Special Insight 2: Wisdom of Emptiness (9 August 2011)

0:01 Hi, Peter. How are you? Good. How are you? Everything's good. Good. I'm doing good. I'm walking and talking. Yeah. The eye's not so good at everything. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:23 We all have our karmic things. Exactly. I've got a daigie. I don't know what's worse. I don't know what's worse. Report an error in the passage at 0:23 Highlight the passage at 0:23

0:36 It's a selfish act when I bring jasmine tea. You're bringing it so then it's actually the one unselfish act because the different limit the extra light. Report an error in the passage at 0:36 Highlight the passage at 0:36

0:53 Good. What's his name? Yeah, he's Parking Karma. Parking Karma. Parking Karma? Yes. Yeah, car karma, exactly. Report an error in the passage at 0:53 Highlight the passage at 0:53

1:05 Oh, yeah, I got a, it was wonderful, he saw that I was flying. Inhales and exhales through the nostrils. He's Report an error in the passage at 1:05 Highlight the passage at 1:05

1:41 putting our attention there. Letting the thoughts of the day fall away. Then Report an error in the passage at 1:41 Highlight the passage at 1:41

· · · silence, 2 minutes

3:38 let's try to set some sort of a bodhicitta motivation if we can. There Report an error in the passage at 3:38 Highlight the passage at 3:38

3:48 are countless other beings, Report an error in the passage at 3:48 Highlight the passage at 3:48

3:54 just one of us, wanting Report an error in the passage at 3:54 Highlight the passage at 3:54

4:04 to suffer just like ourselves, as Report an error in the passage at 4:04 Highlight the passage at 4:04

4:34 well as their suffering and problems, developing compassion, love and compassion, and Report an error in the passage at 4:34 Highlight the passage at 4:34

· · · silence, 1 minute

5:36 the wish to attain enlightenment, full awakening, in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 5:36 Highlight the passage at 5:36

· · · silence, 1 minute

6:58 With the praise to Manjushri on the first page of the weight book, Report an error in the passage at 6:58 Highlight the passage at 6:58

7:17 obeisance to my guru and protector Manjushri, who holds to his heart a scriptural text symbolic of his seeing all things as they are. Whose intelligence shines forth as the sun, unclouded by delusions or traces of ignorance. Who teaches in sixty ways with the loving compassion of a father for his only son. Report an error in the passage at 7:17 Highlight the passage at 7:17

7:37 All creatures caught in the prison of saṃsāra, confused in the darkness of their ignorance, overwhelmed by their suffering. You whose drag and thunder-like proclamation of Dharma arouses us from the stupor of our delusions and frees us from the iron chains of our karma. who wields the sword of wisdom used its sprouts appear, clearing away the darkness of ignorance. You, whose princely body is adorned with 112 marks of a Buddha, who has completed the stages achieving the highest perfection of a bodhisattva, who has been pure from the beginning, I bow down to you, O Manjushri. Report an error in the passage at 7:37 Highlight the passage at 7:37

8:14 O Marapatsanity. With the Report an error in the passage at 8:14 Highlight the passage at 8:14

8:28 brilliance of your wisdom, O compassionate one. Illuminate the darkness in closing my mind. Enlighten my intelligence and wisdom so that I may gain insight into Buddha's words and the texts that explain them. And then the Heart Sūtra in the Gold Book on page 76. I Report an error in the passage at 8:28 Highlight the passage at 8:28

8:57 prostrate to the Arya Triple Gem. Thus did I hear at one time, the Bhagavan was dwelling on Mass Vultures Mountain in Rajgriya, together with a great community of monks and a great community of bodhisattvas. At that time, the Bhagavan was absorbed in the concentration on the categories of phenomena called profound perception. Report an error in the passage at 8:57 Highlight the passage at 8:57

9:17 Also at that time, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara looked upon the very practice of the profound perfection of wisdom and beheld those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature. Then through the power of Buddha, the venerable Shariputra said this to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara, How should any son of the lineage train who wishes to practice the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom? Report an error in the passage at 9:17 Highlight the passage at 9:17

9:46 He said that and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara said this to the venable Sharivadiputra. Shariputra, any son of the lineage or daughter of the lineage who wishes to practice the activity of the profound perfection of wisdom should look upon it like this, correctly and repeatedly beholding those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature. Report an error in the passage at 9:46 Highlight the passage at 9:46

10:10 Form is empty, emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form. Form is also not other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness are empty. Shariputra, likewise all phenomena are emptiness, without characteristic, unproduced, unceased, stainless, not without stain, not deficient, not fulfilled. Report an error in the passage at 10:10 Highlight the passage at 10:10

10:36 Shariputra, therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no visual form, no sound. No odor, no taste, no object of touch and no phenomenon. There is no eye element and so on up to and including no mind element and no mental consciousness element. Report an error in the passage at 10:36 Highlight the passage at 10:36

11:05 There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance and so on up to and including no aging and death and no extinction of aging and death. Similarly, there is no suffering, origination, cessation and path. There is no exalted wisdom, no attainment and also no non-attainment. Shariputra, therefore, because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on and dwell in the perfection of wisdom, the mind without obscuration and without fear. Report an error in the passage at 11:05 Highlight the passage at 11:05

11:35 Having completely passed beyond error, they reach the end point of nirvāṇa. All the Buddhas who dwell in the three times also manifestly completely awaken to unsurpassable, perfect, complete enlightenment. In reliance on the perfection of wisdom. Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the mantra equal to the unequal, the mantra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering, should be known as true since it is not false. Report an error in the passage at 11:35 Highlight the passage at 11:35

12:07 The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is declared. Tayata Om Gatte Gatte Paragatte Parasam Gatte Bodhisoha Shariputra, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva should train in the profound perfection of wisdom like that. Then the Bhagavan arose from that concentration and commended the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara saying, Well said, well said, son of the lineage, it is like that. Report an error in the passage at 12:07 Highlight the passage at 12:07

12:35 It is like that. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom just as you have indicated. Even the Tathagatas rejoice. The Bhagavan having thus spoken, the venerable Sharivadiputra, the Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, Arya, Avalokiteshvara, and the surrounding in their entirety, along with the world of gods, humans, asuras, and Gandharvas, were overjoyed and highly praised that spoken by the Bhagavan. Report an error in the passage at 12:35 Highlight the passage at 12:35

13:02 And then Refuge and Bodhicitta 9. Page 98 at the bottom. Report an error in the passage at 13:02 Highlight the passage at 13:02

13:15 I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. I go for refuge until I am enlightened to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly. By the merits I create through listening to the Dharma, may I become a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 13:15 Highlight the passage at 13:15

13:41 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 13:41 Highlight the passage at 13:41

14:00 All right. So we're studying Lama Tsongkhapa's middle length lamrim in the special insight section. I thought I would start with a bit of review tonight since... Report an error in the passage at 14:00 Highlight the passage at 14:00

14:18 Since we haven't met for a while, we met two weeks ago, but then I didn't do much of a review, but it might be worthwhile, especially for people who haven't been in the class. Report an error in the passage at 14:18 Highlight the passage at 14:18

14:35 Alright, so last term we talked about the lower philosophical schools of Buddhism, right? So there's four philosophical schools. Schools of Buddhism, each which is like a stepping stone to the most subtle, the highest, most profound, subtlest level. So we talked about the various assertions of the schools, which is very helpful in order to understand the Prasangika view, the highest view. Report an error in the passage at 14:35 Highlight the passage at 14:35

15:05 And the unique, well so now we're in Lama Tsongkhapa's text, so we're going to just be going more deeply into the Prasangika view, the highest view. And all of the schools say that the root of cyclic existence is some level of ignorance, some level of deluded conceptuality, which is believing in, well, looking at appearances and believing that they are real. Report an error in the passage at 15:05 Highlight the passage at 15:05

15:39 Looking at appearances, illusory appearances, and believing that they are real. And so this applies for the highest schools, for Mahāyāna, this applies to everything. Everything exists in this way. Nothing exists as being real. Nothing exists in the way that we think it exists. So this isn't some intellectual abstract philosophy to put on the shelf. Report an error in the passage at 15:39 Highlight the passage at 15:39

16:13 This applies to every moment of our perceptions, which makes it so interesting. right? So juicy. So the root of all our problems is what's called afflicted ignorance. Lama Tsongkhapa calls it afflicted ignorance, which superimposes a way of being or a mode of existing on top of what actually exists. So our minds, our conceptual minds, and specifically our ignorance, superimposes a way of existing on top of what actually exists. Report an error in the passage at 16:13 Highlight the passage at 16:13

16:54 Things do conventionally exist, but in a very subtle way, in a much more subtle way than we understand. And so ignorance exaggerates the way things exist. Think that they exist much more solidly, much more concretely. Report an error in the passage at 16:54 Highlight the passage at 16:54

17:16 Then they actually do. We believe that things have their own essence. They exist in and of themselves. We think that things exist independent of our conception. Report an error in the passage at 17:16 Highlight the passage at 17:16

17:39 When in fact things exist dependently, things don't exist in and of themselves. Report an error in the passage at 17:39 Highlight the passage at 17:39

17:50 A while back I gave this example of this. Constantly changing causes and conditions. There are constantly changing causes and conditions, like the example of a storm, right? Starts with wind, rain, clouds, moves across the Atlantic Ocean, constantly changing depending on the conditions that arise. Report an error in the passage at 17:50 Highlight the passage at 17:50

18:22 By the time it hits land, it's a completely different... animal, right, than what it started with. Our conceptual mind glues that all together and calls that storm. We think it's one thing. We call it storm or we call it hurricane or we call it hurricane Ike or whatever. But it's constantly changing causes and conditions that the conceptual mind labels hurricane. Report an error in the passage at 18:22 Highlight the passage at 18:22

19:01 But the thing is, is that we believe that there's a real essence of hurricane that's constantly changing. This is what the lower schools say. There's a real essence of something that is constantly changing. And the person would say, no, there's no real essence. There are constantly changing causes and conditions that we label, that our conceptual mind labels hurricane. Report an error in the passage at 19:01 Highlight the passage at 19:01

19:34 So the difference between thinking there's an essence of something that's changing versus constantly changing causes and conditions that we label, that are merely labeled something. Report an error in the passage at 19:34 Highlight the passage at 19:34

19:52 So this applies to everything. Report an error in the passage at 19:52 Highlight the passage at 19:52

20:01 This applies to cups. It applies to tables. It applies to buildings. It applies to people. It applies to me. So the biggest troublemaker, Lama Tsongkhapa says, well actually, Chandrakirti says, is the view of the transitory collection, which is that conception of a real, inherently existing me. Report an error in the passage at 20:01 Highlight the passage at 20:01

20:36 We believe that, right? There's a real me. There's a real essence of me. We don't think, oh yeah, there's a constantly changing... Report an error in the passage at 20:36 Highlight the passage at 20:36

20:48 Earth element and water element and air element and fire element and consciousness element that we label me, which is in fact the way that I exist. We think there's a real me that changes, right? And a real me that wants to be happy and doesn't want problems. A real me... That wants people to treat me well and, you know, with respect and not, right, insult me, not disrespect me, right, Report an error in the passage at 20:48 Highlight the passage at 20:48

21:34 not make my life difficult. Report an error in the passage at 21:34 Highlight the passage at 21:34

21:42 So things actually exist dependent on causes and conditions. So the person exists dependent on, right, our mother, right, that mother's egg, father's sperm coming together, right. Gestation period, air, water, food, right? And then our minds are constantly subject to causes and conditions, right? What we watch on TV and the people that we interact with and what we read and, you know, the mind is constantly changing. Report an error in the passage at 21:42 Highlight the passage at 21:42

22:28 So the eye, the basis of the eye, which is the body and the mind, is constantly changing, right? The body and the mind. Constantly subject to causes and conditions. Report an error in the passage at 22:28 Highlight the passage at 22:28

22:42 The eye is also dependent on parts. We think that there's a solid body and a solid mind. But actually the body is composed of millions and billions of particles. There's no body separate from all of those particles. Report an error in the passage at 22:42 Highlight the passage at 22:42

23:06 And the mind is not one thing. It's many... Moments of consciousness, many, many moments that we stream together conceptually and call it mind. Report an error in the passage at 23:06 Highlight the passage at 23:06

23:25 And then the I is dependent on imputation, labeling by the conceptual mind. So the I is dependent on these three things, causes and conditions, parts and imputation. Report an error in the passage at 23:25 Highlight the passage at 23:25

23:48 And there's no I that is... Other than that which is dependent. There's no I that's independent. There's no real essence of I that's not subject to causes and conditions, parts and imputation. Report an error in the passage at 23:48 Highlight the passage at 23:48

24:13 So this is believing that this I is real is the root of cyclic existence. Well, it's believing that the I is real as well as all other phenomena. But believing that the I is real is the biggest troublemaker. So we have this reference point, right? Based on believing in a real I, then we're constantly trying to make this I happy, right? Report an error in the passage at 24:13 Highlight the passage at 24:13

24:46 And avoid suffering, right? So if there are objects that please this I, then we develop attachment, right? If there are objects that displease the I, then we develop aversion and annoyance and anger. Based on believing in this I and grasping for happiness, then we grasp onto mine in order to achieve this I's happiness. Report an error in the passage at 24:46 Highlight the passage at 24:46

25:23 Don't waste my time. Report an error in the passage at 25:23 Highlight the passage at 25:23

25:31 right in my so The belief in a real I and a real mine is the view of the transitory collection, which is the root of cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 25:31 Highlight the passage at 25:31

25:50 The conception of an inherently existent I or inherently existent mine is the view of the transitory collection. Report an error in the passage at 25:50 Highlight the passage at 25:50

26:06 So another Report an error in the passage at 26:06 Highlight the passage at 26:06

26:11 way of talking about the prasangika position is that nothing exists. From its own side, Report an error in the passage at 26:11 Highlight the passage at 26:11

26:24 nothing exists on its basis of imputation. Existence on its basis of imputation. Prasangikas would say, in this body and mind, there is no I on this body and mind. There is no I at all on this body and the mind. The I is just imputed to the body and mind. But there is no I on the body and mind. If you search for the I on the body and mind, you won't be able to find it. Report an error in the passage at 26:24 Highlight the passage at 26:24

27:02 So let's back up a little bit to an example we gave last term. Imagine there's a whiteboard here. There are three lines. Report an error in the passage at 27:02 Highlight the passage at 27:02

27:19 I'm sorry, Jessica, I told you we don't need it. Can you not see what I'm drawing in air? Report an error in the passage at 27:19 Highlight the passage at 27:19

27:36 Sorry, Jessica. So what I'm drawing are three lines. But anything is fine. I can redraw those three lines. I can use the back of a... Yeah, that's fine. Thank you. Can Report an error in the passage at 27:36 Highlight the passage at 27:36

28:01 you see this? Report an error in the passage at 28:01 Highlight the passage at 28:01

28:18 That'll be the last time you believe me when I say it. Report an error in the passage at 28:18 Highlight the passage at 28:18

28:31 There are three lines there that Report an error in the passage at 28:31 Highlight the passage at 28:31

28:40 at some point in our life we learned is an A. Right? But are those three lines an A from their own side? Report an error in the passage at 28:40 Highlight the passage at 28:40

28:54 A doesn't exist on those three lines, right? A is something that came from our mind, right? Because it's a convention, right, in our society, in this country. Report an error in the passage at 28:54 Highlight the passage at 28:54

29:08 In this country, let's just say. We have a convention that looks like that is an A. And a capital A, even that. But there is no A at all. Oh, look at that. Report an error in the passage at 29:08 Highlight the passage at 29:08

29:34 Thank you. There's no... Where are those two A's? Report an error in the passage at 29:34 Highlight the passage at 29:34

29:48 Yeah, so there's no Report an error in the passage at 29:48 Highlight the passage at 29:48

29:55 A at all, right, on those three lines. We all agree that A comes from our mind, and A, there's no A at all on that piece of paper, on those three lines. Report an error in the passage at 29:55 Highlight the passage at 29:55

30:10 There's some data that appears to our mind, right? And then our mind labels that A. So A doesn't exist at all on its basis, right? The three lines being the basis upon which we impute A. But there is no A at all on those three lines. The A comes from the mind, right? Report an error in the passage at 30:10 Highlight the passage at 30:10

30:40 That's a nice example because none of us are attached to A, right? We don't think, yeah. I don't think, no, that really is an A. But it appears as an A, right? There are three lines that appear to our mind. We label it A very quickly, right? And then it appears back as if there's an A coming from the side of the object, right? It appears as if there's an A that comes from the side of the three lines. Report an error in the passage at 30:40 Highlight the passage at 30:40

31:14 We know intellectually that we imputed that. But then as soon as we impute it, it appears back as if the object is that rather than something that we imputed by our minds. Report an error in the passage at 31:14 Highlight the passage at 31:14

31:36 So it's the same thing with every phenomenon. Report an error in the passage at 31:36 Highlight the passage at 31:36

31:44 You see some colors and some shapes. You label this cup or mug and it appears back as if it really is a cup or a mug. Report an error in the passage at 31:44 Highlight the passage at 31:44

32:03 But where does cup or mug come from? Report an error in the passage at 32:03 Highlight the passage at 32:03

32:10 It comes from the mind, right? It's just merely labeled by the mind, right? Is there a cup or a mug right here among its parts? Report an error in the passage at 32:10 Highlight the passage at 32:10

32:28 If there was a cup here right here among its parts, then you would never have had to label it. You never would have had to learn it. Everybody who would see it would know it was a cup, but Report an error in the passage at 32:28 Highlight the passage at 32:28

32:48 the cup is just like the A. At some point we learned that this was a cup, right? We learned that. Report an error in the passage at 32:48 Highlight the passage at 32:48

33:00 This is something that we labeled and now it appears back as if it really is a cup. And if somebody tries to use it to scoop out the cat litter, we wouldn't be very happy, right? Report an error in the passage at 33:00 Highlight the passage at 33:00

33:23 That's my cup! You're using my cup to scoop out the cat litter. Don't you know that that's my cup? Right? But where did cup come from? And Report an error in the passage at 33:23 Highlight the passage at 33:23

33:44 it functions as a cup, right? I can stick my tea in here and I can drink out of it. Cup came from, it could have just as easily been a cat litter scoop, right? It functions as a cat litter scoop, right? But once we've labeled it cup, you know, you certainly don't want to use it as a cat litter scoop. Report an error in the passage at 33:44 Highlight the passage at 33:44

34:12 Right? Exactly. And inconsiderate. So, Report an error in the passage at 34:12 Highlight the passage at 34:12

34:24 is there a cup at all in my hand? Where does cup come from? Report an error in the passage at 34:24 Highlight the passage at 34:24

34:38 Okay, what about the body? Is there a body at all sitting here on this cushion talking to you? Report an error in the passage at 34:38 Highlight the passage at 34:38

34:56 Seems like it, right? Looks like it, right? But what appears? Some black, some flesh color, you know. Specific shape appears to your mind and then the mind labels person or body. Sorry, we're doing body. Labels body. Is there any body at all on the parts? Where does the body come from? Report an error in the passage at 34:56 Highlight the passage at 34:56

35:35 Convention. It's just a convention. And it functions, right? It functions as a body, right? It, you know, it can eat, it can breathe, it can walk, right? Report an error in the passage at 35:35 Highlight the passage at 35:35

35:54 Is this a body? Well, Human body, let's say. Report an error in the passage at 35:54 Highlight the passage at 35:54

36:02 Why? Report an error in the passage at 36:02 Highlight the passage at 36:02

36:17 So this isn't a body? A human body? Because? But Report an error in the passage at 36:17 Highlight the passage at 36:17

36:33 what if I label it body? Isn't it okay to label it body? Doesn't it make it a body? Since things are merely labeled by the mind, if I label it, isn't it so? Report an error in the passage at 36:33 Highlight the passage at 36:33

36:56 So why is it valid to label this thing a body and not this thing? Report an error in the passage at 36:56 Highlight the passage at 36:56

37:06 There you go. I'm, Report an error in the passage at 37:06 Highlight the passage at 37:06

· · · silence, 1 minute

37:08 right, so. So things are merely labeled by the mind in dependence on a valid base. This is not a valid base. This thing that looks like a clock is not a valid base to label it human body. Why? Because it doesn't satisfy the three conditions. So for it to be a valid base or valid conventionally, Report an error in the passage at 37:08 Highlight the passage at 37:08

37:42 It needs to be renowned to the world or one can say a worldly convention or one can say by consensus. It needs to be a body and it's not undermined by a valid cognizer knowing conventionalities and it's not undermined by a valid cognizer realizing the ultimate. Report an error in the passage at 37:42 Highlight the passage at 37:42

38:23 So the second and the third are refuting a worldly convention that's not correct, like the belief that the earth is the center of the universe. Report an error in the passage at 38:23 Highlight the passage at 38:23

38:40 There was a time where there was a convention, right? There was consensus that the earth was the center of the universe, right? Until they discovered... The scientists discovered that the Earth is in fact not the center of the universe. So that convention was undermined by a conventional valid cognizer, the scientist who discovered it. Report an error in the passage at 38:40 Highlight the passage at 38:40

39:23 It's tough being a pioneer. And then the third one, it's not undermined by a... A valid cognizer realizing the ultimate, right, because we have a convention that this is a body from its own side. We do have a convention that this is a solidly intrinsically existent body, right? But it isn't valid conventionally because it's undermined by someone who's directly realized emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 39:23 Highlight the passage at 39:23

40:01 So in general we can say that things exist validly or exist conventionally by worldly convention. And that's true generally, right? As long as it's not undermined by a valid cognizer. Report an error in the passage at 40:01 Highlight the passage at 40:01

40:21 So there's no body at all on its part. Body comes from the mind. It's a convention. Report an error in the passage at 40:21 Highlight the passage at 40:21

40:37 Then the annoying person. Report an error in the passage at 40:37 Highlight the passage at 40:37

40:45 Is there an annoying person from its own side among its parts? Report an error in the passage at 40:45 Highlight the passage at 40:45

40:55 When we're annoyed, we really think there is, right? Report an error in the passage at 40:55 Highlight the passage at 40:55

41:03 Annoying person comes from the mind, right? It's just imputed by the mind. There's no annoying person at all from its own side. But Report an error in the passage at 41:03 Highlight the passage at 41:03

41:23 tell that to yourself when you're annoyed. Report an error in the passage at 41:23 Highlight the passage at 41:23

41:29 But we wouldn't be annoyed unless we believed, right, that they were being annoying from their own side. Report an error in the passage at 41:29 Highlight the passage at 41:29

41:47 And or, I think there are some times when we're annoyed, even though we don't really believe that they are the cause of our annoyance, then Report an error in the passage at 41:47 Highlight the passage at 41:47

42:00 in those cases we may not believe in their being annoying from their own side, but we would believe in a real eye that's being annoyed, right? Report an error in the passage at 42:00 Highlight the passage at 42:00

42:15 And so finally, the I. Report an error in the passage at 42:15 Highlight the passage at 42:15

42:22 Is there an I sitting on your cushion or chair? It feels like there is. Where does the I come from? Is there an I on that body and mind? Report an error in the passage at 42:22 Highlight the passage at 42:22

42:43 The Report an error in the passage at 42:43 Highlight the passage at 42:43

42:53 I exists the same way as this A. It's labeled by the mind. Everything exists that way. Report an error in the passage at 42:53 Highlight the passage at 42:53

43:05 But we have very, very deeply ingrained belief in a real I resting shore. It's not even... Necessarily even conscious. Report an error in the passage at 43:05 Highlight the passage at 43:05

43:19 So everything is merely imputed by the mind, by the conceptual mind, independence on a valid base. That it's just a convention. It's just a convention. It's just a convention that this is a table. It's just a convention that this is an A. It's just a convention that this is a body. Report an error in the passage at 43:19 Highlight the passage at 43:19

43:45 Just a convention that your body and mind is an eye. Just a convention. Report an error in the passage at 43:45 Highlight the passage at 43:45

43:58 So what do we do? What do we perceive with our senses? What do we perceive directly? Report an error in the passage at 43:58 Highlight the passage at 43:58

44:11 Shape, color, sounds, odors, Report an error in the passage at 44:11 Highlight the passage at 44:11

44:22 smoothness, roughness. It's what we perceive. Report an error in the passage at 44:22 Highlight the passage at 44:22

44:32 And then we take that data. Report an error in the passage at 44:32 Highlight the passage at 44:32

44:38 And our conceptual mind organizes that into objects, labels it, makes judgments about it, decides whether it's attractive or unattractive, decides if it's good or bad, decides if it's right or wrong, Report an error in the passage at 44:38 Highlight the passage at 44:38

45:04 develops lots of stories and opinions about things, then Report an error in the passage at 45:04 Highlight the passage at 45:04

45:12 develops attachment, aversion, pride, jealousy, annoyance. Report an error in the passage at 45:12 Highlight the passage at 45:12

45:23 So our conceptual mind takes data and creates a big to-do about it. Report an error in the passage at 45:23 Highlight the passage at 45:23

45:34 Our conceptual mind takes data and then creates big stories and opinions and believes them to be true. But Report an error in the passage at 45:34 Highlight the passage at 45:34

45:58 they're just labeled by the mind. Everything is just merely labeled by the mind, which does not... Mean that everything is the same. Things do function, right? This is merely labeled by the mind as a cup, and it functions as a cup. Report an error in the passage at 45:58 Highlight the passage at 45:58

46:29 If I try to tell time with this thing, it's not going to work very well, right? This thing that we call a clock, that we merely call a clock, functions as a clock. Report an error in the passage at 46:29 Highlight the passage at 46:29

46:47 So right and wrong, right, we have lots of mental afflictions about right and wrong. Should and shouldn't. Report an error in the passage at 46:47 Highlight the passage at 46:47

46:56 But those are just merely labeled by the mind. Report an error in the passage at 46:56 Highlight the passage at 46:56

47:06 Things function. Report an error in the passage at 47:06 Highlight the passage at 47:06

47:11 Killing another human being is just merely labeled killing. It's labeled wrong. But it also functions to harm somebody. It functions to end somebody's life. And it functions to create negative karma. It functions to create suffering for ourselves and others. So things are merely labeled the mind. Report an error in the passage at 47:11 Highlight the passage at 47:11

47:42 So the tricky thing about finding the correct view is seeing that nothing exists at all from its own side. Report an error in the passage at 47:42 Highlight the passage at 47:42

47:56 It's merely labeled by the mind and it functions. That razor's edge of seeing how just labeled by the mind, nothing at all exists from its own side. Nothing is findable at all. And it exists and it functions. Report an error in the passage at 47:56 Highlight the passage at 47:56

48:20 And this is what the schools lower than Prasangika don't understand. And when I say the schools lower than Prasangika, I mean most of us. Our minds, our ordinary minds who haven't realized the Prasangika view yet. Report an error in the passage at 48:20 Highlight the passage at 48:20

48:42 How can you say that something exists if you can't find it? Report an error in the passage at 48:42 Highlight the passage at 48:42

48:50 How can you say that it exists if you can't find it? And they say if you can't find it, it means it doesn't exist. Report an error in the passage at 48:50 Highlight the passage at 48:50

49:05 If you can't find it, it doesn't exist. But the prasangika view is you can't find it and it exists and it functions. So it's very profound, right? Report an error in the passage at 49:05 Highlight the passage at 49:05

49:18 Very profound and very difficult to really get and really have confidence in. We have those moments where it makes sense and then those moments where it eludes us. And those moments when we Report an error in the passage at 49:18 Highlight the passage at 49:18

49:41 rationalize our mental afflictions. But they are wrong, right? They are wrong from their own side, right? Oh, oh yeah, that's just imputed by the mind. But they're wrong, right? That's what we think, right? We kind of know intellectually, okay, that's imputed by the mind. But they are wrong. I mean, just look at politics, right? There are certainly those who are right and those who are wrong, right? Report an error in the passage at 49:41 Highlight the passage at 49:41

50:17 Or at least we think, right? In our minds, right? Actions do have functions, they do have results, right? But where does right and wrong come from? Report an error in the passage at 50:17 Highlight the passage at 50:17

50:34 We won't name names. Because we're a Buddhist class. That's right. Report an error in the passage at 50:34 Highlight the passage at 50:34

50:49 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 50:49 Highlight the passage at 50:49

50:56 So Geshe Jambigatso says, due to the conception of a self, some phenomena appear to have qualities. Where others appear to have faults. Report an error in the passage at 50:56 Highlight the passage at 50:56

51:19 In order to abandon an ignorance, we must not see the qualities and faults as abiding inside the object, but see them as abiding in our mind. Report an error in the passage at 51:19 Highlight the passage at 51:19

51:59 So one thing that I notice that I find helpful, that's right. So in our lives, everything that we perceive is constantly changing. There's constant flow. Report an error in the passage at 51:59 Highlight the passage at 51:59

52:16 The body is constantly changing. It's breathing. The heart is hopefully pumping. The blood is coursing through our arteries and veins. Report an error in the passage at 52:16 Highlight the passage at 52:16

52:32 Our minds are constantly changing. Thoughts arising, feelings arising, abiding, ceasing. Other people are constantly changing. The environment is constantly changing. Everything is constantly changing. And we notice when we have a mental affliction, when we have attachment, when we have aversion, when we have annoyance, when we have jealousy, when we have arrogance, Report an error in the passage at 52:32 Highlight the passage at 52:32

53:12 concretizing, right? Report an error in the passage at 53:12 Highlight the passage at 53:12

53:18 Everything's constantly moving and changing. But we'll notice that the... What the mind does in the midst of a mental affliction is concretize things. The annoying person, we have an image in our mind of a concrete, annoying person. And we play that in our minds again and again like a recording. The mind has gotten stuck on something. Report an error in the passage at 53:18 Highlight the passage at 53:18

53:48 It's like freeze frame. Or, you know, a movie that keeps playing over and over again in the mind. As soon as we get stuck on something that's a good indication that we've got a conception of inherent existence going on. We've concretized something. We're not perceiving what actually exists in reality. We've frozen an image in our mind. Report an error in the passage at 53:48 Highlight the passage at 53:48

54:20 We've solidified something. We've gotten stuck. Our idea about something. Our idea about right and wrong. Our idea about the way things should be. Our idea of what we want. So in order to have a mental affliction, we have to concretize things. Report an error in the passage at 54:20 Highlight the passage at 54:20

54:54 Mental afflictions all have ignorance as its basis. The ignorance that is concretizing something. That's solidifying something. That's believing that something exists intrinsically or inherently from its own side. Report an error in the passage at 54:54 Highlight the passage at 54:54

55:26 So then all of our problems ultimately come down to what we're doing with our mind. Report an error in the passage at 55:26 Highlight the passage at 55:26

55:49 So based on this ignorance that concretizes things, we Report an error in the passage at 55:49 Highlight the passage at 55:49

55:59 create mental afflictions, right? The attachment, the annoyance, the jealousy. Which creates karma, contaminated karma that Report an error in the passage at 55:59 Highlight the passage at 55:59

56:21 is deposited on our mere eye that Report an error in the passage at 56:21 Highlight the passage at 56:21

56:29 creates a cause for another rebirth in cyclic existence. In Report an error in the passage at 56:29 Highlight the passage at 56:29

56:38 time of death, Report an error in the passage at 56:38 Highlight the passage at 56:38

56:42 due to a belief in a real eye, we grasp onto a new body, craving, grasping. We nourish one of those contaminated... Karmas that we created every day in our life through ignorance and we create another life in cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 56:42 Highlight the passage at 56:42

57:13 So with every moment of ignorance we create contaminated karma as Report an error in the passage at 57:13 Highlight the passage at 57:13

57:24 a cause for more cyclic existence. So we have a huge amount of contaminated karmas in our continuum that are just ready to be ripened at the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 57:24 Highlight the passage at 57:24

57:39 We're ready to be nourished at the time of death to propel us into another life in psychic existence. Report an error in the passage at 57:39 Highlight the passage at 57:39

57:49 So how do we get out of this continuous cycle of birth and death and birth and death and birth and death? We Report an error in the passage at 57:49 Highlight the passage at 57:49

58:04 have to sever our ignorance. Report an error in the passage at 58:04 Highlight the passage at 58:04

58:09 As long as we don't sever our ignorance, we will continue to take rebirth in saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 58:09 Highlight the passage at 58:09

58:20 All the good things we do? We'll create a lot of happiness in saṃsāra, but they won't get us out of saṃsāra. I mean, they will help us to create the merit so that we can realize emptiness, but they themselves won't get us out of saṃsāra without the wisdom realizing emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 58:20 Highlight the passage at 58:20

58:52 There's no getting around realizing emptiness if we want to get out of saṃsāra. There's no shortcut. There's no other way except to sever our ignorance and the way to sever our ignorance is to realize emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 58:52 Highlight the passage at 58:52

59:15 So that's how ignorance creates all of our problems. All of our problems come from ignorance, which creates mental afflictions, which creates negative karma. Which creates all of the problems in our life. Report an error in the passage at 59:15 Highlight the passage at 59:15

59:44 So that's why it's so useful, right? To study emptiness. To get as many emptiness teachings as we can from teachers we have confidence in. And to think about it. Right? To meditate on it. Report an error in the passage at 59:44 Highlight the passage at 59:44

1:00:02 And it's not a matter of just telling ourselves things don't exist from their own side. Things don't exist from their own side. Things don't exist from their own side. Right? Last time we talked about how Lama Tsongkhapa had... Well, Lama Tsongkhapa quoted many different sources, Arya Deva, Nagarjuna, Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, Shantideva, who all said, in order to sever our ignorance, we have to realize that that object that we're grasping onto doesn't exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:02 Highlight the passage at 1:00:02

1:00:40 We have to realize that that annoying person doesn't exist at all from its own side. So we have to look at our own minds, right? We have to look at our own mental afflictions, right? Where we're getting stuck and see that we're getting stuck on an image of something that doesn't actually exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:40 Highlight the passage at 1:00:40

1:01:08 Because for sure, if we have a mental affliction, we are hanging on to the image of something that doesn't really exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:08 Highlight the passage at 1:01:08

1:01:21 And that's where it gets really juicy, right, is looking at our own experience and saying, okay, well, I'm hanging on to something. Does it really exist the way that I think it does? The Report an error in the passage at 1:01:21 Highlight the passage at 1:01:21

1:01:36 thing is oftentimes when we have a mental affliction, then we totally justify our mental affliction, right? But they deserve for me to be angry at them because they're wrong, right? And they're bad. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:36 Highlight the passage at 1:01:36

1:01:58 So that's where we need to have contemplated that... Ignorance and mental afflictions only cause suffering. That's the root of all of our problems. Unless we've really contemplated that and we really believe that, then during the time of the mental affliction, we'll continue to justify it. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:58 Highlight the passage at 1:01:58

1:02:27 But then when we really see that the mental afflictions are only causing us problems, Report an error in the passage at 1:02:27 Highlight the passage at 1:02:27

1:02:34 then we're motivated to look more deeper. We're motivated to cut through the mental affliction. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:34 Highlight the passage at 1:02:34

1:02:49 And I noticed for me, you know, the mind can get kind of this self-satisfaction of, oh, they're wrong. You know, they're wrong. They shouldn't do that. Right. And then, you know, and then I think, yeah, it's just mine. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:49 Highlight the passage at 1:02:49

1:03:15 And what I decide to do in that moment will really determine, well. Whether or not I'm pursuing saṃsāra or nirvāṇa. Do I continue with the, they shouldn't have done that, they're wrong, no? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:15 Highlight the passage at 1:03:15

1:03:38 Or, well, I mean, that can be true conventionally, right? But if I continue with the, it's their fault, or look at my own mind, right? So, it all comes from our own mind, right? All of our perceptions. All of our stories come from our own mind. So whether we decide to blame it on somebody else or to work with our own minds about it, we'll determine whether or not we're going towards more saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:38 Highlight the passage at 1:03:38

1:04:27 So maybe this is a good time for a break. Take a break. There are these delicious, delectable sweeties from their own side that Shane brought. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:27 Highlight the passage at 1:04:27

1:04:41 that are in the... Report an error in the passage at 1:04:41 Highlight the passage at 1:04:41

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:05:27 too. I almost got you. You almost got me. I almost did get you. Oh, my gosh. I'm well. I'm going to come home. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:27 Highlight the passage at 1:05:27

1:05:40 Have a nice fish. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:40 Highlight the passage at 1:05:40

1:05:47 All right. Okay. Peter, you're on. it on the bottom? Okay, I'm holding it in. Help. Okay, now. I think that works. Yeah, like I said, I don't think I need a microphone, but anyway. All right, Janet. It's on. It's on. A voice from afar. No, I was just going to say apropos of we base a lot of our opinions on conventionalities, and I had that experience with a friend in a museum where they had a photo of this. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:47 Highlight the passage at 1:05:47

1:06:27 A woman who was a patron of the arts and we both turned each other and said, doesn't she look like a... Anyway, you can imagine. Not a nice person. And, you know, just had our little story based on the appearance of this woman and I happened to see a biography of the same person. She's an incredibly generous, kind person who had done a lot for people during the Depression. She had done a lot for war relief. She had given all of her homes to the state as art museums for the people to enjoy. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:27 Highlight the passage at 1:06:27

1:06:56 Completely different than her appearance. She just happened to have the demeanor of a wealthy woman of her era, and I made a lot of assumptions based on that. And we do that constantly. Constantly. Based on our prejudices, based on appearances, based on what we think we know about somebody, which is generally not much when you think about it. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:56 Highlight the passage at 1:06:56

1:07:21 Anyway, it's just an observation. Yeah, yeah. And it's very sobering when we realize that all we perceive are shapes and colors and sounds. All we perceive is some data. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:21 Highlight the passage at 1:07:21

1:07:42 And then everything else is a story that we've created in our mind. So I was at a teaching the other day by a Lama who was saying, you know, we're so sophisticated, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:07:42 Highlight the passage at 1:07:42

1:08:00 And to get to the, Report an error in the passage at 1:08:00 Highlight the passage at 1:08:00

1:08:05 well, he was talking about Zogin, but we need to be more primitive. So in a sense, I know this nun who was a... She was a super intellectual person. She was a neuroscientist who worked with Nobel Prize winners, who was a Western philosophy professor at the university level. She had a great interest in learning about emptiness. She studied emptiness. She's been in retreat for many, many years. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:05 Highlight the passage at 1:08:05

1:08:49 Well, at least you guys don't have to unlearn so much, right? She felt like it was a disadvantage for her to have all of that learning, right? Because sometimes the more learning we have, the more grasping we have to the right way, right? But it's a convention still. I mean, not, you know. It doesn't have to be a handicap. We can use our intellect to realize emptiness. But it's quite sobering to realize that all of these strong stories that we have in our mind are just conceptual constructs, just one way of looking at things. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:49 Highlight the passage at 1:08:49

1:09:43 Convention. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:43 Highlight the passage at 1:09:43

1:09:50 All right, so everything is clear so far? Report an error in the passage at 1:09:50 Highlight the passage at 1:09:50

1:10:01 No questions? Report an error in the passage at 1:10:01 Highlight the passage at 1:10:01

1:10:06 Okay, let's do the microphone. I Report an error in the passage at 1:10:06 Highlight the passage at 1:10:06

1:10:17 think it's on. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:17 Highlight the passage at 1:10:17

1:10:22 You might have to hold it in for a few seconds. Hello? So I feel like we have this great bass, and we just started the second of at least three of these classes, so I'm generally interested in what else there is. Okay. How much more, where we're going now. Okay, well, that's a good segue into the text. So, we're on page 262 of the Combining Special Insight text. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:22 Highlight the passage at 1:10:22

1:11:03 If you don't have it, there are a few other copies. They're available for sale for $10, which is just the price of the copying. We're on page 262, or if you have Lama Tsongkhapa's... Final Exposition of Wisdom, it's on page 57. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:03 Highlight the passage at 1:11:03

1:11:34 It will be useful if you bring your text to class since we'll be going through the text in the coming months. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:34 Highlight the passage at 1:11:34

1:11:46 So Lama Tsongkhapa says, in brief, so he's just gone through the various quotations, the various support by the great Madhyamaka scholars. In India, right, the Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, Shantideva, etc. And he says, in brief, when the many supreme scholars who commented on the meaning of the scriptures on the profound settled the meaning of suchness or emptiness, they did a thorough analysis by means of numerous scriptures and reasonings. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:46 Highlight the passage at 1:11:46

1:12:26 So it's important to study the scriptures so we have a correct intellectual understanding of emptiness and then use our own mind, our reasoning mind. They did that having perceived that it's impossible to realize selflessness and emptiness without seeing that the self as apprehended by the mistaken apprehension does not exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:26 Highlight the passage at 1:12:26

1:12:55 And that is empty of that self. So it's impossible to realize emptiness without seeing that that self that we're grasping onto doesn't exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:55 Highlight the passage at 1:12:55

1:13:11 It is essential to gain certainty with regard to this. So in the beginning we listen to teaching. And then we think about it and then we think about it more and we think about it more until we gain certainty, right? We need to eliminate that doubt of, well, maybe it is and maybe it isn't, right? And it takes effort, right, to gain certainty. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:11 Highlight the passage at 1:13:11

1:13:40 The next, Lama Tsongkhapa says, if you do not meditate like this on the meaning of having refuted the mistaken object, Which is the root of being bound in cyclic existence. Even though you meditate on something else you consider profound, it will not harm the apprehension of self at all. So when we're meditating on emptiness, we need to identify, first notice what is the object that we're hanging on to. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:40 Highlight the passage at 1:13:40

1:14:17 What does that look like in our mind? It might be the annoying person or whatever. Notice in our mind how we're holding on to that object. And then we need to look deeply at how that object really exists. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:17 Highlight the passage at 1:14:17

1:14:35 So we have to start with the object of refutation, the object we're hanging on to, and then we look more deeply at its nature. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:35 Highlight the passage at 1:14:35

1:14:48 So Lama Tsongkhapa is saying if you just turn your mind away from that and think about something else, Like we distract a baby. That's not going to eliminate our ignorance. It might lessen our mental affliction at that moment, right? Because we're not dwelling on how annoying that person is, right? But it's not going to do anything to undermine our belief that that person really is like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:48 Highlight the passage at 1:14:48

1:15:21 Lama Tsongkhapa says the way to undermine that belief... Is to look more deeply at that object and meditate on the emptiness of that person. And if we, you know, we can meditate on impermanence, we can meditate on, oh, how they're, you know, they're kind sometimes and things like that. And, you know, that's helpful for the mental affliction. But to realize emptiness, we need to meditate on the nature of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:21 Highlight the passage at 1:15:21

1:15:54 See if it's actually findable, see if it actually exists the way we think it does. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:54 Highlight the passage at 1:15:54

1:16:08 So Lama Tsongkhapa says that is because unless the mind enters the suchness or the emptiness of selflessness and emptiness, the apprehension of self cannot possibly be stopped. And because without the object of the apprehension of self having been refuted, although you perform the mere withdrawal of the mind, Report an error in the passage at 1:16:08 Highlight the passage at 1:16:08

1:16:33 Which goes away to its object, that cannot be posited as entering selflessness. So once again, if we're just withdrawing our mind from the object, we're not realizing emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:33 Highlight the passage at 1:16:33

1:16:47 We need to understand that that object we're hanging on to does not exist at all. In other words, we need to disbelieve in that object. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:47 Highlight the passage at 1:16:47

1:17:03 Because the problem is now that we believe in that object that we're hanging on to. We believe it exists the way that we're hanging on to. So in order to undermine that ignorance, we need to realize it doesn't exist the way we think it does. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:03 Highlight the passage at 1:17:03

1:17:23 And how do we realize it doesn't exist the way we think it does? It's by analyzing it, not by... And distracting ourselves or sticking our head in the sand. We need to analyze that actual object. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:23 Highlight the passage at 1:17:23

1:17:43 So Lama Tsongkhapa continues by saying the reason for this is that when the mind engages in an object, there's one out of three. So there's three possibilities of how we're hanging on to that object or how we're viewing that object. First, an apprehension of that observed object as truly existent. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:43 Highlight the passage at 1:17:43

1:18:05 The second, the apprehension of it is not truly existence. And third, an apprehension that does not qualify it with either of the two. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:05 Highlight the passage at 1:18:05

1:18:16 So the three possibilities. Either we're apprehending or seeing it as being truly inherently existing, which is the case with all of our mental afflictions. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:16 Highlight the passage at 1:18:16

1:18:33 The second possibility is we're seeing it as not being inherently existing. In other words, we are seeing the emptiness of it, which Report an error in the passage at 1:18:33 Highlight the passage at 1:18:33

1:18:48 doesn't happen until we realize emptiness. Or the third possibility is apprehending that object or seeing that object as not qualified by being either inherently existent or non-inherently existent. So there are moments in our... You know, in our perception where we're seeing things as being inherently existent and there are moments when we see the object but we're not actively grasping at its inherent existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:48 Highlight the passage at 1:18:48

1:19:24 So before we realize emptiness, those are the two possibilities. Either we're grasping on it as being inherently existing or we're just thinking, oh, you know, for example, I'm walking to the store. Oh, she just called me. You know, I need milk, right? Those, you know, those aren't usually qualified by grasping onto inherent existence, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:24 Highlight the passage at 1:19:24

1:19:50 We're just using those terms, you know, as reference, right? Terms of reference. But it's not necessarily a grasping and inherent existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:50 Highlight the passage at 1:19:50

1:20:05 But if we have a mental affliction, like, Report an error in the passage at 1:20:05 Highlight the passage at 1:20:05

1:20:12 I can't believe he did that, right? Or, you know, what a jerk, right? Or, you know, that grasping, we see something at the store or, you know, on the internet that we have to have, right? You know, grasping at inherent existence, right? So we have moments of grasping at inherent existence or conceiving of inherent existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:12 Highlight the passage at 1:20:12

1:20:44 And there are moments where, you know, we're just going throughout our day and we're not. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:44 Highlight the passage at 1:20:44

1:20:52 Everything appears as being inherently existent, but we're not necessarily... Report an error in the passage at 1:20:52 Highlight the passage at 1:20:52

1:21:00 So this is a reason Lama Tsongkhapa is giving, that if we just turn our mind away from the inherently existent object, it's not realizing emptiness. It's not getting rid of ignorance, because we have lots of times when we're not grasping onto inherent existence. So we need to, as I was saying, we need to... Report an error in the passage at 1:21:00 Highlight the passage at 1:21:00

1:21:25 Look more deeply when we're grasping. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:25 Highlight the passage at 1:21:25

1:21:33 Therefore, Lama Tsongkhapa continues, therefore, although you do not apprehend something as not truly existing, you do not necessarily apprehend it as truly existent. So it's not a dichotomy. If I haven't realized emptiness yet, it doesn't mean that I'm necessarily grasping onto true existence or inherent existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:33 Highlight the passage at 1:21:33

1:21:55 And likewise, although you are not engaged in the two selves, The self of persons and the self of phenomena. You are not necessarily engaged in the two selflessnesses. So four, there are infinite minds abiding in the third category. The third category being neither grasping an inherent existence nor realizing the emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:55 Highlight the passage at 1:21:55

1:22:24 So next, Lama Tsongkhapa says the two apprehensions of self mainly operate on observing a concrete thing, which is a person or a phenomenon. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:24 Highlight the passage at 1:22:24

1:22:36 Therefore, you need to settle that the very bases with respect to which they are mistaken do not exist the way they are apprehended. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:36 Highlight the passage at 1:22:36

1:22:48 Otherwise, it will be like searching for a thief in a meadow after he has gone to the forest. So Report an error in the passage at 1:22:48 Highlight the passage at 1:22:48

1:22:57 this next sentence, I want to use a different translation. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:57 Highlight the passage at 1:22:57

1:23:16 So, looking Report an error in the passage at 1:23:16 Highlight the passage at 1:23:16

1:23:30 in the wrong book. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:30 Highlight the passage at 1:23:30

1:23:44 So then Lama Tsongkhapa says, toward the bottom page 57 in Hopkins' book, Since error is removed by meditating on the meaning that has been delineated in this way, such an emptiness is the supreme meaning of suchness. But the delineation of the meaning of suchness as something else forsaking this is reduced to being only imputed by one's own wish. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:44 Highlight the passage at 1:23:44

1:24:12 So if we think that we're meditating on emptiness or we have the correct meaning of emptiness without refuting that object, That we're hanging on to. Then it's wishful thinking. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:12 Highlight the passage at 1:24:12

1:24:28 So Lama Tsongkhapa says, Consequently, keep in mind that such is a deviation from the meaning of the scriptures. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:28 Highlight the passage at 1:24:28

1:24:40 So that being so, the ignorance that apprehends the elaborations of persons such as men and women and of phenomena such as form and feeling to be truly existent is stopped by gaining the view that realizes their emptiness. Selflessness and meditating on it. So we stop that ignorance by Report an error in the passage at 1:24:40 Highlight the passage at 1:24:40

1:25:07 realizing the emptiness of that object and meditating on it. Once that has stopped, right, the ignorance has stopped, then you stop projections, which is the improper mental attention that superimposes signs such as attractiveness and repulsiveness. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:07 Highlight the passage at 1:25:07

1:25:30 When the object of the apprehension of true existence is observed. So once we stop our ignorance, then we stop our projections that superimpose attractiveness and repulsiveness on the object. Remembering that attractive and repulsiveness come from our mind, not from the object. Then once they have stopped the other mental afflictions, such as attachment, That have the view of the transitory collection as their root are stopped. So we stop ignorance, which stops the projections, which stops the mental afflictions. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:30 Highlight the passage at 1:25:30

1:26:12 Once those have stopped, actions or karma that are motivated by them are stopped. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:12 Highlight the passage at 1:26:12

1:26:23 Once those have stopped, the actions motivated by afflictions have stopped, then birth and cyclic existence. Projected by karma without any control is stopped whereas liberation is achieved. So we stop ignorance which stops projections which stops the rest of the mental afflictions which stops the contaminated karma which stops rebirth in cyclic existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:23 Highlight the passage at 1:26:23

1:26:59 With this in mind you should generate strong certainty and then seek to come to a decisive conclusion about the view. Then Report an error in the passage at 1:26:59 Highlight the passage at 1:26:59

1:27:13 Lama Tsongkhapa quotes Nagarjuna's fundamental wisdom, which says, by removing karma and kleshas or afflictions, there's liberation. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:13 Highlight the passage at 1:27:13

1:27:29 Karma and kleshas arise from conceptions. It Report an error in the passage at 1:27:29 Highlight the passage at 1:27:29

1:27:37 arises from fictional elaborations. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:37 Highlight the passage at 1:27:37

1:27:44 I've changed this translation a little bit based on Hopkins. And a couple other translations. So I'm on that bottom page 263 where it says through karma and kalesha is spent, there's freedom. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:44 Highlight the passage at 1:27:44

1:28:04 Page 58, 58 near the bottom. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:04 Highlight the passage at 1:28:04

1:28:14 But I'm also using yet another translation. So anyway, so by removing the karma and afflictions, there's liberation. Karma and afflictions arise from conceptions. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:14 Highlight the passage at 1:28:14

1:28:31 Which arise from fictional elaborations. Fictional elaborations are stopped by emptiness or realizing emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:31 Highlight the passage at 1:28:31

1:28:47 Salama Tsongkhapa says you need to know those stages of entering into and turning away from cyclic existence and greatly cherish the realization of the meaning of suchness or emptiness. However, through a vague involvement which fails to distinguish the objects well, It will not come. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:47 Highlight the passage at 1:28:47

1:29:11 So merely a vague understanding of it isn't going to cut through cyclic existence. We need to gain certainty through analysis, through reasoning. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:11 Highlight the passage at 1:29:11

1:29:28 So I want to do, we don't have much time, but I want to do one meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:28 Highlight the passage at 1:29:28

1:29:59 So I might go over a few minutes and if you need to leave, go ahead. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:59 Highlight the passage at 1:29:59

1:30:10 So let's start by settling our minds. On the breath. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:10 Highlight the passage at 1:30:10

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:31:08 So then let's bring to mind someone that we find annoying. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:08 Highlight the passage at 1:31:08

1:31:23 Picture of that person to our mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:23 Highlight the passage at 1:31:23

1:31:51 Just notice how we see that person. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:51 Highlight the passage at 1:31:51

1:32:09 Quite concrete. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:09 Highlight the passage at 1:32:09

1:32:25 Relatively static, maybe. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:25 Highlight the passage at 1:32:25

1:32:51 Probably has one thing covering its parts. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:51 Highlight the passage at 1:32:51

1:33:03 Singular phenomenon. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:03 Highlight the passage at 1:33:03

1:33:30 Let's look more deeply. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:30 Highlight the passage at 1:33:30

1:33:47 First of all, that Report an error in the passage at 1:33:47 Highlight the passage at 1:33:47

1:33:51 concrete. Relatively static, singular object or person is an object of refutation. It Report an error in the passage at 1:33:51 Highlight the passage at 1:33:51

1:34:12 doesn't actually exist. It's Report an error in the passage at 1:34:12 Highlight the passage at 1:34:12

1:34:21 what we need to refute. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:21 Highlight the passage at 1:34:21

1:34:35 So let's look at their body. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:35 Highlight the passage at 1:34:35

1:34:47 Look more deeply and see that it's composed of billions of atoms, subatomic particles that Report an error in the passage at 1:34:47 Highlight the passage at 1:34:47

1:35:01 are constantly moving, constantly changing. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:01 Highlight the passage at 1:35:01

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:35:52 A body covering those parts, those particles. And Report an error in the passage at 1:35:52 Highlight the passage at 1:35:52

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:36:34 let's look at, try to look at the mind of that person. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:34 Highlight the passage at 1:36:34

1:36:49 Understanding that the mind is constantly changing. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:49 Highlight the passage at 1:36:49

1:37:03 Boughts arise, Report an error in the passage at 1:37:03 Highlight the passage at 1:37:03

1:37:08 they cease and Report an error in the passage at 1:37:08 Highlight the passage at 1:37:08

1:37:13 they cease. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:13 Highlight the passage at 1:37:13

1:37:21 Different feelings, emotions arise. They abide and they cease. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:21 Highlight the passage at 1:37:21

1:37:50 Perceiving different phenomena, Report an error in the passage at 1:37:50 Highlight the passage at 1:37:50

1:37:59 more data. So Report an error in the passage at 1:37:59 Highlight the passage at 1:37:59

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:38:32 there's no concrete body that we can hold on to. There's no concrete mind we can hold on to. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:32 Highlight the passage at 1:38:32

1:38:45 Is there a person that's separate from the body and the mind? If Report an error in the passage at 1:38:45 Highlight the passage at 1:38:45

1:39:16 there was a person separate from the body and the mind, we should be able to put aside the body and the mind and there should be something left. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:16 Highlight the passage at 1:39:16

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:40:09 So if our conclusion is that there is no solid, concrete, singular person there, then focus on the lack, Report an error in the passage at 1:40:09 Highlight the passage at 1:40:09

1:40:26 finding the absence. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:26 Highlight the passage at 1:40:26

1:40:44 That's meditating on the emptiness of it and Report an error in the passage at 1:40:44 Highlight the passage at 1:40:44

1:40:52 go pointedly focus on that lack or that absence as much as we can. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:52 Highlight the passage at 1:40:52

· · · silence, 2 minutes

1:42:41 So did people get an image of the object of refutation of some sort of a concrete solid object or person? Were Report an error in the passage at 1:42:41 Highlight the passage at 1:42:41

1:42:59 you able to dissolve that a little bit? It doesn't really exist that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:59 Highlight the passage at 1:42:59

1:43:09 Right, lack or absence. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:09 Highlight the passage at 1:43:09

1:43:14 Oh, sorry, yeah, yeah, the lack. I'm just trying to say it in different ways. The lack of that solid concrete person or the absence is the emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:14 Highlight the passage at 1:43:14

1:43:29 Or the non-finding is the emptiness. Any comments or questions on that? Report an error in the passage at 1:43:29 Highlight the passage at 1:43:29

1:43:55 It's harder with somebody that you have a lot of affliction with. I have a person in my life that I had to do this. With over and over again, and it's still powerful every time I do it, but I still end up reifying that person, so I think it's just going to take a long time dissolving them. But every time it gets a little more concrete that that person and my viewpoint of them is empty from its own side. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:55 Highlight the passage at 1:43:55

1:44:22 I mean, exactly. It does take time, right? Because when we're in the meditation, it... When we're concentrated it has an effect and then as soon as we get distracted or arise from it, you know, boom, right? Concrete person again, right? So we just need to meditate again and again and develop more and more concentration, right? Because that's the key, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:22 Highlight the passage at 1:44:22

1:44:49 That's what makes it really powerful. So slowly, slowly. Yeah. Okay. Any other comments, questions? Leslie? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:49 Highlight the passage at 1:44:49

1:45:10 Hello. So, it's working because when you say pick somebody, I thought somebody and I thought, oh, you know, but they don't really bother me that much anymore. And then I pick somebody and I'm like, well, you know, that was really bothering somebody else. They were really, somebody else was telling me how, oh, this person's driving them crazy today. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:10 Highlight the passage at 1:45:10

1:45:41 And I thought, and they weren't driving, you know, and it went on, it took me a while. And then I thought, well, I'll just pick somebody, because everybody annoys me some. At work, especially at work. Yeah, that's honest. Because everybody wants to be the boss. Anyway, Report an error in the passage at 1:45:41 Highlight the passage at 1:45:41

1:46:04 and then, you know, then it's, maybe it's, I've never had a bad, it's been easy for me to just make them into this weird, atomic weirdness. So that hasn't been a problem, but it's definitely working because now that I look at the people that really used to just, oh, I have to work with them today, and they're just not doing it for me anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:04 Highlight the passage at 1:46:04

1:46:34 I'm sure there's people out there that are waiting in line to get on my nerves, but anyway, it's definitely working. Yeah, great. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:34 Highlight the passage at 1:46:34

1:46:47 Anybody else? Report an error in the passage at 1:46:47 Highlight the passage at 1:46:47

1:46:54 So, yeah, so the homework for this week is to, once again, notice. Right. When we have a mental affliction, how we're hanging on to that object. Right. And then we can, you know, at a moment when we can to meditate on its emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:54 Highlight the passage at 1:46:54

1:47:15 So we just have to reinforce that habit. Right. Create that habit and just do it again and again and again and slowly, slowly will make a bigger and bigger difference in our lives. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:15 Highlight the passage at 1:47:15

1:47:30 OK. All right. And. If you're not on my email list and you would like to be on my email list to send out the materials and homework and things like that after class. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:30 Highlight the passage at 1:47:30

1:47:45 Okay, so let's dedicate with Shantideva on page 246. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:45 Highlight the passage at 1:47:45

1:48:03 Actually, let's do the first verse on page 240 and then we'll move to 246. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:03 Highlight the passage at 1:48:03

1:48:19 Due to the merits accumulated over the three times by myself and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, which are empty from their own side, may I, who is empty from its own side, achieve the state of enlightenment, which is empty from its own side, and lead all sentient beings who are empty from their own side to that state as quickly as possible by myself alone. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:19 Highlight the passage at 1:48:19

1:48:43 And then 246. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:43 Highlight the passage at 1:48:43

1:48:49 May all beings everywhere, plagued 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 be restored on finding repose. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:49 Highlight the passage at 1:48:49

1:49:17 May 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 find joy. May the forlorn find hope. constant happiness, and prosperity. May there be timely rains and bountiful May all who are sick and ill quickly be freed from their ailments, whatever diseases there are in the world. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:17 Highlight the passage at 1:49:17

1:49:48 May they never occur again. May the frightened cease to be afraid and those bound be freed. May the powerless find power and may people think of benefiting each other. For as long as space remains, for as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain to dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:48 Highlight the passage at 1:49:48

1:50:15 Dedicate for the quick recovery and long life of Lama Tsongkhapa Rinpoche, life Report an error in the passage at 1:50:15 Highlight the passage at 1:50:15

1:50:28 and good health of all of our spiritual masters, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kishindagpa, Chodin Rinpoche, and Report an error in the passage at 1:50:28 Highlight the passage at 1:50:28

1:50:56 may they continue to teach the Dharma until we're all free from cyclic sin. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:56 Highlight the passage at 1:50:56

1:51:24 Have a good week. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:24 Highlight the passage at 1:51:24

1:51:41 All right, so I have the email list up here if you, well, I think I have the email list. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:41 Highlight the passage at 1:51:41

1:51:58 Hi. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:58 Highlight the passage at 1:51:58

1:52:11 been coming for a few months to start some Report an error in the passage at 1:52:11 Highlight the passage at 1:52:11

1:52:19 need that. I need it. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:19 Highlight the passage at 1:52:19

1:52:27 with Y-Chung? Yes, I was going to ask if you knew Y-Chung. I love Y-Chung. I think read on the web Report an error in the passage at 1:52:27 Highlight the passage at 1:52:27

1:52:37 yes, so yes, I know why Chuck would put well, and I know the future of this ritual will Report an error in the passage at 1:52:37 Highlight the passage at 1:52:37

1:52:50 send Jesus to me. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:50 Highlight the passage at 1:52:50

1:52:59 yes, I four years in Australia, and I attended the Center here, and I've been in the Center for this Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:59 Highlight the passage at 1:52:59

1:53:16 -huh. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:16 Highlight the passage at 1:53:16

1:53:30 thank you for Report an error in the passage at 1:53:30 Highlight the passage at 1:53:30

1:53:52 to the club. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:52 Highlight the passage at 1:53:52

1:53:57 Thank you so much, Amy. Hope to see you again. Take care. Enjoy San Francisco. Thanks. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:57 Highlight the passage at 1:53:57

1:54:18 How did you enjoy it? Oh, yeah, yeah. It was very clear and to the point. Yeah, it was great. It was fabulous, yeah. That's what we were all saying. Peter and Jeremy and I were like, yeah, it was right to the point. It was very concise. We knew about what was going on. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:18 Highlight the passage at 1:54:18

1:54:46 Although you're getting empowerment from some little, you know, I forget what he said, but like a little insignificant guy like me. Shut up. Really? Really? That's kind of like what the Dalai Lama said. He said something like that. He's like, yeah, you know, it's no big deal. It's just me, you know. You won't get, it's not that, yeah, it's not that powerful. It's just from a little insignificant self. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:46 Highlight the passage at 1:54:46

1:55:15 feel it. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:15 Highlight the passage at 1:55:15

1:55:20 Thank you. Bye, welcome back. Thanks a lot. Yeah, no, it was great. And then I was just telling Jessica, I'm like, I thought of you because she would have liked to have gone, but she had to work, you know, and it was, the traffic was horrendous. Getting back. Getting back. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:20 Highlight the passage at 1:55:20

1:55:42 Oh, because this construction? There was construction just to get out. It took like 15 minutes just to get out of that street. Just to get on. And then 17, and there was more traffic on 880. I mean, it was just like a nightmare. Oh, was there? Yes. Well, see, I live in Oakland. Oh. But yeah, they do all that construction on 17, I noticed. Well, summer, too. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:42 Highlight the passage at 1:55:42

1:56:13 thought of it because it was killing me. I'm like, I'm going to get home soon, too. I'm going to get home. Yeah, and after something like that, you just want to be home. What's that? He's a humongous dog. Where'd you get that? Thank you. yeah. Good night. Sorry. I had already ditched your class before you announced that you were going to do this. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:13 Highlight the passage at 1:56:13

1:56:38 Oh, well, you should. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. As soon as they said that to me, I'm like, oh, yeah. Because I had just, I forget what it was, but it was something I wanted to, I wanted to do something. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:38 Highlight the passage at 1:56:38

1:56:52 Did she know you have it? It's my wallet, isn't it? I don't have the wallet. some music and I'm like, oh. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:52 Highlight the passage at 1:56:52

1:56:58 No comment? No. It was like, you know, oh, okay, that's cool. They had already seen that. I was like, oh, yeah. I don't know if that was going, but it was like, oh, that's opportune. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:58 Highlight the passage at 1:56:58

1:57:15 Even though he's not very Anybody You really You want to sit here You should Here you want to sit Wow, that's very luxurious. That's brilliant thinking. I'm just going to scribble my name before I can see this space. You know, Ann, I'm going to use the restroom. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:15 Highlight the passage at 1:57:15

1:58:01 Do you ever come on a Sunday? I work with James. I work with James. Are you coming tomorrow? I should come tomorrow. Things have been really like, work with Thank you. see you. I'm going to try. I'm going to look it up. And then if we don't see each other this time. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:01 Highlight the passage at 1:58:01

1:58:48 Janet, I put a note in here that... Report an error in the passage at 1:58:48 Highlight the passage at 1:58:48

1:59:03 it won't be balanced because I don't have Huh? Okay. I'm going to see if there's any speeches left. Yeah, you think there's probably all. I'll show you do. That wasn't for a loan. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:03 Highlight the passage at 1:59:03

1:59:20 Thank Report an error in the passage at 1:59:20 Highlight the passage at 1:59:20

1:59:49 you. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:49 Highlight the passage at 1:59:49

· · · silence, 1 minute

2:00:38 good. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:38 Highlight the passage at 2:00:38

2:00:50 not safe for you. Thank you. This girl, it reminds me of Jessica, so funny. She owns her birthday, so. Okay. And then there was a traveler in her, she just floated to our floor, but it was her birthday and her boyfriend was bringing her cake. So they decided to get, we decided to get, decided to get our girl something kind of different, so we got a tart from Whole Foods, which was. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:50 Highlight the passage at 2:00:50

2:01:20 die for, and then they brought her safely cake. It was actually a pretty good safely cake, but, you know. That's still. That's still. He's like, oh, I'm going to take the whole food. Oh, right. Right. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:20 Highlight the passage at 2:01:20

2:01:36 Thank you. need to make just no no no none of that business I have one I Report an error in the passage at 2:01:36 Highlight the passage at 2:01:36

· · · silence, 1 minute

2:02:45 perfect. That makes sense. I'll just do that. I just wasn't sure how you wanted Thank Report an error in the passage at 2:02:45 Highlight the passage at 2:02:45

2:02:57 you. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:57 Highlight the passage at 2:02:57

· · · silence, 1 minute

2:03:38 right, thank you. Yeah, so we sold two money. Okay, yeah. Our mind is able to stay on its own. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:38 Highlight the passage at 2:03:38

2:04:04 About any distractions, Report an error in the passage at 2:04:04 Highlight the passage at 2:04:04

2:04:17 knees don't hurt in your home Report an error in the passage at 2:04:17 Highlight the passage at 2:04:17

2:04:29 body, which is a high level. And that's not yet the first concentration. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:29 Highlight the passage at 2:04:29

2:04:44 Has slid in for writing. Something that we're likely to act Report an error in the passage at 2:04:44 Highlight the passage at 2:04:44

2:05:12 through sadhus, develop all these levels of concentration. Also, like Shephani Buddha, before he learned Report an error in the passage at 2:05:12 Highlight the passage at 2:05:12

2:05:30 several levels, Report an error in the passage at 2:05:30 Highlight the passage at 2:05:30

· · · silence, 3 minutes

2:08:28 experienced it. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:28 Highlight the passage at 2:08:28

· · · silence, 1 minute

2:09:00 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:00 Highlight the passage at 2:09:00