Transforming Problems into the Path - How Problems Help (20 January 2011)

0:00 Back when we were watching Jon Stewart, and he was doing this whole riff on the store and stuff, and he was saying, don't even go outside, stay home, just order in. What did he say? Something like the magical Mexicans deliver the food. It was just like, I was like, Jon Stewart, you know, and he was like, what? And we were like, my God, there were so many delivery people. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:20 We were thinking, like, you know, a dozen of them here and there. Major chicken places. It was almost organized. It seemed like bike messengers, you know, where somebody said they didn't want to go, and then it was just like, they get them here and they pick it up and they deliver it, so they were like kind of congregated. Report an error in the passage at 0:20 Highlight the passage at 0:20

0:39 Yeah, but then we realized it was because business is great, you know, there was money to be made. They called in every single delivery guy. Report an error in the passage at 0:39 Highlight the passage at 0:39

0:49 I know, I just can't imagine why I'm like, bye, no good. I can't either. I'm from Buffalo. We don't bike in snow trucks. People ski. You think about it, you know, it's like you could do it better. Not in a bike. They were magical. They were magical. It was amazing. You saw one person carrying snowshoes. Central Park is impressive. Report an error in the passage at 0:49 Highlight the passage at 0:49

1:26 Is no one going to sit in the front before Shiki is going to be? Report an error in the passage at 1:26 Highlight the passage at 1:26

1:34 I jumped up there yesterday, last week because it was like there's nobody there in it. I don't think she needs to be right there. Report an error in the passage at 1:34 Highlight the passage at 1:34

1:38 done, guys. Maybe I'll do it again. Yeah. So, we've got a few different things we've been before. I don't know if I'm fortunate to... just work. We just work. We're working like Paul now, though. No, no. I see how it's just going. Oh, I'll remember. Well, that's right. You work like a VA. Well, I said... Oh, I was working. Because you're probably three years down in the pavement. Report an error in the passage at 1:38 Highlight the passage at 1:38

2:06 He's in Chelsea, it's okay. Report an error in the passage at 2:06 Highlight the passage at 2:06

2:12 Thank you. Thank you. And then I've actually, this cycle, I'm going to Emily's class on Tuesday. Did you learn wrong? Yeah. Awesome. Report an error in the passage at 2:12 Highlight the passage at 2:12

3:18 Hey, how are you? Report an error in the passage at 3:18 Highlight the passage at 3:18

3:22 Three things Report an error in the passage at 3:22 Highlight the passage at 3:22

3:28 that you might see I'm using. Report an error in the passage at 3:28 Highlight the passage at 3:28

3:33 I'll take a look at this. Wow. Cool. Report an error in the passage at 3:33 Highlight the passage at 3:33

3:36 I started like doing scanning barcodes with my iPhone. Have you ever done that one? Oh, it's awesome. That's awesome. I'm totally going to look at this. I just need to go and register. I didn't do it last week. Thank you. I'll write them down. Report an error in the passage at 3:36 Highlight the passage at 3:36

4:10 Hello, how are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm good. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 4:10 Highlight the passage at 4:10

4:31 Thank you. know what I am too, I'll just sit down at least in the toilet or something. I know you'd rather have any of that. That's good, yeah. I'd rather just be like, what's up front and then, you know. Sure. I know you're going to have like a really tough situation. Oh. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Okay. I'm kind of excited to see you. Report an error in the passage at 4:31 Highlight the passage at 4:31

4:51 Oh. Hi. How's it going? Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. You sure can, but why don't you go in and and you you can can come. come and do that on the break. Why is there a great book? It's awesome. You can go back up to my break. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 4:51 Highlight the passage at 4:51

5:13 She sets me on any further. I'll try not to do it from the back of the room. Report an error in the passage at 5:13 Highlight the passage at 5:13

· · · silence, 1 minute

6:05 Hi, come on in. If you haven't been here before, that's okay. We'll talk about what to do. Just find a seat. Report an error in the passage at 6:05 Highlight the passage at 6:05

6:17 She's like forced to sit in the front row. How horrible. I promise I won't call on you because I always like calling these guys. Report an error in the passage at 6:17 Highlight the passage at 6:17

6:29 I'm gonna... Pass around the roster again in case there are people that are here that were not here on the first night. And is Susan here tonight, David? Yeah, there you are. For some reason, my email bounced. So maybe I didn't read it right, so maybe come up on the break. No, it's okay, just on the break. Come up and let's look at it and see what maybe I might have done wrong. Report an error in the passage at 6:29 Highlight the passage at 6:29

6:53 Oh, you know what I did? I gave you an EAR, a heart. That's what I did instead of an H-A-R-T. Well, I just did. I didn't want to send out the, for people who wanted the binders as a PDF, I just sent it to the whole list. It just seemed easier because then I'd start creating a group. And so I didn't send it out before the class because those that are getting the hard copy are getting it tonight. Report an error in the passage at 6:53 Highlight the passage at 6:53

7:20 And I didn't want you guys, the PDF group, to be ahead of the manual group, you know, so. So I waited until 15 minutes before class time. That's right. I knew you guys were just going to be up all night reading it, so I did want to do that. Start having divisiveness in our class, especially a class on bodhicitta. It wouldn't be appropriate at all. Okay, we're going to start with a meditation on the breath and then setting our motivation and also kind of allows people to sneak back in or, you know. Report an error in the passage at 7:20 Highlight the passage at 7:20

7:56 People that might be late because of work or parking or something like that to sneak in quietly so don't glare at them when they come in. Just take some nice deep belly breaths. Report an error in the passage at 7:56 Highlight the passage at 7:56

8:16 Let go of your week, let go of your day, let go of your evening so far. Use your breath to bring your mind and your body into the room. Report an error in the passage at 8:16 Highlight the passage at 8:16

8:37 If it helps you can imagine breathing out all your distractions and sluggishness. Report an error in the passage at 8:37 Highlight the passage at 8:37

8:47 Anxiety or any negative states in mind. And then in the form of black smoke or black light. And then you can also breathe back in everything you need. So clarity, curiosity, concentration, alertness. And Report an error in the passage at 8:47 Highlight the passage at 8:47

9:31 then after your mind starts to calm down a little bit, just try to watch your breath. Whatever that means to you. And Report an error in the passage at 9:31 Highlight the passage at 9:31

· · · silence, 1 minute

10:10 then we'll just start with cultivating a good motivation for tonight's class. Report an error in the passage at 10:10 Highlight the passage at 10:10

10:28 I always start with just thinking that there's probably not that many other classes and these teachings going on tonight in this city, even this great city. So we should really rejoice. Report an error in the passage at 10:28 Highlight the passage at 10:28

10:50 And there's going to be a lot of terms and concepts talked about in tonight's class. So just remember that no matter what, whether you totally understand them or even relate to them at this point, You still get imprints according to the teachings on the mind and how karma works. We get these great imprints or seeds. Report an error in the passage at 10:50 Highlight the passage at 10:50

11:16 And those seeds are carried in our mind streams until conditions come together and they ripen. Report an error in the passage at 11:16 Highlight the passage at 11:16

11:26 So no matter what we understand, no matter how much we're able to practice in this life, we've made this connection. We've done it in this life. We've met the Dharma. We've met the Buddhist teachings. Report an error in the passage at 11:26 Highlight the passage at 11:26

11:43 And it's like our field has just been planted. And so now all the conditions have to come together for us to actually apply those teachings, help them to grow, help them to strengthen and become part of who we are. Report an error in the passage at 11:43 Highlight the passage at 11:43

12:06 And it begins tonight. Report an error in the passage at 12:06 Highlight the passage at 12:06

12:12 This is the only way that we can become Buddhists. It takes time, it takes practice, it takes effort. And it begins with understanding. Report an error in the passage at 12:12 Highlight the passage at 12:12

12:26 So may whatever seeds are planted from tonight's class take root in each of our minds and take us all the way to Buddhahood, no matter how many lifetimes that might take. Report an error in the passage at 12:26 Highlight the passage at 12:26

12:43 May we do it for the benefit of every living being. When Report an error in the passage at 12:43 Highlight the passage at 12:43

13:01 you're ready, you can end your meditation and we'll start with opening prayer. Report an error in the passage at 13:01 Highlight the passage at 13:01

13:21 So turn to page 8 in the white booklet in front of you and there should be a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Report an error in the passage at 13:21 Highlight the passage at 13:21

13:36 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. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain. Report an error in the passage at 13:36 Highlight the passage at 13:36

14:04 And dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 14:04 Highlight the passage at 14:04

14:16 Well, welcome to some new faces. I see some new faces tonight. Hi, how are you doing? Nice to see you again. And so last week we did take a moment to kind of go around. So we might just take a moment after or right before the break. And even those of you that were here last week can at least say your names, even though people won't necessarily remember, myself included, as I was just discussing with Jeremy in the bookstore. Report an error in the passage at 14:16 Highlight the passage at 14:16

14:44 I'm great with faces and really lousy with names, but it kind of helps to hear them. And so all of us can hear them. And then the people that are joining this week can kind of feel more welcomed too. So it's like a little ritual to bear up. Report an error in the passage at 14:44 Highlight the passage at 14:44

15:04 announcement, I did want to mention... And I do want to mention periodically that we have introduction to meditation twice a week, let's say Chen Ling, Thursday evenings at 5.30, right before this class, and then Saturday mornings. And if you are not familiar with meditation, it kind of gives you an introduction to meditation in this particular tradition. And if you are familiar, it's still a great thing to do, especially if your practice needs a little... Report an error in the passage at 15:04 Highlight the passage at 15:04

15:34 So I just highly recommend it if you're able to come. It's a great thing to do. So 5.30 Thursdays and 9 o 'clock Saturday mornings. That's my advertisement. Check in. Does anybody have any questions or comments or things they want to share about either the class last week or the homework assignment or anything that might have come up for you during the week or anything like that? Report an error in the passage at 15:34 Highlight the passage at 15:34

16:06 Before we start, Marcela. I was trying to practice about, as you request, thinking about what's the reason, you know, to be here. I was practicing during my daily meditation and was very useful because, you know, paying more attention and be a little more clear about... Report an error in the passage at 16:06 Highlight the passage at 16:06

16:37 The reason that I'm here and what I can do to be more beneficial for others was really good that I was trying to do it more. Report an error in the passage at 16:37 Highlight the passage at 16:37

16:50 That's great. That's good. Yeah. That's a big part of, I mean, in this particular case, we were sort of thinking more about bodhicitta, but thinking about trying to set a bodhicitta motivation. Report an error in the passage at 16:50 Highlight the passage at 16:50

17:05 Remembering that with every little thing that we do is actually, that's huge practice right then and there, you know. And then actually remembering to dedicate things along the way too is also a huge practice. I'm always really amazed if I can remember, because I do a lot of my mantras and things as I'm walking, and then if I remember at the end to actually dedicate it, much less to motivate it, like halfway through, I'm like, oh yeah, I've got this. Report an error in the passage at 17:05 Highlight the passage at 17:05

17:29 I'll just start doing them. So that feels like a good day. I actually remember to do that. But yeah, it's training. It's just like Lojong. It's just training the mind. And the more we do it, it's kind of like learning a language. The more we do it, the more natural it feels and the more we remember to do it. Report an error in the passage at 17:29 Highlight the passage at 17:29

17:50 And come on in. We saved your seat for you. I'm glad you made it after all. Yeah. Anybody else? Any comments about the meditation or the contemplation? That's right, we put it in a really hard place, but we did save it. Report an error in the passage at 17:50 Highlight the passage at 17:50

18:20 Hurdles, a few hurdles. Okay, well tonight we're going to spend a little bit of time on the... The lamrim contemplations that are taught to be preliminary practices for the practice of Lojang. And Charles is desperately in there making copies that hopefully you can bring home with you to continue to study with it, which I threw on him at the last minute. Report an error in the passage at 18:20 Highlight the passage at 18:20

18:49 I was actually at the last minute and I thought, well, it's just impossible, I'm not going to get it done. And he was like, I'll do it. So we can thank Charles. It's actually just... For those of you who might be familiar with it, there's a book called Peacock and the Poison Grove. People heard that one? Have you heard of it? I saw your head kind of move. Report an error in the passage at 18:49 Highlight the passage at 18:49

19:08 It's a great book. It's actually two Lojong texts, that one, the Peacock and the Poison Grove, and then the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, which is also a Lojong text. Report an error in the passage at 19:08 Highlight the passage at 19:08

19:23 And it was, I guess this is commentary. It's commentary. by Geshe Sopa, who is one of Lama Zopa's gurus and one of the first Tibetan lamas in America, actually. He has been a professor many, many, many, many years, like 40 years or something like that, up in Madison, Wisconsin, Deer Park. Report an error in the passage at 19:23 Highlight the passage at 19:23

19:51 His introduction to it, so I actually just wanted to copy that because he goes into introducing mind training. Which I thought was a good introduction to mind training. So that's what you'll get with your homework. But Indan, he really talks about these four initial topics. And they are all topics within the lamrim or the graduated path to enlightenment. That's all lamrim means. So you'll hear me say these certain words, either Tibetan words or Sanskrit words. Report an error in the passage at 19:51 Highlight the passage at 19:51

20:18 And I'm trying, I'll try to, I always try to. Define them in some way, but sometimes I sort of bandy them about so don't feel like, oh my god, everybody else knows what lamrim is and I don't know what it is. Lamrim simply means graduated path. Lam is path and rim is graduated, like steps, little steps, you know. Report an error in the passage at 20:18 Highlight the passage at 20:18

20:41 And so we talk about lamrim. Teachings as being these actual topics that we meditate on that were all sūtra-based topics taught by the Buddha that were arranged into a certain order that helps over and over again when we meditate and contemplate on them over and over again. They help our minds to become enlightened. That's sort of the point. And this teaching falls in the lamrim. Report an error in the passage at 20:41 Highlight the passage at 20:41

21:11 And we talked about that a little bit last week. And those of you that are coming tonight for the first time, if you are going to continue to do the class, mark, when the roster goes around, mark your name and put something like a star, and then I'll know to send my notes from last time so you'll know what you missed. Report an error in the passage at 21:11 Highlight the passage at 21:11

21:32 I end the homework, too, and you'll know kind of what everybody else, what we talked about last time. And when I send out my notes from the class, there's always a lot more information than I actually got to. I always come in there a lot and then all this other stuff happens. So the person who gets the notes actually probably gets more information. That's not a good reason to not come to class. Report an error in the passage at 21:32 Highlight the passage at 21:32

21:58 So anyway, so we'll talk about those four topics tonight and then this week you'll sort of contemplate those four topics. And we'll actually have a little bit of time. Tonight to break up into twos and we're going to discuss something about those topics that might have led us to the Dharma to begin with. Report an error in the passage at 21:58 Highlight the passage at 21:58

22:17 Because often these are sort of catalyst topics that can bring us to the Dharma. So anyway, I wanted to define Lojong again. We talked about it briefly last week, but a little bit about what these teachings are. This class was called... Actually, I don't remember what this class was called because I change it every time, but I think it's called Transforming Problems into Happiness or just Transforming Problems. Report an error in the passage at 22:17 Highlight the passage at 22:17

22:46 It comes from a genre of teachings that's called Lojang, and Lo is mind in Tibetan, and jang is training or developing or cultivating, transforming, so it can be called all those things, mind training, thought transformation. Report an error in the passage at 22:46 Highlight the passage at 22:46

23:05 And it's basically referring to this really methodical approach to strengthen and enhance this mind of bodhicitta. There's another one of those foreign words. Report an error in the passage at 23:05 Highlight the passage at 23:05

23:19 We don't really have a lot of English for some of these words because not enough of us have developed bodhicitta, but once we do, then I think we'll start having good English words for it. I think that really is it. I think once we ourselves have these realizations, then our terms will be more meaningful. Report an error in the passage at 23:19 Highlight the passage at 23:19

23:39 I think once we have a direct perception of emptiness, it'll be easier to explain it. Because we'll know what it is. Now it's like translator to translator to translator. It's kind of a little bit oblique. And the same is true with bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 23:39 Highlight the passage at 23:39

23:57 Bodhicitta is a mind that actually is made up of two parts. The wish to become enlightened, perfect mind, which is basically what enlightenment is. The wish to develop that mind that's perfect. Report an error in the passage at 23:57 Highlight the passage at 23:57

24:13 Number two, for the benefit of all sentient beings. So out of compassion, out of wanting to remove the suffering of all sentient beings, then one wishes to get enlightened. So you have to have both of those two. Just wanting to be a Buddha isn't enough. Report an error in the passage at 24:13 Highlight the passage at 24:13

24:33 And just wanting to remove suffering isn't enough either. Because the wanting to become a Buddha shows that you really want to act on it. You know, I might really, really want to go to India, but unless I go through the steps of standing in line at the visa office and, you know, working really hard to buy a ticket and, you know, getting the water purifier and the right kind of shoes and all that stuff, then I'm not ever really going to get to India. Report an error in the passage at 24:33 Highlight the passage at 24:33

24:59 It'll just remain a pipe dream. And often that's what happens with our wish for enlightenment too. So we have to keep it in mind why we want to get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 24:59 Highlight the passage at 24:59

25:08 Lojang is what happens. So we generate this mind, you know, we're good little students and we meditate and we strongly contemplate how to develop compassion and how to develop bodhicitta and we do all the steps and we develop bodhicitta, you know, so we generate this mind. Well, unfortunately, it does slip back. You know, we get off the cushion, we have a great meditation and then we... Report an error in the passage at 25:08 Highlight the passage at 25:08

25:34 Get pissed off at somebody in the kitchen, which is what happened to me this week. Report an error in the passage at 25:34 Highlight the passage at 25:34

25:41 You know, something happens off the meditation, out in the world, off the meditation seat, and we lose it again, you know. And so then we just go and we keep developing it. So that's what you do with meditation, with bodhicitta. You have to keep going through the steps, keep going through the meditations, and the mind gets stronger and stronger and stronger. Report an error in the passage at 25:41 Highlight the passage at 25:41

25:38 Um. Um. Um. Report an error in the passage at 25:38 Highlight the passage at 25:38

26:04 And Lojong, the Lojong teachings are teachings that help us enhance and strengthen that mind so that we can hang on to it. And ultimately, we do reach a point where we have this irreversible realization, basically, of bodhicitta. And then it doesn't slip away. Then we don't lose it. So that's what we're shooting for. Because then we can just keep moving forward instead of all that kind of up and down stuff that we're doing right now. Report an error in the passage at 26:04 Highlight the passage at 26:04

26:34 So Lobsang is this really radical method of transforming how we view reality. So when we say transforming problems into happiness, what's happening is we're transforming our attitude about what it is that's happening to us and how I might be able to use it on the path. So that's what we're transforming. So we're transforming both our mind and also the things that happen to us due to our karma. So last time I talked a lot about how we don't become masochists as Lojong yogis. Report an error in the passage at 26:34 Highlight the passage at 26:34

27:12 And that's kind of what we're becoming in this class, as little Lojong yogis. Nobody has to know that we're practicing this. We're like secret Lojong yogis. Um, but, um, Report an error in the passage at 27:12 Highlight the passage at 27:12

27:24 We just transform what naturally is going to be coming to us anyway. So we're not asking for more problems. We're not looking for more problems. But, you know, unfortunately we're going to get problems. And since we already have problems, then this is just a method to work with them. However, it's like a 180 shift from the way we normally think. Report an error in the passage at 27:24 Highlight the passage at 27:24

27:46 And so what we're... So it is really radical. I mean, it's hugely radical. And for a long time, these teachings were kept very secret. And we talked about this last week, too. It is very methodical, and we sort of have to just keep, just like with bodhicitta, we have to just keep... Going through the methods and repeating the methods and practicing it and screwing up and starting over and doing it again. And I mention that because a lot of times with Buddhist teachings there's this confusion that intellectually understanding what the book said or the teacher said or something like that is the same as a realization and it's not. Report an error in the passage at 27:46 Highlight the passage at 27:46

28:30 We might understand the words. It takes a heck of a long time to actually really realize the practice. So that it becomes second nature. And that's what we're trying to do is get to the point where it's as natural as going to the kitchen when you're hungry. That you would want to benefit somebody else with that same amount of lack of thought. Report an error in the passage at 28:30 Highlight the passage at 28:30

28:54 If I'm hungry and I go to the kitchen and get something to eat, I don't have to think that I'm such a wonderful person because I'm feeding myself, right? Report an error in the passage at 28:54 Highlight the passage at 28:54

29:04 And ultimately that's what we want to get to for other people too, where we just naturally help them and we naturally work for their benefit without thinking we're so wonderful or without even trying. It's just so natural, you know? So it's kind of like that. It's like that. So the lineage of the Lojang teachings. They came from the Buddha and they were passed on to him, by him, sorry, to Manjushri and from Manjushri to Shantideva. Report an error in the passage at 29:04 Highlight the passage at 29:04

29:33 Shantideva... Report an error in the passage at 29:33 Highlight the passage at 29:33

29:36 He talks about them in quite a lot of detail in his Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, which is the text that Geshe-la has been teaching on Wednesday nights. Geshe-la now is in India for three months, but he goes into quite a bit of detail on the exchange of self-cherishing mind with the mind cherishing others. Report an error in the passage at 29:36 Highlight the passage at 29:36

29:58 Exchange of self and others is that practice. Report an error in the passage at 29:58 Highlight the passage at 29:58

30:05 From Shantideva, it passed through a number of Indian pandits to Sir Lingpa. Does anybody recognize that name, Sir Lingpa? Sir Lingpa was Atisha's Lama. That's the one Atisha went by boat. He was actually in Indonesia and he went by boat to find him. To find his Lama. And it took him months. And even then when he got there, he still checked up on him before he received teachings, which I just think is a really amazing teaching. Report an error in the passage at 30:05 Highlight the passage at 30:05

30:37 I mean, it took him months and months. He went by boat. And then he got off and he's still like, hey, what about this sir lingpa? Should I go, you know, should I go hear him talk? Most of us will just happily go to, you know, a lecture and just become, you know, a disciple immediately that night without checking up on anything. Report an error in the passage at 30:37 Highlight the passage at 30:37

30:55 Times have changed. Report an error in the passage at 30:55 Highlight the passage at 30:55

31:03 Atisha is a key person for us because Atisha, who is still an Indian master, is who brought Buddhism to Tibet for the second time. There was a second flourishing of the Dharma in the 10th century. So Atisha brought these teachings with him to Tibet. then through Report an error in the passage at 31:03 Highlight the passage at 31:03

31:24 And there all of his disciples, the number of disciples that followed him, became what's known as the Kadampa Masters or the Kadampa Geshes. Report an error in the passage at 31:24 Highlight the passage at 31:24

31:36 This particular teaching was one of those very secret teachings that was called the Ear Whispered Teaching. So the Lama would choose one of his disciples. And he would just teach it to one. If he found even one, he would teach it to just one disciple. So Atisha taught this teaching to Jantampa. Report an error in the passage at 31:36 Highlight the passage at 31:36

32:01 He taught them to Geshe Potawa. Geshe Potawa taught them to Geshe Langri Thangpa. Does anybody recognize his name? He's the author of the eight verses. That's going to be our root text. Report an error in the passage at 32:01 Highlight the passage at 32:01

32:19 And so, yeah, so then I'll get into a little bit more of that story. So Geshe Langkri Thangpa, or Thangpa, his sort of code name was the Diamond Lion, or Dorje Senge, or you could call him the Vajra Lion as well. Report an error in the passage at 32:19 Highlight the passage at 32:19

32:45 And at that time, when we talk about this group of teachers calling them the Kadampa Geshes, that just meant master teachers. It didn't mean that they would follow a line of study the way that our Geshes have. Now Geshe is almost like a doctorate degree, but at that time it just meant that they were masters of philosophy, probably a little more yogi-esque than philosophy masters, but you know what I mean. Report an error in the passage at 32:45 Highlight the passage at 32:45

33:12 It just meant that they were... They had reached a level of mastery. He lived from 1054 to 1123. I like to know these things, actually, because I think a lot of times in Buddhist teachings we don't hear the context, and I like to kind of figure out where it is in relation to our history and what we were doing, you know, when these guys were so amazing. Report an error in the passage at 33:12 Highlight the passage at 33:12

33:35 We were usually fighting wars of some sort or butchering people or taking over countries or something and calling it our own. Report an error in the passage at 33:35 Highlight the passage at 33:35

33:44 He wrote the eight verses of Thought Transformation, which again, we'll use as our root text. And they became very widely known, studied throughout Tibet. But there is a deeper meaning of him that he only taught to his immediate disciple, Geshe Sharawa. So Master Chokawa, who also became one of the Kadampa masters, Report an error in the passage at 33:44 Highlight the passage at 33:44

34:14 Read these eight verses and was particularly struck by the fifth verse, which is really focusing on eliminating competitiveness, that competitiveness that most of us have in some way. So he went off in search of Geshe Langri Tangpa, wanting to ask him to become his guru, to teach him these verses and tell him exactly what he meant. Report an error in the passage at 34:14 Highlight the passage at 34:14

34:34 But unfortunately, he got there right after he passed away. So then he pled with this Geshe Sharawa and asked him to teach him. Please, please, please teach me these verses, and especially verse number five. And he agreed, and so he taught them. As a result, Geshe Chekua wrote the seven-point mind training text, which is basically a commentary on the eight verses. Report an error in the passage at 34:34 Highlight the passage at 34:34

34:58 So the eight verses is a really short text, and the seven-point mind training is anything but. It's quite a bit longer and quite juicy. It's a lovely text, but would take us. Months and months and months to go through. So we're choosing the root text. We're going with the smaller text. And Geshe Chaka was the one who took this from being this private teaching from just Lama to disciple to one special disciple, not even all disciples. Report an error in the passage at 34:58 Highlight the passage at 34:58

35:29 He's the one that publicized it and made it bigger because he began to realize that he didn't know who was... I mean, how did he know? That was kind of his question. How do I know who has the... The karma to really take these teachings and go with them, because he saw his brother, who was kind of considered this layabout monk, take these teachings and totally transform his mind. Report an error in the passage at 35:29 Highlight the passage at 35:29

35:56 And so he thought, well, you know, how do I know? I'm going to go ahead and publicize them. So he wrote this commentary, and the commentary was publicized and then taught in public, and that was the beginning of, fortunately, the lineage down to us, which is why. Many of us have received these teachings. So this is how it all, that's how it all started. Report an error in the passage at 35:56 Highlight the passage at 35:56

36:21 These are the initial teachings. So we're going to talk about these preliminary teachings that Geshe Chokhawa felt was sort of common ground of all the lamrim. If we haven't all studied all the lamrim before now, then at least we should have some understanding of these four topics. And so this is, again, what you got to You guys will be contemplating this week and thinking about a little bit throughout this class and then in discussion and then in meditation this week. So there's four. Report an error in the passage at 36:21 Highlight the passage at 36:21

36:53 I'll give you the four and then I'll go into some detail with them. The first is what's called precious human rebirth or the leisure and fortune. I always like freedom better than leisure. Leisure sounds like leisure suits, you know. My dad really loved leisure suits and I really don't want to go there right now. So that's not what we're aiming for. Report an error in the passage at 36:53 Highlight the passage at 36:53

37:13 Impermanence and death is the second. Report an error in the passage at 37:13 Highlight the passage at 37:13

37:18 Taking refuge is the third. And karma. Gotta throw in karma. Karma is the fourth. So precious human rebirth. Those of us who take a lot of notes, PHB. Report an error in the passage at 37:18 Highlight the passage at 37:18

37:39 It comes up all the time, believe me, you'll need to know that. I have this, actually, Lynn Sonnenberg, who is a long-time student here who is in retreat this month. We were trading notes one time, and it is funny, you do come up with the same shorthand for these teachings so that you can take notes really, really fast, especially with people like Geshe-la and Lama Zopa Rinpoche when they're teaching. Report an error in the passage at 37:39 Highlight the passage at 37:39

38:03 So PHB, Precious Human Rebirth. It's important to know When we talk about precious human rebirth, we're really talking about this amazing opportunity that we have right now to study and practice these teachings. So we're talking about being human, but we're talking about being a specific kind of human, because as we all know, not all human beings have the same opportunities to study and practice the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 38:03 Highlight the passage at 38:03

38:32 So when we talk about the leisures and the fortunes or the freedoms and the fortunes, we're talking about what we're free of and what we have. And there are specific teachings around this. You're not going to get into detail. Each one of these is really covered in like a two-month class, a DB class. So what I'm just doing is presenting the bare essentials so that we can all be on the same page, even those of us who haven't studied that much. Report an error in the passage at 38:32 Highlight the passage at 38:32

38:58 So that going forward, you know, we don't have to spend as much time on these because these will all come up. And they sort of help us have a reason for even doing this. Because it's much more than an interesting idea. It should actually have an overriding meaningfulness, purpose in studying this. So this is kind of what gives us that reason. So for Precious Human Rebirth, we're thinking about Report an error in the passage at 38:58 Highlight the passage at 38:58

39:29 These excellent qualities that we have and we really have to contemplate this. I mean what we end up coming up with, I mean precious human rebirth is when we contemplate it deeply and we really understand it and we apply it to ourselves, it should make us really happy and give us energy. That's the way it should, you should come out of that meditation feeling really psyched. It should be really... Report an error in the passage at 39:29 Highlight the passage at 39:29

39:57 And in fact, they say if you're ever depressed or if your mind gets heavy and dark and depressed in meditation, that it's, you can, I mean, if it's really bad, which happens sometimes, and your mind gets really kind of dark and heavy. Stop for a moment, contemplate your precious human rebirth and then return to your meditation because it literally lifts the mind, brightens the mind. Report an error in the passage at 39:57 Highlight the passage at 39:57

40:23 So that's what it should have, should have that effect. So we contemplate basically that we weren't born as animals, that we weren't born as insects, that we weren't born in places of war or poverty, extreme poverty. Report an error in the passage at 40:23 Highlight the passage at 40:23

40:44 Famine or disaster, that we weren't born as hell beings for those of us who know these different realms and have any understanding or faith in them. Or just that we weren't born in a situation where we would never come into contact with these particular teachings. And there's loads of them. So if you can't get into the realms at all, which is fair enough, then just contemplate on not being born in hell. Report an error in the passage at 40:44 Highlight the passage at 40:44

41:16 Parts of this city where you might not even come into contact with the Dharma. You don't have to go too far out of San Francisco to come across people and situations where you might not even have an interest in meeting the teachings of Buddhism. Or you might be so distracted by your good fortune that you may not want to study, which happens too. Report an error in the passage at 41:16 Highlight the passage at 41:16

41:42 We focus a lot on the negative situations, but some people are really distracted by all their pleasure, sometimes actually more so. Report an error in the passage at 41:42 Highlight the passage at 41:42

41:52 What it allows us to have, if we are free of all those things, it allows us to actually have a little bit of time and a little bit of energy to focus on spiritual practice, which is a really rare thing. It's really, really rare. Report an error in the passage at 41:52 Highlight the passage at 41:52

42:10 And a lot of times we don't appreciate it if we have that time because we keep thinking that we're going to have something better. You know, I'm going to have a better apartment. I'm going to have a little more time at some point. I'm going to have a better house or a better apartment or a better boyfriend or a better girlfriend or a better life or a better mind. Report an error in the passage at 42:10 Highlight the passage at 42:10

42:29 I keep waiting for the better mind. Report an error in the passage at 42:29 Highlight the passage at 42:29

42:34 You know, and the reality is we don't really know. We may never have anything better than what we have right now, so let's get to it, you know. We're free of those really bad conditions, and that's enough, you know. We have a basic level of good health and good mental health, which a lot of people don't have, you know. Report an error in the passage at 42:34 Highlight the passage at 42:34

42:57 So it's kind of like counting your blessings. It's like the Tibetan version of counting your blessings. And I like to put it in that sense because a lot of times the traditional method is you have these lists and you memorize these lists and you go through all these lists. But really just spending time counting your blessings can bring up the same positive results in your mind and make you just decide to go for it because you just don't know how long your precious human rebirth will last. Report an error in the passage at 42:57 Highlight the passage at 42:57

43:24 The reality is that our precious human rebirth doesn't always end with just our death. It can end because conditions change in our life. You know, we might have to suddenly go home and take care of our aging parent. Or we may have some disease that hits. We may lose our eyesight. You know, things like that. So things can happen that makes, we may just lose interest. And I've known people in my amount of time in the Dharma, which isn't even as long as others, where people who were so enthusiastic, just lost. Report an error in the passage at 43:24 Highlight the passage at 43:24

44:02 Gave away all their books and I actually had the experience where one woman who I had been quite close to during one of the first couple of years that I studied showed up at the center one day with all of her belongings, all her Dharma things and just dropped them off. And she didn't recognize me and it actually took me a moment to recognize her and then I was just blown away because it can happen. Karma shifts. Report an error in the passage at 44:02 Highlight the passage at 44:02

44:26 We'll get to karma later. Report an error in the passage at 44:26 Highlight the passage at 44:26

44:30 But also, we weren't born into these incredibly fantastic experiences where all we want to do is party and, you know, make movies and, you know, travel, which is not a bad thing to do. Report an error in the passage at 44:30 Highlight the passage at 44:30

44:46 You know, and according to the Buddhist teachings, there are realms like that that last for many, many, many years or eons, they say. We're basically, we're just wasting all of our good karma, you know, the god realms, these gods and demigods, they say demigods or asuras and asuras. Report an error in the passage at 44:46 Highlight the passage at 44:46

45:07 And the demigods are always jealous of the gods. We have this huge jealousy thing worked out. So it's like the, you know, the starring role, movie stars, and then the grade B, you know, starlets. is. Report an error in the passage at 45:07 Highlight the passage at 45:07

45:22 New kids on the block, you don't quite get mentioned in Vanity Fair. And that jealousy thing that happens. So we could just waste a lot of our time that way. And I think many of us have had the experience, like in our teens or 20s or something like that, where we just wasted a lot of time like this. It's not to say that we shouldn't have gone through that phase of our life, because sometimes it's useful to remember what a colossal waste of time it can be. Report an error in the passage at 45:22 Highlight the passage at 45:22

45:50 But, but But we don't have to continue doing that, and we can be thankful that we may not have so many opportunities to waste that time right now. And to come out of this contemplation, really having this determination to use this time meaningfully, that's kind of what the point is. So you're contemplating what we don't have, we're contemplating what we have, and basically then we know there's really nothing standing in our way except our own effort. Report an error in the passage at 45:50 Highlight the passage at 45:50

46:18 You know, so it kind of becomes like, you know, horse out of the gate, you know, we're like, yeah, you know, or that should be the idea. Report an error in the passage at 46:18 Highlight the passage at 46:18

46:27 Yeah, so that's precious human rebirth in a nutshell. That's kind of the basic idea of precious human rebirth. And you'll get notes on this for the contemplation and also you'll have Geshe Sopa's notes, you know, to look at too. Report an error in the passage at 46:27 Highlight the passage at 46:27

46:44 The second one is impermanence and death. And when we talk about impermanence and death, we're focusing on impermanence, but we're also especially focusing on our own impermanence, right? Because, I mean, we might get sad if the cup breaks, but we're probably not going to start a spiritual life because of that. Report an error in the passage at 46:44 Highlight the passage at 46:44

47:07 I mean, you guys might really like this cup, but for me, it would take a little bit more than that cup breaking. To sort of shift my life. However, it is really important to contemplate all of impermanence and not just death and impermanence. Because impermanence is just, it's powerful from the level of everything changing, right? So our mind changing, our body changing, this room changing, all of reality constantly changing, which is really different than the way it feels. Report an error in the passage at 47:07 Highlight the passage at 47:07

47:41 You know, we might. Intellectually understand that, but we have to repeatedly remind ourselves because we get into this situation where we think things will go on forever. And we do this all the time. And any change, any change, you know, at the center, we have a new director now, any change in our living space, any change in our relationships, any change in ourselves, both good and bad, may just thoroughly shock us. Report an error in the passage at 47:41 Highlight the passage at 47:41

48:14 And it shouldn't, you know. And we hear words in the news like, what should have been, you know, when they're talking about a tragedy. And it's like, by whose rules, you know? Report an error in the passage at 48:14 Highlight the passage at 48:14

48:27 Everything constantly shifts and changes and things happen all the time that are not good. That's what saṃsāra is all about. Report an error in the passage at 48:27 Highlight the passage at 48:27

48:37 So impermanence helps us... It actually is a step towards understanding reality as it really is. It's a step towards understanding emptiness, even though it's not emptiness. So it is really important for us to think about all of impermanence. And I remember one time in retreat, my teacher, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who's over the door, that's why I kind of look up like that, that I think he might be here, but I look at him sometimes. Report an error in the passage at 48:37 Highlight the passage at 48:37

49:07 He told me to... I contemplate impermanence and death every day. And so I thought about death in the morning and impermanence at night because I didn't want to go to sleep with death. Wake up with death and go to sleep with impermanence. But it was quite powerful because I had no guideline. I didn't really know what I was doing. So I just, you know, I had this whole other retreat that I was doing in the middle of that. Report an error in the passage at 49:07 Highlight the passage at 49:07

49:33 But I would think about impermanence in lots of different ways, including all of the best friends I've ever had, all the rooms I've ever lived in, all my favorite hobbies and how that shifts over time. So just thinking about things like that, you can really see how it shifts, all my pets, all the pets that I've had over time. Report an error in the passage at 49:33 Highlight the passage at 49:33

50:00 All my favorite foods over time. Because you get this idea, because we sort of think, I am what I am, right? Like Popeye says. I am what I am and I've always been this way and I always will be this way. No, that's not right. And not only that, but when we sell each other short too, right? So this begins to break that down. Report an error in the passage at 50:00 Highlight the passage at 50:00

50:20 But ultimately, of course, the most profound contemplation of impermanence is the contemplation of death. So we start with thinking about, The death of people and loved ones and animals and people that we're close to and people that we've read about. And even, you know, historically over time, that first, you know, you might think about celebrities or you might think about famous people, but everyone has died, you know, so there's nobody who hasn't died. Report an error in the passage at 50:20 Highlight the passage at 50:20

50:54 So it begins to sort of astound us. But the most important is obviously me. Because I can be really sad that you're going to die. But again, it's not going to shock me in the way that getting my own death is. And again, intellectually, I think probably all of us in this room understand that we're going to die, right? But somehow I think that there's something that we're holding on to that maybe it's a long way away. Report an error in the passage at 50:54 Highlight the passage at 50:54

51:28 A comfortably long way away. Not right now. And the reality is none of us knows exactly when it's going to be. We don't know if it's going to be in 30 years, 10 years, 10 days, tonight. We don't know, you know. And we live like we know. We don't live like we don't know. We don't live with that deep realization of death. I remember thinking, actually when I first met Venerable Rubina, that Venerable Rubina Corton, who used to live here and is quite an amazing being as well as a teacher, I remember thinking she must have realized death and impermanence because of the way she lives her life. Report an error in the passage at 51:28 Highlight the passage at 51:28

52:21 She lives it at 150 miles an hour at every second of every day from the second she gets up until the second she literally keels over. She doesn't go to bed. She just waits for sleep to hit her. No, I'm totally telling you the truth. And I've been with her in a car and she's like, somebody take the wheel. Report an error in the passage at 52:21 Highlight the passage at 52:21

52:44 I need to take a nap. Boom. Report an error in the passage at 52:44 Highlight the passage at 52:44

52:49 least she's doing it. Yes. Report an error in the passage at 52:49 Highlight the passage at 52:49

52:53 Yes. Well, she only said it. She wasn't driving, actually, in that case. She was reading a sūtra, and she wanted somebody else to read the sūtra so she could conk out. But I remember thinking that because she was living like she meant it. Report an error in the passage at 52:53 Highlight the passage at 52:53

53:08 And, you know, and there are times that we do get this one, and it's usually when somebody around us dies, somebody that we really, really care about or is dying. Report an error in the passage at 53:08 Highlight the passage at 53:08

53:22 But to actually maintain that and to have that as your guiding force, that takes effort and practice, just like with bodhicitta. It takes repeatedly coming back to it and living like you mean it. So impermanence and death, in some ways, it's the easiest to understand of all the teachings because it... Report an error in the passage at 53:22 Highlight the passage at 53:22

53:47 There's nothing that we have to, there's no, it's not really going to instruct us anything we don't know. But until we realize it, we still have to contemplate it because we keep pretending that it's different. Intellectually, we may understand it again, but until we really live like we get it, then we have to keep coming back to it. Report an error in the passage at 53:47 Highlight the passage at 53:47

54:11 so Report an error in the passage at 54:11 Highlight the passage at 54:11

54:14 And again, with this case, this one also should juice up your practice. I mean, the end result of this one should be, you know, kind of excitement about your practice. Maybe not in that kind of lighthearted way of precious human rebirth, but still it should jazz your practice to contemplate, which is I think why Lama Tsongkhapa wanted me to contemplate it every day, day in and day out. Report an error in the passage at 54:14 Highlight the passage at 54:14

54:41 It was really quite... So profound the effect that it had on my mind and my life. And there's actually a saying, which I can't remember right now, but something along the lines of, you know, if you don't contemplate death and impermanence, then you'll waste. What is it? If you don't contemplate death and impermanence in the morning, then you waste the day. If you don't contemplate death and impermanence in the evening, then you'll never practice Dharma or something. Report an error in the passage at 54:41 Highlight the passage at 54:41

55:10 It's something like that. It's basically you have to contemplate it all the time. It just has to be like that kind of constantly in the background of your mind to be aware. And the Gadampa Geshe's were really big on that. The whole reason that they would empty the water bowls at night. Report an error in the passage at 55:10 Highlight the passage at 55:10

55:28 When they started that practice was so that if they were to die in the night, the bulls wouldn't sit on the altar and go dry. Because they were thinking ahead, I could die tonight and I don't want to leave my room this big mess for somebody else to find. So I'm going to take down my altar every night and then I'll set it back up again every morning. Report an error in the passage at 55:28 Highlight the passage at 55:28

55:47 so that that understanding Understanding of their own impermanence was really big on that. There's also that one story of that one Kadampa master who was meditating in the cave and every time he'd leave he would catch his robe in a thorn, a thorny bush, and he would go, oh I really should cut that back, but I don't want to waste the time. Report an error in the passage at 55:47 Highlight the passage at 55:47

56:08 I only have a limited amount of time in this earth. I'm just going to ignore it. So every time he'd walk in and out, he would catch his robes over and over until it ripped up, but he just refused to waste the time pruning the bush. He would rather spend the time meditating. So it's that kind of go-for-it kind of a mind. So the third one is taking refuge. Report an error in the passage at 56:08 Highlight the passage at 56:08

56:33 We talk about refuge in a lot of ways. This is really cultivating a mind day in and day out that's taking refuge. So you might have heard of, well often at the beginning of classes, especially in the more formal teachings, we'll read a verse that's taking refuge, right? I don't know, Saji Pogi. We'll do it in Tibetan or we'll say I'll go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha. And then there's also a ceremony, right? So there's a ceremony where we formally take refuge and enter the Buddhist path. Report an error in the passage at 56:33 Highlight the passage at 56:33

57:07 This isn't talking about either of those things. This is talking about cultivating a mind of entrusting ourselves to the Buddha only because he's... He's done it, right? So he's figured out the way and we want to get out of this mess and we want to be able to show others how to get out of this mess. So that's why we take refuge in him. We take refuge in the Dharma, his teachings, especially as those teachings are realized in the minds of serious practitioners. Report an error in the passage at 57:07 Highlight the passage at 57:07

57:42 And the Saṅgha, those serious practitioners themselves, right? You often hear this word Saṅgha used to describe. Those of us wearing red, we're sort of representing those serious practitioners. And you can assume that we are, but really underneath it we may not be. So don't get upset if you see that we aren't. You can still try to have respect in your mind, but just know that we're human just wearing funny clothes and having funny hairstyles. Report an error in the passage at 57:42 Highlight the passage at 57:42

58:12 But we represent the teachings and that's why we're often called Saṅgha. This word Saṅgha with a capital S is really referring to those who have deep realizations of these teachings, like those who have directly perceived emptiness themselves or have really high realizations of bodhicitta. Report an error in the passage at 58:12 Highlight the passage at 58:12

58:34 So if we understand what the three jewels are and we know what a... mess our lives are and our minds are we make this sort of commitment all the time to entrust ourselves that's taking refuge and they say that if we die with a mind of refuge it's a really powerful mind and that will never fall to the lower realms and we'll be protected but that's not just like okay you're dying quick It's more just like if we have this mind and we've sort of habituated ourselves with it. Report an error in the passage at 58:34 Highlight the passage at 58:34

59:08 That's what protects us. And we had to do it in life, too. Like, we can't suddenly just do it on the deathbed. It's like, you know. But often, you know, obviously, if the person is a practitioner, reciting certain things that that practitioner is used to will keep your mind in that place. So that makes sense. But it's not like it's magic, you know, and that you can kind of take away all your negative states of mind. The idea is that we spend our life habituating ourselves to that. Report an error in the passage at 59:08 Highlight the passage at 59:08

59:39 That mind of entrusting and what that means to us. And they say actually that this is the doorway to the whole Buddhist path, you know, is starting to develop this mind. Report an error in the passage at 59:39 Highlight the passage at 59:39

59:53 And also taking refuge is not just studying the teachings but actually beginning to apply them. That's a form of refuge, you know. So when we, you know... Report an error in the passage at 59:53 Highlight the passage at 59:53

1:00:06 Try to study these teachings and then we actually try to apply them in our lives when we have negative states of mind or do something we regret or decide that we're going to try to understand the teachings of karma and live by them. That's taking refuge. That's a very real way of taking refuge. And that's really what protects us. Obviously living according to the laws of karma is what really protects us. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:06 Highlight the passage at 1:00:06

1:00:37 So karma is the fourth one. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:37 Highlight the passage at 1:00:37

1:00:43 And we've talked about that just a little bit last week, but understanding karma is not enough. Applying karma is what's going to get our lives to change. So we need to understand that karma is not solid and unchangeable. You know, whatever we have done will have a result that we will experience. and it is not Report an error in the passage at 1:00:43 Highlight the passage at 1:00:43

1:01:15 Karma is not fixed in that it can't change. Its results are fixed, right? So if we do a negative action, especially with a negative mind, it results in an experience of pain, basically, or suffering. If we do a positive action, especially with a positive mind, because intention is like 95 % of karma, Report an error in the passage at 1:01:15 Highlight the passage at 1:01:15

1:01:43 Which is why it gets complicated, right? We can do a positive action with a negative mind, we can do a negative action with a positive mind. You can have seven of us doing the same exact action and all of us get different karma because our minds are different about it. But if we do a positive action with a positive mind, then it definitely will bring a pleasurable result. So in that way it is definite, it is fixed. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:43 Highlight the passage at 1:01:43

1:02:10 But it's constantly changing. It is changeable. It is shifting all the time because we don't just, we didn't just create one set of karma that we have for the rest of our lifetimes. We're constantly creating it. And in fact, since you guys have all come in tonight, you've been creating more and more and more and more karma, according to the lower schools, at a rate of 65 moments per finger snap. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:10 Highlight the passage at 1:02:10

1:02:35 According to the higher schools, at 365 moments per finger snap. So we're just accumulating karma all the time, which is why this thing called motivation is really important, trying to develop this mind that remembers to motivate. There's stories about people coming up to people apparently practicing the Dharma and they're saying, you know, this one Kadampa Geshe, and he's saying, oh, it's really great that you're prostrating. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:35 Highlight the passage at 1:02:35

1:03:03 It's too bad you're not practicing Dharma. He's like, oh, I guess I should be doing the mandala. So he sits and is doing his little mandala practice by the stupa. And he's like, oh, it's really great you're doing that, but it's too bad you're not really practicing Dharma. So he's doing all these different things, and finally he's just like, well, what do you mean? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03:03

1:03:24 Practicing Dharma is what you do in your mind. It has nothing to do with the physical expression of that. it's like doing, do it Report an error in the passage at 1:03:24 Highlight the passage at 1:03:24

1:03:32 Practicing Dharma is all about motivation. It's our motivation for doing everything. So the good thing is about karma, all that negative karma that we've ever created, and we do create quite a fair bit, it can be purified. You know, there are practices that allow us to purify that negative karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:32 Highlight the passage at 1:03:32

1:03:58 And it is possible, which of course those purification practices call for us to restrain from creating more at least for a few minutes. So it does give us practice in restraining ourselves from creating constant negative karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:58 Highlight the passage at 1:03:58

1:04:13 One of the results of understanding karma is trying to apply these teachings in a moment-to-moment way by learning to watch our mind. And this is going to come up in these verses. And it's good to talk about it. And this is really what practice is. I mean, really, there's nothing else. This is really what Buddhist practice is, is working with whatever happens moment to moment. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:13 Highlight the passage at 1:04:13

1:04:41 And we screw up. And we screw up. And we start over. And we keep applying the teachings. What we do notice over time is that we don't lose days and weeks and months. To these mental afflictions, but the mental afflictions still arise, you know, until really we have the direct perception of emptiness. But what we can do is we can understand how karma and our minds work and analyze and try to reduce that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:41 Highlight the passage at 1:04:41

1:05:13 So, and really without applying the teachings on karma, we can't say that we're even Buddhist. There are a lot of people who would call themselves Buddhists, but if we aren't really changing our behavior and relationship to ourselves and to others according to the laws of karma, it's kind of hard to say that. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:13 Highlight the passage at 1:05:13

1:05:35 Because that's like the really basic tenet of Buddhism. So one of the responsibilities of karma is that we are the creator of our own experience, which means at a really deep level we can't blame others. For our experience. We have to understand that we created it in some way. And that means every aspect of it, which is a trip. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:35 Highlight the passage at 1:05:35

1:06:03 And it takes a lot of practice. And there's, like I said, there are entire classes on karma. I think karma is an incredibly interesting thing. The cool thing about it is it then empowers us. It gives us that power back. There's not some other savior. We are our own savior. You know, we are our own. Creator being. So we can create, we can pull together the conducive conditions that we need to create, you know, whatever it is that we're trying to create, the mind of bodhicitta or the mind of Buddhahood, enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:03 Highlight the passage at 1:06:03

1:06:42 But there's really, there's no shortcut. It's just, you know, it's just applying these teachings in a methodical way. And ultimately, we're the ones that have to do it. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can help us, but they can't go into our mind and fix it for us. You know, they can't see that we're suffering and take away that suffering in some physical way. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:42 Highlight the passage at 1:06:42

1:07:09 You know, like some sort of a mind. I'm thinking of some science fiction thing. Isn't there like something where they put it and they kind of pull out all your thoughts? It's like that weird thing in Harry Potter where they pull out the memories and they were able to pull them back out again. If the Buddhas could do that, they would. They would because they have ultimate compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:09 Highlight the passage at 1:07:09

1:07:32 But they aren't omnipotent in the same way that gods are omnipotent, you know, the Christian god. And the creator beings in that sense are karma is our power. And it empowers us to understand that because then we can start living like that. We can start applying these teachings on karma. So these are these four preliminary practices. Some of you are a little bit familiar and then this will be a reminder and some of you are not familiar at all. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:32 Highlight the passage at 1:07:32

1:08:01 So what you'll do is you'll get... Some understanding just by doing the reading and by contemplating. You can do analytical meditation just by sitting on your meditation cushion and kind of thinking about this. But you can also just make a nice cup of tea, sit in an armchair and just think about it. You don't have to do it as serious analytical meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:01 Highlight the passage at 1:08:01

1:08:29 If you've written any notes, bring your notes. If something in the reading hits you, underline it, bring it to your seat and think about that too. And try to make it personal. Don't just think about it as some sort of interesting thought. If you're thinking about precious human rebirth, think about your own conditions. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:29 Highlight the passage at 1:08:29

1:08:52 What you're free of and what you have, both. If you're thinking about impermanence and death, think about. That in terms especially of yourself, your own impermanence. If you're thinking about refuge, think about imagining yourself and trusting yourself to this mind, to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to the Dharma in that context of it being these realizations. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:52 Highlight the passage at 1:08:52

1:09:18 And to the Saṅgha, meaning those who have these deep realizations, the serious practitioners, what would that mean to you to have a mind of refuge? When you're having your life fall apart or big things happening to you, what does it mean to take refuge? Think about it in terms of yourself. And then karma, this understanding of these teachings on karma, law of cause and effect, how that understanding of karma can actually help you. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:18 Highlight the passage at 1:09:18

1:09:46 So keep it really personal. Don't let it get too abstract and academic. Try to bring it home. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:46 Highlight the passage at 1:09:46

1:09:56 And also, of course, remember that these are really vast, vast subjects. So we're just touching on them so that we're all kind of on the same page before we can move on. So both don't think that you do know everything there is to know about karma because you read one paragraph. Because I have had students that sort of surprised me. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:56 Highlight the passage at 1:09:56

1:10:17 Really? No, there's quite a bit more. And then on the other hand, don't freak out that there's so much more. It's okay. We're just going to touch on it. It'll keep coming up. It'll keep coming up. The more you study, all these things come up over and over and over again. And like I said last week, these teachings are like a spiral. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:17 Highlight the passage at 1:10:17

1:10:39 I think I said this. I usually say it. Maybe I didn't, but I'll say it now. They're like a spiral, the lamrim teachings, and we just keep kind of spiraling through. So it's not like you just learn them all and then you're done. Cool. Then you get to move on to all the really cool stuff like, you know, tantra, right? No, it doesn't work that way. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:39 Highlight the passage at 1:10:39

1:10:58 We just keep, you know, coming around and around with all these teachings. And every time we do, they mean something different to us. So, you Maybe the teachings on death and impermanence didn't really jive with you last time, but this time something's happened, something's shifted in your life, either through impermanence, maybe you lost your job, maybe you lost your home, maybe you lost your partner or something like that, or through death, maybe you've experienced a death. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:58 Highlight the passage at 1:10:58

1:11:30 So then those teachings go in a little bit deeper. And they mean something else to you that may be the same exact teaching. And you'll really get this if you have a CD of a teaching or you watched a DVD for, you know, five, ten times and suddenly something comes out and you're like, wow, I didn't hear that before. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:30 Highlight the passage at 1:11:30

1:11:47 It's not that it's changed, you've changed, you know. Sometimes you'll go to a teaching and you'll be like, wow, he's a really great teacher and it's... Your mind has come to the point of being able to get something out of it. Maybe that person is a great teacher. It's not to say that. But sometimes the very same teaching just hits you in a different way, even if all the other conditions were the same, which of course they never are. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:47 Highlight the passage at 1:11:47

1:12:13 So you just keep spiraling through all of these teachings until we gain realizations of them. So that was my point on that. Any questions about any of this? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:13 Highlight the passage at 1:12:13

1:12:25 Any questions about any of these four topics? Susan, did you have a question? Yeah, pass it back to Susan. I'm pretty loud. No, it's okay. It's okay. We do record the teachings, by the way, and then we upload them to a website called archive.org. We have a volunteer that does that, so it's not always done. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:25 Highlight the passage at 1:12:25

1:12:45 On time, but just so you know, it is possible. We have quite a few teachings and they're all free to download and you can just go and research if there's something that you want. But the reason that we all talk into the mic is so that if you're at home listening to it, the person you don't hear, and everyone goes, you know, and then you're like, and you play it over, over and over again. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:45 Highlight the passage at 1:12:45

1:13:08 So it really helps. And plus I have noticed that actually for me, if I'm in the class and I'm really far away from you, it amplifies your voice. So it is helpful. Okay, now I feel weirder asking this question. Disguise your voice. Yes. So I think I'm going to mispronounce it. When you talk about, can you define or describe sentient beings? Sentient beings, sure. Sure, good question. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:08 Highlight the passage at 1:13:08

1:13:39 Sentient beings just means anything with a mind. So sentient beings, sometimes you hear migratory beings, meaning that they migrate through this continual cycle of life and death. But sentient beings just means anything with a mind. So in Buddhist concept, Report an error in the passage at 1:13:39 Highlight the passage at 1:13:39

1:14:01 That includes insects. Because it's not mind, again, remember, it's not brain. So it's not, in our, in Western science concept, it's more, we might think of humans and animals. We probably wouldn't have, I would assume we wouldn't have spirits. According to Buddhist cosmology, we do. We have spirits, we have gods, we have hell beings, we have insects, are considered actually part of the animal realm. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:01 Highlight the passage at 1:14:01

1:14:29 And basically, We all share the same type of mind, and all of these beings can get enlightened. The difference is, due to karma, we have created the conditions for all these different types of lives, and we ourselves have been all of these beings many, many times. So this mind, which is now in the form of Chokyi, Report an error in the passage at 1:14:29 Highlight the passage at 1:14:29

1:14:56 This being merely labeled Chokyi has been everything. I'll say I, but it's not really I. So it's not in the concept of a soul that this sort of permanent me exists. But this subtle mind is what, at death... This body dissolves. The gross mind dissolves. And what's left is this very, very subtle mind. And that subtle mind is what moves into the next incarnation. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:56 Highlight the passage at 1:14:56

1:15:24 And the next incarnation is totally based on our karma and our delusions or afflicted states of mind at the moment of death. So I could be born, if I were to die tonight, I could be born as a god. I could be born as a baby that becomes another nun. Or I could be born as an insect, you know? I could be born as a fish. I could be born as anything dependent upon my karma, which is why karma, of course, becomes very important. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:24 Highlight the passage at 1:15:24

1:15:53 We want to create the causes for a really precious human rebirth, at least, if not Buddhahood. So anything that exists that has a mind has the same capacity. Obviously there are obstacles in the way if I'm a cat or if I'm a fish to even be able to get a hold of the teachings and to be able to practice them, which is another reason to be really happy for having a precious human rebirth this time around because I can create the causes for another one. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:53 Highlight the passage at 1:15:53

1:16:23 It doesn't just come. I have to actually create the causes. So anything with a mind is considered a sentient being. Yeah. So you can kind of think, sometimes it's amazing to think of like all sentient beings. Sometimes when we take refuge or begin a practice, we imagine all sentient beings surrounding us. But in actuality, all those sentient beings are constantly changing, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:16:23 Highlight the passage at 1:16:23

1:16:45 So, you know, what's a fox today? It could be a human tomorrow. It could be a dog on Thursday. You know, they just... It is constantly changing like that. That's why that contemplation on impermanence is also really powerful because it's almost like electric. Everything is just energy shifting. Nothing ever really leaves. There is no coming. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:45 Highlight the passage at 1:16:45

1:17:11 There is no going. Pass the mic to Katya. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:11 Highlight the passage at 1:17:11

1:17:17 This may be beyond how much detail you want to get into in this class. It's kind of off topic. but why does... Again, why does the subtle mind necessarily go into another body? It's due to karma and delusions. We don't have any control over it. My understanding of a subtle mind is, of course, I don't know if it's the same as what you mean, but why does it necessarily go into a body rather than float around? Report an error in the passage at 1:17:17 Highlight the passage at 1:17:17

1:17:47 That comes to our attachment to a body. So we actually, as a bardo being, we actually go, yeah this is totally off topic, but I'll say something really quick and then we'll take a break. We have, the subtle mind goes in at the time of death, the subtle mind goes into this intermediate state that's called the bardo. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:47 Highlight the passage at 1:17:47

1:18:11 And in that bardo state we move into our next rebirth based on karma and delusion. But we... And if we're really highly realized beings, we have some control over that. But very few of us do. And that, of course, is part of the reasoning to want to work on our mind, you know, so that we have some more control over that. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:11 Highlight the passage at 1:18:11

1:18:32 But part of our problem is, is especially a very strong attachment, craving, this mind of craving, they say. After a little bit of time as a bardo being, we want a body again, we just want a body again. They sort of describe it like that. And the next body that comes along, we just want a body again. Because we've been sort of flying around based totally on our karma and delusions. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:32 Highlight the passage at 1:18:32

1:18:59 So we sort of have this memory of our third grade class and suddenly we're in that elementary school. Like there's no time and space for the bardo being. They're just flung. Basically flung from place to place. So when enough time has passed, we just really want a body again. And then we crave that body and that craving is what takes us immediately into the womb and then we become whatever, a fox, you know, a human. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:59 Highlight the passage at 1:18:59

1:19:28 I mean, they usually describe it in terms of a human, but it doesn't have to be a human. So it's that mind of craving. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:28 Highlight the passage at 1:19:28

1:19:36 So how's that for your break? I think there's something out there to crave, isn't there? I think there might be some cookies to crave and cakes to crave and tea to crave. Yeah, yeah. So go ahead. Take 10. Yeah. I know. I'm trying to give you guys more space and time. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:36 Highlight the passage at 1:19:36

1:19:58 Yeah, there is no coming. There is no going. There is no break. you time. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:58 Highlight the passage at 1:19:58

1:20:04 break. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:04 Highlight the passage at 1:20:04

1:20:09 Just energy, just movement. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:09 Highlight the passage at 1:20:09

1:20:14 So you still have to take your homework. Oh, I forgot to staple these. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:14 Highlight the passage at 1:20:14

1:20:24 I thought you were going to go too. I was like, oh. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:24 Highlight the passage at 1:20:24

1:20:30 I think that's it. Oh, you were a PDF person. So you got it. You're a PDF dude, right? All right. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:30 Highlight the passage at 1:20:30

1:20:55 Thank you. Oh, Eric? Do you want to take this? Because I don't have a PDF of this. This is the introduction to the mind from Geshe Sopa's book. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:55 Highlight the passage at 1:20:55

1:21:14 One, two, three, five, Report an error in the passage at 1:21:14 Highlight the passage at 1:21:14

1:21:27 six. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:27 Highlight the passage at 1:21:27

1:21:36 We're definitely not going to have enough of these. I'm trying to think of who might be here. Yeah. Thank you. Wow, this is Report an error in the passage at 1:21:36 Highlight the passage at 1:21:36

1:21:31 no, it's more for, 25. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:31 Highlight the passage at 1:21:31

1:21:43 another day that I could give it. You might be here on another day. Are you coming on Sunday to Carol's, I think? Is it this weekend at Carol's? Yeah. Are you coming on Sunday? Report an error in the passage at 1:21:43 Highlight the passage at 1:21:43

1:21:54 Okay, then I can give you guys on that day. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:54 Highlight the passage at 1:21:54

1:22:03 I'm coming on Tuesday. I'll just make sure I make some more copies. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. 12, 14. Yeah, yeah. don't know exactly. I think, Paul, you've probably already read Geshe Sopa's book, so you don't need it. He's a long-time student of Geshe Sopa. You're studying with him again now, right? You're living up there? He's not teaching so much. So he doesn't need it. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:03 Highlight the passage at 1:22:03

1:22:46 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. so he's Report an error in the passage at 1:22:46 Highlight the passage at 1:22:46

1:22:42 see that. 3LF is sick. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:42 Highlight the passage at 1:22:42

1:22:48 Well, I sent her the PDF so she can start reading that. And I can send her the homework so she can contemplate impermanence. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:48 Highlight the passage at 1:22:48

1:23:08 Jeremy, do you want to go ahead and fill this out? Report an error in the passage at 1:23:08 Highlight the passage at 1:23:08

1:23:15 How are you doing? Sure, come up. But I see you went for a cookie anyway. But I did that. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:15 Highlight the passage at 1:23:15

1:23:25 That's good. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:25 Highlight the passage at 1:23:25

1:23:41 Yeah, I know, it's overwhelming. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:41 Highlight the passage at 1:23:41

1:23:46 Right, Report an error in the passage at 1:23:46 Highlight the passage at 1:23:46

1:24:05 yeah, yeah. Overwhelming, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:05 Highlight the passage at 1:24:05

1:24:08 And it felt like it was a good thing that we were with you, but then at death, it's what there is, it's right, it is sun and I, and it's at the strength, and so I always picture something contracting, but then the memory field made it sound like it's something that carried with you at its back. Well, and remember too, we do carry karmic imprints with us too. So it's not so much size or shrinking, it's dissolving into subtlety. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:08 Highlight the passage at 1:24:08

1:24:34 Subtlety versus grossness, it's more that. And it's not a physical thing. So mind can be vast without taking up a bit of... Atoms. That's the thing. That's the thing about mind that makes it... That's why they say to really contemplate this clear sky and all as our mind, because our mind is hugely vast without it taking up a bit of room. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:34 Highlight the passage at 1:24:34

1:24:58 Yeah. So it's hard to understand, but that's kind of how it's taught. It's like we can carry... We want imprints, including the imprints to be able to visualize this vast field of merit and to accumulate merit, right? So we're collecting wisdom and merit, the two collections. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:58 Highlight the passage at 1:24:58

1:25:23 And we want to have all this great karma, but it can't be in like suitcases, you know? That's why the term seeds works only so far. And then the analogy sort of falls short. That's why Geshe really prefers the term imprints. Because it's not a physical thing, it's more just like energy. So I think if you sort of think of the mind as more energetic, it's a little easier to understand, especially this life-to-life-to-life thing. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:23 Highlight the passage at 1:25:23

1:25:52 Yeah, no, no. Because I know that dissolution meditation is what you were thinking of when you sort of, it dissolves into subtlety rather than it shrinks. So maybe... no. It's so big or it's small. Yeah, I know. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:52 Highlight the passage at 1:25:52

1:26:06 Think about it in those terms, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, explaining it actually helps me understand it a little more too, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:06 Highlight the passage at 1:26:06

1:26:32 Oh sure, yeah, you're on it. class, or maybe they can figure the question in it to meditate, it permanates and death. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:32 Highlight the passage at 1:26:32

1:26:36 Because I did just send it to you. You're on it. You're on it, Fred. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:36 Highlight the passage at 1:26:36

1:26:46 Say again. Don't talk to me in a while. Thank you. I'm blessed. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:46 Highlight the passage at 1:26:46

1:26:55 to meditate about and death means at the stage of time that you understand that everything is, you know, shifting all the time. Yeah, yeah. About death, it's Report an error in the passage at 1:26:55 Highlight the passage at 1:26:55

1:27:14 calm that you can die. Yes, exactly. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:14 Highlight the passage at 1:27:14

1:27:23 The best you can. Yes, exactly. You can die and it's okay and it's part of everything. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:23 Highlight the passage at 1:27:23

1:27:33 I can wake up tomorrow, maybe not, and that's why today, I threw the water, I put it empty and put it down, but I didn't think about, oh, because maybe, but now I know. It means the serenity that you that it's okay, you know, and you don't have to worry. Right, it's not to freak you out, for sure. It's not to freak you out. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:33 Highlight the passage at 1:27:33

1:28:04 It is to develop a sense of urgency. So yeah, it is just part of how life is. That's true. But it gives you that sense of urgency that I do want to stay up and read this chapter tonight or I do want to make time to do that retreat this year. You know what I mean? So it's more like that. So rather than just thinking, you know, I could go at any time and that's okay. Like it needs to lead to some feeling. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:04 Highlight the passage at 1:28:04

1:28:30 Yeah, yeah. I'll do it next year. Exactly. Because we often procrastinate and it's, yeah, exactly. We just don't know. And so it's better to just kind of go for it and to stretch yourself a little bit, thinking because you might not have another chance. And I actually remember one of the first times that I talked to Rinpoche and I asked him if I should do this particular retreat, this particular deity that I had no business doing. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:30 Highlight the passage at 1:28:30

1:28:58 I was completely not ready to do it. And out of the kindness of his heart, he actually said, oh, oh, he said, oh, you should do this. You could die before next year. Boy, that got me awake, you know. I was like, oh, okay. He said, you know, yep, go ahead, go to Kopan, do the retreat, and then contemplate death and impermanence every day. Well, so that got me sitting there, too, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:58 Highlight the passage at 1:28:58

1:29:27 And so who knows why he did that, but I think it was to get that sense of urgency. So I tried my best every dang day, day in and day out. I was up at 3.30, I worked my butt off, and I think he knew. I think that's what he was trying to get me to do, was to just sit up and take notice. Don't be complacent. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:27 Highlight the passage at 1:29:27

1:29:47 But of course the gurus, you know, they know to, for each person they're going to be different. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, exactly. If they had said that, exactly. If he had said that to the wrong student, exactly. Well, it was in the same conversation that I was talking to him about getting ordained, so I think he kind of knew I was around for a while. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:47 Highlight the passage at 1:29:47

1:30:12 You know, but yeah, because we did have, I remember we were studying, I mean, when we did bodhicitta, I was looking for the little dinger. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:12 Highlight the passage at 1:30:12

1:30:22 there it is. Do you feel like ding, ding, dinging, walking around? I don't know where David is. He's really good at it. I think you can aspire to become. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:22 Highlight the passage at 1:30:22

1:30:36 Yeah, but I remember we did this meditation retreat and everybody got to do a different motivation every day. And this one woman, when she would lead the meditation, oh my God, she would always bring in death. And it was like... Report an error in the passage at 1:30:36 Highlight the passage at 1:30:36

1:30:52 She was like kind of freaking about it and that isn't what we're trying to get to. It's not like freaking out about it. It's simply how to use the time that we have wisely because we may not have it. We won't have it forever. It's not just we may not, we won't. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:52 Highlight the passage at 1:30:52

1:31:18 you can strike it or you can I love that, yeah. Oh, do it, do it again. Oh, no, they're coming, they're coming, it's working, it's working. Especially if we have another smaller one. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:18 Highlight the passage at 1:31:18

1:31:36 No, I'll use it because I'm going to have you guys break into twos. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:36 Highlight the passage at 1:31:36

1:31:45 Sure. Did you? You need to get on this, right? Yeah. Okay, can we pass that back? where I thought, I thought, oh, you know, I could take the bowl and I could go Report an error in the passage at 1:31:45 Highlight the passage at 1:31:45

1:31:57 And I think you need, are you going to be staying in that class? Just ongoingly? Do you want to sign the roster? Yes. Okay, good. Why don't we really quick say our names and then I'm going to have you guys just grab somebody close to you and you can choose somebody that you feel comfortable with or somebody new that you've never met before. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:57 Highlight the passage at 1:31:57

1:32:20 Just for this little exercise, just so we're going to talk about these a little bit more. So my name is Chokyi, and I have been at Zechenling for 10 years, or 11 years this year, and I've been a nun for that amount of time too, and I've been a Buddhist for 14 years, I guess. Took refuge 14 years ago, 15 years ago. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:20 Highlight the passage at 1:32:20

1:32:47 Marcela, you want to start? My name is Marcela, I'm practicing Buddhism for a year and a half. I had the opportunity to have a few retreats. I'm learning a lot. I'm very happy to be here. Thank you. Anne. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:47 Highlight the passage at 1:32:47

1:33:11 My name is Anne. Hi. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:11 Highlight the passage at 1:33:11

1:33:16 I'm pretty new to Tsechenling, a few months, and it's really wonderful, and I'm really happy to be taking this class. I kind of was raised with Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. And this is different. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:16 Highlight the passage at 1:33:16

1:33:37 I don't know how I follow that up. My name is Jeremy and moved to San Francisco a couple months ago and one of the reasons we moved to San Francisco is so that I could come and practice here at CHN Lang. I've been studying the Dharma for about four and a half years. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:37 Highlight the passage at 1:33:37

1:33:58 Basically practice on my own. So to come into a situation where it's something a little more structured and real teachers, I'm truly blessed. So thank you. Hi, I'm Jessica. I have been coming to the center for, I don't know, about two years, but more seriously in the last year, which has been really awesome. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:58 Highlight the passage at 1:33:58

1:34:21 And I volunteer here on Tuesdays. I have been practicing Buddhism for, I don't know. It's eight years, ten, I don't know, somewhere in that ballpark I found it, and it's become more and more serious practice over that period of time, especially in the last couple of years, and it's just been really, really amazing. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:21 Highlight the passage at 1:34:21

1:34:42 So I'm excited for more. Who hasn't gotten the roster? There's a couple people. Yeah, I think. Susan, do you have the roster near you? I do. Okay, there's a couple people over here who haven't gotten it yet. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:42 Highlight the passage at 1:34:42

1:35:01 Hi, I'm Susan, and I am very new at this, so this is my second week coming to the center. Woohoo, she came back. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:01 Highlight the passage at 1:35:01

1:35:15 Yeah, Fred, I've been coming to classes here for about the last six months. Cool. Hi, my name's Glenn, and I live in Madison, Wisconsin right now, and I started out with Vipassanā eons ago, and... Report an error in the passage at 1:35:15 Highlight the passage at 1:35:15

1:35:35 This is Paul. Oh, careful. Oops. Okay, I'm Paul. I started out a long time ago in Madison and I lived here for quite a while and have been at this center and I've moved from here elsewhere and then back to Madison. There you go. Hi, my name is Eleanor and I've been a dabbler in Buddhism. For a couple of years off and on and in different forms, never Tibetan. So I'm very new to Tibetan medicine or Tibetan Buddhism and medicine too. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:35 Highlight the passage at 1:35:35

1:36:18 And I'm also the volunteer for Thursday night. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:18 Highlight the passage at 1:36:18

1:36:27 That's very popular. I like volunteers. Awesome. So if anybody needs anything, let me know. Well, welcome. My name is Daniel. I've been here maybe three or four times. Is that it? Wow. About maybe four times. This is my first time here alone. I wanted to try it. Yay, I did it. I got myself out of the house. I've been sort of studying Tibetan Buddhism off and on for years along with other spiritual practices. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:27 Highlight the passage at 1:36:27

1:37:02 I always find that Tibetan Buddhism is really, really helpful for getting my mind back into shape. It's like not going to the gym for a while. You come here and it's like, wow, boy did I need that. It's great to be here, great to be back. Good to have you back. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:02 Highlight the passage at 1:37:02

1:37:24 My name is Katya. I've been coming to the center for about a year and a half and first heard about Tibetan Buddhism about two years ago. Through Robina Korten's podcast. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:24 Highlight the passage at 1:37:24

1:37:41 Enough said, right? She's like, okay, that was it. Hi, I'm Christine and I've been coming to the classes for a little bit over two years. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:41 Highlight the passage at 1:37:41

1:37:53 Hi, I'm Susan, too. And I was referred by Katya and this is my second time here. And I feel like I always fall off the cushion when I most need to be on it. And you know when you do that like 8,000 times, by the 8,000 the first time, you're like, oh, I really should get some structure. So I'm really excited to have structure. Welcome. Hi, and I'm David, and so evidently somewhere in the distance past, my last dying thought was, get back to the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:53 Highlight the passage at 1:37:53

1:38:29 So I'm still at it. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:29 Highlight the passage at 1:38:29

1:38:33 Great. Welcome. All right. So everybody turn to one other person. And if you don't want to stay in the room, you can also go in the bookstore. We're just going to split up into twos. And if one person doesn't have somebody, we'll have a threesome. I just want you to talk about your own relationship to any one of these four and how maybe it helped you, you know, come to the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:33 Highlight the passage at 1:38:33

1:39:00 Or come to this class or come to Buddhism period. So was it realizing that you have these great conditions and you better grab them? Or was it realizing impermanence and death? Was it something about the teachings of refuge or was it karma? And maybe it's something else and you can actually bring up something else too. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:00 Highlight the passage at 1:39:00

1:39:23 So obviously you're only going to have like 10 minutes, so don't think about it too profoundly. And I'm going to give you guys your homework so that you can kind of peek at them, you know, so you can go, what was the fourth one, you know, and be all panicky about it. I may, again, have to print some more of these, and they aren't stapled, but you should have two. Why don't I, for each twosome, for now, I'll just give you one set of homework and then we'll see what we need, because I can also send them out as PDFs. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:23 Highlight the passage at 1:39:23

1:39:52 So why don't you do those? Yeah, Jessica, why don't you? Yeah, you could do that, yeah. Yeah, you guys keep, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:52 Highlight the passage at 1:39:52

1:40:15 Back row. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:15 Highlight the passage at 1:40:15

1:40:20 Fred, do you want to, you and Susan go together? Yeah. And then I think everybody's in twosomes if you're, just do the person next to you and that way you don't have to think too hard. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:20 Highlight the passage at 1:40:20

1:40:31 And you still need one. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:31 Highlight the passage at 1:40:31

1:40:35 Thanks. You need another one? Okay. Thanks. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:35 Highlight the passage at 1:40:35

1:40:43 amazing. Can you cover my run? Absolutely. All right. You'll be here. We're all ready to do this as well. At the end, I'll make sure everybody either has a copy or wants a copy by PDF. So just start talking, and I'm going to ring the bell when it's halfway, and if the other person hasn't talked, then you can let that other person talk. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:43 Highlight the passage at 1:40:43

1:41:09 Tell me which one you want. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:09 Highlight the passage at 1:41:09

1:41:39 Thank you. the new year, in the process of discovery, and experience, and also experience. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:39 Highlight the passage at 1:41:39

1:42:02 Please do not ever call me Chokyi. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:02 Highlight the passage at 1:42:02

1:42:08 Chokyi. said the thing, nobody's here on the air. Chucky. Chucky. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:08 Highlight the passage at 1:42:08

1:42:07 C-H-O FYI. The O actually has an umlaut, so it's Chokyi. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:07 Highlight the passage at 1:42:07

1:42:18 So you're just sort of talking about any one of these four that might have been an impetus for you to come tonight? You know, sometimes people have an experience of like illness or death and sometimes, yeah, so just something, just talk about that, yeah. Make sure that you both talk and if you don't, then I'll ding and then one of you can take over, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:18 Highlight the passage at 1:42:18

1:42:36 Thank you. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:36 Highlight the passage at 1:42:36

1:43:04 We did our past week, I don't know. Someone wants to have a reading here, and it's close to it. Thank you. I'm doing it on my shelf. I bought it for my birthday last week. It's just out there. It's really good. We're hard at it. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:04 Highlight the passage at 1:43:04

1:43:35 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:35 Highlight the passage at 1:43:35

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:44:22 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right, just close. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:22 Highlight the passage at 1:44:22

1:45:07 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:07 Highlight the passage at 1:45:07

1:45:21 So if you haven't switched or if somebody's been more silent, let that person talk. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:21 Highlight the passage at 1:45:21

1:45:28 Wow, that's really good. I have. Yes, I have. I did officially when I went to school. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:28 Highlight the passage at 1:45:28

1:46:09 she was going to offer some of you she was going to do it she was going to do it she was going to do it she could specialize and a couple people join So that was when I did it. it. I was actually asking you to do that part in India, where the Fordham was when I was caught to it. It was really powerful. Yeah, it was like... Report an error in the passage at 1:46:09 Highlight the passage at 1:46:09

1:46:35 I was like, I was like yesterday. Yeah, so it's, you know, it's a pretty straightforward standpoint. It's not very long. If you're curious about it. yeah, it's nice. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:35 Highlight the passage at 1:46:35

1:46:55 Right, Report an error in the passage at 1:46:55 Highlight the passage at 1:46:55

1:46:59 I mean, there's the thing. Yeah. Right, right. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:59 Highlight the passage at 1:46:59

1:47:08 Yeah. Right, right, and that's taking control. I mean, that's just much ever cool. What I see is everyday music like that, but then there's also a... Report an error in the passage at 1:47:08 Highlight the passage at 1:47:08

1:47:24 You know that it may be more than me. You know that it may be more than me. I guess it's sometimes, sometimes. You're born. Thank you. Are you very here? No, actually. Yeah. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:24 Highlight the passage at 1:47:24

1:47:44 I mean, I think the reality is that she's not good. She's not good. She's not good. She's not good. She's not good. She's not good. She's not good. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:44 Highlight the passage at 1:47:44

1:47:58 I think she's got a good question, It was like, okay? okay? Yeah, but it's not us. It's very nice. It really does. It's really interesting. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:58 Highlight the passage at 1:47:58

1:48:23 Yeah, and it's very interesting to watch, yeah, it's very powerful, actually. Yeah, I mean, I, I got into, I guess. Take a final minute to wrap up. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:23 Highlight the passage at 1:48:23

1:48:58 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:58 Highlight the passage at 1:48:58

1:49:10 Thank you. you. So it's like basically your intention. Oh, yeah. I don't know. Especially when you do something. I would definitely spend great a lot of time. I would definitely spend great a lot of time. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:10 Highlight the passage at 1:49:10

1:49:59 So So try to wrap it up. Sorry, I wanted that to be longer, but we just didn't have the time, unfortunately. Does anybody want to share anything that came up in the group? And probably best to share your own insights rather than somebody else's deep secrets. It's probably better. Does somebody want to pass a mic to Jessica? Report an error in the passage at 1:49:59 Highlight the passage at 1:49:59

1:50:23 Yeah, I'm excited to share, but Jeremy came up with a good question that I didn't feel qualified to answer, so I'm going to pass it to you. Thanks, Jessica. So, yeah, do you want to ask the question? It's not too difficult. Yeah, right. Somebody actually did that once at the end of class and then asked me what the nature of reality was. No, it's not. Okay. I had come to one of the Sunday services a couple weeks ago. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:23 Highlight the passage at 1:50:23

1:50:52 Months back and a woman asked if I had taken refuge. And so it's come up again tonight. So I asked Jessica about, you know, well, have you taken refuge and what does that mean to you? And so, you know, is that like some official like ceremony that you go through? Yeah, I mean, I touched on that really briefly when I introduced it tonight. Just there is a ceremony, a refuge ceremony that has certain commitments that you then agree. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:52 Highlight the passage at 1:50:52

1:51:16 The main one being not to harm others intentionally. Let me give that really strong. I feel like I've always had that intention. Yeah, and then you actually do it by literally going through the ceremony where you repeat after the Lama and then you get down on your knee and repeat after. So it's like you're formally making this pledge to basically become a Buddhist, an inner being to work on your mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:16 Highlight the passage at 1:51:16

1:51:41 It doesn't mean you'll be perfect. Understood. But yeah, it is formal because there is something... To be said for just formalizing an intention like that, that gives it a lot of power. So that's what that ceremony, yeah. I have to say that is very true. It was really true for me, too. From personal experience, that is very true, in case anybody wanted me to share my personal experience without asking. We all did. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:41 Highlight the passage at 1:51:41

1:52:07 No, for me, too. That's when I count, when I say something like, you know, oh, there you are. Come to class, John. Come to class. We see you. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:07 Highlight the passage at 1:52:07

1:52:22 He lives here. He can't get away. We all go sit outside his door, you know. No, when I say something like... I've been a Buddhist for X amount of years. I count it from the moment that I took refuge, not the moment that I circled around the swimming pool before I dived in. Because that's the way it sort of felt. When I took refuge, that's when I really deeply began to engage. And up until that point, I was sort of contemplating and thinking about it and reading the books and going to the classes and all that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:22 Highlight the passage at 1:52:22

1:52:55 So it is that formal step, that leap, so to speak. Yeah. And if people are interested in that, that's not really a part of this class, but Geshe-la has gone to India, so it's a perfect time to prepare to ask him when he returns to offer another refuge ceremony. So if people are interested, then they can talk to me and we can set something up and I can go over what those commitments are. So yeah, thank you. Anything else that came up for people and you're thinking about this either? Report an error in the passage at 1:52:55 Highlight the passage at 1:52:55

1:53:25 You know, just something that came up in your twosome or something that just came up in your own mind about what got you here, you know. And sometimes stuff gets us here that isn't all that comfortable. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:25 Highlight the passage at 1:53:25

1:53:38 Anything else? No. Yeah. Yeah, we were sharing our motivation to be here, but I believe we both, you know, get the same point that we feel very blessed. For this opportunity to learn the Dharma and have today the opportunity to practice or at least try to understand and practice and develop our minds and learn how can we be helpful for others too. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:38 Highlight the passage at 1:53:38

1:54:16 that it's... In my case, you know, for a lot of years I was, in this life, I was thinking about myself a lot. For the first time I start thinking right now about others. It's very, very wonderful. Excellent. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it is interesting when you do these twosomes, who ends up with each other. There's a karma with that too, you know, so it's kind of, hmm. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:16 Highlight the passage at 1:54:16

1:54:46 Anybody else? Report an error in the passage at 1:54:46 Highlight the passage at 1:54:46

1:54:52 so... Report an error in the passage at 1:54:52 Highlight the passage at 1:54:52

1:54:58 Well, um. No, it won't be that long, I swear. I was born. I'm actually really, really grateful for this class tonight, especially grateful more than even usual because just thinking about what brought me to Buddhism in the first place and kind of that... That swimming around the pool, buying the books and reading and then kind of, you know, I look back on it and as a very gradual process it was that and then I kind of get deeper and every time I had sort of, I feel like each time I got deeper it was because I had some major crisis, major, major thing that I couldn't deal with that helped me go back, kind of like the falling off the cushion thing but, you know, it's like when I was like really struggling with how to deal with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:58 Highlight the passage at 1:54:58

1:55:46 And then I found, you know, the Dharma was the only thing that made me feel like I had any control over anything and any comfort whatsoever. And so the reason I'm really happy about today remembering this is because one of the most difficult periods of my life was... I'm associated with this one particular person who I'm still friends with and who I actually talk to today. And, you know, whenever I talk to him, we are great friends and we're past everything that happened. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:46 Highlight the passage at 1:55:46

1:56:21 It's always like that lingering like, oh, that's a, you know, there's that stuff. And I'm, you know, well, is my life really going? Yeah, you know, since then, you know, there's all these doubts and self things. And today I just like coming here makes me feel so happy because I feel like that probably marked the deepest dive that I've taken in my Buddhist practice and really has gotten me where I am now, which. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:21 Highlight the passage at 1:56:21

1:56:48 I'm so amazingly grateful for because it's completely changed my life. And I feel like instead of I just feel like my, you know, I need that kick in the butt sometimes of changing my mind thinking instead of thinking, oh, that's like an icky thing to be carrying around with me and it'll go away and I'll be fine. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:48 Highlight the passage at 1:56:48

1:57:06 I just feel like instead of that icky feeling of the past, I have this like, that's awesome that that sucked so much because now I'm here. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fred. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:06 Highlight the passage at 1:57:06

1:57:24 Yeah, I just came back yesterday from a trip out of town for six days, touching base with a group of people that I knew originally in business context back in starting in 1980 and haven't seen them for 10 years. And out of that set of relationships, there were social relationships that developed over the years. And I saw these people once or twice a year for up until about 1995. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:24 Highlight the passage at 1:57:24

1:57:48 1995 and And most of them are older than me, but there was a group also that's younger. And the two of them, good friends, wonderful guys. One's 92, the other's 82. And they both just got out of the hospital with real serious either Parkinson's, heart disease, dementia, etc. Saw two of them both still living at their homes. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:48 Highlight the passage at 1:57:48

1:58:19 I also found out that one of the younger people in the group, Younger, he's probably in his late 50s, his wife died five years ago of cancer. And it just, the impermanence thing, you know, really touched that. And some of the things you were saying kind of caused me to think about that moment in the morning when, you know, wanting to set intention for the day, thinking in terms of, well, what would I do with today? Report an error in the passage at 1:58:19 Highlight the passage at 1:58:19

1:58:45 How would I value today if I knew I'm my last, if I knew I were going to die? At some time, you know, late in the day, how would I want to, what would I want to do with that day that I would be proud of? And some of the things that you said I thought were really valuable. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:45 Highlight the passage at 1:58:45

1:59:02 Oh, God, he wrote them down. No, I'm kidding. No, I just was teasing. I said, oh, God, he wrote them down. Swearing in Tibet, I've never heard that. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:02 Highlight the passage at 1:59:02

1:59:14 Well, we don't really have a God, so I can say that. Yes! Report an error in the passage at 1:59:14 Highlight the passage at 1:59:14

1:59:24 But I love that, live like you mean it, and live like you get it. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:24 Highlight the passage at 1:59:24

1:59:33 When I see something new or hear something in a new way, it didn't change, I changed in terms of being able to hear it. So this was very helpful. Yeah, yeah. No, I think, you know, sometimes... Let's see. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:33 Highlight the passage at 1:59:33

1:59:47 Often, I think, often it is the biggest sort of sucky times that get us to take those leaps. Personally speaking, it has been, for me, deaths. It has been little... Earthquakes, big earthquakes in my life, you know, starting with my father dying when I was 22, basically, which immediately taught me that life is not what you thought it was going to be. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:47 Highlight the passage at 1:59:47

2:00:15 You know, I had literally just graduated from college and he died like within weeks of that. Suddenly, no illness. And also, I can think, well, I lost a number of people in a row in the late 90s, I should say. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:15 Highlight the passage at 2:00:15

2:00:32 I went to Copan right after a miscarriage. In fact, I was late for Copan because of my miscarriage. Came back and a really good friend died in a car accident. And I was like, I get it. I get it. I'm done, you know. And I literally, I worked night and day. I went to, so I could go to India for a year because I was just like, there's got to be something else than this. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:32 Highlight the passage at 2:00:32

2:00:55 So for me, those... It was like a culmination of all those sucky, sucky, sucky, big time sucky experiences. And then thinking there's got to be something else. There's got to be some meaning to this life. And so that was my impetus. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm wearing this funny outfit. Susan, did you have something else you wanted? I just wanted to say that you talked about karma bringing people together. So the discussion with Fred, a lot of it was on healthy... Report an error in the passage at 2:00:55 Highlight the passage at 2:00:55

2:01:24 You know, issues around aging. And so I'm 55. Fred's a little bit older than me. But these are kind of issues you wonder how you're going to live the rest of your life. And so I have to say I just learned a great deal just talking with him. Excellent. Excellent. We're all learning from each other tonight. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:24 Highlight the passage at 2:01:24

2:01:48 That's great. Any last? Yeah, Daniel. I just noticed that I told you guys that I would come back to Tibetan Buddhism and I'd do other things and come back. I always find that it's relationships that bring me back. I haven't had any deaths in my life, so I feel like those death-like experiences, I experience those in relationships because I put a lot of attention and investment in those. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:48 Highlight the passage at 2:01:48

2:02:20 Yes, I was thinking of the taking refuge because I'm kind of going through something right now in a relationship and I've been sort of forced into taking refuge in the self. I don't want to call friends and rely on other people and this and that so I've been doing a lot of sort of soul searching and I always come back to Tibetan Buddhism because it's just like really it all comes down to your attitude and your perspective and the way you're... Report an error in the passage at 2:02:20 Highlight the passage at 2:02:20

2:02:49 reacting to the world and i think all of these situations all point to the fact that ultimately we are experiencing this journey alone it is our journey yeah know so whatever gets you to that understanding whether it's impermanence and death or what it's impermanence whether what right so you end up after a relationship ends you're alone with yourself for the first time in a while and you're kind of like what You What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of my life? Report an error in the passage at 2:02:49 Highlight the passage at 2:02:49

2:03:14 you know? So, yeah. Right. Yeah. Can I ask a quick question? Sure, yeah, yeah. So in these classes, I keep hearing that the general motivation is supposed to be to help others, right? Report an error in the passage at 2:03:14 Highlight the passage at 2:03:14

2:03:30 Generally, yeah. Right, right, right. So, I mean, I'm here solely for my own selfish reasons and to help myself. And, you know, in hearing these stories, it's all about what propelled people in their own personal lives for their own personal benefit. but I'm... Report an error in the passage at 2:03:30 Highlight the passage at 2:03:30

2:03:45 When are we going to do that switcheroo where we're actually thinking about other people? Because, I mean, I'm only speaking for myself, but I'm not yet thinking about other people, and I was wondering. Yeah, yeah, and ultimately we are moving towards that because next week we're going to start with the eight verses. But we are a sentient being too, you know? Report an error in the passage at 2:03:45 Highlight the passage at 2:03:45

2:04:05 So whatever gets us on the path is thinking about the meaning of life, but also... One of the things that gives us great joy and meaning is actually helping others. We just don't get that yet. We still think it's helping ourselves, right? But actually we get great joy out of helping others. So it's kind of, there's a funny little twist, a little gift in that. But yeah, we're getting to it. We're getting into it, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:05 Highlight the passage at 2:04:05

2:04:32 And it's okay that you got here for your own. Yeah, it's okay. You came here for your own interest, but that self-interest. Can be expanded to include others, too. It's not like we have to completely abandon ourselves. We don't have to become martyrs. Right. So it's kind of a natural progression. You start with yourself and you expand. We kind of have to. We have to start with compassion for ourselves or we never can develop genuine compassion for others. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:32 Highlight the passage at 2:04:32

2:04:57 We just can't. We just don't have an understanding of what it even means. Thanks for putting our feet back on the ground. Thanks, Eleanor. Okay, so let's just... End with a little dedication. So we gathered all this amazing merit tonight, this positive karma, just discussing, thinking, contemplating these teachings and how they affect us first and foremost and then ultimately how they might affect others as well. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:57 Highlight the passage at 2:04:57

2:05:28 How they got us here. So now we're going to take that whole big bundle of good energy and we're going to dedicate it to These teachings taking root in our mind, really going deep, taking root and then blooming, Report an error in the passage at 2:05:28 Highlight the passage at 2:05:28

2:05:46 becoming everything that we can possibly imagine and more, transforming our minds into enlightened minds for the benefit of all beings, meaning so that we have the tools and the methods and the ability to help others and really know how to take away their suffering and bring them into happiness. And oh, as my teacher always says, by the way, bring ourselves into happiness and take away our own suffering too. Report an error in the passage at 2:05:46 Highlight the passage at 2:05:46

2:06:21 Okay, thank you. So now everybody has, so some of you have homeworks and some of you do not. Who needs homeworks? And who, wait a minute, let's start. There's going to be two groups. Who could handle, who could take a homework that's, you want to just make copies? Here's one that hasn't been stapled. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:21 Highlight the passage at 2:06:21

2:06:43 Who needs a homework? How many homeworks do we need? Hands up if you need a homework. Okay, we've got one right here. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:43 Highlight the passage at 2:06:43

2:06:54 It's okay, just hold on. Yeah, it's okay, Marcella. No, you go ahead. She's going to make it right now, so then that's okay. I've got one copy here. Do you guys both have copies? Oh, good, we have a little pairing there. Here, wait, no. Ann can have that one. So now, hands up. Who needs how many copies? Homework. One, two, that's it. Report an error in the passage at 2:06:54 Highlight the passage at 2:06:54

2:07:14 Okay, good. Just two more copies. Yeah, good. Thank you, Jessica. And then those of you that just joined tonight, I'm going to send my notes from last week, the homework from last week, and the PDF of the binder. So you'll have that in your little inbox when you go to look. The people that were here last week who asked for a hard copy, there's no actual binder, sorry. We're on a budget. Report an error in the passage at 2:07:14 Highlight the passage at 2:07:14

2:07:41 We have the contents of a binder. Everyone who was here last week at home in your inbox has a PDF of a binder. And then I think we have, let's see, Christine. Christine gets a binder. It's like I'm handing out awards. Come on down. Report an error in the passage at 2:07:41 Highlight the passage at 2:07:41

2:08:02 We have the real binder. That would be Susan. She put that, the real binder. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:02 Highlight the passage at 2:08:02

2:08:10 Binder, please, Joel, but he's not here. Jessica gets a binder. Oh, she's making a copy. Marcela. I did. I did. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:10 Highlight the passage at 2:08:10

2:08:24 I wasn't. She's just making copies of it. Okay, make one more copy, Jessica. It's okay. She's in hearing distance. One more. Anne, you get one. Katya gets one. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:24 Highlight the passage at 2:08:24

2:08:50 Okay, so I've got two left because I have Joel who is not here tonight, so we can make him another one. And I don't know why we have an extra one. So Jeremy can have one. Your karma just ripened. And Daniel can have one. But I will send you guys all PDFs so you can start the reading and then we'll make additional binders for next week so everybody can start the reading. And then we have additional reading and I don't have enough of them. Report an error in the passage at 2:08:50 Highlight the passage at 2:08:50

2:09:29 So some of you, that's where I need to know who's going to be here in the next couple of days who might be able to get some of this at a later date. You guys are cool? Okay, so I have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. eight copies of this left one two three four five six so why don't I Christine, are you coming anytime in the next few days? Probably not. Katia, are you coming anytime in the next few days? I don't think so. Report an error in the passage at 2:09:29 Highlight the passage at 2:09:29

2:10:10 Eleanor, are you coming anytime in the next few days? I'll be here on Tuesday. Let's go with that. I'll make some more copies for Tuesday, and then I'll try to just have them around this weekend if you guys come in. Okay, so let's go ahead and hand these out. And Eleanor and Marcella and Ann don't take one for now. I can wait, too. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:10 Highlight the passage at 2:10:10

2:10:30 And Jessica, wait. And we'll see that we have enough, and then if one of you guys can take one, I'll let you take one. It is an additional handout that I just thought was a really good explanation of what we just did tonight. This practice, Christine. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:30 Highlight the passage at 2:10:30

2:10:50 Yes, thank you. I did actually have that as a note and then I completely missed it. Report an error in the passage at 2:10:50 Highlight the passage at 2:10:50

2:10:59 Two questions. Is there anybody in this class who has never studied bodhicitta before who feels like they need a little additional reading? Report an error in the passage at 2:10:59 Highlight the passage at 2:10:59

2:11:09 Yeah? Anybody else? There's a book on the shelf out there. We have two copies of it. It's called The Awakening Mind. It's by Geshe Tashi. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:09 Highlight the passage at 2:11:09

2:11:19 I can't remember if it's Geshitashi Staring. I think it is. It's out there and I can show it to you right after class. It's a great covering of bodhicitta and I think it would be really useful if people want to. It's just a recommendation. For this class, there are two required readings. Really, when I use that term, it means for people who are doing it for the certificate, but obviously even if you're not, it'll give you more understanding of the subject matter. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:19 Highlight the passage at 2:11:19

2:11:45 One of them is Transforming Problems into Happiness, I think it's called, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Little tiny skinny book. Does anybody? Yeah, there you go. I'm going to hold it up. Exhibit A, being held by my lovely assistant in the front room. Report an error in the passage at 2:11:45 Highlight the passage at 2:11:45

2:12:01 The second one is, what's it called? Transforming the Mind by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Both of them are great books, but we don't want to order them unless we know that people want to take them and want to get them. So if I could get a hand count, if people know already they would like for us to order these books. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:01 Highlight the passage at 2:12:01

2:12:22 They're both pretty thin little books and they're both great books. Yeah. Okay, so hands up for transforming problems into happiness. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:22 Highlight the passage at 2:12:22

2:12:32 One, two, three. Oh, there was a little commitment there. Four, five. Six, seven, eight. Any others? Nope. Okay. Eight copies. I'll get nine just in case some of the people that aren't here. Maybe I get ten. All right. Ten copies. Transforming Problems into Happiness. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:32 Highlight the passage at 2:12:32

2:12:59 LZR. Report an error in the passage at 2:12:59 Highlight the passage at 2:12:59