← Lobsang Chokyi

Transforming Problems into the Path - How Problems Help (6 March 2011)

Lobsang Chokyi · 6 March 2011 · 1 h 54 min · Tse Chen Ling via Internet Archive

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  • 27:38

    Who are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel, I will constantly practice holding them dear. So this verse is asking us to think about the preciousness of everybody we come into contact with. And how are beings precious to us and why are they precious to us?

  • 1:01:33

    Whenever I meet a person of bad nature who is overwhelmed by intense energy and suffering, by negative energy and intense suffering, I will hold such a rare one dear as if I had found a precious treasure. A person of bad nature and intense suffering is just talking about somebody who's seriously under the control of their deluded minds.

  • 1:29:37

    In short, I will offer directly and indirectly every benefit and happiness to all beings, my mothers. I will practice in secret, taking upon myself all their harmful actions and sufferings. So begin with picturing somebody that you would like to do Tonglen with. It can be somebody that you love very much, especially if you're new to the practice.

  • 1:46:05

    Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns, by perceiving all phenomena as illusory, I will practice without grasping to release all beings. From the bondage of the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma. So this first starts with mentioning the eight worldly concerns. So I'll review what they are.

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1:15 Thank Report an error

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2:04 you. Wow. Report an error

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2:57 the, whatever your, yeah, awesome. I started to tell you about the day and the night. Report an error

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3:53 Do you need these? I might. Report an error

4:03 You can Report an error

4:25 sit down. Report an error

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5:01 go last weekend with Lana's sofa? Report an error

5:12 Sunday, there was something that commitment and a mantra, but he was the only one of the people that was going to meet. Report an error

5:23 I mean, I wasn't sure, you know, when I commit, I wanted to say yes. I would deflate it. Yeah, I like that with everybody. When you say commit, commit to, like Charles. No, I think it's like the thing that's becoming a mantra for life. Report an error

5:50 But I wasn't sure what it was about. Report an error

6:04 David did. Oh. So he was, was it last week? Just last week? Last week. Yeah, it was. Yeah. would come home very late. Report an error

6:20 very you know. You didn't go? I didn't go. I wore it for the... Report an error

6:30 It was from 4 to 6 and then from 7 to 10, but I couldn't stay from 7 to 10. So what I would say, when I have doses, it's not a dose, it creates the negative. Thank you. who are not ready to create. Yeah. So I got very needed. was because I got some books from Jesse, Lama Jesse. Report an error

7:11 it wasn't what I exactly, that even though we should do. Report an error

7:26 where we are. Report an error

7:34 level we know where we live. It's true. Report an error

7:55 Thank Report an error

8:04 you Report an error

8:11 so much. week, week. Yeah. Report an error

8:31 Well, I was kind of going a little bit late just assuming that people might be running late. Report an error

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9:52 Just rice and, yeah, but I don't know what we have. Okay. Um, probably this one will be like more 15 or 12, 30. Report an error

10:10 Charles, maybe close the doors a little bit. Yeah, because there's going to be people kind of moving out. Oh, we still don't have David in here. David's wandered off, and the bell. Who's going to use the bell? Did the bell ever come back from the events? I don't think it did. Report an error

10:59 There he is. Now we've lost Susan. Report an error

11:08 Actually, why don't we start with the opening prayer instead? Report an error

11:19 So this is actually the practice day that went with an ongoing class, so I don't know how much you'll... You're welcome to sit in, especially this morning, for the meditations, but these are all meditations that we have been doing over the course of the last two months, or some people have been anyway. Report an error

11:40 So I won't be explaining anything so much, but I will be guiding meditations, and you're welcome to sit in and then just see how it goes for you, but don't worry if you don't understand something, because it usually probably was in the context of a class. Yeah, yeah. Report an error

11:57 No, oh, you're just coming for the Sunday morning talk. No, there is no Sunday morning talk. This was actually supposed to be held yesterday and it got bounced because of some events done at Land of Medicine Buddha yesterday. Report an error

12:16 Okay, no, that's okay. Yeah, no, it's all right. And the way that I'm going to do it... Once we start, I'm going to sort of request that we all stay in silence until the end of the meditations. But what I'll do is it's on the eight verses, which actually we can read together, so you can get a heads up on the eight verses. Report an error

12:44 So each verse I'll do. And after that verse, after we've done the contemplation on that verse, I'll say this is a good time to stretch and then people can stretch. And I would suggest you just sort of stretch in your seats, you know, move your legs, stretch out your legs, whatever you want to do, rather than getting up and, you know, doing push-ups or something. Report an error

13:03 Believe me, we've had people do that one and it's like, wow, okay. She goes up and she would do these things against the wall and all this stuff. But it's just so that you don't have to sit for two hours. It's just kind of like each of the little contemplations will probably be around 20 minutes or something like that. Report an error

13:21 So I'll just say this is a good time to stretch and then you can stretch. You can stretch. I'll stretch. We'll both stretch. And then I'll say, okay, now find your posture again, but I won't review kind of. I'm sitting down in the posture. I won't do that again. We'll just start into the next verse. That's kind of the way we'll do it. And then at the end, I'll say it's the end if you don't recognize the final verse, and then we'll dedicate it, and then we can open up, and then if people have stuff they want to share or if people have questions or something like that, that's a good time for that. Report an error

14:01 And then we'll break for lunch. And Charles just said he was going to make something too, so we'll see. Report an error

14:11 We all went down to Atlanta Medicine Buddha yesterday, and actually we went down Friday night, and as soon as we got there we met Somo, who is the spiritual program coordinator, and she said, oh, he's coming at 4 a.m., not at 5 a.m. And I said, okay. So Jen and I woke up to Somo running into our room and saying she couldn't wake up the person who was supposed to make the tea, and could we make the tea? Report an error

14:39 That was it. 3.30. I was up luckily at 3.10, so I was like ready. So that's kind of the way the whole day went yesterday. We finally, John and I finally left because I had to come back and do like three hours of work last night. But apparently he started again at 7.30 and went on until 2.30 this morning. Report an error

15:01 And Charles and Jen stayed for that. So still a little wacky Lama Zopa Rinpoche energy going around. Report an error

15:10 But it was also, it was Tibetan New Year's yesterday, so that's what that was all about. It was just lots and lots of prayers and good motivation for the new year. Report an error

15:25 That's good. Report an error

15:29 So I may sound very relaxed, and I'm hoping that it passes as relaxation instead of exhaustion. We're going to start with the prayer on page 8, and then we're going to go a couple pages past that to the 8 verses. Report an error

15:46 And this is to help us set our motivation. Report an error

15:53 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

16:20 and dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error

16:32 so the eight verses is two pages past that. Did you find it okay? Okay, With the thought of attaining enlightenment for the welfare of all beings who are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel, I will constantly practice holding them dear. Whenever I am with others, I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all, and from the very depth of my heart. Report an error

16:58 I will respectfully hold others as supreme. In all actions, I will examine my mind, and the moment a disturbing attitude arises endangering myself and others, I will firmly confront and avert it. Whenever I meet a person of bad nature who is overwhelmed by negative energy and intense suffering, I will hold such a rare one dear as if I had found a precious treasure. Report an error

17:26 When others out of jealousy mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on, I will practice accepting defeat and offer the victory to them. When someone I have benefited and in whom I have placed great trust hurts me very badly, I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher. In short... I will offer directly and indirectly every benefit and happiness to all beings my mothers. I will practice in secret, taking upon myself all their harmful actions and sufferings. Report an error

18:03 Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns, by perceiving all phenomena as illusory, I will practice without grasping to release all beings. From the bondage of the disturbing, unsubdued mind and karma. Report an error

18:33 Anybody need caffeine? Report an error

18:39 That's right. If I see any heads nodding, yeah, no, go for it. You can always sip it, yeah. Honestly, with the rainy, little rainy noise out on the street and it's kind of warm and, you know. Actually, is it too warm? What's it feel like right now in here? Report an error

18:59 Do you think it's too warm? So maybe we'll go turn off. Does it feel good? Yeah? Yeah, because if it gets too warm, that's really not so great. Do you think it's too warm, David? Not since I took my shirt off. I was going to say it comes in from that corner, so you might want to move forward or over. Report an error

19:22 It's right behind Susan, so I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing for her, but for you, it may be too warm. Report an error

19:33 This is a good time to stretch. Report an error

19:50 That's right. She wasn't really doing pushups, but she was doing those kind of against the wall things and like the leg up in the air and all that. It was kind of funny. Report an error

20:03 I find that if I'm a little cool, it's actually better for meditating than too comfortable and too warm. Report an error

20:19 This is a stretching moment we're taking. I think Susan ran out to get something. Report an error

20:28 There we go. Report an error

20:46 Is this a yoga class? Report an error

20:51 We're working on transforming our problems. Report an error

20:57 That's right, this is a problem. Exhaustion's a problem. Report an error

21:07 It Report an error

21:15 wasn't as cold as I thought. Actually, I brought a bunch of woolly things, you know, like shawls and stuff. They were better for just additional padding than for, because we were inside the shrine the whole time. And, you know, once you got up there, and I had to run down a couple times, so I kind of worked up some warmth. Report an error

21:35 Land of Medicine Buddha. Up at the shrine, you know, up at the, all the way up at the shrine where the Maitreya Buddha statue is. Have you been up there? Report an error

21:49 Yes, exactly, where the ashes are, yeah, exactly. Report an error

21:56 I know, it was amazing how many people they packed in there. And people kind of kept coming. Hey, Eleanor, we knew you were coming. That's why we haven't started yet. Report an error

22:10 Could you do me a favor, Eleanor, and ask Charles, he's in the kitchen, to ask him if he could turn off the heat in like 20 minutes or something like that? Yeah, because that way it won't just keep churning out. Report an error

22:23 He comes in and finds his own heads on the table in front of us, or the person in front of us. Report an error

22:32 Okay. I would say, too, like I was saying, you know, if you need to stretch to kind of just go like this or something, rather than too much movement shakes up your mind. Like your mind and your body are kind of independent relationship. So a lot of vigorous movement is kind of... It shakes up your mind. So if your mind gets into this nice meditative state, keep your movements on the stretch break also meditative and quiet like that. Report an error

23:01 And it sort of keeps the energy the same. And even if during you start to have pain in your knees or something like that, just try doing that same thing where you don't move so much. You just kind of move one thing and just kind of like that. Just see if it works. I find that it does help that way. Thank you. Report an error

23:24 Is the door still unlocked? Maybe we should lock it, actually. Because otherwise that has happened before somebody wanders in and I'm the only one who sees them and you guys are all in meditation and I'm kind of like... It's not so good. Report an error

23:53 So just allow yourself time to kind of arrive in your cushion, feel your cushion or your chair beneath you and your feet beneath you if you're in a chair. Kind of pull away from the back of the chair so you're not... Slouching back, really kind of keep your spine extended. If you're on a cushion, either way, no matter what position you're in, keeping your spine extended is the best position. Report an error

24:21 It really helps lead to concentration. And if you can kind of keep your shoulders back a little bit and level, that's good. Report an error

24:33 And you can just start taking some nice deep belly breaths and letting all the racing around this morning. Letting go at the door. Report an error

24:54 Thanks, Katya. I'm sure Report an error

25:09 somebody thinks it's a class. Report an error

25:23 I know, really. Most of those people, when they see me go by, they have them all at the ready, and then they're like, no, let's not even ask her. Report an error

25:35 Okay. you ever really watched Report an error

25:36 So just do some nice deep belly breaths, let go of the day, let go of any conversations you've been having. Or if you've already had clay show attacks this morning, we can just try to breathe those out. Imagine like a chimney letting go of all the black smoke out and it dissolves. Report an error

26:05 And then you can also breathe in whatever you might need today. So your alertness and awakeness and just a sharp mind, a clear mind, a bright mind, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Report an error

26:38 And just start setting a motivation for the day, trying to remember to do it not just for yourself alone, but for the ability to transform your mind so that you can actually be able to benefit others more and more and more, starting today, starting right now, but all the way up to full enlightenment as we all can become enlightened for the benefit of all beings. Report an error

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27:33 With the thought of attaining enlightenment for the welfare of all beings. Who are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel, I will constantly practice holding them dear. Report an error

27:50 So this verse is asking us to think about the preciousness of everybody we come into contact with. And Report an error

28:05 how are beings precious to us and why are they precious to us? Report an error

28:18 Think about the people that we have in our lives that we find kind of challenging, maybe regularly challenging. Report an error

28:30 And think about what they teach us, what they show us. About our own minds. Report an error

28:43 Maybe they help us in some way. Maybe they show us where we need a little work. Report an error

28:53 If we want to perfect our mind, which is really what enlightenment is, we need to work at it. It's not going to be handed to us. Report an error

29:08 When we see these phrases like all sentient beings, it sounds really holy or romantic or mysterious. But that just means the people in front of us, the people we live with, the people we work with. Report an error

29:24 The people we're in relationship with or coming out of relationship with. Report an error

29:35 It might be the people in the streets, the cab driver. Report an error

29:43 These are our sentient beings, the sentient beings in our life. Report an error

29:57 So don't think about some faceless multitude when we're doing these meditations. Report an error

30:05 Think about the people we have to care for when they're sick, the people we get in fights with, the people we buy our coffee from. Report an error

30:31 The Buddha said, in reliance on these sentient beings, These very sentient beings, we can get enlightened. We can perfect our mind and become enlightened. We can become Buddhas. Report an error

31:00 And once we get enlightened, every action that we do all the time, limitlessly, can benefit others. Report an error

31:10 So every Buddha becomes a Buddha due to the kindness of all sentient beings. So Report an error

31:30 think about what this really means. We can get it intellectually, but remembering to practice it is difficult. Report an error

31:39 An annoying housemate or co-worker. We don't feel so well or we're tired. There Report an error

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32:21 are three ways to read this verse. Report an error

32:26 That the mind of bodhicitta, which gets us enlightened, is more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel because it's the only mind that can get us to enlightenment. Report an error

32:44 That Buddhahood, the state of omniscience and perfect mind, is more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel because... It can fulfill the wishes of all living beings or Report an error

33:02 that those living beings, that annoying co-worker, that angry boss, the next door neighbor who doesn't always let us park where we're supposed to park, Report an error

33:19 the person who doesn't clean up after themselves, Report an error

33:24 that person, those people are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel because it's based on those very people that we can develop this mind of enlightenment. Report an error

33:39 And we can't even conceive how amazing it's going to be to have the capacities of a Buddha to be able to emanate wherever we're needed, in whatever form we're needed, without effort or thought, limitlessly. Report an error

33:57 It's beyond conception. So Report an error

34:06 anyone or anything that can bring us to that state is more amazing than a wish-fulfilling jewel. Report an error

34:21 And to get this body of a Buddha, to get this mind of a Buddha, Report an error

34:32 We have to be around difficult people and keep challenging ourselves. Report an error

34:40 That's how we develop all of our best states of mind, all of our best qualities, even if it's uncomfortable. Report an error

34:54 It's just not going to happen if we're only surrounded by nice people who like us. Report an error

35:12 So now the effort is being able to recognize these opportunities when they arise and remembering the teachings. And Report an error

35:25 that's what the word constantly is referring to, developing that mind of mindfulness. Report an error

35:33 Constantly reminding ourselves and when we screw up, starting again. Report an error

35:57 Now is a good time to stretch if you need to, but stay quiet. When Report an error

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36:37 you're ready, just find your posture again. Extend your spine, bring your shoulders flat and back a little. Report an error

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37:19 Whenever I am with others, I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all and from the very depths of my heart. I will respectfully hold others as supreme. Report an error

37:42 Whenever we're around others, there's always the danger of slipping into non-virtue. Report an error

37:56 Part of it is just coming from our own mind, slipping into judgment towards the people on the bus or the people on the street, the people in the class. Report an error

38:12 We always discriminate, Report an error

38:17 even if we don't know them. Report an error

38:22 And then there's this tendency to look down on people. Report an error

38:30 So this verse has a lot to do with... Respecting others, seeing their good qualities, and eliminating pride. It's hugely about eliminating pride in ourselves. Report an error

38:55 And when I talk about pride, it's afflictive pride. It's not developing a healthy self-esteem or self-confidence. Report an error

39:07 The Tibetans describe it in terms of feeling puffed up and having this feeling of superiority over others. Report an error

39:30 And sometimes it sneaks out in feeling... The worst about ourselves, that's a form of pride too. Report an error

39:47 But pride tends to support self-cherishing, that mind that keeps us focused on ourselves 100 % of the time. Me, me, me, me, me. Report an error

40:03 And both pride and self-cherishing keeps us from really connecting with others, heart to heart, mind to mind. Report an error

40:33 In one big way, we're completely the same as others and wanting to be happy and wanting to avoid suffering. Report an error

40:44 If we can actually remember that, when we're looking down on somebody, or even looking up at somebody with awe, Report an error

40:58 we're all the same in that way. We may use different methods, and some methods may not work. Report an error

41:09 But thinking in this way can break down a lot of barriers. Report an error

41:27 One of the reasons that Lojang is considered mind training is that it helps us take the opportunity of a problem when it arises. Because we often see problems as the enemy. But the real enemy are these afflicted states of mind like anger and pride, jealousy. Report an error

41:51 Sometimes the problems actually allow us to see these yucky states of mind in ourselves. Report an error

42:07 And even if it's uncomfortable and we don't like it, it can help us eliminate them. And we won't eliminate them unless we see them. Report an error

42:21 And sometimes if we've been working on our minds for a number of years, we can get complacent and think we're doing better than we are. Report an error

42:34 So actually when these problems pop up, they can be like teachers pointing out where we still need to work. Report an error

42:58 A lot of times when people get introduced to Buddhism, they want to go off into the hills and meditate. But these verses allow us to stay right here and work in our minds, at Report an error

43:15 home, in our relationships, at work. Report an error

43:26 And this is really what practice is. This is what training the mind is. It's nothing more holy or mysterious than that. Report an error

43:44 His Holiness the Dalai Lama does a little meditation where we begin examining exactly how many other sentient beings are equal to one of us in terms of how much energy and interest we give them. Report an error

44:05 Is it really just one or would it be thousands or would it be millions to get our attention? Report an error

44:15 In terms of how much we worry about ourselves, how we raise money to care for ourselves. How we obsess about comfort and pleasure. Report an error

44:31 It's just habit. Report an error

44:36 Master Shantideva says if we want to develop a habit, a new habit to take the place of this old habit, it just takes time. Report an error

44:56 He says we should dispel suffering because it is suffering. That's all. We should benefit others because they're sentient beings just like me. That's all. When we stop seeing such a huge gap between ourselves and others, that's when everything good can happen. Report an error

45:31 So the second verse is a lot about giving up the self-cherishing mind and replacing it with this mind that cherishes others. Report an error

45:53 When we say we're going to place ourselves as the lowest of all, it doesn't mean we become a doormat, whether we stop respecting ourselves. It means we start respecting others. That's all. It means we try to put others first, even sometimes as an experiment. Report an error

46:22 And then think of another interpretation of this verse, of all of these verses. That anyone can be an enlightened being. We just don't know. Report an error

46:38 According to the scriptures, it can be some in every crowd. Report an error

46:46 And it's no trouble at all to them to appear in a form that might help you work on your mind. Report an error

46:59 Even among the people that you see every day, that you work with, you live with, Report an error

47:07 some of them might be trying to get you enlightened. Report an error

47:17 Even just play with this idea. Especially if you have somebody that you have a hard time with. Unless you're clairvoyant or omniscient, you really can't know another's mind. Report an error

47:37 Is there anything that happened this week that might be a teaching just for you to work on a particular delusion? Report an error

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48:39 Now is a good time to stretch if you need to stretch, but try to stay in silence. Report an error

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50:10 And then when you're ready, meditation posture. Report an error

50:37 In all actions, I will examine my mind in the moment a disturbing attitude arises. Endangering myself and others, I will firmly confront and avert it. So Report an error

50:58 this one is talking about all these exciting little companions that we've had for many lifetimes, these afflictive emotions, disturbing emotions, thoughts really, anger, attachment, jealousy, Report an error

51:17 doubt, Report an error

51:21 hatred, the critical mind. Report an error

51:30 Mental affliction is just defined as anything that disturbs the mind. Report an error

51:39 Anything that disturbs the mind. So that's any kind of slight irritation all the way up to full-blown rage. Report an error

51:54 And they've been disturbing our mind and keeping us cycling in saṃsāra from beginningless time, according to the Buddha. Report an error

52:06 But what's important here is that they obstruct us, being able to generate bodhicitta. Report an error

52:15 They keep us from getting enlightened. They keep us little. Report an error

52:29 Our real enemies are these delusions, not the other people. Not the people we think are upsetting us, the situations we think are upsetting us, the problems we think we have. It's our own minds and the way our minds are uncontrolled. Report an error

53:00 Our afflictions cause us suffering now by agitating our mind and later because we create karma based on that agitation and Report an error

53:15 that's what keeps us in suffering. Report an error

53:23 Shantideva who wrote The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life Often use these very warrior-like terms to attack our deluded states of mind, keep an eye out for them, Report an error

53:38 scan our minds constantly looking for them and then shoot them down when we see them. Report an error

53:48 Or as one of my teachers used to say, do search and destroy missions for your own delusions. Report an error

53:56 But we really have to understand that these delusions keep us from having peace of mind and happiness, much less everyone else. Report an error

54:11 And until they're conquered, we have to be vigilant. We have to develop a mind of vigilance. Report an error

54:20 And we do that by meditating, by knowing what it feels like to have anger start to arise in our body when we go off balance slightly. Shantideva calls it being upset, the direct cause of anger. We have to know what that feels like so that we can start catching these before they actually become full-blown klesha attacks. Report an error

54:50 Find our soft spots and plan for them. And we do that in meditation when our mind is already calm. If we have a certain time that we're more vulnerable, like when we're without sleep, Report an error

55:08 then we plan for that. If we have certain people that trigger us, then we imagine that in the comfort and safety of your own meditation session. Imagine how that person will say the things that they say to upset us. Report an error

55:25 And imagine how we might reply differently, how we might respond differently. Report an error

55:45 And when our mind gets the best of us, then we can use that to examine it in meditation. It's all fertile. Report an error

55:57 It's all grist for the mill. Report an error

56:05 Even when we lose it, it can be perfect for meditating on afterwards, doing analytical meditation, pulling it apart, thinking about it. Report an error

56:16 Look at how quickly my mind got angry. Look at what set it off. Not in judgment, just observation. Report an error

56:29 And eventually we'll catch ourselves, even once, before we go off. And that's what's really meant by firmly confronting and averting it. So Report an error

56:55 think about something that might be happening or happened this week at work or at school or at home in a relationship. Report an error

57:09 Think about your mind and how it responded. Report an error

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57:43 Being able to firmly confront and avert it means that we have to know our own minds. We have to work with them. They have to become our tool. We don't want to be controlled by them anymore. Report an error

58:22 But we'll only do this if we take the time. Report an error

58:28 So at night, after a big, full, busy day, take five minutes to think about how the day went, to think about how our mind responded to certain things that came up due to our karma, Report an error

58:46 or do it throughout the day. Take a moment to remove yourself from the craziness of life, whether it's in your car or in the bathroom, and think about certain incidents as they arise. That's the only way we begin to examine our mind, the only way we get it ready to do battle with our delusions. Report an error

59:10 That's the only way that we can remember the bigger goal, developing bodhicitta and full enlightenment. Report an error

59:43 So now is a good time to stretch if you need to, but remain in silence. Report an error

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1:01:05 And then when you're ready, you just get posture, focus Report an error

1:01:22 your mind again. Report an error

1:01:33 Whenever I meet a person of bad nature who is overwhelmed by intense energy and suffering, by negative energy and intense suffering, I will hold such a rare one dear as if I had found a precious treasure. A Report an error

1:01:59 person of bad nature and intense suffering is just talking about somebody who's seriously under the control of their deluded minds. Report an error

1:02:09 That's all. I mean, all of us are controlled by our deluded minds, but some people more than others. This mind's filled with anger, hatred, obsession, resentment. Report an error

1:02:27 Somebody who has absolutely no control when those emotions well up in their minds and their hearts. In fact, they're out of control. So Report an error

1:02:45 this is the sort of really difficult person. Report an error

1:02:53 And people don't want to be around people like that. Right? We kind of push them away. We stay away from them. They scare us a little bit. Report an error

1:03:11 If we realize how easily somebody flies off the handle and gets angry, we do try to avoid them. Report an error

1:03:25 If somebody is constantly blaming others, lashing out, it seems natural to try to avoid them. But this verse is actually telling us to do something completely different. Report an error

1:03:39 All of these verses are asking us to do something different. Report an error

1:03:51 The author of these verses is saying never reject somebody like this out of hatred. Report an error

1:04:00 He says actually we should value them highly because Report an error

1:04:12 they show us the extent of our own progress. They show us whether or not we can love somebody and have compassion, Report an error

1:04:24 especially the difficult people. Report an error

1:04:31 He says if we practice well on them, then cherishing all other beings will become much easier. These are the special cases. Report an error

1:04:44 These are the ones who are the most disadvantaged. And if we want to develop compassion, if we want to help all living beings, and we can't be kind and compassionate to these beings, then who else will? Report an error

1:05:04 It's easy to be kind and compassionate to nice people. Report an error

1:05:12 What's really difficult is cherishing all those who are suffering from huge mental afflictions and totally unable to control their minds. Report an error

1:05:37 If we can generate compassion and love with them, it allows us to get enlightened quicker and that increases happiness in the world and decreases all that suffering. Report an error

1:05:54 But that doesn't mean that we step back and allow people to be mean and beat people, kick the dog or worse. Bodhicitta isn't passive. Compassion isn't passive. In reality, it's much harder to cherish people with compassion. Report an error

1:06:21 And to act with wisdom. Report an error

1:06:27 We can care about these beings and still try to stop them. In this case we actually care about both the abuser and the abused. Report an error

1:06:44 Sometimes we have to be wrathful. Often we have to be strong. But the heart of our motivation is compassion. Not anger, not blame, not fear. Report an error

1:07:09 Remember again that these teachings are very, very radical. They aren't in step. The culture we live in. Report an error

1:07:31 Lama Zopa Rinpoche was talking about this response yesterday. He was talking about how the Buddha demonstrated bearing betrayal with compassion and how completely difficult and different this is from the way we normally do. Report an error

1:07:53 Not responding with anger, hatred, aversion, pushing that person away, but with compassion. Report an error

1:08:16 These verses are trying to help us open our hearts so wide that it sometimes hurts to care for people all the time and eventually to care for all living beings all the time. So it's really big. Report an error

1:08:38 It just takes a long time. It's just practice. Just like playing the piano, Report an error

1:08:48 it's just practice. Report an error

1:08:52 Real sustained effort over many, many, many years. And that's how we get enlightened. Report an error

1:09:12 And this verse also touches on emptiness, karma and emptiness. That that annoying person doesn't inherently exist out there, apart from me, absolutely. And not everyone thinks that person is annoying or even scary, but Report an error

1:09:40 my karma is forcing me to. Report an error

1:09:45 His wife might think he's wonderful. Report an error

1:09:50 Someone else might think he's just completely neutral, might be indifferent to him. That's his emptiness. He's empty of existing in some solid, absolute way, the way our mind projects him. But that doesn't mean that he's a projection, that he's completely a figment of my imagination. Report an error

1:10:16 The way I see him is a creation of my own negative mind and karma. Report an error

1:10:27 According to the Buddha and to Master Shantideva, Report an error

1:10:34 once we change the way we react to all the difficult people, we stop the karma of creating them. We stop having such difficult people in our lives. Report an error

1:11:01 Gradually, with more and more time and practice, all these deluded states of mind become more and more subdued. And then we realize there is no object of that delusion. Report an error

1:11:19 In other words, the object that our delusion sees doesn't exist the way the delusion sees it. Report an error

1:11:31 By not rejecting those difficult beings and instead keeping them as an object of our love and compassion. I can receive the whole path to enlightenment, and that's why he's a precious treasure. Report an error

1:11:51 He's precious because he helps me work on my own mind, because he fine-tunes my compassion and my love and my patience and my wisdom, Report an error

1:12:05 and because we keep making prayers to be able to help all sentient beings, and here's a suffering sentient being right now. Report an error

1:12:20 So help. Report an error

1:12:38 Think about one of these special cases in your life, and imagine... Responding in a different way. What Report an error

1:12:54 would that feel like? Report an error

1:13:22 Now's a good time to stretch if you need to, but stay in silence. Report an error

· · ·

1:14:34 And then when you're ready, get back into your posture and do some breathing to get back your level of meditation. Then Report an error

1:15:00 we'll start. Report an error

1:15:07 When others out of jealousy mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on, I will practice accepting defeat and offer the victory to them. Report an error

1:15:29 So this verse includes people that accuse us of things we didn't do, people Report an error

1:15:39 who tell stories about us, people who criticize us or blame us or complain about us. And Report an error

1:15:55 we have to start seeing that it's our karma, that a certain situation that's arising for me and causing me suffering was created, maybe not in this life, but in some life by actions that I did under. The control of a deluded mind. It's just karma coming back at me. Because it's not just the little stuff, it's everything. Report an error

1:16:27 It's people pointing out my faults or Report an error

1:16:33 complaining about me. It's all of this. Report an error

1:16:39 This is all karmic appearance. So this has to become our first mantra when stuff happens. This is my karmic appearance. I created this. How can I uncreate it? How can I respond differently? Report an error

1:17:12 We have to be careful of how we always fight to have the victory, to be right, to be seen in a certain way. It just creates so much continual negative karma. Report an error

1:17:30 If somebody's criticizing me, try to think open. Maybe what they're saying could be useful to me. Report an error

1:17:48 Usually we give it too much weight. It doesn't mean you're not a good person. It means maybe you could stand to take this right now and hear it. Report an error

1:18:02 The grasping mind, grasping at eye, believing in this ego the way the mind sees it, doesn't want to hear it. It's afraid. But this experience of criticism and of blame can often be a way of sort of releasing the ego, diminishing it, and eventually eliminating it. Report an error

1:18:26 We always want to win. We always want to be right. Report an error

1:18:33 What if we just let one person win once? See what that felt like. Just give it up. And remember it's for a bigger goal. We get so caught up with this one little situation and this one little moment and this one little day and this one little life. Report an error

1:18:55 Enlightenment is so much bigger than this. Report an error

1:19:03 Even in our one life, would this one situation ever be more than a blip? Would we ever think of this on our deathbed? Report an error

1:19:27 Our ego keeps us so tiny. And all these problems and conflicts just eat away our precious human life. Report an error

1:19:40 What if we just decided to see the bigger picture and use one of these situations to chop up our ego instead? Report an error

1:19:55 And any conflict between two people, you can decide to take the loss on yourself and give the advantage to the other. Report an error

1:20:10 We're always afraid if we do this, then people will take advantage of us, but we're forgetting karma. People take advantage of us only if we take advantage of people and create that karma. Report an error

1:20:33 The best way to get rid of people who are exploding at us, who are blaming us, who are criticizing us, who have a negative mind around us, is to be kind, is to respond differently, Report an error

1:20:56 is to not be so negative and judgmental ourselves. Report an error

1:21:07 We don't win by struggling against people. That's never worked. And the Buddha would say, we've been doing this since beginningless time. Report an error

1:21:31 So maybe try something different. Report an error

1:22:00 When someone I have benefited and in whom I have placed great trust hurts me very badly, I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher. Report an error

1:22:13 So think about an incident in your life where somebody you've helped in some way or loved or trusted, repaid your kindness with ingratitude or anger or blame. Report an error

1:22:33 And think how you might look at it differently. What Report an error

1:22:44 might that person have taught you? Even if that was an incredibly difficult situation, event in your life, what might that person have been trying to teach you? Report an error

1:23:06 How might that situation help to reduce your ego? Report an error

1:23:23 And what if that person or these events or problems, actually what if they're just private teachings for you? That you can use to get enlightened if you try. If you look at them differently. Report an error

1:23:41 You do have a choice. Report an error

1:23:48 Someone acting in a really negative way can actually bring a lot of good to your life and your mind if you let it. Report an error

1:24:17 Again, we always have to remember the karma of the situation. That we did actively co-create it. Even if we don't remember creating that karma in this life. Report an error

1:24:29 Maybe we never betrayed anyone in this life. Report an error

1:24:42 It doesn't matter. According to the Buddha, we still created it in some life. So how we respond to it and whether we're able to respond without hatred and with love is how we determine what happens next. Report an error

1:25:20 As Lama Zopa Rinpoche says, problems are just another form of teaching. This problem is a teaching for me. It's teaching me that if I don't like this problem, I have to abandon its cause, my own non-virtue. Report an error

1:25:42 And this way when we have problems like this, when somebody hurts us or misuses our trust or is ungracious, ungrateful, we Report an error

1:26:00 can use this person as a teacher to show us our own mind. And that's all teachers do. Report an error

1:26:14 So Lama Rinpoche, the author of these verses, is just saying, this teacher also can show you your own mind. This one that you loved and trusted, who's hurt you, can show you your own mind. Just show you where you work, can help you practice, can help you get enlightened. Report an error

1:26:47 You can also see them as your actual teacher if you have one, manifesting in this form of this person, pushing you more than you thought you could go in terms of being able to love somebody and care for them, even if they've hurt you. Report an error

1:27:08 And you can learn an enormous amount from somebody who's hurt you. Report an error

1:27:16 Again, we don't seek it out. It happens. And when it happens, how we respond is what's going to change everything else. How Report an error

1:27:33 can I let my heart stay open in the face of this? How can I use this to get stronger and more loving and more compassionate? Report an error

1:28:00 And now is a good time to stretch if you need to. And Report an error

· · ·

1:29:13 then find your posture again. Report an error

1:29:37 In short, I will offer directly and indirectly every benefit and happiness to all beings, my mothers. I will practice in secret, taking upon myself all their harmful actions and sufferings. Report an error

1:29:58 So begin with picturing somebody that you would like to do Tonglen with. It can be somebody that you love very much, especially if you're new to the practice. You can imagine somebody that you know very well and that you love very much. Or you can branch out. If you've been doing Tonglen for somebody you love, maybe choose a stranger. Report an error

1:30:20 Or maybe if you feel brave, you could even choose somebody that you are having difficulties with. And just imagine that person sitting across from you, facing you. Report an error

1:30:49 And try to imagine in some detail some of the problems that that person has. Report an error

1:30:57 Maybe it's physical pain or illness, injury. Or maybe it's mental pain, anxiety, worry, fear, anger, depression. Report an error

1:31:16 Sadness. Report an error

1:31:36 And then take a moment to feel really strongly that you would like to remove the suffering from this person, to take it away completely. Report an error

1:31:47 This is all that compassion is in Buddhism, is wanting to take away another suffering. Report an error

1:32:05 And imagine all of the suffering of that person's body and mind begins to take the form of black smoke. And on your breath, you can imagine removing it from... All the parts of their body and mind and just bringing it to their heart in the form of a sphere of black smoke. Report an error

1:32:29 Just take some time to do this and don't forget any of it. Just slowly remove all of their pain and suffering from all the parts of their body and mind. Report an error

· · ·

1:33:16 And then when you've gathered it all into a little sphere at their heart, make this decision to take all of their suffering of body and mind. Report an error

1:33:31 Use it to destroy your own self-cherishing mind, that self-centered, selfish mind that's at the root of all of our problems, according to Buddhism. Report an error

1:33:44 It causes us to stay so small and to not work for others and to not get enlightened, lifetime after lifetime after lifetime. Report an error

1:33:54 Again, Report an error

1:34:05 on the breath, just begin to breathe that black smoke up from their heart. Imagine it coming out of their nostrils and as it leaves their body, imagine a look of relief on their face. Report an error

1:34:30 Just bring it into the air between you and again imagine it like a puff of black smoke and don't leave any of it behind. Report an error

1:34:41 If you have, go back and bring it out. Report an error

1:35:10 And when you look at that person, see the relief in their eyes and take a moment to feel very happy that you've been able to take away all that suffering. Report an error

1:35:29 And then take a minute to look at your own heart, to think about something selfish that you've done today or yesterday or this week, something really self-centered. Report an error

1:35:46 Maybe it could be something as small as not really listening when somebody poured their heart out to you, thinking more about yourself than somebody else, even for a moment. It doesn't have to be huge, just something yucky that you maybe wish you hadn't done or hadn't felt, because it doesn't. Allow you to become enlightened. It's holding you back. Report an error

1:36:15 And imagine that sort of representing that self-cherishing mind at our heart that now takes the form of a rock, a black rock at our heart, holding our best side in, our best qualities, our loving kindness, our compassion, our bodhicitta, our love. Report an error

1:36:49 And then again on the breath, begin breathing in this black smoke. Report an error

1:36:58 Breathing it in through your nostrils and letting it come down into your heart chakra and imagine it encircling that rock at your heart, beginning to dissolve it, soften it and Report an error

1:37:20 then in one instant like a crack of lightning imagine it just smashes that rock to nothing. It just evaporates into a billion particles into space. Report an error

1:37:41 Imagine that it frees your heart and that you can actually feel that relief and Report an error

1:37:54 then out of all that space imagine that you become more and more aware of this bright white light at your heart which is your baby bodhicitta. Report an error

1:38:09 All your best qualities are now liberated and Report an error

1:38:20 imagine that it's getting stronger and stronger and Report an error

1:38:29 if you have any understanding of emptiness you can think about the fact that that person In front of you, whether you love them or hate them, it doesn't exist the way you think. Solid, unchanging, absolute, the way you think. Report an error

1:38:46 You can remember that your own self-cherishing also doesn't exist. Solid, unchanging, absolute, concrete, the way it feels. Report an error

1:38:56 And you yourself don't. Report an error

1:39:05 If you have any other solid views of yourself. Especially that thought that you can't change, that you can't get enlightened, that you're not capable. Imagine those also dissolving into empty space. Report an error

1:39:40 And from this vastness of your own pure loving mind, decide that you want to give that person in front of you total happiness. Report an error

1:39:51 This is love. Report an error

1:40:03 So imagine that sparkling white light that's filling your heart and now your whole body. Imagine that it contains all your best qualities, all your own happiness, your peace of mind, wisdom and love and all the good things that they need to make them happy. Report an error

1:40:31 So whether that's something of this world like a job or a partner or money or whether it's something bigger, peace of mind and happiness, a deep wellspring of happiness. Good health, long life. Imagine all of that is contained in this beautiful sparkling white bliss cloud that's filling you up from top to bottom. Report an error

1:41:08 And then just imagine beginning to breathe that out of your own nostrils in the air between you towards that other person and take some time to do this. Report an error

· · ·

1:42:07 And then imagine as the other person begins to breathe it in that for a moment you share this Sparkling, bright white cloud that contains all things that are good. Report an error

1:42:24 And then finally they breathe it in and it leaves your heart and it fills them with everything they need right now and then in this life and then in all lives. Report an error

1:42:43 Imagine that they're deeply at peace and that they're happy. Report an error

1:43:01 And then imagine you're able to fill them with the teachings themselves and all the wisdom and compassion. Everything the Buddha taught, everything they need to become first a bodhisattva and then to attain nirvāṇa and then to gain full enlightenment, to become an omniscient, incredibly capable being made of light, Report an error

1:43:30 existing solely for the benefit of all. Report an error

1:43:42 And imagine how happy you'd feel to give them that. Report an error

1:43:56 I really try to believe for just this moment. That it's possible for you to help another living being in this way. Report an error

1:44:21 Now is a good time to stretch and remain silent and then we'll do the final meditation. Take Report an error

· · ·

1:45:44 a nice deep belly breath and just check your posture again. Report an error

1:46:05 Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns, by perceiving all phenomena as illusory, I will practice without grasping to release all beings. From the bondage of the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma. Report an error

1:46:38 So this first starts with mentioning the eight worldly concerns. So I'll review what they are. Report an error

1:46:49 Gain and loss. Gain just means being happy if you get something. Loss means being unhappy if we don't get something. Or if we lose something or if we're separated from something. Report an error

1:47:07 So this isn't talking about that we can't be happy when things happen that are nice. Or even unhappy when things happen that aren't nice. But just to try to remember karma all the time. Try not to let ourselves get unreasonably super hyper excited when things happen that are good. Report an error

1:47:35 Or super depressed when things happen that aren't good. Report an error

1:47:44 The next two are pleasure and pain. Pleasure is being happy when we feel good. Report an error

1:47:53 Pain is being unhappy when we don't feel good. Report an error

1:48:00 It has all sorts of things happening to it all the time due to our karma. We get sick, we get injured, we get old and we die. But that doesn't have to affect our mind. If we begin to train now, our mind can get more and more stable. It can become happy no matter what. Our lamas show us this when they manifest aging and dying and they do it with an incredibly happy mind. So it's possible. Report an error

1:48:43 A good reputation or a bad reputation could be fame and being anonymous or unknown. Report an error

1:48:55 Again, being happy if we have a good reputation or if our good deeds are noticed. Being unhappy if not. Report an error

1:49:12 We should develop this quality of just doing good deeds because we know it's the best thing to do, not because of what people say about us. Report an error

1:49:32 And the final two are praise and blame. Report an error

1:49:38 Being happy if we get praised, being unhappy if we don't get praised or if we get criticized. It's just karma ripening, good and bad. Report an error

1:49:52 We notice it, but we don't let it puff us up too much. We don't let it tear us down too much. Report an error

1:50:05 We don't let it influence our lives too much. Report an error

1:50:12 So think about these eight, even just today, even just in this meditation. How many of them have already come up for you? Report an error

1:50:27 Are we happy about getting something? Report an error

1:50:32 Are we worried about not getting something? Do we all get concerned with feeling good, not having pain in our knees, our back, our foot, our shoulders? How Report an error

1:50:50 much of our stretching and fidgeting comes from that one? Report an error

1:50:59 Do we care too much about what people think of us, what they said about us? And Report an error

1:51:11 then try to think about your week and the times that you did try to do good, maybe in little ways. Maybe you were able to give up the victory even one time this week, or to work on your patience, or to be kind, or just mindful, watching your mind, catching it even if it's after the fact. Report an error

1:51:44 They say until we've realized emptiness, all of our actions, even the best actions, are tinged with some kind of selfish mind. Report an error

1:52:10 And think about a little what we've talked about, emptiness. What if things don't exist the way we always thought they did? Report an error

1:52:21 What if the people around us really are created by our karma and our experience of everything can change based on our actions? Report an error

1:52:41 What if by seeing things as illusory or dreamlike, Report an error

1:52:50 we can get closer to seeing how they actually exist? Report an error

1:53:09 And remember the list of the deeper eight that we discussed. Things don't start from their own side. Things don't stop from their own side. Report an error

1:53:27 Remember karma and emptiness. It looks like if we turn the key and the ignition and the car starts, that's why it starts, but that's simply how it starts. Why has to do with karma. Report an error

1:53:48 Nothing is unchangeable. Nothing is permanent. We're not permanent. Our body's not permanent. Our mind isn't permanent. The world isn't permanent. Report an error

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Talk by Lobsang Chokyi, recorded 6 March 2011. Original at Tse Chen Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies via Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/LC_LoJong_20110113. Licensed CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. Transcript generated automatically and may contain errors; the audio is the authoritative version.

Recorded at Tse Chen Ling Center, San Francisco, and archived by the center on Internet Archive. More from Tse Chen Ling

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