Death and the Process of Dying (27 September 2008)

0:00 Melissa, Melissa, I'm John. Nice to meet you. And we have Anna, Melissa, and... I-Faugh. I-Faugh. I-Faugh. I-Faugh. No, I didn't get it right? That's a good one. I-Faugh. I-Faugh. I-Faugh. Yeah, a challenge tonight, so... I-Faugh. I I know the word for peace in Chinese. My son is studying Chinese. He went to Wawang Free School when we lived here. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:27 And now we live in Sonoma. Report an error in the passage at 0:27 Highlight the passage at 0:27

0:32 -ping, right? Hu-ping. Oh, the name? No, for peace in Mandarin. Oh, He-ping. He-ping. Very good. We've got to get the tongue in red. He-ping. We have this song in my younger child's class and I keep on like I almost remember it all the time. You remember peas now. Report an error in the passage at 0:32 Highlight the passage at 0:32

1:05 And the two syllables, Yi, Fang, what are the meanings of each of those? Yi is meant benefit. Fang is meant fragrance. You will hear a lot of fragrance for a girl, maybe, man, hui fang, lan fang. Fang is a fragrance. It's very popular for a female name. Oh, I see. Yeah, flower. Yi is a benefit. It's more male men put Yi. Report an error in the passage at 1:05 Highlight the passage at 1:05

1:33 so I'm a part of the E, but it balances, yeah, E and E balance. That's so interesting. In so many languages, a very popular female name will be derived from flowers or the fragrance of flowers. So many. It's certainly true in English. Oh, that's right. April, rose. So many. And then in Tibetan, Report an error in the passage at 1:33 Highlight the passage at 1:33

2:02 one of the most popular female names, also used for males, but more popular for females, is Pemol, meaning a lotus, that's the way they, well, yeah, it could be either, it really depends on it's. Thank you so much. Report an error in the passage at 2:02 Highlight the passage at 2:02

2:25 It's the same word, it's just different ways of pronouncing it. Report an error in the passage at 2:25 Highlight the passage at 2:25

2:31 The Sanskrit original of that is Padma. And then the Tibetans... pronouncing it. Report an error in the passage at 2:31 Highlight the passage at 2:31

2:42 Is that possible because of the Guru Rinpoche, because it's Pema Sambhava, you know, the religion? Yeah, because the first one who really, really brought Buddhism in was Padma Sambhava Pema Sambhava. It could be popular from that. And also just for this reason that it is the idea of a flower. Okay, yes. So the traditional name is Pema. Report an error in the passage at 2:42 Highlight the passage at 2:42

3:13 Well, from the original Indian language, Sanskrit is Padma, P-A-D-M-A, Padma. But the Tibetans wouldn't pronounce it that way. Report an error in the passage at 3:13 Highlight the passage at 3:13

3:24 Like in Tibetan, I don't know that much about Tibetan, just a little bit, but when a syllable ends in a D, like P-A-D, that the D itself is very lightly pronounced, maybe not pronounced at all. But the D affects the pronunciation of the preceding vowel. So pad becomes pe. A-e. Like that. It puts an umla over the vowel. So the A shifts to an A sound. Report an error in the passage at 3:24 Highlight the passage at 3:24

4:01 So so many people, as I said, especially women, but men too, have that name. And then in the mantra, Omani. Padme Hum. Again, the Tibetans tend to pronounce it Peme Hum. But the strict Sanskrit would be Padme Hum. So Omani Peme Hum is Pema? That Peme is Pema. Oh, really? Well, I didn't know that. Well, that's for the Buddha's compassion. Report an error in the passage at 4:01 Highlight the passage at 4:01

4:38 Of course, manifesting in Guru Vache, the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa, all of those things. Yeah, I have the... I just got done reading the book about dying, and I forget the author, but it has the, you know, the CD comes with it, with the Buddha of Infinite Life. So it's a Lama, oh, it's a really good one. Buddha comes to me. I'll be interested in that when it comes to me. Yeah, it's a newer one, and yeah. Report an error in the passage at 4:38 Highlight the passage at 4:38

5:17 And he's obviously galupa or cognitively. No, it doesn't matter. But, I mean, just because the Buddha is in light. So that's meditation for death and dying. So that's Amitabha. Yeah. Well, if you look at a picture. No, Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. The Pure Land. Yeah, that's Amitabha. But if you look at Amitabha, it's back there, but I can't see it too well. Report an error in the passage at 5:17 Highlight the passage at 5:17

5:48 In many representations, when you see Avala Kateshwar, the Buddha of Compassion, in his part, he's wearing Amitabha. Because that's like his guru. He's the head of the family. That's the easiest pure land for us to get into. That's why that's the universal. I mean, that's what, you know. That and the medicine Buddhist pure land, those are kind of the two of the easiest access. Report an error in the passage at 5:48 Highlight the passage at 5:48

6:15 But there are many, many pure lands. But that will be in the past. Report an error in the passage at 6:15 Highlight the passage at 6:15

6:23 So in that mantra... Yeah, I'm like, I didn't know that. No, it's whatever your guru says, whatever your yidam is, but I mean, that's it. Report an error in the passage at 6:23 Highlight the passage at 6:23

6:38 So in that mantra, O Mani Padme Hum. There, it's interesting because it isn't O Mani Padma Hum, it's O Mani Padme Hum. You know, it changes the last letter. Do you have an idea why we do? There's a reason for that. Report an error in the passage at 6:38 Highlight the passage at 6:38

6:58 Padma means lotus. When you change the last letter, Padme, then it becomes a phrase in the lotus. Like in English, we put a preposition before it. We take lotus and then we put in in front of it, so in the lotus. But in Sanskrit, apparently, I'm not a Sanskrit scholar, but I've been told this, that by changing the last letter, the last syllable of the word, then it puts it as an object. Report an error in the passage at 6:58 Highlight the passage at 6:58

7:27 In this case, in the lotus. So when you say Om Mane, Mane is a jewel, Padme, in the lotus, so jewel in the lotus. So then the Tibetans, they not only pronounce the last sound differently because it's in the lotus, but even the earlier sound they pronounce differently because they're Tibetans. So instead of Padme, they become K-me. Does it change any answer? No. Report an error in the passage at 7:27 Highlight the passage at 7:27

7:59 It still means the same thing. It still means in the lotus. And then, of course, there's a much deeper meaning. The jewel isn't just a jewel and the lotus isn't just a lotus. There has many, many levels of meaning. No Report an error in the passage at 7:59 Highlight the passage at 7:59

8:32 teaching of the Buddha that can't be explained in terms of that mantra. So, depending on how you identify jewel and lotus, it can subsume the entire path. So, typically, the Mahāyāna path leading to full enlightenment. It's said to have two divisions to it. Do you know that? The two divisions of the Mahāyāna path that are to be unified? Report an error in the passage at 8:32 Highlight the passage at 8:32

8:57 They say if you want to fly to enlightenment, the bird needs two wings. Exactly, wisdom and compassion. And sometimes, instead of saying wisdom and compassion, what's the same as that is wisdom and means, meaning compassion and means, the activities you engage in based on compassion. So the unified path is... Report an error in the passage at 8:57 Highlight the passage at 8:57

9:22 The Path of Full Enlightenment unifies these two wings of wisdom and compassionate means or compassionate method. So you're referred to that way. Well, there's a way, a very profound way of understanding the mantra in which mani stands for the compassion aspect and padma, in this case padme, the lotus, stands for the... Report an error in the passage at 9:22 Highlight the passage at 9:22

9:50 you in that interpretation? It's kind of an interest. Yeah, yeah. It's by far the most popular mantra. It helps everyone, like in all realms. Exactly, and there's a way of meditating on it in which each of the six syllables that make it up send out light to each of the six realms and help purify the beings in there. Report an error in the passage at 9:50 Highlight the passage at 9:50

10:23 And plus the Tibetans feel a particular kinship, let's say, with the Buddha of compassion. A particular one for many, many reasons, not the least of which is that the Dalai Lama is considered a human manifestation. Report an error in the passage at 10:23 Highlight the passage at 10:23

10:44 But for other reasons as well, there's even a legend that the original Tibetans were the offspring of a, let me see if I get this right, a demon woman and a monkey father. Report an error in the passage at 10:44 Highlight the passage at 10:44

10:58 The monkey father was Chen Resig, and the demon woman, I'm not exactly sure who she was. And so they attribute their character, their national character, to being this kind of offspring. Report an error in the passage at 10:58 Highlight the passage at 10:58

11:19 And it's also really fascinating to think, you know, I think the minds from which these, I thought that was pretty Report an error in the passage at 11:19 Highlight the passage at 11:19

11:33 Traditions derived were very flexible minds. You know, like I remember taking a course a long, long time ago, before I was into Buddhism, and they talked about how the Buddha of compassion, Avalokiteshvara, when he was the focus of practice in India, was always meditated on in a male form. Always, right? But when that same figure moved to Far East Asia, it transformed, and so Kuan Yin, which is the... Report an error in the passage at 11:33 Highlight the passage at 11:33

12:03 The Chinese and then the Japanese version of the same deity has a male form but is most commonly worshipped in a female form. And I thought, my goodness, how interesting that their mind can be so open that they don't make this kind of strict categorization. And of course that's very important from the Buddhist point of view because consciousness itself is neither male nor female. Report an error in the passage at 12:03 Highlight the passage at 12:03

12:37 Not so much about male and female, but open about how they regard deity. For example, in the West, for so many centuries, God was always conceived of as God the Father. And any kind of hint that the Godhead could have a feminine manifestation was pretty much condemned as a heresy. Now we're slowly, slowly getting around for people even using the female pronoun referring to God. Report an error in the passage at 12:37 Highlight the passage at 12:37

13:13 But for a long time that was really, that kind of stuff could get you burnt at the stake. Whereas in Asia I think, and I'm not saying that this is because they're Asian as opposed to Western, I don't know the full reason, but there's this idea that any spiritual truth can manifest in any way. Like even in Hinduism. Report an error in the passage at 13:13 Highlight the passage at 13:13

13:34 You know, you have Vishnu, the preserver, but what Vishnu does is he sends down avatars. The situation in the earth is difficult, so Vishnu appears in whatever form is necessary. Human, animal, spirit, male, female, whatever. And so the mind is a little bit kind of more open, softer that way, as opposed to being so kind of rigid. Report an error in the passage at 13:34 Highlight the passage at 13:34

14:01 Please, please. Report an error in the passage at 14:01 Highlight the passage at 14:01

14:05 born, Kuan Yin is I didn't know you were. So I Kuan Yin manifests male. I learned the Tibetan Buddhism. So when you open, know. But many people still don't know Yin manifests male. Because you know both, you know. That's right. That's why you cannot say, oh, okay. Actually, we was teaching, I mean, we was born with knowledge. Report an error in the passage at 14:05 Highlight the passage at 14:05

14:27 Kuan And also the possibility is, I see a couple of Guan Yin really manifest in the sky. is female form. Yes. People took a picture. Yes, yes. On the ocean, right. On the ocean, right. You know, the Vietnamese, you know, they pray so hard so that the wine manifests in female form. So that's why they join the female form, they're quite related. Report an error in the passage at 14:27 Highlight the passage at 14:27

14:59 So we didn't know until I got known both of it. So it's like a depressibility for our consciousness. But for Asians, people don't know. It's male form. That's true. But then one... When you go into kind of like museums that have older images, even from the Far East, even in that, you don't have to go back to India. Report an error in the passage at 14:59 Highlight the passage at 14:59

15:23 Even in the Far East, you'll have Kuan Yin in a male form. But very quickly, I believe, I don't know the full history, but I think rather quickly, the female manifestation went to the heart of the people. And of course, I think there's a lot of deep psychological reasons for that. And also the, I think it's related to the fact that like in Roman Catholicism in many societies. Even though Jesus is obviously respected, there's no question about it, people feel kind of more comfortable approaching Mary. Report an error in the passage at 15:23 Highlight the passage at 15:23

15:54 It's the Marist tradition, the Holmes tradition. Like the mother. Exactly, the great mother. And it speaks on a very kind of human-relatable level, that bond between mother and child. Report an error in the passage at 15:54 Highlight the passage at 15:54

16:16 Yeah, exactly. You always go to your mother not the problem. You need understanding and When my first daughter was very little, she's 21 now, so this was 19, 20 years ago, we lived in Boulder Creek near where Vajrapani is located. Report an error in the passage at 16:16 Highlight the passage at 16:16

16:40 First we lived at Vajrapani, then we moved into the town of Boulder Creek. And where we lived was only about a block and a half away. From a Catholic church and in the backyard of it was this particularly beautiful Mary statue. You know, many Mary statues are very nice. This one was, there was just something about it that was so welcoming and inviting. And so we used to call that statue Mary Tara. Report an error in the passage at 16:40 Highlight the passage at 16:40

17:09 That was our name for it. You know, Mary Tara. So that, so that. The child wouldn't get this feeling that, okay, she's just a possession of that religion and Tara is a possession of our religion. But just to recognize that that same basic loving, caring, clear energy can manifest in any way. And here it's manifesting as Mary Tara. So we had no problem with that. But there was a funny kind of offshoot to this story, this approach, because we tried to... Report an error in the passage at 17:09 Highlight the passage at 17:09

17:45 Just instill that general open idea in terms of all the images. And so one day, by now we had moved to Soquel, a little closer to Land of Medicine, Buddha. And there was a rummage sale taking place in a church, kind of the house next to the church. So my wife was in there and I... Me and the baby were there, and we kind of got bored with this rummage sale, so I took her into the church, thinking, oh, there'll probably be some nice stained glass and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 17:45 Highlight the passage at 17:45

18:25 And we walked in, and the church was empty except for somebody who was cleaning up. And I remember she was still little, so I was kind of carrying her. And just before we were leaving, she looked up to this stained glass image of Jesus, this beautiful one, and then in this loud voice that you couldn't possibly miss, she said, Look daddy, Buddha! Report an error in the passage at 18:25 Highlight the passage at 18:25

18:50 No one threw rocks at us, but for a second there I thought maybe we might have offended somebody's sensibilities. Report an error in the passage at 18:50 Highlight the passage at 18:50

19:03 Anyway, where I was going was how the mantra O Mani Padme Hum can be interpreted to embody All the different teachings of the Buddha. In fact, traditionally they say there are 84,000 teachings of the Buddha in order to combat the 84,000 delusions. And I've never heard an explanation whether in fact when they say 84,000 they mean one more than 83,999 or whether they just mean a lot. Report an error in the passage at 19:03 Highlight the passage at 19:03

19:38 I tend to think it means a lot, but who knows? Maybe it's very specific. Maybe it could be exactly. Maybe someone counted. But anyway, that's the expression that's used, the 84,000 teachings of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 19:38 Highlight the passage at 19:38

19:52 Yes, this mantra can be explained in terms of all of those teachings. Or another way, each of those teachings can be elucidated through this mantra. So there's one explanation that I heard from both His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Sakya Chizun. Oh, that's who I've done laundry. I lived on San Juan Islander. Off Seattle? Yeah. Yeah, I did the laundry in I guess 80s. Report an error in the passage at 19:52 Highlight the passage at 19:52

20:26 No, 97, 98. And Sakya Chizun was there? Yeah, he did the whole laundry. Isn't he wonderful? Yeah, Jonathan Kuchel is amazing. Because I lived there, so she became one of my... Jetsuma. Sister or niece? Sister. She came to Vajrapani once. Oh yeah, she's amazing. She was just here, doing her rounds. Jetsuma? Well, Jetsuma, Jetsun, Kushula. Those are all honorific names, meaning Reverend Juan. Report an error in the passage at 20:26 Highlight the passage at 20:26

20:59 Luding is her last formal name. What tradition? Sakya. Sakya. Of the four major traditions, Sakya. Report an error in the passage at 20:59 Highlight the passage at 20:59

21:08 It's like Nigma, Kagyu, Galupa, Sakya. Oh yeah, I know, Sakya. I just haven't heard of his name, I'm just curious who he is. Sakya Tishin is the king of Sakya. Sakya Tishin is the head of the tradition, and then his sister is Jetsun-la, one of the great teachers. Oh, his sister. Oh, you've got to be Jetsun-la. Yeah, she's wonderful. Report an error in the passage at 21:08 Highlight the passage at 21:08

21:31 His sister. I see. Ah, his sister. I haven't... Report an error in the passage at 21:31 Highlight the passage at 21:31

21:42 She was here doing an but they wouldn't let you come unless you were going to take the Right. Yeah. Yeah, there's different teaching. Yes, sometimes it's open as a blessing to anyone, other times it's stricter. Report an error in the passage at 21:42 Highlight the passage at 21:42

21:59 always ask for an interview, too, separately. Report an error in the passage at 21:59 Highlight the passage at 21:59

22:05 Is she a non or a male person? No, sure, her sons are now, her oldest son is like the Luriken Rinpoche, he's in charge of the monastery in India, one of the Sankhya monasteries, the main Sankhya monasteries. Report an error in the passage at 22:05 Highlight the passage at 22:05

22:24 In Dehradun perhaps? Yeah, Dehradun, I've been there. My wife did meditation just up the hill from there, near Musuri. Yeah, we were there too. I went with Chagutulku on Pongru. But they let me spend the night, I spent the night with another Saṅgha member. Report an error in the passage at 22:24 Highlight the passage at 22:24

22:42 And Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave me this. So then they picked me up the next morning. It's sort of funny. Anyway, it's a nice place, that area in India. Report an error in the passage at 22:42 Highlight the passage at 22:42

22:57 The town up the hill is Musuri, and then the larger place, a bit lower, is Dehradun. And Musuri, it's sort of a wealthy community. yeah. Report an error in the passage at 22:57 Highlight the passage at 22:57

23:13 There must be sections of it that are, for sure. Because in the olden days, like in the British Raj, the British established hill stations where they could get away from the heat of the plains. So Dharamsala, Dalhousie, Missouri, all of these were hill stations in the north. And so there would be a certain amount of wealth that had been established there. Report an error in the passage at 23:13 Highlight the passage at 23:13

23:39 Yes, excellent English language schools in these places often. Even many of the Tibetans would have studied in these Catholic schools because they have a good reputation. Report an error in the passage at 23:39 Highlight the passage at 23:39

24:03 So anyway, getting back to our business. Actually, it's not even our business is what we were talking about. Report an error in the passage at 24:03 Highlight the passage at 24:03

24:13 The path to enlightenment then is conceived of as a union of compassionate method and insightful wisdom. So from this interpretation, mani, the jewel, represents compassionate method. And the reason it does, excuse me, is that the mani is not just a jewel. It's not just a precious stone. It's often referred to as the wish-fulfilling jewel. The wish-fulfilling jewel. And it comes from ancient Indian mythology. Report an error in the passage at 24:13 Highlight the passage at 24:13

24:45 I'm quite sure it predates Buddhism even. And the easiest way to understand what a mani is, what a wish-filling jewel is, it's like a version of Aladdin's lamp. In other words, the hero goes on a big quest, finds this treasure, Aladdin's lamp in one tradition, a mani in another tradition, and then having gained possession of it, whatever he or she wishes for is granted. Report an error in the passage at 24:45 Highlight the passage at 24:45

25:11 So the hero will go. Way down into the depths of the ocean, retrieve Amani, bring it back and then on the basis of that we'll be able to fulfill any wish that he has. Like overcoming dragons or bringing about peace and harmony or good crops or great wealth, whatever it is. Like Aladdin's lamp. Report an error in the passage at 25:11 Highlight the passage at 25:11

25:37 This serves as a very powerful symbol for compassion. And it's very easy to understand why. If you're in trouble and there's two or three people who could help you, the person who's going to help you is the one who has compassion for you. If the other two don't really have compassion for you, or if they haven't cultivated compassion in their heart, then even though they see you in trouble, there's nothing that's going to motivate them to help you. Report an error in the passage at 25:37 Highlight the passage at 25:37

26:04 So your help is going to come from a person who looks at your situation and has compassion for it. In other words, wishes you to be separated from that suffering. And that's actually what compassion is. It's the wish for those who are suffering to be separated or released or saved from that suffering. Report an error in the passage at 26:04 Highlight the passage at 26:04

26:24 So if that's the case, if all the help that we receive ultimately comes from compassion, Then compassion is, there's a great reason for symbolizing compassion as the wish-fulfilling jewel because it is fulfilling our wishes. What it is that we really want is to be free from suffering and to experience unmitigated happiness, true, lasting, deep, satisfying happiness. Report an error in the passage at 26:24 Highlight the passage at 26:24

26:54 And it's compassion that provides that. So the mani is the wish-fulfilling jewel. It's a very potent symbol for the compassionate method aspect of the path to enlightenment. Now, Report an error in the passage at 26:54 Highlight the passage at 26:54

27:13 why then is the lotus used as a symbol for wisdom? And here, it's very interesting to note that in Tibetan Buddhism, the lotus is kind of an all-purpose symbol. Like many times, the lotus itself is a symbol of compassion, right? Many times. You know, Chen Resig... The Buddha of Compassion holds a mala in his right hand and in his left hand he holds the stem of a lotus. And that lotus symbolizes compassion. Report an error in the passage at 27:13 Highlight the passage at 27:13

27:46 And then on top of that, in nearly all of the imagery, in fact all the ones I can see here in this room, any meditational deity you visualize is visualized on a special prepared seat made up of a lotus, first a lotus, and then very often, depending on which practice it is, On top of that lotus, there's a bed of the sun and then the moon. So the seat often has three parts to it. Report an error in the passage at 27:46 Highlight the passage at 27:46

28:15 Not always, there's some variation in the iconography, but often it's that way. For instance, it's that way with Shakti Muni Buddha, generally. Lotus, sun and moon. And in that case, here again you have the lotus, but now the lotus is symbolizing not method, not wisdom, but renunciation. This spirit of definite emergence, turning away, this wish to transcend the ordinary mundane state of mind that's responsible for suffering. Report an error in the passage at 28:15 Highlight the passage at 28:15

28:49 So there you've got a lotus. In some cases it symbolizes this renounced attitude. In others it symbolizes compassion. And in others it symbolizes wisdom. Well here, in this interpretation, it symbolizes wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 28:49 Highlight the passage at 28:49

29:07 That the lotus is such a powerful all-purpose symbol derives from how it grows. Because a lotus doesn't grow in really clean, immaculate surroundings. A lotus grows in muddy swamps. That's its habitat. That's where you find them. Where there's swampy, muddy areas. That's where lotuses grow. And it's very similar for its... Report an error in the passage at 29:07 Highlight the passage at 29:07

29:35 I guess it's kind of like its botanical cousin, the water lily, very similar. Those two, I'm sure they must have a family connection. They're very similar in many ways. And the lotus grows in these muddy waters and then lifts itself out of these waters. And when it opens itself up, it's immaculate, you know, pristine, clear, immaculate, beautiful, unstained. Report an error in the passage at 29:35 Highlight the passage at 29:35

30:02 That's the kind of the key word. It's unstained, uncontaminated. And so this idea of some quality growing out of a contaminated environment but itself being uncontaminated by it is a very powerful spiritual symbol. Like the bodhisattva, the being striving for enlightenment out of the motive of compassion for others. Report an error in the passage at 30:02 Highlight the passage at 30:02

30:33 He or she lives in the world, deals with the world. It isn't off somewhere else. It's actually actively involved in the world, but because of his or her compassion, remains unstained, uncontaminated by the various afflictions and so forth that he or she has to deal with and has to encounter. So this idea of being unstained is powerful in terms of whether it symbolizes renounced attitude, whether it symbolizes compassion, or here, where it symbolizes wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 30:33 Highlight the passage at 30:33

31:09 So how, how then, is this aspect of being uncontaminated associated with wisdom? Well, any idea, any thought that comes up to your mind of how that connection with wisdom might be made? Remember, we're not talking about the compassion and we're not talking about renunciation, but specifically wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 31:09 Highlight the passage at 31:09

31:49 situation that is. situation you are suffering over. Report an error in the passage at 31:49 Highlight the passage at 31:49

31:58 You have to be able to navigate through that, around that, so that you're not maybe afflicted. Right. So it's a state of mind which is afflicted or uncontaminated by all the various, let's say, misconceptions, mistaken views that we have about reality. Well, that's very much the answer. That's very much the answer. From the Buddhist point of view, especially from the Buddhist wisdom teachings. Report an error in the passage at 31:58 Highlight the passage at 31:58

32:27 Like the Prajnaparamita Sutras, all suffering derives from a state of mind termed ignorance, which misconceives the nature of reality. To put it another way, a way in which the Dalai Lama refers to repeatedly, especially in his book, How to See Yourself as You Really Are, an excellent book. Report an error in the passage at 32:27 Highlight the passage at 32:27

32:49 Ignorance is a mistaken state of mind which falsely superimposes onto what exists. A fictional projection, something which has no reality whatsoever. And so then, because of the superimposition, instead of relating to the underlying reality of any object, we relate to it through the medium of this mistaken image, this superimposition. Report an error in the passage at 32:49 Highlight the passage at 32:49

33:18 And this can manifest itself in many, many different ways. For example... Everything that we can see and smell and taste and touch and hear, all of these things are impermanent, changing from moment to moment. That's kind of a bedrock teaching of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 33:18 Highlight the passage at 33:18

33:37 And yet, because of our grasping, we tend to project onto phenomenon a sense of there being lasting and permanent. So a young man is in love to... In other words, he falls in love with an image of her. Now, of course, she's manifesting that way at the moment, but his mind is exaggerating it. So there's this sense of superimposition of some solid, concrete, independent, beautiful object out there. Report an error in the passage at 33:37 Highlight the passage at 33:37

34:18 And then, of course, when she starts getting older and wrinkled and gray-haired and things, then if he wasn't really in love with her, if he was in love with the image, well, now she's no longer living up to the image and therefore he doesn't love her anymore. That's just a gross example, but it's not a bad example because it's so prevalent in both sexes and in all orientations. Report an error in the passage at 34:18 Highlight the passage at 34:18

34:42 This idea of whatever the object of our... Infatuation is, instead of seeing it for reality, we view it through a filter, through a projection, through a superimposition. So what wisdom is, in many respects, wisdom is not cultivated by gaining a correct view. Wisdom is cultivated by examining our view and discovering what in our view is incorrect, what is a misconception. Report an error in the passage at 34:42 Highlight the passage at 34:42

35:15 What has no reality? And then removing that. Rather than looking at a situation and finding out how it does exist, you look at it and examine how do I falsely imagine it to exist and then you tear that away. Report an error in the passage at 35:15 Highlight the passage at 35:15

35:31 Does that make sense? So from that point of view, wisdom is a state of mind which is unencumbered by all these superimpositions, all these false projections. It's a clear, uncontaminated state of mind. And therefore, because the lotus symbolizes being uncontaminated, the lotus can symbolize wisdom as well. Now, this explanation of Jewel and the Lotus leaves out Om and Hum. Report an error in the passage at 35:31 Highlight the passage at 35:31

36:02 Because the mantra is not Mani Peme, the mantra is Om Mani Peme Hum. But in that mantra, only Mani and Padme have literal meanings. Like you can look up those words in a... Sanskrit dictionary, if you have one, and you'll find that mani means jewel, wish-fulfilling jewel, and Padme, coming from Padma, means lotus. Report an error in the passage at 36:02 Highlight the passage at 36:02

36:26 But if you look up om and hum, you won't find literal definitions for those words. Those sounds, those syllables, have very deep meaning, but not literal meaning. Report an error in the passage at 36:26 Highlight the passage at 36:26

36:40 And so... And this is true not only in the Buddhist tradition but also in the Hindu tradition. For instance, Aum in the Hindu tradition is primordial sound, the energy out of which everything else evolves. Report an error in the passage at 36:40 Highlight the passage at 36:40

36:55 Well, Aum in the Buddhist tradition has various meanings depending on its context. But in terms of this interpretation, Aum stands for our... What we could say our present situation, how we relate to the world. And basically we relate to the world through three doors. This is an expression that we come across repeatedly in Tibetan Buddhism, the three doors. Report an error in the passage at 36:55 Highlight the passage at 36:55

37:24 And do you know what those three doors are? Body, speech and mind. In other words, all of our activities take place either through the door of our body, in other words, physical actions. The door of our speech, our verbal actions, and then on a level informing both of those, the deepest level, on our mind, what we think, what we feel, our emotion, which in fact gives rise to what we say and what we do physically. Report an error in the passage at 37:24 Highlight the passage at 37:24

37:57 So it's through those three doors that we act, and we can either act impurely, In which case we can think of the body, speech and mind as being contaminated by the delusions and ignorance. Or if we remove ignorance and the delusions, then our actions of body, speech and mind become pure. And in a sense they become wholesome. They lead to happiness as opposed to suffering. So Aum symbolizes our body, speech and mind. Report an error in the passage at 37:57 Highlight the passage at 37:57

38:30 If you ask why, why does OM symbolize body, speech and mind, this is kind of a, it relates to how that syllable is written. Report an error in the passage at 38:30 Highlight the passage at 38:30

38:41 When you write that syllable in the original Sanskrit language, well when we write it in English, typically we use, these days, we use two letters, O and M. Report an error in the passage at 38:41 Highlight the passage at 38:41

38:52 Sometimes you'll see there's a little circle over the M. You ever see that in some texts? You'll see O, M and above the M a little circle. Sometimes you see that. And if you look at ancient texts, well, not ancient, you know, the first Buddhist texts that were written in English a hundred or so years ago, instead of seeing OM, you'll see AUM. Report an error in the passage at 38:52 Highlight the passage at 38:52

39:17 Have you ever noticed that in any text? Sometimes it's there. And the reason that it's written that way, or was written that way, I hardly ever see it anymore, is because in the original Sanskrit, Three characters have to be written to produce the syllable OM. Not just two, not just something equivalent to the O and something equivalent to the M, but actually three squiggles. Report an error in the passage at 39:17 Highlight the passage at 39:17

39:45 Three items. I can't think of the term for it. Strokes? Yeah, strokes, but it's more complex than a simple stroke, but we'll say that. Three strokes to produce the OM. And so the fact that it's made up of three... It becomes an apt symbol of body, speech and mind. The three strokes, the three elements of the syllable can be taken as symbolic of the three doors, body, speech and mind. Report an error in the passage at 39:45 Highlight the passage at 39:45

40:13 Now, so that's the beginning of the mantra. Now the end of the mantra is the syllable hum. Now hum is a tricky one because sometimes it's written in English H-U-M but it's not hum. And sometimes it's written H-U-N-G, but it's not hung. It's a sound, roughly speaking, midway between the two of them. It's actually hung, hung. You know, you're starting to pronounce the N-G, but you're not fully pronouncing it. Report an error in the passage at 40:13 Highlight the passage at 40:13

40:48 It's like the first syllable of finger. You know, you're not saying, unless you come from the East Coast, you're not saying fing-er, you're saying finger, finger. So you're starting to pronounce the N-G, but you're not giving it that really strong N-G sound at the end. So hung is like that, hung. If you pronounce it any harder, it would come out hung, hung, but you don't. You stop with it hung. Report an error in the passage at 40:48 Highlight the passage at 40:48

41:19 So there's no really easy way of writing that syllable in English. So some people write H-U-M, some people write H-U-N-G, but you have to know. That all of those are just approximations of the sound, hung. Now hung, well, there's two ways of interpreting it, but they both come to the same point. Report an error in the passage at 41:19 Highlight the passage at 41:19

41:43 In the same way that om is written with three strokes or three, I'll say characters, written with three characters, hung is written with five. There's five that make it up. And you can see it. If you see how it's written, Report an error in the passage at 41:43 Highlight the passage at 41:43

42:02 There's actually five separate characters put together, produces this sound. And so that becomes significant, which I'll mention in a second. And then the other is that in tantric practice, we visualize different aspects of the enlightened experience as meditational deities. So we already spoke about Avalokiteshvar or Chen Resig. Report an error in the passage at 42:02 Highlight the passage at 42:02

42:33 It represents compassion. Manjushri up here represents what? Wisdom. Vajrapani, who is not in this room as far as I've been able to see, represents a power or ability. Tara behind me represents enlightened activity. Vajrasattva over there represents purity and so forth. So each meditational deity symbolizes some quality, some aspect. Report an error in the passage at 42:33 Highlight the passage at 42:33

43:03 And by focusing on such a figure in our meditation, it kind of jump-starts our own compassion, wisdom, purity and so forth. So it's a very, very powerful tool. One more point. When we do those visualization practices, very often, before we visualize the meditational deity himself or herself, first we visualize a seed syllable. Report an error in the passage at 43:03 Highlight the passage at 43:03

43:33 It comes from a sound. So for example, Chen Resik is the Buddha's compassion. So very often when we do a practice in which we're visualizing Chen Resik, first we visualize that seed syllable, which for Chen Resik is Sri, which is often spelled H-R-I-H. And it's pronounced as if it has a kind of almost an S-H sound in it. Sri, Sri, it's kind of a sibilant sound. Report an error in the passage at 43:33 Highlight the passage at 43:33

44:03 So we visualize that seed syllable and then it transforms into Chen Resig. And does anyone know that seed syllable for Tara? Report an error in the passage at 44:03 Highlight the passage at 44:03

44:15 Tam. Tam. Right. Tam. So we visualize, like if we're going to do green Tara, for example, we visualize a green Tam and then this transforms into Tara. Report an error in the passage at 44:15 Highlight the passage at 44:15

44:29 And if we do Vajrasattva, then it's a white Hum, which translates. It transforms into Vajrasattva. And Manjushri is a kind of a red-yellow D, D-H-I-H-D. That syllable transforms into Manjushri. So each of the meditational deity arises from a seed syllable. The seed syllable is like kind of the essence of that deity. Report an error in the passage at 44:29 Highlight the passage at 44:29

44:59 And even when you visualize the deity, no matter how it's arisen, You can visualize that seed syllable in their heart. So it's kind of the essence. That syllable itself is the essence of the quality that the deity represents. Report an error in the passage at 44:59 Highlight the passage at 44:59

45:15 So hung, that last syllable in Omani Padme hung, among other things, is the seed syllable of the Buddha who's known as Akshobiya. Akshobiya. You may have heard... His name mentioned. There are practices specifically devoted to Akshobi himself, and they exist, but there's also a whole classification scheme in which Akshobi is one of the five so-called Buddha families. Report an error in the passage at 45:15 Highlight the passage at 45:15

45:53 The seed syllable is hung, same one. Report an error in the passage at 45:53 Highlight the passage at 45:53

45:59 Yeah, they're not, there can be more than one. Same syllable. -syllable? I thought that was for lunch or Report an error in the passage at 45:59 Highlight the passage at 45:59

46:05 Yeah, yeah. Because otherwise you'd quickly run out of syllables because there's so many deities. Report an error in the passage at 46:05 Highlight the passage at 46:05

46:15 Right, so, but that's good, good that you notice that it can be, in this case, hung can be the seed syllable of Vajrasattva, it can be the seed syllable of Akshobiya as well. Report an error in the passage at 46:15 Highlight the passage at 46:15

46:28 And so Akshobiya, the meaning of his name, kind of what he stands for, is unshakable, undestructible. In fact, I think that's fairly close to a literal translation of the actual Sanskrit word akshobya. I think the A in the beginning is a negative, like un, and then the rest of it probably has this idea of mutable or changeable. Report an error in the passage at 46:28 Highlight the passage at 46:28

46:57 So it's unchangeable, indestructible. So by extension, hung symbolizes this indestructible state. Report an error in the passage at 46:57 Highlight the passage at 46:57

47:16 Indestructible state is enlightenment itself. When we achieve, when we purify from the field of our consciousness all delusions and the... I'm missing the word. When you do something, what's left over? The leftovers, I'll say. The leftovers of negative karma. When you perform a karmic action... Even though the action's over, you're left with the accretions of that, you know, the leftovers of that. The imprint, and it's related to the imprint, because the imprint is true, that's an aspect of it, especially when you're talking about karma. Report an error in the passage at 47:16 Highlight the passage at 47:16

48:00 But it's also like, you know, you're left with the negativities of having performed that negative action. So when you purify from the field of mind the causes of the negativities and the leftover impressions, Of those negativities. And then you develop all the good qualities, loving compassion, wisdom, the ability to help others. Report an error in the passage at 48:00 Highlight the passage at 48:00

48:29 That itself is enlightenment. That's what we actually mean by Buddha or Bodhi, enlightenment. It's that purified state of mind. And it's said that once that's achieved, then it is indestructible. Report an error in the passage at 48:29 Highlight the passage at 48:29

48:48 Places along the spiritual path in which you can backslide. But once that's achieved, once enlightenment is achieved, there's no more backsliding. The consciousness is pure. There's nothing left to contaminate it. So Hung then becomes the symbol of this unshakable, indestructible enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 48:48 Highlight the passage at 48:48

49:08 So now the interpreted meaning of Omani Padme Hum comes into focus. And what you could say is, Through the unified practice of compassionate method, mani, and insightful wisdom, padme, through that unified practice, one's body, speech and mind, one's three doors, become transformed into the indestructible state of enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 49:08 Highlight the passage at 49:08

49:45 So that's one very, very powerful way of interpreting Omani Padme Hum. But that doesn't mean that every time you recite it, you're thinking, Through the unified practice of method and wisdom, body, speech and mind purifies into enlightenment. You don't have to say that because ultimately the meaning of the mantra is not in its literal interpretation but in the state of mind that evokes the clear, radiant, compassionate state of mind which is invoked through the power of these syllables. Report an error in the passage at 49:45 Highlight the passage at 49:45

50:21 But it's very, very helpful. To be able to use something, especially something you're reciting all the time, to understand that this basic path to enlightenment can be explained in terms of each of those syllables, how those syllables are put together. Even if as you're reciting it, you're not thinking about all of that, about the interpretation. Report an error in the passage at 50:21 Highlight the passage at 50:21

50:47 Through the unified practice, through Report an error in the passage at 50:47 Highlight the passage at 50:47

50:54 the unified practice of compassionate method. Then you could say in parentheses money. So through the unified practice of compassionate method. Report an error in the passage at 50:54 Highlight the passage at 50:54

51:09 Compassionate method. Report an error in the passage at 51:09 Highlight the passage at 51:09

51:14 No, no, no. Not compassion and method. Compassionate method. Report an error in the passage at 51:14 Highlight the passage at 51:14

51:23 Compassionate. Compassionate method. Because sometimes they just simply say through the unified practice of, and then the first one is simply called method. And sometimes it's called compassion. But you can combine it and just say compassionate method. To my mind, it conveys more meaning than just saying compassion and just saying method. Compassionate method. Mani and insightful wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 51:23 Highlight the passage at 51:23

51:51 Insightful wisdom, and that's Padme. So through the unified practice of a compassionate method and insightful wisdom, Report an error in the passage at 51:51 Highlight the passage at 51:51

52:06 then our three doors, meaning body, speech and mind, symbolized by Aum. Our three doors are Report an error in the passage at 52:06 Highlight the passage at 52:06

52:24 transformed into the indestructible state of enlightenment. Or Report an error in the passage at 52:24 Highlight the passage at 52:24

52:37 if you don't want to say transformed, you could say achieve. You know, achieve the indestructible state of enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 52:37 Highlight the passage at 52:37

52:49 So that's one very, very powerful, all-inclusive way for understanding a more word-by-word interpretation of Omani Padme Hum. But it can be also understood as... The union of, let's say, the very highest level of tantra practice. There is this unified practice of what's known as the clear light in the illusory body. Report an error in the passage at 52:49 Highlight the passage at 52:49

53:15 And then, you know, Mani Padme can refer to that. So there's many, many examples. As I said, it has been claimed that there's no teaching of the Buddha that can't be interpreted through this mantra. But this one... This one that I've given is kind of like the overall umbrella because it's abbreviating the entire path to enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 53:15 Highlight the passage at 53:15

53:52 There's one part of this explanation that I didn't talk about and I said that hung, the meaning of hung can either be through the fact that it's the seed syllable of akshobi which means unshakable or immovable or indestructible. That I talked about. Or I said the symbolism can derive from the fact that it's written with five characters. But I didn't explain what the significance of five is. Report an error in the passage at 53:52 Highlight the passage at 53:52

54:28 Exactly. It stands for the five Buddha families. And this is equivalent to saying enlightenment because with the attainment of enlightenment we achieve the five wisdoms. And the five Buddha families are the Freibullet family. Report an error in the passage at 54:28 Highlight the passage at 54:28

54:47 The imagistic manifestation of those five wisdoms, those five purities. Report an error in the passage at 54:47 Highlight the passage at 54:47

54:58 So whichever way you look at it, whether you look at it as being the syllable of one of those Dhyani Buddhas, the unshakable, and you take that as a synonym for enlightenment, or whether you take it as symbolizing the five Dhyani Buddhas, the five Buddha families, all of which taken together collectively indicate the state of enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 54:58 Highlight the passage at 54:58

55:19 Either one, it comes to the same point. It's just two different ways of approaching the same point. Report an error in the passage at 55:19 Highlight the passage at 55:19

55:27 So in short, hung is enlightenment. So if om is the basis of your path, because all the activities we do is on the basis of our body, speech and mind, or through our body, speech and mind, and then hung is the end of the path, the state of full enlightenment, and then mani padme is the means, it's the path itself. Report an error in the passage at 55:27 Highlight the passage at 55:27

55:51 So it's a very... Lovely way of Report an error in the passage at 55:51 Highlight the passage at 55:51

56:04 keeping in mind what in many Buddhist traditions are referred to as the basis, the path and the result. So the basis is Om? Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 56:04 Highlight the passage at 56:04

56:20 Basically our present situation, or another way of putting it, our body, speech and mind. That is our present situation. Those are the tools we're working with. Report an error in the passage at 56:20 Highlight the passage at 56:20

56:31 And then the path is the unification of method and wisdom. And then the result is full enlightenment. Now, this scheme of basis, path and result can be interpreted in many ways. Report an error in the passage at 56:31 Highlight the passage at 56:31

56:45 This isn't the only way of interpreting it. But this is one very valid way, very powerful way of looking at it. Now, having said all that, there's yet another way of looking at this mantra. Report an error in the passage at 56:45 Highlight the passage at 56:45

57:04 And by another, I don't mean that there's 83,999 other ways and this is one of them. This is yet another approach to the mantra entirely. Well, you'll have to judge whether it's an entirely different approach or not. There's a question. The explanation given so far, we have to kind of admit, is rather linear, isn't it? Report an error in the passage at 57:04 Highlight the passage at 57:04

57:30 Kind of start at one point, you practice method and wisdom. And then after anything from six years to sixteen lifetimes to three countless eons, at the end of it, then you become a Buddha. You're enlightened. So it's linear. You create the causes now to experience some result in the future. Report an error in the passage at 57:30 Highlight the passage at 57:30

57:57 That's one way of looking at the path, at the spiritual path. And it has tremendous validity to it. But there is another way of looking at the spiritual path that also has validity. And that is that already at the present moment we have the seed of enlightenment in us. Report an error in the passage at 57:57 Highlight the passage at 57:57

58:21 And it's called by different names and it's understood with different language. But one of the most common phrases for it is translated into English as the Buddha nature. Report an error in the passage at 58:21 Highlight the passage at 58:21

58:36 And you'll see a lot of books in the library now. Whose title contains this term, Buddha Nature. And sometimes Buddha Nature is interpreted as our potential. Report an error in the passage at 58:36 Highlight the passage at 58:36

58:50 As long as we have a mind, any kind of mind, it has the potential for becoming fully enlightened. Sometimes Buddha Nature is not simply referred to as the potential, but it's as if, and here language tends to become poetic, it's as if we already have a Buddha in us. And it's just simply a matter of manifesting what's already there. In other words, those are the teachings on primordial purity. There is a purity there. Report an error in the passage at 58:50 Highlight the passage at 58:50

59:19 It's already existing. And the spiritual path is just simply uncovering it. We don't have to create it new. We don't have to become something that we're not. We just have to become what we already are. So that's a different vantage point. But equally valid. Report an error in the passage at 59:19 Highlight the passage at 59:19

59:39 Equally important. So now the mantra O Mani Padmium can be used as a very powerful way of symbolizing that. And imagine you have a lotus and it's growing out of the mud like lotuses do. And then when it opens itself up, lo and behold, right in the middle of it is this precious gem, a shining diamond. Report an error in the passage at 59:39 Highlight the passage at 59:39

1:00:08 Now, the diamond was always there. It was always there. It was just that with the opening of the lotus, it became manifest. So it becomes a symbol that within us, at the present moment, there is this radiance. The radiance of love, the radiance of compassion, the radiance of wisdom, the radiance of all the qualities of enlightenment. It's already there. It's our Buddha nature. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:08 Highlight the passage at 1:00:08

1:00:36 And the spiritual path is an unfolding. So we don't have to create new. Qualities that we don't possess, we just have to open up to the qualities that are already there. So that approach isn't a linear approach. Create a cause now to experience a result in the future. It's a, well, you might say it's an eternal approach. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:36 Highlight the passage at 1:00:36

1:01:04 Eternal, that word eternal doesn't just mean it lasts a long time. What eternal actually means is it's out of time. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:04 Highlight the passage at 1:01:04

1:01:16 It's kind of like when you talk about something being eternal from this point of view, it means it's always the present moment. There is no past or future. All we have in reality is the present moment. Our life is a succession of present moments. And so from that point of view, you could say, well, we have that seed, that potential, that essence of enlightenment within us now at every moment. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:16 Highlight the passage at 1:01:16

1:01:46 It's just a matter of unfolding it, just a matter of experiencing it. As I said before, not creating something new, not linear, just coming into terms with what is on the deepest level of our being. So then, this mantra, O Mani Padme Hum, can be interpreted not by giving it a literal interpretation, but more imagistic interpretation. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:46 Highlight the passage at 1:01:46

1:02:11 Feeling that our heart, that if when we're experiencing any kind of negativity, any kind of limitation, whether we're getting angry or jealous or sad or depressed or whatever it is. And the way this jewel radiates out towards others, the kind of the medium that it expresses itself in. It's compassion, love. That's the sign of enlightenment. The sign of enlightenment isn't that the person becomes incredibly smart, even though he or she does. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:11 Highlight the passage at 1:02:11

1:03:05 The sign of an enlightened being is this compassionate, this kind of effortless, compassionate, loving, compassionate radiance that comes from their being. So we could use a number of examples. For me, one of the best examples. It may not be for everybody, but for many people I think it is, is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. You're in His presence or even see His picture, and this is this kind of natural radiance of loving compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:05 Highlight the passage at 1:03:05

1:03:31 And fortunately, there's many, many other highly spiritual developed people, both within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, outside the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and outside the Buddhist tradition as a whole, who also, because of some purity of their being, Also express this natural radiance, this loving, compassionate radiance. So now that meaning of Omani Padme Hum becomes very, almost so palpable you could taste it. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:31 Highlight the passage at 1:03:31

1:04:03 You don't have to give it a word-by-word interpretation. It just relates to this spiritual radiance manifesting as loving compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:03 Highlight the passage at 1:04:03

1:04:15 So from my mind, it's really helpful. To look at the mantra and what it stands for from both angles. There's a great benefit in relating to one's inborn purity. The second interpretation. That's very encouraging. Very inspiring. But there's also a great benefit to think of it in the first way. In other words, actions that you can take now that will bring about desired results in the future. That's also. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:15 Highlight the passage at 1:04:15

1:04:50 It gives reason, it gives purpose for so many of our spiritual activities that we engage in. And then if we can manage to hold the two of them together in one unified thought, then to me, to my way of thinking, this is very rich, it's a very rich way of looking at it. It's not this as opposed to that, it's both integrated. And the wonderful thing is that it only takes six syllables to embody it. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:50 Highlight the passage at 1:04:50

1:05:19 And by the way, Kind of closing remark, I remember one teacher was talking about the benefits of mantras and he was specifically talking about the benefits of this mantra. And he went through all the various benefits and then, and I don't remember whether he said this at the beginning or the end of his explanation, but at one point he said one of the great benefits of this mantra is that it's easy, that it's simple, it's just six syllables. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:19 Highlight the passage at 1:05:19

1:05:46 As opposed to, let's say, Vajrasattva, which is 100 syllables, or some of the others which make Vajrasattva look short. And the reason that he said that that was benefit was not because it's shorter, not simply just because it's shorter, but because it's easy, because it requires no time at all to memorize it and to use it. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:46 Highlight the passage at 1:05:46

1:06:18 A practitioner will not develop a false sense of pride from using the mantra. Whereas if you spend... Very interesting idea because to learn the Vajrasattva mantra, I don't think anyone, unless they have incredible instincts from the past, hears that mantra once and knows it. You have to have it repeated a number of times and you have to practice it before you've got the Vajrasattva mantra. And then... Report an error in the passage at 1:06:18 Highlight the passage at 1:06:18

1:06:48 When you talk about even the longer mantras than that, then you have to do quite a lot of study and repetition and memorization. And it's possible, definitely possible, knowing how human nature is, that when you put a lot of effort into something and then you accomplish it, well, you can have a legitimate pride in that, feeling, oh, that was a job well done, that's legitimate. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:48 Highlight the passage at 1:06:48

1:07:12 Or you can have a kind of an arrogance, like... Look at me. I did this. Wow, I bet not many people would put in the time and energy to memorize something like this. And even if they did, they wouldn't do it as fast as I did. So it's very possible that in the process of learning a long mantra, a difficult mantra, it is possible for this kind of false form of pride to enter in, which itself is an impediment. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:12 Highlight the passage at 1:07:12

1:07:44 Who would take pride in memorizing Omane Pema? Maybe a three-year-old might, you know, because for a three-year-old, six syllables requires some effort, but for an adult, you hear it once, you pretty much got it. My two-year-old, they learned the whole Guru Rinpoche mantra. It's amazing how their little lines are. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:44 Highlight the passage at 1:07:44

1:08:05 They're little sponges. They probably know, you know, they always correct me now. Yeah. No, that's true. That's one of the reasons why when it comes to learning language, children have so much an easier time than adults, you know, especially adults who have already learned one language, you know, just one language, then their kind of mindset is crystallized. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:05 Highlight the passage at 1:08:05

1:08:29 And then to fit another language into that is rough, but children's mind kind of opened. Generally speaking, in that respect, like a sponge, you say, so they can pick up things like that. So anyway, I thought that was interesting for all the various reasons why Omani Padmian was such a good mantra. The fact that it was easily learned and therefore an antidote, not so much an antidote to pride, but it just is not the occasion for pride to arise. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:29 Highlight the passage at 1:08:29

1:09:00 And of course, I'm using pride here in the negative sense. There's also a positive. Pride, but here we're talking about the delusion, the affliction of pride, which is kind of like an arrogance or a condescension. The other kind of pride, the wholesome pride, is a sense of confidence. There's nothing wrong with that. You need to have that. So anyway, it really stuck with me because I never would have guessed that that would have been a reason why it was, you know, for it to be considered so valuable. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:00 Highlight the passage at 1:09:00

1:09:35 But that was an interesting way of looking at it. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:35 Highlight the passage at 1:09:35

1:09:51 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, pride can crystallize around anything. I mean, in the teachings about pride, I do the style there too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:51 Highlight the passage at 1:09:51

1:10:14 They divide it, as the Tibetans are wont to do, into a whole bunch of different categories. And then there's one form, which is sometimes called perverted pride, or pride in being the lowest. And that's the pride that you have because of some bad quality you have. And you take, you know, like, I'm the worst. When it comes to this delusion... Report an error in the passage at 1:10:14 Highlight the passage at 1:10:14

1:10:40 No one beats me. I'm the worst. Well, it looks like you're being humble, but in fact, when you check up, it's a perverted pride. It's a pride standing on its head. So you're absolutely right. If we have this tendency towards this delusion, this particular delusion, it can arise in terms of anything, whether it's a virtuous action, a neutral action, or a negative action. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:40 Highlight the passage at 1:10:40

1:11:05 It's interesting. I was told once that the Tibetan... The term for this perverted pride is, and my pronunciation may not be that accurate, two syllables, na-gel, na-gel. Na would be N-G-A and gel is G-Y-A-L, na-gel. And you know from your study that that's accurate? Some mantra I say, na-gel. Well, it could be. It could be. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:05 Highlight the passage at 1:11:05

1:11:38 Well, yeah, it could be. It could be, but unfortunately in Tibetan many syllables sound like other ones. Nga Gel sounds a bit like Nam Gel, which is a positive idea. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:38 Highlight the passage at 1:11:38

1:11:55 Nam Gel means all the prides. Yeah, and what those two syllables mean literally is Nga is I. You know, me, that I, not the E-Y-E-I. right, so, he, Report an error in the passage at 1:11:55 Highlight the passage at 1:11:55

1:12:13 And Gil is like the king. So it means I the king. So this delusion of pride is where you take your sense of self and there it is on center stage, all the lights on it, the curtains are open, everybody's applauding. You're the one, you're the man, you're the woman, whatever. And that attitude, that attitude of taking one's sense of self. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:13 Highlight the passage at 1:12:13

1:12:43 And promoting it as the king, that's the deluded pride. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:43 Highlight the passage at 1:12:43

1:12:57 So interesting, interesting how sometimes when you look into something, it becomes rich. It gives kind of a meaning behind it. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:57 Highlight the passage at 1:12:57

1:13:09 a kick out of it and he'll like spin it different ways it's funny you know Report an error in the passage at 1:13:09 Highlight the passage at 1:13:09

1:13:23 you see One time someone shared with me and said, She was introduced to someone, the person was shaking hands and said, I'm the Vaja practitioner. Oh, right, right. Very, you know, we do come from those people, so how do we, you know, so of course, our self, how do we avoid those, I mean, how is the time and the time, and also when we come from people like that, it's not nice to see, you know, they need effort, but there's a delusion there, you know, how do you see that, how do you tell us to see, oh, Right. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:23 Highlight the passage at 1:13:23

1:14:04 So just to repeat, the question is how noticing the ill effects of this kind of Nagel, this kind of pride, especially in the spiritual area, how do we avoid it? Well, it's very interesting you should say that because it was just this morning in preparation for another class that I'm going to be giving tomorrow on the four immeasurables. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:04 Highlight the passage at 1:14:04

1:14:32 There you have loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity. And one tomorrow is going to start with empathetic joy. So I was reading over a commentary by Alan Wallace relating to that. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:32 Highlight the passage at 1:14:32

1:14:46 And he addresses this in a very interesting way. He talks about, I can't give an exact quote, but the gist of what he was saying is that there is this deluded pride that can arise when you've done something like 100,000 prostrations or something like that or memorize something and you kind of arrogantly boast either to yourself or to someone else. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:46 Highlight the passage at 1:14:46

1:15:15 You know, look at what I did. You know, I did that. And he contrasts that with a very positive state of mind, specifically the third immeasurable, joy, in which you actually take delight in virtue that you've created. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:15 Highlight the passage at 1:15:15

1:15:37 And he talks about the borderline between simply taking delight in it, which is very positive and very inspiring, and then crossing that borderline into this arrogant pride. And he points out something which is interesting. When we cross that line, when the mistake comes, is when we identify Report an error in the passage at 1:15:37 Highlight the passage at 1:15:37

1:16:07 that activity that we engaged in. As solely my doing, right? Whereas, you know, the term he uses, he uses kind of a Latin-late term, you know, together with that comes a certain, what he says, reification of the self. In other words, you think of this action and the person who did it as somehow kind of solid, concrete, independent. You know, look what I did, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:07 Highlight the passage at 1:16:07

1:16:39 Making an independent thing out of it. I think that's where that word reification comes, make a thing out of it. Whereas the legitimate response and very beneficial response of simply taking delight in it is always within a context. For instance, you realize, okay, the reason I was able to do 100,000 prostrations is because, first of all, Buddha and the great followers taught it. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:39 Highlight the passage at 1:16:39

1:17:09 I received the lineage from my guru. There were many, many people who supported my activity and encouraged me through difficulties. And then as a result, I was able to do it. So you don't think it's just something that popped into existence from nowhere as your own creation. You put it in the context of all the various causes and conditions that had to be gathered together. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:09 Highlight the passage at 1:17:09

1:17:34 For that event to take place. And when you look at it that way, then of course you've contributed to it, you're part of it, but it's not solely your own individual responsibility. It isn't just owing to your efforts alone. Your efforts are among the causes and conditions that brought it back about. So this analysis actually then becomes a wisdom analysis. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:34 Highlight the passage at 1:17:34

1:18:01 Because it's ignorance which holds on to things as solid, independent, concrete, self-existent. And it's wisdom which sees that there's nothing which is solid, independent, concrete and self-existent. And so when you apply it to the virtue that you perform, such as 100,000 prostrations, memorizing difficult mantras, doing long retreat, whatever it might be, you don't look at those as separate. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:01 Highlight the passage at 1:18:01

1:18:30 Concrete entities existing in and of themselves that are your possession or your creation, you see it as something that came about through the meeting up of various causes and conditions. So you've replaced the ignorance of ego grasping with the wisdom of dependent origination. know? a beautiful You know? So this is a kind of a... Report an error in the passage at 1:18:30 Highlight the passage at 1:18:30

1:19:01 My commentary to Alan's commentary. And it was an eye-opener to look at it that way. Yeah. You know, because it really... Yeah. I'm sure Howard Cutler's book, My Friend, Art of Happiness, it's really cool to read. Yeah. It goes over like the shirt, like all the people who... Right, exactly. Howard Cutler's your friend? Yeah, he's one of my clients and friend. Oh, nice one. Nice one. Yeah. Oh, he does such beautiful work together with the Dalai Lama. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:01 Highlight the passage at 1:19:01

1:19:30 Yeah, it's really nice. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:30 Highlight the passage at 1:19:30

1:19:36 He was a psychiatrist. He wrote the book, The Art of Happiness, and he hit the jackbox, so now it's a writer. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:36 Highlight the passage at 1:19:36

1:19:47 He's done many things connected with his holiness. Very, very, very nice. Very, very articulate. He came, I can't remember which center it was out that I saw him. It could have been. L.M.B. even. I think it was. I think it probably was L.M.B. because that's the center I go to most frequently. And he came and he gave a talk and it was very clear, very evocative in the way he spoke. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:47 Highlight the passage at 1:19:47

1:20:22 What is his name again? Cutler. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:22 Highlight the passage at 1:20:22

1:20:28 It's a very basic idea. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:28 Highlight the passage at 1:20:28

1:20:33 User friendly. Yeah. Cutler. Cutler. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:33 Highlight the passage at 1:20:33

1:20:36 But we're going to talk about death and dying. Oh, we might. Yeah, that was what we were supposed to be doing. We will. And we can make our schedule. But I was thinking, and we'll do it in kind of a democratic way. It just turned 12. It just turned 12 now. Yeah, it just turned. okay. Yeah, it just turned. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:36 Highlight the passage at 1:20:36

1:21:07 And we basically have this area available to us until 4. So I was going to suggest, obviously we have to take time out for lunch and like that. And I Report an error in the passage at 1:21:07 Highlight the passage at 1:21:07

1:21:26 was thinking, but this is just a suggestion, we modify it, is that perhaps we take the break now and then come back at close to 1, let's say. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:26 Highlight the passage at 1:21:26

1:21:41 They're feeding us here. They're feeding all of us here? Yeah. Do you know when it is? Is it 12? Yeah, we can ask if they're ready. We can ask because if it's not, if they're ready at 12.30, then we just stay for another half an hour and then do it. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:41 Highlight the passage at 1:21:41

1:21:59 It doesn't matter to you. Well, you know what? This is all right with you. Why don't we give ourselves a real short break right now, and I'll check with the people, Stephen and those people, and then I'll report back what I find, and either we'll take the break now. And then come back around 1 or we'll take it at 12.30 and come back about 1.30. And then we'll deal with death and dying. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:59 Highlight the passage at 1:21:59

1:22:22 But I should say, so it's not kind of false advertising, the emphasis, I mean, death and dying is a subject that can be approached for many different ways. The main emphasis is not going to be so much on how to help others through their death and dying. Though that may be a byproduct of it. The main emphasis is going to be on how the dying process within the explanation given by Tibetan Buddhism becomes a way for us to understand the deep nature of our own consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:22 Highlight the passage at 1:22:22

1:22:57 In other words, as a gateway to... Now other things will follow from that, but that's going to be the main emphasis. I mean there are courses on death and dying given by... Teachers and hospice workers and nurses which focus on all the practical applications of the teachings to that situation. But here this is more the background to what we might call the progressive refinement of consciousness that happens during the process of death and how that feeds into the spiritual path. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:57 Highlight the passage at 1:22:57

1:23:34 I want to say that so that when we come back you're not... Your expectations are not going to be disappointed. But during lunch, are you talking about what my goals are for the future? Sure, sure. I'll be happy to. Yeah, definitely. Okay, thank you. So let me check with the powers of being. So Report an error in the passage at 1:23:34 Highlight the passage at 1:23:34

· · · silence, 2 minutes

1:26:12 now, I haven't passed out this material yet. I passed it out yesterday, but nobody from yesterday is here. So I'll pass it out to you guys now. You folks now. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:12 Highlight the passage at 1:26:12

1:26:29 Yeah. But there's also, you know, a fairly small number. Six people total, I think. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:29 Highlight the passage at 1:26:29

1:26:59 and off and I'm trying to do every day but know it's like I work all day till the last of the day and then I'm so tired I just want to relax for an hour and I guess relaxing is doing my meditation but it's funny I gotta get back in the bit again it's just you know and it's not it's an excuse but it's you know so I need to be more consistent again like Report an error in the passage at 1:26:59 Highlight the passage at 1:26:59

1:27:22 Other than in my everyday life. Yeah, that's a challenge. I found it a big challenge. All my first years of study were in India and I had nothing else to do. There was no television, there was no newspapers. No children running around. There was nothing. That was it. It was just study or go to teaching, whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:22 Highlight the passage at 1:27:22

1:27:48 And living in the States didn't have that kind of luxury. Much harder to cut out the... Report an error in the passage at 1:27:48 Highlight the passage at 1:27:48

1:28:04 It might not be an excuse, but it is a reason. think this being so utterly sleep where I was feeling so bad about myself that, I mean, I was barely doing it anyway, and I just said, I've got to give myself a break, It's like this guilt, this feeling, it's not right, you know? It should be joyful. I talked to, you know, one of my teachers about it, and he's like, no, don't get stressed out, just relax and do it, you know? I was like, you know, but... Report an error in the passage at 1:28:04 Highlight the passage at 1:28:04

1:28:41 not doing quite right, are we? Yeah, becomes just as opposed to, Report an error in the passage at 1:28:41 Highlight the passage at 1:28:41

1:28:54 hard, but it's joyful. Okay, so this subject of death and dying, the death in the process of dying, the subject of death in general is approached in two major ways in the Buddhist teachings, and I'm sure... You're familiar to some extent with this. There is the approach largely derived from the general teachings of the Buddha, the so-called sūtra teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:54 Highlight the passage at 1:28:54

1:29:30 There's the approach in which the main emphasis is to understand the inevitability of death and to use that as a spur. As an inspiration for making our life meaningful, not wasting our life. And the various meditations that are connected with this approach have to do with such things as seeing how, let's say, our major delusions, our major afflictions, such as hatred and attachment. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:30 Highlight the passage at 1:29:30

1:30:12 They, to a large extent, arise because we're not mindful of the fact that our life is impermanent and that we'll die. And not bearing that in mind, we exaggerate the importance of things that are attractive and become attached to them and get caught up in them often in very self-destructive, time-wasting ways. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:12 Highlight the passage at 1:30:12

1:30:38 And the same thing for things that we don't like. We can cultivate a very strong hatred towards them and again get caught up in actions which are counterproductive, which produce suffering. Whereas the clear memory of the fact that life is going to end in death does a great deal to deprive those delusions, those afflictions of their power. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:38 Highlight the passage at 1:30:38

1:31:04 For example, if you know that the person that you're angry with... If you really know it, not just intellectually, and if you know that you, the person getting angry, is going to die, then the thought may arise in one form or another, well, what's the use? What's the use of getting angry? Life is so short. Why waste it? Not only waste it, but why spoil it by adding this suffering-producing delusion? Report an error in the passage at 1:31:04 Highlight the passage at 1:31:04

1:31:33 Why buy into it? And so just remembering that. It goes a long way to deprive that hatred of the force behind it. And the same thing for clinging attachment. You know, sometimes we don't simply like something, but we desire it to such a strong extent as if that object, whether it be a thing or a person, had the ability to give us true lasting happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:33 Highlight the passage at 1:31:33

1:31:56 Whereas in fact, that person or thing that we're desirous of in this exaggerated way, that's impermanent. That's not going to be around forever. And we, as the person desiring it, aren't going to be around forever either. And in that case, the attachment is seen to be an exaggeration, an attitude which cannot give us the satisfaction and happiness that we're looking for. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:56 Highlight the passage at 1:31:56

1:32:22 So it too, the energy of it too, becomes somewhat deflated, less strong. So the sūtra approach largely deals with this with As it says in other spiritual traditions, using death as an ally. Having it sitting on our shoulder so that we can judge experiences through the perspective of our mortality. Therefore, it helps keep us on an even keel. Not too exaggerated in one direction, not too exaggerated in the other, but more realistic. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:22 Highlight the passage at 1:32:22

1:33:01 In the handout that I gave, the first Part of it, the first section of it, deals with attitudes and meditations that are largely derived from this sūtra approach. And I'm not going to go over it in great detail now, but just for the sense of completeness, I want to at least indicate what these are. And some of these will be familiar to you, some may not. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:01 Highlight the passage at 1:33:01

1:33:31 so on Page 1, and I'm not 100 % your pages are the same as mine, but I, yes, it looks like they are, because there was two versions of this. So on page 1, there is the heading, the importance of meditating on death. And this is divided up into two approaches, as is very often the case in Buddhist teachings. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:31 Highlight the passage at 1:33:31

1:33:56 The first half are the disadvantages of not remembering impermanence and death. And then the second, the advantages of remembering impermanence and death. And I think, as you know, a lot of Buddhist subjects are introduced that way. There's a topic given, and to show the importance of studying and learning and meditating on that particular topic, they'll indicate what its value is and what the danger would be of not. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:56 Highlight the passage at 1:33:56

1:34:33 Incorporating that understanding into one's life. So it's done here. And basically, what I said before is just a few word summary of everything on this page, that without a memory of death, there is a tendency for our attitudes towards things to become lopsided, exaggerated, and we end up wasting our time, wasting our life. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:33 Highlight the passage at 1:34:33

1:34:57 Whereas with a memory of death, it puts things in a realistic way. Perspective in which our mind begins to turn to something that's important, that allows this life to be meaningful. In a word, Dharma. In other words, those practices, those states of mind which keep the mind back from suffering, which hold the mind back from suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:57 Highlight the passage at 1:34:57

1:35:21 So, from this point of view, meditation on death and impermanence is an antidote to suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:21 Highlight the passage at 1:35:21

1:35:32 And so I've just given the outline here, but there's no necessity for us to go into detail. But it is an excellent thing to look at each one and contemplate each one because there's a lot of value. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:32 Highlight the passage at 1:35:32

1:35:46 It actually makes meditation on that subject much, much richer. Then the next presentation is on page two, and this is called the nine-part meditation on impermanence and death. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:46 Highlight the passage at 1:35:46

1:36:00 Now I wonder how many people here have received teachings on this. This is not POA. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:00 Highlight the passage at 1:36:00

1:36:12 Right, but I'm really referring to this one, the nine-part meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:12 Highlight the passage at 1:36:12

1:36:20 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:20 Highlight the passage at 1:36:20

1:36:23 She approached this. Okay. And this is something, well, as with everything in the Dharma, it's not something for us to do once or twice, but something to keep recycling in our mind. Well, I've received some teachings on Report an error in the passage at 1:36:23 Highlight the passage at 1:36:23

1:36:20 Yes, I have received. Yeah, okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:20 Highlight the passage at 1:36:20

1:36:39 Because there are three facets especially about death in relationship to our life that are very important to keep in mind. It's what makes death meditation valuable. And the first one is the fact that death is inevitable. And then there are three supporting reasons or examples for that. The second one is that even though death is inevitable and certain, The actual time when it's going to happen is most uncertain. And then there are three examples or reasons that support that. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:39 Highlight the passage at 1:36:39

1:37:20 And then the final one, the direction that it's all going towards, is that at the time of death, the only thing that really helps is our spiritual practice, our Dharma practice, our turning inwards and purifying our mind, increasing the positive states. Decreasing the negative ones. And then again there are three examples which support that understanding that at the time of death only the practice of Dharma is of ultimate benefit. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:20 Highlight the passage at 1:37:20

1:37:53 So because there are three sections and each has three subsections this is referred to as the nine part meditation on impermanence and death. And again this is of great importance but just briefly mentioning their names here is all we have. time for now. A lot of what's there is self-explanatory, but they derive their meaning not from understanding just the words of the teaching, which are very easy to do, there's nothing terribly complex in any of this, but really taking on board the reality that those words are indicating. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:53 Highlight the passage at 1:37:53

1:38:33 So to give, for example, one example. In the middle section, the fact that the time of death is uncertain, intellectually, it's quite easy to accept that, that we don't know when we're going to die. But still, there's a pervasive feeling amongst a lot of us, or maybe we could say a pervasive feeling among all of us at some times, to feel as if we have an allotted lifespan. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:33 Highlight the passage at 1:38:33

1:39:07 It's of such a nature that we are pretty much guaranteed another 30, 40 or 50 years, let's say. And then we engage in our behavior thinking we've got that time. Whereas the meditations in the second section indicate, well, actually it could happen any time. There's no assurance that it couldn't happen tomorrow. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:07 Highlight the passage at 1:39:07

1:39:33 right? And And among them, there are three supporting meditations which bring this point home. But just take the third one, for example. The body is fragile, like a water bubble. And, you know, people can feel I'm strong, I'm in the pink of health. You know, I take my vitamins, I eat healthy, you know, I live in a... Report an error in the passage at 1:39:33 Highlight the passage at 1:39:33

1:40:00 So death isn't going to come to me for a while. And yet it often happens that a very, very minor experience can bring about death. Even a tiny pinprick or thorn like that or the invasion of a few bacteria can get out of hand very quickly and lead to death. It doesn't require a major external catastrophe, just a small little thing. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:00 Highlight the passage at 1:40:00

1:40:29 And so when we contemplate a point like that, what's really important for us is not just to read it and say, oh yes, okay, the body's fragile, death can come at any time, but really go through various instances that we know from our experience, our friends and so forth, who are kind of healthy one moment and then do a very minor change in their circumstances, suddenly become a deathly ill, whether they actually die or not. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:29 Highlight the passage at 1:40:29

1:40:56 You know, the fact that they become deathly ill, even if they recover, indicates that, of course, they could have died from that. I didn't know him personally, of course, but Jim Henson, the inventor of the Muppets, those puppets, I don't know if you've ever seen on television. Very popular, very lovely guy, actually, from everything I've ever read about him. Very positive and did many, many good things. He was very healthy one day, and then suddenly there was this... Report an error in the passage at 1:40:56 Highlight the passage at 1:40:56

1:41:26 The invasion of these bacteria. And I think within 24 hours he was dead. You know, he went from completely healthy to dead. I don't think it was more than a day. At most it was two days. Suddenly this invasion kind of in his system of these bacteria. Very unusual. It happens, but very unusual. And then he was dead. And it wasn't like he was ill or weak beforehand. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:26 Highlight the passage at 1:41:26

1:41:54 But somehow this... Invasion took place in his body and he died like that. So by going through different examples, realistic examples, and then viewing them like that could be me, that could be me, helps bring about this transformation of our attitude when the phrase the time of death is uncertain isn't just an intellectual phrase but a reality for us. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:54 Highlight the passage at 1:41:54

1:42:26 And the same is true for all of the rest of the items on this list, which we don't have to go into at this point. Then there is, I think, one more thing. Yes. There is one more approach that is referred to as the practice of the five powers. So that's on page three. And the so-called five powers... Our items to be practiced all during one's lifetime and especially at the time of death as death approaches. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:26 Highlight the passage at 1:42:26

1:43:08 So it's a way of making sure that we're making the best possible use of our experiences while we're alive and then bringing that attitude right into the death experience, the way we approach our death itself. And again... There's not a need to go through all of these in detail. That would be an excellent course. But even with a lot longer time, this would be too much to go into great detail now. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:08 Highlight the passage at 1:43:08

1:43:41 Or, as I said, even if we had a longer time. But it's really instructive to keep in mind what these things are and to receive further teachings on them if one hasn't. receive teachings, or if one has, to a But a lot of these five powers have to do with cultivating the compassionate bodhicitta motivation. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:41 Highlight the passage at 1:43:41

1:44:13 So that no matter what happens to it, we experience it through the perspective of dedicating our life to achieving spiritual... Report an error in the passage at 1:44:13 Highlight the passage at 1:44:13

1:44:26 So that we can be of maximum benefit to others. And so I'm reminded of, you were talking about people very close to you who died while they were suddenly very young. Well, very, very recently, just a matter of a few weeks ago, a friend who was an early student of the Lamas passed away. And I didn't know he was in bad health. He was diagnosed with... Report an error in the passage at 1:44:26 Highlight the passage at 1:44:26

1:44:55 With cancer in about January or February and at that time they said it was quite dire. And I only found out about it in August I think it was, the month that he passed away, when a close friend of his said, oh Jack, he only has a few more days to live. And so I went up and I visited him and then the next time I was up in that area was for his memorial service. He passed away pretty shortly after that. And the extraordinary thing about it was that... Report an error in the passage at 1:44:55 Highlight the passage at 1:44:55

1:45:26 Jack was an extremely robust, healthy person. He was an expert whitewater rafter, a boater, and he would lead expeditions in all the different continents of the world. Some of the rivers that he rode, he was the first person to ride those particular rapids and so forth. So he was really strong, really healthy. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:26 Highlight the passage at 1:45:26

1:45:50 And when I saw him, when I went up to visit him, he was... Half of his former self, if that. Because the kind of cancer that he had that invaded had this very wasting effect on him. But what was more impressive than that, and that was a bit of a shock to see him because I hadn't seen him since last time he was totally healthy. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:50 Highlight the passage at 1:45:50

1:46:12 And now he was literally on his deathbed. But what was truly remarkable was that he was radiant. He was truly radiant. And all the stories... My time spent with him, those hours, and everything that I heard from the people who were with him up to previous weeks was that people would come, hearing that he was so ill and dying, would come kind of to comfort him. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:12 Highlight the passage at 1:46:12

1:46:41 He would end up comforting them. It's almost harder for the people being left behind. And the reason he was able to do it was that he really was putting everything that he knew, About bodhicitta, about benefiting others, about love and compassion. He was really putting it into practice. And so even though physically he was clearly wasting away, instead of giving the impression of a person who was wasting away, it more gave the impression of someone whose inner nature was just that much less encumbered by a body. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:41 Highlight the passage at 1:46:41

1:47:19 You know, it was more transparent. It was more evident who he really was. The radiance that he had. And this despite the fact that very often he was in very severe pain. I mean, he had cancer in all the major organs of his body by that time. So a lot of time was in very severe pain. But still with all of that, the people who were there said he never complained. And whenever he was free enough from pain to actually communicate, and sometimes he wasn't, then it was always on this level of love. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:19 Highlight the passage at 1:47:19

1:47:50 Compassion and so forth. So a lot of these teachings on these five powers during one's life and at the time of death is various ways of bringing that attitude, the compassionate bodhicitta, bringing that attitude into all the various circumstances of our life. And if you're familiar with this, one of the most profound of all the various meditation techniques within Mahāyāna Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:50 Highlight the passage at 1:47:50

1:48:19 If you're familiar with the practice known as sending and receiving, the Tonglin practice, then all of these five powers feed into this practice of taking on suffering and giving happiness to others. This is the real meditative practice that transforms the mind. And all of this supports and derives from this type of Tonglin meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:19 Highlight the passage at 1:48:19

1:48:46 So it's very, very powerful. Now all of that, everything that's been described so far, comes from this more general sūtra approach to death. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:46 Highlight the passage at 1:48:46

1:49:02 But in addition to that, then there are Buddhist tantric teachings found in the Vajrayana tradition. And in the world today, the Vajrayana tradition still exists within the Himalayan. You know Tibet and the immediately surrounding areas. And one aspect of the Vajrayana exists in Japan. Not the whole range of Vajrayana teachings, but there is one part of it that still exists in one Japanese tradition. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:02 Highlight the passage at 1:49:02

1:49:36 And as far as I'm aware, it's only in those two areas that the Vajrayana tradition, which grew up in India. Now, of course, since 1959 with the great exodus of Tibetans from their native country, now the Vajrayana is found all around the world, but basically derived from those teachers who brought it from the Himalayas, specifically from Tibet. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:36 Highlight the passage at 1:49:36

1:50:07 And within the Vajrayana, Vajrayana is a combination of the sūtra approach that I just mentioned and the tantric approach. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:07 Highlight the passage at 1:50:07

1:50:18 And to give an idea where the way in which the tantric approach to the experience of death and dying goes beyond the Mir Sūtra approach, there are certain things that are important to bring out. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:18 Highlight the passage at 1:50:18

1:50:54 We know that the main obstacle to experiencing happiness, the main cause to... Experiencing unwanted suffering are the afflicted states of mind, the various delusions and so forth, all deriving from ignorance, all deriving from a misconception of reality. So from that basic misconception, from that basic ignorance, there arises the poisons of hatred, clinging attachment, jealousy and the like. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:54 Highlight the passage at 1:50:54

1:51:31 The 84,000 delusions that the 84,000 teachings of Buddha show us how to overcome. So it's these polluted or contaminated states of mind that are in a sense the enemy. So for instance, I always find it interesting that a lot of the imagery in Buddhism is kind of military. When you think of how... How calm and peaceful Buddhism is, a philosophy and a way of life is. Sometimes it's surprising to look at how many of the epithets of the Buddha are militaristic and how the way that the path is presented is often in terms of combat. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:31 Highlight the passage at 1:51:31

1:52:15 The Buddha was known as Galwa, the conqueror. And the Arhat, the one who has achieved liberation, that Arhat, he's a foe destroyer. It's all very martial imagery, isn't it? But of course the key point is that this martial, sometimes even violent imagery is not directed to anybody else. It's all directed towards overcoming the inner afflictions. And so from the Buddhist point of view, the true enemy is not the one who attacks you from the outside. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:15 Highlight the passage at 1:52:15

1:52:51 The true enemy is the one who attacks you from the inside. In other words, your own... Afflictions derived from ignorance. And so a person who's achieved liberation has destroyed the inner foe. He's a foe destroyer. And he doesn't do it with a knife or a sword or a gun. He does it with wisdom and compassion. But still, the imagery itself, when you think about a foe destroyer, if you just take those as just on the face value, it makes you think of this kind of fierce warrior, someone who... Report an error in the passage at 1:52:51 Highlight the passage at 1:52:51

1:53:26 It would be played by Russell Crowe in the movies or something like that, one of the other great action figures from Hollywood. But that imagery is turned inwards. Now there is an imagery, also it has this kind of violent aspect to it, but it's meant to be understood in exactly the same way, of how it is we in fact do overcome. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:26 Highlight the passage at 1:53:26

1:53:57 How do we overcome the afflictions? Well, from the sūtra point of view, our energy is focused to counterbalancing and eventually uprooting the negative state of mind itself. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:57 Highlight the passage at 1:53:57

1:54:13 So I'll give an example of what it means to counterbalance and uproot a negative mind. Let's say the negative mind that we're dealing with is hatred. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:13 Highlight the passage at 1:54:13

1:54:23 So that's what we identify as the enemy, our own hatred. So, to counterbalance it, there are meditations to cultivate the opposite to hatred. So, for example, there's meditations to cultivate loving kindness and meditations to cultivate patience. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:23 Highlight the passage at 1:54:23

1:54:44 And if we do that, if we cultivate loving kindness, then at that same moment it's impossible to feel hatred to the same object. You might be able to alternate those feelings. But once hatred arises, loving kindness diminishes, and once loving kindness arises, hatred diminishes. They can't coexist at the same time. And the same thing with patience. Anger is often an expression of frustration and impatience. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:44 Highlight the passage at 1:54:44

1:55:20 So if we cultivate patience, which means a lot more than the word patience does in the English language, here the way it's used in Buddhism. But if we cultivate... Patience as a virtue, again, it will automatically counterbalance, diminish the strength of our hatred. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:20 Highlight the passage at 1:55:20

1:55:40 And one source where you can look this up in great detail is the Dalai Lama gave a number of discourses on one of his favorite texts, the Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. And one of those, he was concentrating on The sixth chapter of that book, which is all about the cultivation of patience. And so in that commentary to that sixth chapter, there's a great deal that has to do with how to apply these antidotes to counterbalance them. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:40 Highlight the passage at 1:55:40

1:56:15 Okay, so the cultivating loving kindness, cultivating patience to diminish the strength of the hatred is like what we might call a temporary solution. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:15 Highlight the passage at 1:56:15

1:56:32 While we're cultivating those states of mind, we're diminishing the force of hatred. But in and of themselves, it doesn't uproot hatred. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:32 Highlight the passage at 1:56:32

1:56:42 The seed of that hatred, the deep cause of that hatred hasn't been touched. And so sometimes, to cite another analogy which is often used, it's as if we had a poisonous tree and we don't want that poisonous fruit in our backyard, so we get rid of all the fruit and then we... Prune back the tree. And that gives us breathing space. Because for as long as the tree remains on that prune back level, it's not going to produce poisonous fruit. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:42 Highlight the passage at 1:56:42

1:57:13 But the tree is still alive. And because the tree is alive, sooner or later, those branches and twigs and leaves are going to regenerate themselves. And with that, the fruit is going to reappear. Poisonous fruit is going to reappear. So pruning it back was helpful. It wasn't a waste of time, but it wasn't an ultimate solution. It didn't uproot the problem. So what is the approach that not only counterbalances a delusion like hatred, but actually eliminates it from its root? Report an error in the passage at 1:57:13 Highlight the passage at 1:57:13

1:57:45 How would you answer that? And obviously the answer is not loving kindness or patience, because they only do the first approach. So what kind of study, Practice meditation has the ability to actually not just counterbalance a delusion like hatred but uproot it. What would you say? Report an error in the passage at 1:57:45 Highlight the passage at 1:57:45

1:58:21 Exactly. Cultivating the wisdom of emptiness. It's not really real. Yeah, well that's a very, it's not really real. That's true and not true depending on how we understand that phrase. I mean it's a very, that's just a few words to sum up a very, very profound. an elegant way to say what's in my mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:21 Highlight the passage at 1:58:21

1:58:43 Because we can't say anger is not real. If you're feeling anger and you're punching someone, obviously it's real on some level. But when you start analyzing it closely, the reason that that anger arose in our mind was because we're holding on an image of ourself as the victim, as the insulted one. And that image that we have of ourself, that's not based on reality. What if it's like someone did something to my child, like an adult? Report an error in the passage at 1:58:43 Highlight the passage at 1:58:43

1:59:14 It's probably bordering on child abuse as a principal teacher. And my husband's like, you know, just drop it, it's over. They're not in your life. You're taking your child out. But I'm still upset about it. And he can just say, you know, he can just cut it off. But it's not always so easy to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:14 Highlight the passage at 1:59:14

1:59:34 Oh, it's not easy. I mean, the reason... I mean, no, I'm saying I would like to. And I think of all these Buddhist principles and, you know, and... I still felt, like, crushed. Not that. It's, you know, because I guess he's an extension of my ego. I'm concerned with Yeah, well there you got it. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:34 Highlight the passage at 1:59:34

1:59:58 Well, on a very conventional level, of course, we would say our anger and being upset is justified. But if we want to get a step beyond that, if we want to get beyond just justifying it and really kind of uprooting it, then it really requires a really in-depth meditation on emptiness. And that emptiness doesn't mean you don't exist. It means the factor that's perpetuating this anger or this hatred. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:58 Highlight the passage at 1:59:58

2:00:25 The factor that's perpetuating it is basically a false belief, holding on to something which doesn't actually exist. It's the way the I, the way the self is viewed. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:25 Highlight the passage at 2:00:25

2:00:37 But this is very profound, very deep subject. I mean, this is something that our lamas study for their whole lifetime before even getting a, you know, even getting, just to get an intellectual handle of it is difficult, but then to actually incorporate it is difficult. Difficult. No one said it was easy. But it has to do... Report an error in the passage at 2:00:37 Highlight the passage at 2:00:37

2:00:56 With penetrating through these superimpositions that I was talking about before. Especially the superimpositions that have to do with regarding self-identity. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:56 Highlight the passage at 2:00:56

2:01:08 And as the Dalai Lama and others point out on many occasions, none of the delusions, none of the afflictions, hatred, detachment, jealousy and the like, none of them can arise without their being based on what we can simply call ego-grasping ignorance, self-grasping ignorance. That's the necessary foundation for these to arise. So the wisdom that understands that the self in those cases is a misconceived self, not the one that exists but a superimposition, and that doesn't understand it just intellectually but has actually penetrated through to that, that's the only way to actually uproot the delusions. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:08 Highlight the passage at 2:01:08

2:01:55 The other techniques are useful. But they don't, and they can counterbalance and give a space, but they don't actually uproot those delusions from their very source themselves. Only the wisdom of emptiness. So that's true meditation. It's like once you become a meditator in your Lama-Tree-Transmission, you're finally actually cutting through that, which is a lot of work. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:55 Highlight the passage at 2:01:55

2:02:21 A lot of work. Unless you're just very fortunate. Yeah, if you have a lot of instincts from the past, sometimes all that's necessary is just to receive a few hints and your mind goes in that direction. But basically all we can do until that point is just to try. Yeah, well there's a progression. First, for example, typically there's three progressive states of cultivating wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:21 Highlight the passage at 2:02:21

2:02:46 Maybe you've heard of this. It's often referred to as the wisdom of hearing, the wisdom of thinking and the wisdom of meditating. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:46 Highlight the passage at 2:02:46

2:02:57 Hearing, thinking and meditating. Sometimes they use different language for this. The first one could be the wisdom of listening. The second one could be the wisdom of contemplating and the third of meditating. But they all come to the same point. It's just different terms that are used to describe it. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:57 Highlight the passage at 2:02:57

2:03:14 And for that first one, where it says hearing or listening, this includes things like reading. In other words, the first one is simply becoming acquainted with the teachings. Hearing people talk about it, reading about it. Now at that level, you're not doing any high-level analysis. You're just becoming familiar with the ground of the discussion. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:14 Highlight the passage at 2:03:14

2:03:34 And at that time, there's a lot of misconceptions. Like, for example, wisdom of emptiness, nothing exists. That's what pops into so many people's minds. Everything is an illusion. Nothing is real like that. Well, that's not what it means. But just on the level of immediate acquaintance, we can get that impression. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:34 Highlight the passage at 2:03:34

2:03:55 But the more we hear, the more we listen, the more we read, eventually the terms start to settle out and we begin to get some idea of what's being talked about, what's involved. Then we have to start using our critical faculties. to examine, to investigate. And that's where we shift into the second one, and that's often called the wisdom of thinking or contemplating. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:55 Highlight the passage at 2:03:55

2:04:21 Now, I should mention that this second wisdom, the wisdom of thinking or contemplating, it isn't called the wisdom of meditation, that's the third one, but it's a form of meditation. This is also meditation. It's got a name. It's examination meditation. It's also called analytical meditation. This is very valid. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:21 Highlight the passage at 2:04:21

2:04:46 Necessary form of meditation. And it isn't just that some people who are more academic do it and others more intuitive don't do it. In order to transform the mind, we all have to engage in this analysis, this examination. And how do we do that? First of all, we look for certain things. Like, are the teachings internally consistent? We check that out. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:46 Highlight the passage at 2:04:46

2:05:15 That's a way of examining. Do they have an internal consistency to them? As far as we can discern, are they logical? In other words, do they follow upon each other in a logical pattern? Report an error in the passage at 2:05:15 Highlight the passage at 2:05:15

2:05:34 Does it explain my experiences and the experiences of others to the extent that I'm able to discern it? This is a very important test. You can hear people talk and they put together a great theory and stuff, but when you check up, it doesn't really describe your experience. So that's a test, that's an examination to these teachings. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:34 Highlight the passage at 2:05:34

2:05:59 For example, you check to see if when I'm really angry, at that time, am I holding more tightly onto a limited image of myself or less tightly? And if we discover that every single time that we get angry, there's some clutching taking place on me, conceived of to be somehow separate and independent, not a part of the whole concatenation of causes and effects, independent and arising, but me as a solid, separate entity. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:59 Highlight the passage at 2:05:59

2:06:34 If we discover that time and time again, then there's many chairs up front. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:34 Highlight the passage at 2:06:34

2:06:57 So if we discover that, that invariably happens, the deeper we investigate that a delusion such as hatred is associated with ego grasping, well then that gives further credence to the teachings that state that. Whereas if we find the opposite is true, then either we don't understand it or the teaching is false. So there's this logical consistency. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:57 Highlight the passage at 2:06:57

2:07:26 This internal consistency, logical development, whether it explains our experience and so forth. And then there's kind of a final test to unearth the validity and deep meaning of a teaching. And that is, does it produce its result? The proof is in the pudding factor. Like if a teaching says that... The more you cultivate loving kindness and patience, the less you'll experience hatred and the happier you'll be. If that's the import of the teachings, then if we give ourselves a sufficient time to practice loving kindness and patience, and we don't experience a lessening of our anger and hatred, and if we become a more uptight person, then again, either there's something wrong with the teachings. Report an error in the passage at 2:07:26 Highlight the passage at 2:07:26

2:08:23 They're not valid, we should put them aside. Or our understanding of it still needs further clarification. And it could be either. There's no way of saying beforehand. We only learn that from our experience. So, in this way, we start with a general familiarization with the basic terms, the wisdom of hearing, listening. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:23 Highlight the passage at 2:08:23

2:08:48 Then we move to an investigation of the meaning of those terms. Using the examples, this is the level in which we do a lot of internal debate, kind of argue against the teachings, see if it has holes in it, flaws in it, and really try to understand what's being talked about until we get some sense, some conceptual idea of what, in this case, what the wisdom of emptiness is all about, what it means for something to lack concrete, separate, inherent existence, for things to be dependent on arisings. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:48 Highlight the passage at 2:08:48

2:09:23 All of this is necessary, all of it's good, but it only produces a transformation in our mind if we then move on to the third wisdom, the wisdom of meditation. Now I said before, the second one's also meditation, so what's special about the third one that it gets that title meditation? There, we're talking about specifically a type of meditation, the single-pointed concentration. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:23 Highlight the passage at 2:09:23

2:09:52 At that time... When we reach that third state, the main emphasis is not on further examination, further investigation. We've done that. And on the basis of that examination and investigation, we've reached some kind of understanding. Something, some thought or attitude or intuition, whatever you want to call it, has arisen in the mind that wasn't there before. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:52 Highlight the passage at 2:09:52

2:10:19 Lama Yeshe used to refer to this as the conclusion. The conclusion we reach. And conclusion works, but we shouldn't be misled. Usually conclusion is like a logical conclusion because of this, this, this, then that. So it's like a thought. But a conclusion could also be a feeling. It could be a state of mind. It could be an emotion. For instance, if you meditate on loving kindness, the conclusion of that meditation is that when you think about someone, you get a warm feeling towards that person. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:19 Highlight the passage at 2:10:19

2:10:51 Well, that warm feeling is the conclusion. Whereas before you felt like indifferent or distant, now something in you opens up and is radiant and loving. That's the conclusion. So, you go through the first two wisdoms, listening, thinking. You reach some kind of conclusion, either a logical conclusion or an emotional conclusion, whatever it might be. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:51 Highlight the passage at 2:10:51

2:11:15 And then you take that conclusion, whatever it is, And you focus your mind on it as single pointedly as possible. The imagery I love to use is you marinate your mind in it. You've already mixed the marinade. You've already put all the sauces and herbs and spices and whatever goes into it. You've already put that together. That you did in the first stages. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:15 Highlight the passage at 2:11:15

2:11:39 Now it's time to take the piece of food that you want to have that flavor and just soak it in. it, right? So you You achieve that conclusion and then you simply, simply maybe is not the best word to use, you simply focus your attention on it as single pointedly as possible so that that conclusion and the mind that's entertaining that conclusion, they become merged. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:39 Highlight the passage at 2:11:39

2:12:11 The mind takes on the flavor of that. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:11 Highlight the passage at 2:12:11

2:12:20 In that process, very often we have to backtrack a little bit because we reach a certain conclusion, a certain state of mind, like let's say a loving state of mind for a meditation on loving compassion, loving kindness. But then as we get into the meditation, the conclusion kind of fades. It loses its distinctiveness. Or if it's something logical, we kind of forget the reasoning that got us there, and so the conclusion is not so strong. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:20 Highlight the passage at 2:12:20

2:12:49 So when that happens, we don't give up. We just go back to the second stage and go over the reasoning that got us to the conclusion in the first place. And generally speaking, we won't have to spend as much time the second time as we did the first time. We'll be reminded of it until that feeling or understanding arises again. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:49 Highlight the passage at 2:12:49

2:13:11 And once it does, then move back to the third stage and focus our mind on it. So we need a kind of a skill or a balance of when to move from the second stage to the third and when to move from the third back to the second before returning to the third. So meditation is a balancing act very much. We have to kind of see where we are. And we also have to see when it's time just to take a rest completely and just stop doing it because we can burn out. Report an error in the passage at 2:13:11 Highlight the passage at 2:13:11

2:13:38 But eventually, by becoming familiar with any... Dharma topic, whatever it is, our mind can eventually take on the flavor of whatever the conclusion of that topic is. So we talked about loving kindness as an example, but when we're talking about the wisdom of emptiness, it's seeing that the self that we've been, I'll say, neurotically holding on to, mistakenly holding on to, thinking it's most real, is in fact a superimposition, a fiction. Report an error in the passage at 2:13:38 Highlight the passage at 2:13:38

2:14:12 A creation of ignorance. And with that, we no longer hold on to it. We kind of experience its emptiness. And if we're skillful enough, we can use that absence, that emptiness, as the object of meditation. And then our mind becomes more and more familiar and accustomed with that realization. But of course, we have to make sure that the object we're focusing on is the right object. Report an error in the passage at 2:14:12 Highlight the passage at 2:14:12

2:14:43 Because if we think the object is just some kind of vague nothingness or I don't really exist or something like that, then it does no good to become familiar with that because then later when we see that we actually do exist, that previous meditation hasn't helped us. So what we have to see that doesn't exist is something that never existed. We have to identify our false view. Without identifying our false view, then... Report an error in the passage at 2:14:43 Highlight the passage at 2:14:43

2:15:12 To meditate on its absence, to meditate on its emptiness, is kind of just a joke. It's mistaken. So we have to be clear about those things. But by doing this process repeatedly, deeper and deeper each time, then our attitude shifts. Instead of, for example, instead of hatred intuitively arising, loving kindness intuitively arises. Report an error in the passage at 2:15:12 Highlight the passage at 2:15:12

2:15:36 Instead of grasping onto identity, truly arising, a relaxation into emptiness arises. And there, in that terms, a real transformation takes place. Now, where I was going with all of this was that in the sūtra approach, the object that we're intent on overcoming is the mistaken state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:15:36 Highlight the passage at 2:15:36

2:16:06 The various delusions, jealousy, hatred, desirous attachment, and the like. Arrogant pride, all of these things. And all of which derive from ignorance, which is not just as I think you know. Ignorance in this case doesn't simply mean I don't know something. It means I've got an idea which is wrong about something. It's a misconception. It's much more active than just not knowing something. It's holding on to a false view. Report an error in the passage at 2:16:06 Highlight the passage at 2:16:06

2:16:38 And that's said to be the root of all of the other afflictions, all the other delusions. So that is the main enemy. That's the main target. And that's the sūtra approach, to target the false, destructive, harmful state of mind itself. Report an error in the passage at 2:16:38 Highlight the passage at 2:16:38

2:16:58 And the imagery that I've been referring to quite a while ago, the military martial imagery related to that, as I've heard it explained, is imagine that you're on a battlefield and your enemy is charging towards you. Report an error in the passage at 2:16:58 Highlight the passage at 2:16:58

2:17:14 This enemy is a member of the cavalry. So he's on a horse. So the sūtra approach is to shoot the rider. In other words, you're aiming at the mistaken state of mind itself. Report an error in the passage at 2:17:14 Highlight the passage at 2:17:14

2:17:31 But from the tantric point of view, every state of mind, and this is true for every positive state of mind, every negative state of mind, doesn't exist in a vacuum. Report an error in the passage at 2:17:31 Highlight the passage at 2:17:31

2:17:45 Each state of mind has its supporting energy wind. It's vital energy. And it's this vital energy which allows that mind to go to its appropriate object. Report an error in the passage at 2:17:45 Highlight the passage at 2:17:45

2:18:01 And the mind and its supporting energy are never separate. They always come together. In that sense we could say they're non-dual. They always arrive. You don't have that vital energy unassociated with the state of mind and you don't have a state of mind unassociated with the vital energy. Now this combination... Report an error in the passage at 2:18:01 Highlight the passage at 2:18:01

2:18:24 Of mind and its supporting energy, or its mounted energy winds as they sometimes refer to it. This is not a topic which is discussed in Sūtra. I would be very surprised if in all the Sūtra teachings of Buddha there's more than just a passing reference to this. However, it's a very, very major topic in the Tantric teachings. Report an error in the passage at 2:18:24 Highlight the passage at 2:18:24

2:18:48 Because the Tantric teachings describe the subtle energy system within the body. And its relationship to the minds that it supports, the states of minds that it supports. Report an error in the passage at 2:18:48 Highlight the passage at 2:18:48

2:19:05 I didn't hear what you said. Report an error in the passage at 2:19:05 Highlight the passage at 2:19:05

2:19:11 I don't know which part you're missing. Report an error in the passage at 2:19:11 Highlight the passage at 2:19:11

2:19:18 What do you have? Report an error in the passage at 2:19:18 Highlight the passage at 2:19:18

2:19:28 Wherever there's a state of mind, it's always associated with a vital energy. The energy wins. and never They don't exist independently of each other. So now let's go back to the martial situation. There's your enemy, this cavalry charger, heading towards you. Now, instead of aiming at him, you aim at the horse. Report an error in the passage at 2:19:28 Highlight the passage at 2:19:28

2:20:03 So now the animal rights people are going to get angry. But on the battlefield, you could do that. You could aim at the horse. So even though you're not aiming at the rider, if you're able to shoot down the horse, you incapacitate the rider. That's the imagery. Report an error in the passage at 2:20:03 Highlight the passage at 2:20:03

2:20:22 That's where this imagery... Does that make sense? Just as an example. I'm not suggesting anyone go out killing horses. Just using this example. In other words, you're directing your energy not just against the state of mind, but against the wind that supports it. You're depriving it of its ability. its energy, supportive energy. Report an error in the passage at 2:20:22 Highlight the passage at 2:20:22

2:20:44 And so in the tantric teachings, there are many techniques for manipulating the underlying energy. We could say channeling the underlying energy, and that actually has great meaning here, so that the energy flows in a conducive direction and supports positive states of mind rather than negative states of mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:20:44 Highlight the passage at 2:20:44

2:21:15 And that's a topic which is not found in the sūtra teachings. As I said, there might be brief references to it. Report an error in the passage at 2:21:15 Highlight the passage at 2:21:15

2:21:34 But in this case, of course, you're talking about the energy that's supporting a negative state of mind. There's no need to shoot down the energy supporting a positive state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:21:34 Highlight the passage at 2:21:34

2:21:47 Right, which is the energy. because, you know, through the, uh, part is that we shoot the horse. Right. Which is the energy. Which is the energy. Right. Now... We more specifically say we shoot only the energy to support the negative mind. Exactly. How do you shoot the horse? Uh-huh. Okay. You're jumping ahead. Right. Well, that's it. That's the whole thing. What does that mean to shoot the horse? Well, obviously that's just an imagery. And perhaps it's better, you know, to kind of shift a little bit into a discussion of what this energy is and how it flows. Report an error in the passage at 2:21:47 Highlight the passage at 2:21:47

2:22:23 All of this refers to what's sometimes referred to as the subtle body and in some contexts even the Vajra body. The subtle body or the Vajra body. So here we have this gross physical fleshly body of ours. Well from the point of view of the Tantra, this is an envelope for a subtler system of energies that make up the subtle body. Report an error in the passage at 2:22:23 Highlight the passage at 2:22:23

2:22:52 And this subtle body or this Vajra body It's said to have three constituent elements. Report an error in the passage at 2:22:52 Highlight the passage at 2:22:52

2:23:01 I don't want to go too far afield on this because this has a very intimate connection with the death meditation, but there's so much information that I'm afraid we're going to reach the end and still not get to the death meditation. So I'm going to limit my remarks here, but this is something that can be studied. Okay, this subtle system, this subtle body, this Vajra body, is made up of three elements. Report an error in the passage at 2:23:01 Highlight the passage at 2:23:01

2:23:30 In brief, their names are the channels, the winds and the drops. Drops, D-R-O-P-S, like a drop of water. Channels, winds and drops. And if you like to compare it with other translations or other readings you might do, then channels, the Sanskrit term for that is Nadi, N-A-D-I. And they're said to be 72,000 Nadis, you know, coursing through our body. Report an error in the passage at 2:23:30 Highlight the passage at 2:23:30

2:24:01 Not coursing, a network of 72,000 nadis throughout the body. And if you know acupuncture and meridians and things like that, this is all related to this nadis system. And then the winds, and I think probably everybody here knows either the Sanskrit or the Chinese word for these winds. In Sanskrit it's prāṇa, like pranayama, and in Chinese it's chi. Report an error in the passage at 2:24:01 Highlight the passage at 2:24:01

2:24:32 these... Prāṇa or chi can be translated airs, winds. One of the translations I like the best because it gives some idea is energy wind. Energy wind. So it's like this flow of energy. And where do they flow? Through the channels, through the nadis. Now in the channels as well there are elements, elements that we receive from both our mother and father at the time of our conception. Report an error in the passage at 2:24:32 Highlight the passage at 2:24:32

2:24:59 And these are the drops. And there's two types of drops, white and red, white and red. And the white drops we received from our father at the time of conception. And the main reservoir, and they're found throughout the body, but the main reservoir for the white drops is the crown chakra. Report an error in the passage at 2:24:59 Highlight the passage at 2:24:59

2:25:22 And then the red drops received from the mother, again found throughout the body, but the main reservoir of them is the navel chakra. Report an error in the passage at 2:25:22 Highlight the passage at 2:25:22

2:25:40 Well, we have drops throughout the entire body. But we're going to get to where the heart comes into this later. So everywhere in all the chakras and all the channels, drops are to be found, but the main concentration of them is the crown and the navel. Report an error in the passage at 2:25:40 Highlight the passage at 2:25:40

2:26:01 And so when we're talking about this subtle body, we're talking about this system of channels, pathways of energy. That's a nice way of thinking of them, pathways of energy. Then we're thinking about the energy that courses through them. And that's the winds. And then these subtle drops which help bring about certain specific experiences and states of mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:26:01 Highlight the passage at 2:26:01

2:26:34 So in the previous imagery we talked about shooting horses. Well now we can leave that imagery behind. It served its violent purpose. Now we're talking about channeling the energy. Through the subtle body in ways that arouse positive states of mind as opposed to negative ones. Because it's said that when the errors are flowing through certain channels, through certain nadis, automatically it gives rise to what we might call limited states of mind, Report an error in the passage at 2:26:34 Highlight the passage at 2:26:34

2:27:07 conceptual or diluted or afflicted states of mind. Whereas when through the process of meditation... We can cause the winds to stop flowing in those channels and to begin to enter and flow into the central channel, the main channel from which the other winds branch off. Then the winds no longer have the ability to support the negative and misconceiving states of mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:27:07 Highlight the passage at 2:27:07

2:27:38 They only have the ability to support a wisdom consciousness. So a lot of what takes place on the higher level of tantric practice are all these different methods. Some of the mental, some of the physical, to redirect this inner energy. And what's basically at work here is that wherever we focus the mind, energy accumulates. Report an error in the passage at 2:27:38 Highlight the passage at 2:27:38

2:28:07 So there's a very intimate relationship between our state of mind and how the energy is flowing and where it's flowing. And we even see... There are instances of that in our ordinary life, even if we're not like great meditators, great tantric meditators. You know, some people who study too hard, especially if they study kind of furrowing their brow and kind of like that, then they get a headache. Report an error in the passage at 2:28:07 Highlight the passage at 2:28:07

2:28:30 Well, from the tantric point of view, what's happened is that you've kind of concentrated in the flow of energy in certain areas that leads to a blockage. You know, the channels aren't open and smooth, they're kind of crunched, and you're kind of, it's like your house has wiring and... For 100 volts and you're putting 1,000 volts into it, so you experience burnout. All of this is an overloading of the energy system. You're kind of an unskillful use of the energy system because you're concentrating in a certain way. Report an error in the passage at 2:28:30 Highlight the passage at 2:28:30

2:29:01 So in the tantric practices, what you're trying to do is learn a proper way of concentrating so that you channel the energy in the direction it wants to go, which is ultimately into the central channel. And the central channel is described as... A straight hollow tube, not solid substance, something made out of light, which runs in the terms of the particular meditation that we're going to focus on. Report an error in the passage at 2:29:01 Highlight the passage at 2:29:01

2:29:33 It runs from the crown of the head down to just below the navel chakra. Now in other meditations where it's necessary to learn and experience other things about the central channel, Then the central channel is described as longer than that. But for the sake of the meditation that's connected with the death evolution, the important stretch of the central channel is that, from the crown of the head down to just below the navel chakra. Report an error in the passage at 2:29:33 Highlight the passage at 2:29:33

2:30:08 And if this is something that you're interested in, that you like, then there are teachings available on these energy systems, the chakra systems and so forth. And you can get a general intellectual understanding of them by reading certain books. But to actually get to the point where you have the techniques to be able to manipulate them properly, then you actually have to have tantric teachings and empowerment and establish a connection with a reliable guru and have someone who can check your practice. Report an error in the passage at 2:30:08 Highlight the passage at 2:30:08

2:30:39 Because you can do all these practices wrong. You can mischannel your energy and then it's very difficult. It's very difficult because you can achieve, instead of Buddhahood, you can achieve kind of craziness. Report an error in the passage at 2:30:39 Highlight the passage at 2:30:39

2:30:53 There's some danger involved, but if you're under the guidance of a skilled teacher and you're properly prepared and those kinds of things, then you can avoid those dangers. But gaining an intellectual understanding, that's possible just from reading. Report an error in the passage at 2:30:53 Highlight the passage at 2:30:53

2:31:10 And the meditation that we'll do... Gives us a sense of approaching this in a gentle, non-dangerous way. So that's what kind of all this is aiming towards. Report an error in the passage at 2:31:10 Highlight the passage at 2:31:10

2:31:33 So one more thing for background information. I think it will be enough to serve as a basis for what the practice will be concerning the death evolution meditation. And this is to indicate that... Again, if you talk from the sūtra point of view, they talk about different states of mind, but they don't talk very much about different levels of mind, levels of consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 2:31:33 Highlight the passage at 2:31:33

2:32:00 They'll talk about positive minds and negative minds and neutral minds, helpful and harmful, but there's not much, if any, talk about levels of consciousness. But Tantra, the Vajrayana, talks about levels, and there are three levels which are generally identified. Report an error in the passage at 2:32:00 Highlight the passage at 2:32:00

2:32:20 From gross to subtle to very subtle. Those are the three classifications. So the gross states of mind we're all familiar with. We're all in it right now. When our senses are operating, you know, our eye, ear, nose, tongue, tactile sensations, when they're operating, and when we're dealing with ordinary conceptual thought, as we all are, because... Report an error in the passage at 2:32:20 Highlight the passage at 2:32:20

2:32:48 I'm using language and you're listening to language, so that requires conceptual thought. All of that is gross level of mind. So it covers our waking, our ordinary waking experiences. Report an error in the passage at 2:32:48 Highlight the passage at 2:32:48

2:33:04 Then there are subtle levels of mind. When the energy that supports these gross minds are withdrawn, are no longer active, then the mind moves, shifts into this subtle mode. Which is more penetrating. And it gets underneath the level of these ordinary gross minds and their conceptual bantering back and forth. Report an error in the passage at 2:33:04 Highlight the passage at 2:33:04

2:33:34 And becomes more subtle, more penetrative. And we can approach that experience in meditation. When we fall asleep and we have a dream, we're beginning, to some extent, we're beginning to move to a subtler, a state of mind Whether it's an actual subtle state of mind or whether it's just approaching it, that requires a little bit of clarification perhaps. But for example, when we're asleep and we're dreaming, we're not seeing things with our physical eye, we're not hearing things with our physical ear, we're not smelling, tasting or touching with our physical organs anymore. Report an error in the passage at 2:33:34 Highlight the passage at 2:33:34

2:34:17 At that point, the sense organs have shut down, meaning... The energy that supports the functioning of those sense consciousnesses have withdrawn. And because they've withdrawn, the sense consciousnesses are no longer functioning. Report an error in the passage at 2:34:17 Highlight the passage at 2:34:17

2:34:35 But the mind is still functioning. And so, you know, they talk about surrealism being like dreamlike images. Very often in dreams, things seem more real. Why? Because the sense functions are no longer getting in the way. It's just pure mind. It's images appearing to the mind itself. And so dreams are an example of a subtler level of consciousness because the grosser ones are no longer operating. Report an error in the passage at 2:34:35 Highlight the passage at 2:34:35

2:35:08 Now certain gross minds still, you know, you can have conceptual mind in a dream. So that's a form of gross mind. But at least the sense consciousnesses are not operating. So there's something a bit purer. Report an error in the passage at 2:35:08 Highlight the passage at 2:35:08

2:35:21 But from the tantric point of view, there's yet another level of subtlety. And that's the very subtle consciousness. And does anybody know there's a technical term for this very subtle state of mind? The two-word name for this. Anybody familiar with that? Maybe when I tell it to you, you'll say, oh yeah, I know that. Anyone? Report an error in the passage at 2:35:21 Highlight the passage at 2:35:21

2:35:45 Yeah, what's the equivalent of that? It's got the word light in it. Clear light. Clear light. Usel. As in Lama Usa or Usa Ling. It's the clear light state of mind. It's the subtlest of all states of consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 2:35:45 Highlight the passage at 2:35:45

2:36:08 When a person dies, for instance, all the grosser minds and the subtle minds dissolve. All that's left is the very subtle state of mind. And that's what departs from the body. Report an error in the passage at 2:36:08 Highlight the passage at 2:36:08

2:36:25 When we reach, it's that level of mind that goes on. Now from it, Then the grosser minds evolve, but it's that separation of that very subtle state of mind, the clear light, from the body which is marked to the moment of death. Report an error in the passage at 2:36:25 Highlight the passage at 2:36:25

2:36:49 And we experience that clear light, speaking in a very general sense, we can experience it in two different ways. One we can experience as a result of meditative practice. In other words, where we learn to channel the energies in such a way that the winds giving rise to the grosser states no longer function, and so what arises is this very subtle state of clear mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:36:49 Highlight the passage at 2:36:49

2:37:16 So that's quite an accomplishment. You have to really be a tantric adept to be able to arouse this clear light state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:37:16 Highlight the passage at 2:37:16

2:37:28 But that's the aim. But there's another occasion on which the clear light mind... Can arise or does arise. And this it does for all beings. And that's when we die. Because the process of death is a movement from gross to subtle to very subtle. Now, the fact that we say that the clear light mind arises in every dying experience, at least for human beings constituted as we are, I can't talk about other life forms, doesn't mean we actually can make use of that clear light mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:37:28 Highlight the passage at 2:37:28

2:38:06 Because without preparation, that clear light mind will dawn without full recognition, without the ability to prolong it, without the ability to use it as a tool in meditation. So it arises and dissolves and basically the dying person isn't even aware of it. But the mind does get down to that level. Report an error in the passage at 2:38:06 Highlight the passage at 2:38:06

2:38:32 So from the point of view of a tantric adept, Who has trained in meditation to cultivate the clear light and then has refined his or her meditation by being able to do it in the dream state. Report an error in the passage at 2:38:32 Highlight the passage at 2:38:32

2:38:47 Then there's no doubt that when it arises at the time of death, he or she is going to be able to take full advantage of it. Because he's well trained, familiar, knows all the steps, knows what's following, is able to stay in that state and use it as a meditation. Report an error in the passage at 2:38:47 Highlight the passage at 2:38:47

2:39:06 Considered an unparalleled tool for cutting through delusions, really burning up those karmic seeds through the meditation, utilizing this clear light state of mind. And so you'll hear stories, and not just stories from thousands of years ago, stories of contemporary tantric adepts who, they die, they stop breathing, there's no sign of their body decomposing, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:39:06 Highlight the passage at 2:39:06

2:39:36 So for all intents and purposes they're dead, but they remain in this clear light meditation without their body decomposing for extended periods of time. It's not unusual to hear it days, weeks, in some cases even longer than that. So they say at that time that Lama is doing the clear light of death meditation, is using that state of mind to engage in these deeply purifying practices. Report an error in the passage at 2:39:36 Highlight the passage at 2:39:36

2:40:08 And also, you know, benefiting others, obviously. But overcoming deeper and deeper levels of coverings over the true nature of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:40:08 Highlight the passage at 2:40:08

2:40:21 So, and then once that clear light meditation is over, now before that, breathing had already stopped. But the body doesn't lose its glow. It doesn't degenerate until that meditation is over. And once that meditation is over, once that clear light mind then departs the body, then the body starts deteriorating. And you can tell there's a loss of luster over a period of time, a smell may arise and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 2:40:21 Highlight the passage at 2:40:21

2:40:57 And then the person has well and truly died in the sense that their body and mind is no longer connected. Up until that point, even though the outward signs of life are no longer present, the mind is still dwelling. In the central channel. And it's only when it finally leaves, preferably through an exit like through the crown of the head, that the body is left behind and death is actually taking place. Report an error in the passage at 2:40:57 Highlight the passage at 2:40:57

2:41:25 So, you can understand then, for someone who is well prepared, or at least understands what's happening, death is no longer frightening. And in fact, for a really accomplished meditator, death is welcome. Not that he or she would shoot himself or anything, or is kind of looking forward for the life being shorter, but they know that death is going to bring about the full arisal of this clear light mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:41:25 Highlight the passage at 2:41:25

2:41:55 They're already familiar with it and how to use it, how to meditate on emptiness with that penetrating mind. So it's like... An incredible opportunity for them. So they actually look forward to it. So there's no fear, there's no regret. There's actually, if anything, some kind of joyful anticipation. Report an error in the passage at 2:41:55 Highlight the passage at 2:41:55

2:42:21 Oh yeah. I mean, nearly everything that I'm saying is coming from teachings I've received from His Holiness or the other Lama. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Did you hear about the book The Stroke of Insight by the neuroscientist? Yeah, yeah. Basically, she felt one with everyone. like at a point. Report an error in the passage at 2:42:21 Highlight the passage at 2:42:21

2:42:45 So she tapped into that. She was on NPR this week. No, I'll check that out. Stroke of Insight. Report an error in the passage at 2:42:45 Highlight the passage at 2:42:45

2:42:57 Yeah, I would. I'll definitely check it out. So, you know, in the teachings on death, they actually talk about different, you know, for someone who's not at all prepared, death is frightening. think that's the title. Yeah, it's a pretty fascinating Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 2:42:57 Highlight the passage at 2:42:57

2:43:11 For someone who's somewhat prepared in the sense, I don't mean as a tantric practitioner, but prepared in the sense that they've heard the teachings and they've tried to avoid doing non-virtuous actions as much as possible and generating positive attitudes, then they're still not crazy about the idea of dying. Report an error in the passage at 2:43:11 Highlight the passage at 2:43:11

2:43:28 They're not in love with the idea, but they're not frightened. They have a sense, well, I have no regrets. I've done the best I could with my life. I've tried to set my house in order. So there's no regret. Report an error in the passage at 2:43:28 Highlight the passage at 2:43:28

2:43:42 So you can have a fearful death or one without fear. You can have regret or you can go beyond regret. And then you can reach a state in which not only is there no fear and no regret, but there's an actual enjoyment. There's an actual sense of anticipating that you're going to be introduced to a state of mind which is going to vastly propel you along the spiritual path. Report an error in the passage at 2:43:42 Highlight the passage at 2:43:42

2:44:09 Great leaps. To the point, possibly, depending of course on many other factors, of achieving enlightenment instead of just dying of actually achieving enlightenment. And Jai Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Glupa tradition, is said to have achieved full enlightenment not so much in death, but within the death process instead of moving into a kind of ordinary bardo state. Report an error in the passage at 2:44:09 Highlight the passage at 2:44:09

2:44:38 The state following death of experiencing enlightenment in its place. And there's great meaning behind that. So basically what is possible, even through just an intellectual understanding of the Vajrayana path, but especially the more experience we have, is to transform our attitude towards death. To get rid of the fear, get rid of the regret. Report an error in the passage at 2:44:38 Highlight the passage at 2:44:38

2:45:09 Get rid of the reluctance and to cultivate the ability to stay conscious during the dying process rather than being overwhelmed by pain and suffering of being able to focus the mind in such a way that we know what's happening and by knowing it we can keep our mind in this kind of even keel and take advantage of the subtlety that we're going to experience. Report an error in the passage at 2:45:09 Highlight the passage at 2:45:09

2:45:34 Okay, so, now, having... I've said all that, and having spoken a lot, what I suggest is give ourselves a short break, not a long one, five minutes is going to be enough to take a drink or use the facilities or whatever. And then when we come back, what I'd like to offer is a meditation practice. And in general, this meditation practice takes 45 or 50 minutes. Report an error in the passage at 2:45:34 Highlight the passage at 2:45:34

2:46:05 It depends a little bit how the introduction to it. It may take a little longer than that, a little shorter, but it's usually about that long. And so why don't we give ourselves that little five-minute break, maybe wash our face or take a walk or breathe deeply, and then when we come back in, Then at that point, we try to set up to sit in a way that's really comfortable so that if it lasts for 40, 45, 50 minutes, you'll be able to handle it without too much discomfort. Report an error in the passage at 2:46:05 Highlight the passage at 2:46:05

2:46:52 Of course, if there is great discomfort, you're always free to stand and stretch, but the stiller you can remain during that meditation, the better. And so if you want to sit on a chair or on a cushion or whatever, if you want to lie down, if you can do that without falling asleep, you can do that as well. Report an error in the passage at 2:46:52 Highlight the passage at 2:46:52

2:47:08 That's possible. It's not possible for me. If I lie down, I will fall asleep. But some people, they can lie down without falling asleep. Then you can do that as well. So, why don't we do that now? And I'll ring the gong after five minutes or so and then we can reassemble. Report an error in the passage at 2:47:08 Highlight the passage at 2:47:08

2:47:48 Oh yeah. This is my email address. And if you could send that thing about the boundless life. Was it called boundless life? You said the book with the CD. Report an error in the passage at 2:47:48 Highlight the passage at 2:47:48

2:48:02 Yeah, yeah. But I really appreciated that. Yeah, yeah, it's great. It's a newer book, my friend. Because maybe I haven't seen it. But I know Jude, you know, she was saying, I'm reading this new book on death and dying, and it was like on her chest or on her head when she died. But I really Report an error in the passage at 2:48:02 Highlight the passage at 2:48:02

2:48:30 She was somebody who's really fortunate. That's what, I mean, I'd like to get to the state where I can actually work with people. It doesn't matter if they're Christian or Buddhist or whatever. No, no. But like just, you know, having to focus their energy towards their head. Like even they say pictures of loved ones above their head. Those simple things that you can do because so people won't be so scared. There's many things. And actually Lama Zopa has a book about the kind of care for people in dying situations filled with lots of practical... Report an error in the passage at 2:48:30 Highlight the passage at 2:48:30

2:48:59 And also filled with lots of esoteric things like all kinds of mantras and things that can be a bit overwhelming. But the practical advice you can do for whoever it is. If you know that the person is Christian and has great faith in Mary, for instance, no problem. You just use that imagery. You use that imagery. Just go for it. And if someone has no spiritual connection beforehand, Then bringing to mind things like, let's say they like the great outdoors, generating an image of a place that's comforting and beautiful, like a pure land. Report an error in the passage at 2:48:59 Highlight the passage at 2:48:59

2:49:39 You can help people in so many different ways. Yeah, that's what I would like to sometimes do. And I'm not sure if to be qualified to do that, I need to go back to a master's degree in psychology and work with someone and do it. You have a lot of independence on that. Report an error in the passage at 2:49:39 Highlight the passage at 2:49:39

2:49:57 thank you thank you I should know the name of the book it'll come to me when I'm in the car well then turn around immediately Buddha of Infinite Buddha of Infinite Light it's like cultivating Report an error in the passage at 2:49:57 Highlight the passage at 2:49:57

2:50:15 You'll find out when you get home and I would so much appreciate hearing this because I love Amitabha and I'm always interested in this topic. And it sounds like a book that I'm not familiar with. Yeah, it's very clear and basic, but it's a newer book. So, you know, it's very, I like it. And I like the idea it has this. I love Toko Orjin. He's my favorite writer. I just, I got to feel his skull. And I know his sons. I got to go have lunch with his son up at the Sokki Rinpoche. Report an error in the passage at 2:50:15 Highlight the passage at 2:50:15

2:50:47 Toko Jime, tried to pull his son and brought me up and we ate lunch. It's really nice to go up on the hill. Up in Nepal, way up on the hill. He's at the monastery. You have to walk and walk and walk. The writings are so clear to me. I really wish he was alive and I could talk to him. I mean, I have great teachers, but you know, it's just like sometimes... Some people just catch you and communicate. Yeah, it's like my Bible. Report an error in the passage at 2:50:47 Highlight the passage at 2:50:47

2:51:15 I have it. The same thing, reading it over and over again. Report an error in the passage at 2:51:15 Highlight the passage at 2:51:15

· · · silence, 6 minutes

2:57:33 By any chance, was it... Yes. You were at the teachings? You're not, you're a kid. I'm absolutely not. And you felt, and I think it was like something, maybe. It was kind of hot and stuff inside and the topic was, Report an error in the passage at 2:57:33 Highlight the passage at 2:57:33

2:57:55 I think I'd just flown in the night before. And I was just, I would have liked to have thought I'd achieved the software's state of consciousness. I just basically fell asleep. I'm hoping I did. Or just think of it that way. Yes. Report an error in the passage at 2:57:55 Highlight the passage at 2:57:55

2:58:18 We were at the same meditation in New York but we didn't know there was a lot of Report an error in the passage at 2:58:18 Highlight the passage at 2:58:18

2:58:29 he may have taught at the Biggit Theatre on other occasions, but this I got the chance to sit fairly up close because I was together with people who helped kind of the organization of it. Okay. You know, who helped kind of set up the whole thing there, had a connection with the Gear Foundation and So I went in with them to like those 60,000 people. Report an error in the passage at 2:58:29 Highlight the passage at 2:58:29

2:59:03 So it could have been very far away. It turned out. Me too, I was really close too. I was a volunteer. Were you the person I was sitting on top of? No. But he brought me up on the back during the college opera. My friend took a picture of it and he never gave it to me. He's like, oh, I don't want you to have too much ego grasp. Thanks, friend. I know, he's just... Report an error in the passage at 2:59:03 Highlight the passage at 2:59:03

· · · silence, 1 minute

3:00:18 been helpful leading it. at this time going to give myself a little bit of a cheat sheet maybe necessarily work. But it at least gives me a chance of remembering the things that I would say, oh I wish I had said that. Report an error in the passage at 3:00:18 Highlight the passage at 3:00:18

3:00:43 everyone is okay that way? If I get tired I'll probably want to go back. No, that's fine. I just want to make sure you don't suddenly collapse. Report an error in the passage at 3:00:43 Highlight the passage at 3:00:43

3:00:59 And also, depending on how we feel and how our body is acting today, if at any point sitting on the floor becomes like an endurance feat, that you're putting more effort to your posture than you are to focusing the mind. Then you can shift to a chair near you or like that. If you can stay relatively still in a mobile, that's helpful. Report an error in the passage at 3:00:59 Highlight the passage at 3:00:59

3:01:31 But as I said, I don't find it really beneficial if all I'm thinking about is, oh, that hurts, that hurts, that hurts. Then it just becomes a meditation on that hurts. Report an error in the passage at 3:01:31 Highlight the passage at 3:01:31

3:01:40 So if it's necessary. And the only thing I suggest, and you probably know this from your own experience, is that if during the meditation practice you do have to... You know, move, stand or stretch or something like that. Just make your movements slow and deliberate. And the image I like is that of, you know, you're holding a pan of water, a shallow pan of water. Report an error in the passage at 3:01:40 Highlight the passage at 3:01:40

3:02:10 If you move it quickly, it sloshes all over the place. But if you actually gently move it, you can keep the surface of the water quite clear and reflective even as you're moving it. So in a similar fashion, if you're meditating and then you make a kind of a sudden jerky motion, even if it's not a great one, like if you thrust out your arms or legs like that, it's like throwing a large rock into a pond and the surface becomes very turbulent and it takes a while to settle down. Report an error in the passage at 3:02:10 Highlight the passage at 3:02:10

3:02:41 But if you make sure that your movements are kind of slow and deliberate, you can maintain quite a clear... clear meditative state, even while you're in motion. And then when you sit down again, That's a very good thing to keep in mind if we do have to shift. Report an error in the passage at 3:02:41 Highlight the passage at 3:02:41

3:03:04 And then of course, there's no question, but during the meditation there's going to be sounds coming from the outside, so there might be times I have to pause a little bit, but as long as we anticipate that happening, that shouldn't be a big problem. Report an error in the passage at 3:03:04 Highlight the passage at 3:03:04

3:03:37 As we sit here and we relax into a comfortable, upright posture, allow the sphere of our attention to contract so that it remains within the sphere of our body itself. And Report an error in the passage at 3:03:37 Highlight the passage at 3:03:37

3:04:08 first we may do a quick survey to see that our body is indeed as much at ease and relaxed as we can manage, Report an error in the passage at 3:04:08 Highlight the passage at 3:04:08

3:04:21 that our posture is not only religious, Relaxed, comfortable and well grounded, but also upright and vigilant. Report an error in the passage at 3:04:21 Highlight the passage at 3:04:21

3:04:33 And if it's necessary to raise the breastbone, the sternum slightly upwards to bring the body into alignment, then without exaggerating or becoming stiff, we might consider doing that. Report an error in the passage at 3:04:33 Highlight the passage at 3:04:33

3:04:55 Then as we sit and slow down a bit, we might notice that there's some area within our body. In which there is a frustration of energy, a blockage or a tension. And if there is something like that that we're experiencing, then we can just spend a moment or two breathing deeply right into that area. And Report an error in the passage at 3:04:55 Highlight the passage at 3:04:55

3:05:27 the breath that we draw in, that we direct to this blockage, to this pocket of tension, has the ability to begin to loosen it. To dissolve it. And then when we breathe out, we let go not only of the breath itself, but any of the tension that was dissolved in that way. Report an error in the passage at 3:05:27 Highlight the passage at 3:05:27

3:06:17 And once we've taken advantage of such a cleansing breath, next we can relinquish control over the breath to whatever extent we're able. Report an error in the passage at 3:06:17 Highlight the passage at 3:06:17

3:06:32 We shift our perspective. No longer are we thinking, I am breathing the air. Instead, think, the air is breathing me. It's flowing in, it's flowing out of its own accord. Report an error in the passage at 3:06:32 Highlight the passage at 3:06:32

3:07:00 So to whatever extent is possible, adopt the attitude like that of a sleeping baby. Even though this child is not controlling its breath in any way, the breath continues automatically, flowing in. in and flowing out of its own accord. And Report an error in the passage at 3:07:00 Highlight the passage at 3:07:00

3:07:48 while this rhythmic movement is taking place, see if we can allow our awareness to float on top of it, to be gently present during the entire inhalation and the entire exhalation. Report an error in the passage at 3:07:48 Highlight the passage at 3:07:48

3:08:18 This is a very alert, interested state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 3:08:18 Highlight the passage at 3:08:18

3:08:25 From the beginning to the end of each inhalation, this alert, interested state of mind notes, Breath is flowing in. From the beginning to the end of each exhalation, this same awareness notes, breath is flowing out. Report an error in the passage at 3:08:25 Highlight the passage at 3:08:25

3:08:47 It is not controlling the breath, it is simply observing the breath. Report an error in the passage at 3:08:47 Highlight the passage at 3:08:47

3:09:17 And if at any time during the ensuing practice, our attention is hijacked away to some other object, if we lose the focus of our concentration, or if the mind grows dull, Report an error in the passage at 3:09:17 Highlight the passage at 3:09:17

3:09:35 Gently escort our attention back to the incoming and outgoing breath and then carry on with the meditation as before. Report an error in the passage at 3:09:35 Highlight the passage at 3:09:35

3:10:00 And as the final preliminary to this meditation practice, we should try to cultivate as expansive, as compassionate, as altruistic motivation for the practice we're about to engage in as possible, Report an error in the passage at 3:10:00 Highlight the passage at 3:10:00

3:10:22 thinking that by virtue of turning our mind In the direction of this death evolution meditation, we not only better prepare ourselves for our inevitable passing and Report an error in the passage at 3:10:22 Highlight the passage at 3:10:22

3:10:47 gain the ability to recognize and take advantage of the ever subtler states of mind which arise during this death evolution, but Report an error in the passage at 3:10:47 Highlight the passage at 3:10:47

3:11:10 that we can become a source of refuge for others, especially those who face their death with fear. regret, and misunderstand. In Report an error in the passage at 3:11:10 Highlight the passage at 3:11:10

3:11:31 this way, we cultivate a compassionate motivation for the entire practice. Report an error in the passage at 3:11:31 Highlight the passage at 3:11:31

3:11:56 And now, we use the creative, imaginative aspect of our mind to project ourselves into the future. Report an error in the passage at 3:11:56 Highlight the passage at 3:11:56

3:12:08 How many years exactly, we don't know. Report an error in the passage at 3:12:08 Highlight the passage at 3:12:08

3:12:14 But at some point, when we're older, Report an error in the passage at 3:12:14 Highlight the passage at 3:12:14

3:12:38 a point at which our health May have begun to deteriorate somewhat. Report an error in the passage at 3:12:38 Highlight the passage at 3:12:38

3:12:54 Even for those of us who are relatively healthy, as we grow older, the functions of our senses, Report an error in the passage at 3:12:54 Highlight the passage at 3:12:54

3:13:07 the mobility of our body, all of these suffer a decrease to some extent. Report an error in the passage at 3:13:07 Highlight the passage at 3:13:07

3:13:20 So we fast forward to a time when we begin to notice these changes, a decrease in the power of our eyesight, our hearing, our memory. Report an error in the passage at 3:13:20 Highlight the passage at 3:13:20

3:13:38 Our motor ability, all of these things starting to show the ravages of aging. Report an error in the passage at 3:13:38 Highlight the passage at 3:13:38

3:14:02 Try to imagine having such experiences, and especially an instance of particular ill health, something that causes us to take to our bed, Report an error in the passage at 3:14:02 Highlight the passage at 3:14:02

3:14:24 a recurring fever perhaps, or a pervasive weakness. Report an error in the passage at 3:14:24 Highlight the passage at 3:14:24

3:14:39 And we've had illnesses in our life before. We've had to take to our bed, but Report an error in the passage at 3:14:39 Highlight the passage at 3:14:39

3:14:50 this time it's somehow different, because as time passes, we don't seem to be getting better. Report an error in the passage at 3:14:50 Highlight the passage at 3:14:50

3:15:06 The doctors and the nurses who attend us and the friends who come to visit us, they may tell us how well we're looking and how soon we're going to be better and up and about again. Report an error in the passage at 3:15:06 Highlight the passage at 3:15:06

3:15:24 And in the beginning, these words may be encouraging to hear, Report an error in the passage at 3:15:24 Highlight the passage at 3:15:24

3:15:33 but after a while, they begin to ring hollow. Report an error in the passage at 3:15:33 Highlight the passage at 3:15:33

3:15:50 The reassurances are no longer as convincing as they once were. Report an error in the passage at 3:15:50 Highlight the passage at 3:15:50

3:16:04 It might even happen that while the people visiting us assume that we're asleep, they begin whispering to one another. Report an error in the passage at 3:16:04 Highlight the passage at 3:16:04

3:16:20 And then when they notice that, in fact, we're not asleep, Report an error in the passage at 3:16:20 Highlight the passage at 3:16:20

3:16:27 that we're listening to what they were saying, a look of embarrassment comes over their face. And Report an error in the passage at 3:16:27 Highlight the passage at 3:16:27

3:16:52 finally, Report an error in the passage at 3:16:52 Highlight the passage at 3:16:52

3:16:56 observing the fact that we're not getting better, we're Report an error in the passage at 3:16:56 Highlight the passage at 3:16:56

3:17:02 only becoming weaker. Report an error in the passage at 3:17:02 Highlight the passage at 3:17:02

3:17:09 The fact that others' reassurances are no longer convincing. Report an error in the passage at 3:17:09 Highlight the passage at 3:17:09

3:17:17 We suddenly realize, I am not just simply ill. Report an error in the passage at 3:17:17 Highlight the passage at 3:17:17

3:17:27 This is not a passing disease. Report an error in the passage at 3:17:27 Highlight the passage at 3:17:27

3:17:33 The bed I'm lying on now is not an ordinary bed. Report an error in the passage at 3:17:33 Highlight the passage at 3:17:33

3:17:41 I am dying. This is my deathbed. Report an error in the passage at 3:17:41 Highlight the passage at 3:17:41

3:18:03 When this recognition hits, Report an error in the passage at 3:18:03 Highlight the passage at 3:18:03

3:18:08 it may be experienced like a violent tidal wave within, Report an error in the passage at 3:18:08 Highlight the passage at 3:18:08

3:18:21 even a swirling dizziness. May hit us as we reel from the impact that we are indeed dying. Report an error in the passage at 3:18:21 Highlight the passage at 3:18:21

3:18:37 And this mysterious thing, this death that we've heard about for our entire life but which up to this point has always happened to someone else is Report an error in the passage at 3:18:37 Highlight the passage at 3:18:37

3:18:59 now happening to me. Report an error in the passage at 3:18:59 Highlight the passage at 3:18:59

3:19:19 Our initial reaction to this realization may be very unsettling, even violent. Report an error in the passage at 3:19:19 Highlight the passage at 3:19:19

3:19:35 But this too will pass. Report an error in the passage at 3:19:35 Highlight the passage at 3:19:35

3:19:49 So we make the determination, if this indeed is what's happening, if I am dying, Report an error in the passage at 3:19:49 Highlight the passage at 3:19:49

3:20:02 let me take a good close look of what's happening. Report an error in the passage at 3:20:02 Highlight the passage at 3:20:02

3:20:23 So with great courage and great interest, we begin to examine our body and our mind at this time to Report an error in the passage at 3:20:23 Highlight the passage at 3:20:23

3:20:37 see what is it like to die. Report an error in the passage at 3:20:37 Highlight the passage at 3:20:37

· · · silence, 1 minute

3:21:12 And the first thing that we notice, And indeed, we may have started noticing it sometime before, is that it becomes more and more difficult to control the movement of our limbs. Report an error in the passage at 3:21:12 Highlight the passage at 3:21:12

3:21:30 Activities which used to be easy for us, such as extending the arms or the legs and contracting them again, now become more and more difficult. Report an error in the passage at 3:21:30 Highlight the passage at 3:21:30

3:21:50 Our bodies start to grow thinner and weaker. Report an error in the passage at 3:21:50 Highlight the passage at 3:21:50

3:22:05 They become hollow and our eyes sink deeper into their sockets. Report an error in the passage at 3:22:05 Highlight the passage at 3:22:05

3:22:15 These are all outward signs that a dissolution is taking place. Report an error in the passage at 3:22:15 Highlight the passage at 3:22:15

3:22:26 The earth element, that which supports all the solid portions of our body, is progressively losing its ability to serve as a support for consciousness, for our awareness. Report an error in the passage at 3:22:26 Highlight the passage at 3:22:26

3:22:52 seem to be sinking Deeper and deeper into oneself, Report an error in the passage at 3:22:52 Highlight the passage at 3:22:52

3:22:59 becoming more and more removed from outward reality. Report an error in the passage at 3:22:59 Highlight the passage at 3:22:59

3:23:10 Our vision may become weak or even blurred. Report an error in the passage at 3:23:10 Highlight the passage at 3:23:10

3:23:19 The ability to recognize others may also be severely diminished. Report an error in the passage at 3:23:19 Highlight the passage at 3:23:19

3:23:35 If we were to panic, feeling that we were on the edge of annihilation, Report an error in the passage at 3:23:35 Highlight the passage at 3:23:35

3:23:44 dissolution of the earth element be experienced as if we were buried Under a great weight of sand, Report an error in the passage at 3:23:44 Highlight the passage at 3:23:44

3:23:58 a heavy, suffocating experience. Report an error in the passage at 3:23:58 Highlight the passage at 3:23:58

3:24:04 But if we can relax, if we can let go, Report an error in the passage at 3:24:04 Highlight the passage at 3:24:04

3:24:12 if we can bring to mind that all of these experiences are merely a sign that the energy of the earth element is losing its power to support consciousness and that the mind is growing ever subtler, ever finer. Report an error in the passage at 3:24:12 Highlight the passage at 3:24:12

3:24:38 Then we can relax and let go, Report an error in the passage at 3:24:38 Highlight the passage at 3:24:38

3:24:46 curious as to what comes next, Report an error in the passage at 3:24:46 Highlight the passage at 3:24:46

3:24:52 confident, alert and interested. Now it is as if a great weight were released from our shoulders. Report an error in the passage at 3:24:52 Highlight the passage at 3:24:52

3:25:08 Instead of feeling buried and suffocated, we begin to feel light. Report an error in the passage at 3:25:08 Highlight the passage at 3:25:08

3:25:26 All the signs that we've noticed up to this point, Report an error in the passage at 3:25:26 Highlight the passage at 3:25:26

3:25:40 are the external manifestation of the dissolution of the earth energy. But along with these outward signs, there is a vision that appears before our inner eye, something that is seen only by ourselves. Report an error in the passage at 3:25:40 Highlight the passage at 3:25:40

3:26:02 It appears like a shimmering silver-blue mirage, Report an error in the passage at 3:26:02 Highlight the passage at 3:26:02

3:26:14 something that we sometimes behold in our mind's eye just as we're falling asleep and Report an error in the passage at 3:26:14 Highlight the passage at 3:26:14

3:26:23 things appear to lose their solidity. Report an error in the passage at 3:26:23 Highlight the passage at 3:26:23

3:26:37 This vision, this appearance is like all of the other appearances in our life now coming to an end. Report an error in the passage at 3:26:37 Highlight the passage at 3:26:37

3:26:51 It's a mere appearance to the mind. Report an error in the passage at 3:26:51 Highlight the passage at 3:26:51

3:26:57 This shimmering silver-blue mirage has no self-existence. And being a mere appearance to our dying consciousness, it is nothing to be frightened from, nothing to be attracted to. Report an error in the passage at 3:26:57 Highlight the passage at 3:26:57

3:27:23 Identifying it as a mere appearance to our mind, we relax and let go, Report an error in the passage at 3:27:23 Highlight the passage at 3:27:23

3:27:35 alert to what will happen next. Report an error in the passage at 3:27:35 Highlight the passage at 3:27:35

3:27:56 And what does happen next is that the water element of the body, that which is responsible for the moisture found throughout our body, loses its ability to serve as a support for consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 3:27:56 Highlight the passage at 3:27:56

3:28:24 Outwardly, this is experienced as a drying up. of the various moist membranes in the body, such as those in the throat, in the nose. So our breathing may become raspy. The Report an error in the passage at 3:28:24 Highlight the passage at 3:28:24

3:28:47 body seems to be drying up. Report an error in the passage at 3:28:47 Highlight the passage at 3:28:47

3:28:53 A certain glistening that was present before may disappear to be replaced by a dullness. Report an error in the passage at 3:28:53 Highlight the passage at 3:28:53

3:29:07 Along with that, our hearing may suffer a decrease and our perception of external sounds may cease. Report an error in the passage at 3:29:07 Highlight the passage at 3:29:07

3:29:28 If we fight against this natural evolution of the death process, if we panic, Report an error in the passage at 3:29:28 Highlight the passage at 3:29:28