Discovering Buddhism - Transforming Problems (3 July 2008)

0:01 And the offerings that we collect, that people give, I'll take with us to Pennsylvania next week and I'll offer it to them. We've done that actually every year for the last three years so it's kind of fun. So I'll just put it in a big card and say happy birthday from Tsai Tsingling. I'm sure he gets a little pleasure out of it. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:23 I guess I gave up on this mic last night actually. I think we're slowly losing this mic. All of it's like bendiness is gone or something. Report an error in the passage at 0:23 Highlight the passage at 0:23

0:33 Anyway, Report an error in the passage at 0:33 Highlight the passage at 0:33

0:37 it's another problem for me to transform. Okay, so let's just start with a little meditation and a little motivation. Report an error in the passage at 0:37 Highlight the passage at 0:37

0:48 So everybody, just get comfortable wherever you are. This will be a short one, so don't worry. It's not a three-hour meditation. Report an error in the passage at 0:48 Highlight the passage at 0:48

1:00 The most important aspect of your posture is just to keep your spine extended. So even if you're in a chair, not to lean against the back of your chair because that's a little too comfy. Report an error in the passage at 1:00 Highlight the passage at 1:00

1:13 Especially in the evening. Report an error in the passage at 1:13 Highlight the passage at 1:13

1:18 And we'll just start with watching our breath for a few rounds of 10. So just place your awareness on your breath either at the level of your belly or the level of your chest as they expand and contract with each breath. Report an error in the passage at 1:18 Highlight the passage at 1:18

1:36 Or the level of your nostril, a little patch of skin inside your nostrils. The sensation of the air passing over it. Report an error in the passage at 1:36 Highlight the passage at 1:36

1:50 And try to just strengthen your awareness at that point. And just let go of the other thoughts and feelings and perceptions that come into your mind. Just don't follow them. Don't give them strength. You don't need to get rid of them. They're just going to keep arising, but you can just keep placing your awareness on that breath. Report an error in the passage at 1:50 Highlight the passage at 1:50

· · · silence, 1 minute

3:44 We'll just start with reviewing the two verses that we've been studying of the eight verses. Report an error in the passage at 3:44 Highlight the passage at 3:44

3:56 And just contemplate them as I read them out. 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. So Report an error in the passage at 3:56 Highlight the passage at 3:56

4:20 just think about what that means. Just imagine being able to develop this incredible mind of bodhicitta that wants to take away the suffering of others, Report an error in the passage at 4:20 Highlight the passage at 4:20

4:37 that has no bias. Report an error in the passage at 4:37 Highlight the passage at 4:37

4:42 It works equally for beings no matter what they do to me, think about me, say about me. Report an error in the passage at 4:42 Highlight the passage at 4:42

4:55 This mind that's willing to go through anything to be able to help others, to Report an error in the passage at 4:55 Highlight the passage at 4:55

5:05 take away their suffering and to bring them happiness. Report an error in the passage at 5:05 Highlight the passage at 5:05

5:13 And imagine having this mind yourself and what that would feel like. Report an error in the passage at 5:13 Highlight the passage at 5:13

5:22 Imagine how it would feel to wake up with this kind of mind. Report an error in the passage at 5:22 Highlight the passage at 5:22

5:30 Not little blips of insight and meditation but always there. Never declining. Report an error in the passage at 5:30 Highlight the passage at 5:30

5:47 Imagine how it would feel to have this mind when you look at people you see on the street or people you have next to you on the bus, people in class, people at work, Report an error in the passage at 5:47 Highlight the passage at 5:47

6:01 people in your house. Report an error in the passage at 6:01 Highlight the passage at 6:01

6:14 And think again how attaining this mind and then what this mind leads to, full enlightenment, depends on every person you meet. Report an error in the passage at 6:14 Highlight the passage at 6:14

6:27 It's not like some holy thought of Benefiting all sentient beings out there. It's all the people in your life right now. Your sentient beings. Report an error in the passage at 6:27 Highlight the passage at 6:27

6:43 You know, your landlord, your boss, your neighbor, the guy driving that fire engine right now. Report an error in the passage at 6:43 Highlight the passage at 6:43

7:01 This is why they're so precious to you. Report an error in the passage at 7:01 Highlight the passage at 7:01

7:09 They're the very thing that will get us each enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 7:09 Highlight the passage at 7:09

7:18 They're the very source of all the most amazing qualities that we can't even fully imagine. That's why they're like a jewel. Report an error in the passage at 7:18 Highlight the passage at 7:18

7:40 Whenever I am with others, I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all. And from the very depth of my heart, I will respectfully hold others as supreme. Report an error in the passage at 7:40 Highlight the passage at 7:40

7:57 So this verse is talking a lot about the fault of pride, of holding ourselves more superior than others, Report an error in the passage at 7:57 Highlight the passage at 7:57

8:09 seeing ourselves in that puffed up way, not Report an error in the passage at 8:09 Highlight the passage at 8:09

8:16 with a healthy sense of self-respect, self-confidence. We need that. But that sort of, I'm superior to you. I know more than you. Report an error in the passage at 8:16 Highlight the passage at 8:16

8:35 Sometimes we have to analyze how pride arises for us because it's not always the same from person to person. Report an error in the passage at 8:35 Highlight the passage at 8:35

8:49 Sometimes my pride arises as a lack of self-confidence, a low self-esteem, where I see myself as the absolute worst of all. But that's just another form of pride in a way. It's not realistic. It's not a realistic assessment of myself or my qualities. Report an error in the passage at 8:49 Highlight the passage at 8:49

9:20 This verse is also a lot about self-cherishing. We started talking about the self-cherishing mind last week, and we'll talk more about it tonight. Report an error in the passage at 9:20 Highlight the passage at 9:20

9:32 That mind that's so focused 100 % of the time, 24-7 on me, me, me, me, me. And it's just a habit. Report an error in the passage at 9:32 Highlight the passage at 9:32

9:50 In the end, it keeps us from caring about others. It limits who we are. It limits us from connecting. So Report an error in the passage at 9:50 Highlight the passage at 9:50

10:09 we think about how others are exactly like us. In at least one way and that's that they want happiness just like us and they want to avoid suffering just like us. Report an error in the passage at 10:09 Highlight the passage at 10:09

10:34 And then we can think about another interpretation of this verse that enlightened beings might be everywhere trying Report an error in the passage at 10:34 Highlight the passage at 10:34

10:47 to teach us and they might be showing up in a form we aren't expecting. Report an error in the passage at 10:47 Highlight the passage at 10:47

11:02 So if we don't respect other people we might miss those incredible teachings. Report an error in the passage at 11:02 Highlight the passage at 11:02

11:23 Think about something that happened today that could have been a teaching. That you might have missed. Report an error in the passage at 11:23 Highlight the passage at 11:23

11:48 So let's motivate tonight's class to Report an error in the passage at 11:48 Highlight the passage at 11:48

11:57 each one of us being able to realize the meanings of these verses, to work with them, so that we're able to transform our minds, so that we're able to increase our capacity to help others more and more and more, including ourselves. And Report an error in the passage at 11:57 Highlight the passage at 11:57

12:29 then when you're ready, you can end your meditation and open your eyes. And we'll start with... Report an error in the passage at 12:29 Highlight the passage at 12:29

12:38 The opening prayer. Report an error in the passage at 12:38 Highlight the passage at 12:38

12:44 So in the white prayer book on page 8, I'll Report an error in the passage at 12:44 Highlight the passage at 12:44

12:54 do the one by the Dalai Lama. Report an error in the passage at 12:54 Highlight the passage at 12:54

13:00 And did anybody bring their copy of the eight verses? Yeah? So maybe if you weren't here last week and somebody's sitting near you with eight verses, we can read them through. Report an error in the passage at 13:00 Highlight the passage at 13:00

13:15 We'll read that afterwards. So you guys both have one. David, you want to look on with Jane? Report an error in the passage at 13:15 Highlight the passage at 13:15

13:24 Ray, you can share, and then Gina. Gina, do you have yours? Okay. And then you've got one, right? Great. You guys are so great. Okay. So we'll start with His Holiness. And we'll do this three times so that we might actually realize what we're saying by the third time. With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 13:24 Highlight the passage at 13:24

13:53 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 and dispel the miseries of the world. With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 13:53 Highlight the passage at 13:53

14:24 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 and dispel the miseries of the world. With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge. Report an error in the passage at 14:24 Highlight the passage at 14:24

14:50 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 and dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 14:50 Highlight the passage at 14:50

15:18 So we'll do the eight verses. The first two we just did in meditation, but we'll say them again. 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. Report an error in the passage at 15:18 Highlight the passage at 15:18

15:52 And from the very depth of my heart, 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 in the passage at 15:52 Highlight the passage at 15:52

16:21 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. Report an error in the passage at 16:21 Highlight the passage at 16:21

16:50 I will practice in secret, taking upon myself all their harmful actions and sufferings. Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns, by practicing all phenomena as illusory, I will practice without grasping to release all beings from the bondage of disturbing, unsubdued mind and karma. Report an error in the passage at 16:50 Highlight the passage at 16:50

17:26 So we'll check in first. Just a reminder that we don't have class next week. so we Actually, there's a Tarapuja at 7 o 'clock, so if you guys show up by mistake, you can always take part in the Tarapuja and clear some obstacles. I think Karen's going to help lead that one, actually. Henny's going to lead it. So if anybody wants to come, you can still come and do the Tarapuja. So our next class is going to be a week after that, which is the 17th. Report an error in the passage at 17:26 Highlight the passage at 17:26

17:59 Also, a couple things coming up. I mentioned His Holiness, His birthday thing. With Geshe-la, we're doing it in the evening on Sunday, but I'm going to still do the Sunday morning service, even though it'll just be me. I think it'll be me and Karen, actually. Because Geshe-la is going down, Chin Rinpoche's Long Life Puja happens to be that same day, and so Geshe-la is going to that, Malam's going to that, everybody's going down to that. Report an error in the passage at 17:59 Highlight the passage at 17:59

18:24 But we will still have a Sunday morning service, so please come. I think I'm going to talk about his life in some way because he just inspires me so much. I think that's going to be my motivational talk. It'll be something about him. And then we'll have birthday cake. So we have birthday cake twice. We have birthday cake in the morning and birthday cake at night. You can't have too much birthday cake. Report an error in the passage at 18:24 Highlight the passage at 18:24

18:48 A couple of things coming up. You guys hopefully saw the new calendars out there. Um. Report an error in the passage at 18:48 Highlight the passage at 18:48

18:53 You probably saw probably too much of those calendars. Jane helped with mailing. Actually, you helped with a huge amount of that mailing. And so you might also get them in your mailbox very shortly. Report an error in the passage at 18:53 Highlight the passage at 18:53

19:06 But there are some highlights coming up. There's a workshop, a day-long workshop on the 12th, Saturday the 12th, on Buddhism and psychology. And then there's one coming up on forgiveness on the 19th. Report an error in the passage at 19:06 Highlight the passage at 19:06

19:19 Sujatha is going to lead that one. It just sounds really super. She gave a little spiel about it at Vena Burbina's talk and it just sounds really cool what she's going to do. She said if you have any outstanding, you know, like if you haven't forgiven somebody or you need to be forgiven or you haven't forgiven yourself. Report an error in the passage at 19:19 Highlight the passage at 19:19

19:37 And that last one is the one that kind of got through to me. I was like, oh, wow. Yeah. So I think basically all of us could go with that one. And she has some amazing stories, too, from her work. Report an error in the passage at 19:37 Highlight the passage at 19:37

19:50 And I'm leading a day long on the 26th. It's actually part of, there's not really a class for the final module of Discovering Buddhism. We're just coming to an end in the Discovering Buddhism program. And the final couple of classes are Wisdom of Emptiness, which Beno Manlam will be teaching beginning on August something or other. Report an error in the passage at 19:50 Highlight the passage at 19:50

20:13 I would say probably around August. Probably August 12th or something like that, August 12th or 13th, whatever that Thursday is. He'll start that class and that's a two-month class. And then I'm going to do Introduction to Tantra. That'll be the next Thursday class. And that's the final of the classes of the DB. And then we'll also, sorry, that Introduction to Tantra is going to be on a Wednesday night. Report an error in the passage at 20:13 Highlight the passage at 20:13

20:36 And then we're going to start over the DB program simultaneously in the fall with Mind and Its Potential. And I'm going to teach both of those. So it's going to be a Wednesday night and a Thursday night class in the fall. So that's when we're just going to start over the whole thing. But the final module of the Discovering Buddhism program is not really a class. Report an error in the passage at 20:36 Highlight the passage at 20:36

20:55 It's actually just what they call integration practices or integration experiences. And that's really talking about what's called the preliminary practices or the nundro, which are often... Report an error in the passage at 20:55 Highlight the passage at 20:55

21:12 You do 100,000 of this and 100,000 of this and 100,000 of this and it usually begins with prostrations. So what I thought we could do is last year what we did is we actually taught four separate little classes. But I think this year what we're going to do is do like two Saturday day longs. So Saturday the 26th I'm going to talk about sort of an overview on those kind of practices and then talk about what prostrations are, how you do them. Report an error in the passage at 21:12 Highlight the passage at 21:12

21:41 Why you would want to do them. And also purification practices in the afternoon. And so in the afternoon we'll talk especially about Vajrasattva. And we'll do Vajrasattva practice. So if you have any interest in either part or all of that day, that's going to be on the 26th. And then somewhere down the line, like probably in a month, I'll do another day long on the final segment. Report an error in the passage at 21:41 Highlight the passage at 21:41

22:04 And that's something more on how to do retreat and specifically how to do. There's a really. um, intense purification retreat called, um, a nunye. And so talk a little bit about what nunyes are and why you would want to do that. Report an error in the passage at 22:04 Highlight the passage at 22:04

22:20 Why on earth you would want to do that? Which is my first response when I first heard about So does anybody have anything to check in about their reading or their homework or their meditation? Report an error in the passage at 22:20 Highlight the passage at 22:20

22:37 Or contemplating the verse, the two verses that we talked about last week, or something, anything. Report an error in the passage at 22:37 Highlight the passage at 22:37

22:49 Everyone has that sort of deer in the headlight look. Yeah, okay, you want to pass it? Report an error in the passage at 22:49 Highlight the passage at 22:49

22:58 What exactly, what's the depth of when you say you want to take all the misery from everyone and take it to yourself and give everything good back to others? We're going to talk about that more in, there is one of the verses that particularly pertains to the practice of exchange of self and others. And that's the seventh verses. Yeah. In short, I will offer directly and indirectly every benefit and happiness to all my beings. So I'd like to put that there. Report an error in the passage at 22:58 Highlight the passage at 22:58

23:30 But there is, it is really, really important to remind ourselves that this is actually a very advanced text, even though it often gets sold as a beginner. Class, it's not. There's no way. I mean, I would love it if I had realized this. If I actually had the capacity to practice this all the time, I would probably look like that. Report an error in the passage at 23:30 Highlight the passage at 23:30

23:52 But I don't. So it's a goal to even want that. Even for an instant to want that. It's actually an enormous goal. So we grow into it. And it's a slowly, slowly sort of thing. But when you think again about the definition of bodhicitta as being the mind that wants to attain enlightenment so that I can help every living being without exception, without exception, that sentence in and of itself is just mind-boggling, then this is how you get there. Report an error in the passage at 23:52 Highlight the passage at 23:52

24:25 That kind of a thought is how you get there. So, yeah, we'll get there. We all will get there. Anybody else? Report an error in the passage at 24:25 Highlight the passage at 24:25

24:38 Is this on? Yeah, it seems quiet, but I think if you kind of hold it like that. I feel like my question might be similar. I really like the meditation after it. I felt really, really good and like really inspired and like, yeah, work for the enlightenment of all sentient beings. I'm ready to do this. Report an error in the passage at 24:38 Highlight the passage at 24:38

24:57 So this is after the meditation. Like when I finally, when I'm done, I was kind of reared to go, but then I was done with meditation. And so. I realize I don't know what that means, like working with the benefit of life. What do you do then? Yeah, it's a process. It's definitely a process. But even for you to have gotten inspired is great. That's actually a good sign because some people get freaked out. And we're actually going to talk about that too. Report an error in the passage at 24:57 Highlight the passage at 24:57

25:22 Like sometimes, I mean, sometimes when you talk about this stuff, it's so radical that it's like, Ben Rubina always says, It's practically insane. You know, it's actually true. It's totally insane. I mean, it's completely opposed to what our society has always taught us to be true. No matter whether we still believe with what our society, you know, is telling us, it's still in us. You know, no matter how we were raised, there's still stuff that actually the Buddha would say it's not even just from this lifetime. Report an error in the passage at 25:22 Highlight the passage at 25:22

25:56 Lifetime after lifetime, we have been looking out for number one. And not caring about others as much as we care for ourselves. So we've got some pretty heavy habits that we need to examine and notice and then also work with and decide that it's worth changing. That's a huge leap, too. And by the end of this class, you might not have reached that point. So I'm just warning you, like, just having done an eight-week class doesn't mean that you're going to be sold. Report an error in the passage at 25:56 Highlight the passage at 25:56

26:26 If I do my job right, I'm hoping that you are. but um for you know for me it it It's taken like I'm still sold, clearly, but, you know, it takes many, many years of meditating and contemplating this and reading and studying and working with different teachers and repeatedly getting inspired, you know, by teachers like the Dalai Lama, seeing teachers who embody these teachings and becoming inspired again to work. Report an error in the passage at 26:26 Highlight the passage at 26:26

26:57 You know, it's just like repeatedly kind of having to hit get back on the horse again because we don't. We don't know exactly how to practice and we do screw up. And so that's just part of it. But it's a good question. It's a good question. And I don't think there's one answer. How do you help all sentient beings? I mean, the Buddha found that the best way for him to do it was to become enlightened. And so that's kind of the school we're going with here. Report an error in the passage at 26:57 Highlight the passage at 26:57

27:22 This is the Bodhisattva path. Report an error in the passage at 27:22 Highlight the passage at 27:22

27:29 So I don't know if that helps. It's a process and hopefully we'll be able to answer it over the next couple of weeks and hopefully you'll get some sort of answer that makes sense to you. Anybody else? Report an error in the passage at 27:29 Highlight the passage at 27:29

27:43 Gina. Do you want to pass her the mic? Report an error in the passage at 27:43 Highlight the passage at 27:43

27:54 Totally. I think in one of the earlier classes you said that we would go over the eight verses and I thought you said something about the seven point commentary? No, the seven point mind training is a commentary on the eight verses and we will touch on some of the elements of that. But we aren't going to go through it. It's actually quite complex. But we will touch on some of the things that come up in that eight point, I mean the seven point mind training. Report an error in the passage at 27:54 Highlight the passage at 27:54

28:23 And is that where the commitments and the precepts come in? Yeah, and actually I wanted to throw those in because I actually really love those. Those are great just for contemplating. Report an error in the passage at 28:23 Highlight the passage at 28:23

28:32 So, you know, like just because some of them are just. Again, pretty outrageous. And just like taking one and thinking about it for a whole day is pretty cool, actually. So I will give those to you before the end of the class. Okay, but it's more that the seven point is a commentary and this is the root text? Yeah, this was what inspired Geshe Chekawa. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 28:32 Highlight the passage at 28:32

28:56 When he heard the eight verses and studied them, then he then, as a result of that, he wrote the seven point mind training. Okay, because when we were talking about books last week and I was thinking that there was another small book that I had and I couldn't remember what it was and that was the one, it was from a one day that Venerable Chokyi did when she was here last year. Report an error in the passage at 28:56 Highlight the passage at 28:56

29:16 So I was just trying to put it into context. Exactly, so those teachings are, yeah, so you're a leg up on a lot of people here. Yeah, at least you have some more information at least to pad your confusion. Report an error in the passage at 29:16 Highlight the passage at 29:16

29:32 Yeah, she did a full weekend workshop on it at Landa Medicine Buddha, but she wasn't able to do the full weekend here, and so then she did one day. And then she also came this year and did some additional teachings on mind training. So that was a day long too, but she didn't want to completely bore people if they had already come, so she wanted to include. Report an error in the passage at 29:32 Highlight the passage at 29:32

29:53 And like I said at the beginning, the Lojang teachings, the mind training teachings is a genre, so there's a lot of teachings within that genre. Report an error in the passage at 29:53 Highlight the passage at 29:53

30:02 Seven Point Mind Training and Eight Verses of Thoughts Transformation are just some of those teachings. Yeah. I know sometimes it's like too much information, but anyway. Report an error in the passage at 30:02 Highlight the passage at 30:02

30:16 So last time at the very end, we were going over and we were just starting to get into a really, really juicy topic, which is the self-cherishing mind. Oh, actually, first I want to welcome you guys. I want to welcome the people who haven't been in the class all the way along. So tell me your name again. Report an error in the passage at 30:16 Highlight the passage at 30:16

30:34 Joe. Joe. Hi, Joe. Joe Pietro? Are you Joe? Oh, Sammy Pietro. Okay. Now I'm face. Okay. Now I'm getting you. Okay. But I had met you before. Have you been before? No. Okay. Something about your face recognized. Okay. Anyway. Well, welcome. Great. I'm glad to put your name in your, we talked on the phone. Report an error in the passage at 30:34 Highlight the passage at 30:34

30:53 This is international sign for talking on the phone. If I had communicated with If you have an email, then I would have been this. Okay. And Kent in the back, and say your name again, sorry. Diane. Report an error in the passage at 30:53 Highlight the passage at 30:53

31:05 Totally normal name, but still I forget. If your name had been something outrageous, then I would have remembered it, I'm sure. From both of you from Diamond Mountain or just Kent from Diamond Mountain? A little bit from Diamond Mountain in Arizona. Yeah. Okay, great. Well, welcome. Living in Idaho. Okay. That's good. Great. Welcome to you. Report an error in the passage at 31:05 Highlight the passage at 31:05

31:23 And you're from Santa Cruz. Okay, great. Great. Not so far away. And David has come to several other DB classes, Discovering Buddhism classes. Is this your first time? Report an error in the passage at 31:23 Highlight the passage at 31:23

31:36 Okay, do you want me to send you anything or is that too much? Well, we're not here next week, so you don't miss anything next week. Okay, I better write that down. I'll just put David. You'll send me one? Will you really? Okay. Okay, so let's talk about self-cherishing mind. Report an error in the passage at 31:36 Highlight the passage at 31:36

32:09 Self-cherishing mind, you could also think of it, the Tibetan Buddhists, Tibetans, period, coined this phrase self-cherishing mind. And you can also think of it as a mind or a state of mind that's self-absorbed or sort of has this underlying selfishness to it. I think selfishness is a little more loaded. Self-absorbed is a little more, I don't know. Self-cherishing is, people can sometimes misunderstand it. Report an error in the passage at 32:09 Highlight the passage at 32:09

32:41 And so it's good to sort of get an idea of what it is. But it's just basic 24-7 mind that is thinking about me and my problems and my needs and my wants. Report an error in the passage at 32:41 Highlight the passage at 32:41

32:56 Not in a way that like is shoving people literally out of the way. But figuratively is like you might not be grabbing somebody else's book or something like a two year old. But there is some aspect of that in underlying everything that we say, do, think and feel like if I'm if I get introduced to a party and there's like ninety nine people there. Report an error in the passage at 32:56 Highlight the passage at 32:56

33:20 I'm totally aware of them saying my name, thinking about how I look and thinking about whether or not they're accepting me. Like I still have this total spotlight on me. And it's when you shift it that you actually end up having a better time. You know, like so if I if I for a minute think, well, actually Cedric looks really kind of nervous. Report an error in the passage at 33:20 Highlight the passage at 33:20

33:42 Maybe I should go talk to him for a minute. Like if I stop thinking about myself for half a second. I can realize, actually, that's how I can teach. I'm just thinking about it, actually, because usually I get totally freaked out to sit up here and talk. And then when I think, oh, but, you know, they're just people that, you know, we're just having a conversation. Report an error in the passage at 33:42 Highlight the passage at 33:42

34:00 And I just kind of shift it for a minute thinking, oh, yeah, maybe it's not really about me. Maybe it's actually to help other people. And maybe I could actually try to help other people. And when I shift that, then I don't get as nervous and freaked out. Because my motivation also is shifting, you know, but I'm also taking that spotlight off me, me, me, me, me. Because that's all that is. Report an error in the passage at 34:00 Highlight the passage at 34:00

34:22 It's just self-cherishing mind. So, but first we have to even look at it without judging ourselves. Because all of us have it. So don't feel like you're the only one with dirty laundry here. Report an error in the passage at 34:22 Highlight the passage at 34:22

34:36 The Buddha observed that we all have this and actually even higher level beings still have some form of it. It's really hard to eliminate this mind. It's just a mental habit that we've had for lifetime after lifetime and it's not us. So sometimes people will say that self-cherishing mind is ego but it gets confusing because ego is also sometimes identified as like our identity and that's kind of... Report an error in the passage at 34:36 Highlight the passage at 34:36

35:03 Like, let's not think that if we eliminate self-cherishing mind, we eliminate me. Like, I am not my self-cherishing mind. Self-cherishing mind is just a mental habit. Like, you know, it's not truly an affliction. It's based on like my afflictions arise based on it. Because I'm so concerned about myself, I'm more likely to get pissed off. You know, because I'm so concerned about myself, I'm more likely to be impatient. Report an error in the passage at 35:03 Highlight the passage at 35:03

35:30 I'm more less likely to listen or, you know, less likely to connect with her because I'm thinking I have to go upstairs for class, for example, you know, just randomly like that. So self-cherishing mind, I think, isn't really defined as a delusion or as a mental affliction itself. And we'll get back to those. But they definitely it definitely helps us give rise to all those crazy states of mind like anger and depression and. Report an error in the passage at 35:30 Highlight the passage at 35:30

35:59 Hatred and grasping attachment and things like that. So first we have to kind of see that it might be something that's gotten us into trouble. Because this is what the Buddha said. The Buddha said this is actually the cause of all of our suffering because it's based on this mind that all these mental afflictions arise. Report an error in the passage at 35:59 Highlight the passage at 35:59

36:20 These crazy states of mind like anger and impatience and so forth. And then based on those we do actions. And then those actions create karma. And then that karma ripens as our suffering. And then we just keep going around and around and around and around and around. And it's all based on this state of mind that's just like 100 % thinking me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me. Report an error in the passage at 36:20 Highlight the passage at 36:20

36:42 It's like a mantra. What about me? What about me? What about me? So in the seven point mind training, well, actually, it actually comes up. It is in the seven-point mind training, but even before that, it comes up in the stages of the meditation. One of the meditations on developing the mind of bodhicitta, there's a stage called, well, there's two stages, equaling oneself and others and then exchanging oneself and others. Report an error in the passage at 36:42 Highlight the passage at 36:42

37:16 Sometimes people will say that the title of that particular meditation is equalizing and exchanging oneself and others. Equalizing is the first step. And that's where we just begin to do what we often will do in the motivation, just thinking about the fact that we are all equal based on one thing. And that's just saying that all beings want to be happy and all beings want to not be unhappy. All beings want to avoid suffering. Report an error in the passage at 37:16 Highlight the passage at 37:16

37:43 So not even just humans, but, you know, dogs and cats and insects and everything too. And in that way we're all exactly the same. His Holiness actually has a meditation where you actually think about how many other beings would it take to really equal me in terms of the amount of energy and time I put into thinking about myself and my needs and my concerns and my future and my plans and my... Report an error in the passage at 37:43 Highlight the passage at 37:43

38:20 desires and whatever like how many would it really take I mean we all would want to think you know to one but that's not true I think I mean unless you guys are all like holy beings and you're just posing as students for my sake in which case I really thank you but If you sit there and try that meditation where you're just really thinking, how many would it take? Report an error in the passage at 38:20 Highlight the passage at 38:20

38:46 It's kind of embarrassing. Really, when you think about it, because if we really, really saw every single other being exactly the way we see ourselves, we would just stop everything and be helping people all the time. So this is just a, it's a misperception of reality. And it just, first we have to even recognize that we're doing it. Report an error in the passage at 38:46 Highlight the passage at 38:46

39:11 So Lama Zopa actually says to spend like... He actually said to get a journal once. He said get a self-cherishing mind journal and just note throughout the day how many times your mind is self-cherishing. It's kind of horrifying actually. And we're used to it. We don't notice it. And then when we start noticing it, it's sort of like you start, then you go on the guilt trip. And that's actually self-cherishing mind because it doesn't want you to look anymore. Report an error in the passage at 39:11 Highlight the passage at 39:11

39:43 How much self-cherishing mind do you have? Because often what self-cherishing mind will do is just cause you to get discouraged and give up because it's a hell of a lot easier in some ways than having to look at what your mind's doing and decide to change it. Decide it's not very healthy, it's not really leading me in a good way. It's sort of like looking at what you've been eating. You know, like when you have to keep those kind of journals, like you have to write down everything that you put. Report an error in the passage at 39:43 Highlight the passage at 39:43

40:11 Who wants to do that? But when you start doing that, that's the step. I'm starting to think, well, maybe actually there would be other things that are healthier than that that I could put into my mouth. And this is the same. This is exactly the same. It's just starting to think. There might be other ways that I could train my mind to think that are healthier. Report an error in the passage at 40:11 Highlight the passage at 40:11

40:32 For me as well. I mean, not even just how I might interact with other people. So we just start, one of the ways that we start sort of breaking down that mind is just recognizing that we really are the same and really starting to think about that. And also thinking, why do I, why, why am I, why do I see myself as sort of the most important one? You know, why are my problems more important than Marian's problems? Report an error in the passage at 40:32 Highlight the passage at 40:32

40:59 You know, if I'm sitting there listening to Marian, you know, and, and thinking. These aren't such big problems. My problems are much bigger. And then worse, I'm like cutting her off because I have to tell all my problems. Where does that come from? What is that about? Because it's not really necessarily a logical assessment. Her problems actually might be much worse than mine, but I'm just more focused on my problems. Report an error in the passage at 40:59 Highlight the passage at 40:59

41:23 They're my problems. That's what makes them bigger. So for First, we have to even recognize that we do that. And then and that just takes awareness throughout the day that we're even thinking this way. And also sort of where does this idea of because we do extend it sometimes we sometimes will think about our daughter's problems. Report an error in the passage at 41:23 Highlight the passage at 41:23

41:46 You know, like we do think about if our daughter is going to get kicked out of school, that becomes a big issue, right? But if Cedric's daughter is getting kicked out of school, I could care less. It doesn't extend. My me, me, me might include my daughter, but it wouldn't necessarily include somebody else's unless he's my brother and I'm worried about it. Report an error in the passage at 41:46 Highlight the passage at 41:46

42:07 So if I decide that he is part of my me, me, me, me, me, then I might be concerned about it. So we create this huge gap. Between ourselves and everyone around us. And it's totally from our mind. It's totally just from this mental habit of focusing on ourselves and not focusing and not seeing others as truly equal to us. Report an error in the passage at 42:07 Highlight the passage at 42:07

42:31 When we get later, we get more into that exchange of self and others. And what you're really exchanging is the attitude, the self-cherishing mind for the mind that cherishes others. So you're not exchanging Report an error in the passage at 42:31 Highlight the passage at 42:31

42:47 brains or anything you know you're you're literally changing your point of view that's what you're exchanging is your point of view Report an error in the passage at 42:47 Highlight the passage at 42:47

42:56 so you just really begin to think. Everyone is here because they want to be happy. Everyone is here because they're tired of suffering and they want to be able to eliminate that suffering. We all have that in common. We may do things differently. Based on those wishes, you know, some people shoot up to be happy and it may not make them happy for very long. Report an error in the passage at 42:56 Highlight the passage at 42:56

43:29 But that desire is still the same. The desire to be happy is still the same. And so you just kind of really think for a moment how that's really actually true for the people that you see on the street. I mean, you start with people you know. And you really start thinking about how it's actually true for the people in the street, the people I see at work, the people I live with, the people I see on my block, you know, people I'm close to, people I don't really have any relationship with at all, like somebody who's just selling me a cup of coffee. Report an error in the passage at 43:29 Highlight the passage at 43:29

44:07 It's a connecting thing. And realizing that is a connecting thing. Like you start getting it that this person is just somebody who wants to be happy and doesn't want to feel pain. And in that way, we're exactly the same. This person's needs and wants and dreams and desires are exactly like mine. And then, of course, you can take it a step further and think about it with people that you're having problems with. And it starts getting harder. But it's also a good connecting tool with them, too. Report an error in the passage at 44:07 Highlight the passage at 44:07

44:38 Um... And we're constantly surrounded with people and we're constantly surrounded by other living beings. You know, there's that holy word again. It sounds like so distant from me. It's just the people you're surrounded with. But how many times have we ever really thought that they're exactly like me? You know, they just want to be happy and they they just want to avoid all suffering. Report an error in the passage at 44:38 Highlight the passage at 44:38

45:03 They just want to eliminate that pain, you know. It's the beginning. It's like it's sort of a tenderizer. It begins to act like a tenderizer on our heart. We tend to have these blinders on, you know, all the time. And it's just hard to see others with those blinders on because we're so thinking about our own stuff, our own problems, wishes, dreams, hopes and so forth. Report an error in the passage at 45:03 Highlight the passage at 45:03

45:29 And it doesn't mean we can't have problems, wishes, dreams and so forth. It's just that everyone else does too. So it's kind of like just taking off the blinders for a little bit sometimes and starting to see that. Report an error in the passage at 45:29 Highlight the passage at 45:29

45:45 The more we start analyzing it, we start realizing that it's not even logical to think this way. Like there's no... He always does it in like... Batches of seven sneezes. I mean, none of the things that are causing me suffering, whether it's being ill or whether it's having pain or whether it's loss, whether it's a breakup, whether it's a loss of a job, none of it is unique. Report an error in the passage at 45:45 Highlight the passage at 45:45

46:02 true. Report an error in the passage at 46:02 Highlight the passage at 46:02

46:20 If you really stop to think about it, even the worst possible problem, like horrible brain cancer or something like that, and my partner leaves me, and I lost my job or something like that, somebody else is suffering at least equal to that and most likely actually greater to that, but we aren't able to see it. Report an error in the passage at 46:20 Highlight the passage at 46:20

46:42 Most of us aren't dealing with a problem that big. That would be pretty huge. But I'm just saying that any problem that we have, Others have it too. It's only huge because it's my problem because the same problem is actually so many other people have that. Even if it's anxiety, mental illness, discomfort, pain, loss, grief, every other being has had a problem similar to that or at least equal to that in some way. Report an error in the passage at 46:42 Highlight the passage at 46:42

47:19 And we just aren't able to see it. We're just so focused on ourselves. And so that's that self-absorption that I mean that blinds us to other people's suffering. So if we're blinded to other people's suffering, there's no way. Compassion can arise because compassion is wanting to remove the suffering of others. Report an error in the passage at 47:19 Highlight the passage at 47:19

47:39 But if I can't see your suffering, how can I even desire to remove it? So first we have to see that we're even wearing these blinders and then we have to think about how to remove them. Because they just limit us, they keep our mind small. Report an error in the passage at 47:39 Highlight the passage at 47:39

47:58 So Master Shantideva, who wrote The Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, where this particular meditation for bodhicitta comes from, he said we should... And this is really radical. He does all these logical things for it. But he comes down to the point, we should dispel suffering because it is suffering. Report an error in the passage at 47:58 Highlight the passage at 47:58

48:28 That's all. It gets down to that. We should benefit others because they're sentient beings like us. That's all. Like we don't need any stronger argument than we should remove suffering because it's suffering. We should want to help others because they're sentient beings, which is gigantic. I mean, this is huge, a huge thought. Report an error in the passage at 48:28 Highlight the passage at 48:28

48:57 So this is underlying these verses, is trying to generate a mind that really honestly is able to take these blinders off and see that you're suffering. Report an error in the passage at 48:57 Highlight the passage at 48:57

49:16 Is at least as important to you as mine is to me. That's really all that it's saying. Rather than your suffering is dinky. Report an error in the passage at 49:16 Highlight the passage at 49:16

49:28 Mine's much more important and clearly you just haven't heard it. Let me just tell you in another way how bad mine is and you just shut up about yours. Which is kind of our usual approach. Maybe I'm just speaking from my own experience. So then he gets into this really radical. Report an error in the passage at 49:28 Highlight the passage at 49:28

49:46 Proof of it, and he's talking about, and this is what I just started to touch on last week and I could see all the confusion in people's eyes and I knew it was kind of going too fast. But this idea that if we're walking along and we step on a piece of glass and it goes into our foot, our hand automatically goes down to remove that. Report an error in the passage at 49:46 Highlight the passage at 49:46

50:07 It just automatically goes down to remove that piece of glass. But our hand is fine. It's not going into our hand. So why does our hand go down to help the foot? He's saying that actually we should, in the same way that if you're in pain and I can do something about your pain, I should want to help you with that same. Report an error in the passage at 50:07 Highlight the passage at 50:07

50:33 Like our connection should be the same as my hand to my foot. We're all one body. And that's a huge leap. That's a huge leap. And so then he goes through all these different arguments where they sort of counter, you know, the devil's advocate pops up and says, yeah, but her problems don't really make me lose any sleep, you know. Report an error in the passage at 50:33 Highlight the passage at 50:33

50:54 I mean, I care about your kid, but she's going to get kicked out. I'm not going to angst about it, you know. And so all these different arguments come up. But the point that Master Shantideva ends up making is we actually... Baking something wonderful again, isn't she? Report an error in the passage at 50:54 Highlight the passage at 50:54

51:15 So cruel. Or maybe it's intelligent, actually. We'll all be like rushing on the break, you know? Report an error in the passage at 51:15 Highlight the passage at 51:15

51:24 So the point that he gets to, and this is a really radical one, and I'm just going to say it, and you guys just cook it for a little bit, because this isn't even the whole point of this class. We're actually going to get to the third verse, which is like one of my favorite verses of this text. But he actually gets to this. Report an error in the passage at 51:24 Highlight the passage at 51:24

51:14 ha, ha, Report an error in the passage at 51:14 Highlight the passage at 51:14

51:39 This thought that we arbitrarily decide that me, myself and I stops with this body and this skin. This is what I was just getting to last week, you guys might remember. We arbitrarily decide that when I, this thing that I'm so obsessed with all the time, this thing called me, me, me, me, me, that it ends here. Report an error in the passage at 51:39 Highlight the passage at 51:39

52:03 And so since you're over there, then I'm not nearly as concerned about you. But where we begin to prove to ourselves that it's arbitrary is when you think about parenthood. Whether we've birthed a baby or not, parents start being willing to give up a lot for that kid. And if somebody messes with that kid, parents lose sleep over that. If a kid is sick, really sick, parents would give everything. Report an error in the passage at 52:03 Highlight the passage at 52:03

52:36 Not all parents. But many, many, most parents actually would give almost anything to take away that suffering from that kid. And so that sort of proves that they have extended their skin to include Junior, you know. So the fact that we can do it actually once, we actually do it more than once. And some of us now have extended out to include our parents. Report an error in the passage at 52:36 Highlight the passage at 52:36

53:00 And we would give up anything for our parents. And I've definitely had that same thought. With my mom. Report an error in the passage at 53:00 Highlight the passage at 53:00

53:10 And so you extend out. And sometimes there are various points where you extend out to a partner. And then you might extend back in again. Or if that partner doesn't include you in their circle. It becomes like you realize that it's actually far more elastic than we tend to think. You know, we will include in there. Report an error in the passage at 53:10 Highlight the passage at 53:10

53:33 Sometimes it's like a neighbor. Sometimes you adopt family. And you, you know, so you just extend out to include and you and you see them as I mean, my father's closest friend became a part of our family. Hey, come on in. You can sit. There's there's a chair if you want. Yeah. Do you want a cushion? Because you could grab one, too, if that's more comfortable. OK. Report an error in the passage at 53:33 Highlight the passage at 53:33

53:58 OK, cool. Um... And actually, I think that actually happened with my mom, too, but definitely with my dad. Like, his closest friend became a part of our family, and we actually, you know, it's like one of those things in the South, you know, you always kind of name people like Uncle and Aunt and stuff like that, you know, Uncle and Aunt. Report an error in the passage at 53:58 Highlight the passage at 53:58

54:18 But, you know, for us, they were part of the family, and so we extended out. So if something had happened to them, we would have been willing to, I'm sure my dad, definitely, my dad would have given up his life, I think, for this guy. Report an error in the passage at 54:18 Highlight the passage at 54:18

54:33 So it was a decision, although he probably never would have thought of it as a conceptual decision. Somewhere along the way, his heart just expanded out. And so Shantideva is basically saying, look, if you can do it for these one or two cases with training, you could actually do it for more and more and more and more beings. Report an error in the passage at 54:33 Highlight the passage at 54:33

54:53 So I thought, let's just stop for a minute and just close your eyes and just think for a moment. Who is in your circle? You know, who, and it might just be you, so don't feel bad if it is, that's okay. But just honestly, at this moment, thinking, who do I think of as totally as important as me, like in my life? Report an error in the passage at 54:53 Highlight the passage at 54:53

55:19 Who would I be willing to give up everything for? Who would I be willing to die for if necessary? That's huge. And there may not be anybody else, so don't feel guilty if that's true. We're just looking, we don't have to talk about it, you don't have to reveal. Report an error in the passage at 55:19 Highlight the passage at 55:19

55:45 And if there are some people that you might be willing to, you can include those too. And then also think how that's changed over time. Like who's been included in that, who might not be there now for whatever reason. Maybe they've died, you know, maybe they're no longer with us. Report an error in the passage at 55:45 Highlight the passage at 55:45

56:09 Or maybe they've just grown away. Maybe a friendship or relationship has ended. Report an error in the passage at 56:09 Highlight the passage at 56:09

56:22 So Master Shantideva says that if we can do it even once with one other person, it proves that it can be done. It proves that it's a decision, even if we're not aware that we're making a decision. Report an error in the passage at 56:22 Highlight the passage at 56:22

56:36 And that with training, with practice, we can extend ourselves, this view of ourselves. To actually include all living beings without exception. Report an error in the passage at 56:36 Highlight the passage at 56:36

57:08 So how does that feel for people? Report an error in the passage at 57:08 Highlight the passage at 57:08

57:15 Joe was peeking to see if I was peeking. You can end your meditation. But just think, how does that feel? Is that scary? Does that feel scary to people? To open up your heart that much? Report an error in the passage at 57:15 Highlight the passage at 57:15

57:35 I see some nodding. Does it make you feel outrageous or crazy to even think that way for a second? Report an error in the passage at 57:35 Highlight the passage at 57:35

57:45 Or all of these? I have to say that for me, it's scary, but it's also, it's like when I think about my teachers and I see how they have perfected this, like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, I want to be like that. So there's this part of me that's like, yeah, it's really crazy, but I want to be crazy like that. What do they say? Crazy like a fox? Report an error in the passage at 57:45 Highlight the passage at 57:45

58:13 I want to be crazy like a fox. A Buddha. Crazy like a Buddha. We'll have to coin a new phrase. Report an error in the passage at 58:13 Highlight the passage at 58:13

58:24 So this verse, the second verse, whenever I am with others, I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all and from the very depth of my heart I will respectfully hold others as supreme, is starting to get beyond the state of mind that's me, me, me, me, me. It's starting to look at others and seeing that they are exactly the same as I am and that Report an error in the passage at 58:24 Highlight the passage at 58:24

58:48 Their needs, their dreams, their hopes are as important to them as mine are to me. But it's very, very deep-rooted, this self-cherishing mind. It's very, I mean, the Buddha would say lifetimes, lifetimes after lifetime, we've been thinking this way and acting this way. So it's not like, it's like, think about how hard it is to quit smoking. And this is like a mental habit. Report an error in the passage at 58:48 Highlight the passage at 58:48

59:17 It's really, really, really, really hard. And then I touched on it in the beginning, in your meditation assignment, but we didn't even get to it in class last week. And then I touched on it at the beginning of the class. Another interpretation of this verse is to be aware that anyone that you are in contact with could actually be an enlightened being. Report an error in the passage at 59:17 Highlight the passage at 59:17

59:36 Now that's really wacky, right? And the Buddha actually said that, you know, um, it, One of the Buddha's best qualities, which I adore, and so I bring it up in just about every class, is that they have this capacity to show up wherever they're needed in whatever form is necessary without effort or thought, simultaneously for as many beings as needed, while they're still like blissed out in the Dharmakaya, right? Report an error in the passage at 59:36 Highlight the passage at 59:36

1:00:09 So they just have this capacity to manifest all these different emanation bodies, they're called the Dharmonakaya. So, you know, logistically speaking, there could be a few in every crowd. We could have a couple in here. And they wouldn't necessarily show up in some way and look like that. Because that would give it all away, right? You know, if Jane's like sitting there with her sword and she's got her golden body of light, then we're all going to treat her really nice, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:09 Highlight the passage at 1:00:09

1:00:40 We're definitely not going to get pissed off at her or anything like that. So they pop up in kind of ways, you know. Either to test us or to help us or to teach us. And if we are thinking, well, this guy doesn't know anything because he's really dirty or he's, you know, swearing or he's my boss and he's screaming at me. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:40 Highlight the passage at 1:00:40

1:01:03 I remember one class we were talking about this possibility that every being could be a holy being except. You know, the one that is screaming at you or causing your problem. I remember this one student saying, yeah, but no way could this person be a holy being, you know. It's because we have such a solid idea of what a holy being would look like. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:03 Highlight the passage at 1:01:03

1:01:23 And we're so sure that we would recognize a holy being. And then I think we just eliminate all the possibilities that holy beings might pop up in ways that we aren't expecting. And so we miss it. We miss it. Even the most disturbed, demented, annoying person could be a holy being. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:23 Highlight the passage at 1:01:23

1:01:41 That's the truth. It can actually just pop up in some way. And so that one's a really fun one to play with. Play with that one this week of just thinking, whoa, what if this guy, we think, who was it? I was telling this story. We were trying to have a staff meeting one time in the bookstore and we were actually closed. And somebody came in and they just kept coming over. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:41 Highlight the passage at 1:01:41

1:02:05 To the table and saying kind of the most outlandish things. And finally, like the third time, I thought, this is Lama Yeshe. There's no way this is just an ordinary person off the street. It was just, I never saw this person again either. It was just like such an outrageous thing. And I was kind of like, all right, you're giving it away now. That's just too much. And we had this one guy actually when I was teaching the bodhicitta class. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:05 Highlight the passage at 1:02:05

1:02:28 I think it might have been the very first time. It might have been transforming problems. It might have been this class. And this guy would show up at the end of the class, like literally at the very, very end, like after the break and sit in the chair and just go to sleep loud and deep. Like he was on something that knocked him seriously out. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:28 Highlight the passage at 1:02:28

1:02:51 And after a couple times, I remember Peter saying, we all think that you like hired this guy to like come in and really test our little baby bodhicitta minds because this guy's just too outrageous, you know, because he would just say a couple of really outlandish things and then he'd knock out. And at that point, Tenzil Lama was still living here and I'd have to go and get Tenzil Lama to come and wake because I couldn't even wake him up. And I was feeling kind of, you know, like everybody would like go home and I would just be here with this guy. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:51 Highlight the passage at 1:02:51

1:03:14 And I was kind of like. So, and, you know, actually he wasn't. I've had other contact with him over the years, so he wasn't my plant. But it kind of changes your point of view towards the person to just think. It's just another tool. Like if somebody's so annoying, it can kind of make it funny in a way because otherwise your mind is going to go, you know, you're going to get irritated. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:14 Highlight the passage at 1:03:14

1:03:38 So let's try something different. What if this outlandish person is a holy being? And how do we know they're not? We don't know they're not. So it's sort of like, why not think that way if it might change how you would deal with them and how you would respect them and how you would treat them. So I want to start the third verse and then give you guys a break because we're going a little bit later. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:38 Highlight the passage at 1:03:38

1:04:03 So let's get started because I love this verse. This is like my favorite verse. If I don't have time to read the whole eight verses, I always read this one because I never can do it. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:03 Highlight the passage at 1:04:03

1:04:12 Just again, like everything else, it takes practice. 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. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:12 Highlight the passage at 1:04:12

1:04:25 Sounds good, doesn't it? it? So. The they say that there's a there's a state of mind that happens right before you get angry. That's the direct cause of anger. And it's sort of like it can be I've seen it translated as is upset, but it's upset in the term of like your mind is just starting to go off balance. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:25 Highlight the passage at 1:04:25

1:04:48 Have you ever noticed that? Like if you're if you suddenly are kind of feeling like for some reason your heart's being a little bit louder, you're kind of a little faster, I should say. Might be louder too. You're just a little off kilter. Like you just kind of are feeling, but you haven't gotten pissed yet, right? So you haven't gotten upset. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:48 Highlight the passage at 1:04:48

1:05:08 You're just a little like something's feeling a little off. That's actually huge to even notice that. I feel like that's a huge, huge, huge step to even notice that. The problem is we usually just plow through. And all until it blows up into anger, like we usually just kind of ignore that or fortify it or something until we actually get angry. The point is, if we can get to the point where we can spot that upset, stop it, like stop it. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:08 Highlight the passage at 1:05:08

1:05:37 I mean, like do whatever you have to do. And that's where I tell the story. Actually, I guess you might call it one of my teachers. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:37 Highlight the passage at 1:05:37

1:05:44 He used to do this act in an office situation where a lot of tempers were flying. He would just always knock his coffee cup on the floor. He said, I'm sure they thought it was just a klutz. But it would always allow him to have that breath when he realized he was getting upset too. It would allow him to have that space because everyone would kind of fall on the floor and you start cleaning it up and everything, picking up the broken cup. And it would just give a little bit of space to the situation so they could like... Report an error in the passage at 1:05:44 Highlight the passage at 1:05:44

1:06:13 You know, step back for half a second when the tempers were starting to fly. Another idea is to just go to the bathroom. He said nobody would notice how often he went to the bathroom and nobody would say anything even if they did notice, you know, during a meeting, you know, during a discussion. He would just go to the bathroom because that would give him that space, that physical space. And that's one that I employ actually. If you do notice that you're just starting to go a little bit off. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:13 Highlight the passage at 1:06:13

1:06:40 To just remove yourself. I mean, our parents were really wise, right? Count to 10, you know, go for a short walk. Just like pulling yourself back from the situation that allows you to just kind of notice your mind, notice the disturbing thought, but don't argue with it yet. And that's the problem is that often with anger, we justify the anger before we started really analyzing it. You know, like, of course I'm pissed off. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:40 Highlight the passage at 1:06:40

1:07:07 She's late. She's been late 17 times. You know, like we just immediately go into that anger. In reality, anger is just a habit as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:07 Highlight the passage at 1:07:07

1:07:19 And so analyzing it, we might be able to actually kind of pop a hole in it and it doesn't have to arise, you know, but we just usually just full force go into it. The problem is with these disturbing emotions is that we act on them. You know, whether I punch you or whether I just scream or whether I just am angry at you, hold that anger in my mind, all of those things cause karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:19 Highlight the passage at 1:07:19

1:07:48 So it's great that I don't punch you and it's not so likely that I'm going to scream at you at this point, but I still could be holding that anger in my mind and that's causing suffering. Just in this moment that's causing suffering. But the Buddha also taught that it's going to cause me future suffering because it's creating that negative karma. That negative karma then ripens when the conditions come about and then I suffer. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:48 Highlight the passage at 1:07:48

1:08:13 So even just from the standpoint of myself, every time a disturbing attitude arises, I'm just going to get more and more suffering out of it. It's not going to do me any good to follow it. It's actually going to help me if I can catch it. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:13 Highlight the passage at 1:08:13

1:08:29 It's also creating the habit. Every time we get angry, we create the habit to get angry. Every time we give in to, you know, grasping desire, we create the habit for it. Every time we, you know, get, you know, feel sorry for ourselves, self-pity mind, as Lama actually calls it, we create that habit too. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:29 Highlight the passage at 1:08:29

1:08:51 It's just creating that habit. Good point. So hang on one quick second and then I'll get your question. So Master Shantideva often, throughout the entire book really, is talking about these delusions or mental afflictions, however you want to translate that term, Klesha. He is talking about how they are our real enemies. We tend to see our enemies as like these external people causing us problems. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:51 Highlight the passage at 1:08:51

1:09:25 And he's saying, wait a second. Our real enemies are these minds that we allow to just arise and not do anything about and then we begin following them and then we create negative karma and then that negative karma ripens and then we cause ourself suffering. So these are the real enemies and so these are the things that we have to eliminate. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:25 Highlight the passage at 1:09:25

1:09:50 So there's all these terms in there about bodhisattvas becoming like warriors and going to war with delusions. It's kind of heavy. It's like it's really like violent terms to like seek out and destroy the enemy and all this stuff. I mean, it's kind of heavy. Like when you're sitting there in class, you're like, wow, are we like in a Buddhist center? But it's really like that because the idea is that these are the enemy of us ever having a peaceful mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:50 Highlight the passage at 1:09:50

1:10:20 These are the enemy of us ever having happiness. These are the enemy of us ever being able to help anyone else. So there are enemies like over and over and over again. And so the idea is that we have to keep an eye out for them and we have to create, it's like a vigil. We have to be vigilant against these and that it has to be constant. We can't let down our guard. And so in that sense, it's very much like we're at war. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:20 Highlight the passage at 1:10:20

1:10:48 It's like we can't, we have to lie in wait because they're sneaky. these mental afflictions. So why don't we pass the mic to Viola? Report an error in the passage at 1:10:48 Highlight the passage at 1:10:48

1:11:10 So how would you handle anger that stems from like an injustice? I think it's very, very possible. Again, I look at one of my heroes, the Dalai Lama, who has had much injustice in his life and for he and his, me and my, has extended to all of Tibet. He has... Found in his experience that you can right wrongs, you can right injustice, you can work for the benefit of others without getting angry. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:10 Highlight the passage at 1:11:10

1:11:44 Like your base motivation can be compassion. It's just hard. You know, it takes effort. It takes a shift. And what he has found is that there's a real difference between the kind of... Upset that arises when you see, for example, someone else being oppressed, for example, that you can then shift into gear and go, but wait a second, this person that is abusing This person is causing themselves suffering too. So I want this to end, whether it's the rape of one person or whether it's the rape of a country or the rape of the planet. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:44 Highlight the passage at 1:11:44

1:12:26 I want it to end because those people are injuring themselves too. I'm doing it for them too. And that's huge. That's like... Yes, it is. But what he has found, and I believe him, is that your mind can actually be clearer, you can actually be more effective working from a place of compassion rather than anger. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:26 Highlight the passage at 1:12:26

1:12:49 And still be incredibly effective. Like still really work for... You know, change and make change happen. We have to work for change. So it's not saying, again, that not to work for change, just accept it. It's just saying that your base motivator is compassion rather than anger. And that's completely different than most of the political work that I've ever done, where there's just this base level of anger and disrespect for the other, you know, making fun of the other and stuff like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:49 Highlight the passage at 1:12:49

1:13:25 You know, there's always that kind of... Report an error in the passage at 1:13:25 Highlight the passage at 1:13:25

1:13:29 Which I just get a distaste for after years and years of it. Just making fun of religious people or whatever for whatever your reasoning. If somebody's doing something that's wrong, then we can just work to change it. I don't have to make fun of that person for doing whatever. I just have to go, wait a second, that's not very healthy and I don't want that in my planet. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:29 Highlight the passage at 1:13:29

1:13:56 Something like that. Does that help? Does that make more sense? Yeah. Yeah. I see a couple. Yeah? Want to pass it down? Just go in order. Whoever has the mic gets to talk. It seems like these eight verses create a state of mindfulness to be aware of the suffering of others and to basically keep yourself diligent. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:56 Highlight the passage at 1:13:56

1:14:23 Is there a follow-on that sort of provides more of the how, like you gave a great example? Just earlier because I can be cognizant of the fact that you're suffering. That leads me to A, I have to attach an emotion to that, which the correct feeling and how to do that. Well, the first step is going to be with meditation, analytical meditation. So we'll talk about that, actually, what that step is. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:23 Highlight the passage at 1:14:23

1:14:55 Because there's no shortcut to this. First we just have to, I mean the fact that in all actions I will examine my mind. I mean we're going to get to this line by line and that's why I want to give you guys a break first before we go through it line by line. But that first line means I know my mind, right? That first line is already implying that I do examine my mind, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:14:55 Highlight the passage at 1:14:55

1:15:17 So if I just take away in all actions, it's just I will examine my mind. This is your recipe. It means we have to be looking at our minds all the time. How do we get there? And that's going to be meditation. It's got to be meditation. How are we going to be looking at our minds? And then from that meditation practice comes the practice of mindfulness. In this tradition, what that means. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:17 Highlight the passage at 1:15:17

1:15:43 So we'll get to that. Why don't you do it? Saki and then we'll take a break. so So, let's see, my question is actually about an interesting incident that I had today at work. I don't know, you probably know and other people I know that I work with, people that have substance abuse related issues. So one of the clients is a constant sidebar during check-ins in the morning. And so, you know, it's like this job is like great for watching the mind, you know, because you're having to watch other people's minds as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:43 Highlight the passage at 1:15:43

1:16:17 So this morning it's like this person is constantly sidebarring like, you know, I'm just like talking over people like, I mean, almost like what you're saying. It's like, could this person like possibly be there to test me? You know, it's almost like it's very extreme. So I'm like watching my mind and this person and this whole thing play out and to the point where it just becomes apparent that that other people are being disrespected. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:17 Highlight the passage at 1:16:17

1:16:44 The group isn't working properly, or at least that's my perception. You know, people are giving these ghastly looks of like not being able to say what they're wanting to say and, you know, it's becoming a hindrance. So, you know, what. In the perception of the group at this point, my thing was to be like, excuse me, do you have something to say very firm with this person to create that dissonance to stop the activity that was creating this. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:44 Highlight the passage at 1:16:44

1:17:16 Everyone was kind of taken aback. It wasn't extremely harsh, but it was effective. So I believe, I mean, I'm trying to watch my mind the whole time, but my belief, or at least my wish, is that this was coming from a place of compassion. Right, rather than anger. Rather than anger. But at the same time, it's like that feeling, that energetic feeling inside of me was apparent, that it was like... Report an error in the passage at 1:17:16 Highlight the passage at 1:17:16

1:17:45 You know, it wasn't like a calm, you know, thing. And so in retrospect, I'm thinking, well, could have I done that with the same effect? And, you know, I talked with other counselors that have been doing this longer than me to get kind of like insight on it. I'm thinking like, you know, giving me different options, you know, but I'm just wondering if like if that effect. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:45 Highlight the passage at 1:17:45

1:18:06 that I gave to kind of nip it in the bud right away with kind of what might have appeared to be anger. Right, wrath. To fix that. What I call wrath. Right, wrath. If inside I didn't have that spark yet it appeared as wrath. I mean, is that is that is that considered a form of lying? No, because I think you were trying. I think you were trying. I think none of us are like totally perfect yet, but you can definitely tell the difference, can't you? Report an error in the passage at 1:18:06 Highlight the passage at 1:18:06

1:18:30 So if you had had like wrath that was just manifesting, you know, sometimes you have to just fake being angry at like a kid. Yeah, I mean, that's. Kind of what it was. But sometimes it's on the line, right? Like if the kid is really running into traffic, you might really be pissed. Like there might be something else going on. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:30 Highlight the passage at 1:18:30

1:18:49 You might be fearful or you might be pissed, one or the other. But sometimes, you know, like sometimes the little kid is like everything's safe in the world. So it's not like coming from that place. And you're just like, okay, clearly I'm going to have to be tough, you know. Billy, go to bed, you know, or whatever. But you really are loving. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:49 Highlight the passage at 1:18:49

1:19:07 And you just want Billy to go to bed, not because Billy's bugging you, but because you know Billy will be tired tomorrow. So sometimes it's totally clear, and then most of the time I bet it's gray. Yeah, it was very gray. And then sometimes you know that you really are pissed, and you're actually ending this. But you still might be doing it with it. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:07 Highlight the passage at 1:19:07

1:19:27 I mean, most of our motivations are mixed like this, I think. Right, because it was all of the above. Yeah. And sometimes we've been one moment to check in with other counselors in the office. Yeah, and I think all we can do is just keep trying, you know, and being honest with ourselves. So this is the exact sort of thing that you sit down with at the end of your day and just are like, wow, where did this come from? What was going on in my mind there? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:27 Highlight the passage at 1:19:27

1:19:50 Because first we analyze our mind after the fact, you know, it's going to be really hard if you're sitting at work and your boss is screaming at you and you're like. What's my mind doing now? You know, and actually at some point you will be able to. But when we first start out, it's easier that night to kind of go, what was going on there? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:50 Highlight the passage at 1:19:50

1:20:10 Because when he started screaming, like I was in a really good mood and they started screaming at me and then my mind started to shift. So you can analyze it after the fact. But at the time, you're just going to do the best you can with the tools you got, right? So what we want to keep doing is just increasing our knowledge of our mind, being honest with ourselves and then using whatever tools we got. And just, I mean, that's what practice is. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:10 Highlight the passage at 1:20:10

1:20:31 Right. And later I didn't want to apologize for my affect because I felt that, you know, in checking in with my supervisor, it was like, yeah, that was, you know, that was what you should have done. But, you know, it was the feeling inside that I was like not into. And, you know, things carry on. Yeah. No, that's good. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:31 Highlight the passage at 1:20:31

1:20:48 That's good. So why don't you guys take a break and then we're going to go through it line by line real quick. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:48 Highlight the passage at 1:20:48

1:21:06 Thank you. So so let's let's start with a little bit about mindfulness. Who comes from has anybody here come from a tradition of Buddhism that focuses on mindfulness? Yeah. Yeah. Others. Yeah. Because. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:06 Highlight the passage at 1:21:06

1:21:25 Lama Zopa Rinpoche always says that mindfulness in and of itself isn't necessarily a virtuous or non-virtuous thing. It's like, why are you becoming mindful? He says, you know, to be a thief, you have to be really mindful. You know, so it's sort of like mindfulness in and of itself isn't so useful. But what mindfulness as a practice is trying to do is this is trying to develop the state of like continual awareness of what we're doing with our body, speech and mind, what they call the three doors. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:25 Highlight the passage at 1:21:25

1:21:54 The three doors of, well, getting into trouble, basically. But we start with our body and our speech. As Ben Rubina says, zip your lip and keep your hands to yourself. So we start kind of watching what we're doing with our body and what we're doing with our mouths, our verbal karma. And then we get to our mind. Our mind is so much harder to control. It's easier for me to not punch. Well, it depends. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:54 Highlight the passage at 1:21:54

1:22:20 It's just... It's easier for me to not punch Chudrick, to change that behavior if I'm a puncher, than it is for me to not allow my mind to get angry. Like that's really, really hard. And I can't really legislate that. Like I can't, I can't just say I will never get angry again. Because I will. And that'll just be a lie. But I can begin to start. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:20 Highlight the passage at 1:22:20

1:22:47 Applying this mindfulness of what I'm doing and what I did today, starting after the fact and also trying to bring that awareness into it as it arises. And that's mindfulness. And that's mindfulness practice in this practice, in this tradition, sorry, where you are literally trying to become so aware of what your mind is doing. Report an error in the passage at 1:22:47 Highlight the passage at 1:22:47

1:23:13 As it's doing it so that you can actually shift the directions going in. This actually happened to me in a meeting today where I began to notice that I was going into this sort of, it was the upset right before the impatience. I think it was like a little impatience and a little, you know, not really liking the energy that was starting to manifest. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:13 Highlight the passage at 1:23:13

1:23:41 And I saw that it was happening. It's very exciting when you can actually. Catch it while it's happening and then go, why? Like, what's that about? Where's this coming from? While the meeting's still happening and you can kind of just shift it because so often our problem with our mind is that we just give it so much power. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:41 Highlight the passage at 1:23:41

1:23:59 It's like we don't have any control, right? We're the innocent victim. Our mind's in control. So if my mind decides to get angry, I just go into like a burning rage or I go into paranoia or I go into whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:59 Highlight the passage at 1:23:59

1:24:12 of mind my mind decides to go into but they're just thoughts that are And I say just, and it's not simple in the least. It's simply simple to understand. To actually practice takes years and years. And for clearly after 12 years of practice for me to be excited, catching my mind going slightly off balance, you can see that it's not a really, Easy practice to do, but it does, you are able to begin shifting it every once in a while and that just takes constantly looking at your mind and being willing to see when your mind's going in a direction that you don't necessarily like and not identifying with it and thinking I'm a horrible person because I'm getting paranoid in a meeting because that's our usual thing too, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:24:12 Highlight the passage at 1:24:12

1:25:05 First of all, we follow it and secondly, we think I'm horrible because I got angry at today at the meetings. So I'll never become a Buddha, you know, or whatever. Like the whole story cooks up that we keep ourselves really small and limited. So mindfulness in this particular tradition is talking about getting to know our minds in meditation, getting to know our minds through contemplation. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:05 Highlight the passage at 1:25:05

1:25:29 Just sitting, you know, meditation sounds like we're doing something really, really holy and we need like a whole setup and really expensive artwork on our altar and a really nice cushion. And it's probably a separate room right in our house. You know, people to serve us while we're meditating. It sounds much bigger than any of us have. Contemplation is just you at the end of the day going, wow, how did it go today? Report an error in the passage at 1:25:29 Highlight the passage at 1:25:29

1:25:51 You know, thinking through the day, oh, I really blew up at that meeting. Why did I blow up? Where did that come? When did that shift? You know, just really just looking at it like that. It's like, it's almost like Margaret Mead, except it's your mind. You know, you just have out the little notebook and you're like, well, isn't that interesting? Report an error in the passage at 1:25:51 Highlight the passage at 1:25:51

1:26:10 Vena Rubina does it like this. And she's so inspiring to me when she's like, isn't it interesting that my mind did that? Mind is so interesting. And then she just kind of moves on. She doesn't identify, I'm a horrible person because I got upset at a meeting or something like that. She's just like, isn't that interesting? Just with the little Margaret Mead glasses on and the little notebook and it's like, look what my mind did today. That's the kind of approach. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:10 Highlight the passage at 1:26:10

1:26:37 That's what mindfulness is in this particular. And that's the practice. And it's day in and day out for years and years and years. It doesn't sound very juicy, but it really is exciting when you can shift one situation. Because when you can shift one situation, you get inspired to think you can do more. So that's kind of the practice. So let's look at the individual lines of the verse. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:37 Highlight the passage at 1:26:37

1:27:04 Again, just to say also, these delusions, these afflicted states of mind, they are like poison in our mind. That's why we want to get them out of our mind, not because we are bad people. So we want to get away from the Judeo-Christian thing of, if I get angry at you, I'm a bad person. Because that's not very helpful. It's not healthy. It's not useful. It's not accurate. It's not an accurate perception of the situation. It's simply that these states of mind cause me to act in really unskillful manners. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:04 Highlight the passage at 1:27:04

1:27:39 And I, and I, um, End up punching Cedric, for example, or poor Cedric, he's doing nothing, he's taking notes and he's a good student and yet I punch him, you know, because he's sitting in the front seat. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:39 Highlight the passage at 1:27:39

1:27:54 It causes those states of mind when we let them run away with us, cause us to act in ways that cause us to create, you know, to act in negative ways that cause us to create negative karma and that cause us to suffer. The Buddha has said this repeatedly, this is how we create our own suffering. Now it happens over a lifetime and lifetime and lifetime. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:54 Highlight the passage at 1:27:54

1:28:17 This is how karma, there's this gap of time before, lag time before karma ripens. But that's why we're trying to get rid of them. Not because we're a bad person, because we get angry. So it's just important to keep reminding ourselves, delusions act like poison in our minds. So we just want to get rid of them. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:17 Highlight the passage at 1:28:17

1:28:36 So in all actions, I will examine my mind. This is the habit that we're trying to get into, getting to know our mind. And we do that through meditation, both kinds of meditation. You know, we've talked about analytical meditation. That's really where you're going to see it. But you also see it just trying to watch your breath, right? How many thoughts came in between you and your breath tonight? Report an error in the passage at 1:28:36 Highlight the passage at 1:28:36

1:29:01 We just did two rounds, right? I don't know about the rest of you, but a few things come up. So, I mean, that kind of breathing meditation can be very useful just to look at what's going on with my mind. You can even do that one at work, right? Go into the bathroom and watch your mind for two sets. I mean, if nothing else, it could bring you down a little bit if you're starting to get upset. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:01 Highlight the passage at 1:29:01

1:29:23 But analytical is where you're really going to think, you know, what was really going, analyzing the situation. What was really going on there? Because usually if we're getting upset, there's something else going on. You know, like your opinion, like the boss screaming of me is causing me to feel belittled. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:23 Highlight the passage at 1:29:23

1:29:45 But it's not the boss screaming at me. It's my mind that's causing me to feel belittled, right? Because the boss is screaming at Marion and she's not feeling belittled. She's just like, whatever, you know, flipping him off. So we all are having this different reaction. It's not like, you know. The boss is really doing anything to cause me to feel in a certain way. And I have to analyze that in order to get that. So meditation, reflection, checking up, thinking at the end of the day, you know, what kinds of things I let my mind get into and feeling regret because I allow these delusions to arise in my mind because they are poisons in my mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:45 Highlight the passage at 1:29:45

1:30:23 That's the only reason I'm regretting them is I'm seeing them that I'm creating my own. It's regret. It's not guilt. So that's one way to do it is just sitting down at the end of the day. What are the three best things I did? And rejoicing deeply. And then also the three things that I did that kind of got me into trouble today from this standpoint of allowing my mind to kind of go berserk without ever noticing that it ever went berserk. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:23 Highlight the passage at 1:30:23

1:30:52 And if you caught yourself that you went berserk at the end of the day, That's actually a thing to rejoice in. Because it's better than catching it five days later after you've stewed and been angry. Because that's what we can do too. Sometimes delusions, we just let them go insane for days after days. And people do 35 years of not talking to a sister or something, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:30:52 Highlight the passage at 1:30:52

1:31:17 So that's just delusion gone crazy. All the acts of violence in this world have come from a delusion. One little delusion gone crazy and not stopped. 9-1-1 came from one little deluded mind that just got bigger, you know, and it spread to others and got and got huger and got fortified. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:17 Highlight the passage at 1:31:17

1:31:39 So even though my punching centric or screaming back at my boss might seem very small compared to like, you know, slamming a plane into a building, they are still... Their still root cause is the same. It's just allowing our minds to go berserk with these crazy states of mind. And the only way, there's no other shortcut, the only way to ever get a handle on them, the only way to notice when your mind's veering into upset is through constantly watching your mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:39 Highlight the passage at 1:31:39

1:32:15 It's not sexy, it's not juicy, it's not... Exciting, but it is exciting when you can catch it. So it's just, it's sort of day in and day out, really getting to know your own mind and knowing what your buttons are when you are raw, when you are more likely. You know, for me, I know it's when I'm really, really, really tired. And when I'm really, really, really tired, it's really best if I... Report an error in the passage at 1:32:15 Highlight the passage at 1:32:15

1:32:45 Just give myself a lot of space, maybe cancel a couple of things and just, you know, just keep reminding myself, you know, that you're seeing things slightly differently because you didn't get any sleep last night or something like that. So just really maintaining that awareness of why those stories are having a certain tinge today or whatever, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:32:45 Highlight the passage at 1:32:45

1:33:11 And getting to know what your own buttons are is really, really useful. And how are you going to know that until you start looking at your own mind? Because David's buttons are going to be completely different than Cedric's, you know? Report an error in the passage at 1:33:11 Highlight the passage at 1:33:11

1:33:22 Lama Zopa Rinpoche in his book, which some of you just got, the first step is to become aware of when your mind is becoming disturbed, when you are feeling threatened or angry. As soon as anger begins to arise, you need to recognize it. Once you are aware of it, You then consciously and systematically recollect its shortcomings like you could, but you can in time, so it may not happen at the time. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:22 Highlight the passage at 1:33:22

1:33:51 Eventually, though, it will, actually. Geshe Michael actually always gives this example about the screaming boss, and he talks about the screaming boss. The boss is screaming at you. You may not be able at that moment to go, okay, so this is what Chokyi was talking about last night. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:51 Highlight the passage at 1:33:51

1:34:09 This is my karma. This is ripening and I don't want it to continue. So I'm not going to scream back. So that may not happen tomorrow at work. But what happens is that night when you get home, you're like, oh, that was what she was talking about. Because I screamed back. Okay. Okay. So that's a huge step, right? So you're catching it that night. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:09 Highlight the passage at 1:34:09

1:34:29 Then you start catching it on the bus ride home. Oh, yeah, that's what she was talking about. Okay. And then you're catching it on the way. You scream back and then you walk to the bathroom. Oh, yeah. Okay. So you're like shortening the gap, you know. So finally you're like, you know, and you see this with new Buddhists and it starts happening. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:29 Highlight the passage at 1:34:29

1:34:49 We're all kind of, you know, you're just thinking about it a little bit more. And that's. Applying this mindfulness, you're just starting to catch it quicker and quicker and quicker and quicker and you are able to stop yourself. That's exciting when you're able to stop yourself from following a habitual bad habit. Report an error in the passage at 1:34:49 Highlight the passage at 1:34:49

1:35:09 So he says you systematically recollected shortcomings. And he's just then he enumerates them. Anger causes you and others great problems every moment in which it arises in your life and it continues to cause harm endlessly into the future. And we have to convince ourselves of this. At this point, we're not entirely convinced. So you just begin to look at anger and you can look at how any delusion, delusion of your choice, pick one. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:09 Highlight the passage at 1:35:09

1:35:36 Think about how it causes suffering even right now. Think about people in your life who, you know, I had a dad who had a, Report an error in the passage at 1:35:36 Highlight the passage at 1:35:36

1:35:45 Horrible temper. A really, really wonderful guy and a really, really horrible temper. And so the minute he would come home, we'd like scatter. My mom even, you know, we'd be like, he's home, oh my God, you know. And how horrible, like how horrible for this guy, you know, to like come home from a hard day's work and we're like, ah, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:35:45 Highlight the passage at 1:35:45

1:36:07 But when he would get angry, he would turn into a monster. Like this really nice guy with a really loving heart would turn into a monster. And so if I'm thinking about anger, I just have to think about that. That's enough of a reason for me not to want to repeat that. Just without any Buddhism, you know, just without any Buddhism to just realize how it can damage people, how it can affect people, how it can also make you not so clear-headed, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:07 Highlight the passage at 1:36:07

1:36:39 Because he wasn't so clear-headed at those times. How it can totally make you not love the way you want to love. Because I think he was a really, really loving guy. So just things like that. So you actually can. This takes time. We do this in meditation. Thinking about my dad's anger is something that I began to dissect in meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:36:39 Highlight the passage at 1:36:39

1:37:01 You do it in analytical meditation. And so... It's a long process to think about. For me to convince myself that anger isn't a useful thing in my mind, that's a long process. I'm not going to just buy it. You're not going to buy it just from me saying it or from Lama Zopa saying it tonight, even if you like Lama Zopa. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:01 Highlight the passage at 1:37:01

1:37:25 But he also says the state of enlightenment depends on an immense collection of virtuous activity and merit. And this is a really huge thing about anger. Anger prevents the achievement of liberation and enlightenment by destroying that merit. And so that's the other thing that the Buddha taught is, like just in a worldly sense, we can see that we may not want anger in our mind because it... Report an error in the passage at 1:37:25 Highlight the passage at 1:37:25

1:37:49 It terrifies people. It makes us not think so clearly. It makes us really horrifying looking. It makes people run from us and all of our friendships. But the Buddha also pointed out something that we can't see because we don't have that enlightened mind. But he said actually that it can destroy our merit. So we've spent all this time creating all this really positive energy by doing all these virtuous, kind deeds or whatever. Report an error in the passage at 1:37:49 Highlight the passage at 1:37:49

1:38:15 And I can kind of get that. Like logically, it makes sense to me when I saw like the kind things that my dad did, you know, just in a worldly sense, were destroyed by his anger. People just, the family members, like we couldn't see, now we can, but at the time we couldn't see his good points because of his anger. Report an error in the passage at 1:38:15 Highlight the passage at 1:38:15

1:38:37 The second line, and the moment a disturbing attitude arises, endangering myself and others. So then we just talked about that. All those disturbing, anything that disturbs your mind is considered a mental affliction or a disturbing attitude. Anything that disturbs your mind. So it doesn't have to be violent rage where you're ready to kill somebody. It could just be being slightly annoyed by your pants, you know? Report an error in the passage at 1:38:37 Highlight the passage at 1:38:37

1:39:02 I mean, it could be like something that, that's a mental affliction. So it doesn't have to be gigantic. It can be any slight irritation because what? Those feed into others, right? Those get bigger. So the moment disturbing attitude arises, I will firmly confront and avert it. And this is where we shift from this all being very, very interesting as an exercise to just actually getting it. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:02 Highlight the passage at 1:39:02

1:39:28 I want to stop this right now. I'm done. I'm tired of creating my own suffering. And that takes some time for us to even begin to believe it. You know, it takes some thinking. It takes us all cooking in a little bit. But getting it. And deciding I have to stop the cycle right now. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to have this poison in my mind anymore. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:28 Highlight the passage at 1:39:28

1:39:50 I don't want to get angry anymore. But I also know that I will. So how am I going to work with it? So this one takes some time. Report an error in the passage at 1:39:50 Highlight the passage at 1:39:50

1:40:02 And the only way you're going to do it this week, this is going to be your assignment, is just to sit and to meditate and to think about these things and to think about examples in your life because that's the only way it's ever going to come alive for you. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:02 Highlight the passage at 1:40:02

1:40:19 And you can make a determination. I won't get angry for X amount of time. I won't get angry. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:19 Highlight the passage at 1:40:19

1:40:34 I won't get angry because I want to become, you know, you think about like all your possible reasons for not getting angry. Actually, Rich Prince, when he was giving, you guys, a couple of you guys came to the evening talks when he was talking about anger. I thought that was great. He was talking about having a conversation with your anger. Like, you know, having this one-on-one because we... Report an error in the passage at 1:40:34 Highlight the passage at 1:40:34

1:40:58 Anger is one of those delusions that tends to fool us into thinking that it's somehow defending us or, you know, it's like acting as our protector or something like that. And so you have this conversation with your own anger and it's like, actually, you're not serving me very well. You know, I'm kind of tired. Report an error in the passage at 1:40:58 Highlight the passage at 1:40:58

1:41:20 He said he would do this sometimes. He would just sit down and have this conversation with his anger or his depression. He's actually just agreed to come back and do a day long on. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:20 Highlight the passage at 1:41:20

1:41:29 Depression. Yeah. You know, we've been trying to get him for like ever since. I thought he just did such a great job. He's so down to earth. He would say he was walking. He lives at Vajrapani. So he lives like half an hour up a mountain. You know, there's no other way to put it. So he's like coming home from work and he would just think, you know, he just sit down by the side of the trail and just have a conversation with his anger. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:29 Highlight the passage at 1:41:29

1:41:51 He would just be like, anger, I'm tired of you. You're not serving me well. You're fooling me that you're defending me or that you're trying to defend my good name or whatever, and it's not working. I don't want you in my life anymore. So you can have those kind of... It doesn't have to be a war against your delusions. You can have a one-on-one negotiating session as well. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:51 Highlight the passage at 1:41:51

1:42:13 That's probably the 21st century version of Shantideva. But that's how you firmly confront and avert it. You can do it in all sorts of ways like that. But basically, It's going to come up with you looking at your own mind. That's really the only way to confront and avert it. And the only reason you avert it is by thinking that there's some reason that you don't want it in your mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:13 Highlight the passage at 1:42:13

1:42:37 And that takes you thinking about it. You know, do you want this in your mind? Is it a useful thing to have in your mind? Has it served you in your life? How has anger served you or depression or whatever the mental affection is that's arising? rising Report an error in the passage at 1:42:37 Highlight the passage at 1:42:37

1:42:54 You know, thinking about all the people in your life who have had the same affliction and hasn't served them. And then you just kind of think it through. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:54 Highlight the passage at 1:42:54

1:43:05 And this is Dharma practice. This is what Dharma practice is. You know, it's nothing else. It's not anything holy. It's working with your mind all the time. And. And. Yeah. Starting to think about what the Buddha saw, what he observed when he got enlightened and comparing it to your reality and kind of just constantly going between those two. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:05 Highlight the passage at 1:43:05

1:43:32 So mind training is simply, that's what the training is. That's what training is when you're training your mind in what the enlightened mind saw, what the enlightened mind experienced on their way to enlightenment. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:32 Highlight the passage at 1:43:32

1:43:47 And then when you screw up, then you just start over every day. Like you just don't give up. You just keep trying it again. And eventually you do start seeing these small changes. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:47 Highlight the passage at 1:43:47

1:44:04 So did I do the last one? Yeah, that is the last one. Oh, I didn't do endangering myself and others, I think. I think I left that one out. Isn't that special? Well, I think that one is what's covered with... How does it endanger me? How does it endanger others? And looking around. So if whatever my negative mind is, thinking about how it might be, how it's causing suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:04 Highlight the passage at 1:44:04

1:44:28 And that you have to just analyze. How is it causing suffering in myself or in others? And that's totally you having to think it through. I can tell you that it causes suffering, but that you guys have to think on your own. You know, you have to check up. You have to look at your own minds and think about what it would be like. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:28 Highlight the passage at 1:44:28

1:44:46 Not to have that state of mind. What would it be like if you were in the same situation and you didn't get angry? How would that situation fly? So if you're in a situation, say, at a meeting and it's turning in a certain way and somebody's accusing you of something, what if you didn't get angry? What if you were actually able to just hear the accusation and, you know, deal with it or whatever? Report an error in the passage at 1:44:46 Highlight the passage at 1:44:46

1:45:13 The meeting would just go on. You know what I mean? Like all that energy. It's so exciting, actually, when you realize how much energy we expend, especially I think something about anger and all the forms of anger, resentment, you know, grudges and all that stuff. Like when you actually just don't go there and you're just like, no, I don't want to. And then you and you actually are able to shift it. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:13 Highlight the passage at 1:45:13

1:45:39 It's like it's like a balloon. All the air goes out and you're just kind of like. Okay. It's almost like anticlimactic. You know what I mean? Because we're so used to just all the troops are coming out and everyone's going to be part of it and we're going to go into this whole thing and then totally and then you don't and you're kind of like, okay, there's so much more space. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:39 Highlight the passage at 1:45:39

1:46:04 At that moment, the first time that happens for you, you get that you've lost so much of your life. And they say over and over and over again to these mental afflictions. At that moment, it's so exciting actually. I had this experience once when I was walking down Broadway in New York. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:04 Highlight the passage at 1:46:04

1:46:22 And I was starting to go into a big story. And I was just like, I saw it. And I confronted and averted it. And it was just all of a sudden. The whole evening, like you had so much more time. Like you didn't have to just spend the night in a mental affliction attack, a klesha attack. Like you could actually just go on to the next person, you know, like you could just live your life without going down that road. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:22 Highlight the passage at 1:46:22

1:46:48 And that's when you get how much time and life we waste on our klesha attacks. It's really an exciting moment, actually. It's very exciting. So this will be your meditation assignment is just to look at this. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:48 Highlight the passage at 1:46:48

1:47:05 Verse and to sit and meditate with it and to think. And you've got two weeks now. You've got two weeks to look at all your mental afflictions as they arise. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:05 Highlight the passage at 1:47:05

1:47:16 Looking at the habits, you know, looking around you and seeing how, like, so when anger arises in somebody else, if you're at work and then Cindy gets really pissed off, without any judgment, you're just watching her now as Margaret Mead and you're like, oh. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:16 Highlight the passage at 1:47:16

1:47:34 Maybe that's not the most skillful kind of mind, you know? So not in a judging way, but just like look how anger looks. Because that's easier, right, than looking at our own. Sometimes it's easier to start with somebody else's anger. Like me looking at my dad's, right? So that's easier for me to see how that might not be the most skillful way to go through life. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:34 Highlight the passage at 1:47:34

1:47:54 So yeah, that's going to be your assignment. Anybody have a quick question? And then we'll... What do I do with the homeworks? Report an error in the passage at 1:47:54 Highlight the passage at 1:47:54

1:48:06 Oh, there they are. It's more like a comment, but one of the things that had been helping me was to give up the need to be right. Yeah, yes. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:06 Highlight the passage at 1:48:06

1:48:19 That's going to be one of the verses, actually. That's the giving up the victory. And that's really what the giving up the victory is about, is that need to be right. And it's huge, isn't it? Yeah. Sometimes, like, when you're in a conflict, you think... Report an error in the passage at 1:48:19 Highlight the passage at 1:48:19

1:48:29 when you can start letting go, then you can actually maybe even listen to the other side. Right. But, you know, sometimes you're just so entrenched that your way is the right way or your idea of how to do... So hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, do you want to hand it to Claire behind you? I only did eight copies because that's usually how many we have. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:29 Highlight the passage at 1:48:29

1:48:50 So if anybody can wait, I can do a couple more copies at the end. So who can wait to the end? Okay, so maybe I'll just do you three and then we'll see. Yes, yes, I could do a couple of those. That's true. What did I do with my pen? Oh, okay, thanks. I could just do it that way. So go ahead. If you can receive it as email. Do I have your email? Report an error in the passage at 1:48:50 Highlight the passage at 1:48:50

1:49:16 Okay, yeah, let me get that from you and then just come up after on the break and I have yours. I'll just send one to Saki. Keep it going back and then Saki, you just don't grab one and I'll email it to you. Is that okay? Report an error in the passage at 1:49:16 Highlight the passage at 1:49:16

1:49:32 Okay. Go ahead, Claire. Sort of building off of that, I'm interested right now for me like. You guys can go ahead and take one if you want, if you're interested. Yeah. The times when I have identified that there's anger happening and then I attempt to do something about it and then find myself being totally disingenuous. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:32 Highlight the passage at 1:49:32

1:49:53 And when I'm like the thing that's coming up. for me a lot right now is the phrase I'm sorry and just thinking about what that means because I say it all the time and um sort of it becomes my like band-aid when I'm actually mad at someone I'll just apologize um and And I apologize and she's like, why are you apologizing? Report an error in the passage at 1:49:53 Highlight the passage at 1:49:53

1:50:23 You're mad at me. And I was like, I don't know. you know it's true so Yeah, so I guess I don't know what to do in those situations. Well, the analysis and we didn't get so much into emptiness and we'll start there. But that's part of the analysis, too. So you're not just repressing your anger. And that's really, really an important point. That's part of why I was starting with that idea that you're not trying to eliminate your anger because you're a bad person. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:23 Highlight the passage at 1:50:23

1:50:51 So you're not identifying with your anger. You're just starting to sort of analyze. That gets into a deeper analysis for those of you who have begun to study emptiness at all. Karma for sure. Take whatever you understand of karma. And just to begin thinking, if we understand how karma works and we get that, I create karma based on the deeds that I do. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:51 Highlight the passage at 1:50:51

1:51:21 Which I do when I have these afflicted states of mind, right? So the afflicted state of mind is at the root. The klesha is at the root. The mental affliction is at the root. Based on that, I act. And then based on that action, I create karma. And then that karma is carried in my mind stream and then it ripens. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:21 Highlight the passage at 1:51:21

1:51:41 And that ripened karma comes up, you know, either pleasure or pain, however, whatever kind of karma it was, whatever kind of act it was. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:41 Highlight the passage at 1:51:41

1:51:50 So if I understand that, if I bring any kind of understanding, even just the theory, I haven't bought it yet, right? So I'm not entirely convinced. But even if I just bring it up, it creates space. It's that space in my mind. So this situation is happening because of karma. It's sort of like, I remember this one friend of mine. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:50 Highlight the passage at 1:51:50

1:52:13 When everybody was like getting mad at this one person and she just said, yeah, it's all karma and emptiness except this, right? And it's kind of like, oh yeah. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:13 Highlight the passage at 1:52:13

1:52:23 Like really trying to, that's actually a first step to just think, okay, this is happening to me because I've created the karma for this to be happening. Not that I'm blaming. Not that I'm guilty of anything, but simply just recognizing the Buddha taught it. Like that's where they say law of cause and effect. Right. So it's like mind just works this way and karma is working with the mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:23 Highlight the passage at 1:52:23

1:52:46 So if I just think that that's a way of it's like beginning to dissect it because we get so caught up with the anger we think. And that's I think the apology is part of that. I it's part of that. And so just beginning to dissect it a little bit like the way Rubina will go. Isn't that interesting how mind works? Report an error in the passage at 1:52:46 Highlight the passage at 1:52:46

1:53:05 So just kind of taking that approach to kind of dissect it a little bit. Then when we get more into emptiness, which we will, then you start really dissecting, you know, because we tend to have all this anger or, yeah, let's just think anger because anger is one that I think we can all relate to and we tend to do more horrible things on anger, I think. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:05 Highlight the passage at 1:53:05

1:53:25 So anger, we tend to think it's out there, you know, and when we begin dissecting it and we realize how much of it is really our mind. Then we can also get some space from it and begin. So it's analysis. So it's really analysis. It's not just thinking, you know, I'm a horrible person because I'm getting pissed off. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:25 Highlight the passage at 1:53:25

1:53:49 It's like, whoa, what's really going on here? And then starting to pull that apart. So that analysis is really an important step, I think. But then analyzing the apology and the need to apologize. So that might be a second step for you. I do that too. I apologize for taking up space in my own room. You know, I mean, I've had friends who are just like, you know, I'm just like in the kitchen and I'm like, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:49 Highlight the passage at 1:53:49

1:54:14 And they're like, why? Like, this is a group house and you're making breakfast. Like, you know, but it's just, I think part of it is why. I mean, that is a really important one for me to analyze too. It's sort of like, why do I feel like I... Can't take up that space and why can't I be angry and stuff like that. So like that. Yeah, it's double analysis. But that's the way it always is, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:54:14 Highlight the passage at 1:54:14

1:54:38 We just we lay all this other crap on top of. So we not only have the delusion, right? We have our stuff, our baggage about the delusion. And, you know, so it's like we not only feel angry, but feel guilty for feeling angry. And then we feel guilty for not having applied our teachings well enough. And then we, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:38 Highlight the passage at 1:54:38

1:54:56 It's all just more and more and more stories. So anyway, how many of you didn't get homework? You guys didn't get homework. Okay. Sorry about that. All right. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:56 Highlight the passage at 1:54:56

1:55:13 And David gets everything. So I don't have to remember because I'm writing it down. I mean, you don't have to. Well, if you don't get it tomorrow, then do it. But that's what I'm going to do. If that's okay, then I'll just send it email wise. Yeah. Email wise. Okay. Everything to David. And David, do you want me to make you a binder as well? The readings? Please. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:13 Highlight the passage at 1:55:13

1:55:37 Okay, cool. Thanks, you guys. So let's dedicate so we don't lose it in case we get pissed on our way out of here. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:37 Highlight the passage at 1:55:37

1:55:52 So we just take a moment to dedicate the merit that we just created by even just thinking about this stuff. I mean, a lot of people... Ow. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:52 Highlight the passage at 1:55:52

1:56:01 There's probably very, very few people in the city of San Francisco, much less the world, who spent an evening thinking about how to work with their minds so they would be less angry and could bring happiness to others. That's an amazing, amazing thing and we can really rejoice and that creates a certain amount of positive karma that we can now dedicate to being able to actually realize these teachings and become exactly like the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:01 Highlight the passage at 1:56:01

1:56:28 Because the Buddha said it was totally possible for all of us to get enlightened. So it's like putting it in the bank. Now you can get out and go, you know, hit somebody or, you know, go yell at the cab driver or have some little road rage on your way home. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:28 Highlight the passage at 1:56:28

1:56:48 No, please don't. Or at least analyze it afterwards if you do. Anybody who does has to like write a report, has that? No, I'm kidding. So thank you. So next week. No class. Take a couple of weeks to work with this stuff and come up with some great questions. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:48 Highlight the passage at 1:56:48

1:57:12 Thank you. When are you going back to Diamond Mountain in the fall for the next term? Yeah. Are they? Yeah. Yeah. Excellent. Well, give my love to the other Lobsang Chokyi. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:12 Highlight the passage at 1:57:12