Special Insight 4: Wisdom of Emptiness (31 January 2012)

0:02 No, no, I'll turn the alarm. Report an error in the passage at 0:02 Highlight the passage at 0:02

0:24 Not a good Report an error in the passage at 0:24 Highlight the passage at 0:24

0:46 ass Mshara. Report an error in the passage at 0:46 Highlight the passage at 0:46

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1:29 nurses. Huh? Nurses are the ones here that they open up. Doctors put it open and they walk away. She was hit by a car driver in his mom. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:29 Highlight the passage at 1:29

1:46 So, you know, you always hear I have a little, like, with other Report an error in the passage at 1:46 Highlight the passage at 1:46

1:57 politics of whether, you know, how are we going to tell... Report an error in the passage at 1:57 Highlight the passage at 1:57

2:03 like we knew for days and days. It's her personal thing. She's not even totally conscious. Report an error in the passage at 2:03 Highlight the passage at 2:03

2:18 It's just like, somebody knows, you'll go, hey. Well, I did that. I didn't know. You're outside. You can tell. Yeah. They can tell. You're not a hospital. No, you're not a hospital. Report an error in the passage at 2:18 Highlight the passage at 2:18

2:37 So there's like all these rules. Unless they give consent to the person. Report an error in the passage at 2:37 Highlight the passage at 2:37

2:53 Part of the family. Report an error in the passage at 2:53 Highlight the passage at 2:53

2:58 you very much. Report an error in the passage at 2:58 Highlight the passage at 2:58

3:05 you know, well, probably go solid. Report an error in the passage at 3:05 Highlight the passage at 3:05

3:16 It depends on your family and your friends. Report an error in the passage at 3:16 Highlight the passage at 3:16

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4:23 Thank Report an error in the passage at 4:23 Highlight the passage at 4:23

4:28 you. Report an error in the passage at 4:28 Highlight the passage at 4:28

4:47 I know. Is that cute or what? We noticed that yesterday when we were setting up. Remember you walked in and all the kids were setting up. I don't know. She moved it in there. We noticed it was broken. Report an error in the passage at 4:47 Highlight the passage at 4:47

5:06 Well, you know, when? Yeah, here. You sit on cushions. It's not the cushions. Report an error in the passage at 5:06 Highlight the passage at 5:06

5:28 Okay, let's start by setting our motivation. Report an error in the passage at 5:28 Highlight the passage at 5:28

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6:01 So we can think that external things can never bring lasting happiness because Report an error in the passage at 6:01 Highlight the passage at 6:01

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7:00 they're all impermanent. Report an error in the passage at 7:00 Highlight the passage at 7:00

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7:48 So the only way to attain lasting peace and happiness is to change our minds. Report an error in the passage at 7:48 Highlight the passage at 7:48

8:17 Emotional afflictions disturb Report an error in the passage at 8:17 Highlight the passage at 8:17

8:24 the peace of our mind, which Report an error in the passage at 8:24 Highlight the passage at 8:24

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9:24 also cause us to create actions that will result. In undesirable circumstances in the future. Report an error in the passage at 9:24 Highlight the passage at 9:24

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10:16 So the only way to attain lasting happiness is to remove the emotional afflictions forever. Report an error in the passage at 10:16 Highlight the passage at 10:16

10:51 And to do that we need to realize emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 10:51 Highlight the passage at 10:51

11:21 So developing a motivation to try to understand emptiness more and more. Report an error in the passage at 11:21 Highlight the passage at 11:21

11:31 Reduce our mental afflictions. Report an error in the passage at 11:31 Highlight the passage at 11:31

11:41 Attain enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 11:41 Highlight the passage at 11:41

11:48 Just ourselves. All Report an error in the passage at 11:48 Highlight the passage at 11:48

11:54 other beings who are equally. In the same situation. Report an error in the passage at 11:54 Highlight the passage at 11:54

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12:38 So we'll start with the Manjushri prayer on the first page of the white book. Report an error in the passage at 12:38 Highlight the passage at 12:38

12:56 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. All creatures caught in the prison of saṃsāra, confused in the darkness of their ignorance, overwhelmed by their suffering. Report an error in the passage at 12:56 Highlight the passage at 12:56

13:21 You, whose dragon 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 hewing down suffering wherever its sprouts appear, clearing away the darkness of ignorance. You, whose princely body is adorned with the 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 13:21 Highlight the passage at 13:21

13:49 Omara Patsanadim, Patsanadim, Patsanadim, Report an error in the passage at 13:49 Highlight the passage at 13:49

14:01 With the 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 suture in the gold book on page 76. Report an error in the passage at 14:01 Highlight the passage at 14:01

14:30 I prostrate to the Arya triple gem. Thus did I hear at one time, the Bhagavan was dwelling on Mass Vulture's mountain in Rajgriya, together with a great community of monks and a great community of bodhisattvas. At that time, the Bhagavan was absorbed in the concentration on the categories of phenomena called profound perception. Also at that time, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara looked upon the very practice of the profound perfection of wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 14:30 Highlight the passage at 14:30

14:59 Beheld those five aggregates also as empty of inherent nature. Then through the power of Buddha, the Venable Ashariputra 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? He said that and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara said this to the Venable Ashariputra. Report an error in the passage at 14:59 Highlight the passage at 14:59

15:25 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. 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. Report an error in the passage at 15:25 Highlight the passage at 15:25

15:53 Shariputra, likewise all phenomena are emptiness, without characteristic, unproduced, unceased, stainless, not without stain, not deficient, not fulfilled. Shariputra, therefore in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no discrimination, no compositional factors, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no visual form, no sound, no odor, no taste, no object of touch and no phenomenon. Report an error in the passage at 15:53 Highlight the passage at 15:53

16:26 There is no eye element and so on up to and including no mind element and no mental consciousness element. There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so on, up to 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. Report an error in the passage at 16:26 Highlight the passage at 16:26

16:51 Shariputra, therefore, because there is no attainment, bodhisattvas rely on and dwell in the perfection of wisdom, the mind without obscuration and without fear. Having completely passed beyond error, they reach the end point of nirvāṇa. All the Buddhas who dwell in three times also manifestly completely awaken to unsurpassable, perfect, complete enlightenment and reliance on the perfection of wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 16:51 Highlight the passage at 16:51

17:17 Therefore, the mantra of the perfection of wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassed mantra, the mantra equal to the unequaled. The mantra that thoroughly pacifies all suffering should be known as truth since it is not false. The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is declared. Report an error in the passage at 17:17 Highlight the passage at 17:17

17:41 Shari Putra, 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, Thayata om gate gate paragate parasam gate bodhi soha. Report an error in the passage at 17:41 Highlight the passage at 17:41

17:55 Well said, well said, son of the lineage. It is like that. It is like that. One should practice the profound perfection of wisdom just as you have indicated. Even the Tatatikas rejoice. The Bhagavan having thus spoken, the venerable Sharivadiputra, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Arya Avalokiteshvara, and those 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 17:55 Highlight the passage at 17:55

18:24 Then on page 98 is refuge in bodhicitta. I Report an error in the passage at 18:24 Highlight the passage at 18:24

18:35 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 18:35 Highlight the passage at 18:35

18:59 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. So Report an error in the passage at 18:59 Highlight the passage at 18:59

19:18 tonight we're actually going to get into special insight. Report an error in the passage at 19:18 Highlight the passage at 19:18

19:24 So for those of you who recall, who were in the class when we first started this section on calm abiding and special insight, Lama Tsongkhapa gave us a... Report an error in the passage at 19:24 Highlight the passage at 19:24

19:36 A little introduction to what special insight is and why it's important. And then he proceeded to talk about the prerequisites of attaining special insight. And he said, well, first we have to have a correct understanding of emptiness. And then so he proceeded to present the correct understanding of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 19:36 Highlight the passage at 19:36

20:01 And then he presented and Report an error in the passage at 20:01 Highlight the passage at 20:01

20:12 then and then. He presented the two truths, right? So we finished the two truths. We finished the view of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 20:12 Highlight the passage at 20:12

20:26 So now we'll move on to, okay, now let's, now that we have the correct view of emptiness, let's proceed to special insight. Report an error in the passage at 20:26 Highlight the passage at 20:26

20:41 Okay. So we all kind of at least... On some level, understand the two truths and understand emptiness. Nothing exists the way that it appears. Nothing is concrete. Nothing exists objectively, independently, intrinsically. That's a result of causes and conditions and parts and imputation by the mind. Nothing exists independent of conceptual imputation, conceptual labeling. Report an error in the passage at 20:41 Highlight the passage at 20:41

21:16 Okay, so. Report an error in the passage at 21:16 Highlight the passage at 21:16

21:23 Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, okay. So after we've realized emptiness, right? So now that we've all realized emptiness, right? But after we've realized emptiness, having reached the point where the eye becomes completely lost, then one has to continue to do the same meditation on a daily basis, right? So we remember, we've talked about this, right? You search for the eye and you cannot find it anywhere, right? If you search for the... Report an error in the passage at 21:23 Highlight the passage at 21:23

21:52 The intrinsically existing I, if you search for the concrete I, if you even search for the merely labeled I, you will not be able to find it anywhere, right? So the I, the quote we talked about last time, Lama Zopa's quote, you, the self, are nowhere. Report an error in the passage at 21:52 Highlight the passage at 21:52

22:15 You will not be able to find the I anywhere, right? Within the body, within the mind, separate from the body and mind. It's nowhere, right? It's... Something made up by the mind, right? It's that figment of our imagination. So once we get to that point, right, we search for the I, we can't find it, we know it's not anywhere, right? Report an error in the passage at 22:15 Highlight the passage at 22:15

22:40 After we realize that, then we need to keep doing that meditation every day, right? I think that maybe we're not, culturally, we're not really used to that. Once we get an understanding, then it's time to move on to the next thing, right? Report an error in the passage at 22:40 Highlight the passage at 22:40

22:56 But here we can't do that, right? We need to meditate on emptiness every day until we become enlightened, right? Because we need to deepen that understanding more and more and more and more, right? Because the problem is, well, one of our problems is that we don't have enough concentration, right? So we may get this experience, this fleeting understanding or this fleeting experience, and then it's gone. Report an error in the passage at 22:56 Highlight the passage at 22:56

23:27 And then, you know, we still go about our daily lives thinking that everything, right, exists from its own side and still having our mental afflictions and still believing that we're right and they're wrong and, you know, and they're irritating from their own side. And, you know, all of these external things are the cause of our problems and our happiness as well, right? Report an error in the passage at 23:27 Highlight the passage at 23:27

23:51 So we can't just stop, right? Once we get some insight, we can't just stop. But we need to go even deeper. So we get that insight and then we try to maintain at least the level of understanding that we have. We try to at least maintain that. Because it's easy to lose it. You get some insight and then you stop thinking about it. Report an error in the passage at 23:51 Highlight the passage at 23:51

24:17 You work on something else and then whatever insight you had a year ago is just gone. So we need to... We need to try to maintain some continuity. And I know everybody's busy, but at least some, some thinking about it every day. Like Venerable Renee says, just read one page on emptiness every day. We just need to keep that going. Report an error in the passage at 24:17 Highlight the passage at 24:17

24:47 And I notice for me, if I take breaks, like focus on something else for a while, then my understanding of emptiness gets more shallow. Report an error in the passage at 24:47 Highlight the passage at 24:47

24:58 You kind of get the word. You still remember the words, but the experience and the understanding is not as deep. So we continue every day based on our schedule, whatever we can do. Then we need to develop stronger concentration, right? Because we notice when we meditate on emptiness, the mind gets distracted pretty easily. Report an error in the passage at 24:58 Highlight the passage at 24:58

25:29 It doesn't just stay on the conclusion very strongly for a long time, if you're anything like me. Then we need single point and concentration. With single point and concentration, one must try and prolong the concentration on that experience of the I being totally lost for longer and longer. This is called seeking meditation from the right view. Then you establish calm abiding on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 25:29 Highlight the passage at 25:29

26:02 So we develop the correct view. Well actually you can develop calm abiding first and then develop the correct view or you can do it the other way around. Develop the correct view first and then develop calm abiding. And so with calm abiding you can use any object. You can use anything as your object. But then once you have the correct view then you want to use emptiness as your object of calm abiding. Report an error in the passage at 26:02 Highlight the passage at 26:02

26:33 Then you establish calm abiding on emptiness as your object. So just a brief review of calm abiding and special insight. We need this union of calm abiding and special insight for Lama Tsongkhapa says all of the mundane and super mundane qualities of the Mahāyāna and the Hinayana. Basically the realizations are based on having calm abiding and special insight. So indispensable. Report an error in the passage at 26:33 Highlight the passage at 26:33

27:07 Reminder of what calm abiding is. So there's the two types of meditation. The stabilizing meditation, where you meditate on an object without your mind moving from that object, without any analysis. That's stabilizing meditation. And then there's analytical meditation where you're analyzing to develop wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 27:07 Highlight the passage at 27:07

27:32 Stabilizing meditation is for developing concentration. Analytical meditation is for developing wisdom. So calm abiding is for developing concentration, that single-pointed, that laser-like focus. And there's no analysis in calm abiding. It's just a completely still mind. Report an error in the passage at 27:32 Highlight the passage at 27:32

27:59 And calm abiding, the measure of attaining calm abiding, according to Lama Tsongkhapa, he says, if the mind, having attended to its object continuously without distraction, Stays on the object of meditation by itself so that the bliss of physical and mental pliancy arises, then that meditative stabilization has become calm abiding. Report an error in the passage at 27:59 Highlight the passage at 27:59

28:24 So that calm abiding, that mind is on its object without distraction, without dullness, without excitement, without any faults of the mind. On that object. Single pointedly for at least, right, sometimes they say four hours, sometimes they say as long as you want, right? Report an error in the passage at 28:24 Highlight the passage at 28:24

28:52 And that's not calm abiding yet, right? Then that will induce this pliancy, right, of the body, pliancy of the mind, which then induces the bliss of mental and physical pliancy. Report an error in the passage at 28:52 Highlight the passage at 28:52

29:08 So that removes, right, that removes all of the resistance. To practice, right? The mental pliancy removes all the mental resistance, all the mental laziness, all the mental, I have better things to do, as well as the physical, the knees hurting, the back hurting, you know. Report an error in the passage at 29:08 Highlight the passage at 29:08

29:33 So then with calm abiding, you can stay on the object as long as you want, and then you have this bliss, physical and mental, right? So that... In and of itself won't get you out of saṃsāra. That is just the mental basis. That's the level of concentration you need in order to attain special insight. So special insight you can't get without calm abiding. Then, once you've achieved that physical and mental pliancy, you stay there and eliminate other mental aspects. Report an error in the passage at 29:33 Highlight the passage at 29:33

30:15 You've got that, so you have the common body, you're focused on your object. And now you're switching, right? You're switching your, well, not necessarily, but you're focused on your object, right? You then regard inwardly and with discernment the mental image, which is the object of the meditative concentration on the objects upon which you have reflected. Report an error in the passage at 30:15 Highlight the passage at 30:15

30:37 So then you start analyzing your object. So with calm abiding, your mind is just focused single pointedly on the object without analysis. And then if you want to develop special insight, then you start analyzing. Report an error in the passage at 30:37 Highlight the passage at 30:37

30:58 So if your object, for example, is emptiness with calm abiding, you do some analysis and then you come up with your conclusion that me doesn't exist at all from its own side. It's not findable. And then you single-pointedly focus on that with calm abiding. Then if you want special insight, then you start doing the analysis, right? Report an error in the passage at 30:58 Highlight the passage at 30:58

31:25 Then you start moving the mind and applying the reasoning, right? Okay, well, if that I existed, you know, it would have to be findable within the body and mind. You don't have to be the same as the body and our mind or separate from the body and mind. So you start... Using the reasoning, you start doing analysis in order to get special insight. Report an error in the passage at 31:25 Highlight the passage at 31:25

31:53 Then it says, thus with regard to the images, the objects of meditative concentration, any differentiation of the meaning of those objects of knowledge or thorough differentiation or full investigation, full analysis, tolerance, acceptance, classification, viewing and conceptualization is called special insight. Report an error in the passage at 31:53 Highlight the passage at 31:53

32:19 That's kind of long. But special insight is a wisdom that's developed based on analysis, which is based on already having calm abiding. Report an error in the passage at 32:19 Highlight the passage at 32:19

32:34 So special insight doesn't only have emptiness as its object. You can use, let's say you can start with calm abiding and then you can analyze, let's say, impermanence. And then realize impermanence with that basis. You can have a special insight realizing impermanence. You can have a special insight realizing the suffering nature of saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 32:34 Highlight the passage at 32:34

32:59 You can have a special insight realizing emptiness. A special insight realizing emptiness is the main one that we're talking about in this section. Report an error in the passage at 32:59 Highlight the passage at 32:59

33:10 So am I making sense? Analytical meditation with... Calm abiding is its basis in order to develop this realization, this wisdom. So I'm going to read you a slightly simpler description of special insight from Geshe Loden's book, Geshe Loden's Geshe in Australia, who has a really, really nice and clear book called Path to Enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 33:10 Highlight the passage at 33:10

33:39 He says, special insight is where, having attained calm abiding, One engages in a particular form of analytical wisdom that induces the bliss of pliancy. So we haven't talked about that yet, but to attain special insight we analyze and then that induces this bliss of pliancy. And with that, analyzes to discern the nature of the object of meditation. It is the actual means to gain the perfection of wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 33:39 Highlight the passage at 33:39

34:14 So whereas the practice of calm abiding generates a bliss of pliancy in relation to single-pointedness, special insight generates a bliss of pliancy in relation to analysis. Report an error in the passage at 34:14 Highlight the passage at 34:14

34:29 Then the main function of special insight is to remove all faults and delusions. Report an error in the passage at 34:29 Highlight the passage at 34:29

34:38 So although the analysis technique of special insight can be used to penetrate the true meaning of any object of knowledge, The most important application of special insight is to penetrate the true meaning of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 34:38 Highlight the passage at 34:38

35:01 So there's a bliss of pliancy that's developed with calm abiding right through the single point in concentration. And then with special insight, there's a bliss of pliancy that will be induced from analysis. Report an error in the passage at 35:01 Highlight the passage at 35:01

35:15 But we'll get to that later. So we're clear on the difference between calm abiding and special insight. Report an error in the passage at 35:15 Highlight the passage at 35:15

35:27 So then Lama Tsongkhapa says, once you gain the view realizing the two types of selflessness, selflessness of persons and selflessness of phenomena, having attended to the prerequisites of special insight as explained before, then you should cultivate special insight. So we gain the view, we study and all of that, gain the view, then we need to cultivate special insight once we have the prerequisites. Report an error in the passage at 35:27 Highlight the passage at 35:27

35:54 That he explained before. So some of the prerequisites he explained before. He quoted Kamala Shila. So relying on an excellent being. So relying on teachings by Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti and Buddha Palita by Arya Deva. Actually the main ones he talked about were Nagarjuna and Arya Deva. Report an error in the passage at 35:54 Highlight the passage at 35:54

36:22 And then... Genuinely pursuing extensive study of explanations of reality. Report an error in the passage at 36:22 Highlight the passage at 36:22

36:33 We've been doing that. And then appropriate reflection, doing our own reflection at home and meditation. Report an error in the passage at 36:33 Highlight the passage at 36:33

36:45 And then in addition, just in general. So there are the three higher trainings, morality or ethics and concentration, then wisdom. It's said that ethics, practicing, avoiding the ten non-virtues in particular, Is the basis for being able to attain concentration. And then we need a certain level of concentration to develop the penetrating wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 36:45 Highlight the passage at 36:45

37:18 Then, of course, there's merit accumulation, the magical merit accumulation, purification, and then developing some concentration, which you need a conducive place, right? It's hard to develop calm abiding in the middle of the city. Okay. All right. So then Lama Tsongkhapa gets into the divisions of special insight. And I don't want to go into these in detail, but just give you a bit of an idea. So he says, okay, well, first of all, there are many different types of special insight. Report an error in the passage at 37:18 Highlight the passage at 37:18

38:04 But here Lama Tsongkhapa says he's not going to point out the special insights of those on high grounds, but will predominantly point out those to be cultivated while an ordinary being. So there's special insight, there's different levels of special insight that are created, like once you've directly realized emptiness, then you're continuing that, and Lama Tsongkhapa is not going to talk about that. Report an error in the passage at 38:04 Highlight the passage at 38:04

38:27 He's going to talk about the special insight that we ordinary beings need to cultivate first. Report an error in the passage at 38:27 Highlight the passage at 38:27

38:35 Then divisions, there's the special insight of the four natures, the three gates and the six examinations. Report an error in the passage at 38:35 Highlight the passage at 38:35

38:47 Yeah, and I don't want to spend a lot of time on these, but... But enough to give us an idea of what special insight is and the different types. So there's the special insights of the four natures. Report an error in the passage at 38:47 Highlight the passage at 38:47

39:00 So the special insight can be divided into two. This different, what's called differentiation and what's called thorough differentiation. So what that is basically saying is differentiating is special insight that observes. It's called varieties or conventionalities. We're looking at the conventional nature of phenomena with the differentiation. Report an error in the passage at 39:00 Highlight the passage at 39:00

39:28 So we can use analysis to analyze the suffering nature of phenomena or the impermanent nature of phenomena. Report an error in the passage at 39:28 Highlight the passage at 39:28

39:41 Thorough differentiation is observing the final mode of being, emptiness. So we can use special insight to analyze conventionalities or we can use special insight to analyze emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 39:41 Highlight the passage at 39:41

39:58 And then each of these are divided into investigation and analysis. So there's a rough investigation that we do when we meditate, for example, on emptiness. And then there's what they call a fine analysis. So I found something that was quite illuminating on this, I thought. Report an error in the passage at 39:58 Highlight the passage at 39:58

40:27 A quote. It says, after we have understood an object superficially by investigating it, Then we need to sharpen our wisdom by analyzing the object in greater detail. For example, having attained a rough conceptual understanding of emptiness through investigation, we then need to analyze emptiness in great detail to gain a clear and precise generic image of it. Report an error in the passage at 40:27 Highlight the passage at 40:27

40:53 With this, we can then go on to attain a yoga direct perceiver, realizing emptiness. When we begin to meditate on any object, we perceive only a very rough mental image of it, but by continuing to meditate on it with analytical and placement meditation, we gradually perceive the object more clearly until eventually we attain complete clear appearance of the object. Report an error in the passage at 40:53 Highlight the passage at 40:53

41:36 What if you have a visual impairment? Because I can never maintain a clear visual picture of anything. What should I take as an object? Here, when we talk about mental image, oftentimes we think visual, but a mental image does not have to be visual. When you visualize something, if we take emptiness, for example, you don't need to have a visual image, but are you able to develop a visual image in your mind? Report an error in the passage at 41:36 Highlight the passage at 41:36

42:18 Sure, but it's not very sharp. Right. And for, For none of us, it's very sharp, really, until we develop a strong concentration, right? Because they say, you know, when you attain calm abiding, your mind is so clear, it's as if you can see the atoms in the wall, right? So most of us don't have that, right? So the reason why our image isn't very clear is because our concentration isn't there. Report an error in the passage at 42:18 Highlight the passage at 42:18

42:51 So I don't think that your visual impairment would be an obstacle. Because remember with calm abiding too, you're analyzing your image in your mind, right? We don't use our eyes. So it's the image in the mind which will become clearer and clearer when our concentration gets clearer and clearer. That helps because that's actually a question I've had for a while now. So thank you. At least that's my understanding. Okay. All right. Report an error in the passage at 42:51 Highlight the passage at 42:51

43:23 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 43:23 Highlight the passage at 43:23

43:31 So then there are these three gates, another division of special insight. Arisen from a sign, arisen from thorough examination, arisen from individual investigation. I really want to get into this. But just really briefly, arisen from a sign. So we're observing selflessness that we've ascertained previously, that we've understood previously. Report an error in the passage at 43:31 Highlight the passage at 43:31

44:01 Emptiness that we've understood previously. And we attend to his signs, which is basically the reasons, right? The reasoning. But we don't, but it says it does not settle much. So I think that's not, it's not analyzing in fine detail. You're bringing it to mind and then you're bringing up the reasonings, but not really focused on that so much. Report an error in the passage at 44:01 Highlight the passage at 44:01

44:31 Then there's arisen from thorough examination, and this does settle the meaning for the sake of ascertaining that which has not been ascertained before. So this seems to be that new realization, that new realization, for example, of emptiness. We use the reasonings, we develop a correct understanding of something we have not understood before. Report an error in the passage at 44:31 Highlight the passage at 44:31

45:00 And then this arisen from individual investigation. This says carries out an analysis, as was done before, of the meaning already ascertained. Report an error in the passage at 45:00 Highlight the passage at 45:00

45:12 So I think this is similar to number one, right? You've ascertained the meaning, right? You've developed a correct understanding. And then you dive in more deeply, right? And analyze more finely as we were talking. Report an error in the passage at 45:12 Highlight the passage at 45:12

45:32 All right. And then the six examinations. I'm not going to go through these, but it just gives you a flavor of, I mean you can read this, I've sent the slides out, but it gives you a flavor of some of the things that you're analyzing with Special Insight. For example, there's like examinations of signs, sides, sorry, which we do, right? We think about, okay, well what is, what are the positive qualities of, let's say, The Buddha Dharma and Saṅgha, what are the faults of Report an error in the passage at 45:32 Highlight the passage at 45:32

46:11 practicing non-virtue. So we do analysis on positive qualities and faults. We determine within our own minds what is the cause of happiness and what is the cause of suffering. So we can do that with special insight. Report an error in the passage at 46:11 Highlight the passage at 46:11

46:34 So you have the slides. The next, Lama Tsongkhapa says, He quotes the Shavaka levels. He says that there it's set forth that the four types of mental attention explained earlier in the context of calm abiding are common to both calm abiding and special insight. So those of us who were in the calm abiding class, we recall that there are these nine levels that you go to in order to get to calm abiding. Report an error in the passage at 46:34 Highlight the passage at 46:34

47:06 Initially, like the first level. You can keep your mind on the object for a very short time and then you bring the mind back and then it's off. So the mind is off the object more often than it's on the object. So at that point you have what's called forcible attention. You have to force your mind back to the object again and again and again. And then gradually you're able to stay on the object more and more. Report an error in the passage at 47:06 Highlight the passage at 47:06

47:37 You eliminate your laxity and excitement, all that. And then there's this interrupted attention. So that's the point where you're on the object for a longer period of time. It still goes off the object, but you do have some attention. It's interrupted a lot, but there's some level of continuity on the object. Report an error in the passage at 47:37 Highlight the passage at 47:37

48:01 And then there's uninterrupted attention where... Okay, you're on the object all the time, right, without interruption. But you still have some laxity. Well, yeah, you still have some laxity and excitement. Report an error in the passage at 48:01 Highlight the passage at 48:01

48:16 And not necessarily. I mean, at the higher levels, you won't have laxity and excitement. But then the last level, right, the ninth level, it's completely effortless, right? So the uninterrupted attention, still you need to make effort. And then at the ninth level, it's completeless, right? You just put your mind on the object at the beginning of the meditation session and then you effortlessly stay on the object for the rest of the session. So these four levels are also true with special insight. Report an error in the passage at 48:16 Highlight the passage at 48:16

48:54 So you would think, you know, you might think, okay, once you have calm abiding, then, you know, and you can stay on the object effortlessly with calm abiding, then special insight, you just turn your mind and then it would be effortless. Apparently not, right? You still have to go through these four phases, right? Because the analysis, right, it disturbs the stability of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 48:54 Highlight the passage at 48:54

49:21 So we have to gradually train the mind so that through analysis, it stabilizes the mind even further, right? But in the beginning, when you start to analyze, that disturbs the stability of mind. So we have to go through, you know, forcible attention and then interrupted, then uninterrupted. Report an error in the passage at 49:21 Highlight the passage at 49:21

49:48 How to cultivate special insight. Report an error in the passage at 49:48 Highlight the passage at 49:48

49:54 So here the presentation is that we develop calm abiding first and then special insight. It's a sequential thing. Report an error in the passage at 49:54 Highlight the passage at 49:54

50:14 So here Lama Report an error in the passage at 50:14 Highlight the passage at 50:14

50:19 Tsongkhapa says the intended meaning of these texts is not that after prior generation of calm abiding observing any object without observing the meaning of selflessness. Special insight is understood as just sustaining the object. The observation of selflessness. So as I was saying before, the position in this school is that you develop calm abiding on some object, then you develop calm abiding on emptiness, and then you start to analyze and then you develop special insight on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 50:19 Highlight the passage at 50:19

50:50 So you develop calm abiding first on emptiness and then special insight on emptiness. Lama Tsongkhapa is saying here, you know, some people are saying you develop calm abiding on a different object and then you develop calm abiding on... Then you switch your object to emptiness, and that's special insight, realizing emptiness. And that, Lama Tsongkhapa is saying, no, that's not special insight, realizing emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 50:50 Highlight the passage at 50:50

51:17 That's still just calm abiding focused on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 51:17 Highlight the passage at 51:17

51:28 That's because calm abiding and special insight are not differentiated by way of their object of observation, right? So the calm abiding and special insight can have the same object. It just... Report an error in the passage at 51:28 Highlight the passage at 51:28

51:41 Meditates on the object in a different way, right? If you're single-pointedly focused on the object without analysis, then it's calm abiding. If it's with analysis, then it's special insight. Report an error in the passage at 51:41 Highlight the passage at 51:41

51:59 So this is basically what I was saying after Report an error in the passage at 51:59 Highlight the passage at 51:59

52:04 observing suchness or emptiness and generating calm abiding, then you generate special insight through analytical meditation, observing the same object. Report an error in the passage at 52:04 Highlight the passage at 52:04

52:29 Okay, so then here, Report an error in the passage at 52:29 Highlight the passage at 52:29

52:34 here Lama Tsongkhapa. It's saying, okay, so if we have not yet attained calm abiding and we're trying to attain calm abiding and then we put our mind on that object and continue to analyze the object, we're not going to attain calm abiding. Report an error in the passage at 52:34 Highlight the passage at 52:34

52:55 So this is the trick, right? Sometimes people think, okay, well, I'm going to try to develop calm abiding on emptiness. That's a difficult one to develop calm abiding on because... When you meditate on emptiness, you come up with this lack of findability, the lack of the inherent existence, and then you focus on that, and then that lack of inherent existence gradually turns into space. Report an error in the passage at 52:55 Highlight the passage at 52:55

53:30 You've lost the unfindability and it's just turned into space. So when it turns into space, you need to analyze again so that you're refuting the object of refutation. So that makes it really difficult to develop calm abiding newly on something like emptiness because you have to keep analyzing. Report an error in the passage at 53:30 Highlight the passage at 53:30

53:55 So here, you know, if we keep analyzing, Lama Tsongkhapa says you won't be able to achieve calm abiding. So it's easier to develop calm abiding on a stable object, you know, like the image of a Buddha. Or the nature of mind, conventional nature of mind, or the breath, or something like that. Report an error in the passage at 53:55 Highlight the passage at 53:55

54:27 Am I making any sense? I was just going to say, Geshe-la just told me that one of the reasons why the Buddha is good is that you can bring it up at the moment of your death. Report an error in the passage at 54:27 Highlight the passage at 54:27

54:39 Yeah, exactly. I thought that was a nice insight. Yeah, that's one of the benefits, right? So when we went through Columbine, Lama Tsongkhapa, that's... The image of the Buddha is the ideal object for, you know. Well, he didn't say it was the ideal object. He said there are many advantages of using the image of a Buddha as your object, right? Report an error in the passage at 54:39 Highlight the passage at 54:39

55:01 And that's one of the reasons, right? Report an error in the passage at 55:01 Highlight the passage at 55:01

55:14 All right. So, here. Do I have a question? No. I'm just whispering over there. Yeah, well, the breath is not really the ideal object at the time of death. Report an error in the passage at 55:14 Highlight the passage at 55:14

55:35 Oh my gosh. Report an error in the passage at 55:35 Highlight the passage at 55:35

55:47 I Report an error in the passage at 55:47 Highlight the passage at 55:47

55:51 mean, other advantages of the image of the Buddha, right, is it helps you with your, you know, when you take refuge, it helps you. Report an error in the passage at 55:51 Highlight the passage at 55:51

56:03 Then Lama Tsongkhapa says, if instead of extending your earlier habituation to mere placement meditation by means of calm abiding achieved previously, You carry out analytical meditation that individually differentiates with wisdom whichever object is appropriate on a given occasion, the mode or the varieties, you can eventually induce a special single point in concentration. Report an error in the passage at 56:03 Highlight the passage at 56:03

56:27 So one of the challenges once you've developed calm abiding, they say, right, is... You know, there's a lot of bliss in that calm abiding, right? There's bliss, there's peace, right? And so there's a temptation to just stay in that. But in this tradition, we're encouraged not to stay in that because that is impermanent, right? That's not going to get us out of saṃsāra, right? Report an error in the passage at 56:27 Highlight the passage at 56:27

56:56 We need to develop a special insight. So we need to develop wisdom. We need to develop special, yeah, we need to analyze. So after we have calm abiding, then we need to... Carry out analytical meditation on whichever object it is, emptiness being the one to get us out of saṃsāra. Then we induce a special single point in concentration, an even more powerful one through analysis. Report an error in the passage at 56:56 Highlight the passage at 56:56

57:30 Since the extremely powerful kind of single point in concentration achieved through that cannot be achieved through... The former method of mere placement, analytical concentration is praised. So apparently there's, after calm abiding and you analyze, then there's a special concentration that you achieve as a result of analysis. Report an error in the passage at 57:30 Highlight the passage at 57:30

58:02 So that's how you first achieve calm abiding and then cultivate special insight independent on that. Report an error in the passage at 58:02 Highlight the passage at 58:02

58:15 So then Lama Tsongkhapa talks about... Two types of special insight that we need on the path. So we've talked about this, right? The special insight of peacefulness and coarseness. Report an error in the passage at 58:15 Highlight the passage at 58:15

58:33 So, okay. So we have the three realms, right? The desire realm, the form realm, and the form realm. Report an error in the passage at 58:33 Highlight the passage at 58:33

58:44 There's the desire realm, which we're in, right? Human beings, animals, et cetera. Then there's the form realm, which you get to through developing high degrees of concentration. And then there's the formless realm. Which you're developing even higher. So there's four levels of the form realm and four levels of the formless realm. Report an error in the passage at 58:44 Highlight the passage at 58:44

59:08 So one thing that the bodhisattva does is they develop these higher levels of concentration. So you go from the desire realm to the form, well, to the first concentration of the form realm, to the second concentration of the form realm, to the third concentration of the form realm, fourth, and then the four levels of the formless realm, infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothing. Report an error in the passage at 59:08 Highlight the passage at 59:08

59:32 It's the peak of cyclic existence. So how do you do that, right? You develop calm abiding first and then you view, for example, the higher realm as being wonderful and beautiful and peaceful and free from all this suffering and then the lower realm full of, you know, coarseness and ugliness and suffering and aging and death and all of that, right? Report an error in the passage at 59:32 Highlight the passage at 59:32

59:59 Because as you go up the realms, your body becomes less and less coarse. There's less and less suffering in these higher realms. So this is what the Bodhisattva will analyze. The higher level is nice and the lower level is undesirable and in that way they develop these higher levels. Report an error in the passage at 59:59 Highlight the passage at 59:59

1:00:20 That's also a type of special insight because it's analysis based on calm abiding. So that's one kind that the Bodhisattva does as well as the special insight realizing emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:20 Highlight the passage at 1:00:20

1:00:37 Right, so developing this special insight of peaceness and courtsness, right, going up through the different levels of concentration, right, suppresses, temporarily suppresses the mental afflictions. Right, these higher levels of concentration have subtler and subtler levels of mental afflictions. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:37 Highlight the passage at 1:00:37

1:00:57 So, like for example, anger does not exist in the former formless realms. There is no anger at all in those realms. So the levels of mental afflictions they have are very much subtler. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:57 Highlight the passage at 1:00:57

1:01:17 So there's a lot less suffering. But the thing is, you can develop these concentrations and then fall from them because they're still in cyclic existence. So we develop those concentrations to develop that subtler and subtler mind, but then we need to realize emptiness to get out of saṃsāra. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:17 Highlight the passage at 1:01:17

1:01:45 But the goal is not to incarnate in these realms, right? Yeah, you don't want to be reborn in those realms. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:45 Highlight the passage at 1:01:45

1:01:56 You want to develop those levels of concentration, but you don't want to be reborn there because there's not enough suffering to develop renunciation and you can't realize emptiness directly for the first time. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:56 Highlight the passage at 1:01:56

1:02:09 So there's this, well some of you study The Abhisamya, the Ornament of Clear Realizations with Geshe Dagpa. And there's this training that they talk about in that text about how the bodhisattva, you know, goes, jumps, you know, first concentration, second concentration, like goes up and down through them like they're nothing. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:09 Highlight the passage at 1:02:09

1:02:32 They develop that training of mind. But yeah, you're not developing the, you're not wanting to be reborn there. You're just developing that level of mind. Hard to. For me to imagine, but Report an error in the passage at 1:02:32 Highlight the passage at 1:02:32

1:02:55 are we still okay? You need a break. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:55 Highlight the passage at 1:02:55

1:03:03 Okay. Then there's, you know, so of these two types, the special insight observing varieties and modes or the conventionalities. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03:03

1:03:12 So here Lama Tsongkhapa is just saying the special insight observing varieties or conventionalities is not just limited to this analyzing coarseness and peace, right? You can, there are many other objects of special insight. And he brings up one of these, you can meditate on the characteristics of the 18 spheres. So like of external forms and internal, the six consciousnesses, the six external sense forms and then the six powers. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:12 Highlight the passage at 1:03:12

1:03:54 Then he also talks about the special insight observing modes, right, which is emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:54 Highlight the passage at 1:03:54

1:04:11 So here he's saying the instructions on the perfection of wisdom says that first you develop special insight observing the varieties, right, conventionalities, and then you develop the special insight on the modes, right, emptiness. But here, here Lama Tsongkhapa is saying we develop calm abiding first and then special insight, in particular the special insight realizing emptiness, right, observing the modes. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:11 Highlight the passage at 1:04:11

1:04:46 So there are different schools of thought. So then there's this question that arises. So in which vehicles are we talking about? You know, when we're talking about developing special insight or common abiding first and then special insight, are we talking about the Hinayana? We're talking about the Mahāyāna? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:46 Highlight the passage at 1:04:46

1:05:05 Are we talking about Tantra? So Lama Report an error in the passage at 1:05:05 Highlight the passage at 1:05:05

1:05:13 Tsongkhapa says it's common to hearers and solitary realizers, which are the two Hinayana vehicles. It's also... Common to the Mahāyāna Perfection Vehicle. So within the Mahāyāna there's the Sūtra Vehicle and the Tantra Vehicle. So it's also common to the Sūtra Vehicle or the Perfection Vehicle. And it's also similar for the three lower classes of Tantra. So there's the four levels of Tantra. Action, Performance, Yoga and Highest Yoga Tantra. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:13 Highlight the passage at 1:05:13

1:05:46 So it's common to those three lower Tantras that you develop calm abiding first and then special inside. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:46 Highlight the passage at 1:05:46

1:05:58 So I just wrote this out, right? So the Hinayata vehicle has these two, Heros and Solitary Realizers, and the Mahāyāna has the Sūtra vehicle and the Tantra vehicle, and the four levels within Tantra. So all of these, the instructions that we're talking about in this text apply. It's a little bit different in Hayastada Tantra. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:58 Highlight the passage at 1:05:58

1:06:26 Maybe a lot bit different. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:26 Highlight the passage at 1:06:26

1:06:33 What can we? Not really. Lama Tsongkhapa gets into it a little bit. Very little bit. So he says, even in the context of highest yoga tantra, our system requires one's method for developing an understanding of the view to be in accordance with what appears in the Madi Mika text. So the understanding of emptiness is the same, right? In sūtra and tantra and even highest yoga tantra. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:33 Highlight the passage at 1:06:33

1:07:00 So the object emptiness is the same. The view is the same. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:00 Highlight the passage at 1:07:00

1:07:11 With respect to how it is sustained, There's analysis and then mental attention to suchness during some subsequent attainment phases of the generation and completion stage. So in highest yoga tantra, there's generation stage and completion stage. And then there's meditative equipoise and there's subsequent attainment. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:11 Highlight the passage at 1:07:11

1:07:37 So meditative equipoise during meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:37 Highlight the passage at 1:07:37

1:07:47 The meditative equipoise we're talking about here is the meditative equipoise of completion stage. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:47 Highlight the passage at 1:07:47

1:07:56 We'll talk about this generally. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:56 Highlight the passage at 1:07:56

1:08:03 So in completion stage, those practicing the completion stage who have attained the ability to penetrate vital points of the body certainly must meditate placing the mind within the view when sustaining the meditation on suchness. Nevertheless, they do not perform the analytical meditation of special insight in accordance with what appears in other texts. Okay, so I'll just talk really generally. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:03 Highlight the passage at 1:08:03

1:08:32 So in Sūtra, Sūtra Viva, what we're doing here, we use our ordinary minds, right? We develop calm abiding, analyze special insight, develop calm abiding and special insight with this coarse ordinary mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:32 Highlight the passage at 1:08:32

1:08:55 In Highest Yoga Tantra, we are accessing a subtler level of mind Report an error in the passage at 1:08:55 Highlight the passage at 1:08:55

1:09:05 just by practicing Sūtra. And there's this, right, coarse, subtle, very subtle. So in completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra, you penetrate vital points of the subtle body and you're able to access this extremely subtle level of mind, which is non-conceptual. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:05 Highlight the passage at 1:09:05

1:09:35 All of the conceptual levels of mind have dissolved. So when you're in that level, you cannot analyze. You do not analyze. If you analyze, you get... Boot it out. That's what I've been told. A friend of mine, he tried to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:35 Highlight the passage at 1:09:35

1:09:59 So, not that I have any experience with this, but this yogi that I talked to, he said, yeah, when he got in there, he started to analyze, he got booted out. So you can't analyze at that level. In order to get to that level, your conceptual mind has... Dissolved. So there, you know, so in that state you don't analyze. So there's no special, well, yeah, there isn't analysis in that. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:59 Highlight the passage at 1:09:59

1:10:37 But what Lama Tsongkhapa is saying is you don't stop your single-pointed meditation on emptiness. So, you know, so what I'm supposing is that, you know, you have a strong mental image of emptiness. Before you get into that state, and then you bring it, you can bring that up, but you just can't analyze. So Lama Tsongkhapa is saying, you don't stop your single point in meditation on emptiness, you just don't do the analysis part. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:37 Highlight the passage at 1:10:37

1:11:09 So that's the difference with Hayas Yoga Tantra. So on the previous slide, but during subsequent attainment, so when you're not in that extremely subtle level of mind, you still... You're analyzing emptiness, right? You're analyzing emptiness in other meditation sessions and keeping a clear understanding of emptiness, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:09 Highlight the passage at 1:11:09

1:11:34 You're still doing that. It's just not when you're in that extremely subtle level. Okay? So, Report an error in the passage at 1:11:34 Highlight the passage at 1:11:34

1:11:50 it before the break. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:50 Highlight the passage at 1:11:50

1:11:57 Tantra police will get you. Yeah, I love that. Boot it out. Boot it out. Pack your things in need. Pack your things in gold. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:57 Highlight the passage at 1:11:57

1:12:08 Okay, good, good. I was meaning to email you and I hoped that it would be good. Wonderful. Good, good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm going to get to read it too. Are you still studying for your exam? Congratulations. Oh, that was so good. That's a big... you. Congratulations. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:08 Highlight the passage at 1:12:08

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:12:55 Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, Jenna's going to teach it. Donation. So, you know, like, before the setback. Yeah, no, it's great. I know. Yeah, I just wanted to let you know if you want to let people know. Can everybody hear that? No, the class is starting tomorrow night. Yeah. No, it's another volunteer time. Where? Where are you going to be? Yeah, where's there? Huh? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:55 Highlight the passage at 1:12:55

1:13:17 You know, I've been on the road, I mean, there's... Report an error in the passage at 1:13:17 Highlight the passage at 1:13:17

1:13:39 are a lot of people who can do this. Can you touch your toes? No, no, no, I can do that. In the Santa Cruz area, I look down there. Yeah. Thank you. you live? Yes, that's it. I need to check that out. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:39 Highlight the passage at 1:13:39

1:14:14 That's beautiful there. I love that area. I like it a lot. It's good for me. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:14 Highlight the passage at 1:14:14

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:14:59 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:59 Highlight the passage at 1:14:59

1:15:07 Now I've got four more things to figure out. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:07 Highlight the passage at 1:15:07

1:15:13 Can you get, can you bring it? Yeah. I felt like when I was watching it, it looks more than a camera. I was like, well, maybe that's just because I'm used to watching something that Richard does it, and you have to watch in a way that you're trying to do yourself. All of your Report an error in the passage at 1:15:13 Highlight the passage at 1:15:13

1:15:40 That's why it feels like a new man was just like, oh, how pretty, like the music and the story. I think you should have an initial pattern when you know and that makes sense. Yeah, in order to make visualizations. I wasn't even at the judgmental stage because I thought they were amazing, but I'm kind of like, I want to get deep. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:40 Highlight the passage at 1:15:40

1:16:01 on? I know that they have this, this is bad, and I know what the mood is. Yeah, there's some aspects of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:01 Highlight the passage at 1:16:01

1:16:11 I feel like I have to understand that. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:11 Highlight the passage at 1:16:11

1:16:16 I've had a lot of experiences, and I don't know how, back then, but I'd like to be able to, some ways, I can let go of it. If I watch enough moments that it's stuck by yourself, I get it. That was the way to clean up the family. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, good. You don't realize it. Do you know what I mean? Because it just doesn't register. So it's more like when there's Report an error in the passage at 1:16:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16:16

1:17:12 . Yeah. But then there's also an element of . Have you been going to Chinese before? No. I'm just like . Yeah, but now I'm thinking you You have have more more . of a heaven. Thank you. I just couldn't resist this one. Now I have a lot of time to get my legs out. I remember talking to you before when I led meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:12 Highlight the passage at 1:17:12

1:17:41 You have been coming here for a while. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:41 Highlight the passage at 1:17:41

1:18:09 But it's Show them how to do this. like great. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:09 Highlight the passage at 1:18:09

1:18:13 Thank you. Lama Tsongkhapa, Shantideva You'll get over it. Yes, you know, maybe we could do before class. Because I don't live in the area, so we have to go before or after class. And there's a lot of people who can do it online. But it's nicer to do it in person. But hey, just so you know, if you have the children here, I also like the line. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:13 Highlight the passage at 1:18:13

1:18:46 He was right there, right? With the glasses and everything? Report an error in the passage at 1:18:46 Highlight the passage at 1:18:46

1:18:52 Can I get anybody else a cup of chai? I have a bunch of leftover chai here that I can eat out. Would you like it? Okay, I will get you. So let's do it, I'm going to heat up some traffic. I'll just make sure people move around until mid-March and then I'm going to go around for a minute. Oh really? Oh, that's right, so let's talk about it. Do you have some time before I hear? Definitely, yeah, we have some time here. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:52 Highlight the passage at 1:18:52

1:19:20 Let me know what works for you. My schedule is fairly flexible. Okay. Right Right now, now, I I only only go go in in the... the office on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I'd work around your schedule for I'm going to Report an error in the passage at 1:19:20 Highlight the passage at 1:19:20

1:20:17 go to Milpitas next weekend. know, in one of these two states. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:17 Highlight the passage at 1:20:17

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:20:21 Rinpoche's doing that, Empowerment. What did you get to Rinpoche? At Utah? Yeah, Utah, yeah. wasn't planning on it. I'm of slammed right now. I need Report an error in the passage at 1:20:21 Highlight the passage at 1:20:21

1:20:39 to get it done by the end of this month. like every moment. Where are you working? Report an error in the passage at 1:20:39 Highlight the passage at 1:20:39

1:20:55 Just for wisdom. Do it today. Just for a moment. Do it today. I mean, the end of February. Oh. Yeah. No, no, no. Not by tonight. And it's 400 pages. Oh my gosh. Are you the solo editor? No, I mean, I'm, there was, there was an editor, I'm, I'm supposed to be for the accuracy. Okay, back checker. Accuracy, and then, but there's a lot that needs done, especially. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:55 Highlight the passage at 1:20:55

1:21:33 then somebody else will do the final editing. So it's not like I have to get it perfect, but I have to get all the technical stuff right. So I'm not doing anything these days except for her. You know, working on this as much as I can. Your seven years of Tsongkhapa are put to the test. Well, this class has really helped, too, because it's all foremost in my mind, right, what Tsongkhapa said and all that. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:33 Highlight the passage at 1:21:33

1:22:09 Well, not all foremost in my mind. That would be an exaggeration. But anyway, it's a pleasure in my mind. That's good. Yeah. But, you know, I mean, it's... Special insight from teaching it. I mean... I mean, for sure. I mean, you know, when you have to explain it to somebody, it's definitely your understanding is going to be sharper than whatever she said. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:09 Highlight the passage at 1:22:09

1:22:36 Is there a book that you can get that explains more about what you were talking about about the tantra? No, there's not much. You know, there's actually, there's a new book out called Principles of Buddhist Tantra by Cody Sancho Rinpoche. Really? It's, like, contract grounds and That's what you've been wanting to study. Exactly. I've been begging him. You just came out in the last six months. I'll email you. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:36 Highlight the passage at 1:22:36

1:23:09 In all your spare time you have. But if I don't in the next day or two, just remind me. You've got a lot on your plate. Yeah. was great. And, well, I mean, that's going to be Report an error in the passage at 1:23:09 Highlight the passage at 1:23:09

1:23:21 That's exciting though. Is this your first publication? It is. My. Years. Years. From your own side. No, but it's awesome though. It's an incredible honor. you're in. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:21 Highlight the passage at 1:23:21

1:23:38 It's an incredible honor. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:38 Highlight the passage at 1:23:38

1:23:43 Well, and you're the next generation after Ravina Corton and Steve Carlier and that generation. You know what I mean? It's like the tradition 15. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:43 Highlight the passage at 1:23:43

1:23:53 Anybody want chai, courtesy of Epi? Congratulations. Thanks, Chai. Well, I hope it's okay. My brother thought it was a little spicy. We'll just call you Mama Chai. I like that. Actually, I could use a new nickname, and Chai would totally work for me. Mama Chai. I'm very happy with it. Chai lady. It's leftover from the school kids visiting yesterday. Do you want me to keep up with them? We had 69 students and five teachers. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:53 Highlight the passage at 1:23:53

1:24:23 Wow. Come with Venerable Carol. Wow. John was here as a volunteer. here. And so was Karen moving away from the meditation session with them. And Carol did a question and answer. How nice. 69 middle schoolers in five teachers. Here? Yesterday, yes. Behaving themselves. They were fantastic. They were really cool. Middle school? Wow. I wish that somebody had brought me to a Buddhist center. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:23 Highlight the passage at 1:24:23

1:24:47 Exactly. What the heck? My daughter was a little more humiliated by it all, but I think she survived. That's awesome. Your daughter was huge. And actually, Actually, it's it's not. not humiliated, but you know how it is like when And so was Karen. Wow. and everybody comes to your center and your mom shows them around. It was okay. There were two kids in her middle school other than her that went to Sunday school. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:47 Highlight the passage at 1:24:47

1:25:09 So it was your daughter's school then? It was her entire middle school. Oh my gosh, so you organized it then? Yeah, they asked me if they could visit the center because they're studying Buddhism in her humanities class. Wow. Wow. That's awesome, Abby. Yeah, it was totally cool. It was really fun. Yeah, she's in medical school and she studies medicine. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:09 Highlight the passage at 1:25:09

1:25:31 Oh my gosh, that's not what happened. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:31 Highlight the passage at 1:25:31

1:25:41 Amazing, how fantastic. No. No. They started to use Buddhism and other Buddhism, and the next thing they Report an error in the passage at 1:25:41 Highlight the passage at 1:25:41

1:25:45 I love that. I love that. It's fantastic. I love that. I That's so funny. I love that. I love that. Multiple times a week. Hours and hours. Isn't that crazy? It is crazy. It's like the. The 70s. The 70s. Yeah. was the time. I know. Class folks. So I'm going to read a little break. I'm going to read a little bit from Lama Zopa's book on this topic. So it says, once the meditator has this experience of emptiness, Meaning that the eye is completely lost. Since there is no concentration, the experience doesn't last. They just temporarily touch upon the point of realization. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:45 Highlight the passage at 1:25:45

1:26:40 In such circumstances, the meditator uses the four point analysis or some other logical reasoning to try and again reach emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:40 Highlight the passage at 1:26:40

1:26:50 They also have to use the skillful techniques for developing one point in concentration. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:50 Highlight the passage at 1:26:50

1:26:58 Such as what we talked about in the context of calm abiding. So after one has realized emptiness, what one must do is attempt to stabilize one point in concentration. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:58 Highlight the passage at 1:26:58

1:27:13 You do this by studying the topic of calm abiding, which includes the methods to stop attachment, scattering thoughts and sinking thoughts. Because we may notice that attachment is our biggest Report an error in the passage at 1:27:13 Highlight the passage at 1:27:13

1:27:34 Distraction, right, when we're meditating, attachment to whatever, you know, our stories and food and whatever, entertainment, right, okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:34 Highlight the passage at 1:27:34

1:27:48 If one hasn't actualized shamatha, right, calm abiding, prior to realizing emptiness, then one can do it subsequently. In this way, when one can generate what is called special insights. One is able to derive the extremely refined body and the mental bliss of rapturous ecstasy by doing analysis on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:48 Highlight the passage at 1:27:48

1:28:13 Another way of a more glamorous way of talking about the bliss of mental diplomacy. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:13 Highlight the passage at 1:28:13

1:28:24 So if the meditator has not realized... can see. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:24 Highlight the passage at 1:28:24

1:28:30 Calm abiding prior to this experience. They should try to achieve it now by establishing one point in concentration on emptiness. There are two ways to achieve calm abiding. So those who are easily distracted with lots of superstition are advised to first practice one point in concentration on the nature of mind as the object because focusing attention inside on the mind rather than an external object Helps to cut off distractions. Distractions are less. Once this meditator has established one point in concentration on the mind, then they meditate on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:30 Highlight the passage at 1:28:30

1:29:19 Others, right, however, first realize emptiness and then establish calm abiding on emptiness. So these are the two different ways to practice depending on one's individual capacity. And Report an error in the passage at 1:29:19 Highlight the passage at 1:29:19

1:29:36 would having emptiness first... Would that be as a result of past life developments, cities? Report an error in the passage at 1:29:36 Highlight the passage at 1:29:36

1:29:52 Oftentimes they say that, right? I mean, you know, you have a lot of familiarization in your previous life, so then there's, you know, you have a different path here. But if you, you know, there's certain people who have a great affinity for emptiness, right? And so, you know, so you try to realize emptiness first and then... Report an error in the passage at 1:29:52 Highlight the passage at 1:29:52

1:30:14 You know, develop calm abiding on that. You know, to me, I don't, I've tried to meditate on, you know, tried calm abiding on emptiness and it's just so, so, so difficult. You know, the mind is just so much more distracted. Because I like to use the nature of mind. I'm one of those nature of mind people. You know, and it's much easier to focus on that. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:14 Highlight the passage at 1:30:14

1:30:45 Without distraction and emptiness. But other people, you know, they're fine. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:45 Highlight the passage at 1:30:45

1:30:58 Was there another hand? There was a Lynn hand. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:58 Highlight the passage at 1:30:58

1:31:05 Oh, well we should have a birthday party for you all. We should. Very good. Here's a one. The other recording. Here I come, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:05 Highlight the passage at 1:31:05

1:31:23 I keep forgetting I can't sit on this. Damn, I ain't called it yet. Okay, you brought it up. What's the difference between single point and concentration on the nature of mind and emptiness? Report an error in the passage at 1:31:23 Highlight the passage at 1:31:23

1:31:43 I'm talking about no analysis here. Yeah, so when I talk about the nature of mind, I'm talking about the conventional nature of mind, which is the clear and knowing. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:43 Highlight the passage at 1:31:43

1:31:58 I am not an expert in that, for sure. But basically, that's the space of the mind. So that's not a non-affirming negative. Emptiness is the non-affirming negative. You're negating the inherent existence. So they say sometimes when we're meditating on emptiness, so you're negating and then you refute. That concrete me that seems to be there. So the meditation on emptiness at the beginning is explicitly refuting that me that I always believed in. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:58 Highlight the passage at 1:31:58

1:32:41 And what happens to many people is then that turns into the conventional nature of mind, which that explicit negation turns into the space-like nature of mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:41 Highlight the passage at 1:32:41

1:32:57 That's the difference between meditating on ultimate truth and conventional truth, right? Meditating on the nature of mind, the conventional nature of mind is just meditating on conventional truth, right? Just space is my understanding. Does that address your question? Report an error in the passage at 1:32:57 Highlight the passage at 1:32:57

1:33:30 I practice Haya Siyogha Tantra and I have a couple of sadhanas. Oh, yes you can. I'm not there. I'm not taking a secret. I'm telling a secret here. In one of my sadhana's it says, now meditate on emptiness. And I remember getting advice from Geshe-la a long time ago. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:30 Highlight the passage at 1:33:30

1:33:50 Not on that particular sadhana, but just how bringing an emptiness into a highest yoga tantra sadhana. And he said, no, you do not analyze. Within the highest yoga tantra sadhana I asked about, he said, you do not analyze. You don't analyze there. And what you're saying tonight makes more clear what he was trying to tell me and also what's in Lama Rinpoche as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:50 Highlight the passage at 1:33:50

1:34:18 Like, okay, yeah. Besides you're getting, it takes you out of the whole experience of the sadhana when you start analyzing, period. But, in my view, but I do have a sadhana where it says, now meditate on emptiness. And I remember asking the teacher who gave me this practice in a group, what do you mean? Report an error in the passage at 1:34:18 Highlight the passage at 1:34:18

1:34:44 What should I be doing with my mind there? And she said, we'll talk later. We've never heard. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:44 Highlight the passage at 1:34:44

1:34:57 Very frustrating. And I'm not doing analysis there, so it's kind of like, what am I doing there? It just drives me nuts. Because it says it in that way. It was an empty Report an error in the passage at 1:34:57 Highlight the passage at 1:34:57

1:35:09 You know what I mean? Report an error in the passage at 1:35:09 Highlight the passage at 1:35:09

1:35:13 Yeah, it's hard to get instruction. Right. Part of it is my guts in asking for instruction. I'm either embarrassed that I don't know enough to ask the question or I'm scared to death they'll tell me to do something I have no idea how to do or that I will be doing, you know, five a zillion satsas in order to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:13 Highlight the passage at 1:35:13

1:35:38 Right. I know what you mean. Get me to a satsa shop. Yeah. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:38 Highlight the passage at 1:35:38

1:35:55 I don't know. I'm certainly not qualified. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:55 Highlight the passage at 1:35:55

1:36:00 Getting personal tantric practice instruction seems to be difficult. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:00 Highlight the passage at 1:36:00

1:36:24 Let me say something related to your original question. In this tradition, there are different kinds of Mahamudra. yeah, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:24 Highlight the passage at 1:36:24

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:36:35 In this tradition, the Mahamudra that we do is first we meditate on the conventional nature of mind, the space-like nature of the mind, the clear knowing. And then, based on that, then we analyze the emptiness of that mind. We analyze the ultimate reality of that mind. So first we do the conventional nature of mind, then we apply this analysis, the four-point analysis, etc., to analyze for the nature of that mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:35 Highlight the passage at 1:36:35

1:37:13 Because just the space-like nature of mind is just conventional reality. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:13 Highlight the passage at 1:37:13

1:37:23 This may be the time for me to ask that question that I came up with at the very beginning, and that is, how do you do it daily, the emptiness? Report an error in the passage at 1:37:23 Highlight the passage at 1:37:23

1:37:35 Always, when you say every day we should be practicing emptiness, do you do the same four-point analysis every day? Do you read a different chapter or a different page actually from Lama Zopa? Or exactly what the heck, to keep it refreshed and alive, I would probably want to do something different every day. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:35 Highlight the passage at 1:37:35

1:37:58 But I also understand why doing the same thing over and over again gets you in the groove. So am I clear about my question? Well, I think it's better to ask a Lama. Failing that. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:58 Highlight the passage at 1:37:58

1:38:19 So, I mean, as far as reading emptiness, I think it's good to read different things, you know, like different authors, you know, not just read the same thing over and over again, but different things. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:19 Highlight the passage at 1:38:19

1:38:32 As far as meditation on emptiness, I mean, I can just tell you my own. They'd ask me. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:32 Highlight the passage at 1:38:32

1:38:38 Thought of that is what Report an error in the passage at 1:38:38 Highlight the passage at 1:38:38

1:38:45 helps me is, well, first of all, trying to identify that object of refutation all the time, right? Throughout the day, just noticing that, right? And for me, I notice my meditation on emptiness is much more juicy when I use something that's actually happening in my life, right? Okay, well, I felt really hurt. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:45 Highlight the passage at 1:38:45

1:39:12 So look for that me that was hurt and then analyze in whatever ways work, I think, for you. I don't think there's a particular answer, right? If it's working, then do that. If it's not working, then, you know, then try something else. And that's, you know, for me, that's what makes the emptiness meditation interesting and not just that. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:12 Highlight the passage at 1:39:12

1:39:38 that rote thing that I have to do every I find it very powerful in my life if I'm trying to find the relevance in my life. When we notice the object of refutation in our life, we notice what situations it arises strongly and regularly. Like, remember. I remember the first time meditation on emptiness had any sort of impact on me was when I, you know, I used to be a big beat myself up person, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:39:38 Highlight the passage at 1:39:38

1:40:29 And I'd asked my Lama, I've told many of you this story, I asked my Lama, you know, what can I do? I'm so hard on myself. And he said, meditate on emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:29 Highlight the passage at 1:40:29

1:40:41 Give me something easier, right? So I didn't follow that advice immediately. But once I did, that was powerful for me because that was a huge suffering in my life, right? And then when you don't find that I that has created all that suffering, it has an impact on your mind, right? So I find that kind of thing really useful in my meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:41 Highlight the passage at 1:40:41

1:41:15 So for me, you know, I use different reasonings, like there's a couple of different reasonings that I find have some impact on my mind, so I, you know, I use them alternatively, you know, and I like to bring up a distressing situation and then meditate on the emptiness of the me and then see the impact it has on my mind and see the, oh, it's not so distressing now. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:15 Highlight the passage at 1:41:15

1:41:44 now, right? So. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:44 Highlight the passage at 1:41:44

1:41:50 So that's what I do. If it's not juicy, then it's one of those other things that you just have to do and it's not alive and it's just like going to church on Sunday because you have to, but you're not really getting anything out of it. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:50 Highlight the passage at 1:41:50

1:42:16 So like certain things like the eye that wants people to like me or think well of me, that's a good one for me. You know, the one that doesn't want to be humiliated is a good one. Or the one that literally screwed up yesterday, that's another good one. You know, just whatever sense of eye is coming up. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:16 Highlight the passage at 1:42:16

1:42:38 That is easy for me to understand, but you also tucked in there that there are a couple of... Of reasonings that you like to look at. Do you want to share those or not? One that I find is very useful for pride. Like if I'm thinking, like if somebody's given me a compliment and I'm thinking, not so bad, right? Dependent arising is very useful. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:38 Highlight the passage at 1:42:38

1:43:08 Who is this? Well, causes and conditions, parts, imputation. You know, there's no... No inflated eye. I'm just a result of causes and conditions and all of that. So that one's useful for pride. It's not so useful for some of the other ones, I find, for me. But the four-point analysis is generally very useful for me for the other things, like the suffering eye, the eye that feels mistreated or... Report an error in the passage at 1:43:08 Highlight the passage at 1:43:08

1:43:50 Hurt, you know, searching for that eye, you know, within the body and mind and separate from the body and mind and finding it nowhere and then just, you know, staying on the lack of that with as much concentration as I can and then it can have some impact if I have some concentration that day. Yeah, Report an error in the passage at 1:43:50 Highlight the passage at 1:43:50

1:44:19 those are the two main ones that I use. And sometimes like it can be a coarser view. Like just dissolving the body into atoms and seeing that there's no cohesive entity tying those together. There's nothing covering those parts. The eye that feels hurt seems to be this cohesive entity covering that. And then you dissolve it into atoms and what's left? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:19 Highlight the passage at 1:44:19

1:44:53 You dissolve the body into atoms and you dissolve the mind into moments. So they're just parts there and there's no whole. That's very powerful for dissolving that. Who's that I that's hurt? So that's what I do. But does anybody else have something that works for them? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:53 Highlight the passage at 1:44:53

1:45:17 Gigglers over there? Report an error in the passage at 1:45:17 Highlight the passage at 1:45:17

1:45:22 Yeah. I've been doing... My little son. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:22 Highlight the passage at 1:45:22

1:45:34 I've been doing, and I'm kind of slack, but I do my calm abiding at night, and then at the end of my calm abiding I do, basically what I've been doing is kind of whatever we were doing here, or whatever, but anyway, not even that much, maybe a couple minutes, maybe five minutes, maybe more sometimes. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:34 Highlight the passage at 1:45:34

1:45:57 Anyway, This weekend, I work weekends anyway, I noticed I had a couple things happen that were things that would have made me angry or got me upset at work. And it was very strange because I was just like watching it and there was no reaction. And it happened and so on this one day, because I went home and I was like, wow, that was freaky. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:57 Highlight the passage at 1:45:57

1:46:24 Three times different things happened. Two of the times I totally just... Let it go. I mean, it wasn't even letting it go. It was like I was watching myself or watching the situation without me getting involved personally. It was empty. And then the third time, it's like I was like, oh, and I started going down that road and I stopped. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:24 Highlight the passage at 1:46:24

1:46:49 But all three times, none of it was intentional. It just happened. I wasn't trying to do anything. And the first two times, it's just kind of weird, just kind of like watching this strange situation where I'm not buying into it. But anyway, my point is that I'm not really doing very much. I am doing it daily, though. So when I do my comma biting, I do comma biting every night. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:49 Highlight the passage at 1:46:49

1:47:19 And then I do just a little bit somewhere. Sometimes it's just like in the middle. Like, oh, yeah, I'll do a little. And then I go back to the comma biting. Probably not the best. But I'm amazed at the results that I'm just like, and not having to think about it because for eons it seems like I go to work and I forget everything and I get pissed off and I'm annoyed and, you know, and I lose whatever calm that I had or what I'm working on and now it's really cool because it's happening without me really, I'm not like, I'm not trying, I'm just trying to, like I set an intention in the morning when I go to work that I want to go and have a good day. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:19 Highlight the passage at 1:47:19

1:48:03 I want to enjoy my co-workers and the patients and the doctors and whatever. Yeah, I think that's the result of doing something every day. And it doesn't have to be long, right? But it's like you're habituating your mind to it. Even if you do five minutes of meditation on emptiness every day, then the mind... Report an error in the passage at 1:48:03 Highlight the passage at 1:48:03

1:48:28 It's more likely to remember it, right? Because you're just being reminded on a daily basis. And especially if you're meditating on the emptiness of a real situation that happens in your life. If it's the emptiness of the cup, then somebody insults you and that's not going to help you. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:28 Highlight the passage at 1:48:28

1:49:12 Speaking of that, let's do a meditation on empty cups. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:12 Highlight the passage at 1:49:12

1:49:23 So before I start, how many of you are hard on yourself? Report an error in the passage at 1:49:23 Highlight the passage at 1:49:23

1:49:40 I want to do a meditation on that eye. So if that one doesn't come up for you, then you can choose a different one. So we Report an error in the passage at 1:49:40 Highlight the passage at 1:49:40

1:50:06 might think about the eye. going to be pretty slow dancing with you, Peter. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:06 Highlight the passage at 1:50:06

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:50:09 Like if we screwed up. Or Report an error in the passage at 1:50:09 Highlight the passage at 1:50:09

1:50:15 I should be better. I Report an error in the passage at 1:50:15 Highlight the passage at 1:50:15

1:50:23 should be better. I really screwed up. Or Report an error in the passage at 1:50:23 Highlight the passage at 1:50:23

1:50:32 I that feels discouraged. I'm never going to be able to concentrate. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:32 Highlight the passage at 1:50:32

1:50:41 A sense of that. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:41 Highlight the passage at 1:50:41

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:51:14 Does that I seem to be something solid? And Report an error in the passage at 1:51:14 Highlight the passage at 1:51:14

1:51:41 I seem to have a location? Does it seem to be more in one place than another? So Report an error in the passage at 1:51:41 Highlight the passage at 1:51:41

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:52:54 it might be useful to bring up a... A particular situation in which we've been hard on ourselves or felt not good enough, maybe Report an error in the passage at 1:52:54 Highlight the passage at 1:52:54

1:53:08 discouraged with Report an error in the passage at 1:53:08 Highlight the passage at 1:53:08

1:53:16 sense of I. And Report an error in the passage at 1:53:16 Highlight the passage at 1:53:16

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:54:08 we can search within the body. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:08 Highlight the passage at 1:54:08

1:54:23 Is it the whole body? Report an error in the passage at 1:54:23 Highlight the passage at 1:54:23

1:54:32 Is it the heart? Report an error in the passage at 1:54:32 Highlight the passage at 1:54:32

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:55:31 Or is it the mind that Report an error in the passage at 1:55:31 Highlight the passage at 1:55:31

1:55:35 I'm hard on? It's screwed up. It Report an error in the passage at 1:55:35 Highlight the passage at 1:55:35

1:55:43 should be better. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:43 Highlight the passage at 1:55:43

1:55:47 That's not good enough. Is Report an error in the passage at 1:55:47 Highlight the passage at 1:55:47

1:56:04 it this moment of mine? Is it the next moment of mine? Is it Report an error in the passage at 1:56:04 Highlight the passage at 1:56:04

1:56:21 changing? Report an error in the passage at 1:56:21 Highlight the passage at 1:56:21

1:56:46 Spacious, Report an error in the passage at 1:56:46 Highlight the passage at 1:56:46

1:56:55 afflicted Report an error in the passage at 1:56:55 Highlight the passage at 1:56:55

1:57:22 perceptions. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:22 Highlight the passage at 1:57:22

1:57:48 Could this me or I be the mind? Which is many different things. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:48 Highlight the passage at 1:57:48

1:58:17 Or is this me something separate from the body and mind? If I take away the body and I take away the mind, is there still a me left over? So Report an error in the passage at 1:58:17 Highlight the passage at 1:58:17

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:59:06 this me that's Report an error in the passage at 1:59:06 Highlight the passage at 1:59:06

1:59:13 not good enough Report an error in the passage at 1:59:13 Highlight the passage at 1:59:13

1:59:17 is nowhere. It Report an error in the passage at 1:59:17 Highlight the passage at 1:59:17

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:59:56 doesn't exist at all. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:56 Highlight the passage at 1:59:56

· · · silence, 2 minutes

2:01:54 Well, I'll just start by saying it was great because it was like a little mini vacation from the eye torment that I can create for myself. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:54 Highlight the passage at 2:01:54

2:02:05 But even if it's just a merrily labeled eye, if I'm ethical and conscientious, I have to deal with the problems that I create. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:05 Highlight the passage at 2:02:05

2:02:19 So I guess they're still there when I get back. Yeah, so it's a difference between, right? Just dealing with the problems and doing what needs to be done and the I screwed up. Always do that. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:19 Highlight the passage at 2:02:19

2:02:43 That creates the heaviness. Just dealing with the stuff is just doing it. That's what we need to do. But we don't have to add that whole extra layer of Report an error in the passage at 2:02:43 Highlight the passage at 2:02:43

2:02:57 that's what creates the suffering, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:02:57 Highlight the passage at 2:02:57

2:03:09 I mean if we I can remember the emptiness of it all, right? Like even dealing with the action, the emptiness of the action, right? The action isn't bad. The action isn't a pain in the butt from its own side, right? I mean, just doing what needs to be done without having the attraction aversion, right? It just is, right? Doing what needs to be done. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:09 Highlight the passage at 2:03:09

2:03:30 There's no solid eye. There's no right and wrong from its own side. There's no good and bad from its own side, but just... Doing what needs to be done. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:30 Highlight the passage at 2:03:30

2:03:46 Slowly, slowly. Joel? It's just kind of this strange little thought. It came up in another meditation for me a couple days ago, and then it came up at the very end of this one. It was this thought that was kind of like, where does happiness come from? You know, because I'm dissolving that suffering I, you know, the I that worries. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:46 Highlight the passage at 2:03:46

2:04:08 But then there's this calmness and this sort of happiness. And I'm like... Where's the eye that's experiencing that? It's kind of not there, but nonetheless, I'm experiencing it. Do you know what I mean? It's like, even without the eye, there's still this... There's still experience. This goodness. There's something there. Yeah. I mean, precisely, right? Because when you dissolve the mental afflictions, the natural peace and happiness of the mind shines through, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:04:08 Highlight the passage at 2:04:08

2:04:42 That is the natural state of our mind, but it gets covered up. By our mental afflictions and that sense of I and all of that just screws up that natural beauty and peace that's in there. And that experience exists and we can impute an I on it, but the I that exists is just labeled to that experience. There's no solid concrete I there. You can label an I. You know, there is an experience. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:42 Highlight the passage at 2:04:42

2:05:13 An experience. And I want to label it. I'm happy. Yeah, and then the grasping starts, right? As soon as I like this. I want more of this. Hey, I'm pretty good, right? Yeah. Yeah. That's the trick, right? They say, yeah, you get it. And then we think, I got it. And then you lose it as soon as you think, I got it, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:05:13 Highlight the passage at 2:05:13

2:05:40 It's gone. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:40 Highlight the passage at 2:05:40

2:05:46 Okay, anybody else? Jessica. I'm glad you said the thing about the emptiness of everything because that's kind of where I had to go because when I dissolved the I that cares about it, then I thought, well, because the situation I was using, I was like, well, all these other people that I have to deal with still see that even though I know that I don't exist, like they still think I exist, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:05:46 Highlight the passage at 2:05:46

2:06:12 And I still have to deal with their perception that I exist, right? And so then I had to... Kind of extend it into the emptiness of those people and the situation. You know what I mean? Because then I was like, well, I still have to deal with the fact that even if I realize that I'm labeling me, when you go out in the world and you interact with other people, they react to you as if you are substantially existing, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:06:12 Highlight the passage at 2:06:12

2:06:40 And kind of throw things at you that way. Yeah. And then we have the opportunity of... Okay, so somebody is hard on you, right? And then we have the opportunity to see, well, that me that they're hard on doesn't really exist either. And so we don't care about what they think of me because there's no solid me. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:40 Highlight the passage at 2:06:40

2:07:08 I mean, there's just this constantly changing body and mind, right? So it's like, who is this me that can... That they're trying to label onto, right? Right. And, you know, that we don't like their label on me, right? Yeah. So then there's another thing. Like that caring about what other people think of us is hard to get rid of, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:07:08 Highlight the passage at 2:07:08

2:07:33 Although sometimes there's consequences, there's actual consequences to what other people think about you, right? They can choose to do something. So I guess in that moment then you just have to realize, like, This is causes and conditions and this is just things that are happening and the emptiness of that situation because they're choosing. There's a certain amount of you have to let that go, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:07:33 Highlight the passage at 2:07:33

2:07:57 And you do what needs to be done, right? You know, you rectify the situation. To the extent that you can, but you can't control that. Right, and you can't control what other people think. And there's a certain point where you don't really care. Right, so I guess it's just getting to that point. You just do your best, yeah? Okay. And if they still have a negative impression of you, then... What can you do? Report an error in the passage at 2:07:57 Highlight the passage at 2:07:57

2:08:20 Right, exactly. What can I do? Yeah, because there's so many different layers of the eye that are there, right? That's what I was trying to realize when I just kind of... Right, yeah. That makes me think back to the anger management class that you did earlier. I mean, it seems to me like if you dissolve that I that they're angry at, it'd be a lot easier to say, you seem angry at me. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:20 Highlight the passage at 2:08:20

2:08:47 But then not really feel it, right? Not feel the anger towards you. And then say, what is it that you're needing? You know, like to actually cut through to the problem, like, do you know what I mean? Right, I see you are... suffering with you know but you know you seem angry me what I can do for you or something you know without getting that me involved Report an error in the passage at 2:08:47 Highlight the passage at 2:08:47

2:09:09 Yeah, because you can see the situation more clearly without the strong me there, right? And you can see the other person's perspective, right? When we're caught up in the me, then you see everything from my perspective, right? But if you can dissolve that, then you can see it more globally, right? The situation more globally. What is this person's perspective? Now this other person, you know, et cetera. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:09 Highlight the passage at 2:09:09

2:09:50 That just actually made me think of something that when I used to do risk management for EMS, and I would get a lot of cold calls from people in the public that were very unhappy, very unhappy. And a lot of times very bad things had happened. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:50 Highlight the passage at 2:09:50

2:10:09 One of the things that I did was I would never personalize. I got to the point where I never personalized it. I never tried to make excuses. I would just listen to them and then there would be a process. I would say exactly that. I would say, I understand why you're very upset. I can see that. That doesn't sound right. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:09 Highlight the passage at 2:10:09

2:10:27 But I would always, you know, there's always more to pictures and stories. But as I would listen to what they were going through, inevitably, I mean, these people would be just completely blind with... You know, being upset and anger and all kinds of stuff. You know, they have hurt relatives or something happened to them. And at the end, a lot of times, they would end up just thanking me and saying, you know, I just wanted to feel like I was heard. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:27 Highlight the passage at 2:10:27

2:10:56 And it's funny when you think about that, that even if someone else has this, and what's coming up is their very strong feeling that this bad thing happened. To me, to my family, to my this and that, and that by, as I would try and be as transparent as I possibly could, and just listen to them and acknowledge it and say, I understand, I can see why that, I would be upset too. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:56 Highlight the passage at 2:10:56

2:11:24 That on a certain level, it's a validation for their feeling of a substantiated self, but I'm not fighting with it. I'm actually just acknowledging its presence and its feelings. And just that acknowledgement helps dissipate that. And it's almost like that idea that at the point when we can face our own sense of self and look at it really strongly and see, well, I can see where this comes up by really wanting to hold on. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:24 Highlight the passage at 2:11:24