Discovering Buddhism - Samsara and Nirvana (18 March 2010)

0:14 Yeah, but they're like three times more. Report an error in the passage at 0:14 Highlight the passage at 0:14

0:25 Thank Report an error in the passage at 0:25 Highlight the passage at 0:25

0:30 you. Report an error in the passage at 0:30 Highlight the passage at 0:30

0:35 Is that the foundation of the right application? Right, that's the foundation. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 0:35 Highlight the passage at 0:35

0:54 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 0:54 Highlight the passage at 0:54

1:07 I'm going to step on that. My girlfriend goes back and doesn't sit yet. She hasn't been on Report an error in the passage at 1:07 Highlight the passage at 1:07

1:27 You must activate your installation. I don't believe here. Where's her? And you know, she might, you know, I don't know. I think what she sells might go for a kid. How are you doing? All right. Is there a DZ? This is the one that we finally got to. All right. But it's not. It's going to have to wait. Oh, it's not coming up now. Report an error in the passage at 1:27 Highlight the passage at 1:27

1:53 Whatever. brought my calculator just in case. Report an error in the passage at 1:53 Highlight the passage at 1:53

2:07 then I'll email you. Report an error in the passage at 2:07 Highlight the passage at 2:07

2:17 So what do I need to do? It needs to be registered. Report an error in the passage at 2:17 Highlight the passage at 2:17

2:40 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 2:40 Highlight the passage at 2:40

2:46 I just finished. I did the drop in. You're just going to do it. You're going to get to death. I don't know. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 2:46 Highlight the passage at 2:46

2:57 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 2:57 Highlight the passage at 2:57

3:12 the first two chapters. Report an error in the passage at 3:12 Highlight the passage at 3:12

3:38 you might hear someone looking at the moment. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, is there anything? Yeah. Um, you can come back. Yeah. come back or, you know. Report an error in the passage at 3:38 Highlight the passage at 3:38

3:51 problem. Report an error in the passage at 3:51 Highlight the passage at 3:51

3:57 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 3:57 Highlight the passage at 3:57

· · · silence, 2 minutes

5:32 Thank Report an error in the passage at 5:32 Highlight the passage at 5:32

5:57 you. fine. It's okay. Report an error in the passage at 5:57 Highlight the passage at 5:57

6:10 that the extent of teaching? No, it's the extent of teaching. Report an error in the passage at 6:10 Highlight the passage at 6:10

6:27 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 6:27 Highlight the passage at 6:27

6:45 30. It's like a 100-year-old. It's really true. That's awesome. It's really like the teaching. Report an error in the passage at 6:45 Highlight the passage at 6:45

· · · silence, 1 minute

7:50 Did everybody get the readings that I emailed? Let me put it this way. Did anybody not get the readings? Report an error in the passage at 7:50 Highlight the passage at 7:50

8:00 I did not. Oh, okay. Then I've got to check your email because, well, let's meet at the break because, you know, handwriting and emails just are, oh, it's a prescription for trouble, so. Report an error in the passage at 8:00 Highlight the passage at 8:00

8:24 two weeks I can't and you going to, is there a way to get I Report an error in the passage at 8:24 Highlight the passage at 8:24

8:36 can email the slides if you want. Does that make sense? Report an error in the passage at 8:36 Highlight the passage at 8:36

8:58 Well, you know, I can send you my slides and I usually have some notes. I'll just send you a copy. But do you have PowerPoint? Or, I don't know. Well, you're into the karma class. Uh-huh. Report an error in the passage at 8:58 Highlight the passage at 8:58

8:45 class, she Report an error in the passage at 8:45 Highlight the passage at 8:45

8:53 know the last two classes I cannot attend, but I want to know that I'd like to. Report an error in the passage at 8:53 Highlight the passage at 8:53

9:05 We'll talk about it after, but one way or another I'll get it to you and anybody else who's in that situation. The reading, to be honest, I mean at this point, I didn't assign anything when I mailed them because I figured first we'd see how they got there. And this week we're going to talk about the Four Noble Truths anyway, so that would be a good place to start. And if anybody wants hard copies, we do have them here. Report an error in the passage at 9:05 Highlight the passage at 9:05

9:35 If you didn't, anybody who didn't get them, or, you know, sometimes you read better. This isn't the whole grouping. This is just the first couple. It's the Four Noble Truths, I believe, and Renunciation, which, you know, those are fine. Probably, you know, we're not going to have class next week because Venerable Aja Rinpoche is going to be here. Report an error in the passage at 9:35 Highlight the passage at 9:35

10:01 So we'll be back on the 8th. Report an error in the passage at 10:01 Highlight the passage at 10:01

10:06 That is next week, isn't it? I'm sorry, yeah. That's how I feel. It's not? Oh, thank you so much. I'm sorry. You know, I have to look at my calendar. Somehow, the first, okay, it's April 1st. Report an error in the passage at 10:06 Highlight the passage at 10:06

10:28 Okay, for everybody, just for clarity, April 1st, no class. So if next week isn't April 1st, thank heavens, that'd be great. Make me very happy. Then we will have class. So, Report an error in the passage at 10:28 Highlight the passage at 10:28

10:43 exactly. This has, yes, the one, two, three, four, five readings. So if any, like I said, if anybody wants a copy, I would say for next class, read the first three. That's about 17 pages or, well, 20 pages. And it doesn't, you know, it's really for your own enrichment. Report an error in the passage at 10:43 Highlight the passage at 10:43

11:08 What we're doing here is pretty much standalone, but this is just added information, so it's kind of nice to read it and it reinforces what we've gone over. If you can't get to it, you know, it'll still reinforce it later. Report an error in the passage at 11:08 Highlight the passage at 11:08

11:23 So, Report an error in the passage at 11:23 Highlight the passage at 11:23

11:35 okay, I think that's it. So why don't we start with a little... Meditation just to set our motivation and clear our minds. And in case anybody else is coming, we'll give them some time to arrive. Report an error in the passage at 11:35 Highlight the passage at 11:35

11:54 So just taking, can everybody hear me, first of all? Is that okay? Report an error in the passage at 11:54 Highlight the passage at 11:54

12:05 So just easing yourself into your place, wherever you're sitting. Just making sure that your back is straight. Imagine your spine is like a stack of coins. Report an error in the passage at 12:05 Highlight the passage at 12:05

12:21 Then just take a few easy breaths. Not breathing too deeply or too lightly. Report an error in the passage at 12:21 Highlight the passage at 12:21

12:31 Either close your eyes. Or look down at the floor about three feet in front of you. Report an error in the passage at 12:31 Highlight the passage at 12:31

12:40 And just mentally take your awareness to your neck, your shoulders and make sure those parts of your body are relaxed. Report an error in the passage at 12:40 Highlight the passage at 12:40

13:05 And now just breathe comfortably and gently. Report an error in the passage at 13:05 Highlight the passage at 13:05

13:19 Just let go of the sounds around us. Report an error in the passage at 13:19 Highlight the passage at 13:19

13:26 Bring your attention to your breath. And Report an error in the passage at 13:26 Highlight the passage at 13:26

· · · silence, 1 minute

14:16 now turn your thoughts to being here, to your wishes for this class, for this time that we spend together. Report an error in the passage at 14:16 Highlight the passage at 14:16

14:28 Just remembering last week we Report an error in the passage at 14:28 Highlight the passage at 14:28

14:34 discussed the... Suffering of saṃsāra. That it really is in the nature of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 14:34 Highlight the passage at 14:34

14:56 And that liberation affords us a freedom from saṃsāra. That we can free ourselves. And Report an error in the passage at 14:56 Highlight the passage at 14:56

15:14 just recognizing that all other beings, just as we ourselves want happiness, all other beings do too. Yet we're all caught in this prison of saṃsāra. And so generating this motivation of altruism or of bodhicitta, of wishing to attain enlightenment. So that we might free ourselves from saṃsāra, reach the state of total and complete enlightenment and help others to do the same. Report an error in the passage at 15:14 Highlight the passage at 15:14

· · · silence, 1 minute

16:42 So welcome. Report an error in the passage at 16:42 Highlight the passage at 16:42

16:48 Well, how's everybody doing? Do you feel it's a little stuffy or, you know, it's hot? Can we crack one of the windows a bit? We just have to remember to close them and lock them again. Report an error in the passage at 16:48 Highlight the passage at 16:48

16:59 In fact, it's probably locked. If you can get it, fine. If not, hopefully it's going to be cooling down because... The temperature is dropping out there. There we are. Yeah, it's saṃsāra. What do you expect? So today, you know, last week we talked about the samsaric nature, the suffering nature of saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 16:59 Highlight the passage at 16:59

17:25 And this week I said we would talk about renunciation because before, or I should say to free ourselves from saṃsāra, we have to generate renunciation. So a little picture. Report an error in the passage at 17:25 Highlight the passage at 17:25

17:42 If the idea of renunciation makes you feel this way, then we've got it wrong. Because what we're really talking about with renunciation is renouncing saṃsāra and suffering itself. So the other thing is, you know, kind of getting to know and reject this craving for saṃsāra happiness. And what we're going to do as we go through tonight and examine the nature of suffering, Report an error in the passage at 17:42 Highlight the passage at 17:42

18:14 will recognize that this... This samsaric happiness is a contaminated happiness. So what we think here, I think I mentioned this last week, what we think of as happiness within saṃsāra is really just, you know, like a lessening of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 18:14 Highlight the passage at 18:14

18:32 And again, no caves, no ascetic life required. So the cycle of saṃsāra, you know, there's death, rebirth, no control, basically no end. Lama Yashi said, when ordinary people die, They're out of control. Because they've not trained themselves during their life, they're overwhelmed by the experience of death. They're bewildered as their bodily elements go out of balance and cease to function harmoniously. Report an error in the passage at 18:32 Highlight the passage at 18:32

19:04 So it's a shock. It's difficult. It's suffering. And when that time comes, there's really nothing we can do about it. So that's another reason why we need to recognize this is our opportunity now. Because by training our minds, by doing these, you know, learning these practices, by just learning to lessen our attachment to saṃsāra, we can make great changes to what we would be experiencing if we just continually, you know, continue to embrace saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 19:04 Highlight the passage at 19:04

19:47 to this medium scope path we talked about last week, which is the... The medium scope because it was greater than that lesser scope, which was really looking at working to obtain a higher rebirth. But this medium scope level says, okay, higher rebirth just means still more saṃsāra. So what we really want to do is attain liberation and free ourselves from saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 19:47 Highlight the passage at 19:47

20:18 So meditating on suffering helps us to realize that saṃsāra is suffering. And then generate to, I should say, then it helps us by recognizing that saṃsāra is suffering, we generate renunciation. And then once we've generated renunciation, we're on our way to attaining liberation. That becomes our goal. Report an error in the passage at 20:18 Highlight the passage at 20:18

20:50 The Buddha taught the first noble truth, this truth of suffering. And you know, within saṃsāra, it's easy to get carried away. It's easy to forget. We live in this suffering realm. You know, we've got bills to pay, mouths to feed, you know, family, friend events, things going on. We have fun. You know, when are we supposed to meditate? Also, it's interesting because from a Buddhist cosmological viewpoint, this realm we're in is called the desire realm. Report an error in the passage at 20:50 Highlight the passage at 20:50

21:25 And last week when we talked about the wheel of life and we talked about the three upper realms and the three lower realms, Those are all part of the desire realm. And it's considered the desire realm because beings there are prey to intense emotion and crave happiness based on the pleasures of the senses. Report an error in the passage at 21:25 Highlight the passage at 21:25

21:51 They're all part of the desire realm. So because when we talk about, it's a little bit confusing because we're using the same word realm in both applications. Report an error in the passage at 21:51 Highlight the passage at 21:51

22:04 But if Report an error in the passage at 22:04 Highlight the passage at 22:04

22:10 you haven't turned your phone off. Report an error in the passage at 22:10 Highlight the passage at 22:10

22:16 Anyway, these six realms are part of the desire realm, and the desire realm is one of three larger realms, if you will. The breakdown being desire realm, the form realm, and then the form. So the desire realm is a grosser realm than the form realm, which is a grosser realm than the form. So yeah, with this desire realm... Report an error in the passage at 22:16 Highlight the passage at 22:16

22:17 um, the. Report an error in the passage at 22:17 Highlight the passage at 22:17

· · · silence, 1 minute

22:50 I thought it was interesting because, you know, the emotion, the happiness based on the pleasures of the senses. And, you know, these days there's so many addictions, you know, where addicted, you know, alcohol, drugs, sex, danger, you know, people were just kind of hungry for sensation, for that stimulation of the senses. Report an error in the passage at 22:50 Highlight the passage at 22:50

23:16 And you can really, I think it's very easy to see. How we're subject to that and how we get into that and certainly distracted from the nature, this nature of saṃsāra, distracted from any intent or plan to get out of it. Report an error in the passage at 23:16 Highlight the passage at 23:16

23:39 And with the Buddha, when he taught the first noble truth, he taught the truth of suffering to kind of wake us up and to say, hey, this isn't a pleasure grove. It's not paradise. Report an error in the passage at 23:39 Highlight the passage at 23:39

24:01 So if we accept that saṃsāra is suffering, then we're ready for some more of the noble truth. Report an error in the passage at 24:01 Highlight the passage at 24:01

24:10 So the second noble truth is the truth of suffering. I mean, sorry, the origin of suffering. Sometimes it's called the, Report an error in the passage at 24:10 Highlight the passage at 24:10

24:24 sometimes instead of the true origin of suffering, it's called the true cause of suffering. But the basic premise here is that until you know there's suffering, you can't really look for a cause. So first comes eye-opening experience that this is suffering, and then second, there's a presentation of what causes the suffering. Report an error in the passage at 24:24 Highlight the passage at 24:24

24:51 And what's nice is that now comes the third noble truth, if there's a cause, there must be an end. So we've got the cessation of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 24:51 Highlight the passage at 24:51

25:01 And then finally, once we get the idea that there's an end to this, the question is, how do I get there? So we have the truth. Report an error in the passage at 25:01 Highlight the passage at 25:01

25:16 Those were basically the four noble truths. Report an error in the passage at 25:16 Highlight the passage at 25:16

25:26 Okay. An analogy to our situation in saṃsāra is sometimes our suffering is considered, you know, looked at like a sickness. The Buddha is looked at as a doctor and the Dharma or the teachings. Dharma is a Sanskrit word that usually refers to this collection of teachings and the practice of it. And I think the direct translation of Dharma is something like... Report an error in the passage at 25:26 Highlight the passage at 25:26

25:56 But when you see it capitalized, we're really talking about this collection of the teachings. And that collection of the teachings are basically like the medicine. Report an error in the passage at 25:56 Highlight the passage at 25:56

26:07 Now, the medicine, unless we take it, it's not much good. So in the same way with meditation, knowing about it, thinking about it, talking about it, doesn't get us the result of meditation. To get the result, we have to do it. What's nice about all of this is that we really... I realize that experience is very much a function of what we create. Report an error in the passage at 26:07 Highlight the passage at 26:07

26:40 So Lama Zopa said, or says, to put an end to our samsaric suffering, we must do two things. One is purify negative karma or negative actions. And it's not only the actions that we've done, you know, in this life. It's the actions of many past lives. And then we have to change our minds. We have to essentially stop creating more negative karma. Report an error in the passage at 26:40 Highlight the passage at 26:40

27:09 So we need to eliminate... To do that, we basically need to eliminate two things. One is grasping at a self, which can be said, sometimes it's called a wrong awareness, or you might say it's more of a mistaken awareness, or a deluded awareness, and then grasping at saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 27:09 Highlight the passage at 27:09

27:29 Now, grasping, the self-grasping, I don't know, does that mean anything to you? You may have heard it before, but if you haven't, it might be kind of confusing. Report an error in the passage at 27:29 Highlight the passage at 27:29

27:47 What it really refers to is this sense of like a self-identity, sort of seeing ourselves as entities, like permanent entities. You know, if I look at my body, if I look at, you know, this person in the mirror, there's nothing here that says, oh, this is Carol Corradi. You know, it's not stamped anywhere. Report an error in the passage at 27:47 Highlight the passage at 27:47

28:09 You know, that's just a label. And hard as I may try, if I, you know, meditate and try to find out. Where's this very strong sense of I that exists in my mind? It's not my brain, because it's not my body. I talk about my body, and it's not out there. It's not like I'm a consciousness existing someplace else. Report an error in the passage at 28:09 Highlight the passage at 28:09

28:35 I can't put my finger on consciousness. There are arguments. That's one of the things Buddhism goes through, very logical arguments. Especially Tibetan Buddhism is a tradition of debate. So if you were debating this, one would say, okay, is the mind the body? Is it something inside? Where is it? Find it. It doesn't exist. But just conceptually, this idea of grasping at something very solid, it's very innate to us. Report an error in the passage at 28:35 Highlight the passage at 28:35

29:13 And that's part of our delusion, basically. It's part of our samsaric existence. Arising from that is the grasping. And there's an ultra Report an error in the passage at 29:13 Highlight the passage at 29:13

29:31 -cutter sūtra. And in it, Shakyamuni Buddha is talking to some disciples. And one of the things, he's kind of telling a little story. And the name of the disciple is Sabuti. And he says, you know, he's talking about this wisdom gone beyond. So it's like this ultimate wisdom. And he says, Sabuti, because when the king of Kalinga... Report an error in the passage at 29:31 Highlight the passage at 29:31

29:55 cut off my limbs and appendages. At that time, there did not arise in me discrimination as a self, discrimination as a sentient being, discrimination as a living being, nor discrimination as a person. in me, there was no discrimination whatsoever, yet there was also no non-discrimination. So So he's saying that, you know, there wasn't that self-identity. Report an error in the passage at 29:55 Highlight the passage at 29:55

30:23 So there wasn't this sort of permanent kind of eternal knowing of self there. By the same token, he says there was no non-discrimination so that we understand that he's not saying there's nothing. We're not looking at an existential nihilistic kind of view that nothing exists at all. He's just saying that there was no, you know, this sense of I in this eternalistic view. Report an error in the passage at 30:23 Highlight the passage at 30:23

30:51 And he goes on to say, Why is that, Sabuti? Because if at that time there had arisen in me discrimination as a self, at that time there would also have arisen discrimination of malice. Report an error in the passage at 30:51 Highlight the passage at 30:51

31:06 If there had been discrimination as a sentient being, discrimination as a living being, discrimination as a person, at that time there would also have arisen discrimination of malice. So it's really, I think I've heard this story before and, you know, Many of the stories of the Buddha's many lives as a bodhisattva. And you hear about the Buddha, you know, taking the form of, you know, the hair that jumps into the fire to feed, you know, the tiger. Report an error in the passage at 31:06 Highlight the passage at 31:06

31:41 You know, all of these stories about giving life, giving up life. And this one of, you know, King Kalinga, you know, cutting off his arms and legs. And you wonder as a bodhisattva, how could you ever do that? But it's so interesting now to have that specific qualification because he did not see himself as a living being, as a sentient being. Report an error in the passage at 31:41 Highlight the passage at 31:41

32:05 He wasn't grasping at a self. So it's a very profound sūtra and profound concept. And all, I mean, what I'm trying to get at here is just... these two are connected, so that the more we grasp at our self-nature, at our self-identity, the more we become defensive about ourselves, defensive about what goes on around us, jealous, envious, all those things arise, it's the eye, know, basically looking I've Report an error in the passage at 32:05 Highlight the passage at 32:05

33:03 heard about the no-self and my question is, is the no-self non-self the same as emptiness? would that be like the same? And it's that Report an error in the passage at 33:03 Highlight the passage at 33:03

33:35 concept again of not that things don't exist, but they don't exist in the way that... we them to or the way that we think they do my next question about that would that be under the lines of the Dzogchen teaching that whole concept yeah that's one one method of teaching emptiness it's it's actually Dzogchen is um it's a method to kind of realize Do you use the Dzogchen in the Galupa tradition? Report an error in the passage at 33:35 Highlight the passage at 33:35

34:11 I've been to some teachings and I think the Dalai Lama gave teachings years ago. Traditionally, I think it originates from the Nyingma tradition, but it's still embraced by other traditions as well. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 34:11 Highlight the passage at 34:11

34:35 So in this effort to free ourselves from saṃsāra, we're talking about meditating on suffering. And it said that if we meditate on suffering with the motivation to take a higher rebirth, that's what the result will be. If we meditate on suffering with the motivation to attain liberation and free ourselves from saṃsāra, that's what the result will be. Report an error in the passage at 34:35 Highlight the passage at 34:35

35:00 So we have to, when we're doing our practice, when we sit down to meditate, we've got to be really clear on what our motivation is. And that extends, I think last week I mentioned something about... Kind of having your in meditation time and your out of meditation time. So the more we're working with this idea, this clear motivation within our meditation, the more powerful it becomes when we're outside of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 35:00 Highlight the passage at 35:00

35:27 So this carries us when we're actually, you know, living our everyday lives enmeshed in saṃsāra, if we have that little reminder, that little sense of, oh yeah. My motivation is to get out of saṃsāra. It can very much begin to change how we go through saṃsāra, how we live. Report an error in the passage at 35:27 Highlight the passage at 35:27

35:54 It's the same. It's said that if we don't have this clear motivation, then the karma that results will be called contaminated karma. So it's not going to be the... Report an error in the passage at 35:54 Highlight the passage at 35:54

36:09 Basically attain the result or give us the result that we're seeking because we're just not clear on what we're seeking. It's an ordinary life. If you're trying to go somewhere and you don't know where, not much chance of getting there. Report an error in the passage at 36:09 Highlight the passage at 36:09

36:31 So in what sense do you want to have a higher rebirth? This is talking about being reborn. in God realm? Or because isn't the human rebirth the only one in which you can be free of saṃsāra? Well, that's true. Absolutely. So why would you want to have a higher rebirth? Well, because this is kind of a reflection of the smaller scope path. So someone who really is sort of overwhelmed and says, okay, what I really want to do is have a higher rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 36:31 Highlight the passage at 36:31

37:08 I want to, you know, not realizing that. Yeah, eventually you're going to fall back down into lower realms as well, or potentially. So yeah, it's definitely an inferior motivation, if you will. I guess it could also be looked at as wanting to have a better human rebirth in which you're born with more. Well yeah, I mean a higher rebirth includes the human realm, so it could be any of those realms. Report an error in the passage at 37:08 Highlight the passage at 37:08

37:33 But it's still much more limited than looking at the scope of... Freeing yourself from saṃsāra ultimately. Report an error in the passage at 37:33 Highlight the passage at 37:33

37:47 So, so far we have talked about, we're doing this outline essentially and this is the meditation on the truth of suffering and we're talking about contemplating the general suffering of cyclic existence and specifically now we're going to contemplate the eight sufferings. Report an error in the passage at 37:47 Highlight the passage at 37:47

38:09 The eight sufferings include birth, aging, sickness, death, things we're pretty familiar with. Encountering the unpleasant, being separated from the pleasant, not achieving one's desires even though one works for them, and taking rebirth with contaminated aggregates. I Report an error in the passage at 38:09 Highlight the passage at 38:09

38:40 was going to say, are you guys okay taking notes? Do you want copies of slides or something? I mean, would that help things? Can I email them to you? Okay. Can everybody take a PowerPoint file or should I make it into a PDF? I think I can maybe do that, if that's easier. PDF is pretty general, because I have a Mac. I don't think it would really matter with PowerPoint, but I'll send it out both ways, and we'll see how it goes. Report an error in the passage at 38:40 Highlight the passage at 38:40

39:12 Well, it's nice, you know, I mean, I think sometimes taking notes is really good, but sometimes this is just, it's really good to kind of let it sink in and let the questions arise. Report an error in the passage at 39:12 Highlight the passage at 39:12

39:24 So, first of all, birth. You know, why is birth regarded as suffering? Report an error in the passage at 39:24 Highlight the passage at 39:24

39:31 The birth process itself is suffering. The place of birth, which is the aggregates, is suffering. I'll explain that in a minute. Our birth is the source for the generation of suffering. Birth is the source for the afflictions to arise. Separation is the nature of birth. As far as the first one, the birth process, we know it's very difficult for women. Report an error in the passage at 39:31 Highlight the passage at 39:31

39:53 For moms, it's logical to assume that it's probably not a picnic for... For each of us being born. So it's something that we've all experienced and probably happily forgotten. Report an error in the passage at 39:53 Highlight the passage at 39:53

40:12 And here the aggregates, that's a term that refers to basically our bodies and our sense organs and our consciousness. And I'll explain that a little bit more. So when we talk about place, it means being born in these five aggregates. And the five aggregates... Forms are defined as form, feeling, perception, sometimes it's called recognition, mental formation and consciousness. So form just means like our bodies, our sense organs, and form is of course everything around us. Report an error in the passage at 40:12 Highlight the passage at 40:12

40:48 That's the physical objects, physical phenomena. Feeling refers to sensation. And there are three classifications. You can have a pleasant sensation. An unpleasant sensation and just a neutral one or an indifferent one. And feeling is essentially like an emotional dimension. Report an error in the passage at 40:48 Highlight the passage at 40:48

41:16 Recognition or perception, it's the process of recognition, the formulation of a conception of an idea about a particular experience. So it's kind of like turning the indefinite into a definite, trying to recognize something. And identify it. It's something that we tend to do automatically. And it's considered like a conceptual dimension. So you've got feeling is an emotional dimension. Report an error in the passage at 41:16 Highlight the passage at 41:16

41:50 Is that the same as discrimination? Or is that different? I think discrimination is different. But you know what? I will check on it for you because it's been a long time. Report an error in the passage at 41:50 Highlight the passage at 41:50

42:07 And that's what... Don't worry about this too much because this is more... More technical, you know, it's philosophy. Report an error in the passage at 42:07 Highlight the passage at 42:07

42:18 So I'll check on that. But then mental formation is also sometimes considered... Oh, did you have a question? Report an error in the passage at 42:18 Highlight the passage at 42:18

42:45 Okay. So mental formation has a sense of... It has kind of a moral dimension or a sense of volition. And it has to do with... It's like the response of our habitual past actions as well as the conditions in the present. So it's sort of like the karmic imprints that we have acting with our mental business here. Report an error in the passage at 42:45 Highlight the passage at 42:45

43:23 And then the last one is consciousness. And these are sense consciousnesses. So there's eye, ear, nose, tongue, body. And the sixth is mind. Report an error in the passage at 43:23 Highlight the passage at 43:23

43:36 I was just going to say, in the Buddhist view, we have five senses, that these are two, essentially, sense of physical object. You've got a physical object that comes in contact with a physical sense, and you need this consciousness, this sense consciousness, to complete the recognition or the experience of that physical object. Report an error in the passage at 43:36 Highlight the passage at 43:36

44:02 So just having two physical... The object and a physical sense coming together doesn't provide a mental formless response. So that's where the sense consciousness comes in. It sort of connects those two. And then the sixth is the mind, which is our mental consciousness. And the object of the mental consciousness is thought, ideas. Yeah, John. Yeah, so I was about to ask for... Report an error in the passage at 44:02 Highlight the passage at 44:02

44:39 Mind where you have an unconsciousness. That's gross mental consciousness, right? It's different than just mind, which is defined as clearing knowing. Oh, yes. Yeah, I'm sorry. This is like a very specific. That's why when you get into it, if you, you know, at some point when you decide to take the courses that involve like mental, how we actually perceive things. Report an error in the passage at 44:39 Highlight the passage at 44:39

45:11 And that's where you will get into a lot of debate on emptiness and different schools of thought on the philosophy or the details of emptiness. It gets very specific. And we stumble a little bit because we're trying to translate Tibetan into English. And English often, you know, we have a lot of different connotations. Report an error in the passage at 45:11 Highlight the passage at 45:11

45:31 So sometimes the words are, they'll vary from text to text. And that's why I will like things like. Mental formation and discrimination or perception. I look at those things because it's important to be really clear if you can. But again, for our purpose, this was really all about just giving some idea, giving you some idea of what the aggregates are. Because I always thought that the first time I heard the term aggregates, I thought of rock and stone. Report an error in the passage at 45:31 Highlight the passage at 45:31

46:05 It didn't make a lot of sense. So considering these aggregates takes us from this formless state. were confronted by, you know, this loss flexibility. Report an error in the passage at 46:05 Highlight the passage at 46:05

46:21 So in that intermediate state, it's essentially like a formless kind of realm. So now the consciousness has just been through, you know, the death processes, which is certainly disorienting and, you know, many kinds of suffering. And when we now take this rebirth from having this little brief, you know, stay in the intermediate state, we're back to something physical, potentially. Report an error in the passage at 46:21 Highlight the passage at 46:21

47:09 Well, yeah, actually all those desired realms are physical. So we're back to a physical body. And physical bodies just, you know, they're constraining. And we now, you know, we don't have control over them. Report an error in the passage at 47:09 Highlight the passage at 47:09

47:29 So birth provides this basis for aging, sickness, death. It also is a basis for the delusion and karma to increase. Because when we're living in saṃsāra, if we're just, you know, if we're not... If we don't come across teachings, if we don't come across anything that brings us to question what we're doing, all we're really doing is just creating our negative karma, increasing our delusion. Report an error in the passage at 47:29 Highlight the passage at 47:29

48:04 Birth is a source for afflictions. It's essentially a platform for the experience that will come with whatever rebirth we've taken. And we have this latent response where, you know, we're attracted to pleasant things. We're, you know, we like to avoid unpleasant things. And, you know, we're pretty indifferent about neutral things. Report an error in the passage at 48:04 Highlight the passage at 48:04

48:33 So now on to aging, something that we're all getting to know. I can speak for myself. I'm getting to know about. But, you know, the good body changes. We know all these things. We lose our strength and vitality. The sense powers go. All sorts of things. You know, the beauty of youth is good appearance, less strength. Report an error in the passage at 48:33 Highlight the passage at 48:33

49:03 You know, we start to need glasses, reading glasses. Sometimes we can't hear so well anymore. We can't eat the same things we used to late at night. We can't, you know, drink the way we used to. We can't party the way we used to, you know. We forget. Report an error in the passage at 49:03 Highlight the passage at 49:03

49:23 You know, and essentially our lifespan has been, you know, it's... It's been shortening from the day we're born. Our life is getting shorter. So as we get older, we tend to need more sleep. We get closer to death. It becomes more apparent. Milarepa was a great yogi. I couldn't pass this one. He says, you know, one, getting up is like pulling a stake out of the ground. Two, walking as if sneaking up on a bird. Report an error in the passage at 49:23 Highlight the passage at 49:23

49:55 Three, sitting down, spilling out of a ripped sack. Grandmother. At the time these three come together, your illusory body is a sad sight indeed. So Milarepa meditated in the mountains of Tibet, and the Report an error in the passage at 49:55 Highlight the passage at 49:55

50:13 story of Milarepa is a great one anyway, but this just tells us pretty clearly getting up is like we're not as supple as we used to. The walking as if sneaking up on a bird refers to our lack of, we kind of lose that vitality. And we walk kind of gently and slowly and quietly, spilling out of a sack. I don't want to even go there. But he talks about the illusory body because what he's saying is that this body doesn't exist the way we think it does, that in fact it is like an illusion. Report an error in the passage at 50:13 Highlight the passage at 50:13

50:50 It's like a dream. It doesn't mean that it is an illusion, but we should see it as an illusion. Okay? It's... We're trying to see it not as this self-grasping, this object of self-grasping, this object of permission. Report an error in the passage at 50:50 Highlight the passage at 50:50

51:11 And then sickness. You know, we've all seen this in our own experience, in the experience of friends. The body changes. You know, we just have mental and physical unhappiness. Things that normally we would enjoy if we're sick. Report an error in the passage at 51:11 Highlight the passage at 51:11

51:30 Food to activities to friends. We have to do things we dislike. We have to take medicine. We might need to get injections. We might need to go to a hospital. We might need invasive things in our bodies. Very painful. Very much suffering. And just the idea, if we get a terminal diagnosis, knowing that we're going to be separated from this body, that our life is going to end. Report an error in the passage at 51:30 Highlight the passage at 51:30

52:06 Great suffering. Report an error in the passage at 52:06 Highlight the passage at 52:06

52:12 The story of Shakyamuni Buddha having his experience, I don't know if you've probably heard this before, but he was sheltered, he was a prince, and so his first encounter with sickness, he kind of escaped the palace wall and saw someone and didn't even know what it was. And sometimes it's like that for us, when we hear that a friend, maybe a friend has been diagnosed with some serious illness, we're sort of shocked, Report an error in the passage at 52:12 Highlight the passage at 52:12

52:47 disturbing. It's very upsetting. And we tend to, it's a little bit like the way we view death. Because with sickness, it's kind of like walking a dubious part of town after dark with money hanging out of your pockets and then saying, you know, when you're wrong, why did this happen to me? You know, it's like, look, we all know that this is part of life, you know, just like aging. So it's saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 52:47 Highlight the passage at 52:47

53:22 And then death. Death, which separates us from our possessions. From our relatives, which may or may not be a good thing. Our circle of friends. Our perfect, you know, it's the perfect, beautiful body. Because it's the body that we've spent our whole lives, our whole life with. And any one of these things, you know, when death comes, being separated from the first three is difficult enough. Report an error in the passage at 53:22 Highlight the passage at 53:22

53:54 I mean, it's upsetting. It's just unimaginably painful. And then to know that we're being separated from our bodies as well and that there's nothing we can do to change that, to stop that. It's just tremendous suffering. It's like we're, you know, especially as we're, the more we grasp to that self, it's like we're being ripped away from our identity. Report an error in the passage at 53:54 Highlight the passage at 53:54

54:21 So all the more reason to look at that self-grasping, to do this practice to prepare ourselves. And one of the things I wanted to point out here too is that when, or people who have experiences of like meditating, you know, great meditators, when they are faced with death, they're able to transform that death process into their path. Report an error in the passage at 54:21 Highlight the passage at 54:21

54:53 It isn't an experience of suffering. It actually becomes a very, Almost blissful experience. So having that experience of meditation, having that preparation, that training of mind can totally transform this death experience from one of great pain to liberation. Report an error in the passage at 54:53 Highlight the passage at 54:53

55:25 Melarepa again, talking about skin that's like a great wrinkle. You know, things like being, you know, just... A skeleton in between, okay, senile, mute, deaf, with a vacant expression. Grandmother, at the time that these three come together, you will look like a wrathful, ugly hag. So it's, you know, Melarep is basically telling us to wake up, you know, look at this, because saṃsāra just kind of courts us, you know, and we see we're very good at seeing what we want to see. Report an error in the passage at 55:25 Highlight the passage at 55:25

55:59 We're very good at just kind of, you know, letting... I don't know if I should say letting the days go by or just getting caught up. What we were talking about before in terms of when do I have time to meditate, you turn around and suddenly you're getting old. Report an error in the passage at 55:59 Highlight the passage at 55:59

56:27 We tend to think that time will never come or that I'll have time. It's interesting because I think in our culture we've got this you know Report an error in the passage at 56:27 Highlight the passage at 56:27

56:24 know, it's, you think. Report an error in the passage at 56:24 Highlight the passage at 56:24

56:40 Fascination for youth and for beauty. And everybody is just trying to hang on in the worst way. There are good things about keeping fit and that kind of thing and keeping your mind agile and exercised. But there's also a view of denial and of just trying to ignore what's coming. And when you look at... Report an error in the passage at 56:40 Highlight the passage at 56:40

57:13 Countries in the East, like India, there's often a view as you get older, people say, okay, well now is my time to really focus on my practice. Now is the time to put aside the worldly things and to, you know, a lot of times people take ordination as they're older because that's, you know, that's the time. Report an error in the passage at 57:13 Highlight the passage at 57:13

57:33 I mean, and, you know, you can look at that and say, well, that's great if you make it. But there is a serious flaw there. But we don't even have that, you know. Report an error in the passage at 57:33 Highlight the passage at 57:33

57:46 And finally, separation. Being born means we have to die. It means we have to leave this body behind. And it's, you know, it's one of our greatest attachments. Report an error in the passage at 57:46 Highlight the passage at 57:46

57:58 So escaping saṃsāra means that we stop taking contaminated aggregates. Report an error in the passage at 57:58 Highlight the passage at 57:58

58:12 Higher beings, you know, we can take birth. We don't necessarily have to totally enlightened. Once we free ourselves from saṃsāra. We can take rebirth and no longer have all of these samsaric sufferings, this type of suffering of death. Report an error in the passage at 58:12 Highlight the passage at 58:12

58:41 It kind of goes back as well to what I was saying about beings, you know, great meditators. They have that pliancy. They have that control over their minds. And that's one of the things I wanted to mention. I don't know if it came up last week, but once you free yourself from samsar, if you attain liberation, There's no slipping back. It is, you know, from there on, you go on, you never fall back into saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 58:41 Highlight the passage at 58:41

59:11 So the last four sufferings, encountering the unpleasant, you know, that's all sorts of problems that come up in our lives. Being separated from the pleasant, whether it's loved ones, it could be, you know, depression, struggling with depression, struggling with despair. Not achieving one's desires even though one works for them. Okay, that's the nature of saṃsāra. It's disappointment. And then taking rebirth with contaminated aggregates. Report an error in the passage at 59:11 Highlight the passage at 59:11

59:44 Essentially, it's like we're born with a deck stacked against us and the game is fixed. So there's really no way out of that except choosing to follow the path of liberation. Report an error in the passage at 59:44 Highlight the passage at 59:44

1:00:08 So what we... What we were talking about here are the eight sufferings, which were very specific. But we can look in general at samsaric suffering in three categories. How's everybody doing? We'll take a break in about. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:08 Highlight the passage at 1:00:08

1:00:27 The suffering of suffering, the suffering of change, and what's called pervasive compounded suffering, which is really a mouthful. An analogy for these to help understand them a little bit. It's like if you burned your arm. That physical pain that you feel is the suffering of suffering. When you apply, you know, a salve to it, you put on a dressing, maybe the pain lessens or it goes away. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:27 Highlight the passage at 1:00:27

1:00:49 That's the suffering of change. Over time, you know, you still have the wound there, but you don't really feel it unless you bump it or you, you know, somebody bumps into you or you fall. Then you have this pain again. So that period of time, it's like a feeling of equanimity, but the pain could return. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:49 Highlight the passage at 1:00:49

1:01:10 And that's this pervasive suffering. Does that make sense? Report an error in the passage at 1:01:10 Highlight the passage at 1:01:10

1:01:21 So we see, you know, in our lives, we have suffering of suffering. We're pretty familiar with that. And, you know, suffering of change goes back to just never really finding satisfaction. It's just not out there. And that compound, that pervasive compounded suffering, you know, it's just the potential for suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:21 Highlight the passage at 1:01:21

1:01:41 So it's stressful because we really, you know, you never really know when the other shoe's going to drop. But you know that it could, anytime. And so, again, you know, saṃsāra is just no fun at all. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:41 Highlight the passage at 1:01:41

1:01:57 And this is an interesting, we can link the three types of suffering to the three types of feeling. We had mentioned before when we were talking about the aggregate of feeling and having the feeling of, you know, pleasant, unpleasant and neutral. So that we can take that same feeling and... The happy feeling is associated with the suffering of change or linked to it. The feeling of suffering is like the suffering of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:57 Highlight the passage at 1:01:57

1:02:28 And that feeling of equanimity is the pervasive suffering. So suffering or happiness, it's always within us. Sometimes we think it's outside with the object. That makes me happy. You make me angry. That really upsets me. But it's really our mental response. And that's where that feeling comes in. It's the response to those suffering conditions. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:28 Highlight the passage at 1:02:28

1:03:00 And virtuous and non-virtuous karma, that's how we experience happiness and suffering. We can't experience any happiness without virtuous karma. Nor can we experience suffering without non-virtuous karma. So it's nice to realize that if there's no non-virtue, once we purify our negative karma, There's no suffering because there's no cause. And it goes back to how the Buddha taught the cause of suffering. So it's that ignorance, it's that attachment and aversion. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:00 Highlight the passage at 1:03:00

1:03:43 And those mindsets are what create the negative karma, which brings the negative result. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:43 Highlight the passage at 1:03:43

1:03:55 Unless anybody, do you have any questions? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:55 Highlight the passage at 1:03:55

1:04:00 Whoever's closer to the talking stick. Okay. I thought it was interesting when you were going through the... Contemplating the Eight Sufferings, particularly with death, that it almost made the assumption that your happiness did depend on the objects or that the objects were permanent because you're talking being separated from nice relatives and your beautiful body and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:00 Highlight the passage at 1:04:00

1:04:24 But isn't it kind of an extra layer where it's presenting that it's our perceptions of these things that lead to our suffering? It's not the separation, it's our perception. It's our view of the separation. Separation from what we perceive. It's what our minds want. It's our attachment to those things. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:24 Highlight the passage at 1:04:24

1:04:44 So yeah, if we have meditated and taken our minds, transformed our minds to the degree that we're no longer attached to these things, and that doesn't mean that we're indifferent to them. It just means that we're not attached. It means that we understand how they exist. We can live with them or without them. It's only the attachment that brings us that pain of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:44 Highlight the passage at 1:04:44

1:05:13 Oh, hey, let's take a short break, maybe about ten minutes, five. Let's come back at ten after eight, just to stretch the legs, and then we'll do some meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:13 Highlight the passage at 1:05:13

1:05:35 Should I turn it off now? Oh, I guess we can turn the projector off. Will it go off? Report an error in the passage at 1:05:35 Highlight the passage at 1:05:35

1:05:48 Let me get your, see what I did to your email address here. Got Report an error in the passage at 1:05:48 Highlight the passage at 1:05:48

1:05:57 everything all mixed up here. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:57 Highlight the passage at 1:05:57

1:06:11 O-Y? I may have put R-A-Y. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:11 Highlight the passage at 1:06:11

1:06:20 I bet I did that. So this is our... Yeah, that's the first, that's just a portion of them. I'll email, you know, I'll email you the whole set. There's about 80 pages or so. And sometimes, I don't know, sometimes I have a hard time. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:20 Highlight the passage at 1:06:20

1:07:01 no, John and Charles help big time because the meditation gets out late. So it Report an error in the passage at 1:07:01 Highlight the passage at 1:07:01

1:07:20 finishes Report an error in the passage at 1:07:20 Highlight the passage at 1:07:20

1:07:42 at 8.30 every time. That's good. You know, because sitting is good. and you hours or something. We all run in here. Everyone picks something, it makes it happen. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:42 Highlight the passage at 1:07:42

1:07:38 to do a meditation after this and we'll finish up at about 8.30. So it finishes... Report an error in the passage at 1:07:38 Highlight the passage at 1:07:38

1:07:49 Well, I like that. You know, I feel like it's kind of hard to focus on this, you know, for too long and everybody's been working and, you know, it's like, it's after your day and... I like that. I'm all for that. You know why? Because it's so much information to assimilate and it's basic but so complex. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:49 Highlight the passage at 1:07:49

1:08:13 It is. So can I just ask you, so in other words, in this tradition, would that be the lamrim? No, but it worked. Well, yeah. Yeah, actually it worked because it's the past. Because that's because I've never, you know, I'm saying that you've had, I don't know, the age won't have a man. Do you want to get back there? That's your dad? That's my dad. Oh, how cute. So nice to meet you. You were so Where do you live? Report an error in the passage at 1:08:13 Highlight the passage at 1:08:13

1:08:49 He lives up here, my wife's down, everybody's gone. I'm 89 years old. Well, you sure look good. You can be my visual aid. I thought you were describing it. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:49 Highlight the passage at 1:08:49

1:09:08 So where do you live? You don't live here, though. So you live with her, and you drive together? Yes. So do you live at a center? No, I do. I live at a house in Berkeley. That's true. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:08 Highlight the passage at 1:09:08

1:09:24 Are you a nun? I don't know what you are. I am. So you're a venerable? Is that what you are? Okay. I know. I don't know. No, no, that's okay. And then you live on your own, but where did you get ordained? I got ordained at Copan Monastery. Where at home? Copan Monastery. Cool. That's so cool. I have lived at the center before, but, you know, I went back a couple years ago. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:24 Highlight the passage at 1:09:24

1:09:46 Yes. And... Report an error in the passage at 1:09:46 Highlight the passage at 1:09:46

1:09:58 And then my dad, even though I have two brothers, they don't live very close there. He wanted to come with me, so. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:58 Highlight the passage at 1:09:58

1:10:08 Well, you know, my mom died a year ago. She didn't look, she was like 91, and I left my job to take her home. And my mom wasn't nice, but I had forgiveness. And because of my spiritual practice, I'm okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:08 Highlight the passage at 1:10:08

1:10:27 Well, she was in a nursing home, but I went back and said, yeah, so. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:27 Highlight the passage at 1:10:27

1:10:35 So you were in Nepal, that's fabulous. Yes, and I did, I was actually looking at this. 9 1⁄2 % of you, I don't know. I don't know, I just got to eat. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:35 Highlight the passage at 1:10:35

1:10:49 Oh, you know what, Dad? I've got to get everybody back in here. No chokinies, chokinies. He's in Nepal, too, but he does some teaching. He's going to teach him the subject. He's supposed to be a great teacher. He has another center. I've never seen it. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:49 Highlight the passage at 1:10:49

1:11:11 I'm just trying to find my way. Do you know Matthew? Oh, I've read a lot of these things. Because he's a monastery. Oh, I didn't know that. That's where he lives. See, our group here, we have a monastery. There's a monastery, and there's a reverence. And there is There's also, they use the monastery for, they have meditation courses, it's called a November course, it's a month long, and it's wonderful. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:11 Highlight the passage at 1:11:11

1:11:42 And people just, you know, you stay there and you're in meditation, they have classes every day. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:42 Highlight the passage at 1:11:42

1:12:15 Thank you. Well, I was born Jewish. Oh, I thought you were Roman. Whatever works. Right? No, no, no. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:15 Highlight the passage at 1:12:15

1:12:36 You look pretty alive to me. Why are you waiting? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:36 Highlight the passage at 1:12:36

1:12:46 can live life and enjoy what you have that would be that I'm waiting Report an error in the passage at 1:12:46 Highlight the passage at 1:12:46

1:13:01 you could be here longer than me you could be here longer than me we don't know why wait Thank you. You know, every day is a Thank you. to use it now. This is good. You're like walking around. Well, it's still good. When are you going to be 90? This year? September 23rd. Who? 23rd. You're a zebra. You're a zebra. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:01 Highlight the passage at 1:13:01

1:13:35 Zodiac. Wow. so then you're not even 89 yet. Oh, so this year you're going to be 90? Well, I'll tell you, you look good. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:35 Highlight the passage at 1:13:35

1:13:50 Wow. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:50 Highlight the passage at 1:13:50

1:14:12 you very much. Won't you have a heart attack? Report an error in the passage at 1:14:12 Highlight the passage at 1:14:12

1:14:23 Just like that. been on the line in the air. Eyebrows just really just make me think of it. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:23 Highlight the passage at 1:14:23

1:14:38 Oh, is that where you're from? Report an error in the passage at 1:14:38 Highlight the passage at 1:14:38

1:14:45 It's like five years. Thank you. She did it. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:45 Highlight the passage at 1:14:45

1:15:01 You're very lucky that you have a daughter, aren't you? Yeah, because, you know, to do what she does. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:01 Highlight the passage at 1:15:01

1:15:16 welcome to sit with us. That's our Report an error in the passage at 1:15:16 Highlight the passage at 1:15:16

1:15:23 bell. Please. Really. It resonates a long time. Harley Zalianna. Harley Zalianna. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:23 Highlight the passage at 1:15:23

1:15:42 I'm sorry? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:42 Highlight the passage at 1:15:42

1:15:47 Tree? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:47 Highlight the passage at 1:15:47

1:15:50 Oh, that tree that's growing between the, yes, to the right. I took a class with us from Nirvāṇa, and my advisor was on it, and he Report an error in the passage at 1:15:50 Highlight the passage at 1:15:50

1:16:07 one of the things about it is that you can't touch it, because they're always designed for the gods and the ones who can't touch it. Exactly. Sometimes, actually, the way it's drawn, I know there was another photo and another explanation that said it's over on the border of the demigods and the gods. So the demigods are always looking at it, but they can't reach it. It's like the tree starts there, but they can't get to it. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:07 Highlight the passage at 1:16:07

1:16:35 And it's like in the hell around so that other people know it There's no way. Interesting, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:35 Highlight the passage at 1:16:35

1:17:06 Okay, so everybody's got their legs stretched out and ready for a little exploration. Before I start this meditation, I think last time we did, we finished with a short meditation and I talked about this analytical meditation method. So what we will do is we'll start out, we'll focus our minds a little bit with some breathing meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:06 Highlight the passage at 1:17:06

1:17:34 Just to kind of quiet, you know, all the chatter up there. And then what we will begin to do is I'll kind of start in leading you with some suggestions about the topic that we've talked about. And what you, you know, at some point I will probably, and let you take that analysis and go further and essentially try to apply it to your own life. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:34 Highlight the passage at 1:17:34

1:18:03 You know, see how this affects you. We're going to be meditating on suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:03 Highlight the passage at 1:18:03

1:18:12 And try to make that very personal. And the point of all this, the point of really doing this analytical meditation is to reinforce partly what we've gone through here, but to bring it to a deeper level. So to get it past that rational level, that level of reasoning that we talked about a little bit last week, to bring it down to the heart experiential level. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:12 Highlight the passage at 1:18:12

1:18:36 So as you're exploring these things and kind of maybe taking that... analysis now inside your head to what very specifically to If you get to a point where it really resonates, just stay with that. Stay with that and really feel that experience as like a real experience of suffering or of death or whatever you're examining. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:36 Highlight the passage at 1:18:36

1:19:07 And then when it begins to fade, you can go back, kind of look at the analysis again. Maybe take it from a different viewpoint. Okay? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:07 Highlight the passage at 1:19:07

1:19:22 Again, just relaxing your body and letting your spine settle in straight but not stiff. It's like a stack of coins. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:22 Highlight the passage at 1:19:22

1:19:43 Taking a few easy breaths. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:43 Highlight the passage at 1:19:43

1:19:51 You can rest your right palm on your left with your thumbs touching just a little below your navel if that's comfortable. Otherwise, if it's more comfortable, you can rest your palms on your knees. That's fine. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:51 Highlight the passage at 1:19:51

1:20:07 Just speaking of your knees, just make sure they're relaxed. Just let go of the tension in your body now. Just feel it draining, Report an error in the passage at 1:20:07 Highlight the passage at 1:20:07

1:20:19 letting your body relax and letting your mind become more alert. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:19 Highlight the passage at 1:20:19

1:20:27 So freeing it from this body baggage. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:27 Highlight the passage at 1:20:27

1:20:40 And now turning your attention to the breath, Report an error in the passage at 1:20:40 Highlight the passage at 1:20:40

1:20:47 noticing the sensation as you breathe. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:47 Highlight the passage at 1:20:47

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:21:39 So now just reflecting on this topic of suffering, remembering the suffering of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:39 Highlight the passage at 1:21:39

1:21:52 Thinking about how so many of our daily experiences are colored by this kind of suffering, the suffering of waking up with aches and pains, seeing Report an error in the passage at 1:21:52 Highlight the passage at 1:21:52

1:22:23 how each day we Report an error in the passage at 1:22:23 Highlight the passage at 1:22:23

1:22:30 feel our bodies aging. We don't have the suppleness we used to. It Report an error in the passage at 1:22:30 Highlight the passage at 1:22:30

1:22:44 becomes harder to climb the hills, to go up the stairs, Report an error in the passage at 1:22:44 Highlight the passage at 1:22:44

1:22:50 to run to the corner, Report an error in the passage at 1:22:50 Highlight the passage at 1:22:50

1:23:11 trying to keep our bodies healthy. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:11 Highlight the passage at 1:23:11

1:23:19 Yet so often sickness finds us. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:19 Highlight the passage at 1:23:19

1:23:36 Just that pain of sickness, of not feeling well, Report an error in the passage at 1:23:36 Highlight the passage at 1:23:36

1:23:43 of missing that healthy feeling, Report an error in the passage at 1:23:43 Highlight the passage at 1:23:43

1:24:09 that interruption of our daily activities, Report an error in the passage at 1:24:09 Highlight the passage at 1:24:09

1:24:23 maybe the pain of the treatment, Report an error in the passage at 1:24:23 Highlight the passage at 1:24:23

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:25:34 just the general suffering of saṃsāra, Report an error in the passage at 1:25:34 Highlight the passage at 1:25:34

1:25:48 suffering cold, suffering heat, Report an error in the passage at 1:25:48 Highlight the passage at 1:25:48

1:25:59 suffering hunger and thirst, Report an error in the passage at 1:25:59 Highlight the passage at 1:25:59

1:26:30 mental suffering, losing our friends, Report an error in the passage at 1:26:30 Highlight the passage at 1:26:30

1:26:37 relationships ending, Report an error in the passage at 1:26:37 Highlight the passage at 1:26:37

1:26:49 being hurt by someone we love, Report an error in the passage at 1:26:49 Highlight the passage at 1:26:49

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:27:44 then recognizing the suffering of change. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:44 Highlight the passage at 1:27:44

1:27:59 Enjoying a meal, enjoying a walk, Report an error in the passage at 1:27:59 Highlight the passage at 1:27:59

1:28:13 but knowing that that pleasure will end. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:13 Highlight the passage at 1:28:13

1:28:38 Friendship, a relationship, Report an error in the passage at 1:28:38 Highlight the passage at 1:28:38

1:28:49 just the happy feeling we might have. We Report an error in the passage at 1:28:49 Highlight the passage at 1:28:49

1:28:56 can be feeling very good, and then the next day we can feel very depressed, very lost. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:56 Highlight the passage at 1:28:56

1:29:19 Financial pressures, we Report an error in the passage at 1:29:19 Highlight the passage at 1:29:19

1:29:31 can have excellent jobs, good income, and Report an error in the passage at 1:29:31 Highlight the passage at 1:29:31

1:29:38 then it can all stop. Our lives change completely. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:38 Highlight the passage at 1:29:38

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:30:19 Pervasive suffering of someone, Report an error in the passage at 1:30:19 Highlight the passage at 1:30:19

1:30:24 knowing that thing is certain, Report an error in the passage at 1:30:24 Highlight the passage at 1:30:24

1:30:32 so that we may have this period of quiet time, Report an error in the passage at 1:30:32 Highlight the passage at 1:30:32

1:30:45 even a sense of security, but Report an error in the passage at 1:30:45 Highlight the passage at 1:30:45

1:30:54 we know that anything and everything can change, that there is no certainty, and Report an error in the passage at 1:30:54 Highlight the passage at 1:30:54

1:31:11 that ultimately, as long as we're in saṃsāra, we will experience this suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:11 Highlight the passage at 1:31:11

1:31:43 And so knowing that, using what Report an error in the passage at 1:31:43 Highlight the passage at 1:31:43

1:31:50 we've learned here tonight to reinforce our meditation. To reinforce what we understand about suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:50 Highlight the passage at 1:31:50

1:32:07 To generate the wish to be free of saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:07 Highlight the passage at 1:32:07

1:32:17 And to realize deep in our hearts, our minds, that we have this capability to free ourselves. So Report an error in the passage at 1:32:17 Highlight the passage at 1:32:17

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:33:19 now generate the wish to Report an error in the passage at 1:33:19 Highlight the passage at 1:33:19

1:33:24 free ourselves from saṃsāra and ultimately to attain enlightenment, to dedicate everything that we've done tonight and all of our efforts. To attain enlightenment. That we may do this to free ourselves and to bring all other sentient beings to that enlightened state. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:24 Highlight the passage at 1:33:24

1:33:59 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:59 Highlight the passage at 1:33:59

1:34:07 So next week is not April 1st, so I'll see you. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:07 Highlight the passage at 1:34:07

1:34:19 Again, if anybody wants a hard copy of the first few readings, they're up here on the table. Thank you. Thank Report an error in the passage at 1:34:19 Highlight the passage at 1:34:19

1:34:32 you so much, John. So I'll Report an error in the passage at 1:34:32 Highlight the passage at 1:34:32

1:34:39 let you know what I find about the connector. I'm going to take a look at that now. right, all right. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:39 Highlight the passage at 1:34:39

1:34:48 I'll write a note. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:48 Highlight the passage at 1:34:48

1:34:54 Okay, yeah, well, I'll talk to Michelle, I talk her all the time too, so I'll see, I don't know who does it, but she'll probably say, hey, good, oh, I didn't, your pen, so much, I forgot. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:54 Highlight the passage at 1:34:54

1:35:34 Here's a quick question. Yes, yes. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:34 Highlight the passage at 1:35:34

1:35:40 And born Report an error in the passage at 1:35:40 Highlight the passage at 1:35:40

1:35:45 again. Right. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:45 Highlight the passage at 1:35:45

1:35:49 out of the desire realm. Does one go to the form realm? Oh, that's a good question. Not necessarily. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:49 Highlight the passage at 1:35:49

1:36:01 form or the formless realm. Probably the form realm, because the formless realm... We're going to talk next week about afflictions and delusions. And... Report an error in the passage at 1:36:01 Highlight the passage at 1:36:01

1:36:13 realm is like know when we talk about arhats that you're getting in that neighborhood but there's like the beginning levels and bodhisattvas are in those beings like bodhisattvas can choose Oh that's a good question. you know a human rebirth but they don't have the karma that we do so they're really they're not it doesn't mean they're in saṃsāra so don't know if you could say that you're necessarily not taking a form of birth because shakamuni Buddha Report an error in the passage at 1:36:13 Highlight the passage at 1:36:13

1:36:43 foreign birth to Shuck at volition. I would think, like I said, I think form realm, I'll try to find out. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:43 Highlight the passage at 1:36:43