Taking Refuge - Discovering Buddhism (24 January 2008)

0:01 All right, so let's start with a few moments of just meditation on the breath. I'm using this mic instead of the ear one. It's a bit easier, actually. Report an error in the passage at 0:01 Highlight the passage at 0:01

0:18 Just let yourself take some nice deep cleansing breaths, letting go of any sluggishness or any busyness of mind in a day's activities, Report an error in the passage at 0:18 Highlight the passage at 0:18

0:34 crazy sort of monkey mind. Just let that all dissolve away. Imagine it just like smoke from a chimney. Going up onto the sky. Report an error in the passage at 0:34 Highlight the passage at 0:34

0:50 And with each in-breath, just imagine you're coming more and more into your body, more into this room. Report an error in the passage at 0:50 Highlight the passage at 0:50

1:00 Concentration, Report an error in the passage at 1:00 Highlight the passage at 1:00

1:10 posture, Report an error in the passage at 1:10 Highlight the passage at 1:10

1:15 paying particular attention to your spine and having shoulders back. Report an error in the passage at 1:15 Highlight the passage at 1:15

1:26 Let's do a short meditation on the breath and just bring your awareness to either the middle of your belly or your chest or your nostrils and just anchor your focus to that object. Report an error in the passage at 1:26 Highlight the passage at 1:26

1:42 No matter what other thoughts or sensations or awarenesses come into your mind, just keep placing your mind back on that object. Report an error in the passage at 1:42 Highlight the passage at 1:42

· · · silence, 10 minutes

11:24 With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha and Dharma until I reach the land. 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 11:24 Highlight the passage at 11:24

11:54 With a wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence I generate the mind of full awakening. for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 11:54 Highlight the passage at 11:54

12:25 With the wish to free all beings, I shall always go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha until I reach full enlightenment. Inspired by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha's presence. I generate the mind of full awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world. Report an error in the passage at 12:25 Highlight the passage at 12:25

13:10 So actually, in some ways this is exciting because it's, although it's always lovely to have a big class, it's kind of fun to have a class where everybody's gone through the drill. So you guys have already kind of heard the, Logistical feeling, we can just get into it, which is kind of nice. And you have some basis of understanding, I'm not going to assume that you've realized emptiness directly yet, but just that you've studied a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 13:10 Highlight the passage at 13:10

13:38 So that's kind of, it's kind of fun to be able to do that. I think in any of the Discovering Buddhism program, the idea is by the time you hit this class, you would have had that. But in the city center, it's not necessarily like that. People come in at it. And so all the way through Introduction to Tantra, which is the final, we have people coming in for the first time, always. So there's always a certain amount of repetition, which of course serves us all well, myself included, but it is kind of fun to raise the bar a little bit. Report an error in the passage at 13:38 Highlight the passage at 13:38

14:16 So it's fun, just to have our intimate little view of refuge. We had a class this size actually for a spiritual teacher, and it ended up being here. Really amazing class. So being a small class is not a problem. It actually allows you guys to ask more questions. It actually allows me to present the information I intend to present when I walk into the room, which often doesn't happen. And it allows us more meditation time, because if we get through the presentation, then we can meditate each week, which is really fun. Report an error in the passage at 14:16 Highlight the passage at 14:16

14:55 So that's great. So I'm going to skip a lot of this logistical stuff. Just kind of go straight into maybe my own connection with Refuge and then we can go around and you guys can just say, I mean I know your names, but you guys might not know each other's names. But also kind of what about Refuge attracted you? Like why this class? But don't be thinking about the entire time I'm talking about. So you know my story a little bit, but I'll Report an error in the passage at 14:55 Highlight the passage at 14:55

15:38 first engage. I took Refuge. Which is when I consider I first engaged with the teachings. Now clearly, if I had any intelligence at all, I was reading about it before that time. Report an error in the passage at 15:38 Highlight the passage at 15:38

15:56 Taking classes here and there, reading books, talking to people, visiting Dharma centers and things like that. But I actually took refuge on March 10th in 1996. I remember because it's Independence Day. It's Tibetan Uprising Day, which is a great day to have taken refuge. And then it just like took fire. Report an error in the passage at 15:56 Highlight the passage at 15:56

16:17 Everything just took off. Lay vals and Report an error in the passage at 16:17 Highlight the passage at 16:17

16:27 bodhicitta spending, I hadn't intended to, but went to Koh Phan for six weeks that year. A year after that I went an entire year. Came back, you know, got rid of everything, worked really hard night and day, and then slept on a friend's sofa. Decided to spend a year in India in Report an error in the passage at 16:27 Highlight the passage at 16:27

16:53 the year of that and got ordained. So boom, boom, boom, boom. That doesn't mean everyone will do this. Don't worry. Especially if you're married. But for me, taking refuge was committing myself. It was like, okay, I've walked around the pool enough. This is really my path. This is the path and I want to start mastering it. So I'm going to get serious in my studies. Report an error in the passage at 16:53 Highlight the passage at 16:53

17:23 I'm going to give it more time on a daily basis. And it's going to become a priority in my life, which means I'm going to switch some things around. Slowly, slowly, I mean within reason, you know, thinking about what each set of vows meant each time before I took them, studying them if I could. Report an error in the passage at 17:23 Highlight the passage at 17:23

17:45 And we're actually going to talk a little bit about vowed morality in this class too. So we'll talk about the lay vows, we'll talk about the formal refuge precepts, which are different things, but can be tied up in one neat package, one neat ceremony, if you'd like. and if not, then lot of times people We'll just take refuge at one and then a few months later take one vow and then a few months later take two vows like that. Report an error in the passage at 17:45 Highlight the passage at 17:45

18:12 You don't have to take anything all at once. Report an error in the passage at 18:12 Highlight the passage at 18:12

18:18 So, but for me definitely taking refuge was exactly as it's described, the gateway into the Buddhist path and that really is what it's meant to be and that's certainly been my experience of it. Most, I think I always start every class saying sort of a little bit about... Report an error in the passage at 18:18 Highlight the passage at 18:18

18:40 Connection with Buddhism and my various teachers, and so this one will be the same. My main teacher is Lama Tsongkhapa Rinpoche. I've received teachings on Lama Rinpoche from many teachers. I think my strongest teachings on refuge came from Venable Neal Houston, also known as Chitin Dendrup, who's an Australian monk, and taught both of the... Report an error in the passage at 18:40 Highlight the passage at 18:40

19:07 I went to Kopan twice and did the one month, and he taught in both ears. That's my karma. Which I thought was amazing. I thought it was great. And actually the notes from, as I was just saying, the Tuesday night class, the notes from his, the second year that I went, Report an error in the passage at 19:07 Highlight the passage at 19:07

19:31 continuing to study and meditate on. So I think of him all the time. And I use sometimes direct quotes in my teachings from him and I hear his voice still. It was great. Very humble. Incredibly humble monk. Report an error in the passage at 19:31 Highlight the passage at 19:31

19:49 Also, of course, from Geshe-la. Our Geshe-la. Report an error in the passage at 19:49 Highlight the passage at 19:49

19:55 His Holiness, of course, the Dalai Lama, Shantideva Rinpoche, who's my abbot, Riva Rinpoche, who taught experiential long run for a few years, just before he passed a few years ago, Gishimaiko Roach. Report an error in the passage at 19:55 Highlight the passage at 19:55

20:14 So like that, so over the years for many, many different teachers, but I think these teachings shine through. I think probably because they were the first and, you know... I think because they were the first teachings on refuge that I had ever received. A little bit again about the lamrim, just so that we don't fall into that habit of thinking that lamrim is baby food. Report an error in the passage at 20:14 Highlight the passage at 20:14

20:44 Lamrim is referring to, it's the Tibetan word for stages of the path. Lam meaning path and rim meaning graduated stages, like steps. And so we, all the topics. that are in discovering buddhism courses, for the most part, ones like how to meditate aren't. Report an error in the passage at 20:44 Highlight the passage at 20:44

21:06 Traditionally, the mind and nature of mind wasn't something that Tibetans studied because their general view of the mind is completely different than ours. We sort of have to learn what that view is before we can move forward. So we stuck it in there, but that's not traditionally one. Traditionally, actually, the lamrim begins with Relationship to a spiritual teacher, which we don't get to until Module 4 because most people are kind of weirded out by the whole guru thing. And actually I think there's a call within the ranks of some of the Western teachers where they don't want to put it in until like 8 or 9, which I actually think is really important to leave it where it is because I spend probably half of that class talking about the qualities of the disciple. Report an error in the passage at 21:06 Highlight the passage at 21:06

21:53 I think we start a lot with thinking about, oh, let me go shopping for a teacher without thinking about how we prepare ourselves for that relationship. So I think it's great where it is because you want to learn how to be a student if you're going to start studying. So the lamrim is this spiral. Report an error in the passage at 21:53 Highlight the passage at 21:53

22:12 We present it in a way that's, I mean, it looks sort of linear where you have, you know, especially the numbers idea. I wanted to get away from that numbers idea, but it's kind of hard to do. You know, you don't start with one and go to 14 and end. It's rather that you, you, it's sort of like the yellow brick road, right? You go like this, and you just keep going around. Report an error in the passage at 22:12 Highlight the passage at 22:12

22:33 You never actually go out on the yellow brick road, you just keep going around and around. And every time you go around, it goes deeper and deeper and deeper into those subjects. And I can tell you now, recently, actually, Lama Tsongkhapa Rinpoche. This past year was here and I got a chance to finally talk about my own practice and he told me to start meditating on the long run. He said, no amount of time, which is his kindness to me, you know, so even when it's totally crazy I can always fit a couple minutes in, right? Report an error in the passage at 22:33 Highlight the passage at 22:33

23:05 And so meditating on it again and again and again, each time you gain something else out of it. Something else snaps with you because of something that's happened in your life. Some changes in your mind or something that you need at that moment. I mean, it's like that. So the relationship with the Lamrim just continues for the rest of your life. Report an error in the passage at 23:05 Highlight the passage at 23:05

23:31 You never leave it. I mean, His Holiness still meditates on the Lamrim, still studies the Lamrim, which is, I think, enough said. Report an error in the passage at 23:31 Highlight the passage at 23:31

23:43 And I think, too, my relationship with Refuge... It's really tied up with retreat. And we're going to talk a little bit about the importance of meditation and retreat. I don't have to ask. Luckily with you guys, I know at least you know the basics of how to meditate. I didn't ask if you could meditate well. I personally could never ask anyone if they meditate well. Report an error in the passage at 23:43 Highlight the passage at 23:43

24:09 But we have the basics. We have the ground rules. We know kind of how to do it. And the good thing about these classes, right, is that they kind of keep us. I keep handing you homework so you can just meditate on that. But my relationship with refuge is really tied up with retreat. I did my refuge, Nundro, because we'll talk about that too. There's actually a preliminary practice. There's a number of great practices and in our tradition, the Galupa tradition, I think there are nine of these great practices and refuge is one of those practices. Report an error in the passage at 24:09 Highlight the passage at 24:09

24:44 So there are a lot of different ways to look at refuge. And that's... Usually in those nindo practices you do 100,000 of this, 100,000 prostrations, 100,000 bodhisattva, 100,000 recitations of this refuge, kind of like a mantra with visualizations and things like that. I only got 8,000 which is good. Report an error in the passage at 24:44 Highlight the passage at 24:44

25:11 And so I did it actually at Laudo which is the... A place where Lama Zopa Rinpoche's previous incarnation meditated for 20 years in a cave. So I did my refuge there purposefully to connect with him. Report an error in the passage at 25:11 Highlight the passage at 25:11

25:34 But all the retreats that I think I've ever done, and of course working for him, working at his centers, which is in a very huge way, life retreat actually. We're just having this conversation with Kati today who's going to have to do a year retreat. Report an error in the passage at 25:34 Highlight the passage at 25:34

25:49 When we're just talking about the similarities of really throwing yourself into work in a Dharma center and throwing yourself into practice and retreat, I mean, neither are relaxing. Report an error in the passage at 25:49 Highlight the passage at 25:49

26:01 Neither of them are any kind of, you know, it's not like they're easy. In both methods, you have ample opportunity to work with your mind and your sense of refuge and your sense of... Report an error in the passage at 26:01 Highlight the passage at 26:01

26:23 It's what really is going to get you through. So in both of those ways, I think refuge. Report an error in the passage at 26:23 Highlight the passage at 26:23

26:33 But then also, you know, when you go through really difficult periods of life, which for me this past year, especially about 18 months ago, my mom died and I was with her. But we were also just really, really close. And the year following that was really hard. And I really had to deepen my refuge. You know, I had to look at what refuge meant to me. Report an error in the passage at 26:33 Highlight the passage at 26:33

27:00 You know, catch myself sort of being a little too, you know, you can take care of your needs and you can also really pamper yourself. So you can kind of figure out which is healthier and which is not. And those are all forms of refuge too. But, you know, trying to, I mean, applying the Dharma when you most need it is taking refuge in the Dharma. Report an error in the passage at 27:00 Highlight the passage at 27:00

27:28 I mean, that really is taking refuge. It's like actually remembering. The Dharma, at the time that you most need to remember it, is taking refuge in the Dharma. And when I can remember to do that, it's huge changes, you know, huge differences. Like you stop blindly following your habitual patterns. And so, of course, remembering has to do with constantly studying it and meditating it, familiarizing your mind with it, and eventually it does come up. Report an error in the passage at 27:28 Highlight the passage at 27:28

28:01 When you need it. And that's taking refuge in the Dharma. And it takes effort. And it takes building that mindfulness. So we'll talk about this as we go. Report an error in the passage at 28:01 Highlight the passage at 28:01

28:15 So why don't we just go around a little bit and you can just say what drew you here to this particular class. And I'm sorry, I haven't gotten to your email. Oh, no, no, no. Report an error in the passage at 28:15 Highlight the passage at 28:15

28:31 I've been sick the last two days, actually, so it's kind of like I'm re-emerging today. But I have been taking refuge quite a bit. Report an error in the passage at 28:31 Highlight the passage at 28:31

28:41 Why don't you start, Jane, if you don't mind? Report an error in the passage at 28:41 Highlight the passage at 28:41

28:57 I didn't plan that I was going to take this class. It just kind of came to me. I think because I might just be ready to make that commitment and find myself. In a space where I'm starting to see that I Report an error in the passage at 28:57 Highlight the passage at 28:57

29:23 want to apply that. Report an error in the passage at 29:23 Highlight the passage at 29:23

29:30 Are Report an error in the passage at 29:30 Highlight the passage at 29:30

29:38 you sure you didn't read Lama because you kind of... I didn't say I didn't read it, but I didn't respond to it. I guess being in the Tuesday night class, which is a daily practice class, Report an error in the passage at 29:38 Highlight the passage at 29:38

29:57 Refuge kind of reinforces it, makes it a little less of an academic exercise. it. Report an error in the passage at 29:57 Highlight the passage at 29:57

30:08 It seems right now, especially with the ten this and the six that and the five this. And these homework assignments are like four pages each. I'm a little glutton and I'm going to go ahead and get two sets of homework assignments for the next course. But yeah, it's kind of, it's acknowledging where I'm at right now. Report an error in the passage at 30:08 Highlight the passage at 30:08

30:32 And it's a little bit scary, but it's really out of respect and trying to combine those two, the academic and the spiritual aspect of it. And you've been walking around the pool for a while. A long time ago. Yeah, I was in life where I had the zinc oxide dude. He's really good at it. Yeah. Great. So David, that's... David, I'm sorry. No, it's okay. Report an error in the passage at 30:32 Highlight the passage at 30:32

31:00 Well, I'm Charlie. I'm third class, Report an error in the passage at 31:00 Highlight the passage at 31:00

31:15 getting sunburned. I guess I'll be right about these analogies. I forgot the zinc oxide. Actually, the reason I'm here is I... it. Report an error in the passage at 31:15 Highlight the passage at 31:15

· · · silence, 1 minute

31:24 It's one of my days off. I work graveyard shifts, so I have a hard time scheduled other than Wednesday and Thursday. And I was actually very interested in the class on establishing a daily practice because I'm very new. That seemed something for me that I would have wanted to take. But when I started thinking about this class, it really made me start to think about what Going for refuge means. And I think there's a letting go of whatever you're taking in refuge that isn't that. That's something I need to discover or need to trust a little more. Report an error in the passage at 31:24 Highlight the passage at 31:24

32:14 Thinking about all different things that go along with that. Reincarnation and karma and all of those things that are still new and you have to have a... A real sense that those things are things that you can sort of follow, you know, it's that exercise, that trust exercise, that sort of letting go and thinking that somebody's going to catch you, but in taking refuge, that that letting go is trust. Report an error in the passage at 32:14 Highlight the passage at 32:14

32:46 Yeah, totally. It's that trust that has to be developed. And we have to figure out what is it that we're trusting, why is it that we're trusting, where is it going to get us, where do I want to go, all those things are important. We know if we pray hard enough we'll wake up. Report an error in the passage at 32:46 Highlight the passage at 32:46

33:06 And she came in as if on cue. No, Report an error in the passage at 33:06 Highlight the passage at 33:06

33:15 it's great. I was expounding on the benefits of a tiny class. I was talking about when the spiritual teacher class is usually small as well, and that it's always been incredibly profound, so that's totally fine. It's just people that are ready for this particular subject for whatever reason. up, shut up, shut up, shut up. Report an error in the passage at 33:15 Highlight the passage at 33:15

33:36 Are you ready? Give this girl the mic. Somebody get the background music? Hi everyone, I'm very sorry. Report an error in the passage at 33:36 Highlight the passage at 33:36

33:51 I'm a PhD student and I've just submitted my proposal and I just made the last revision and she was about to sign it but my chair has all the paperwork so she couldn't sign off. Report an error in the passage at 33:51 Highlight the passage at 33:51

34:10 So I've been crying for a long time. In case you know how you have those expectations, and if they're not fulfilled, then you'll feel safe. But somehow you still can't be wrecked. Yeah, because I'm going to get my certificate in there. That's a real reason. Yeah, because I did wreckage like two years ago. Report an error in the passage at 34:10 Highlight the passage at 34:10

34:34 Maybe you want to deepen your wreckage. Maybe so. That doesn't mean those cracked emotions, does it? Might. No, I just mean deepening your refuge. Report an error in the passage at 34:34 Highlight the passage at 34:34

34:49 So your real reason is because you want to get the certificate. I think Karen is our only actual certificate student in all of H &M. Report an error in the passage at 34:49 Highlight the passage at 34:49

34:59 That I'm aware of. I know, and at some point you're going to have to fill out all the forms you're going to make. And you have to remember dates and time and all that stuff. Report an error in the passage at 34:59 Highlight the passage at 34:59

35:11 Actually, that's something I could say. I don't know. Does anyone need me to say anything about what that means, the certificate program? Are you guys all pretty much aware of that? I'm ignoring it. Okay, good. Report an error in the passage at 35:11 Highlight the passage at 35:11

35:25 Well, it's always an option later if you decide, you know, I've already come to seven of these. I should get something. Then come back to me, Charles. We can figure out which classes. As long as you can remember which classes you took, I'll agree to anything you submit. I'll just assume you're being honest. I talked to Peter. Report an error in the passage at 35:25 Highlight the passage at 35:25

35:43 He's taken all but... So. Report an error in the passage at 35:43 Highlight the passage at 35:43

35:44 How to meditate. I know. I know he has. I've been well aware of Peter's progress. However, I have yet to see a little paper. Speaking of the signing off. Report an error in the passage at 35:44 Highlight the passage at 35:44

35:56 So, yeah, and Chad's on his way. Tim, I think, did most of them. I think he only missed a couple. Yeah, he went straight for the master's program. I was going to say, he'll be teaching us soon. Anyway, well, thank you. Welcome. I'm glad you guys all made it, actually. And that's fine, Karen. I'm glad you Report an error in the passage at 35:56 Highlight the passage at 35:56

36:19 made it. So, is this a good time for a break or do you want me to go for maybe another 20 minutes or something? Okay, let's go for another 20 minutes. So, just talking a little bit about refuge. As I was saying, for me it really has been in actuality the gateway to my personal path. It really was a taking off place. Moving away from the swimming pool analogy and onto a flame. I mean, it really just took fire. Report an error in the passage at 36:19 Highlight the passage at 36:19

36:54 And so, but I don't think it necessarily is like that for everyone. When I actually did the formal ceremony for taking refuge, I really had no idea what was going on. I didn't know who my Lama was, who ended up being an amazing Lama. Now it's the habit of Ganden the monastery and an amazing being, but it's all like due to my incredibly great karma. Report an error in the passage at 36:54 Highlight the passage at 36:54

37:19 Not to having done a class like this, which would have been really wonderful. I sort of fell into it, so to speak. But it still had the same effect. Clearly I was there for that reason. Report an error in the passage at 37:19 Highlight the passage at 37:19

37:36 I went to the ceremony without a real clue as to what I was doing or what I was committing to. But then I was able to follow up within the next few months, retake everything and just kind of start over. Report an error in the passage at 37:36 Highlight the passage at 37:36

37:51 It is a really... As I said, there's a lot of different facets to refuge. There's formal refuge ceremony. There's the mind, generating the mind of refuge. There's the nundra, the practice of refuge. We start every class with generating some form of refuge, even if we're just saying the words. There's something there. We usually are supposed to do this before we sit down for any practice. Report an error in the passage at 37:51 Highlight the passage at 37:51

38:24 So there's this mind of refuge, and we'll talk about that. And, I mean, a lot of times people really think that refuge is this whole Buddhist trip. And in reality, our whole life, we've been taking refuge in something. We've been turning to a lot of different things to try to help us out of any kind of pain. Report an error in the passage at 38:24 Highlight the passage at 38:24

38:46 Any kind of pain or fear or suffering or anxiety or... Just any situation that we are in that causes us to suffer in some way. Because the reality is that our mind is just constantly looking for happiness and trying to avoid suffering. And we've been doing this, the Buddha would say, we've been doing this since the beginning of this time. And any time we're in suffering, which is quite a bit of the time, we try to turn to something that will alleviate that suffering. Report an error in the passage at 38:46 Highlight the passage at 38:46

39:21 For little kids, we turn to mommy. And she was pretty good. I mean, you know, depending on her mommy. It could be daddy, it could be grandma too, whoever it is. But we turned to someone who was raising us and that person, you know, speaking from my example, my mom, and she did try. She did try to remove my pain with whatever she knew to do. She certainly tried. But after a while, I began to realize that she wasn't quite enough. Report an error in the passage at 39:21 Highlight the passage at 39:21

39:50 So then, you know, you begin to turn to... To other things, you know, and they aren't necessarily working, but that doesn't stop us from turning to them. Report an error in the passage at 39:50 Highlight the passage at 39:50

40:04 You know, so when we're in pain, a lot of times physical pain, we turn to drugs, we turn to sex, drugs and rock and roll. I mean, all these things turn to food, we turn to entertainment, we turn to sports, we turn to job, working. 59 million hours a day. We turn to career, we turn to degrees, higher degrees. Report an error in the passage at 40:04 Highlight the passage at 40:04

40:33 I mean people turn to crime to be happy. People fight crime to be happy. People kill themselves to be happy. People try to change their lives to be happy. Report an error in the passage at 40:33 Highlight the passage at 40:33

40:49 But in reality, of course, all these different ways that we've tried haven't really succeeded. The one thing that we can say, we definitely can look at this whole, and in fact this is going to be your homework assignment, is to look at all the different ways, all the different avenues of refuge that we've already tried. Report an error in the passage at 40:49 Highlight the passage at 40:49

41:09 I know for me, a really good one used to be having a million best friends. That was like a real, it was like my religion before, but it was having a million best friends. Report an error in the passage at 41:09 Highlight the passage at 41:09

41:20 More so than relationships. I somehow thought that that would be more trustworthy focus of refuge or source of refuge for me than relationship. So, I don't know where all those men's best friends are now. One of them's a nun. Somehow we both got here. Report an error in the passage at 41:20 Highlight the passage at 41:20

41:39 But the rest of them are spread out probably in relationships. then. Report an error in the passage at 41:39 Highlight the passage at 41:39

41:46 But we do it when we look All of us bring a certain amount of experience to this search. We've all tried to be happy. We've all had our own unique kinds of suffering. But when we start looking at it really deeply, actually our suffering isn't so unique. And our search for happiness isn't so unique. Oh, you, Sheila. Report an error in the passage at 41:46 Highlight the passage at 41:46

42:13 maybe it's my love. Oh, it's my love. Oh, my love too. Sorry, I guess I should keep my hands up. I mean, the particular type of suffering, you know, and all the particulars about that suffering might be unique to me, but if we really think about it, there are actually many, many, many beings suffering in the exact way that I'm suffering right now. Report an error in the passage at 42:13 Highlight the passage at 42:13

42:41 Like whatever my suffering is, and often worse, you know, like with a migraine, for example. Which seems to be gone, actually. You know, there's somebody who has those really kind of horrifying blinding ones. You know, I mean, I've had friends who have had ones where they literally have to pull over because they lose their eyesight during migraine. Report an error in the passage at 42:41 Highlight the passage at 42:41

43:05 It's just, I mean, I don't see how people function. It's just amazing. So, I mean, there are people who are having migraines that are attached to some, like a brain tumor. Yeah, like something much more incredible. And you can do this with just about anything you have, not to belittle your suffering, but just simply to give it context in the fact that so many beings are suffering in the same way. Report an error in the passage at 43:05 Highlight the passage at 43:05

43:30 And what makes, the only thing that I'm making it unique with is this label, it's mine. It's my suffering, which tends to, of course, limit our attention and our, I mean, it limits our entire life with this label of mine. So whatever kind of fear or anxiety or pain or worry or hurt or discomfort that I have, I can be totally certain that so many others are actually experiencing this exact same thing right now. Report an error in the passage at 43:30 Highlight the passage at 43:30

44:02 But, you know, as soon as we have that kind of suffering, any kind of suffering, then we try to relieve that suffering. And that's whatever that relief is or whatever that protection that we turn to, all of that can be considered a form of refuge. Report an error in the passage at 44:02 Highlight the passage at 44:02

44:15 And like I said, you know, we've turned to different kinds. We've all had experience turning to different things to either protect us from our suffering or leave our suffering, take away our suffering, more likely distract us from our suffering. And that's another reason why I think a lot of my relationship with refuge has deepened in retreat because you don't have those distractions. Report an error in the passage at 44:15 Highlight the passage at 44:15

44:42 That's the one thing that... You do give up. You have to bring your mind along, which is kind of a drag. Because that's probably the biggest distraction. Report an error in the passage at 44:42 Highlight the passage at 44:42

44:56 But, you know, you don't have telephone, you don't have email, you don't have internet, you don't have, I don't watch TV, so that one's not a big one, but you don't have, at first it was difficult to give up music, you know, when I was the other person. You don't have those. Billion best friends, right? You can't go to dinner with one of them and talk out your problem. You can take walks, but your number of distraction-type refuges are just cut like probably 90 % out the window. Report an error in the passage at 44:56 Highlight the passage at 44:56

45:31 Food is there, but if you do any kind of pre-sups or anything like that, or if the meal bag only comes up once a day, then there's only so much you can do. You can raid the rich fridge. But, you know, you're only going to find things like, you know, bananas. It's not going to be like a major distraction. So we kind of, we all bring our different experiences of not only the kind of different kinds of sufferings we have, but also what we've done already in this lifetime to try to relieve that suffering. Report an error in the passage at 45:31 Highlight the passage at 45:31

46:03 And it's a really interesting exercise to look at what I've turned to in the past. And whether it's worked or not, you know, and why it hasn't worked. Because the Buddha basically was saying that these sources of refuge couldn't work because they weren't complete sources of refuge in and of themselves. Report an error in the passage at 46:03 Highlight the passage at 46:03

46:25 You know, our mom may have tried, but she had her own problems. We may not have been aware of it, and usually we weren't. When we were little kids, we were sort of like just demanding, you know, her to take care of us. But she wasn't perfect. She hadn't. She transcended her own suffering. She still was quite immersed in her own suffering. The same is true, of course, with my million best friends. They all had their own suffering. Report an error in the passage at 46:25 Highlight the passage at 46:25

46:46 And we've all had that experience too, right? When you get together with someone, you talk about your problems, and they want to talk about theirs. And of course, when we take refuge in something that doesn't last, like the food in the fridge, you know. weird. It's like, what's that all about, you know? Report an error in the passage at 46:46 Highlight the passage at 46:46

47:04 You just feel worse afterwards. It doesn't take away the problem. It probably distracted you for like a tiny moment, like a good movie. And then after the movie, you're kind of actually left a little worse off because you kind of were able to escape for a little bit and then all of a sudden you come crashing back down again. Report an error in the passage at 47:04 Highlight the passage at 47:04

47:21 So they don't have the means to end our suffering. Not even like in a small way. They might give us a temporary reprieve, but they don't really help us get at the causes of our suffering. you. So, um, So, when we think about refuge and what makes something a reliable or trustworthy object of refuge, we have to kind of begin with looking at why all these other things failed. Report an error in the passage at 47:21 Highlight the passage at 47:21

47:51 And it's not to say that you need to toss out relationships and things like that, please don't. But rather just to see... Report an error in the passage at 47:51 Highlight the passage at 47:51

48:00 Why, if you're thinking about it in this really long, larger than life, larger than this life sense of relying on something spiritually that will help you transcend suffering forever, which is really the goal of Buddhism. We were just talking about that in class on Tuesday night. Buddhism isn't really about trying to keep you calm. Report an error in the passage at 48:00 Highlight the passage at 48:00

48:21 While you age and die, you know, that may be the word on the streets, but it's not really what it's about. It's actually to help you transcend all suffering and even death itself so that you can become this amazing being of light that can help all other beings do the same thing. I mean, it's actually incredibly radical. It's huge. So for that, we need somebody who's done it, you know, which is, of course, why. Report an error in the passage at 48:21 Highlight the passage at 48:21

48:50 We begin looking at the qualities of the Buddha and why that would make sense that the Buddha can help us transcend not just our little day-to-day problems, but huge problems like terminal illness, living in a war, big stuff. If you find yourself in a car accident, what's going to help you get through that is going to be incredibly simple. Report an error in the passage at 48:50 Highlight the passage at 48:50

49:17 Deep sense of refuge in something larger, much larger than you. So the Buddha actually taught that, and we talk about this in the very first of the classes in Discovering Buddhism, the nature of mind, but the Buddha taught that basically the source of all of our suffering and the key to all of our happiness is within our own minds. Report an error in the passage at 49:17 Highlight the passage at 49:17

49:43 And we tend to... Forget that. If we ever knew it at all. And we keep turning outside. So we spend a lot of time blaming other people. And we spend a lot of time, you know, going for the fridge or going to the movies or getting Sunday Times, which is my biggest advice, I think. I adore looking at the Sunday New York Times. Report an error in the passage at 49:43 Highlight the passage at 49:43

50:09 Looking for that to be a source of my happiness. I finally got it down to where I only get it like every few months now. It's so funny too. It's like you just build this whole little like it's going to be this amazing magical thing and it's not, you know, you got a cat climbing on you and you're trying to like read it and they're walking across and then the news is kind of disturbing and then, you know, you have all this recycling afterwards. Report an error in the passage at 50:09 Highlight the passage at 50:09

50:34 But anyway, so. So if we can't get to know our own minds, if we don't spend time getting to know our own minds, then we aren't going to be able to get at that root of suffering or eliminate it. And we aren't going to be able to find the key to that happiness or cultivate those states of mind that are going to actually bring us happiness. So, of course, the way that we do that is through meditation. Report an error in the passage at 50:34 Highlight the passage at 50:34

51:03 And so that gets down to... Really developing a regular meditation practice. Hopefully incorporating both types of meditation, even if it's tiny amounts of each. The regularity is more important than the quantity, the time, to a certain point. I mean, at some point it would be great to lengthen the amount of time that we do. Report an error in the passage at 51:03 Highlight the passage at 51:03

51:26 But especially with busy lives here in the city, it is just important to get some... Analytical meditation so that we can kind of figure out how our mind is already doing things and familiarize ourselves with the teachings and so forth. And also some concentration meditation so that we can strengthen that concentration. Because if you really look at, this morning, beginning of the class, we meditated, it was actually about four minutes. Report an error in the passage at 51:26 Highlight the passage at 51:26

51:56 And if you look at how little time our mind is. From my experience, we're actually on the object of the breath. You can see that there's some work to be done. And that's fine. And that's actually one of the purposes of concentration meditation is to let us have a vision of what's really going on in our minds. Report an error in the passage at 51:56 Highlight the passage at 51:56

52:18 To see how often our mind goes off of any object that it's on, goes shooting all around, and we follow whatever thoughts arise as though it's the most exciting thing. Usually it's not leading us anywhere. Report an error in the passage at 52:18 Highlight the passage at 52:18

52:33 So, I mean, in the end, if we can just understand this one basic tenet that our suffering arises from our own minds and our happiness arises, or the key to our happiness is within our own minds, then that's not just going to bring us happiness for ourselves, but it's going to enable us to be able to bring happiness to the people around us. Report an error in the passage at 52:33 Highlight the passage at 52:33

52:59 So understanding our mind is really, really key to anything on the Buddhist path. And understanding that sort of desire for happiness that keeps us going and that desire to avoid suffering that keeps us Report an error in the passage at 52:59 Highlight the passage at 52:59

53:21 distracted, hesitant, like basically living in... Just immersing yourself in sort of negative states of mind in order to get away. It's almost like this, you can imagine it kind of like this fearful rabbit, like running from everything in its sight. And we do that. We've done this apparently since the beginning of this time, just sort of racing around like that and not really making any progress. Report an error in the passage at 53:21 Highlight the passage at 53:21

53:48 So if we want happiness, and we check up, you know, if we want happiness, and of course we have to define happiness, right? Um, you know, Happiness isn't necessarily being over the moon all the time. I'm reading a book actually right now that I would highly recommend it. I think it's a great book. It's by Matthew Ricard. Matthew Ricard. You have to do that while you're not doing it. Report an error in the passage at 53:48 Highlight the passage at 53:48

54:20 It's actually called Happiness. I think there's some sort of subtitle thing and I can give it to you if you're interested. Report an error in the passage at 54:20 Highlight the passage at 54:20

54:27 But his definition of happiness is basically well-being. It's a sense of well-being. So it's almost like a sense of deep contentment, which is really different, I think, than most of our definition of happiness. I think, I know for me, before, I kind of was thinking that happiness was more like really, you know, the way you feel when you just found out that... Report an error in the passage at 54:27 Highlight the passage at 54:27

54:50 You know, your dissertation got accepted. So you just like, you want to call your best friends, you know, all those really best friends again. You know, you're just racing around the house, that kind of manic. And we don't really, that's not necessarily happiness, because it's almost just like, it's actually, you're setting yourself up with this kind of, you're going to fall, like that kind of happiness, you know. Report an error in the passage at 54:50 Highlight the passage at 54:50

55:14 It's anticlimactic, right? I know, really. That's kind of like a postpartum thing, right? Report an error in the passage at 55:14 Highlight the passage at 55:14

55:25 So we don't need to be the energizer buddy, but we do need to know what it is that we're looking for and what that kind of happiness. If we want a certain kind of happiness, we need to know how to get it. And how to get it in the Buddhist sense really begins with knowing our own mind. Report an error in the passage at 55:25 Highlight the passage at 55:25

55:45 So the more that we understand our own minds, or at least... The more that we understand that we need to understand Lama. We need to find somebody that absolutely knows his own mind, has transcended the suffering of his own mind, has figured out how mind works, because there are methods based on how mind works. Report an error in the passage at 55:45 Highlight the passage at 55:45

56:12 Getting to our own mind is sort of the key to those methods working for us. So we need to find a refuge that has already subdued. The kind of delusions that we begin to see are causing us problems. As we're racing around after them like the Energizer Bunny, we begin to see that each of those are actually deluded states of mind and that they can't give us any kind of reliable refuge. Report an error in the passage at 56:12 Highlight the passage at 56:12

56:38 Um. I mean, we begin to see then, if we go back then and look at all the other forms of refuge that we've taken up to this point, we begin to see how those other forms of refuge are unreliable. They're imperfect. They're sort of based in the same confusion and suffering that we're trying to get out of. Report an error in the passage at 56:38 Highlight the passage at 56:38

57:00 They're of this world. There's something of this world. You know, not just drugs and... But anything that we're turning to, it's really almost like a band-aid in the end. It's not going to help us transcend the whole thing completely. Report an error in the passage at 57:00 Highlight the passage at 57:00

57:22 So we need something that's completely flawless. We need something that's able to give us methods to subdue. These crazy states of mind, these negative harmful states of mind that help us develop the positive states of mind. And that will be there for us no matter what we do, whether we're able to follow this path well or not. Report an error in the passage at 57:22 Highlight the passage at 57:22

57:50 So in this case, I'm talking about the Buddha himself, the historical Buddha, Chakimuni Buddha. This one's always here, I always look at Manjushu, but really I'm thinking about the Buddha, any form of the Buddha. The definition of Buddha is actually perfect mind, anything with perfect mind. So one who's perfected every positive quality and who's eliminated every negative quality or delusion or aspect, I should say. Report an error in the passage at 57:50 Highlight the passage at 57:50

58:24 So free of all faults and possessing every quality. And the Tibetan term for Buddha is Sangye. Sangye, Sang, meaning purified of every negative aspect and the causes of those negative aspects. Sang, like S-A-N-G, and then Gye, G-Y-E, two words. Report an error in the passage at 58:24 Highlight the passage at 58:24

58:47 So Sang means purified of every negative aspect and the causes of those negative aspects. And Gye means evolved, meaning having evolved every quality to the point where every quality can be. To the point where it can't be developed any further and in a non-declining way. So it can never decline back. Report an error in the passage at 58:47 Highlight the passage at 58:47

59:10 It's not reversible. Report an error in the passage at 59:10 Highlight the passage at 59:10

59:18 So a little bit more about mind. I mean, the basic definition of mind is that it's clear and knowing. And knowing when it's perfected, when it's completely perfected, like in a Buddha, and currently we only know little bits. We only use a very tiny amount of our mind. Report an error in the passage at 59:18 Highlight the passage at 59:18

59:39 We actually prevent our mind from knowing as much as it can because we keep this kind of limited view of our reality and our life and thinking more about me and mine and all that. That actually limits what we can know. It limits what we're capable of knowing and of becoming. And at this point, because our mind is so under the control of these deluded states of mind. Report an error in the passage at 59:39 Highlight the passage at 59:39

1:00:04 Or kleshas in Sanskrit, or harmful emotions. We just keep distracting ourselves, we keep getting completely, we miss the plot, as Benorobi would say. So, if we didn't have those obstacles, if we didn't have any kleshas left in our mind, if we had eliminated all of them completely. Nothing would get in the way of this innate ability to know, and that's what omniscience is. Buddha is basically, it's like once all those obstacles are gone, this mind is just free to do what it does. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:04 Highlight the passage at 1:00:04

1:00:49 Its M.O. is to know, and it knows everything. It can know everything, which would be amazing. No longer stopped anymore from doing its job. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:49 Highlight the passage at 1:00:49

1:01:05 And And we'd be free, our mind would be free of just entering into everything more deeply and totally. So it's just not the way we know now, almost like in a more intellectual way. Buddha mind knows completely, like it's sort of, with every object it sort of encircles and knows, it knows. The mind of all beings simultaneously said to know the karma of all beings. So if I want to help Charlie get enlightened, it really helps to know that his past life was this and he did this and then before that he did this and that led up to this. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:05 Highlight the passage at 1:01:05

1:01:45 And then I can help him by giving him exactly the kind of practices that are going to help his mind. So, I mean, the whole Buddhist path is... It's about working with our mind. It's about our mind. I say that one because often when we get into Buddhism, we want to fix everybody else's mind. It's really easy to see these afflicted states of mind in other people and to want to, for their own benefit, of course, help them remove all those annoying states of mind because they annoy us. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:45 Highlight the passage at 1:01:45

1:02:20 But that's not really the point. The whole point of Buddhism is to work with our own minds and it is possible, the Buddha taught that it is possible to eliminate these afflicted states of mind because that's not part of the innate nature of our mind. The innate nature of our mind is clear and knowing and that's it. These states of mind can all be removed and that's what practice is. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:20 Highlight the passage at 1:02:20

1:02:46 That's what the path is. And so we do this through meditating and we do this through working with our minds off the cushion as well. And that's of course what we get into a lot in the Tuesday night class. Not just how to do your formal meditation as well as you possibly can, but what you do with the other 23 and a half hours of every day. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:46 Highlight the passage at 1:02:46

1:03:11 And all of that is about working with our minds. So, um, And once we can eliminate all that confusion and all that delusion, then we can know directly and unmistakably everything. At least this is what the Buddha taught. So, I mean, the Buddha, the teachers that we turn to, the gurus and the holy beings, the Buddhas themselves, the Bodhisattvas, they can inspire us, they can guide us, they can show us this, but we actually have to do the work. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:11 Highlight the passage at 1:03:11

1:03:47 They can't get into our minds and fix it. They can't take away our suffering for us. They can teach us the sort of tools and they can teach us the methods. They can show us that doing this made you suffer. Doing this will make you happy, which is all about the teachings of cause and effect. But then we have to do the work of changing how we act, how we react when things happen. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:47 Highlight the passage at 1:03:47

1:04:15 Don't go away and so forth. So at this point, they say that even our best qualities are mixed with deluded states of mind. You know, like even if we generate love and compassion, that there's still mixed with some attachment or some expectation that whoever it is that we love will stay with us for 25 years, you know, 50 years. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:15 Highlight the passage at 1:04:15

1:04:43 That, you know. Even if I'm able to give you something out of complete generosity, that there's some hidden thought that somehow that'll make you love me better or stay with me or at least respect me or something. You know, like there's still some aspect of it that's tainted. And apparently we have this until we actually have the experience of directly perceiving emptiness, which is the nature of reality of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:43 Highlight the passage at 1:04:43

1:05:15 Saw things as being empty of any kind of absolute or inherent reality. And until we have that direct perception, that direct experience ourselves, everything's sort of tainted with this. And that's okay, like not to beat ourselves up about that when we notice it. But to begin to notice it was actually key too. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:15 Highlight the passage at 1:05:15

1:05:40 So, I mean, right now we tend to give our best qualities to the people in our inner circle. And probably, actually, sometimes our worst qualities do. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:40 Highlight the passage at 1:05:40

1:05:52 Especially if we never leave the building. But they say, you know, I mean, it's partly just removing this filter of me-mine, that this whole idea of things not existing in this. The way that we perceive them, this really limited, absolute way that we perceive them. My family, my friends, my co-workers, my housemates, you know, like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:52 Highlight the passage at 1:05:52

1:06:24 Right now we sort of, we wear these sunglasses and we're unable to see beyond them, but this getting to know the nature of our mind and the nature of reality is like removing those. Those shades so that we're able to see things in this huge way. Lama actually always used to say, right now we have little mind and we're trying to build big mind, big mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:24 Highlight the passage at 1:06:24

1:06:49 It's basically freeing the mind that we already have. Our mind is already vast. It's already pure in nature. And now it's just basically opening it up. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:49 Highlight the passage at 1:06:49

1:07:03 I see somebody's in need of a stretch. Sorry. One more quick thought and then why don't we take a break. Oh, actually we have some questions and then we can take a break. But we can also start with just thinking, because there are people in the world right now who already inspire us with qualities that we want in our own minds. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:03 Highlight the passage at 1:07:03

1:07:27 Like we already, you know, we can see somebody like His Holiness, for example. People who do really brave things are people who have amazing energy. And this is true. I mean, how did they get these qualities? I mean, there's some karma, but there's no essential difference between them and us. Their mind is mind. It's human mind. Our mind is also human mind. They have just developed some seeds more. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:27 Highlight the passage at 1:07:27

1:08:00 Fully than we have. Whether it was intentional or not, you know, some people that we can be really inspired by aren't Buddhist at all. But, you know, it does take some effort. Some effort has been done. If they haven't done it in this life, then the Buddha would say they've done it in the past life. It's that whole idea of sort of putting some effort into the garden. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:00 Highlight the passage at 1:08:00

1:08:22 You know, weeding out the stuff you don't want and putting time and energy into the... The plants that you do want there, so the mind, the mental states that you do want, really take a certain amount of effort. So it's not really magic, it's just effort. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:22 Highlight the passage at 1:08:22

1:08:40 And Vinom Rabina is always very fond of saying that. You know, we often think of Buddhist practice as being very holy and it's really about day in, day out, moment after moment, relentlessly really looking at your mind and not... buying all the excuses that your mind will cook up as to why this bout of anger is really okay. You know, just not to be, not incredibly hard on yourself, but rather to be relentless. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:40 Highlight the passage at 1:08:40

1:09:12 And there's two different things, you know, that, okay, you messed up, get back on the horse, you know. You just got to keep going, you got to keep going, you got to keep your eye on the prize. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:12 Highlight the passage at 1:09:12

1:09:24 Shantideva said, That there is nothing in this world that does not come easily if you make a habit of it. It just takes effort. And that's totally true for our practice and our work in our lives. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:24 Highlight the passage at 1:09:24

1:09:37 So that's just a little bit about how mind works because I think it really plays into understanding the whole reason of the path and why we've turned to other refuges that haven't worked. So we can start looking at that. Next week we're going to talk a little more about the causes of refuge and objects of refuge and how refuge protects us. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:37 Highlight the passage at 1:09:37

1:10:04 Because they say going for refuge protects us from the lower realms. And so I want to explain that because it's not like Mighty Mouse. It's not like anybody's going to fly in and do the work for us. So I'm going to touch on that. Does anybody have any questions? And we can take a break. Oh, talking stick. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:04 Highlight the passage at 1:10:04

1:10:25 You said, Shantideva said, there's nothing that does not come easily. There's nothing in the world which does not come easily if you make a habit of it. There's more of that quote, I actually have it upstairs on my file cabinet. I think I can send it to you if you want. No, it's okay. There's nothing in this world which does not come easily if you make a habit of it. He's talking in that particular quote about patience, so make them a habit. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:25 Highlight the passage at 1:10:25

1:10:57 Patience, but it's really for any positive state of mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:57 Highlight the passage at 1:10:57

1:11:08 Yeah, totally. What we've given our habits to... The reverse is true, but too, I was just thinking that all the bad habits, you know, they come easily because they are habits. Because, exactly, we've given them the energy, the attention, the time. We've developed them fully. We've put in extra hours on them. We're happy to stay up all night if we're pissed at somebody, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:08 Highlight the passage at 1:11:08

1:11:31 No, it's very true. We don't even think about that we're doing it that way. But we were talking about that actually in the Tuesday night class too. Analytical meditation is often, I mean, something that we're familiar with already, right? If we're falling in love with somebody, we're going to think about all their qualities one by one. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:31 Highlight the passage at 1:11:31

1:11:51 We'll go over them and over them in our minds. We'll talk about them with each other, you know, debate them if necessary if somebody disagrees, you know. And the same thing is true. Once they have done something that, you know, pisses us off, then we're going to go through all how they've always been horrible and they've always had all these problems and, you know, I knew it from the very beginning and we're going to talk about that with all of our friends. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:51 Highlight the passage at 1:11:51

1:12:16 We're going to stay up all night and think about it and we just go round and round. It's like building and building and building that negative state of mind. And that's all we're doing is just reinforcing it, reinforcing it, reinforcing it. And actually with the other, we're really just reinforcing attachments, so that's also a negative state of mind, because we're not really looking at them analytically. We're not thinking, yes, Charlie has these really wonderful qualities, but he also has these, and I should think about, you know, we're not doing that. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:16 Highlight the passage at 1:12:16

1:12:40 We rarely enter a relationship like that, or, you know, buy a car that way. Sometimes buying a car we might, and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we're just, you know, we just want that one. And so we're not going to listen to any of the other people that come up and say, well, it actually falls apart in the third year. Remember that one car that had the problem of falling over on the Suzuki Samurai? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:40 Highlight the passage at 1:12:40

1:13:07 Yeah. Yeah, the first edition of it. Yeah, yeah. It was like, you think they would have caught that one. And so many people, even when it was first starting to come out, they still kept buying them, you know, like you just wanted them because you knew somebody with them. They were cute. Yeah, exactly. It's true. Anyway, why don't we take a break. And then actually, you guys, there's this syllabus and Karen. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:07 Highlight the passage at 1:13:07

1:13:43 It's a small class in a small binder. I got the establishing a daily practice. I was going to tell you, the accountant in me caught that. Oh no, they all are. They aren't supposed to. It's just the face page. Oh it is? Oh no. This is a volunteer project. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:43 Highlight the passage at 1:13:43

1:14:09 Well maybe it's some sort of a hint. project. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:09 Highlight the passage at 1:14:09

1:14:11 That you guys also have to have a daily practice and be able to take refute. I'm concerned that my linkage for me is to do that. Yeah, it's new. But it could be, yeah, possibly it looks really different from the other ones. It's very cool. Well, do you guys want a new, no, you're okay. All right, there you go. We don't want any more Dharma burn, right? Report an error in the passage at 1:14:11 Highlight the passage at 1:14:11

1:14:35 No more beach trips. Homework, you'll be happy to see is one page. Today. Today? It's true. He's on, dude. He's been, yeah, he's been. I'm gonna, Zully, you're second class, right? Do you have any finishers? Yeah, exactly. And then the syllabus for the class, and it's right there. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:35 Highlight the passage at 1:14:35

1:15:01 But I didn't eat, work, and the carry around food, and maybe Report an error in the passage at 1:15:01 Highlight the passage at 1:15:01

1:15:11 a whole piece of it. But those are dessert. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:11 Highlight the passage at 1:15:11

1:15:20 Well, maybe after, but I got a burger. But I literally took it out of my refrigerator. My husband made it. There's no bread. I just snatched it. It was a small Report an error in the passage at 1:15:20 Highlight the passage at 1:15:20

· · · silence, 8 minutes

1:23:30 class, it was kind of nice because everyone has done at least one class before, and so I didn't have to go through all the sort of list to go like, it's doing Homer, you know, Latisha, blah, blah. So I didn't do any of that, so I really chopped out a good couple of pages. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:30 Highlight the passage at 1:23:30

1:23:51 So that gives us time to do, what I was going to do now is just to do the same meditation kind of that you're going to do at home. So you have the experience, which I really like to do. So then you have it once led by me, so you kind of have an idea of how to do it in your own. But David's got to get his espresso drink so that we can think about what he's taking refuge in. Report an error in the passage at 1:23:51 Highlight the passage at 1:23:51

1:24:19 Me, yeah, Simone's actually leaving. I love what I'm saying, Salah. Yeah. Yeah, so it's interesting. It seems like I would love to have a job, but for some reason it's hard to find somebody who... Anyway, it didn't work out. But Mia actually came. She works downstairs at LPP and she's a natural. She likes working with people. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:19 Highlight the passage at 1:24:19

1:24:48 She's with food. She's great. So she's on a couple shifts. Haley is coming now Friday mornings. We're trying to have it open all the time. I think she's going to sit in there, but she's also going to do work for me. She's going to do free listings, posting. So we have a way of having her do both things simultaneously. Report an error in the passage at 1:24:48 Highlight the passage at 1:24:48

1:25:13 Yeah, and a few other people that Simone's trying to get in place before she leaves. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:13 Highlight the passage at 1:25:13

1:25:22 Getting somebody to manage it is big. I think what's probably going to end up is Karina is going to do more of that. Karina is the ideal, but she's a natural for this because she's a food person. She's a restaurant person. Report an error in the passage at 1:25:22 Highlight the passage at 1:25:22

1:25:40 And she's a Dharma student, so she's got both. And it's hard to get that combination because you have to know the Dharma in order to buy the books and to have some recognition of the Report an error in the passage at 1:25:40 Highlight the passage at 1:25:40

1:25:53 cafe part of it. It's hard to get both. Yeah. And she's, her partner also, Nick, is someone who's created all the recipes. So he Report an error in the passage at 1:25:53 Highlight the passage at 1:25:53

1:26:14 invented that chicken. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:14 Highlight the passage at 1:26:14

1:26:19 Vegan chicken salad. Oh yeah, it's very good to have the chicken salad. Yeah, yeah. The chicken salad is, yeah, it's great. Like even for the, no, vegan chicken salad. No, we can't offer meat. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:19 Highlight the passage at 1:26:19

1:26:42 Lost David forever into another form of refuge. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:42 Highlight the passage at 1:26:42

1:26:48 He can just focus on his refuge and espresso drinks this week. I usually convince people to take tea. Or to place your order before the break. Call it right as you're going into class. You can say, when the break hits, can you have my coffee ready? You just have something to focus on this week. Report an error in the passage at 1:26:48 Highlight the passage at 1:26:48

1:27:16 Okay, so does anyone have any questions before? And then I'm just going to kind of do a version of your meditation for the week, so that you won't be able to drink yours. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:16 Highlight the passage at 1:27:16

1:27:29 Can you answer the mic? So that he can drink it while he's asking the question. It's encircling, some sort of strange pillow talk. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:29 Highlight the passage at 1:27:29

1:27:42 You're talking about other forms of refuge that we... I was Report an error in the passage at 1:27:42 Highlight the passage at 1:27:42

1:27:52 wondering if the external factor of these refugees is how they're outside of us. They're constantly changing and we expect them to be consistent. Report an error in the passage at 1:27:52 Highlight the passage at 1:27:52

1:28:05 They're assembled and we want them to be fixed. And I'm just wondering in the class are we going to kind of analyze how to bring Buddhism as a refuge because I mean right now I see there's Buddha, there's Manjushri. they're you, you're... I'm still outside of you. You're still outside of me. Ultimately, you have your own inner wisdom, and that's what you're really taking refuge in, your own, Report an error in the passage at 1:28:05 Highlight the passage at 1:28:05

1:28:40 but also your own inner wisdom. So even though we rely right now on manifestations of that wisdom, I mean, a guru is really just a manifestation. It's a bridge to your own inner wisdom. Same with all the Buddhas and Bodhisattva. They're just showing us how to get to our own. Report an error in the passage at 1:28:40 Highlight the passage at 1:28:40

1:29:03 So, yeah, so there's different forms of refuge. There's this external refuge and there's also an internal Report an error in the passage at 1:29:03 Highlight the passage at 1:29:03

1:29:14 refuge. And then there's all this other kind of secret and suchness and resultant and causal. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:14 Highlight the passage at 1:29:14

1:29:26 I know, you just don't know with the word refuge where it's all going to leave. That's actually quite complex. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:26 Highlight the passage at 1:29:26

1:29:37 Is it too hot? I'm not good. We're concerned about that. I mean, you got it, it's the perfect, there's probably a lot of expectations built up around there, and then it's going to be cold as Christmas by the time we finish this. That's a good lesson. That's a good lesson. I'll have it as a chilled posture. If I hear a slurp, I'm going to have to say something. Report an error in the passage at 1:29:37 Highlight the passage at 1:29:37

1:30:04 So just take a moment to, again, kind of review your posture. Roll your shoulders, take some deep breaths. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:04 Highlight the passage at 1:30:04

1:30:33 About ten breaths. In and out. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:33 Highlight the passage at 1:30:33

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:30:37 Focusing at whatever level works for you. Report an error in the passage at 1:30:37 Highlight the passage at 1:30:37

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:31:26 Not taking refuge is nothing new. We've been taking refuge all our lives, Report an error in the passage at 1:31:26 Highlight the passage at 1:31:26

1:31:35 but always in temporary objects. When we're sick, we take refuge in a doctor, and in medicine. When we're depressed, we seek refuge in a friend, and we went to movies, or eating chocolate. Report an error in the passage at 1:31:35 Highlight the passage at 1:31:35

1:32:07 Obviously, these forms are refuge. Bring us some sort of momentary relief from whatever kind of pain we are in, whatever kind of suffering we are in. But they don't have the power to liberate us permanently, in the way that the Buddha does, Report an error in the passage at 1:32:07 Highlight the passage at 1:32:07

1:32:37 and investigate how and why these kind of worldly objects, enjoyments, people, don't have the power to liberate us, because they're just as imperfect as us, Report an error in the passage at 1:32:37 Highlight the passage at 1:32:37

1:33:10 and anything external to us. Relax, the ability to satisfy us. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:10 Highlight the passage at 1:33:10

1:33:27 So just spend Report an error in the passage at 1:33:27 Highlight the passage at 1:33:27

1:33:41 a few moments tonight thinking about whatever you normally turn to when you're suffering in any way, whether it's a big way or a little way. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:41 Highlight the passage at 1:33:41

1:33:51 What do you turn to when you're in pain, or scared, or sad? And will that thing, or that person, or that experience, I hope you overcome your suffering completely. Report an error in the passage at 1:33:51 Highlight the passage at 1:33:51

· · · silence, 5 minutes

1:39:26 we understand that the situation we're in Report an error in the passage at 1:39:26 Highlight the passage at 1:39:26

· · · silence, 2 minutes

1:41:15 just beginning, you know, more time to go deeper. Did you have a question? Report an error in the passage at 1:41:15 Highlight the passage at 1:41:15

1:41:24 question, and it's not that important, it's just, was, started reading the John Pollard's book, the Intro to Tibetan Buddhism, it's really good, you see it. I've seen some really great quotes out of it. Yeah, I got to meet him and he's just a person. Oh, very cool. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:24 Highlight the passage at 1:41:24

1:41:43 I was reading part of it and it was talking about the paths of meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:41:43 Highlight the passage at 1:41:43

1:42:00 Gay, the evolved and cannot decline. Is that the fourth path? Well, Buddhahood is definitely a path of normal. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:00 Highlight the passage at 1:42:00

1:42:14 You know, it sounded because that's as far as I've gotten in the book. And it's interesting, actually, Emily pointed out when we were talking about Monday night class, Report an error in the passage at 1:42:14 Highlight the passage at 1:42:14

1:42:26 she was talking about the fact that, Report an error in the passage at 1:42:26 Highlight the passage at 1:42:26

1:42:37 like, the Elberg Road. But it's more like you act, Report an error in the passage at 1:42:37 Highlight the passage at 1:42:37

1:42:44 which I think is an interesting thing. And every time the path, you look at it like that, I was thinking more like, you know, the graduated path, it's much more internal. And in fact, in Tibetan, they don't even have this word, Buddhist. Once you take refuge, you're an inner being, meaning you're going to do the work. Report an error in the passage at 1:42:44 Highlight the passage at 1:42:44

1:43:13 And I know when I got ordained, you know, a lot of people were talking about, like, you know how when... Catholic nuns, they marry Christ or something like that. So people were saying that and I was like, I'm marrying my own mind. That's what I'm making the commitment to, is to my own mind, to do the work on my mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:13 Highlight the passage at 1:43:13

1:43:33 So that's the way it felt. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:33 Highlight the passage at 1:43:33

1:43:39 Well, there's a lot of personalities in there, actually. I don't think I know the word. Report an error in the passage at 1:43:39 Highlight the passage at 1:43:39

1:43:55 So those five paths, which are actually five paths, Report an error in the passage at 1:43:55 Highlight the passage at 1:43:55

1:44:02 incorporates our entire path to becoming a Buddha, is the... Path of accumulation, and that's accumulating merit, and you have to accumulate quite a bit of merit in order to have these realizations. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:02 Highlight the passage at 1:44:02

1:44:17 You know, I hope that I'm on that one actually. That's the problem is I don't really know which one we're on. I think actually you have to have renunciation to be on that one. Like genuine renunciation. Not candy cane renunciation, a goosebump renunciation. I was just reading that one this morning, goosebump renunciation. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:17 Highlight the passage at 1:44:17

1:44:37 Liberation is when you have, like you think you've even, you have like an experience and all the goosebumps, but it doesn't. Report an error in the passage at 1:44:37 Highlight the passage at 1:44:37

1:44:48 Yeah. So that's a path of accumulation, a path of preparation. Basically, you're preparing to directly perceive emptiness. So you're studying it, thousands of hours of study, thousands of hours Report an error in the passage at 1:44:48 Highlight the passage at 1:44:48

1:45:05 of being one of them. Lama biting is like the pinnacle of consciousness. They say that you, Report an error in the passage at 1:45:05 Highlight the passage at 1:45:05

1:45:22 and, Gisela always points out, and you attain this bliss of life. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:22 Highlight the passage at 1:45:22

1:45:33 I'm probably close, but you know. And then he'd stay awake. Yeah. With full clarity and, yeah, you're here. Oh, I gotta be awake. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:33 Highlight the passage at 1:45:33

1:45:54 No, I remember actually there was an interview with Ben and Rene. You see, down at Bunch of Honey, he was talking to Triton Rinpoche about calm abiding. And he said, you know, he asked, like, what's the measure when you attained it? And this is where I was saying. He said, can you get up in the middle and take a break? He's like, I'm sitting. Report an error in the passage at 1:45:54 Highlight the passage at 1:45:54

1:46:21 I know, I thought it was great. It's kind of amazing, I mean, actually, for him to have even attained the point where he has that kind of concentration for any amount of time, much less for two hours. That's what I thought. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:21 Highlight the passage at 1:46:21

1:46:43 If I could have a blip of having actual total awareness, concentration and liveliness, one teacher said it's... The kind of awareness that you have is like you're watching a really good film. So you just happen to be watching your breath or whatever the image is that you're using as your object. But with that complete engagement and alertness that we normally reserve for something like watching a really, really good film. Report an error in the passage at 1:46:43 Highlight the passage at 1:46:43

1:47:09 So it's not just, you know, zooming out all the thoughts. So then that's preparation. The path of seeing is actually the shortest of all the paths. That's when you directly perceive emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:09 Highlight the passage at 1:47:09

1:47:22 The path of seeing itself is actually only the deep meditative state that you now can do because you've generally come by directly experience nature of reality as it is. So it's completely non-conceptual. The path of habituation or meditation is getting used to that. That tiny experience which I've heard lasts as little as 20 minutes. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:22 Highlight the passage at 1:47:22

1:47:51 The first two whole paths are getting you to, the second two paths are getting you used to. You've got to get used to all of that because suddenly nothing exists the way you thought it did. And you're never the same. That's the difference between they say Arya beings, what they call Arya beings, superior beings, are those who have had this experience and the rest of us are ordinary beings. Report an error in the passage at 1:47:51 Highlight the passage at 1:47:51

1:48:17 And once you cross over, you're never the same. And Buddhas are Arya beings because they have this perception always. And then the path, so that's the path of habituation is typically lifetimes of getting used to this experience of having directly perceived emptiness and then eradicating one by one, based on this, all of your mental afflictions. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:17 Highlight the passage at 1:48:17

1:48:41 And then the path of no more learning is considered a fifth path, but it's actually Sangye. It's actually enlightenment itself. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:41 Highlight the passage at 1:48:41

1:48:54 Next turn. Tossed in teaching there? So you can have perceived emptiness without having mental affliction? Yes, yeah, Arya beings have not removed all of their mental affliction, but they don't believe in them anymore. So you come down, I've heard that it's literally a sensation of coming, this experience, and you look around and everything, so you guys are still out there, separate from me. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:54 Highlight the passage at 1:48:54

1:49:24 I'm still me, so I still have all the same afflictions, but I'm not going to buy into it anymore. I know you don't exist that way anymore, because I've had this intense experience where I've plunged into this direct perception of emptiness. And leading up to that, in the path of preparation, you have an inferential experience of emptiness, you have an intellectual experience of emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:24 Highlight the passage at 1:49:24

1:49:48 So you get all your ducks in a row, you understand it inside and out, which of course takes... Study and debate and discussion and meditating on all those things. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:48 Highlight the passage at 1:49:48

1:50:11 Apparently there's no question. And the one thing it does remove, I think the one mental inflection that it removes at that moment is doubt. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:11 Highlight the passage at 1:50:11

1:50:23 It's pretty cool. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:23 Highlight the passage at 1:50:23

1:50:27 So we're shooting for that one. If you can get to that one, you actually have a direct perception of your own enlightenment. You know it will happen. You know when it will happen. You know how many lifetimes it will take. So you're basically on the conveyor belt. You know you're out. Report an error in the passage at 1:50:27 Highlight the passage at 1:50:27

1:50:51 So you have that fate. It's not built on anything other than your own experience. It's like the difference between reading about and preparing for a trip to Paris and going to Paris. Like the difference is completely different. But you know what I mean? Report an error in the passage at 1:50:51 Highlight the passage at 1:50:51

1:51:12 And your ability to teach others skyrockets because you now have this direct experience. Like I can tell you based on what my teachers say, I can use their words, I can use even my experience of them and how I can perceive their ability to work with their minds and all that stuff. I can convey that. But if I've had this experience myself, it's completely different. It's like they actually use... Report an error in the passage at 1:51:12 Highlight the passage at 1:51:12

1:51:41 They say it's like describing the taste of sugar and actually having sugar. I love that. Yeah, I love that too. I love that too because it's like, you know, people, yeah, when people describe something like, you know, this tastes so good and they're like this and this and this and this and you're just like, still it doesn't make sense because you're still trying, you're still, like all of us, if I describe like the perfect, you know, piece of cake. Report an error in the passage at 1:51:41 Highlight the passage at 1:51:41

1:52:05 Like, you'd all have different slight variations, because you'd be conceptualizing it based on your own experience. It'd still be coming through your own filters, but then if you stick it in your mouth and taste it, it doesn't have to be conceptual. At least for a minute. You left the cake in the oven? I left it on this table. It was so rude. I didn't mean to. Oh, you left? Report an error in the passage at 1:52:05 Highlight the passage at 1:52:05

1:52:24 It was like a half-eight. Sorry. It Report an error in the passage at 1:52:24 Highlight the passage at 1:52:24

1:52:41 was still affected by this afflicted state of mind. Anyway, so. Any other questions? not even on Report an error in the passage at 1:52:41 Highlight the passage at 1:52:41

1:52:54 I do, but I'm afraid of it. That's okay, we're actually, it's just now nine. See, this is the fun thing about having a small class, is that there is more time for this. Well, it was something that you brought. Are you going to do like that one woman at the end of one class, one time, someone said, I just have one question. Everyone keeps talking about emptiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:52:54 Highlight the passage at 1:52:54

1:53:15 Can you describe what emptiness is? Well, Report an error in the passage at 1:53:15 Highlight the passage at 1:53:15

1:53:21 I can always say, let's talk about it next week. That's cool. Because you mentioned attachment, and this actually is from our other class, and you were talking about how we need to not just meditate, but then think about... Contemplate. Contemplate, the next step. And so I've been contemplating compassion, the nature of compassion, because I didn't get the next two homework assignments, so I've been just working on focusing on Shakyamuni Buddha in my meditation. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:21 Highlight the passage at 1:53:21

1:53:53 I must need it. So anyway, I was wondering if compassion, this is a real simplistic definition, but is it like love without attachment? Would you say that that's an accurate definition? The way I've always heard it for compassion is wanting to remove another suffering. Report an error in the passage at 1:53:53 Highlight the passage at 1:53:53

1:54:24 Love is wanting to bring another happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:24 Highlight the passage at 1:54:24

1:54:31 Bodhicitta, no, great compassion is wanting to remove the suffering of all beings without exception. Great love, although they don't define it as that, loving kindness sometimes it's called, is wanting to bring happiness to all beings without exception. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:31 Highlight the passage at 1:54:31

1:54:50 Yes, and Arjampa in Tibetan. And ninja is great compassion. Yeah, yeah. And then those two are the direct cause, especially great compassion are the direct cause for ultimate responsibility. Like, if I can develop this mind where I see the suffering of others as completely unbearable, and I want to remove that suffering, I myself have to take the steps to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:54:50 Highlight the passage at 1:54:50

1:55:30 So I take it as my personal responsibility, the way I would if you really were my mom, or my child. Let's tell you about one of the other classes. So yeah, I wouldn't think twice that it would be my responsibility if he really were my mom. And I have that for all beings. So this is already this enormous mind. Then that leads to the mind of Ruchitta, which is deciding that I will become a Buddha because that's the best method to be able to do that. Report an error in the passage at 1:55:30 Highlight the passage at 1:55:30

1:56:01 So it's like they build. So love and compassion are the basis for great love and great compassion, which are the basis for this mind of ultimate responsibility, which is the basis for bodhicitta. And you can't really have that without developing your own basic love and compassion. Love is wanting another's happiness. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:01 Highlight the passage at 1:56:01

1:56:23 Simply wanting another's happiness, having nothing to do with me. The attachment is where it usually has to do with me. It's usually, I want your happiness as long as you stay with me. Or I want your happiness as long as you like me. Or as long as you make me happy. Which is often part of it too. And if you stop, then I really want your unhappiness. And I might even work to attain that. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:23 Highlight the passage at 1:56:23

1:56:53 I mean, often that's what we do. Yeah. Well, and there's some, we think there'll be some happiness for us. Report an error in the passage at 1:56:53 Highlight the passage at 1:56:53

1:57:11 Yeah. You've done the bodhicitta class before, right? It's coming up. It's coming up in March. And there's steps to attaining this mind of bodhicitta and you meditate on each one of them. And that's how you get to this mind. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:11 Highlight the passage at 1:57:11

1:57:31 It's really powerful to do this meditation. Because even just having actual love for one being is so difficult. Our actual compassion for one being where you were really willing to do whatever it took for them to be happy. Even for me just to have it for you guys alone in the whole world for the rest of my life would be an amazing thing. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:31 Highlight the passage at 1:57:31

1:57:56 No matter what you do to me, no matter what you say, no matter if you diss me to other people, whatever. Like for me to always want your happiness and to work for it and to always want you to be free of suffering and to help you do that. That's huge. But then when you send it out and you're all beings without exception, it's like, it's almost insane. It's almost an insane thought. Report an error in the passage at 1:57:56 Highlight the passage at 1:57:56

1:58:21 And yet that's what gets you to enlightenment. Because right now we're really caught up with, I might love this one person as long as they make me happy, stay with me, comfort me. My jokes. Yeah. To even aspire to it. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:21 Highlight the passage at 1:58:21

1:58:49 No, it's true. It's almost uncomfortable. But it's also, there's something amazing about it. If you've ever had anyone love you completely unconditionally, even once, it's such an amazing feeling. And to have someone kind of do that for a long period of time, you do, you kind of are drawn to it, like I'm lost to a plane, to be loved like that. Report an error in the passage at 1:58:49 Highlight the passage at 1:58:49

1:59:12 And it doesn't matter what you do or what you give to that person or whatever. It's kind of an amazing thing. It's an amazing gift. no, no. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:12 Highlight the passage at 1:59:12

1:59:19 And then to think, Buddhas have that for all of us. Our teachers often tell us that they are who they seem to be. They don't get discouraged. They don't, you know, if they give us a practice and we totally don't do it or screw up or whatever, they just are totally kind and just give us another one, you know, and they're just patient, you know. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:19 Highlight the passage at 1:59:19

1:59:42 Because they just, they're actually exemplifying this. They just want our happiness. They just want us to be, Report an error in the passage at 1:59:42 Highlight the passage at 1:59:42

1:59:51 yeah, you know, it's just like heartbreaking. Just to receive that love. But then I think it's also, it must be so blissful to be able to give that love. Report an error in the passage at 1:59:51 Highlight the passage at 1:59:51

2:00:03 That's the thing that you notice when you're doing the meditations on bodhicitta. It's like it just, it you soar. Like you go, like to think about the suffering of beings is heartbreaking. But then you transcend it when you get to this mind. It's like you get this really blissful state of mind of like, wow! Report an error in the passage at 2:00:03 Highlight the passage at 2:00:03

2:00:22 It's like really courageous and strong. It's actually... And you come out of that meditation just, yeah. And that's what I think. I think bodhicitta is like the fuel. If you can generate bodhicitta, it's like, then you're willing to practice hard. Then you're willing to give up the Sunday New York Times and, you know, go into retreat. You know, you're willing because you see how amazing, like you don't want beings to suffer and you want to bring them happiness. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:22 Highlight the passage at 2:00:22

2:00:50 So, sure, I'm going to, you know, this is like, it's actually blissful for me that. to do those things because I generated this mind. Do they say bodhisattvas? If you ask me for something and I'm a bodhisattva for me to give you my hand is blissful if I think it will benefit you. Report an error in the passage at 2:00:50 Highlight the passage at 2:00:50

2:01:08 actually, it's wonderful to do, I have no problems about Report an error in the passage at 2:01:08 Highlight the passage at 2:01:08

2:01:14 When you're describing the bliss, I'm imagining dropping a humongous burden. I mean having that desire for everybody to be happy. Without qualification, frees up so much mind space. Totally, yeah, yeah. You know, the idea of it. It's like, okay, why just... We actually, we take up so much of our, we limit ourselves and we take up so much of our mind worrying about me. Yeah, what they could do to me. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:14 Highlight the passage at 2:01:14

2:01:50 What they could do to me or I'm going to get, you know, used or, yeah, yeah, what about me, what about me. I loved that actually. Report an error in the passage at 2:01:50 Highlight the passage at 2:01:50

2:02:01 Yeah, and we don't even realize that we're doing it until you let go of it, even for an instant. You just realize that it actually makes you happier not to have that state of mind, but we've had it for so many lifetimes. It feels horrible. And even when we let go of it for a moment in meditation, like the minute we get off the cushion, we're like, okay, hopefully they saved me some food. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:01 Highlight the passage at 2:02:01

2:02:24 You know, I mean, because we're so used to thinking that way, you know. Look Report an error in the passage at 2:02:24 Highlight the passage at 2:02:24

2:02:33 at you guys, I've tried to let you end up. Report an error in the passage at 2:02:33 Highlight the passage at 2:02:33

2:02:41 Dave, that's the Yeah. And Yeah. He could be going all night. That's his feel. He held my Report an error in the passage at 2:02:41 Highlight the passage at 2:02:41

2:03:14 hand. How are you? Report an error in the passage at 2:03:14 Highlight the passage at 2:03:14

2:03:20 And then I could feel it for a long time. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:20 Highlight the passage at 2:03:20

2:03:27 Like a bubble. You know? disliked that. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:27 Highlight the passage at 2:03:27

2:03:36 that's His holiness does too. Ew. Should we put these away? This is a good question. No, I'm going to set it up for tomorrow. Oh yeah, so we should face each other? Face each other. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:36 Highlight the passage at 2:03:36

2:03:52 And actually I think we can use pretty much all of the missions. We'll probably put back some of the city ones. And we'll look back a couple, two tables. Report an error in the passage at 2:03:52 Highlight the passage at 2:03:52

2:04:02 And all the prayer books can go. Can go up? Yeah. that's the first thing. Is Keisha there? She comes, or she probably came during. She was kind of like an A or something. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:02 Highlight the passage at 2:04:02

2:04:20 I remember when we were in class with Keisha, she'd always say, okay, set up for Pooja. I know. It's actually like more chaotic. Report an error in the passage at 2:04:20 Highlight the passage at 2:04:20

2:04:37 Because otherwise you're recording all of our... I haven't had a class for a while, so I'm... Report an error in the passage at 2:04:37 Highlight the passage at 2:04:37