Gelek Rimpoche LOJONG Mind Training in Eight Verses A Commentary on Geshe Langri Tangpa’s Famous Root Verses by Gelek Rimpoche Jewel Heart Transcript 2011 Gelek Rimpoche, Lojong - Training of the Mind © 1992 Ngawang Gelek Extended edition in new format: 2011. 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 pre- sent at the teachings. JEWEL HEART Boeddhistische Studie en Meditatie Nijmegen Tel. 024 322 6985 www.jewelheart.nl Acknowledgements This is the transcript of the teachings Gelek Rimpoche gave dur- ing the Spring Retreat of 1996 in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, en- titled ‘Misfortune as an Ally.’ The subject is about training of the mind, Lo jong in Tibetan, methods to develop the altruistic mind. These methods are no si- necure as the ego cherishing part of our minds is confronted straight out. From this it may be clear that these teachings are aimed at the Mahayana practitioner. Even though these teachings stem from the eleventh century, they still totally apply to our pre- sent-day situation and can be applied very well in our present-day lives. The first text from which is taught is Langri Tangpa's Training of the Mind in Eight Stanzas. These beautiful verses reveal profound yet very practical methods to the development of a real altruistic mind. Rimpoche explains these verses one by one, clarifies the message behind each of them and provides meditations on the two central practices of this training: equalizing and exchanging self and others [Tib. dagzhen nyamje ] and the give and take technique [Tib. tonglen ]. In these teachings Rimpoche made use of a commentary by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra, a practice in the prayer-form by Geshe Chen-ngawa and a specific analytic meditation on equalizing and exchanging self and others by Gunthang Könchog Tenpei Dronme. The second text Rimpoche taught on is the practice of Lojong as described in the Lama Chöpa verses 56- 61. teaching Ann Arbor in 2005. Two other Lojong texts Rimpoche gave teachings on, the Training of the Mind in Seven Points by Geshe Chekhawa and The Wheel of Sharp Weapons by Dharmarakshita, have been published separately. The transcript is slightly edited to make the text easier to read and outlines have been added. People of Jewel Heart The Netherlands transcribed the teachings after which a thorough language check took place by Anne Warren, USA. The teachings from 2005 were transcribed by Hartmut Sagolla. The drawings of buddha Vajrad- hara, and of Atisha are by thangka painter Marian van der Horst. The text has been moderately edited. Where thought necessary notes are provided as well as an overview of relevant literature. Full responsibility for any inaccuracies are taken by me. Nijmegen, January 2011 Marianne Soeters Gelek Rimpoche / Jewel Heart Contents I. INTRODUCTION 7 II . GENERAL PRELIMINARIES 17 III . SPECIFIC PRELIMINARIES 67 IV . THE ACTUAL PRACTICE 83 1. All beings are extremely kind 83 2. View yourself as lowly and respect others 86 3. Observe your mind and drive out bad thoughts 94 4. Cherish those who commit evil or who suffer greatly 96 5. Accept blame without trying to defend yourself 102 6. One who harms you is kinder than one who helps you 106 7. Give help and take on suffering 108 8. Remain pure and overcome attachment 111 V. GUIDED MEDITATION 125 VI EXCHANGE STAGE 135 VII . QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 161 VII . THE EIGHT VERSES OF MIND TRAINTING 171 VIII . LITERATURE 175 AFBEELDINGEN: - Atisha 6 - Buddha Vajradhara 16 - Buddha Amitabha 66 - Ngulchu Dharmabhadra 82 - Buddha Amitayus 124 - White Tara 160 - Langri Tangpa 170 Atisha I Introduction Welcome here. As usual, whenever we do any Buddhist and par- ticularly a Mahayana Buddhist activity, the first is developing the right motivation and the end is dedication. We are beginning, so what we have to deal with first, is the motivation. If you have some understanding of the precious bodhimind you should generate that and if you don’t, have a mind of learning it. For the time being, you can have a very little thought to substi- tute the bodhimind, which is: For the benefit of all living beings I would like to become fully enlightened. Maybe you are not familiar with this Buddhist language. It is like saying: I would like to get the best I could get through spiritual practice. From the Buddhist point of view we refer to that as total enlightenment, which means total knowledge. It is the highest measurement one can get in one’s spiritual development. For a person like me who spent all life, over 60 years, in the Buddhist field, if I say that total enlightenment means total knowledge, I have an understanding of it. But the language itself [doesn’t convey it]. What does total knowledge mean? You may think it means having great knowledge, being very learned, but it is much more than that: it is not only internal and external knowledge, but also internal joy! This is slightly connected with Vajrayana, so it is not wrong to refer to it as: a blissful state of mind, which in addition to that has total knowledge. With my background, it is understood that when you talk about total knowledge, it doesn’t mean dry knowledge. Not at all! It means the total blissful ultimate knowledge of everything fully developed, internal as well as external. 8 Lojong: Training of the Mind in Eight Verses In typical language this is known as the buddha state, also called the ‘awakened state’. It is the ultimate state of development you can achieve: a wonderful, joyful state of blissful nature along with knowledge. These come together simultaneously, and one does not block the other. In our ordinary level, though we don’t have great joy, the joy we do have does block other thoughts, ideas and knowledge. It cannot function simultaneously. Especially if the joy is really great you cannot think of anything else. Don’t pre- tend that you don’t know what we are talking about! We all know. That clearly shows that the one blocks the other. In technical Buddhist language that is called ‘seeing as it is’ (Tib: c hi ta wa 1) and ‘seeing what it is’ (Tib: chi nye pa ) Seeing ‘what it is’ blocks ‘seeing as it is’; and seeing as it is’, blocks ‘seeing what it is’. That is our handicap. When you come to total knowledge, you come to the point where they don’t block each other. The traditional example is that of a transparent fruit. If you put that on the palm of your hand you can see the fruit as well as the lines in the palm of your hand. It is a 2600 year old example; they probably didn’t have glass at that time. So we can say: if you put a glass in the palm of your hand you can see the glass as well as the lines in the palm of your hand. One does not block the other. That is what we call simultaneous. That is what we call union. We talk about male-female union, but this is what it really repre- sents: one doesn’t block the other; you can function simultane- ously; you have the joy state as well as total knowledge. Total knowledge – that includes past, present and future. That is the state of buddhahood, the state that can be achieved by any great spiritual path. Any individual can achieve it, no matter who you are. Whether you are male or female, black or white, whatever you are, you have the capability. That’s why every practice we do is geared towards this: our spiritual goal. There are other goals, ordinary goals, that can be anything, like a better life, better health, a better this and better that. However, the recommended goal is buddhahood. That’s how the previous masters have travelled. So when I say, ‘For the benefit of all beings I would like to become a buddha’ that’s what I am talking about. That is the motivation. With this motivation we will learn and practice. The subject re- quested today is Lojong . That actually means ‘Mind training’: lo means Introduction 9 mind and jong means training. But it is not the ‘Silva Mind Train- ing’ that was popular in the 60s and 70s! The purpose of this train- ing of the mind is to develop a very specific thought, referred as ‘precious’ thought. In Sanskrit that is known as bodhicitta – bodhi refers to the buddha state 2 and citta is mind. So bodhicitta or bo- dhimind is the mind that seeks the state of total knowledge [by] unlimited, unconditional love and compassion. This is as far as you can go with love and compassion: unlimited and unconditional. That is the most important thing. In our usual mind everything is limited. We have a lot of limitations: natural limits, physical limits and par- ticularly mentally imposed limits. We have a lot of natural physical limits – which become worse and worse anyway – and also mental limits, like not know- ing what to do, not having information. But especially we have self-imposed limits, telling ourselves, ‘I can’t do that, I am not ca- pable, I am handicapped, I have been abused’, etc. If we want to count our sufferings, no doubt we have a tremendous amount of sufferings that we experienced.