Basic Program - Buddhism From A-Z (13 November 2009)

0:06 I wonder if it's shorted, something shorted. Report an error in the passage at 0:06 Highlight the passage at 0:06

0:15 one company that makes life Report an error in the passage at 0:15 Highlight the passage at 0:15

0:19 every button on it. Let's make sure it's plugged in. Yeah, because the light's on. Report an error in the passage at 0:19 Highlight the passage at 0:19

0:35 That's what we've been doing. Report an error in the passage at 0:35 Highlight the passage at 0:35

0:39 I think interpretive dance might be in order. how are you dancing now? That's good enough. Dharma dancing. Report an error in the passage at 0:39 Highlight the passage at 0:39

0:58 Oh, well, all the lights are on now. That's a good sign. Report an error in the passage at 0:58 Highlight the passage at 0:58

1:09 What, Report an error in the passage at 1:09 Highlight the passage at 1:09

1:13 the turning upside down? it is. Oh, yay! She is! it wasn't me, it was Joe. Joe did it. this way? Yeah. Oh, you know what? Oopsies. This was a cat. Oh, it's just a Okay. Oopsies. Report an error in the passage at 1:13 Highlight the passage at 1:13

1:23 Well, bless its heart. Well, now it has to communicate with the computer. Report an error in the passage at 1:23 Highlight the passage at 1:23

1:31 Two hours later. Source lost. Is that Report an error in the passage at 1:31 Highlight the passage at 1:31

1:42 that PowerPoint thing? None of those are the right. That's it. No source found, which means your computer has to link up. You Report an error in the passage at 1:42 Highlight the passage at 1:42

1:56 know what we could do is just bring it in here and carry it in. It's very light. Report an error in the passage at 1:56 Highlight the passage at 1:56

2:09 Searching. I know, Peter. You're used to not having this. Is it really old? I'm just sitting here like, is this really bad? Attachment. Attachment. Visual stimuli. Report an error in the passage at 2:09 Highlight the passage at 2:09

2:25 Okay, Peter, is it really true? Can you hear better and smell better and all that sort of stuff? Some is true. Some is somewhat. Especially when I'm doing something you don't want me to do. Report an error in the passage at 2:25 Highlight the passage at 2:25

2:37 Our sons tend to be very acute. If I hear something fall, I can usually identify it by hearing Report an error in the passage at 2:37 Highlight the passage at 2:37

2:48 he's really good at identifying people's characters just with voice what do you think about me there boy watch out let's talk oh my god Report an error in the passage at 2:48 Highlight the passage at 2:48

3:03 Okay well let's just start. Then I'll Report an error in the passage at 3:03 Highlight the passage at 3:03

3:15 start by trying to settle our minds for a few minutes. Meditate on the breath. Report an error in the passage at 3:15 Highlight the passage at 3:15

· · · silence, 5 minutes

8:01 Spend a minute trying to develop a positive motivation for tonight to Report an error in the passage at 8:01 Highlight the passage at 8:01

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8:45 use our lives well. Report an error in the passage at 8:45 Highlight the passage at 8:45

8:53 Counteract our mental afflictions. Report an error in the passage at 8:53 Highlight the passage at 8:53

9:13 Real purity of our minds to shine through others Report an error in the passage at 9:13 Highlight the passage at 9:13

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9:51 as much as Report an error in the passage at 9:51 Highlight the passage at 9:51

· · · silence, 1 minute

10:39 do the praise to Manjushri on page 84. Report an error in the passage at 10:39 Highlight the passage at 10:39

11:08 Obey sense 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 the sun, unclouded by defilements or traces of ignorance. Who teaches in sixty ways with the 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 11:08 Highlight the passage at 11:08

11:36 You, whose dragon thunder proclamation of the 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. The princely body is adorned with the works of a Buddha, who has completed the ten stages, achieving the highest perfection of a bodhisattva, who has been pure from the beginning. Report an error in the passage at 11:36 Highlight the passage at 11:36

12:04 O Manjushri, all loving one, with the 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. Report an error in the passage at 12:04 Highlight the passage at 12:04

12:20 And then Report an error in the passage at 12:20 Highlight the passage at 12:20

12:42 Refuge in Bodhicitta on the bottom of page 88. I Report an error in the passage at 12:42 Highlight the passage at 12:42

12:52 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. Report an error in the passage at 12:52 Highlight the passage at 12:52

13:17 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. Report an error in the passage at 13:17 Highlight the passage at 13:17

13:36 Or Report an error in the passage at 13:36 Highlight the passage at 13:36

13:40 huddling around the computer, or shall we bring the TV in? That'll be easy. Report an error in the passage at 13:40 Highlight the passage at 13:40

13:52 We can put it on this table that the projector's on. Report an error in the passage at 13:52 Highlight the passage at 13:52

· · · silence, 1 minute

14:37 problems, right? The signal isn't coming the thing, because we did. Report an error in the passage at 14:37 Highlight the passage at 14:37

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15:18 went to the DCR. Report an error in the passage at 15:18 Highlight the passage at 15:18

15:23 That's not right there on me. Report an error in the passage at 15:23 Highlight the passage at 15:23

15:34 Oh, that's HDMI. It does take us video. Report an error in the passage at 15:34 Highlight the passage at 15:34

15:51 don't have one of these. No, no, that's cable. a cable thing. Wow, okay. They do make, and I have, I use this at home, they make a connector that is on one end of HDMI and the other. There is a pretty small thingy that plugs into the... Report an error in the passage at 15:51 Highlight the passage at 15:51

16:07 Well, you know, this doesn't have the right connection, Betty. I'm sorry. Report an error in the passage at 16:07 Highlight the passage at 16:07

16:24 Wow. Okay. Well, maybe we should just go and do it. it plugged into a computer over there? No, it was plugged into the VCR. Are there any cables there? Oh, was it a test video cable? Report an error in the passage at 16:24 Highlight the passage at 16:24

16:22 If you have a nice video on your computer... Report an error in the passage at 16:22 Highlight the passage at 16:22

16:31 It feels like you guys. Report an error in the passage at 16:31 Highlight the passage at 16:31

16:36 Do Report an error in the passage at 16:36 Highlight the passage at 16:36

16:40 people have their texts? Report an error in the passage at 16:40 Highlight the passage at 16:40

16:46 So Report an error in the passage at 16:46 Highlight the passage at 16:46

16:53 we'll just use our text. Report an error in the passage at 16:53 Highlight the passage at 16:53

17:01 you use the text and I'll keep playing with this because I'm going to help you share this with Joe. Report an error in the passage at 17:01 Highlight the passage at 17:01

17:11 right. so we're covering the intermediate scope the LOM rim, which is to help us see. See that cyclic existence is basically broken. It's fundamentally broken. Yeah, exactly. Report an error in the passage at 17:11 Highlight the passage at 17:11

17:35 Right. I planned that. So, yeah. So no matter how good things are at certain times in cyclic existence, you know, things will just go wrong again and again, right? Because we're still under the control of karma and mental afflictions. So we went through true sufferings, the first of the four noble truths, and now we're covering true origins and the cause. Report an error in the passage at 17:35 Highlight the passage at 17:35

18:13 And so we went through the mental afflictions, we went through the main ten, Report an error in the passage at 18:13 Highlight the passage at 18:13

18:22 which is really the real source of Report an error in the passage at 18:22 Highlight the passage at 18:22

18:31 our mind. The mental afflictions, they disturb our minds, first of all, disturb our natural peace of mind. And then secondly, the mental afflictions motivate us to create negative karma, harsh speech. Criticizing others and all sorts of things. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 18:31 Highlight the passage at 18:31

18:57 And so, okay, so we've covered the mental afflictions and now we'll cover the other cause of suffering, right? Karma. So last time we talked about the two types of karma, the mental karma, karma that is intention, right? Then that motivates the actions of body and speech. Which are karma that is intended action. Karma that is intention, which is the motivating factor. Report an error in the passage at 18:57 Highlight the passage at 18:57

19:26 And then karma that is intended action, which is the mind that's associated with the actions of body and speech. So the mind that's associated with the harsh speech. The mental affliction, basically. Well, not the mental affliction, the intention that's associated with. The harsh speech or the pleasant speech or the... Report an error in the passage at 19:26 Highlight the passage at 19:26

19:57 If I had the text in front of me, I don't know what I did with my... My bag is over there. It's Report an error in the passage at 19:57 Highlight the passage at 19:57

20:12 just me. Report an error in the passage at 20:12 Highlight the passage at 20:12

20:17 It explains everything. Report an error in the passage at 20:17 Highlight the passage at 20:17

20:34 So page... Report an error in the passage at 20:34 Highlight the passage at 20:34

20:52 So the bottom of page 119 and actually the top of page 120. So... Friday the Report an error in the passage at 20:52 Highlight the passage at 20:52

· · · silence, 1 minute

21:02 The karma of intention and the intended action. So the intended action is the actions of body and speech that are motivated by that intention. And according to most of the schools, the higher schools, the action of body and speech that are motivated by the intention, that's actually the mental component. Report an error in the passage at 21:02 Highlight the passage at 21:02

21:28 It's not the physical action that's the karma. It's the mental. intention behind that. And then Lama Tsongkhapa gets into the three kinds of actions. So in general we've talked about virtuous, non-virtuous and neutral. Virtuous actions being that which brings about an experience of happiness. Non-virtue being that which brings about the experience of suffering or pain. Report an error in the passage at 21:28 Highlight the passage at 21:28

22:03 Neutral brings about a neutral experience, neither pain nor pleasure. Then there's this other division of the three types of actions called meritorious, non-meritorious and unwavering. Report an error in the passage at 22:03 Highlight the passage at 22:03

22:23 Meritorious, non-meritorious and unwavering. So I'll start with non-meritorious. Non-meritorious actions are non-virtuous actions. They're synonymous. So non-meritorious actions are actually actions that will project, actions of body, speech or mind, that will project a future lower rebirth, a suffering rebirth in the animal, hungry ghost or hell realm. Report an error in the passage at 22:23 Highlight the passage at 22:23

22:57 But then the virtuous actions here are divided into two. types. Meritorious, Meritorious and unwavering. So what is the difference? So meritorious actions are the virtuous actions that most of us create. They're actions that will bring about an experience of happiness in the desire realm. So giving and being kind to others and all of this, they bring about experience of happiness in the desire realm. Report an error in the passage at 22:57 Highlight the passage at 22:57

23:32 If we got calm abiding or high level of concentration, then we create what's called unwavering actions. They're virtuous actions, but they bring about rebirth in the form and formless realms, these realms that require higher concentrations. Let me say that again. Unwavering actions require having achieved some level of concentration. Report an error in the passage at 23:32 Highlight the passage at 23:32

24:02 And we'll bring about a rebirth in a former formless realm. So it's a happy rebirth. It's a good rebirth. But it's not in the desire realm. Because there's these three realms in general. The desire realm, which is where the humans and the hungry ghosts and the animals and the gods are. Then there's the form realm and the formless realm. Report an error in the passage at 24:02 Highlight the passage at 24:02

24:30 So there are these many different levels of concentration that we can achieve. Four levels in the form realm and four levels in the formless realm. So if we achieve one of those concentrations in this life, then we're creating the cause to be reborn in a form or formless realm in the future. And in the form and formless realm, there is no suffering at all. There's no experience of suffering at all in formless realms. Report an error in the passage at 24:30 Highlight the passage at 24:30

25:03 So meritorious actions, non-meritorious actions and unwavering actions. So why is it called unwavering? Report an error in the passage at 25:03 Highlight the passage at 25:03

25:18 I mean sort of. So let's say we've created a meritorious action or a non-meritorious action. Those are actions that will propel us into a rebirth in the desire realm. right so let's say I've created the the karma To be reborn in the animal realm. So then in the bardo, it's possible, even though the projecting karma is to throw me into the animal realm, it's possible through, let's say, the prayers of our lamas, that we'll actually, in the bardo, we'll actually be, like our rebirth will be kind of redirected and we can get a higher rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 25:18 Highlight the passage at 25:18

26:02 Even though we've created the cause to be reborn in the animal realm, Through others' prayers and things like that, that rebirth may change and we can be reborn in a human realm. Okay? Through the prayers of others. So that's kind of changeable karma in that respect. Report an error in the passage at 26:02 Highlight the passage at 26:02

26:26 Betty has her hand up. Report an error in the passage at 26:26 Highlight the passage at 26:26

26:34 It's here. Somewhere. Report an error in the passage at 26:34 Highlight the passage at 26:34

26:43 Yeah, see that whole how does it work question? Report an error in the passage at 26:43 Highlight the passage at 26:43

26:49 Yeah, I can't. Report an error in the passage at 26:49 Highlight the passage at 26:49

27:04 The violence in Washington, D.C. was reduced by some 25 % because of the people that were praying for the violence to be reduced. I mean, it was a measurable thing. And even they did a study over here at San Francisco General Hospital of people that were on a cardiac unit where some were prayed for and some weren't. Report an error in the passage at 27:04 Highlight the passage at 27:04

27:25 And those that were prayed for did better. So how did, yeah, I mean, there's this whole... I mean, there's this doctor that's done extensive amount of study on the power of prayer. Yeah, and it seems like it works. Yeah, I mean, from those studies and all that, it seems like it works. But how it works is very unclear to me. There was a study, this book, that it was written by a regular physician, you know. Report an error in the passage at 27:25 Highlight the passage at 27:25

27:53 Western MD. And the thing that I remember him saying is that there was this organization up in Oregon where they did like on the Petri dishes. Okay, they had like little viruses, they had little fungi and a little this and that bacteria. And the ones that they preyed on to proliferate, they did. And this was showing that it was not a placebo effect. You know, so definitely something was happening. Report an error in the passage at 27:53 Highlight the passage at 27:53

28:16 Right. And the only thing that I can say, I mean, my basic answer is I don't know how it works, you know, I don't know how the Dharma would explain that. Report an error in the passage at 28:16 Highlight the passage at 28:16

28:28 The only thing that I might be able to say about that is that in order for a karma to ripen, it needs the causes and conditions, right? We create the causes, but then all of the conditions coming together can change the result, yeah? So the prayer is a... A condition, right, that can potentially change the result, maybe. But yeah, as Peter was saying, it seems to also need a karmic connection and all of that, right? Report an error in the passage at 28:28 Highlight the passage at 28:28

29:00 But it's hard to... This came up recently with Geshe-la with the prayer list. We have all these people that we pray for that, you know, we don't know who they are that are on there. And Geshe-la said, well, actually, it doesn't have any effect. But it does help your own mind to pray for them and to have that intentionality. But unless you have a karmic connection with them, he said it really probably has very little effect, according to his view, which I thought was interesting. Report an error in the passage at 29:00 Highlight the passage at 29:00

29:32 It kind of was a little bit of a buzzkill. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, I think that we should do it anyway. You know, for sure we, yeah, yeah. Yeah, we certainly benefit. Report an error in the passage at 29:32 Highlight the passage at 29:32

29:46 And if it's possible that somebody else will benefit, you know, even better. But yeah, those hows are really difficult. Okay, so the three types of karma, meritorious, non-meritorious. Report an error in the passage at 29:46 Highlight the passage at 29:46

30:32 Interesting. In the desire realm, because in the form and formless realms, there is no suffering. So meritorious actions bring about suffering in the desire realm. And then immovable actions bring about... and experience in the and formless realms. Report an error in the passage at 30:32 Highlight the passage at 30:32

31:00 So then, in the middle of page 120, Lama Tsongkhapa says, once you have directly realized selflessness, you can still be reborn in cyclic existence under the power of karma and mental afflictions. Okay, so once you have directly realized selflessness or emptiness. You can still be reborn in cyclic existence under the power of karma and mental afflictions. So when you've directly realized emptiness, we're on the path of seeing. Report an error in the passage at 31:00 Highlight the passage at 31:00

31:40 And then we still have to go through the path of seeing and the rest of the path of meditation before we're out of cyclic existence. So here, once we've directly realized emptiness, we can still create... Well, we can still be reborn in cyclic existence through the power of karma and mental afflictions. But you do not newly accumulate any throwing karma or projecting karma. Report an error in the passage at 31:40 Highlight the passage at 31:40

32:06 So remember the difference between projecting karma and completing karma. Projecting karma throws us into a particular rebirth. If it's virtuous projecting karma, it can throw us into a higher rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 32:06 Highlight the passage at 32:06

32:24 Non-virtuous projecting karma throws us into a lower rebirth. It has the potential. But then there's completing karma where the less strong actions that we create, they don't throw us into a particular rebirth, but it fills out the various experiences that we have in our lives. So maybe I have a projecting, well in this life I have a projecting karma, well I had a projecting karma to be reborn as a human. Report an error in the passage at 32:24 Highlight the passage at 32:24

32:53 So that's a good virtuous projecting karma. But then all of my experiences in my life are a mixture of virtuous and non-virtuous projecting karma. My good experiences, not projecting karma, completing karma. My happy experiences have been a result of my virtuous completing karma and my suffering experiences have been a result of my non-virtuous completing karma. Report an error in the passage at 32:53 Highlight the passage at 32:53

33:20 So the projecting karmas in general are the stronger actions that we've created, like the actions that we've created with full intention, not accidentally doing something like accidentally stepping on an ant, but with full intention killing the ant or with full intention being generous to others. And then there's these less powerful karmas that we do with the distracted mind or without an intention, all of these things that create karma but not projecting karma. Report an error in the passage at 33:20 Highlight the passage at 33:20

33:59 So once we've directly realized emptiness, you no longer create new projecting karma to be reborn in cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 33:59 Highlight the passage at 33:59

34:12 But you still create completing karma. Make sense? Okay. Report an error in the passage at 34:12 Highlight the passage at 34:12

34:29 It says once you have directly realized selflessness, then you said that's the same thing as the direct realization of emptiness. Well... Is that... Maybe I'm not so clear on what is... Because I've heard that phrase so many times, the direct realization of emptiness. Yeah. But is that recognizing that the self is not... Report an error in the passage at 34:29 Highlight the passage at 34:29

35:09 So this direct realization of selflessness, in this context I believe, and I didn't find a specific reference to this, but I believe that Lama Tsongkhapa is referring to a subtler level of realization, not just a lack of a permanent unitary, independent self, but the lack of an inherently existent self. Report an error in the passage at 35:09 Highlight the passage at 35:09

35:42 and phenomenon. In general, the term selflessness is broader than emptiness. Selflessness can refer to permanent, partless, independent self or a lack of a self-sufficient, substantially existent self, which is a big subject that I really can't cover all the differences between those two. And then there's a subtler level of realization that's the lack of inherent existence. Report an error in the passage at 35:42 Highlight the passage at 35:42

36:09 instance. Report an error in the passage at 36:09 Highlight the passage at 36:09

36:13 So here in this context, I believe that Lama Tsongkhapa is referring to the realization of the lack of inherent existence, so the emptiness. Because this is referring to arias who no longer create new projecting karma. And according to the high system Prasanghikas, in order to be an aria, you need to directly realize the emptiness of inherent existence. Report an error in the passage at 36:13 Highlight the passage at 36:13

36:39 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 36:39 Highlight the passage at 36:39

36:43 Yeah. This is a... Yeah, a big subject. Yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 36:43 Highlight the passage at 36:43

36:57 From, yeah, to directly realize emptiness, yeah, it has to be from, in meditation, in meditation, with a union of calm abiding and special insight. We need that in order to directly realize emptiness. So these are, I mean, so just really quickly, like one difference is, Report an error in the passage at 36:57 Highlight the passage at 36:57

37:24 no, you know, I really... Yeah, that's opening up a can of worms. So maybe we can talk at break or something about that. Then Lama Tsongkhapa continues, therefore those who accumulate the karma to be thrown into a rebirth within cyclic existence are all ordinary beings, up to and including those dwelling on the great level of the highest mundane qualities on the Mahāyāna path of preparation. Report an error in the passage at 37:24 Highlight the passage at 37:24

37:52 Okay, so remember there are five paths, the path of accumulation, the path of preparation, The path of seeing, the path of meditation and the path of no more learning. And I'm sorry we don't have a visual for this because this is dead. Report an error in the passage at 37:52 Highlight the passage at 37:52

38:09 So basically Lama Tsongkhapa is saying on the first two paths in my hand, a path of accumulation and preparation, you still create throwing karma to be reborn in cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 38:09 Highlight the passage at 38:09

38:24 Once we reach the path of seeing, Okay. All right. Report an error in the passage at 38:24 Highlight the passage at 38:24

38:28 Then we stop creating throwing karma or projecting karma to be reborn in cyclic existence. So we had talked previously about contaminated karma versus uncontaminated karma. Contaminated karma is any karma that's motivated by ignorance or mental affliction, which is what all of we ordinary beings create. Report an error in the passage at 38:28 Highlight the passage at 38:28

38:52 We haven't created any uncontaminated karma at all. Until we've directly realized emptiness. Once we directly realize emptiness, then we start creating uncontaminated karma. And uncontaminated karma creates a cause to get out of cyclic existence. Contaminated karma creates the cause for happiness or suffering within cyclic existence. But uncontaminated karma starts creating the causes to get out of cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 38:52 Highlight the passage at 38:52

39:27 So in order to create uncontainment in karma, we need the direct realization of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 39:27 Highlight the passage at 39:27

39:37 So arias are starting to create karma to get out of cyclic existence. Up until then, we become an aria, someone who has directly realized emptiness. We're only creating karma to be reborn in cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 39:37 Highlight the passage at 39:37

40:01 Then next Lama Tsongkhapa gets into how karma is accumulated by that person. If with that basis you create non-virtuous actions by means of the three doors, for instance killing, you will accumulate non-meritorious action, sorry, non-meritorious karma. So if we create non-virtuous actions by means of the body, speech and mind, then we create non-meritorious karma. Report an error in the passage at 40:01 Highlight the passage at 40:01

40:34 If you create virtuous actions, such as giving gifts and guarding ethical discipline, you will accumulate meritorious karma. Report an error in the passage at 40:34 Highlight the passage at 40:34

40:47 So all of the virtuous karma that we create is meritorious karma, unless we've achieved a level of concentration. And then if you cultivate the Kalma binding and so forth included in the levels of the concentrations and the formless realm, you will accumulate immovable karma. Report an error in the passage at 40:47 Highlight the passage at 40:47

41:12 Okay, so that's what I mentioned before. Is that clear? Okay. So that's the explanation of karma. Report an error in the passage at 41:12 Highlight the passage at 41:12

41:33 Next section, Lama Tsongkhapa gets into the whole death, transmigration and rebirth process. How you die, transmigrate and take rebirth. And there are five subsections, the conditions for death, the mind of death, from where the heat withdraws, how the intermediate state is accomplished after death, and how you take rebirth in birth existence. Report an error in the passage at 41:33 Highlight the passage at 41:33

42:01 So the first one, conditions for death. So there's three reasons, three different reasons that Lama Tsongkhapa brings out of why we die. Either we can dye Report an error in the passage at 42:01 Highlight the passage at 42:01

42:16 Following the exhaustion of our lifespan. So the exhaustion of our projected lifespan. The second is following the exhaustion of our merit. And the third is death due to dangers not being avoided. So let's look at the three of these. The first one, death following the exhaustion of one's lifespan. Report an error in the passage at 42:16 Highlight the passage at 42:16

42:44 Lama Tsongkhapa says, to die due to the exhaustion of one's lifespan is to die when the time has come in which one's entire lifespan projected by previous karma has been exhausted. Report an error in the passage at 42:44 Highlight the passage at 42:44

42:56 So when we create a projecting karma, that's projecting us into a life that will be a certain length. So this life... That was projected that we're all living now has a particular lifespan associated with that karma that we created. It might be 95 years old. It might be 82. It might be 50. For us, it probably wouldn't be 10. Report an error in the passage at 42:56 Highlight the passage at 42:56

43:37 But there's a particular lifespan associated with a particular projecting karma. Whether or not we live out that lifespan is in question, but there's a particular lifespan that is projected with our karma. That's associated with that karma that was projected. So if we die, if we complete that projected lifespan, and let's say we die of natural causes or something, that's probably this first. Report an error in the passage at 43:37 Highlight the passage at 43:37

44:14 Cause of death. Like my grandmother, she lived until she was 94 years old. She wasn't sick. In the end, she was just sitting, waiting for her shower to warm up and she just died. So I think that's probably, she probably just exhausted her lifespan, right? But the second cause of death is death following the exhaustion of one's merit. Report an error in the passage at 44:14 Highlight the passage at 44:14

44:43 So this is, Lama Tsongkhapa is It's the same as to die from a lack of basic requirements or lack of necessities, like dying of starvation, right? Dying of, you know, not having it, or maybe being too cold, right? Not having enough heat in our house, right? So our necessities, our basic necessities aren't met because we don't have the merit to have the... Report an error in the passage at 44:43 Highlight the passage at 44:43

45:14 The necessities, right? So famines and things like that. The second type, the exhaustion of one's merit. Death due to the exhaustion of one's merit. And then the third is death due to dangers not being avoided. So this is where we could have avoided death if we took care of ourselves better, right? But because we didn't take... Report an error in the passage at 45:14 Highlight the passage at 45:14

45:46 Good care of ourselves, we die before our projected lifespan is over. This is due to eating too much fast food. Lama Tsongkhapa brings up nine causes that I find very relevant even today of death due to dangers not being avoided. For example, overeating. Report an error in the passage at 45:46 Highlight the passage at 45:46

46:21 Eating unsuitable, unhealthy or poisonous things. Eating before you have digested the previous meal, Report an error in the passage at 46:21 Highlight the passage at 46:21

46:35 etc. Taking medicines that we shouldn't take and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 46:35 Highlight the passage at 46:35

46:46 We can think of lots of things, right? Okay, so those are the three general causes of death. So of the three general causes of death... Dying due to the exhaustion of our lifespan is the one you cannot do anything about. But the other ones we can change. Report an error in the passage at 46:46 Highlight the passage at 46:46

47:13 That's the second one. So the first one, we can't change our projected lifespan. right um uh But the second one, if we die due to exhaustion of our merits, we can do something about that by creating more merit. And then the third one, obviously, by taking better care of ourselves, we can change. Report an error in the passage at 47:13 Highlight the passage at 47:13

47:47 So in the sutras, there are nine examples, and in my notes, for some reason, I have eight listed. So I'll give you eight. Number one, overeating. Number two, eating unsuitable, unhealthy or poisonous things. Number three, eating before you have digested the previous meal. Number four, not fully eliminating undigested food that is accumulated in the stomach. Number five, obstructions that block the passage of digested food. Report an error in the passage at 47:47 Highlight the passage at 47:47

48:24 Number six, not using medicines appropriately. So this can mean that we're combining different medicines that don't go together, for example. Number seven, not knowing what requires practice and what does not. So for example, trying to mountain climb when we haven't been properly trained. Trying to do something when we're not really ready. Report an error in the passage at 48:24 Highlight the passage at 48:24

49:01 And number eight, certain types of sexual conduct. Report an error in the passage at 49:01 Highlight the passage at 49:01

49:10 And then number nine, I don't know. So those are the ones that are mentioned in the sutras. Report an error in the passage at 49:10 Highlight the passage at 49:10

49:21 So that's straightforward, these three types of death. So sometimes we do practices for somebody who's sick. We try to extend their life. So from what I hear is that we can't extend somebody's life. Beyond their projected lifespan, like if we do prayers for somebody who has cancer or something, we can't extend their life beyond their projected lifespan, but we can help remove their obstacles to living out their full lifespan. Report an error in the passage at 49:21 Highlight the passage at 49:21

50:01 So that's my understanding, that's what I've heard. I can't guarantee that that's true, but that's what I've heard. The next section is the mind of death. Report an error in the passage at 50:01 Highlight the passage at 50:01

50:22 As we die, we know that the mind becomes grosser. In Tantra, they talk about the gross, the subtle and the very subtle minds. The grosser minds dissolve and then bring about the subtler minds. Report an error in the passage at 50:22 Highlight the passage at 50:22

50:47 So the grosser minds can be virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral. The extremely subtle mind, like the mind of clear light, is necessarily a neutral mind. It's not a virtuous or non-virtuous mind. But the grosser minds, right before the grosser minds dissolve into the subtler minds, the grosser minds determine, near the time of death, help determine what the next rebirth will look like. Report an error in the passage at 50:47 Highlight the passage at 50:47

51:24 So Lama Tsongkhapa says, both virtuous minds, such as confidence or faith, and non-virtuous minds, such as attachment, arise in the mind. Independence on one's own actions or being made to recall them by others, as long as gross compositional factors operate. Report an error in the passage at 51:24 Highlight the passage at 51:24

51:45 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 51:45 Highlight the passage at 51:45

51:51 So as long as the grosser levels of consciousness are still functioning, we have some level of... Control over whether or not our minds are virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral. But at the time of death, we can easily get confused. And what's said is that naturally what occurs at the time of death is our really familiar habitual thought patterns occur. Report an error in the passage at 51:51 Highlight the passage at 51:51

52:24 So throughout our lives we were easily... angry then it's very easy for the mind of anger to arise at the time of death right if throughout our lives we were you know calm and patient and kind to others and that's the kind of mind that would naturally arise at the time of death Report an error in the passage at 52:24 Highlight the passage at 52:24

52:45 So at the time of death it becomes it becomes It's habitual, right? So maybe at the time of death the mind of refuge will arise or the mind of bodhicitta will arise. Also it's very helpful at the time of death to have somebody sitting next to us to remind us, to say our prayers with us and to remind us to bring our minds back to practice, to the virtuous side. Report an error in the passage at 52:45 Highlight the passage at 52:45

53:25 So when I was in Italy, there was a guy, a long-term practitioner, who was dying, and my Lama had him come. Well, he wasn't living at the Institute, but he had him come to the Institute, and the last few months of his life, he became ordained. He had been a monk earlier in his life, and then afterwards he disrobed, and he loved women. Report an error in the passage at 53:25 Highlight the passage at 53:25

53:55 So he had a lot of fun. And then he was diagnosed with this terminal illness, so he was advised to get ordained again. And then one of my monk friends sat with him the last week or so of his life and just said his prayers, said his practices with him. Or even when he was seemingly not lucid, he would still sit there and do the Vajrayogini self-initiation with him. Report an error in the passage at 53:55 Highlight the passage at 53:55

54:25 And the day he died, Geshe Jumpy Gyatso said, okay, well, you go in there and do the self-initiation to my friend with him. And then he died doing the self-initiation along with him. So that kind of thing is very helpful, to sit with someone and do their practices, not our practices, but their practices with them to help their minds die with a virtuous state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 54:25 Highlight the passage at 54:25

55:02 As opposed to wailing and begging them not to go. We all know that. Report an error in the passage at 55:02 Highlight the passage at 55:02

55:12 Because that brings up the mind of attachment and that can throw you into a lower realm. Report an error in the passage at 55:12 Highlight the passage at 55:12

55:24 Yeah, in a lot of cultures, right? Anyway, so it's best to, you know, if we want to help someone that we love at the time of death to remain calm and say prayers and things. Report an error in the passage at 55:24 Highlight the passage at 55:24

55:43 So what projects us into the next life, right? So there are these projecting karmas that we create throughout our lives. And then there are these secondary conditions that nourish the seed at the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 55:43 Highlight the passage at 55:43

56:03 So Geshe Sopa says what becomes extremely important at this stage of the death process are the secondary supportive conditions that nourish the main karmic seeds and enable them to sprout. Report an error in the passage at 56:03 Highlight the passage at 56:03

56:17 At the time of death, the most powerful karmic seed will act as the projecting karma. Report an error in the passage at 56:17 Highlight the passage at 56:17

56:25 With the power to cast you into a particular type of rebirth. Other seeds become the secondary supportive conditions that nourish and activate that projecting karma. So actually there are three particular supporting conditions that come together at the time of death to nourish and activate the previously planted projecting karma. Report an error in the passage at 56:25 Highlight the passage at 56:25

56:47 Do we know what those things are? The three supporting conditions that nourish the projecting karma. Nourish and activate the projecting karma. So the first two are... Is Report an error in the passage at 56:47 Highlight the passage at 56:47

57:13 it intention, action and completion of the act? It's more throughout our lives depending on what it depends. That will help it determine whether or not it's complete karma. But at the time of death, right, so at the time of death, you know, our virtuous... Report an error in the passage at 57:13 Highlight the passage at 57:13

57:37 If we have a virtuous mind at the time of death, that will throw us into a higher rebirth. A non-virtuous mind will throw us into a lower rebirth. So at the time of death, there are three supporting conditions that nourish the karma, the projecting karma that was planted earlier on in that life or a previous life. Report an error in the passage at 57:37 Highlight the passage at 57:37

58:01 And the first two are craving and grasping, two different levels of attachment. What's the difference between craving and grasping? Report an error in the passage at 58:01 Highlight the passage at 58:01

58:22 Okay, so craving and grasping. Grasping, you know, they're both forms of attachment, right? Grasping is a stronger form than craving. So craving is a general attachment to cyclic existence, to experiencing pleasure, right? Report an error in the passage at 58:22 Highlight the passage at 58:22

58:41 Not wanting, right, discomfort, et cetera, not pain. right? Report an error in the passage at 58:41 Highlight the passage at 58:41

58:47 Whereas grasping is when the craving intensifies into the urge to reach out and grasp the object. So we have this general desire for pleasure and aversion for pain. But then when that intensifies, then we actually grasp. So craving and grasping are necessary at the time of death to project us into another rebirth in saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 58:47 Highlight the passage at 58:47

59:17 This condition is a similar type of karma to the main projecting karma. This is the mind at the time of death, a similar type of karma to the main projecting karma. The mind at the time of death, if it's a virtuous mind, then it's nourishing a virtuous projecting karma. Whereas a non-virtuous mind will nourish a non-virtuous projecting karma. Report an error in the passage at 59:17 Highlight the passage at 59:17

59:55 What if you've led a fairly virtuous life, but at the moment of your death, for whatever reason, you have an angry mind? Does the fact that you led a virtuous life mitigate that, or is it all dependent on that final mindset? You know, I am not clear about that in my own mind. Because in general, the karma... Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 59:55 Highlight the passage at 59:55

1:00:19 It's hard for me to say. I mean, because that last mind of death is really important. But it's hard to say that, you know, if you've... Because what makes me nervous about that is what if you've done all this practice and then the nurse is banging bedpans as you're dying. And it happens in hospitals. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:19 Highlight the passage at 1:00:19

1:00:37 And you could die with a distracted or even irritated mind. I mean, is it mitigated at all by the virtue that you've tried to develop before that? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:37 Highlight the passage at 1:00:37

1:00:50 Sorry, Betty. It wasn't saying me. I mean, that's a really profound question, right? Because that's a question about how does karma ripen, right? I mean, which karma will ripen when? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:50 Highlight the passage at 1:00:50

1:01:10 would never bang that. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:10 Highlight the passage at 1:01:10

1:01:16 I mean, that's also why we practice to try not to get irritated by those things. But then it's really good to have somebody sitting next to us and helping us with our practice, right? Because it's easy to get a distracted mind at that time, right? I mean, it's a scary time, so we need help. Well, I bring this up because this actually happened. This was a story Chucky told of helping someone die, and the nurse was in the room banging bedpans. And she had to quietly excuse herself, take the nurse out and say, would you stop doing that? Report an error in the passage at 1:01:16 Highlight the passage at 1:01:16

1:01:55 But we may not have a Chucky there sitting with us when we're passing. We'd be so fortunate. This is the thing that scares me about the death process with all of this. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:55 Highlight the passage at 1:01:55

1:02:07 That's why you have to be at home with me. But you never know. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:07 Highlight the passage at 1:02:07

1:02:18 I think that's a question for Geshe Dagpa. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:18 Highlight the passage at 1:02:18

1:02:26 Out Report an error in the passage at 1:02:26 Highlight the passage at 1:02:26

1:02:30 of a delirium, you could suddenly latch on to something like a noise in the room and get really distracted by it during your death process. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:30 Highlight the passage at 1:02:30

1:02:41 I Report an error in the passage at 1:02:41 Highlight the passage at 1:02:41

1:02:47 just have to say, listening to you talk about those concerns and stuff kind of makes me feel like... Report an error in the passage at 1:02:47 Highlight the passage at 1:02:47

1:02:57 I'm kind of afraid of that sort of thinking because it strikes me as sort of an attachment to a certain way of dying. I have a certain expectation of how I will die and I won't be happy unless I have that or I'll be afraid unless I have that or I won't be able to sit in the moment and just let it be the Report an error in the passage at 1:02:57 Highlight the passage at 1:02:57

1:03:20 meditations and this whole practice in the first place. So it kind of strikes me as I don't want to get caught up. I would want to be in the state of mind where Report an error in the passage at 1:03:20 Highlight the passage at 1:03:20

1:03:37 that's what I would want to cultivate. No matter what it is, it is what it is. Yeah, that's a very good point. Because that's what we are trying to cultivate, right, is to have a happy mind, yeah, regardless of external circumstances. I mean, not that that's easy to achieve, right, but we just try. And then the more that we are able to cultivate that through our lives, right, at the time of death, it's more likely that we'll be able to let go. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:37 Highlight the passage at 1:03:37

1:04:13 Well, I know the death and dying group here of practitioners are trying to support that environment, and I know that's what Chucky does. We have the little death kit, if you will, to try and have the prayers and everything, to have the merit field set up and et cetera, et cetera, and do certain practices to help that patient person die. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:13 Highlight the passage at 1:04:13

1:04:31 And hospice actually does the same thing in terms of trying to create the environment to have it be a peaceful place to go. Unfortunately, you can't control. control family and friends. I mean, that's the downside. I mean, you can't hopefully control the nurse or whatever, but to kick a family member out at this, you know, it would be very difficult, you know, but you can do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:31 Highlight the passage at 1:04:31

1:04:52 But it, you know, because that's the idea is you want to keep it calm and quiet. But I have witnessed wailing, lots of wailing, especially if it's a young person dying. Yeah. And that's where, you know, it... It's really helpful if we talk to our loved ones beforehand and tell them what we want, right? Because, yeah, I mean, because ideally, yeah, our minds would be okay with whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:52 Highlight the passage at 1:04:52

1:05:18 But, you know, realistically, you know, we'll still have mental afflictions, right, at the time we die, most likely, right? Well, hopefully not, but, you know. There's this thing. like so um so yeah so so it's It's important to talk about this, talk about to our loved ones what kind of environment we want and who we want to be with at the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:18 Highlight the passage at 1:05:18

1:05:42 I would like Chukki or Gishindapa or somebody to be with me. I'd rather not have the wailing and things like that. There's this document called the Five Wishes document that a lot of Buddhists do and it's all about that. you know what kind of situation you want to set up exactly but as joe was saying we have to kind of set up being okay with whatever our circumstances because you know if you get in a car accident and you're in some strange hospital and your five wishes document isn't there we have to try to create a mind of peace all the time because we just don't know what our circumstances will be yeah yeah Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:42 Highlight the passage at 1:05:42

1:06:23 It's such a good practice, right, to not... To let go of needing to change our external environment all the time, right? Because that's our habit, right? Yeah, well, you know, the neighbors should be quiet and the dogs shouldn't be barking. You know, we need to try to change everybody around us so that we can have a peaceful mind. And so the more we can cultivate the mind of, okay, well. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:23 Highlight the passage at 1:06:23

1:06:55 This is saṃsāra and dogs bark and babies cry and, you know, when I'm in the plane, you know, babies kicking my seat behind me, you know, that's just, you know, I can't really, you know, we could ask people to, you know, try not to do that, but we need to learn to be okay even if these things happen, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:55 Highlight the passage at 1:06:55

1:07:14 Because they will, right? They just do. I mean, we all experience that again and again, right? The annoying neighbors or the co-workers or, you know, all the people who... Don't act the way they're supposed to act, right, according to, you know, my standards. So, yeah, so it's good cultivating being okay with whatever happens. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:14 Highlight the passage at 1:07:14

1:07:38 Yeah, exactly, exactly. But, you know, but it's a process, right? We just try. Okay, you want to take a break? Wow, the cafe is dark. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:38 Highlight the passage at 1:07:38

1:07:58 You know, it feels like a ghost town here tonight. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:58 Highlight the passage at 1:07:58

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:08:47 You know, I'd Report an error in the passage at 1:08:47 Highlight the passage at 1:08:47

· · · silence, 6 minutes

1:14:28 be interested to hear whether the other people who use this projector have. Because it's just been consistent in the last couple of months. I remember Report an error in the passage at 1:14:28 Highlight the passage at 1:14:28

1:14:56 there was one class where we just, we ended up doing it without the slides and then at break time. heard this. Kids are easier Report an error in the passage at 1:14:56 Highlight the passage at 1:14:56

· · · silence, 7 minutes

1:15:22 put it in the monitor out or monitor in? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:22 Highlight the passage at 1:15:22

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:15:54 The main problem is we don't want to fall into the trap, as Joe was saying, of thinking our death has to be a certain way or we're screwed. Because what about a car accident? What about a murder? We usually imagine that we're going to be sick for a while and we're going to know that we're not going to be dead. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:54 Highlight the passage at 1:15:54

1:16:15 It can't happen that way. I came close to death three times in cars. And the mind just completely, all that fear just went away. And it was just recording the event as it occurred. You know, just very, very matter of fact. There was no time to be afraid. Also, you can go into a state where you can't hear it. Yeah. It goes really silent. And so, there are just so many different variables. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:15 Highlight the passage at 1:16:15

1:16:48 I think the biggest thing is, don't just Report an error in the passage at 1:16:48 Highlight the passage at 1:16:48

1:17:07 accept that you may doubt Report an error in the passage at 1:17:07 Highlight the passage at 1:17:07

1:17:12 it. Your doubt in the mind just switches into a different mode. Because we've died so many times before. There's a lot that just kicks in automatically. One thing that's helped me is having done a lot of death meditation. I've meditated on the many different ways we can die. Just to not be surprised, oh. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:12 Highlight the passage at 1:17:12

1:17:43 you know, I can die because we may have an earthquake right now. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:43 Highlight the passage at 1:17:43

1:17:53 I think 9-11 gave the country a collective realization of that. Like those people just went to work that morning. They had no idea they were going to die. 3,000 people. And that's, we all have to kind of, I think it shocked people. I think the country hasn't really gotten over that. I mean, maybe Buddhists didn't, but most people would be, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:53 Highlight the passage at 1:17:53

1:18:16 Life is truly fragile, we just don't know. I don't know, sometimes I think that experiences like that have a really bad influence. Like 9-11, people, they lost people, but then there was a tremendous amount of anger and resistance to that. And let's make this war on terror. There's something we can do to prevent this. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:16 Highlight the passage at 1:18:16

1:18:45 Do you know what I mean? Yeah, so it was like young people lost in the prime of their lives. Just stirred up a lot of negative emotions and emotions and stuff. So now, when people face death again, now they're sensitized to death. They're like, oh, isn't there something you can do to save my mother from cancer? They're angry. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:45 Highlight the passage at 1:18:45

1:19:06 That whole control thing. So what's it doing now, Louis? Is it searching? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:06 Highlight the passage at 1:19:06

1:19:17 I think it's also very American to think that we can conquer everything. We can conquer death. We can still search. Just live and live and live. Now what did you do? What was that little thing you did with the fingers? No, no, just here. What's there? What are you doing now? He fixed it. I'm holding it. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:17 Highlight the passage at 1:19:17

1:19:12 the changing is it? It should be set up. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:12 Highlight the passage at 1:19:12

1:19:40 I mean, what did you guys do together to make it come together? Yeah, sometimes it just happens that way. But you were pressing some buttons now. What were you doing? Oh, I do this function F3 thing that says, you know. It's a secret. Because right after you did that, it started. It seemed like. Yeah, I mean, that's what I was doing before, too, because it's basically saying send the picture to an external monitor. Yes. But before it wasn't working. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:40 Highlight the passage at 1:19:40

1:20:15 You know, this time it worked, but before it wasn't. I wonder if you have to do that as it's searching for RGB or whatever it is. Like, do you have to coordinate? Let's do this table? Yeah, let's do that table. That's a little precarious. This is my second table. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:15 Highlight the passage at 1:20:15

1:20:43 Oh, this is good. Then you guys don't have to listen to me blah blah blah so much. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:43 Highlight the passage at 1:20:43

1:20:53 Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:53 Highlight the passage at 1:20:53

1:21:12 Exactly, that's why I like the screen. You don't need to look at me. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:12 Highlight the passage at 1:21:12

1:21:20 I know what you mean. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:20 Highlight the passage at 1:21:20

1:21:26 Alright. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:26 Highlight the passage at 1:21:26

1:21:32 It's great. Whatever you want to call it. the slide projector, we get to look at you. Otherwise, we're looking at this. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:32 Highlight the passage at 1:21:32

1:21:39 So therefore, the mental karma or thoughts of the dying person as he or she approaches death act as an essential condition along with craving and grasping, nurturing and activating the main projecting karmic seed. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:39 Highlight the passage at 1:21:39

1:22:01 The mental karma or thoughts at the time of death along with craving or grasping, right? Those are the three things that need to come together, supporting conditions. Come together that, then nurture the, and activate the projecting seed. That is why it is so important to guide the mind to the sight of virtue as one approaches death. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:01 Highlight the passage at 1:22:01

1:22:37 So, Gishisopa says, of course, at the time of death, the person does not have much control over his or her own mind, even at the gross level. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:37 Highlight the passage at 1:22:37

1:22:48 Sensory awareness has disappeared, and even conscious thinking has faded away. So the mind is essentially passive. Under those circumstances, the influence of previous experience stored in the mind as karmic propensities becomes the dominant force determining what will come into the mind. If you are accustomed to doing non-virtuous actions during your life, for example, if you are a slaughterer of animals or a fisherman, thoughts of killing will naturally push to the surface when your mind is in this passive state. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:48 Highlight the passage at 1:22:48

1:23:25 If your life was spent practicing powerful virtues, those are the thoughts that will come to the mind most vividly. So preparing for the time of death is really how we live our lives. How we live our lives will largely determine what kind of mind we'll have at the time of death. I was reading a story the other day about a guy who was a Report an error in the passage at 1:23:25 Highlight the passage at 1:23:25

1:23:53 butcher of a certain type of animal. I don't remember, like a butcher of hogs, right? So then at the time of death, like when he was, at the time of death, he was having visions of hogs. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:53 Highlight the passage at 1:23:53

1:24:08 And so he grasped onto the hog, you know, mentally, because he was so accustomed to butchering hogs. And then he was reborn as a hog. So just thought that was interesting, you know. So just whatever, however we're living our lives will determine what the mind will look like. of death. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:08 Highlight the passage at 1:24:08

1:24:45 Well, Report an error in the passage at 1:24:45 Highlight the passage at 1:24:45

1:24:49 it's that craving and grasping, right? At the time of death, you know, we're grasping at another body at the time of death. Or we might be grasping for a chocolate chip cookie at the time of death. Or a Starbucks coffee, right? You don't want to Report an error in the passage at 1:24:49 Highlight the passage at 1:24:49

1:25:25 And he thought, that's what you do, your practice is to Clean away your afflictions the way you would clean the meat off the bone, leave this pure bone. He died that night and was reborn a butcher. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:25 Highlight the passage at 1:25:25

1:25:39 And then his monk from the same monastery, 22 years later, finds his way to the butcher shop and the guy is there and he goes, and all of a sudden because of merit, his memories awaken and he goes, what took you so long to come and find me? Look what I've been doing. I've been a butcher for 22 years. It's a great story. It's a wonderful book. Great. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:39 Highlight the passage at 1:25:39

1:26:13 Okay. So then Lama Tsongkhapa gets into the appearances to the mind of death. So for those who have created virtue, the appearance is like going from thick darkness into light. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:13 Highlight the passage at 1:26:13

1:26:31 At the time of death, various pleasant dreamlike forms appear to them. They die happily, and even the interruption of life is a very minor severity. So we hear about those people with near-death experiences going into the light. So that's an indication of a good rebirth. They've created virtue through their lives. And so it seems like they're going from the darkness into the light. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:31 Highlight the passage at 1:26:31

1:27:00 It's also said they don't experience much pain, you know, they see pleasant forms, etc. So if we've lived a life of virtue, that's what Lama Tsongkhapa, or death. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:00 Highlight the passage at 1:27:00

1:27:33 That's an interesting way, I mean, that disturbs the clarity, right, at the time of... Right, so I've heard advice from Lama saying, you know, if you're at the point where you don't need narcotics and you can guide yourself through, you know... A peaceful death and nuclear light. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:33 Highlight the passage at 1:27:33

1:27:59 But we have to be practical. Yeah, so it depends on where we are. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:59 Highlight the passage at 1:27:59

1:28:08 Like Gishitashi was saying. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:08 Highlight the passage at 1:28:08

1:28:17 Yeah. Use your common sense if you can remember. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:17 Highlight the passage at 1:28:17

1:28:24 Yeah. Well, it's interesting how our common sense kind of goes away sometimes when we hear teaching. So he had that great story about, you know, the train station and the app. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:24 Highlight the passage at 1:28:24

1:28:41 So then, for those who have created non-virtue. Or primarily, right, non-virtue. Our death, the appearance at the time of death, is like going from light into thick darkness. At the time of death, various dream-like repulsive forms appear to them. Intense suffering feeling arises, and the interruption of life is very severe. So this is, you know, so this, it's a very disturbed death, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:28:41 Highlight the passage at 1:28:41

1:29:15 Unattractive form. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:15 Highlight the passage at 1:29:15

1:29:20 And you... More likely to experience a lot of pain, etc. It's what Lama Tsongkhapa is saying. We've created primarily non-virtue. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:20 Highlight the passage at 1:29:20

1:29:38 And Geshe Sopa gets into this big explanation about how you would be foaming at the mat. Sometimes you see that with executions of prisoners. They have really, really disturbed death. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:38 Highlight the passage at 1:29:38

1:29:57 And then here, Lama Tsongkhapa says, The interruption of life exists for all birthplaces, excluding the gods and hell beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:57 Highlight the passage at 1:29:57

1:30:08 So here, with regard to the hell beings, right, so they've experienced so much suffering throughout their lives, so at the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:08 Highlight the passage at 1:30:08

1:30:23 So this applies, you know, not so much for the hell beings and the gods. No, I forgot to look that one up. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:23 Highlight the passage at 1:30:23

1:30:39 Okay, so here, yeah, not, but they don't experience physical suffering, right? It's mental. Exactly. So here, yeah, so the gods, right, so throughout their lives, they only experience, right, well, not only, right, but the time of death is great, mental, but not physical. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:39 Highlight the passage at 1:30:39

1:31:10 And the hell beings, okay, I found it, Report an error in the passage at 1:31:10 Highlight the passage at 1:31:10

1:31:18 Gishijun Pigazzo says, this type of suffering does not exist for gods and hell beings. This is because hell beings always experience suffering, that is, there is never any interruption to their suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:18 Highlight the passage at 1:31:18

1:31:31 Whereas gods have a fixed lifespan and their lives are not in danger, so they don't experience this type of suffering, this suffering. However, they have mental suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:31 Highlight the passage at 1:31:31

1:31:49 And then lastly, if we have an unspecified or neutral mind at the time of death, then happiness and suffering that we experience, explained below, above, don't arise. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:49 Highlight the passage at 1:31:49

1:32:16 So a neutral Report an error in the passage at 1:32:16 Highlight the passage at 1:32:16

1:32:21 mind. Well, I mean, here we're talking about virtuous versus non-virtuous versus... So if we have a neutral mind, I don't think we have very many neutral minds personally. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:21 Highlight the passage at 1:32:21

1:32:40 Most of them are virtuous or non-virtuous. But if we have a neutral or unspecified mind, then we don't experience, like at the time of death, you don't experience strong pain or pleasure. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:40 Highlight the passage at 1:32:40

1:33:15 know, it says here that to To die with an unspecified mind implies that one did not recall virtuous or non-virtuous minds by oneself nor was one reminded of them by others. Maybe that means someone who is under the influence of narcotics or sedatives or unconscious or like my aunt who has severe Alzheimer's. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:15 Highlight the passage at 1:33:15

1:33:35 Maybe it's someone like that who's not conscious in the way of having any intention or presence of mind or something. Yeah, it could be. Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense to me. Because virtue and non-virtue is really mental. So virtue, thinking of others, caring about others, developing clarity and wisdom and all that. Non-virtue, being angry or obsessed or jealous and all that. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:35 Highlight the passage at 1:33:35

1:34:17 And then that neutral mind. Yeah, just maybe just kind of just, yeah, maybe just not really there, not really engaged, maybe. But I've never heard an explanation about neutral mind and the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:17 Highlight the passage at 1:34:17

1:34:47 Yeah, I mean, I would just be speculating. Yeah, I mean, someone who's not really there, right, not really thinking. Yeah, if you don't have any real thoughts happening, you know, maybe if you're just kind of spaced out. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:47 Highlight the passage at 1:34:47

1:35:05 It's hard to know what's really going on in their minds. So then Report an error in the passage at 1:35:05 Highlight the passage at 1:35:05

1:35:23 Lama Tsongkhapa goes on, at the time of death, whichever mind, virtuous or non-virtuous, is most familiar becomes manifest. So we talked about this, whereas other minds do not subsequently operate. If they are equally familiar, that which is recalled first will become manifest. Whereas others do not subsequently operate. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:23 Highlight the passage at 1:35:23

1:35:49 So in general, the mind of death, whatever the mind is most familiar throughout our lives is most likely to arise. If it's an angry mind or a generous mind or a loving mind, whatever. But then if two types of minds are equally familiar, that which is recalled first will become manifest. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:49 Highlight the passage at 1:35:49

1:36:16 Remembered by yourself or, you know, somebody helps. Yeah, so if I have a really attached mind and I have a loving mind, a strong habit for both, right, then it helps to be reminded, right, of the virtuous one. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:16 Highlight the passage at 1:36:16

1:36:38 Does that Report an error in the passage at 1:36:38 Highlight the passage at 1:36:38

1:36:43 make sense? Report an error in the passage at 1:36:43 Highlight the passage at 1:36:43

1:36:52 Gushi Sopa says, generally whatever type of action, One time of death. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:52 Highlight the passage at 1:36:52

1:36:56 The most important virtuous or non-virtuous you were accustomed to performing during your lifetime will be the most powerful type of seed in your continuum. It is this that will naturally come to your mind at the time of death. Gradually other thoughts become weaker and weaker until they are forgotten. At that point the mind is completely absorbed in those most powerful habitual actions and with those actions propelling the mind you take rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:56 Highlight the passage at 1:36:56

1:37:25 So he's making this point again and again, right, about the habitual, familiar thoughts, right, most likely arising at the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:25 Highlight the passage at 1:37:25

1:37:41 At the time when the mind moves into its subtle part, virtuous and non-virtuous minds come to a stop and become an unspecified mind. Right, so this is when, what I was talking about earlier, about the grosser minds can be virtuous, non-virtuous, or neutral, and the subtle minds are... The very subtle mind in particular is neutral. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:41 Highlight the passage at 1:37:41

1:38:14 At the time of death, have we all done the death absorptions? We lose our eyes, our sense powers first, and then our sense consciousnesses dissolve into just mental consciousness, and then the mental consciousness dissolves into a subtle form, like the clear light. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:14 Highlight the passage at 1:38:14

1:38:38 So the mental consciousness, the thought consciousness can be virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral. But when that dissolves, when our conceptual thinking dissolves, then no longer can we have a virtuous or non-virtuous mind. Because virtuous and virtuous, non-virtuous. Well, that's really not quite an accurate statement. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:38 Highlight the passage at 1:38:38

1:39:05 But the very subtle mind is said to be ethically neutral, not, you know, neutral, but ethically neutral, neither virtuous or non-virtuous. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:05 Highlight the passage at 1:39:05

1:39:21 So it's these grosser minds. So it's the grosser mind that will nourish a projecting karma, you know, either a positive projecting karma or a negative. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:21 Highlight the passage at 1:39:21

1:39:42 impact, that other ball is gone. You're already moving. the subtle mind has is neutral. It doesn't know where it's Report an error in the passage at 1:39:42 Highlight the passage at 1:39:42

1:39:55 Oh, the grosser minds. Oh, that's a nice visual. Yeah, so while we still have our grosser minds, that's when we have some, I don't really want to say control, but we have some, yeah, ability to determine the next rebirth. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:55 Highlight the passage at 1:39:55

1:40:21 sure you have good Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:21 Highlight the passage at 1:40:21

1:40:25 Unless, of course, we're a high practitioner and we can use the clear light mind to realize emptiness. That's not so easy. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:25 Highlight the passage at 1:40:25

1:40:38 As you approach death, the grosser levels of consciousness dissolve and the more subtle levels come to the fore. The final subtle dying mind is always neutral, never virtuous or non-virtuous. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:38 Highlight the passage at 1:40:38

1:40:51 So prior to that very subtle level of mind, as long as the grosser levels of consciousness are still active, the mind can be virtuous, non-virtuous or neutral. So that's what we just talked about. For all at the time of death, as long as the state of unclear discrimination has not been reached, there arises attachment to a self which has long been familiarized with. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:51 Highlight the passage at 1:40:51

1:41:16 So all of us, we ordinary beings who haven't directly realized emptiness, at the time of death, Here, as long as the state of unclear discrimination has not been reached. So this is where our gross minds are still operating. There arises an attachment to the self, which has long been familiarized with. So at the time of death, as our body is dissolving, we're losing our body, then this attachment to a body, an attachment to the continuation of me. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:16 Highlight the passage at 1:41:16

1:41:54 It is said to automatically occur if we haven't directly realized emptiness. I remember at one point I had this question, if you don't have craving and grasping at the time of death, does that mean we don't have to take another rebirth in saṃsāra? But basically if we haven't directly realized emptiness, we're going to have craving and grasping at the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:54 Highlight the passage at 1:41:54

1:42:20 Particularly craving and grasping to the self, right? Because we're so familiar with the attachment to the self, right? Since beginning as time. Does that make sense? Report an error in the passage at 1:42:20 Highlight the passage at 1:42:20

1:42:50 So it's this attachment, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:42:50 Highlight the passage at 1:42:50

1:42:57 So this attachment to our self, our body, our friends, our possessions, right? But it's primarily the attachment to the self or the body. That's the primary attachment that takes, that's the cause for taking another body, right, in cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:57 Highlight the passage at 1:42:57

1:43:26 At the moment of death, attachment to the body acts as the affliction that brings about birth into the intermediate state, according to Shantideva. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:26 Highlight the passage at 1:43:26

1:43:39 Okay, this will require some discussion. While attachment to self also arises in stream enterers and once returners, they investigate it with wisdom and abandon it rather than acquiescing in it. Just like, for instance, a strong person beating someone weak. In non-returners, that attachment to self does not arise. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:39 Highlight the passage at 1:43:39

1:44:07 So there are these, on the Hinayana path, there are these beings called stream enterers, once returners. -returners. photo destroyers but we won't about so these three stream enters returners non returners stream enters Report an error in the passage at 1:44:07 Highlight the passage at 1:44:07

1:44:35 how much I want to get into this. So stream, all of these beings have directly realized emptiness. enters, once returners, non-returners. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:35 Highlight the passage at 1:44:35

1:44:48 They're always talked about in terms of the Hinayana, but you know... But the fact that Lama Tsongkhapa brings this up, it makes me question whether or not it's referring to Mahāyāna, stream-enters, non-returners, once-returners as well. What are stream-enters, once-returners? Okay. So there are these different realms, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:48 Highlight the passage at 1:44:48

1:45:15 The desire realm, form realm, formless realm. There's four levels to the form realm and the four levels to the formless realm. There are levels, there are Afflictions associated with each realm, which are varying levels of subtlety. So the desire realm has the coarsest afflictions. The form realm, once we're born in the form realm, we've suppressed desire realm afflictions. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:15 Highlight the passage at 1:45:15

1:45:48 So a form realm being doesn't have, for example, anger. Anger only arises in a desire realm being. A form realm being doesn't have the same level of attachment, desire, and mental afflictions that we do. Their afflictions are much more subtle than desire realm beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:48 Highlight the passage at 1:45:48

1:46:11 So stream enterers and once returners, prior to realizing emptiness directly, they haven't suppressed the desire realm afflictions yet. They haven't achieved the level of concentration where they've, they've... Report an error in the passage at 1:46:11 Highlight the passage at 1:46:11

1:46:29 Yeah, they've suppressed the desire realm afflictions or sometimes they say abandoned the desire realm afflictions. Whereas non-returners, non-returners are said to have suppressed the desire realm afflictions prior to realizing emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:29 Highlight the passage at 1:46:29

1:46:49 So this is the distinction here. I'm going to try this new nifty little tool that I have. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:49 Highlight the passage at 1:46:49

1:47:00 So stream enters and once-returners. They still have desire realm afflictions, basically. They've directly realized emptiness, but they still have afflictions of the desire realm. So it's said that stream enters, you know, once they realize emptiness directly, they will not take rebirth in saṃsāra more than seven times. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:00 Highlight the passage at 1:47:00

1:47:29 Sometimes they say it won't take rebirth in saṃsāra seven times. Sometimes they say it won't take rebirth in the desire realm more than seven times. Once returners are called once returners because they will take rebirth only one more time. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:29 Highlight the passage at 1:47:29

1:47:50 Non-returners are said to never take rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:50 Highlight the passage at 1:47:50

1:47:57 So maybe this is more information than you really want to know. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:57 Highlight the passage at 1:47:57

1:48:04 But basically it's saying that stream enters and once returners, even though they've directly realized emptiness at the time of death, they will... They will still They still have this attachment to the self that arises. But it's not powerful, right? Because they've directly realized emptiness. So they can overcome it quite easily. They don't become overpowered by there. Whereas non-returners, that attachment to self doesn't arise at all because they've abandoned them. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:04 Highlight the passage at 1:48:04

1:48:44 Does that make sense? Peter? I was just going to say, it seems like this is more hitting on it because it doesn't seem to be really taking a direction. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:44 Highlight the passage at 1:48:44

1:48:54 Yeah, I mean, it's interesting. I mean, I have that doubt myself, you know, why is this being brought up? Report an error in the passage at 1:48:54 Highlight the passage at 1:48:54

1:49:18 You know, I mean, it seems to me, though, that it does still apply to bodhisattvas in terms of whether or not you've abandoned the desire realm afflictions before you've directly realized emptiness. You know, so it depends on the level of concentration that you've made. So bodhisattvas will keep coming back. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:18 Highlight the passage at 1:49:18

1:49:39 Your level of affliction will be different, depending on the level of concentration you've achieved. So I thought the very definition of bodhicitta is somebody who is already coming back purely in hopes of being, not because of any desire to desire one. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:39 Highlight the passage at 1:49:39

1:50:02 Well, a bodhicitta isn't necessarily beyond that. To be a bodhicitta, we've entered the Mahāyāna path. We've generated this... Spontaneous bodhicitta, that we don't have to make effort to generate bodhicitta. So the bodhisattva has made this vow to attain complete enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:02 Highlight the passage at 1:50:02

1:50:26 But a bodhisattva doesn't necessarily have control over that whole rebirth process. They're still taking rebirth through the power of karma and mental afflictions, well until after they've directly realized emptiness. Okay, Report an error in the passage at 1:50:26 Highlight the passage at 1:50:26

1:50:47 that's it. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:47 Highlight the passage at 1:50:47

1:50:53 Okay, so Yanzi Rinpoche in his book brings up some interesting comments that I, commentary that I haven't heard before and I'm not sure that all Llamas would agree, but about, you know, once you directly realize emptiness, whether or not you still create non-virtuous karma and saying that stream enters and... Report an error in the passage at 1:50:53 Highlight the passage at 1:50:53

1:51:21 And once returners still create non-virtuous karma, but non-returners don't. Non-virtuous karma. Only virtue. Because there's this general statement that once you become an aria, you don't create non-virtuous karma anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:21 Highlight the passage at 1:51:21

1:51:46 Yeah. When you directly realize emptiness. Okay. So a lot of technical information there. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:46 Highlight the passage at 1:51:46

1:51:57 Any questions before we end? Report an error in the passage at 1:51:57 Highlight the passage at 1:51:57