So often we engage ourselves totally in thinking about what we need: “What can I do? How can I make it? What should I do - should I sit, should I stand, should I read, should I meditate, should I analyze, should I go to India, should I go to Thailand?” What does that bring us? Frustration, maybe even anger; you become angry with yourself, and that is probably followed by depression. Instead of that, you can realize what people are seeking, what they want. You can change to How can I help them?’ Again, it is the perception of the mind. If you let yourself go on thinking what you can do for yourself, you can really get into very deep manic depression; it’s an unlimited deep ditch you can fall into. Instead of that, if you think, “Well I have this difficulty, but they are all in the same condition I must understand them, so I can help them.” Can you help? The first question is whether you really want to help. Your answer will be yes because you have compassion. If you don't have compassion, you say you will consider the matter, and you will probably say no. Since you have compassion, you will acknowledge and say yes. The next

264

Gelek Rimpoche

question is, are you sure? Are you sure you are going to help all, every single one? “I’ll help whoever I can,” is a reasonable answer, for sure. But Buddha said his experience is totally for all sentient beings. We can't handle that now, because number one, we don't know how, and also some are enemies, some are friends. The problem with us is we do not realize that enemies and friends are the result of our own perceptions. From their point of view, they are all working for their happiness, so they are doing not so much against you but for themselves. We act in the same way, and that is how we get enemies. You can try to understand that, “Poor thing he is trying to do something good for himself, let me have some understanding and give him room to play, to improve.” Once you begin to think that way, you are opening yourself. You are opening to this mind. Besides that, many have helped us. Many have helped to so many people in varieties of way. The traditional Tibetan teachers mentioned that many animals have helped us. Then think about the people who do not have all these opportunities that we do, who do not know that all this depends on our perception, who do not know that karma depends on conditions. A number of people will perceive the external material world only. Over here, we can think differently, perceiving there is room in that. If you compare people who have some spiritual understanding with those who have none, when they undergo the same suffering and same conditions, the way they perceive will be different. Those with spiritual understanding will perceive less pain, less hurt and less harm. That's all because of how we perceive. Looking at these other people, they don't have that understanding. We do have this opportunity, we do appreciate the life we have with that understanding. They don't have it and have been 265

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

extremely stubborn, materialistic and self centered; they only care for themselves and nobody else. So you can look at the person and think that person is not your enemy but your object of compassion, because you know his or her situation. That is how Buddha trained his mind and told his followers how to perceive and train their minds. It is not that you don't have enemies and friends, however, enemies and friends are not solid and permanent. This is because number one, it is impermanent, it changes; a friend in the morning can become an enemy by evening, and vice versa. It changes because of the mind, and everybody has the self-centered interest for narrow selfish thoughts. Over here you are capable of looking differently, perceiving things differently. We are the ones who really have to look with the background where they are coming from, what they have been through. Realize where others are coming from If you look at the background of our suffering, each and every one of us has a tremendous amount of suffering. We may or may not have been molested when we were a child, but worst than that, there are many other sufferings in our life. Who does not have to go through strong suffering during their lifetime? Who doesn't have it? Each and every one of us has it. We run through the wars. We even have recently the war syndromes. World War I and World War II, Korean War, Vietnam – we have gone through all of them. Those people who fought in Vietnam, how many difficulties they have had! In addition to what they did, there is no recognition plus there are so many difficulties physically and mentally. If you mention that the person is a Vietnam veteran, you can give him room to think he is a little bit crazy. They are almost to that point because we

266

Gelek Rimpoche

understand their background. But every one of us also has gone through individual difficulties and society difficulties. So when we see people act differently, we must have an open heart. Give them room and understanding. This very understanding is a very important point which will cut down anger or hatred. Sometimes people lose their temper; you can't help it. You are under pressure, you have difficulties, you lose it, you scream, you yell. It is okay. It is not okay from the Dharma point of view, but okay from the human being point of view because you can't help it. But you have to make sure it does not last very long with you. You have to make sure you do not act under control of that anger. Traditional Tibetan teachers will tell you: even if you are burning fire within you, make sure you do not let any smoke out of your nose or mouth! The smoke out of that anger is not going to be great. When the anger gets out, it can cut somebody's heart into two pieces, because our tongue is a very sharp weapon. If you think, you will appreciate this. When you understand what people want, and what they are looking for, and understand what their background is, then it helps us to give them room to do lots of things, just as we give some leeway to a Vietnam veteran or a child who had been abused. Everybody has gone through suffering like that even though it may not be exactly the same thing, but very similar things in all kinds of ways. When you appreciate where they are coming from, it is easier for you to give them some room. Be grateful to others Buddha recommended that we go one step beyond that. Think about not only where they are coming from, but also how grateful we are to them. They help us a lot in various ways. Even to meditate on compassion, what are you going to meditate on if they are not there, on rocks? Even from that angle, just being there is great because

267

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

it gives us opportunity to practice and meditate on compassion. From that angle alone, we are very grateful to these people. People give us the opportunity to practice compassion and love. If they were not there, how could you possibly become enlightened? The base would not be there. So from that angle itself we are very indebted to all the people, particularly those around us, particularly in our circle, particularly those in our family, or our companion. So we do both: we realize where they are coming from and how grateful we are to them. Now that I realize these things, what can I do for them? Am I willing to go out of my way? It depends how much you love them. It depends how much compassion we have for them. If we love them and have strong compassion, we will go out of the way. A number of times we see mothers protecting their children. I remember there was this plane crash in Detroit where a mother threw her body over her child and because of that she died but the child survived. That much love has that much capacity. How much we can help depends on how much love and compassion we have. It is very practical and it is true. If you love half and half, you act half and half. If you love totally, you act totally. That is reality. So it depends on the strength of the love and compassion you have. Developing love and compassion How do you develop love and compassion? It is again the perception. We are perceiving people and how they help us, and how we are indebted to them. Buddha will tell you every time they were our mothers they protected us twenty times a day or maybe two hundred times a day. That is in a way true. On the other hand, generally think about how wonderful the companions you have are. You 268

Gelek Rimpoche

can share things; you can talk to each other, the warmness, the feeling of closeness, and all of those, how great it is. It is also place where you can share your good and bad experiences. It is the place where you can learn how to improve yourself. It is also place where your companion becomes the subject of love and compassion. It is also a place for us to practice for the benefit of all beings. I want to do this and that. If there were no beings at all, I couldn't do anything. So we have to think about all of these points, the greatness and how grateful we are. Developing commitment When you are able to train that mind, we can do it. And when you have very strong love and very strong compassion, then you don't care whether you think you can do it or not, you are going to commit yourself. That commitment is the most important thing which will trigger you, transform you from the ordinary level to the Bodhisattva level. The commitment is the one. That commitment is what makes Mahayana great. On the Theravadan level, or what we call the Way of the Elders as Jack Kornfeld says, they have compassion, they have dedication, they have everything but do not have that commitment. The commitment you take upon yourself to do everything for the other beings. That takes a lot of things: strong compassion and strong love are needed for that. Developing Bodhimind Once you have that, it makes you transfer from level one to level two, or common with the medium level to Mahayana level. The commitment does this. The moment you committed, then you say, “How can I do this? I need to become fully enlightened, because I want to have and need to have unlimited resources at my disposal to do this.” And that is why you begin to seek the enlightened state. That is called bodhimind. This strong commitment plus 269

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

seeking the best state possible to fulfill your commitment, that is called bodhimind. When that is developed within you, you become a Bodhisattva whether you are named or not. No matter whether you are man, woman or child, or crazy or sane, whatever you might be, you are a Bodhisattva. That is how the mind develops. Using the seven stages to develop How to develop that? The first is knowing, sort of able to understand, reviewing all of those points.67 Second, investigate your thoughts, your ideas, and see what makes sense, why, how? Third, internalize. Investigate and then internalize - that is the beginning of your development. When you are internalizing, that is development. There you will see how you improve yourself. You will see that the way you think is different from others. You will see the way you perceive and think is different compared to a month ago or week ago, or even an hour ago. That is what you will perceive and that is how you travel the spiritual journey. In addition to that, you have prayer and meditation and mantra. All these are needed. Each and every point is possible to be internalized when you cut down the negativities and build the positiveness within. It helps. That is why Tina Turner said Buddhism is simple, just keep on building positive karma and go on with it.

270

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 28 A two-pronged mind So when we talk about bodhimind, it is a two-pronged mind. One prong is total dedication and the second prong is seeking enlightenment for yourself in order to fulfill the dedication. It is not two separate things. It is one mind. Normally when we look at it, these are Bodhisattvas, they seek enlightenment, they are for others. But we don't get it. We think, they seek enlightenment themselves. But now you see they don't care for themselves; whether they make it or don't, it doesn't matter to them. They are free of suffering anyway because they have cut down the cause of suffering. But they need to work, they need to help because of others. They are taking responsibility, making a personal commitment to solve the problems of other beings, on the fundamental basis of compassion. When you have such a thing, then this particular verse 28 says,

Just like a blind man Discovering a jewel in a heap of rubbish, Likewise by some coincidence An Awakening Mind has been borne with me. It is so difficult to find! The verse says we are like a blind person. What is so blind? We don't see the path, we don't see the end of it, we don't see enlightenment, we are really blind! So even though we are blind, among all sorts of trash and things, we found a great treasure, a jewel. Let’s say, a blind person finds a treasure in the garbage can, or in a dumpster, in a heap of rubbish. It is almost impossible, because in the first place there

271

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

is no treasure there at all. Also, if there is one, someone who is able to see will take it first and the blind person will not have the opportunity. So looking from all these angles, it is almost impossible, very rare. Likewise, we are blind for not seeing the path, not really having anything. The place where we are going to find it is also like a dumpster because there is tremendous amount of negative karma, and anger, hatred and attachment and jealousy within us. Within that dumpster we found some where by sheer coincidence, some thing great in there: love, compassion, dedication, and bodhimind. So if we do not appreciate that, what else can we appreciate? This is what this particular verse tells us. So we found something extremely difficult to find, and we are appreciating and rejoicing in that. This particular verse tells us this.

272

Gelek Rimpoche

Questions and Answers Student: (Regarding how animals are of great help to us) Rimpoche: I was thinking about how kind they are to us. We wear woolen clothes, whether Chinese, Italian or American wool; all this comes from their bodies. And we also use so much leather. Where does that come from? And we eat meat, animal’s flesh. Each and every one of these animals has done so much for us. They give their lives, just because we want a good dinner. When you look from that angle, each and every one of them, each and every sentient being has helped us tremendously. You may think they have no rights and you can slaughter them and sell them; but then you are not appreciating them from any angle for what they did. The shoes we wear do not grow out of our feet. They come from somebody's skin. Even when you grow food such as brown rice, or wheat grass, or broccoli, they are also grown out of fields of earth. When you dig the field, how many insects get chopped up? Every single thing we do, we do at the expense of living beings, it is really true. Even when we drive a car, we drive over lots of insects. How many get killed. Even walking, how many we step on. If it is a big one, we see it, we say we are sorry, but there also are many tiny little ones. And if you look inside our bodies, how many beings there arewithin us. Take one antibiotic, and see what happens! And then we take acidophilus and build them up. So we build them and destroy them; we keep our health at the expense of bacteria.

273

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

This doesn't mean I am encouraging you not to eat meat. I am not saying that, don't misunderstand me. Even vegetarians are not totally free of killing either. I have a friend, Amchok Rimpoche, who visits Canada occasionally. Once when I met him at a lunch in Malaysia, he told me he had visited a big soy sauce factory in China. He saw lots of chopels or sandals in pools of soy sauce because the workers lose their sandals while smashing their feet on the soybeans. That is the soy sauce we use! Not to mention the insects and bacteria in the beans.

Student: You talked about the two-pronged mind, bodhimind. One prong is the commitment for the sentient beings, and the other seeking enlightenment for oneself. I look inside myself and I find that I have doubts regarding the possibility of enlightenment for myself. How does that affect, how does that interact with my ability to commit? Rimpoche: It is a true problem. However, our mind is in our control. Nobody else controls. Temporarily we can go ahead with that perception of seeking enlightenment, and separately we can see whether there really is such as enlightenment or not. Until we find completely a yes or no, we can take the perception that it is there because so many have found it. We can take the perception that it is there as a hypothesis until we find out whether it is really there or not. But I think you are going to find it is there when you get there, and I don't think we can find it before we get there. However, as I said, the idea is to improve ourselves. When we go to the ultimate end of improving the individual, then that is called enlightenment. I mean you can be the best.

274

Gelek Rimpoche

There is room, there is capability, position, everything is there. Best of every thing in all the fields. Student: But it is not a question of my faith. Rimpoche: I don't think so. Because you are looking at it. You are looking at it carefully. You can even see logically that there is improvement. There is an unlimited way you can go, but at the end of that, when you reach to that level, what happens to you? You become enlightened. If that is not enlightenment, then there is no such a thing called anything. You may not call that enlightenment; you may call that end of development, end of improvement, or total knowledge or awakened mind. You don't have to call it enlightened, you may called it Buddha, at that level. Student: So is development of bodhimind on hold? Rimpoche: What do you mean? Student: If the two prong of developing bodhimind or total commitment and seeking enlightenment, then is the development of bodhimind waiting? Rimpoche: No, the moment you have commitment, the moment you want to have that enlightenment, that is the time you develop the bodhimind with you. It is not waiting. It is not perfect but it is sort of open and it’s begun. Student: Maybe the wish for enlightenment can then have two tracks, first the track of still not having intellectual questions or psychological feelings about the idea of enlightenment resolved, and yet having the desire to have it exist. Rimpoche: Let us put it this way. Let's not even call it enlightenment, but simply say, ‘I will go as far as I can go, as far as possible. I will go to the level so that I will have

275

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

whatever I need to help myself and others.’ Let's not label it as enlightenment. The moment we label it as enlightenment, we are perceiving something superior over there, and then you begin to think whether that is really there or not. So, just simply say, ‘I want to go as far as I can go.’ Then there is no question. You may ask, ‘Can I go all the way?’ You may go and get stuck! But people have gone through before, and are going now and many will go in future. So I don't really see that we have to establish enlightenment before we seek enlightenment. Probably that's the way to do it because if you try to do so, you cannot. Because it is something you cannot feel or experience or perceive, so we cannot establish it. It becomes doubt instead. I mean it is very genuine thing. Student: But when it comes up you cannot relate because you…. Rimpoche: Because we have no idea, no reference, no role model. There is nothing to compare it to. So therefore, think of going as far as we can go. What is the problem with that? If there is a problem, it is a different problem. The problem will be, ‘I am stuck, I can't go.’ But you cannot say that you cannot go beyond because there are people who have gone beyond. I think the problem will naturally shift.

Student: If you are in a moment and somebody's behavior is getting to you and you know you cannot fully develop love and compassion that you should, is there room to practice indifference? I mean at that moment, do you have to withdraw and not be involved?

276

Gelek Rimpoche

Rimpoche: In Buddhism, there is lots of room. If one cannot comprehend intellectually, or logically, then you can pray and get that. You can also purify the negativity. The moment you purify, these things build in. Remember the story of the guy cleaning the shoes and sweeping the floor? While doing that, he cut down the negativities and automatically built up his capacity. That is how we open ourselves to this. You don’t have to be a genius, or well educated, but you do need common sense. So if you are crazy, then it will be difficult to comprehend, common sense been shaken. Otherwise, I think everybody can do. And people have their own behavior, slightly different here and there. So what?

Student: Can you tell us how the sort of love as it relates to bodhimind particularly people who are close to you, how giving with love and receiving with love work in that. Rimpoche: You know, as I told you, compassion is the very root of bodhimind. How strong the compassion you have is depends on how much love you have, how much you really care. Caring is love. Love brings compassion. Love is the cause of compassion. If you don't love, you can't have compassion. You can have pity feelings - poor thing, how sad, how horrible - you know. All these are because of pity feeling. Love will give caring and that is compassion and that brings commitment. That commitment brings bodhimind. That is a very systematic way that our thoughts push one another. I can't say it is scientific because there is nothing to mix or test, but it is very systematic within the mind. Student: When you feel love, there is also the aspect of giving and receiving love. You sort of open to the process.

277

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Rimpoche: The Bodhisattva's way of sharing the love is always giving, not so much receiving.68 For the receiving, they receive sufferings, and for giving, they give love!69 That is the Bodhisattva's way of life. If you are not careful with receiving love and sharing love, it becomes attachment. Love and attachment are so difficult to differentiate! The difference is almost as thin as a hair from a horsetail. The moment we want to receive love, the wanting is desire influenced by our ego seeking recognition. This can be but not necessarily. I think we have to carefully observe that. In normal American language, sure, we want to receive love, and we want to give love. That is a very normal thing. However, if you look very carefully and seriously, there may be attachment. As long as there is no attachment, it is fine, I believe. Thank you for that question. If you had not asked, I would not be in the position to say that we have to be careful on that.

278

Gelek Rimpoche

The Methods for Developing Bodhimind We have talked some about the development of bodhimind. Basically, bodhimind can be developed either by the Seven Stages of Development or Exchange Method. Sometimes we have the Seven-Eleven Method, which is a combination of the seven steps and four from Exchange Steps. It is the 7-11 that may be open twenty-four hours and anybody can get anything from that!70 The Bodhicaryavatara talks in great detail about the development of the bodhimind through the exchange way. What we are really talking about here is the mind which is ultimate unconditioned unlimited love and compassion, a committed mind. We are talking about an almost unimaginable kindness and compassion oriented mind. We are talking about how we can take our own mind whatever we have today and make it into that ultimate unlimited unconditioned love and compassion. That is what we are talking about when we talk about how bodhimind develops. Develop here means becoming better. How can we take our normal, common, usual mind that we have and make it better? We are sort of giving ourselves a goal, the bodhimind, and then we make our mind work with this, and become more and more in that nature. When I talk about the seven and eleven stages, it is about how many steps we need to take to become that, and how does that process work. We have been talking about the steps that are the basis of the seven stages, which are not mentioned directly in the text at this moment. The preliminary step: developing equanimity What we did earlier was first to work on developing equanimity. Equanimity is about how we can look a little bit smoother at

279

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

people, how we can smooth the big gap between friend and enemy. How can I make my mind smoothen and soften and level them? This is not telling you though that your enemies are your friends and your friends are your enemy; it’s not saying enemies are not enemies! I am talking to you from the angle of our perceiving mind; from our mind’s point of view, why we do we have to perceive so strongly? Some are labeled as friend and we make them better than they look; we exaggerate what they are. We perceive our enemy so strongly and we make them look much more horrible than they actually do and make the person appear much worse than what the person really is. This is our perception. So we really have to find the way to not perceive that much difference. That is what equanimity is about. When we talk about equanimity, people get completely caught up thinking that equanimity is equanimity; even lukewarm water is equanimity, sort of an equal state between hot and cold water! We are not talking about that! We are talking about how we can perceive individual beings not so much black and white, not so much contrast between them. We shouldn't see that much difference; this is just our perception. How we can help ourselves not to see that way, to perceive that way? We need to spend time and energy trying to develop that equanimity, to understand that the mind we have is very judgmental: for example, straightaway we think that since she or he is my friend, so her or his friend is my friend. We do that all the time. Or, he is an enemy because he is friend of my enemy, therefore he is my enemy, he is in that camp, whether Republican, Democrat or Liberal. This is our perception. Is that perception good? Maybe not. Some judgments are good, some are bad, but mostly our judgment- oriented 280

Gelek Rimpoche

minds are ready to label anybody with any label the way we want to or which we think fits, without any real reason. So how do we stop doing this? When we do make a snap judgment, we have to ask ourselves, “Why do I do that?” “Why I perceive that way?” “What is the reason that I think that way?” We have to see the reasons why we came to the conclusion so quickly. What makes us judge in that way? After you discover in that way the reasons you have, then you debate with and refute the reasons. Find out within yourself whether they are valid. Is it really true? Is it really convincing enough to make you label that person that way? If the reasons are convincing, then there may be truth in that. But most of the reasons will not convince you because they are based on assumptions: because somebody else told me, or somebody else said so, or I think that fellow did this, and all sorts of assumptions. So when you begin to look at that, you realize you are being judgmental rather than giving yourself time to think and analyze. Everyone is alike in seeking happiness From another point of view, from the point of view of the other person, look at what they want. They want happiness and a little better life, and a little relief from their sufferings. So they think, “If I do this, I may get a little relief.” That is why they do whatever they do. From their point of view, they are only seeking relief from pain. I was listening to the news this morning about that former Arkansas governor who has been convicted and has resigned: he did not collaborate with Kenneth Starr at first and then suddenly he changed his mind, and decided to cooperate. And now someone else who agreed to cooperate is not cooperating, and he was asked about it. He replied that he agreed to cooperate because he thought they would not cause so much pain and torture and suffering to his family, but now

281

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

the truth is he got nothing from cooperating except that now he knows what Kenneth Starr want71 So everybody is looking for relief from pain and suffering. I would like to give you a funny example from old Tibet. There was a very learned, open-minded scholar, one of the best brains in the early 1900s. He died in 1952 or 53, after Chinese took over to Tibet. He had the idea of setting up a democratic rule in Tibet. He was learned in Buddhism and poetry: there is no doubt about it. He composed the pre Sri Lanka, or Ceylonese, Buddhist anthem when he went to Ceylon as a Buddhist monk at one time. He also wrote the book on the sixty-five arts of love.72 At that time, British India was very strong and powerful. The Tibetan leaders were quite stupid. Somehow suddenly the British warned the Tibetans that there were powerful foreign agents within their group. The Tibetans said, “We have no idea, you know best. You tell us who and we will deal with that.” Actually the British wanted to destroy him for political reasons; they wanted to keep Tibet as it was as a buffer state between China and India. The British really wanted to maintain it that way. They did not want the Russians, Chinese, Indians or the British themselves to come in. Since Gedün Chöpel had the mind or intention of opening Tibet up, so they saw him as a most dangerous person. They could not just destroy him because he was very popular. So they told the Tibetan government that he would overthrow the government and make the Dalai Lama a slave, and all sorts of things like that. Finally the Tibetan government asked who the person was because they could not figure it out, and after some time the British agreed to tell. The Tibetan government then got hold of Gedün Chöpel 282

Gelek Rimpoche

whipped him and beat him up and accused him of being a spy. He was asked many times what he did, and when he did not say anything, he got whipped. Finally, he answered, and they stopped whipping him but when he said nothing again, he was lashed again. This is a direct example how people try to relieve their pain. So everybody, all of us, whatever we are doing, we are trying to get some relief from our pain. Enemies are doing it, friends are doing it, and not caring, or not knowing, all the people are doing the same thing. So from the point of the people doing it, they are just trying to get some relief. Then how can we perceive that as anti-me or anti-society or anti-my way, or undermining or destroying? Beginning to change how we see others What you are really doing is you don't change the friend and enemy but the perception that we have. How we receive and perceive people has to be changed. Don't receive them as so bad and so close and so distant. That we have to change. Once we are able to settle that a little bit down, it is the beginning of equality. I don't think equanimity is there but equality. It is a little bit better than the huge zigzag perception that we have now. That is the beginning of the first step of equanimity. Bringing enemies and strangers to the level of friends The second step is, once you do not see them so much as enemy or friend - actually it is not you take your friend as equal to your enemy, but try to bring your enemy up to appear equal to your friend. Again my head is popping up with examples of old Tibet. We were a kid when the Chinese came and they said they were there to equalize the poor people and the wealthy ones, and that was what they as communists did. I have a very

283

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

good friend who meditated a lot under my first teacher. You would not see him until twelve, and after that from twelve to five he would joke and play. He was a very nice meditator from whom Song Rimpoche learned the Chod. He told me, that with the Chinese, it was not that the poor are brought to the level of the rich, but making the rich equal to poor! Somehow what he told me stuck on my head. So now that we are talking about friend and enemy, it is also true. It is not friend bringing down equal to the enemy, but enemy is bringing up to the equal level of friend. That is how we to perceive it. That is important because equal might mean you can bring this one up and bring that down to somewhere in the middle. But I don't think that is it. Not the friend brought down to enemy level, but enemy brought up to friend level, so that we don't have so much hate but we do have appreciation. Right now we see a big difference between the two individual human beings. Maybe these two are friends to each other, but I am here to perceive one as enemy, and one as friend. It is my trip, it is my problem. The problem came to me because of my perception. Investigate how you perceive So when you are training your mind, look at your perception, and the reasons why you perceive that way, look into it, see that it is invalid, and then defuse that perception - this is truly the way to train your mind. Our mind will not do anything unless we see some reason to do it. If you do not investigate the reasons for what we see, for how we perceive, you will never get it done. Once you investigate and see the wrong reason, you can refuse. Once you refuse, you know it is wrong, your mind cannot hide behind, unless you are pretending and cheating yourself. Otherwise it is absolutely clear; you know it yourself.

284

Gelek Rimpoche

That is the grounded spiritual development which the Buddha obtained. If you think spiritual development is not grounded, something like you just sit up there and do all sorts of things, like in the example of the lizard, then that doesn't work. We make a friend and enemy just because of our own desire. Many people do create trouble or uncomfortable situation ourselves because our own desire will push something that we want. People do that all the time. Mostly the desire in our mind will push us and create lots of pain. To cut down desire and anger, the idea of equality and equanimity are very helpful. That is why the first step is equality out of the seven steps. There are all kinds of equality. Here I am talking about one kind and if you hear somebody else talk of another, you can't say they are wrong. The next steps After equality, so bring them to the friend level. Then bring them to the level of the most important person in your life. It is elevating from enemy to friend and then the most important friend level. And remembering their kindness, committing ourselves to repay their kindness, and then developing love to all of them. Developing love is not how do I get to that person for me. You have to be aware of that. I don't think that is love. Love really wishes that being well. When we say develop love, it means wishing all beings well, wanting them all to be happy. That is what we need to do. Thinking, “How am I going to get that person?” is another invitation for suffering. Actually it is urging the invitation for suffering. It is true. Again it is because we have a certain perception. A perception which we call my goal or vision of my life, and then you drive the person in question into the narrow window

285

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

of whatever idea you have, and then the other people may or may not go, pull in, or pull out, push in or push out – with every action the individual will suffer. That is why I say it is urging the invitation for suffering rather than relieving suffering. Relieving suffering should really wish well to whoever it might be. Dealing with the end of relationships Even if somebody really makes you mad like hell, even then let it go. Let it go. Really let it go! Nobody can hold anybody. You know, we know, everyone of us knows. Nobody can make you do something which you don't want to do. You cannot make somebody else do something which they don't want to do. So, you got to let it go. If they are there, appreciate, enjoy their presence. When they go, let them go. Don't hang on. Do hang up! Some rabbits go up the high hill tops of old Tibet in the summer, and when the fall begins and all the grass has gone dry and completely gray, they are still up there trying to get the smell of the green grass here and there. That is another example where they say the pasture is completely dry and dusty grey, but the rabbit still hopes to find green grass freshly growing here. That is an old example. That is exactly what happens a lot of times in our lives, and many people suffer because of that. This will raise a lot of question such as, “Does that means I have no hope or what?” I must share this with you, to be honest with you. It is not that you do not have hope or this and that, but you have everything. However in our personal perception the world is closed, I am doomed, probably buried under seven layers of earth, and couldn't even move! This is again our perception. If you let it go whatever it is, you will find another one. The world has not ended, your life has not 286

Gelek Rimpoche

ended. That is important to recognize. If you don't recognize, then hope plus hope, hope plus hope, and then you create more sufferings for everybody. We do that. So even before you develop bodhimind, you must know how to relieve your own sufferings. We have to make sure we are not caught in it, for example, let’s say a quarrel between two lovers. One says, “I don't want to see you anymore,” and the other will say, “Fine, I don't want to see you anymore either!” You do that and then you go home crying, and feeling terrible and you think your world is ended. And if you keep on thinking on those lines you suffering will continue and your world will be shut out. But on the other hand if you think, “Well the person got upset, and I am going to be open-minded, let him go if he wants to go; I will not shut the door if he wants to come in, and at the same time I am not going to lock myself in, so I am going to go out.” If you move in that way, you have a big surprise up there. You never know and without you realizing what had happened, you will meet up with ten different people! That is exaggerating and I am sorry! But the truth is the perception thinking it is the end of the world doesn't work; it is a wrong perception and it gives us suffering. Accept presence whatever it might be and have a strong trust to yourself and move. It always works out. You know why? Because we are human beings. We have the basic nature of goodness and the knowledge, so it will work out. I just want to share this with you on the point of equanimity. About ‘soulmates’ While your mind is under the control of attachment, sometimes it is so powerful and so exaggerated, “This person is perfectly designed and fit for me!” We talk about people being ‘soulmates’. What are you talking about? One time or another in our lives they were connected with us. 287

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Well, who is not? Nobody. It is only our perception who will pick up and build the connection so strongly that when this breaks it becomes so painful because it was so tight, and so you think the end of the world sets in. But that is what it is, our perception, and it is really true. I am talking from the reincarnation point of view that everybody is one time or another soulmate. We are switching them round all the time! Like Buddha said everybody has been mother of everybody at some time or another. I also say everybody has been the soulmate of everybody all the time! That is really true! I can challenge that anybody who says this is not true. It is, but the perception makes total difference. Even the pains are perception, really perception. So, do me a favor, do yourself a favor: just don't torture yourself whenever, whatever situation comes! Just do not torture yourself. That doesn't mean you have to shut the door. No you don't. If the person wants to come back, fine. If he knocks on the door, open it and welcome him. Pretend nothing has happened. That is true if that happens. You don't want to talk about the point of how you broke up. Pretend nothing has happened, and treat life as usual. And when you have this perception of letting go, actually nothing will happen. The period of what had happened will be just like a bad dream last night. It will be because you don't live in the past; the past is gone. So sometimes you don't hook back each other, you don't have to shut the door because there are millions more. It is our own perception which gives us lots of suffering, and that we have to recognize. And when we correct, we correct our perception. Love, hate, or attachment and hate is like that. The two lovers which cannot work. Caring for everybody and wishing them well. What is wrong 288

Gelek Rimpoche

with that, it is so simple, so easy and nothing can go wrong. But, can we think that all the time? No, we can't. We want to, and while we are thinking some other thoughts will pop up, such as, “Well, okay, maybe...” or “I can't forget so and so” - lots of reasons will come up. And if you observe those reasons, all are invalid reasons, believe me. A way of dealing with anger Tibetan teachers used to teach a way to deal with this: “Of course I am angry with this person, he slapped me in public last year, or last month, or last week. For no fault of mine, he slapped me!” But the question is, “Who hit you?” “He did, he hit me.” “How did he hit you?” “He slapped me” When you think about it, what really hit you is the hand, not him. But can you get angry with his hand? No, because his hand has no control, no mind. Similarly, he was controlled by his anger, he didn't even know what he did. So, he hit you across the face, and when it was over, he did not even realize. By the time he realized, it was already done. So we cannot get angry with the hand because hand has no control, it was controlled by the mind. He did it, yet he had no control, he was controlled by his anger. So we should get angry with his anger rather than him. This is the old argument which sometimes sounds rather silly, but, sometimes it works. I just wanted to share with you because it is the traditional way of looking into it, which is sometimes helpful. So actually when we get upset, we have the right to get upset and angry, but we should get upset at the anger, or at the real cause of that suffering, which is ignorance and nothing else, ignorance within the first person and ignorance within the second person. That is what is happening. Not knowing and wrong knowing and hurting each other, that is why it is called ignorance. That is the problem. That is where the friend and enemy, and near and distant, the good ones and

289

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

bad ones, and being judgmental- all of them are the product of ignorance! And that is why sometimes people called this dualistic perception. Whether it is dualistic or what, we have to know that most of our perceptions are wrong because they come out of ignorance. Whether it is wrong or right, it is not for anybody else to say it but for you to investigate and find out by yourself. If you listen to somebody else telling you what is bad, or what is good, it is not right. In the first place, the person who said it may not be right; and secondly, if you simply follow, whether it is a book or teacher or role model or artist or professor, that is called blind faith, or close to blind faith. There is no reason why you have to accept that. If you accept something without good logical reasons, that is not that great; it doesn't last very long. So if you think something is the case because so and so said so, pretty soon somebody else will come and tell you something different! How a dog becomes a goat Brahmins are the highest caste in India, and they never keep dogs around because they think dogs are dirty. But they take goats around with them all the time. A goat is like a pet and they can milk it. Gandhiji took a goat to supply him with milk when he went to a conference in England by boat. We appreciate Gandhi for his work today, but if you know that he took the goat with him then you may wonder what had happened to him! The story is that a Brahmin was walking with his goat. When three thieves saw the big fat goat, they saw the opportunity to have a good meal. They decided to trick the Brahmin. When the Brahmin walked past with his goat the first thief and his group of people, they said, “Look at the Brahmin with his dog!” The Brahmin thought how silly they were and continued walking. Then he passed by the second 290

Gelek Rimpoche

thief and his group and they said the same thing. This time the Brahmin took a look at his goat and then walked past. Finally, he walked by the third thief and his group, and when they said the same thing, the Brahmin let the goat loose and chased it away. The three thieves managed to get the goat for themselves! If you do not investigate your own mind and convince yourself, then your resolutions and understanding become shakeable. And as long as your understanding is shakeable, you cannot make it on the spiritual path because you do not know what you are doing. You don't have the basis; it can be shaken. On every point we talk about here, you have to make yourself stable and grounded. That ground is ground of understanding out of your own investigation and convincing yourself. And you not only have to convince yourself, you have to truly know. It may take years to do, but doesn't matter; it is worthwhile. It may not take years, it may take a week, or even three or four days. It depends on each and every individual. Take for example, compassion, people know compassion is right thing to do, and it works, and so does love. But then you have to spend time knowing which type of love we are talking about, and investigate and you will truly know it, and then stick to it and know how to develop it. It will almost become part of your life. That is actually changing your life into spiritual path. Changing your life It is not that we pick up our life here, and pick a spiritual path there, and mix them up like the Chinese soya sauce. You know the Chinese will put all the meat and vegetables together and pour the soya sauce over it

291

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

and stir-fry it. I don't think our life and spiritual path should be mixed like Chinese cooking, American chop suey! The American chop suey started in Hong Kong. A group of Americans went to a Chinese shop to have dinner, and it happened to be very good and they enjoyed it. The next day they came a little late and the door was closed. They knocked and saw the chef and told him whatever he had leftover to give it to them. So the chef did exactly what they wanted, put all the leftover and pour the soya sauce, stir-fried it and gave to them, and they enjoyed it very much, and called it ‘American chop suey’. So mixing our spiritual path and our life is not an American chop suey! It is adapting the spiritual points like love, compassion, equanimity, caring, committing yourself to service of beings, remembering kindness, committing yourself to repay their kindness. Each one of them has to be adopted by ourselves through investigating and understanding and becomes a part of our life in that way. I believe that is how we put our daily life and spiritual practice together. It is not that you have a little spiritual practice here, and then you have your daily life here, like when you put sugar on your tea and mix them up and you have a sweet tea! I don't think it works that way, but adapting them. Then every single negative thing you start to do, when you have to do it, you hesitate. And every good positive thing you do it, it is a great service. That is how we adapt our life. Otherwise you simply hope and pray for something to happen, but that is no guarantee. That is not the way we travel the spiritual path!

292

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 29 It is the supreme ambrosia That overcomes the sovreignty of death, It is the inexhaustible treasure That eliminates all poverty in the world. In Tibetan, it says, This is the supreme nectar that overcomes death for people. It is the inexhaustible treasure that eliminates all poverty in the world. This is talking about the Bodhimind. It says it is the nectar or ambrosia that destroys all illnesses. What are these illnesses that we have in our lives? One the most important problems that we are bound to have, one of the most tremendous sufferings we are bound to have, is this thing called death. Each and every being goes through that suffering. Nobody can avoid it. However, there is a nectar which can make it possible that you can either avoid it or if not avoid it completely, at least you don't have to suffer; if you look for that nectar, one solution like one aspirin, then that is nothing but love compassion-oriented bodhimind. This is the only drop of nectar which can relieve suffering in general and particularly enable you to avoid the suffering of death. Nectar essence In Tibetan, it says essence, the nectar essence.73 There is a teaching tradition that is still in practice where people collect the essence of flowers called chu in Tibetan. They collect essence of flowers into pill form and then can survive by eating one pill a day. A number of people do that, even some Western people, too! In Dharamsala when I was there, in the FPMT center,74 there was an Australian guy doing this up in in Dharmasala. I saw picture of him virtually with nothing else except the ribs. But he was strong running around and doing everything, and was able to

293

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

function; these people don't get sick. In other words, they tell you that this bodhimind, though you may think it is extremely small, like an essence pill, you can survive with that. There was this great Geshe Lamrimpa who died recently in Tibet. I think it was Tony or somebody who told me that in Tibet he walked through walls. During the early 1960’s, the Chinese told the monks that if they didn't work they would have no food. So he said fine, and took one pill each day which he probably made before or collected. He kept on taking the pills and he lived. In the 1980's he started giving teachings and became one of the best and best-known teachers available in Central Tibet That is what they called the essence pill. People who take this essence of the flower when it is provided by a proper or fit person can be free of illnesses and even death. Likewise, the nectar of bodhimind can destroy sufferings in general and particularly the suffering of death. The next half of the verse tells you that through bodhimind you will be able to obtain a tremendous treasure of the dharma and material things and you will be in the position to relieve all poverty. You become a great, inexhaustible treasure for all sentient beings.

294

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 30 It is the supreme medicine That quells the world's disease It is the tree that shelters all beings Wandering and tired on the path of conditioned existence Many people have said that the spiritual path is a journey. Whether it is or not, we are all travelers. All of us travel all the time. You may be born here and die here, but still you are a traveler. We have been traveling through our life everywhere, life after life. We travel day by day, hour to hour; there is no question that we are on a journey. Even when you are at home, you are on a journey. Where are we going? We are going but we do not know where we are going; we are wandering. It is like an exercise bicycle; you keep on riding it, but you do not know where you are going! We are simply running, just like that. We are traveling, but we have no goal, no aim. We are traveling because we are going. Even when you sleep, you are traveling. That is the truth of our nature. Some people will tell you that spiritual journey is traveling otherwise you are relaxed. No, you are not. Whether the spiritual path is a journey or not, we are still travelers, traveling, wandering all the time. So, when you are traveling, then you get tired. Traditionally, in India when people are traveling there is heat and dust, so when after a little while they find a tree, they can relax a little bit, and enjoy a nice cool breeze. How wonderful that is. So when we are traveling, if we could gain

295

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

some of this unlimited unconditioned love and compassion, it will give us relief just like finding a nice big shade tree under which we can rest for a while, and feel a little cool breeze. I believe that is what they are talking about in this verse.

296

Gelek Rimpoche

Questions and Answers Student: If you are grounded in these steps of compassion and someone approaches you and is aggressive, angry or jealous because of your ability to perceive someone with positive view, you are able to absorb their anger and transform it somehow so that it doesn't disturb you and it no longer disturb them. Does that contribute to help that other person purify their negativity because they are not able to provoke you and therefore not contribute negativity to the world? Rimpoche: What you are saying is correct. I don't have any problem with that. My problem here is when you say somebody provokes somebody and you absorb their anger and transform. I don't get that. Why do you have to absorb? What do you get? Maybe I am wrong, but hopefully not, there is no need to absorb other people's anger. Even if they are yelling, screaming, shouting, they is no need for me to absorb that. Let the person yell; let the person shout. A number of times I have given you the example one of the director generals of the Indian radio getting upset and yelling and screaming, and I couldn't help looking at him and laughing because he looked like monkey backwards! I was not absorbing anything then. After a little while he asked why I was laughing at him, and told me to get out. What else could he do? He couldn’t beat me up! I was not absorbing his anger at all. I saw him screaming, yelling, jumping and he looked funny and I couldn’t help laughing. I was not being passive aggressive. Just somehow I couldn't get control. I just could not control my laughter.

297

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Don't think we have to absorb, or take in someone else's anger and then transform that. It is long shot for us. There are two things you have to make sure of. You have to make sure that anger does not disturb you, and also make sure you do not use that in a passive aggressive way – “He lost it, I kept cool”- we don't want that. Just don't let it bother you. It is as though you are watching a TV show, and maybe it is John Wayne who is shooting something somewhere; you have to perceive almost in that manner. As much as possible, don't personalize, but externalize. Put it over there, it is a puppet show. Put it over there, it is a television show. Put it over there, it is a drama they are playing. Put it over there, it is a movie. That way, it won’t cause you to grow negativity. If they are doing something good, then you can take a little in and appreciate it; you get benefit then. However any anger or anything you don't have to absorb at all.

Student: [inaudible question] Rimpoche: People suffer with pain; people don't suffer with separation. The separation causes pain and people suffer that. On top of that you build up, “I am alone, and I am thirty or forty years old, how I am going to live my life?” You remove the pain by letting them go. We all know this, but when it happens to us, we don't know it anymore. When it comes for others, we know clearly. That is not the end of the world, there is something else, it will be there. We know that when we are looking at other person, and that is very good. But when you look back towards yourself, you are also in the same condition. There is no difference on either side side. There is this old Tibetan story. There was one Nagpa, a tantric mantra person. Such people are very powerful; they 298

Gelek Rimpoche

can make or stop rain or lightning or guide the storm with a finger pointing to different directions. I have seen these things lots of times. They are married with children and family. One of them had a wife who had toothaches all the time. He said to his wife, “Why are you worried about a tiny little toothache? Why can’t you bear with it?” She managed to do it. One day, he himself got a toothache and he was in pain. She went up to him and told him the same thing. He replied that his was a male toothache while hers was a female one! But in reality it was exactly the same thing. He needed an excuse. Exactly the same thing, when we have the pain ourselves, we see as the end of the world. But when others are going through it, we see what they cannot see. Thus we see them suffering unnecessarily but still you can't help them sometimes because people do not open up. That is why they have the pain. If they can open and see that though the relation ended it is not the end of the world, they become a little happy later and meet more friends. I will be doing the same thing. If you see tings that way, the pain is less. The pain that you are getting is the pain of loss, the fear of being lonely, the fear of being rejected - all of these combined together and that is what you get. When you look at that carefully, you see there is nothing really. You can do this when you are not actually in the process of going through this. You can analyze and think beforehand, and then, when you actually going through, nothing will happen. It is just like what Allen Ginsberg told me. He said he got worried when every time somebody told him he might be going to die; he hit the ceiling! But he said he was surprised how calm he was when he actually saw his doctor. His doctor had a long face and to make things easy for him, Allen asked him, “Cancer?’ He nodded. Then Allen

299

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

asked, “Incurable?” And he said, “Yes.” He was surprised how calmly he took it. That is because he was able to analyze, think and practice to that level. If you do the same thing, then all these pains we experience, when they actually come, will be different. Without all these, when a pain comes, it is huge like Mount Everest falling on you! But when you realize, it is less than a little mouse.

Student: [inaudible] Rimpoche: Buddha was great but he was not a scientist. He came a little too early before Einstein! So when we are looking from that angle, we don't really have proof that says: “This is the proof there is Enlightenment.” That is why I said we don't know. And then my thoughts came up again, that we do know that we do improve day by day. We get better week by week, month by month, with ups and downs along the way. When we look, we see some improvements in ourselves every day or every month or every year. In the way we think, in how we approach others, our anger is a little less, our jealousy a little bit cut down, and attachment is smaller. It sort of goes down a little level, and we do have that. That is what we called improvement. What are we improving? Improving ourselves, building goodness within ourselves. There is room for improvement all the time, minute by minute, day by day. So where are we moving? We are moving towards ultimate improvement. Ultimately, that is the end of it. When you get to that level, I believe that has to be identified as the enlightenment level. If you look at our minds from a different angle, when we are moving ourselves from the present level to whatever better level there may be - gentler, kinder, more caring, more 300

Gelek Rimpoche

loving, more committed, lesser selfish thoughts, lesser anger, lesser attachment - all of those are going, automatically we are improving. When you look in that way, we can see from our view such a thing called enlightenment. Such enlightenment is accessible to everybody, whether you are black or white or yellow or green or red - whatever your skin color may be. It is accessible to everybody, men, women, and children, because we can improve. It doesn't belong to any society, group or tradition or race or gender; anybody can achieve. So when we look from that angle, we see something called enlightenment. You have room to keep on improving and ultimately achieve enlightenment. From the Mahayana Buddhist point of view, how does enlightenment come to the individual? It comes to the individual when we improve ourselves from our present level to the level where our life is governed by love and compassion. The Buddha is born out of the Bodhisattvas. The enlightenment level comes out of the ultimate love and compassion of committed beings only. Such beings are called Bodhisattvas, and we can become Bodhisattvas. If you are a Bodhisattva, what are you supposed to do? How are you supposed to think? How are you supposed to function in your life? That is why we have the Bodhicaryavatara, the Bodhisattva's way of life. The bottom line in Buddhism Actually, I am really telling you the bottom line in Buddhism, what you really have to do, is improve yourself. Improve yourself, collect as much goodness as you can and avoid negativities, and watch your mind. Your mind is the one that makes a hell of a difference, not the body. The body is something you can develop and build up but at the end you have to leave it. Self goes, body remains there; death is the time for separation.

301

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

What is death? It is the physical separation of the body and the individual. Anything you build up on body alone will not help ultimately because there will be a time for us to leave. Even before you die, people build up a tremendous body and then it declines. We know that. Remember what Mohammed Ali used to look like? We saw that at the Olympics. That is the true example. It is not that Mohammed Ali alone is susceptible to Parkinson's Disease: we all can have that. All our bodies can be subject to that. So building the physical body is not the spiritual path I am looking for. You have to have something that helps you now and for a long time. So, you work on the mind level, the personality level or in Buddhism, we call it consciousness in the personality level. Then when you go, it will continue. Basically it is truly what Tina Turner said. It is perfect: “Buddhism is so simple, go ahead and collect goodness.” I saw it in her biography. She is right because we are responsible for ourselves, and nobody else is responsible for us. No second person can impose on anybody else. We are responsible for ourselves, nobody else. Since we are responsible for ourselves, we have to think about what makes us happy or sad, or good or bad. Whatever causes goodness and happiness, we do it. Whatever causes sadness and misery, we avoid. That is very basic and simple. People ask me how to maintain their life, or to give them guidance how to maintain their life. That is the guidance. That is how you deal with your life. Carry a good motivation and as a principle in your life, avoid hurting anybody. If you are hurting anybody, it is negative. If you are helping somebody, it is positive, it is helping. But don't forget there are a lot of grey areas between the two! For that you have to use your intelligence, and that helps.

302

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 31 It is the universal bridge That leads to freedom from unhappy states of birth, It is the dawning moon of the mind That dispells the torment of disturbing conceptions The bodhimind which you develop has the benefit of working like a bridge. You are providing a bridge for people to cross from this side over to the other side. It is the rising moon, the dawning moon. You know why? Because the moon is supposed to be cool in nature, and gives you coolness. We are over- heated by our sufferings, so we need some relief with the cool breeze and cool effect on our body and mind and our spiritual path. Bodhimind is the mind that frees us from the heat caused by our negative neuroses and delusions, the torment of disturbing conceptions. It can give rest to our life. It gives a nice cool feeling.

303

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Overcoming Our Addictions What we are doing here is explaining the Bodhicaryavatara. We often remind ourselves what the Bodhicaryavatara is, what are we doing and what is it about. It says, Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. We remind ourself what does Bodhisattva mean? How does that affect an individual? How does that function? The perception that I have of the word Bodhisattva is somebody committed totally to be the helper of all beings. In other words, we simply do not become a Bodhisattva unless we have a very strong commitment of helping everybody in whatever way we can. Can we get that? Yes. The three principles If you really look into the teachings of Buddhism, it really boils down to three or four steps. The most important of all or the first step is getting ourselves free from neuroses, because they give us trouble all the time. Secondly, if I see the neuroses giving me trouble here and begin to find a way out, can I walk away and not care for the people that I know, especially my family, my relations, my extended family, my companion, my spouse? Once you have that thought, you feel you just cannot walk away. You have to help them. That is the beginning of the commitment to help others, and also you are moving from the first point to the second point. Seeking freedom The first point of seeking freedom from the neuroses comes simply because, due to the addiction that we have towards anger, attachment and all these, they make our life miserable. Not only this life, but life after life, our happiness is spoiled by them. It is hard to get rid of them, because we are addicted.

304

Gelek Rimpoche

If you are addicted to chemicals, you know how difficult it is to get rid of that addiction. People go on programs and work very hard. You need tremendous support from people, a tremendous amount of help and will power, and with all these together, you can make it. The same thing with addiction to alcohol. You know it destroys your life and your family. You knew it is not good for you mentally, emotionally, or physically. But because of a little good feeling you get out of one or two sips, you become addicted to the taste of it. The same thing with cigarette smoking. The first you do not get good taste but after a little while, you get the kick. The kick is the real addiction you get. Somehow we associate pleasure with that kind of feeling and want to get that back. When you have had a little more, you don't get it anymore. When you didn't get it, still you can't give up because you are addicted. In the Indian tradition, they will say mazhak; the word kick might not be a good equivalent here. Mazhak is some kind of feeling loose and you want to get that. But when you can't, you want it even more. When you consume more, you get bad effects like headaches, hangovers, and so forth. So even though you know it absolutely clearly, you cannot cut it because it is an addiction. You need tremendous will power and do it once and for all today, and just cut it. That is important, you just cut it! After being a monk for ten or twenty years, I rebelled and wondered what was out there. I always wondered, “What is out there that I am missing by being a monk?” Actually, there are three things that you come up with, sex, alcohol and cigarettes. You realize that is what you are missing, so you try to explore and see what happens. I started smoking those Indian cigarettes called Panama which are very strong and not

305

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

great. I definitely smoked twenty per day but more than that something like three packets of twenty in two days. I smoked for thirteen years. One day I had to go to Ladakh. I was wild and not doing any Dharma business. They asked me to accompany a great rinpoche who is the founder of Drikung Kargyu tradition because we had some family connections. He is a big shot, a real big one. Every time these big go somewhere sometimes you have to compose a little something like four or five verses. They always need somebody sometimes to do initiations, and be able to quote him. He had spent some time in the Chinese school and played soccer all the time. He came out of China and spent a year and half in Texas and washed dishes at Steak El. Suddenly he came back to India and became the rinpoche with five or six hundred followers. So they asked me to accompany him to write or compose whatever was needed. Ladakh is such a place that though people smoke in Ladakh, smokers are considered by their society almost like drug dealers. And the smokers are available in the corners of city streets. I just could not go there smoking cigarettes and go to monastery to monastery and pretend to be somebody. So I had to cut my cigarette smoking. Somebody told me that I should give up after smoking the pack I was having. I thought if I had to do that, then I would be smoking forever. I decided to stop immediately and threw away the other half of the cigarette I was puffing earlier, and that was it. Then, I kept on counting the hours and I told myself that those crucial times of two, four, six hours I worked hard not to smoke so why then waste it just to get that puff for a minute. “What is the use?” I kept on telling myself. Then when one day was up, then I thought I 306

Gelek Rimpoche

just cannot waste the day and so forth - two days, week, month. If you get headache, just take an aspirin. That is the end of my cutting till completely stopped. Then occasionally I picked up one or two, here and there. But now I don't have the addiction so whenever I want to cut it, I can decide to do so right there. I don't need to smoke, but sometimes you feel you like something. The most important thing here is the will power which makes you able to do whatever you need to do. Addictions are so difficult! It was a ten or thirteen- year addiction for me, but anger, hatred and jealousy are long, long time addictions. Not ten, twenty or a hundred years only, but life after life, century after century. So when you want to cut that way, it is difficult, but if you don't you will continue to suffer. Suffering comes from our neuroses Right now, whatever suffering we have, whether mental, emotional, or physical, strictly comes from our neuroses. Even when you don't get along well with your boyfriend or girlfriend, it is because of the neuroses, your own as well as his or her neuroses. It is the direct result of the neuroses. Emotional problems are all totally from there. Whether it is pride or self-deprecation, it also comes directly from neuroses. In short, whatever unhappiness we have, feeling miserable, or competitiveness, feeling I want to be better than him or her - if you strongly think about it, there is nothing that does not come out of the neuroses. It is true in our life. All the miseries which we experienced, or are experiencing or will experience are the direct consequences of our neuroses. That is absolutely true and especially the emotional problems that we go through are the direct result of those neuroses. When you are alone and sitting by yourself, think and analyze. Any pain that you go through within your 307

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

mind, whether you are angry with yourself or love yourself, think whether there is a single one of the pains that you experience that does not come out of the neuroses. You are never going to find one, never! It is all linked to that. That is what the Buddha found; he is telling us that this is exactly what is going on in our life. That's why Buddha said that if you want a way out, you have to deal with your neuroses. Don't run around and don't deny them! Don't try to cover up! Accept the problem and deal with it directly. That is the essence of Buddhism. So each and every one of you, sit down and think about this whenever you have a minute. We have more than enough problems. Many come out of dissatisfaction with our life. It is the same thing with addictions. When you first tried smoking, for a couple of times you felt great. When you become addicted, you are always looking for that same feeling. You are not really looking for the cigarette but the wonderful feeling you once had. You know that you don't get that anymore because you have over- smoked. That addiction make you smoke like a chimney, or get drunk or take drugs. That is exactly how addiction works. Appreciation instead of dissatisfaction The same thing for ourselves for the spiritual point of view. It is a bottom line fact. It is the addiction which truly makes you dissatisfied because you want more and more. Dissatisfaction is one of the worst things in life. Appreciation is greatness. Whatever life you have, whatever you are whether beautiful or ugly, be satisfied with your life, be happy with whatever you have. That is the beginning of happiness. Dissatisfaction is the beginning of suffering. When you are dissatisfied with anything, you want something else which you are never going to get. We know this very well. 308

Gelek Rimpoche

That is what I mean by seeking freedom from those feelings, seeking freedom from the control of emotions that make you do miserable things. Look at what we have been reading about what is happening at the White House, and just look at this Kathleen Willis, poor woman. Out of nowhere she pops up, made a very strong statement and looks very believable and then suddenly the next day or two days later there were all these documents that came out of the White House. So everybody got upset with her exactly because everybody is so angry with her. The idea whatever it might be, pressure or money, whatever is involved, when you really look at her, you wondered who is going to expose themselves like that totally not only on national television but sort of everybody's conversation including in the Oscar nomination last night where it becomes a joke. Who is going to exposed themselves on such condition? Nobody. But when your neuroses pop up, you start to think, “I am going to be popular,” or, “I am going to get money,” or a friend comes round and says, “Hey, you got to say this.” You know people can go two ways. One, they can go through money, or they want to be popular. Another way is, people can exploit you saying this is the truth and you really have to tell the truth, otherwise how many people going to suffer, and you and you alone can do it. That is your right, your duty and honesty, you have to do it. Sometimes silly people may do these things, but people who understand may not do it. That is one weak spot of the human mind where they think really they got to do it for the sake of the truth, without realizing what they will be exposed to later. This is actually addiction to pride or addiction to the truth! It is an addiction, even though some people say it is the truth, so they have to tell it, otherwise this will continue. So the

309

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

addiction can expose you to that level without realizing. This is great example for us with what is happening, including Linda's Tripp. Remember what they said at the Oscar last night where Linda Tripp is taking us. So you become like that, a sort of a laughing stock of the whole country and whole world for that matter. This is due to the neuroses. It is the neuroses that brought this. It is the neuroses addiction. This is how neuroses influence us even at this level. This is a simple direct current drama going on in Washington, and you can see. That same thing goes with the President Clinton too. It is not only these people but everybody in there in the drama. That is what I meant by suffering in neuroses. Therefore you need freedom from the neuroses. Some people are very wonderful, honest and straightforward, but due to the lack of wisdom rather than addiction to truth, they are pushed to speak. And after they spoke what happened? This is the lack of wisdom, and it is not going to get anywhere. That is our neurosis too. Even though it is good motivation, and honest and straightforward but still there is a lack of wisdom. That is because the addiction is strong. We are slaves to our neuroses Once we are subjects or slaves of neuroses, think how for 24 hours a day our life is influenced by our neuroses. Just in the last 24 hours how many wise things you have done? Almost 80 per cent and to some maybe 60 per cent only by the neuroses. But everybody will have 50 per cent for sure, affected by the neuroses. It is true. That is what the neuroses do to us. That is what anger, attachment and hatred do to us, including jealousy. When we realize this is my problem, and each and every one of us, this is our problem. The problems we have, the difficulties we face, are not the fault of anybody else. We would like to blame 310

Gelek Rimpoche

somebody else, for example, “If she was not smoking, I would not be doing so.” Or, “If he was not drinking, I would have cut it out, but then he likes company.” All these are excuses; you are blaming to the other person. In reality you are unable to control the urge, the ticklish feeling which you are not able to control yourself. You cannot control yourself because you are so used to it. It is our addiction. Look at how we have to have coffee in the morning, we know that. I have seen a number of alcoholics in Tibet, the Old Tibet when I was there. Before anything happened, the person has to drink two or three cups of chang, and if they don't get it, they got shaky like this. Still they cannot stop, that's what they do. Fighting a war against neuroses So if you hurt somebody, the moment you feel bad, then think, “Why did I hurt the person? For what reason?” The moment you look you are going to find the answer. You did it either because you dislike the person and wanted to hurt them, or you are attached to something else. And that is how you hurt the other person. Every single harmful act, whether you are hurting somebody now or hurt somebody in the past, is the direct result of our own neuroses. Therefore it is so important, according to the Buddha, and according to our experience: spiritual practice is like a war fighting against our neuroses. If you look in Trungpa Rimpoche's tradition, they have this Shambhala warrior and there are Vajradhatu and Dharmadhatu guards wearing some kind of Indian police khaki uniform. It is exaggerating the point of how we are at war against our addictions. That is all about it. Really, spiritual practice is getting yourself away from these addictions. As long as you have those addictions, you will continuously suffer. We can see this for ourselves. People who are drug addicts or alcoholics will continue to become worse 311

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

mentally and physically. Finally, they can even lose their lives if they don't get help. We see that everyday right in front of us. It is the same thing with the addictions of anger, jealousy and attachment. If you don't take care of them, they will become worse and worse and finally you lose the life of liberation totally. It is a war, with ourselves at stake, whether you are going to win or lose. That is the war within ourselves. First we have the recognition of each neurosis. Second, knowing what is the direct antidote for each one of them. Third, don't leave them at the knowledge level, bring them in and be part of your life. That is what you got to do. Just saying no will not do. Just saying no will not work. You have to know the antidote. You have to apply that on yourself, and make that part of your life. Once that is done, you become a good Buddhist, or rather you become a very good spiritual person. Thinking about others and making a commitment That is what counts, and that is the bottom line. Once you recognize this and may be able to help yourself, then the question comes what about the person I care about the most, the person I love, my children, my family, my spouse? Can I just walk away now that I realize how to free myself? We know that is not right. We can't; how can we? We have suffered enough and we see them suffering, having the same thing going on. So, you say, “I don't care how I am going to do it, but I am going to do it. I will find out how to do it!” This total commitment is the beginning of compassion in action. If you don't have compassion in action, then you simply say, “Oh, you poor thing!” This won't do much. If you keep saying, “What can I do?” but no action is done, that is not right. You need compassion in action.

312

Gelek Rimpoche

The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life will tell you how you take action with compassion, how you put your compassion into action. If you have compassion without any action, it becomes simply wishing. You sit there wishing for everybody to be happy and joyful, but you enjoy yourself sitting there, and don’t move even if somebody gets murdered right in front of you! Some Tibetan lamas have been strongly accused of that in the Tibetan society. They even go the extreme point of saying “Even if the temple is on fire, you just sit there and smile; even the dogs eat the offerings, you just sit there and smile!”- this means you do not act in any way whatsoever, whatever happens, you just sit and smile. In a way, it is true. We talked a lot on compassion and caring, but we don't do much. We all have very nice ideas and feelings about compassion, but we don't do much. Compassion needs to be in action. Otherwise, it is only a simple wish, the same as sending your good thoughts. Action is necessary; you have to do something. Never give up So what do you do? You help in whatever the way you can, you try to provide whatever is needed. If you don't try, it is not right. But if you try and you are not successful, it is perfectly okay. Nobody expects you to be successful the first time you try. You may lose three hundred times in an hour, but you make sure you get up three hundred times in an hour! If you fall, and think you are going to lie down here, and just sit there, nothing is going to happen. So you have to make sure that whatever it may be, you have to get up. The same way, when you are challenging your neuroses. You are going to fall terribly and miserably. But that does not matter; it is part of the process. Don't give up your will power; get up again!

313

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

You. must get up and continue! That is exactly how we do it. A number of people say, “I tried but I can't handle it.” The thing is you don't try enough; you got defeated once or twice and you completely lay down. You didn't even get up. Maybe you are hiding your head somewhere. If you do that, nothing is going to happen. So even you fail, you must get up! Then share with other people how you do that, and that is what the Bodhisattva's way of life is. In addition to that, there is bodhimind which is a totally committed mind, a mind of ultimate, unlimited, unconditioned love and compassion. That will develop within ourselves in two different forms, the wishing form is not the real form. The wishing will come first before the action, because otherwise how can you act? When the action comes, then it becomes real. That is why we have The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life; it tells you what the actions are. Rejoicing is like fuel Within this book, if you look, the first part of this chapter was about rejoicing. This is because, if you don't rejoice in whatever you are doing, you don't have force behind you. Rejoicing will act like a fuel which makes the engine function. It is like gasoline without which it won't go. Sometimes we are tired of trying too much and not being successful, or like what the Tibetan teachers say, we are like a dead-tired donkey going up the Himalayas with a heavy load. You may push the donkey or pull its ears, but no matter what you do, you are not able to move it. If you are going to do something in that manner, you are not going to develop or work at all. Reviewing the first three chapters You need the fuel, the inspiration. That is why Chapter One starts with the benefits you get. It is almost like introducing a job. First they will tell you how much the salary is, and what benefits you have. It is 314

Gelek Rimpoche

like the usual American thing of “What's in it for me?” Here, what is in this for you is enlightenment! What benefits do you have? Read the first chapter! It gives you the inspiration and benefits. Chapter Two is called Disclosure of Evil in this translation, or what we call purification. When I have the mind of enlightenment here, and its benefits there, how do I make sure I am able to maintain that? What will make you lose all these? The negativities. What do you do with them? You purify. Negatvities are not permanent monsters. Everybody makes mistakes. No matter who it may be, everybody makes mistakes. People make mistakes all the time. Even Gandhi made mistakes. The Dalai Lama, the Pope, Nelson Mandela - there is nobody who does not make mistakes, in every life. That doesn't mean we are doomed or that the individual is gone forever. So what do you do? Make yourself get up. Purify, because no negativity is permanent; They are all impermanent. There is no negativity which cannot be purified. So, the second chapter is on purification. The third chapter is full acceptance of the awakening mind. The second chapter tells you how you can maintain those benefits. Purification will make sure that you maintain the benefits you obtain. Chapter Three is to make certain that you give your commitment, that is taking vows, promising to do this and that. If you have a vow, it helps to maintain your commitment. If you don't have a vow, that has its difficulties. It is the same thing, if you are a monk or nun, and if you are wearing your robe, it is easier for you to maintain your commitments. If you are in blue jeans, it is difficult because your awareness is weakened. The same thing happens here. It is about maintaining vows.

315

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

The fourth chapter will be about conscientiousness. This is probably bringing awareness of whatever you are doing. People do a lot of miserable things because of not being aware or realizing what they are doing. We are now on Chapter three, taking vows. This chapter tells you the vows you can take, especially the vows of bodhimind, committing yourself the precious mind. It is precious because it is the direct cause for you to become enlightened. At the end of the vow taking, it still gives you a little more pep talk!

316

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 32 It is the great sun that finally removes The misty ignorance of the world, It is the quintessential butter From the churning of the milk of Dharma Verse 31 talked about bodhimind as the dawning moon…that dispels the torment of disturbing conceptions. Not only does it give us the relief of cool, wonderful moonlight, but it is also the great sun, which clears the darkness, the misty ignorance of the world. When the sun rises, all darkness in the east goes, unless you provide the shadow. Bodhimind, particularly absolute bodhimind, is such a mind that is important. Absolute bodhimind is the mind nature of wisdom. Relative bodhimind is the true bodhimind, and absolute bodhimind is bodhimind that has wisdom. That wisdom is the direct antidote of the darkness of ignorance. When that sun rises, that darkness of ignorance is cleared. So what is that sun? It is again bodhimind. The mind that is ultimate love and compassion, unconditioned, unlimited and total dedication, that is called bodhimind. Actually, that mind does not ask what is in it for me, which is what our normal American mind does. It is dedicated in whatever action it might be, “I want to help and I want to do it.” The question of what is in it for me does not arise. The second part of this verse talks about It is the quintessential butter from the churning of the milk of Dharma. Tibetans make use of a lot of butter! We drink tea with butter, we offer butter lamps, and we make butter decorations and sculpture.

317

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Where do you get butter? From milk. But if you just keep on looking at the milk and just leave it there hoping to get butter, it is not going to happen. On top of that, the milk is going to go bad! So what do you have to do? You boil the milk, and you have to shake the milk for a long time, until finally you get the butter. This is the essence of the milk you keep on shaking. From the essence of the milk, you get butter. What they are trying to tell you is that the teachings of the Buddha are like a huge ocean of milk. And if you keep on shaking the essence what are you going to get? If you shake milk, you are going to get butter. - unless it’s non-fat milk, then you don't get butter! Likewise if you keep on shaking all the teachings of the Dharma, the ultimate, like cream, that you get out of it is the Bodhisattva's way of life. It is like cream of the total ocean of milk. Soak yourself in Dharma If you have Dharma there and you just say you like it, that it is wonderful and nice, this would be like just watching the milk. “I like milk, I want butter, but just let me look. Hey, the milk is good, it smells great!” Or, maybe you drink it, and that's finished. Nothing is left. So the same thing with the Dharma. Just don't leave it over there. Shake and soak yourself in there, like you shake the milk. You really have to! If you don't do that, and just think the Dharma is beautiful, it is only symbolic, it is only a signal and it is like an exhibition. Today we can see exhibits in the great museums; we enjoy them and we walk away. Those things used to belong to others but today they are just exhibitions. Your approach to Dharma should not be like an exhibition, or like just looking at the milk. You should shake it, in the sense of looking at your neuroses and looking at the Dharma and try to see what 318

Gelek Rimpoche

makes them work and find the solution from the Dharma to work against your neuroses. What you need to work on most, only you know it. Your anger, or attachment, shake them within your personality, within yourself. If you do that, a butter-like enlightenment will come out of it! Otherwise, it will just be like an exhibit in the museum. So when you have this Dharma of bodhimind, you are beginning to get butter. When you begin to shake the milk, at the side little bits of butter start forming. This is what happens when you have that mind within you. What is the milk we are talking about? The milk is the Buddha's personal experience that he shared with us, which we call the Dharma. When you want to shake the milk, you need something to do it with. You need the churn of wisdom, the wisdom to be able to judge and understand. Generosity is a great action but it needs wisdom; morality is a great action but it needs wisdom; patience is a great action but it needs wisdom; enthusiasm is a great action but it needs wisdom; concentration is a great action but it needs wisdom. So the wisdom is the churn; without it, you cannot shake properly and you not going to get butter. There are two ways of looking at wisdom. Every angle of knowing what you are supposed to do is one part of wisdom. Another part is great wisdom, which is not our subject at this moment. Great wisdom relates to what we call emptiness. Actually it is absolutely true that if there is no emptiness, you can do nothing. That is what you realize more and more when you look at it. So the need for wisdom is important on different levels. The purpose of spiritual practice In short, what did we talk about today? We introduced the spiritual path as meaning

319

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

that as long as your action is going against the neuroses, then you are on the path. The purpose of your spiritual practice is to free yourself from those neuroses. We recognize that it is the neuroses which give us trouble. We recognize that we are capable of cutting them once and for all. We have the opportunity and we have ways and means to do it. If we don't do it, then we are not going to get anywhere because we are responsible for ourselves. Once we know that this is the problem, we try to get out of that by not going to extremes. Some people go to extremes, and cannot maintain the middle level. Don't be too extreme! Even in American politics, you won't get any votes now! If you are a right extremist, you won't get any votes; if you are too liberal or radical, you won't get any votes. You will not be elected! You have to be in the middle, whether you are Democrat or Republican. You have to know that you have to be in the middle; you can't go to extremes. Extremists will not achieve anything even if you think you are working for the truth. It will never work. Along with seeking freedom from those negative neuroses, also be concerned with the people you are connected with. You have a week to think about it. Think and analyze. Try to find out what is exactly happening with you and try to find the problem, and search how to work with it. This is the great spiritual way. All the Buddhas and everybody who became enlightened went through this way. Without that, it is not going to work. I am not talking about Buddhism. I am talking about basic human goodness, how we can make it. It is not an ism issue; forget about Nyingma, Kargyu, Sakya, or Gelug! I am talking about basic goodness. When I say not to be too extreme, you know it means we cannot be too

320

Gelek Rimpoche

righteous, nor can we be too wrong. That is wisdom; Buddha called it the Middle Path.

321

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Questions and Answers Student: Do I need a for a Ganden Lha Gyema retreat? Rimpoche: There is no torma offering in Ganden Lha Gyema. It is mostly sutra oriented, and saying the mantra. People may be wondering what is Ganden Lha Gyema.75 Many of you have no idea what it is. Actually it is an extended version of what we say here; it has an extended version of Seven Limbs, is connected to the Guru, and has some additional things such as saying the mantras, and the dissolving system. All of them combined together make up that practice. It is an important, special, powerful practice dealing with the Guru and Guru Tsongkhapa, joined together with The Foundation of all Perfections,76 which tells you the step-by-step way leading to enlightenment. The Foundation of all Perfections tells each of us how we on level today can make ourselves better, which step to take first, and which second, and which third. We are doing this to improve ourselves and The Foundation of all Perfections tells us how. We put the Ganden Lha Gyema with The Foundation of all Perfections together so that individual has a chance to go through with this, mentally and psychologically with total concentration. This is how you improve yourself and make yourself a better person, make yourself eligible for enlightenment, and make yourself connected. The lam rim is the main thing I’d like to share with you something interesting and important incident that happened today. Somebody came charging in this morning asking me a question about how all this works; I can’t repeat the question exactly, I am not capable of that. But this person has an

322

Gelek Rimpoche

important question. They asked, “Is this for real? Did you really experience something? When you have difficulties, what did you do?” It is a very important question that normally I don't get, a very important point. So we exchanged a few ideas, and at the end of it, we overlooked one thing. We overlook the lam rim, the development here. The steps of the Odyssey to Freedom are the main thing working here. We are the ones who have to work to be able to connect like say Yamantaka or Vajrayogini to the other side. They cannot come down, and what we called it divine intervention, I don't think that is for short term like that. Also, divine intervention will not be able to leave the individual in total freedom. You know, if you think, it is American culture - I don't know I was told it is American culture. You don't simply just wait for divine intervention; you could wait till the cows come home, but nothing is going to happen, for sure! It is the principle in us that we are responsible for our own deeds. So you are the one who will make a difference to yourself, and I will make a difference to my life. Nobody else can do it. I am not denying divine intervention; they can do simple little things here and there, by luck.77 Even the divine has to be connected to your karma and try to help you to establish conditions right. That much they can do. They cannot come down and manufacture you in certain ways. I don't think it is possible, though people say, “God makes human beings.” It may be true or not true, who knows? I don't know. But Buddha says you are responsible for yourself and I look to that. We know that in our life whatever we do, we are responsible. Even if a kid is nine years old and starts shooting people, he will be locked up because he is responsible even if he is a juvenile. In our daily life, if I do 323

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

something good for somebody, I will get better treatment and vice versa. It is usual. We have a friend, a senior African-American lady in New York. She is interesting, she is on the point and understands what she is doing, she is really in touch and is really good at it. One day she told me, “I want to thank you!” and gave me a big kiss, actually a big wet kiss. I asked, “What is that for?” She replied that people treat her much better than before. She said normally when she goes to a department store, when she is at the counter she has to argue with the people all the time. Now she doesn't have to argue anymore and they even said thank you to her; they treat her like a human being. I didn't change anything, but maybe her attitude to them was reciprocated! When you change how you function and what you are within, that makes other people respond to you differently. Directly or indirectly, you are having compassion or respect, and you are benefiting. So be responsible; you can see the benefits in your life. Just observe: think about what you did yesterday, and then in the evening you will find what is the effect in your life. And anything whatever you look at, look in your life. Whenever you do something mean or careless, something done unconsciously, whatever you did is going to come back to you. Whatever we do consciously or unconsciously to somebody, somehow they will either show gratitude or later will pay you back. We can see that in our lives everyday. That is the principle of how we function in our lives. That is in principle how I am responsible for my deeds, nobody else. How can that be? I do the good things and somebody else enjoys the result? It is not going to happen. Or, I do some bad things, and somebody has to suffer for me? 324

Gelek Rimpoche

No, it is not going to happen. Not at all, whether you are caught by police or law! We are bound to have difficulties. It is true in the actual world and it is true in the spiritual path, and it is true in our everyday life. Really that's true. So for improving the individual's spiritual practice you are not going to find anything better than this Foundation Of All Perfections. It is the foundation to make ourselves perfect. Even if you want divine intervention, it makes it possible for them to intervene by having those foundations of perfections, which really open you up. It really makes you function and think differently. That is why it is important. We recommend that people who come regularly do that, meaning to say the words and try to find the message behind that, and meditate or investigate and internalize the meanings and footsteps. Vajrayana depends on the foundations We always say that whether Vajrayana is profound or not depends on the foundation work you do over here with these most important foundation points. It makes a difference. If you have not done the foundation well here, no matter whatever they do it will not be profound. What's happening here is much more important than what's going to happen there. I think that is the main point. As I told you earlier, enlightenment is nothing other than ultimate total improvement. We see improvement within our life day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, year-by- year, whether it is due to maturity or practice. We see the direction where we are going, but we have not reached to the end. There is always better and better, room for more improvement. When you reach the ultimate level, that is what is called enlightened. There is nothing more hidden or any

325

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

good quality that you don’t have. It is the total, so it is enlightened, free of all obstacles. So we definitely can see ourselves moving in that direction, but it will not come unless you put efforts. We put efforts into The Foundation of all Perfections, or the Odyssey to Freedom or lam rim. What you really need is to know how long it is from here to there, how many points I have to cross. It is simple: like if you have to go from here to Lansing, you figure out how many miles, and then as you drive, the signs will say where you are and you know how much you have covered. Spiritual development is very similar to that; don't think it is something else! The first level comes; you have covered one step. The second level comes; you have covered two steps. In the Odyssey to Freedom, we have introduced a total of 64 steps, so you can see where you are going. You can start on 13 through 1778 together in the Odyssey to Freedom, and thereafter you have to follow each step one at a time. That is the measurement people will take where the individual is, where the individual's spiritual level has reached. How good you are is measured based on that point. This is the point of measurement where you are and what level you are. That is very important, that is the main thing, and nothing else. In Tibetan Buddhism, though there are initiations and mantra saying, trumpet blowing and dancing, what really makes difference to the individual is this. If you really want to benefit from Tibetan Buddhism, you really have to follow this. If you don't and you just read a few books, then you remain just a friend. You are not really a practitioner; you are not making difference to yourself. The real practitioner we are looking at here is somebody who makes a difference for themselves. In the beginning we are not looking at somebody 326

Gelek Rimpoche

who makes a difference for others, but looking for someone who makes a difference for themselves. And when they are making a difference for themselves well, then they can make a difference for others. That is the point. If you do not want to do anything but just read a few books and just socialize, then you will remain a friend, and I don't expect much effect for them either. That is why Rowena’s question is important. Torma or no torma, it doesn't matter. That is not important, and there's no torma offering anyway.

Student: In Kyabje Pabongka's lam rim, he mentioned do everything in this life for the next life, and don't do anything for this life. Rimpoche: I don't think you can take this literally. It doesn't mean don't work, and don't pay your bills! It doesn’t mean not to take responsibility for your life. What it really means is that spiritual practitioners should be free of attachment to samsaric delights. In another words, you work for your living, you work for your life, but you don't have to work till you become a multi-billionaire. You don't have to work till you become a slave to your money. One of the best gifts of the Buddha to the community is satisfaction, being satisfied with the life you have. Be satisfied with whatever you have, whatever life you have. That doesn't mean that if you can get better, you cannot take it! You should definitely take it, and enjoy it. If it causes you to enjoy it and get caught in it too much, then it is not worth it. So you really have to read between the lines.

Student: Can you share with us your experience of emptiness?

327

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Rimpoche: Think about how you perceive anything – let’s say you are observing Tim Baker. How do I perceive Tim? Tim has identity, his physical appearance, handsome or cute, and there is the entity inside occupying that identity. There is somebody inside saying, ‘That is my head, my hand, my nose.’ That is the entity within the individual. Then there is a label called Tim Baker, that label was put on. When he first came, when he was born, the entity came. The entity somehow occupied this body or identification and started growing. And then at the same time he picked up the label on the way. So now when you have the three - the entity, the identity and the label - combined together we have Tim Baker. So if there is no identity [or body] then we are not sure whether it is Tim or somebody else. We don't even know because there is no identity. If the entity [mind] is not within the identity, when we see the identity we will not say it is Tim. We will say something else. So the people who do not know Tim, they know ‘that person’. But when the person is introduced as Tim Baker, that person says, ‘Ha, this is Tim!’ Your perceiving is dependent on the three different things: correct label, correct identity and correct entity. If entity is wrong like when people go into trance, some other entity comes in, then we will not identify that person as that particular person but we will say this is Oracle So-and-so. So the label or point in which Tim exists depends on the collection of the three points- entity, identity, and label. That shows you Tim does not exist independently, because his existence is dependent upon the three conditions. Being free from independent existence might not be really true emptiness. However this is the step in which we begin to see that everything is empty of something called ‘this is it’. It all depends on collectiveness. When we collectively

328

Gelek Rimpoche

work and label, then it works. If there is a part missing, then it won't work. Tsongkhapa specially said at the end of The Three Principals of the Path, that you don't look into the empty, you look into the existence, you look into how we exist. When you look into that, sometimes we may wrongly say there is nothing. Emptiness must negate nothingness. Existence must negate the existentialistic viewpoint. Normally you say if you see something and if it is not there, that is not true because I see it. But really in the view of emptiness, existence will negate the two extremes of existence. Independent existing will cut out the nihilistic viewpoint. You find emptiness through existence, through how I exist. Only through that will you find it. You are not going to find how empty I am. And when you find there is nothing called ‘this is it’ so then it is changeable. It depends on conditions, it becomes changeable. There is room for everything. I think Nagarjuna said that if somebody does not know emptiness they can do nothing. Because they think everything is some kind of fixed, static, and permanent, they can do nothing. This is because the empty nature has not been discovered.

Student: Can you talk some more about compassion in action? Do we get comfortable with people's pain, or allow other people's sufferings? Rimpoche: My understanding is that whatever we have been talking all this time has been compassion in action. What I am hearing from you seems specifically compassion in action dealing with people. I don't know what you have in mind. It seems to me something about dealing with people. You know, 329

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

what I have found in my personal experience, every single thing you do if you go with an open mind and caring and compassionate mind, at the beginning you are bound to meet with a little hostility from some people. People always come out with the idea of being suspicious or protecting themselves. So you probably meet some with a reserved attitude or maybe a hostile attitude. Some people are like that; they don't know how to function without being defensive or distrustful. So with these people what you really have to do is be what you are, and be what your intention is. After a while, most of them are intelligent, and may begin to realize you mean no competition or threat for them, and then they will change their attitude gradually. This is exactly the story I share with you about the African senior lady. One, we have to make sure ourselves we are not manipulating, make sure we don't have those little cunning things we do. Be honestly what you are and be straightforward. At the same time, try not to be rude. If you are a rude person even if you are honest, straightforward and caring, people cannot perceive you in that way, because of your rudeness. Otherwise, if you go with open mind, and talk with them in a caring way, and with a little wisdom how much you should speak or shut up, people will gradually trust you and respect you. That is how it really works. Compassion or no compassion. If there is compassion it is better. Student: I guess what I am referring to is someone I know is very sick. You want to understand them and the space they are in. Rimpoche: This is a very important question. We definitely have to be helpful but sometimes it is the person concern whether

330

Gelek Rimpoche

it is illness or not, they are in denial. If you can show them they are wrong, and that they can accept and make the change, it is worthwhile to point out. If you have this problem, that you have to take care or else you are going to suffer and die - going to that point even if done with good motivation, might not necessarily be kind. It will help and it will make difference to the individual but individual should have the right to choose whatever the way the individual wants to. If you look from one angle, from the medical point of view, when you are sick, you got to get the doctor, you got to have your medicine - if that is accepted and is going to help, then that's very good. If the person is not going to accept, you have to respect the person's wish too. I believe democracy is all about that. People like to believe in certain things they believe in. Those who like to believe in the Republicans, they believe the Republicans and same thing with Democrats, or Ross Perot! Who knows what is good for the country? No one can force and say. ‘You are wrong and I am going all the way whatever it takes to turn you round and make you a Democratic party member!’ You can't do that. It is the same thing in this matter, too. If the person has the willingness and understanding and it helps, you can help. But don't harm them if the person is not willing. If I am late and somebody reminds me, I have the tendency to sit for another five minutes or so before going! If I am pushed in one direction, I have the tendency to go in another! That is my character. So sometimes it is not helpful to be too pushy. Student: How do we get comfortable with that? Rimpoche: A, you try your best. B, it might not be your responsibility. And C, you tried and that is his or her wish. 331

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Accept that, why can't you accept the other person's wish? That is what he wishes for his life whatever it is. I am not saying it is great. I am not saying one cannot help others but there should be a line drawn between how much you can do and how much you don't do. For example, it is okay if you go on the street [protesting abortion] and you say, ‘Well I am protecting the unborn.’ But when you go and say ‘I have to stop this thing completely, so even if you are doctor here you go,” and shoot the person down, that is not okay! You are taking a step too far. Lots of people do have these difficulties especially with the loved ones you care about. You really want to shape them in a different way than what they want to be. It is going to be very hard. Sometimes you can't help it even though you know better. But the person must have all the information. You give them every piece of information available for that person. That is wisdom, that is knowledge, and that helps the person to make his mind up. Whether he changes his mind or is stubborn, that is his choice. We cannot push them or turn them round. We must draw the limit. Otherwise instead of becoming a friend, you become an enemy. You get upset; they get upset and not even on speaking terms. And each one will say, ‘I tried to do the best for him,’ and the other one probably will say, ‘I know what I want!’ That won't work.

Student: (Regarding equanimity) Rimpoche: I think equanimity is looking to two different points of view. Definitely Elizabeth is equal to Kathy is equal to handsome Tim; they are equals and also I should perceive them as equally important. But on a practical level, let’s say I 332

Gelek Rimpoche

help Elizabeth, and Kathy, but I don't have any more time for Tim. You are not neglecting Tim but you have already exhausted whatever you can offer, whether it is time or energy. You did not choose and reject. You did whatever you could, and if you could, you would have done for Tim, too. So I don't think it is the choice. If you think that if you did this for this person, and couldn't do that for that person and you are making a distinction and therefore better not to do anything, this is of course a wrong idea. It is a wrong idea because it will benefit no one. I believe that is how I see it. Student: Bodhisattvas are committed to help all sentient beings Rimpoche: The way Bodhisattvas function is that they are sort of totally committed to help all the sentient beings. And whatever they can do, that's what they do. That doesn't mean you have to do everything because it is impossible! But you have the willingness to do everything. You are willing to go and do everything. But physically it might not be possible. Mentally, yes. You have that motivation set up. Another thing is also, whatever you are doing, you do for the benefit of them, rather than what they ask you to do. And that also works. Student: Isn't it also the point that you are equalizing yourself with others? Rimpoche: Yes, that is also the point. And Elizabeth is equal to Kathy, Kathy is equal to Tim, Tim is equal to David, David is equal to me.

Student: Are ghosts beings?

333

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Rimpoche: Bardo beings are in the intermediate state; they are not ghosts.79 Student: They are not like hungry ghosts? Rimpoche: Most of the spirits and ghosts that we talk about are hungry ghosts, in that category 99.9 per cent. The bardo or intermediate state people are very little in that manner. Student: So hungry ghosts do exist? Rimpoche: Sure. Ghosts are real. I have seen them. Ghosts are really true. They are there, you can't deny them. Students: One of my sisters interacts with ghosts. Rimpoche: That is where you draw the limit. You care for your sister but you do not want to encourage or discourage her dealing with ghosts. That is true. That's how you should go.

Student: (Read from letter) Can I attain omniscience using the scripture and meditation? Rimpoche: If you get information from the scripture and you meditate, sure you can get omniscience. I am sure you can omniscience out of that, but you have to have correct scripture, and correct meditation. I mean this is funny. I don't know how you look at the word scripture. In your mind it may be a little holy for you. For me, if you say book or scripture or religious teaching book, these are all information. I do not think one is holier than the other. That is how the human mind works. It might not necessarily be human mind but the background of the individual works that way. So I would not just let it go to assume that just by using the word scripture therefore it has to be right. I will not go for that. It has to be that way.

334

Gelek Rimpoche

Student: Respect to the Buddha and lineages to all the great ones - will this be my mentor? Rimpoche: Sure. If you cannot use Buddha as your mentor and all the great ones is your mentor, then it is very difficult for us to have a good mentor. And do you suggest a conventional mentor if you find a good one? Why not? Respect to the Buddha and the lineage of the great ones, will this be my mentor? We have a saying in the Buddhist tradition, the story of the Buddha which has already gone is the guide for the future followers. Naturally it is definitely a mentor for following the Buddha. So Buddha, lineage of the great ones are definitely can be mentor. If you find good one in life, that is also good. And I think these sorts of things what we are getting here are very important, because we can really talk and share it. If anybody has any questions or comments or rebuttals you are welcome to use this opportunity.

Student: In The Foundation of All Perfections, the first step is to rely on the guru. Can the guru be in book form? Rimpoche: That will be a little difficult. I think the guru has to be a person, I don't think it can be anything else. There may be a book comes out of manifestation or something, which is sort of theoretical point of view. But I don't think the book is a guru. No guru is book or guru appears as book. Occasionally maybe some special cases maybe, but not normally, and especially a public printed text is not going to be.

335

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Student: Rimpoche, what about deliberately obeying an unenlightened mentor versus an enlightened mentor? Rimpoche: How do we know who is enlightened or who is not? At our level, we don't. If you look at your mentor as an enlightened one, it will help you to get certain information, messages and guidance by enlightened ones. If you look your mentor as an unenlightened one, you get unenlightened guidance and messages. So it is not the individual. It is the perception of the self, not the individual. Doesn't matter whether it is dog or cat or great guru.

Student: Isn't it also one of Buddha's disciple got enlightened when Buddha raised a flower? He was instantly enlightened without the rest of the instructions. Rimpoche: Perhaps that person might have done the work already. We don't talk about that part of the story. We simply say Buddha smiled and showed the flower and he got enlightened. That is true, absolutely true. The person worked for many lifetimes, and at the final point the Buddha came and gave him the flower, and a big smile.

Student: Does the guru accelerate your time to enlightenment? Rimpoche: Otherwise what is he for?

Student: Does nature itself naturally lead us to enlightenment? Rimpoche: No. That is a very important point. A lot of people will think that we are here, we are going to go up and better and better, and we reach the level of human beings, and we

336

Gelek Rimpoche

will go on getting better and better by nature. I normally keep my mouth shut and don't say anything about this, but I begin to realize that by not commenting it may be doing a disservice. When I say no, it’s not like that, some people may feel a little offended, but the truth is you are responsible for your own deeds. When you are improving your own actions and positivity, the goodness within you grows. When you are collecting bad actions, then you go back and forth. We have not yet developed the immune system of going forward only, we are still going back and forth. So things will not work naturally, not simply by nature. Even logically, you can figure out that it is not possible. Just look at our daily lives, just today itself. How many times we move backwards and forwards! So if you leave it to nature, you are not going to get anywhere. Sometimes you go all the way forward, and sometimes all the way backward, so it is not going to work at all. Right now, our nature is push and pull. If you leave it there naturally, you are not going to be enlightened. The possibility is there, but you have to earn it.

337

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

The Bottom Line I looked back at what we have been doing, The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. We talked in great detail about how Bodhisattvas function, and what is their way of life. I am repeating this again to make it very simple because it is a very important point, so it is always important to repeat and to make it certain and clear, rather than confused. We have talked about lots of details and there is no point in going back over them all. You can look back, and you can read about them. The Bodhicaryavatara is available in English, and the commentaries are available in English. Commentaries on the Bodhisattvacharyavatara There are two commentaries in English which are strongly recommended - A Flash of Lightning in the Dark Of Night by the Dalai Lama, and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's Meaningful to Behold. These two are the most important commentaries available. Meaningfold to Behold was written many years ago. I know for a fact that, during that time, Geshe-la was teaching in England, and each part of the draft was sent to Kyabje Trijang Rimpoche80 who was alive then. He corrected everything from beginning page to end. So it is very very good and important. We all wrote a little here and there and Kyabje Trijang Rimpoche sometimes almost rewrote everything, but he never got the credit. Even ‘under the instruction of Kyabje Trijang Rimpoche’ was cut out. It was really done that way, at least the Tibetan version, and then it was translated into English. So it is very important. Sometimes people even wonder why should we read Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books.81 But the book is a book, information is information. As far as this commentary is

338

Gelek Rimpoche

concerned, Kyabjey Trijang Rimpoche put a lot of efforts into it, so it is very fortunate for us to read in the language that we understand. If we don't we lose, that is quite clear. The bottom line Once again, to make it simple, what do Bodhisattvas do? They conduct their lives on the principle of love and compassion. What do they look down on? What do they dislike? They dislike it when you function in your life under the control or influence of anger, attachment and hatred. That is what they don't want. They work with love and compassion and a little bit of wisdom, that means knowing what you are doing. That is the way and how they have to function. Bottom line, that is the Bodhisattva's way of life, and all other points are details. We cover in detail how it happened, what happened, why you handle this and that, but the bottom line is this - what we try to avoid is anger, hatred, jealousy, ignorance, and so forth. To make even shorter, hatred, attachment and ignorance. So that is also for ourselves. When we want to conduct our life, on what principle do we conduct ourselves? With what motivation do we conduct ourselves? We don't want ourselves spending time giving service to our attachment. We don't want to spend even a single second to render service to our hatred. And certainly we would like to be out of ignorance way and be out of its control whenever we can. That is very important. And we replace ignorance, hatred and attachment with love and compassion, with caring. That is in every single thing we do in our daily life, from the moment we open your eyes till we go to sleep at night. Whatever we do in our life if we have that as the principle, then we are really following the Bodhisattva's way of life, whether in detail or not.

339

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

If you don’t have that, but are under the control of anger, jealousy, hatred, then you know yourself that you are miserable. You know for yourself that you are jealous, anxious, and impatient and you have almost sort of developed a phobia about being alive! All these are there. How our minds influence our experience Our minds are so funny! It is interesting, we all know that. I just went to San Francisco for the weekend. When I travel by plane, I normally try to get a bigger seat, meaning the seat near the emergency exit. I did not get it this time, so I thought it was going to be difficult. The gentleman in front of me was completely lying relaxed with his seat tilted back, and literally his head came over my lap! On my right hand side, there was a young woman and her child, about six or seven years old. The poor child has to get up and run, but I couldn't get up because the person in front was like this, and fast asleep! He won't even move. I tried to get up and slipped through underneath. The lady asked me if I was okay. I said I was and got up. I wondered, “How can I sit like that for four hours?” I started to get anxious, but suddenly I thought, “How silly! The time goes and is ticking away, and time will go without realizing what had happened. By the time you reach San Francisco, everything is over. Why do I do that to myself, why get anxious?” So I relaxed. So it is exactly the mind, you know. The suggestions we pick up, and ideas we pick up and that we feed the mind. The mind become anxious, or relaxed. That's what's happens for a number of people, a number of us. It was only four hours and I did not have to spend the whole time there because there was an empty seat up ahead, so I moved. Even then it was a middle seat, but the person in front was not leaning back like that, so it was okay. But the point is that 340

Gelek Rimpoche

whatever and whenever the mind suggests, we pick it up so seriously! When you look up, people start saying, “Oh, I wish this thing had not happened, and now it has happened!” Years ago we had the story that Gloria had a ticket, a speeding ticket. It was not the ticket she was worried about, but the insurance. She was not actually speeding but getting off at some exit. It was seven or eight years go. Her mind was speeding up three times faster than the reality of what the consequences could be! So she got upset because she thought that and this was going to happen. Apparently it did not happen, if I remember correctly. So these things, our minds speed up the sufferings and torture that we give to ourselves, and adds up the anxiety and all these. This is exactly how we perceive by our mind and those problems. There was a traditional Tibetan teaching. A woman was lying down and daydreaming that if she had a son, she would called him Dawa Drakpa, meaning Popular Moon. She kept on thinking on those lines, and she was not even pregnant. So there was nothing there but in her mind she built it up. And then a bag of grain fell on her and killed her! Don’t add to your own sufferings Anyway, the idea is that before anything happens our minds project so much and we torture ourselves. That is one thing important not to do. It is not that you have knowledge and understanding, that you have to take precautions. You should do it, do not hesitate. But don't add up the sufferings as though we don't have enough already! Adding up so many things and anxiety like the example I gave you. Straightaway you develop phobias. All these sorts of things will come up in your head.

341

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

If you look the other way round, this is temporary, this is okay. In no time you will fall asleep whatever, and land in San Francisco! It is the mind that really makes difference even on the matter. Like ourselves we see whether we have anxiety or relaxation, due to the thoughts that we suggest to our head - just like that the positive action create positive result, and negative actions create negative results. It is nature. No one can change anything, not even the Buddha is in the position to change our karma. Whatever we do, we are responsible. When we hurt somebody we are going to get hurt sooner or later. That is our deeds, our responsibility. When we help somebody, we will be helped sooner or later. This is our deed and get that. That is why the Bodhisattva's way is looking out of functioning our life by the influence of hatred, attachment and ignorance. When you put anger, jealousy, hatred, it will go in one lump there. Then attachment, and then you have ignorance. We are already in that, that's why the Bodhisattvas look out of those. As I very often say, we don't have to go to school to learn how to get angry or develop attachment or develop ignorance. All these are there within us. By nature it is there. Anger is there, jealousy is there, hatred is there, attachment is there. As a matter of fact, not only there, we are experts! Some times you get so angry so much so that the anger could shake you physically, and it goes on. We know it and we see it for ourselves. When you are so angry, you are completely blind, you don't see anything else except you want to hurt the person you are angry with. The Bodhisattva's way is try to get away from that. So look at them and see for yourself how you function. ”How terrible I was, it is miserable. I am the other side of the monkey, the monkey's backside!” Think that and suggest to 342

Gelek Rimpoche

yourself that. Realize that the anger makes you ugly, realize that anger makes you look silly, realize anger makes you horrible, and suggest to yourself not to be angry. Don’t try this when you are actually angry or else probably you may have to fight within yourself! But when you are not angry, remember the problems of anger: how other people will perceive you when you are angry, monkey backwards, and how blind you become. Anger and attachment are both capable of blinding the individual. You can definitely function completely blindly. So recognize, remember and get away from there. The main key So that is basically if you want to train yourself in the spiritual practice, and that is the main key, whether you are Buddhist or whatever you might be. To me there is a big question. According to the Buddhist tradition, in order to be a Buddhist you have to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. But to have spiritual development, I don't think you have to become a Buddhist. The bottom line is you have to think is whether only Buddhists are going to make it and not others? I don't think you can say that only Buddhists are going to make it. The simple reason why this is so is because whether you are going to make it or not depends on the way you function. It is totally based on karma, how you create you positive karma and negative karma. I think that is the bottom line. So when you create all these positive karmas, you are bound to have positive results; and when you create negative karma, you are bound to have negative results. I think that is clear. If you are Buddhist, do you have to accept reincarnation? Wasn't there some article in Tricycle where 343

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Stephen Batchelor and Thurman had a debate?82 I don't think it is question of reincarnation or not. What I am thinking is if you are a Buddhist, do you have to buy reincarnation? That is what I am thinking. If you call yourself a Buddhist, you have to rely on the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is the gateway, so if you call yourself a Buddhist, you have to do that. But to liberate yourself, do you have to become Buddhist? I don't think you should say that you have to. Otherwise no non-Buddhist is going to be enlightened. That is not right to me. I think it is the basic principle of the karmic system which makes a difference. To become a Buddhist is an ornament, but I don't think it is the main thing. It is like an ornament added up, like a decoration to make it better and perfect, maybe it will help or act as a springboard, but the main thing is the individual. That is one way I am looking at it. Even among yourselves, when you call yourself Buddhists, there is a question whether you have to be a believer in reincarnation or karma for that matter. All these are big questions. But again, by simply taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, one becomes a Buddhist. Whether you follow the advice or not is an issue thereafter. If I were debating this, I would say that when a person takes refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, right at that minute would you consider them Buddhist or non Buddhist? Naturally you would have to say the person is a Buddhist, yet that person may have no understanding of karma or reincarnation. That proves that every Buddhist does not have to accept or understand reincarnation or karma! You can have this example straightaway. Maybe that is too theoretical.

344

Gelek Rimpoche

Just as taking refuge is the doorway to becoming a Buddhist, bodhimind which is ultimate unlimited unconditioned love and compassion, is the doorway to Mahayana. Like us here, we claimed to be Mahayana practitioners. Not only that, we claim to be Vajrayana practitioners: we would like to be in the Vajrayana weekend! But if you really look carefully whether we have the bodhimind within us, it is very difficult. Perhaps a very few people may have it, but most of us don't. Yet that's the doorway to Mahayana. So when we are talking about the Bodhisattva's way of life, we are talking about that mind in principle, meaning unlimited, unconditioned love and compassion, the caring as a principle of your life. You function according to that in everything, whether you are working for yourself, or you are dealing with other people. Whatever it might be, that is the principle of your life. Your life is completely influenced and governed by love and compassion instead of anger and attachment. When that is happening actually the Bodhisattva's way is happening. That ensures that we can and will become totally enlightened. In order to get that, we train our minds. We train our minds not only in a meditative way on a cushion, but even more in our everyday functioning. So in our life, in the way we function, if we push ourselves in that ma1111111nner, then that is Buddhism, exactly. Buddhism is not necessarily only a philosophy, but a way of life. It is not necessarily only a way of life, it is also a religion. It is not only a religion, but also a how to govern our life, how to deal with our life. That is what it is. We are almost to the end of Chapter Three

345

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Verse 33 For all those guests traveling on the path of conditioned existence Who wish to experience the bounties of happiness, This will satisfy them with joy And actually place them in supreme bliss Now let's look at this. For all those guests traveling on the path of conditioned existence. What are they talking about? Any idea? In English, there are numbered verses, but in the Tibetan we just have it all running together. When it says, for those people who are traveling on the path of conditioned existence, it is talking about samsara. We are all traveling through life after life. You know death follows birth, birth follows death, the cycle is continuously going. This is reincarnation they are talking about, lives continuously going one after another. We are travelers traveling through conditioned existence. What does that do? We the people are always seeking some kind of relief, we are running through samsara, and we want joy, we want the bounties of happiness, and we want to utilize those joys. If you are looking for a break, this is the break for you., bodhimind, the mind that will give you a break in the continuation of suffering! This is the method that will satisfy all beings who are really seeking some kind of break in our journey, satisfy them with joy and actually place them in great bliss. This will really satisfy you, give you a break.

346

Gelek Rimpoche

Verse 34 Today in the presence of all the Protectors I invite the world to be guests At (a festival of) temporay and ultimate delight. May gods, demi-gods and all be joyful. Today in the presence of all the Protectors, meaning all the Buddhas and enlightened beings, I have invited all to be my guests, whether it is temporary or permanent guests.83 I tell them I will help them. I have committed myself to guide them. You have already invited all the sentient beings, and you should ultimately have joy that you are able to help them. They are your most important guests, so you should serve them, help them, do whatever you have to do. You have to do that. This concludes Chapter Three, which is about how you develop bodhimind and what you do with it. We already shared with you the development of bodhimind through the seven-stage development, and, even a little bit on the exchange stage of development and Tsongkhapa's special way of doing it, Seven-Eleven, open twenty-four hours a day! This means that when you put together the seven-stage and exchange method, it becomes eleven stages. You can practice these methods anytime, doesn't matter where you are. If you have the opportunity when you are in the bathroom taking a shower or sitting on the throne, you can do it! That is why I said it is open twenty-four hours. But you need to know what you are doing. That is why we talked to you earlier about the seven-stage method of development. The exchange method will come later.

347

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

To be kind, compassionate and loving is one thing, while to develop bodhimind is another, far greater thing. It is a stage you reach. You are training yourself in love, kindness, in compassion, and that pops you up, lifts you up and you reach a higher stage. And at that very stage when you really get it, there you become a Bodhisattva. Purification and accumulation of positive potential Once you become a Bodhisattva, purification also is done by the bodhimind itself. All negativities cannot be purified unless it is by powerful bodhimind. We had that in Chapter One.84 Purification through bodhimind comes almost automatically. Accumulation of goodness also comes automatically with bodhimind, because your mind is totally influenced by compassion. So everything whatsoever that you do becomes positive by nature, unless you are directly doing some negativities such as killing somebody, or cheating somebody or lying to somebody. Unless by nature it is negative, you can't help doing good. Everything other than things negative by nature become positive karma. You know that there are two things we need to do, to purify the wrong actions and to accumulate the good actions. Both of these are done automatically by bodhimind. So it becomes so important when it really becomes a part of you. Pretending to be a Bodhisattva Until we actually develop real bodhimind and become Bodhisattvas ourselves, we try to behave in the way they function. We get benefits even from this. We may not really have bodhimind yet, but at least we are copying it. By copying, we are reducing the negativities down, and building the positivity up, so that itself makes us better and perfect even, because we are responsible to ourselves. Our karma, my karma is my responsibility. If I do something good, I am bound to enjoy the results. If I do something bad, I am 348

Gelek Rimpoche

bound to suffer. That is definite. That is the principle on which we function. If you remember this, then this all makes sense; otherwise, it doesn't make much sense. I think that is all I have to say. At least I finished this chapter. I am supposed to finish this book, but it may take ten years or whatever, who knows! But this chapter is finished.

349

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

350

Gelek Rimpoche

351

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

TIBETAN TEXT

1. SEMS CAN KUN GYI NGAN SONG GI , SDUG BSNGAL NGAL SO'I DGE BA DANG, SDUG BSNGAL CAN DAG BDER GNAS LA, DGA' BAS RJES SU YI RANG NGO

2. BYANG CHUB RGYUR GYUR DGE BSAGS PA, DE LA RJES SU YI RANG NGO, LUS CAN 'KHOR BA'I SDUG BSNGAL LAS, NGES PAR THAR LA YI RANG NGO

3. SKYOB PA RNAMS KYI BYANG CHUB DANG, RGYAL SRAS SA LA'ANG YI RANG NGO,

4. SEMS CAN THAMS CAD BDE MDZAD PA'I, THUGS BSKYED DGE BA RGYA MTSO DANG, SEMS CAN PHAN PA MDZAD PA LA, DGA' BAS RJES SU YI RANG NGO

5. PHYOGS RNAMS KUN GYI SANGS RGYAS LA, THAL SBYAR TE GSOL BA NI, SEMS CAN SDUG BSNGAL MUN 'THOMS LA, CHOS KYI SGRON MA SPAR DU GSOL,

352

Gelek Rimpoche

6. RGYAL BA MYA NGAN 'DA' BZHED LA, THAL MO SBYAR TE GSOL BA NI, 'GRO 'DI LDONGS PAR MI DGOD CING, BSKAL PA GRANGS MED BZHUGS PAR GSOL,

7. DE LTAR 'DI DAG KUN BYAS TE, DGE BA BDAG GIS BSAGS PA GANG, DES NI SEMS CAN THAMS CAD KYI, SDUG BSNGAL THAMS CAD BSAL BAR SHOG

8. 'GRO BA NAD PA JI SRID DU, NAD SOS GYUR GYI BAR DU NI, SMAN DANG SMAN PA NYID DAG DANG, DE YI NAD G-YOG BYED PAR SHOG

9. ZAS DANG SKOM GYI CHAR PHAB STE, BKRES DANG SKOM PA'I SDUG BSNGAL BSAL, MU GE'I BSKAL PA BAR MA'I TSE, BDAG NI ZAS DANG SKOM DU GYUR,

10. SEMS CAN PHONGS SHING DBUL BA LA, BDAG NI MI ZAD GTER GYUR TE, YO BYAD MKHO DGU SNA TSOGS SU, MDUN DU NYE BAR GNAS GYUR CIG

11. LUS DANG DE BZHIN LONGS SPYOD DANG, DUS GSUM DGE BA THAMS CAD KYANG, SEMS CAN KUN GYI DON SGRUB PHYIR,

353

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

PHONGS BA MED PAR GTANG BAR BYA

12. THAMS CAD BTANG BAS MYA NGAN 'DA', BDAG BLO MYA NGAN 'DAS PA SGRUB, THAMS CAD GTONG BAR CHABS GCIG LA, SEMS CAN RNAMS LA BTANG BA MCHOG

13. BDAG GIS LUS CAN THAMS CAD LA, LUS 'DI CI BDER BYIN ZIN GYIS, RTAG TU GSOD DANG SMOD PA'AM, BRDEG SOGS CI DGAR BYED LA RAG

14. BDAG GI LUS LA RTZE BYED DAM, CO 'DRI GA ZHA'I RGYU BYED KYANG, BDAG GI LUS 'DI BYIN ZIN GYIS, 'DI YI KHA TAS CI ZHIG BYA,

15. DE LA GNOD PAR MI 'GYUR BA'I, LAS GANG YIN PA'ANG BYED DU CHUG BDAG LA DMIGS NAS NAM DU YANG, 'GA' YANG DON MED MA GYUR CIG

16. BDAG LA DMIGS NAS GANG DAG GI KHRO'AM DAD PA'I SEMS BYUNG BA, DE NYID RTAG TU DE DAG GI DON KUN 'GRUB PA'I RGYUR GYUR CIG

17. GANG DAG BDAG LA KHA ZER RAM, GZHAN DAG GNOD PA BYED PA'AM, DE BZHIN PHYAR KA GTONG YANG RUNG, THAMS CAD BYANG CHUB SKAL LDAN GYUR

354

Gelek Rimpoche

18. BDAG NI MGON MED RNAMS KYI MGON, LAM ZHUGS RNAMS KYI DED DPON DANG, BRGAL 'DOD RNAMS KYI GRU DANG NI, GZINGS DANG ZAM PA NYID DU GYUR

19. DRI BA DON GNYER LA GLING DANG NI, GNAS MAL 'DOD LA GNAS MAL DANG, BDAG NI LUS CAN BRAN 'DOD PA, KUN GYI BRAN DU GYUR PAR SHOG

20. YID BZHIN NOR DANG BUM PA BZANG, RIG SNGAGS GRUB DANG SMAN CHEN DANG, DPAG BSAM GYI NI SHING DAG DANG, LUS CAN RNAMS KYI 'DOD 'JOR GYUR,

21. SA SOGS 'BYUNG BA CHEN PO DANG, NAM MKHA' BZHIN DU RTAG PAR YANG, SEMS CAN DPAG TU MED PA YI, RNAM MANG NYER 'TSO'I GZHIR YANG SHOG

22. DE BZHIN NAM MKHA'I MTHAS GTUGS PA'I, SEMS CAN KHAMS LA RNAM KUN DU; THAMS CAD MYA NGAN 'DAS BAR DU, BDAG NI NYER 'TSO'I RGYURYANG SHOG

23. JI LTAR SNGON GYI BDE GSHEGS KYIS,

355

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

BYANG CHUB THUGS NI BSKYED PA DANG, BYANG CHUB SEMS DPA'I BSLAB PA LA, DE DAG RIM BZHIN GNAS PA LTAR

24. DE BZHIN 'GRO LA PHAN DON DU BYANG CHUB SEMS NI BSKYED BGYI ZHING, DE BZHIN DU NI BSLAB PA LA'ANG, RIM PA BZHIN DU BSLAB PAR BGYI,

25. DE LTAR BLO DANG LDAN PA YIS, RAB DANG BYANG CHUB SEMS BZUNG NAS, MJUG KYANG RGYAS PAR BYA BA'I PHYIR, SEMS NI 'DI LTAR GZENGS BSTOD DO

26. DENG DU BDAG TSE 'BRAS BU YOD, MI YI SRID PA LEGS PAR THOB, DI RING SANGS RGYAS RIGS SU SKYES, SANGS RGYAS SRAS SU BDAG DENG GYUR

27. DA NI BDAG GIS CI NAS KYANG, RIGS DANG MTHUN PA'I LAS BRTZAMS TE, SKYON MED BTZUN PA'I RIGS 'DI LA, RNYOG PAR MI 'GYUR DE LTAR BYA,

28. LONG BAS PHYAG DANG PHUNG PO LAS, JI LTAR RIN CHEN RNYED PA LTAR,

356

Gelek Rimpoche

DE BZHIN JI ZHIG LTAR STES NAS, BYANG CHUB SEMS 'DI BDAG LA SKYES

29. 'GRO BA'I 'CHI BDAG 'JOMS BYED PA'I, BDUD RTZI MCHOG KYANG 'DI YIN NO, 'GRO BA'I DBUL BA SEL BA YI, MI ZAD GTER YANG 'DI YIN NO,

30. 'GRO BA'I NAD RAB ZHI BYED PA'I, SMAN GYI MCHOG KYANG 'DI YIN NO, SRID LAM 'KHYAM ZHING DUB PA YI, 'GRO BA'I NGAL SO LJON SHING YIN,

31. 'GRO BA THAMS CAD NGAN 'GRO LAS, SGROL BAR BYED PA'I SPYI STEGS YIN, 'GRO BA'I NYON MONGS GDUNG SEL BA'I, SEMS KYI ZLA BA SHAR BA YIN

32. 'GRO BA'I ME SHES RAB RIB DAG DPYIS 'BYIN NYI MA CHEN PO YIN, DAM CHOS 'O MA BSRUBS PA LAS, MAR GYI NYING KHU BYUNG BA YIN,

33. 'GRO BA'I MGRON PO SRID PA'I LAM RGYU ZHING; BDE BA'I LONGS SPYOD SPYAD PAR 'DOD PA LA, 'DI NI BDE BA'I MCHOG TU NYER GNAS TE, SEMS CAN MGRON CHEN TSIM PAR BYED PA YIN,

357

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

34. BDAG GIS DI RING SKYOB PA THAMS CAD KYI, SPYAN SNGAR 'GRO BA BDE GSHEGS NYID DANG NI, BAR DU BDE LA MGRON DU BOS ZIN GYIS, LHA DANG LHA MIN LA SOGS DGA' BAR GYIS

BYANG CHUB SEMS DPA'I SPYOD PA LA 'JUG PA LAS, BYANG CHUB KYI SEMS YONGS SU GZUNG BA ZHES BYA BA STE LE'U GSUM PA'O

358

Gelek Rimpoche

GLOSSARY

ABSOLUTE TRUTH see TWO TRUTHS ACTION FORM see BODHIMIND ABIDHARMA (chos.mngon.pa) The general name for the Buddhist teachings presented in a scientific manner, as a fully elaborated transcendental psychology. As one of the branches of the canon (tripitaka or three baskets) it corresponds to the discipline of wisdom, whereas the sutras correspond to meditation and the vinaya to morality.

ACCUMULATION OF MERIT see MERIT

AGGREGATES (Skr. , Tib. phungpo) see:

359

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

ANANDA (Tib. kun dga’ o) A major disciple of the Buddha; his personal attendant. The other two most famous disciples awereShariputra and . ANALYTICAL MEDITATION (Tib. dbyad sgom) Using reasoning to explore a meditation topic, engaging oneself in it mentally and emotionally, until one reaches either a conclusion (as in the meditation on death ) or a positive mental state (as in meditations on love and compassion); one then concentrates on what one has reached. ANGULIMALA A spiritual seeker who, following the advice of an unreliable teacher, killed 999 people in one week. Yet when Shakyamuni Buddha taught him the true path, he purified himself and became an Arhat. ARHAT (Tib. dra.bcom.pa) 'Enemy destroyer' or 'foe destroyer'. One who has overcome the delusions or negative emotions and attained liberation from cyclic existence; the spiritual ideal of Hinayana Buddhism. The two types of Arhats are Shravakas (Hearers) and PratyekaBuddhas (Solitary Realizers). ARYA ('phags.pa) Title meaning 'noble one'. One who has attained the third of the five paths, the path of insight (mthong lam) by directly perceiving the nature of reality. ASANGA (Tib. thogs-med) (fourth century) Extender of the chittama- tra or 'mind-only' school of tenets. The lineage of vast or widespread activities (method) was transmitted from Maitreya Buddha to Asanga. AVALOKITESHVARA or CHENREZIG (spyan ras gzigs) Embodiment of the love and compassion of the Buddhas; a in the family of Amitabha Buddha. Of great importance in Tibet as special protector of the religious life of the country. The Dalai Lama is considered to be a incarnation of Avalokiteshvara. In China he is known in female form as Kwanyin, protectress of women, children and animals.

360

Gelek Rimpoche

BARDO (Tib; Skt. anubhava) Intermediate state. The state of consciousness between death and rebirth. It begins the moment the consciousness leaves the body and ceases the moment the consciousness enters the body of the next life. One remains in that state anywhere from a moment to forty-nine days. BARDOWA A being in the intermediate state

BHAVAVIVEKA (500-570 CE) A student of Nagarjuna. One of the founders of the Madyamika Svatatrika school. BHUMI (Tib. sa) Ground. The ten bhumis or the ten grounds or the ten bodhisattva stages are the realizations of superior or Arya Bodhis- attvas: very joyful, stainless, luminous, radiant, difficult to overcome, approaching, gone afar, immovable, good intelligence, cloud of dharma. They are realizations on the Mahayana paths of seeing and meditation. See: Paths BIKSHU (Skt; Tib. dge slong) Buddhist mendicant monk. Bikshuni (dge slong ma) is the female counterpart. BLESSING (Tib. byin rlabs) The transformation of our mind from a negative state to a positive state, from an unhappy state to a happy state, or from a state of weakness to a state of strength through the inspiration of holy beings such as our Spiritual Guide, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas. BLISS An extremely pleasurable, comfortable and joyous feeling; in highest yoga the very subtle clear light mind experiencing great bliss is focused on emptiness.

BODHIMIND (Tib. byang.chub.sems.; Skt.) The altruistic motivation of a bodhisattva: a mind that is directed towards the attainment of Buddhahood, for the sake of all living beings; the fully open and dedicated heart. Once one has generated bodhimind, one enters the first bodhisattva path, the accumulation path (tshogs.lam). See: PATHS. Bodhimind is divided into the prayer form, the wish to become enlightened for the sake of others, and the action form, in

361

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

which one undertakes the activities of a Bodhisattva in accordance with Bodhisattva vows. Bodhimind is also divided into relative, which is what is usually considered bodhimind, and absolute or ultimate, which is the direct perception of emptiness under the influence of relative bodhimind. BODHISATTVA (Tib. byang.chub.sems.dpa') Also called 'child or heir of the Buddha' A living being who has generated bodhimind, the commitment to attain unexcelled, perfect enlightenment for the sake of all living beings. The term Bodhisattva refers to those on many levels: from those who have generated aspiration to enlightenment for the first time to those who have actually entered the bodhisattva path, which is developed through the ten stages (bhumis) and culminates in enlightenment, the attainment of Buddhahood. See: BHUMI BRAHMA (Tib. tshangs pa) Creator-lord of a universe; a title of a deity who has attained supremacy in a particular universe, rather than a personal name. A king of the gods who dwells in the form realm. At the time of Buddha Sakyamuni, Indra and Brahma requested Buddha to turn the wheel of dharma for the sake of all sentient beings. BUDDHA (Tib. sangs-rgyas) . Title of one who has attained the highest attainment, who has completely purified (sangs) all the defilements and completely extended (rgyas) and perfected, his understanding. A fully enlightened being is perfect in omniscience and compassion. Every being has the potential to become a completely enlightened Buddha. There are countless Buddhas. This eon is to have one thousand Buddhas. Shakyamuni Buddha is the fourth Buddha in this eon. The first three were Krakuchchanda, Kanakamuni and Kashyapa. The fifth Buddha will be Maitreya, the eleventh Buddha is predicted to be Je Tsong khapa and as the last one of the thousand of this eon Roca is mentioned. BUDDHAPALITA (circa. 470-550 C.E.) A great Madhyamika master, elucidator of a major work of Nagarjuna. Because of this, he was later regarded as the founder of the Prasangika sub-school.

362

Gelek Rimpoche

BUDDHISM 101 and BUDDHISM 102 Gelek Rinpoche uses these terms to refer to the lower and middle scopes (B101) and the higher scope (B102). In other words, 101. is determining to free oneself from the suffering of cyclic existence, and 102. is committing oneself to attain enlightenment in order to free all beings from this suffering. CAUSAL VEHICLE see SUTRAYANA

COLLECTIVE KARMA see KARMA COMPASSION. (Skt. karuna Tib.snying rje) The wish to free others from their suffering. See: Great compassion. CONCENTRATED MEDITATION (‘jok gom) placing one’s mind stably on an object. CONTAMINATED PHENOMENON A contaminated phenomenon is any phenomenon that gives rise to delusions or that causes them to increase. DAKAS and DAKINIS. (Tib. mkha’ ‘gro; mkha’ ‘gro ma) Male and female 'sky-goers'; beings who help arouse blissful energy in a qualified tantric practitioner. Also uses to refer to Vajrayana practitioners, the Vajrayana Sangha. DEDICATION Refers to the bodhisattva's constant mindfulness of the fact that all his actions of whatever form contribute to his purpose of attaining enlightenment for the sake of himself and others, i.e. his conscious dedicating, offering, giving away of the merit that comes from any virtuous actions.

DEGENERATE AGE (Skt. kali yuga) That period when the traditions of Buddha's teachings are no longer pure and the world situation makes it difficult to properly practice the dharma. DELUSION (Skt.klesha, Tib.nyong mongs) see NEUROSES. A thought, emotion or impulse that is pervaded by ignorance, disturbs

363

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

the mind and initiates actions (karma) which keep one bound within cyclic existence. That which makes the mind impure. Some synonyms are afflictive emotions, neuroses, harmful attitudes, negativities. DEPENDENT ARISING Dependent arising or interdependent origination or dependent existence or interdependent relationship. (Skt. Pratityasamutpada. Tib. Rten ‘bjung or rten ‘bral) Any phenomenon that exists in dependence upon other phenomena is a dependent- related phenomenon. Sometimes dependent-related is distinguished from dependent-arising with the latter meaning arising in dependence upon causes and conditions. However, the two terms are often used interchangeably. DETERMINATION TO BE FREE The first of the three principles of the path enumerated by : resolving to free oneself from the suffering of cyclic existence through purification, accumulation of merit and wisdom. Also called RENUNCIATION or SEEKING FREEDOM.

DEVADATTA A cousin of Buddha Shakyamuni who was his persistent antagonist throughout all his lifetimes.

DHARMA (chos) Buddha's teachings and the realizations that are attained in dependence on them. One's spiritual development. That which holds one back from suffering by correcting what is not helpful. DHARMAKAYA (chos.kyi.sku) Truth Body. The mind of a fully enlightened being, which remains meditatively absorbed in the direct perception of emptiness while simultaneously cognising all phenomena. See: KAYA

DHARMAKIRTI Great Indian master logician who lived around 630 CE.; author of Pramanasiddhi, Pramanavartika and other works. One of the three main monasteries of the Gelug tradition along with Ganden and Sera. The monastery Gelek Rinpoche lived in..

364

Gelek Rimpoche

DUALISTIC VIEW Ignorant view characteristic of the unenlightened mind in which all things are falsely conceived to have concrete self-existence. To such a view the appearance of an object is mixed with the false image of its being independent or self-existent, thereby leading to further dualistic views concerning subject and object, self and other, this and that, etc. EIGHT WORLDLY DHARMAS (Tib. 'jig.rten chos brgyad) eight wordly concerns. 1) labha; rnyed pa gain, finding, obtaining, profit, acquirement.2) alabha; ma rnyed pa loss, not-finding, disappointment, disprofit, damage. 3) ; snyan pa/fame, glory, celebrity, reputation. 4) ayasa; mi snyan pa dishonour, disgrace, infamy, disrepute, 5) prasamsa; bstod pa praise, laud, commendation, renown. 6) nynda; smad pa blame, abuse, reproach, reproof, censure, reviling, dagradation. 7) ; bde ba well-being, happiness, prosperity, pleasure. 8) dukha; sdug bsngal/ misery, pain, distress, trouble. EMPTINESS (Skt. shunyata, Tib. stong pa nyid) Voidness, specifically the emptiness of absolute substance, of truth, of identity, of intrinsic reality, of self or inherent existence of all persons and things in the relative world. ENLIGHTENMENT (Skt. bodhi, Tib. byang chub) The realisation achieved by a Buddha. EON (Skt. Tib. bskal pa) An immensely long period of time, described as the time it takes a dove to exhaust a mountain of grain the size of the Mount Everest by removing one grain every thousand years. EQUANIMITY (Skt. upeksa, Tib. btang snyoms) The basis for compas- sion and love: an unbiased state of mind affected by neither attach- ment nor aversion towards others. In meditation, a balanced state of mind upset by neither excitement nor sinking. ETERNALISM (Tib. rtag.lta) Belief in an unchanging ego or self- nature in either persons or phenomena. One of the two extremes to be avoided; the opposite of nihilism.

365

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

FIELD OF MERIT In general a field of merit is any basis on which one can collect merit, just as a farmer’s field is the basis on which you can grow crops, the quality and amount of the crops depending on the nature of the field. FIRST Panchen Lama Choekyi Gyaltsen (Pan chen Blo zang chos kyi rgyal mtsan),1570-1662, a very influential figure in the Gelug tradition, author of the Lama Chöpa Guru Yoga

FIVE LIMITLESS NON-VIRTUES Literally sins of immediate retribution, which cause immediate rebirth in hell following bardo: killing one's father, killing one's mother, killing an Arhat, causing dissension among the Sangha and trying to kill a Buddha. FOUR ANTI-DOTE POWERS or FOUR POWERS OF PURIFICATION 1. Power of the base: if enlightened being then take refuge; if non-enlightened being then meditate love-compassion. 2. Power of action: generally any virtuous action; the two most powerful are generating bodhimind or meditating on emptiness. 3. Power of regret. 4. Power of repentence or resolving not to repeat the action. FOUR BODIES The four bodies of a Buddha are the Nature Truth Body, the Wisdom Truth Body, the Complete Enjoyment Body and the Manifested Body. The first two are the DHARMAKAYA, the second two the RUPAKAYA which includes the SAMBHOGAKAYA and the NIRMANAKAYA. FOUR IMMEASURABLES Immeasurable equanimity, immeasurable love, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy. These are called immeasurables because we practice them by taking as our observed object all living beings whose number is immeasurable. FOUR INITIATIONS The four initiations of Highest Yoga Tantra are vase, secret, wisdom and word.

366

Gelek Rimpoche

FOUR KARMIC PRINCIPLES 1. Karma is definite. 2. Karma increases over time. 3. If you don’t do an act, you won’t see its result. 4. The karmic consequences of an act won’t just disappear. FOUR MARAS or FOUR EVILS nyunmong pai du (nyon mongs pai bdud) the evil of the delusions, shi da gi du (‘chi bdag gi bdud) the evil of death, lhai pui du (lhai bu yi bdud),the heavenly evil pung poi du (phung po’i bdud) the evil of the aggregates. In Sanskrit, they are called the four Maras, also translated as the four evil forces or the four devils. FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (Skt. catuh-arya-, Tib. ‘phags pai bden pa bshi) 1. The truth of suffering; 2. The truth of the causes of suffering. 3. The truth of the cessation of suffering. 4. The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering. They are called ‘noble’ truths because they are supreme objects of meditation. Through meditation on these four objects we can realize ultimate truth directly and thus become a noble, or superior being, an arya. GELUGPA The tradition of Tibetan Buddhism established by Je Tsong Khapa and also known as the New , also sometimes named Ganden . The name Gelug means: wholesome way or: virtuous tradition. The three great Gelug monasteries are Ganden, Drepung and Sera. The other main traditions of Tibetan Buddhism are the Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu GOD (Skt. Tib. lha) refers to all kind of deities: samsaric and non-samsaric. see: SAMSARIC GODS GREAT COMPASSION (Skt.mahakaruna, Tib.snying rje chen po) The wish for all living beings to be free of suffering forever. Great compassion is accompanied by the clear awareness that ultimately there are no such things as living beings, sufferings, etc. Thus it is an unlimited sensitivity that does not entertain any dualistic notion of inherently existing subject and object. GREAT LOVE (Skt.. mahamaitri. Tib. byams pa chen po) The firm and spontaneous resolve to endow all sentient beings

367

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

without exception with the real, lasting happiness that knows no suffering. GYELTSAB JE rGyal tshab Dar ma rin chen (1364-1432). The elder of Tsongkhapa’s two foremost disciples. Second throne holder of Tsongkhapa (dGa' ldan khri pa).

HINAYANA (or THERAVADA) The 'small vehicle' of Buddhism, taught by the Buddha for those unable immediately to conceive the spirit of enlightenment, as a means for them to attain personal libera- tion. It includes the sravaka-yana, the hearer- or disciple vehicle, and prateyekaBuddha-yana, the solitary-realizer vehicle. It is a contrast to the Mahayana or 'great vehicle' or bodhisattva-yana, which is taught as a means for living beings of an altruistic aspiration, to attain the libera- tion of self and others through simultaneous perfection of wisdom and compassion, that is called Buddhahood. I or EGO The self-centered, deluded self. Rinpoche often refers to this one as ‘I rinpoche’, ‘the Big Boss inside’, the ‘Queen Bee’ or ‘Dictator I’. Buddhism does not accept the existence of an independent, self-existent, unchanging ego or self, because if such were to exist, a person would be unchanging and would be unable to purify himself of fettering passions and attain Buddhahood. There is acceptance of a relative, impermanent, changeable, conscious entity, which is the continuation of life, linking one’s former lives to this life, and this life to future lives. IGNORANCE (Skt. avidya Tib. ma rig pa) The root cause of cyclic existence; not knowing the way things actually are and misconstruing them to be permanent, satisfactory and inherently existent. It gives rise to all other delusions and the karma they motivate. Ignorance can be eradicated by the wisdom of emptiness. IMAGE (Skt. Buddha rupa, Tib. sku gszugs) The image of a Buddha represents the Body or pure conduct of an enlightened bering. INITIATION or empowerment (dbang pronounced wong) Transmission received from a tantric master allowing a disciple to

368

Gelek Rimpoche

engage in the practices of a particular meditational deity, usually done in the form of an elaborate ritual. INTERDEPENDENT ORIGINATION see DEPENDENT ARISING KADAMPA MASTERS (bka'.gdams.pa). The Kadampa lineage was founded in the eleventh century by the teacher Dromtonje, Atisha's chief disciple. The Kadampa masters carry the lineage of Atisha's teaching. KAGYU One of the main Tibetan Buddhist traditions, founded by Marpa, teacher of Milarepa.. KANJUR (Tib. bka’ ‘gyur) Literally 'translation of (Buddha's) words'. The Tibetan collection of the Tripitaka: the sutras, the vinaya, and the , in one hundred and eight volumes. The collection of commentaries is called Tanjur.

KARMA (las) Generally it means 'work' or 'action', which determines present experience and will determine future existences. By the infal- lible ripening of karma (like seeds) beings experience misery and happiness. Collective karma is the karma we create when we act in association with others. Those who create the karma together also experience the effects together. KAYA (sku) A 'body' or aspect of a Buddha; see FOUR BODIES KEDRUB JE ( Mkhas grub rje dGe legs dpal bzang po) (1385-1438), the younger of Tsongkhapa’s two heart disciples Third holder of the throne of Tsongkhapa (dGa' ldan khri pa). The other heart disciple is Dar.ma Rin.chen, better know as Gyäl.tshab je, rGyal.tshab rje (1364- 1432). KSITIGHARBA (Tib. sai sning po) A great Bodhisattva, one of the Eight Close Sons of Shakyamuni Buddha.

369

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

LAM RIM The stages of the path to enlightenment in Sutrayana. In Tantrayana, the stages of the path are called Nag Rim (sNgangs rim) LAMA (bla ma; Skt. guru) the spiritual teacher. Literally it means the one without superior, the highest. The lama's principal quality is that of leading disciples from the beginning of their quest all the way to the attainment of Buddhahood. Before leaving the earth, Buddha said that he would appear in the form of lamas for those who would in the future desire to follow his teachings. A direct guru is any spiritual guide from whom we have received teachings in this life, a lineage guru is any spiritual guide who has passed on the lineage of teaching received by our own direct gurus. Our principal spiritual guide is also known as our root guru. LAK TONG (Tib. lhag mthong, Skt. vipasyana) Special or penetrative insight. The meditative realization of impermanence, selflessness and emptiness that overcomes ignorance and leads to liberation.

LOVE (Skt. maitri, Tib.byams pa) The wish for others to be happy. LOWER REALMS (ngen ‘gro) Out of the six realms of samsaric existence the realms of animals, hungry ghosts () and hell beings. See: REALMS MADHYAMIKA (dbu.ma.pa). One of the two main schools of Mahayana tenets (the other one being the Cittamatra or Mind-only school). The madhyamika view was taught by Buddha in the Perfecti- on-of-Wisdom sutra (prajnaparamitasutras) during the second turning of the wheel of dharma and was subsequently elucidated by Nagarjuna and his followers. It has two divisions: madhyamika-svatantrika and madhyamika-prasangika, of which the latter is Buddha's final view. MAHAYANA (Tib. theg.chen) 'The great vehicle', called 'great' because it carries all living beings to enlightenment or Buddhahood. It is distinguished from Hinayana, which only carries each person who rides on it to their own personal liberation.

370

Gelek Rimpoche

MAITREYA (Byams.pa) The embodiment of the loving-kindness of all the Buddhas. At the time of Buddha Shakyamuni he manifested as a bodhisattva disciple. Predicted by Buddha Shakyamuni to be the next Buddha. He presently resides over Tushita heaven. Maitreya received from Buddha Shakyamuni the teachings of compassion, the lineage of extensive deeds, which lineage he transmitted to Asanga. MANJUSHRI also MANJUGOSHA The eternally youthful crown prince, the embodiment of the wisdom of all enlightened beings. From Manjushri the lineage of the profound view of emptiness was handed down to Nagarjuna. Manjushri incarnated in human form is called Manjunatha ('Jam mgon), an epithet for Tsongkhapa. MARPA (sGra.bsgyur Mar.pa Lo.tsa.ba) A great Tibetan yogi of the eleventh and twelth century, disciple of and teacher of Milarepa, the founder of the Kagyu tradition. MEDITATION (Skt. , Tib. sgom pa) Literally ‘getting used to’. The process of controlling, training and transforming the mind that leads one to liberation and enlightenment. The process of becoming thoroughly familiar with positive attitudes and accurate perspectives through both analytical investigation and single-pointed concentration.

MERIT (Skt.punya Tib.bsod nams) The wholesome tendencies implanted in the mind as a result of committing skilful actions. That positive energy results in happiness and good qualities.

MERIT FIELD In general, a field of merit is any basis on which one can collect merit, like a field of earth is the basis on which you can grow crops, the crops depending on the field. A supreme field for accumulating merit are the holy beings, to which we can offer the seven limbs of our practice, the holy beings acting as a field in which we plant and nourish our seeds of virtue. METHOD Skillful means or liberative technique (Skt Tib. thabs). This expresses the great compassion of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Wisdom and method go together as the two wings of a bird crossing the ocean of samsara. 371

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

MIGTSEMA (dmig.rtse.ma), originally a hymn to Rendawa (Red.mda'.pa) written by Tsongkhapa. Rendawa (1349-1412), one of the most important teachers of Tsong Khapa belonged to the Sakya (Sa.skya.pa) school. Rendawa reversed the Mig-tse-ma into a hymn in praise of Tsongkhapa. MILAREPA (rJe.btsun Mi.la ras.pa bZhad.pa rdo.rje) 1040-1123. A Tibetan yogi who achieved budhahood in one lifetime. He was the disciple of Marpa and his biography is a favorite example of hardship undertaken in order to attain enlightenment. MINDFULNESS (Tib. dran pa) In everyday life, being mindful is to remember one’s motivation and correct one’s thought and actions to be in accord with it. MOTIVATION The underlying reason or purpose for one’s actions of body, speech and mind. The recommended highest motivation is bodhimind, the wish or intention to become a Buddha to serve or benefit others.

NAGA (glu) Mythical dragon-like beings who inhibit and have influence over the waters of the world. In Buddha's time they listened to the teachings and took them to their own world, where they preserved them. See: Nagarjuna. NAGARJUNA (klu.sgrub) Saint, scholar and mystic of Buddhist India who lived about four hundred years after the Buddha. Discoverer of the Mahayana scriptures, the lineage of wisdom, according to the myth handed over to him by the nagas. He is author of the funda- mental Madhyamika texts.

NEUROSES (Skt. klesha, Tib. nyong mongs) see DELUSIONS Often translated as delusions or as afflicted emotions. A thought, emotion or impulse that is pervaded by ignorance, disturbs the mind and initiates actions (karma) which keep one bound within cyclic existence. That which makes the mind impure. Delusions are mental factors. The three root delusions or the : ignorance, attachment and hatred; from these, many others arise.

372

Gelek Rimpoche

NIRMANAKAYA (sprul.sku) Emanation body. Form in which an enlightened being appears in order to benefit ordinary beings. See: FOUR BODIES NIRVANA (mya ngan las ‘das pa) The state of complete liberation from samsara; the goal of the practitioner seeking his or her own freedom from suffering. 'Lower nirvana' is used to refer to this state of self- liberation while 'higher nirvana' refers to the supreme attainment of the full enlightenment of Buddhahood. NYINGMA The 'old sects' of Tibetan buddhism, that adhere to the scriptural translations made prior to the eleventh century. The founder of this tradition was Guru OMNISCIENCE This refers to the gnosis of the Buddha, the state of being totally aware of everything ORAL TRANSMISSION. (Tib. lung) The passing of a pure, unbroken oral lineage. A disciple is not considered to have received a teaching until he or she has heard all the words from the mouth of a qualified spiritual guide. A teaching that has been received in this way carries the blessings of all the lineage gurus who transmitted the same teaching in the past. PABONGKHAPA Je Pabongkhapa (1878-1941) , Trinley Gyatso, was the root-guru of both the Senior and Junior Tutors to the Dalai Lama and holder of many sutra and secret mantra lineages. PARAMITAS (pha.rol.tu.phyin.pa) Perfections or transcendences. The main categories of the bodhisattva's activities: giving (skt dana), morality (skt.sila), tolerance or patience (skt. ksanti), joyous effort (skt.virya), meditation (skt.dhyana) and wisdom (skt.) PATHS in Mahayana (Tib. theg-chen-gyi lam). Internal paths that lead us to our ultimate destination, full enlightenment. The five paths are: 1. path of merit or path of accumulation (tshogs lam); 2. path of preparati- on (sbyor lam); 3. path of seeing or path of insight (mthong lam); 4. path

373

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

of meditation (sgom lam); 5. path of no-more-learning (mi slob lam). The first two paths are the paths of ordinary bodhisattvas, the following two paths are the paths of arya bodhisattvas, on the fifth path the Bodhisattva has become a Buddha. (Tib. shes.rab.kyi.pha.rol.tu.phyin.pa) Perfection of wisdom. Transcendental wisdom, the profound non-dual understan- ding of the ultimate reality of all things. As a goddess, she is worshipped as the 'Mother of all Buddhas' PRAJNAPARAMITASUTRA (Tib. phar phyin) Perfection of Wisdom sutra. The scripture with those teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha in which the the transcendental wisdom, the wisdom of emptiness and the path of the bodhisattva are set forth. There are nineteen versions of different lengths, ranging from the of a few pages to the Hundred-Thousand. Verses. PRATYEKABUDDHA Someone who achieves personal liberation in a period when no Buddhas are present, without having a teacher in his last life. see ARHAT PURIFICATION The process by which one can avoid experiencing the effects of negative karma, first by preventing the ripening of karmic effects, then by totally removing the delusions and even their subtle imprints. See FOUR POWERS. REALMS In samsara three main realms are distinguished: the , the form realm, the formless realm. They are also known as the three worlds. I. Realm of desire (-dhatu). The environment, land or sphere of hell-beings -eight hot hells, eight cold hells, two nearby hells-, hungry ghosts (pretas), animals, humans and demi-gods are all included in the desire realm, because beings in this realm have very strong desirous attachment. The environments of gods exist in all three realms. REFUGE Taking refuge is turning one's mind towards a valid source of protection from the sufferings of samsara. In

374

Gelek Rimpoche

Buddhism this involves entrusting oneself to the three jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha RELATIVE BODHIMIND see BODHIMIND RELATIVE TRUTH see TWO TRUTHS

RENUNCIATION see DETERMINATION TO BE FREE (Tib. nges ‘byung) The realisation of detachment from all of samsara, having understood its faults. Also called: determination to be free. ROOT GURU See: Lama SAKYA Tradition of Tibetan buddhism founded in the mid-eleventh century by Drog-mi the translator. One of the most eminent Sakya teachers was the Sakya . SAMANTABADRA (Tib. kun tu bzang po) A great Bodhisattva (or Buddha appearing in Bodhisattva form) famous for his way of mentally multiplying offerings by billions of times. SAMBHOGAKAYA (Tib. longs.spyon.sku) Enjoyment body. Form in which the enlightened mind appears in order to benefit highly realised bodhisattvas. It can only be seen by those who are highly realized, who are aryas. See FOUR BODIES. SAMSARA (Tib. 'khor.ba or srid.pa) The continuation of contaminated identity. The cycle of existence, of birth and death in the three realms of suffering existence: the desire realm, the form realm, the formless realm. See: Realms.

SAMSARIC GODS (lha) Samsaric gods are samsaric beings dwelling for the moment in an extremely pleasant state. SANGHA As object of refuge it is the community of arya beings those who have achieved spiritual aims and are able to help. In daily

375

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

life, it is the community of those on the spiritual path, traditionally a group of more than four monks or nuns. SEEKING FREEDOM see DETERMINATION TO BE FREE, THREE PRINCIPLES SELF-CHERISHING The self-centred attitude of considering one's own happiness to be more important than everyone else's. The main obstacle to be overcome in the development of bodhicitta. SELF-GRASPING A conceptual mind apprehending inherent existence that arises from ignorance of the true nature of phenomena. It gives rise to all other delusions and is the root of all suffering. SENTIENT BEING (Skt. sattva, Tib. sems can) Any being who possesses a mind that is contaminated by delusions or their imprints. Both ‘sentient being’ and ‘living being’ are terms used to distinguish beings whose minds are contaminated by any of the two obstructions from Buddhas, whose minds are completely free from these obstructions. SEVEN-LIMB PRACTICE A brief practice recommended by enlightened beings as a way to generate, multiply and protect positive energy (or merit) and purify negative actions. The seven steps are 1. Praising and seeking to emulate enlightened beings. 2. Making actual and imagined offerings. 3. Purifying negativities. 4. Rejoicing in positive actions. 5. Requesting wise and timely teachings. 6. Requesting teachers to remain. 7. Dedicating positive energy.

SHAKYAMUNI (Tib. sa kya thub pa) 'Sage of the ', name of the Buddha of our era, who lived in India around 563-483 BC. He was a prince from the Sakya clan. He taught the sutra and tantra path to liberation; founder of what came to be known as Buddhism. His mundane name was Siddharta Gautama.

376

Gelek Rimpoche

SHANTIDEVA (Tib. Zhi ba lha) (c.687-763) A great Indian Buddhist teacher, meditator and scholar, most famous for his masterpiece, Bodhisattvacharyavatara, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. SHRAVAKA or Hearer. Someone who achieves personal liberation by following a teacher. See Arhat.

SIDDHI (dgnos.grub). achievement, attainment. SIX SESSION YOGA (Tib. thun drug) A daily practice through which those who have taken Highest Yoga Tantra initiation maintain their vows. SKANDHAS (Tib. phungpo) Aggregates. Literally meaning 'pile' or 'heap'. The five basic constituents of psycho-physical existence, of great importance as a scheme for introspective meditation in the abhidharma. They are: (1) matter or form (skr. rupa), (2) feeling or sensation (skr. vedana), (3) perception or discernment or discrimination or intellect -the sense of verbal, conceptual intelligence- (skr.samnja), (4) volition, motivation, habits, compositional factors, formative elements or conditioned activities (skr. samskara) and (5) consciousness or primary mind or pure awareness (skr. vijnana). Associated together they make up most living beings. SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT Term used by Gelek Rinpoche for the realized or internalised Dharma; the extent to which one has decreased one’s negative qualities and increased one’s positive qualities. SPIRITUAL FRIEND (Skt. Kalyanamitra Tib. bshes gnyen) see: SPIRITUAL MASTER

SPIRITUAL MASTER (Skt. guru, Tib. lama) The spiritual teacher who can lead disciples to the attainment of Buddhahood. Before leaving the earth Buddha said that he would appear in the form of lamas for those who would in the future desire to follow his teachings. A direct guru is any spiritual guide from whom we have received teachings in this life, a lineage guru is any spiritual guide who has passed on

377

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

the lineage of teaching received by our own direct gurus. One's principal spiritual guide is also known as one's root guru. Levels of looking at the lama: On the Hinayana-level one sees the lama as teacher. In the Mahayana-level one sees the spiritual teacher as a spiritual friend. In tantric practice one sees him as an enlightened being; the guru's body is seen as the sangha, his speech as the dharma, and his mind as the Buddha.

SUTRA (mdo) The open discourses of the Buddha, the spiritual text and the teachings they contain. STUPA (Skt. stupa or caitya, Tib. mchod rten) A reliquary that represents the Mind or purified thought of the Buddha and enshrines his physical relics. SUTRAYANA The openly taught vehicle or path of Buddhism, leading to the attainment of full enlightenment over three counless eons through the practice of the six perfections; hence also called the perfection vehicle (paramitayana) TANTRA (rgyud). Means 'method' in general. Another name is: secret mantra. The secret teachings of Buddha in the form of The essential practice of tantra that distinguishes it from sutra is bringing the result into the path. The practice involves identification of oneself with a fully enlightened deity. There are four classes of : kriyatantra (bya ba'I ruyd), caryatantra (spyad pai rgyud), yogatantra (rnal 'by- or ba'I rgyud) and the annutarayogatantra (rnal.'byor bla na med pa'I rgyud). The fourth is the highest and often called highest yoga tantra. The tantric stages of the path are called nag rim (sngags rim). Tantra consists of an important body of literature dealing with a great variety of techniques of advanced meditations, incorporating rituals, mantra and visualisations. TANTRAYANA: The post-sutra vehicle of Buddhism, capable of leading to the attainment of full enlightenment within one lifetime; hence also called the lightning vehicle; equivalent terms are VAJRAYANA, MANTRAYANA

378

Gelek Rimpoche

TARA (Tib. sgrol.ma). Female meditational deity. 'She who can free us'. Compassionate savior goddess. She was born from a tear of Avalokiteshvara and vowed to help him to liberate all beings from samsara. Referred to as the mother of the Buddhas of the past, present and future. There are twenty-one Tara forms. TEN DIRECTIONS. These consist of the eight points of the compass, straight up and straight down. As a conventional formula it means 'all directions'. (bstan ‘gyur) The collection of the traditional commentaries on Buddha’s teachings. THERAVADA Buddhism of 'the elder tradition' as practiced in Ceylon etc. Rinpoche uses this as equivalent to HINAYANA THREE HIGHER TRAININGS Ethical discipline or morality, concentration, and wisdom. These are the principles themes of the Tripitaka, the three baskets of scriptures, and they are the very substance of the Hinayana path. THREE JEWELS (Skt. , Tib. dkon mchog) The three objects of spiritual support as viewed within a buddhist framework: Buddha, dharma and sangha. In the Tibetan tradition, the guru or lama, is also mentioned, but rather than being a fourth object of refuge, he is the 'three-in-one'. THREE REALMS (Skt.tri-dhatu, Tib. khams gsum) the desire realm, the form realm, the formless realm. They are also known as the three worlds. See: REALMS

THREE MORALITIES 1. Keeping one’s vows, and thus refraining from negative actions. 2. Doing good actions. 3. Helping others. THREE PRINCIPLES OF THE PATH: determination to be free, bodhicitta or the altruistic mind, wisdom. Title of a famous poem by Je Tsongkhapa.

379

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

TONG LEN The practice of giving and taking, described in Lojong texts. One takes on the bad deeds, obscurations and sufferings of others and gives them all one’s happiness and virtues. This reverses and destroys our normal tendency to self-cherishing. TSOH (Tib. tshogs) A tantric feast offering. May be done in conjunction with the Lama Chöpa, in which case all may attend, or with a tantric saddhana, in which case only those with that initiation may attend. TSONGKHAPA (rje tsong kha pa blo zang grags pa) (1357-1419) A great fourteenth-century scholar, yogi, and teacher restored the purity of Buddhadharma in Tibet, thus founding the Gelug tradition. His many treatises finalized the work begun by Atisha of clarification and synthesis of the vast body of Indian scriptures and schools of practice into a unified exposition of sutrayana and tantrayana paths. He wrote several lam rims, the most well known one is Great exposition on the Stages of the Path, Lam rim chen mo. On the stages in tantra he wrote the Great exposition of secret mantra, sngags rim chen mo. He is regarded a full enlightened being and along with Long-chen Rab-jam-pa (1308- 1363) and the (1182-1251) an emanation of Manjushri. That is why he is called 'Jam mgon, lit.'gentle lord', indicating that he and the deity Manjughosa (a form of Manjushri) are of one essence. He is regarded as the synthesis of Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani and therefore regarded as the embodiment of the wisdom, compassion and power of all the Buddhas. The name Tsongkhapa literally means ‘the one from Tsongkha’ (Tsongkha means something like ‘Onion county’) TURNING THE WHEEL OF THE DHARMA Term referring to the three categories of teachings in which Shakymuni Buddha shared his experience and knowledge. In brief, the first turning taught the four noble truths, the second turning interdependence and wisdom and the third turning method. TWELVE LINKS OF INTERDEPENDENT ORIGINATION An explanation of how the cycle of suffering existence is perpetuated. The twelve links are 1. ignorance, 2. conditioned karma, 3.

380

Gelek Rimpoche

consciousness, 4. name and form, 5. six senses, 6. contact, 7. sensation, 8. wanting, 9. grasping, 10. existence, 11. birth, 12. old age and death. TWENTY-TWO BODHICHITTAS According to the Perfection of Wisdom sutras (Prajnaparamitasutra)they are: like earth, like bright gold, like a new moon, like blazing fire, like a great treasure, like a jewel mine, like a great ocean, like a vajra, like a mountain, like medicine, like a virtuous spiritual friend, like a wish-granting jewel, like the sun, like a pleasant song of dharma, like a king, like a treasury, like a highway, like a chariot, like spring water, like a pleasant sound, like a river, like a cloud. TWO TRUTHS All objects of cognition have two modes of existence, called 'truths'. The truth of appearance or relative truth or conventional truth (skr. samvrtisattya) is the aspect of existence according to worldly convention and expression. And the absolute truth or ultimate truth (skr. paramarthasatya) is the voidness of all phenomena, the mere absence of inherent existence, the reality of existence. So, the absolute or ultimate truth is emptiness; all other levels belong to the relative or conventional truth UMBRELLA (Skt. , Tib. gdugs) A traditional Indian symbol of royalty and protection. UTUMVARA FLOWER (Skt. ) A sacred flower that blooms very infrequently and for a very short time, symbolizing extreme rarity and impermanence. UTPALA A precious blue ‘lotus’, associated especially with different forms of Tara and Manjushri.

VAJRA (Tib. rdo r.je) Diamond scepter; indestructible like a diamond and powerful like a thunderbolt. In the context of tantra it means the indivisibility of method and wisdom., or when used with a bell, the bell is wisdom, the vajra is method. VAJRA-MASTER Teacher who is qualified to perform the task of a tantric guru.

381

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

VAJRADHARA (Tib. rdo r.je chang), holder of the diamond scepter. Male meditational deity. The form through which Sakyamuni Buddha reveals the teachings of secret mantra. He symbolizes the attainment of enlightenment through the union of simultaneous great bliss and emptiness. VAJRASATTVA ( Tib. rdo r.je sempa) Diamond Being. Male meditational deity. Recitation of his mantra is a major tantric puri- fication practice for removing obstacles created by negative karma and the breaking of one's vows. VAJRAYANA (rdorje thegpa) secret mantra vehicle. The advanced means to quickly achieve Buddhahood -within one lifetime- for the sake of all sentient beings. Also called TANTRAYANA. VAJRAYOGINI (Tib. rdo rje rnal ‘byor ma) A female meditational deity of the maha-annutara yoga tantra, associated with Chakrasam- vara; a mother tantra.

VINAYA (Tib. ldul.ba) The first of the three major divisions or baskets of the Buddhist canon, the tripitaka. It also refers to the code of behaviour contained in this vinaya basket, followed by those who have taken the vows of the buddhist order. VOID See EMPTINESS VOWS Promises to refrain from certain actions. The three sets of vows are the Vows of individual liberation, the Bodhisattva vows, and the Vajrayana vows. WISDOM (Skt. prajna, Tib. she rab) The sixth of the six transcendences or paramitas. The unmistaken understanding of things; specifically the insight into emptiness: the actual way in which things exist; Wisdom is the antidote to ignorance. It is symbolized by Manjushri YAMANTAKA A yidam; in maha-annutara-yoga tantra a wrathful manifestation of Manjushri, to overcome hindrances; a father-tantra.

382

Gelek Rimpoche

YANA Vehicle; the means whereby a practitioner is led to his or her desired spiritual attainment (sutrayana, tantrayana). YIDAM (Tib. yi dam, sometimes lha) Also called meditational deity or tutelary. An enlightened being embodying a particular aspect of full enlightenment, used as the focus of concentration and identification in tantra.

YOGA (Tib. rnal 'byor) endeavour, application, practice. YOGI, YOGINI Resp. male or female practitioner of yoga; a tantric adept. ZHINE (Tib. zhi gnas, Skt. ) Mental quiescence or meditative equipoise; a very high degree of concentration. The tranquil, single-pointed settling of the mind on an object of meditation for a sustained period of time. A degree of concentration characterized by mental and physical pliancy or ecstasy.

383

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

English Translations of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara (from either the original Sanskrit or the Tibetan):

Santideva. The Bodhicaryavatara. Translated with introduction and notes by Kate Crosby and Andrew Skilton. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. Translated from the Sanskrit, with an introduction on Shantideva and his world by Paul Williams.

Santideva. A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Translated from the Sanskrit and Tibetan by Vesna A. Wallace and B. Alan Wallace. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion

384

Gelek Rimpoche

Publications, 1997. Translation is taken mainly from the Sanskrit; differences in the Tibetan translation are noted and discussed.

Shantideva. A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Translated by Stephen Batchlor. Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1979. Reprints 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1998. This is the translation that Rimpoche Gehlek uses in this commentary; the most recent version is included within this oral explanation.

Shantideva. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyavatara.Translated from the Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala, 1997. A very beautiful and poetic translation with a useful introduction.

Commentaries:

Kelsang Gyatso, Geshe. Meaningful to Behold: The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Tharpa Publications, 1980, fourth edition 1994. This is a detailed commentary on Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharyavatara. It does not include a separate translation, and does not clearly discuss the wording of each verse. 385

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Roach, Geshe Michael, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Part I, II and III; Course X, XI and XII. New York: The Asian Classics Institute, no date given. These courses include tapes of Michael Roach’s lecture commentary on selected verses, plus study materials taken from traditional Tibetan sources. Geshe Roach discusses the main points, but does not cover every verse.

Tenzin Gyatso, The . A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night: A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Translated from the Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala, 1994. The present Dalai Lama’s inspiring commentary on selected verses of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara.

Tenzin Gyatso, The Dalai Lama of Tibet. Transcendent Wisdom: A Teaching on the Wisdom Section of Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Translated, edited and annotated by B. Alan Wallace. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 1988, second edition 1994. The Dalai Lama’s detailed commentary on the ninth chapter of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara.

Wisdom: Two Buddhist Commentaries on the Ninth Chapter of Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara (Khendchen Kunzang 386

Gelek Rimpoche

Palden, The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech. Minyak Kunzang Sonam, The Brilliant Torch.) Translated from the Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group. Peyzac-le-Moustier, France: Padmakara, 1993.

On the Bodhisattva Vow

Bokar Rinpoche. Taking the Bodhisattva Vow. Translated by Christine Buchet. San Francisco,

California: ClearPoint Press, 1997. Includes a discussion of the root and secondary vows.

Dragpa Gyaltsen, Sakya. Candragomin’s Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vow. Translated and

introduced by Mark Tatz. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1982.

Translation and commentary on Candragomin.

Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche. The Bodhisattva Vow. Translated by Lama Yeshe Gyamtso. Vancouver,

387

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

Canada: Publications, 1999. Includes an explanation of the root downfalls.

Jampa Gyatso, Dagpo Rimpoche. The Bodhisattva Vow: A Presentation of the Eighteen Root and Forty-

Six Secondary Precepts of the Bodhisattva Vow. Indonesia: Yaysan Sukvati, no date given.

Roach, Geshe Michael. The Vows of the Bodhisattva. New York: The Asian Classics Institute, no date

given. This course includes tapes and text on the root and secondary vows, and describes what

constitutes a downfall for each of them.

Sonam Rinchen, Geshe. The Bodhisattva Vow. Tran. And edited by Ruth Sonam. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2000. Includes chapters on developing bodhicitta and commentary on ’s Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vow.

388

Gelek Rimpoche

Notes

1

2 Throughout this transcript, Rimpoche uses the translation by Stephen Batchelor, A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1998.

3 Rimpoche is referring to the seven-step method for generating bodhimind: 1. Recognizing all beings as our ‘nearest and dearest’, our mothers. 2. Remembering their kindness. 3. Wishing to repay their kindness. 4. Love. 5. Compassion. 6. Special mind or extraodinary committment. 7. bodhimind, the desire or intention to become enlightened to benefit others. See pages 112-121 below for a non-traditional meditation on these points.

4 Traditionally, there are three types of Bodhisattva’s, those like a shepherd, described here, those like a ferryman, who want to travel to enlightenment along with all other beings as if in a boat with them, and those like a king, who like a king at the head of a procession leads all others to enlightenment. The third type is said to be the way it actually happens, though the others may be used to inspire. See The Bodhisattva Vow, by Punlop, p. 4-5.

5 Chapter One, verse 10.

6 Rimpoche often uses the word ‘luck’ to translate sönam, which is sometimes translated as positive potential, positive energy or merit.

7 Verse 3 is shorter than the other verses. Rimpoche comments: “I have to correct my pronunciation of the English words. One of the problems is when people hear me mispronounce these

389

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

words, they think that it is quite cute, so they don’t correct me! It is true.”

8 Arhats are those who have attained Nirvana or individual liberation through the elimination of all their delusions; however, lacking bodhimind, they have not attained the complete Enlightenment of a Buddha. See Glossary.

9 See Glossary under Bodhimind.

10 See Glossary under Paths. The names of the five paths are the same in both vehicles; the difference is that Mahayana paths begin with bodhimind.

11 Mahakashyapa, one of Shakyamuni’s disciples.

12 Getting things, not getting them, feeling pleasure, feeling pain, being praised, being blamed, becoming famous or being disgraced.

13 Referring to the incident in which a number of people in a group called Heaven’s Gate committed suicide in an attempt to link up with an alien spaceship supposedly hiding behind the Hale-Bopp comet.

14 Ngo tsa and trel yö, often translated as shame and embarassment, could also be translated as self-respect and consideration.

15 Geshe Baen Gun-gyael. See Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand: Day 15, p. 521.

390

Gelek Rimpoche

16 Along with , offering and confession, which were covered in the previous chapter, these make up the seven-limb or seven-part practice.

17 Learning, thinking and meditating or internalizing whatever the point or topic is; here it is the development of bodhimind.

18 Health Maintenance Organization – a form of American medical insurance coverage.

19 Four changeable mental factors. See Geshe Rabten, Treasury of Dharma.

20 In the oral explanations on Chapter Two.

21 Available at the Jewel Heart store.

22 Citation not located.

23 Precooked flour, the staple Tibetan food, most often made of barley.

24 Also called the seven limb practice. These activities are important for accumulating merit and purification, at all levels of practice. In Vajrayana practice, they are called the seven purities. See forthcoming transcript on The Jewel Heart Practice for a brief discussion of the seven limbs. They are also covered at length in the first three chapters of The Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.

25 See Rimpoche’s oral explanations on Bodhisattvacharyavatara, Chapter One, pp. 113-114.

391

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

26 When Buddha sat under the in the night before he became enlightened, tried to distract him in various ways. One way was by sending armies of soldiers to attack him. But when they shot all their arrows at Buddha, he meditated on great love and all the arrows transformed into flowers and landed harmlessly around him. Rimpoche has commented that he likes this scene in the movie Little Buddha.

27 Real flower power.

28 See Glossary under Four Antidote Powers, and the discussion on the following pages.

29 Also called the obstacles to liberation and the obstacles to omniscience.

30 Rimpoche also calls these ‘merit merit’ and ‘wisdom merit’.

31 Also called the power of the base.

32 This refers to the story of King Ajatashatru. See Odyssey to Freedom, p. 16 (new edition), under the discussion of the four extraordinary qualities of the .

33 Chapter One, Verse 6 Hence virtue is perpetually feeble, The great strength of immorality being extremely intense, And except for a Fully Awakening Mind By what other virtue will it be overcome.

34 Chapter 9.

35 The Tibetan pronunciation of this Sanskrit mantra is OM BENZASATTO AH.

392

Gelek Rimpoche

36 See Chapter One, Verse 7. Rimpoche has said this verse is taken both to refer to the Seven Limb practice and to Bodhimind itself.

37 Towards the extreme of nihilism.

38 Aryadeva (Tibetan phags pa lha) was a dsiciple of Nagajuna, who lived in about the 3rd century C.E.

39 One of the Tibetan words for Nirvana is nyang de (myang ‘das) short for nya ngen las de pa (mya ngan las ‘das pa) means passed beyond all sorrow or grief.

40 This is another word for Nirvana. Tharpa (pronounce tarpa) is often translated as liberation.

41 As Milarepa was dying from poison, his poisoner hypocritcally asked Milarepa to transfer his suffering onto him.. Milarepa told him he wouldn’t be able to bear it, and transferred the suffering to a wooden door, which cracked and split. See chapter xii, Tibet’s Great Yogi Milarepa, ed. By W. Y. Evans-Wentz, Oxford University Press, 1928, or any biography of Milarepa.

42 See Jewel Heart transcript Perfection of Wisdom Mantra.

43 My Tibet, Text by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, photographs and introduction by Galen Rowell, Berkeley, University of California Press, 1990. The picture of the woman praying is on page 149.

44 See Rimpoche’s oral explanations on Chapter One, pages 21- 23.

393

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

45 Rimpoche is referring to the time of death.

46 Patience in the Buddhist sense means having the strength not to engage in negative actions of body and mind, especially anger and hatred.

47 The ‘jewel island’ may have been what is now known as Sri Lanka.

48 How much accumulation of merit and purification.

49 This refers to the first time one takes Bodhisattva Vows. One can then renew the vows before Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, that is a visualized field of merit, if there is no living Spiritual Master available. For more on the different ways of taking the vow, see the references On The Bodhisattva Vow in the bibliography.

50 “Oh Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Gurus please listen to what I now say from the depths of my heart” – these lines are in the Long Six-Session Yoga but not in the Bodhisattvacharyavatara.

51 The Tibetan for Maitreya is Jampa, which means love.

52 The commitment they took with the Bodhisattva vow.

53 Different philosophical schools in Buddhism differ on the exact nature of a vow, and whether it has a subltle physical form or not.

54 The Tibetan is rim bshin, meaning by stages or successively. The rim is the same as in lam rim.

394

Gelek Rimpoche

55 See also Rimpoche’s discussion of this point in his oral explanations of Chapter One, pages 60-64.

56 chang chub tug ni kye pa (byang chub thugs ni bskyed pa) – giving birth to or developing the mind [intent upon] enlightenment.

57 Smon sems or prayer form, and ‘jugs sems or action form. See Rimpoche’s discussion in Chapter One, pages 55-56.

58 Different women who were sexually involved with President Clinton.

59 See page 96.

60 The fourth Bodhisattva action or paramita is sometimes translated as enthusiasm, sometimes as joyful effort, sometimes as perseverence; Je Tsongkhapa defines it as ‘taking joy in doing good.’

61 A woman who was executed in Texas.

62 A religious leader who encouraged his followers to emigrate to Guyana, then ordered them to commit suicide by drinking poisoned koolade.

63 David Koresh died along with many of his followers in a fire in his compound in Waco, Texas, while under seige by US Government agents. Rimpoche has remarked that it is not clear who started the fire, and whether or not the deaths were accidental.

395

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

64 The three moralities are 1. refraining from negative actions, 2. accumulating merit through positive actions, and 3. helping others.

65 See page 98.

66 Rimpoche is referring to a conversation he had with a Tibetan surgeon in Michigan who told him that thinking of others is a way out of depression.

67 Traditionally, the seven stages are equanimity, recognizing all beings as nearest and dearest, remembering their kindness, wishing to retunr their kindness, love: wanting them to be happy, compassion: wanting them to be free of suffering, commitment to help them, and bodhimind, the determination to become fully enlightened in order to help others. Rimpoche has here presented an extended analytic meditation on these points and their application in our daily lives.

68 Reminiscent of the statement of Jesus of Nazareth, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

69 The practice of , part of the Lojong teachings on training the mind, involves giving to others everything to make them happy and taking all their sufferings and dissolving them into one’s own heart.

70 7-11 is an American convenience store that is open 24 hours a day.

71 Rimpoche is using the political maneuverings and prosecutions during President Clinton’s administration as example here.

396

Gelek Rimpoche

72 Gedün Chöpel, trans. By Jeffrey Hopkins, Tibetan Arts of Love: Sex, Orgasm and Spiritual Healing, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, NY, 1992.

73 Tibetain dutsi (bdud rtsi)

74 The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, founded by Lama Yeshe Rimpoche. Lama Zopa Rimpoche is the current head of this organization.

75 See Rimpoche’s transcript on the Ganden Lha Gyema

76 A brief lam rim practice in the form of a supplication. It was written by Je Tsongkhapa.

77 Luck which is built up from our past positive actions.

78 These are the steps on relating to the Spiritual Master. See Rimpoche’s transcript on the Odyssey to Freedom, steps 13-16.

79 Rimpoche uses the word ghosts for what might also be called ‘spirits’.

80 Kyabje Trijang Rimpoche was one of Rimpoche Gehlek’s main teachers, and one of the 14th Dalai Lama’s two tutors.

81 Because of disagreements and controversy between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

82 Tricycle, Summer 1997.

83 In Tibetan, adjective may often be interpreted as modifying different words, so here Rimpoche takes ‘temporary and

397

GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA’S Way OF LIFE

permanent’ to modify ‘guests’, while Batchelor takes it to modify ‘delight’.

84 Verse 6 in Chapter One.

398