Basic Program - Buddhism From A-Z (7 November 2008)

0:01 Yeah, we were just talking about that and probably Peter and Louis and Denise and Jeannie. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:13 But was it peaceful? Report an error in the passage at 0:13 Highlight the passage at 0:13

0:18 Where is it? Right on Market Street. So I walked from, it started at the UM Plaza. So I just walked from there, got to Safeway and said, well. Report an error in the passage at 0:18 Highlight the passage at 0:18

0:35 Good. Report an error in the passage at 0:35 Highlight the passage at 0:35

0:39 Good. Oh, and Hillary and... I was looking for people. Report an error in the passage at 0:39 Highlight the passage at 0:39

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0:42 Janet are probably there. I should have seen someone I knew. Is Report an error in the passage at 0:42 Highlight the passage at 0:42

1:02 that hibernation time of year? Yes, totally. Report an error in the passage at 1:02 Highlight the passage at 1:02

1:09 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:09 Highlight the passage at 1:09

1:35 Maybe Saki will join you on that side. It's so funny because sometimes it's the opposite. Most of the people are on that side. What's the deal? you next time. Report an error in the passage at 1:35 Highlight the passage at 1:35

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

1:50 Maybe after the march we'll see some people. Oh, Report an error in the passage at 1:50 Highlight the passage at 1:50

2:01 you're kidding. Report an error in the passage at 2:01 Highlight the passage at 2:01

2:11 I wonder if you can lock those down. In my old company we used to do that stuff. Yeah, it seems like you have to otherwise. Yeah, or not ever let anybody in, which is kind of defeating the purpose. Report an error in the passage at 2:11 Highlight the passage at 2:11

2:32 Hopefully a lot of purification so that the conference will go wonderfully. Report an error in the passage at 2:32 Highlight the passage at 2:32

2:45 Oh yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. Keeps everything in perspective, doesn't it? Okay, let's meditate silently for a few minutes on that note. Report an error in the passage at 2:45 Highlight the passage at 2:45

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5:11 Let's set our motivation for tonight. Report an error in the passage at 5:11 Highlight the passage at 5:11

5:18 Ideally a bodhicitta motivation, or at least a motivation to benefit others. A Report an error in the passage at 5:18 Highlight the passage at 5:18

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6:55 heart sūtra on page 79. Report an error in the passage at 6:55 Highlight the passage at 6:55

7:14 I prostrate to the aria triple gem. Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavan was dwelling on Mass Vulture's mountain in Rajgriya, together with a great community of monks and a great community of bodhisattvas. At that time, the Bhagavan was absorbed in the concentration on the categories of phenomena called profound perception. Report an error in the passage at 7:14 Highlight the passage at 7:14

7:35 Also at that time, the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, Arya, Avalokitesvara, looked upon the very practice of the profound perfection of wisdom and beheld those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature. Then, through the power of Buddha, the Venerable Shariputra said this to the Bodhisattva, Maha Sattva, Arya Avalokitesvara. How should any son of the lineage train who wishes to practice the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom? Report an error in the passage at 7:35 Highlight the passage at 7:35

8:02 He said that, and the Bodhisattva, Maha Sattva, Arya Avalokitesvara said this to the Venerable Vardisarivadiputra. Shari Putra, any son of the lineage or daughter of the lineage who wishes to practice the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom should look upon it like this. Correctly and repeatedly beholding those five aggregates also is empty of inherent nature. Form is empty, emptiness is form. Report an error in the passage at 8:02 Highlight the passage at 8:02

8:29 Emptiness is not other than form. Form is not other than emptiness. Feeling, discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness are empty. Shariputra, likewise, all phenomena are emptiness, without characteristic, unproduced, unceased, stainless, not without stain. Not efficient, not fulfilled. Shariputra, therefore in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no visual form. Report an error in the passage at 8:29 Highlight the passage at 8:29

9:10 No sound, no odor, no taste, no object or touch and no phenomenon. There is no eye element and so on up to and including no mind element and no mental consciousness element. There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance and so on up to including no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death. Report an error in the passage at 9:10 Highlight the passage at 9:10

9:31 Similarly, there is no suffering, origination, cessation and path. There is no exalted wisdom, no attainment and also no non-attainment. Shariputra, therefore, because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on and dwell in the perfection of wisdom, the mind without obscuration and without fear. Having completely passed beyond error, they reach the end point of nirvāṇa. Report an error in the passage at 9:31 Highlight the passage at 9:31

9:57 All the Buddhas who dwell in three times also manifestly, completely awaken to unsurpassable, perfect, complete enlightenment in reliance on the perfection of wisdom. Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the mantra equal to the unequaled, the mantra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering, should be known as truth since it is not false. Report an error in the passage at 9:57 Highlight the passage at 9:57

10:23 The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is declared. Tayata, Om Gathe Gathe, Paragathe, Parasam Gathe, Bodhisoha. Shariputra, the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva should train in the profound perfection of wisdom like that. Then the Bhagavan arose from that concentration and commended the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, Arya Avalokiteshvara, saying, Well said, well said, son of the lineage, it is like that. Report an error in the passage at 10:23 Highlight the passage at 10:23

10:51 It is like that. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom just as you have indicated. Even the Tathagatas rejoice. The Bhagavan having thus spoken, the venerable Shaivadiputra, the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, Arya, Avalokiteshvara, the surrounding in their entirety along with the world of gods, humans, asuras and Gandharvas, were overjoyed and highly praised that spoken by the Bhagavan. Report an error in the passage at 10:51 Highlight the passage at 10:51

11:20 I prostrate to the gathering of Dakinis in the three chakras who abide in the holy yoga of using space. By your powers of clairvoyance and magical emanation, look after practitioners like a mother her child. Aka, Samara, Shosha, Dora, Samara, Ape. Report an error in the passage at 11:20 Highlight the passage at 11:20

11:44 Samara Shashadara Samara Ya Pe Om Gathe Gathe Paragathe Parasam Gathe Bodhissoha By the teachings of the three supreme jewels possessing the power of truth, may inner and outer hindrances be transformed. May they be dispelled. May they be pacified. May they be completely pacified. May all negative forces opposed to Dharma be completely pacified. Report an error in the passage at 11:44 Highlight the passage at 11:44

12:12 May the host of 80,000 obstacles be pacified. May we be separated from problems and harmful conditions to Dharma. May all enjoyments be in accord with the Dharma. And may there be auspiciousness and perfect happiness. Report an error in the passage at 12:12 Highlight the passage at 12:12

12:29 the praise to Manjushri. Obeisance to my guru and protector Manjushri, who holds to his heart a scriptural text symbolic of his seeing all things as they are, whose understanding shines forth as a sun, unclouded by defilements or traces of ignorance, who teaches in sixty ways with a patient love of a father for his only son, all creatures caught in the prison of saṃsāra, confused in the darkness of their ignorance, overwhelmed by their suffering. Report an error in the passage at 12:29 Highlight the passage at 12:29

12:58 You whose dragon, thunder, proclamation of Dharma arouses us from the stupor of our delusions and frees us from the iron chains of our karma, whose powerful sword of wisdom hues down suffering wherever its sprouts appear, clearing away the darkness of all ignorance. Whose princely body is adorned with 112 marks of a Buddha, who has completed the 10 stages achieving the highest perfection of a bodhisattva, who has been pure from the beginning. Report an error in the passage at 12:58 Highlight the passage at 12:58

13:25 O Manjushri, all loving one, with brilliance of your wisdom, illuminate the darkness in closing my mind. Enlighten my intelligence and wisdom so that I may gain insight into Buddha's words and the texts that explain them. And then the bottom page, 88, refuge in bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 13:25 Highlight the passage at 13:25

13:49 I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. Report an error in the passage at 13:49 Highlight the passage at 13:49

14:21 By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 14:21 Highlight the passage at 14:21

14:35 Okay, so we're moving quickly along. We finished the perfect human rebirth in the last class. So far in this class, we covered the section on relying on the spiritual teacher, which is the root of all good qualities, all the realizations are reliant on relying on our spiritual master. And then we covered the section on meditation, so the importance of familiarizing ourselves with the teachings again and again. Report an error in the passage at 14:35 Highlight the passage at 14:35

15:12 Not just listening to the teachings, but also reflecting on them and meditating, both in session and keeping them in mind between sessions. And even when we sleep, ideally. And then the perfect human rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 15:12 Highlight the passage at 15:12

15:30 Encourages us to use our lives well because it reminds us how incredibly fortunate we are and how rare it is to have a perfect human rebirth. So the intention of that topic is to help spur us on to practice. And now we're going into the introduction on the three scopes of the lamrim. Report an error in the passage at 15:30 Highlight the passage at 15:30

15:56 So, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 15:56 Highlight the passage at 15:56

16:04 yeah. Report an error in the passage at 16:04 Highlight the passage at 16:04

16:13 Yeah, Karen came straight over. She was marching and then she took a detour. And then you'll join them at the end. Report an error in the passage at 16:13 Highlight the passage at 16:13

16:30 Okay, so now we get into the three scopes, right? The small scope, the intermediate scope and the great scope, right? So the entire lamrim, the rest of the lamrim is divided up into these three scopes. to come here. Report an error in the passage at 16:30 Highlight the passage at 16:30

16:47 right. So. Lama Tsongkhapa on page 43 at the top. Report an error in the passage at 16:47 Highlight the passage at 16:47

17:08 How to take the essence, the three beings mode of applying the path, which has two sections generating certainty with regard to the general presentation of the path and the actual way of taking its essence. Report an error in the passage at 17:08 Highlight the passage at 17:08

17:26 So the first one, generating certainty with regard to the general presentation of the path has also two, how all the Buddha's teachings are contained in the paths of the three types of beings and giving reasons for gradual guidance from the point of view of the three types of beings. Okay, and then the first one there, how all the Buddha's teachings are contained in the paths of the three types of beings. Report an error in the passage at 17:26 Highlight the passage at 17:26

17:54 It has a sub-outline. How the meaning of all the excellent teachings of the Buddha is subsumed under the accomplishment of two objectives. Okay. So basically, we've just heard about the perfect human rebirth, and now we're jumping into, okay, now that we're motivated to practice, now how do we actually practice? Report an error in the passage at 17:54 Highlight the passage at 17:54

18:20 How do we use our lives well? So Lama Tsongkhapa says, as everything the Buddha did, in the beginning the generation of the mind of enlightenment, in the middle the accumulation of the collections, and at the end the manifestation of perfect Buddhahood was done for the welfare of sentient beings only, all his Dharma teachings only bring about the welfare of sentient beings too. Report an error in the passage at 18:20 Highlight the passage at 18:20

18:45 So here they're talking about Shakyamuni Buddha. From the beginning of his generating bodhicitta, so the mind of enlightenment is bodhicitta. Then in the middle, when he collected the two accumulations, or accumulated the two collections, right? Purification, purifying, and accumulating merit. Oh, I mean, sorry, accumulating the two collections, method and wisdom. And at the end, manifesting perfect Buddhahood. Report an error in the passage at 18:45 Highlight the passage at 18:45

19:18 Buddha Shakyamuni did from the time he generated bodhicitta until he attained enlightenment was for the welfare of sentient beings. So then therefore everything that he taught was for the welfare of sentient beings as well. Report an error in the passage at 19:18 Highlight the passage at 19:18

19:34 That being so, the goal to be accomplished, the welfare of sentient beings is twofold. Temporary high status and ultimately certain goodness. goodness. So then, um, So in order to benefit sentient beings, there are, he taught about two general goals. There's a temporary, the high status and certain goodness. High status and certain goodness are high status and definite goodness. So high status is just the temporary benefit of practicing the Dharma, which is getting a good rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 19:34 Highlight the passage at 19:34

20:17 So high status, not meaning becoming president or something like that. High status is a good rebirth, which is basically rebirth in the human or God realm. Report an error in the passage at 20:17 Highlight the passage at 20:17

20:30 So that is only a temporary goal because you achieve a good rebirth and then you die and then you can fall into the lower realms again. So it's not the ultimate goal. Report an error in the passage at 20:30 Highlight the passage at 20:30

20:48 But it's a goal that will help us so that we can continue to practice the Dharma and achieve the ultimate goal. Yes. I'm wondering how come in those goals, the higher rebirths, I never hear pure lands mentioned at all, it seems like. Or maybe they are mentioned sometimes, but they're not in these lists and in the lamrim, it seems like to me. Report an error in the passage at 20:48 Highlight the passage at 20:48

21:13 You know, because I often wonder that myself. You know, were we always talking about perfect human rebirth and not talking about the pure lands? And I think in general the pure lands, well, I mean, this is purely my own speculation, okay? I haven't heard this from anyone. But I think those are more related to Tantra. You have to practice Tantra to achieve rebirth in the pure lands, I think. Report an error in the passage at 21:13 Highlight the passage at 21:13

21:39 Whereas these are sūtra teachings. So according to sūtra teachings, we're going for another perfect human rebirth. But then oftentimes, yeah, I mean, I personally would love to be reborn in the pure lands. But I'm just speculating. I think that's a good question for Gishidagpa or something. Because I remember I had asked, I had asked when I took my first Lamrim course in Copan, the month-long Lamrim course, and I asked the teacher there, a monk, I said, you know, so what are we going for? Report an error in the passage at 21:39 Highlight the passage at 21:39

22:11 Are we going for the pure lands or are we going for perfect human rebirth? And he'd been a monk for like 30 years and he said, I don't know. You know, I'm not clear on that myself. So the Lamrim's, you know, is encouraging us to get a perfect human rebirth, but Pure Land sounds pretty good. Yeah, and I think, I'm thinking too of some, like the, I think Poa is not necessarily, or is not necessarily a tantra. Yeah, transference. Report an error in the passage at 22:11 Highlight the passage at 22:11

22:37 That's not really a tantra. Well, I mentioned that because Lama Zopa also says there are various things that can take you to a Pure Land that seem to be non. But I'm just, anyway. nonetheless, a good answer. Yeah. So that's just my speculation. And behind you Peter has a question. My understanding from the history of Buddhism that I've read is that Pure Land isn't really emphasized as much in this tradition as it is in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism where that's much more the goal. Report an error in the passage at 22:37 Highlight the passage at 22:37

23:08 So it could also be partly cultural that it's not discussed as much in this tradition. Could be. But I think it is discussed more in Tantra. If you're a Vajrayogini practitioner, you're trying to go to Vajrayogini, Pure Land, etc. Amitabha, Pure Land. Report an error in the passage at 23:08 Highlight the passage at 23:08

23:31 But according to these teachings, we talked about how you have to... You need to have a perfect human rebirth in order to realize emptiness directly for the first time. In order to attain the path of seeing, you have to have a perfect human rebirth, according to these teachings. Except a few desire realm gods, you know, if they've trained... Report an error in the passage at 23:31 Highlight the passage at 23:31

23:51 You know, a lot in previous lives and they have those strong imprints, then in rare occasions a desire realm god can attain the path of seeing. But according to Lama Tsongkhapa's text, for the most part, you have to have a perfect human rebirth to attain the path of seeing. And then in other rebirths, you know, if you've already attained the path of seeing, you can go on and, you know, achieve enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 23:51 Highlight the passage at 23:51

24:15 But to attain the path of seeing, according to these teachings, you need the... Perfect human rebirth. But I don't know if that applies in Tantra. Report an error in the passage at 24:15 Highlight the passage at 24:15

24:36 Karen? Report an error in the passage at 24:36 Highlight the passage at 24:36

24:47 When someone dies, then is it appropriate to pray for their precious human rebirth or to be reborn in the pure lands? That's always been my practice. I'd say yes. Report an error in the passage at 24:47 Highlight the passage at 24:47

25:06 You know, I think both are good. Both are definitely good. that was a good, that second part Report an error in the passage at 25:06 Highlight the passage at 25:06

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25:11 But, you know, I mean, I know recently a couple of, you know, practitioners that were very devoted to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, you know, they took rebirth in the pure lands, according to Rinpoche. So it seemed like he was helping them attain rebirth in the pure lands, which, you know, you would think he would help you attain the best possible rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 25:11 Highlight the passage at 25:11

25:40 So, you know, that leads me to believe that pure land would be even better than a perfect human rebirth. But there are no teachings, you know, that I've seen that compare the two, you know. So, okay. One more, because this is just a small, dumb technical point. What are you reborn as in a pure land? Report an error in the passage at 25:40 Highlight the passage at 25:40

26:02 Well, I mean, being reborn as, well, you know, I mean, you Report an error in the passage at 26:02 Highlight the passage at 26:02

26:13 mean what is your body? Is it form? You're a merely imputed being. It's not a perfect human rebirth. Remember that rebirth isn't a matter of your consciousness going to travel and entering some physical thing. It's a karma changing. Your karma changing. So your karma will change to see everything as a pure land. And it could be in this exact physical location. Report an error in the passage at 26:13 Highlight the passage at 26:13

26:46 So it's not that, you know, it's not this, okay, we're going to go enter a pig's body, right? Or go enter a human body or a pure realm body. Report an error in the passage at 26:46 Highlight the passage at 26:46

26:59 A pure realm? Actually, I'm not sure. I should know what a pure realm. No, I mean, a pure realm being is a light body, isn't it? Report an error in the passage at 26:59 Highlight the passage at 26:59

27:09 A body made out of light. I'm assuming. But anyway, we're getting into tantra there. Report an error in the passage at 27:09 Highlight the passage at 27:09

27:17 Anyway, but maybe next time a Lama comes, if we have to wait for Gishidogpa to come back or if there's another Lama that comes, we can actually get that clarification. Report an error in the passage at 27:17 Highlight the passage at 27:17

27:33 The subsidiary question is, is a Buddha born as a human or as a pure land being or what? We're really getting off topic, aren't we? Yeah, I know. that's what you can say just been bandying these terms about Report an error in the passage at 27:33 Highlight the passage at 27:33

27:56 Okay, Report an error in the passage at 27:56 Highlight the passage at 27:56

28:03 so remember that nothing inherently exists. So all of our perceptions are dependent on our karma. And it's not like there's this solid body here. right, and so So when we're reborn as a human being, we have a perception of having a human body and we have a perception of being in a human realm. And if we're reborn as a pure realm being, we have the perception of our bodies being a pure realm being and the environment as being pure realm. Report an error in the passage at 28:03 Highlight the passage at 28:03

28:39 Then a Buddha takes rebirth for the benefit of other sentient beings. So the Buddha manifests in a certain form. for other beings to be able to see depending on their karma, right? So, and the būna can manifest in countless forms in every moment in order to benefit beings. And sometimes they'll manifest as an ordinary being taking birth in a womb and all of that. Report an error in the passage at 28:39 Highlight the passage at 28:39

29:08 And sometimes they'll manifest as something else could be the tree or the, you know. So ultimately because there is no birth or death or rebirth we're just minds that have the karma to have certain delusions or omniscience i'm not going to go there that's a big subject actually so um Report an error in the passage at 29:08 Highlight the passage at 29:08

29:36 we can have that discussion another time. Report an error in the passage at 29:36 Highlight the passage at 29:36

29:44 So we've gotten to what? One sentence. All right. Exactly, that one question. Report an error in the passage at 29:44 Highlight the passage at 29:44

30:03 So the two goals, the high status and definite goodness, or certain goodness. So high status, good rebirth as a human or God. And then certain goodness, which has two. Which is liberation and complete enlightenment. So certain goodness, meaning once you attain that state, it is certainly good. It is definitely good. It's not that you're ever going to fall from that state. Once you've attained liberation or enlightenment, you're never going to fall back into being a sentient being again. Report an error in the passage at 30:03 Highlight the passage at 30:03

30:51 Fortunately, according to the highest school, according to the lowest school, you can fall from liberation, but the other schools say that's ridiculous. Report an error in the passage at 30:51 Highlight the passage at 30:51

31:01 Because that's what true cessations are all about. Actually, you know of the Four Noble Truths, true sufferings, true origins, true cessations, meaning you can abandon the obscurations such that they will never arise again. That's a true cessation as opposed to a temporary cessation which we can get through, you know, just developing some level of concentration or, you know, then we can temporarily suppress mental afflictions by, you know, developing calm abiding, the different levels of concentration. Report an error in the passage at 31:01 Highlight the passage at 31:01

31:36 But through realizing emptiness directly, we're starting to remove the obscurations from their root so that they can never arise again. So that's a true cessation. Report an error in the passage at 31:36 Highlight the passage at 31:36

31:49 so So liberation, which is for your own welfare, and then complete enlightenment, which is for the welfare of all beings. So when you've attained liberation, you can't benefit others anymore. You're just in this state of cessation indefinitely until the Buddhas wake you up. Report an error in the passage at 31:49 Highlight the passage at 31:49

32:15 Whereas when you become enlightened, then you've attained omniscience and the ability to manifest in countless forms to help others. So when you've attained solitary liberation, you can't benefit others. You're just in this state of cessation where you've ceased your mental afflictions. But you don't have omniscience and you don't have the ability to manifest for the sake of others. Which is why in this tradition we really encourage people not to just go for the solitary liberation because you can't benefit anybody anymore, right? Report an error in the passage at 32:15 Highlight the passage at 32:15

33:04 And so, you know, as the Lama say, you know, how incredibly selfish is that, you know, when so many beings have... benefited us how can we just go into our own state of of peace and and forget about all of those beings who have helped us right forget about all of our mothers So that's liberation. And then complete enlightenment, what we're getting on top of that, the cessation of the mental afflictions, is we've ceased the obstructions to omniscience. Report an error in the passage at 33:04 Highlight the passage at 33:04

33:38 So we've become completely omniscient. So we'll know exactly how best to benefit sentient beings. We'll know their minds. We'll know their karma. Report an error in the passage at 33:38 Highlight the passage at 33:38

33:51 We'll know exactly what to say and what to do to help ripen their mind. So from the wisdom side, you have the omniscience. And then also then you have this ability to manifest countless forms in any form that you want. In order to help beings, right? So when you think that a being is ripe, you know, when someone, let's say, has just, Report an error in the passage at 33:51 Highlight the passage at 33:51

34:30 you know, experienced a loss or something, you can manifest in a form, you know, when they're open, you can manifest in a form of helping bring them to Dharma, for example. Which happens a lot to a lot of people when they've had a death in their family or something. Then they look for a greater meaning and that's how they come to Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 34:30 Highlight the passage at 34:30

34:57 So you have an unconvinced look on your face. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 34:57 Highlight the passage at 34:57

35:13 Is it possible that I am me, an unenlightened being and all you guys are my friends? Well bodhisattva is here to help me along the way. I mean really. It's a possibility that I'm the only sentient being in this room and everybody else is a Buddha that's here to help me. Report an error in the passage at 35:13 Highlight the passage at 35:13

35:42 Definitely not caring because a Buddha would never do anything like that. Report an error in the passage at 35:42 Highlight the passage at 35:42

35:56 It's one way to train our minds, right? Exactly. Like when that irritating person pushes our buttons. That's the Buddha right there. Not pointing to you, Karen, at all. Report an error in the passage at 35:56 Highlight the passage at 35:56

36:23 Okay, we have a lively audience tonight. Just to make up for last week. So nirvāṇa is liberation. Is it the same thing? We learned it fast tonight. Report an error in the passage at 36:23 Highlight the passage at 36:23

36:36 A lot of people use the word nirvāṇa as liberation, but actually nirvāṇa has many different uses, and ultimately nirvāṇa, non-abiding nirvāṇa, is Buddhahood. It's not liberation, it's Buddhahood. But it's often misused, that term is often misused, and I don't like to use that term precisely for that reason, because oftentimes people think nirvāṇa means just solitary liberation. Report an error in the passage at 36:36 Highlight the passage at 36:36

37:06 Where in fact, ultimately it means Buddhahood. Well, non-abiding nirvāṇa is Buddhahood. There are other types of nirvāṇa, nirvāṇa with remainder, nirvāṇa without remainder, natural nirvāṇa, but we won't even go there. So I'm just going to use the term liberation versus enlightenment. Liberation being for yourself and enlightenment being for Buddhahood. Report an error in the passage at 37:06 Highlight the passage at 37:06

37:37 Okay. Yeah. Okay. No, it's good to get these terms straight. Yeah. Yeah, because it's, you know. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 37:37 Highlight the passage at 37:37

37:50 No, if it's clarification, I mean, it can help all of us. So when people, when you read things and they say once returners or, you know. Stream enters, never returners. Yeah, because that's a different tradition, actually, right? That's in the Hinayana side. But that's more in reference to liberation. Report an error in the passage at 37:50 Highlight the passage at 37:50

38:14 Yeah, those are steps along the path to attain liberation. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, we're not going to get into those. Okay. So everybody clear on these terms? High status, liberation and enlightenment. Peter wants us to move on. Report an error in the passage at 38:14 Highlight the passage at 38:14

38:39 So the two goals, high status and certain goodness. And certain goodness has the two, liberation and enlightenment. So then the next outline is how lesser beings attain high status. So then we start getting into the three scopes. The small scope. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 38:39 Highlight the passage at 38:39

39:03 How it's translated here, lesser beings, intermediate or medium scope and then the great scope. So each of these corresponds to one of the three results. So the small scope beings are looking for high status or good rebirth. Intermediate beings are looking for liberation. And great scope beings are looking for enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 39:03 Highlight the passage at 39:03

39:33 So small scope beings are primarily focused on getting a good rebirth in the next life. Report an error in the passage at 39:33 Highlight the passage at 39:33

39:46 So Lama Tsongkhapa says, as for the understanding or the undertaking to attain the former, everything that has been set forth is included in the actual cycle of teachings for lesser beings or in the cycle of teachings common to lesser beings. Special lesser beings do not do much for the sake of this life, pursuing instead the excellence of high status in future lives and engaging in achieving the causes for that. Report an error in the passage at 39:46 Highlight the passage at 39:46

40:16 So we can talk about ordinary beings or the lesser beings as being kind of two types. Those who are just focused on the happiness of this life, experience happiness and pleasure of this life. and those who are Primarily focused on a good rebirth in the next life. And the beings who are focused on just happiness of this life aren't even considered as being practitioners of the lamrim. Report an error in the passage at 40:16 Highlight the passage at 40:16

40:51 Because if we're just focused on the happiness of this life, then why practice the lamrim? rim, you know. Report an error in the passage at 40:51 Highlight the passage at 40:51

41:02 So Lama Tsongkhapa is really focusing here on the special lesser beings. How do we get a good rebirth in the future? In The Lamp on the Path, it says, whoever pushes or pursues by any means the happiness of saṃsāra only, just for his own benefit, should be known as the least of beings. Report an error in the passage at 41:02 Highlight the passage at 41:02

41:27 So, you know, unfortunately that's most of us, right? If we're... If we're practicing to get happiness while we're in saṃsāra, then we're low, small-scope beings. Report an error in the passage at 41:27 Highlight the passage at 41:27

41:46 And so, actually, to even become a special small-scope being, there are the various lamrim topics that we'll go through sequentially in the coming months. First of all, Meditating on death and impermanence, right? So really, really understanding not just intellectually but really realizing that we are going to die, right? Report an error in the passage at 41:46 Highlight the passage at 41:46

42:16 And we can die at any time and that only the Dharma will help us at the time of death, right? And so that really motivates us to practice now, right? Because we can die at any point. Report an error in the passage at 42:16 Highlight the passage at 42:16

42:37 And then we meditate on the lower realms, the suffering of the lower realms, to help us understand that we're not just going to get a rebirth like this one, unless we create the causes for it, right? There's this potential for an immense amount of suffering in our next life. And so we go through all of the different possibilities of rebirths in the lower realms. Report an error in the passage at 42:37 Highlight the passage at 42:37

43:03 And then, um... And then there's the topic of refuge, right? So once we understand how much suffering we can have in future lives, then we want to know, well, how do I prevent that? And that is through taking refuge in the Three Jewels, the understanding how the Buddha can help us, how the Dharma helps us and how the Saṅgha helps us. Report an error in the passage at 43:03 Highlight the passage at 43:03

43:32 And then also in the small scope teachings is... The teachings on karma, about how virtue creates the causes of happiness and non-virtue creates the causes of suffering. And that motivates us to create virtuous karma, which is the cause for a good rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 43:32 Highlight the passage at 43:32

43:57 And Report an error in the passage at 43:57 Highlight the passage at 43:57

44:09 then we covered, I think last week, we covered the three... The three causes of a perfect human rebirth, right? To attain a perfect human rebirth, what were the three causes? Does anybody remember who was here? Report an error in the passage at 44:09 Highlight the passage at 44:09

44:45 So, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 44:45 Highlight the passage at 44:45

44:55 Well, if you can remember off the top of your head, of course that's best, but at least if you have it written down, it's good. Does anybody know off the top of their head? The three, there are three... Causes that need to come together for us to get a perfect human rebirth. So this is an important one, right? We kind of want to know how to get another good rebirth like this, where we can study the Dharma and practice the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 44:55 Highlight the passage at 44:55

45:22 I think one was about physical conditions, right? Like the circumstances of the birth. Was that finding the right conditions for rebirth or my way off here? I think you're talking about something else. So what are the causes we need to create to get those good conditions? Peter? Peter Effie? I wasn't here last week. Are two of them purifying one's negative karma and accumulating merit? Well, that's more something. Report an error in the passage at 45:22 Highlight the passage at 45:22

45:56 Yeah, we do need to do that. Report an error in the passage at 45:56 Highlight the passage at 45:56

46:08 We do need to do that. But that wasn't one of the three. Okay. Just a shot at it. Effie. Report an error in the passage at 46:08 Highlight the passage at 46:08

46:24 Morality, generosity, and prayers. Ah, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Report an error in the passage at 46:24 Highlight the passage at 46:24

46:33 Yeah. So morality or ethical discipline, right? Just in general, right, that is the cause for any good rebirth, right, is practicing, you know, staying away from the ten non-virtues, you know, practicing the virtues. Report an error in the passage at 46:33 Highlight the passage at 46:33

46:49 And, you know, not breaking our vows, right? So practicing ethical discipline and morality. Yeah, see, Jay was on the right. Report an error in the passage at 46:49 Highlight the passage at 46:49

47:00 That's a stretch. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 47:00 Highlight the passage at 47:00

47:10 And then generosity, right? Because in able to practice the Dharma, we need to have enough money and food and, you know, the conditions so you can practice the Dharma. So the cause of that is generosity, right? And then making the prayers to have a perfect human rebirth, you know, specifically to pray. Report an error in the passage at 47:10 Highlight the passage at 47:10

47:31 So you don't get accidentally reborn as a god, a desirable god or something like that. We need to specifically pray for a perfect human rebirth and to pray to be connected with spiritual teachers again. We need to specifically make dedication prayers, prayers in general, so that we can meet the Dharma again, that we can meet the... Report an error in the passage at 47:31 Highlight the passage at 47:31

48:00 The Lama's again, etc. So those three, ethics, generosity and prayers. Okay. And I think included in that we definitely need to purify. Right. Report an error in the passage at 48:00 Highlight the passage at 48:00

48:21 Okay. Was there a question? Anna. Report an error in the passage at 48:21 Highlight the passage at 48:21

48:31 Well, I was thinking that there doesn't seem to be much emphasis on the prayers for perfect human rebirth. In this particular text? Report an error in the passage at 48:31 Highlight the passage at 48:31

48:43 Or maybe our tradition. I know that there are prayers where we say, may I always meet with the Dharma, may I always meet with perfect gurus. But are there examples of prayers that you can cite that emphasize the prayers for perfect human beings? There are some in the dedication prayers. Or you can just make up your own personal prayer. Report an error in the passage at 48:43 Highlight the passage at 48:43

49:13 Like I have. I have one that I include in my, you know, repertoire of dedication prayers is, you know, all my lives may never be separated from the Dharma and perfect gurus. Report an error in the passage at 49:13 Highlight the passage at 49:13

49:26 You know, and it's actually, Kirti Center Rinpoche actually encouraged us to make our own personal heartfelt prayers instead of just reciting the... Prescribed prayers, you know, because oftentimes we can just recite those and not even think about them, you know, not mean them. So we can just make up, you know, our own. Report an error in the passage at 49:26 Highlight the passage at 49:26

49:47 Actually, would guru devotion fall under that? Report an error in the passage at 49:47 Highlight the passage at 49:47

49:53 I mean, as part of your practicing guru devotion, yeah, you're praying to never be separated from that guru. But guru devotion is also beyond that, right? Report an error in the passage at 49:53 Highlight the passage at 49:53

50:08 Serving the Guru, following the Guru's advice, and all of those things are all part of Guru Devotion. Well, it's the relationship that one has with the Guru is what that's about, the Guru Devotion. It's the relationship that one builds with the Guru, no? Well, it's the relationship in your mind, the respect that you... Report an error in the passage at 50:08 Highlight the passage at 50:08

50:34 you always have for your guru and the appreciation that you have for your guru and how you serve your guru. All of those things are included in the topic of guru devotion. How do you devote yourself to a guru? You devote yourself by practicing, by serving him, etc. But it's a relationship that lasts from lifetime to lifetime. Well, if we create the causes. Report an error in the passage at 50:34 Highlight the passage at 50:34

51:04 If the guru gives us advice and we don't follow it, if we get angry at the guru, if we develop negative thoughts toward the guru, then we're creating the causes to not have a guru in the future life. Report an error in the passage at 51:04 Highlight the passage at 51:04

51:18 I Report an error in the passage at 51:18 Highlight the passage at 51:18

51:24 don't Report an error in the passage at 51:24 Highlight the passage at 51:24

51:34 know, did I answer that question? Report an error in the passage at 51:34 Highlight the passage at 51:34

51:41 I'm not sure. Well, I don't know if I expected for you to give me the, you know. right so Report an error in the passage at 51:41 Highlight the passage at 51:41

· · · silence, 1 minute

51:48 It just seems that if it's so important, the three causes for perfect human rebirth, you know, that prayers to me seem somewhat nebulous. Report an error in the passage at 51:48 Highlight the passage at 51:48

51:59 I Report an error in the passage at 51:59 Highlight the passage at 51:59

52:04 mean, there are certain prayers that we do say, right? Yeah, that are fairly essential for our practice. I just couldn't really recall a prayer that talked about... Perfect human rebirth as a, yeah. Right, as a separate topic. No, I mean, it's not, yeah, it's not talked about as like a big outline in the lamrim or anything. Report an error in the passage at 52:04 Highlight the passage at 52:04

52:28 So Lama Tsongkhapa just mentioned it. And you see it throughout the lamrim, actually, that we need to accumulate merit, we need to purify, we need to make prayers. We really have to, because... Particularly aspirational prayers. We're shooting towards something in particular and making prayers is kind of keeping us on that track. Report an error in the passage at 52:28 Highlight the passage at 52:28

52:55 It's like I'm going for enlightenment. So I do the bodhicitta prayer. May I attain enlightenment for the welfare of sentient beings. And we repeat that over and over and over again. And that's creating the causes to... To get there, starting to create the causes, right? That amongst a bunch of other things. And then if we want to meet the Dharma in a future life, then we need to pray to meet the Dharma in a future life. Report an error in the passage at 52:55 Highlight the passage at 52:55

53:22 And we need to create the other causes, right? Like practicing in this life. But we, we, um, But it's an essential part of creating the causes for a result is to aspire to that and make the prayer again and again and again. And then it becomes stronger and stronger in our minds, right? And then our minds become imbued with, okay, my life is about practicing the Dharma. My life is about benefiting others because I want to attain enlightenment for the welfare of others. Report an error in the passage at 53:22 Highlight the passage at 53:22

53:53 Everything I do is for that purpose. So we make those prayers again and again to help the mind become imbued with that goal. Does that make sense? Report an error in the passage at 53:53 Highlight the passage at 53:53

54:08 Because so much of the path is about repetition, familiarizing, habituating our minds. And the prayers are again and again reminding us, oh yeah, that's what I'm going for. Oh yeah, I'm not going for just good food and whatever. Oh yeah, what's really important is... Is enlightenment and the, you know, the other things that I do are to help, you know, me have a, you know, happy mind in the current moment or, you know, because I still have these attachments and da da da da. Report an error in the passage at 54:08 Highlight the passage at 54:08

54:43 But that's not my main purpose, right? My main purpose is, right, attaining enlightenment. And through the prayers, we're reminding ourselves again and again. That's my main, my main focus in life. That's what's really important. Report an error in the passage at 54:43 Highlight the passage at 54:43

55:02 Which is also why we motivate and dedicate as much as we can. Report an error in the passage at 55:02 Highlight the passage at 55:02

55:17 So small scope or the lesser beings. Then we go into the intermediate scope or the medium scope. How intermediate beings achieve the certain goodness of liberation. There are two kinds of certain goodness. One, the liberation that is merely released from saṃsāra. And two, omniscience. In this regard, everything that has been set forth starting from the vehicles of hearers and solitary realizers is included in the actual cycle of teachings for intermediate beings or in the cycle of teachings common to intermediary beings. Report an error in the passage at 55:17 Highlight the passage at 55:17

56:03 Intermediary? Intermediate, I think. Intermediate beings develop disenchantment with existence as a whole and having made the liberation that is released From existence for their own welfare, their object of attainment, they engage in its method, three trainings. Report an error in the passage at 56:03 Highlight the passage at 56:03

56:21 Okay, so the small scope or the lesser beings are focused primarily right on being kind to others, right, trying to not kill, trying to not utter harsh speech and lie and all of that, so that we can try to get a good rebirth, right, in the future. But just by doing these virtuous things, it's not going to get us out of saṃsāra. To get out of saṃsāra, first of all, we have to understand that no matter what kind of rebirth, what kind of circumstances we have in saṃsāra, it's still suffering. Report an error in the passage at 56:21 Highlight the passage at 56:21

57:07 There's no avoiding suffering as long as we're in saṃsāra. So the lamrim topics that support us coming to that conclusion are meditating on the Four Noble Truths, the true sufferings, and particularly the three types of suffering, the suffering of suffering, the gross levels of suffering that we all consider suffering, which is sickness and angst and anxiety. Report an error in the passage at 57:07 Highlight the passage at 57:07

57:42 Depression, all of those things are gross levels of suffering. The suffering of suffering. And then the suffering of change, which is a really hard one to realize, which is, you know, realizing that even the pleasures of cyclic existence, even the happy feelings that we have are suffering. Report an error in the passage at 57:42 Highlight the passage at 57:42

58:05 Well, the contaminated happy feelings that we have are suffering. And one thing that helps me with that is that there's this subtle sense of anxiety associated with experiencing pleasures of psychic existence because we always have that anxiety of not experiencing those anymore. The anxiety of wanting more and more of it. Report an error in the passage at 58:05 Highlight the passage at 58:05

58:36 As well as the anxiety of being afraid that we won't have it anymore. I won't have the comfort anymore. I won't have my nice, comfortable, warm bed to sleep in. I won't have my good friends who support me and make me laugh and all of that. Report an error in the passage at 58:36 Highlight the passage at 58:36

58:57 So even those pleasures of saṃsāra, they're still a form of suffering. And we'll get into that more later. The traditional teaching on that is it's not truly a happiness unless the more you experience it, the more your happiness increases. Report an error in the passage at 58:57 Highlight the passage at 58:57

59:27 So if that chocolate was truly happiness, the more you'd eat. Yeah, we get more and more blissed out, but of course we know. You just get sick if you eat too much of it, right? Or, you know, spending time with friends and laughing, you know? It's like it's really fun for a while, but after a while it's like, I need to go home, exactly. Report an error in the passage at 59:27 Highlight the passage at 59:27

59:56 I need to get some sleep, you know? I just want some quiet, right? So it's wonderful, but... So it's not a true happiness. Whereas true happiness is like that unconditional love you have for somebody. The more love you have for someone, the greater happiness you have. So that's a real happiness, not just some samsaric pleasure that you get sick of if you get too much of it. Report an error in the passage at 59:56 Highlight the passage at 59:56

1:00:29 So I think that becomes more and more clear as we... Progress on the path is the clear distinction between just some temporary sense pleasure and something that's really truly happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:29 Highlight the passage at 1:00:29

1:00:51 I was in Long's Drugs the other day and some guy came up to me and he said, have you ever been to this? Restaurant in San Francisco. Oh, my gosh. It's just, oh, it's the best food. You know, he just went on and on about what I should order. And I, you know, it was like the most blissful thing on earth, you know, and he was just so excited about it. And I just remember thinking, well, that's nice. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:51 Highlight the passage at 1:00:51

1:01:20 You know, it's like, that's wonderful. But then what? You know, it's like. Yeah, so you have a good, no. It was totally random. I Report an error in the passage at 1:01:20 Highlight the passage at 1:01:20

1:01:43 don't know, it was the suffering of change. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:43 Highlight the passage at 1:01:43

1:01:56 Right. There she is. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:56 Highlight the passage at 1:01:56

1:01:57 Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:57 Highlight the passage at 1:01:57

1:02:05 No, but it was just, I mean, he went on for like five or ten minutes about how incredible this relationship, this food was. And I thought, you know, before I met the Dharma, I probably would have been totally into it. It's like, yeah, I want to know the best restaurants. I was totally a restaurant person, you know. I want to know the best food in the city and, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:05 Highlight the passage at 1:02:05

1:02:32 Once you come to the Dharma, it's like, okay, well, that's certainly nice, and I'd like to have a good meal once in a while, but it's certainly not the be-all, end-all of life. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:32 Highlight the passage at 1:02:32

1:02:42 And it's sad, right? It's sad when that is, when that's the peak of life, when food is the peak of life. So then we start to distinguish between temporary pleasure and real happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:42 Highlight the passage at 1:02:42

1:03:03 Okay, so... So the four truths, we meditate on the four truths, true sufferings, true origins. So realizing that all of our suffering is a result of two things, our mental afflictions and our karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03:03

1:03:29 And then true cessations, which we talked about in true paths, which is the method for getting out of saṃsāra, which is realizing emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:29 Highlight the passage at 1:03:29

1:03:39 So an intermediate scope being meditates on the four truths and the twelve links of dependent origination, which can be quite daunting but earth-shattering when we see how we're creating the causes for rebirth and saṃsāra constantly. Through ignorance, creating the karma that's deposited on the consciousness, which will later ripen. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:39 Highlight the passage at 1:03:39

1:04:11 Into another rebirth. So we meditate on that and we realize I need to get out of saṃsāra. It's not good enough to just be a nice person and be kind to others and get more happiness in saṃsāra. I need to get out of saṃsāra completely. And then you practice the three higher trainings, ethics. Concentration and wisdom realizing emptiness. So the three higher trainings. Ethics, concentration, wisdom, realizing emptiness. That's the main practice of an intermediate scope being. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:11 Highlight the passage at 1:04:11

1:05:04 And then just terminology wise, Lama Tsongkhapa is talking about hearers and solitary realizers. And those are specific Hinayana beings that are focused on liberation. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:04 Highlight the passage at 1:05:04

1:05:27 And then in The Lamp on the Path it says, Indifferent to pleasures of existence, a master desisting from evil deeds, whoever pursues only personal peace is called an intermediate being. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:27 Highlight the passage at 1:05:27

1:05:43 So this being is not focused on experiencing pleasure in cyclic existence, but is really focused on getting out of cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:43 Highlight the passage at 1:05:43

1:06:03 And, you know, like the Thai forest monks, you know, who spend their whole lives, you know, wandering around, living on alms, meditating for hours and hours every day because they're focused on getting out of saṃsāra, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:03 Highlight the passage at 1:06:03

1:06:24 But focused primarily on getting out of saṃsāra for themselves, right? They don't have bodhicitta, you know, so they're focused on their own liberation. And there's this one very interesting biography of someone called Acharya Moon who lived last century. I don't know if people read it, but he was this very famous, amazing ascetic who achieved liberation in that life. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:24 Highlight the passage at 1:06:24

1:06:55 And it goes through, you know, kind of all of the things that he used to do, you know, his extreme asceticism, you know, in order to, and his extreme focus, right, in order to achieve liberation in his life. It's a very, quite amazing, inspiring book. And it helps you see, you know, what it really takes to get out of cyclic existence, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:55 Highlight the passage at 1:06:55

1:07:20 It's really, yeah. You really have to have a lot of focus and determination. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:20 Highlight the passage at 1:07:20

1:07:32 I got it. I got it. Just with regard to what you're talking about, when you're kind of in the process of disentangling yourself from all of these samsaric concerns and attachments, it's really easy to get kind of bummed out when you realize just how much work you still need to do. Do you have any advice in terms of, you know, when you're in this sort of transitional period where the grip of saṃsāra is breaking, But you're not really completely in the next phase of this, that how to not get so... It's easy to beat oneself up. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:32 Highlight the passage at 1:07:32

1:08:06 Don't do that. Don't do that. Okay. That's one. Yeah. Yeah. Does that make any sense? Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And that's where we are for a long time, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:08:06 Highlight the passage at 1:08:06

1:08:23 And I think... You know? Report an error in the passage at 1:08:23 Highlight the passage at 1:08:23

1:08:29 One thing is just understanding it's a long path and to give up that expectation that it'll be quick, that I should be further along than I am. And just really, really accepting where we are and having compassion with that and really, truly rejoicing in the progress that we've made. You know, the wonderful circumstances we have and how much we're really trying to practice and how our minds have changed, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:08:29 Highlight the passage at 1:08:29

1:09:09 I mean, just the fact that we're even thinking about liberation and enlightenment is huge. I mean, it's super... Hugely undercutting cyclic existence. We don't really believe in the pleasures of saṃsāra completely anymore. Partly, but not completely anymore. So rejoicing and accepting. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:09 Highlight the passage at 1:09:09

1:09:44 And then personally, I think the practice of bodhicitta, benefiting others, kind of gets us out of ourselves. I should be further along kind of thing, but whatever we do is to help others and we just do our best to help others and do our own practice in order to help ourselves and others. I think the more that we do that, the less my progress becomes so important. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:44 Highlight the passage at 1:09:44

1:10:31 Rubina gives excellent teachings on this particular topic. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:31 Highlight the passage at 1:10:31

1:10:41 And then just cutting off those beating myself up thoughts whenever they arise because they just don't have any benefit at all. And just cutting it off and just thinking, okay, well, what can I do now to move forward instead of lamenting what I haven't done or where I'm not. was helpful, Report an error in the passage at 1:10:41 Highlight the passage at 1:10:41

1:11:01 Just move that to a positive, okay, what can I do now? It's really helpful. Historically, I'm a great beat-myself-upper. At some point, I just decided not to indulge it anymore, because it can be an excuse for not practicing, too, for me. I don't know about for you, but for me, it was holding me back. It kind of depresses you. It saps your energy. You start feeling helpless and hopeless and all of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:01 Highlight the passage at 1:11:01

1:11:46 And then falling aside, okay, well, don't indulge those thoughts when they come up. Then just focus more on, okay, well, what can I do? I'll do some practice now or let me help somebody else or something like that can be helpful. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:46 Highlight the passage at 1:11:46

1:12:04 I don't know. Do other people have experience and suggestions in that? F.E. F.E. and then J. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:04 Highlight the passage at 1:12:04

1:12:20 It's basically just what you said, but it's a waste of your energy and time that you can put into your practice. That's all. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:20 Highlight the passage at 1:12:20

1:12:31 Yeah. I mean, it's a habit, right? It's a strong habit. So it takes time. It's really hard to get over that. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:31 Highlight the passage at 1:12:31

1:12:42 But, yeah, but to have a lot of compassion, you know, and not beat ourselves up when we have the beating ourselves up thought also, right? You know, which can be, I shouldn't have that beating myself up thought. You know, just thinking, okay, well, that's a habit that I've had. That's why it keeps coming up. Okay, so, you know, to be gentle on ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:42 Highlight the passage at 1:12:42

1:13:07 Just so important to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves. Then we can be gentle and compassionate with others. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:07 Highlight the passage at 1:13:07

1:13:18 Okay, Jay? I think, and I've heard lots of Lamas talk about this, but there's, and I don't know, I mean, speaking, none of us can remember our past lives. I definitely can't, but, so I don't know what kind of practice we may have done then, but if you have only done the Dharma for so many years in your life, there was all these years and countless lifetimes in which you were not doing this at all, and to think somehow that you should have undone it in this short period of time. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:18 Highlight the passage at 1:13:18

1:13:44 Is foolish. Yeah. And so it's really a bad thing to beat yourself about. And I think also to just think of the path geographically. And while I know that to be full of delusions is not to have been walking away from enlightenment per se, but if you look at how far you've walked away from this, and then just know that you have marked some ground. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:44 Highlight the passage at 1:13:44

1:14:06 I mean, if it may be from here to Sacramento is where you started, you know what I mean? And maybe you're only in Bakersfield, but that's pretty good. And that's so, I'm serious, you know, like I often think, man, like five years ago, I was so different five years ago and that's thrilling, you know, that's thrilling to know that you've changed that much. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:06 Highlight the passage at 1:14:06

1:14:22 Yeah. Yeah. And also that you're smart enough to realize that you're beating yourself up is another thing too. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes we have this lack personality or some of us have this, you know, focusing on where I'm falling short. Instead of focusing on how much we've progressed. We can decide, we can totally decide where we want to focus our energies. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:22 Highlight the passage at 1:14:22

1:14:52 Do we want to focus more on being happy with how much we've progressed or being miserable because we haven't gotten as far as we'd like? It's that whole perfectionist mentality that's not very healthy, helpful. You know, actually, I want to throw out one other thing that's not necessarily a Dharma thing, but I think it, well, it is with the community and things, but you are so not alone. You know what I mean? Like, we are all there. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:52 Highlight the passage at 1:14:52

1:15:20 It is helpful. It's when I realize, when I remember that there are countless sentient beings out there just like me who are suffering in the same way. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:20 Highlight the passage at 1:15:20

1:15:30 Well, this sounds awful, but that's soothing to me somehow, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:30 Highlight the passage at 1:15:30

1:15:35 I mean, I don't know how to say it, but you know what I mean? We're so not alone in this. Yeah, Report an error in the passage at 1:15:35 Highlight the passage at 1:15:35

1:15:46 and we can compare ourselves to Lama Zopa Rinpoche or His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So we're always going to fall short. Well, not always, but for a very long time. So it's not useful. Whereas if we consider the entire population. We're doing pretty well, you know, not not to feel superior. Right. But just to think, you know, just to have that perspective. Oh, my gosh. I at least know, you know, I'm at least trying. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:46 Highlight the passage at 1:15:46

1:16:16 Right. Not to, you know, spew hateful remarks toward people. And, you know, I mean, in election season, right, you see how much garbage there is is out there. And, you know, we can just be happy that we're trying to. Cut through that, at least in our own minds, so that we can help others. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16:16

1:16:40 Okay, maybe Betty wanted to say something and Anna and then we'll... Well, I was just going to say the same thing. Jay said look to see how far you've come. And I can only speak from personal experience. You know, when my kid tells, my children tell me I'm not as angry as I used to be. You know, I mean, that is a big difference. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:40 Highlight the passage at 1:16:40

1:17:00 And I think a lot and I really, hey, look at that, you know, really take a look. I used to really get angry, but no, it's calmed down a lot. So it makes a big difference to see how far you come. Right. Yeah. Yeah, that feels so good when we allow ourselves to. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:00 Highlight the passage at 1:17:00

1:17:19 Give ourselves credit for it. Yeah, not in an egotistical way, but just to be happy about it. Yeah. Okay. You may have mentioned last week about this habit, I guess, of kind of putting oneself down or the doubts. And today I looked at a little clip on Buddha's life on YouTube. and there is this story that When he was under the tree, right, meditating, just before enlightenment, Māra threw all these things at him. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:19 Highlight the passage at 1:17:19

1:18:00 And one of the things that he threw at him, like a final desperate kind of effort, was to start creating doubt by saying, look, what have you accomplished so far? You know, you've done this, you've done that. You haven't gotten anywhere. And it was then that... I'm not sure if that's the way the story goes, that Buddha realized, okay, this is just an illusion that's talking to me. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:00 Highlight the passage at 1:18:00

1:18:32 And there was also the, I think, the point where, well, when he realizes that's not true, and that it's just Mada kind of coming at him, you know, trying to break that, his will. And His resolve. And that happens to us every day, right? Constantly. When the ego, you know, I just realized that when my ego starts criticizing and getting upset and I realized, wait a minute, that's Māra. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:32 Highlight the passage at 1:18:32

1:19:03 And Buddha did say, Māra, I see you. So I thought it was very useful to me in that regard. Yeah. And these things are just thoughts, right? It's just a thought. Right? It's not anything more than that. So we can just change our thoughts, right? I mean, it's easy for me to say, right? But there's nothing, you know, solid about it and there's nothing true about it. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:03 Highlight the passage at 1:19:03

1:19:30 And actually, it's wrong, right? It's not even in accordance with reality. So if we at least stop believing in that thought, it has a lot less power. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:30 Highlight the passage at 1:19:30

1:19:44 Okay, let's take a break. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:44 Highlight the passage at 1:19:44

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

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:20:45 there's always this he's like spouting his end or he's playing his end tape and Oh, interesting. Oh, thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:45 Highlight the passage at 1:20:45

1:21:01 Right, Report an error in the passage at 1:21:01 Highlight the passage at 1:21:01

1:21:06 so the creator of the show or the writer of the show is probably, you know, totally a Zen practitioner trying to disguise. That's great. right so Report an error in the passage at 1:21:06 Highlight the passage at 1:21:06

1:21:35 are no others you know Report an error in the passage at 1:21:35 Highlight the passage at 1:21:35

1:21:42 Oh, great! That would be an amazing realization, wouldn't it? Just to have that. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:42 Highlight the passage at 1:21:42

1:21:59 There's no point. If you see, if you watch a lot of them, they've got hurt feet and they're kind of, some of them are leaping along. I was in the metro station and one of them walked down the stairs and then walked back up like somebody scared her. And she's like, hop all the way back up the stairs. That was so much work for nothing. All she wants is a crow. And you see them sometimes, they sit on the sidewalk like an old hen and they're just tired. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:59 Highlight the passage at 1:21:59

1:22:25 You know, like they've been a pigeon. It's not working out. And I'm thinking, how can you just sit on the sidewalk? Where I come up to the bar station, there's this one little overhang. And I've noticed, I've come up there for years, I never saw them. But now I see the... late at night, that's where they're going to spend the night, they're going to sit on this little thing and kind of perch there, you know, and I'm like, well, look at this. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:25 Highlight the passage at 1:22:25

1:22:51 I guess they're not making too much bad farm except when they fight over crumbs, I'm thinking they must be burning off, you know, there's something to be said for rebirth where off a lot of Report an error in the passage at 1:22:51 Highlight the passage at 1:22:51

1:23:04 I always thank them, for their suffering. Well Report an error in the passage at 1:23:04 Highlight the passage at 1:23:04

1:23:13 they certainly don't kill other beings. Yeah, it's not the most unfortunate animal. Right. But there's a lot of selfishness, I would think. Sure, the fighting for food, yeah. I mean, animals are totally about food. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:13 Highlight the passage at 1:23:13

1:23:32 It's wonderful to really notice, just to pay attention to animals, then that compassion really arises. I saw winged migration, and I used to think birds would make everything so seriously. it's practicing There's something about it And Report an error in the passage at 1:23:32 Highlight the passage at 1:23:32

1:23:46 And after that, I'm like, oh my god, it is that serious, look at what they go through. You know, they're all so angry about everything. No, no, no! I'm going to get a thousand miles to get me! Report an error in the passage at 1:23:46 Highlight the passage at 1:23:46

1:24:00 watch it again after a while. I tried to watch it again. But the intense parts are actually more Report an error in the passage at 1:24:00 Highlight the passage at 1:24:00

1:24:07 Crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. These are sentient beings that they're talking about. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:07 Highlight the passage at 1:24:07

1:24:20 oh yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:20 Highlight the passage at 1:24:20

1:24:30 Are they not the same length? Report an error in the passage at 1:24:30 Highlight the passage at 1:24:30

1:24:41 I think in general, they're not intentionally. It's not intentionally. One of the marks are signs of lobes, but not that they're uneven. the other thing I'm seeing one for Report an error in the passage at 1:24:41 Highlight the passage at 1:24:41

1:24:52 even, so. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:52 Highlight the passage at 1:24:52

1:24:58 Yeah, I mean, there's a particular symbolism to each of the marks and signs, and I don't remember. But yeah, they're supposed to be the same length as far as I know. Not that it's a flaw, but there's not a particular reason why they'd be different. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:58 Highlight the passage at 1:24:58

1:25:20 All right. So, okay. So we'll go through the great scope, right? And then we'll... Report an error in the passage at 1:25:20 Highlight the passage at 1:25:20

1:25:35 For once! Report an error in the passage at 1:25:35 Highlight the passage at 1:25:35

1:25:40 And then we'll finish going through the homework. We certainly could have. And we'd be out of here in four years when the next president... Okay, Report an error in the passage at 1:25:40 Highlight the passage at 1:25:40

1:26:11 so the intermediate scope, right, was... We could have made that last one. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:11 Highlight the passage at 1:26:11

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:26:17 You've developed renunciation. You no longer believe that saṃsāra will make you happy. We've renounced saṃsāra in the sense that we don't believe in the happiness of saṃsāra anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:17 Highlight the passage at 1:26:17

1:26:33 Which renunciation is sometimes misunderstood as meaning you don't have any fun anymore. You don't get to eat good food anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:33 Highlight the passage at 1:26:33

1:26:44 That's Lewis's path. more, right. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:44 Highlight the passage at 1:26:44

1:26:48 But the rest of us still get to have some fun. So renunciation is just the state of mind that you no longer believe in saṃsāra. And so your main focus is to get out. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:48 Highlight the passage at 1:26:48

1:27:08 Okay, and then the great scope. How great beings attain omniscience. There are two means of attaining omniscience, the great vehicles of secret mantra and of the perfections. All right. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:08 Highlight the passage at 1:27:08

1:27:20 Actually, I don't think we're going to be able to finish all this tonight. But how do you become a great being? By generating bodhicitta. So through your incredible compassion for others, we can't just settle for liberation for ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:20 Highlight the passage at 1:27:20

1:27:45 And we strive for omniscience, right? And complete enlightenment so that we can benefit all sentient beings. So that we can bring sentient beings to that same state. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:45 Highlight the passage at 1:27:45

1:28:03 It's like, anyway, like the mother who can't, you know, the mother who's not going to just watch their child drown, right? And stay dry on the sidelines, right? You know, you just jump in, right? Because you love, you love that being. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:03 Highlight the passage at 1:28:03

1:28:24 So bodhicitta, right, having that basis of love and compassion, right, and then that decision, okay, well, I'm not going to just let other Buddhas help others. I myself need to become a Buddha. I take responsibility for freeing others from suffering, so I'm going to go for enlightenment so that I can benefit all sentient beings, right, which is based on equanimity too, right, not I'm going to attain enlightenment because all. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:24 Highlight the passage at 1:28:24

1:28:54 So that I can benefit my mom, right? But nobody else, right? For all sentient beings, right? It is. It's a start, right? But, yeah, well, yeah. But, you know, if you're going for enlightenment to save your mother, but then you hate your next-door neighbor, right? You're never going to get there. You're never going to get to enlightenment, so. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:54 Highlight the passage at 1:28:54

1:29:22 We develop love for the next door neighbor too. So this is based on this great compassion that can't bear the suffering of others. You see the suffering of others and you can't bear it. And you hear Lama Zopa Rinpoche say so deeply from his heart, the suffering of sentient beings is unbearing. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:22 Highlight the passage at 1:29:22

1:29:56 So then you spend, every action is to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others. Or if you're already a Buddha, every action is just to benefit others. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:56 Highlight the passage at 1:29:56

1:30:23 So to really benefit others, we need to become enlightened. To best know how to benefit others, we need to become enlightened because we need the omniscient mind. Also, we need to have gone beyond our mental afflictions because our self-cherishing mind and our attachments and our irritations, they affect our ability to help others. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:23 Highlight the passage at 1:30:23

1:30:52 As long as we have mental afflictions, we put our agenda on others. We put our judgments on others. We have impatience with others. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:52 Highlight the passage at 1:30:52

1:31:05 Or we want to help others as long as they meet our expectations. And then as soon as they stop appreciating you or they do the opposite of what they're supposed to do, then we get irritated. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:05 Highlight the passage at 1:31:05

1:31:20 So we need to get rid of those mental afflictions so that we can truly do whatever is beneficial for them, regardless of how they treat me, regardless of what my agenda is. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:20 Highlight the passage at 1:31:20

1:31:37 Be completely beyond that. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:37 Highlight the passage at 1:31:37

1:31:48 Okay, so then to become a great scope, then we meditate on love and compassion, bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:48 Highlight the passage at 1:31:48

1:32:00 And specifically right there are the two means of developing bodhicitta. What are the two means of developing bodhicitta? Report an error in the passage at 1:32:00 Highlight the passage at 1:32:00

1:32:20 Yeah, my question is too vague. The two methods for developing bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:20 Highlight the passage at 1:32:20

1:32:30 On your right. On your left now. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:30 Highlight the passage at 1:32:30

1:32:36 Well, let's just make Jay dance then. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:36 Highlight the passage at 1:32:36

1:32:46 So it's the seven point mind training and exchanging stuff with others. Okay. Is it the seven point mind training? Or maybe not. Seven. It's one of those sevens. Seven. What did you say? Sarah's got it. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:46 Highlight the passage at 1:32:46

1:33:05 Say it again though. Say it with seven in it. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:05 Highlight the passage at 1:33:05

1:33:10 The seven point mind training cause and effect. Seven point cause and effect. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:10 Highlight the passage at 1:33:10

1:33:22 You did say it and you didn't know it. All right. So the sevenfold cause and effect, the sevenfold cause and effect and the exchanging self and others, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:33:22 Highlight the passage at 1:33:22

1:33:40 Sevenfold cause and effect and exchanging self and others. Seven point mind training is a different, it's a particular text and it's a particular different teaching that helps you develop bodhicitta but it's a mind training text. So seven fold cause and effect are the six steps to develop bodhicitta and then the seventh step is actually developing bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:40 Highlight the passage at 1:33:40

1:34:06 So the six steps which are the causes and then the one step that's the result or the effect. So the sevenfold cause and effect. So actually, and there's like a preschool for that. The precursor to that is equanimity. So before anything, we develop equanimity, right? So we stop seeing beings as friends, enemies and strangers, right? So everyone's on this equal basis and, you know, realizing that. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:06 Highlight the passage at 1:34:06

1:34:43 Well, you start breaking down the barriers. I don't want to get into all of that. We will later. Could you just list the six causes? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So equanimity. So equanimity is the basis of the six causes. Then the six causes are recognizing all sentient beings have been your mother. Yeah. Yeah. Now everybody knows. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:43 Highlight the passage at 1:34:43

1:35:11 Oh, Report an error in the passage at 1:35:11 Highlight the passage at 1:35:11

1:35:17 sure. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:17 Highlight the passage at 1:35:17

1:35:25 So the second cause, remembering the kindness of our mother. So seeing all sentient beings as being our mother and then remembering the kindness of the mother developed this incredible gratitude, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:35:25 Highlight the passage at 1:35:25

1:35:46 And then wanting to repay the kindness of the mother. This is my test. Let's see if I remember all these. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:46 Highlight the passage at 1:35:46

1:36:01 And then love, love, affectionate love for all beings, wanting all beings to be happy, all beings without exception to being happy. And Report an error in the passage at 1:36:01 Highlight the passage at 1:36:01

1:36:19 then there's great compassion, the fifth. So great compassion, wanting all sentient beings without exception to be free from suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:19 Highlight the passage at 1:36:19

1:36:34 So having great compassion entails that we really understand that sentient beings are suffering, which is why we would have had to meditate on suffering earlier in the path. And then this exceptional resolve, which is not only do I want sentient beings to be free from suffering, I myself take the responsibility to free all beings from suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:34 Highlight the passage at 1:36:34

1:37:05 I'm not just going to let others do it. So that's the sixth. So that's the last cause. And then the seventh is the effect, actually bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:05 Highlight the passage at 1:37:05

1:37:26 And then the other method is exchanging self and others. Does anybody want to share what those five steps are? Report an error in the passage at 1:37:26 Highlight the passage at 1:37:26

1:37:36 What's the first step? Report an error in the passage at 1:37:36 Highlight the passage at 1:37:36

1:37:44 Effie. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:44 Highlight the passage at 1:37:44

1:37:53 Realizing others want to be happy just like we do. Right. Yeah. So that equanimity based on that, right? Understanding all beings are like ourselves and wanting to be happy. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:53 Highlight the passage at 1:37:53

1:38:08 And not wanting suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:08 Highlight the passage at 1:38:08

1:38:12 Somebody else remember the second step? Report an error in the passage at 1:38:12 Highlight the passage at 1:38:12

1:38:32 Maybe I'll just go through it. So I think it's first is recognizing the disadvantages of cherishing oneself is the second. And then the next one is the advantages of cherishing others. Sometimes I mix up the order, but I think it's first the disadvantages of self-cherishing. but I don't know test. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:32 Highlight the passage at 1:38:32

1:38:51 And then the third is advantages of cherishing others. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:51 Highlight the passage at 1:38:51

1:39:00 No, that was the first step. Yeah, the first step, all beings want happiness and don't want suffering. And then disadvantages of self-cherishing, then the advantages of cherishing others. Then the actual exchange of self with others, right? Instead of constantly focused on my own happiness. Venus, right? Bing. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:00 Highlight the passage at 1:39:00

1:39:28 Changing that focus and being focused on others' happiness. Because others, there's so many more others than there are myself. So many other beings, so it doesn't make any sense to cherish myself in any way. Cherishing myself is the cause of so much suffering. We actually exchange self and others. By putting others as being more important than ourselves. And then the fifth is Peter stepped the tonglen, taking and giving. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:28 Highlight the passage at 1:39:28

1:40:03 So breathing in the suffering of others and taking on the suffering of others and giving out happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:03 Highlight the passage at 1:40:03

1:40:14 Okay, two was contemplating the disadvantages of self-cherishing. Three was contemplating the advantages of cherishing others. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:14 Highlight the passage at 1:40:14

1:40:27 And four was actually exchanging self and others. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:27 Highlight the passage at 1:40:27

1:40:42 And I find it really beneficial to meditate on both because they each have kind of different strengths. And there's also a combined method with eight, 11 steps that combine the two, but we won't get into that now. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:42 Highlight the passage at 1:40:42

1:40:58 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:58 Highlight the passage at 1:40:58

1:41:03 Maybe we'll leave it at that and then finish the Great Scope next week and go through the homework 16. So does anybody need a homework 16? Report an error in the passage at 1:41:03 Highlight the passage at 1:41:03

1:41:18 everybody have one? Report an error in the passage at 1:41:18 Highlight the passage at 1:41:18

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:41:52 Anybody else? I do. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:52 Highlight the passage at 1:41:52

1:42:02 So number one, why is a precious human rebirth difficult to attain? Report an error in the passage at 1:42:02 Highlight the passage at 1:42:02

1:42:10 Effie. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:10 Highlight the passage at 1:42:10

1:42:17 Well, I just, I really like the saying, it's easy to send the bucket down the well, but it's hard to pull it up full. I just, I love that. It's such a great visual, isn't it? Report an error in the passage at 1:42:17 Highlight the passage at 1:42:17

1:42:28 But if we examine our mind, we can see that we continuously create causes not to have a precious human rebirth. yeah yeah yeah Anybody else have anything else? Peter? The actual number of human rebirths compared to the infinite number of rebirths in the lower realms, insects, different beings in different dimensions. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:28 Highlight the passage at 1:42:28

1:43:00 It's much easier to be reborn in one of those realms than to find a precious human rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:00 Highlight the passage at 1:43:00

1:43:10 Okay. In general, it's just so hard to create the causes. We need perfect ethical discipline as well as generosity and prayers. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:10 Highlight the passage at 1:43:10

1:43:29 How does a person or being in a hell realm, animal realm, etc. really does get rid of the karma so they do generate the karma to become human? How does it happen? Report an error in the passage at 1:43:29 Highlight the passage at 1:43:29

1:43:47 I, you know, I don't, I don't know, you know, I mean, it's extremely difficult, right? I mean, if you've, if you've been in the lower realms, and you've exhausted the negative karma, and somehow you've created the conditions where you can be reborn in a higher realm, it's possible, but extremely difficult, you know, like Lama Tsongkhapa was saying, the, you know, the number of beings who You know, are born from a from either a high realm rebirth or low realm rebirth and are reborn in the human realm are like the number of dust particles on your fingernail. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:47 Highlight the passage at 1:43:47

1:44:31 The number of lower realm beings who are born in the lower realm are like the number of particles of dust in the universe. So, extremely rare, extremely difficult, because... When you get reborn in the lower realms, generally you're creating a lot more negative karma, so it's really hard to come back to the human realm, which is why we're really encouraged not to be reborn in the lower realms. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:31 Highlight the passage at 1:44:31

1:45:04 But I suppose if we've created a lot of really good karma, as a human, and then... Let's say we break a vow and we're born in the lower realms. It's said like a monk or nun who's a good practitioner but then they break a vow. They may be reborn in the lower realms but for a short time and then pop back up. So I would think that you would have had to create a lot of really virtuous karma before. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:04 Highlight the passage at 1:45:04

1:45:46 To help you come back up, you know, and you're just kind of, you know, you kind of flubbed up a little bit, so you go down to the lower realms for a short time, but you don't stay there for a long time. You know, I mean, Shakyamuni Buddha, one of his previous lives. Right, there's the story of Shakyamuni Buddha who developed bodhicitta in the hell realm, right, where he had so much compassion for this guy who was pulling this cart, you know, who... Report an error in the passage at 1:45:46 Highlight the passage at 1:45:46

1:46:14 He was so exhausted and suffering so much and he pulled the cart for the guy and he was immediately reborn in the higher realms because he had that virtuous thought. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:14 Highlight the passage at 1:46:14

1:46:26 you know yeah I was like Report an error in the passage at 1:46:26 Highlight the passage at 1:46:26

1:46:30 I'm sick of people telling me to pull my car Report an error in the passage at 1:46:30 Highlight the passage at 1:46:30

1:46:38 That's part of his elbow, probably. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:38 Highlight the passage at 1:46:38

1:46:44 Anyway. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:44 Highlight the passage at 1:46:44

1:46:48 All right. So the second question. Listen and explain the four points on which one meditates in order to fully take the essence of this precious human rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:48 Highlight the passage at 1:46:48

1:47:04 I know a lot of you weren't here last week, so we have to leave it up to Effie to answer all the questions. No. Does anybody else? Okay. Good. Good. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:04 Highlight the passage at 1:47:04

1:47:28 Is it the list of the reasons to accomplish the Dharma? Yeah, okay. So the first was the need to accomplish the Dharma because all sentient beings only want happiness and don't want suffering, and this is only achieved by obtaining enlightenment through the practice of Dharma. The second was the ability to accomplish the Dharma, that we have both the internal condition, which is the leisures and endowments, and the external condition of a spiritual teacher. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:28 Highlight the passage at 1:47:28

1:47:56 The third was the need to accomplish the Dharma in this life. If you don't accomplish it in this life, it will be hard to find the conditions in future rebirths, which counteracts the laziness thinking that we'll do it in the next life. And then the fourth is the need to accomplish the Dharma right now because the time of death is uncertain, which counteracts the laziness that we can do it later. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:56 Highlight the passage at 1:47:56

1:48:19 Yep. Perfect. Perfect. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:19 Highlight the passage at 1:48:19

1:48:28 A little cramming just before, but effective. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:28 Highlight the passage at 1:48:28

1:48:36 Just one comment that I had made about this translation is I prefer the word practice as opposed to accomplish. It's not that we have to accomplish the result in this life, right? It's not like we need to attain enlightenment in this life, but the important thing is that we need to at least practice, right? So you need to... Report an error in the passage at 1:48:36 Highlight the passage at 1:48:36

1:48:34 Um, the, uh, Report an error in the passage at 1:48:34 Highlight the passage at 1:48:34

1:48:55 Practice the Dharma, the ability to practice, the need to practice in this life and the need to practice now. Okay. And then we've done 3B. So 3A, what are the causes to attain a good rebirth in the happy realms? Report an error in the passage at 1:48:55 Highlight the passage at 1:48:55

1:49:33 Was it the first three parameters? Practicing generosity, effort and prayers? the being, Report an error in the passage at 1:49:33 Highlight the passage at 1:49:33

1:49:45 I had a lot of trouble trying to answer that question. I wasn't in class. I couldn't really pull it out of the reading. It was a little bit vague in the text, but on page 42, near the bottom, the second section before the bottom, where it says, Report an error in the passage at 1:49:45 Highlight the passage at 1:49:45

1:50:15 under the section of the difficulty in finding leisure and endowments from the point of view of their cause. So the second line down it says, generally speaking, even for the attainment of a mere happy migration, it is necessary to perform one of the pure virtues such as discipline. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:15 Highlight the passage at 1:50:15

1:50:36 Yeah, yeah. Karen will now instruct us. Right. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:36 Highlight the passage at 1:50:36

1:50:47 So this is the cause for just a mere happy rebirth. And then it goes on to say what we need for the perfect human rebirth with the leisure and endowments. So here it says one of the pure virtues such as discipline. And we had some discussion last week about what does that really mean? Is it really one of the pure virtues? Because the other teachings that I've always seen on happy rebirth, you need... Report an error in the passage at 1:50:47 Highlight the passage at 1:50:47

1:51:16 Pure ethical discipline. It's not that you just practice pure generosity and you get a happy rebirth. We need ethical discipline. We need to abandon the non-virtues and create the virtues in order to get a happy rebirth. So there was a bit of a question on that. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:16 Highlight the passage at 1:51:16

1:51:41 Well, I've always heard it's ethical discipline, which totally makes sense, because the karma teachings. You need to create virtue and abandon non-virtue, which is ethical discipline. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:41 Highlight the passage at 1:51:41

1:51:55 That's what I'm thinking, is the translation. Because oftentimes in the Tibetan texts, the meaning is ambiguous, so the translator translates to the best of their ability based on somebody's commentary, but Tibetan is very ambiguous. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:55 Highlight the passage at 1:51:55

1:52:17 Okay, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:17 Highlight the passage at 1:52:17

1:52:25 In B, The prayers are supposed to be pure and stainless. What does that mean, the pure and stainless prayers? Report an error in the passage at 1:52:25 Highlight the passage at 1:52:25

1:52:41 Pure in general is referring to not mixed with our own mental afflictions and all of that. But I didn't see in the commentary any specific reference to what pure and stainless meant in this context. But I think that's my speculation. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:41 Highlight the passage at 1:52:41

1:53:00 just for itself. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:00 Highlight the passage at 1:53:00

1:53:16 I'm so quick. quick. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:16 Highlight the passage at 1:53:16

1:53:27 Yeah, I can't really say much more on that because I just, yeah. The commentaries aren't expounding on every word, but that's what I think it is. It's just not mixed with our mental afflictions. Okay, all right. Page six in the white. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:27 Highlight the passage at 1:53:27

1:54:00 Let's just do all of them. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:00 Highlight the passage at 1:54:00

1:54:05 Let's do it in a pure and stainless way. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:05 Highlight the passage at 1:54:05

1:54:12 Through the merits of these virtuous actions, may I quickly attain the state of a Guru Buddha and lead all living beings without exception into that enlightened state. May the supreme jewel bodhicitta that has not arisen arise and grow and may that which has arisen not diminish but increase more and more. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:12 Highlight the passage at 1:54:12

1:54:34 Just as the brave Madhusri and Samanta Bhadra too realize things as they are, also I dedicate all these merits in the best way that I may follow their perfect example. I dedicate all these roots of virtue with a dedication praise as the best by the victorious thus gone ones of the three times so that I might perform the noble bodhisattva's deeds. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:34 Highlight the passage at 1:54:34

1:54:59 In the land encircled by snow mountains, you are the source of all happiness and good. All-powerful Chinrizig, Tenzin Gyatso, please remain until saṃsāra ends. May my venerable Lama's life be firm, his white divine action spread in the ten directions. May the torch of the teachings of Lo Tsong always remain, dispelling the darkness of all beings in the three realms. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:59 Highlight the passage at 1:54:59

1:55:25 I dedicate whatever virtues I have ever collected for the benefit of the teachings and of sentient beings, and in particular for the essential teachings of venerable Lo Tsongkhapa to shine forever. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:25 Highlight the passage at 1:55:25

1:56:01 Thank you. Thank you. And I don't have any homework. So we will next week. So next week we'll have class and then we'll have two weeks off because I'm going to be in retreat. So thank you. Yeah, I need it. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:01 Highlight the passage at 1:56:01