Discovering Buddhism - Samsara and Nirvana (11 March 2010)

0:01 So instead of ending April 22nd, we would end April 29th. So let me know if that doesn't work for you. It looks like that might work for a lot of people. And we have another sort of a location conflict for April 8th because April 8th is a Tsog day. And I don't know how many of you attend Guru Puja, Lama Tsongkhapa. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:29 It's a Tibetan ritual that you do twice a month on the 10th and the 25th of the Tibetan month. So that happens to fall on April 8th. And so what I was thinking is we could possibly meet someplace else, depending upon how many people stay with the course. Report an error in the passage at 0:29 Highlight the passage at 0:29

0:53 If not, if People aren't going to attend the Tsog offering here, which is a ritual of chanting and things. We could possibly meet in the bookstore. Report an error in the passage at 0:53 Highlight the passage at 0:53

1:07 So if anybody knows of a cafe that we could all just kind of congregate, that would be nice. But it might be difficult with the group size that we have. So does anybody here know what a Tsog is or attend it usually? Okay, so there's no conflict there. But that's okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:07 Highlight the passage at 1:07

1:32 All right. My name is Carol. And, oh gosh, I've been involved with Se Chin Ling since it got started. And I don't live at the center. I live in the East Bay. So it was a little sort of the highlights of saṃsāra driving here tonight. But it's doable. And, oh, I forgot. There's a practice day that kind of goes with this course. And it's... Report an error in the passage at 1:32 Highlight the passage at 1:32

2:05 It's a requirement if there's anyone here who plans to complete the Discovering Buddhism program for a certificate, then you have to participate. Part of that requirement for a certificate is to participate in the practice day. What it will be, it will be probably on Saturday, April 24th. Originally it was intended to be after our last class, but with the way things are working out, it will be... Report an error in the passage at 2:05 Highlight the passage at 2:05

2:33 Just before the last class. But it'll be from 10.30 to 1.30 on a Saturday. And it'll just be a time to review the material and focus more on practice and meditation. So keep that in mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:33 Highlight the passage at 2:33

2:53 I think we're probably there with... So let's see. I was going to tell you that I like to run the class with about maybe 45 minutes or an hour. Report an error in the passage at 2:53 Highlight the passage at 2:53

3:13 And then maybe take a little break. And each class will have some lecture, some discussion and some time for meditation. There are also some required readings that go with this course. And I don't, I did not print them for tonight or didn't have Charles print them because it's probably about 40 or 50 pages. Report an error in the passage at 3:13 Highlight the passage at 3:13

3:42 If you like, I can just email them to you. It's like an Adobe Acrobat. So if there's somebody who can't handle email, just let me know and I'll get you a hard copy. But otherwise it would be a lot easier and greener to go with the emailed copies. And those I won't really assign per se. I might mention or reference them as we go along in our class. The material just complements what we're covering here. Report an error in the passage at 3:42 Highlight the passage at 3:42

4:13 And if you have any questions at any time, please just go ahead and raise your hand or ask a question. We're pretty relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 4:13 Highlight the passage at 4:13

4:34 I knew if I talked long enough somebody else would come. Report an error in the passage at 4:34 Highlight the passage at 4:34

4:45 So one of the things, I don't know how many classes people have attended before as far as where you're at. Is this okay? Do I kind of keep fading in and out here or loud enough? Okay. Report an error in the passage at 4:45 Highlight the passage at 4:45

4:59 In terms of Buddhist studies, there are a lot of different levels. And the Discovering Buddhism classes are kind of somewhere between an introduction and a mid-level because you're getting into the heart of the Buddhist philosophy, but more with a view of practice and of applying it to your own life, your own experience. Report an error in the passage at 4:59 Highlight the passage at 4:59

5:24 So as I mentioned before, if you are... Taking this as part of the series and you want a certificate, let me know and then I'll find out from Charles. That would entail probably completing an exam and like I said, definitely being there for the practice day. Report an error in the passage at 5:24 Highlight the passage at 5:24

5:44 So let's start. I don't know if you're familiar with this idea of karma, motivation. So a significant portion of karma is our motivation. What happens is about... The result is very much about what we intend. So when we begin classes, it's really good for us to take a moment and think about our motivation and kind of set our motivation to be of the highest, the best kind. Report an error in the passage at 5:44 Highlight the passage at 5:44

6:14 And that best kind, by virtue of what we're going to learn through these teachings, is about really developing this good heart, this altruistic intention to attain enlightenment. To benefit others, to benefit all beings. Because at this stage, we want to do good acts, we want to do good things, we want to be kind. Report an error in the passage at 6:14 Highlight the passage at 6:14

6:37 But the best way to help others is really to kind of help ourselves. That's not good. Did I lose it? Sorry. Okay. Anyway, so let's just take a moment to do a really short meditation. Report an error in the passage at 6:37 Highlight the passage at 6:37

7:00 So just be comfortable. And the most important thing now is to make sure that your spine is straight. So just imagine your spine is like a stack of coins. Report an error in the passage at 7:00 Highlight the passage at 7:00

7:14 You can close your eyes or kind of look down at the floor about three feet in front of you. And just take a moment to kind of do a mental survey from the top of your head down so that as you bring your attention to each part of your body, you relax that part. Report an error in the passage at 7:14 Highlight the passage at 7:14

7:36 So relaxing the corners of your eyes and your jaw. Relax your neck and your shoulders. Report an error in the passage at 7:36 Highlight the passage at 7:36

7:52 Relax your arms, your hips, your thighs, your knees, right down to your ankles and your toes. Report an error in the passage at 7:52 Highlight the passage at 7:52

8:10 And just take a few comfortable breaths. Report an error in the passage at 8:10 Highlight the passage at 8:10

8:26 So just letting yourself relax so that the body is comfortable. Turn your attention to your mind and just think Report an error in the passage at 8:26 Highlight the passage at 8:26

8:41 about... Just being here. Just the sensation, let go of the sensations of your body and just let your mind be alert, be present. Report an error in the passage at 8:41 Highlight the passage at 8:41

9:05 Just focus your attention on the breath just as you breathe in and breathe out, Report an error in the passage at 9:05 Highlight the passage at 9:05

9:14 letting go of everything else. Report an error in the passage at 9:14 Highlight the passage at 9:14

· · · silence, 1 minute

10:01 And now just turn your thoughts to your motivation for being here, your reasons for being here, Report an error in the passage at 10:01 Highlight the passage at 10:01

10:11 thinking, generating this wish to develop a kind heart, to Report an error in the passage at 10:11 Highlight the passage at 10:11

10:27 really make the most of this opportunity. This birth that we have, Report an error in the passage at 10:27 Highlight the passage at 10:27

10:34 this life that we have, Report an error in the passage at 10:34 Highlight the passage at 10:34

10:51 to bring our minds into Report an error in the passage at 10:51 Highlight the passage at 10:51

10:57 a quieter, clearer state. Report an error in the passage at 10:57 Highlight the passage at 10:57

11:06 So a state of awakening, a state of knowing. Report an error in the passage at 11:06 Highlight the passage at 11:06

11:16 And to do this with this motivation of knowing it's the best way to help others. Report an error in the passage at 11:16 Highlight the passage at 11:16

11:31 Essentially to become all that we can. Report an error in the passage at 11:31 Highlight the passage at 11:31

11:47 And this is called the bodhicitta motivation. Report an error in the passage at 11:47 Highlight the passage at 11:47

12:06 Okay, now we can relax and get down to business. Report an error in the passage at 12:06 Highlight the passage at 12:06

12:21 What I was going to say, usually in the classes when people have questions, we pass a microphone around because we're taping or recording. Taping. Sorry, we're recording classes. So let's see if we can get this back. Oh, you know what, John? Okay, thank you. Oops. Okay, so Saṃsāra Nirvāṇa, which we were talking about. I mean, these are, they're... Report an error in the passage at 12:21 Highlight the passage at 12:21

12:49 Sanskrit words, so they're not in our usual vocabulary. But basically we're asking, okay, how did we get into this mess? How did we get here? And more importantly, how did we get out? And I'll tell you that saṃsāra, this is a formal definition, it's a Sanskrit word. It means this continuous flowing, this cycle of birth, kind of wandering between life and death. Report an error in the passage at 12:49 Highlight the passage at 12:49

13:24 From a Buddhist perspective, we look at this kind of a continuous flow of lifetimes. Philosophically, if you follow the Buddhist philosophy, there's really no way to pinpoint when life started. It's just we have every moment of consciousness is a result of the previous moment of consciousness and so on and forth. If you don't have a view of a creator, Then basically it's beginningless lifetimes. So that's where that sense of that sort of that perspective, that view is reflected here with this definition of saṃsāra, this view of how things operate, of how we have this just ongoing cycle. Report an error in the passage at 13:24 Highlight the passage at 13:24

14:20 And we call it cyclic existence as well here. One thing that we probably know on a subconscious level, maybe on a very conscious level at times, is that the nature of saṃsāra is suffering. Report an error in the passage at 14:20 Highlight the passage at 14:20

14:40 Saṃsāra isn't paradise. From a conventional viewpoint, if we look at our view of the world, there's always this thing about ups and downs. Report an error in the passage at 14:40 Highlight the passage at 14:40

14:54 With the roses come the thorns. So we're conditioned to expect, you know, things basically, you know, bad things to happen. Good things happen, but bad things happen. Well, from a Buddhist perspective, we kind of get a little better look at that. Because from a Buddhist perspective, we're saying, or the teachings really say that saṃsāra is really about suffering. Report an error in the passage at 14:54 Highlight the passage at 14:54

15:23 so that... Report an error in the passage at 15:23 Highlight the passage at 15:23

15:28 What we sometimes experience as pleasure is just a kind of a lessening of the suffering, if you will. And that might sound a little overwhelming, like, wait a minute, it sounds very negative. But we'll get there. There's a reason for all of this, and there's a very powerful result of looking at things this way. Report an error in the passage at 15:28 Highlight the passage at 15:28

15:53 So on the other side is nirvāṇa, which is another Sanskrit word, meaning to extinguish. In the sense of, here it says, blowing out the fires of greed, hatred and delusion. It's a state of being free from suffering and again it notes craving, anger and afflictive states. Report an error in the passage at 15:53 Highlight the passage at 15:53

16:16 So these three, this idea of greed, hatred and delusion, we're going to see that a lot because those are actually considered the three poisons. They're sort of the The root delusions that all of our problems, all of our suffering arises from. And the very root delusion is ignorance. Here it says delusion. In the third part it says afflictive states. That's a pretty general term. But the root problem is ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 16:16 Highlight the passage at 16:16

16:53 And I'll explain that a little more as we go on. And like I said, if anybody has any questions, please feel free to jump in. Report an error in the passage at 16:53 Highlight the passage at 16:53

17:07 So nirvāṇa, I mean, in some respects we look at, I mean, nirvāṇa doesn't really mean a whole lot to us. We might theoretically know it as someplace better than saṃsāra, but what it really is is freedom from saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 17:07 Highlight the passage at 17:07

17:29 It takes us... it's um Report an error in the passage at 17:29 Highlight the passage at 17:29

17:30 Out of this cyclic existence, it frees us from this continual wandering. The other important thing to know about nirvāṇa is that it's kind of the first step. It's a big step. Once we attain nirvāṇa, we can't fall back into saṃsāra, into this cyclic existence. We've purified our delusions or cleared our view. Report an error in the passage at 17:30 Highlight the passage at 17:30

18:02 So that we can't, you know, it won't be a situation where our minds become clouded again and we're now back where we started. However, we also aren't completely free of afflictive emotions, okay, or of delusions. There are what are called subtle, subtler delusions, and we're going to get into those. Report an error in the passage at 18:02 Highlight the passage at 18:02

18:31 And when we actually eliminate those subtle delusions, Then we're talking about enlightenment. Bodhi is a Sanskrit word. I think it's also a Pāli word. But what it really means, we translate it as enlightenment, but it really means to awaken. And it means to know. So it's about knowing our minds, knowing the world around us, okay? Report an error in the passage at 18:31 Highlight the passage at 18:31

18:57 Knowing phenomenon and knowing ourselves. And that's sort of the crux of... The view of emptiness or the explanation of emptiness. Again, that's something we will get to later. But bodhic is the same, or Buddha is the same root word, bodhic, Buddha, that just means awakened one. So there are lots of buddhas, lots of awakened ones, and we all have the potential to become... Report an error in the passage at 18:57 Highlight the passage at 18:57

19:36 Awakened to become enlightened. And this means being beyond affliction, beyond suffering. And so being a step beyond nirvāṇa, again, there's no going back. So this is something, it's a transformation of mind that isn't reversible. So talking about how did we get here? This very interesting artwork, which is also on this tonk over here, it's called The Wheel of Life. Report an error in the passage at 19:36 Highlight the passage at 19:36

20:10 And this is really interesting because this was actually the Shakyamuni Buddha. This was his visual aid. They used to actually paint this map, if you will, or depiction of our existence on the doors of the temple, in and out, so that people could see visually what were really... Sort of the whole scheme of things. This is just a line drawing, which is kind of hard to read. But you can see from the way this is that, you know, there's like this outer section that's broken up into 12 areas or 12 different topics. Report an error in the passage at 20:10 Highlight the passage at 20:10

20:59 Then there's this inner circle that has six divisions total. And then there's the center. So let's look at... I don't know if you guys can see this one over here, but looking at the very center, we'll call it the hub of the wheel. Oh wait, let me start with the Buddha. Sorry. And you know what? I think it's covered up by the orange fringe. Report an error in the passage at 20:59 Highlight the passage at 20:59

21:33 Anyway, in the upper and right corners. So in the right corner, there's usually a depiction of the Buddha in an enlightened state. And to the left, and he'll be pointing to... The moon, which will be in the left corner. And that the moon just symbolizes enlightenment or awakening. And the Buddha being an enlightened being is basically telling us that we can achieve that state. Report an error in the passage at 21:33 Highlight the passage at 21:33

21:59 Then in the center, the very center, the hub of the wheel, it's hard to see here, but there are three animals. There's a pig, a snake and a rooster. Report an error in the passage at 21:59 Highlight the passage at 21:59

22:12 And the pig symbolizes ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 22:12 Highlight the passage at 22:12

22:18 The other two symbolize hatred and desire respectively. And the way they're depicted, you know what, I'm going to go back so you guys can see this here. This is a little bit better. It's a little bit hard to see here, but you can see they're sort of like, this is supposed, why does it, Report an error in the passage at 22:18 Highlight the passage at 22:18

22:43 sorry, I'm doing, this is really, I'm sorry, it's not your computer. I have wild fingers. Report an error in the passage at 22:43 Highlight the passage at 22:43

22:53 Oh, if you want. Oh, it, okay, thank you. I will be careful what I do here. Okay, so here, no, no, no, I'm used to a Mac, so everybody's got their own things. Anyway, you can see down on the bottom, there's like a drawing of a pig, and then there's a snake, and there's, kind of hard to see, but there's a rooster above. Report an error in the passage at 22:53 Highlight the passage at 22:53

23:12 But it's like the snake is coming out of the pig's mouth, and the rooster is coming out of the snake's mouth, and the rooster... Has the pig's tail in its mouth. This just symbolizes that they're all connected, okay? So out of ignorance comes this greed, comes hatred or anger. It could be anger as well. All of these, they're like the three root delusions because we know from experience, you know, ignorance in itself just breeds all sorts of problems, of deluded states of mind. Report an error in the passage at 23:12 Highlight the passage at 23:12

23:50 That's why sometimes There aren't three animals in the middle. There would just be a pig symbolizing ignorance as the root cause. But when we have these deluded states, from ignorance going to anger is just, again, it's kind of a blinding sort of mindset. When we're angry, we've lost our rationality. If we experience our feeling hatred, It's very hard to reason with someone who has that mindset. Likewise, desire, strong desire. Again, with ourselves, trying to tame that, trying to cool that desire, it can be very overwhelming. Report an error in the passage at 23:50 Highlight the passage at 23:50

24:38 This is the heart of this samsaric existence, these overpowering emotions driving us to a lot of irrationality. Eventually, I mean essentially, are resulting in suffering. Because we're not, it's like we aren't really in control of our minds. We're just acting out our emotions. And the result of that is a lot of pain and suffering. Report an error in the passage at 24:38 Highlight the passage at 24:38

25:15 So then the next outer circle, let's see. Okay, this one has two. You can see a little bit here on this side and this side. You can see there's like on the bottom it looks like there are beings heading downward. On the left side there are beings looking upward. So that just tells us it's just kind of a depiction of the kind of like positive states of mind leading us to higher realms and toward that view of enlightenment and the negative states of mind leading us down. Report an error in the passage at 25:15 Highlight the passage at 25:15

25:54 And away from those. Then you get into this area with these depictions of the six realms. Now has anybody heard of six realms before? Okay. So we're most familiar with the human realm, which is in that upper left corner. And the top three realms are considered the upper realms. The lower three pictures depict the lower realms. Report an error in the passage at 25:54 Highlight the passage at 25:54

26:24 there's Up to the left is the human rebirth. In the top middle is what's called the god realm. And to the right is what's called the jealous gods. And to give you an idea, the god realm, I mean, oh, I did it again. Report an error in the passage at 26:24 Highlight the passage at 26:24

26:45 Okay. And the way these are presented here, they're drawn as... The Buddha taught them as actual realms. We can certainly identify with the human realm. Down below and to the left is the animal realm. It's hard to see there, but there are little animals in there, I think. On the very bottom, it's a depiction of what are considered hell realms, which are just realms of extreme suffering. Report an error in the passage at 26:45 Highlight the passage at 26:45

27:16 To the right are the hungry ghost realms. And those are depicted by their beings that have a very small throat and large bodies and they suffer hunger and thirst. It's like they're never able to be satiated. The hell realms are just constant suffering. The animal realms are kind of indicative of a life plagued with ignorance and the inability without speech, without being able. Report an error in the passage at 27:16 Highlight the passage at 27:16

27:49 A life of not really being able to take care or have control over your own life per se. You're in servitude. Animals are often used by humans. So you also have the fear of being attacked or eaten by another animal. And depending upon the kind of animal rebirth, Or the kind of animal, you know, you could be constantly killing other animals. So either way, you know, it's again this cycle of killing or being killed. Report an error in the passage at 27:49 Highlight the passage at 27:49

28:28 The human realm, like I said, we experience plenty. The god realm is said to be just a realm of great pleasure. Okay, which doesn't seem like it would be saṃsāra. Except at the very end. Because what the god realm involves is basically... Report an error in the passage at 28:28 Highlight the passage at 28:28

28:50 Using up all the good karma that got one into the God realm. And in that last week before the end of that life, the person, the being is able to basically get a preview of what the next life will be. And generally because that whole, it's a very long life, that life has been spent in just exhausting karma. Report an error in the passage at 28:50 Highlight the passage at 28:50

29:18 That kind of pleasure in the God realms, it's said to be kind of intoxicating. So there's no motivation, there's not even any incentive, any sense of producing any positive results. So it's like just the whole time is spent in exhausting good karma and creating no more good karma. So it invariably leads to a dive back down into the lower realms. Report an error in the passage at 29:18 Highlight the passage at 29:18

29:46 And then the jealous gods, it's the way it's depicted here. It's kind of interesting because there's a tree growing full of fruit. The tree starts, it's growing from the realm of the jealous gods into the god realm. So it's like it's only accessible to the gods. And it just gives this idea of, you know, of looking around and not, you know, always seeing what others have. Report an error in the passage at 29:46 Highlight the passage at 29:46

30:10 And the as I mentioned how these are considered. Physical realms, but they can also be viewed as just aspects of human life because we can identify with all of these from jealousy, just being intoxicatingly, just essentially being intoxicated with pleasure and then waking up to find that you've ruined your life or you've done something that has... Report an error in the passage at 30:10 Highlight the passage at 30:10

30:46 I mean, we've got people who, you know, drug addiction, this kind of thing. And, you know, ignorance, all sorts, all of these. And in the, I think, the most extreme case here with the hell realms, you know, when we look at people who take lives, you know, killing, just hurting others to a very, the major, Or I would say the idea of the hell realms does involve very serious, mainly actions of anger, of hatred. Report an error in the passage at 30:46 Highlight the passage at 30:46

31:26 So that's, again, something we can see just within our own lives. So then beyond that circle, we get out to this outer area that has all these little scenes of that. Report an error in the passage at 31:26 Highlight the passage at 31:26

31:47 Essentially bring out how this life comes together. That's kind of the mechanics of it, and we're going to get into that in more detail later. It's a little bit too much for today. We can step back, though, and you see that the whole wheel is being held up by this kind of scary-looking guy with big fangs. Report an error in the passage at 31:47 Highlight the passage at 31:47

32:09 And sometimes this being, you can see, you know, skeletons or skulls on his crown. And sometimes he's called Yama, the lord of death. Sometimes it's just, you know, he's a big blue monster. But whatever, the symbolism here is that here's this wheel of saṃsāra that we're all existing in. It's very impermanent. Report an error in the passage at 32:09 Highlight the passage at 32:09

32:40 You know, it's just being held in place by this monster. And death could come at any time. So, you know. There's nothing that's permanent here, nothing that's certain. So Report an error in the passage at 32:40 Highlight the passage at 32:40

32:59 this kind of explains the mechanics of how we got here. But knowing that isn't really enough to get out. Report an error in the passage at 32:59 Highlight the passage at 32:59

33:16 And in some respects, we can develop this wish to be free of saṃsāra. We can say, you know, I'm tired of this and I want to get out of it. Report an error in the passage at 33:16 Highlight the passage at 33:16

33:27 But to develop real renunciation, that's where the benefit of looking at suffering comes from. Because as long as we look at saṃsāra as something that we can kind of live with, which is sort of the conventional view. I mean, if you're not coming from this sort of a philosophy, the view is, well... You know, you just kind of make the best of it. So the first thing is, you know, taking this wish to get out, realizing saṃsāra is like a prison. Report an error in the passage at 33:27 Highlight the passage at 33:27

34:09 And we can't just walk out. It's funny, on the way here, I happened to have the radio on and caught a line from, I can't remember who it was, but it was something to the effect of, you know, we live our life in chains and don't realize we have the key. Oh, thank you. That's it. I couldn't remember the eagles. Thank you. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 34:09 Highlight the passage at 34:09

34:36 So, you know, and we do, and that key is in our minds. And what we're going to realize as we go on with this and as we investigate this whole view of saṃsāra is that it's so much about our minds because we really, we create our own saṃsāra in some ways. So it'll get better. It gets more interesting. So, let's see. Any doing okay so far? Report an error in the passage at 34:36 Highlight the passage at 34:36

35:07 So, the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths. And are anybody familiar with that? That teaching? Okay. So, there's the truth of suffering, which is fantastic to just, you know, let people know, yeah, suffering, that's the way things are. And the true cause of suffering. That's really powerful. Because that now gives us a cessation of suffering. If I know what the cause is, then... Report an error in the passage at 35:07 Highlight the passage at 35:07

35:33 There's a chance that I can do something to change that. And then the path to that. Report an error in the passage at 35:33 Highlight the passage at 35:33

35:49 So by knowing these causes, by having this method basically that Shakyamuni Buddha provided, we have a means of freeing ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 35:49 Highlight the passage at 35:49

36:08 So now the glitch there is that Shakyamuni Buddha gave about... 84,000 teachings. And even though the Four Noble Truths are great, I mean, they basically, you know, they tell us that there is this path, this way out. But without knowing how to apply it, without having kind of a manual of instructions, it gets pretty, it's pretty challenging. Report an error in the passage at 36:08 Highlight the passage at 36:08

36:38 So we are really lucky because... Lama Atisha came along and looked at, studied all these teachings and developed this method, which is common to the Tibetan tradition. And jangchub lamrim is a Tibetan, two Tibetan words. And let's see, jangchub means awakened. It's sort of the Tibetan version of bodhi, but jang in itself means to purify all obscurations. So that's like, ah, getting rid of this deluded mind. Report an error in the passage at 36:38 Highlight the passage at 36:38

37:23 Chu means to perfect one's realizations. And then lamrim, our lam means the path, and rim means stages. So you put it all together, basically we have the graduated path to enlightenment. And it's really an outline of, you know, what meditations, what kinds of practices to do, how to, you know, what teachings to follow to achieve this path to cessation. Report an error in the passage at 37:23 Highlight the passage at 37:23

37:55 Yes? Report an error in the passage at 37:55 Highlight the passage at 37:55

38:00 Not really. It's just a different organization of it, a different, maybe a different approach. This one, the Lamrim Path is very, what can I say, in some ways, Maybe it's a little more specific and a little more complete. It will cover various aspects along the path that will include realizing the perfect or the precious human rebirth, realizing karma. Report an error in the passage at 38:00 Highlight the passage at 38:00

38:37 It's a little broader in the sense. The Eightfold Path is really about how to live our lives. This is maybe even before that. It's like how to put this together so that I know how to live my life. Report an error in the passage at 38:37 Highlight the passage at 38:37

39:00 The Eightfold Path seems to be more like an ethical outline, whereas Lama Rhythm is an experiential way of going about it. Well, yeah, that's a good point, because part of it with the Eightfold Path, it's sort of a guideline. As you were saying, it's an ethical view. Report an error in the passage at 39:00 Highlight the passage at 39:00

39:19 Guideline of how to live our lives. And what the lamrim is going to do, it sort of takes us to a place with the mind first. It gives us meditations to do to sort of prepare our minds to be able to follow that eightfold path. So a means to generate renunciation, a means to recognize to recognize impermanence. Report an error in the passage at 39:19 Highlight the passage at 39:19

39:51 Impermanence means to recognize the certainty of death. So it's broader, I'll say, than the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path would be a part, would be probably included in the lamrim, but it's just a part of that. It's not that it's a different way, it's more of one aspect of it. And something that it's encompassed in the lamrim. So the lamrim is like if you took all of those teachings and you said, okay, how would I follow them? Report an error in the passage at 39:51 Highlight the passage at 39:51

40:34 What would I have to do? The lamrim actually gives you a place to start and a systematic path to go through them. Report an error in the passage at 40:34 Highlight the passage at 40:34

40:51 Yeah. The term, yeah. The question was, is the lamrim specific to the Galut tradition? And that is true. But the other tradition, it seems like most of the Tibetan traditions have an equivalent. It's like the lamdre, I think, in the Kagyu tradition. The Sakya tradition has something similar. And it's not that this is the only way or the best way. Report an error in the passage at 40:51 Highlight the passage at 40:51

41:17 It's simply a way. And it's just... It's, um... It's a good opportunity. It'll come back. Patience. Okay. So, oh gosh, let's see. So now, let me see where I'm at because I wanted to go back. Okay, so we just talked about the lamrim. And within the lamrim, there are these scopes of practice. So this will give you an idea of how broadly we're speaking here. Report an error in the passage at 41:17 Highlight the passage at 41:17

41:53 So there are, you know, there's basically... A path for the view of small capacity practitioner, for a medium capacity practitioner, and meditations for the superior path, superior capacity practitioner. Report an error in the passage at 41:53 Highlight the passage at 41:53

42:14 Oh, let me go back one minute, sorry. So here, when we talk about small capacity, you'll see that each one encompasses the... Paths below, basically. So that the small capacity practitioner looks at saṃsāra, says, okay, I've had enough suffering, this is it. Report an error in the passage at 42:14 Highlight the passage at 42:14

42:38 I want to have a better life. So that path espouses to have a higher rebirth. I know the lower realms are suffering. I want to make sure that my next life is going to be... So that involves abandoning the ten non-virtuous actions and practicing the ten virtues. And that is basically that path. So that path involves that kind of mindset and really working to transform one's mind to... Report an error in the passage at 42:38 Highlight the passage at 42:38

43:25 To espouse ethics and the Eightfold Path. Then the medium capacity practitioner looks at saṃsāra, looks at the idea of having a higher rebirth, but realizes that eventually there's a lot of karma and the karma will ripen to take a lower rebirth. So that practitioner develops the wish to be free of saṃsāra totally. Report an error in the passage at 43:25 Highlight the passage at 43:25

43:52 So practitioner. Report an error in the passage at 43:52 Highlight the passage at 43:52

43:58 Practitioner wishes to essentially attain liberation. Liberation is this freedom from saṃsāra. So the objects to be abandoned are the obscurations to liberation, the things that hold us in saṃsāra. And the path is the three higher trainings. And that involves higher concentration, higher morality and higher wisdom, which we'll talk about again. Report an error in the passage at 43:58 Highlight the passage at 43:58

44:27 And then the practitioner of superior capacity looks at this and wants to go even beyond this freedom from saṃsāra, wants to attain full enlightenment to achieve this awakening. And to do that, the practitioner has to abandon... Basically all the obscurations to our knowing, to knowing, to knowledge. And the method, the path for this practitioner is the path of the six perfections, which is generosity, ethics, patience, enthusiastic perseverance, concentration and wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 44:27 Highlight the passage at 44:27

45:23 And also... Generating the spirit, this bodhicitta, this wish to attain enlightenment to benefit others. So the superior capacity practitioner is basically practicing the paths of the two lower paths as well. But for the purpose of this course, when we're talking about freeing ourselves from saṃsāra, we're going to look at this. Report an error in the passage at 45:23 Highlight the passage at 45:23

45:56 Medium capacity. Report an error in the passage at 45:56 Highlight the passage at 45:56

46:00 And I just thought this was an interesting quote by Nagarjuna, who was a great Indian pandit. Back, I guess, he lived around the third century. Report an error in the passage at 46:00 Highlight the passage at 46:00

46:13 So just realizing that the more we focus on, you know, thinking that this life, that saṃsāra is happy, that these migrations are happy. The more the darkness of ignorance thickens. And the stronger one recognizes all migrations as suffering, that much the darkness of ignorance becomes thinner. So that's that first step of recognizing saṃsāra for what it is. That it isn't a paradise. Report an error in the passage at 46:13 Highlight the passage at 46:13

46:52 That it really is, it's not at all what it seems. And then increasing, you know... The second part is interesting because at first it seems like what's the matter with meditating on beauty? And why would you want to meditate on ugliness? But that's part of this practice that we'll get into when we examine suffering. We examine sort of the facade of saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 46:52 Highlight the passage at 46:52

47:26 In that things that appear very beautiful, you know? Report an error in the passage at 47:26 Highlight the passage at 47:26

47:32 The truth of them, really, you know, that beauty is so much a projection of the desire in the mind. And we can use many sort of the reality of seeing things or trying to see things as they are, trying to see them for what they are, and also coupling that with the truth of impermanence. Report an error in the passage at 47:32 Highlight the passage at 47:32

47:57 A good example is having... You see someone, a supermodel, they're gorgeous. But we also live in a society that abhors growing old. And we spend millions of dollars trying to get rid of laugh lines and changing our faces. So it's kind of seeing through things. And also here it's about protecting our minds. Report an error in the passage at 47:57 Highlight the passage at 47:57

48:29 because once If we become lax as far as that root of the suffering, the ignorance and the leading to desire, leading to the hatred, those delusions arise again. Report an error in the passage at 48:29 Highlight the passage at 48:29

48:51 Nagarjuna is reminding us that watching our minds and guarding... So what we think of or what we meditate on and focus on will give us the key basically to controlling our minds. Report an error in the passage at 48:51 Highlight the passage at 48:51

49:14 So the three higher trainings are part of this path of freeing ourselves from saṃsāra, this middle scope path. And so I mentioned higher morality, higher concentration and higher wisdom. And you might say, why are they called higher? And they're called higher because they lead to the path of liberation. They lead us out of saṃsāra. They also lead us to omniscience. Report an error in the passage at 49:14 Highlight the passage at 49:14

49:46 This is sort of the first step on that path to enlightenment. And enlightenment is awakening or knowing. So it's really opening our minds, our views. Report an error in the passage at 49:46 Highlight the passage at 49:46

50:07 And then morality, higher morality. Really have to begin with renunciation. And sometimes renunciation is kind of a scary word because it makes you think about giving up all the things that you like or, you know, those things that saṃsāra, you know, seems to hold out as pleasurable. And it conjures up notions of a very strict and kind of ascetic life. Report an error in the passage at 50:07 Highlight the passage at 50:07

50:40 But what we're really talking about is renouncing the suffering, renouncing just everything that keeps us in this suffering place. And that's what, by focusing and becoming familiar with those sufferings and the causes of sufferings and what the sufferings are, that's how we really develop this renunciation. Report an error in the passage at 50:40 Highlight the passage at 50:40

51:07 Again, it's realizing that samsaric happiness just isn't really happiness. okay, we, um, these. Report an error in the passage at 51:07 Highlight the passage at 51:07

51:20 Saṃsāra is sort of like this amazing drug because it dulls our view. And if we could look at it in a very practical sense, we would be able to see right through it. But usually we're clouded. We're caught up already, you know, as Nagarjuna says, you know, it's like that beauty and just kind of pulls us right along. Report an error in the passage at 51:20 Highlight the passage at 51:20

51:47 I don't know if you're familiar with this, but strictly speaking, if samsaric pleasures were truly pleasures, then doing that action would just give you constant pleasure. So you can say, oh, wait a minute, I enjoy a good meal, and that's part of saṃsāra. But if you examine your experience, it's like... Report an error in the passage at 51:47 Highlight the passage at 51:47

52:16 First we start off with hunger, and hunger is painful. It kind of tells you that you have to eat. So then you say, okay, you have your meal. Begin the first few bites. It might be great. But as you go on, it doesn't taste as good. If you keep on eating, you will just, you know, you'll get an uncomfortably full feeling. Report an error in the passage at 52:16 Highlight the passage at 52:16

52:42 You will actually make, you know, you can make yourself sick. So it's that kind of view of what pleasure really is that shows us that, oh yeah, the pleasure of eating came from reducing the suffering of hunger. The suffering of hunger arose, we eat, that suffering diminishes a bit, but if you keep on eating, you have a new suffering arising. Report an error in the passage at 52:42 Highlight the passage at 52:42

53:11 And it's the same, you can look at... Every aspect of our lives, whether it's the things we seek to own, to collect, wealth, never having enough, always that impossible to satiate that desirous mind. Report an error in the passage at 53:11 Highlight the passage at 53:11

53:28 Relationships, how we project what we want to see in our friends, in the people we love often, and how a relationship, it's hard work. Report an error in the passage at 53:28 Highlight the passage at 53:28

53:42 It isn't bliss. We have to work very hard. And that's where, again, that idea of the bumps in the road. You know, nothing is just smooth sailing because saṃsāra, the nature of it, is really suffering. Report an error in the passage at 53:42 Highlight the passage at 53:42

54:02 So going back to morality here, we will spend some time exploring renunciation, exploring this path, which uses... Suffering and the truth of the delusions to help us generate this kind of higher morality. And then higher concentration, generating mindfulness. It's really about getting beyond the rational consciousness and obtaining deeper realizations. Report an error in the passage at 54:02 Highlight the passage at 54:02

54:41 Because we can look, I mean, just sitting here, when we talk about these examples. We can see the faults of saṃsāra, but that doesn't mean that we're going to leave here and recognize that every time. Everybody in this room knows that at some point death is going to come. I'm going to die. You're all going to die at some point. Report an error in the passage at 54:41 Highlight the passage at 54:41

55:08 Very few of us believe it could happen today. Yet, if we look at death... The certainty of death, the uncertainty of the time of death, it's a definite, I mean, we don't know. I mean, I could not wait, I might not wake up tomorrow, but do I live that way? No. You know, I have that knowledge, that rational understanding that that could be, but deeper down, deep inside, I have a view that, eh, it's not going to happen to me, you know, or it's not going to happen to me for a long time. Report an error in the passage at 55:08 Highlight the passage at 55:08

55:45 And that's how we live our lives. We believe or we understand death. We understand impermanence. Oh, yeah, things change. But every time something changes, we're surprised by it. It's like, oh, when somebody dies, we're taken aback. So what we're talking about here with concentration is generating a kind of mindfulness that brings those concepts. Report an error in the passage at 55:45 Highlight the passage at 55:45

56:17 To us in a deeper level, to a deeper realization of that. And something that there, when you bring these concepts to that deeper level, that's when it begins to change how we act, how we live, how we think. Report an error in the passage at 56:17 Highlight the passage at 56:17

56:42 Why do you think that we think that way? Why do we default to these, you know, I'm surprised by death or... I'm thinking that could it happen? You know, it seems an unnatural then thought process. Well, I mean, do you think it's not that way? I'm not sure I follow your question. I mean, do you think, like, where does that come from? Yeah, I guess the question is that, you know, having to learn this higher concentration, you know, why do we default to this? Report an error in the passage at 56:42 Highlight the passage at 56:42

57:12 Maybe, you know, we're surprised. You know, if we know it rationally, why is the emotion not? That's a good point. I think from this viewpoint, we have, we'll get into this a little bit, but I think a lot of it has to do with the nature of our minds, that the nature of the mind is clear and knowing. But we've had countless lifetimes and we have, through these countless lifetimes, acquired, you know, or... Report an error in the passage at 57:12 Highlight the passage at 57:12

57:48 A huge amount of karma. Karma is a result of our actions. It's said that we basically have a clear mind, but it's very obscured. Report an error in the passage at 57:48 Highlight the passage at 57:48

58:03 The reason we're here experiencing this samsaric lifestyle that we are is because we can't see. We don't have that awakened mind. We're kind of stuck with this With a lot of obscurations. And with this basic, the three basic, or I should say the root obscuration here is this ignorance. So it's not that we aren't capable of knowing. I think that's where generating this kind of mindfulness and working with, that's what we're seeking. Report an error in the passage at 58:03 Highlight the passage at 58:03

58:41 We're seeking to awaken the mind in the sense of Being able to know things as they are. But through this experience of where we've been, and I think I have heard it said before that just in general, it's a lot easier to do negative things than positive things. And there's probably a whole cosmology of how beings became more coarse in the sense of having physical bodies. Report an error in the passage at 58:41 Highlight the passage at 58:41

59:16 And, um, but. I guess I could say that from my own experience, I know that discipline is work. It's a lot easier to just to not think clearly. It's a lot easier to grab or grasp at what looks good, what sounds good, what sounds easy. And it's kind of... In some ways, the nature of saṃsāra is this suffering. So this is the way our minds work. Like I said, the nature of our minds is still clear. Report an error in the passage at 59:16 Highlight the passage at 59:16

1:00:00 It's not that we are in any way disabled Report an error in the passage at 1:00:00 Highlight the passage at 1:00:00

1:00:10 or flawed or anything like that. But by the same token, just knowing that, I mean, there are some people who say, well, gosh, if I have the seed of enlightenment and, you know, I know rationally what you're talking about, then I'm enlightened. Well, that's a nice thought, but I know from experience that doesn't last very long. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:10 Highlight the passage at 1:00:10

1:00:34 And clearly there's a difference between really living this way. And sometimes I think we get a little bit of a picture of it, a glimpse of it, in some of the lamas who've been practicing a lot more than we have. I mean, I've met some pretty amazing beings who are able, it's just clear, they look at... Report an error in the passage at 1:00:34 Highlight the passage at 1:00:34

1:00:51 They look at their surroundings differently. I think where we are, there are just so many things that pull us in. You get caught up whether it's traffic, whether it's your schedule for the day, whether it's a friend with a problem. When you begin looking at the way out of saṃsāra, at first it seems like... Report an error in the passage at 1:00:51 Highlight the passage at 1:00:51

1:01:20 It's a piece of cake. I can do this. I can follow it. But then when life starts coming back or saṃsāra really starts coming back with all of the baggage that's there, all of the things that we're subjected to, it takes this work. And that's part of where the path comes in. Because, again, when we talk about lamrim, It's this whole method that involves the meditation, this concentration where we're talking about mindfulness. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:20 Highlight the passage at 1:01:20

1:02:01 That's sort of the first step. And then once we're able to make a difference, to kind of make a dent in those delusions and bring some realization at a deeper level, now we can start reacting differently when saṃsāra throws things at us. We don't see it in the same way. We don't react in the same way. And what I have here about seeing life as, you know, sort of broken up into time in meditation and out of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:01 Highlight the passage at 1:02:01

1:02:33 It's like our in meditation time is the time to really work at realizing these truths of bringing them to that deeper level. And then the out of meditation time. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:33 Highlight the passage at 1:02:33

1:02:49 It's the time that we get to try to practice that. We get to kind of take it out for a test drive, see how it works, see what a difference it makes. And that's really the measure of our practice because if we've been practicing for some time, we start to see differences. Others start to see differences in how we react, who we are, what we're doing. And you'll notice it yourself as well. And this is part of why, you know, Meditation is important because if we don't have that cushion time, if you will, then we've sort of taken a big piece out of the plan here. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:49 Highlight the passage at 1:02:49

1:03:34 Because there's no way to just kind of magically transform our minds. If there were, then the Buddha's enlightened beings would have said, ah, you're all enlightened. It's something we have to do. You have to do that work. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:34 Highlight the passage at 1:03:34

1:03:55 So a third of the three higher trainings is higher wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:55 Highlight the passage at 1:03:55

1:04:05 And wisdom here has to do with really realizing emptiness. That's when we talk in Buddhist terminology. We talk about wisdom and we're really talking about seeing things as they really are. And emptiness is probably, it can be a confusing term because it doesn't mean that things don't exist. I wrote here the big lie. That's how I view saṃsāra. Because what emptiness is about is just realizing that things don't exist the way we think they do. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:05 Highlight the passage at 1:04:05

1:04:43 And then it gets confusing because you feel like, well, how do I, you know, what's different? What am I thinking that's so different? What am I viewing that, you know, an enlightened being or somebody who's awakened, what are they seeing? Well, we tend to look at... We look at saṃsāra, we look at the things around us, like I said, expecting something that, like when I was talking about being surprised by change, being surprised by death. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:43 Highlight the passage at 1:04:43

1:05:17 We look at things and kind Report an error in the passage at 1:05:17 Highlight the passage at 1:05:17

1:05:24 of interpret them the way we want. And the way we want, quote, is really part of our ignorance. okay so we don't we We might know the concept or understand the concept of impermanence, but again, when change comes, we're seldom ready for it. And sometimes we're dead set against it. And when we see things that we desire... Report an error in the passage at 1:05:24 Highlight the passage at 1:05:24

1:05:58 We don't see them as they really are. We see them as we think the happiness that they'll bring us because that's what we think. We go after things because we think there's going to be happiness there. And just looking for happiness in saṃsāra itself is insatiable. It's impossible. It's a vicious circle because you can't fight it there. We already said samsaric happiness just isn't. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:58 Highlight the passage at 1:05:58

1:06:27 When we talk about this ignorance, it's an ignorance of kind of expecting things to give us this long-lasting pleasure, to give us this ultimate, you know, having a nature of their own. And when I put a line up here, the two truths, so it's really talking about conventional truth and ultimate truth. And that's really at the heart of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:27 Highlight the passage at 1:06:27

1:06:57 The view of emptiness is that conventionally things exist in dependence upon causes. I mean, we won't go into detail here, but ultimately nothing exists apart from being dependent upon causes and conditions. Conventionally, yeah, we see a table, we see our desks, we see each other. We recognize an eye in each of us. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:57 Highlight the passage at 1:06:57

1:07:28 But try to find the I. What is it? Where is it? So that's the emptiness of person. The emptiness of things is really just about knowing that all things are dependent. They're interdependent. Nothing gives us anything beyond the conventional. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:28 Highlight the passage at 1:07:28

1:07:54 I know that's a little cryptic right now. But, we'll get into this. This will come in more in this view of ignorance and of really trying to cut through the sort of story we put on everything, if you will. We tend to see things with a lot of context around them, and we kind of put that context there. We design it. We don't realize we're doing it, but we kind of have this whole story. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:54 Highlight the passage at 1:07:54

1:08:30 And things don't exist that way. So freeing ourselves from things. I mean, I always have fun when I'm thinking about this to some extent, just noticing how often my mind tries to recognize things and will be wrong. So you see something in the distance. I mean, invariably, you always think it's somebody you know. And then when you get closer, you realize it isn't. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:30 Highlight the passage at 1:08:30

1:09:00 But even just objects, we always want to identify things. We want to know. And, you know, as your eyesight goes, believe me, it's a new story. And you find all sorts of things that were mixed up. So that just gives us a little taste of what's involved here with the path. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:00 Highlight the passage at 1:09:00

1:09:28 So today we've just... Basically gone through this introduction and I realized we didn't really have a break. But how's everybody doing? Does anybody want a break right now? Report an error in the passage at 1:09:28 Highlight the passage at 1:09:28

1:09:42 Because if not, what we'll do is we'll just, if there are any questions, we'll go through that and then we'll do a little meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:42 Highlight the passage at 1:09:42

1:09:52 I did want to tell you that, so today was an introduction. The next class we're going to focus more on renunciation. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:52 Highlight the passage at 1:09:52

1:10:03 We'll cover the Four Noble Truths, delusions and their antidotes and lots more delusions and hopefully more antidotes. Karma, a little bit of the technical side of karma. The afflictions. And then I have death and rebirth and the wheel of life. We'll be talking about the wheel of life as we go along as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:03 Highlight the passage at 1:10:03

1:10:26 And next week I hope to give you, or actually if I... If I find it, I could email you a print of the Wheel of Life so that you can have something. I'm looking for a nice line drawing because that's a little bit easier to see and it'll be easier for you to print out because with the color, it gets a little involved. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:26 Highlight the passage at 1:10:26

1:10:52 So anything else? I feel like I've forgotten something. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:52 Highlight the passage at 1:10:52

1:11:01 Okay. Okay. Well, I'm going to close this so that we can have a... Report an error in the passage at 1:11:01 Highlight the passage at 1:11:01

1:11:12 It is an eight-session class. Or, you know, I mean, you can also come if you want to come to, you know, just a session or no sessions. That's fine, too. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:12 Highlight the passage at 1:11:12

1:11:26 No, I think the only thing will be this question of the class on the eighth. And if I have your e-mails, I can let you know whether we're going to meet just in the bookstore here. This is probably pretty convenient for everybody to just come here. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:26 Highlight the passage at 1:11:26

1:11:47 I mean, everybody's from different neighborhoods. Meet in the East Bay, but that's probably not a good idea. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:47 Highlight the passage at 1:11:47

1:11:56 Okay. Where is the clipboard? Okay. And everybody's filled in their name and email? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:56 Highlight the passage at 1:11:56

1:12:08 Okay. So let's just have a... Oh, I didn't mention, but generally I will try to keep the class. I usually do about an hour and a half. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:08 Highlight the passage at 1:12:08

1:12:23 And you will have... Let's see, this week, it's always good, I was going to say, if you have a meditation practice, to meditate every day, even if it's just five minutes a day. And we will, as the course goes on, we'll be having some good topics to meditate on. And what we'll be doing is a kind of meditation called analytical meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:23 Highlight the passage at 1:12:23

1:12:51 And you can do this at home, because what you really do is it's... It's a vehicle for taking these concepts and then bringing them to this deeper realization that we're talking about. So we'll do a little tonight, and then we'll talk next week about more things to do at home. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:51 Highlight the passage at 1:12:51

1:13:15 So again, just... Yes? Oh, yes, sure. Could we? Report an error in the passage at 1:13:15 Highlight the passage at 1:13:15

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:13:51 That's funny. Here you are. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:51 Highlight the passage at 1:13:51

1:13:57 No, not this week. But if you give me... Your name and your email. I will be emailing some suggested, actually not suggested, they're really required reading. Yeah, there's some suggested readings too, which I could email those as well if you'd like. But the required reading I think is about 40 pages and it's just going to complement the course. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:57 Highlight the passage at 1:13:57

1:14:20 So we won't necessarily be discussing that per se in here, but we'll be referencing it. It's from 7 to 8.30 on Thursday nights, except for April 1st. There'll be no class because we have a conflict here. And what we'll do is we'll add that class at the end of the course. It'll be April 29th. I think it's April 29th. Whatever. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:20 Highlight the passage at 1:14:20

1:14:49 And then I had mentioned also at the beginning that part of the course, if you'd like to participate, is kind of a half-day practice and retreat session. And it will be on April 24th, which is a Saturday here. And it will be from 10.30 in the morning to 1.30 in the afternoon. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:49 Highlight the passage at 1:14:49

1:15:11 It will kind of review the topics of the course and it will be mostly meditation and some discussion. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:11 Highlight the passage at 1:15:11

1:15:27 Since we're going to meet here, I think we'll be okay. So just, you know, we'd love to see you. And if you can't make it, that's fine too. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:27 Highlight the passage at 1:15:27

1:15:41 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:41 Highlight the passage at 1:15:41

1:15:48 So again, finding your comfortable position, your comfortable posture. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:48 Highlight the passage at 1:15:48

1:16:00 Just letting your body relax. Letting your mind focus. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:00 Highlight the passage at 1:16:00

1:16:13 Feel your mind as light. Your body as stable. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:13 Highlight the passage at 1:16:13

1:16:25 And again, just breathe comfortably. Not too deeply. Not too lightly. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:25 Highlight the passage at 1:16:25

1:16:49 Bringing your attention to the breath. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:49 Highlight the passage at 1:16:49

1:16:58 Just lightly bringing your concentration there. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:58 Highlight the passage at 1:16:58

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:17:48 And now just take a moment to think about your body. How quiet. Still it seems from the outside. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:48 Highlight the passage at 1:17:48

1:18:01 And then just imagining what's happening on the inside. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:01 Highlight the passage at 1:18:01

1:18:09 Blood flowing, Report an error in the passage at 1:18:09 Highlight the passage at 1:18:09

1:18:20 muscles relaxing, Report an error in the passage at 1:18:20 Highlight the passage at 1:18:20

1:18:30 your nerves transmitting messages, just the thoughts in your brain. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:30 Highlight the passage at 1:18:30

1:19:03 Just all this activity and process is starting and ending. Things constantly in motion. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:03 Highlight the passage at 1:19:03

1:19:19 Cells dying. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:19 Highlight the passage at 1:19:19

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:20:05 And then take your view outside to the room we're in. Just feeling the solidness of the floor. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:05 Highlight the passage at 1:20:05

1:20:29 Mentally reviewing the structure around us. We're in this house. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:29 Highlight the passage at 1:20:29

1:20:40 Again, everything seems very solid, Report an error in the passage at 1:20:40 Highlight the passage at 1:20:40

1:20:45 very still. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:45 Highlight the passage at 1:20:45

1:21:02 But then take a closer look and just knowing that all of this structure, Report an error in the passage at 1:21:02 Highlight the passage at 1:21:02

1:21:13 the solidity is really just particles, Report an error in the passage at 1:21:13 Highlight the passage at 1:21:13

1:21:20 molecules, atoms, and then just a myriad of sub-particles. And Report an error in the passage at 1:21:20 Highlight the passage at 1:21:20

1:21:34 it's exactly the same for our bodies. So Report an error in the passage at 1:21:34 Highlight the passage at 1:21:34

1:21:42 all that seems so solid. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:42 Highlight the passage at 1:21:42

1:21:48 And so stable is really just moving constantly and mostly made up of space. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:48 Highlight the passage at 1:21:48

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1:22:34 We can't see this, we can't feel it, but we know it's there. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:34 Highlight the passage at 1:22:34

1:23:05 Just try to experience this Report an error in the passage at 1:23:05 Highlight the passage at 1:23:05

1:23:12 view, this more accurate picture of the way things are. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:12 Highlight the passage at 1:23:12

1:23:44 And then even looking on a conventional view, going back to this appearance of stability and of solidity, realizing that time. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:44 Highlight the passage at 1:23:44

1:23:56 We'll change everything. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:56 Highlight the passage at 1:23:56

1:24:02 That this building, if left alone, would decay. That over time our bodies change and age and eventually will also die and decay. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:02 Highlight the passage at 1:24:02

1:24:21 That there's really nothing around us, nothing we can see or touch or Report an error in the passage at 1:24:21 Highlight the passage at 1:24:21

1:24:34 experience that doesn't change. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:34 Highlight the passage at 1:24:34

1:24:42 Just visualize the whole planet as Report an error in the passage at 1:24:42 Highlight the passage at 1:24:42

1:24:58 just being consumed in this constant flurry, whether it's on the molecular level. Or on the gross level, subject to time, that there's this constant change going on. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:58 Highlight the passage at 1:24:58

1:25:22 And that this is really the nature of impermanence, the nature of this existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:22 Highlight the passage at 1:25:22

1:25:41 Nothing remains the same. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:41 Highlight the passage at 1:25:41

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1:26:27 And even turning inward, looking at our thoughts, emotions, Report an error in the passage at 1:26:27 Highlight the passage at 1:26:27

1:26:40 one giving rise to the next and the next. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:40 Highlight the passage at 1:26:40

1:26:49 How difficult it is to hold on to one thought, Report an error in the passage at 1:26:49 Highlight the passage at 1:26:49

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1:27:34 seeing all these aspects of impermanence. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:34 Highlight the passage at 1:27:34

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1:28:39 So now accepting this view. We're just examining this view of impermanence, reflecting on so many of the topics viewed Report an error in the passage at 1:28:39 Highlight the passage at 1:28:39

1:28:58 tonight that we explored, Report an error in the passage at 1:28:58 Highlight the passage at 1:28:58

1:29:08 and taking this time to dedicate all the benefits of this time spent so that we might really succeed on this path and attain that ultimate goal of enlightenment and Report an error in the passage at 1:29:08 Highlight the passage at 1:29:08

1:29:33 really be a benefit to all living beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:33 Highlight the passage at 1:29:33

1:29:43 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:43 Highlight the passage at 1:29:43

1:29:46 I forgot to mention that we do have this book called The Meaning of Life. It's by the Dalai Lama. And we have about four or five copies in the bookstore. And this really goes into the wheel of life in depth and also talks a lot about karma, cause and effect. It's a good book. So if anybody's interested, I thought I'd let you know. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:46 Highlight the passage at 1:29:46

1:30:28 Next time we'll have a break because my knees are killing me. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:28 Highlight the passage at 1:30:28

1:30:43 Thank you Report an error in the passage at 1:30:43 Highlight the passage at 1:30:43

1:30:56 so much for the computer. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:56 Highlight the passage at 1:30:56

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1:31:28 and everything just worked out for a little bit. see you again. Maybe it's more stealthy. You know, I'm going to email. How's it going? Report an error in the passage at 1:31:28 Highlight the passage at 1:31:28

1:31:47 Thank you. you very much. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:47 Highlight the passage at 1:31:47

1:32:12 It's a little bit of a different path in terms of the techniques that are used. And maybe more, you know, we're talking about how and all that. Mindfulness and how to apply it, especially Zen uses lot of really... Report an error in the passage at 1:32:12 Highlight the passage at 1:32:12

1:32:29 actually tonight. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:29 Highlight the passage at 1:32:29

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1:33:09 Thank Report an error in the passage at 1:33:09 Highlight the passage at 1:33:09

1:33:19 you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:19 Highlight the passage at 1:33:19

1:33:26 your name is Holland, and this is where they're working for the NGO, as much as on the website. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:26 Highlight the passage at 1:33:26