Buddhism from A-Z, 2nd Semester - Bodhicitta: Developing the Big Heart (12 January 2010)

0:02 Hello, hello, hello. Oh, wait. Report an error in the passage at 0:02 Highlight the passage at 0:02

0:09 Thanks for reminding me, Chad. Normally we'll start with a little bit of meditation at the beginning, but today we'll just start with prayer. And what I'd Report an error in the passage at 0:09 Highlight the passage at 0:09

0:27 like to start with is the praise to Manjushri on page 84. And for people who don't know, Manjushri is the bodhisattva of wisdom. By praying to Manjushri, we increase our wisdom and hopefully... And start to dispel our ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 0:27 Highlight the passage at 0:27

1:04 Obeisance to my guru and protector, Manjushu, 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 a patient love of a father for his only son, all creatures caught in the prison of saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 1:04 Highlight the passage at 1:04

1:32 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 hews down suffering wherever its sprouts appear, clearing away the darkness of all ignorance, whose princely body is adorned with 112 marks of a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:32 Highlight the passage at 1:32

1:54 Who has completed the ten stages achieving the highest perfection of a bodhisattva. Who has been pure from the beginning. O Manjushri, all loving one, with the brilliance of your wisdom, illuminate the darkness enclosing 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 1:54 Highlight the passage at 1:54

2:18 And then there's a Manjushri mantra. I should have written it down for you. But it's Om Arapatsanadi. So we'll do some of those. We'll do them out loud for those of you who don't know this one. Om Arapatsanadi. Om Arapatsanadi. Om Arapatsanadi. Om Arapatsanadi. Om Arapatsanadi. Omara Patsana Omara Patsana And then we do lots of D's in one breath. Report an error in the passage at 2:18 Highlight the passage at 2:18

3:05 And then the bottom of page 88 we'll do refuge in bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 3:05 Highlight the passage at 3:05

3:21 I go for refuge until I'm 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 3:21 Highlight the passage at 3:21

3:47 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 3:47 Highlight the passage at 3:47

4:12 Okay. So, you know, on the path, we hear lots of different teachings. We hear teachings on karma, and we hear teachings on the precious woman rebirth, and death, and emptiness, and bodhicitta. And, you know, if you're like most people, you're really busy, and it's kind of hard to find time to meditate on all of these different things. Report an error in the passage at 4:12 Highlight the passage at 4:12

4:38 And so... What do we do? What do we focus on when we're really busy? Report an error in the passage at 4:38 Highlight the passage at 4:38

4:49 Basically, the essence of the entire Dharma comes down to bodhicitta. So if we don't have time to do anything else, then bodhicitta will be the practice to focus on. And we don't need a lot of time to practice bodhicitta. We can practice bodhicitta all day, every day. We can practice bodhicitta when we're driving. We can practice bodhicitta with our families. We can practice bodhicitta at work. Report an error in the passage at 4:49 Highlight the passage at 4:49

5:18 And we particularly need to practice bodhicitta with the difficult people in our lives. So for people with busy lives, bodhicitta really is. Report an error in the passage at 5:18 Highlight the passage at 5:18

5:34 We can practice bodhicitta, having a good heart, right? Truly developing a genuine sense of caring toward everybody. Not just toward the people we like, not just toward the people that are easy, but trying over time to develop a sense of genuine caring for each and every single being. Report an error in the passage at 5:34 Highlight the passage at 5:34

6:04 And to do this we have to train, right? It's not something that... We can do overnight or we can just decide, okay, I'm going to care about everybody, right? You know, then that person hangs up on you or, you know, yells at you at work or, you know, then, you know, it just kind of goes out the window. Report an error in the passage at 6:04 Highlight the passage at 6:04

6:24 So we have to train our minds. Report an error in the passage at 6:24 Highlight the passage at 6:24

6:32 You know, a concert pianist, you know, you have to practice. You have to practice every day. We're an Olympic athlete. You have to practice every day. Report an error in the passage at 6:32 Highlight the passage at 6:32

6:43 And I heard a teaching recently, there's a Geshitashi Sering from England. He was here. Here he mentioned, he mentioned here that he was reading a book about people who were really successful in life, got really good at something. And in general, and I don't remember the numbers, but it was something like by the time they were a certain age, a young age, and I'm really good at this, but something like by the time they were 21, Report an error in the passage at 6:43 Highlight the passage at 6:43

7:16 They all had one thing in common, and they all practiced at least 10,000 hours. Did he say that here? Yeah. I probably have some of the numbers wrong, but similarly with bodhicitta, we just have to practice Report an error in the passage at 7:16 Highlight the passage at 7:16

7:35 consistent effort over time. And then we can gradually develop that sense of caring. And we can all do it. We all have the potential. We can all do it. Report an error in the passage at 7:35 Highlight the passage at 7:35

7:57 So we can practice this. Report an error in the passage at 7:57 Highlight the passage at 7:57

8:02 So Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, our lives are so busy, we are preoccupied by many family and other obligations. When your life is so busy, there is no other refuge than your good heart. Your good heart is the most important thing in which to take refuge. So sometimes we might meet the spiritual path and think, I have to get enlightened, you know, and it's all about me. Report an error in the passage at 8:02 Highlight the passage at 8:02

8:26 I need to get enlightened, you know, get out of my way. I have to do my practice, right? Be quiet, you know, I'm trying to meditate, right? And then we can become more irritated at others, right? And then that's losing the point, right? I remember I did one retreat, a group retreat, a bodhicitta retreat, and there were 12 of us. Report an error in the passage at 8:26 Highlight the passage at 8:26

8:46 And one guy was so angry all the time because, you know, people were breathing too loud. You know, it just, you know, it was missing the point, right? The point isn't to be able to meditate in a perfect environment, right? The point was to go beyond the me and be helpful to others. With bodhicitta, we're trying to be the most helpful that we can possibly be. Report an error in the passage at 8:46 Highlight the passage at 8:46

9:19 Realizing that there's countless beings out here, out there, and there's only one of me. There's countless other beings. So why focus? So much time, so much energy on this one person who Report an error in the passage at 9:19 Highlight the passage at 9:19

9:42 has been really helpful to us in our lives. We wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for so many beings that we know and even more beings that we don't know. Our teachers, our parents, our friends, the farmers who grew our food, the ranchers, all of the beings who died so that we could eat. You know, countless beings have helped us be here today. So it doesn't make sense to just focus on me. Report an error in the passage at 9:42 Highlight the passage at 9:42

10:22 You know, all of these other beings have been so kind to us. And here, you know, and we don't care about them. You guys take care of yourself, you know. I'll take care of myself. We're all very interdependent. So that guy who cut you off on, you know, on the road might have been, you know, the person who supplied you with electricity, right, or the person who built your house. Report an error in the passage at 10:22 Highlight the passage at 10:22

10:48 The person who ran the pipes so that you could have running water. It could be, you know, it could be somebody, you know, toward whom you owe a great deal. Report an error in the passage at 10:48 Highlight the passage at 10:48

11:05 So that's how we train our minds. Report an error in the passage at 11:05 Highlight the passage at 11:05

11:21 Lama Yishi says, Lama Yishi, the best Dharma practice, the most perfect, most substantial, is without doubt the practice of bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 11:21 Highlight the passage at 11:21

11:37 Shantideva said, if you turn the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha, Their essence is bodhicitta. So I wasn't just making that up. Bodhicitta really is trying Report an error in the passage at 11:37 Highlight the passage at 11:37

11:53 to benefit others. Report an error in the passage at 11:53 Highlight the passage at 11:53

12:00 Gishisopa, in his commentary, said, you know, if you become really good at something for yourself, you know, it's not really that big of a deal. It's not such a big accomplishment. You become really good at a certain sport or really good at a certain, you know, musical instrument. Report an error in the passage at 12:00 Highlight the passage at 12:00

12:20 If it doesn't help others, then what? What's the use? So bodhicitta is the best way to benefit from it because here we are developing this big heart in order to help all other sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 12:20 Highlight the passage at 12:20

12:39 Okay, so what is bodhicitta? So the definition of bodhicitta is the aspiration for complete enlightenment for the welfare of all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 12:39 Highlight the passage at 12:39

12:51 Sounds kind of simple. The aspiration for complete enlightenment for the welfare of all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 12:51 Highlight the passage at 12:51

12:59 So this, first of all, has as its basis an unbiased attitude toward others, not favoring some and disliking others, but having as its basis at least what they call equanimity or an unbiased attitude. Report an error in the passage at 12:59 Highlight the passage at 12:59

13:20 Because otherwise it's conditional love, right? It's like, well, I want to help these people, I don't want to help these people, I like these people, I don't like these people. We all can do that, right? You know, know how to do that, right? The difficult part is to care about all beings, right? So then on top of that is developing this love and affection, this sense of love and affection toward all beings. Report an error in the passage at 13:20 Highlight the passage at 13:20

13:55 Not an indifferent attitude. Sometimes people think equanimity means being kind of indifferent toward everyone, but, you know, it's not that, right? We're trying to develop a warm heart toward everyone. And not just a sense of... I should care about people, right? But an actual sense of caring. Report an error in the passage at 13:55 Highlight the passage at 13:55

14:21 Not the martyr attitude of neglecting myself for others. You know, look at me, aren't I great kind of thing because I'm neglecting myself. That's not bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 14:21 Highlight the passage at 14:21

14:39 So on top of having a loving attitude toward everyone, Then also we have a great compassion toward everyone. So a great compassion wishing that all sentient beings be free from suffering. So the love which wants them to be happy and then the compassion which wants them to be free from suffering. And then on top of that, we take on the responsibility myself to free all beings from suffering. Report an error in the passage at 14:39 Highlight the passage at 14:39

15:08 So that's the extraordinary attitude. That's the huge attitude. Not only do I want beings. To be free from suffering. I'm going to take responsibility for it. Like a parent. A parent who takes responsibility for their children. Not like the nice aunt who comes and plays with the kids and then goes home and doesn't have to. Report an error in the passage at 15:08 Highlight the passage at 15:08

15:34 But taking responsibility for all beings. Report an error in the passage at 15:34 Highlight the passage at 15:34

15:42 So bodhicitta is something very easy to understand intellectually. Right? Um. But very difficult to actualize. So between the wisdom realizing emptiness and bodhicitta, right? Bodhicitta is a lot easier to understand intellectually, but it's said that bodhicitta is harder to get the realization of. Report an error in the passage at 15:42 Highlight the passage at 15:42

16:07 Emptiness you can intellectually understand if you put a lot of effort in your response. But bodhicitta is putting aside our self-cherishing and caring about others even more than ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 16:07 Highlight the passage at 16:07

16:24 Working for the benefit of others. And not really caring about whatever hardships you have to go through. Because you love other beings so much, you're willing to do it. Report an error in the passage at 16:24 Highlight the passage at 16:24

16:47 So it's based on a sense of strength and a sense of great compassion. It's not based on a feeling of, well, I'm not good enough. Others are better than me. A feeling of inferiority or a low self-esteem. That's not bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 16:47 Highlight the passage at 16:47

17:08 Out of a sense of great love, great strength, I want to work for others. Report an error in the passage at 17:08 Highlight the passage at 17:08

17:18 Bringing up a few things, kind of a few pitfalls. You know, sometimes we mistake low self-esteem for being the right way to work for others, right? But it's not. That way we get really burned out and we can't last very long. Report an error in the passage at 17:18 Highlight the passage at 17:18

17:45 So then, technical terms, other terms for bodhicitta, and we're talking about... Conventional bodhicitta here. The mind of enlightenment and the spirit of enlightenment. If people have Lama Tsongkhapa's great treatise on the stages of the path to enlightenment, they use the term spirit of enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 17:45 Highlight the passage at 17:45

18:08 Mind of enlightenment is just a different translation. That's the translation that the translator of our text uses. Mind of enlightenment, spirit of enlightenment. There are all other terms for bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 18:08 Highlight the passage at 18:08

18:25 Tibetan, Jungchuk is Sem, also mind generation. Sometimes you see that term. That one's more rare, and it also refers to Kodichitta. In Tibetan, that's Semke. Report an error in the passage at 18:25 Highlight the passage at 18:25

18:50 Shantideva says, whatever joy there is in this world all comes from desiring others to be happy. And whatever suffering there is in this world all comes from desiring myself to be happy. Report an error in the passage at 18:50 Highlight the passage at 18:50

19:04 But what need is there to say much more? The childish work for their own benefit. The Buddha's work for the benefit of others. Just look at the difference between them. Report an error in the passage at 19:04 Highlight the passage at 19:04

19:18 So this is different from what we've practiced in most of our lives. We think the way to be happy is to take care of me. Report an error in the passage at 19:18 Highlight the passage at 19:18

19:33 Or maybe we're past that point now, but that's the way we were brought up, right? That's what this culture says, you know, take care of me. That's how to be happy, right? And that's what we've done since the beginning of this time. But if that worked, then we should be really, really happy, right? Because we've had lots and lots of practice taking care of me. Report an error in the passage at 19:33 Highlight the passage at 19:33

19:55 But then if we look at people like the Buddha or, you know, Lama Zopa Rinpoche or His Holiness the Dalai Lama who really, really cares more about others than themselves. You know, these beings are so joyful, you know, just so beautiful, so joyful. So there's something to that. Report an error in the passage at 19:55 Highlight the passage at 19:55

20:18 So if we give up caring about my own welfare, if I don't really care about what happens, I just, well, I need to take care of my body because, you know, I need to keep it strong and healthy, right, so I can benefit others, right? I need to take care of certain things, right, in order to help others. Instead of, well, I need to take care of. Report an error in the passage at 20:18 Highlight the passage at 20:18

20:42 Me first and everybody else comes second. It lifts a tremendous burden. This burden of me needing to be recognized, me needing to be appreciated, me needing to get the right job, me needing to be supported and taken care of. I, I, I, all of these things I need creates heaviness in our lives. Report an error in the passage at 20:42 Highlight the passage at 20:42

21:15 A neediness, you know, and a dissatisfaction. So if we can give that up, you know, we can't just decide to give it up, right? But if we can give that up through training over time, then that lifts this heavy load, right? It doesn't matter, okay? So if I get what I want, great. If I don't get what I want, that's okay too, right? That would make our lives so much easier, right? Report an error in the passage at 21:15 Highlight the passage at 21:15

21:43 If I get that job, great. If I don't get that job, great. Somebody else got it, you know. Good for them. Report an error in the passage at 21:43 Highlight the passage at 21:43

21:54 So that's a way to be, you know, happier. You might go of needing things for me. Report an error in the passage at 21:54 Highlight the passage at 21:54

22:11 You buy that? Report an error in the passage at 22:11 Highlight the passage at 22:11

22:23 Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, what's the best way to take care of yourself? What's the best thing for your own well-being? It's bodhicitta. It's caring for others. Report an error in the passage at 22:23 Highlight the passage at 22:23

22:33 And if we have that sense of love in our hearts, the time, then we're happy, We're not lonely, happy. Report an error in the passage at 22:33 Highlight the passage at 22:33

22:46 trick is having it in our time. Report an error in the passage at 22:46 Highlight the passage at 22:46

22:58 If you take a proper look deep into your heart, you will see that one of the main causes of your dissatisfaction is the fact that you are not helping others as best as you can. When you realize this, you'll be able to say to yourself, I must develop myself so that I can help others satisfactorily. By improving myself, I can definitely help. Thus you have more strength and energy to meditate, to keep more pure morality and do other good things. Report an error in the passage at 22:58 Highlight the passage at 22:58

23:27 You have energy, because I want to help others. That is why Lama Tsongkhapa said that bodhicitta is the foundation of all enlightened realizations. Report an error in the passage at 23:27 Highlight the passage at 23:27

23:37 So we have so much energy to help others, right? Because we really want others to be happy. Report an error in the passage at 23:37 Highlight the passage at 23:37

23:50 Like mothers, they have so much energy, don't they? They're always running around taking care of their kids. Report an error in the passage at 23:50 Highlight the passage at 23:50

24:02 The text we're using is not a published book. The main text we're using is this middle length lamrim. It's a draft translation. What I'd like to do is get everybody's email address and then I can send you an electronic copy of this text for the people who don't already have it. Okay. So. Report an error in the passage at 24:02 Highlight the passage at 24:02

24:27 And then we can also get printed versions of it. So before we leave today, I'll get a count of people who would like a printed version. And I think it cost something like $15 to get it copied. So we'll just ask you for the cost. Or, you know, if you want to print it out yourself. Report an error in the passage at 24:27 Highlight the passage at 24:27

24:57 So in the lamrim, it's divided into the small scope, the intermediate scope and the grade scope. So today we're starting the grade scope with bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 24:57 Highlight the passage at 24:57

25:11 So I just want to do a brief review of the small scope or the initial scope and the intermediate scope before we start on the great scope. Because really the initial scope and the intermediate scope are the foundations for the great scope. Report an error in the passage at 25:11 Highlight the passage at 25:11

25:25 So first of all, at Report an error in the passage at 25:25 Highlight the passage at 25:25

25:30 the beginning of the text we talked about how relying on a qualified spiritual teacher is the basis. And then we talked about the precious human rebirth, how we have this. This amazing life. We all have this amazing life. This amazing opportunity to make some spiritual progress. We're not just struggling along, just trying to eat and trying to stay alive. Report an error in the passage at 25:30 Highlight the passage at 25:30

25:57 We've gone beyond that. We have enough to eat. We have some place to live. We have a Dharma center. We have interest in the Dharma. And we can practice. And then we have enough intelligence to understand. So we have this precious human life. Report an error in the passage at 25:57 Highlight the passage at 25:57

26:20 And maybe we don't really realize this, but it's very, very difficult to get these. Report an error in the passage at 26:20 Highlight the passage at 26:20

26:32 We have something that most beings don't have. If we think about the billions of people on this earth and how many animals and insects and beings that we can see and then play. all of the other counter screens that we can't see. Report an error in the passage at 26:32 Highlight the passage at 26:32

26:53 We're very, very fortunate. Report an error in the passage at 26:53 Highlight the passage at 26:53

27:01 So it's good to use this life well. And then next we meditate on death to help us understand that we're not going to have this life forever, right? It's going to end, right? It's definitely going to end. And who knows when it's going to end? Report an error in the passage at 27:01 Highlight the passage at 27:01

27:21 And tomorrow it may end 30, 40, 50 years. So we need to practice now. Then there's this. Popular section on the suffering of the lower realms. So the possibilities of great suffering in our next life. We know it's possible. And then refuge. Taking refuge in the Buddha Dharma Saṅgha. Taking refuge is what saves us from the lower realms. Karma. Report an error in the passage at 27:21 Highlight the passage at 27:21

27:53 Practicing virtue and avoiding non-virtue. Practicing virtue. Virtue is the cause of happiness and non-virtue is the cause of suffering. So those are the... Meditations on the lower scope or on the initial scope. And those, the initial scope is focused on helping us not put so much emphasis on just this one life and to try to create causes for a good rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 27:53 Highlight the passage at 27:53

28:24 Intermediate scope, meditate on the first two noble truths, true sufferings and true origins. Because in the intermediate scope we understand that not only, okay, so we may get a nice, a good rebirth in the next life. But then that will end too, and we realize that the nature of saṃsāra is suffering. The nature of saṃsāra, as long as we're in saṃsāra, suffering is going to happen again and again. Report an error in the passage at 28:24 Highlight the passage at 28:24

28:53 So when we understand that, then we strive to get out of saṃsāra. Because saṃsāra, whatever kind of happiness we have in saṃsāra, is always temporary, and who knows what will happen. Report an error in the passage at 28:53 Highlight the passage at 28:53

29:10 So we strive to get out of saṃsāra, and in immediate scope, strive. For individual liberation. So do people know there's two levels of enlightenment. There's individual liberation and there's complete enlightenment. So individual liberation, like nirvāṇa, where we have reached a state of peace. We've eliminated our mental afflictions. And after we die, we stay in a state of peace. Report an error in the passage at 29:10 Highlight the passage at 29:10

29:47 But we're not able to help anybody. After we die, we don't have a body anymore, and then we're not able to help others. So the bodhisattva is wanting to go beyond that. The bodhisattva wants to be able to help all other beings, so the bodhisattva is striving for complete Buddhahood. Because once you become a Buddha, you can manifest in all sorts of different forms, and you can help others. Report an error in the passage at 29:47 Highlight the passage at 29:47

30:16 not only can It can be manifest in other forms. We also have the omniscient mind so you know the best way to help others. So Buddhahood or complete enlightenment is far, far better than individual liberation because we can help others. Report an error in the passage at 30:16 Highlight the passage at 30:16

30:35 Striving for individual liberation is like, you know, let's say you're having a picnic on the shore of a raging river and your mother falls in to the raging river. And we keep, you know, having our nice peaceful picnic and we don't help her. That's like individual liberation. All of your mother beings are, you know, these mother beings are suffering and here you are, you know, just staying in your own bliss, not being able to do anything to help them because you've lost your body and you can't do anything to help them. Report an error in the passage at 30:35 Highlight the passage at 30:35

31:20 So that's why we're here, because we are the great scope. So in the great scope, we meditate on bodhicitta. Calm abiding, emptiness, etc. in order to get out of cyclic existence and get completely enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 31:20 Highlight the passage at 31:20

31:43 So Lama Tsongkhapa, in his text, he says, Through meditating in this manner upon the disadvantages of cyclic existence from different perspectives over a long time, you will see all existence as a pit of blazing fire and your mind will be thoroughly overcome by the wish to attain liberation that completely pacifies suffering. Report an error in the passage at 31:43 Highlight the passage at 31:43

32:04 So here, this is where he's transitioning from the intermediate scope to the great scope. In the intermediate scope, hopefully we've understood that cyclic existence is suffering. It's like a pit of blazing fire. Report an error in the passage at 32:04 Highlight the passage at 32:04

32:24 Our mind is thoroughly overcome by the wish to attain liberation, to get out of some sorrow. If, due to that, you train in the three trainings, You will attain liberation from cyclic existence and moreover will not turn back again even to see the glory of high status. Report an error in the passage at 32:24 Highlight the passage at 32:24

32:45 So the intermediate scope being in order to get out of cyclic existence practices the three trainings, and the three trainings being ethical discipline, morality, concentration and wisdom. If we practice those three things, those will get us out of cyclic existence and Report an error in the passage at 32:45 Highlight the passage at 32:45

33:12 will not turn back again even to see the glory of high status. So once we've gotten out of cyclic existence, we never have to take rebirth. We don't have to take rebirth due to karma anymore. Report an error in the passage at 33:12 Highlight the passage at 33:12

33:30 Nonetheless, since extinguishing one's own faults and achieving good qualities is limited, one's own welfare is not complete. So if all we strive for is individual liberation, is what I just talked about, we haven't eliminated all of our faults. With individual liberation, you've eliminated the mental afflictions, but you haven't eliminated the obscurations to omniscience with Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 33:30 Highlight the passage at 33:30

33:59 So you haven't completed all your real good qualities. So you haven't finished the path, basically. You haven't even finished your own welfare. For that very reason, others' welfare is also temporarily neglected. And in the end... Having been urged to do so by the Buddhas, you will have to enter the Mahāyāna. So in solitary peace or individual liberation, as I said, you can't help others. Report an error in the passage at 33:59 Highlight the passage at 33:59

34:30 We're abiding in bliss for thousands of years. But sooner or later, it's said that the Buddhas will wake you up and say, hey, you haven't finished the path yet. You're not done. You have to come back. and you know, enter the Mahāyāna path, you need bodhicitta, and you need to attain dhyāna. So even though you're blissed out, you can't stay there forever. Report an error in the passage at 34:30 Highlight the passage at 34:30

34:57 Therefore, it is appropriate for the intelligent to enter the Mahāyāna from the start. So instead of just settling for solitary peace and neglecting others' welfare, Lama Tsongkhapa is saying, no, just start with the Mahāyāna. Why bother with the Minova? Individual liberation first. Just start with the Makayana because you're going to waste a lot of time. You're going to have to be able to help. Report an error in the passage at 34:57 Highlight the passage at 34:57

35:32 And plus, they say it takes longer. If you become liberated first, you have the habit of just absorbing in your own meditation, your own peace. And so it's much more difficult to get bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 35:32 Highlight the passage at 35:32

35:53 In Arya Sura's Summary of the Perfections, it says, having abandoned forever these two yanas. Which are without power to bring about all the world's aims, those whose nature is of one taste with helping others enter the genius vehicle taught with compassion. Report an error in the passage at 35:53 Highlight the passage at 35:53

36:09 So this is having abandoned forever those two yanas. So here he's talking about the here path, the here vehicle and the solitary realizer vehicle. And those are the two Hinayana vehicles. So having abandoned forever those two Hinayana vehicles. Which are without power to bring about all the world's aims, helping others. Those whose nature is of one taste with helping others enter the genius vehicle, thought, or compassion. Report an error in the passage at 36:09 Highlight the passage at 36:09

36:41 So those of us whose mind is imbued with the thought of helping others enter the Mahāyāna vehicle, the genius vehicle, the Buddha's vehicle, which is based on compassion. Report an error in the passage at 36:41 Highlight the passage at 36:41

37:01 It is the happiness and magnificence of beings, a being is capable of it. It is appropriate to take responsibility for the welfare of others because to observe only one's own welfare is something we also share with animals. Report an error in the passage at 37:01 Highlight the passage at 37:01

37:18 So here we are human beings, right? We have this special kind of life. And to take care of just ourselves is something that even animals do. Report an error in the passage at 37:18 Highlight the passage at 37:18

37:30 Therefore, the natural disposition of great beings, like Mahayanis, is to categorically strive for the benefit and happiness of others. Report an error in the passage at 37:30 Highlight the passage at 37:30

37:41 So the beings that we... We really admire in this world and we really consider great are the ones that are just focused on themselves, right? They're focused on others. Well, you know, that may or may not be true. You know, sometimes we admire people who are, you know, just really, really good at doing something for themselves. Report an error in the passage at 37:41 Highlight the passage at 37:41

38:04 But the really great beings, the ones who get like Nobel Peace Prizes, you know, Dalai Lama, right? Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu. You know, those are the truly great beings, right? Not just the sports figures or the good musicians, but the beings we really admire and think are just incredible beings, right, that we're happy to be around. Report an error in the passage at 38:04 Highlight the passage at 38:04

38:31 Those are the ones that we're really focused on. Report an error in the passage at 38:31 Highlight the passage at 38:31

38:36 I don't know. You Report an error in the passage at 38:36 Highlight the passage at 38:36

38:43 can see this. Report an error in the passage at 38:43 Highlight the passage at 38:43

38:47 A lot of quotes. So Chandra Goeman, who was an Indian scholar, he wrote a letter to a student. He says, domestic animals. Eat a mouthful of easily found grass, and when tormented by great thirst, they happily drink water they find. So this is following up on his point. I'm almost on top of his point of how animals, you know, take care of themselves, right? Even animals take care of themselves. But here, those who make an effort at working for the welfare of others do so out of charisma, joy, and surpassing strength. Report an error in the passage at 38:47 Highlight the passage at 38:47

39:24 So great beings. A sense of charisma, strength, joy, surpassing strength. So bodhisattvas, I don't know if you've met real bodhisattvas. Report an error in the passage at 39:24 Highlight the passage at 39:24

39:44 Lama Zopa Rinpoche is a real bodhisattva. And if you see him, he's always laughing. He's really light, he's really beautiful, and he gets so much joy out of helping others. You never get the sense that he's burned out. Leave me alone. With real bodhicitta, you have joy. Report an error in the passage at 39:44 Highlight the passage at 39:44

40:16 The sun's great rays shine everywhere, traveling like a horse, a horse-drawn chariot. The ground supports the world without calculating the burden. Such is the nature of persons of great capacity who lack any self-interest. They're consumed with whatever brings happiness and benefit to the world. So here Chandra Goman is comparing the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas to the sun. Report an error in the passage at 40:16 Highlight the passage at 40:16

40:44 So the sun's great rays shine everywhere without bias, not deciding, okay, well, I want to shine in San Francisco today, but not in Los Angeles because San Francisco is better. Report an error in the passage at 40:44 Highlight the passage at 40:44

40:58 But, uh, but, but industry. Indiscriminately shines everywhere, just like the Buddha's good deeds and the Bodhisattvas' good heart. It shines everywhere, not just toward the people who have been kind and helpful to everyone. So similarly, that's what we're striving for. Also, the ground supports the world without calculating the burden. The ground is supporting everything, not saying, well... Report an error in the passage at 40:58 Highlight the passage at 40:58

41:28 You're kind of heavy. I don't really want to deal with you today. Such is the nature of persons with great capacity to lack any self-interest. They're consumed with whatever brings happiness and benefit to the world. So this is something we can at least admire. How amazing would that be to be someone who's just consumed with helping others? Report an error in the passage at 41:28 Highlight the passage at 41:28

42:06 In accordance with that, those who see how migrating beings everywhere are tormented by suffering and who toil for their welfare are called a being and wise. Report an error in the passage at 42:06 Highlight the passage at 42:06

42:26 Here Lama Tsongkhapa is talking about these bodhisattvas, right, who see all other beings as being caught in saṃsāra, all other beings who are suffering, not all these other beings who I'd like to be like kind of thing or who have something that I don't, but all these beings who are caught. And saṃsāra. And having this great compassion for these beings because they're caught in saṃsāra. Like they're caught in this raging river. Report an error in the passage at 42:26 Highlight the passage at 42:26

43:03 Or being pushed along by their karma. Report an error in the passage at 43:03 Highlight the passage at 43:03

43:12 We ordinary beings, we don't have control over what happens to us. We're controlled by our mental afflictions and our karma. So the bodhisattva sees this and has this great compassion for all beings. And this bodhisattva who sees this is called in Sanskrit purusha, which means a being or a special being or a wise being. Report an error in the passage at 43:12 Highlight the passage at 43:12

43:44 And then Chandra Goman says, those who see beings disturbed by the smoke cloud of ignorance that enshrouds the world, helplessly fallen into the blazing fire of suffering, and hastily make effort as if their own heads were on fire, are here called great persons and adults. So this is how bodhisattvas see us. See us as being enshrouded by ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 43:44 Highlight the passage at 43:44

44:13 Because we are. We perceive things in a way that they don't actually exist. And that's the basis of all of our mental fictions. All of our anger and irritation, jealousy, etc. Attachment. So we're enshrouded by ignorance. Helplessly fallen into the blazing fire of suffering. So then the bodhisattva makes effort as if their own heads were on fire. Report an error in the passage at 44:13 Highlight the passage at 44:13

44:50 Without delay, without hesitation, the bodhisattva jumps in and helps. Report an error in the passage at 44:50 Highlight the passage at 44:50

45:04 And I hear called great persons and addicts. Report an error in the passage at 45:04 Highlight the passage at 45:04

45:15 Okay, I've been talking for a while. Are there any questions so far? Report an error in the passage at 45:15 Highlight the passage at 45:15

45:23 That's one thing that I welcome in this class is interaction. I get bored with hearing myself talk too much. So yeah. Charles. To gain a realization of emptiness than to realize bodhicitta. To get the real bodhicitta. I did say that. Easier to gain a realization of emptiness than to actualize bodhicitta. I stand by that. Report an error in the passage at 45:23 Highlight the passage at 45:23

45:54 No, I've heard a number of different lamas say that and I've read that. Report an error in the passage at 45:54 Highlight the passage at 45:54

46:05 And then, you know, when I first heard that I thought, this seems pretty hard. Report an error in the passage at 46:05 Highlight the passage at 46:05

46:14 But if you think about it, I mean, it makes sense to me. Because with bodhicitta, we're trying to counteract the self-cherishing mind, putting myself first. Report an error in the passage at 46:14 Highlight the passage at 46:14

46:37 And in order to do that, I mean, what prevents us from being able to have bodhicitta? Being attached to my own welfare, my own comfort, you know, my own success, you know, getting what I want. You know, all of these things are very deep attached. But we have to really let go of that in order to genuinely, you know, let go of our self-cherishing life. Report an error in the passage at 46:37 Highlight the passage at 46:37

47:08 So this is pretty huge, right? That's kind of turning on our whole nature. Well, I shouldn't say it that way. But, you know, these deeply ingrained habits. But with emptiness, you know, if we're smart and we really study emptiness and we meditate, we can realize that. You know, we don't have to let go of my self-cherishing to realize emptiness. I mean, it helps. It helps. We need to let go of a lot of our self-cherishing to realize. Report an error in the passage at 47:08 Highlight the passage at 47:08

47:41 Bodhicitta is harder, I think. What do you think? Report an error in the passage at 47:41 Highlight the passage at 47:41

47:53 I guess at first glance, you know, it would seem that... Emptiness would be hard, but after you think about it for a second, self-cherishing is very ingrained. Report an error in the passage at 47:53 Highlight the passage at 47:53

48:12 I Report an error in the passage at 48:12 Highlight the passage at 48:12

48:16 wonder if it's not easier for some folks than other folks. When I think about different kinds of people, it seems like that sort of caring about other people sort of comes more naturally to some people, and other people I can think of just have no interest in ever pursuing it, let alone have an inclination towards it. Report an error in the passage at 48:16 Highlight the passage at 48:16

48:35 but I it might not vary a little bit on. Report an error in the passage at 48:35 Highlight the passage at 48:35

48:40 Yeah, yeah. I mean, some people, I mean, I think that they've probably trained in previous lives, you know, naturally, you know, naturally unselfish and naturally just want to help others. But I don't think you do, you know, you're like that unless you're trained. Report an error in the passage at 48:40 Highlight the passage at 48:40

49:06 But yeah, I mean, they advise on the path, like, if you're the type of person that needs to realize emptiness first, do that, you know, practice bodhicitta at the same time, right? But some people need to realize emptiness before they realize bodhicitta. Some people need to take the other way, you know, focus more on the heart side than the method side because the wisdom side doesn't really quite do it for them. Report an error in the passage at 49:06 Highlight the passage at 49:06

49:37 So, you know, we all have our own path, yeah, for sure. So my statement was more just in general. But yeah, for some people. Report an error in the passage at 49:37 Highlight the passage at 49:37

50:11 Okay, there exists an entry to the Mahāyāna. The source of all your own and others' excellence. Medicine removing all problems. The great path traveled by all wise beings that nurtures and nourishes all beings through seeing, hearing, remembering, and touching. That possesses the great skillful means that by working for the benefit of others, by the way, you accomplish your own welfare without any incompleteness. Report an error in the passage at 50:11 Highlight the passage at 50:11

50:40 So this Mahāyāna vehicle is the source of our own excellence, Others' well-being. It's the medicine that removes all problems. That's how we remove our self-cherishing. Our problems also go away because we're not so burdened by our little financial problems or our little, well, I got demoted or this person said something mean to me. Report an error in the passage at 50:40 Highlight the passage at 50:40

51:21 We're not burdened by that. must have problems go away. go of our self-cherishing mind. The great path traveled by all wise beings that nurtures and nourishes all beings through seeing, hearing, remembering, and touching. You know, I had a hard time with this translation. Report an error in the passage at 51:21 Highlight the passage at 51:21

51:46 I Report an error in the passage at 51:46 Highlight the passage at 51:46

51:52 forgot to write down the letter. Report an error in the passage at 51:52 Highlight the passage at 51:52

51:56 Actually, I'll look it up at the break time. Does Report an error in the passage at 51:56 Highlight the passage at 51:56

52:02 anybody have their mom in general, the great truth? Okay, I'll borrow it at break time and I'll look it up. So why don't actually, that's probably a good time, it's 7.30, so we'll take a break for 10 minutes, cookies and things like that, and I'll ring no bell. I'll just let you know when it's time. Report an error in the passage at 52:02 Highlight the passage at 52:02

52:51 FBI can do it. Report an error in the passage at 52:51 Highlight the passage at 52:51

52:56 a long drive home, so if anybody's going towards the haze. Report an error in the passage at 52:56 Highlight the passage at 52:56

53:23 road. Report an error in the passage at 53:23 Highlight the passage at 53:23

53:53 So what I'd like to do is pass around a piece of paper where I'm asking you to put your name and your email address so I can send you things and announcements and all of that. Yeah, you know, and I know that is it all on one sheet of paper? It is. Report an error in the passage at 53:53 Highlight the passage at 53:53

54:13 are a few people who came in. There are a few people who have had a lot of people. Report an error in the passage at 54:13 Highlight the passage at 54:13

54:29 Okay, alright, so I can get it from you. Alright, I'll do that. Report an error in the passage at 54:29 Highlight the passage at 54:29

54:46 I found it trying to be an easier translation of this. Report an error in the passage at 54:46 Highlight the passage at 54:46

54:56 Therefore, the Mahāyāna is the origin of all the good of self and others, the medicine that alleviates all troubles, the great path traveled by all knowledgeable persons. Report an error in the passage at 54:56 Highlight the passage at 54:56

55:12 Nourishment for all beings who see, hear, remember and come into contact with it. So I'll read that last part again. So it's the nourishment for all beings who see, hear, remember and come into contact with it. And Report an error in the passage at 55:12 Highlight the passage at 55:12

55:33 that which has the great skill and means that engages you in others' welfare and thereby indirectly achieves your own welfare in its entirety. Report an error in the passage at 55:33 Highlight the passage at 55:33

55:44 That's this great method that... Engages you in others' welfare, and thereby indirectly achieves your own welfare. Report an error in the passage at 55:44 Highlight the passage at 55:44

55:58 So sometimes these translations, they're still, you know, the translator's still working on them, so sometimes if the translation isn't very clear to me, then I go. Report an error in the passage at 55:58 Highlight the passage at 55:58

56:12 And this, this is a translation of the great lamrim, the longest lamrim, that's the Lama Tsongkhapa. He wrote a middle-length lamrim, which is what we're studying, and then a longer one, which is published into three volumes here. Report an error in the passage at 56:12 Highlight the passage at 56:12

56:33 The bodhicitta part is in the second volume. Report an error in the passage at 56:33 Highlight the passage at 56:33

56:53 And then one who enters the Mahāyāna thinks, Wonderful! I have found what I am looking for. Enter the supreme vehicle with all the strength of an excellent person that you have. Report an error in the passage at 56:53 Highlight the passage at 56:53

57:08 So the bodhisattva... This is full of joy. Finally, this is what I've been looking for. And then we just put whatever effort in that we can. Report an error in the passage at 57:08 Highlight the passage at 57:08

57:26 So some of us have trained in bodhicitta more or less than others. So we just do our best and compare ourselves to others. Report an error in the passage at 57:26 Highlight the passage at 57:26

57:45 So the actual path. So this section on bodhicitta is divided into three main parts. Report an error in the passage at 57:45 Highlight the passage at 57:45

57:58 Demonstrating that generating the mind of enlightenment or bodhicitta is the only gateway to the Mahāyāna. It's the entrance, right? Bodhicitta is what gets us to the Mahāyāna and bodhicitta alone. Report an error in the passage at 57:58 Highlight the passage at 57:58

58:13 And then secondly, how to generate this mind, how to generate bodhicitta. So most of this class will be focused on this second, how to generate. Report an error in the passage at 58:13 Highlight the passage at 58:13

58:28 But before we get there, Report an error in the passage at 58:28 Highlight the passage at 58:28

58:33 into some technical details. And then... Thirdly, once we've generated the mind of enlightenment, having generated bodhicitta, how to train in the conduct. So the bodhisattva conduct. Report an error in the passage at 58:33 Highlight the passage at 58:33

58:49 And that actually will be, we're Report an error in the passage at 58:49 Highlight the passage at 58:49

58:56 going to go through, in this class we're going to talk about maybe two methods for generating bodhicitta. And we'll meditate on those, the sevenfold cause and effect. And then exchanging self with others. We're also going to talk about the ritual for, Report an error in the passage at 58:56 Highlight the passage at 58:56

59:15 Taking bodhisattva vows and then some pointers for how to keep the bodhisattva vows and how to keep your bodhicitta from degenerating. That's always a danger. We may have good periods where we have a lot of compassion for others or we've just gone to a Dharma teaching with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and we feel really inspired. Report an error in the passage at 59:15 Highlight the passage at 59:15

59:38 We've just taken bodhisattva vows. And then six months later we're mired in difficulties at work. and all these people and our bodhi tooth that degenerates, right? So it's very helpful to figure out how we keep that and degenerate. Because it's something we need to train. And it's like getting in shape. Report an error in the passage at 59:38 Highlight the passage at 59:38

1:00:04 Getting in shape physically. You can't just get in shape and then forget about working out. You know, I got in shape. That's all I have to do. You have to keep. So similarly with bodhicitta. Keep doing things. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:04 Highlight the passage at 1:00:04

1:00:26 It's demonstrating that generating the mind of enlightenment is the only gateway to the Mahāyāna. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:26 Highlight the passage at 1:00:26

1:00:35 Therefore, as it is necessary to enter the Mahāyāna, you come to think how it is to be entered. There is no great vehicle of the Mahāyāna apart from the two, the perfection and tantra vehicles taught by the Jina. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:35 Highlight the passage at 1:00:35

1:00:53 Whichever of the two one may enter, the only gateway is the mind of enlightenment. Okay, so now that we're convinced that we have to enter the Mahāyāna, now how do we enter the Mahāyāna? So the Mahāyāna or the Great Vehicle consists of the two, the Perfection Vehicle or the Sūtra Vehicle and then the Tantra Vehicle, Tantra or Vajrayana. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:53 Highlight the passage at 1:00:53

1:01:21 Those are the two Mahāyāna vehicles. We need to practice perfection. They were taught by the Buddha. The Jina is the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:21 Highlight the passage at 1:01:21

1:01:34 Whichever of the two, when they enter, the only gateway is the mind of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:34 Highlight the passage at 1:01:34

1:01:42 So the only way to get to the Mahāyāna is by generating bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:42 Highlight the passage at 1:01:42

1:01:54 So the perfection vehicle or the sūtra vehicle is what we're studying here. Like the lamrim is part of the sūtra vehicle, right, or the perfection vehicle. Whereas the tantra vehicle would be, you know, to Report an error in the passage at 1:01:54 Highlight the passage at 1:01:54

1:02:14 practice either we need bodhicitta. Well, I shouldn't say to practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:14 Highlight the passage at 1:02:14

1:02:23 But for it to be a Mahāyāna practice, we need bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:23 Highlight the passage at 1:02:23

1:02:29 Whenever it has arisen in the continuum, even though nothing else has arisen, one is posited as a Mahāyāna practitioner. Whereas whenever one is separated from it, whatever good qualities one has, such as the realization of emptiness and so forth, one will fall down to the level of here and the like and fall away from the Mahāyāna. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:29 Highlight the passage at 1:02:29

1:02:49 So generating bodhicitta is the entryway into becoming a Mahayanist, and then if we lose bodhicitta, we fall from being a Mahāyāna. So it's the entryway into the Mahāyāna vehicle, and also if we lose it, then we fall from the Mahāyāna. So it doesn't matter what other good qualities we have, you know, if we've realized emptiness or anything, if we have bodhicitta, we're a Mahāyāna, if we don't. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:49 Highlight the passage at 1:02:49

1:03:25 So that's what distinguishes the Mahāyāna and the Mahāyāna, bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:25 Highlight the passage at 1:03:25

1:03:38 This is taught in numerous texts of the Mahāyāna and is also established by reasoning. Therefore, whether one is a Mahāyāna practitioner is determined by whether or not one has this mind of bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:38 Highlight the passage at 1:03:38

1:03:58 Thus, in engaging in the bodhisattva behavior, Shantideva's text, it says that as soon as this mind has arisen, you become a son of the genus. So as soon as we have bodhicitta, we're considered a son of the Buddha. Or daughter of the Buddha. A child of the Buddha. So we all have Buddha nature, right? But we become a child of the Buddhas when we generate bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:58 Highlight the passage at 1:03:58

1:04:28 Because that's really... You know, bodhicitta is the aspiration to... When Report an error in the passage at 1:04:28 Highlight the passage at 1:04:28

1:04:38 we have bodhicitta, we've created the cause to become enlightened. Or we've started to create the cause, right? Like we've entered the path to be able to become a Buddha. Prior to that... We may become liberated and all of this, but we haven't created the cause to become a Buddha until we've generated a Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:38 Highlight the passage at 1:04:38

1:05:10 Because then finally you're aspiring to become a Buddha when you have bodhicitta. You're aspiring to become a Buddha to help all beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:10 Highlight the passage at 1:05:10

1:05:31 Likewise in the biography of Maitreya it says, Son of the lineage is like this. For example, a diamond, even broken, outshines all gold jewelry. However refined, it does not lose its name of diamond and averts all poverty. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:31 Highlight the passage at 1:05:31

1:05:51 So, he's saying that even a tiny sliver of a diamond is still outshined, still superior to gold, no Report an error in the passage at 1:05:51 Highlight the passage at 1:05:51

1:06:09 matter how small. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:09 Highlight the passage at 1:06:09

1:06:15 Similarly, likewise, the diamond that is generated in the omniscient, even free from effort. Outshines all the golden jewelry that is the good qualities of the gears and solitary utilizers. It does not lose the name bodhisattva and averts all the misfortunes of psychoconsistence. So any bit of bodhicitta that we have is still greater than just striving for your own benefit. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:15 Highlight the passage at 1:06:15

1:06:44 Even if you have a realization of emptiness, but you're striving for your own liberation and not for others, it's still better. To help some bodhicitta and be striving for the benefit of others. Why is it better? Because it's much more helpful to be used. It's much more helpful to strive for others to want to help others than to have the greatest qualities but just doing it for yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:44 Highlight the passage at 1:06:44

1:07:15 It's so admirable if you're only striving for your own. So Report an error in the passage at 1:07:15 Highlight the passage at 1:07:15

1:07:24 even any bit of bodhicitta you have. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:24 Highlight the passage at 1:07:24

1:07:38 That mind exists even in someone untrained in Kanda. He or she will be said to be a bodhisattva. So even if the person just has the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the welfare of others, but isn't training the six perfections, there's still a bodhisattva, Report an error in the passage at 1:07:38 Highlight the passage at 1:07:38

1:08:03 wanting. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:03 Highlight the passage at 1:08:03

1:08:14 Therefore, it is not sufficient for the Dharma to be Mahāyāna Dharma. Rather, it is important that the person has entered the Mahāyāna. Whether you become a follower of the Mahāyāna depends on the mind of enlightenment itself. If that mind is only an intellectual understanding, you will be a facsimile of a Mahāyāna practitioner. On the other hand, if you have a fully qualified mind of enlightenment, you will also become a completely pure Mahāyāna practitioner. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:14 Highlight the passage at 1:08:14

1:08:41 That is why you should strive in it. So let's say just because we're doing a Mahāyāna practice, let's say I'm doing a tantric sadhana, that's not what makes. I'm going to be honest. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:41 Highlight the passage at 1:08:41

1:09:00 makes me Mahāyāna is when I'm a Buri Chita. I'm a Buri Chita, then I'm going to hang on. Otherwise, if we just have an intellectual understanding of bodhicitta, we hear about it, but we don't genuinely have that concern in our hearts, then we're just aspiring, right? We're aspiring, but we're not actually a bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:00 Highlight the passage at 1:09:00

1:09:25 So that's why we have to, we can admire bodhicitta. And understand it intellectually. If we actually train our minds and develop something, that's really the big deal, right? That's what's going to be helpful to others. Because once you have bodhicitta, you're not going to harm others, right? If you're really concerned about others welfare, we're not going to insult others anymore, say something harsh or do things that... Report an error in the passage at 1:09:25 Highlight the passage at 1:09:25

1:10:02 that are hurtful and harmful to others. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:02 Highlight the passage at 1:10:02

1:10:28 about this. the same plate. of the lineage, the mind of enlightenment is like the seed of all the dharma, the Buddha. Some bodhicitta is like the seed of the entire dharma. So Report an error in the passage at 1:10:28 Highlight the passage at 1:10:28

1:10:49 he's continuing to make this point. So since water, manure, heat, soil, etc. act as a cause for a rice sprout when combined with a rice grain. And act as causes for sprouts of wheat, pulses and so forth when combined with their respective seeds. They are common causes. Since a barley seed, even though the conditions are gathered together, is not suitable as a cause of a rice sprout and so forth, it is the uncommon cause of a barley sprout. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:49 Highlight the passage at 1:10:49

1:11:16 While the water, manure and so forth that cooperate with it are the common cause of the barley sprout. Okay, so here he's talking about common causes and uncommon causes or... Maybe general causes and specific causes. So the specific cause of a rice sprout is the rice seed. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:16 Highlight the passage at 1:11:16

1:11:40 The common cause or the general causes would be the sun, the soil, the manure, the water, right? So if you plant a rice seed, you'll have, you know, if all the conditions come together, you'll have a rice sprout. If you plant a barley seed, you'll get a barley sprout. If you plant a barley seed, you won't ever get a rice sprout, no matter what all the other conditions. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:40 Highlight the passage at 1:11:40

1:12:11 So the unique or the specific cause of the rice sprout is the rice seed. So similarly, Report an error in the passage at 1:12:11 Highlight the passage at 1:12:11

1:12:26 the wisdom among the causes for a Buddha sprout, The mind of unsurpassed enlightenment, Lai, the seed, is the uncommon cause, whereas the wisdom realizing emptiness, like the water, manure and so forth, is the common cause of free enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:26 Highlight the passage at 1:12:26

1:12:48 So similarly, with bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment is the uncommon cause, the specific cause for enlightenment, whereas the wisdom realizing emptiness is the general cause or the common cause for enlightenment. So if you have wisdom realizing emptiness, you may achieve Buddhahood or you may achieve individual liberation. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:48 Highlight the passage at 1:12:48

1:13:13 But what makes it a cause to achieve Buddhahood would be bodhicitta. So Report an error in the passage at 1:13:13 Highlight the passage at 1:13:13

1:13:46 in his praise to the perfection of wisdom, Nagarjuna also points out that heirs and solitary realizers equally rely on it. Buddhas, pratyeka Buddhas and heirs definitely rely on you. Singular path to liberation. It's true to say there is no other. I'm Report an error in the passage at 1:13:46 Highlight the passage at 1:13:46

1:14:33 not sure about this translation again. But anyways, so the hearers, Pradyaka Buddhas are the solitary realizers. The Hinayana practitioners, they also rely on the realization of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:33 Highlight the passage at 1:14:33

1:14:49 But the Bodhisattvas realize also bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:49 Highlight the passage at 1:14:49

1:14:59 That's why the perfection of wisdom is also said to be the mother. Since it is the mother of the sons of both the great and the lesser vehicles, it is not the wisdom realizing emptiness that distinguishes the greater and lesser vehicles. Rather, it is a mind of enlightenment and the vast conduct that distinguishes them. So similarly, it's making this point again and again. It's not the realization of emptiness, but it's the difference between the henna and the man. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:59 Highlight the passage at 1:14:59

1:15:32 Bodhicitta and the six perfections. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:32 Highlight the passage at 1:15:32

1:15:46 And the precious garland, they are also taught to be differentiated, not by the view, but the kind of... So Lama Tsongkhapa, he has, you know, this, he always supports his assertions, right, with quotes from Indian masters. So it's not his own kind of invention, right? He's supporting, he quotes a lot of other sources. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:46 Highlight the passage at 1:15:46

1:16:15 So this is Nagarjuna. The here's vehicle does not explain the bodhisattva's aspiration. Nor their conduct of full dedication. How should bodhisattvas emerge from it? So the hearer's vehicle in the Hinayana does not explain the bodhisattva, the bodhicitta, nor the conduct, the six perfections, etc. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:15 Highlight the passage at 1:16:15

1:16:44 How do we become a bodhisattva if we just follow the Hinayana? Report an error in the passage at 1:16:44 Highlight the passage at 1:16:44

1:16:52 Therefore, if even the wisdom realizing emptiness is not an uncommon path of the Mahāyāna... What need is there to mention other paths? So even if this great realization, the realization of emptiness, is not the uncommon or specific path of the Mahāyāna, then the other teachings like karma, Report an error in the passage at 1:16:52 Highlight the passage at 1:16:52

1:17:21 etc., those are also not the uncommon paths of the Mahāyāna. Those are common between the Hinayana and the Mahāyāna. For that reason, it is necessary to train in the mind and the lightness. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:21 Highlight the passage at 1:17:21

1:17:35 Having made instructions on it, one's main concern. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:35 Highlight the passage at 1:17:35

1:17:45 Then we get into the explanation of how to generate the mind of enlightenment. So we've just finished that section on demonstrating that only the mind of enlightenment, only bodhicitta, that is the entryway into the Mahāyāna. That makes sense? Report an error in the passage at 1:17:45 Highlight the passage at 1:17:45

1:18:09 So then we'll cover the stages of training the mind of enlightenment. So those will be the two methods for attaining bodhicitta. The measure of its development. The measure of having developed bodhicitta. How do we know when we have the real bodhicitta? And then the way to take it through ritual. The way to take bodhisattva vows. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:09 Highlight the passage at 1:18:09

1:18:43 The stages of training. The mind of enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:43 Highlight the passage at 1:18:43

1:18:49 So there's two main lineages for practicing and generating bodhicitta. There are two methods. The seven-fold instruction on cause and effect. So this came from Atisha. So Atisha is the one who came to Tibet and introduced the Dharma to Tibet from India. And then the training based on that which occurs in the text by Shantideva, the son of the Jinas, which is the method of exchanging oneself with others. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:49 Highlight the passage at 1:18:49

1:19:28 So the first one, the seven-fold instruction on cause and effect. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:28 Highlight the passage at 1:19:28

1:19:36 So Atisha, Atisha was a great master in India. The Report an error in the passage at 1:19:36 Highlight the passage at 1:19:36

1:19:46 king of Tibet was wanting to bring somebody from India to bring the Dharma back to Tibet. Actually, the Dharma had already been introduced to Tibet, but it had really degenerated and there were some strange practices going on. So the king wanted someone great to come to Tibet and restore. He brought pure lineage to Tibet, and he heard that Atisha was the person. So he invited Atisha to come, and he said no, and he invited him again, and he said no. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:46 Highlight the passage at 1:19:46

1:20:28 So there's this great story of how Atisha finally came to Tibet. But finally he did end up coming to Tibet, and he introduced the Lamrim to Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:28 Highlight the passage at 1:20:28

1:20:41 Prior to coming to Tibet, He had many different masters and he had many different motivations. But what he really wanted was bodhicitta. So he had heard about this master named Serlingpa in Indonesia. So he decided to go find Serlingpa. So, you know, in those days it wasn't so easy to get to Indonesia, right? He couldn't hop on a plane. And so he risked his life and he endured a lot of hardships to get. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:41 Highlight the passage at 1:20:41

1:21:17 To Sumatra. And I think it took him something like 13 months to get there. And then once he was there, he found Sri Lanka and then Sri Lanka gave him the lineages and the teachings on bodhicitta. And Atisha stayed with him for something like 12 years and actually generated bodhicitta based on the instructions from Sri Lanka. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:17 Highlight the passage at 1:21:17

1:21:44 So Atisha was said to have many, many different teachers. But he considered Sir Lingpa his kindest teacher of them all because it was because of Sir Lingpa that he was able to develop bodhicitta and he got their teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:44 Highlight the passage at 1:21:44

1:22:02 And actually, Atisha had greater wisdom than Sir Lingpa. It was said that Sir Lingpa actually had a lower level of wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:02 Highlight the passage at 1:22:02

1:22:12 His understanding of emptiness wasn't the most profound, but Atisha considered Sir Lingpa still the... His greatest teacher because of the bodhicitta. So from Sir Lingpa, Atisha got both of the lineages of the sevenfold cause and effect as well as exchanging oneself with others. But he primarily taught the sevenfold cause and effect method. This one is said to be more suitable for the masses. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:12 Highlight the passage at 1:22:12

1:22:43 So in all the big group teachings, he only taught the sevenfold cause and effect. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:43 Highlight the passage at 1:22:43

1:22:52 And only to his heart son, Jumtongpa, he taught the exchanging oneself with others. So that shows how exchanging oneself with others is very profound and rare, and actually we're very fortunate to have this image. So we're going to learn both, the sevenfold cause and effect and exchanging oneself with others. And it's interesting, there's this wonderful little book. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:52 Highlight the passage at 1:22:52

1:23:22 My Ribo Rinpoche, I don't know if one of you met, I think some of you met Ribo Rinpoche, who used to be in the Bay Area, called How to Generate Bodhicitta. So if you're interested in, there's a little book on bodhicitta. Ribo Rinpoche says that when we get teachings on bodhicitta, we get teachings about these two methods separately, the sevenfold cause and effect and exchanging oneself with others. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:22 Highlight the passage at 1:23:22

1:23:47 But when we're actually practicing, we practice both. You practice a combined method. So Lama Tsongkhapa got the teachings from both lineages and combined them into 11 steps and Rūpa Rinpoche, so we should actually practice the 11 steps. So we'll go through each of these and then we'll go through the 11. So Report an error in the passage at 1:23:47 Highlight the passage at 1:23:47

1:24:22 there for a few things. First of all, this text, I'm going to send it to you electronically. And then how many people want a hard copy of it? Report an error in the passage at 1:24:22 Highlight the passage at 1:24:22

1:24:39 It's the same one, yeah. Well, I mean, it's a slightly updated translation, but I haven't actually seen any differences yet between the old one and the old one. So two people want the hard copy. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:39 Highlight the passage at 1:24:39

1:25:00 Well, I mean, as you can see here, just reading this by itself is kind of difficult to get a real point. So it's very helpful to have a commentary along with it. So if you want to purchase a commentary, there's... There are two that I recommend. This is the more extensive one. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:00 Highlight the passage at 1:25:00

1:25:29 This is the bottom one by Geshe Sopa. It's Steps on the Path to Enlightenment. This is a commentary in five volumes, so it's very extensive, but it's just wonderful. This is the commentary that I am Report an error in the passage at 1:25:29 Highlight the passage at 1:25:29

1:25:53 clear and profound and inspiring. So if you have time to read, I think it's... Report an error in the passage at 1:25:53 Highlight the passage at 1:25:53

1:26:04 Here it would be, so this week of pages 11 to 33, maybe 20 pages, 20 to 30 pages a week. So if you can read 20 to 30 pages a week, I really recommend this one. If you can't, then there's, I'm going to bring the Yangtze Ricochet's book. It wouldn't fit in a bag. There's a smaller book called Practicing the Path by Yangtze Ricochet and it's in a single volume. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:04 Highlight the passage at 1:26:04

1:26:34 That's also. Very good. So currently in this, if you're going to buy this to go along with the steps on the path, to go along with our current material would be volume three. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:34 Highlight the passage at 1:26:34

1:26:56 I'll also send you a copy of the slides in PDF format so you have all of the stuff. And I also want to send you a reading. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:56 Highlight the passage at 1:26:56

1:27:06 I normally do this, but there are a few... Teachings on bodhicitta by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe that I find really, really inspiring. So I'll send you this. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:06 Highlight the passage at 1:27:06

1:27:23 But this isn't easy. Any Report an error in the passage at 1:27:23 Highlight the passage at 1:27:23

1:27:31 questions or comments? Report an error in the passage at 1:27:31 Highlight the passage at 1:27:31

1:27:39 I think it's Report an error in the passage at 1:27:39 Highlight the passage at 1:27:39

1:27:49 about another year. So the bodhicitta, we'll do bodhicitta until the first week in April. And then we'll do the six perfections and things. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:49 Highlight the passage at 1:27:49

1:28:07 Until July, and calm abiding after that. And then there's a very extensive and profound section on emptiness. So it depends on how long that emptiness will take. But by the end of the year, we should get started on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:07 Highlight the passage at 1:28:07

1:28:31 And then how long that will take, I don't know. I think Gishidako, when he taught emptiness, actually, that section, You know, Gishida was very thorough in detail. Somebody told me a year on just the emptiness portion. So it depends on if you want to go into that level in detail. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:31 Highlight the passage at 1:28:31

1:28:55 It's just psychologically prepared. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:55 Highlight the passage at 1:28:55

1:28:59 All right. Anything else? Okay. So a couple logistical things. So Linda here is needing to go to the BART. Maybe you just, so somebody Report an error in the passage at 1:28:59 Highlight the passage at 1:28:59

1:29:29 can give you a ride. Louis said he could do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:29 Highlight the passage at 1:29:29

1:29:44 Maybe just before we leave, it would be really helpful to me if everybody said their name. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:44 Highlight the passage at 1:29:44

1:29:53 And then maybe just a little bit about your background in the Dharma. Try Report an error in the passage at 1:29:53 Highlight the passage at 1:29:53

· · · silence, 4 minutes

1:34:20 to balance it. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:20 Highlight the passage at 1:34:20

1:34:26 So I'm Report an error in the passage at 1:34:26 Highlight the passage at 1:34:26

1:34:41 just thinking about if Report an error in the passage at 1:34:41 Highlight the passage at 1:34:41

1:35:07 we're involved, getting Report an error in the passage at 1:35:07 Highlight the passage at 1:35:07

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:36:05 the BART. We Report an error in the passage at 1:36:05 Highlight the passage at 1:36:05

1:36:17 do that every day. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:17 Highlight the passage at 1:36:17

1:36:27 And as I said before, in some days we may feel really grateful, in other days we may think, yeah, yeah, whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:27 Highlight the passage at 1:36:27

1:36:36 That's just... Report an error in the passage at 1:36:36 Highlight the passage at 1:36:36

1:36:56 Since we're doing bodhicitta, we'll end with Shantideva on page 246. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:56 Highlight the passage at 1:36:56

1:37:24 Plague by sufferings of body and mind, obtain an ocean of happiness and joy by virtue of my merits. May no living creature suffer, commit evil or ever fall ill. May no one be afraid or belittled with a mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms and the deaf hear sounds. May those whose bodies are worn with toil. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:24 Highlight the passage at 1:37:24

1:37:48 be restored on finding repose. the naked find clothing, the hungry find food. May the thirsty find water and delicious drinks. May the poor find wealth, those weak with sorrow May there be timely rains and bountiful harvests. May all medicines be effective and wholesome prayers bear fruit. May all who are sick and ill quickly be freed from their ailments diseases there are in the world may they never occur again the frightened cease to be afraid and those bound be freed may the powerless find power and may people think of benefiting each other as long as space remains for as long as sentient beings remain until then may I too remain dispel the miseries of Chad, Report an error in the passage at 1:37:48 Highlight the passage at 1:37:48

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:39:27 this thing is so awesome. I love it. Oh no, I forgot about that. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:27 Highlight the passage at 1:39:27