Establishing a Daily Practice - Discovering Buddhism (22 January 2008)

0:07 this cut. Report an error in the passage at 0:07 Highlight the passage at 0:07

0:17 again, remembering prostration is... aspiration for the qualities and Report an error in the passage at 0:17 Highlight the passage at 0:17

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:08 namo manjushriye, namo sushriye, namo uttama shriye. So Report an error in the passage at 1:08 Highlight the passage at 1:08

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:57 now I have the lounge singer. Report an error in the passage at 1:57 Highlight the passage at 1:57

2:25 So I know we have at least... Three or four people who emailed me at the last minute said they weren't going to be able to come. A couple people were sick. Report an error in the passage at 2:25 Highlight the passage at 2:25

2:37 One person had to drop. So change, change, change. We'll start with a little meditation. Just a short one, just to motivate our minds and Report an error in the passage at 2:37 Highlight the passage at 2:37

2:55 let our minds come kind of to neutral. Report an error in the passage at 2:55 Highlight the passage at 2:55

3:00 So you just take a moment to review your posture. Report an error in the passage at 3:00 Highlight the passage at 3:00

3:07 Those of you that... Either have attended a few classes with me or did your homework, should remember all the points of the posture. We'll review them. Report an error in the passage at 3:07 Highlight the passage at 3:07

3:22 So it begins with your legs. If you're in a chair, the position for your legs is just to make sure that your feet are flat on the floor and that you're back from the back of the chair so you don't get too drowsy, especially at this time of day. Report an error in the passage at 3:22 Highlight the passage at 3:22

3:40 If you're on a cushion, then... It's okay to have them in any kind of position that feels comfortable or stable for you. So traditionally it's full vajra or full lotus posture, which is having your feet actually resting on your thighs, which we actually did in yoga class today. So at this point in our culture it's become a yoga posture. And if you're used to... Report an error in the passage at 3:40 Highlight the passage at 3:40

4:17 Sitting that way, of course, that's great, but otherwise you can just sit cross-legged, or like I do, one foot, one leg in front of the other Tara posture. Report an error in the passage at 4:17 Highlight the passage at 4:17

4:34 And then your spine is extended, which basically means that instead of, sort of like imagine your whole spine. Going towards the sky, it's not so much you're holding your body up, but just imagine that it's sort of being pulled up for you. Report an error in the passage at 4:34 Highlight the passage at 4:34

5:05 Your shoulders are level and slightly back. Report an error in the passage at 5:05 Highlight the passage at 5:05

5:14 Your hands are in your lap, right over left, thumbs touching lightly. A little below, about four finger widths below your navel. Report an error in the passage at 5:14 Highlight the passage at 5:14

5:25 Or you can just rest them in your lap. Report an error in the passage at 5:25 Highlight the passage at 5:25

5:36 Your head is just slightly tucked down. Chin just slightly tucked down, which opens up the back of your neck. Report an error in the passage at 5:36 Highlight the passage at 5:36

5:49 Eyes are gazing off the end of your nose, either open and unfocused or lightly closed. Report an error in the passage at 5:49 Highlight the passage at 5:49

5:59 Tongue on the roof of your mouth, behind your front teeth but not touching. Report an error in the passage at 5:59 Highlight the passage at 5:59

6:15 And your breathing is just relaxed and natural, unforced. Report an error in the passage at 6:15 Highlight the passage at 6:15

6:31 We'll just start with a short meditation on the breath. Find the level that works for you, either belly, chest or nostril. And then just focus. You can count to 10 or you can count to 21, whichever works for you. And then when you reach that number, just start over. If you get distracted, like seriously distracted, where you completely lose the object, just start over. And otherwise, you just keep placing your attention back on the object. Report an error in the passage at 6:31 Highlight the passage at 6:31

7:02 And Report an error in the passage at 7:02 Highlight the passage at 7:02

· · · silence, 2 minutes

9:32 then after a while, your mind begins to calm down a little. And we can set our motivation for tonight's class. Report an error in the passage at 9:32 Highlight the passage at 9:32

9:47 We can think about the people that we hear right now on the streets, the cars driving by, the people who walk by. Report an error in the passage at 9:47 Highlight the passage at 9:47

9:58 And the Buddha would say that each one of them is suffering in some way. They're trying to be happy, trying to avoid suffering. Report an error in the passage at 9:58 Highlight the passage at 9:58

10:13 But it's a condition of saṃsāra, this condition that we find ourselves in, created by our karma and our deluded states of mind, that we keep. Creating more and more suffering for ourselves. So each one of those noises that we hear is attached to at least one sentient being who wants happiness and who wants to avoid suffering. Report an error in the passage at 10:13 Highlight the passage at 10:13

10:50 Try to generate a mind that's aware of all those people out there who want to be happy. Even people who seem like they haven't made still aren't happy. Report an error in the passage at 10:50 Highlight the passage at 10:50

11:18 And then try to generate a mind. That wants to help them. Report an error in the passage at 11:18 Highlight the passage at 11:18

11:30 A mind that wants to remove that suffering, if you could, and bring happiness, if you could. Report an error in the passage at 11:30 Highlight the passage at 11:30

11:48 Imagine that kind of feeling or aspiration, sort of like a white light flowing out of your heart in all directions, not just in this neighborhood or even this city, but all over the whole planet. Report an error in the passage at 11:48 Highlight the passage at 11:48

12:12 Imagine it sort of spreading out and blanketing the whole planet. Report an error in the passage at 12:12 Highlight the passage at 12:12

12:25 And imagine it going out to the whole universe. Report an error in the passage at 12:25 Highlight the passage at 12:25

12:39 May this class become the cause for each one of us to generate the kind of skills, the kind of minds, the kind of hearts that can not only bring ourselves happiness, but can bring happiness to every living being. May Report an error in the passage at 12:39 Highlight the passage at 12:39

13:08 it awaken that mind that's already within us. Report an error in the passage at 13:08 Highlight the passage at 13:08

13:21 And then just to reinforce that mind, we'll read His Holiness' prayer. In the prayer book, Report an error in the passage at 13:21 Highlight the passage at 13:21

13:33 it's on page 8, Report an error in the passage at 13:33 Highlight the passage at 13:33

13:39 and we'll do it three times. Report an error in the passage at 13:39 Highlight the passage at 13:39

13:44 Interesting position there. I asked Roland to set up for me, and I guess he was trying to work around the table. Report an error in the passage at 13:44 Highlight the passage at 13:44

13:55 Somebody doesn't want to sit and look at the side of my face? Come on, you guys. Report an error in the passage at 13:55 Highlight the passage at 13:55

14:04 All right, thank you, Rob. With a wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain. Report an error in the passage at 14:04 Highlight the passage at 14:04

14:37 And dispel the miseries of the world with the wish to free all beings. I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 14:37 Highlight the passage at 14:37

15:02 As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the mind of full awakening. Report an error in the passage at 15:02 Highlight the passage at 15:02

15:31 for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain dispel the miseries of the world. So Report an error in the passage at 15:31 Highlight the passage at 15:31

15:55 I thought we'd start actually just reviewing the six preparatory practices, especially the last three because we kind of whizzed through those. Report an error in the passage at 15:55 Highlight the passage at 15:55

16:07 But I'm wondering if anybody tried out the homework and if anyone Had any questions so far? Hey, how are you? I know it sometimes feels awkward and a little hokey at this point because you're kind of following a guideline that you might not be familiar with, but the more that you practice it, the more normal it begins. Report an error in the passage at 16:07 Highlight the passage at 16:07

16:33 You start making it your own. And we do in the higher... Especially the tantric practices, we do something that's called a sadhana, like a daily sadhana. And it feels like this when you first start. The language feels a little funky for you and you're just kind of reading through it because that's what you were told to do. Report an error in the passage at 16:33 Highlight the passage at 16:33

16:53 And then after a while, it begins to have its own beauty and you kind of imbue it with your own personal language or experience or whatever. So I just encourage you to... Keep trying, keep working with it. So does anyone have a question? And then I'm going to sort of review the six preparatory practices. Report an error in the passage at 16:53 Highlight the passage at 16:53

17:15 Yeah, could you pass Sarah the mic? Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 17:15 Highlight the passage at 17:15

17:21 And the large macrame knot that seems to go with it. There we go. It's very basic. I've heard seven and eight water bowls. There's eight actual substances and often we'll have a candle for one. And also I've heard sometimes people put something else as the music, you know, like they'll have a bell in Dorji. Report an error in the passage at 17:21 Highlight the passage at 17:21

17:48 So you can do it that way. Or a shell. I've done that one before, actually. Or a little tiny bell. I have a little tiny bell. One of my water bowls. I have a little tiny set of water bowls and one of them broke. And so I'm like, well, okay, I'll just stick a bell on there. That worked. I mean, I can keep using it, you know. So, yeah, that's, I think, what the main difference is. Report an error in the passage at 17:48 Highlight the passage at 17:48

18:12 Yeah. Could you pass me that? Everybody just sort of stares. Report an error in the passage at 18:12 Highlight the passage at 18:12

18:21 Everything was somewhat clear, but I have nothing but questions about the mandala of offering at the end. Um... Report an error in the passage at 18:21 Highlight the passage at 18:21

18:33 It's an image, I guess. What is it doing? Because that one we didn't really have much time for, so we can talk about that a little bit. Anybody else? Report an error in the passage at 18:33 Highlight the passage at 18:33

18:44 Just from trying it out on your own. Can you see okay there? You're sort of hidden. These two are available if you'd like to have them. Yeah, you're all kind of squinched back in there. Report an error in the passage at 18:44 Highlight the passage at 18:44

19:00 Does anyone want to tell me what the first one is again? This is like a pop quiz. Report an error in the passage at 19:00 Highlight the passage at 19:00

19:08 Clean up. Yeah, exactly. Cleaning the place and arranging the altar. So it has two parts, cleaning the place and setting up the altar. And we won't spend that much time on it just to review that one. And actually I was thinking about that one this week because I started doing my meditation, actually my morning practice down here. And I was sitting there and this whole area was just super horrifying. Report an error in the passage at 19:08 Highlight the passage at 19:08

19:32 And of course I, you know. I'd done the water bowl, so that part was done, and I'm like sitting down, and I'm like, and then I thought, I think I'm going to actually get one of those. You know, you can go to Indian grocery stores and get those brooms. I think I'm going to just leave it in here. Well, of course, the mice might eat it. But anyway, just bring it down with me, and then it'll be there, because I, of course, went to the kitchen, and the little brush was missing, and I'm like, you know. Report an error in the passage at 19:32 Highlight the passage at 19:32

19:56 So I don't want it to become like this ordeal. I'd rather just have the whole set up there. But I did think about that, because I thought, you know. No wonder my meditation sucks if I don't take the time to sweep. Report an error in the passage at 19:56 Highlight the passage at 19:56

20:10 The second one, anybody want to tell me what the second one is? Offerings, yeah. And especially beautiful, but honestly obtained. So you didn't go out and steal apples from your neighbor's tree or something like that. Or in the city it's probably more likely to be flowers from their garden. Three has two parts. Report an error in the passage at 20:10 Highlight the passage at 20:10

20:38 Posture, which we just reviewed, so I'm not going to do that one again. Although, does anyone have any question about the posture in specific? We just went through it just now. Report an error in the passage at 20:38 Highlight the passage at 20:38

20:50 Puzzled looks. Well, if you want to ask me a question, you can. The second part of that one is generating the mind of refuge and bodhicitta, which actually confusingly has three parts. Report an error in the passage at 20:50 Highlight the passage at 20:50

21:04 The mind of refuge, which we've spent a little bit of time talking about, and how you get to that mind of refuge, why you would want to take refuge. And again, like we'll discuss in the Thursday night class, taking refuge isn't anything new, it's just simply what we're taking refuge in this time has a better chance of getting us out of this mess. Report an error in the passage at 21:04 Highlight the passage at 21:04

21:26 Generating the mind of bodhicitta, we kind of did a little bit in that motivation that we just did, like trying to kind of... Get out of just focusing 100 % on having the blinders on and like opening, just learning to open the heart a little more and starting to do things with others in mind as well as ourselves because this isn't about being a martyr. Report an error in the passage at 21:26 Highlight the passage at 21:26

21:48 This is simply opening up our hearts to just include more other people. other people. Other beings, actually. And then the third one is the four immeasurable thoughts. And we didn't talk about that a lot, but that is traditionally a part of generating this mind of bodhicitta especially, because it's sort of, I think it's because, you know, you're stating this wish, may all beings have happiness and its causes, may all beings be free of suffering and its causes, may all beings. Report an error in the passage at 21:48 Highlight the passage at 21:48

22:27 Never be separated from, you know, happiness of higher rebirth and may all beings abide in equanimity. And may I do this by myself alone. That's the most important line, you know, sort of like, you know, it kind of gives you that courageous mind. So up until that point, it's just sort of like, isn't this a lovely thought? But then it's sort of like, I have this responsibility, you know, I'm going to do it, you know. Report an error in the passage at 22:27 Highlight the passage at 22:27

22:56 It's the G.I. Jane thing. Report an error in the passage at 22:56 Highlight the passage at 22:56

23:00 So the fourth one we spent some time on. For this class, what's the fourth one? Yeah, very good. He's kind of down. You've done other classes, though, elsewhere, hey? Yeah, yeah, but you have. I mean, you studied before? Because it seems like you have a fair amount of knowledge. I'm not. yeah. Report an error in the passage at 23:00 Highlight the passage at 23:00

23:28 Not with living people. Report an error in the passage at 23:28 Highlight the passage at 23:28

23:32 You've done the bookshop study or the library study. So the merit field we began to talk about a little bit and how traditionally it is quite extensive and quite sort of kind of a lot to get our mind around. Although I have noticed again over time yeah. Report an error in the passage at 23:32 Highlight the passage at 23:32

23:59 You begin to have at least a better idea of who goes where just from having done it. Just like everything else, like when you first start playing a piano piece or something, it feels kind of stilted and odd and then it begins to feel more like you, just like with everything else. Report an error in the passage at 23:59 Highlight the passage at 23:59

24:18 But one of the things that we were talking about, it's not just for ease that we might think about our teacher, if we should have a teacher. It's also to move our minds a little bit more. Like a teacher is somebody that we have interactions with. We talk to them. We might even start to feel a devotion for them because of their kindness to us specifically. Report an error in the passage at 24:18 Highlight the passage at 24:18

24:41 And sometimes it's hard to do that with a Buddha. You know, we haven't, unless we've had, unless Manjushri has come to us, which they say is true for Lama Tsongkhapa, they say that he actually came and gave teachings directly to him. In that case, that may, you know, then your mind might be moved by this being, or if you've had visions, or if you've had dreams, or you've had some sort of profound connection with this particular, I know one student who has had really I've been in close connection with Tara for forever. I mean, she's actually doing her dissertation on her right now. So for her, you know, thinking about Tara brings up this devotion and so that moves her mind and so then the whole thing kind of gets juicier, you know. Report an error in the passage at 24:41 Highlight the passage at 24:41

25:30 But otherwise, if you're just thinking of who goes where and what goes what and, you know, it just becomes a sort of dry... intellectual exercise or something. And so one of the things that we want to do is to juice it up a little bit. And so that's another reason why putting the Dalai Lama there or something like that, you know, if you have. Report an error in the passage at 25:30 Highlight the passage at 25:30

25:51 And for me, Lama Tsongkhapa Rinpoche. And when I do this merit field, I also bring up all my teachers too. And they say it's always good to remember the ones who you think of as your gurus, which surprisingly have quite a few. I managed to get them all within the first two years, so I haven't added a lot lately. Report an error in the passage at 25:51 Highlight the passage at 25:51

26:14 So they say it's really good to think of them all, at least, even if it's just a blip. So I have sort of places where I put them, so I know if somebody's missing. Hang on. Report an error in the passage at 26:14 Highlight the passage at 26:14

26:26 And then I know that they're all there. And I think part of that is so that you have this sense of gratitude towards them and you're not leaving anyone out. They actually say that there is, I know, one story I heard where this monk was having a hard time, had some sort of block, and then he was talking about it with a teacher and it turned out he was leaving out one of his teachers, like from when he was younger or something like that. Report an error in the passage at 26:26 Highlight the passage at 26:26

26:47 And so once he added him to the whole thing, then he got him. Do you have a question? So you're adding your own, you know, kind of people to the merit field, and it's okay if they're not even, if they're not Buddhist? That's a good question. It's not one that I have. So, I mean, it's not one that I've had, you know, an issue with in my own practice. Report an error in the passage at 26:47 Highlight the passage at 26:47

27:15 I'd have to ask, actually. I'm not sure. That's a good question. I mean, I know it's fine to have their pictures on your altar, but I'm not sure about in your merit field. That's a good, yeah, I'm not sure. Yeah, I'll have to find out. But even if you're just like the only thing that you're going to bring to mind is just one image of like the Dalai Lama or, you know, the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 27:15 Highlight the passage at 27:15

27:48 In fact, you could actually have the Buddha and the Dalai Lama be one. You can almost do it. It's almost like shape-shifting. They're really the same. In essence, they're the same. And sometimes I'll imagine the Buddha with Lama Tsongkhapa's eyes, for example, to just know in my mind that they're the same for me. Report an error in the passage at 27:48 Highlight the passage at 27:48

28:09 It also makes it a little easier to visualize. Or like a hologram or something like that. So it kind of goes back and forth. Definitely livens it up a little bit. You know, it's like, it's, Report an error in the passage at 28:09 Highlight the passage at 28:09

28:20 So, um... So, and, you know, I mean, it's basically, it's the same enlightened energy. Well, actually, I guess, you know, what the main, I think the main answer to your question is, do they have qualities that you want to obtain, you know, and then also do they somehow represent the teachings to you? In this particular setting, it seems like. And if that's true, then that probably, it's probably fine to have them in your refuge field. Report an error in the passage at 28:20 Highlight the passage at 28:20

29:02 But that's something else I could ask Geshe-la, because now he's back. Yeah, yeah, that's what I would think is true. Because that's kind of the main thing, you know. Because then we do that seven limb prayer right afterwards, which I just gave away what number five was. We offer the seven limb prayer and the mandala. Report an error in the passage at 29:02 Highlight the passage at 29:02

29:23 And so we went through the seven limb prayer. Did anyone have any questions about that? The seven limbs, Report an error in the passage at 29:23 Highlight the passage at 29:23

29:32 prostrations, offerings, confessing, rejoicing, asking the teacher or the Buddha to stay and asking them to teach you and being open to like unusual teachings. And then a little dedication. Now sometimes I've heard it taught that you don't have to do that little dedication because you're going to dedicate at the very end. Report an error in the passage at 29:32 Highlight the passage at 29:32

29:56 But I always learned that you do do that little tiny dedication because what you're dedicating there is just that little prayer, basically. So it's the seventh limb. Report an error in the passage at 29:56 Highlight the passage at 29:56

30:06 So the mandala offering, there's actually a text that's available called How to Offer a Mandala. And the main thing about offering a mandala is it basically represents... Report an error in the passage at 30:06 Highlight the passage at 30:06

30:24 I've heard it in two different ways, and again, it's sort of like the shape-shifting. I think it's really both. It's sort of like offering all precious things. Because you're thinking about, right, you know, I would like these qualities. I would like blessings on my mind. So these are all the things you're asking for. Report an error in the passage at 30:24 Highlight the passage at 30:24

30:46 So what are you offering for it? So you're offering basically... The entire universe is what's represented by the whole little mudrā, or you might see people doing that little mandala practice. Report an error in the passage at 30:46 Highlight the passage at 30:46

31:00 That's simply a representation of all precious things in the universe. But as I said last week, you could also just imagine all the beautiful things you've seen at Macy's, or you could imagine the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen, or the most beautiful, you know. Flowers you've ever seen, but then like make them big, like fill the sky, like don't just think one beautiful white rose, think like sky is full, you know. Report an error in the passage at 31:00 Highlight the passage at 31:00

31:30 This is where you have a chance to really just expand your mind like hugely. Report an error in the passage at 31:30 Highlight the passage at 31:30

31:40 Or you could sort of think of it as a way of sort of envisioning your own future pure land once you gain enlightenment. Um... Report an error in the passage at 31:40 Highlight the passage at 31:40

31:49 And that's a lot for us to put our minds around, I think, at this level of practice, unless you are not who you seem to be. But you can have fun with that one once you get started with it, really just sort of imagining, you know, what are you going to have in your pure land once you get enlightened? Report an error in the passage at 31:49 Highlight the passage at 31:49

32:08 You know, I always used to make jokes that I would have. Fountains of Tetley tea, you know, and of course my favorite flowers and beautiful things like that. Pure lands, basically, Buddha has many emanation bodies that go out and are helping people constantly, but the pure land is sort of where the Buddha resides and then sort of shoots out these emanation bodies that helps people. Report an error in the passage at 32:08 Highlight the passage at 32:08

32:36 So the pure land is just sort of like your own paradise. And all of us will get one once we get enlightened. So it's sort of like this beautiful paradise that you can kind of imagine and then you offer that. Report an error in the passage at 32:36 Highlight the passage at 32:36

32:51 It's also offering some sort of a faith or some sort of a trust that you actually will get enlightened. But you can also do the inner mandala is offering sort of all your friends and enemies and loved ones. Report an error in the passage at 32:51 Highlight the passage at 32:51

33:09 All your favorite toys upstairs and whatever it is that you most love in this life, whether anybody else thinks it's worth anything or anything. So it could be your favorite pair of shoes that are 20 years old. Whatever it is that you're attached to in this life or whatever it is that you're having a hard time with, you can offer that too. Report an error in the passage at 33:09 Highlight the passage at 33:09

33:34 So it's like a way of kind of... Getting less attached and also a way of, you know, it's just sort of like, this is what I'm working on right now and I'm going to offer that up too. So if you're having a hard time, say, with a housemate or something like that, you can offer that up. So that's how you can really personalize it. Mandalas as a practice probably are just going to take too long for us to do right here, but I am thinking about doing it as like a Sunday morning. Report an error in the passage at 33:34 Highlight the passage at 33:34

34:05 A Sunday morning class and then we can go into more details. It's a really cool practice to do, whether you do any of the tools or not, you know, whether or not you have a mandala set, whether you even know how to do the mudrā. It's basically, Vinom and Renee teaches this one where you have your mala and you just offer that. And there's something very sweet about this position of your hands of just like, here, here, take it, you know, it's very... Report an error in the passage at 34:05 Highlight the passage at 34:05

34:34 I don't know, there's something very cool about that one too. So it's mostly what's going on, as with everything else, it's mostly what's going on in your mind. So it's not so much how expensive your set is, because people can get into that too. Report an error in the passage at 34:34 Highlight the passage at 34:34

34:52 And you can also offer your practice. You can offer things that you've done well. You can offer your virtues, your favorite food, whatever. so. Report an error in the passage at 34:52 Highlight the passage at 34:52

35:05 You can offer. You know, what would you give to become enlightened? So it's sort of like, it seems almost like beyond our comprehension that we even could become enlightened. So thinking about what I would offer, it's kind of fun to make it match. Because getting enlightened is pretty amazing, right? So what on earth could I give that would match that? Report an error in the passage at 35:05 Highlight the passage at 35:05

35:28 And that's when you can kind of just go crazy and like imagine filling the heavens with... Clouds of flowers and clouds of jewels and clouds of, you know, rains of jewels. I mean, you could just go crazy with it. It's all about opening your heart, making your heart bigger and your mind vaster and your willingness to give huger, you know. Report an error in the passage at 35:28 Highlight the passage at 35:28

35:51 So it has nothing to do really with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It's all about you opening up your mind. And it may delight them. In which case that's a wonderful thing. But it's not like they need anything from us, you know. They really have it all. But we need to learn to give. Generosity is like a really, really important step. The mind of generosity, I should say. And so then the final one is making requests. Report an error in the passage at 35:51 Highlight the passage at 35:51

36:23 And there is a specific, like with all of these things, there are little prayers you can read. But the main thing is... Is just for asking for help for eliminating obstacles, which include obstacles in our own mind, which could be obstacles of laziness, as well as actual obstacles that we see like, you know, Report an error in the passage at 36:23 Highlight the passage at 36:23

36:49 noisy neighborhoods or illness or, you know, physical pain or things like that. Like the ones in our minds are really the biggest. If we can actually overcome those, it's amazing the stories you hear about people who can practice with the most horrible pain or illness, and they're practicing just fine. Report an error in the passage at 36:49 Highlight the passage at 36:49

37:13 So it really shows that the biggest obstacle is our own minds. But both of them we're asking for them to remove, and then we're also asking for blessings or inspiration or some sort of, you know. Report an error in the passage at 37:13 Highlight the passage at 37:13

37:28 Plugging in the power of our practice so that it takes off, so that we progress on the path. So that's what the making request is. And you notice the order of it is, it's sort of like we get everything into order, we begin preparing our mind and then we make these offerings and then we make our requests. Report an error in the passage at 37:28 Highlight the passage at 37:28

37:47 So it's sort of like... Here, here, here, here. Okay, now. Now I've got your attention. Now, can you get rid of all these obstacles? Help me get rid of my laziness and help me get rid of my procrastination. Report an error in the passage at 37:47 Highlight the passage at 37:47

38:02 So does anyone have any questions about those six practices? Gail? Report an error in the passage at 38:02 Highlight the passage at 38:02

38:09 Could you recite the mantra just for clarification on pronunciation? For the prostration? Yeah. I'm trying to think if I, if we, I think we do have it in writing in the gold prayer book. Report an error in the passage at 38:09 Highlight the passage at 38:09

38:23 Yeah, let's look at it in writing so that I don't mispronounce it. I actually, yeah, yeah. Let's look at it in writing. Report an error in the passage at 38:23 Highlight the passage at 38:23

38:35 Om Namo Manjushriye? No. Okay. Which one is that? Report an error in the passage at 38:35 Highlight the passage at 38:35

38:42 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the Shakyamuni Buddha's mantra. Yeah, we'll get that out of the book and I'll just read it to you guys after the break. Then you guys can all have it. Sure, sure. Report an error in the passage at 38:42 Highlight the passage at 38:42

38:58 After we've done all these preparations, then what are we going to meditate on? And there's a couple kinds of meditation, actually, and we're going to mostly be focusing on what's called lamrim meditation, which is meditating on the stages of the path. And on the first night of the class, I kind of gave you a little history, and I was talking about how... Report an error in the passage at 38:58 Highlight the passage at 38:58

39:29 Padma Tsongkhapa brought Buddhism from India to Tibet in the 8th century, but then it had begun to degenerate. Now remember, this is from the Galupa point of view, in the 10th century. And then Lama Atisha was invited and came. And Lama Atisha created the first lamrim from... Looking at, and he was quite a master of the Buddhist teachings, and he pulled sort of the main elements of the Buddhist teachings into a sort of methodical series of things that you would meditate on in order to get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 39:29 Highlight the passage at 39:29

40:05 And that was the first of the Lamrims, and he did that in a text called Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment. And he basically took the Buddhist teachings and he put them into this... coherent whole that we then can still meditate on and actually that's still we do with it now since then we've had a couple of other people take that same series and either restructure it slightly The most important one of those in this lineage is Lama Tsongkhapa who created the Lama Rinpoche. Report an error in the passage at 40:05 Highlight the passage at 40:05

40:49 the Great Lum Rim. And that one's still the basis for all of the lamrim scents. But there's different levels and that's called the Great Lamrim because it is great and it's quite big. I think translated it comes into three pretty thick volumes and I think we have a version in the bookstore but it's like at this point still a hardback version and it's kind of a rose colored. Report an error in the passage at 40:49 Highlight the passage at 40:49

41:19 Maybe a burgundy color. And then, of course, there are translations of commentary on that, and that's what liberation is. So when you hear me talk about liberation, the palm of your hands, that's actually a commentary on the Lamrim Chen Mo. And then there's a couple other... Likewise lengthy commentaries on the lamrim chemmo. But then he also wrote middle length lamrims and then he also wrote really short lamrims. Report an error in the passage at 41:19 Highlight the passage at 41:19

41:52 Like for us, I think three principal paths might be... Fourteen stanzas, Foundation of All Good Qualities is another one and that's one that we're going to start using as the basis of our lamrim. So we'll use that kind of as a lamrim meditation, just looking at a verse at a time because they all kind of are referring to different things in the lamrim. Report an error in the passage at 41:52 Highlight the passage at 41:52

42:13 And those are like basically like a page, you know. But they're complete lamrims. So it sort of like makes it, again, it's like going from Meritfield to His Holiness. This is taking Lamrim Chenmo and putting it into a form that we can work with, which is so kind of him to do that. Report an error in the passage at 42:13 Highlight the passage at 42:13

42:35 And Pavanka Rinpoche gives a lot of information on how to meditate on the lamrim. In liberation, in both the forms of liberation, it's almost like an outline. And often you'll see it like that in discussion of the Lamrims. It'll become like an outline. But in order to meditate on an outline, it's like you need to know what it's about. So you can't just meditate on an outline of something or just words, you know. Report an error in the passage at 42:35 Highlight the passage at 42:35

43:07 Meditate on karma here. Like, huh. Okay, so at first it's actually sort of like what's called a review meditation, where you're actually trying to gain familiarity with the information. So you're looking at, it actually becomes much more like reading the first, actually, you know, for quite a bit of the time that you're meditating on it, you are still referring to either quotes or written. Report an error in the passage at 43:07 Highlight the passage at 43:07

43:39 You know material on it until you become familiar with it and you've meditated on something for a while. So they really say that it's good for us to meditate on the lamrim for a decent amount of time, even if it's 20 minutes a day, just to think about in terms of like three months on something and then three months on something like that. Report an error in the passage at 43:39 Highlight the passage at 43:39

44:02 I mean often they'll say it's really good to go for a year on something. Which we rarely do. We often will just, you know, do it this week for class and put it away. So it becomes, like at first when you're doing it, I remember I started meditating on the long room after a couple of Copan courses and I sort of had all these notes and... Report an error in the passage at 44:02 Highlight the passage at 44:02

44:29 This is called a gompa. And gom just means to familiarize yourself with something, to familiarize your mind with something. So this is familiarizing our mind with something that we're not that familiar with. So we have to become familiar with it, and this is kind of how you do it. Now, of course, it's lovely. We have something that they didn't have at the time of the Buddha where we have CDs and DVDs of people leading. Report an error in the passage at 44:29 Highlight the passage at 44:29

45:22 And that's very nice, actually, if you have that, because you can just let go and just focus on, you know, letting that person guide you. But where it's not so great is that it's sort of like the difference between, I mean, you're not really, you're not really, it's not going to necessarily, unless you do it like over and over, it won't really be in your mind in the same way, because you're just relaxing so much that you're not necessarily. Report an error in the passage at 45:22 Highlight the passage at 45:22

45:50 Learning it in the same way as you do when you're on your own. And if you're having a really profound experience with something, suddenly that annoying voice, which was so lovely a minute ago, comes in too quickly and wants to lead you on to the next thing. And that's one of the things that doing it on your own, it can be incredibly great because this can be really emotional. Like you can get into some experience of something. Report an error in the passage at 45:50 Highlight the passage at 45:50

46:19 And you want to stay with it for a minute and go a little deeper with it, you know. And that's sort of the whole point because then you'll never be able to think about that topic the same way again. Like it forever will change and that's what we're shooting for. So if you're always letting Tipton Chodron or Anikaran like lead you down the primrose path, it just will always stay at that level. Report an error in the passage at 46:19 Highlight the passage at 46:19

46:42 Like you'll never actually be able to go deeper. Chokyi for that matter, leading you down the primrose path. So I'll get you at least one Galupa list. The way that the lamrim is laid out is, you hear about it in different ways, but this one is called the Three Scopes. Has anyone heard of the Three Scopes? This way is based on the type of motivation of the different... Report an error in the passage at 46:42 Highlight the passage at 46:42

47:18 beings, um, And so this one's laid out in this sense. You can apply, there's these different ways that you can look at the lamrim and one of them is just looking at, the lamrim itself is basically a bunch of different topics that you meditate in a certain order that leads your mind closer and closer to enlightenment and then you just keep doing it. Report an error in the passage at 47:18 Highlight the passage at 47:18

47:46 You know, over and over. So it's not like you just go from start to finish and then quit. You let go. It's more like this, you know. So you just keep going around and around. And as you hit each one a second and third and fifth and seventh time, you know, you go deeper and deeper into it. Because then you're familiar with it, right? You don't have to peek at your notes as much. You don't have to have all those great quotes, you know. Those quotes actually can be quite powerful. At the beginning, you have pages of notes. Report an error in the passage at 47:46 Highlight the passage at 47:46

48:08 And at the end, just one quote will bring an experience because you've already. So lower scope motivation. It's considered the lowest motivation because... Not because the person is stupid, but because the person is basically focused on just getting a really good rebirth. So lowest scope is already, think about this, the lowest scope is already beyond most of us in this room because they've already got a really strong understanding of karma. Report an error in the passage at 48:08 Highlight the passage at 48:08

48:57 They've got it that they're going to die, which, you know, most of us don't have that one yet. They've got it that they've got this really great rebirth this time around. That's precious human rebirth. So they've already gotten a lot of really big realizations just to have this thought, well, this is great, I want to get a really good rebirth next time, so that means I need to meditate on things that are going to help me with that, which would be mostly what produces a good rebirth, so cause and effect, and the sufferings of... Report an error in the passage at 48:57 Highlight the passage at 48:57

49:34 Saṃsāra, like I don't want to go to these lower rebirths and things like that. So they've already gotten a fair amount of realizations just to be this far. So let's not diss the lower scale practitioner, mostly because most of us aren't even quite there yet. And they say, actually, you have to be focused on more than just this one life to even be considered a spiritual practitioner. Report an error in the passage at 49:34 Highlight the passage at 49:34

49:51 but Report an error in the passage at 49:51 Highlight the passage at 49:51

50:04 So I mean that kind of shows you like we can't be thinking that we're so much greater than this poor lower scope practitioner because most of us are still very much focused on this one life where we wouldn't kind of waste so much time. Report an error in the passage at 50:04 Highlight the passage at 50:04

50:19 The middling scope or the middle scope practitioner has this, not just a desire to get a really good rebirth, but still sees even the greatest rebirths as still part of this condition of saṃsāra, still at the mercy of karma and delusion. So they want to get out of saṃsāra altogether. So they're going for nirvāṇa, what's called nirvāṇa, which is basically... Report an error in the passage at 50:19 Highlight the passage at 50:19

50:45 Eliminating all the deluded states of mind and not being at the mercy of karma anymore. They're like shooting for out of the whole ballpark. They don't want to even be in the really wonderful states of rebirth in this life because they still see that that's not such a great thing. Report an error in the passage at 50:45 Highlight the passage at 50:45

51:08 Um... And then the highest scope practitioner is basically the same, getting it that you want to be out of the ballpark, but also looking around and seeing that everybody else is suffering and deciding, wait a second, I can't just leave everybody here. I have to get enlightened, so I need to be able to help everybody else that's here suffering. So it's applying the same reasonings as the middle scope, but including everybody in your thinking process. Report an error in the passage at 51:08 Highlight the passage at 51:08

51:37 So that one is the Mahāyāna practice is all about. So you can actually take all of the meditations within the Holam Rim and stick them into one of those. Report an error in the passage at 51:37 Highlight the passage at 51:37

51:54 But we have to start with the lower scope motivations because we haven't gotten there yet. So we have to understand death and impermanence and how karma works and things like that in order to even get this most basic idea of, well, I at least want a really good rebirth next time. Report an error in the passage at 51:54 Highlight the passage at 51:54

52:13 That's a great place to start. You've got to start where you are. And so we start with those and then we move into the middle scope where we start thinking about, well, wait a second, it's really not such a great thing. It's not enough. I want to get out of this mess altogether. So that means I need to learn how to do serious concentration meditation, learn what emptiness is all about. Report an error in the passage at 52:13 Highlight the passage at 52:13

52:35 So that I can eliminate these one by one. And then you get into the highest scope where you're like, but wait a second, I can't forget all of these other beings. How do I generate this amazing mind of bodhicitta and not just shoot past this with my eye on the prize, but come back and help everybody else. Report an error in the passage at 52:35 Highlight the passage at 52:35

52:55 So that's the highest scope. So we meditate on this sort of with this whole idea, but we just keep coming back and going, you know, spiraling through it all until, of course, we attain realizations. Report an error in the passage at 52:55 Highlight the passage at 52:55

53:09 So a lot of the early meditations in the Lama Room are basically about waking us up, you know, seeing where we are, getting it where we are, seeing that we have this amazing opportunity and that it won't last forever. You know, because we won't last forever. Starting to see that we actually created the opportunities that we have because we created the karma. Report an error in the passage at 53:09 Highlight the passage at 53:09

53:34 Nobody else made it for us, basically. There's no external God, and that's the teachings of karma. And it's sort of like we've created this amazing situation, but then we sort of got distracted, you know, along the way. We created this great situation. We prayed for this great situation that we're in right now. And then, you know, it's sort of like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Report an error in the passage at 53:34 Highlight the passage at 53:34

54:02 We sort of got a little distracted by all the fun things that were happening, especially in this life, you know, with all the great TV shows and, you know, newspapers and movies and things like that. And we're like, oh, yeah, wait, we got someplace we're supposed to go. Okay, that's right. I'm remembering. So this is the first meditations on the Lamrim are kind of about like. Report an error in the passage at 54:02 Highlight the passage at 54:02

54:21 Come on, come on, you wanted this, you got it, like let's get going. So Precious Human Rebirth and Death and Impermanence are the ones I'm talking about here. And they really are about like energizing your practice. Report an error in the passage at 54:21 Highlight the passage at 54:21

54:40 Death in a permit, sometimes people think of it as like this kind of a downer, but it's really about like, hey, you've got this amazing opportunity and it's not going to last forever. So it really is like this kind of bringing some urgency to your practice. With precious human rebirth, which is you're going to do a version of that as your assignment this week. Report an error in the passage at 54:40 Highlight the passage at 54:40

55:03 You sort of are actually, I mean it becomes, these meditations become very experiential because we're supposed to be sort of inserting ourselves into these meditations so we're not just reading them and then closing them and going to bed. It's sort of like you're actually thinking of all these different possibilities that you could have gotten if you hadn't gotten this amazing opportunity that you did get and imagining yourself in those situations and then seeing how difficult it would be to practice. Report an error in the passage at 55:03 Highlight the passage at 55:03

55:32 Or to do anything spiritually with anything, you know, to even write. Sometimes I'll just look at the cats and I'll just think, you know, sometimes it looks like such a great life, you just lay around all day, but then you just think, it almost is like they're just fighting this, like, sloth. And they'll be looking at you and they'll be like, they can't hold their eyes open and then they just crash out and you just think. Report an error in the passage at 55:32 Highlight the passage at 55:32

55:56 Actually, at first it would be nice and then I'd get really bored. You wouldn't be able to use your mind in the same way. You couldn't write. You couldn't discuss. I mean, maybe they do some discussion with each other. But probably, knowing these guys, it's mostly about the food situation. Report an error in the passage at 55:56 Highlight the passage at 55:56

56:18 So it's not the greatest existence if I do. And this is, of course, the big if. But for me, I know I do want to get enlightened. This is my goal. And so that wouldn't be the best rebirth for me to have. And I can see that. And, of course, as animals go, they're very lucky animals. Like a lot of animals have really horrifying lives. Even domestic animals are really abused as well. Report an error in the passage at 56:18 Highlight the passage at 56:18

56:46 And these guys actually come from those situations, too. They're both rescue cats. So they're probably resting up after the last couple years of their lives. But a lot of, so those meditations become more meaningful to me because I'm inserting, as I'm thinking about them, I'm inserting animals I've seen, animals I've had experience with. Report an error in the passage at 56:46 Highlight the passage at 56:46

57:08 It's not just some vague animal realm, I'm thinking about animals I know, you know. And especially if you've ever spent time in countries like India where you see Not how incredibly thin the animals are, you know, even the cows that are supposed to be so holy, they're walking around and they're so incredibly thin and like the dogs are just running around in packs and they're just so hungry, you know, and nobody really, you know, is into them. Report an error in the passage at 57:08 Highlight the passage at 57:08

57:38 Then you realize how horrible it would be to be born in that life and how scared they are all the time and stuff. And even with domestic animals, you can see so much fear. So that brings it alive in your mind because you're not just thinking, oh, this would be horrible. You're actually thinking about all the ins and outs of that life and why it wouldn't be such a great life for you to have and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 57:38 Highlight the passage at 57:38

57:57 So you're trying to make it alive in your mind. And even if you can't relate to things about the... Lower realms like the hell realms, you can still think about the ways within the human existence that people have hell realms, the kind of hells that we create for ourselves. I've been reading in the Sunday paper, in both Sunday papers, they had stories about... Report an error in the passage at 57:57 Highlight the passage at 57:57

58:29 People returning from Iraq and doing horrifying things. And it just breaks my heart. I mean, I had read like about two paragraphs of the one in the New York Times and I just started crying and I just thought, oh my God, we're just, I mean, these are young kids and they're coming home and like killing their wife and children and neighbors and, you know, all that just because their minds are so hellish. Report an error in the passage at 58:29 Highlight the passage at 58:29

58:53 They have their own hell. And it almost doesn't even matter where we put those people. That hell goes with them, you know, because it's a state of mind. It's their mind. But for the wives and children and everybody else, it becomes their experience too because their life becomes a living hell because this person, sometimes this person that they love very dearly and who was not like this before. Report an error in the passage at 58:53 Highlight the passage at 58:53

59:21 So that's a way to get your mind around the hells. Just look at newspaper articles like that or listen to it. Many of us, of course, know people who have lived in situations like that. It doesn't take that much imagining to be able to imagine it. Just turn on the evening news. There are stories almost every night of really hellish experiences that somebody has either survived or not. Report an error in the passage at 59:21 Highlight the passage at 59:21

59:49 And it helps us get our minds around the possible karmic result of having a mind of hatred. It can actually create a hellish experience like that, hatred or anger or so on. So you use as many things as you can to feed into your meditations. So, you know, whether it's quotes, you know, instructions from Pabanka Rinpoche, things that I say in class, you know, notes that you got in other classes. Report an error in the passage at 59:49 Highlight the passage at 59:49

1:00:25 Sometimes it's just like I can have like one line from Some teaching that just like goes straight to the heart and like you just keep hearing like that one line from that I mentioned in Death and Impermanence that Lama Yeshe right when he was getting really close to his own death and his students were clinging to him and clinging to him and he's like, am I this body? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:25 Highlight the passage at 1:00:25

1:00:49 He stopped them dead with that one because they saw him as that body and they weren't ready to let go of that body. And so it's sort of like then every once in a while I just say that to myself, you know, am I this body? Because we think we are. This body, this is just a vessel for the mind, you know, and it's not lasting forever. So it's just like little, I mean, and that's how many words, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:49 Highlight the passage at 1:00:49

1:01:13 Four. So you can hear quotes, you can find them and then just collect them, bring them into your meditations and like have them be part of it. I know there are guides out there. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:13 Highlight the passage at 1:01:13

1:01:27 Ani Karen actually created a really nice kind of work book style guide to the lamrim. She lives at Copan. She's a Swedish nun. She's also a Swedish. She's a sweet nun too. but um she um Leads meditations at Kopan in Nepal. And she created this kind of a workbook style that has lots of blank pages and then lots of wide margins. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:27 Highlight the passage at 1:01:27

1:01:52 You can write in things like that. But you can also sort of create your own. And I did without intending to, but it became sort of my workbook for about a decade, probably for more. Just using notes, I just, you know, brought a notebook with me to a Kopan course. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:52 Highlight the passage at 1:01:52

1:02:12 One month teaching on the Lamrim and just took these notes that were so, I mean, I don't know why I took such amazing notes that time. Never again. But I've used those over and over. And then I actually went through in one retreat and this kind of thing that you do in retreat, color coded the entire thing so that I can find like all the quotes on karma or all the quotes on death and impermanence. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:12 Highlight the passage at 1:02:12

1:02:38 And it's served me so well. That's kind of where I start. That's more my workbook than anything that somebody else has written. Because it's also like you remember reading it, you remember kind of when you got certain understandings, you know, and how it hit you and how that person's voice sounded. For me, it's Venerable Neal was giving the teaching or Lama Zopa Rinpoche or Anikaran. So you kind of hear their voice again, you know, saying that, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:38 Highlight the passage at 1:02:38

1:03:07 So it's quite profound to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:07 Highlight the passage at 1:03:07

1:03:12 And I think it means more to you than something that you can just buy, you know. But something you can buy is a good, I actually still use that one by Anikaran too, which I of course have written all over. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:12 Highlight the passage at 1:03:12

1:03:25 So, Pabanka Rinpoche said actually, you know, he is trying to tell us that when we meditate on this stuff, we want to look at it from all these different angles. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:25 Highlight the passage at 1:03:25

1:03:38 It's sort of training our mind. In each subject or each topic. And actually, our mind is used to that. In a way, Westerners are really trained to do analytical meditations in a way that Tibetans weren't even. We're used to sort of looking at things from all different sides and trying to be convinced about something. We're not going to be... Report an error in the passage at 1:03:38 Highlight the passage at 1:03:38

1:04:05 So we want to know about this, this and this and this. And so our minds are kind of already trained to do this. But Bhavanka Rinpoche said, for instance, when we reflect again and again on the reasons why we think that a particular object is attractive, this is something actually that we do, right? If we fall in love with somebody, of course, we just go on and on about why they're attractive. Or if we want to run downstairs and get some of that chocolate cake, then we think about, well, you know, it has... Report an error in the passage at 1:04:05 Highlight the passage at 1:04:05

1:04:34 It has that great frosting. We don't realize that's what we're doing, but that's what we're doing. We're building a case to make the legs go downstairs and get that piece of chocolate cake. So when we're thinking about all the reasons why something's attractive, we develop strong desire. This is an analytical meditation towards an object of attachment, and it increases our desire. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:34 Highlight the passage at 1:04:34

1:04:58 And we do that also if you fall in love with somebody. It's like then you're thinking about all the wonderful things about that person and how they're so lovely and their laugh is delightful and they glow and they have the beautiful hair and the eyes and all that stuff. And basically we're just increasing our desire. We're just trying to think of all the reasons. But the same happens, right, when we start not being so excited by them. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:58 Highlight the passage at 1:04:58

1:05:22 Or if suddenly we find out they're sleeping with our best friend, right? Then we start thinking about all the reasons why they've always been annoying, and their voice has always been annoying, even though two weeks ago we thought that was musical. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:22 Highlight the passage at 1:05:22

1:05:38 So he says, likewise, when we recall again and again how terrible an enemy who has harmed us is, then our hatred greatly increases. And this represents analysis towards an object of hatred, and it ignites our experiential awareness of that hatred. Let's shift now to the spiritual domain, where the aim is to increase an experiential awareness of different virtuous minds by repeatedly contemplating the various reasons that will elicit them, as I just described with desire and hatred. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:38 Highlight the passage at 1:05:38

1:06:09 What you must do here is contemplate over and over again the most penetrating of scriptural citations and arguments, and in particular those arguments which are most effective for eliciting a spiritual transformation within your own mind. If the repeated contemplation of just a single argument evokes a sense of ever-growing anguish in your mind, such as you might feel on hearing of your mother's death, this is a sign that you are succeeding. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:09 Highlight the passage at 1:06:09

1:06:36 So continue striving. So it is an emotional experience that we're shooting for. It's not so much necessarily we support it with arguments, but what's really going to make us get something in our heart is going to be, like he said, If the repeated contemplation of just a single argument evokes a sense of ever-growing anguish in your mind, such as you might feel on hearing of your mother's death. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:36 Highlight the passage at 1:06:36

1:07:05 He's not even saying the death of a close friend. He's not even saying, like, your dog's death. He's like going for the gut there, your mother's death. So it really should be something that moves your heart. So these meditations should be something that moves your heart. So don't be... Be embarrassed if you are moved to tears, because sometimes you will be moved to tears, especially with the meditations on compassion, you know, thinking about the suffering of other beings and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:05 Highlight the passage at 1:07:05

1:07:38 It doesn't mean that you have to, like every time you sit down, you have to, you have to. Or it's not successful. It doesn't mean that you have to expect that you're going to sob wildly. Some people are not all that emotional people, but you still have some lasting experience of it. So don't feel like you always have to sob every time you sit down and meditate. But not to be alarmed if that should happen, because sometimes it will happen. And that's fine. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:38 Highlight the passage at 1:07:38

1:08:03 That's actually basically kind of rocking your heart a little bit, and that's okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:03 Highlight the passage at 1:08:03

1:08:09 And also with 20-minute sessions, you know, it's sort of like, it happens more likely in retreat, I have to say, because you're kind of immersed in it. But it can happen in a 20-minute session, actually, especially if you are looking at it for, you know, you've looked at it a few times. So you're no longer having to peek at all your notes, you know, you're able to just sort of... Report an error in the passage at 1:08:09 Highlight the passage at 1:08:09

1:08:34 Get into it a little bit. 20 minutes can be plenty long enough to have that experience. It's better to, rather than crowding up a whole session, to try to just look at one thing, to look at it somewhat deeply in one session. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:34 Highlight the passage at 1:08:34

1:08:54 And it's important to keep the lamrim relevant to our personal experience. Reba Rinpoche, who... There's a little tiny picture of him on that back altar. I want to get a better picture of him. He was an amazing Lama who just passed away a couple of years ago. He was one of my teachers, one of the first teachers that I had. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:54 Highlight the passage at 1:08:54

1:09:15 Everything about him just glowed bodhicitta. He spent 21 years being tortured, basically. His attitude towards it is that... um he Report an error in the passage at 1:09:15 Highlight the passage at 1:09:15

1:09:26 And he... Because it allowed him to practice the teachings on compassion and on bodhicitta, that he forever after felt huge gratitude to the Chinese. I mean, that's the way he saw the whole thing. And he, every time, you know, they would actually, because he was a Rinpoche, he was considered to be, you know, kind of elitist. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:26 Highlight the passage at 1:09:26

1:09:51 They have this whole way of viewing things. And so he would be picked up at his house and dragged through the streets and people would throw. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:51 Highlight the passage at 1:09:51

1:10:01 Urine and feces and dirt on him and kick him and things like that as he went by. And he would just go home and wash his clothes and be ready for them the next day with this thought of like, now I get to actually represent the Dharma. Now I get to do this, finally get to apply these teachings that my gurus have given me on how to keep loving even when people harm me. Like he actually saw it that way, which I think is just the most, I just, thinking about him is just, you know, talk about moving your mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:01 Highlight the passage at 1:10:01

1:10:35 And he said, when he was teaching about the freedom, Of not being born in the hell realms. In other words, if you were born in the hell realms, how easy would it be to practice the Dharma if we have problems now practicing? Imagine how difficult it would be under those circumstances. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:35 Highlight the passage at 1:10:35

1:10:54 If someone came to you with a burning incense stick and put it on your body, and then your Lama came by and said, I'm ready to teach you the Lamrim now, you'd say, that's fine, but I've got to get this incense stick off my body first. I can't concentrate right now. He used this as an example that we could relate to. He said, the God realms are like if you're in the middle of the best movie you've ever seen, it's the climax of the movie, and there you are involved in the plot and the cinematography, and the Lama comes up and says, I'm ready to teach you the Dharma now, and you're kind of like, that's great. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:54 Highlight the passage at 1:10:54

1:11:24 Can we do it later, after the movie? So it's true. I mean, it's just like in the one you're so distracted by the pain, in the other you're so distracted by the pleasure, and neither time are you really in the mood to practice. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:24 Highlight the passage at 1:11:24

1:11:38 And he said to think about for the preter realm, one day you've been really, really hungry and tired and thirsty, and you know how easy it is to get cranky. practice. So... Report an error in the passage at 1:11:38 Highlight the passage at 1:11:38

1:11:48 When you're really hungry and tired and thirsty and your attention span is short and you're listless and kind of depressed, you're just not up for it. So even if you could generate some kind of wish, you don't have anything left in you to hold you in that mind. So you can imagine that because, again, you're so distracted. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:48 Highlight the passage at 1:11:48

1:12:06 The preta realm, the hungry ghost realm, is just this realm filled with beings that are always craving. They've just got this mind of craving. And they can't get any of the things that they crave, which is the karmic result of having this mind of craving. So they're just constantly trying to get food and drink and a place to rest and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:06 Highlight the passage at 1:12:06

1:12:29 But whenever they get there, then those things dissolve or disintegrate or turn into something that they can't use. And you can imagine there's not much space in that kind of a realm to study the Dharma. So his point is that we kind of imagine it in those terms. Like it's odd to think about ourselves in these situations, but when he puts it that way, I mean, think about tiniest amount of pain that we have and how we're just not in the mood anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:29 Highlight the passage at 1:12:29

1:12:59 You know, if you wake up and you've got a headache, we're like, you know, I guess I don't have to meditate today. I actually had somebody ask me that fairly recently in one of the classes, you know, if you're sick. Is it okay to take a day off of your meditation? And it's like, well, actually you could use it to meditate on how difficult it is to meditate with your sick and how it's going to be even worse in a different realm. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:59 Highlight the passage at 1:12:59

1:13:27 But also think about on your deathbed. We always have these great plans for when we die that we're going to be able to shoot ourselves into some future wonderful rebirth if we can't meditate when we have a... Headache or bad cold, that's kind of the least ill that we'll ever be at that moment most likely. So it's kind of like you just use those experiences actually as they come up. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:27 Highlight the passage at 1:13:27

1:13:51 But he said, I mean he was one of the ones, I mean when you think about the kind of suffering that he went through and how he was able to transform it. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:51 Highlight the passage at 1:13:51

1:14:06 Overnight, he went from basically having a really good life. I mean, he came from a noble family as well. And overnight, he was thrown into prison and just began being tortured and was tortured for forever, for a really, really long time. And it changes like that. It can change that way. We can think of examples like that of the people on September 11th. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:06 Highlight the passage at 1:14:06

1:14:31 Thinking it was just a normal day to go to work. And suddenly they were totally plunged into a hell realm. It was completely a hellish experience within a matter of hours. So we sort of think, well, we're here now and this is always the way it's going to be. But the reality of life is that things can change really suddenly. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:31 Highlight the passage at 1:14:31

1:14:50 And if we haven't even begun to think about it, it's even more like there's hardly any chance for our mind to realize that, to recognize it. So these meditations on precious human rebirth are very much like wake-up calls. And the same with the meditations on death and impermanence that we're not going to do so much in here. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:50 Highlight the passage at 1:14:50

1:15:15 So you begin to think about this during your post-meditation time, which is one thing that we're going to talk about next week. The times between your meditation, how you can begin contemplating. And I just sort of mentioned one of them while you're reading the New York Times, the New Morning New York Times. I mean, there's no way that you can read a newspaper anymore and have it not be a Dharma experience. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:15 Highlight the passage at 1:15:15

1:15:38 There's no way to go see a movie anymore and have it not sort of be filtered through that. It doesn't mean you can't enjoy those things anymore, but you kind of see them in a slightly different way. It sort of is affected by... Report an error in the passage at 1:15:38 Highlight the passage at 1:15:38

1:15:54 Your lamrim glasses, you've got your lamrim glasses on. And so the main thing is sort of like, are you contracting, turning away from, turning the page from the suffering articles or the suffering TV show? It doesn't mean you have to watch horrible movies or anything like that, but basically are you turning inward if somebody's coming up to you and it seems to be suffering on the street? Report an error in the passage at 1:15:54 Highlight the passage at 1:15:54

1:16:19 Are you contracting, you know, or are you opening? Because this is all about opening. And so if you find yourself in even a little way contracting or turning inward, which of course we all do, it's not to feel guilty about it, but to notice. It's like bringing awareness, looking all the time. Buddhists never do. Bodhisattvas actually never do even. They're always expanding as much as possible. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:19 Highlight the passage at 1:16:19

1:16:46 So the trick is for us to just begin watching our minds. And, um... And begin watching and noticing and changing kind of habitual ways that we might react to pain in others and suffering in others. And again just to underscore sort of what the goal is in Buddhism because a lot of times it gets lost. I think sometimes Buddhism is taught. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:46 Highlight the passage at 1:16:46

1:17:15 In a way that seems very passive. I had one teacher who talked a lot about how there are Buddhist classes out there about getting calm and staying calm basically through the rest of your life and through your death process. And that's not really what it's about. It's not for us to stay calm and to keep the status quo. It's actually basically to get to the point of getting beyond suffering and death completely. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:15 Highlight the passage at 1:17:15

1:17:43 Getting enlightened actually. It has to do with no longer suffering, no longer dying. It's actually incredibly radical what the Buddha was teaching. So it's not just for us to learn to be calm while I watch you die and then I die. It's not like that at all. It's this huge 180 change in how we see the world and what our experience of the world is. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:43 Highlight the passage at 1:17:43

1:18:12 It's completely different. If you kind of think about the fact that getting enlightened is this kind of vast, amazing, radical thing, I mean, when the Buddha got enlightened, he actually felt like he couldn't teach it. He felt like it was way beyond anything that we could ever comprehend, especially the teachings on emptiness. And so he must have just kind of... Report an error in the passage at 1:18:12 Highlight the passage at 1:18:12

1:18:40 He must have been thinking, how on earth can these people understand this, what I've just experienced? They'll never believe me, you know, they'll never believe me that people will no longer suffer and die. And now, I mean, it sounds really bizarre, like you guys are going to leave here tonight and be like, what is she talking about, no longer suffer and die? But the Buddha actually said, this is possible. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:40 Highlight the passage at 1:18:40

1:19:01 This is what enlightenment is. You actually are no longer on this treadmill. You may choose. To take a human body if it's a benefit and manifest this experience of suffering and dying. But you're no longer actually suffering because you don't have karma anymore. So you aren't at the mercy of your own karma anymore. So that's really different. So when the Buddha taught about his experiences, he decided to teach about it in a way that we could understand. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:01 Highlight the passage at 1:19:01

1:19:39 How we could attain the same things ourselves. And so he taught the Four Noble Truths. The first thing that he taught was the Four Noble Truths, which is basically there is suffering. Because we could get that one, right? We pretty much knew that there was suffering. And then that suffering has a cause. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:39 Highlight the passage at 1:19:39

1:19:58 And that main cause is our karma and these afflicted states of mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:58 Highlight the passage at 1:19:58

1:20:07 And then that those causes can be eliminated. They aren't inherently part of us. They can be removed. And that there is a path to get to those. Those are the Four Noble Truths. And so the whole point of Buddhism is that path. To get us to the point where we no longer have these afflicted states of mind, we no longer have this karma, and therefore we no longer have what they result in, which is our suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:07 Highlight the passage at 1:20:07

1:20:38 So that's the whole point of Buddhism is to end suffering, which is pretty huge. I mean, that's a huge motivator, actually. If we actually got that, that that was really what we were headed towards, we probably wouldn't have, you know, the laziness that we have. And I'm speaking of myself. You guys might be all like... Report an error in the passage at 1:20:38 Highlight the passage at 1:20:38

1:20:58 You know, leaping out of bed and, you know, sitting for hours. So, but for me, that's a problem. But I wouldn't, if I really totally got it, that I wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Just me, that I wouldn't have to suffer anymore, ever, in any way. I wouldn't have to lose people I love to death, you know. I wouldn't have to have, you know, bodily pain or illness. I wouldn't have to. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:58 Highlight the passage at 1:20:58

1:21:04 After this morning. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:04 Highlight the passage at 1:21:04

1:21:27 You know, have loss. If I just got that, it's kind of amazing. It's kind of an amazing thing. This mind, I mean, one of the biggest sufferings of saṃsāra is this sort of dissatisfied mind of dukkha. In Sanskrit, it's called dukkha. And it's basically this mind, it's like a baseline that the Buddha taught that basically we have, and it's one of the... Report an error in the passage at 1:21:27 Highlight the passage at 1:21:27

1:21:57 The causes of all of our suffering. And it's there all the time. And even if we have the most incredible experience, there's a couple second delay and then all of a sudden we start finding fault with it or getting bored with it or looking for a new one or whatever. And you can just watch your mind, not with judgment, not anything like that, but just watch your own mind for that dissatisfied mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:57 Highlight the passage at 1:21:57

1:22:24 You go out for a really wonderful meal and you start seeing the problems in that meal or you start seeing the problems in the waitress. Like two seconds before it was a wonderful thing and you were totally happy and then it's just like within seconds it just begins to deteriorate because of that mind and that's just dukkha. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:24 Highlight the passage at 1:22:24

1:22:45 that we all have but he said that that isn't naturally part of our minds and that can also be removed we can be free of that mind that finds fault with everything And so then, I mean, if you actually are remembering this goal, that this is our goal, to be free of that mind, to be free of all suffering, to actually be free of death itself, deathless, Chime in Tibetan. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:45 Highlight the passage at 1:22:45

1:23:13 The fact that they even have a word for it, it's pretty amazing when you think about it. We don't even have a word for being deathless. It sounds like something from some science fiction or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:13 Highlight the passage at 1:23:13

1:23:27 If you don't keep that final goal in mind, then it just sort of becomes like another interesting thing, like a hobby. It's kind of interesting to read. But your life basically stays the same. And that's not the point of these classes at all. It's not the point of Buddhism at all. um so You're constantly kind of trying to remember that's your goal. That's why we do these motivations. That's why we do these dedications. And we do say these outrageous things of like, you know, may this plant the seed for my own full awakening. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:27 Highlight the passage at 1:23:27

1:23:59 I mean, it's like reminding ourselves. It's not like, isn't this cool we have this little gathering tonight? You know, okay, bye-bye, you know, because otherwise it just becomes like something kind of cool to do on Tuesday nights. But like it's still not in your mind that you could actually not die yourself. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:59 Highlight the passage at 1:23:59

1:24:17 Which is, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:17 Highlight the passage at 1:24:17

1:24:25 Can you hold it up to your mouth? If you have a human body, you're going to die. But what you do when you're dying and how you think about it and how you're meditating and what you do, there's a period between when you die and rebirth. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:25 Highlight the passage at 1:24:25

1:24:41 It isn't like you don't die. Well, there is. I'm here to tell you. That's all Tantra. Tantra is actually getting past death within one lifetime. That's what Tantra is all about, is speeding up the process so that you don't have to die. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:41 Highlight the passage at 1:24:41

1:24:57 It requires you to practice incredibly hard with incredible sincerity, etc. But it is possible. So we meditate on death in a couple different reasons. One is to show us that we don't have forever. One is to know the process so that we know what to expect and also we can help others. But then there is the teachings on Tantra that of course we don't get into until we're ready, which means we have some understanding of... Report an error in the passage at 1:24:57 Highlight the passage at 1:24:57

1:25:24 All the other lamrim topics and emptiness especially and bodhicitta. But then once we have some form of bodhicitta in our minds and we're ready, then those teachings on tantra can speed up the process. And that's what that's all about. That's why tantra exists is because the motivation is so strong. The suffering of beings is so unbearable that you are willing to work this much harder. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:24 Highlight the passage at 1:25:24

1:25:54 To become a Buddha within one lifetime. They say within three years is even possible. If you are willing to give up everything else and do it, which most of us aren't anymore, unfortunately. It's very rare in this day and age. But I know people who are going for it. So it is still being done. So it is still possible. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:54 Highlight the passage at 1:25:54

1:26:15 In fact, I know one teacher who won't even let his students talk about the whole... Death and impermanence from the more traditional point of view because he's pushing them to go for gold in this lifetime. So he doesn't even want them to get caught up in the whole death process. For me, actually, meditating on my own death and impermanence is a motivator I don't have forever. And so for me, that's quite useful in that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:15 Highlight the passage at 1:26:15

1:26:45 And just one last thing, and I'm going to give you guys a break. But Lama Zopa Rinpoche, both Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Reba Rinpoche, Report an error in the passage at 1:26:45 Highlight the passage at 1:26:45

1:26:53 Say that it's really important to take a small, like a short lamrim, like one of the ones that I mentioned that are like a one-page lamrim, and to review that whole thing, like at each session, so that you may be focusing on one little verse that time, like precious human rebirth, whatever that topic is that you're on. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:53 Highlight the passage at 1:26:53

1:27:14 But then at the end you just go ahead and read the whole thing. And what that does is Lama Zopa says that it actually plants the seed of the whole lamrim every time you sit. So even though your main meditation might have been on death and impermanence or on whatever, relying on the spiritual teacher or whatever, but you go ahead and just finish by reading the whole lamrim. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:14 Highlight the passage at 1:27:14

1:27:35 And we do that in the mornings when we do Gurupucha together. We do Gurupucha like at 7.15 every morning. If anybody ever wants to join us. But we always read one of the lamrim prayers and we kind of alternate which one we do to spice it up. But it's to keep that in your mind, the whole lamrim, you know, from the beginning through full enlightenment so that it's sort of, it's like continually planting the seed for the whole path. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:35 Highlight the passage at 1:27:35

1:28:06 And so that's kind of what we'll do actually with your homework is you'll get the foundation of all good qualities, but you'll know where to sort of stick in this other stuff that we're talking about. So why don't you guys take a quick break? I don't know if Simone is still here, but take a peek. Does she leave? I don't. Does she leave? Yeah. Does anybody want something? Maybe if somebody wants something, just come and tell me and I'll try to do. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:06 Highlight the passage at 1:28:06

1:28:38 Luckily, at this hour, you're probably not going to want a coffee drink. But I can do tea. I can do teas. I'm not the best barista, but I can do my best. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:38 Highlight the passage at 1:28:38

1:28:53 I can do an Izzy. All right. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:53 Highlight the passage at 1:28:53

· · · silence, 2 minutes

1:30:39 Is that all? I just have to. I just have to. Oh, it's not bad. I just have Report an error in the passage at 1:30:39 Highlight the passage at 1:30:39

1:30:55 I know people that have had like 20. their property, not in their house. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:55 Highlight the passage at 1:30:55

1:31:03 I'm not sure about that, actually. I didn't know that they also know. Their threshold of enough was different than most. It wasn't like they had a castle. They had a house, a simple house, and they had all these sentient wings, like the mice here. One day I was sitting on the floor up front, and I'm totally afraid of mice, but I'm really, really, really working on that. And I was sitting up front, and this mouse came up, and scared at me. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:03 Highlight the passage at 1:31:03

1:31:32 I was like, oh, my mouse is... I'm afraid of that since evening. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:32 Highlight the passage at 1:31:32

1:31:41 Well, that was a big tip for me. My mother did that to me. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:41 Highlight the passage at 1:31:41

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:32:28 a first. It's been a first. It's been a first. Thank you. Thank you. I just, I really like this. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:28 Highlight the passage at 1:32:28

1:32:45 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:45 Highlight the passage at 1:32:45

1:33:05 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:05 Highlight the passage at 1:33:05

1:33:13 All right, good. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:13 Highlight the passage at 1:33:13

1:33:17 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:17 Highlight the passage at 1:33:17

1:33:48 Thank you. don't know if it's an email and do you think it's a problem now. I don't know if it's a situation and then she's going to do that much about it. She's going to say it'll be okay. I don't know if it's a problem. Well, thank you. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:48 Highlight the passage at 1:33:48

1:34:28 Thank you. you. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:28 Highlight the passage at 1:34:28

1:34:56 Thank you. Thank you to the danger. you. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:56 Highlight the passage at 1:34:56

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:35:34 -hmm. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:34 Highlight the passage at 1:35:34

1:35:38 Retreat Center in Thailand, and so I'm just wondering, I mean it is the Buddhist Retreat Center in our Dharma talks, and it's about five days, but do you think it would be okay to do that one? Not like doing some mixing and matching? Well you are, but just to remember that it might be a different tradition, and maybe just a checkup. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:38 Highlight the passage at 1:35:38

1:36:01 What are some of the differences in holiday? Well for one thing it's usually going... for individual liberation from the mental enlightenment. they might call it enlightenment, and that might get confused. Individual. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:01 Highlight the passage at 1:36:01

1:36:19 In some of those traditions it's not even considered possible to become fully enlightened. So that's a difference. A pretty big one. Okay. But in your mind you can just keep thinking, well I know what it is. Okay, so that's kind of one of the major differences. Yeah, yeah. But in terms of like how to meditate, that would be fine, you know. It would be. Yeah. I think, actually I think most of the individual liberation traditions are better at meditation and better at meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:19 Highlight the passage at 1:36:19

1:36:53 So, I think that way it could be great. And things about karma, I think similar. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:53 Highlight the passage at 1:36:53

1:37:05 That's just what I have found to be true, most of the deep meditation instruction for Lama. just answering a question. People are like, come in. I see Emma's like little head when we're out of the corner. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:05 Highlight the passage at 1:37:05

1:37:27 That's just been my experience that we don't spend as much time on it. I think that's changing. I think it takes Westerner and good meditators. I think in the monasteries traditionally it wasn't taught so much in that people would meditate. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:27 Highlight the passage at 1:37:27

1:37:52 You know, they go off after they become a Geshe, or after they, Report an error in the passage at 1:37:52 Highlight the passage at 1:37:52

1:38:01 concentration meditation probably, yeah, but Report an error in the passage at 1:38:01 Highlight the passage at 1:38:01

1:38:07 maybe I should say yeah. So that's just been my experience. Like, Geshe-Lan never teaches Geshe-Lan. He'll teach you the steps to, Report an error in the passage at 1:38:07 Highlight the passage at 1:38:07

1:38:21 he won't say, like, go home and meditate, but it's implied, aren't necessarily catching. Like, so in our, in the DB classes, I'm like, you go home and meditate. Who did you do today? So I make it really, really clear. He is just assuming that we will, but he's not necessarily used to kind of, and what else are they going to do? Report an error in the passage at 1:38:21 Highlight the passage at 1:38:21

1:38:53 Now he is. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:53 Highlight the passage at 1:38:53

1:39:05 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:05 Highlight the passage at 1:39:05

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:39:46 I mean, if that Lama is enlightened already, he may be just manifesting it to teach us. But if he's not, then he would have karma as well. And it's just how does he react to that karma ripening. And that's what makes the difference. We can react to it. All of us are still going to have karma ripening after we meet the Dharma, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:39:46 Highlight the passage at 1:39:46

1:40:05 We still have a load of karma. And so how do we change how we react to it instead of just following our age-old habits of getting angry or, you know, punching back when somebody punches us, as Venerabine always uses as the example. So he chose to respond by using his experiences to develop compassion beyond any compassion I've ever seen in anyone, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:05 Highlight the passage at 1:40:05

1:40:32 So that's how he chose to respond to a really violent scene. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:32 Highlight the passage at 1:40:32

1:41:03 They would say themselves that it's karma. They say it themselves. They'll say they actually believe in karma. We still see karma as fault, blame, my fault. I did something wrong. They don't see that that way. They'll say, yeah, of course, this must have been our karma. So then they don't have anger. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:03 Highlight the passage at 1:41:03

1:41:22 They just deal with whatever is happening, but without all the 500 years of therapy that we usually need for the things that we go through. So it just is a way of explaining. This is coming at me because I created the causes for it, so I can purify those causes or I can change and create other causes. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:22 Highlight the passage at 1:41:22

1:41:43 But I do want to just say, because we're sort of running out of time, that this might not... I'm going to say a little bit about karma and emptiness right now, and then maybe we could talk after or something like that, just because we're almost out of time. But I mean, it's to get beyond that idea that karma means it's your fault. Because we're all the product of karma and delusion. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:43 Highlight the passage at 1:41:43

1:42:07 All of us are. And so is Buddhahood. I mean, not delusion, but definitely of karma. We can use the teachings on karma and turn it around. It's not destiny. It's just that right now we just kind of ignorantly or stupidly follow. The way, you know, our deluded states of mind into this direction, that direction, without really trying to subdue or without trying to like turn it in a new way, without trying to develop the good qualities. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:07 Highlight the passage at 1:42:07

1:42:36 We just follow our crazy monkey minds into trouble time and time again. So that's what the Buddha was saying. It's like we keep doing it. We haven't changed anything. How can we expect a different result? If we want a different result, we have to create different causes. But the results that we have right now, we can't look at anybody else and say, That they've done it to us. We've actually created the causes for whatever suffering we're getting and will get. So that's putting the power into our hands. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:36 Highlight the passage at 1:42:36

1:43:09 It's not about blame though. And that's the dangerous part I think in the West a lot of times. We'll see it as blame. It has nothing to do with blame because there's nobody really to blame except our own. It's more about learning how to use your mind in a way that... Report an error in the passage at 1:43:09 Highlight the passage at 1:43:09

1:43:26 It's more constructive. It gets you where you want to go. So you just are looking at how karma works in terms of, if I created this and I want to create a different result, how can I change things? Because karma is completely changeable. So I don't know if that helps. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:26 Highlight the passage at 1:43:26

1:43:47 Mike, Mike. She would be really happy when bad things, when horrible things would happen to her. She had a number of heart attacks in a row. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:47 Highlight the passage at 1:43:47

1:43:59 People would say, well, don't you feel bad about that? And one thing is realizing emptiness. Then you can say, well, it's almost like when you're working out, an athlete, that can hurt, be painful and unpleasant, but you see it as part of a transformative process and it's helpful, so you actually enjoy the pain in a weird way. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:59 Highlight the passage at 1:43:59

1:44:17 And she would say about her heart attack, she'd say, I was really happy to have those because I thought, wow, how much... Purification is going on right now. Whenever she'd stub her toe, she'd be like, awesome. I just got a little bit closer. No, it's a different way to look at it. Actually, right before class, I got an email from a student who was trying to figure out karma a little bit, and she was asking the same thing. She was saying, if we believe in cause and effect, is it okay to go to a doctor? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:17 Highlight the passage at 1:44:17

1:44:44 And I said, by all means. If you have the karma for the doctor's medicine to work. The medicine will work. But we all know that we've grabbed Advil with a bunch of different times and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. And I'm the first one to grab the Advil too, you know, so I'm not saying never to do it, but not to think of it as somehow outside cause and effect. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:44 Highlight the passage at 1:44:44

1:45:06 It's still going to be based on karma, whether I even have access to a doctor. Whether that's a good doctor and whether the doctor's treatment's going to work for me at this particular time. And it may have worked last year and it may work next year, but it may not work this time because of my karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:06 Highlight the passage at 1:45:06

1:45:21 That's how complicated karma is. So, yeah, she was asking, you know, and this comes up a lot, Geshe-la always, you know, somebody will come to Geshe-la and they'll ask, you know, should I, you know, I have cancer or something, should I? go ahead and keep my appointment or should I just do practice? I have seen Lama's check what your karma is at this exact moment that would help you. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:21 Highlight the passage at 1:45:21

1:46:03 I mean, rarely is it. To not see any doctor. But to remember that it's your karma whether or not something's even going to work. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:03 Highlight the passage at 1:46:03

1:46:15 And you can test that one out by whether or not the Advil works every single time. And it doesn't always work. So yeah, I think it's very interesting. I mean, if you're doing a lot of purification and you start... This is getting completely off subject, but if you're doing a lot of purification and you start experiencing various things happening to you, then that could very well be purification manifesting in a form that's more manageable for you, and that's to be rejoiced. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:15 Highlight the passage at 1:46:15

1:46:46 But even if you're not, like your friend, you're saying, you know, you're exhausting. That negative karma is gone now. You never have to see it again. So that's all the more reason to rejoice. Either way, it's like a completely different way to look at negative stuff happening to you. So you're no longer irritated by it. You're going to be like, oh, great. Cool. Get rid of this one. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, I believe that because if I didn't, why would I spend so much? Report an error in the passage at 1:46:46 Highlight the passage at 1:46:46

1:47:15 I purify every day. If it never resulted in anything, actually that would be depressing. So I would want it to manifest in some form. So I wanted to just say a little bit about karma and emptiness. We do talk about this in just about every class. Because as far as I'm concerned, I think it's pretty much like the main teaching of Buddhism, especially the marriage of the two, karma and emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:15 Highlight the passage at 1:47:15

1:47:48 They say karma is actually the most complex of the Buddhist teachings, like it's actually more complex than emptiness. But for us to actually gain the direct realization of emptiness takes many, many, many, many years and often many, many lifetimes. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:48 Highlight the passage at 1:47:48

1:48:07 So karma basically... Is what we were just talking about, how your whole experience of the world and everything in your world and everyone in your world and whether or not your Advil works, everything is created by karma. And that karma is created by your actions of body, speech and mind, which are, of course, motivated by your thought process. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:07 Highlight the passage at 1:48:07

1:48:34 Often, unfortunately, afflicted thoughts, you know, anger, irritation, frustration, jealousy. Depression, blame, resentment, you know, all those kind of yucky states of mind that we have usually lead into us acting or thinking or saying something that then we do and then that creates karma and then that karma is in our mind stream and then eventually that karma, the conditions come together and that karma ripens. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:34 Highlight the passage at 1:48:34

1:49:02 And it ripens if it was a negative act or motivated by a negative state of mind, then it ripens as suffering, any kind of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:02 Highlight the passage at 1:49:02

1:49:12 Headache, you know, to full bodily assault, you know, I mean, it's like, it's suffering, that word suffering sometimes sounds like you've got the plague or something really big, but suffering is every, is like not liking this pattern in the rug, you know, that's suffering for me because I'm looking at it a lot. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:12 Highlight the passage at 1:49:12

1:49:34 So that's suffering. Suffering is anything from like, Being irritated by the timber of your voice to being whipped on a daily basis for 21 years. So suffering is simply an unpleasant experience. That's suffering. I just clarify that because sometimes people think that the little stuff isn't suffering, but believe me, it does add up. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:34 Highlight the passage at 1:49:34

1:49:57 So, um... And pleasure is everything in the whole range too. Everything from like bliss for lifetimes to just a slight happiness because of a cool breeze. They say that even that hitting your face on a hot day is the result of a positive karma or positive action that created a positive karma. So that's the same. Pleasure and suffering are created by our different deeds. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:57 Highlight the passage at 1:49:57

1:50:30 And then the karma that they create. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:30 Highlight the passage at 1:50:30

1:50:35 Emptiness works, I mean karma wouldn't work without emptiness. I'm sorry because I usually drink water in the break, but I didn't. Hang on, hold the line a moment. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:35 Highlight the passage at 1:50:35

1:50:52 Emptiness makes karma possible. And karma, of course, makes emptiness possible. They work together. Emptiness simply means that things don't exist. Have I mentioned this at all in here? Empty... Report an error in the passage at 1:50:52 Highlight the passage at 1:50:52

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:51:06 Tell me if I'm repeating myself. The basic idea behind emptiness is that things don't exist in some absolute way that we seem to think they all do. And we often concretize things, anything from thinking that my clock is going to last forever or my new car is going to last forever and no one's ever going to scratch it. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:06 Highlight the passage at 1:51:06

1:51:29 I'm going to last forever. That's how it's a big one for us, actually. To just thinking that if I have a favorite song, then everybody will like my favorite song. You know, I mean, it's, again, can be huge ways that we think things exist in some out there way. Some way, like, out there from their own side. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:29 Highlight the passage at 1:51:29

1:51:50 In very small ways, all the way up to really big ways. And we can test it. By the favorite song idea, you know, just play your favorite song for five people. And most likely they all won't think it's the best song on the planet the way you think it is. Same thing is true, of course, if you ever introduce a new friend to five of your closest friends, I can guarantee you that they also won't think that that's the best person on the planet either. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:50 Highlight the passage at 1:51:50

1:52:16 Or your new partner or whatever. There's always like, you know, everyone was nice to your face and then they all go in the kitchen and they're like... you know um and But we do, a lot of times we'll see, we'll think, you know, if I'm having a fight with somebody, I'll think that they are evil incarnate from their own side. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:16 Highlight the passage at 1:52:16

1:52:37 I'll only, you know, it's almost like they're just, this evilness is just spewing out of them in some way. And the same as if I think that, you know, somebody's incredible, I'll think that their incredibleness is coming out of them. It's just they're imbued with this beauty or divineness or whatever. But, you know, if I had those two people flanking me, you wouldn't know which was which. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:37 Highlight the passage at 1:52:37

1:53:02 I think that it's clear that this person is the annoying one, you know. But if they're just both sitting there smiling, you wouldn't know which one was my enemy and which one was my friend. For me, it seems like that friendness is coming out of that person. But all they have to do is cross me and suddenly they're my enemy. So that's clearly that it's nothing from their side. It's all the stuff that I'm imbuing onto them. So the Buddha taught that things don't exist in any kind of absolute, solid, concrete, permanent way that we tend to always want things to exist. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:02 Highlight the passage at 1:53:02

1:53:36 And we try to put everything into that category of existing in that way. And he's like, no, I hate to tell you this, things don't exist that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:36 Highlight the passage at 1:53:36

1:53:47 Western science even backs that up and I think that we even get that, but we're so, you know, it's such a habit for us to see things and people and places that way that we do it all the time anyway. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:47 Highlight the passage at 1:53:47

1:54:04 But the part that is sort of unique is that part of the teachings on karma and emptiness are that things, we perceive things in these different ways due to our karma. So due to the karma that we've created, that is one of the causes and conditions that causes us to experience chocolate cake as delightful or horrid. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:04 Highlight the passage at 1:54:04

1:54:28 You know, that's a karmic thing. That's a karmic ripening. So that's one of the reasons why I hear that favorite song. And I think it's wonderful, but you hear it and you just think it's a bunch of crap. And you just hear it and it's just kind of neutral. It's just background noise. And the Buddha would say that it's due to our karma. And so he gave this one teaching about three different beings looking at the same glass of water. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:28 Highlight the passage at 1:54:28

1:54:58 Do people remember this story? The same glass of water. Do you remember? You're looking, the glimmer is coming out. Were you in the karma class? This is like a famous one. So it's like there's one glass of liquid and there's a human being, a god, you know, from the god realm being, pleasure being, and then somebody in the preta realm, you know, that craving spirit. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:58 Highlight the passage at 1:54:58

1:55:27 And so they're all looking at the same basic raw data. But they have the karma to perceive it differently. It's not like it's existing in three different ways, but they are looking at the same raw material and their karma is forcing them to see it in different ways. So the human is seeing it as a glass of water. The pleasure being is seeing it as nectar. And the craving spirit is seeing it as something horrible like pus or blood or something that they can't drink because they have the karma not to be able to slake their thirst. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:27 Highlight the passage at 1:55:27

1:56:01 It's a word you don't use very often. But it seemed to fit there, didn't it? So that's an example of how all of their perceptions are completely valid for them. It's not like they're wrong. It's just that they are perceiving this raw data in different ways because of the kind of karma that they've created. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:01 Highlight the passage at 1:56:01

1:56:24 And you're going to use another example even if you don't believe in gods. Craving spirits, you know, what would, you know, there's the pen thing. I don't think I even brought a pen. If I was holding up, there you go. Thank you. You know, we see this pointy plastic cylinder as something that we can write with, and we think it's inherently this pen, but if I brought in a dog, they would see it as a chew toy, and it wouldn't be wrong. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:24 Highlight the passage at 1:56:24

1:57:00 They would think it was a great chew toy and it could be a lot of fun actually, especially if you could splinter it up and make it spread all over the carpet and stuff like that. The cats would also see it as some sort of something, a batting toy probably I would think. An ant would see it as just like some problem that was like an obstacle between it and the crumbs. And that would be a completely valid perception on all of their parts. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:00 Highlight the passage at 1:57:00

1:57:23 It's just a karmic difference. of Of how to perceive this exact same raw data of plastic and the cylindrical shape and the point and the cap and all that stuff. Actually the cat would be, this would be a really good cat toy. Shooting this all around the room, this would be perfect. So it's that idea, which we don't have time to go into greatly, but the fact, basically the bottom line is just that the Buddha said, things don't exist the way we... Report an error in the passage at 1:57:23 Highlight the passage at 1:57:23

1:57:56 We think that they do and yet we keep, of course, acting like they do. And so it's just sort of like keeping our mind permeated with this idea that not only do things not exist the way we think they do, but that we can change our experience of the world based on our actions. Like if we do more positive actions, more virtuous actions, we will have more pleasurable experiences. This is what the Buddha taught. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:56 Highlight the passage at 1:57:56

1:58:24 All of our suffering comes from negative experiences. It's negative in that it results in suffering. It's not negative in the thou shalt not kind of a way. It's negative in that it results in suffering. And so if we don't want to suffer, if we want happiness, we have to change the way we act, which is a huge baseline teaching of Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:24 Highlight the passage at 1:58:24

1:58:46 And we have the power to do that. Nobody else can change our reality. We talk about Buddhas. We make prayers to Buddhas. We make requests to Buddhas to clear obstacles. They're just little helpers. We're the ones that really have to do the work. They can't get in our minds. They can't change the way we think. They can't make us practice if we don't want to get up in the morning. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:46 Highlight the passage at 1:58:46

1:59:07 They can't make us change the way we speak to other people, whether we respect them and things like that. All of that has to come from the work that we do in our own minds. But they've laid out great teachings and they want to help us, you know, so it's sort of like they can help clear the path for us, but they can't do the work for us. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:07 Highlight the passage at 1:59:07

1:59:30 So, you know, one of my teachers gave this great example of the screaming boss. Has anybody heard my screaming boss story? Okay, so this is, it's sort of like the... The nectar and the water. One person, say I come into work tomorrow morning, luckily my boss doesn't scream at me, that's Michelle, but say that I work in an office, cubicle, and I have a boss that comes in and screams at me. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:30 Highlight the passage at 1:59:30

2:00:02 My experience of that boss is that he's inherently horrible, right? He's always horrible. He's loud. He's mean. He's always been mean, you know, because I'm having this completely negative immersion experience. Again, you could have this experience completely neutral. It's simply a buzz in the background and you're just making plans for dinner. You know, it's like... Report an error in the passage at 2:00:02 Highlight the passage at 2:00:02

2:00:22 Don't have any reaction to it whatsoever. You could be, Ed could be totally happy because he's like irritated that I've been on the phone all week. I've been late for work every day and I always seem to get away with it. And now I'm finally getting it and he's just like thrilled. So his experience of the whole thing is like total joy and delight. The same raw data, you know, the same round face screaming decibels, you know. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:22 Highlight the passage at 2:00:22

2:00:47 Person screaming, shaking fists, like all that stuff. He's perceiving and it's this wonderful, happy experience that will give him pleasure for days to come. And she's completely bored by the same experience. So it's the same raw data that we're all experiencing. He's not an inherently horrible person. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:47 Highlight the passage at 2:00:47

2:01:05 His wife loves him. You know, Ed likes him a lot right now. He's, you know, he actually, maybe he's done really wonderful things for me in the past and I just can't think about those today because I have to picture him as this ogre. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:05 Highlight the passage at 2:01:05

2:01:22 So I'm interpreting what's happening to me just based on, you know, my own negative mind, but my experience of it is totally due to my karma. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:22 Highlight the passage at 2:01:22

2:01:35 So what this gives us is this idea and this basic teaching of Buddhism is that we can create our own world. We can create our own reality or definitely our own experience of the world by understanding these teachings of karma. That's what Buddhism is all about. I mean, you wouldn't be able to become a Buddha if it weren't for karma and emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:35 Highlight the passage at 2:01:35

2:01:57 that's what makes it totally possible we aren't inherently again i am not this body this body is simply a result of my karma this time around it's housing my mind this time around if i would do my work really well then i might get one of those you know next time around maybe even this time around um so So understanding karma and emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:57 Highlight the passage at 2:01:57

2:02:23 That completely permeates and we'll talk about that in the next class where it's how are you going to go through the rest of your day after your meditation session and how are you going to see your reality based on what you do in your meditation session that changes your experience of this world, this reality into more of that. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:23 Highlight the passage at 2:02:23

2:02:45 How are we going to get from here to there? So. Yeah, so you're kind of reminding yourself of that. This is all part of sort of what is our goal. And our goal is determined by our karma and emptiness. It's determined by the fact that this universe, this place that we're in is completely a product of karma and emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:45 Highlight the passage at 2:02:45

2:03:09 It doesn't exist in any absolute way, even though it feels so solid right now. And part of understanding it... Emptiness especially can be really difficult and it doesn't mean that things don't exist. It's not going into nihilism at all. It's simply saying that things don't exist the way we think that they do. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:09 Highlight the passage at 2:03:09

2:03:29 And that's really important to get that difference. It's not saying that I don't exist at all. It's saying that I don't have some absolute solid reality. You guys all are probably having a completely different experience of me at this moment. Some negative, some positive, some neutral. And that's simply a karmic. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:29 Highlight the passage at 2:03:29

2:03:48 You know, result. That's you guys having a karmic manifestation of me. I am not any of those things, but yet I'm somehow all of those things. And that's true for everything. You know, it's not just people. Again, it's the pattern on the rug. You know, it's like every experience of our life is determined by karma and emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:48 Highlight the passage at 2:03:48

2:04:08 This is a lot for you to take in in the final 15 minutes of class. But it's important, and so I'll keep bringing it up, and that's kind of... The basic gist of it. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:08 Highlight the passage at 2:04:08

2:04:21 So we, you know, we are meditating on these lamrim topics to gain a really juicy experience of them that basically changes our whole way of dealing with reality. So it's a big thing that we're aiming for and we do it in these little... 20-minute daily sessions. That's what these sessions are about. That's why we set them up so well. That's why we dedicate them and motivate them and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:21 Highlight the passage at 2:04:21

2:04:53 We're really permeating our mind with these thoughts. And it takes time. It takes time. You're not going to gain an experience of karma in a 20-minute session. But you're going to get a taste. And then repeated taste leads to an experience. This idea that you are looking at the individual sessions, but then you're also looking at the long-term goal of literally changing your body into a body of light that can manifest beings to every being in need without any effort or thought. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:53 Highlight the passage at 2:04:53

2:05:30 It's like this incredible thing that we're shooting for and you've got to also keep that in your mind somehow because that's going to change, that's going to make you, that's going to motivate you wanting to change how you act to people and how, you know, restraining from punching the guy back, you know, restraining from yelling back at the boss, you know. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:30 Highlight the passage at 2:05:30

2:05:50 So it's like we have to focus both on how to get there but we also have to focus on where it is that we're going without it being a solid goal like. You know, for each session. It's simply to have your eye on the prize while you're sitting and doing your 15-20 minute a day meditation. So you become familiar and then you go deeper and then you go deeper and then you go deeper. And it takes a while. It takes years. You know, it takes years and years and years. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:50 Highlight the passage at 2:05:50

2:06:20 And you just are okay with that. That's what it's about. You know, it's not going to be... But you just don't know when that karma is going to ripen where you are going to have one of those moments of like, whoa, and they happen, you know, where you're just like, and that's why retreat is great because you don't have to go to work afterwards. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:20 Highlight the passage at 2:06:20

2:06:41 You can just go stare at the sky, you know. I mean, those moments do happen, and we don't know when our karma is such that it could happen. You know, tomorrow morning when you sit down, you could have one of those moments. You don't expect one, but you just... Don't know when it's going to happen because it could happen at any time. That's the cool thing about karma. Karma ripens when it ripens. So I think that's it. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:41 Highlight the passage at 2:06:41

2:07:09 I think we're just out of time. And I'll just finish up with a little of the stuff next time. We'll just do that each time. We'll take some of the end of the class right before and we'll start with it the next time. I do want to make a couple of quick announcements about stuff that's coming up. Report an error in the passage at 2:07:09 Highlight the passage at 2:07:09

2:07:28 I haven't talked to him yet, but I'm pretty sure he's going to offer refuge in a ceremony form on the 20th of April, which is a Sunday morning. If anyone is interested or would like to talk about it with me first, ask me questions and things like that, I'm happy to do that. um and i I would request that if anyone does want to do refuge that they do contact me just because I'd like to tell Geshe-Allah ahead of time so he has names picked out and things like that. Report an error in the passage at 2:07:28 Highlight the passage at 2:07:28

2:08:00 Even if you're not ready for that step, if you want to just come and watch and listen and look, watch, listen and look, then you can do that and that's kind of fun to do and just welcome people when they make that step. It's a nice thing to do. Oh, 10. 10 to 12. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:00 Highlight the passage at 2:08:00

2:08:19 And I'll tell you for sure next week I'm going to meet with him. He just got back. Venerable Bina is actually teaching a Saturday on the Four Noble Truths. How appropriate. On Saturday the 9th, so that's I guess two, what, three? Yeah, I guess it's two weeks or something like that. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:19 Highlight the passage at 2:08:19

2:08:41 It's called Four Steps to Happiness, but that's really on the Four Noble Truths. And she's also going to do a day long on daily practice. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:41 Highlight the passage at 2:08:41

2:08:50 And that's going to be a month later on March 8th, also a Saturday. Both of those are Saturdays. She's teaching this weekend, but it's a restricted class for people who have entered Tantra. This is the first time we've had her do that. So this weekend is not an open teaching, but all these other ones she teaches are. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:50 Highlight the passage at 2:08:50

2:09:09 She's also going to teach a couple of Tuesday nights, and it's all on the website now, so if people want to check out. Refuge, the Discovering Buddhism class on refuge starts this week. It's a six-week class and that's on Thursday nights. Geshe-la, like I said, is going to give teachings on the preparatory class practices in detail if you guys are interested in that. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:09 Highlight the passage at 2:09:09

2:09:33 It begins Sunday morning the 3rd of February and it's going to go for six weeks and again at 10 o 'clock. So, and those are completely open teachings and that would be great if you want to have more information on, if you just want to catch how he does the merit field, just come for that class. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:33 Highlight the passage at 2:09:33

2:09:53 And also just to let you know, we have a series, Friday night series that starts next Friday, the first on working with difficult emotions, like how you work with them. And there is specifically anger, like one week, resentment, one week. Attachment one week. I have to think of what they are. Depression one week. Like that. And we've gotten some different teachers up from the South Bay area who don't come very often. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:53 Highlight the passage at 2:09:53

2:10:21 So like Karuṇā Keaton, who is a long-time Buddhist practitioner, but also a therapist. A couple of Buddhist therapists in the lineup. John Landau is in the lineup, who was one of Lama Yashi's earliest students. He's been studying Buddhism for like 35 years. So, yeah, just some different faces, but familiar emotions. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:21 Highlight the passage at 2:10:21

2:10:48 So, anyway, there's a bunch of new stuff on the website if people want to check it out. And any final questions? And then we'll just do a final dedication. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:48 Highlight the passage at 2:10:48

2:11:01 The all-day practice day, that was the question for listeners at home, is on the 8th of March. International Women's Day, as I recall, from my earlier incarnation in this life. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:01 Highlight the passage at 2:11:01

2:11:16 I think it's called practice means, practice is simply changing your mind or something like that because it's based on a quote that she did in a teaching. She often says that practice just means changing your mind. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:16 Highlight the passage at 2:11:16

2:11:32 Oh, our practice day. Oh, I'm sorry. Well, that's on the 1st of March. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:32 Highlight the passage at 2:11:32

2:11:43 Starts next Friday, the 1st, yeah. And Rubina's doing the last one of that one. So she'll be the grand finale. She's doing fear, I think. So... Okay, all right. Anything else? Okay, so let's... Report an error in the passage at 2:11:43 Highlight the passage at 2:11:43

2:12:09 All of them are recorded. I mean, unless we screw up. Our intention is to record everything that's done here and to upload it. If it's restricted something, then that might not happen. But all the open teachings for sure are available. www.archive.org. Singular archive. I always put an S in there and it's not. So archive, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:09 Highlight the passage at 2:12:09

2:12:40 And then you just put in, you can put in the teacher's name or you can put in the, like if you know the name of the course, you could try putting that in. Or you can just put in Seichen Ling and see all the things that come up for us. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:40 Highlight the passage at 2:12:40

2:12:52 So it's not just our site, it's other, I mean, so there's like music and stuff on there too. It's just a place to park stuff in the Ethernet. So, yeah. Okay. So let's take a moment to dedicate. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:52 Highlight the passage at 2:12:52

2:13:10 Because we just took in a lot of information and we're turning it all around in our minds, hopefully producing not just agitated minds but butter or cream. Report an error in the passage at 2:13:10 Highlight the passage at 2:13:10

2:13:29 And may all the things that we just took in and are contemplating and will continue to contemplate this week. May it all help fertilize our minds so that we're able to generate these minds of bodhicitta, a direct perception of emptiness, and all the realizations that we need to progress on this path quickly so that we are able to increase our capacity to help not just ourselves, but all the beings in the whole world. Report an error in the passage at 2:13:29 Highlight the passage at 2:13:29

2:14:14 Homework! So your homework... Which of course in an ideal world I would have led you through this meditation but we just didn't have time. Is a meditation on precious human rebirth in a sort of, Report an error in the passage at 2:14:14 Highlight the passage at 2:14:14

2:14:32 I like this version. This is actually based on a version that Kendall Magnuson wrote and I like it a lot. It also incorporates the foundation of all good qualities. So you take time when you stop when you get to the verse that it's about. Precious Humanity Birth and then at the end you just finish reading the little text. It's a short text and it's the whole long room. Report an error in the passage at 2:14:32 Highlight the passage at 2:14:32

2:14:57 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 2:14:57 Highlight the passage at 2:14:57

2:15:06 Is there anybody in here who's still waiting for notes and homeworks from a previous class and you're getting all irritated at me? I think I'm up to date. Report an error in the passage at 2:15:06 Highlight the passage at 2:15:06

2:15:27 That was great. Report an error in the passage at 2:15:27 Highlight the passage at 2:15:27

2:15:36 Probably, if anybody would like to help, I think... I'm going to use a lot of this to set up for the morning puja, but if like one or two people, sorry? Yeah, it'll just be like, I think tomorrow is Wednesday, right? So we have five, we need five seats, so two on that side and three on this side. If somebody wants to help me, that would be great. Report an error in the passage at 2:15:36 Highlight the passage at 2:15:36

2:16:03 And if not, you can collect books. We Report an error in the passage at 2:16:03 Highlight the passage at 2:16:03

2:16:25 only need about five of them, so one side of the room they can go away and the other side they can stay. Report an error in the passage at 2:16:25 Highlight the passage at 2:16:25