Discovering Buddhism - Mind and Its Potential (13 November 2008)

0:07 Am Namo Manjur Shriyei, Namo Atama Shriyei So. Om Namo Manjushriye Namo, Sushriye Namo, Atama Shriye Soha. Om Namo Manjushri, Namo Sushri, Namo Otama Shri, So. Report an error in the passage at 0:07 Highlight the passage at 0:07

0:44 It's warm in here, isn't it? Yeah, let's do because we can always close it once. Report an error in the passage at 0:44 Highlight the passage at 0:44

0:56 Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 0:56 Highlight the passage at 0:56

0:59 Actually, Jane, could you do me a favor and open that one because then we'll have like a little cross ventilation. I know I have been running up and down the stairs if it's possible. It's me. Report an error in the passage at 0:59 Highlight the passage at 0:59

1:18 Are you who I emailed to? Okay, great. Welcome. Report an error in the passage at 1:18 Highlight the passage at 1:18

1:28 So, hi. Welcome back. Another meeting of the minds, so to speak. Report an error in the passage at 1:28 Highlight the passage at 1:28

1:45 So we're going to start with a short meditation. I managed to get Bodhi upstairs so she won't come in and try to teach the class. Because she knows, you know, really how to. She's the cat, in case you don't know her. She definitely has a lot to say about just about any topic that I'm trying to teach. Or that Geshe was trying to teach. Report an error in the passage at 1:45 Highlight the passage at 1:45

2:07 Alright, so just some nice deep breaths and just let go of your day. All of us have been doing something before we came here. Report an error in the passage at 2:07 Highlight the passage at 2:07

2:20 Most of us have been doing many things before we came here. So just breathing out everything that you've been doing until now. Letting go of any conversations you might have just been having. Report an error in the passage at 2:20 Highlight the passage at 2:20

2:34 Good things, bad things about your day. Report an error in the passage at 2:34 Highlight the passage at 2:34

2:40 And then actively use your breath to dissolve any kind of sluggishness or distraction from being here tonight. imagining your breath just dissolving that away and breathing out. Your out-breath. And Report an error in the passage at 2:40 Highlight the passage at 2:40

3:18 then with your in-breath, just bring in fresh curiosity, alertness, presence, awareness. Report an error in the passage at 3:18 Highlight the passage at 3:18

3:42 This is actually a good exercise to do for any kind of transition. So if you're coming from work and you're sitting down to meditate or when you get up in the morning, just to sit down and meditate sometimes takes some effort. So this is a good way to sort of bridge whatever activities you've just been doing. Report an error in the passage at 3:42 Highlight the passage at 3:42

4:02 And your new activity. Report an error in the passage at 4:02 Highlight the passage at 4:02

4:12 So we're going to start with a short meditation by Sanghi Kadro or Kathleen McDonald. And it's on the clarity of the mind. Report an error in the passage at 4:12 Highlight the passage at 4:12

4:29 Your consciousness or mind is whatever you're experiencing in this moment. Report an error in the passage at 4:29 Highlight the passage at 4:29

4:37 So any kind of mental experience you're having right now, including sensations in your body, thoughts, feelings, emotions. Report an error in the passage at 4:37 Highlight the passage at 4:37

4:54 Perceptions, like perceiving the sounds of the cars driving by or perceiving the feel of the wind on your arm and your skin. Report an error in the passage at 4:54 Highlight the passage at 4:54

5:10 But the nature of each of these experiences is clarity. There's no form or color. Report an error in the passage at 5:10 Highlight the passage at 5:10

5:19 Space-like pure awareness. Report an error in the passage at 5:19 Highlight the passage at 5:19

5:27 Try to focus your attention on this clear, pure nature of your own mind. Report an error in the passage at 5:27 Highlight the passage at 5:27

5:44 Sometimes it's easier to visualize. Using a mental image. Report an error in the passage at 5:44 Highlight the passage at 5:44

5:52 So one way to think about it is imagining yourself lying on your back on a hillside, staring up into the sky. And imagine that it's a completely clear, open sky, free of clouds. Report an error in the passage at 5:52 Highlight the passage at 5:52

6:12 And just concentrate on that vast, unobstructed openness. And Report an error in the passage at 6:12 Highlight the passage at 6:12

6:26 then imagine that it comes down and embraces you. And all your surroundings and everything becomes empty like space. And Report an error in the passage at 6:26 Highlight the passage at 6:26

6:41 then hold this experience. The Report an error in the passage at 6:41 Highlight the passage at 6:41

6:48 nature of your mind is like this clear, empty space. And Report an error in the passage at 6:48 Highlight the passage at 6:48

7:19 from this vast space will motivate tonight's class. Report an error in the passage at 7:19 Highlight the passage at 7:19

7:28 Shakyamuni Buddha said that the only way that we can get happiness, the happiness that we all seek, and to eliminate our suffering, Report an error in the passage at 7:28 Highlight the passage at 7:28

7:43 is to go deeply into our own mind. And we do this through analysis, through meditation or through contemplation or discussion. But ultimately going deeply into our own mind and transforming it is the only way that we're going to help ourselves and help each other. Report an error in the passage at 7:43 Highlight the passage at 7:43

8:12 So understanding the mind isn't just an intellectual exercise. Report an error in the passage at 8:12 Highlight the passage at 8:12

8:21 It's a profound journey. Report an error in the passage at 8:21 Highlight the passage at 8:21

8:28 And in this journey the path and the destination are both equally important. Report an error in the passage at 8:28 Highlight the passage at 8:28

8:40 And both of them are necessary to liberate us from this cycle that we're in, a repeated suffering, dissatisfaction, disappointment. Report an error in the passage at 8:40 Highlight the passage at 8:40

8:56 So whatever we might discuss or any insights that we might gain from this class, may they plant seeds that instill us, they force us, they push us, they nudge us to take this journey to its completion. Report an error in the passage at 8:56 Highlight the passage at 8:56

9:20 To fulfill the potential of our own minds so Report an error in the passage at 9:20 Highlight the passage at 9:20

9:27 that we ourselves can become enlightened for the benefit of all living beings. If Report an error in the passage at 9:27 Highlight the passage at 9:27

9:48 you're ready, you can end your meditation and open your eyes. And we'll start with the opening prayer. Report an error in the passage at 9:48 Highlight the passage at 9:48

10:03 So about midway through, just look for the picture of His Holiness. If you've got one with page numbers on it, then it's on page 8. But if not, just look for the picture. Report an error in the passage at 10:03 Highlight the passage at 10:03

10:21 And this is another way of just setting our motivation for why we're doing this study. With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence, I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 10:21 Highlight the passage at 10:21

10:46 As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain. Until then, may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 10:46 Highlight the passage at 10:46

11:09 So I just wanted to say before we started, somebody asked a question after the final meditation last week, and I thought it was worthwhile bringing up because it caused some confusion in his mind. He's not here, but I won't mention any names. Report an error in the passage at 11:09 Highlight the passage at 11:09

11:33 So we had just spent time at last week's class talking about how we all have individual mind streams. And then in the final visualization, as you might remember, we imagined Shakyamuni Buddha dissolving into light and his mind and our mind merging inseparably. So that caused some confusion in this person's mind. And so I wanted to just say something about that. It's sort of two separate activities. Report an error in the passage at 11:33 Highlight the passage at 11:33

12:01 Yes, we do have individual Mind streams. And this particular visualization, which actually comes from Tantra, is just a visualization. You know, like when we do that, the Buddha is not pouring his mind into our head. As Tsongkhapa Rinpoche says, it's not like our our mind becomes a paper bag and the Buddha comes along and drops in potatoes. Report an error in the passage at 12:01 Highlight the passage at 12:01

12:27 So it is just a visualization. And the way that it functions as a visualization is that it allows us to awaken our own good qualities, especially those qualities that we can perfect to become a Buddha. Because the Shakyamuni Buddha says that it's totally possible for all of us to perfect our qualities, perfect our mind, just like he did. He was exactly like us at one point. Report an error in the passage at 12:27 Highlight the passage at 12:27

12:52 So it's acting more like a blessing. I mean, when you hear the word blessing a lot in Buddhism, all it really is saying is inspiration. It sounds kind of more exciting, but it's really talking about inspiration. And the Buddhas and bodhisattvas can inspire us in lots of ways, but they can't actually pour their minds into ours. And they can't actually, I mean, if that's all they had to do to get us enlightened, then they would have done it a long time ago because of their infinite compassion. Report an error in the passage at 12:52 Highlight the passage at 12:52

13:25 They wouldn't just stand by and watch us if they had this power to pour their mind into ours and turn it perfect. Unfortunately, we all have individual mind streams and we all create our own suffering through our ignorance and then we all have the capacity through our own efforts. to perfect our minds and that's ultimately what we have to do it ends up being our responsibility so I just wanted to mention that in case anybody else was privately confused and didn't bring it up with me it's just acting as a as a powerful I think visualization but Any other questions that might have come up for you guys during the reading? Report an error in the passage at 13:25 Highlight the passage at 13:25

14:16 You guys were working on the continuity of mind. Anything come up doing that? Assuming that you all have done it religiously every day, you know, morning and night, you know. Report an error in the passage at 14:16 Highlight the passage at 14:16

14:30 Nervous laughter and shuffling a paper. No, but any questions that came up about it or anything? Yeah. Could you pass the mic back to... We use the mic because we record and then we upload. To a website and then people can download and so that way they can hear everything. Report an error in the passage at 14:30 Highlight the passage at 14:30

14:53 In the small reading, the mind is beginningless, the attachment. Report an error in the passage at 14:53 Highlight the passage at 14:53

15:02 I'm reading this and I'm seeing dependent origination and I'm just wondering about the idea of randomness. Is there randomness in Buddhism? No. Everything has a cause. There is no randomness. So what's the difference between dependent origination and fate? Where is the agency of my individual mind? Free will. This comes up every time, yeah. Your free will comes up. So your mind creates the experience that you're being faced with, whether it's a good experience or a bad experience, due to the fact that we have these... Report an error in the passage at 15:02 Highlight the passage at 15:02

15:49 States of mind that are either afflicted or virtuous and then we create actions of speech or thought or physical based on those states of mind and then we create karma based on those actions and then that karma ripens and so you either have the pleasurable experience or the suffering experience. How you respond when that experience arises is where you get your free will. Report an error in the passage at 15:49 Highlight the passage at 15:49

16:19 So how are you going to respond? Are you going to perpetuate it by yelling back at the boss, as you've done for limitless lifetimes? Or are you going to remember this class, basically, and go into it with your eyes wide open? Exhaust that karma, that karma's done, and then create better karma so that then your experiences going forward are better, which won't be instantly. Report an error in the passage at 16:19 Highlight the passage at 16:19

16:48 But will happen. Yeah, so it's a lot to take in that one. Karma is a lot. But ultimately, what I love about karma is that it does put the onus on us. I mean, it does create this sense of personal responsibility that I can make these kind of changes in my life, starting with my mind. You know, starting with the changes that I make in my mind, dealing with literally every little thing that comes at me during the day or feels like it's coming at me. Report an error in the passage at 16:48 Highlight the passage at 16:48

17:23 But once we understand emptiness, it's a little less that it's coming at me. But it sure feels like it. So, yeah, they say it's kind of like we have created the movie of our life in our past life. So we can't necessarily change the ending, but we can change the next movie. Report an error in the passage at 17:23 Highlight the passage at 17:23

17:46 Because once it's alright, I mean we can actually do purification practices and we have to, once we start really having some faith in this, we have to do purification as we realize that we're doing things that aren't going to cause more and more suffering in our lives. From that, just that aspect, not even that you've like hurt other people or anything, just from the aspect of like, oh shoot, I just did it again, you know, I yelled back at him, oh my god, you know, run to the bathroom really quick and do your bodhicitta, you know. Report an error in the passage at 17:46 Highlight the passage at 17:46

18:12 Because... Otherwise you're just creating, you're just perpetuating the cycle. And ultimately we have to stop perpetuating the cycle. And ultimately that's where that responsibility comes back to us. You know, that's where the Buddha, if the Buddha could pour himself into your mind at that point, that would be really helpful. They can inspire you. Report an error in the passage at 18:12 Highlight the passage at 18:12

18:32 Chokyi could be walking by while you're getting ready to yell back at the boss and be like, you know, or some other co-worker who suddenly like arises and looks at you meaningfully and you're like, oh wait, you know, and you're like, why did he look at me like that? But who cares? At least I got the message. They can do that kind of thing and they do that kind of thing all the time. So, you know, but ultimately it does fall on David to change the world. Report an error in the passage at 18:32 Highlight the passage at 18:32

18:59 Yeah, sure, sure. Yeah. So along the karma lines, in the book he talks about, a student asks a question and the question is, I can't remember exactly, but the student, if I come after you and attempt to kill you, will you defend yourself? And he said, well yes, I would defend myself. And the student asked, well what if you were certain that I was going to kill you? And he said, well then I would have to let you kill me. Report an error in the passage at 18:59 Highlight the passage at 18:59

19:30 My understanding of karma previously was that you could defend yourself. I was confused by that because basically he was saying that you would have to kill me because he wouldn't want to take on that karma. So at the sacrifice of yourself... Well, you know, there is that famous story of the Buddha where he actually did kill somebody who was getting ready to kill because he was a high-level bodhisattva at that point. Report an error in the passage at 19:30 Highlight the passage at 19:30

19:58 that we had um clairvoyance And so he looked into this seaman's mind and he saw that he was going to do this horrible plot of killing all the 500 other people on the ship. And because of his compassion for that person, not because he was like angry or afraid or trying to protect the 500, but because he knew that by that act, that guy was going to send himself into the hells for many eons because he's not just killing one person. Report an error in the passage at 19:58 Highlight the passage at 19:58

20:29 He's like, The Buddha in his previous life did kill that seaman. None of the other people on board the ship knew what was happening. They were like, what's with Charlie? He just suddenly went crazy and killed this guy because they had no idea what was happening. But their reasoning was because of his deep compassion. Report an error in the passage at 20:29 Highlight the passage at 20:29

20:49 So definitely it is possible to use compassion as your motivation and to do something that would appear to those of us without clairvoyance to be A violent act, but because the compassion was there, he actually did go to the hell rooms for a moment, they say, and then because of his compassion, you know, he exhausted that one quickly and went into the Deva realms. Report an error in the passage at 20:49 Highlight the passage at 20:49

21:12 So it has to be your motivation. So say you're on the street and somebody, I mean, like most of us aren't at that level, you know, I'm going to be honest with you. But the point is to think about our motivation more, because usually our motivation is don't kill me because I'm the victim. I'm poor, pitiful me. Report an error in the passage at 21:12 Highlight the passage at 21:12

21:29 I hate you. You know, it's like neither motivation is all that pure. In this case, the motivation that we would use to protect ourselves is ultimately what we want to get to the point of is our mind being compassionate towards that person because he or she is creating their incredible amounts of their own suffering by that negative violent act. Report an error in the passage at 21:29 Highlight the passage at 21:29

21:52 You know, so that's, it's like your mother. Think of it, if His Holiness says, if it was your mother coming at you with, I mean, Report an error in the passage at 21:52 Highlight the passage at 21:52

22:00 Think about somebody that you love. I always step my foot into that one because I absolutely adored my mother, but not everybody has that experience. So think of somebody that you absolutely love and they kind of go wiggy and you know that they're like picking up a knife and they're running at you. You would figure out a way to stop them from hurting themselves or anyone else. I mean, you might have to do a violin act to stop them, but you would probably be creative in your thinking if it was somebody that you adored. Report an error in the passage at 22:00 Highlight the passage at 22:00

22:30 If it's just somebody in the street, then you're more likely just to blast them out of there. So it's ultimately we want to get to the point where we're acting out of that love and compassion for all beings, you know, to see them all like our moms, you know, or whatever. Report an error in the passage at 22:30 Highlight the passage at 22:30

22:44 Grandmas, aunts, sisters, fathers. Does that help? Grandma. Report an error in the passage at 22:44 Highlight the passage at 22:44

22:52 I mean, I don't know, I don't remember the part of the text, so I'd have to look at it again to see what he was talking about. But that's, I mean, just because we act out of compassion and just because we have an understanding of karma doesn't mean we lay down and we turn into a doormat. We don't stop acting. And in fact, when you get into the bodhisattva level of training the mind, we have to act. Report an error in the passage at 22:52 Highlight the passage at 22:52

23:17 If we have any capacity to... To protect somebody from themselves or to protect somebody else from that person, then we have to, not necessarily endangering our lives. But if we have the ability to step in and do something, then we have to because we've sort of taken this pledge to help all beings. Is there a notion of self-preservation in there? That's what I also got confused about. Report an error in the passage at 23:17 Highlight the passage at 23:17

23:47 If I'm going to... Only if it's of the greater benefit. Yeah, so that's where it kind of gets into... I mean, if it's... You know, first of all, you have this wide view that this is only a blip in all of your existences, right? So that's already talking about a more advanced level than we have right now. Report an error in the passage at 23:47 Highlight the passage at 23:47

24:07 Because that's part of why we do desperate acts, because this is it. But the Buddha is saying, actually, it's not it. This is just one of many. We've had limitless before and limitless after. So this is just one blip that we've created. So that's already number one. And then number two, and this gets into the emptiness, what self are we preserving? Report an error in the passage at 24:07 Highlight the passage at 24:07

24:30 And then we have to get into that whole analysis, which... know the tantra classes meditating on this week um and we'll get into an upper and higher classes i can't remember what classes you've done actually stephanie but anyway i think you should just start taking more again just keep cycling through but yeah so and then and then ultimately it's sort of like from the bodhisattva aspect Perfect. Report an error in the passage at 24:30 Highlight the passage at 24:30

24:56 What's the most beneficial for the most amount of beings? They would say, you know, well, sure, if it's more beneficial for me to take the bullet, basically, then I'll take the bullet. Because this is just one blip. It's like the guy on the ship, you know. This is just one blip in all of my existences. And if this is going to get me enlightened quicker so I can help all beings, then great. Report an error in the passage at 24:56 Highlight the passage at 24:56

25:24 So there's no one answer. Report an error in the passage at 25:24 Highlight the passage at 25:24

25:28 It's so complicated. It's such a complicated thing. Because the thing with karma is that it's all about your motivation. I mean, it's 95 % motivation. So all of us in this room could do the exact same act and have all these different kinds of karmas that come out of it because all of our motivations are all different. Report an error in the passage at 25:28 Highlight the passage at 25:28

25:25 i'm kind of getting i'm trying to Report an error in the passage at 25:25 Highlight the passage at 25:25

25:50 And they're all confused. And not one of them is pure, you know, either. So even the most virtuous of us is kind of like, well, I hope David notices how perfectly I'm defending this person, you know. So it's like we all have these kind of messed up, you know, minds. And then we try to just make it through the day. And all of the karma that gets created is all over the place. Report an error in the passage at 25:50 Highlight the passage at 25:50

26:12 That's part of what makes karma so complicated. Report an error in the passage at 26:12 Highlight the passage at 26:12

26:17 Tell me if this is along those lines. When I was learning to drive, my mom always told me if there's an animal in the road and if you try to avoid the animal at the expense of your life and the people in the car, you hit the animal. So it's not like you're trying to hit the dog. Right, exactly. Yeah, no, I remember an aunt of my best friend, actually, when I was in junior high and high school. Report an error in the passage at 26:17 Highlight the passage at 26:17

26:44 Was in a car accident because she was trying to avoid a squirrel and she ended up, I mean, her face was scarred for life, you know. And I remember talking to her about it at the time because, of course, we were learning how to drive, you know. And she said, no, like, you really have to figure out what the situation is. Is there a car behind you? Is, you know, like, what's going to happen as a result of this situation? Report an error in the passage at 26:44 Highlight the passage at 26:44

27:08 I mean, with... With high level bodhisattvas and Buddhas, they might look at it completely different because they wouldn't necessarily know all the minds of all the people involved and be able to figure out the most beneficial. We don't have that kind of wisdom. So we can only use the wisdom that we have, keep trying to cultivate more and then do the best we can in each situation and then purify where we mess up. Report an error in the passage at 27:08 Highlight the passage at 27:08

27:28 I mean, it's kind of like that, really. It's like we take all this time to study and read and practice and then we go out. And then we try our best to work with it. And then we either screw up or do well. Then we go back and study, practice and try again. I mean, that's really all Buddhism is, you know. Report an error in the passage at 27:28 Highlight the passage at 27:28

27:47 Yeah, and it's never a very clean cut, you know. Slowly, slowly. Slowly, slowly. Anybody else, especially on the reading or the meditation? Report an error in the passage at 27:47 Highlight the passage at 27:47

28:05 Rose is contemplating deeply whether she is. Report an error in the passage at 28:05 Highlight the passage at 28:05

28:11 Actually, I was studying. Report an error in the passage at 28:11 Highlight the passage at 28:11

28:16 I've studied a book, Report an error in the passage at 28:16 Highlight the passage at 28:16

28:21 My Stroke. Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. I saw some stuff of that on her website. Yeah. And I think it's quite interesting. It's fascinating. Yeah. Is anybody else aware of this? My Stroke of Insight? There's actually a video you can watch online. Yeah. Yeah, it's amazing. I think you just Google it, My Stroke of Insight. I forgot her name. Report an error in the passage at 28:21 Highlight the passage at 28:21

28:46 Chill about Tyler. There you go. And there's a fascinating little video. It's very short, I think, on the, I think maybe 20. Oh, maybe, yeah, maybe it's shorter than that. Very interesting. This woman has a stroke. She's a cognitive scientist. I can't remember what neurology, something or other. Yeah. Anyway, and so she, as she's having a stroke, she realizes she's having a stroke. Report an error in the passage at 28:46 Highlight the passage at 28:46

29:19 And then it's actually fascinating to her that she's having a stroke rather than freaking her out. Like it actually becomes this blissful experience that she's able to let go of the conceptual aspect of her mind. And even after, right, so even during her recovery and everything, there will be times where she can feel herself moving left brain, right brain. Report an error in the passage at 29:19 Highlight the passage at 29:19

29:44 And it's actually a blissful experience rather than, like for the most of us, it's kind of frightening, I think. But I think probably because she knew so much, she was able to just kind of go deeper into it rather than be freaked by it. Report an error in the passage at 29:44 Highlight the passage at 29:44

29:58 Yeah, very interesting. So yeah, if you guys have time, definitely look at that one. In the next two weeks, I should add that to your homework assignment. But it'll probably raise questions I can't even possibly answer, but that's okay. We can always find somebody who can or maybe we'll have her come speak or something. But yeah, I think that's very interesting. I just I didn't realize she actually had a book until recently. Report an error in the passage at 29:58 Highlight the passage at 29:58

30:23 I was just thinking that it was the video that was made. So that was kind of cool. So I'll have to read that. Yeah. It's also interesting if you know of anybody who's had a stroke or if you've been, you know, around people who have had strokes. For me, my actually. They run in my family, unfortunately. So I've been around both. Well, my grandmother and my mother had strokes, and then my father had an aneurysm. Report an error in the passage at 30:23 Highlight the passage at 30:23

30:48 So just knowing what could have been going on inside of their minds, physiologically as well as psychologically, is very interesting. And also that it doesn't necessarily have to be frightening and all those other things. But I think only if you allow it. It's probably like with everything else. Cancer can also, people can approach that really upbeat too. Not everybody does. It depends on the person. Report an error in the passage at 30:48 Highlight the passage at 30:48

31:19 Okay. Well, there'll be more time for questions later. So before we start, we're actually going to talk a little bit about how the mind works from the perspective of low rig, which in Tibetan means mind and mental functions. Report an error in the passage at 31:19 Highlight the passage at 31:19

31:39 But I wanted to start with a couple of great quotes on the mind that I just adore actually. In fact I adore one so much that I put it on my email outgoing. Report an error in the passage at 31:39 Highlight the passage at 31:39

31:53 What we were talking about, actually both of these questions that Stephanie and David raised, we're talking about how all, from the Buddhist perspective, one of the most powerful aspects of mind is that this idea that all of the experiences um it's Report an error in the passage at 31:53 Highlight the passage at 31:53

32:08 In our life, in our lives, but in our life, come from the mind. And in fact, the entire universe comes from the mind. Not saying that it's a figment of our imagination, but more from the standpoint of it, of the power of our mind to create reality in the moment, but also karmically. We were talking about karmically speaking. So for both of those perspectives. Report an error in the passage at 32:08 Highlight the passage at 32:08

32:37 It's so funny the way both of these classes, the Tantra class and this class, play on each other because, I mean, that's the whole power of Tantra, actually. I guess Jane's the only one that's doing both. Are you doing both, Kristen? No, you're not. Okay, yeah, so I think Jane's the only one that's doing both. But it's amazing, actually, how they actually play with each other. We were talking about Lama Zopa Rinpoche's quote, everything exists on the tip of a wish, which is, of course, how Tantra manifests reality based on... Report an error in the passage at 32:37 Highlight the passage at 32:37

33:05 What you do with your mind. So here we are talking about the mind. So the Buddha said we are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Speak or act with an impure mind and trouble will follow you as the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Report an error in the passage at 33:05 Highlight the passage at 33:05

33:33 Speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow you as your shadow unbreakable. How can a troubled mind understand the way? Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded. But once mastered, no one can help you as much, not even your father or your mother. Report an error in the passage at 33:33 Highlight the passage at 33:33

33:58 Isn't that cool? Report an error in the passage at 33:58 Highlight the passage at 33:58

34:02 But also heavy. happy. Report an error in the passage at 34:02 Highlight the passage at 34:02

34:07 Basically, yeah, we are what we think. And then later, he said, the thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. Habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care and let it spring out of love, born out of concern for all beings as the shadow follows the body. Report an error in the passage at 34:07 Highlight the passage at 34:07

34:36 As we think, so we become. Report an error in the passage at 34:36 Highlight the passage at 34:36

34:43 How we think really, really, really matters. Report an error in the passage at 34:43 Highlight the passage at 34:43

34:50 So, Report an error in the passage at 34:50 Highlight the passage at 34:50

34:54 low rig. This is a really, we're not going to get, we're just going to briefly touch on this. I am also not an expert on this, although I've taken it four different times. Trying desperately to become more of an expert on it. I think it's interesting for us to look at and I think we're going to just sort of. Report an error in the passage at 34:54 Highlight the passage at 34:54

35:16 Briefly look at it tonight. It's how the mind works in Tibetan Buddhism is so, is very different from the Western model. And so I think it's very useful for us to look at. If people in here are really, really technically minded and want more information, I actually have a list of, I have a handout that Emily gave us when we studied this with her. Report an error in the passage at 35:16 Highlight the passage at 35:16

35:45 about a year, about a year ago. And it sort of has a list of these things I'm going to touch on. There's lots of lists. So if you are... that ilk and you would like that handout at the end or on the break, you can just tell me and I can email it to you or I can print it for you. I have it as a PDF. Report an error in the passage at 35:45 Highlight the passage at 35:45

36:21 Also, if you are of that ilk and you want to go more deeply into how the mind works from this perspective, her entire class, which I think was not so long maybe, it might have been a year, but I think it was probably less, was recorded and uploaded. Report an error in the passage at 36:21 Highlight the passage at 36:21

36:41 The interesting thing with her class at that point, that was one of the first classes that she taught with us, she did PowerPoint. So so much of the notes from the class were actually in physical form that you could download and just look at. So if you would like to go further with it, we can help you do that. You could probably just listen to her teaching, which is very clear. Report an error in the passage at 36:41 Highlight the passage at 36:41

37:05 And also you could get her slides and look at those and go in a little deeper. And I know some of you work with mind for a living, and so I thought that that might be a useful thing. The rest of us are just kind of our eyes glaze over, but that's okay. Report an error in the passage at 37:05 Highlight the passage at 37:05

37:23 So consciousness from this standpoint, the standpoint of Lo Rig, Lo is mind, by the way. And in Tibetan there are a lot of different words for mind. So sem is also mind. So we have different, it's like with the Eskimos and snow. The Tibetans worked with different aspects of mind and they went deeply into their minds and they also based their written language on Sanskrit and the Indians also went deeply into the mind. Report an error in the passage at 37:23 Highlight the passage at 37:23

37:56 So they have all these different words for mind, whereas we have mind, you know. But we have other words that kind of are similar. So, um... Consciousness, awareness and knower are considered to be synonymous from this aspect. And they are these sort of broad terms dealing with mind. The interesting thing about mind from this perspective is that any mind or mental factor is also a consciousness, awareness and a knower. Report an error in the passage at 37:56 Highlight the passage at 37:56

38:36 But minds can also be states of mind. So you can also have a state of mind that is like a part of the consciousness. So that's what gets a little bit confusing. There's sort of like the one holding it and also the various things that are arising. This will make more sense in a minute, hopefully. So mind, I think the most interesting aspect of mind is that it is an active agent of knowing. Report an error in the passage at 38:36 Highlight the passage at 38:36

38:52 um, Report an error in the passage at 38:52 Highlight the passage at 38:52

39:05 Fish tank holding all the various mental moments or types of mind or information, data. Consciousness itself knows. Consciousness cognizes. That is the function of consciousness. Mind. Mind is that which knows or perceives or cognizes. I mean, that is its function. And mind is always knowing something. Report an error in the passage at 39:05 Highlight the passage at 39:05

39:14 It's... Report an error in the passage at 39:14 Highlight the passage at 39:14

39:38 So it has to have content. The experience of knowing and the content or the thought always arise at the same time. They're sort of interconnected. Report an error in the passage at 39:38 Highlight the passage at 39:38

39:52 So mind has three levels of subtlety. And this will come up in various classes that we do. And those of you that have done other classes, we get into this, of course, in death meditation. Report an error in the passage at 39:52 Highlight the passage at 39:52

40:07 But And in Tantra. There's three levels of subtlety. Gross, subtle and very subtle. Or the subtle most sometimes they'll say. The gross is what contains the six consciousnesses. And I'll tell you what those are in a minute. You can probably guess. Your identity of this life. Report an error in the passage at 40:07 Highlight the passage at 40:07

40:32 Sort of the gross aspects of your thoughts. What I have to do on Thursday. You know, who Jane is, you know, like those kind of things, you know. This is all at the gross level. Most of us spend 99.9 if not 100 % of our time at the gross level of our mind. We never really get beyond it. It's kind of depressing, but true. The subtle aspect of our mind, they say that we reach in dream consciousness. Report an error in the passage at 40:32 Highlight the passage at 40:32

41:03 So when we have these dreams, you know, we go deeper into the mind. Also, it's Those of you that are familiar with the visions at the time of death, the red, white and black visions at the time of death are considered to be coming from your subtle mind. You can also get into your subtle mind in deeper states of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 41:03 Highlight the passage at 41:03

41:33 The very subtle or subtle most, the way they put it, I like subtle most. It sounds very archaic somehow, but I like it. This is the mind that actually goes from life to life. So it's very, very subtle. We don't experience this mind. Well, we experience this mind at a few key points. At the time of death, we definitely experience this mind. Report an error in the passage at 41:33 Highlight the passage at 41:33

42:03 Most of us miss it, you know. We just are completely unconscious. We aren't unconscious in the truest sense of the word. Like we just don't catch it. We're distracted by hallucinations. We're, you know, distracted by all sorts of things that are happening. They say that we actually get down to the mind of clear light every time we go to sleep. Report an error in the passage at 42:03 Highlight the passage at 42:03

42:26 Like just that process of falling asleep. Most of us aren't aware of the subtle process of falling asleep. So we miss that too. You know, like all of a sudden you're just out, you know. Lama, as she said, if we actually were more, if our mind was more subdued and more controlled, we could watch that process. Report an error in the passage at 42:26 Highlight the passage at 42:26

42:47 It's sort of like our mind gets more subtle. It goes from gross to subtle. But most of us just miss it, you know. And we feel that it actually just almost like overtakes us so quickly that we aren't even aware of it. Report an error in the passage at 42:47 Highlight the passage at 42:47

43:01 Especially those of us that fall asleep on the cushion. you know? Definitely those of us that fall asleep in the bed, but you try on the cushion to have some awareness, but you still miss it. Report an error in the passage at 43:01 Highlight the passage at 43:01

43:17 Also, they say when you sneeze, there's a little mind of clear light. They call it the mind of clear light. It doesn't mean that your mind is clear light. It's just a descriptive term. And it'll come in handy when we do. I don't think we are doing that meditation in this class, but I'll take a peek ahead and see. I can't remember. Report an error in the passage at 43:17 Highlight the passage at 43:17

43:40 There's a specific meditation that you do to prepare for death, to know what somebody else that you're with who's dying, if you're accompanying somebody, companioning somebody as they're dying. But also it's used in Tantra for us to get. Really familiar with these gross, subtle and very subtle states of mind. And the very final one is the mind of clear light. Report an error in the passage at 43:40 Highlight the passage at 43:40

44:09 They also say that we experience this subtle most mind at the time of orgasm, sexual orgasm. So there are a few key points that we do experience. Again, we mostly miss it. You know, it's like falling asleep. You know, it's that stupor that we fall into when we enjoy just about anything. Report an error in the passage at 44:09 Highlight the passage at 44:09

44:30 So that's, this is what's, these three aspects of mind are what's called main mind. I mean, it's just there, it's the three subtle, three levels of subtlety of what's called main mind, which is sem's. So when we say ma sem chen, mother sentient beings, sentient beings are beings with mind. And that's the mind that they're talking about, this main mind. Report an error in the passage at 44:30 Highlight the passage at 44:30

45:00 Ma means mother, both languages. So that's main mind, or chitta, like in bodhicitta, is main mind. Mental factors, and this is where we start getting into this really, this bigger list, but I'm just going to... Put it out there for you so you have some ideas. And then, like I said, if you guys want any more information, I'm happy to give it to you. But I don't think the overall class does. Maybe I'm speaking for myself. Report an error in the passage at 45:00 Highlight the passage at 45:00

45:34 There are six different groups, and they all have certain numbers of these different mental factors. The first is the five ever-present or omnipresent mental factors. Report an error in the passage at 45:34 Highlight the passage at 45:34

45:53 I'll give you the categories first, then I'll give you the subcategories. So five ever-present mental factors, always with the main mind. Report an error in the passage at 45:53 Highlight the passage at 45:53

46:06 Five determining or object ascertaining factors. This is what makes Lowrig so fun, are these bizarre words that you only use in Lowrig. Object ascertaining factors. Eleven virtuous factors. Report an error in the passage at 46:06 Highlight the passage at 46:06

46:26 This is when it starts getting more interesting to me, actually. Six root afflictions, Report an error in the passage at 46:26 Highlight the passage at 46:26

46:37 20 secondary afflictions. Only 20, you ask? No, they definitely give root to more. And four changeable factors. So I'll tell you what these all are. So we have five ever-present mental factors, five determining or object ascertaining factors, Report an error in the passage at 46:37 Highlight the passage at 46:37

47:04 Virtuous factors, six root afflictions, twenty secondary afflictions, and four changeable. Report an error in the passage at 47:04 Highlight the passage at 47:04

47:17 So the five ever-present mental factors, according to Buddhism, always are present accompanying the main mind, all main minds, no matter what the main mind is. These are feeling, Report an error in the passage at 47:17 Highlight the passage at 47:17

47:37 discrimination, Those of you that are familiar with the Skandas, those are two of the Skandas. Intention, Report an error in the passage at 47:37 Highlight the passage at 47:37

47:52 contact, another one, or they are going with the 12 links. And attention or mental engagement. So intention and attention. Feeling, discrimination, intention, contact and attention or mental engagement. Report an error in the passage at 47:52 Highlight the passage at 47:52

48:17 The five determining or object ascertaining factors. So these are the ones that we need to engage with a particular object. Report an error in the passage at 48:17 Highlight the passage at 48:17

48:28 Aspiration. I think this is very interesting. Aspiration. Belief. Report an error in the passage at 48:28 Highlight the passage at 48:28

48:38 Mindfulness or recollection. Same. Synonymous in this context. Stabilization or concentration. Same in this context. And wisdom. Report an error in the passage at 48:38 Highlight the passage at 48:38

48:54 Aspiration, belief, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. The 11 virtuous factors. So these are virtues from the viewpoint of either their entity, being an antidote to something, or accompanying a virtuous state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 48:54 Highlight the passage at 48:54

49:21 Faith, Report an error in the passage at 49:21 Highlight the passage at 49:21

49:25 shame. This one always gets people. I like shame. I like conscientiousness for shame. I think people have less. Oh no, we have it. Look, we have it down there. I can't do that. I can't even replace it. Usually when I use shame, which is considered a positive state of mind, if you can use it to keep you from doing something, like, you know, if you're using it like that, like say, I'm like headed down there to eat the last of the cake, even though I know that Mary wants some. Report an error in the passage at 49:25 Highlight the passage at 49:25

49:54 And I'm like, oh God, you know. You know, you should be ashamed of yourself kind of thing. It's like, I would take my own view of who I am and use that to keep myself from doing something. So that's what it's meant by shame here. Report an error in the passage at 49:54 Highlight the passage at 49:54

50:07 So if it's used in that way, then it becomes virtuous. If you're just like beating yourself up, it doesn't. Embarrassment or consideration, and that's opposite. That's like, I don't want Jane to see me going down and eating the rest of the cake because of who I am and how that might affect her mind. So that's more consideration using the way somebody else might see me to keep me from doing a negative act. Non-attachment, non-hatred and non-ignorance, Report an error in the passage at 50:07 Highlight the passage at 50:07

50:47 effort, Report an error in the passage at 50:47 Highlight the passage at 50:47

50:52 pliancy, Report an error in the passage at 50:52 Highlight the passage at 50:52

50:56 conscientiousness, Report an error in the passage at 50:56 Highlight the passage at 50:56

51:01 equanimity and non-violence. Report an error in the passage at 51:01 Highlight the passage at 51:01

51:09 Anybody miss one? Faith, shame, let's say consideration instead of embarrassment. Non-attachment, non-hatred, non-ignorance, effort, or you could say enthusiasm too, pliancy, conscientiousness, equanimity, and non-violence. Report an error in the passage at 51:09 Highlight the passage at 51:09

51:35 The six root afflictions. Anybody know the first three? Report an error in the passage at 51:35 Highlight the passage at 51:35

51:43 Oh, come on. Mary's got to know. Anne? Report an error in the passage at 51:43 Highlight the passage at 51:43

51:54 Aversion. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 51:54 Highlight the passage at 51:54

51:58 This is my international sign, language four. Aversion. So desire attachment I put together. In our culture we have all sorts of ideas about what desire is, but the two are combined in the word attachment. Report an error in the passage at 51:58 Highlight the passage at 51:58

52:14 Before I say that, the six root afflictions disturb the mind. That's basically their description of what they are. They principally make the mental continuum afflicted. So desire attachments, one. Anger or aversion, including hatred. Report an error in the passage at 52:14 Highlight the passage at 52:14

52:36 Pride. Report an error in the passage at 52:36 Highlight the passage at 52:36

52:41 Ignorance, afflictive doubt, because there's more than one kind of doubt, and afflicted views, sometimes called wrong views. Report an error in the passage at 52:41 Highlight the passage at 52:41

52:54 And the secondary afflictions are close to, produced by, and increase along with the root. This is why our mind gets so messed up, right? It's like the army that comes out when those six, any of those six are present. Venerable Neal, Tipton Dundrup, I taught two of the Copan courses where I went in 96 and 98. And he described it as the armies that come out, like if we're angry. Report an error in the passage at 52:54 Highlight the passage at 52:54

53:24 So I'm just starting to get incensed, you know. So I get slightly irritated. Well, that would be one thing. But what usually happens is then all these secondary things come marching out for war. And it's hard to stop them when they all start coming out. You can stop it when you're at the initial upset. But this is what makes it so complicated. Report an error in the passage at 53:24 Highlight the passage at 53:24

53:46 So I'm just going to read them to you. From attachment we get miserliness, concealment, haughtiness, or inflated self-esteem, you could say. Report an error in the passage at 53:46 Highlight the passage at 53:46

54:06 Dullness, interestingly, and excitement. Report an error in the passage at 54:06 Highlight the passage at 54:06

54:15 I'm not sure why you get dullness, but anyway. From aversion we get belligerence or wrath, resentment, spite, jealousy, Report an error in the passage at 54:15 Highlight the passage at 54:15

54:33 And harmfulness or cruelty. Report an error in the passage at 54:33 Highlight the passage at 54:33

54:41 From ignorance we get blind faith. So when they talk about faith before, they're talking about intelligent faith, like you have some reason for having some trust or belief in something. Blind faith. Laziness, specifically toward doing virtue. Oh God, these are all sounding way too familiar. Forgetfulness. Non-introspection. Report an error in the passage at 54:41 Highlight the passage at 54:41

55:07 Or inattentiveness. Okay. From ignorance and attachment together, we get deceit, dishonesty, shamelessness, Report an error in the passage at 55:07 Highlight the passage at 55:07

55:27 inconsideration for others, unconscientiousness, and distraction. Report an error in the passage at 55:27 Highlight the passage at 55:27

55:41 So anybody need me to review this again? I think you got it. You have 20 there? And then the four changeable ones I think are interesting. They're called this because on their own they're neither virtuous or non-virtuous. And we can change them into a virtuous by setting a virtuous motivation. Or, of course, the opposite. They become non-virtuous with a non-virtuous motivation. And these are sleep, Report an error in the passage at 55:41 Highlight the passage at 55:41

56:14 regret, which is neither virtuous or non-virtuous. It depends on what you're regretting, right? I regret getting up early. To take precepts or something like that, you know, I regret, you know, I mean, let's not even go there. I regret taking that vow or something like that. I mean, it could be really a horrible thing. Or I really regret hurting her, you know, and so then I would do something positive to hopefully, hopefully it would. Report an error in the passage at 56:14 Highlight the passage at 56:14

56:43 General investigation with your mind and precise analysis. So that's how you, these words are two different activities of the mind. Investigation is much more general and analysis is much more precise. On their own, they're neither, right? Because I could spend a lot of time investigating like something, you know, like how to, how to rob Sachin Lane, for example, which unfortunately somebody must have. Report an error in the passage at 56:43 Highlight the passage at 56:43

57:17 Or I could spend a lot of general investigation on how the mind works, you know. I could spend a lot of general investigation on how karma works. And then I could also go into precise analysis on how my mind works in terms of these things. Then in order to become, you know, a better person or to help others or become enlightened. And so then it would become virtuous. Report an error in the passage at 57:17 Highlight the passage at 57:17

57:41 So we get it back to the six consciousnesses. According to the Buddhist point of view, there are six consciousnesses within the mind. The five sense consciousnesses and then a mental consciousness. They aren't talking about, in this case, the organs. They aren't talking about the sense organs. They are actually talking about consciousnesses, perceiving data through those organs. Report an error in the passage at 57:41 Highlight the passage at 57:41

58:03 But they actually do call them eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, taste consciousness, or Gashila sometimes calls it tongue consciousness, touch consciousness, and then one mental. And the mental consciousness clearly pulls together all the information that the other ones are sort of out there gathering. Report an error in the passage at 58:03 Highlight the passage at 58:03

58:29 So there are two main ways that the mental consciousness responds to data. And I think this is really important because we do this all the time. Gesundheit, look, you're right next to the Kleenex. I'm sorry, it's probably me. You're allergic to cats, right? No, you're not? You're allergic to cats. I'm trying to keep it straight. Report an error in the passage at 58:29 Highlight the passage at 58:29

58:50 And I know that I carried one upstairs, so I'm like, probably, don't come near me tonight. Report an error in the passage at 58:50 Highlight the passage at 58:50

58:57 And she was angry, so she was probably shedding horribly. Report an error in the passage at 58:57 Highlight the passage at 58:57

59:04 We take in data in two different ways, and this is really important for us to understand because it explains the way we experience the world, basically. Perception and conception, you know? Um... Report an error in the passage at 59:04 Highlight the passage at 59:04

59:19 Perception, and you always have to listen to the way that it's being used in this context because sometimes things are not the same definition that we're used to using it in the West. So it's useful. Perception in this case is a non-conceptual state of mind. It's a sense cognition. Report an error in the passage at 59:19 Highlight the passage at 59:19

59:40 As well as an immediate mental cognition, what we call, what in Sanskrit is called a promana. I love this term, promana. And we'll talk about in a minute how these two work together to get us into trouble all the time. Report an error in the passage at 59:40 Highlight the passage at 59:40

59:56 Sorry, what's going on with my throat today? Too much chanting, I think. Report an error in the passage at 59:56 Highlight the passage at 59:56

1:00:05 Sengal and I do a little bit of that chanting together. That's why my voice is lowering. By the end of the class, I'm going to turn into Catherine Bacall. I mean, what's her name? Lauren Bacall. What's that? I haven't reached it, but it's coming. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:05 Highlight the passage at 1:00:05

1:00:21 So that's perception. So it's like I'm perceiving it. It's like usually sense perceivers or that first direct moment. And then conception is within the conceptual state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:21 Highlight the passage at 1:00:21

1:00:36 And usually with the conceptual state of mind, we are engaging with the object through a mental image. And this is where it gets kind of crazy. That's what we do. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:36 Highlight the passage at 1:00:36

1:00:51 So something that exists, so an object, is defined as something that can be known by a valid mind. So the definition of existence is that which is perceived by a promenade. A promenade is just a normal, valid perception or an unaffected perception, unaffected by injury or drugs or, you know, insanity or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:51 Highlight the passage at 1:00:51

1:01:22 So we have Pramanas all the time. What the problem is, so Pramanas are like that first mind moment of pure unadorned perception, which is of course a nanosecond. We think that it continues. That's the problem. We think that we have this unadorned perception, but it immediately goes into conception. It immediately gets us into trouble. We start making up stories. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:22 Highlight the passage at 1:01:22

1:01:51 That's the problem. So the very next moment conception occurs and we cease perceiving the object as it actually is, and based on similar experiences, we bring up this mental image and then from then on we are actually dealing with the mental image, also called a meaning generality, although I have no idea and I like mental image better. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:51 Highlight the passage at 1:01:51

1:02:15 So our mind creates this mental image based on our experience in this life. You know, you look like my old roommate from college, and so however I liked that person or didn't like that person, I go into this, you know, relationship with that hanging over it. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:15 Highlight the passage at 1:02:15

1:02:32 Or from past lives, and that's where we actually don't have any memory of having that relationship or reaction to somebody. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:32 Highlight the passage at 1:02:32

1:02:44 But also explains why we sometimes are just immediately drawn to somebody and immediately have aversion to somebody and we actually have no experience of them in this life. So we believe at that moment that we're still, I believe I'm still seeing you with this great promenade of that nanosecond. But actually what's begun to happen is this conceptual process. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:44 Highlight the passage at 1:02:44

1:03:05 So now from then on, everything regarding our connection with that object, be it the cup or the person or the job or the... Coming into the Gampa or whatever now goes through the filters of this conceptual thought and this mental image. So the direct receivers actually only see raw data. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:05 Highlight the passage at 1:03:05

1:03:29 Our conceptual consciousness then jumps in and starts creating like some sort of story about what's happening here, which isn't always accurate. In fact, rarely inaccurate. And then based on that, we actually end up creating a lot of negative karma. Or sometimes just goofy karma, like we jump because we think a mouse is there and actually it's not. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:29 Highlight the passage at 1:03:29

1:03:55 It's just something that we've seen. For example, say you're walking along a path and somebody's coming towards you and you have that first moment of perception and then all of a sudden the... Conception pops up. So that first moment of perception is simply color shapes, you know, size of the body, shape of the head, whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:55 Highlight the passage at 1:03:55

1:04:21 And then the story begins to, you know, kick into action. You know, it's, oh, it's my friend David. You know, great. Or shit, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:21 Highlight the passage at 1:04:21

1:04:31 Yeah, really, I owe money. And then I start running the opposite direction. So it's like either the mind is like, oh, wonderful, or, you know, and creates this whole storyline, like how wonderful it is to see him and he's always great. Or, oh, my God, you know, he's coming at me. You know, I don't want to see him. So either way, we're no longer reacting. I'm no longer engaging with you in any kind of clear, open, accurate. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:31 Highlight the passage at 1:04:31

1:05:00 I'm relating now to a mental image that I have of you based on whatever. And I don't always know. And it isn't always clearly based on one thing also. So that makes it difficult. The same is true for inanimate objects. I mean, we look at a kettle or something on the stove and we see what we think is a kettle. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:00 Highlight the passage at 1:05:00

1:05:20 But actually that first moment, that promenade. Then immediately shifts into this whole conception of what a kettle looks like. So we see a whole kettle even though actually the eyes are only receiving data, certain curves and shapes and colors and the potential of a kettle. But we aren't looking at the bottom of the kettle. We aren't looking at the back of the kettle. But the mind sort of just begins to fill it out in a certain way. We also, of course, have mental images of kettles in our mind too. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:20 Highlight the passage at 1:05:20

1:05:48 And so we sort of see that. And then it goes into our database and it's like, you know, we think that we're still having this direct experience with the kettle, but we're having this whole conceptual relationship with kettles in general or with tea in general and then we're no longer having any kind of direct perception. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:48 Highlight the passage at 1:05:48

1:06:10 And this is how we get into trouble because we begin projecting all of these stories onto whatever it is that we're coming into contact with. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:10 Highlight the passage at 1:06:10

1:06:21 It includes all these judgments about that person or about the object. Or it includes all of these feelings of attachment. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:21 Highlight the passage at 1:06:21

1:06:31 You know, the storylines of like, why this person is so wonderful and I can't live without them. Why that tegal is so wonderful, I can't live without it. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:31 Highlight the passage at 1:06:31

1:06:41 And we end up getting ourselves into trouble. I mean, how many times have you ever walked into a room full of a bunch of different people and you've completely judged every one of them before you've ever even interacted with them at all? It's like you can't even connect with them for a second before you've already decided that they aren't worth knowing and walked out of the room again. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:41 Highlight the passage at 1:06:41

1:07:01 And we do, I mean, that's an exaggeration, but we do that kind of thing all the time. We do that in classes. We do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:01 Highlight the passage at 1:07:01

1:07:09 You know, with other people in our lives. We do that with people on the subway. We do it with people on the street. It's like the mind is clicking quickly through our database and we're trying to label somebody and put them in a cog or put them in some knowable frame instead of just curiously experiencing who they are. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:09 Highlight the passage at 1:07:09

1:07:33 So it keeps us from having this sort of fresh mind. Um, we're, Report an error in the passage at 1:07:33 Highlight the passage at 1:07:33

1:07:38 So the things that arise are these feelings of, you know, based on these minds that we mentioned, these root mental factors of our mental afflictions called the three poisonous minds of aversion, ignorance and attachment. Actually, I should say attachment, aversion, ignorance. Sorry. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:38 Highlight the passage at 1:07:38

1:08:05 Based on that, these minds arise of like, don't like, don't care or indifference, you know. And then we just immediately label whatever. We try to fit them into one of those, you know. Like, don't like, don't care. Like, don't like, don't care. Like, don't like, don't care. And the don't care is like 99.9 % of everything. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:05 Highlight the passage at 1:08:05

1:08:26 The other two are fairly small groups, actually. um, um, And so with liking, we end up exaggerating the qualities. With disliking, we end up exaggerating the aspects, whatever their aspects are, exaggerating their negative aspects and don't care. Of course, we're almost so bored that we don't even look at them. We don't even try to figure out what their qualities are or their qualities aren't. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:26 Highlight the passage at 1:08:26

1:08:54 we just you It's like we can't even look at their face. It's almost embarrassing, but it's so boring to us that we have to look away. So all of this is arising from this inability of our mind to directly and correctly perceive the object in front of it. And then, of course, based on this, those armies come out. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:54 Highlight the passage at 1:08:54

1:09:23 Of all the other mental factors, secondary mental factors that arise. And then based on those, we have these mental afflictions that arise in our mind that cause us to act, that cause us to create negative karma, that ripens from life to life as our entire experience of reality. And that keeps us here. That's what saṃsāra is. Saṃsāra isn't a place. Saṃsāra is our mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:23 Highlight the passage at 1:09:23

1:09:51 As long as we have samsaric mind, we are in saṃsāra, we are suffering. Somebody can have nirvāṇa and be sitting in San Francisco and be in bliss. So it doesn't matter, it's not a place, it's not where you are, it's the state of your mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:51 Highlight the passage at 1:09:51

1:10:10 So meditation is the way that we start looking at, you know, this is just the way that Buddhism... It investigates how the mind reacts with its objects. And then we have to start investigating. We have to start checking up. How does my mind react when I look at things, when I look at people, when I meet people, even when I have relationships with people? Report an error in the passage at 1:10:10 Highlight the passage at 1:10:10

1:10:34 So it could be ongoing. And so the way we do that is through working with our mind in meditation. and then Ultimately, the way that we're going to get rid of these afflictive mental states is through having a direct perception of emptiness. But for the meantime, the sūtra method, for sure, is to eliminate these mental afflictions one by one through applying antidotes. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:34 Highlight the passage at 1:10:34

1:11:04 And so we have all these grab bags or toolboxes filled with all these different antidotes that we can apply. And we're going to actually get into that more next week and work with a specific, a specific, a top 10 of the mental afflictions, which is anger. But this time, what your homework is going to end up being is the equanimity meditation. So trying to look at three different people and the types of minds that arise when you look at these people and why. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:04 Highlight the passage at 1:11:04

1:11:40 we do this labeling like just looking at the labeling process i never get tired of this meditation because i think it's very interesting and you can actually use the same person in all the different positions because our mind changes from day to day you know sometimes that person is your friend sometimes enemy sometimes stranger So do we have any questions? And then you guys can take a break. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:40 Highlight the passage at 1:11:40

1:12:10 See, Rose is just going to keep the mic for the class. That was convenient. So you spoke about this very first moment of perception. Yeah, the Pramana. Is it possible to extend it somehow? Well, it's not currently. But it is later. There is what's called a yogic direct perception. They actually say that yogis, through extending the amount of time that we can concentrate on something, I mean developing calm abiding basically, so deep concentration meditation where you can keep your mind on an object of your choice for as long as you want to, minimum four hours without any movement and bliss. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:10 Highlight the passage at 1:12:10

1:13:07 And all that arises in the mind and in the body. That's calm abiding. But just through that, you begin to generate these other, just by the way, you start developing these other qualities. And one of them is this thing that's called yogic direct perception. And they say yogis who have this incredible... Report an error in the passage at 1:13:07 Highlight the passage at 1:13:07

1:13:31 Power of concentration can actually look at an object and directly with their own eyes, with their own perception, either mental or any of their sense perceptions, and see subtle impermanence. So they could see a flower disintegrating, you know. Whereas most of us, because our concentration, I guess, is just so weak, we just get bored and look away or whatever, so we miss it. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:31 Highlight the passage at 1:13:31

1:14:00 So For them, I think they can extend that first moment. Or perhaps the moment that follows is just so much clearer. Like with us, the moment of direct perception, that brief moment of simply looking at data and the conception that follows it are so different. It's like so gross. So possibly for the yogi or the... Report an error in the passage at 1:14:00 Highlight the passage at 1:14:00

1:14:30 Meaning in this case somebody who has this calm abiding, this deep state of mind. Their mind is so much clearer and stronger that possibly for them that moment would be extended. But what we really want to get to is eliminating all the conceptual crap that we do. I'm going to have to edit this because I'm... Report an error in the passage at 1:14:30 Highlight the passage at 1:14:30

1:14:56 can't... This is a bad habit that I have of swearing when I get tired. It's terrible. But anyway, I'll have to go through. I'll tell Chad he has to go through and like find it and kind of, you know, put some loud sound in the background or something. Well, Bodhi cries occasionally, you know. Yeah, so ultimately we want to do that because we want to have this direct perception of emptiness, which we also need come abiding for. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:56 Highlight the passage at 1:14:56

1:15:24 so that we see through um The fault of that our mind currently right now sees things as, you know, so dualistically, you're out there, I'm over here, she's bad, he's good, you know, it's all, none of it is accurate either. So the direct perception of emptiness is actually going to allow us. Ultimately, that's how we're going to cut through all the afflicted states of mind completely. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:24 Highlight the passage at 1:15:24

1:15:53 That's the only way to eliminate them completely. And for that, we also need this. Karma biting, you know, deep state of meditation. Jane. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:53 Highlight the passage at 1:15:53

1:16:08 I just wanted to check something. I think it came up last week where you, just after we've gone through all the different ways to define mind, did you say that mind and heart should be seen as the same? In Buddhism, yeah. Okay. Yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:08 Highlight the passage at 1:16:08

1:16:31 Yeah, the things in our culture, and I say our very loosely, Western culture, I should say, we tend to separate the two. We tend to think that sort of feelings and emotions are heart-created and that mind creates conceptual thoughts and maybe perception in some sort of way, but usually we divide the two. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:31 Highlight the passage at 1:16:31

1:16:57 They consider it all mind. They consider it all mind. I should say we consider it all mind. And, you know, sort of like when you say me, that's mind. The mind is considered to be based at the heart. This is the brain. The brain is up there, and the mind is dependent upon the brain in this lifetime, but it's not ultimately. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:57 Highlight the passage at 1:16:57

1:17:22 Ultimately, it's actually mind and heart are the same. Feelings and emotions and things like that are actually just considered workings of the mind. They're just mental events. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:22 Highlight the passage at 1:17:22

1:17:40 So why don't you guys take a break? Report an error in the passage at 1:17:40 Highlight the passage at 1:17:40

1:17:55 Okay, so we're going to do a meditation and this will be your meditation week. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:55 Highlight the passage at 1:17:55

1:18:03 And it's called equanimity meditation. It's actually the first sort of... So ground laying meditation in the bodhicitta series, so the series of meditations that we do to create or to generate this mind of wanting to become a Buddha for the benefit of all beings. And before we could even begin to generate compassion and love and... Report an error in the passage at 1:18:03 Highlight the passage at 1:18:03

1:18:27 This desire to help others, they say that we have to level the mind. We have to level the mind first so that we have to look at this way that we label whatever comes in front of us. In this case, we're going to talk about people, but we actually do it with cups and cats and buildings and nuns as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:27 Highlight the passage at 1:18:27

1:18:52 Not that nuns aren't people. Um, so Report an error in the passage at 1:18:52 Highlight the passage at 1:18:52

1:18:55 So we're going to look at it from the, in this aspect, we're going to look at it just the way our mind works when we see people. But this is also, it is good to know that the point of this meditation in the bodhicitta series is to look at our biases and the way we allow those biases to keep us from generating strong, open, clear, loving minds towards others. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:55 Highlight the passage at 1:18:55

1:19:24 So again, since it's a transitional moment, you could use your cleansing breath and just washing away any sleepiness. And this won't be a long meditation. You can make it very long when you're at home. You can go as long as you want, as deeply as you want. But just allowing your mind to just refresh itself, breathing out the distractions and breathing in fresh awareness and curiosity and openness and alertness. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:24 Highlight the passage at 1:19:24

1:20:00 And even though we won't review the posture, at least allow your spine to lengthen and Report an error in the passage at 1:20:00 Highlight the passage at 1:20:00

1:20:10 your shoulders to roll back. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:10 Highlight the passage at 1:20:10

1:20:19 And then bring to mind three people that you have these three different kinds of feelings that we talked about. And I'm going to call them these titles, these labels, and you can decide other labels. Sometimes people don't like these labels. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:19 Highlight the passage at 1:20:19

1:20:43 So think about one person that you would think of as a friend. And by friend is just somebody who, when you think about them or when you see them, a happy feeling arises. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:43 Highlight the passage at 1:20:43

1:21:03 So just put that person in front of you. And then think about somebody, and this is the one that people usually have a trigger, think about somebody who's an enemy. And in this case, it doesn't necessarily have to be like a sworn enemy who you want to kill. Just think about somebody who causes... An unhappy or an irritated or annoyed feeling to arise when you see them. Somebody who you might change your direction if you ran into them on the path. Somebody who you don't like for some reason. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:03 Highlight the passage at 1:21:03

1:21:39 Maybe it's heavy and they've harmed you, but for the purpose of tonight, let's not pick anybody too heavy. Maybe just a challenging co-worker or housemate or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:39 Highlight the passage at 1:21:39

1:21:57 And then the third person in your trio is going to be a stranger. So somebody that you feel indifferent about, but it has to be like a real person. So maybe it's the person that you buy your coffee from or a neighbor. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:57 Highlight the passage at 1:21:57

1:22:18 Maybe somebody in the class here that you haven't really connected with, but you know what their face looks like. And if you know a little something about them, it's kind of useful for this. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:18 Highlight the passage at 1:22:18

1:22:41 So first think about the friend. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:41 Highlight the passage at 1:22:41

1:22:46 And notice how this label of friend. It seems to come from the person themselves. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:46 Highlight the passage at 1:22:46

1:22:56 It seems to just arise or come out of their pores almost. It Report an error in the passage at 1:22:56 Highlight the passage at 1:22:56

1:23:15 seems like if anybody walked into the room, they could tell that this person was your friend without knowing anything else. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:15 Highlight the passage at 1:23:15

1:23:29 And then also think about how much you want this person to be happy and just kind of immerse yourself with those good feelings. And Report an error in the passage at 1:23:29 Highlight the passage at 1:23:29

1:23:54 then think about the stranger. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:54 Highlight the passage at 1:23:54

1:23:58 Maybe you know a little something about them, but you neither like or dislike them. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:58 Highlight the passage at 1:23:58

1:24:07 And just notice your feelings of indifference towards this person. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:07 Highlight the passage at 1:24:07

1:24:20 As Venomorbena says, it's embarrassing, but because there's no perceived benefit to us, we find these strangers so boring we can barely remember what they look like. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:20 Highlight the passage at 1:24:20

1:24:44 And then think about the enemy, the person that annoys you. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:44 Highlight the passage at 1:24:44

1:24:54 Just look carefully at that person and note your feelings. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:54 Highlight the passage at 1:24:54

1:25:02 He or she doesn't seem to benefit you in any way. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:02 Highlight the passage at 1:25:02

1:25:22 With the friend, be honest. Think about how much of your love is actually attachment to them. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:22 Highlight the passage at 1:25:22

1:25:34 How much of your friendship is based on perceived benefit to you. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:34 Highlight the passage at 1:25:34

1:25:50 Is this a sound basis for connecting with others? Report an error in the passage at 1:25:50 Highlight the passage at 1:25:50

1:25:59 We're just looking at this point, no judgment. We're not trying to reduce your affection for this person. Just looking, maybe clean it up a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:59 Highlight the passage at 1:25:59

1:26:21 Sometimes we may notice that our love for somebody isn't based on truly wanting their happiness, especially if it doesn't involve me, but rather wanting them to work for our happiness forever. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:21 Highlight the passage at 1:26:21

1:26:45 And think about how quickly we can change that label, even if this friend has worked for us, helped us, benefited us for 10 years. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:45 Highlight the passage at 1:26:45

1:26:56 If one day they harm us, we suddenly can switch their label to enemy. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:56 Highlight the passage at 1:26:56

1:27:10 Imagine if this friend suddenly did something to cause this relationship to end. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:10 Highlight the passage at 1:27:10

1:27:19 Imagine no longer wanting to be with them or wanting their happiness. And Report an error in the passage at 1:27:19 Highlight the passage at 1:27:19

1:27:29 ask, where is the friend now? Report an error in the passage at 1:27:29 Highlight the passage at 1:27:29

1:27:45 This person wasn't your friend before you met and they can easily stop being your friend. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:45 Highlight the passage at 1:27:45

1:28:03 Just recognize that we have no sound reason for feeling affectionate towards only the people we called friends in this moment. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:03 Highlight the passage at 1:28:03

1:28:16 Relationships change all the time. They've changed a lot in this life and they continue to change. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:16 Highlight the passage at 1:28:16

1:28:26 A friend in today could be tomorrow's enemy and then later a stranger and then maybe a friend again. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:26 Highlight the passage at 1:28:26

1:28:42 Maybe this has already happened to you in your life. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:42 Highlight the passage at 1:28:42

1:28:56 So think about the enemy. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:56 Highlight the passage at 1:28:56

1:29:02 At least you can be grateful that they show your mind back to you. They allow you to practice patience, which we have to do to get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:02 Highlight the passage at 1:29:02

1:29:19 Without anger in our mind, there can be no enemy. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:19 Highlight the passage at 1:29:19

1:29:29 Hating somebody or getting angry with somebody only destroys our own peace of mind. It doesn't actually harm them. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:29 Highlight the passage at 1:29:29

1:29:44 And it's not even a valid response to respond to somebody who's unhappy and out of control with anger. The valid response would be compassion. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:44 Highlight the passage at 1:29:44

1:30:04 They're suffering because of their own anger, hatred, unhappiness, and yet they want to be happy. We all want to be happy. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:04 Highlight the passage at 1:30:04

1:30:21 So compassion would be the only logical response that would benefit both their mind and my mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:21 Highlight the passage at 1:30:21

1:30:39 And think about, again, how quickly we can change labels. If somebody's harmed us for 10 years and suddenly they give us something we want, material things, power, reputation, we label them friend. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:39 Highlight the passage at 1:30:39

1:30:57 So try to imagine a situation where one act of kindness might bring you together. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:57 Highlight the passage at 1:30:57

1:31:09 We can learn to Report an error in the passage at 1:31:09 Highlight the passage at 1:31:09

1:31:27 feel warmly towards our enemy. It's happened before in this life and it'll happen again. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:27 Highlight the passage at 1:31:27

1:31:39 We don't have to feel so strongly and hold so strongly to this concept of enemy. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:39 Highlight the passage at 1:31:39

1:31:54 And now think about that stranger. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:54 Highlight the passage at 1:31:54

1:32:01 Even if you just know a little bit, it breaks down that fixed idea of indifference, that they're nothing to you. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:01 Highlight the passage at 1:32:01

1:32:16 Maybe you know that they have... Pain in their back or that they have a daughter somewhere or that they share something in common with you. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:16 Highlight the passage at 1:32:16

1:32:33 Maybe imagine that they do something kind for you even in an imaginary way like returning your wallet or something when you're buying coffee and then suddenly you can label them friend. It doesn't take much. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:33 Highlight the passage at 1:32:33

1:32:50 All of our current friends were once strangers. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:50 Highlight the passage at 1:32:50

1:32:57 All of our current enemies were also once strangers. So Report an error in the passage at 1:32:57 Highlight the passage at 1:32:57

1:33:13 look again at your three people. And just think about how fragile relationships are. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:13 Highlight the passage at 1:33:13

1:33:24 All of our human interactions are based on misconceptions of ourself and the other. So why hold so strongly to these conceptions? Report an error in the passage at 1:33:24 Highlight the passage at 1:33:24

1:33:41 Everything and everyone is exactly the same in wanting happiness and not wanting suffering. All living beings just want to be happy. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:41 Highlight the passage at 1:33:41

1:33:55 Everything we do comes from that basic drive, Report an error in the passage at 1:33:55 Highlight the passage at 1:33:55

1:34:01 even insects, animals, and they say spirits. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:01 Highlight the passage at 1:34:01

1:34:12 And we also all share the fact that all of us, including insects and animals, have Buddha nature. We all have the potential to get enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:12 Highlight the passage at 1:34:12

1:34:23 We all have the same nature of mind, clear and aware. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:23 Highlight the passage at 1:34:23

1:34:40 When these attachments and aversions and indifference arise in our minds, we can't see. The other or ourselves clearly. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:40 Highlight the passage at 1:34:40

1:34:53 We only see others in terms of how they might help us. And that's only through the filter of our own self-absorption, self-cherishing. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:53 Highlight the passage at 1:34:53

1:35:16 The point of this meditation is just to develop an equal caring and equal concern for everyone. Whether they help us or not. Whether they benefit us or not. Just because they're a living being. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:16 Highlight the passage at 1:35:16

1:35:32 And to notice how often. We use our conception to categorize and separate. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:32 Highlight the passage at 1:35:32

1:35:47 It just keeps us so limited and ultimately keeps us unhappy. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:47 Highlight the passage at 1:35:47

1:36:04 And so we'll dedicate this meditation and this class, anything we might have gotten from it, to being able to work with our minds, to figure out how they work, to understand and to use that understanding to transform our minds. So that we can increase our ability to help others and ourselves. And how we interact, how we work, how we live, how we experience the world and everything in it. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:04 Highlight the passage at 1:36:04

1:36:55 End your meditation. Open your eyes. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:55 Highlight the passage at 1:36:55

1:37:13 Does anybody have any quick questions on that meditation? That's what you're going to do is your homework. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:13 Highlight the passage at 1:37:13

1:37:23 Especially anybody who's done it before. Who's done it before? Any different experience this time? Any? Report an error in the passage at 1:37:23 Highlight the passage at 1:37:23

1:37:40 I like the single pointed expression on your face. It was interesting right before when you talked about how one person can be all three. I was playing with that a little bit this time. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:40 Highlight the passage at 1:37:40

1:37:52 I think it was two classes ago we did that same one. It was interesting. Yeah, yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? Yeah. When I was doing it once a really long time ago, I was leading a meditation and somebody said he was using his wife in all three positions. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:52 Highlight the passage at 1:37:52

1:38:11 Happens, yeah. Yeah, definitely within a lifetime. And then that coming back and forth, that one's also very interesting. Those of us who have lived past a certain age have definitely experienced, you know, everybody has experienced a stranger moving to friend or stranger moving to enemy, friend moving to enemy, enemy moving to friend sometimes. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:11 Highlight the passage at 1:38:11

1:38:35 But having it be all and kind of going in and out is very interesting, I think. It does sort of show you how fickle our mind is. I remember one of the first times that I was doing this meditation, I was shocked to see that the people I sort of loved the most, I loved partly because they loved me. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:35 Highlight the passage at 1:38:35

1:38:56 It seems sort of flimsy when you think about it as like your main reason. I don't know where that one comes from. So anyway, okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:56 Highlight the passage at 1:38:56

1:39:09 Do you want to pass this around? This will be your homework. And great, have a great week. Yeah, and if anybody would like to volunteer who's not already giving their entire life up for us, and I see a few of you left in the group. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:09 Highlight the passage at 1:39:09